Excellent storytelling

The Graveyard Book, Volume 1 by P. Craig Russell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Neil Gaiman is such a creative writer. This graphic novel adaptation of his "The Graveyard Book" is really well done, and has me wanting to read Volume 2 as well as Neil Gaiman's novel on which it is based. Excellent storytelling!!

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moving and inspirational memoir

The Water is Wide by Pat Conroy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

We recently saw the movie entitled "Conrack" starring Jon Voight which is based on this book. The Water is Wide is a moving and inspirational memoir of Pat Conroy, a young and idealistic teacher, and his mission to rescue a classroom of children who were all but forgotten by the school system in South Carolina in the contentious environment of the late 1960's school desegregation. The setting is Daufuskie Island (called Yamacraw Island in the book), off the coast of Beaufort SC. The children were direct descendants of slaves, and had never been off the island, living frozen in the past. Mr. Conroy encounters resistance immediately and throughout the tale's approximate timeline of one year. As he fights to break through and reach the children, their families, the island community, and even the segregationist status quo county school administration, he encounters hurdles of all kinds, social, religious, cultural, historical, personal, etc. This is a great story, a true story, and i recommend it to all who care about education, equity, and humanity. Sadly, the struggles of this isolated island school, were not unique, especially in the US South, but are still going on today, 50 years later.

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political and magical intrigue in the D-town!

The Fever King by Victoria Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What did they say in Victor, Victoria? BRAVA! Well done! The Fever King is an engaging tale of political and magical intrigue set in our very own hometown of Durham, about a century hence. Starting from my initial elation at finding out that one of the main characters in the story lived in the very bookshop in which i purchased my copy (The Regulator Bookshop on Ninth St!), this book builds and builds to a somewhat unexpected but thoroughly exciting conclusion! It is not really a conclusion, but rather a segue into the next installment of this exciting tale. Not only did the plot and action build as the story progressed, but i also enjoyed seeing Noam grow from a moody impulsive young person into the beginnings of a maturity that will serve him well as this series unfolds (how long until Book 2, Victoria?). I really enjoyed this tale and am looking forward to its journey continuing! Hope to see you and get you to sign my copy at The Regulator in Durham!!! :) :) :)

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an amazing tale

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, what an amazing tale. The Blind Assassin is a story within a story within a story. It is a tale of the love and hate, joy and pain, of family, politics, big business, greed and envy, of regrets, and of cherished moments. Ms. Atwood writes with such realism, depth, and feeling that this tale could really have happened, even with all its twists and turns to the very end. But as with any excellent book, it DID happen, it was beautifully created for the reader to experience his or her self. I understand now why this novel won the Booker Prize and is on the Time Magazine 100 best list of the 20th century. An excellent book.

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