Friday Book Report: Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass

Dr. Bill Bass and author Jon Jefferson team up under the moniker Jefferson Bass to create Carved in Bone, the first of the Body Farm Series.  Dr. Bill Bass is a well-known anthropologist responsible for “the body farm”, a three acre stretch of land at the University of Tennessee devoted to study how the human body decomposes in certain environments.  It’s an ultra-creepy environment that is perfect as the backdrop of a murder mystery novel.  The book combines the real life experiences of Dr. Bass and a little dose of fiction to create something completely original despite the fact that CSI shows/novels are popping up like dandelions these days.  The first of The Body Farm series was published in 2006 by Harper Collins Publishers.

Well known and respected anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton has been called upon numerous times by federal and state agencies for his expertise and knowledge regarding death, and when a mummified corpse is discovered in the backwoods of Tennessee, his expertise is needed once again to solve the mystery surrounding the young woman’s death.  Although she’s been dead for over 30 years, the unique environment of the cave she was found in has remarkably preserved her body and the discovery is about to turn the local town of Cooke County upside down.  Cooke County and its people aren’t known for allowing outsiders into their community, but when the sheriff of Cooke County calls for Brockton’s help, he knows that this is one mystery he needs to solve.  Brockton’s investigation is threatening to expose certain secrets that the townsfolk don’t want revealed, and attempts to thwart his progress and attempts on his life have him anxious to discover the truth in this baffling mystery.

I’m not usually a fan of the CSI and forensic genre, but I really really enjoyed this book.  For one thing, it’s a very real read, and I think that has to do with this book being co-written by an expert in the field of anthropology.  Dr. Bill Bass takes his own experiences and weaves them into this fictional book and it has such a fluid feel to it, the pages practically turn themselves.  This book is stuffed with information about dead bodies, which could be gruesome to read about, but it’s done in such a clinical way that it never really creeped me out.  I found I really enjoyed learning about the skeletal anatomy and the reasons why a person might have died, once you get past the creepiness of the body farm, it’s pretty interesting stuff.

I also liked that the authors gave Brockton a life outside of the body farm.  He wasn’t just an anthropologist helping the police department.  He’s also a man battling the grief and guilt of his wife’s death, and his faults as a father.  He’s human, and he makes mistakes just like all of us.  Writing about his personal life wasn’t necessary, but it helped to make the character of Dr. Brockton more believable.  He’s also really funny, and for someone that spends so much time surrounded by death, it was refreshing that he had a little bit of wit and humor in his personality.

There are a lot of secondary characters that are just as well written as Brockton.  The secondary characters never over shadowed Brockton, but they complimented him very well, and the wide range of personalities was compelling enough to keep you reading.

There aren’t a whole lot of twists and turns in this book, and those looking for more of a mystery will probably be a little disappointed.  It’s not your typical “whodunit” book, and once you dive into the heart of the book you’ll probably have an idea of who the culprit is, but this book does have the feel of how things would really shake out in an investigation.  I give this book a solid B+ grade.  It’s well written, with excellent characters and the body farm setting and backwoods of Tennessee provide an excellent location for a murder mystery.  As I said, I’m not a fan of the CSI shows on television these days, but I very much enjoyed how this book played out and I think that anyone that does enjoy that genre would enjoy this book, too.  It interested me enough that I’ve read it more than once and I am seriously considering reading the other Body Farm novels.  If I’m willing to read more from the same author, well then, that’s about as big as an endorsement that I can give.  I highly recommend this book, especially for those that like the murder mystery/forensic science type genre.

Happy Halloween!

 
Happy Halloween everyone! This is a picture of my mantle, some of the decorations were Pinterest inspired, others I thought of myself (I'm sure other's have thought of them, but I'm taking credit for my own creativity since I never saw them on Pinterest myself. *wink, wink*).

The ghost in the mirror is just a piece of frosted vinyl I got from JoAnn's, cut into a ghosty shape and adhered to the mirror with a little scrapbooking tape. This I found on Pinterest, and some have used Ziploc Press N' Seal to make their ghost, others used window vinyl to stick to the mirror. I like the look of the frosted vinyl, and while you can sort of see the scrapbooking tape through the vinyl, it isn't so noticeable that it looks bad. The Bats are just window clings that I got at JoAnn's, but of course those you can get anywhere.

The pumpkins are just those craft funkin pumpkins that you can get at any craft store (I think the black one came from Target). Same goes for the candle sticks. I think you could probably find something suitable at a second hand store, but I didn't have time to search through all the thrift stores for suitable candlesticks, so I got these at Hobby Lobby while they were on sale for 50% off.

The crows came from the Dollar Tree, and the skull was $5 at Target. The mantle runner is from JoAnn's that was also on sale for 50% off (plus my discount) which made that pretty cheap.

Now, what I made were the spell books and the potion bottles. They were both super easy to do, just so long as you've got a little time and effort to put into it.

 

For the witchcraft books you'll need:
* Black spray paint
* Antique White acrylic paint
* White Sharpie paint pen
* Craft books (can be found at any craft store)

Basically, all you need to do is spray paint your books black (or whichever color you prefer).  Once the paint is dry, I used a sponge brush to paint my antique white acrylic paint onto the part of the book that would be the pages.  I thought the sponge brush did a nice job of creating lines as if they were actually pages.  I only used one coat, to keep the page-like feel, more coats and the black lines wouldn't be there.  Then I used my paint pen to write the titles onto my books.  I wish I had better handwritting, I don't think the titles look to "witchy" but they'll do.  And that's it!

The potion bottles were essentially the same thing as the books.  This is what you'll need:
* Glass bottles (I found mine at JoAnn's and Michael's for $1 apiece)
* Acrylic paint
* Glass writer pen

First off, I squeezed some paint inside the bottle, then swirled it around to cover the entire inside of the bottle.  Next, I took my glass pen and wrote on the outside of the bottle various witchcraft ingredients (eye of newt, aconite, gall of goat, hemlock, etc.)  Once the glass paint was dry I put the cork back on top and there you go, easy as pie!

I really liked how my mantle turned out, and I got a lot of compliments during our Halloween party as well.  So not only did I like my decorations, but others did as well and that's all I can really ask for.  I hope you all had a happy and safe Halloween!

Halloween Crafts: Googly-eyed Picture Frame

I found this quick and easy Halloween craft on Pinterest, so much fun stuff on that site!  This one was super easy to do and it took me probably a little less than two hours to finish.


Here's what you'll need:

* Wood craft frame (or any type of frame with a flat front)
* Craft paint in Halloween-ish colors
* Wood or chipboard letters
* Googly Eyes in various sizes
* Spray Adhesive or any type of craft glue
* Paint brush and/or sponge brush






Ok, the first step is to paint your picture frame.  I used a wood craft frame I got at JoAnn's.  The googly eyes won't cover the whole thing, so you'll need a bit of background color to hide the wood.  I painted mine black with a sponge brush, but you could do any color you wish (orange, purple, green, etc.). 

Next, paint your letters whatever color you wish.  I painted mine orange, but any other Halloween type colors would work just as well.  I used wood letters (Also from JoAnn's) to spell out the word "EEK" but I think "BOO" would be real cute, too.

Now it's time to start adding the googly eyes.  I bought several different sizes (from JoAnn's, where else?) and with my 40% coupons they weren't too expensive.  I used a spray adhesive I already had at the house, but any type of craft glue would work, I think.  The only negative about the spray adhesive is that it sort of leaves a film (it doesn't dry completely clear) so it kind of takes away from the black background of the frame.  But I'm nitpicking because it doesn't look that bad, and it was way easier than trying to individually glue on each googly-eye.  Get lots of different sizes to fill in some of the gaps with some of the smaller sized googly-eyes.


















Once you've got all your googly-eyes glued to the fame, it's time to glue the letters on.  I used some sort of craft cement glue that I had on hand.  I can't remember the name, but I think that any type of craft glue or cement would be just fine to adhere the letters.  The original frame from Pinterest added a ribbon before the letters, so you could do that too, but I just went the simple route with letters only.

And that's really all there is to it!  Add in your own picture or whatever you please and your frame is done!  I put in a Halloween picture of my little guy from a few years ago.  He was a darn cute Yoda!  Overall I think I spent around $10 or maybe less for this project.  The frame was about $4, the letters were $2 all together, and the googly-eyes probably came to about $4 or so.  The paint and glue I already had.  I think I might make a few more of these and add in more Halloween pictures of my guy to make a little googly-eyed display...but probably not this year, maybe next year!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Crafts: Raven Wreath

Since it's almost Halloween, I'm going to skip the book reports for a bit and instead post a few of the Halloween crafts I've been working on for this year.  I never used to be all into Halloween, but my husband likes the holiday and my little boy sure does love to dress up for it.  Plus, we are having a Halloween party this year and I decided I needed to spiff up the house with some ghoulish decorations!  This first craft was super easy to do, and I think it looks both creepy and cool at the same time.  It reminds me of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven", don't you think?  Nevermore!

Anyway, here is what you'll need to make your own Raven wreath...

* Grapevine Wreath (mine is 18")
* Black Spray Paint
* Black Glitter (optional)
* Black Feathers (optional)
* One small Black Bird (got mine at Dollar Tree)
* One large Black Bird  (got mine at Joann's)
* Hot Glue and Gun (or any strong adhesive)

Alrighty, the first step is to spray paint the entire wreath black, make sure you get in all the nooks and crannies and get both sides of the wreath.

 

Next, while the paint is still wet, sprinkle the glitter.  The glitter is optional, I just like how it made my wreath a little more sparkly.  But, you don't have to glitterize your wreath if you don't want to.  After painting and glittering (or not) you'll have to wait a little while for the paint to dry.  I think mine was dry after about an hour or so.

 

Now that the paint is dry, it's time to apply the feathers and birds.  I used hot glue to adhere a little nest of feathers for my birds to sit on.  The feathers are optional as well and definitely aren't needed to create this wreath.  I just liked that my birds were kind of chilling in their nest.  After I glued in the feathers I attached my two birds.  I got the smaller one at the Dollar Tree (great place for neat Halloween decor), the larger bird I bought from Joann's at half price.

 

 

 

So, there's my Raven Grapevine Wreath.  Looks a little bit like the original, don't you think?  I really like it and I think it's a bit different from some of the other Halloween wreaths out there.  If you want the original instructions on how to make this, go here.  In fact, Joann's has a lot of fun little projects for Halloween, not just this one.  Anywho, there's one halloween craft done, I've got a few more I want to do and hopefully I can get them posted up here soon!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Book Report: The Shack by William Paul Young

William Paul Young writes a modest tale about a man and his struggle with tragedy and life in general in The Shack.  It was published in 2008 by Windblown Media.

Mackenzie Phillips considers himself a normal man.  Married with children, he has a good life but definitely still struggles with past hurts that have haunted him for years.  His struggles continue when his youngest daughter, Missy, is abducted during a family vacation.  Frantically searching for his daughter, the evidence the authorities find leads them to believe she may have been brutally murdered in an abandoned shack in the Oregon wilderness.  After Missy’s death, Mack turns inward, hiding his emotions and fears from everyone.  He becomes angry at God for letting this happen to his family.  Four years later Mack receives an odd note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that horrible shack for a weekend.  Mack struggles with the desire to confront God and the fear that letting out all those emotions will open wounds he’d rather keep hidden.  His curious nature leads him back to the shack and what he finds there will change his life forever.

Whew.  This book is…powerful.  I can see why there is so much controversy surrounding this book.  From all the other reviews I’ve read, people either love this book or they hate it.  There’s hardly any in-between when it comes to The Shack.   I think I am one of the few that fell somewhere in the middle regarding this book.  I didn’t absolutely love it, but I didn’t hate it either.  And while I didn’t absolutely love it, I can admit that this book is powerful and it raises a lot of questions into subjects that most people would rather just ignore.

This is a Christian fiction book, and everyone should know that before proceeding.  William Paul Young uses this book to try and break down some of the stereotypes that people have of God and The Trinity with his own ideas about what he thinks they are like.  This isn’t a book to try and sway the reader into Young’s thinking, at least it shouldn’t be.  These are his ideas just like any other fiction novel out there and I think if the deeply devotional readers out there that did not enjoy this book can get past that, they might actually enjoy the story.  There’s talk of this book being heretical and inaccurate.  I’m not sure why, Mr. Young is writing a fictional story about a man and his battle with tragedy that is threatening to engulf his life.  His meeting with God changes his perspective, as I think it would do for anyone that met God.  I guess I just didn’t have a problem with some of Young’s ideas about the Trinity, even if they weren’t my own because I was able to read this book knowing it’s fiction and in no way should replace Scripture.

I really enjoyed that the majority of this book deals with the enormity of God’s love, and the inadequacy of humans to really understand how to fully love without the presence of God.  That part I really liked.  I really enjoyed how Young portrayed just how amazing God’s love is.  Mack has the stereotype that God is mean and an “eye for an eye” God, and Young definitely tries to alleviate that stereotype.  It was definitely enlightening to read a different perspective about God’s capacity to love and his grace to forgive.  

There are definite flaws in this book.  I didn’t think it was very well written, for one.  Mr. Young is not a writer and it’s very evident in this book.  I didn’t realize until after reading this that he never intended to publish this book, but it was more a story for his children.  So he does get a little pass after learning that.  The dialogue seems forced and unrealistic at times, especially the interactions between God, Jesus and The Holy Spirit.  And while I thought Mack was very well developed, the dialogue wasn’t.   There are poignant scenes that are definitely emotional and tug at the heart strings, but even those powerful and heartfelt illustrations can’t hide that fact that a lot of the scenes were somewhat cheesy and forced.

Overall though, I liked this book.  It was interesting to read a different viewpoint on the Trinity, even if a lot of the thoughts I didn’t agree with.  Still, I would recommend this book solely because of the way Young describes God’s love and ability to forgive.  And for that alone I have to give this book a B grade, I’ve never read any other Christian fiction that was so enlightening about God’s capacity to love.  I don’t think The Shack is for everyone, but for those with the ability to discern between theology and fiction, I think this could be a very interesting book to experience. 

Friday Book Report: Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

Welcome to 1929, where prohibition is in full effect, and men willing to bring alcohol to the masses become kings.  New York is ruled by these kings and the young flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes age of the flapper.  Anna Godbersen delivers a story of three young women searching for their own goals and dreams in Bright Young Things.  It was published in 2010 by HarperCollins Publishers.

Cordelia Grey is too big for her small town of Union, Ohio and so she escapes with her best friend, Letty Larkspur to the allure and glamour of New York City, just hours after Cordelia’s wedding.  Cordelia is searching for the father she’s never known, famous bootlegger Darius Grey.  She not only finds her father, but also a brother, Charlie, and a new friend in Astrid Donal, Charlie’s socialite girlfriend.  Cordelia soon discovers that family is most important to Darius, and she’s forced to choose between her newly found family or a promising romance with the handsome Thom Hale.

Letty dreams of seeing her name light up Broadway.  All she’s ever wanted to do was sing and perform on-stage, but she soon discovers that New York is full of young women with the same dreams, and the reality of her situation soon sets in.  After a falling out with Cordelia, the innocent and naïve Letty struggles on her own to find her way in the city that can dash a young girl’s dream in a blink of an eye.

Astrid Donal is a young flapper that seems to have it all, money, beauty, and the love of Charlie Grey, heir to Darius Grey’s bootlegging industry.  She’s spoiled and she knows it.  But she too is just a young woman with dreams of her own, and her seemingly perfect appearance covers up a slew of family secrets and flaws.

I had really high hopes for this book.  I thought the times of the flapper and prohibition would be an interesting read, but this book just fell flat for me.  I did enjoy the scenes and the description of the New York City scene in 1929, but that was about all I enjoyed.  I thought the author did a very nice job describing the city and the people during the times.  It was interesting to read more about how society’s came together and socialized more with one another during prohibition.  I did like that part of the book, but that was about it.

My main problem with this book were the main characters involved.  I just could not get on board with Cordelia or Letty.  I liked Astrid well enough, at least she knew who she was and wasn’t afraid to show it.  But Cordelia really got on my nerves.  She’s selfish.  She marries back in Ohio but leaves her husband just hours after the wedding.  Why marry him at all?  There are three books in this series, so perhaps he comes into play later on?  If that’s not the case it’s a realy crappy thing for Cordelia to do.  She runs off to New York with her friend Letty, but as soon as they have one fight, she abandons her.  Once she finds her father, I would expect her to bend over backwards to please him.  But nope, her father asks her to stay away from rival bootleggers, but she goes behind his back and sees them anyway.  She never did one thing that wasn’t for anyone other than herself throughout this entire book, and that really bothered me.  I guess she kind of redeems herself towards the end, but overall I did not like her character and really had a hard time reading about her.

Letty is just too naïve for her own good.  Her small-town mind can’t quite grasp the big city rules, and it was frustrating to read.  I suppose it’s realistic that the bright lights of the city can overwhelm a small-town country girl, but her sheer stupidity wasn’t realistic at all.  She’s new to the city and the rules of New York, so why not go out with a complete stranger and expect only good things to happen.  Any girl in her right mind would not do that, past or present.  It’s just asking for bad things to happen.  I didn’t like reading about Cordelia because of her selfishness.  I didn’t like reading about Letty because she was dumb.

I can’t really recommend this book because of the characters involved.  The storyline is actually pretty good, once you get past the foolishness of the characters.  But I can’t enjoy a book based solely on the storyline.  I need good, well-developed characters to make the book entertaining, and that just wasn’t the case with Bright Young Things.  Perhaps the second and third books in the series are better, but after reading the first, I just don’t think I can stomach trying to read more about Cordelia or Letty.  I have to give this book a C grade, it took me forever to finish because I just wasn’t interested in it, the characters drove me crazy, and while the storyline is readable, there wasn’t much going on and really nothing happens until almost the end of the book.  I suppose it’s just plot development for the second book, but I’m not going to waste my money on book #2 when I felt so disagreeable towards the first.   The title is “Bright Young Things” but I really think a more fitting title is “Stupid Young Girls.” 

Friday Book Report: Texas Hold Him by Lisa Cooke

The year is 1870 and the South is trying to recover from the Civil War that has just ended.  New Orleans resident Charlotte Mason used to live on a prosperous southern plantation, but the aftermath of the War left her family with barely enough to live on, and an unknown blackmailer threatens to ruin her family for good.  Lisa Cooke delivers a delightful look at the riverboat gamblers in Texas Hold Him.  It was published in 2009 by the Dorchester Publishing Company, Inc.

Southern Belle Charlotte “Lottie” Mason is in a pickle that she’s not sure she can get out of.  The Civil War that ravaged the South left her family devastated, and now a blackmailer is threatening to send her ill father to prison unless Lottie can come up with the money to keep her father safe.  Lottie learns that there’s a big gambling tournament coming up, and she pleads with Obediah “Dyer” Straights, a successful riverboat gambler, to teach her the game of poker to earn the money to save her father.  Dyer has no time for a proper Southern lady; he travels the riverboats to search for revenge.  However, the ever insistent Lottie won’t give up, and he finally agrees to teach her for the price of one night in his bed, which he assumes will make her run away, but she calls his bluff and the cards are dealt. 

This is your typical light-hearted romance novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  This isn’t the type of book that’s going to make a reader think, and your brain won’t need to function too much to understand the plotline, but I don’t care.  It’s a very fun read and a great way to let your mind escape to the riverboats of the Mississippi for a few hours.  The premise of the book is a tad bit hard to believe, and if you really analyze this book, the plot is fairly weak, but it’s the characters of Lottie and Dyer that make this book readable.  Without them, this book would be sub-par and I would’ve folded long before the big bets are placed.  Lisa Cooke knows her audience though, and instead of taking the time to develop an intriguing plot she improves on her main characters, which is why romance readers read romance novels in the first place.  Fans of the romance genre don’t mind if the story is a little far-fetched, just as long as the protagonists are interesting and worth reading about.  Lottie and Dyer are definitely worth reading about.

The dialogue between Dyer and Lottie is great, I found myself laughing out loud more than once while reading.  The banter, teasing, and sharp wit between the two are hilarious.  Lottie is a little naïve and definitely out of place on a riverboat, and Dyer’s reactions to the situations she gets herself in make this little book a page turner.  It reminds me a lot of the movie (or television show) Maverick.  While the situations may be life threatening to the characters, the comedic overtones trump the disasters the characters get themselves into. 

While I can accept that the plotline of this book might leave a little to be desired, my only real complaint was that I thought it was too short.  A lot of the situations Dyer and Lottie get themselves into weren’t quite as developed as I would have liked, and I wish that the book were longer to really explain and detail their mishaps.  It felt like some of the situations they got into were abbreviated and I wanted the author to really give us an illustration of what was going on, not just the Cliff’s Note’s version.  Ms. Cooke tries to develop a secondary storyline between minor characters Newt and Sally that I thought was unnecessary.  If Ms. Cooke wanted to expand on their story, well that’s fine, but their story felt underdeveloped and lacking.  There wasn’t enough explanation or emotion written about those two to make their story interesting.  She needed to either develop a real story between them or just leave out the little snippets of emotion and just focus on Lottie and Dyer and keep Sally and Newt minor characters in the relationship between Lottie and Dyer.   I also just wanted more interaction between Lottie and Dyer, and there wasn’t enough about Newt and Sally to make me care about them.  Lottie and Dyer were without a doubt; the best part of this book.  The exchanges between Lottie and Dyer were wonderful, and I would’ve loved to read more conversations between them.

Overall I really liked this book, it’s a fast and easy read, great for a day or two of escapism if you’re looking for a fun book that doesn’t take itself too seriously.  There’s mild language and a few steamy scenes, so I wouldn’t recommend for younger readers.  It is a romance novel, so keep that in mind if you aren’t a romance fan.  I am a romance fan and I give this book a solid B+ grade.  The plot may be silly, but it’s the characters that make this book, and if you enjoy the comedic romance books, than I recommend you ante up for Texas Hold Him.