In this 1930 classic book, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, the story is told as a stream of consciousness by the characters, who are family and friends of Addie Brunden. Addie’s family is attempting to return her body to Jefferson where she was born, but the bridge is out and they have no food or money for the trip. This leads to a series of unfortunate mishaps, arson, rape and eventually a new beginning for the family.

Addie’s husband, Anse, is portrayed as a lazy man that has relied on others to take care of him and who first asked Addie to marry him because he could not take care of himself. And she who accepted because she thought no one else would have her.

Five Children and Growing Pains

The woman’s five children, Cash, Darl, Jewel, Dewey Dell, the only daughter, and Vardaman, each with their own brand of pain, caused by growing up in a household with a cold father and cheating mother, now have to do more than any child should ever be asked to do. Cash, being a skilled carpenter, works on his mother’s coffin for days, right outside her window so she can hear it being made and therefore won’t worry.

Faulkner’s tale pulls the reader into the story so that they may feel the mud on the side of the rivers edge and smell the rot of the decaying body, as this poor family attempts to return their mother to her hometown for burial. It reaches down into the darkest part of the human mind and attempts to give the reader an understanding of why people do the things they do and how they close their mind to it afterwards. How people can do cruel things to the ones that they love the deepest when they can no longer hold back their selfish desires and the same people can risk their own lives to show their love and pain.

This book was eventually made into a movie, known as “Camera Three.”

P.S. I Love You

When you read this book it leaves you with the thought of what’s really important. P.S. I Love You is about a woman named Holly who lives in Dublin. When unfortunate events happen, Holly has to survive one of the hardest things in life: losing someone. In her case it was her much loved husband, her high school sweetheart, her steady rock in life, Gerry. Gerry had always been the one to support her, and make her feel couragous in a cruel world. Now that he’s gone, Holly has to dig deep and find the strength to move on.

In an unsuspected turn of events, Gerry is able to help her on her way, and is there for her when she needs him most. Each step takes you on a different adventure and introduces you to her hilarious friends and quirky family. It takes unsuspected turns and events that will keep you reading waiting to find out what happens next in her extraordinary life. Through her trials she finds her strength, and a new way through life.

Holly even has the strength to help others on her way. All the way through you will cry, laugh, and smile at all the idiosyncrasies of Hollies, and you will never cease to be amazed what kind of situations her and her friends can get into. Holly finds herself surrounded by the people that love her, and who her real friends in life are. Through the entire story, Holly finds new perspectives on things she had never seen before, and finds new ways to move on.

P.S. I Love You is for anyone who knows love, and what life can through at you. Holly relates from the young in love to the elderly who know what life can throw at you. It takes you on a powerful journey of life, love, and recovery. I would rate this as an ultime favorite for the best drama books.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is the prequel to the original trilogy of Star Wars and was the first movie made after episodes IV,V,VI. I have read a few other Star Wars books and have seen all of the movies. This book is by far my favorite book of them all. T

Book Jacket of Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace

he best part about this book is that it includes a lot of extra parts of the story of young Anakin Skywalker’s childhood and how he became Watto the junk dealer’s slave along with his mother.

Desert Sand Planet of Tatooine

The story starts out in the desert lands of the sand planet of Tatooine. The beginning is also part that is not featured in the motion picture, which is the story of how Anakin and his mother end up in the hands of Gardulla the Hutt and are lost to Watto the junk dealer through gambling.

The story of young Anakin is an adventurous and exciting one. The Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and his young Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi are sent to the Viceroy of the Trade Federation by the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic to negotiate a treaty to end the trade route blockade of the planet of Naboo which leads the two Jedi to the planet of Naboo to protect the Naboo people’s Queen Amidala. The Jedi adventures on Naboo lead them to meet the Gungan, Jar Jar Binks who takes them to the city of Ootah Gunga, an underwater paradise. When the leader of the Gungans, Boss Nass denies them help for them to save the Naboo people they are sent on an adventure through the abyss under the water where they encounter several monstrous creatures and are nearly swallowed whole.

Luckily they escape the abyss with their lives and arrive to the city of Theed, the capital of Naboo where they meet with Queen Amidala and her people. They are captured by the Trade Federation droids and are on their way to see Viceroy Nute Gunray of the Trade Federation but somehow get out of captivity and find a ship to escape the planet. The trade blockade is dead in front of them once the reach space but through the Jedi’ keen sense of the force, they launch into hyperspace with perfect timing to blast right past the blockade. They end up getting caught in the middle of the galaxy without any power and their hyperdrive damaged and need to find a planet to land where they can repair their ship and get back to the Jedi Temple on the planet of Coruscant.

Repairing the Ship

The only near planet that lacks the presence of the Trade Federation is the sand world of Tatooine where they have a run in with the young Anakin Skywalker while they’re at Watto’s junk shop searching for the necessary parts to repair their ship. After having issues negotiating with Watto for the parts, Qui-Gon Jinn along with Jar Jar Binks, the Queen’s handmaiden, Padme and the Astro-droid R2-D2 leave his shop. While roaming through the city of Mos Eisley the Jedi and his friends get caught in the midst of a sandstorm when they run into Anakin on his way home and Anakin offers them his house to stay while they wait out the storm.

While at home with Anakin and his mother, the Jedi is trying to find out a way to get the needed parts for his ship when Anakin suggests betting on Anakin in the Boonta Eve podrace the following day. Once they work it out with Watto, convincing him that the pod was the Jedi’s and that he would let Anakin use it in the race, Watto negotiates the deal that if Anakin wins Qui-Gon gets the parts he needs and Watto gets the earnings and if Anakin loses then Watto gets Qui-Gon’s ship.

Instantly agreeing, Watto makes the bets. The night before the race Qui-Gon talks to Anakin and finds out that Anakin’s midi-chlorian count is higher than any Jedi in the history of the order. Having the sense that Anakin could be the Jedi that is said to be the chosen one who will destroy the Sith and bring balance to the force, Qui-Gon looks to make a bet for Anakin’s freedom. On the day of the race before it started, Qui-Gon approached Watto and discussed the freedom of Anakin and convinced Watto to make the bet, knowing that Anakin would win the race because he was destined to become a Jedi.

After the Pod Race Win

After the exciting pod race win for Anakin that alomost costed him his life, Qui-Gon talked to Watto and worked out the winnings. Afterwards, Qui-Gon went by the shop to get his parts for his ship and then went and got the no-longer slave boy named Anakin Skywalker. Once they got to their ship and had the parts for the ship replaced and were ready to leave, they were attacked by the Dark Lord of the Sith known as Darth Maul, who was sent to assassinate the Queen. Just barely escaping the clutches of the Sith Lord, they were in space on their way to Coruscant to the Jedi Temple and to the senate to inform them about the Trade Federation’s blockade of Naboo.

Once on Coruscant, the Jedi Council refused to bring Anakin into Jedi training because he was to old, the Queen informed the Republic Senate of the Trade Federation’s actions on Naboo. The Queen made the decision to return to Naboo to be with her people who were suffering at the hands of the Trade Federation. Once on Naboo the Trade Federation took the Queen captive, the two Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi encountered the Sith Lord Darth Maul again and were engaged in an intense lightsaber action with the Dark Lord. The intense fight went on and on until Obi-Wan was trapped by a containment field and Qui-Gon was taking on Darth Maul alone. Making a swift move with his red double-bladed lightsaber, Qui-Gon was killed.

As soon as the containment field was down Obi-Wan ran into another intense fight with Darth Maul which ended in the death of the Sith Lord. Before Qui-Gon died he made Obi-Wan promise to train Anakin in the Jedi way. When Obi-Wan saved the Queen and went back to the Jedi temple he carried out his promise, letting the council know that even if they denied the boy training, Obi-Wan wasn’t going to break his promise to the fallen Jedi named Qui-Gon Jinn. After the entire Jedi Council along with the Queen and members of the Senate left the ritualistic Jedi funeral of Qui-Gon Jinn, Anakin was sent with Obi-Wan to begin his Padawan training and become a great Jedi Knight…