Breakfast with Alan Lightman 2.0

So today was an exciting day for me, I got to go down to the offices of Random House and have breakfast with one of the authors, Alan Lightman, along with a number of people from Chatelaine!
As usual, aside from Alan, I was the only guy in the room. Someone was kind enough to point this out to everyone. There were a ton of people from marketing there, including Lindsey from Random House that I was able to speak (though not in nearly as much depth as I wanted to) as well as the marketing intern for Chatelaine and some other great people! It was a treat to hear all about the different marketing teams and the kinds of things they get to do. I also thought it was most interesting to hear how many events the intern got to be a part of! It was a very educational day as well as an exciting one. Alan was very well spoken and an overall friendly person. Despite his incredible education and list of achievements I was very impressed to see that he was not at all condescending. Getting to speak with all these people today just makes me that much more excited to join the industry in the next few months!

Book Review - Mr. g

The concept behind this story was intensely interesting. Normally books about the creator, God, are highly religious in nature and the story is always told from our perspective. This is the first time I've come across a book that tells the tale of creation from His perspective.
People have always talked about how the universe began and there have been many theories as to how it all began. Alan Lightman takes the story in a completely new direction. In a slightly comical way, he explains how God decided to create the universe after waking up form a long nap. It takes us through the entirety of the universe from the creation of matter in The Void, to the peak of civilization, all the way to the faint ebb of life at the end of everything.
As a source of quirky humor, and a source of inspiration, the characters of uncle Deva and aunt Penelope are introduced alongside Mr g. Rather than discovering the universe, imagine the splendor that these three must feel at watching the universe unfold in front of their very eyes. This book describes an entirely new experience that will unleash your imagination.
Alan Lightman masterfully crafts the untold story of the beginning of the universe. In a tale that gives you a rare glimpse of the opposing perspective, you will experience everything we know as it happens. All from the side of a man who lives with his aunt and uncle. Anybody that likes an interesting concept will love this book, I highly recommend it.

Author Bio - Alan Lightman

Born in 1948 and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. From an early age he was interested in both science and the arts. By age seven, he had a chemistry set and burned a hole in the rug. He also built something like a tesla coil. When he turned it on, it knocked out every TV in the neighborhood. The neighbors became very wary of him. He used to fire off rockets that came down in their backyards or through their windows, so they gave him a wide berth. Excelling in both science and the humanities, he won city and state-wide science fairs as well as the state-wide competition for the National Council of Teachers of English award. He earned his Ph.D. in theoretical physics in 1974, was a professor at Harvard in the 1970's,  he was the first professor at MIT to have a joint appointment in science and the humanities, and from 1979 to 1989 a research scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. In 2003, Lightman founded the Harpswell Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization that works to empower a new generation of women leaders in Cambodia. Lightman's novel Einsteins Dreams was a bestseller and has been translated into thirty languages. Alan's current book Mr g is also a bestseller and will be up for review next week!

Book Review - The Sisters Brothers

So I only found out that this book was a Western after I bought it but I am so glad I did. This was the first Western I've ever read and I'm always happy to try out a new genre.
Eli and his brother Charlie are guns for hire. Their mission is to take out the target passed onto them by their boss, The Commodore. In the middle of a gold rush, they come across some of the most
self-centered, evil men around. The brothers have to be on their toes if they want to survive all of the backstabbing corrupted people out to find enough riches for a lifetime. In a never-ending battle, the brothers acquire fortunes from the wealthiest of men, killing as they go. Staying true to their reputation, they are the fiercest men alive. While they can have whatever they want whenever they want it, Eli has a horse named Tub. Tub isn't the greatest horse alive, and in fact he's a little slow. But even with enough money to buy a thousand horses, Eli can't bring himself to part from his trusty steed. The bond between a man and his horse supercedes all else until a cruel twist of fate destroys everything they've ever worked for. Can the brothers outlive their reputation or will they fall to the masses? Only time will tell.
This book is the perfect example of a very straightforward idea turned into an enthralling story with great depth. The conversation carries this book. By the end, the characters are so real and so relatable that you feel like you know them personally. I really enjoyed this book and I would read it all over again. Don't pass up this award winning book, I strongly recommend it.

Guest Review!

As much as I enjoy reviewing books myself, it isn't often that I get to experience other peoples views in such depth. I know all of you read books and I would love to give you the chance top have a more active role in this site.
For the first time ever, Boow Reviews will have a guest review post. Someone other than myself will write a review and have it featured on my page. The fun part is that it could be you!
Anyone interested in submitting a review will have a chance to do so. Simply email your review to me at jl07tp@gmail.com by next Saturday, February 11th. One of these reviews will be selected to be featured on my page shortly after and the writer will receive full credit for their work. I'm sure everyone has something interesting to say and I am excited to see what you all have to offer. Please send your reviews in by next weekend to be eligible! Please provide your full name and the title of the book you have reviewed.

Author Bio - Andrew DeWitt

Patrick DeWitt was born in 1975 on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. Despite his current success, Patrick used to work as a dishwasher and a bartender before he wrote his first novel Ablutions.
He was one of two Canadian writers to be nominated for: The Man Booker Prize, Scotiabank Giller Prize, Rogers Writers Trust Fiction Prize, and the Governor General's Award for English Language Fiction in 2011.
Character names are hard to come by, they're something that comes with time. Patrick shares some inspiration for an as yet unused character name. Glancing at his lawnmower he noticed the name (Murray) and the brand (Mulcher) and he created a downtrodden failure of a character from his lawnmower, Murray Mulcher. His lawnmower may have been broken at the time. 
Patrick is a very introverted and reclusive person and shares very little personal information about himself, but he is a fantastic writer.
His new novel The Sisters Brothers, which won two awards, nearly didn't make it. His work was saved from a grant that allowed him to keep writing and eventually win The Man Booker Prize and The Governor Generals Award this year. If not for this, he would currently be working a construction job.
The Sisters Brothers is Patrick's second novel and it was an exceptional read. Keep and eye out for the review next week!

Breakfast with Alan Lightman!

I received an invitation, about a week, ago inviting me and a select group of other people to have breakfast at Random House with Alan Lightman, the author of bestselling books Mr g and Einstein's Dreams! If that wasn't exciting enough already, I'll probably get the chance to ask him a few questions. So what I wanted to ask you all is what do you want to know about him?
Post a comment with any questions you have below and hopefully I'll have an interesting bit of information to bring back to you. The deadline to post your questions will be February 15th. This is going to be all for you guys so let me know!