"Shadow Divers" - Robert Kurson

"Shadow Divers" - Robert Kurson

This book was brought to my attention by a coworker. He was so excited when he was telling me about this book that I had to check it out from the local library. I am currently on the 5th chapter (mind you the chapters are pretty long) and I am LOVING IT!

 

This book is based around deep sea divers that dive not for the sport of it, but to test themselves. They wanted to push themselves farther than they'd ever gone, and deeper into the ocean waters than any other divers have gone. They wanted to experience a world unlike anything they had seen before. In doing so, the divers have seen their fair share of shipwreck sights. Instead of gathering as much loot as they can, like other divers, the two divers in this book instead try to imagine what the ship was like when it was running, and what the crew members daily lives would have been like. They look at these wrecks and see them as adventures, not pay days. In one particular ship wreck they find more than an adventure, they discover unknown history.

 

This book is written with an alluring amount of detail. The way that the author describes the diving process makes me feel like I am the diver myself. This book makes me want to dive to the very bottoms of the oceans and experience the shipwrecks for myself... and that in itself is a pretty amazing thing to do. (Yes, I am one of those people that cannot dive into a pool without pinching my nose shut.) I am in awe of the emotions that the author was able to put not only in the characters, but the surrounding environments that the characters are in.

 

If you are looking for a captivating adventure, one you cannot set down, then this is the book for you. There is heart racing excitement, treasure, death, and passion in these pages, so make sure you have a cuddly blanket, and a bottle of water. As soon as you start reading, you are not going anywhere until you finish! Enjoy!

 



"The Secret History" - Part 2

I am half way through "The Secret History" and have decided not to finish this book. I have had a hard time keeping up with the plot line. The story has too many "filler" words. Everything is described in detail, making it hard for me to concentrate on what is happening in the story and the importance of certain events. I have not been able to relate to any of the characters on a personal level, and have not been able to imagine a visual to what is going on in the book.
Overall, I would give it a five out of ten. It has the makings for a good plot, but I just couldn't stay focused with the over use of detail in every little event. My personal opinion is that it's a great book if you are one for constant use of detail. For me, I think mass use of details are good every once and awhile, but an entire book with major use of detail is a little too much for me.

"The Secret History" - Donna Tartt

"The Secret History" - Donna Tartt

 

"The Secret History" is about a group of college-aged kids studying Greek at Hampden College. There is murder written in the story, but I have not arrived at that chapter yet. The main character, Richard Papen, wants to join this special Greek class, but is denied when he speaks to the professor about the class. He soon find outs from ramblings on campus that the Greek teacher does not have very respectable ways for choosing his five students. He also finds out that the five students in the Greek class do not interact with the rest of the campus like the other students do. They are, in a sense, in their own world. By the chance interaction in the library with a few of the Greek students, Richard is accepted to attend the Greek class. He is excited, but is curious to learn more about this "Greek Society" on campus.

I have only finished the first chapter of this book, and am not greatly enjoying it yet. There are some slow, explanatory parts in the first chapter. I found it hard to maintain my focus while reading, and caught myself skipping ahead to other paragraphs. With that said, I have only read the first chapter and will maintain my open mind through out the rest of this book. I have read my fair share of books that started out so slow but ended up being great ("Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" started out so boring that I had to put it down and didn't pick it up for almost a year! Once I did pick it back up I was addicted to it.). So, on to more reading and I will let you know if the book picks up or not.