Author: Dan Brown

Published by Anchor Books 2009
Review by Nellie

Yes,  if you have read Dan Brown’s other novels, The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, this novel will be a bit predictable, but in this case that’s not too bad.  There is Dan Brown’s usual mysterious over-the-top villain and like Angels and Demons, all of the action takes place in about twenty-four hours. Most of the events take place in Washington, D.C. or the surrounding areas. We spend a lot of time in our Nation’s capital but it is time well spent as we learn a bit of history along with some more Mason trivia.

The Lost Symbol keeps you reading. For many people it will be a one sitting read, the kind where you stop only to eat and pee then when you are finally finished, your neck is sore and you feel exhausted like you have actually worked all day.  While it has taken me several days to read, that is only because I’ve been very busy with all the Christmas stuff that must soon be completed.

I held myself back from starting The Lost Symbol because I needed to be sure I was ready for all the mind-boggling rush of clues, trivia and action.  It was worth the wait.  This  book has a few surprises but is never disappointing for Dan Brown fans.  I will gladly pass it on to my friends.

       

Blue Jacket, War Chief of the Shawnee

By Allan W. Eckert
Published by Little, Brown and Company, 1969

reviewed by Nellie Howard

Blue Jacket is the true story of a white man, Marmaduke Van Swearingen, who was captured, and subsequently adopted by the Shawnee Indians. This is my favorite of Allan Eckert’s historical fiction books. Though all have been good reads, Blue Jacket is a great character book as well as a novel that tells about historical events.  Though he was only seventeen when taken prisoner by the Shawnee, Swearingen quickly adapted to the Shawnee ways. It was easier for him because he had always been interested in Indian ways and had understood the westward expansion of white people from the Indian’s point of view.

Though technically taken his West Virginia home (then Virginia) as a prisoner, Sweringen went willingly. This was partly to secure the safety of his younger brother, but also because of the prospect of being adopted into the Shawnee tribe.

With his new Shawnee name of Weh-yah-ih-hr-sehn-wah, or Blue Jacket, the young man grew in stature among the Shawnee until eventually becoming a war chief  then a full chief.

The story of Blue Jacket is one that not only tells of the battle of the Shawnee to hold on to their ancestral land, but is also the story of a boy becoming a man who chooses his culture, chooses the way he will live and with whom he will live it.

in Blue Jacket, War Chief of the Shawnees, Allan W. Eckert has told a compelling story of a great nation.  For history buffs, this book should be read to know anything of the struggle for this American territory, a large part of which became the Northwest Territory.  It is a story mirrored throughout our country as a new people conquered and tamed a land, leaving no place for the native people who loved it first

The Recipe Club

Author: Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel
Review written by Nellie

     We, the readers, are introduced to the main characters of The Recipe Club through their email correspondence, starting in 2000, as Lilly and Valery are trying to renew their deep friendship which had been cut short by an as-yet-unknown argument. Soon, we are taken back to 1963 when the girls first began  "The Recipe Club," sending a recipe with each letter they wrote.

     Recipes, such as, Ben's Brownie Sundae ("you spell it with an 'e,' not like 'Sunday,' did you know that?" says Val) and Lovelorn Lasagna are included in the book so that the reader may cook the girls' favorites along with them.  My sister-in-law, who gave me the book says that she cooked a few of the recipes, but I haven't yet tried any.

     The book is an easy read, giving us glimpses into the thoughts of these two young girls as they mature into adulthood in very different ways.  Lilly is rebellious and a bit boy crazy, like her mother while Val is a serious student who has trouble making friends.  There are some serious issues dealt with in the book, including sex, love and abortion but there is more than that.  We grow with Lilly and Valerie as they learn about friendship, families and careers, trust and rejection.
  
   This would be a great read for mature high school readers, which could lead to good class discussions. I think it would be a perfect for mothers and daughters to read, each with her own copy then coming together to talk about what she has read.  It is definitely a girls book, probably not very interesting  to many fellows.  

     Read it yourself and let me know what you think.  
     

The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins
Review Written by Nicole Sathre   

     This was such a great book. I recommend others to read this series as well. I will definitely be re-reading this series. A 16 year old girl, Katniss Everdeen, knows how to survive. Her best friend, Gale, hunts with her outside of the the fence in District 12. There are a total of 13 districts. District 13 is no longer present due to a war happening in Panem. In Panem, there is a Capitol that hosts the Hunger Games every year to make sure the 13 districts know that they are under their control. 1 boy and 1 girl is taken to be a piece of the Hunger Games. The ages available range from 12-18 years old. Katniss' sister, Prim, was chosen for district 12. But Katniss volunteered to take her sister's place instead. The boy's name from District 12 who was also chosen was Pretta. Later on in the story Preeta states that he loves Katniss since the were 5. The entire time the Hunger Games were going on Preeta was doing things so that Katniss would  survive.

     To find out how this all works out you will have to read it for yourself.