The Prophet of Yonwood

This is the third book of the Ember series by Jeanne DuPrau.

Actually, this book is meant for children, but it might interest some adults. I read the first in the series because of the movie, so I decided to continue with the series to see where it went. This third book is a prequel of sorts for the series.

In this installment, a young girl Nickie goes with her aunt to Yonwood, North Carolina to get a dead relative's house and things ready for sale. Yonwood has a prophet of sorts - really a lady who had a vision and stays mysteriously ill; everything she mumbles is considered a message from God. People in the town led by a Mrs. Beeson act on these "messages" in some often not very nice ways.

Nickie has various adventures while in Yonwood. She meets a boy named Grover who like snakes, and she adopts a dog named Otis. She tries to help Mrs. Beeson too.

In the background of the story is the possibility of a major war starting. The original vision of the Prophet seems to be related to this.

How this book relates to the rest of the Ember series is not explained until the very end and is tenuous at best. It tells a mildly interesting story, but it does not relate very well to the rest of the series.

This book is good overall, but the first in the series is much better and the second a little better. I'll try the fourth - I think the last - and finish out the series there.

Give it a try if you have some time.

Grave Peril

This is the third book in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher.

I really liked the short lived Dresden Files TV series - they should bring it back - and the first two books were very good. This third book was good, but it could have been better.

In this installment, Harry Dresden, Chicago's only resident wizard detective, fights an evil thing called the Nightmare. It takes a while for him to even figure out what the thing is, much less how to get rid of it. In many ways, this was a very clever plot device.

Murphy from the Chicago police plays only a small role in the story as the creature attacks her, and she is put out of commission for most of the story. Harry works mostly with a Knight of some type named Michael instead - as in Knight with a holy sword. Susan, Harry's girl friend has a big part, and there is some tragic consequence there that I think resurfaces in at least one much later book from what I have heard. Other important characters are Lydia - Dresden needs a damsel in distress, and she is ONE of them in this story. There are also the vampire Thomas and his human girlfriend Justine. Bianca the vampire is also heavily involved in the story - and unlike in the TV series, she REALLY hates Harry. Harry's godmother - who is actually a fairy - is also involved; I was confused about a wicked fairy godmother, but that is kind of how she is. Lots of others too play parts like the evil wizard Kravos.

Given all the characters, it is not surprising that the plot is fairly complex; this is just a very brief sketch. Something has stirred up the ghosts in the Never Never and all hell breaks loose. Harry finds out that this thing dubbed the Nightmare is the culprit, but he does not know exactly what this thing is. Keep in mind that the name is very appropriate. He and Michael work together to fight it. Before long, they end up at Bianca's vampire party and things turn really ugly. Eventually, Harry saves the day, but not before Susan gets in big trouble and stays in trouble in part, and he is left to figure out how to get her the rest of the way out as the book ends. Murphy is healed by the end though. The bad guys are vanquished, but it is not exactly a happy ending for Susan - at least for the time being anyway.

The plot being very complicated was kind of a drawback. There was so much action going on that it got almost exhausting at times - too much of a good thing you know. Maybe the author had so many good ideas that he just had to use, and the publisher would not let him have any more pages so he could space things out. Seems there was not much time for Harry to tell the reader things about his life and all that - kind of chat with the reader as he did in the earlier books which I liked.

I have heard that the next books avoid some of the issues in this one, so I will keep reading. In any case, this book did have its good points; it just was not as good as the others I have read in the series. Read it and move to the next.

What the Dog Saw

This is a book by Malcolm Gladwell.

The book is actually a collection of essays by him that have been in the New Yorker Magazine. Truly an interesting group too - probably something for everyone.

There are around 20 essays in the book. Some of my favorites are the essays on: (1)Ron Popeil aka Mr. Ronco - there is more to those infomercial products and the guys behind them than you might think; (2) the ladies who promoted hair dye - where you learn about the famous line "Does she or doesn't she?" and other interesting items; (3)Enron - actually there are two essays featuring it, and it was even weirder there than you might have thought; (4)Solving homelessness - you might never believe this cost effective method until you hear the whole story; (5)Panic and Choking - the kind involved when you are stressed and don't function correctly, and it really made me think about things I have seen/experienced from a new viewpoint; (6) Hiring and Interviewing - actually two essays and really worth considering.

The title comes from one of the essays that was about a very talented dog trainer. Not one of my favorites, but then I never had an unruly dog.

The author has a very fresh and interesting way of presenting things. Many times he is showing readers (without beating them over the head or putting them on the defensive) how wrong the conventional wisdom about things really is. He has a great writing style and is very persuasive.

Of course, the best thing about the book is probably the selection of topics themselves. This is an art form as done here.

This is a very entertaining book, and I think that most if not all readers will learn something useful from it.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!