Val Muller

In my kids’ mystery series, the protagonist’s mother is crazy about correcting grammar—to the extent that she gets distracted and lost, runs late, or loses track of all else in her life. The character, Mrs. Hollinger, is based loosely on a combination of me, my mother, and every grammar guru I know. But she was always meant to be a hyperbole. I never imagined anyone would really do such things beyond allowing a bit of internal musing about the world’s bad grammar.

A colleague of mine proved me wrong. She recommended The Great Typo Hunt because it’s about a recent college graduate who decides to take a cross-country quest, ridding the nation of bad grammar and typos along the way. I greatly enjoyed the premise of this novel. Reading it, it felt a little long at times, but I tend to be less patient when it comes to reading non-fiction (you’ll notice I review mostly fiction here).

Deck’s style made the novel enjoyable. He subtitles each chapter with an over-the-top subheading taking advantage of the mock-heroic style. He also fills his chapters with allusions, metaphors, and references that reflect his high level of education. If a reader doesn’t “get” the allusion, it’s not a big deal to move on, but the references help to add depth and enjoyment to the novel. I must admit, however, that even the clever mock-heroic style got old for me after a while. Again, I think I’m just being grumpy here because I have less patience for non-fiction.

Deck has the tools that any epic hero needs: Callie (his car), Authority (his GPS), and his “weapon,” a typo correction kit. This kit contains Wite-Out, various shades of chalk, permanent and dry-erase, and anything else Deck and his buddies need and acquire along the way. Deck’s personality also emerges through the novel. He takes a handful of companions—one at a time—on his journey with him, and each person he interacts with serves in some ways as a foil to his own character. For instance, he is much less outgoing than his main companion, Ben. When the two of them are together, Ben pushes Deck to correct more and more typos. Deck’s girlfriend, on the other hand, is much less enthusiastic about the mission, especially since it means Deck is on the road for months at a time. When she joins him for a leg of the journey, she is not as adamant about correcting typos, and Deck doubts his journey.

Through the journey, Deck also asks himself a larger question: why is this quest so important? Is it about communication? Standards? He muses on these issues as he travels. The book is copyrighted 2010 (it took place in the years prior), and Deck also expresses lots of hope for the election of Obama, making connections to an idea for increased communication as part of his typo-correcting mission. I must say here, though, that our country’s communication problem goes far beyond superficial typos and grammar errors, so I found his musings slightly superficial here–to the tune of unicorns and rainbows.

What I found most fascinating about the book were the few chapters at the end dealing with Deck’s run-in with the Federal Government. He and his buddy inadvertently vandalized a historic sign at the Grand Canyon—they thought they were simply correcting a grammatical error—and were charged and forced to appear in Federal Court, costing a total of $10,000 and accepting one year of probation during which time they waived their First Amendment, taking down their website and promising not to encourage other people to correct grammar or typos on federal or government property. The ridiculousness of that interaction, to me, reinforces my distaste for the government (mindless bureaucracy at its best—this chapter is full of irony!).

It’s a decent read, but to fully appreciate it, I think one should truly care about grammar and have a college education to understand the various references made.

• Being Henry David by Cal Armistead
• Bomb by Steve Sheinkin
• Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
• Hannah’s Dream by Diane Hammond
• Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach
• The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
• The Great Typo Hunt by Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson
• The Lady of Steinbrekka by Kristi Strong
• The Raft by S. A. Bodeen
• The Scarred Letter by Val Muller

I’m reviewing this book as part of a blog tour run by Juniper Grove Book Solutions, receiving a copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review. What follows is an excerpt and synopsis provided by the blog tour, and a review—written by me. This book is rated “17+” because of mild adult content.

Synopsis:

Mia Langdon—tomb raider and adventure-seeker—has everything she wants. Freedom. Independence. No chains (a.k.a. a man). Her troubles begin when she’s attacked on a dig in Peru. Soon, she’s forced to use her tomb raiding talents to find the flaming arrows of an Egyptian goddess. In the wrong hands, this weapon could destroy the human race—and nearly had.

Used to doing things her own way, it isn’t long before she figures out that she needs the help of Harrison Braden Stanton, her stuffy, but so yummy, Egyptologist and ex-lover. There’s one problem. He despises what she does. As Mia and Harrison find themselves in the middle of a battle between the Egyptian gods and goddess, there’s no choice for the woman with a Grand Canyon-sized independence streak and the man working for the Egyptian god, Osiris, but to work together to prevent the destruction of all they love.

Excerpt from Blood on the Moon by Cassiel Knight:

Harrison sighed and leaned back in the chair. He stretched one arm over the back of Eleanor’s chair. She turned and smiled at him, lavender eyes sparkling nearly as much as the diamonds she wore at her neck and in the delicate pink lobes of her ears. He smiled back and she returned to telling their tablemates a story about her last trip to France.

His girlfriend was in rare form tonight, bubbling and officious and impeccably attired in a blue dress the color of Egyptian lapis lazuli hugging every curve and swell of her body. Pure feminine delight, a feast for the eyes.

He sighed again. For some reason, the banquet set before him left him full. After nine months of dating exclusively, he knew Eleanor expected him to pop the question, as the Yanks would say. A week ago, he considered doing just that. But now, a sense of restlessness and anticipation left his feet tapping and not from a desire to dance.

His gaze swept the crowd again. Where was Sophie? He hadn’t seen her since she and Sebastian left to see the tomb mock up. His niece hadn’t wanted to wait until his duties as exhibition curator were discharged before going off and exploring. Fortunately, his friend surprised him with a visit and now ran watch over Sophie.

Harrison rubbed his chin, feeling the slight scrape of his morning shave wearing off. Time for him to go find his wayward, high-spirited niece. The last thing he needed was for her to find her way into a part of the museum she wasn’t supposed to be. And it wasn’t like his best friend from childhood would be any sort of detriment. In fact, Sebastian was just as likely to lead the way.

As if towed toward her by a fishing line, his gaze found and locked onto a tall woman in a sleek gown of scarlet. It wasn’t just the color that got his attention, or made his mouth suddenly dry. It was the long, naked line of her spine revealed by the nearly backless dress, a smooth expanse of flawless skin that begged to be touched. To be caressed. To run his lips along the indentation of her spine.

Unlike most of the other women with hair pulled into tight knots, the exotic woman’s black hair fell in a loose braid down to the middle of her back. Some hair escaped, defying any attempts at control.

She carried herself confidently, her strides smooth and slinky as if she were aware of the appreciative gazes following her every move. Pure animal sexuality screamed from every bump and swivel of her hips. Harrison clenched his jaw. Fingers gripped the back of the chair as he fought the urge to adjust the tightness in his crotch.

Holy hell.

The woman’s whose body language fairly shouted take me now turned her head and looked him straight in the eye. God almighty. The full lines of her lips curved into a mischievous smile. Familiar tawny eyes glowed with humor.

Mia.

He should have bloody well known. Indeed, the most primitive part of him had known. Scarlet dress, red, the color of warning. The color of danger. Everything Mia Langdon was. Dangerously exotic, dangerously sensual.

The only woman who had the power to take his breath away. The woman who he once thought would be at his side for the rest of his life. Until he discovered, unlike the perfect relationships in romance novels, love did not conquer all. It failed to conquer the insurmountable, deep within their soul, differences each had about their passions. The passion for history. While he worked to protect the past for the future; Mia salvaged the past’s treasures for the glory. For the excitement. For the money. That he could not get past.

Hovering at the beautiful woman’s side was the sun-kissed sable waves of his recalcitrant niece. And just a little further away, a tall man with dark hair. Bloody hell. Sebastian. Harrison’s stomach twisted. The only way this situation could get worse is if—

“Harrison!”

Review

I chose to review this book because I love reading about the culture of ancient Egypt. My absolute favorite part of this book was the research done about Egypt. I loved getting to see and hear the gods and goddesses and experience their interactions. I especially enjoyed the flashbacks Mia got to experience about ancient Egypt. For instance, at one point she “wakes up” in ancient Egypt and finds herself wrapped in a dress of the time period. She’s not used to such attire, and she has trouble walking in it. I love being transported into such a world. I also enjoyed how Mia, a descendent of ancient blood, was so fiery. She reminded me of Lara Croft—strong, independent, and able to defend herself.

The plot was strong—lots of character conflict (kidnapping, former relationships, sexual tension) to keep it interesting, not to mention an archeology adventure. My one wish is that the pace was a bit faster, especially at first. I really got “hooked” around 35% into the book—when the ancient Egyptian elements picked up. Some of the words and phrases could have been condensed a bit—at times, I felt like the author did a superb job “showing” us details with indirect characterization but then felt compelled to “tell” the reader what we’re supposed to take away, anyway. Knight is clearly a skilled writer and should trust the readers to pick up on her indirect characterization 🙂

I recommend this book for anyone who loves ancient Egyptian culture, history, and romance.

We is a Russian novel first published in the 1920s in New York (Banned in its home country, it wasn’t published in Russia until 1988!). I wanted to read this book because it’s the prototype around which 1984 (admittedly) and Brave New World (allegedly) were modeled. In both cases, the similarities are clear, but each of the three novels has its own take on the dystopian theme of collective versus individual. This review contains some, but not all, spoilers.

In We, the protagonist is known as D-503 (all citizens are referred to as a number; in fact, all people are simply called “Numbers.” The novel takes place in the far future (there is a historical event referred to as the Two Hundred Years War, which allowed the “final revolution” to take place, resulting in the current society). D-503 is working on a spaceship called the Integral. One State hopes to send this probe into space to spread the perfect society that One State has become.

The civilization in One State is surrounded by glass. Most buildings are made of glass, allowing Numbers to see what other Numbers are doing. The civilization itself is surrounded by a glass wall that filters sun and blocks bad weather. The point is: everything is predicted and prescribed. Numbers have a “table” that tells them what they must do at each given hour of the day. During the prescribed time for walking, they walk side-by-side—like lock-step robots.

The Benefactor is the “Big Brother” character in this novel. It’s shown that he executes those who displease him by rebelling against the state (they’re executed by being placed in a dome until they suffocate). There are poets, but their role is to write poetry for state-sanctioned occasions. D-503’s friend, for example, is a poet who primarily writes poetry to be read at Executions.

The book is told through a journal D-503 is writing. It’s clear that Orwell took this as inspiration: Winston is writing in a journal in 1984, writing to a group of people who are freer than he. Similarly, D-503 is writing to a civilization that seems to be us, today—one who doesn’t understand the strange, regulated practices of One State. His journals make much use of mathematical metaphor, so if you are rusty on math (like I am), you should brush up. For instance, D-503 is bothered by the concept of imaginary numbers (I can sympathize with him on that one—math started making no sense to me at that point in my studies!). He is also bothered—but strangely fascinated, it seems—by anything beyond the norm. For instance, D-503 claims that he has hairy hands, and this bothers him immensely. He also notices a man named S, who is curved like an S, and a woman whose face has fish-like features. This becomes important later.

Though most things are made of glass, Numbers may request permission to engage in sex with other Numbers. This is to prevent jealousy–the whole point of this society is for everything to be ordered and controlled. Unknown variables are feared. Any Number may request any other Number, so Numbers may have multiple partners; D-503 does. O-90 is his lover and begs for him to impregnate her (illegally) so she can have a(n unsanctioned) child. He complies and later helps her try to retain custody of her baby, despite his “brain” telling him he should not be crossing One State.

He also meets a rebellious woman named I-330. I-330 introduces him to an ancient house (like the antique shop in 1984). This house is unique in that it has actual walls—not glass. It houses artifacts of the past and is watched over by an ancient Number. We come to learn that the ancient house contains a way to enter the area beyond the glass walls. D-503 eventually has an affair with (and becomes madly in love/obsessed with) I-330 and enters this area, finding a group of people who seem to be covered in fur. These are rebels—relatively “free” people who live life their own way. Once again, D-503 is strangely fascinated and horrified by them. He joins them for a time and plots ways to use the INTEGRAL to help them and their cause.

Still, D-503’s journal entries show that he is torn. He realizes he is contradicting One State. He keeps telling himself he is sick—he even visits a doctor who tells him he is afflicted with having a “soul.” D-503 continues to document his “madness” in hopes that his readers will fully understand what he is going through. Soon, One State clears out all the auditoriums to make room for operating tables. The State has discovered a way to essentially lobotomize part of the human brain (using X-rays) in order to kill the imagination.

Big spoiler. D-503 is eventually caught by the Benefactor. He confesses everything and undergoes the operation, thereby “healing” himself of his imagination and soul. I-330, however, will not confess or break down at all, despite the Benefactor’s attempts at torturing her. Once again, the pessimistic ending (the victory of the state over the individual) and the use of torture is echoed in 1984.

All hope is not lost, however. For instance, at one point birds re-enter the glass city, and it’s implied that the State will not be able to continue on forever. Once again, math is used as a metaphor. Though the people have been told that the Two Hundred Years War allowed for the final revolution, they realize that in math, there is no such thing as a final number: numbers are infinite, so there can be no final revolution. In other words, there is always hope. That was my favorite message in the otherwise grim book.

The other part of this book I found fascinating is how the Benefactor made a stark comparison between religion—Christianity specifically—and his own rule. I’m not anti-religion by any means, but I have always been fascinated with how “bad” people through history have tried to use religion to manipulate and control others. In this case, the Benefactor explains that in religion, people like the idea of a decisive, vengeful God. They like to know that there are definite rules and definite consequences. This is logical. He notes that it is human nature to want to give up control to such a higher power. He, like Big Brother, is simply taking the place of that higher power. It is his job to run One State with specific rules, and it is his job to execute people who fail to obey. This is similar to 1984. In the end, Winston is made to realize that he loves Big Brother, and that all his unhappiness prior to his “epiphany” was simply caused by the fact that he was wrong—and didn’t put blind faith in what Big Brother told him, that sometimes, black is white.

Although I am glad I read this novel, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I liked 1984. I do see where Orwell (admittedly) took his inspiration, but I thought 1984 was much easier to relate to, and character motives are just a bit easier to understand. 1984, I thought, was much more terrifying, taking the ideas of We to a more disturbing level. In We, I at least got the impression that there was a reason behind the Benefactor’s desire to impose strict rules on everyone. It seemed One State truly did want to impose order for the benefit of all (the consequences were still terrible). In 1984, it seems that those in the Inner Party simply want to have power because they can. The results are the same, though, regardless of the motive. This is only my first read-through of the We, so I plan to read it again in a few months to see what else I can pick up on.

I read this book as part of my dystopia kick, along with 1984, Atlas Shrugged, and Brave New World. I also plan on reading The Iron Heel. If you have any other classic dystopias to recommend, please leave me a comment or send me an email. I’m fascinated by people’s imaginings (and their real-life inspirations) about our future and the ways in which we might harm ourselves. I also like to see author’s opinions on whether—and how—we will be able to overcome our self-destructive tendencies and start over. In We, I was particularly fascinated with the beast-like tendencies of the people beyond the wall. Reason seemed to be an enemy in this book.