Books

The Cloud Collector's Handbook by Gavin Pretor Pinney.  Do you know that there's a Cloud Appreciation Society? http://cloudappreciationsociety.org/  Isn't that cool?  About time!  Clouds are beautiful, but it seems that they're often taken for granted.  Well, no more!  The Cloud Appreciation Society has published a book called The Cloud Collector's Handbook  by Gavin Pretor-Pinney (check out the link, below)--Wow!

I bought the book!  A birthday gift from $$$$$ from loved ones!  It is a WONDERFUL book!


Glynis has your Number by Glynis McCant.  Not for me.  I'm interested in Numerology, but this book didn't cut it.

Can anyone suggest a good Numerology book?


Longing for Darkness: Tara and the Black Madonna by China Galland.


Never Knowing -- A Novel by Chevy Stevens.  I won an advance copy of Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens from the publisher.  I entered a drawing held by Goodreads.com.  I think this book will be available in bookstores June 2011.  I started reading it and let me tell you, it's sooo creepy!

The story is about a young woman named Sara Gallagher who knows she's adopted.  She decides she needs to know who her birth mother is and sets out to find her.  Bad decision!  Turns out, her birth mother was raped by a man known as The Campsite Killer, a notorious serial killer in British Columbia who's never been caught.  Sara's birth mother is the killer's only victim who got away from him.  And, of course, this makes Sara the daughter of a Monster.  Oh, oh. But it gets more complicated... Sara has a daughter!

I have one complaint about this story and it's Sara's young daughter, Ally.  I wish the story didn't include so much about the little kid ('cause quite frankly, it's BORING), unless ...  might the twist be that while Sara's terrified that she may be just like "Daddy,"--you know, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and all that-- in reality it might be Sara's daughter who turns out to be just like Grandpa?!  Whoa!

Interested?  I'll tell you no more.  Wouldn't want to spoil it for you.  In conclusion, let me just say that I think Chevy Stevens tells a very good story.  I hope the book continues to be this good to its very scary end!

I FINISHED THE BOOK AND...

...it wasn't all that great after all.  It got off to a good start, and there were definitely parts of it that I liked a lot--such as Sara's conversation with her serial-killer-father.  But, I don't know, something's missing.  Just not a great read, and I was disappointed.

If any of you read Never Knowing, I'd love to know what you think.