John Wayne My Father: Written by Aissa Wayne

Many books have been written about the great John Wayne and many have told a story of a man who America loved. This is Aissa Wayne’s story.

  

Aissa Wayne is John Wayne’s daughter by his third wife Pilar Pallete.

This is her story, not the story of how others saw him, or the dirt that Hollywood stars generate. It is just a simple story about a girl and her famous dad.

It is hard for the average person to understand the pressures of being a daughter to such a public figure.

It was interesting to discover that John Wayne worried about money. When Pilar would tell him to slow down he would reply, “We need the money.” So famous, yet so insecure.

It was obvious that Aissa had inner turmoil because of her powerful father. I just would have liked to see her convey those feelings a little more clearly.

John Wayne had to battle cancer for a good part of his life. He started smoking early in his life His cigarette of choice was Camel nonfilters: high tar, high nicotine.  So in September 1964 it should not have been a complete surprise when a lump was detected on his lung. “During an addiction spanning four decades, he rarely consumed less than three packs a day, or more than six.”

He was John Wayne, the Duke, this shouldn’t happen to him. Apparently, cancer is unaware of fame.

John Wayne succumbed to cancer on June 11, 1979. His death was truly the end of an era.

During his lifetime he made people laugh and cry through the venue of movies.

John Wayne won the coveted Oscar on April 13, 1970 for True Grit. 

The small glimpse into John Wayne’s life from the eyes of his daughter was enlightening.  I liked how the book cataloged his life, which helped the reader get to know her and him.  We now can only know him from the stories that are written about him, so to have this window into his life is a treat.

As with all things in life there are lessons to be learned. Cherish the time that we have, spend it with the ones that we love, and take care of our bodies in the hope of extending the time we have been given.

Unlikely Angel By Ashley Smith with Stacy Mattingly

When I wander down the aisle at my local library I am often drawn to a particular book. This was the case with Unlikely Angel. Frankly, after reading it I am not sure why.

Ashley Smith tells her story about when she was taken hostage in 2005 by courthouse killer Brian Nichols in March of 2005. She spent seven hours with this man and survived the ordeal at her apartment in Atlanta, Georgia.

I liked the fact that it was a true story told by the hostage and was looking forward to it. However, I have to say it was like watching a bad movie where you really want to reach out and change it. The book gets right into the night of her abduction in her apartment. The sequences of events themselves are interesting, but throughout she reflects upon her life, which at times made me cringe. She speaks of her marriage as if it was wonderful but admits he was abusive and into drugs. Ashley also continuously tells Brian Nichols about her daughter whom she loves but does not have custody of because of her drug use.  She does describe herself as a recovering drug user but was using the day of the abduction. She seemed to have opportunity to leave the apartment but choose to stay. Ashley does say that she wanted to defuse the situation so that he wouldn’t hurt anyone else. That may be true, but the story came off as redundant at times and a little strange. I couldn’t help but question some of her decisions.

Having not been in her shoes I don’t know how she felt and what she must have gone through, but I do rely on the writing to guide me there and it came up short. I read nonfiction so that I can see the lives of others even if for a short time and in this case I was unimpressed.

Unnatural Issues: An Elemental Masters Novel by Mercedes Lackey

I have read many of the books in this series so I was looking forward to reading this one. Like all Mercedes Lackey books, it was well written and the story flowed well. The plot is well thought out and is consistent from beginning to end. Here is the plot line from the book jacket:

Richard Whitestone is an Elemental Earth Master. Blaming himself for the death of his beloved wife during childbirth, he has sworn never to set eyes on his daughter, Susanne. But when he finally sees her, a dark plan takes shape in his twisted mind-to use his daughter’s body to bring back the spirit of his long-dead wife.

Okay, so it was entertaining and well written. Here is my problem. I have heard this story before, many times. First of all, let’s think about where we have heard the story of a poor servant who turns out to be a wealthy lady. Oh yeah, CINDERELLA. So it is the same story as one that has been told throughout the ages. Well that happens. My big issue is that it is almost the exact story of another book IN THE SERIES. That seems a little ridiculous to me. It should be at least a unique story in your own series that you yourself wrote. I can’t say that Mercedes Lackey’s work isn’t entertaining but it is starting to become redundant.

If you have read all the books in the series then this will be like rereading at least one of them. If you haven’t read all the books, this book could stand alone, then it is an entertaining read.

The Forgotten Locket by Lisa Mangum

The Forgotten Locket is the third and final book in the trilogy by Lisa Mangum. Here is the plot line given from the book jacket:

When Abby stepped through the hourglass door, leaving her beloved Dante blind and bleeding on the other side, it was in full faith that she could find a way to repair the damage to the river of time and restore him—as well as her family. It was a desperate chance that seemed worth taking. But Zo had other plans. Now Abby is trapped in a full-fledged battle for her own mind and life and heart. Even worse, Zo’s evil intent reaches beyond simple revenge against her and Dante. The whole world is in danger of collapsing unless Abby can summon her courage and undertake a journey that will lead her beyond the origins of the hourglass door.

Okay, this book started off strong, taking up where the second book left off in both plot and excitement. This book is action packed and a page turner. However, I feel like the author kind of lost some of the facts about her time travel. Things start to not make as much sense and there doesn’t appear to be any reason for some of the things that happen. I particularly didn’t like the end. I felt the end didn’t make sense at all and it didn’t follow the time travel “rules” that were set up in the other two books. It felt like she just wanted to wrap it up so she did even though it didn’t make sense.

Overall, the series was a good read and was enjoyable. However, I did not like the ending of the trilogy which was a disappointment.

The Golden Spiral by Lisa Mangum

The Golden Spiral is the second book in the trilogy by Lisa Mangum. Here is the plot line given from the book jacket:

The hourglass door has closed behind Dante, sending him back in time to hunt down Zo, Tony, and V. Although giving him up was the hardest test she ever faced, Abby knows that Dante is the only one who can stop the others from destroying time itself. But almost immediately, things start to change, and Abby’s worst fears are realized when Zo begins targeting her past specifically. With each change that ripples into her present, Abby’s life continues to spiral out of control. Her relationships with Jason, Natalie, and even her family are threatened to the breaking point. Zo’s power is greater than Abby ever imagined. Will her love for Dante be enough to turn the tide?

This is my favorite book of the trilogy. It is packed full of excitement and you learn even more about Da Vinci’s time travel machine. You get to examine the relationships between Abby and her family and see how much they mean to her. You also get to see what happens when Zo starts messing with Abby’s past, which is exciting and interesting. What I liked about this book over the first one is that there was less about the love between Abby and Dante and more about time travel. This allows Abby’s strength to come through and she become a more developed character. Dante isn’t in this book as much but I found  him to be a somewhat flat character anyway, so this was fine for me.

Overall, I enjoyed this book a lot and am looking forward to book 3 of the trilogy.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help is set in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi where racial tensions were a significant part of life. The White socialites and their maids were in for some shocking revel elations through the writings of a young white woman, with the help of several African –American maids. Kathryn Stockett starts the reader off with a feeling of what life was like in Jackson for the maids, and for the socialites and their need to keep up appearances.  The story really gives both sides of the picture and shows the reader how difficult it was for women of that time. The maids lived in constant fear, they were disrespected, and segregation was apparent throughout. This book was a great read and I looked forward to reading it each day.  There were many emotions that came out for the characters, some of which we can still feel in today’s world.  I felt that the young white woman,  Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, who wrote the maids stories was portrayed as strong, however, I found her to be weak when it came to her personal life. I felt that a woman with such an apparent strong racial stand should be stronger. The connection between the maid, Aibileen, and the child she takes care of is very heart warming.  The ending seemed a bit anticlimactic, and left me hoping for more. I did enjoy the read and would highly recommend this book.

The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum

The Hourglass Door is the first book in a new trilogy by Lisa Mangum. Here is the plot line given from the book jacket:

Abby Edmunds’s senior year of high school is going according to plan: good friends, cute boyfriend, and college applications in the mail. But when Dante Alexander, foreign-exchange student from Italy, steps into her life, he turns it upside down. He’s mysterious, and interesting, and unlike anyone she’s ever met before. Abby can’t deny the growing attraction she feels for him. Nor can she deny the unusual things that seem to happen when Dante is around. Soon Abby finds herself drawn into a mystery whose roots reach into sixteenth-century Florence, and she uncovers a dangerous truth that threatens not only her future but the lives of those she loves.

My first thought when I read this story was that it was a unique concept. The Hourglass Door is about time travel and involves inventions by Leonardo Da Vinci. This is not a story I had heard before and I was excited to see how the story evolved. I thought the story was well written and the plot made me keep reading throughout the book. I did find the love story between Abby and Dante to drag on a bit. Perhaps it was due to the fact that this is the first book in a trilogy, but the majority of the book consisted of setting up the love story when I wanted to hear more about the time travel. The love story was a bit forced and didn’t flow as well as I would have liked. Once you started to find out the specifics of the time travel, it became very interesting but it took a while to get there. I found the ending of the book to be very exciting and I was looking forward to reading the second book.

Overall, I found this book to be a good read and am looking forward to book two of the trilogy titled The Golden Spiral.