TWIB-II 31
May. 11th, 2008 01:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akujunkanPosting early because of tonight's concert.
1) Keturah and Lord Death - Martine Leavitt
People, I have so. Much. LOVE for this book I question my ability to tell you about it in any sort of coherent, articulate fashion. Keturah and Lord Death is built around a simple plot device beloved of folk tales the world over: a young protagonist attempts to bargain with and cheat Death. It stood every chance of being a readable but forgettable piece of fiction; that it is not is due to Leavitt's excellent writing. Leavitt sets her story in what is obviously medieval England, but deftly avoids the "Hail, good sir!" cliché that often accompanies the setting. She builds well-rounded characters with a bare minimum of description. She knows better than to add extraneous passages just for the sake of writing a longer novel. And she deals with Big Issues while trusting readers to realize how big they are without beating them over the heads with it to make her point.
The novel's jacket refers to it as a love story, but it's really a dozen love stories, not all of them romantic, but all of them affecting. And the twist at the end (which I was hoping for, but honestly not expecting I'd get) was beautifully realized. This book is wonderful. You should read it.
As an interesting sidenote, while searching for other titles by Leavitt I discovered I'd read another book by her--The Dollmage--half a decade ago. It too had an intriguing premise, but the execution was pretty pedestrian. I mention this because it means Leavitt is improving, a lot. I will definitely be looking out for other books from her in the future.
2) The Journey to Pain Relief - Phyllis Berger
I'm going to cautiously recommend this book. I recommend it because as someone who's experienced a traumatic back injury, several of its chapters would have been of great use to me during the recovery process. I do so cautiously because the book is written half for the layman and half for the professional therapist, and as many of the sections geared to the latter were simply too technical for me, I can't insightfully comment on them.
That said, Berger is obviously an experienced therapist passionate about her work, and her positive tone and trust in the therapies outlined in this book will probably do much to increase the optimism of readers suffering from chronic pain. The Journey to Pain Relief discusses the origins and physiological processes of pain, alternative therapies such as acupuncture and the application of electrical current, and other measures (such as exercise regimens and coping strategies) of use to those suffering chronic pain. The latter two sections were illuminating, with the exercise section alone almost justifying the cover price. I had mixed feelings about the middle sections, but as I was more receptive to those therapies with which I have personal experience (acupuncture, placebo, meditation/relaxation techniques) , I'm hardly an objective reader and recommend (as does Berger herself) that others experiment with all of the techniques described in order to find what works best for them. I feel the book's first sections on the physical processes of pain could have been more straightforward, but they do cover all the basics and Berger's intended audience is probably much more familiar with the terminology than am I. The limited glossary is not much use in refreshing one's memory as to many terms' meanings, but a quick glance at the index will usually direct readers to the page(s) on which they're defined. Finally, the book's copious charts, tables, and illustrations are clearly presented and extremely useful. Read with an open mind, a desire to achieve healing, and the advice of a physician or therapist when applicable, I feel that The Journey to Pain Relief has much to offer anyone suffering from chronic pain.
That will be all.
1) Keturah and Lord Death - Martine Leavitt
People, I have so. Much. LOVE for this book I question my ability to tell you about it in any sort of coherent, articulate fashion. Keturah and Lord Death is built around a simple plot device beloved of folk tales the world over: a young protagonist attempts to bargain with and cheat Death. It stood every chance of being a readable but forgettable piece of fiction; that it is not is due to Leavitt's excellent writing. Leavitt sets her story in what is obviously medieval England, but deftly avoids the "Hail, good sir!" cliché that often accompanies the setting. She builds well-rounded characters with a bare minimum of description. She knows better than to add extraneous passages just for the sake of writing a longer novel. And she deals with Big Issues while trusting readers to realize how big they are without beating them over the heads with it to make her point.
The novel's jacket refers to it as a love story, but it's really a dozen love stories, not all of them romantic, but all of them affecting. And the twist at the end (which I was hoping for, but honestly not expecting I'd get) was beautifully realized. This book is wonderful. You should read it.
As an interesting sidenote, while searching for other titles by Leavitt I discovered I'd read another book by her--The Dollmage--half a decade ago. It too had an intriguing premise, but the execution was pretty pedestrian. I mention this because it means Leavitt is improving, a lot. I will definitely be looking out for other books from her in the future.
2) The Journey to Pain Relief - Phyllis Berger
I'm going to cautiously recommend this book. I recommend it because as someone who's experienced a traumatic back injury, several of its chapters would have been of great use to me during the recovery process. I do so cautiously because the book is written half for the layman and half for the professional therapist, and as many of the sections geared to the latter were simply too technical for me, I can't insightfully comment on them.
That said, Berger is obviously an experienced therapist passionate about her work, and her positive tone and trust in the therapies outlined in this book will probably do much to increase the optimism of readers suffering from chronic pain. The Journey to Pain Relief discusses the origins and physiological processes of pain, alternative therapies such as acupuncture and the application of electrical current, and other measures (such as exercise regimens and coping strategies) of use to those suffering chronic pain. The latter two sections were illuminating, with the exercise section alone almost justifying the cover price. I had mixed feelings about the middle sections, but as I was more receptive to those therapies with which I have personal experience (acupuncture, placebo, meditation/relaxation techniques) , I'm hardly an objective reader and recommend (as does Berger herself) that others experiment with all of the techniques described in order to find what works best for them. I feel the book's first sections on the physical processes of pain could have been more straightforward, but they do cover all the basics and Berger's intended audience is probably much more familiar with the terminology than am I. The limited glossary is not much use in refreshing one's memory as to many terms' meanings, but a quick glance at the index will usually direct readers to the page(s) on which they're defined. Finally, the book's copious charts, tables, and illustrations are clearly presented and extremely useful. Read with an open mind, a desire to achieve healing, and the advice of a physician or therapist when applicable, I feel that The Journey to Pain Relief has much to offer anyone suffering from chronic pain.
That will be all.
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no subject
on 2008-05-15 09:40 pm (UTC)