Take a Trip Into the Clouds

I have been watching many new movies lately and one that has made a huge impact on me is Cloud Atlas.  The movie explores six stories in the span of the almost three hours of film, but the movie is so intense and exciting that you don't even realize that three hours is over until you see the ending credits.  Tom Hanks and Halle Berry are two among the "star-filled" cast who star in the tales that weave in and out of each other, time, place and circumstances.  It does take a bit of time to get used to the jumps from storyline to storyline, but what stands out to me is the love story that manages to shine within the action.  The movie combines science fiction, drama, mystery, action and romance, all into one package, and the six stories resolve into a beautiful and believable ending.  The graphics are stunning and the acting is wonderful.  The movie is rated R, and is available on DVD at the library. 

Ready for Summer Fun?

     Tired of the same old summer activities? Wish you and your family could reconnect with nature? Not quite sure how to pull that off? My friends, you are in luck! Let me introduce you to The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids: How to Plan Memorable Family Adventures & Connect Kids to Nature by Helen Olsson. I know, I know, it’s a mouthful to say; but this tiny book is chocked full of juicy info for camping with the kiddos! Ms. Olsson has handily arranged her book in four different parts: Getting Started, In the Field, Activities and Adventures, and last, but certainly not least; Hygiene, First Aid and Safety. Even if you won’t be going camping until after the summer has wound down, I heartily suggest checking out this book now to give yourself an idea of what you are going to need to pull off a spectacular adventure.
     The first section covers the planning. When are we going? Where are we going? How long will we stay? What gear are we taking with us? What about food and water? Most importantly; what will I wear? If you have small children or, if you haven’t really been camping before, I would highly recommend going over this part of the book a couple of times to get yourself prepared.
     Once you’re all organized and have the kids psyched about spending time in the woods with all sorts of critters, parts two and three give you the low-down on how to actually pull this off. How do I set up my campsite? Part two tells you how and where to build your campfire, planning & prepping camp meals, how to clean up the camp kitchen and how to break down the camp. Part three deals with all the adventures to be had in the great outdoors. Activities like hiking, stargazing, fishing, swimming, rafting, and bicycling are all covered. Also in part three are the activities to stave off boredom: reading, coloring, bird watching, ghost stories, and don’t forget the crafts!
     Part four is all about hygiene, first aid, and safety. Chapter 8, for instance is titled: “Staying Clean in a World of Dirt”. This section of the book is dedicated to all the things that can go wrong and how to prepare for the aches, pains, and bugs that you will most certainly encounter on your trip. How do you navigate in the backcountry? What will you do if there is a thunderstorm? Can you drink the water from that lovely little stream? What about critters; big and small? All of these questions will be answered in this section of the book.
     Peppered throughout this book, Ms. Olsson has graciously included “Smart Tip” sections and various checklists to help a family get things together for their trip. In the back, packing checklists and lists of online resources have been included to help you plan a wonderful and, hopefully, meaningful trip with your family. Have fun and, Bon Voyage!

The Storyteller

I just finished reading one of the most interesting books I have read in a while.  The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult is a bit different than her usual family dramas.  This book stars Sage Singer, a wounded bread maker with a scarred face from an automobile accident that eventually killed her mother.  Sage is recovering from her own grief when she meets Josef Weber and his dog.  Josef is beloved by their community and Sage finds herself opening up to Josef until he asks her to help him die.  Sage's world comes crashing down when Josef confesses he was an SS officer and asks for her forgiveness, since Sage's family is Jewish.  Sage is torn between loving who Josef is now, hating him for who he was during the Holocaust, and wanting to turn Josef into the authorities for punishment.  Sage visits her beloved grandmother and listens as she tells her story of the Holocaust which is interwoven with a story that she wrote while living in Auschwitz and other camps.  The story-within-a-story format is beautifully written in lyrical prose and the story left me spellbound.  This novel is a very personal account of the Holocaust as told through one person and her immediate family and it is magnificent.  Once you start reading this book, you will have a hard time putting it down until you finish it!

Don of the Dead

Casey Daniels' Don of the Dead is the first volume in the Pepper Martin mystery series.  Pepper is beautiful and chic and never had to work...until her surgeon dad was convicted of fraud and sentenced to federal prison.  Her family fortune dried up and her fiance' left her for greener pastures, so Pepper was forced to take the only job she could get--tour guide in a cemetery.  The job is boring but Pepper is a good tour guide until she trips one day and hits her head on a mausoleum.  Suddenly, she begins to see (and hear) Augustino "Gus" Scarpetti, a mob don murdered many years ago.  Gus is unable to "move on" until he discovers who shot him, and since he is hampered by being a ghost, he decides that Pepper is the perfect substitute for his investigations!  Gus is a macho man who likes to be the boss, but he and Pepper team together in order to find his killer.  As Pepper delves deeper into the mystery, she uncovers more layers of mafia secrets and soon she becomes the object of a hit man too!  Will Pepper uncover the killer before the killer gets her?  Pepper is a spunky heroine and has her own share of romance issues.  This book is sure to please paranormal mystery fans.