Tag Archives: book review

Review: Dragon Day

Dragon Day by Lisa Brackmann.

This is the author’s third novel with heroine Ellie McEnroe and although it is my least favorite, I still regard it as good read.

What I liked:

The setting.  For those of us who travel less, it is a treat to see exotic places like China through the eyes of a gifted storyteller.  This setting is very much a prominent character, making the experience even more enjoyable.

The family.  How people relate to family in a novel can often be as important as the plot.  It provides readers with a safe place to address their own familial challenges without the requisite emotional baggage.  It doesn’t just make characters more real and relatable.  Because when a reader engages with a character vicariously, another level of interaction arises, leaving a lingering impact in the mind, one that germinates upon further reflection, such that ideas fully form and take hold, allowing for the possibility of personal growth.  Brackmann’s fictional family is an entertaining gift for readers to treat with surrogate care.

The departure.   This adventure introduces an entirely new set of players into Ellie’s world.  While some favorites return, others fade into the background.  It is a fresh, if not completely independent sequel to the previous two tales.  Getting to know the new faces raises the mystery quotient I’m happy to say.

What I didn’t like:

Ellie has a slight personality change.  She remains the damaged PTSD combat casualty, struggling to find herself and her place in the world.  However this version is so fraught with uncertainty about whom she should trust and what the consequences of her choices might be, her paralysis of analysis becomes off putting.  She still doesn’t heed the advice of those who care for her as always.  Which makes me wonder, why all the kvetching if she’s going to do things her way in the end?

What you should know:

This is adults only fare in my opinion. The threat of violence permeates throughout.  There are mature themes, however the language is moderately colorful.

Recommendation: Good Read

Book Review: And Sometimes I Wonder About You, by Walter Mosley

What I liked:

I think it pays homage to the best examples of novel writing, because heroism is prevalent throughout. I found strong entertainment value everywhere: humor, poignancy, romance, mystery, suspense, action, and drama. The interwoven social commentary leant substance to the reading without weighing it down.

Our hero meets a lady on a train while returning from saving a client’s marriage.  She turns out to be his dream woman.  This is just the beginning.

There were no ghosts.

Lines like

The police had laid off killing men for selling loosies for the time being-bad publicity.

What I didn’t like:

You could argue that the infidelity experienced by characters in the book are flaws which Mosely deals with respectfully. I wouldn’t, other than to say his approach is artistic with touches of ambiguity.

A man places his wife in a mental health facility to treat her depression. Yet his own behavior is far more destructive, both to himself, and to those around him. Why does he get to roam free?

What you should know about the book:

This is high quality prose with loads of sex and violence. It is a quintessential family drama spanning three generations. Through storytelling we understand the choices the protagonist makes because of his relationships with his parents and his children.

Recommendation: A must read

Book Review: Heaven’s Waiting Room by Clare Wilson

What I liked:

What the author doesn’t try to do is explore what heaven might be like. Instead she creates a version of heaven on earth where relationship is everything. It is a remarkably simple story, and that is a strength. In many ways it raises more questions than it seeks to answer. As the protagonist learns lessons along the way we the readers are educated in an entertaining fashion as we follow in her trail. Can we apply such lessons to our lives before its too late, before our time is up? One would hope. A thoughtful story with a thought provoking premise. This story is yet another reminder that the youth among us have much to teach us, if only we allow ourselves to hear what they have to say.

What I didn’t like:

Having already admitted that I do not do well with ghosts in a novel, are there exceptions?  Well, this is a ghost story!

What you should know:

This is not for children, in my opinion, as it focuses on death and the afterlife in a thoughtful yet frightening way.  It also is very much about family, nuclear, traditional, and non-traditional.

Recommendation: Good Read

Book Review: Loving Day by Mat Johnson

What I liked: the humor.  I found many small sources of laughter throughout the novel.  There were sincerely laugh out loud moments with smart/funny remarks, not just situations.  I was able to laugh at some of the embarrassing scenes as well.

What I didn’t like: the ghosts.  Ghosts never work for me in a novel and that’s probably my fault and not the author’s but there it is.

What you should know about the book:  Synopsis, A divorced man inherits a house from his deceased father and has to confront his emotional past in Philadelphia.  He confronts race and ethinicity issues, professional failure, commitment issues, and a chance to start over with a new family.

Recommendation:  A must read.