The Anti-Vampire Tale (The Anti-Vampire Tale, Book 1) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a very fast read. We get a very quick look into the lives of the two main characters before they meet for maybe five or seven pages or so, and then, bam, they meet and the action takes off and doesn't stop. I was surprised at how fast the book moves and how glued to the pages I was. It's just that kind of an addictive story. There are some new ideas on what a vampire is in this book. Being a longtime vampire fan since discovering Interview with the Vampire in the early 90s in junior high and then reading every vampire story I could find thereafter, I liked what the author had to say about vampires and what they really are. His vampires seem more believable than most others that come off as magical beings with no logic or science to explain their powers.
I have to admit that I'm not a teen or even into teenage lit, but I do have a thing for vampires. So I picked up this book because of that. I was happy that the writing seemed to be a cut above most of what's in this genre. It's a writing style that seems to be more adult contemporary that happens to be about vampires with a love story.

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Simon is a vampire, prowling through the dark New Orleans streets that pulse with wild adventure and fangs gleaming in the shadows. He's spent the last few decades as a recluse, aching over a lost love. Now, he's put it behind him, thirsting to fulfill the raging inner need he's deprived himself for so long.
Ruby feels isolated and out of place--lonely, shy, but too strong-minded to go along with the crowd. All that changes when she is dragged out for her birthday and ends up dancing with Simon--mysterious, blue-eyed, and gorgeous. Her body tingles watching his muscled form move--so fast, so smooth, so powerful. His smile is otherworldly, and his kiss charges her with electric energy. All seems to be going well until three other vampires appear in the crowd, turning the dance floor into a horror show.
The other vampires, led by the vicious Roderick, are after a new fix--the new breed. It's a mix of blood and something secret that's driven them to a desperate addiction, making them reckless and willing to tear anyone apart to get to it, and Ruby's best friend, Ambrosia, has something they need to make it. When Ambrosia flees New Orleans for her life, they relentlessly hunt the one person who knows where she is: Ruby.
Stalked by ravenous vampires at every turn, Ruby's only hope for survival is her handsome new love. Through crowded dance floors, wild forests, high-speed car races, and even into Roderick's horrific dwelling filled with hostile vampires, Simon risks his life trying to keep her safe while being outnumbered at every turn and mesmerized by her every second--even while facing death, danger, and darkness.
PRAISE for LEWIS ALEMAN"Lewis's hold-your-breath style of descriptive writing will keep you swimming in his creative vocabulary for hours...multi-layered metaphors...elaborate prose..."--Alex Hutchinson - Blogcritics, January 22, 2008
"There is craftsmanship in Aleman's details; elaborate use of adjectival simile and metaphor ... stimulates ... memorable ..."--Where Y'At Magazine, Dionne Charlet, February 2010
"...adventurous, fast paced...loved the twists and turns...Lewis writes beautifully, his work is filled with great detailed descriptions...a great adventure. I haven't seen anything out like it."--La Femme Readers, December 12, 2009
"Aleman's unique writing style captures the reader from page one...takes the reader through a dark journey..."--TeensReadToo.com, May 6, 2008
"An enthralling story of vengeance, Cold Streak is deftly written and a must for thriller fans..."--Midwest Book Review, June 2008

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Down in New Orleans: Reflections from a Drowned City Review

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(More customer reviews)I liked this book because it made me examine some pre-concieved notions I had(have.) It took me several chapters to figure out the author's race and religion and my perceptions morphed during the exercise.
I used to live in New Orleans and my brother still does. He was there through Katrina and I was there less than 2 weeks after.
The book presents some of the most grievous episodes of post-Katrina NOLA--evacuees turned back on the Crescent City connection, the handling of state prisoners, the case of Abdulrahman Zeitoun and tries to extrapolate from them a theory of systematic oppression. I didn't quite buy it, but the author shines a light on some obvious problems in southern Louisiana.
As a lawyer who represents death penalty prisoners he has a clear bias against law enforcement and "the system." Every instance of authority paints the law enforcement officers in the worst possible light. I don't doubt that there are bad cops in New Orleans, but I worked with many noble selfless officers when I worked in the Emergnecy Rooms in Baton Rouge, Metairie and Bay St Louis, MS. Still, there's no defense for women pushing strollers to be forced back to the Superdome at shotgun point.
The book reads like a confession from the author who is trying to exorcise his survivor's guilt rather than an objective reflection on what happened. It is an interesting an compelling read, but it's only a few moments of one side of a very long story.


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Horses of the Storm: The Incredible Rescue of Katrina's Horses Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a heartfelt story of heroes and the will to survive under the most tragic circumstances.
In the aftermath of the August 29, 2005, devastating destruction of Katrina, the untold suffering was not just felt by vast numbers of residents in the Gulf Coast area.
The book chronicles the tireless work by Louisiana State University's Equine Rescue Team to rescue the animals in oftentimes very dangerous circumstances.
Becoming the riders after the storm, this is an incredible chronicle of individuals and the heart & soul that only comes from a strong desire to live.



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On August 29, 2005, the United States suffered one of the worst disasters ever when Hurricane Katrina slammed into southern Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. In the midst of uncertainty and chaos was born the largest equine rescue ever. Horses of the Storm is a collection of grippingand ultimately inspiringfirst-hand accounts of how the Louisiana State Universitys Equine Rescue Team spearheaded a dedicated group of heroic staff and volunteers that saved hundreds of horses. In addition, Horses of the Storm will also contain a take-away of tips to prepare horse owners before, during, and after a disaster.

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The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous: Fighting to Save a Way of Life in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina Review

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(More customer reviews)I've rarely read as gripping, horrifying, and inspiring a book as Ken Wells' story of what happened when The Storm hit the low-lying bayou parishes of St. Bernard and Plaquemines. As a reporter for the "Wall Street Journal," Wells, himself a Louisiana native, saw the devastation in the two parishes immediately after Katrina. His The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous is an oral history of sorts of what happened to them, a story that got "forgotten" by a nation focused on New Orleans proper, and how the folks in the parish have fared since.
St Bernard and Plaquemines are shrimping parishes, and Wells' story focuses on the Robin clan, a shrimping family that's lived and worked in the area for over 200 years. Ricky Robin, captain of a 70 ton trawler called the "Lil Rick"--a ship built by hand--sails up the Violet Canal hoping to weather out the hurricane. But surges whipped up by the 140+ mph winds get him in trouble almost at once. In one of the book's most harrowing passages, Ricky remembers seeing a 20 foot skiff blowing through the air and then skidding across the roiling waves like a thrown stone.
In the three days following the worst of the storm, Ricky gives shelter on the "Lil Rick" to hundreds of homeless survivors, sometimes hammering out dixieland tunes on his trumpet to keep up their spirits. Disasters can bring out the worst in frightened and desperate people. But it brought out the very best in Ricky Robin.
Although Robin is the star of the book, Wells also introduces us to others who weathered the story-- such as Ricky's cousin Ronald Robin. Ronald, a veteran hurricane survivor, also tried to weather the storm in Violet Canal. But like so many others, he was stunned by Katrina's ferocity and swiftness. "Damn," he remembers exclaiming, "that SOB is coming up fast!"
Wells stayed in touch with the St. Bernard and Plaquemines survivors, and the second half of the book tells the story of how they've coped since the disaster. It's not been easy. The parishes are still pretty much devastated, and inhabitants are bitter--they call Katrina the "federal storm," convinced that the government could've prevented the greater part of the destruction had the levees been more carefully maintained. Ricky, for all his outward easy-going nature, suffers from flashbacks.
But at the end of the day, the story that Wells tells is one of astounding courage, human fellowship, and old-fashioned pluck. As Wells himself asserts, the story of the "good pirates" is "a narrative of the human spirit, a story about a decidedly blue-collar, ruggedly independent people whose decisions to face down Katrina lay in deep cultural anchors. It is a story of a people who--when they realize no one is coming to save them--rise up to save themselves and their neighbors in the face of raw peril and a disaster of unimaginable proportions."
Oh yeah: Wells is one heckuva writer too. Readers will be captivated by his style. Six stars.


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