Mrs. B's Book Reviews 2008 Part Two

Yeah, yeah, it's taken me awhile to get back to this, sorry. I've been distracted by stuff to do with The Kid, some work, and my Board activities. Oh, and it's just butt-ass cold. I have a difficult time concentrating when it is like this. I just want to curl up in bed and, well, read!

Following are a few reviews from the "3 Star" group:

Strip Tease by Carl Hiaasen (Listened To/Read)***

From Publisher's Weekly: Inventive blackmail schemes, grisly murders, power politics, greed, revenge and sex all figure in Hiaasen's...comic crime novel. At the Eager Beaver, a topless bar in Fort Lauderdale, former FBI clerk Erin Grant dances nightly to pay for legal fees in her custody fight for her young daughter. There David Dilbeck, a poorly disguised, somewhat kinky and imbecilic U.S. Congressman owned by the state's sugar interests, is recognized by a sharp-eyed regular who, infatuated with Erin, initiates a blackmail plan meant to influence her court case. The resulting mayhem, occurring in an election year, involves machinations up to the highest state level, most of which are orchestrated by Dilbeck's arrogant, sleazy lawyer, and leads to an escalating body count that ends in a frenzied revenge caper arranged by the resourceful Erin deep in some sugarcane fields. Dead-on dialogue (``My boots are full of Vaseline,'' says Dilbeck one night, his only other clothing a black cowboy hat) and clearly limned characters from society's fringes--notably the taciturn, inventive Eager Beaver bouncer; a Cuban cop who works the case off hours; Erin's psychopathic ex, and his sister who raises hybrid wolves outside her double-wide trailer--round out this somewhat coincidence-ridden but consistently entertaining, warm-blooded tale.

The above review is spot-on (which is why I decided to include it rather than write one of my own (which is especially hard to do a year after I listened to/read the book!))

I popped this into my car's CD player where it got me through a dreary January of driving around wherever I was driving around to. I really enjoyed listening to it and got a huge kick out of the weird characters and what they were up to. I thought the story line regarding the custody case was a bit tired, but, other than this, I found it highly original. It was so engaging that, when the CDs crapped out on me about 1/2 way through the book, I actually went to the library to borrow it in hard copy so I could finish it up. This is one of the few books that I've listened to (so far) that was just as fun to read-read as to listen to.

I think a movie version of this book was made many years ago with Demi Moore in the role of Erin and Burt Reynolds as the sleazy Congressman. I'd skip the movie and go with the book, instead.

Cesar's Way*** and Be The Pack Leader by Cesar Millan*** (Read)

I know there are some people that absolutely LOVE Cesar and his methods and others that find him overly harsh. One thing that everyone agrees with, though, is that, in likely 99% of cases where dogs are behaving badly, it's somehow the owner's fault. Mr. B (who also read the books) is one who is somewhat skeptical of Millan. I have to say, though, being a newbie dog owner, I found his books/methods logical, easy to understand, simple and reassuring. He's also consistent (if, by the time you finish reading even one of his books you don't take away "Exercise. Discipline. Affection"; then you were definitely NOT paying attention!) After I finished reading these books, I certainly felt a lot more confident about working with Lucy.

If you have ever watched his show "The Dog Whisperer", then the books won't be anything new to you as, the majority of the dogs he discusses in his books were featured on his show at one point or another. Of course, he does spend quite a bit more time on background and technique in the books than he can manage in a 15 minute episode.

Both books are written in the "as told to" style (although his command of spoken English is very good, I doubt he can write it as well as he speaks it) with the woman who does much of the writing for his show getting credit for the books (Melissa Jo Peliter). They are easy to read and are interesting reading (if you like dogs and/or are trying to train one). Oops! Cesar is not a dog trainer, he's a dog psychologist (or so he says).

The emphasis in both books is on the owner being the pack leader, being calm, being consistent, and providing the all important exercise (Cesar is very big on walks and lots of them), discipline (not to be confused with abuse) and affection (only when the dog is in a calm-submissive state).

I'd definitely recommend these books, especially to someone who is new to dogs. However, I would not take them entirely as gospel because the dude obviously has a special gift with dogs that the rest of us don't. I gave both books *** stars mostly because I liked the first one about *** and the 2nd one was somewhat of a repeat of the first one with a bit more information about different breeds and their specific needs thrown in. If you will only read one, read the first one.

Mrs. B