Comments for A Perilously Precocious Librarian http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:01:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Comment on About Miss Ash by Joseph Rinaldo http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/about-miss-ash#comment-4140 Joseph Rinaldo Tue, 27 Sep 2011 14:01:49 +0000 http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/?page_id=2#comment-4140 My name is Joe Rinaldo, and I have published a contemporary fiction ebook entitled, A Spy At Home. I would be most grateful if you would review it for your blog. I’ll provide a free copy for you to read in Word, pdf, or html format, whichever you prefer. Garrison’s story begins when he retires from the CIA. In retirement Garrison shares the pain he inflicted on his family during his life abroad. Noah, Garrison’s adult son with Down syndrome, a form of mental retardation, doesn’t trust dad when he returns home. Experience has taught Noah that dad always leaves again. Over time they grow closer. Louisa, Garrison’s wife, gradually accepts her husband back; however, accepting him as her husband and trusting him with her child present two separate obstacles. Tragedy strikes, and Louisa dies. Garrison becomes solely responsible for Noah, who has developed Alzheimer’s, common in aging people with Down syndrome. This disease tears at Garrison’s heart. Noah ceases to be himself and relives a life his dad knew nothing about. Thank you for considering A Spy At Home. If you are willing to review my book, please email me at rinald47@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you. Joe Rinaldo My name is Joe Rinaldo, and I have published a contemporary fiction ebook entitled, A Spy At Home. I would be most grateful if you would review it for your blog. I’ll provide a free copy for you to read in Word, pdf, or html format, whichever you prefer.

Garrison’s story begins when he retires from the CIA. In retirement Garrison shares the pain he inflicted on his family during his life abroad. Noah, Garrison’s adult son with Down syndrome, a form of mental retardation, doesn’t trust dad when he returns home. Experience has taught Noah that dad always leaves again. Over time they grow closer.

Louisa, Garrison’s wife, gradually accepts her husband back; however, accepting him as her husband and trusting him with her child present two separate obstacles.

Tragedy strikes, and Louisa dies. Garrison becomes solely responsible for Noah, who has developed Alzheimer’s, common in aging people with Down syndrome. This disease tears at Garrison’s heart. Noah ceases to be himself and relives a life his dad knew nothing about.

Thank you for considering A Spy At Home. If you are willing to review my book, please email me at rinald47@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Joe Rinaldo

]]> Comment on About Miss Ash by Abby Rossman http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/about-miss-ash#comment-3770 Abby Rossman Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:31:14 +0000 http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/?page_id=2#comment-3770 hello from jason's mother. i have been on your website before i just didn't reply. and i was thinking that you probably thought i threw out your address. not!!!! i have enjoyed your site and your writings. i am constantly reading and looking for enjoyable books. lately i've been hitting the library and lots of the obscure books aren't there. so i hit the used bookstores. some books i will look for on amazon. hope you and landon are doing well, abby hello from jason’s mother.
i have been on your website before i just didn’t reply. and i was thinking that you probably thought i threw out your address. not!!!!

i have enjoyed your site and your writings. i am constantly reading and looking for enjoyable books. lately i’ve been hitting the library and lots of the obscure books aren’t there. so i hit the used bookstores. some books i will look for on amazon.
hope you and landon are doing well,
abby

]]> Comment on Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin by Estelle Dyhrberg http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/alice-i-have-been-by-melanie-benjamin#comment-3093 Estelle Dyhrberg Mon, 23 May 2011 02:12:32 +0000 http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/?p=1245#comment-3093 i wondered why you made this book so sad, is there any reason to believe she was sick of being alice/ i wondered why you made this book so sad, is there any reason to believe she was sick of being alice/

]]> Comment on The Messiah of Morris Avenue by Tony Hendra by Greg Cameron http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/the-messiah-of-morris-avenue-by-tony-hendra#comment-2826 Greg Cameron Thu, 05 May 2011 18:47:49 +0000 http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/?p=91#comment-2826 Tony Hendra's "the Messiah of Morris Avenue" is an entertaining entertainment, as it were, but I found myself ambivalent about the thing as a whole. First off, I declare my prejudices. I was a huge fan of National Lampoon back in the Tony Hendra- Sean Kelly days - its peak, as far as I was concerned. The book seems to be a kind of parable about modern existence, looking forward to a religious dictatorship along the lines of a less medieval "Handmaiden's Tale." The book seems to pitch its tent(if not its revival tent) between fundamentalist belief and what it fancies as post-modern doubt(must all doubt be post-modern, Tony?). We have a modern-day Jesus, Jay, sowing his seeds in a world that is ostensibly religious but is really a commercial machine tending the perpetual war for perpetual peace. Hendra is right in pointing out the dictatorial potential in the American Christian right, in my estimation. Hendra shows some admirable (in this day and age) familiarity with actual Biblical scholarship. For example, he namedrops the Gospel of Thomas, a 'sayings' Gospel with some Gnostic ideas in the margins, roughly comparable to 'Q' , the supposed secondary sources for the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, and regarded by some as on a par with the canonical gospels. At the end, the narrator notes the passage of time and the dissent among Jay's followers settling in. This could be alluding, sequentially, to the passage of time in which Jesus preached and the later time in which the gospels were written(some long after the fact, as it were). The splintering of the 'Jay' movement in the novel seems to parallel the splintering of the Christian faith almost from the get-go with the opposition between the early Jewish Christians and the Paul/mission to the Gentiles crowd, the rise of so-called Carpocratians(at the risk of oversimplifying, sort of proto-hippies with a 'libertarian' attitude towards morality - some of the Pauline epistles take some early tilts at this bunch), and the rapid rise of Gnostic Christians(who were persecuted and excised by what became the dominant faction). Yes, boys and girls, division in Christianity did not start with the Reformation. The parallel with Marxism might be overfamiliar but remains instructive. The novel seems, as George Carlin suggests, to assert that Jay's beliefs are more 'Christian' than those of most orthodox Christians(at least those of the fundamentalist variety). That is, of course, problematic. How do we really know what Jesus thought? Many very reputable scholars cannot agree on ths point. As Joachim Kahl(a sixties clergyman/theologian who abandoned his faith for the Marxist faith) once astutely observed, when we come back in history, we do not arrive at Jesus's words(and, of course, his name wasn't 'Jesus' - that's a Greek form of the name sometimes spelled as 'Yeshuah') - we only arrive at what people say about him. From a humanities standpoint, this is an outrageous state of affairs. No primary sources, in effect(there is a non-canonical letter attributed to Jesus - perhaps some professor will someday declare it genuine on the basis of some semantic tricks). 'Jay' might represent genuine Christianity for all one knows, but what we know simply isn't enough. I'm not some trendy post-modern, Tony. I detest that sort of thing. My own attitudes could be summarized as 'Swinburnean.' Ironically, as a card-carrying pagan, I have a lively taste in Christian rock - I have all the time in the world for the Resurrection Band(they rock, as Beavis and Butthead would surely agree) and Terry Taylor(of 'Daniel Amos' fame - the only true genius to arise from Christian rock, in my opinion). I also admire the work of many professional wrestlers I know to be fundamentalists(Sting, etc.). I wouldn't seem to be fitting Hendra's careless cliches about post-modern doubt. All in all, the book is entertaining. Still, for someone who came from a religious background, Hendra has a curious inability to see through a glass darkly. To be sure, he narrates some harrowing scenes, etc. But nevertheless the satire seems to lack cut and bite. That is why it is a passable entertainment, but not a work of art. A guarded recommendation....Greg Cameron, Surrey, B.C., Canada Tony Hendra’s “the Messiah of Morris Avenue” is an entertaining entertainment, as it were, but I found myself ambivalent about the thing as a whole. First off, I declare my prejudices. I was a huge fan of National Lampoon back in the Tony Hendra- Sean Kelly days – its peak, as far as I was concerned. The book seems to be a kind of parable about modern existence, looking forward to a religious dictatorship along the lines of a less medieval “Handmaiden’s Tale.” The book seems to pitch its tent(if not its revival tent) between fundamentalist belief and what it fancies as post-modern doubt(must all doubt be post-modern, Tony?). We have a modern-day Jesus, Jay, sowing his seeds in a world that is ostensibly religious but is really a commercial machine tending the perpetual war for perpetual peace. Hendra is right in pointing out the dictatorial potential in the American Christian right, in my estimation. Hendra shows some admirable (in this day and age) familiarity with actual Biblical scholarship. For example, he namedrops the Gospel of Thomas, a ‘sayings’ Gospel with some Gnostic ideas in the margins, roughly comparable to ‘Q’ , the supposed secondary sources for the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, and regarded by some as on a par with the canonical gospels. At the end, the narrator notes the passage of time and the dissent among Jay’s followers settling in. This could be alluding, sequentially, to the passage of time in which Jesus preached and the later time in which the gospels were written(some long after the fact, as it were). The splintering of the ‘Jay’ movement in the novel seems to parallel the splintering of the Christian faith almost from the get-go with the opposition between the early Jewish Christians and the Paul/mission to the Gentiles crowd, the rise of so-called Carpocratians(at the risk of oversimplifying, sort of proto-hippies with a ‘libertarian’ attitude towards morality – some of the Pauline epistles take some early tilts at this bunch), and the rapid rise of Gnostic Christians(who were persecuted and excised by what became the dominant faction). Yes, boys and girls, division in Christianity did not start with the Reformation. The parallel with Marxism might be overfamiliar but remains instructive. The novel seems, as George Carlin suggests, to assert that Jay’s beliefs are more ‘Christian’ than those of most orthodox Christians(at least those of the fundamentalist variety). That is, of course, problematic. How do we really know what Jesus thought? Many very reputable scholars cannot agree on ths point. As Joachim Kahl(a sixties clergyman/theologian who abandoned his faith for the Marxist faith) once astutely observed, when we come back in history, we do not arrive at Jesus’s words(and, of course, his name wasn’t ‘Jesus’ – that’s a Greek form of the name sometimes spelled as ‘Yeshuah’) – we only arrive at what people say about him. From a humanities standpoint, this is an outrageous state of affairs. No primary sources, in effect(there is a non-canonical letter attributed to Jesus – perhaps some professor will someday declare it genuine on the basis of some semantic tricks). ‘Jay’ might represent genuine Christianity for all one knows, but what we know simply isn’t enough. I’m not some trendy post-modern, Tony. I detest that sort of thing. My own attitudes could be summarized as ‘Swinburnean.’ Ironically, as a card-carrying pagan, I have a lively taste in Christian rock – I have all the time in the world for the Resurrection Band(they rock, as Beavis and Butthead would surely agree) and Terry Taylor(of ‘Daniel Amos’ fame – the only true genius to arise from Christian rock, in my opinion). I also admire the work of many professional wrestlers I know to be fundamentalists(Sting, etc.). I wouldn’t seem to be fitting Hendra’s careless cliches about post-modern doubt. All in all, the book is entertaining. Still, for someone who came from a religious background, Hendra has a curious inability to see through a glass darkly. To be sure, he narrates some harrowing scenes, etc. But nevertheless the satire seems to lack cut and bite. That is why it is a passable entertainment, but not a work of art. A guarded recommendation….Greg Cameron, Surrey, B.C., Canada

]]> Comment on The Shack by William P. Young by Tim Tripcony http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/the-shack-by-william-p-young#comment-2820 Tim Tripcony Thu, 05 May 2011 02:51:42 +0000 http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/?p=1251#comment-2820 I read part of it... for as long as it remained a murder mystery and a window into a father's psyche, I literally couldn't put it down. The moment it started to get all wacky and hallucinatory, it completely lost me in about two pages. I suspect that, had I powered through that transition, I would have wound up with an overall impression quite similar to yours, but for me that transition was simply too abrupt and my brain couldn't shift gears rapidly enough to remain interested. I read part of it… for as long as it remained a murder mystery and a window into a father’s psyche, I literally couldn’t put it down. The moment it started to get all wacky and hallucinatory, it completely lost me in about two pages. I suspect that, had I powered through that transition, I would have wound up with an overall impression quite similar to yours, but for me that transition was simply too abrupt and my brain couldn’t shift gears rapidly enough to remain interested.

]]> Comment on Tuesday TBR From Reflections With Coffee by Miss Ash http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/tuesday-tbr-from-reflections-with-coffee#comment-2770 Miss Ash Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:59:49 +0000 http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/?p=1087#comment-2770 You told me about the first one, but so did a friend from work. It's on the list!! You told me about the first one, but so did a friend from work. It’s on the list!!

]]> Comment on Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger by Colleen http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/her-fearful-symmetry-by-audrey-niffenegger#comment-2737 Colleen Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:07:48 +0000 http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/?p=1227#comment-2737 LOVED this book. Adored. It was heartbreaking, ethereal and razor-blade dark at the same time. I own it, and I saved it to read on the cruise. So glad I did. It was brave of her to have an entire book that was filled with pretty loathsome characters - and I'm glad she did it. Not everyone has to be a hero. LOVED this book. Adored. It was heartbreaking, ethereal and razor-blade dark at the same time. I own it, and I saved it to read on the cruise. So glad I did. It was brave of her to have an entire book that was filled with pretty loathsome characters – and I’m glad she did it. Not everyone has to be a hero.

]]> Comment on Tuesday TBR From Reflections With Coffee by RadDyke http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/tuesday-tbr-from-reflections-with-coffee#comment-2550 RadDyke Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:19:40 +0000 http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/?p=1087#comment-2550 I'm pretty sure I told you about the first one. If I hadn't borrowed the copy I read from my best friend, I would have send it to you.... I’m pretty sure I told you about the first one. If I hadn’t borrowed the copy I read from my best friend, I would have send it to you….

]]> Comment on The Help by Kathryn Stockett by elizabeth http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/the-help-by-kathryn-stockett#comment-2483 elizabeth Thu, 31 Mar 2011 05:39:01 +0000 http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/?p=1192#comment-2483 Oh, I am so happy that you loved this book as much as I did. It was one of those books that when I read the final words, I was genuinely sad to be finished. It is on my list of all-time favorites...a gem! P.S. I can't find my copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, so off to the library I go! Oh, I am so happy that you loved this book as much as I did. It was one of those books that when I read the final words, I was genuinely sad to be finished. It is on my list of all-time favorites…a gem!
P.S. I can’t find my copy of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, so off to the library I go!

]]> Comment on Luka and The Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie by Ashley http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/luka-and-the-fire-of-life-by-salman-rushdie#comment-2482 Ashley Thu, 31 Mar 2011 02:49:08 +0000 http://www.thelibrarian.perilouslyprecocious.com/?p=1199#comment-2482 The only Salman Rushdie that I've read is <i>Midnight's Children</i> and I agree with your opinion of his writing--it's fantastic. I like the unrealistic qualities of his stories, though, but then again I am a fan of magical realism. The only Salman Rushdie that I’ve read is Midnight’s Children and I agree with your opinion of his writing–it’s fantastic. I like the unrealistic qualities of his stories, though, but then again I am a fan of magical realism.

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