Answering 911, Life In the Hot Seat

Answering 911: Life in the Hot Seat by Caroline Burau
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

NOTE - This book was poorly edited and there are countless spelling mistakes and errors.

NOTE - This book really could have only been 156 pages long the last 47 pages were not really crucial to the story and were more of a tirade/rant about the pros and cons of being a 911 dispatcher. I think this subject matter is demonstrated clearly in the stories and encounters the author shares with the readers.

At first when I started reading this book I was thinking of changing careers and that this was something I could go to school for and learn how to do. I was unsure of all the complexities and roles that the job truly entailed until reading this book. Now that I have read the book there is NO ABSOLUTE WAY IN HELL that I could ever do this job. It is high stress, high octane 100% of the time. The author showed when you are at work you cannot think enough about work and when you are away from work you can't think enough about work. Some of the situations, although incredibly real, were mind blowing to say the least and even the smartest individual may not have an idea as to how to handle the situation. There were a lot of good mini stories that captured various parts of the job of a 911 dispatcher that made this book worth reading, so if you can excuse the editorial mistakes and the extra filler pages please give this book a try it's very interesting at the core.

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Soul of A Lion

Soul of a Lion: One Woman's Quest to Rescue Africa's Wildlife Refugees by Barbara Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a heart touching novel that, since I was in a bad place, up lifted my spirits and helped set a goal of going to visit Harnas Wildlife Foundation. Although the book is called Soul of a Lion there are more stories about leopards and cheetahs than lions. There is no direct story line for this book but it is a collection of stories relative to the Van der Merwe family and Harnas. Pictures at the beginning of each chapter allow you a chance to see the animals and 'put a name to a face' after hearing about their shenanigans and hijinx. Loved that Marieta was always found with a vervet monkey or baby baboon attached to her hip and that she refused to have any animal put to sleep unless it was suffering. There are a lot of lovely quotes that highlight the purpose and meaning behind Harnas that are also interspersed throughout the book as wel. Overall, a feel good type of read that has you wanting to travel to Africa to get cuddles from various types of baby animals.

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How Evan Broke His Head and Other Stories

How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets by Garth Stein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If there is one thing that Garth Stein can do it's WRITE. His first book was a complete hit and in my collection of re-reads. This book although it does not make the re-reads list it does make you more informed about the world of epilepsy and the choices a caring and concerned brother makes so that his younger brother doesn't have to suffer through a particular situation in their childhood. Along the way there are many choices that Evan has made that have put dampers on his life or made his life harder. There have also been choices that he had no idea would come back and stare him in the face... literally. The thing about Evan is that he is a great character but a very unpredictable character, you are always unsure what choice he is going to make and the reasoning he is going to have behind that choice. The one thing that Evan does guarantee is a blunt sense of humour which really just puts things into perspective. The book was also an interesting look at the music scene and what it's like to be an aspiring guitarist in a band full of people with little to no talent.

This book is totally different compared to The Art of Racing in the Rain but it's also nice that it is different because it means that Stein can write a variety of good things. Here here to that

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The Invention of Wings

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book took a long time to read. I found it was an ok book but it didn't seem to consistently hold my attention. If you liked THE HELP this is much better writing and a much better story.

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