Yucatan Deep

Yucatan Deep by Thomas Morrisey
Trade Paperback, 368 pages
Zondervan, 2002
ISBN-13: 9780310239598
Christian Fiction

so-so

Synopsis from cover:

What Lies at the Bottom of Cenote X?
Cenote X. The Mayans called it K'uxulch'en, the "Well of Sorrows."
Since the days of the Conquistadors, its exact location was known only to local forest tribes--until its discovery by Mike Bryant and Pete Wiley, cofounders of the Yucatan Deep Project. When their joint attempt to set a deep-diving record four years ago met with disaster, the Well of Sorrows lived up to its name. Now, Mike is returning to the world's deepest sinkhole to finish what he and his late partner began.
Not everyone wants Mike to make the attempt. Bridget Marceau--Mike's team physician, fellow diver, and soul mate--fears losing the man she loves to the same cave that claimed Pete Wiley. She is determined to keep Mike out of Cenote X. And she's not the only one. Someone else is keenly interested in what lies more than 1,300 feet beneath the surface. That person already knows exactly what to look for--and why he must at all costs prevent Mike from discovering the secret hidden in those lightless depths.
Punctuating high-risk adventure with inside glimpses into the world of technical diving, author Tom Morrisey plumbs the depths of the human soul. Yucatan Deep is a taut tale of loyalty, greed, and the wellsprings of faith and life.

My Thoughts:

The description made this Christian action/adventure novel sound like it would be much more exciting than it really was - either that or it needed some serious tightening up and editing to focus the story. Since Morrisey is technically a good writer, it's the actual content that was lacking for me. After a strong start, I found myself struggling to finish Yucatan Deep. Perhaps those highly interested in cave diving will find Yucatan Deep more riveting. I was a bit bored with all the technical information and details while being underwhelmed with the actual plot/action. I also wasn't entirely thrilled with all the dropping of name brands for various things, like sunglasses.
So-so for me

Quotes:

New Spain--June, 1524
Crouching motionless in the upper limbs of a sprawling banyan tree, the red howler monkey gazed out at the pit, a chasm nearly three acres in size, tan limestone walls dropping sixty feet to water that was the deep blue of approaching night. opening

The media had come in by helicopter, an irony that was far from lost on the dive team. The Yucatan Deep Project was so badly underfunded that Mike, his partner Pete Wiley, and the rest of the staff....had been compelled to stage their equipment to the dive site in a series of four overland trips from Cancun. pg. 11

When it came to finding a mentor in the exotic world of cave diving, Mike couldn't have done better than Pete Wiley. pg. 13

"We call it 'Cenote X' because it's the twenty-fourth unmapped sink that my dad and Mike located on LANDSAT satellite imagery of the area, and the sites were lettered in alphabetical order. pg. 14

Like all scuba instructors, Mike had a set of hand signals that he used for communications underwater, but Bridget's talent for speaking with her hands had far outshone the twenty-odd signals in Mike's limited repertoire. Bridget was a natural in the water and, over the years, under Mike's tutelage, she had progressively honed her skills, eventually becoming an outstanding cave diver, conservative in her air use, intuitive when it came to route-finding, and naturally cool under pressure. pg. 16

The 1,100-foot marker was just coming up when there was an incredibly loud bang, like a large-caliber handgun being discharged right next to his ear.
His dive light went dark, and everything around him vanished under a blanket of absolute, utter darkness. pg. 24

Movie Dude Weekend, Raw

Singin' in the Rain, 1952

Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen

We had Movie Dude, Dragon Scribe, and Action Girl as well as grandparents over for this Movie Dude weekend. Apparently almost everyone watched a movie or video in school/college today so that topic was discussed.

Just Me: I saw a video of a strip search.

Grandma: Men or women?

Just Me: A man.

Grandma: Well that would be more interesting than a woman.

Movie Dude, in a small voice: uhhh...... ok....

Later that evening

Just Me to Wonder Boy: I'm sorry but your breath smells like the anal gland of a skunk - emptied.

Lori to Just Me: My inner child is cringing because you just said "Man luvvvve" in front of Grandma.

Blind Pursuit

Blind Pursuit by Matthew F. Jones
trade paperback, 244 pages
Delta, 1997
ISBN-13: 978038531999

mystery
recommended

Synopsis from cover:

Into Thin Air
She was sitting on a bench holding her book bag when the large black sedan pulled up to the curb. In an instant, the second-grader climbed in and disappeared. The only witness was a twelve-year-old truant who told police what he saw when Jennifer Follett didn't come home. Suddenly the meticulously ordered lives of power couple Edmund and Caroline Follett are thrown into chaos as they are forced to ask questions they had no time to ask before... about the nanny they hired in haste... and about neighbors they barely know... as the frantic search for their daughter begins.

My thoughts:

Blind Pursuit is a procedural crime investigation novel which carefully keeps track of the day and time events take place. When young Jennifer climbed into the black sedan, my heart stopped. As an 11 yr old I actually had a black sedan follow me once and I ran up to a house, causing it to drive off - quickly. That's a story for another time, but I mention it because Blind Pursuit had my attention from the start. However, it's potential to be very good was never realized. The writing felt uneven to me. While at times the writing was really quite good, in some places it was awkward, especially in the dialogue with the stop-and-start of thoughts and sentences. All of the characters were undeveloped. While waiting for a twist or some surprise, I was disappointed to learn in the end there were no surprises. Blind Pursuit was certainly worth reading, but ultimately it is unmemorable.

Recommended

TUESDAY
6:25 A.M. His first whiff of the still-dark morning through his bedroom window informed Darren Cay it wasn't a school day, though he didn't share the insight with his parents. Instead, over breakfast, he told them he would ride his bike the six miles to school, as he often did, rather than take the bus. opening

Then, from the direction of town, an approaching car prompted Darren to duck down. When he looked up again, a large black sedan sat beyond the end of the long, snaking drive, around twenty yards past the Follett girl. It slowly backed up and stopped short of the drive, still several feet from the girl. The front passenger door swung open.
The little girl—she was wearing a bright yellow dress—stood up, hesitantly stepped toward the car, then halted. The sedan edged back a few more feet. The girl glanced up at the house. A moment later she ran back to the bench, picked up her lunch sack, slung the book bag over her shoulder, trotted the rest of the way to the idling car, and climbed into the front seat. The door shut. The sedan slowly moved off, away from town. pg 4-5

The car moved slowly past the gate. A hand came off the wheel and acknowledged Ned. Ned tipped his hat. Behind the visor, the driver, a businessman type, looked to Ned to be middle-aged. He was wearing a dress shirt but no tie. A briefcase and what looked like a tripod sat on the backseat. Ned guessed the man was a realtor who'd been taking photographs of the unoccupied land above his. pg. 7

"Your daughter, Jennifer, attends the Criley Elementary School here in town, Mr. Follett, is that correct?"
"The second grade. Yes." Edmund swallowed hard once, then again, but failed to remove the impediment in his throat. "Is there a problem, Detective?"
"Probably not, Mr. Follett. The reason I'm calling is your daughter, she didn't show up in school today, and we're wondering if—"
"Didn't what? I don't under ... What do you mean didn't show up?"
"Her teacher says she wasn't there." pg. 10

At eight-fifteen, the volunteers—mostly parents—met and decided, in lieu of halting the search for the night, to keep looking for two more hours, when, if Jennifer Follett hadn't been found, they would reconvene. pg. 17

"I'm sure," said Levy, from a backless divan, "when word gets around—in tomorrow's paper and—"
"Even," added Abbott, rigidly perching next to him, "on tonight's late edition of the local news."
"—that a person or persons will come forward with relevant information—"
"But the fact that she's—Jennifer's—already been missing over twelve hours!" interjected Caroline. "Really, since seven o'clock this morning!" pg. 18

This isn't about you, Hannah. It's about Jennifer. Aren't you concerned about what's happened?"
"Of course I am. I love Jennifer. If whatever happened to her is partly my fault, I—I am sure ..." She shook her head as if to clear it. "I mean I have the feeling that—she will show up—healthy..."
"What?"
"Anyway, you'll never trust me again."
Edmund was perturbed at how, in Hannah's mind, the focus of the tragedy seemed to be fixed solely on her, as if Jennifer's disappearance was simply the mechanism that triggered her own misfortune. pg. 22-23

Life After God

Life after God by Douglas Coupland
Paperback, 360 pages
Washington Square Press, 1994
ISBN-13: 9780671874346

very highly recommended

Synopsis

We are the first generation raised without God. We are creatures with strong religious impulses, yet they have nowhere to flow in this world of malls and TV, Kraft dinners and jets. How do we cope with loneliness? Anxiety? The collapse of relationships?
How do we reach the quiet, safe layer of our lives? In this compellingly innovative collection of stories, bestselling author Douglas Coupland responds to these themes. Cutting through the hype of modern living to find a rare grace amid our lives, he uncovers a new kind of truth for a culture stuck on fast-forward. A culture seemingly beyond God.

My Thoughts:

This very short book (the page count doesn't reflect this fact) is full of the personal thoughts of a man reflecting on parts of his life. Life After God is very different from any other Copeland book I've read, but I actually think I liked it more than all his other books. Sure, there were some stories I couldn't relate to, some parts were overwhelmingly sad, but I could identify with many of the reminiscences and all of them were insightful. In the end, his conclusion found on page 359 was simply beautiful. This was a real little gem. Very Highly Recommended

Quotes:

I was driving you up to Prince George to the home of your grandfather, the golf wino. opening

It was a jerky drive, punctuated by my having to stop at convenience stores and diners all along the way to try and reach my lawyer from pay phones. On the good side, however, you were noticing all of the animals in the world for the first time in your life - all of the animal life outside the cars windows. pg. 4

The end-of-day sunlight was strobbing through the treetops beside us and in a valley below we saw a tuft of white birch that looked like the garnish on a Japanese meal. The road was so long and so steep, and the mountains so large, that I began to think of how the new world must have frightened and enchanted the pioneers. pg. 8

The only activities I could think of that humans do that have no other animal equivalent were smoking, body-building, and writing. That's not much, considering how special we seem to think we are. pg. 12

I had thought I was finding consolation in solitude, but to be honest I think I was only acquiring a veneer of bitterness. pg. 30

A third recurring image, very simple: at my parents' house, in their living room looking out through the front window framed by pyrocanthus berries, out at the maple tree on the front lawn; The Flash flashes; I am awake. pg. 107

...I have never really felt like I was "from" anywhere; home to me, as I have said, is a shared electronic dream of cartoon memories, half-hour sitcoms and national tragedies. I have always prided myself on my lack of accent - my lack of any discernable regional flavor. pg. 174

Movie Dude Weekend - Cool Hand Luke

It was a rather wild Movie Dude night, a real departure from our normal routine. To begin with, we had both of Movie Dude's siblings with us, Dragon Scribe and Action Girl.

Action Girl made some beaded bracelets and a necklace with Just Me, while Movie Dude, Dragon Scribe and Wonder Boy played video games.

There was a rather wild musical session featuring Movie Dude on the balalaika, Dragon Scribe on the psaltery, Just Me on the recorder, and Action Girl either on the tin can drums and singing, or playing the recorder. (I must admit that I stepped out for a long dog walk during the musical portion of the evening.) Just Me did film part of the performance. If I can blur out faces I will consider showing the clip of Movie Dude trying to rock out on the balalaika. It's the stuff blackmail is made of. Dragon Scribe actually showed some real talent for picking out notes on the psaltery and started playing his own original song first and then Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. That boy's talented in several areas.

Later in the evening Action Girl and I watched The Incredible Mr. Limpet and Doctor Doolittle. While we were watching Doctor Doolittle, the rest of the bunch went off and watched Cool Hand Luke. I will freely admit that I was sitting in a chair with a certain very large book propped up on a pillow and doing more reading than watching, especially after Action Girl fell asleep.

The Incredible Mr. Limpet, 1964
Don Knotts


Doctor Doolittle, 1967
Rex Harrison

Cool Hand Luke, 1967

Director: Stuart Rosenberg

Cast: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, J.D. Cannon, Lou Antonio

Under the Dome

Under the Dome by Stephen King

Hardcover, 1074 pages
Simon & Schuster, November 2009
ISBN-13: 9781439148501
thriller/action/science fiction

very highly recommended

Synopsis:

On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as "the dome" comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when — or if — it will go away.

My thoughts:

Don't allow the size of King's latest novel deter you from reading it. Find a few comfortable positions (I found using the arm of the sofa or pillows on my lap for book-support to be very beneficial) and you'll be good to go. Under the Dome is fast paced and very compelling. Once you start reading, you will be obsessively finding time to read it and whip through it quickly. I don't care what the nay-sayers and literary people say/imply, King is one heck of a good writer who knows how to tell a story, hold his reader's interest, and keep you reading like you're just holding a wee little 150 page paperback. (But trust me on finding some book-support system that will work for you.)

Under the Dome is not only a story about a town that mysteriously finds itself under a dome - ordinary people under extraordinary circumstances - additionally, King has several themes going on in his well populated small town. Small towns have a grapevine and it may appear that you know everyone, but small towns also harbor dark secrets. We see the consequences of poorly chosen elected officials, their hasty decisions, and the inability of most citizens to rationally examine or question the actions of or statements by those officials. (And despite what some reviewers are saying, in real life and in the book this swings both ways, folks; elected Republican and Democratic officials have things to answer for.) We see our capacity for evil, and, to a lesser extent, good. Environmental issues are raised. Organized religion is suspect. (This is the one aspect that saddened me because the hypocrites and crazies don't represent true Christianity; however I admittedly also see these same characters in real life.) The adage "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely" is clearly demonstrated. The real horror is not the dome, although it's presence obviously causes environmental issues to be raised, it's the actions of the people under that dome.

Fans will love this book. Very Highly Recommended












About the cover:
"The jacket concept for Under the Dome originated as an ambitious idea from the mind of Stephen King. The artwork is a combination of photographs, illustration and 3-D rendering." It really is a work of art.

Quotes:

From two thousand feet, where Claudette Sanders was taking a flying lesson, the town of Chester’s Mill gleamed in the morning light like something freshly made and just set down. opening

The man stopped. The chuck realized he had been spotted. To his right and just ahead was a fallen birch. He would hide under there, wait for the man to go by, then investigate for any tasty—
The chuck got that far in his thoughts—and another three waddling steps—although he had been cut in two. Then he fell apart on the edge of the road. Blood squirted and pumped; guts tumbled into the dirt; his rear legs kicked rapidly twice, then stopped.
His last thought before the darkness that comes to us all, chucks and humans alike: What happened? pg. 4

There was no time to see more. No time for anything. The Seneca exploded over Route 119 and rained fire on the countryside. It also rained body parts. A smoking forearm—Claudette’s—landed with a thump beside the neatly divided woodchuck.
It was October twenty-first. pg 3

She must have crossed over the Chester's Mill town line minutes (or even seconds) before the border slammed shut. If he'd been with her, he would have been out and safe. pg. 10

Then two things happened almost simultaneously.
The first was the woodchuck. It was whole, then it was in two pieces. Both were twitching and bleeding. Barbie stopped, mouth hanging open on the sudden lax hinge of his lower jaw. It was as if an invisible guillotine blade had dropped. And that was when, directly above the severed woodchuck, the little plane exploded. pg. 12

He ran toward the side of the road, meaning to skirt the main firefall.
"What happened?" he cried. "What in the blue fu--"
Then he struck something. Hard. There was nothing there, but Barbie saw the guys nose snap to the side as it broke. The man rebounded from the nothing, bleeding from the mouth, nose, and forehead. pg. 15

A perfect little mushroom cloud would shoot out of each ear just before everything exploded above the neck, and Junior Rennie (who didn't know he had a brain tumor....) went crazy. It wasn't a lucky morning for Claudette Sanders or Chuck Thompson; in point of fact, it wasn't a lucky morning for anyone in Chester's Mill. pg. 22

On most of these roads, there was nothing so spectacular as the explosion of the Seneca V and the ensuing pulp-truck disaster, but there was trouble. Of course there was. If the equivalent of an invisible stone wall suddenly goes up around an entire town, there is bound to be trouble. pg. 33

"It's some kind of force field, like in a Star Trick movie."
"Trek," Barbie said.
"Huh?" pg. 39

"But first, I think you better call the Air National Guard, up in Bangor."
Ernie gasped at him. "The Guard?"
"They're the only ones who can institute a no-fly zone over Chester's Mill," Barbie said. "And I think they better do it right away." pg. 43

"Also, I understand that sometimes the greater good is more important than a great story. 'Unlike the New York Times"
"Zing," Barbie said. pg. 154

"Sometimes when people are on their own, they do things they regret later," Julia replied. "Usually when the investigations start." pg. 191

He was in that mostly empty-headed state of grace which is sometimes such fertile soil; it's the ground from which our brightest dreams and biggest ideas (both the good and the spectacularly bad) suddenly burst forth, often full blown. Yet there is always a chain of association. pg. 207

"Because a man without a sense of purpose, even one whose bank accounts are stuffed with money, is always a small man. pg. 404

A Texan's Honor

A Texan's Honor by Leigh Greenwood

Mass Market Paperback, 353 pages
Cowboys Series #11

Dorchester Publishing, 2006
ISBN-13: 9780843956849
Leisure Historical Romance

no rating

Synopsis

Bret Nolan has never gotten used to the confines of the city. He’ll always be a cowboy at heart, and his restless blood still longs for the open range. And he’s on his way back to the boundless plains of Texas to escort a reluctant heiress to Boston-on his way to pick up a woman destined to be a dutiful wife. But Emily Abercrombie isn’t about to just up and leave her ranch in Texas to move to an unknown city. And the more time Bret spends with the determined beauty, the more he realizes he wants to be the man in Emily’s life. Now he just has to show her the true honor found in the heart of a cowboy.

Critical Monkey Challenge

My Thoughts:

Just Me choose this book (Don't Be A-Hatin' Amendment) for me to read based on the longhorns on the cover. She felt it would be a nice combo of a romance and a western.

Hmmmmm....

First I need to say that Greenwood has served as President of the Romance Writers of America and has written over 30 romance novels. He very likely knows what sells. I am not his target audience. Even though A Texan's Honor is book 11 of a series, it is a stand alone novel.

This was a very tame romance that with a few minor changes could be set anywhere, at anytime. The first kiss doesn't even happen until pg 165. There is only one steamy scene. There is a lot of anticipation of what is going to happen. I'll confess that I don't quite understand how this is a historical romance other than the fact that Greenwood set it in 1881. (Is that enough? Don't you need more historical details?) For those of you following my Critical Monkey reads, this was much easier to read (less painful) than Roses of Glory. (Lud, what a book that was.) Part of this ease was because it truly was easy to read. The plot was painfully obvious. There were no great unanticipated twists, or surprises. I guess it's all about the anticipation of the romance and everything else is window dressing. (Additional thoughts are found after each of the quotes.) No rating

Quotes:

Boston, 1881
Bret Nolan approached his Uncle Silas Abbott's office with barely concealed anticipation, a smile threatening to banish his habitual frown. He was certain he was being called in for the long-promised but often postponed meeting about the changes Bret had proposed for the company. opening
(Hint: now we see that Bret is our hero.)

"Honest work never hurt anyone," his uncle said. "It's how you get ahead."
But Bret hadn't gotten ahead. Everybody in the office knew he and Rupert could work circles around Joseph, yet Joseph continued to get promoted, with commiserate raises in salary, while Rupert stayed a glorified errand boy and Bret an equally exalted clerk. Bret had tried very hard to control the bitterness that burned in his stomach like an acid, but it had become increasingly difficult in the face of Joseph's unwarranted promotions. pg. 3
(Hint: this is so you know who the bad guys are.)

"It seems the old renegade has managed to make a fortune in cows somewhere in that godforsaken state of Texas," Silas grumbled. "You ought to know all about that sort of thing."

Bret did know all about that sort of thing, and his family never let him forget it. Whenever one of them made any slurring remark about the South or the West, they always turned to him as though he'd been personally responsible for the Civil War as well as anyone wanting to settle west of the Mississippi River.pg. 5
(Hint: repeat after me "Bad guys in Boston, good guys in Texas.")

"Samuel is dying. He wants this daughter - his only child - to move to Boston. The only problem is the old turncoat has given the girl such a poor image of the Abercrombies she refuses to budge. The only person she remembers favorably is Joseph, so Samuel wants us to take her in. I want you to bring her to Boston before she gets any foolish ideas about marrying a cowpoke."
Bret wasn't the least bit flattered by this very special assignment. His uncle had chosen him to go to Texas because he thought everybody else was too good to be subjected to the rigors of entering a state he was convinced was populated almost entirely by thieves and murderers. pg 5
(Hint: bad guys evil plan is being laid out for us to see.)

"Joseph is capable of handling his own affairs," Silas said. "Your job is to get her here. And don't get any ideas about marrying her yourself." Silas never thought anything he said was insulting. As far as he was concerned, only people like himself had feelings.

"I couldn't marry if I wanted," Bret said. "I don't make enough to support a wife much less a family."
"Don't despair," Silas said without the slightest hint of sympathy. "Once you work off some of the rough edges you got from spending so many years with horses and cows, you might find a wife. Boston is full of wealthy young women who don't come quite up to the mark and are willing to accept something less in a husband." pg. 6-7
(Hint: very bad guys, and mean too. Can you figure out their evil plan?)

What if I can't bring her back?

Then don't come back yourself. pg 13
(shiver)

Maybe women in Boston kowtowed to their men, but she was a Texan. She didn't jump to obey anybody's orders. pg. 21
(I actually don't know too many women who would jump to obey anyone's orders - just sayin'.)

So what on earth could have caused her to be attracted to this sourpuss of a dude?

He was unquestionably the most attractive man she knew. pg. 24
(Hint: see, we know they will get together because he's so attractive -see description below- but they have to start out acting like they won't get along even though they are attracted to each other. This creates some tension.)

The very unfinished quality that appealed to women caused the men to question his worthiness to join their inner circle. pg. 28
(Take note, Wonder Boy - women like an unfinished quality.)

Bret Nolan had looked good when he got off the train. Now he looked fabulous and smelled just as good....Emily thought it was wonderful that a handsome man was unafraid of a bath and a little cologne. pg. 32
(Take note Wonder Boy - women like men who take baths and smell good - maybe don't shave for the unfinished quality.)

The man was very tall with broad, well-muscled shoulders. He didn't appear to have an ounce of excess fat , his torso tapering down to a narrow waist cinched by a wide leather belt. Worn jeans clung to a rounded bottom and muscled thighs in a way that caused Emily to feel warm. When the man turned and she recognized Bret, the heat turned into a flame. pg. 48-50
(Take note: this is what women find attractive... except for maybe the round bottom. Don't worry about trying to get a round bottom, Snack King. I got that covered. You're good as is.)

"Well, there's one thing you need to learn about men," Ida said...."They learn early how to look charming and helpless. They also learn that a woman will crawl over burning sand if she thinks a man needs her, and they'll use it against you." pg. 68
(I'd never be crawling over burning sand to help some helpless man. I'd wonder exactly how stupid he had to be to get himself stuck out in the burning sand. Tell you what, Wonder Boy, keep this ploy in mind just in case, but avoid burning sand.)