Fact or fiction?

About 3 pages into Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade I felt that the author had a real issue with Muslims and he wrote this book to denounce them through a historical lens. As he drew parallels to the Barbary Wars (what's detailed in this book) and present day conflicts, he made the claim that slavery was a unique and barbarous practice only perpetrated by Muslims against whites. (Duh that's not the case.) By the time I had finished the book my overwhelming impression was that this book was not only Islamophobic but a major piece of revisionist history. (I even checked other reader's reviews to make sure that I wasn't completely off the mark here and they back up my feelings pretty much across the board.) He makes a strong argument for a show of military strength over diplomacy. In fact, the Barbary Wars were what precipitated the formation of the Navy and Marines (the 'shores of Tripoli' ring any bells?). I couldn't even tell you if what he says happened really happened when such a large focus was on ideas other than the historical events of the moment. 0/10

And then to discover that this book which was recommended to me by a coworker was in fact written by a co-host of Fox & Friends made total sense after the fact. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Source: Amazon

What's Up Next: The Star Diaries by Stanislaw Lem

What I'm Currently Reading: Inside Out: A Memoir by Demi Moore

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

I do believe in fairies! I do! I do!

Have you ever wondered where that eraser you swear you left on the kitchen table disappeared to? Do you always seem to be replacing safety pins and you have no idea where they all go? You're not completely batty! According to Mary Norton, author of The Borrowers, your house is probably home to tiny people who are simply 'borrowing' all of these items. Most people are aware of this story because they saw the movie of the same name starring John Goodman, Jim Broadbent, and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy to my fellow Potterheads). However, I'd like to give a shoutout to The Secret World of Arrietty which is a FANTASTIC movie that was adapted to the screen by Hayao Miyazaki (!!). I don't think that either version is completely faithful to the book but I also don't think it matters. They capture the idea of what it would be like to discover tiny people living below your floorboards, behind the clock, under the stove...you get the idea. It's a fun story and it captures the imagination as all good children's books (or any books for that matter) should. (Also, the soundtrack to The Secret World of Arrietty is one of my favorites.)

Let's talk about Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. I couldn't believe that up until this year I had never read this book. I knew the story, of course, but I had never actually read it. I remedied that and I am so glad that I did. Also, I'm glad that the version that I picked up included a biography of Barrie and the Llewelyn Davies family. I always think it's interesting to read about the history behind the writing of a book and how that shaped the characters, storyline, etc. For those unaware, Peter Pan is the story of a little boy who doesn't want to grow into a man. He's acquired a sort of mythology over the years and serves as an emblem for all that is carefree imagination. However, there is a darker side to the story. He's unable to truly feel and his memory is so poor that he is likely to forget you from one moment to the next. It's chilling if you examine it too closely. The illustrations in the edition which I have are stunning and really lent to the overall  feel of the story. (I recommend that when purchasing any book with illustrations that you examine them closely because crappy illustrations can seriously dampen the effect of a good book.) When talking film adaptations, I was torn between the animated Disney version and the live action film with Jason Isaacs and Jeremy Sumter. I like them both for a variety of reasons. The Disney version is pure nostalgia for me. I find myself humming 'following the leader' more often that I care to admit. The live action is visually striking and shows the vulnerable side of Peter which I think is important. I think it says something about the versatility and longevity of a book if it's continually being adapted to film and the stage. I highly recommend you read this children's classic if you get an opportunity.

** If you're interested in a book like the ones reviewed above, you can click here. This will re-direct you to The Book Deposity which is a website which offers free shipping worldwide. Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following this link. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Writing a prequel for a book written years ago and NAILING IT

I think that blog title pretty much sums up how I felt about The Adventures of Ben Gunn. Firstly, the man wrote the book because he was a massive fan of Treasure Island and he had all of these unanswered questions (and also his kids kept asking him questions about their favorite bedtime story). So his solution was to write the prequel himself. GENIUS! Secondly, he was able to write it in the same style as Robert Louis Stevenson so it didn't have that awkward feel of an imposter trying to step into the author's shoes. It felt seamless and true. The characterization was spot on and getting the backstory on Gunn and his impressions of Long John, Hands, Bones, Flint, and the rest of the crew made Treasure Island even more special in my opinion. I think RLS would have been proud of this work and I think anyone who is a fan of the classic pirate story and always wondered about the events leading up to Gunn's marooning should read The Adventures of Ben Gunn.

I've had a book on my TRL for ages now and it's finally become available at my library so I snatched it up without hesitation. If I gave you a few bullet points about it could you figure it out?

• It was made into a movie.
• There's a character with the last name 'Darcy'.
• It focuses on a year in a single woman's life.

Any guesses?

If you guessed Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding then you were absolutely correct! Here we go!!

The Mysteries of the Amazon Revealed

The title of this post makes it sound like I'm about to write an expose or an article for a major newspaper. :-P

The Lost City of Z focuses on the mystery of Colonel Percy Fawcett's disappearance in 1925 as well as the myth that there was an ancient civilization which he called 'Z' that was as yet undiscovered in the heart of the Amazon. I've talked before about the rhythm of a story that covers multiple time periods. This book handled the jumps extremely well. Grann covered Fawcett's explorations into the Amazon (prior to his last trip) which made him into a world renowned expert on the area and the Indians that inhabited it. He also discussed the various disastrous rescue attempts that were made. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the entire book (for me at least) was the author's journey researching the man and the myth. For anyone interested in the history of exploration and/or the Amazon this book is a must read. (A/N: I have to admit that the ending fell a bit flat for me after the buildup but this isn't enough for me to dissuade you guys from giving it a go.)

You might remember when I reviewed Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Well, my next read is a prequel to Treasure Island entitled The Adventures of Ben Gunn by R.F. Delderfield. Did I just blow your minds? Were you unaware that this even existed? I have a dear friend (and frequent reader of the blog) to thank for sending this my way (literally in this case). This is the story of the man named Ben Gunn in his own words (as written in narrative form by Jim Hawkins) as he explains how he came to become a pirate. I don't know about you guys but I bet this is going to be one doozy of a story. Ahoy, mateys! (You know I had to do it.)

Unaccountably lazy

As the title suggests, I've basically become a blob of goo over the course of the holidays which means I've neglected to update as I should. :-( However, I did finish Treasure Island and it was BRILLIANT. Realizing that a lot of "pirate lore" which I had taken for granted was created in this book was a bit of a shock. Also, discovering that a prequel has since been created has intrigued me mightily and it's already been added to the list of books to read in 2014. (That list is crazy long by the way so I hope you're ready for awesome.) First, I should say that if classic literature isn't your thing then you may not find Treasure Island the treat that I did. Second, if you're a fan of adventure novels (and/or pirates) then you might get swept away by the story itself and forget about the writing style of the time. If you like Pirates of the Caribbean you're going to like this book. Long John Silver will look especially familiar. ;-)

For my next selection I've chosen In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall. When I watched a video about her time with the chimps for my Primatology class in college I was hooked. She is such an inspiration for humanitarians, conservationists, scientists, primatologists, women...the list goes on and on! This book is a detailed summation of her time with the chimps in South Africa's country of Tanzania. It details the trials she faced as a young Englishwoman in a field dominated by men who had absolutely no experience in the field...and yet she made profound discoveries about chimpanzee behavior which irrevocably changed the face of primatology. She is a pioneer and a legend. I look forward to bringing you my review of this extraordinary work in 2014.

I hope you all had a wonderful year and I look forward to reading with you for many more years to come!!

Arrrr Adventures Ahoy!

Once I finished The Hobbit (which was even better the second time around) I realized that I had no idea what I wanted to read next. It's difficult after reading something so magnificent and engrossing to decide which world you want to inhabit next...especially if you've experienced an adventure through Middle Earth. However, I think I've come up with just such a book: Treasure Island. If you're looking for a classic adventure then you can't go wrong with this book. Robert Louis Stevenson, who if you recall wrote Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde knows how to deliver a story that will keep you riveted from the first page. In fact, this book is the definitive pirate's tale and has been used as the basis for all of the pirate's stories that have come afterward. Where do you think Capt. Sparrow got the song "Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum"? :-D

Yes, this was a really short entry. I've been under the weather and frankly I can't come up with anything more witty than the title above (which isn't my best work admittedly). I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful holiday (just in case I don't update for New Year's) and that you READ READ READ!!