Book Review: The Judges by Elie Wiesel

Author: Elie Wiesel
Title: The Judges
Genre: Historical Fiction & Religion and Spirituality
Pages: 224
First Published: 1999
Where I Got It: Borrowed from library

A plane en route from New York to Tel Aviv is forced down by bad weather. A nearby house provides refuge for five of its passengers: Claudia, who has left her husband and found new love; Razziel, a religious teacher who was once a political prisoner; Yoav, a terminally ill Israeli commando; George, an archivist who is hiding a Holocaust secret that could bring down a certain politician; and Bruce, a would-be priest turned philanderer. 
Their host—an enigmatic and disquieting man who calls himself simply the Judge—begins to interrogate them, forcing them to face the truth and meaning of their lives. Soon he announces that one of them—the least worthy—will die.

I do adore Elie Wiesel's writing style. It flows well and he doesn't need a lot of words to really make you feel, think, and see. This is my third book by him. And its still as good as the other two. However, not my favorite. 

Yes, this was okay. Interesting plot, a people story, thriller-ish (even though the ending was totally predictable), and though-provoking. The characters' stories were too long and boring. Each character got a huge chunk of the book dedicated to their past life/who they are on the inside. It was too long and I would skim. Honestly, it really did take away from the plot. The author did try and split up each character's story throughout the book, but each section was too big and I found myself not caring about the character. If it was shorter I would have not skimmed.

Speaking of the characters....the vast majority I didn't like/care about. I wasn't worried about them being picked by the Judge. Is that bad too say?

Ugh...the Judge...self-righteous bastard....BUT he was certainly entertaining to read about.

Poor Hunchback guy. :/ 

The ending as I had mentioned was predictable, but I liked it. It fit and made me happy. Okay...maybe happy is not the right word....but I approved and that is how I would've ended it myself. 


So yes, this was an interesting book, not the authors best sadly. I didn't care about the majority of the characters for many reasons, but their backstories dragged on for far too long. I liked the ending a lot and I approve. This book would be a good one for High School or college students to read. Lots of thought-provoking questions and it shows that people can be both good and bad. In the end, I shall stamp this with 3 stars. 

Book Reviews: The Three Sisters by Bryan Taylor

Author: Bryan Taylor
Title: The Three Sisters
Genre: Historical Fiction, Comedy, Adventure
Pages: ebook
First Published: July 23rd, 2013
Where I Got It: Given to me by the author/publisher to give my honest and unbiased opinion.

"Nuns just want to have fun! But when three former Catholic nuns have too much fun and get in trouble with the law, they become nuns on the run.
Driving back to Washington D.C. where they work at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Parts, the three sisters are arrested in Tennessee. After defeating the local deputy in strip poker, they escape from jail, and are pursued by the zealous Detective Schmuck Hole, who has personally offered a $10,000 reward for their capture on The 700 Club. Little do they know that when the three sisters visit the Washington Monument, their lives will change forever.
Set in 1979, The Three Sisters is a humorous, adult satire that skewers not only organized religion, but the government, the media, intellectuals, corporate greed and every other part of the establishment. Maybe not the greatest story ever told, but possibly the funniest.
“The most pestilential book ever vomited out of the jaws of Hell.” — Billy Sunday"

Like earlier stated, I was given this by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Just....wow....ummm...where to begin?

Even though I read the summary, I still had no idea what was in store for me. I'm still stunned by what I read as a I write this review. I think I shall divide and conquer this review, since I'm a little tongue tied:

The Good

• This was hilarious. Simply and utterly hilarious.
• So much irony and satire going on I can't even begin to explain you some of the scenes.
• A very well written book. I felt like I was in the pages of the book. 
• Simply loved the addition of pictures throughout the book. It added to the feel of the book. 
• This novel is very sacrilegious. However, nothing is left alone in this book, which is entertaining and it adds spices to it. Politics, social, and etc are under the satire fire. (haha, witty)
• The characters were fun and funny. 

The Bad and the Ugly

• The characters were very 2D, but that might just be due to the nature of the book.
• I'll admit I skimmed a little bit...
• Mmmm, not a big fan of the ending...there were many things left untied.
• Once you read it once, I feel like thats it. I don't think this is one you can really re-read. A one hit wonder I believe.

Conclusion

A fun book for a cold fall night. It was funny and entertaining. Even though the characters felt really 2D to me, I think this characterization will happen with the nature of the book. Kuddos to the author for being unbiased with what he made fun of. Religion (of course), politics, society, women, men, and etc. I will highly suggest people who get offended earlier, should avoid this book like the Black Plague. This can be offense to those who get offended. I would recommend this to those who like funny, witty books. It was defiantly worth reading. Lot of stress these last couple of weeks, so this was just what the doctor ordered. In the end, I shall stamp this with 4 stars....again...wow. So many 4 stars lately. haha

Favorite Character(s): Regina

Not-so Favorite Character(s): meh, no one in particular

 

Book Review: Innocent Traitor

Author: Alison Weir
Title: Innocent Traitor
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 416
First Published: April 6th, 2006
Where I Got It: Borrowed from Library

"I am now a condemned traitor . . . I am to die when I have hardly begun to live.

The child of a scheming father and a ruthless mother, for whom she is merely a pawn in a dynastic game with the highest stakes, Jane Grey was born during the harrowingly turbulent period between Anne Boleyn’s beheading and the demise of Jane’s infamous great-uncle, King Henry VIII. With the premature passing of Jane’ s adolescent cousin, and Henry’s successor, King Edward VI, comes a struggle for supremacy fueled by political machinations and lethal religious fervor. 

Unabashedly honest and exceptionally intelligent, Jane possesses a sound strength of character beyond her years that equips her to weather the vicious storm. And though she has no ambitions to rule, preferring to immerse herself in books and religious studies, she is forced to accept the crown, and by so doing sets off a firestorm of intrigue, betrayal, and tragedy.

Alison Weir uses her unmatched skills as a historian to enliven the many dynamic characters of this majestic drama. Along with Lady Jane Grey, Weir vividly renders her devious parents; her much-loved nanny; the benevolent Queen Katherine Parr; Jane’s ambitious cousins; the Catholic “Bloody” Mary, who will stop at nothing to seize the throne; and the protestant and future queen Elizabeth. Readers venture inside royal drawing rooms and bedchambers to witness the power-grabbing that swirls around Lady Jane Grey from the day of her birth to her unbearably poignant death. Innocent Traitor paints a complete and compelling portrait of this captivating young woman, a faithful servant of God whose short reign and brief life would make her a legend."

This is my first book about Lady Jane Grey, the Queen of 9 Nine Days, so this was a new feat for me. Alongside reading this I did actual research about her (because I'm that person). She was an interesting character. Poor girl, as smart as she was, could not escape the fate her parents and others MADE her take. She didn't want the throne, but her fear of her parents and complete naivety she was forced to wear the crown. In the end, she forced to pay the ultimate price that should have belonged to her bitch of a mother.

There was so much going in this one. So many characters and so many POVs. However, I owe Alison Weir a big hug! Why? Well, she actually announced in BIG BOLD letters of the POV change. No guessing or thinking on who the Hell was talking. I nearly wept with joy! Such a rare sight indeed! Thanks to that, though, it was easy to keep up with all the intrigue and political goings on.

I really liked Lady Jane Grey. She was young and I bet if she was allowed to grow into an adult and furthered her studies she would have been a nice competitor to Queen Elizabeth. She would have been hundreds of years ahead of her time. Poor girl. :/ Stupid Queen Mary and her need to have a Spanish stud in her bed. >.> *grumble* *grumble*

Anyways, this was a very entertaining and interesting book. Even though I'm Team Elizabeth, I actually like Lady Jane Grey and I think she would've been a great queen and a great lady if allowed to grow up. She was just a child of 16 or 17 (something like that). Such a sad story, but a very interesting one. I think I should read more about her. I would recommend this book to other HF lovers and others that can handle all the religious bullshit of pre-Elizabethan era. I shall stamp this with 5 stars. ^.^

Favorite Character(s): Lady Jane Grey, Elizabeth (though they painted her in a slutty light at one point), Catherine Parr, and Ms Ellen (sweet old lady who really loved Jane)
Not-so Favorite Character(s): Queen Mary (*grumble* *grumble*) and Jane's parents (>.>)

*CaroleRae*