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2008 Book Reviews - #5

Summer of Light by W. Dale Cramer

This is the story of a man who finds himself thrown into the role of stay at home dad. This wasn't his choice, but like many things in his life, there seems to be a larger plan to his life than his own. It is a story of faith - faith found on many different levels. The faith that sometimes we are aware of having and follow gladly and then the faith that sometimes sneaks up on us and we are almost forced to have. It is an interesting book, but I would have liked a little more detail to the story. It may be because it was written by a man so he comes from a different point of view, but I felt like there could have been more emotion to the story. All in all, worth reading just not exactly what I expected.

Breach of Faith:Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City by Jed Horne

I am glad I read this book. It brought back some memories of a time not long ago when New Orleans found itself facing one of the greatest disasters in our lifetime. Mr. Horne does a good job of balancing stories about real people, the politics, and the technical ascpects. One interesting side note - I had forgotten that at one stage the plan to get the Fed's to respond was to manipulate gasoline supply and run the price up to $4/gallon. The theory being there was no way the Fed would allow that and Louisiana would have effectively blackmailed them into responding. Guess we know now that would have been a lost cause.

This is a well written book that even though I'm a little biased living in Baton Rouge, I think should be required reading for all. A good glimpse into very recent history.

Savannah by the Sea by Denise Hildreth

This is an easy read - nothing too deep about it but an enjoyable book. As a character Savannah is almost too self-centered and too naive at times, and the books are a little predictible. But I know what I'm getting when I read these books so I enjoy them.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This is anything but an easy read. The story is told by Death so you can figure that it is a little on the depressing side. It is set in Germany in the time of Hitler. Mr. Zusak does a good job of transporting the reader to that time and the country. I almost felt as if I were watching a movie instead of reading a book - and I mean that in a good way. There's such detail and character development that I had to remind myself I was reading fiction. Very well written story that will stay with you long after you finish reading.

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