The Body Farm

On the outskirts of the University of Tennessee research happens. It takes time, but then all the researchers have is time. It takes nature. It takes perseverance. It takes guts--literally and figuratively.

At the Body Farm, the research entails all manners of death. Bodies in trunks, hung from trees, wrapped in tarps and wrapped in comforters. Some are burned and some are wet. Some have been shot and some have been stabbed. Some aren't even whole bodies. All in the name of research. All in the name of science--forensic science.

There was an episode on CSI: Vegas were Grissom took a large pig and wrapped it in a blanket. Then he sat with it for days to see how long it took for flies and other crawlies to find their way to the pig. To devour the pig. All in the name of science. Pigs mimic humans quite closely.

Jefferson Bass, the team of Dr. Bill Bass and journalist Jon Jefferson, pull together mysteries on the level of Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell. The main character, Dr. Bill Brockton, runs the farm and teaches classes at the university. In his free time, he aids local medical examiners and police departments in forensic detecting. These stories can get eerie and quiet gory. They are not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, but they sure make for excellent reading! For the readers really curious, there are excerpts from the materials used in Dr. Brockton's classes.

Carved in Bone
Flesh and Bone

The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

A new series...at least for me. This is a definitive young adult series. It covers the current life and times of Nicholas Flamel, the famed alchemyst and sorcerer. Flamel appeared first in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, or Philosopher's Stone depending on the nation of publication. The stone was secreted away in Hogwart's School of Wizardry and Witchcraft for safe keeping. Flamel is also known as the creator of the Elixir of Life, providing immortality to those that drink it.

Turns out that potion needs to be brewed every month or a person will start to age a year a day. Nicholas and his wife Perenelle have set death aside for over 700 years. Now they live and work in San Francisco, owning a used book store. Josh Newman happens to be an average, modern day 15 year old working for the Flamels, or as he knows them, the Flemings. His twin sister, Sophie, is working in the coffee shop just across the road. That all changes when Dr. John Dee shows up with his Golems in tow.

Thus begins a fight for life and for freedoms. Josh and Sophie, of course, fulfill a destiny that twins will save or destroy the world. Scott weaves a story fully built on the ancient mythology, explaining the ancients along the way. This is a great little story and three more books are currently available to carry along the threads. This book is a good beginner book for those who want to keep to the familiar (Harry Potter) and yet start expanding their reading tastes into more fantasy genre. It's easy to follow, much easier than HP. It's also a great way to introduce the mythology of Greek and Roman legends.

Yes, I finally finished the Twilight series

It was brutal, but I did it. I finished all 4 books of the Twilight series. Like I said with the first book, it's a cute romance and does carry along, but there are just not enough cliff hangers to keep me going. Meyers keeps her vamps toned down to the point of almost uninteresting. Her vamp fights hold a great deal of potential, but they never grow to maturity. You are told what could or would happen, but you never really see that devastation. Everything has a way of working itself out in the end.

The final showdown between the Volturi & the other covens is anticlimatic, even with Bella feeling her full potential in power. I would be very interested to read a book from the point of view of Rosalie and Emmett or Jasper and Alice or even another from Jacob with Renesme (what's in a name??!). It was a little bit a of let down.

I do like that fact that we got to here so many "how did it happen to you?" vamp stories. It really lent more to the characters. I would have liked to see that a little sooner so the reader could understand the characters' motivation a bit more. Perhaps we should check out Garrett and Jasper, seeing as they both came up during major American wars. Alice needs a little more finding of her background too.

Overall, a nice little story, but so much more could have been said and written. There is a great potential for plot lines that I believe could stretch Meyer's abilities even more.