The Crown of Approval - January 2012

It's that time again. This months Crown of Approval selection was a tough one. There were some definite surprises and I tried a few different genres out. In the end, however, there was one book that I was really impressed by.
This months Crown of Approval goes to Arlene Dickonson's Persuasion!
While they were all good, this book was absolutely inspiring. A true story of someone who changed their life and became a success. The part I most enjoy is that this is applicable to everybody. Arlene was a single mother of four children with no job at age 30. She was probably worse of than most of you reading this blog and look at where she is now! If there is one crucial piece of information to take away from this book, it is that in order for the world to recognize your potential, the first person you have to sell yourself to is you.
This book has a strong message, one that is very important. One I want all of you to experience as well. I hope you all get a chance to go out and buy this book, you won't regret it.

Book Review - The House of Silk

I have always been a big fan of the Sherlock Holmes series by Arthur Conan Doyle. So when I heard there was a new novel coming out by Anthony Horowitz I had to get my hands on it. As a fan of Sherlock Holmes I had very high expectations. If someone other than Arthur Conan Doyle was continuing the legacy it had to be good.
I couldn't tell the difference between them.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson have had some extraordinary adventures, a recording of which would not be complete without an account of The House of Silk.
A man is fearing for his life. A gang member he was recently acquainted with has been spotted outside his home and has even gone so far as to approach his house and his wife. Events are shaken up even further when there is a break-in in the middle of the night and the contents of the family safe are emptied.
After a strange turn of events, the villain is assassinated. As the duo investigate further, they are drawn into a sinister web whose influence far surpasses even Mycroft, the well established brother of Sherlock Holmes.  There is a single lead that takes them to the lower rung of the drug enterprise. But Sherlock suspects a trap. The trap is sprung and the situation becomes an unmitigated disaster; Holmes finds himself walking the path of so many criminals that have passed before him, on the road to prison. Can Holmes escape the most powerful force he has ever encountered?
Anthony Horowitz rivals Arthur Conan Doyle in style and writing prowess. The House of Silk was masterfully written and will keep you on your toes. Witness the resurgence of Sherlock Holmes in a twisted tale that will bring you back to the peak of his career! This was a great book, I was very impressed with Horowitz's skill in matching the Style of Arthur Conan Doyle and I strongly recommend that you buy this book!

B.O.O.W Reviews

Ever since I started this blog, people have been asking me if there was a typo in the name. "Are you sure Boow isn't spelled with a 'k'?" It always used to bother me that nobody used to understand. But then it occurred to me that I never explained it to you! How silly do I feel right?
So for the record there is no typo in "Boow". However, aside from just being a catchy title it does actually stand for something. B.O.O.W stands for Books on our Wishlist. I used to find myself looking really hard for a good book every time I went to the bookstore. And it was always hit and miss. Sometimes I would find a real jewel but other times I would just find a dud of a book. But as a book lover, I think you should have the opportunity to read great books all the time! So where do you find great books all the time? The bestseller shelf!. There are always great books on the shelf and there is such an amazing variation of genres and concepts. If you didn't know about them I wanted to share them all with you!
So I really hope you enjoy reading my reviews and continue to do so and that this sheds a little light on the matter! Share your B.O.O.W with me and we can read them together!

Love Literature

I wanted to write this blog to share the wonder of books with everyone. Up until now I thought that books were just things that people wanted to read and so I tried to give every book a fair chance. To give everyone information as interesting and relevant as possible so that you could make your own decisions. But today I realized that books aren't just about what you want to read, they are a part of a lifestyle. Books are a part of life and reading brings people together.
So from now on I'll try and share with you a little about the book lifestyle and about my lifestyle, along with my regular weekly reviews and bios. I hope you enjoy this and enjoy books as much as I do :)

Author Bio - Anthony Horowitz

Anthony is a Jack of all trades. Not only is he a great writer but he also dabbles in all other types of media including: television, film, theater and journalism. Born in Middlesex into a wealthy Jewish family, he was an overweight and unhappy child and he enjoyed reading books from his fathers library from a young age. Though he didn't know his father well, he adored his mother and she introduced him to both Dracula and Frankenstein. She was, however, a bit unusual. For his 13th birthday, she gave him a skull. Now he says it reminds him to finish each book he starts because he will soon look like that skull. It may surprise you to learn that he has been writing from the age of 8, though he wasn't published until he was 23. He started writing because he wanted to be like Tintin and has actually traveled to all of the places that Tintin has (except the moon).
Soon after he was sent to Orley Farm Prep School which in a previous interview he describes as "a grand guignol horror with a headmaster who flogged the boys till they bled". For example, there was one time when the headmaster asked him to stand up in front of the whole school and said "this boy is so stupid he will not be coming to Christmas games tomorrow".  A moment from which he has never totally recovered and the reason for some of his written stories of astounding revenge and retribution. Anthony Horowitz is possibly the busiest writer in the UK, he spends up to 10 hours a day writing in a comfy shed in his garden. Anthony has written over 50 books and is a bestselling author. His new book The House of Silk is in stores, grab your copy today!

Book Review - The Tiger

Following last weeks inspiring story by Arlene Dickinson, I decided to stick with the non-fiction theme this week. I can honestly say I had no expectations whatsoever about this book. Not a huge non-fiction fan but I had heard good things.
This was the ultimate horror book, but not for any of the traditional reasons. Your everyday monsters live in your imagination, they can't hurt you. But the creature in this story is on another level. This is a hungry beast of the real world and there are people threatened by it's existence every day. The Siberian Tiger is a ferocious killer by necessity and the force of it's jaws is enough to crush your bones into dust. At one point they may have weighed up to 900 lbs, and some of these creatures may have grown to be 16 feet long. But it is also an endangered species and needs protection. There is an entire force dedicated to the difficult endeavor of protecting these magnificent animals from the ravenous poachers. They are called Inspection Tiger.
This is the story of Yuri Trush and his men. A man, hunting a tiger, hunting a man. A true story about one of the smartest carnivores on the face of the earth, and some of the most experienced tiger hunters in Russia. This tiger was not just a man-eater. It was much more terrifying. This tiger preyed solely on human hunters.
The hunters became the hunted.
How do you survive the perfect predator?
John Vaillant sets a whole new stage for terror in his bestselling novel The Tiger. Everyone has an inherent fear of the tiger, but because we aren't exposed to it in our daily lives this fear doesn't ring true. In a chilling story of vengeance, John Vaillant justifies that fear.
Join the hunt and grab your copy of The Tiger today.

Author Bio - John Vaillant

Born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts,  John has always been drawn to the wilderness from a young age. This allure was so strong that right out of college, he left continental America and took some time hitchhiking to Alaska. Once there, for a period of 3 years he spent his time salmon fishing and building boats in the remote fishing village of Egegik. Here he shared a 10 by 14 foot cabin with two other men and a dog. They stored all their tools, their dynamite, inside and there wasn't a tree around him for 50 to 60 miles. It was this experience from which he derives his confidence.
In his first award-winning book "The Golden Spruce", he questioned the notion of whether the damage we inflict on the environment can ever be justified. He has always written extensively about the conflicts between man and nature, but it wasn't until someone asked him why he liked to write that he realized this. Vaillant got his start relatively late in journalism. Now he has been a magazine writer for 8 years most notably writing pieces for the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, and Outside.
Vaillant now lives in Vancouver with his wife and 2 children.
His new book The Tiger won Canada's highest honor, British Columbia’s National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction and the Globe and Mail's best book. Look forward to it on next weeks review!

Book Review - Persuasion

First let me say that normally non-fiction is not for me, so at first I was skeptical when this book was recommended to me. However, I learned that it's good to keep an open mind because a good story will always be just that.
Contrary to the title, this is not just a book on how to persuade people. It is a very real, and very intimate story of how persuasion can change your life. While it's true that persuasion is a very useful tool in business and in your career, it applies equally to all  other areas of your life. Most importantly, we cannot forget that although it is helpful for us to persuade others, it is also important to be able to persuade yourself. If you need proof then you need only look at Arlene. At age 30, she was a single mother with joint custody of 4 children and no job. Within 10 years she became the CEO of Venture communications. The turning point in her life was when she persuaded herself that nothing is impossible.With persuasion Arlene was able to change her life for the better. Can you do the same?

Not only was this an inspirational story, but it was also very personal. Sometimes I find it hard to relate to someone who lives in the spotlight because it feels like they are on a whole other level from ourselves. But I found this story brought her down to earth and made her seem much more real. Most of you probably know Arlene from her role in Dragons Den, but very few people know about her back story and it was absolutely enthralling to hear of her journey to where she is now. It's not impossible to change your life. You just need the right perspective, and the right amount of persuasion. This was a great book with an important message. I strongly recommend this book to everyone.

"It's never too late to change your life. But the hardest person to sell on the idea of your potential is almost always yourself." - Arlene Dickinson

Next Weeks Review - Arlene Dickinson

Some of you may know who Arlene Dickinson is by name. For those of you who don't, she co-stars with a number of other entrepreneurs in CBC's The Dragon's Den and The Big Decision. She is also a professional Canadian marketer and CEO of Venture Communications.
However, she was not always so successful. 
Arlene Dickinson was born on October 8, 1956 in South Africa. Growing up, Arlene desired to be both a wife and a mother. After graduating high school at age 16 - a high score on her aptitude test allowed her to skip 2 years in kindergarten - she decided against going to college and became a wife at 19 and a mother at 21. Another 3 children were soon to follow. She worked odd jobs to help support her children but she couldn't hold a position for very long.
A few years later, a devastating divorce forced her into joint custody of her children where she would only be allowed to see them every second weekend. It was at this time that Arlene found her way into advertising. Needless to say she found her niche. Soon after she joined a start-up company called Venture Communications. In ten years time she became CEO.
As a big believer in honesty and storytelling Arlene Dickinson continues forward with success.
Her new novel Persuasion is already a bestseller for Harper Collins Canada and it's her first ever novel.
Keep an eye out for my review coming in a few days.

Book Review - 1Q84

I have been very interested in reading this book for a long time. I sometimes get this sensation when a book catches my eye and that book never fails to appeal to my interests. This book was no exception. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami was everything I hoped it would be.

Tengo and Aomame (Ah-oh-mah-meh) are two very different people. Tengo is an aspiring novelist trying to make his mark on the world. Aomame is a serial killer. The smallest of strings links these two together but it is a commanding and unbreakable bond.
Twenty years have passed since they have seen each other. But one small gesture has held them together through memory. As a young girl she gave her heart away and disappeared. Now fate draws the two souls together in the city of Tokyo in events that will change the world itself. Tengo is caught up in a fraudulent scheme against his will and comes into contact with the strange character of Fuka-Eri, an unprecedented author with a story and a grain of truth. Meanwhile Aomame attacks the heart of a sinister group, an unnerving religious commune led by Leader. But the world around them is different and their paths come dangerously close to one another. Will they ever see each other again? There is much to learn in this new world with two moons. The world of 1Q84.

I was absolutely blown away by the level of character development shown by Haruki Murakami. I felt as if I knew the heart of each character as well as I knew myself. At times this slows down the pace of the novel but every piece of information is relevant. As a reader you can understand every decision that the characters make and that's important. The story was compelling and the details were breathtaking. I suggest you set some time aside for this novel. It was exceptionally good but it does take time. Take a seat and enter the world of one of the best books of 2011.

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone had a great winter break! Now that all the festivities are over expect our usual once a week reviews to start pumping out again. What were your great holiday reads?
Our first review of 2011 will be posted by tonight on Haruki Murakami's 1Q84! Keep checking up on us or follow @joshlegere on twitter for regular updates!

Next weeks Review!

I've been trekking through this next book to try and finish it over the holidays. Get ready for a great book with next weeks review of 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami!

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