"The Sense of an Ending" - Julian Barnes

"The Sense of an Ending" is a gripping reflection

of a life half-lived, as the title character notes the

changes in his life and the impending nature

of the grave.

In his sixties now, Tony has begun excavating his

past in hopes of finding some answers, spurred on

by a mystery surrounding a former

lover and events of a lifetime ago.

What bearing does the suicide of a college

friend have on the present? Will history repeat itself?

Is Tony's life salvageable?

What are the motivations behind his

ex and her angry, aloof, ominous presence?

Though intriguing, the mystery and the unveiling

of secrets actually took a backseat to what was the preeminent

feature of the book; Barnes' retrospective of a life

half-lived. Or, at least, lived in a fugue state.

The commentary on memory, perspective, aging,

and obsolescence is remarkable...absolutely

spot-on and mesmerizing. Better than any self-help

book or psychological treatise on the matter.

The honesty and depth of the shares are

extraordinary.

The circuitousness of the story, flashing back on events--or is

it merely remembrances--of time as a college man, of his

marriage, of trying to love...it all makes for a beautiful

flow, each non-event later underscoring something significant.

A beautiful and haunting search for meaning and truth...

identity and understanding.

"Lost Saints of Tennessee" by Amy Franklin Willis

"Lost Saints of Tennessee" is a story about a man-- who's

fallen from grace-- attempting to pick up the pieces of his life.

In  the wake of his divorce, a high school reunion, an

inability to overcome his brother's death, and all the

regular hard bits of life, he is running from life and his

own feelings.

That journey takes him to an old safe house where he attempts

to reconcile what he wants and how--or whether--he can continue.

Through flashbacks and letters, and later through another

character's recounting, we discover how a life can become

so fractured and lost.

In the present, he attempts to grow and overcome the

burden of his past...with his mother, his ex-wife, his daughters,

and his own failures and inescapable grief.

It's the ultimate mid-life crisis survival guide!

This is a great character piece, delving into true Southern

living as family drama, small town worries, and earlier

days are the inspiration for a captivating tale.

(Willis is an eighth-generation Southerner, and

many of the stories are based on her father's stories

of his life.)

Taking place in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia,

there is plenty of adventure and drama throughout,

and in one of my favorite writing 'tricks,' we

get to see events from the different perspectives

that make up the whole.

We get to see how our subjective views so often distort

reality.

A beautiful story of redemption, soul-searching,

fear, forgiveness, and love.

Read an excerpt from the book

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Banned Books & Authors

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Insight

A Novel Concept

The Hunger Games- Suzanne Collins

I'm not usually one for following fanfare to discover a new

book, but I heard so many adults proclaiming what an

addictive treat this series was, I finally gave it a try....

and I'm thrilled I did.

The Hunger Games is a wonderful allegory for class

warfare, and the timing of it's advanced popularity (and movie

release) is appropriate, with the '99' and anti-Wall Street/Big

Business sentiment sweeping this country.

Like its predecessor, 1984, it's a dystopian future where

the problems of the present socio-political landscape have

worsened in a science-fiction landscape several years removed

from our present. (But really, the modern-day similarities

are chilling!) It's an apt indictment of our lop-sided economic

system through a creative and blunt allegorical bent.

Given the proclamation of the individual's strength and the

outsider status of the lead character, Katniss, being celebrated,

you can easily imagine why conservatives and religious sorts--

the very ones whose totalitarian rule is questioned and challenged

in the series--are against kids reading the series.

There's a reason books like The Hunger Games, 1984, Lord

of the Flies, and others are attacked; it's the same reason they

are selected as required and recommended reading by

educators. They speak to the very nature of the human

experience. That's enough to make some folks very uncomfortable.

The problems inherent in the series are not those singularly

experienced by tweens and teens, whom the book features/and

targeted; it addresses family obligation, unfairness of life, brutality,

oppression, finding one's voice, facing what comes, determining

one's worth, and, yes...love.

Although a little over 300 pages, this was an especially quick read

since I was so captivated I could not stop reading.

Behind the Scenes

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