The Shepherd's Granddaughter

The Shepherd's Granddaughter by Anne Laurel Carter. Groundwood Books. 2008.

My Review

The Shepherd's Granddaughter, a novel for children by Anne Laurel Carter, deals sensitively with the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflicts. It focuses on the emotional upheaval that this conflict causes a young Palestinian girl and her family.

Throughout her book, Carter highlights the importance of cooperation, and of discussion. Carter's book is anti-extremist. Although Amani's brother frequently mentions extreme, terrorist solutions to their situation, these are always dismissed in favour of more peaceable conflict resolution methods. Admirably, Carter aptly portrays a pro-Palestinian story without being overtly anti-Semitic. The Jewish characters in this book (the settler's son and the rabbi) are kind and helpful. Each goes out of his way to help the family survive together.

This children's book should be read widely by older children as a means for discussing current conflicts and their impacts on the lives of innocent civilians.

No More Victims

Natasha Cooper. No More Victims. Great Britain: BBC Audiobooks and Barrington Stoke, 2008.

Summary

Candy and her son Adam are trying to put their past behind them. Candy has recently been divorced, and Adam is constantly bullied at school. When one of Adam's classmates is murdered, Candy is horrified, and suspects that her son is keeping a deadly secret. When she falls in love with one of the detectives, the situation becomes almost too hard to handle.

Review
Natasha Cooper is a notable mystery author, who was Chairman of the Crime Writers' Association in 2000/2001. "No More Victims" is part of the series "Shortlist books", whose books are written for a fast-paced read. Beginning readers will enjoy this book, which is published in a vision-friendly large print. It is quite a thin mystery novel, and easy to tuck into a purse or briefcase for a quick, on-the-go read. The one area that this book lacks in is character development, as the histories and thoughts of characters are not provided. Otherwise, it is quite an enjoyable mystery.

The Victorian Hospital

The Victorian Hospital by Lavinia Mitton.

Social history meets medical history in Lavinia Mitton’s The Victorian Hospital. What tremendous advances that the health care industry has experienced in 200 short years! This book gives a general overview of Victorian hospital practices, and is filled with a variety of interesting information. In the early 1800s, British hospitals were staffed by volunteer doctors. Instead of having specialty hospital departments, specialist hospitals were created to target specific diseases and body parts, including fevers and eye health. This glossy slim book is filled with photographs of Victorian medical ads and other hospital-related images, and is a great read for any history buffs.

Mitton, Lavinia. (2008). The Victorian Hospital. Oxford: Shire Books.

My Notes

I picked this book up for a variety of reasons. First: I am a history buff. Also, before I decided to become a librarian, I had briefly thought about studying medicine. Finally, I visited the Florence Nightingale Museum in London this summer, and when I saw that there was a section in the book dedicated to nursing, I knew I had to give it a look!

Taken by Edward Bloor

Summary

It's 2036, and there are two major industries in the United States: domestic service and kidnapping children. Charity Meyers wakes up on New Year's, 2036, to find that she has been abducted. Her parents have 12 hours to pay the ransom that should save her life. Charity spends her last terrifying hours locked into an ambulance with Dessi, a young kidnapper, who challenges her perceptions of domestic servants and the underprivileged. It soon becomes clear that, in Charity's world, all is not what it seems. Will she ever escape, and will life (as she knows it) return to normal?

Book Information
Taken by Edward Bloor. 2007. Tennessee: Random House.

My Review
Critically acclaimed author Edward Bloor takes suspense to the next level in his novel Taken. Charity Meyers is an easily likeably, naive, upright young girl who has been uprooted from her life by kidnappers, and who is already emotionally estranged from her parents. Also endearing is her captor Dessi, who becomes sympathetic during the story. The only point where this novel suffers is the ending, which is so startling and abrupt that it seems entirely implausible. On all other points, this novel is a fun, breezy read.

14 Cows for America

by Carmen Agra Deedy, Thomas Gonzalez and Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah. 2009. Peachtree: Atlanta.

Summary
A young man named Kimeli returns from the United States to his African home. among the Maasai, shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As a show of support, Kimeli wishes to send his only cow as a gift to the devastated Americans. But the elders decide that this is not enough, and they send for an American diplomat to receive their gift...

My Review
A beautiful, complex tale is told here in simple language, with lush illustrations. Parental guidance is advised with younger readers.

Book Information
14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy, Thomas Gonzalez and Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah. 2009. Peachtree: Atlanta.

Notes
This book caught my eye in my public library. The illustrations inside are a feast for the eyes, while the story (based on Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah's experiences) shows real generosity.

Debt-Free Forever

Review
Canada’s “Til Debt Do Us Part” financial TV guru Gail Vaz-Oxlade has published a solid beginner’s financial advice guide. As indicated in its title, Debt-Free Forever provides the first steps in eliminating debt and starting to save. It gives common-sense advice in plain language on topics including: creating a budget, reducing credit card debt, saving, and purchasing insurance.



The information given by Vaz-Oxlade follows the recommendations that she makes on her show. These include making a monthly budget tangible through depositing money into allocated jars that represent budget divisions (e.g. “Transportation”, “Entertainment”, etc.) and calling up credit card companies to arrange a reduction in overdraft/balance interest. There is also basic information on savings vehicles including GICs and TFSAs.


For Canadians who are beginning to reduce their debt or who are starting to save, Vaz-Oxlade gives solid financial advice. Those who are well on their way towards a financially stable future, yet who wish to increase/change investments, should seek out more technical financial guides and find a nonpartisan financial advisor who can provide a comprehensive list of savings/investment vehicles.

Vaz-Oxlade, Gail (2009). Debt-Free Forever. HarperCollins:Toronto.
307 p.

Image courtesy of http://www.tarynfagernessagency.com

Notes
I put this book on hold through my library since I wanted to read a financial book that was written in easily understood English. I was able to read through most of it in an afternoon. I'd recommend borrowing this book from the library as an easy introduction/refresher course before settling down to choosing a more detailed financial plan of action.

Flannery

My Review

Readers who enjoy Flannery O'Connor should take a look at Brad Gooch's Flannery. This book draws on a variety of sources, including interviews and letters, to provide a well-rounded portrait of the humor, religious devotion and social times that strongly influenced Flannery O'Connor and her work. Gooch brings to light many of O'Connor's personality quirks, including her fondness for birds and her solitary nature, and uncovers many of the real life people and incidents that appear in her stories and novels.

Gooch, Brad. Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor.
Little, Brown and Company, 2009

464 pages


Personal Notes

I received this book as a Christmas gift, and was thrilled to read it. As a university student, I read and enjoyed Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man Is Hard to Find. Since I own a pet budgie, I was intrigued by her fascination with birds (and her ability to train a chicken to walk backwards!) What I really admire about this book is that Gooch does not overplay O`Connor`s struggles with lupus, and writes respectfully of her life and hard work.