The Reincarnationist

From Amazon: After a bomb explosion nearly kills photojournalist Josh Ryder, he begins experiencing flashbacks—or, perhaps, memories—of events that seem to have happened to him 1,600 years earlier, in another life. Convinced these episodes aren't figments of his imagination, he enlists the aid of the Phoenix Foundation, a group that specializes in past-life research. Later, when he becomes involved in the unearthing of an ancient tomb—and experiences a connection with its long-buried resident—Josh realizes he has a chance to right a wrong that happened a millennium and a half ago, not to mention an opportunity to solve a series of modern-day murders. This is one of those books that succeeds in spite of itself: the story itself is so appealing that you can't stop reading. Josh Ryder is a difficult character to pull off (among other things, he's a man in love with a woman who lived 1,600 years ago), and at times he comes off a little loopy. But for the most part he, like the novel itself, is surprisingly well grounded in the real world.

This book is well written when you consider how the author is able to write the past regressions and have them flow so easily without the reader getting confused. It was excellent; the story is filled with suspense, excitement, intrigue and leaves you wondering how many souls can exist in a body at one time! You'll love this if you enjoyed the Da Vinci Code but this The Reincarnationist far exceeds what Dan Brown tried to accomplish. Interesting topic and I recommend it. And lil ol' me, always falling love with the leading male character! Yes, I know he's fiction! /cry

5 Stars

Sequel: The Memorist (available now)

What I Saw and Why I Lied by Judy Blundell

What I Saw and Why I Lied by Judy Blundell
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (November 1, 2008)
National Book Award Winner

My Rating: 5 Stars

This is a smartly written coming of age novel filled with mystery, secrets and lies and the author's voice sings on the page. It takes place in 1947 and Evie Spooner is almost 16. Her stepfather, Joe, has been focused on building a post-war life for Evie and her mother since his discharge from the military but when a stranger begins calling the house looking for him, he suddenly wants a change of scenery. He whisks them away to sunny Florida, ignoring their protests. Once in Florida, Evie meets a young man. She'll never look at boys again.

The book is written from Evie's point of view. She's a likable, intelligent girl. She doesn't think of herself as pretty because her mother is quite a looker. You can't help but be drawn into her story that begins with the dreamy, wishful thinking of innocence as it teeters on yearning's edge. It ends as she's pushed over the side into painful awareness, truth and maturity. Her eyes are opened. She sees a new self and a different world.

This is not just a coming of age story or a tale of first love. Important elements like racism, religious intolerance, the atrocities of war are the backdrop in which the story is told. I highly recommend this book.

On a different note, some may get tired of me rambling on about how I love the way a book is written or that an author can make words sing. What I Saw and How I Lied is a beautiful example of why I say such things, what ranks up a book for me and why I get so enthusiastic about a book. Here are some passages that I want to share:

"I breathed in the night air. Why did the air here smell like a pocketful of promises?"

"The world seemed to fall away and arrange itself around him, and it was perfect."

"I understand the word swoon. It felt that way, like sweep and moon and woo, all those words smashed together in one word that stood for that feeling, right then."

"The wave of fury crashed and rolled back between them."

"My pulse seemed to have escaped its usual place."

And my favorite:

"He kicked through love like it was dust and he kept walking."