47. "Chosen by a Horse" by Susan Richards

Richards, Susan. Chosen by a Horse. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc., 2006.

Chosen by a Horse is a moving memoir about Susan, a heartbroken woman in her forties, and the bold move she makes to adopt a horse with a past full of despair, abuse and neglect. Susan is woken up late one night by a call from the local SPCA in need of individuals to adopt forty or more horses from a Standardbred farm. Susan takes in Lay Me Down, a famished broodmare and her young foal. The foal and her mother are separated leaving Susan to care for Lay Me Down who was lame, very sick, and malnourished.

Equally malnourished was Susan’s own emotional health and spirit. In nursing back this gentle and trusting horse, Susan learns to love and trust herself. This new love of self leads her to make more courageous choices ranging from buying new lingerie, to sticking with Lay Me Down through her illness.

This is one of those books that is difficult to put down once you start reading. It is a little disjointed in terms of the timeline which was confusing, but the richness of story made it easy to let this flaw slide. Richards does an excellent job of defining terms for people unfamiliar with the horse world. She is able to draw readers in and profoundly illustrates how her relationship with Lay Me Down mirrors her past allowing her to heal and move on. We can all learn something from her relationship with this magnificent horse.

This is a must read for any horse lover, though I have to warn you: buy a box of tissues before reading—you’ll need them.

4 darts out of 5
Bookshelf Project Status: N/A (borrowed book from a friend)

46. "The Healer" by Sharon Sala

Sala, Sharon. The Healer. Ontario: Mira, 2008.

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

I have to be honest. I didn't even finish this book. I read about half of it.

The plot was not terrible but not all that original either. Sala essentializes Native Americans as natural "healers" and switches between points of view rather confusingly. The narration is bland and unconvincing.

I just didn't feel it was worth finishing this drivel. I don't recommend it. I give it one star simply for its entertainment value. It was better than sitting in waiting rooms doing nothing.

1 dart out of 5
Bookshelf Project Status: donated

45. "Deep Storm" by Lincoln N Child

Child, Lincoln N. Deep Storm. New York: Anchor Books, 2007.

Deep Storm is about an underwater excavation team. The team works in a submersed facility near the earth’s core excavating what they claim to be the lost city of Atlantis. Dr. Peter Crane, a former naval officer in the U.S. military, is asked to come aboard the facility to treat an unexplainable and untreatable disease infecting the workers. What Crane learns is that the team has not been completely frank about their mission.

Deep Storm would make an amazing action movie. It is suspenseful and fast-paced. The narrative style is simplistic and to-the-point and each chapter ends with that leave-you-hanging vibe that makes the book hard to put down. I read it everywhere: at home, at Midas getting my car’s oil changed, waiting for my chiropractic appointment, at restaurants before my food arrived—yeah, it’s that kind of book.

This was my first dabble into the realm of science fiction. I appreciated the complexity of the plot, but the techno-jargon was a little too much for me at times. In all, this novel is worth checking out if you dig technology, suspense, action, and a hint of science fiction.

3 darts out of 5.
Bookshelf Project Status: Donate

44. "The Complete Shorter Fiction of Virginia Woolf" edited by Susan Dick

Dick, Susan, Ed. The Complete Shorter Fiction of Virginia Woolf. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & Co., 1989. Print.

The more I read work by Virginia Woolf, the more I recognize Buddhist themes. The following is from her short story “The Journal of Mistress Joan Martyn,”: “And my brain that was swift and merry at first and leapt like a child at play, settled down in time to sober work upon the highway, though it was glad withal. For I thought of the serious things of life—such as age, and poverty, sickness and death, and considered that it would certainly be my lot to meet them; and I considered also those joys and sorrows that were for ever chasing themselves across my life” (58).

Here one can connect to the story of the Siddhartha Guatma (the Buddha) when he begins his journey and sees a sick man, a poor man, and a dying man. One can also connect her “merry and swift” mind to the monkey mind that, upon meditation, is settled and able to focus.

What I loved about this collection of Woolf's short fiction is that it is organized in chronological order. While reading, you are able to see how her writing evolves and it is sooooo fascinating. She wrote several short stories about characters from one of her seminal texts, Mrs. Dalloway, including such stories as "Mrs. Dalloway in Bond Street," "The New Dress," and "The Man Who Loved his Kind."

Some of my favorite stories from the collection include "Phyllis and Rosamond," "The Journal of Mistress Joan Martyn," "The Mark on the Wall, and" "The Widow and the Parrot: A True Story." If you are a fan of Virginia Woolf, I highly recommend this collection of short fiction.

4 darts out of 5

Bookshelf Project Status: KEEP

43. "House of Sand and Fog" by Andre Dubus III

Dubus III, Andre. House of Sand and Fog. New York: Vintage Books, 1999. Print.

365 pages

Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

House of Sand and Fog is about an intense battle over ownership of a seaside California bungalow. Kathy Nicolo, the original owner, loses the home after a tax error by the county. Mr. Behrani, a former colonel in the Iranian air force, buys the house at an auction for a third of its value.

The Behrani family is exiled in the U.S. after the fall of the Iranian government and they are in a dire financial situation. Unable to find a job and feeling pressure to keep up royal appearances, Mr. Behrani plans to sell the bungalow and start a business in real estate as a means of keeping his family off the street. The battle that ensues between the Behrani family and Kathy escalates to a chilling climax.

This novel is great study on how even the smallest of decisions (throwing away unopened mail in Kathy’s case) can cause a person’s entire life to unravel. It is that small tug on the loose thread and suddenly, it all comes undone.

Something I really appreciate about Dubus’ writing is his vivid description. It isn’t just vivid, but it is real. He describes things in a way that makes sense, and it really feels like you are right there in the story.

“I looked out the window to see where we were and my own candlelit reflection looked back. On the other side was night and all the lights of San Francisco spread out below. I drank the rest of the wine from my glass and I couldn’t remember the last time I felt so free of all the shit that pulled at me like the gravity of two planets. I was feeling some of the wine, but not much. I’d eaten half of my baked potato and chicken. I looked back at Les and I could see he’d been staring at me” (Dubus, 116).

Another talent Dubus illustrates is the ability to shift voices. The narration moves between Kathy and Mr. Behrani and is told in first person point of view. There is a distinct difference between Kathy’s voice and Behrani’s voice and the difference in voice is intricately connected to differences in culture. This aspect of the novel is absolutely brilliant.

I am planning to read a lot more of this writer’s work and I highly recommend House of Sand and Fog.

4.5 darts out of 5
Bookshelf project status: KEEP

42. "The Prophet" by Kahlil Gibran

Gibran, Kahlil. The Prophet. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1923. Print
96 pages
Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

The Prophet is a meditation on different parts of life. A small town is saying goodbye to their prophet and ask him a series of questions about love, marriage, freedom, friendship and more. In response to each question, the prophet has a philosophical and wise answer.

The answers the prophet provides are thought provoking and often surprising. It is understandable why Gibran is one of the best-selling poets of all time. (I think he only trails behind Shakespeare and Lao Tzu). I plan on keeping this text and reading it over and over. It takes multiple readings (at least for me) to let the words and ideas really sink in.

If you are interested in reading it, there is an online version of the book here.

5 darts out of 5
Bookshelf project status: KEEP.

41. "The Almost Moon" by Alice Sebold

Sebold, Alice. The Almost Moon. New York: Little, Brown, and Company, 2007.
291 pages
Reviewed by J. d'Artagnan Love

Alice Sebold is the author of the bestselling novel The Lovely Bones. The Almost Moon is her most recent publication and was debuted in 2007. The Almost Moon is about Helen Knightly who murders her mentally ill mother by smothering her with a towel.

I have not read The Lovely Bones, but I was not impressed with Sebold's second novel (The Almost Moon). The book traces the twenty four hours after Knightly's murder and the flashbacks (tangents) she has about her relationship with her now-dead mother.

This book has plenty of shock and awe, but the writing is clumsy and messy. The characters are drab and the narrative's voice is unoriginal and flat. The constant transitions between past and present tense are amateur and unimaginative.

Bookshelf Project Status: DONATED (to my university's writing club)
1 darts out of 5