The Leopard Gecko Manual by Philippe de Vosjoli

This is probably the best up to date literature available for the leopard gecko. It brings together the expertise of breeders and veterinary science and gives a well rounded education on caring for your own leopard gecko. This delicate lizard should not be an impulse buy and I recommend that this manual be read before anyone brings home a leopard gecko. They aren't just like any other gecko and to be a responsible pet owner, this is a must read.

jlw

Remedies for Vertigo by Walter Bargen

This is one of my few signed books. And I went through the trouble of getting it signed because the author is the first named poet laurette from Missouri. And this collection of poems is just as special to me. Walter has a "fire-light story" way about him, makes you want to cuddle up and read it at night, just before drifting off. He holds a good deal of philosophy in his work but so comfortingly discloses his philosophy that even if you don't quite catch the larger message you enjoy it all along the way besides. Walter Bargen is a good poet because first he is simply a great writer, secondly he is earthy and imaginative. I'm on a scout to collect his out of print works. A great read, beautiful poetry. Five Stars.

jlw

The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie

It's hard to explain this book. I find the words of Lisa Shea nearly perfect, found on the back cover..."A prodigious fever dream of a book..." And it is such a story that would unfold in some sort of tortured fever sleep. Let me begin by saying it is some of the most beautiful prose I have ever read. Truly the words sway in and out of eachother like a spring breeze through a blooming dogwood. The words themselves enchant you, enough that you don't mind being completely confused by the tangled story line or the characters that go by a minimum of five different names. In my harshest opinion I think the story had too many main characters with too many names, it went off on different tangents so often that it may take you seven pages to finish one scene. And because of the overload of characters, I found myself unattached to them all. I really had no stake in them, I didn't care what their outcome was as long as I could keep myself together long enough to make it to the end and complete this fevered adventure I had begun. All this considered, I did finish it! It was the prose that kept me involved, very beautiful, very practised and proficient. But once finished there was no feeling of completion or triumph, it was just finally over. Three stars.

jlw

Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell

This is one of the best historical novels I have ever read. It makes history so relevant for our times and for this war we find ourselves in. I never knew how Iraq came to be and I never understood fully why the middle east affects so much of our economy. But with this great little novel I learned these things without realizing it, which is the mark of a good historical novel. I groped the pages following Agnes Shanklin on her journey through life and love and her adventure to Egypt (oh how I love a good adventure.) Without realizing it, my eyes had opened to so much more policy than I understood before. I feel gratified by the story, I feel wiser for the insight, and I feel a bit dusty and sunburned from the desert adventure. A great book! Wish I could meet the author and get it signed! Or even greater, I wish I could take the adventure to Egypt myself!

Marvellous!

jlw

Allen Tate: Collected Poems 1919-1976

I'm not actually finished reading this but I might as well write my review because I'm not sure when, if ever, I will finish this book. Not to say it is bad, it's just...intelligent and really written in an american language that I was not around for, so it is hard for me to follow the thinking. Allen Tate was brilliant, let me just say. A very schooled boy from the south that watched his country collapse after the civil war and felt so collapsed himself that he wrote, profoundly. And those words should be read by all of us. We should remember the greif of our country, we should hold to it like our own rich history. Americans today are so NOW, so caught up in what is happening now that we lose pieces of our heritage with each generation. I am determined to remember what I was not there for, to remember for my ancestor's sake, to know better who I am and what pieces our society gingerly together.
This is a book that avid readers, poets, and historians should all have on their shelf. Reading this is like finding an old mortise key while digging in your garden.

jlw

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

This book I picked up at one of those tables just by the checkout. You know, the "gotta get rid of it, now it's cheap" pile. But it was an Agatha Christie and how can you go wrong with her? So I paid like four bucks for this little masterpiece and enjoyed every night of reading it. It was fun and clever and I haven't cracked an Agatha Christie case yet before learning the end. Go ahead, try for yourself!

THE PEOPLE LOOK LIKE FLOWERS AT LAST by Charles Bukowski

This is my second attempt at tackling modern poetry. And I have to say that I am impressed, shocked and at the same time not so surprised. These are the ramblings of an old man, which I particularly enjoy. Wars, whores, and living alone, Charles Bukowski was not afraid of himself, he was not ashamed to simply be who he was. His poetry is his heart, his self. He doesn't try to impress with big words or long narratives that exemplify intelligence. He just simply is. And I simply enjoyed it.

But be forewarned, Charles can be pessimistic to the point of unbearable. I kept plenty of lighthearted material close by for those times when I just had to roll my eyes and gently lay down this sad book and grab up something to make me smile. Though I'm not as down-hearted a soul as Bukowski I respect and admire his work and enjoy it all the same.

jlw