Pure Soapbox by Kimberlie Dykeman

Pure Soapbox
Kimberlie Dykeman
ISBN 978-0-9740703-3-9, $14.95, July 22, 2008
Reviewed  for Reader Views (8/08)

Author Kimberlie Dykeman is a motivator, and “Pure Soapbox” is her platform.  In her book, Dykeman uses some of her favorite inspirational quotes as a springboard for a broader discussion. She examines the true meaning of these quotes, including those attributed to Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Robert Frost and the Nike Corporation, and encourages the reader to delve deeper in to each ones significance.

Examine the quote “Just Do It”. It seems simple and broad at first, but Dykeman asks leading and provocative questions to persuade you to look for the deeper meaning of these three words,  and she gives a not so gentle nudge to help you find the value of their meaning, and to discover how you can make them resonate in your own life.

There is an exponential wealth of knowledge to be gained reading “Pure Soapbox” and appreciating the words of wisdom it has to offer. This book can be used as a daily devotional without the religious aspects usually associated with such works. The importances of its words are best served one day and one quote at a time. Studying the book in this manner will give readers the best opportunity to understand, comprehend, and figure out how they can use the quotes and Dykeman’s motivational words in their every day life. If you are looking to be inspired, or searching for a way to inspire others, I encourage you to pick up a copy of “Pure Soapbox”. You will not be disappointed.

 

All Through the Night by Davis Bunn

All Through the Night
Davis Bunn
Bethany House Publishers
ISBN 978-0-7642-0542-2, $13.00, July 1, 2008
Reviewed  Reader Views (8/08)

 

Wayne Grusza grew up as the son of a preacher and always felt that he was not good enough in his father’s eyes. The choices Wayne has made during his adolescence and adulthood have run on a course directly opposite what his father sees as the right way, as God’s way. His sister Eilene followed in their father’s footsteps and became a pastor herself, which caused Wayne’s choices to reflect in an even more poor light. Back from serving in Afghanistan Wayne find himself adrift, with no real home or sense of family. He is able to fall back on his accounting background and his sister’s reputation to secure a job reviewing the books for a retirement community that lost everything to a scam artist. Using both his finance and Special Ops training, finding and retrieving the money the senior citizens of the Hattie Blount Retirement Community lost should not be a problem. Fitting in with this rag-tag crew and putting down roots in another story.

 

Based on the work he does for the retirement community, Wayne is pulled in to try and unravel an even more dangerous and devious scheme. Lured by his attraction to the woman seeking his help, Wayne will have to use all of his physical and mental prowess to get to the bottom of the clandestine warning received by Easton Grey, a successful Florida businessman, and its subsequent fall out. For the first time in his life, Wayne will need to trust and rely on the help of others if he is going to come out of this mess alive.

 

“All Through the Night” features some notable characters and unusual mysteries, as well as fast-paced action and more than a little suspense, but does not pack the punch I was hoping for. Over and over again as I read the novel, I keep getting the feeling that I was missing something. The storyline for what was occurring in the present time was there, but too much of the background, the “how” and “why”, was lacking. David Bunn manages to deliver an interesting tale, but too much is left to the readers imagination for the story to feel complete.

Dobie, The Canine Saint by Paul Greenbaum

Dobie, The Canine Saint: A Spiritual Love Story
Paul Greenbaum
iUniverse, 2007
ISBN 9780595421268
Reviewed for Reader Views 7/08

Paul Greenbaum’s life was changed irrevocably on a summer day in 1985 when he met up with his friend Tom for a camping trip to Maine. Tom showed him a dirty chicken wire and wood cage that held three small Doberman/Rottweiler mix puppies. He explained that the puppies belonged to his neighbors and not only were they not taking good care of the animals, the neighborhood children were being abusive to the dogs when they happened upon their cage. Tom asked Paul if he would be interested in taking one of the dogs. Paul had just days before had to put his 12-year-old dog Big Pal to sleep, and was not ready to think about another having another animal, so he politely declined.

The men went on their camping trip and when they returned to Tom’s home, Tom again encouraged Paul to take one of the female puppies, who had been misnamed Vicious, as the timid girl was anything but. Paul’s first inclination was to again say no, but the voice of his inner guide pushed him in a different direction, and he said reluctantly said yes. On the trip back home to New York, little Vicious was so unnerved by the whole experience that she defecated and urinated all over the backseat, and Paul wondered what in the world he had gotten himself in to.

Over time, after Vicious was renamed “Dobie” and she grew used to her new home, her fears were slowly dispelled through Paul’s constant love and companionship, and she became the true definition of “man’s best friend.” Dobie and Paul spent many years together, and over those years, Paul learned more about himself than he had during all of the previous years when he was without this special canine. Guided by his inner voice and the love he and Dobie had for each other, he was able to open up more to the possibilities that life has to offer if we will only listen to what is going on around us.

“Dobie, The Canine Saint” is a heartfelt tribute from a man to the animal that changed the course of his life through her playfulness, courage to overcome fears and obstacles, and her faith and love in her master. Paul Greenbaum is obviously a very spiritual man and he uses his story to not only tell the tale of Dobie, but to spread the message of inner peace and love that he himself learned over the course of Dobie’s life. Animal lovers, as well as readers with an interest in spirituality, will enjoy this well-written saga of the bond between mankind and animals.

Belly Up to the Bar: Dining at New York City’s Top Restaurants without Reservation(s) by J.S. Mitchell

Belly Up to the Bar: Dining at New York City’s Top Restaurants without Reservation(s)
J.S. Mitchell
Cumberland House Publishing, 2008
ISBN 9781581826364
Reviewed for Reader Views 7/08

“Belly Up to the Bar” is a collection of reviews of 101 New York City restaurants that service their full menu at the bar. All restaurants included in the book have a Zagat rating of 23 or higher, and some are Michelin starred as well. While it could take up to a month to get a reservation for a seat in the dining area at most of these establishments, you can walk in off of the street and pull up a stool to the bar without reservations. Restaurants highlighted include well-revered spots like Jean Georges, Gramercy Tavern, wd-50, Babbo, and Veritas.

Each of the 101 establishments in the book list the address, phone number, Zagat rating, Michelin rating (if any), website address and the name of the chef. The author gives wonderful descriptions of the atmosphere at each location, including the crowd that typically frequents the bar (businessmen, vacationers, opera-goers, thirty-something’s, couples, older foodies, etc.). The décor of the location is included as well as what to expect when you pull up a seat and ask for a menu, right down to the type of placemat that is laid before you, the bartenders’ knowledge of the menu, the bread and butter and how it is served, and if water is provided without asking.

Background information on some of the chef’s and the concepts behind their menu design and the set-up of their dining establishments is included. “Belly Up to the Bar” also highlights the beer and wine selections available at each site, and the price ranges that you can expect for your drinks. Quite a few of the appetizers, entrees and desserts available at the restaurants are noted, along with their prices, and the author tells you what she ordered and how it was. Handy indexes are also included for the 101 restaurants included in the guide, broken down by cuisine, location and Michelin star rating.

I would suggest this guide to any New Yorker who appreciates fine dining and doesn’t mind the less-formal bar and lounge area as long as the food is just as good as what is served in the dining room. Vacationers planning a trip to New York City will find this guide no less handy than those native to New York, as with so many dining options to choose from, even native New Yorkers probably don’t know which spots offer full menu’s at the bar for those times when you can’t possible wait four weeks for a table. “Belly Up to the Bar” by J.S. Mitchell is a guide that will allow you to walk into the setting with confidence, knowing the crowd to expect, the attire required, the atmosphere, and the certainty that you can pull up a bar stool without reservations for a great meal.

The Constant Outsider by Thomas M. Cirignano

The Constant Outsider
Thomas M. Cirignano
Xlibris Corporation, 2008
ISBN 9781436320931
Reviewed for Reader Views 8/08

“The Constant Outsider” is the autobiography of Tom Cirignano, a man who grew up in the working-class neighborhoods of Boston, including South Boston, Dorchester and Braintree. While he isn’t famous, his story is one wrought with tension, danger, love, laughter, tales of poor judgment, and the lessons to be learned from a life lived on the edge.

Growing up as an Italian boy in the predominantly Irish neighborhood of Dorchester, Tom got his first taste of being an outsider. He did not understand why he was being alienated by the other kids. He was ignored and excluded from playing in the street ball games, and had few friends, because he was from a different ethnic group. His father managed a relatively successful gas station and repair shop, Emerson Auto, and he would often come home with gifts for his son that the other kids saw and envied, which led to even further ostracism.

As he got older Tom worked in, and eventually managed, Emerson Auto. He still felt the prejudice against himself as a teenager and adult when he moved from town to town because he was not from these neighborhoods and was therefore an “outsider.” Not one to be cast aside, Tom did his best to incorporate himself in to a group of young men that hung out at the neighborhood high school and, then as an adult, to gain acceptance in the local taverns and restaurants. Through his perseverance, he was able to make some great and lasting friendships.

“The Constant Outsider” by Thomas M. Cirignano is a tale of bullying, fistfights, drinking and the problems that go along with it, mob connections and run-ins, like the one with well-known crime boss Whitey Bulger, theft and loss. It is a tale of finding acceptance, learning and growing from personal and professional mistakes, faith and love. It is a multifaceted, complex, interesting story. As the author tries to impress upon his readers during the course of his story, if a South Boston mechanic has a tale to tell, so do you. Write it down, even if you don’t plan to share it as Tom Cirignano did. You just might be surprised how interesting your life has been.