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Feb. 20, 2010 I am a huge fan of Stephen King, but the most frightening tale I’ve read in a long time was penned by author Richard Preston, whose book The Hot Zone, is rooted in reality and tells the story of how the destruction of the rain forests—particularly in Africa—are unleashing new and frightening viruses. King himself wrote of the first chapter, “The first chapter of The Hot Zone is one of the most horrifying things I've read in my whole life--and then it gets worse. That's what I keep marveling over: it keeps getting worse. What a remarkable piece of work." The book, published in 1994, is still relevant, especially with flesh-eating bacterium and swine flu constantly in the news. Frighteningly, this book is about something much more contagious and lethal—a virus that kills 9 of every ten people who come into contact with it physically, or through airborne fashion. Such viruses are stored in protective military labs in the United States . The book is written as a novel, and the scientific jargon is explained in depth but in a fashion a layman will have no trouble understanding. Preston ’s book also details how such a virus could be spread around the world in a week or so, and how simple it would be for this to occur. The crux of the story is that for nearly three weeks in 1989, the U.S. Army’s biohazard teams—soldiers and scientists—were on high-alert and ordered to prevent a viral outbreak unlike any the world has ever seen. Ebola and AIDS are just two such viruses discussed; but there are quarantined viruses that literally will dissolve the inner workings of the human body. These are diseases for which there is no antidote and kill within a matter of hours. More frightening was that when the infection reappeared it mutated and took on characteristics of the common cold, only it rid the blood of its ability to clot. The mortality rate for the monkeys exposed was 80% and it did not take long for it to spread. Army investigators discovered that “Ebola is related to certain kinds of colds seen in human children. It seemed that the virus could adapt quickly to new hosts, and that it could change its character rapidly as it entered a new population.” Dr. Philip Russell, an Army General who knew about the goings on in Reston said of the virus, “…with certain kinds of small changes, this virus could become one that travels in rapid respiratory transmission through humans…Imagine a virus with the infectiousness of influenza and the mortality rate pf the black plague in the Middle Ages—that’s what we’re talking about.” The news worsens: There are sozens more incurfable viruses lurking in the rainforests. This book gives mankind the ultimate reality check. We are not the most dominant organism on our planet, but rather, we are held hostage by things that we cannot see nor defeat. Our existence on earth is rooted in luck and could be seen as a tenuous one. This book can be found at used book stores for four or five bucks, which is a hard-to-beat bargain for enlightenment The Hot Zone earns 5 out of 5 stars. Minnie Miller is the Grand Dame of the Real Sista Writers group. Her writing resume includes two previous publications, one of which is Catharsis, a book reviewed here earlier this year. Her latest work is a bold trek down a street fraught with risk, as she explores the downlow phenomenon. The Seduction of Mr. Bradley explores the conflicting emotions of a man (Bill Bradley) torn between a woman he loves (Jina Cook) and his relationship with his lover (a gentleman named Ted Grassley). Miller’s story takes place in Chicago , and like life in the Windy City , it too is fast paced. We are introduced to Bill Bradley, a literary agent, and Jina Cook, a fledgling novelist. We know his feelings for her right away. But with those feelings comes honesty, and when Bill reveals his secret of bisexuality, there are psychological consequences not just for those two, but others in their inner circle. Miller walks us through the dank emotional alley both Bill and Jina must traverse: Bill as he tries to discover who he is, and Jina as she worries about the repercussions of her affair with Bill and her conflicting feelings. While Bill’s male lover, Ted Grassley, has been married for some time, he is not without his own problems. He suspects his wife knows of his peccadilloes, but has learned to accept them with a sense of quiet dignity. While Ted does not want to lose Bill, he is aware that the feelings he has for Jina are intense. Bith he and Bill acknowledge all that Ted has done to help Bill’s career flourish, which makes the possibility of a break-up all the more heart-rending. Without giving away the ending, Miss Miller throws us a curveball; only I wish she had chosen to elaborate on this, or at the very least, serve us a piping hot sequel. 3.5 out of 5 stars Tzynya Pinchback has collaborated with fellow scribe R. Andrew Reeves, Jr., and several visual artists to compose a poetic mosaic titled Space For Fragile things. I was first introduced to Ms. Pinchback’s work several years ago (2005) and was blown away by the poignancy and thought-provoking nature of her work, I wrote back then that her work will someday become required reading. With this book, she confirms as much. Space is a slow, visual, lyrical odyssey through haiku, prose and free verse. It is a marriage of word and art along a captivating landscape that will leave you staring at the simple poignancy of the photographs therein and re-reading each poetic piece. It is a seamless blend of lyricism and visual reinforcement. The fragile things spoken of are the heart and ego as Pinchback and Reeves walk us over the eggshells of intimate relationships. The book is broken into three parts: Haiku, Poetry and Prose, and My favorite of the bunch, Bean & The Scent Clover. I love the eloquence of, Carved my initials into a tree and stole from it this plum, wrapped it in cheesecloth, to gift you. No, do not eat it. Open flat your hand, let it sit there, rest, the little plum in the gully of your palm, it will not move—wanting to be important, held. The book is too brief, but perhaps that is by design. It is the intellectual appetizer that leaves the diner eager for what’s to come. This is sure to become like the favorite album of your youth; something you can refer to time and again, to put you in a serene and reflective state of mind. Spaces gets 4 out of 5 stars. You can check out the pdf version of this work at http://warmprettythings.blogspot.com/p/my-book.html ------------ About the author: Timothy N. Stelly is a poet, essayist, novelist and screenwriter from northern California. His novel, HUMAN TRIAL, is the first part of a sci-fi trilogy and is available from Amazon.com, allthingsthatmatterpress.com and in e-book format at mobipocket.com. HUMAN TRIAL II: ADAM’S WAR is pending review and editing. Stelly also has a short story included in the AIDS-themed anthology, THE SHATTERED GLASS EFFECT, due out in February 2010. His story, SNAKES IN THE GRASS, Is a tale of love, betrayal and its deadly consequences. Reviews of HUMAN TRIAL can be read at amazon.com Visit me at: http://www.myspace.com/pittwit website: http://www.stellyhumantrial.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com 
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