More Book Reviews

WATCHERS

by

Dean Koontz

A great fan of Dean Koontz, I read this story years ago and I've just finished reading it again. Even by the standards of the great Dean Koontz, this is a wonderful book. It's a story filled with promise, unconditional love and pathos. 

Two genetically altered creatures escape from a laboratory. One is a beautiful golden retriever, the other a monster who is neither human nor non-human. Both possess super intelligence. 


A man who has almost given up on life. A woman so shy, she cannot look anyone in the eye. A ruthless psychotic assassin. A government agent who must find the creatures. Their paths will cross and not one of them will ever be the same again.

Beautifully crafted it will simultaneously warm your heart and make it ache. Make you laugh and make you cry. The characters are so real, they feel like family. Its strong underlying themes are love, loyalty and compassion, and it draws from the reader just about every possible emotion. 

It spells out the consequences and moral ethics of genetic engineering, highlighting the potential beauties and tragedies of tampering with nature. Even though the book itself is over 20 years old and, in the light of recent research a little dated, it still sends out a powerful and poignant message to mankind to stop and think before he continues along these lines of research. 

Woven against the background of a love story that is a delight to read, it is a book that will haunt you for a long time, one of those rare books that you don't want to end. 

Of all Dean Koontz's books, and perhaps of all the books I have read, this is the one I will remember the most. Perhaps for always.

*    *    *

CHROMOSOME 6

by

Robin Cooke

This is the second time I've read this book, the first time being a few years ago. I enjoyed it just as much as the first time I read it.

A taunt medical thriller set in New York City and Equatorial Africa, it deals with the problems, dilemmas and consequences of genetic engineering.

A prominent member of the mob is shot to death in New York City, then his body disappears from the morgue. Later a body turns up in the morgue with a few essential pieces missing.

Meanwhile, a lucrative and covert organ transplant project is taking place in deepest Africa.

Problems and danger mount for the main protagonists and their friends as the tension escalates and the story progresses to it's conclusion.

This is a real page turner. Recommended.

*     *     *

A QUIET VENDETTA 

by

R.J. Ellory

Ernesto Perez, retired number one hit-man for the Mafia, gives himself up to the FBI. He wants to tell his life story to one man, and he holds all the cards....

Ray Hartmann, a down on his luck lawyer is the man Perez wants to tell his story to. Exactly why he chooses Hartmann is an enduring mystery, revealed only at the very end of the book. While struggling with his own demons, Hartmann is compelled to listen to Perez, at first against his wishes and gradually because of a growing fascination for the killer.

And so begins a fascinating rapport between the two main characters. Two adversaries who are poles apart and yet in some ways similar, and, in an almost incomprehensible way, they understand, respect and empathise with each other.

All the while the FBI and the New Orleans PD are powerless to take any action. All they can do is listen. Perez is in control.

Meanwhile the Governor of Louisiana's daughter has been kidnapped and must be found before she is dead.....

I am a great fan of R J Ellory, and I would say that of all of his books that I have read, this is my favourite. It is beautifully written and full of fact intertwined with fiction. It tells of the rise and influence of the Mafia in the USA and as such gives great insight into American history.

Staring slowly, it soon draws the reader in and then propels itself into a breathtaking pace. It has lots of graphic violence and some pages conjure up disturbing images.

It's a story of love, loss, loyalty and revenge. A brilliantly crafted book that makes for unforgettable reading. A stunning novel.

*     *     *

HOUSE RULES

by

Jodi Picoult

First I am the mother of person with Asperger's Syndrome, so it was with special interest that I read this book.

This is the tale of Jacob Hunt who has Asperger's Syndome; a (usually) high functioning condition on the Autistic spectrum. His obsession with various things and concepts, particularly forensic science, soon leads him into deep, deep trouble. Also his conceptual limitations ensure that he has many confrontations with his peers, sometimes his mother and often with his brother Theo; the latter who, feeling a little left out of things develops problems of his own.

Jodi Picoult tells the story through the eyes of all the characters in the book chapter by chapter, and this works particularly well for this story, as it quite adequately shows how "Aspies" see the world and how they use their various coping strategies to attempt to adjust to various situations. Telling the story from the perspective of different characters also illuminates how others struggle to perceive the world of someone with Aspergers, how they attempt to understand the Asperger's world and and how a 'normal' person's perceptions of the Asperger's world conflicts with their own view of reality.

If I have one gripe about this book, it's the mother's notion that she is never wrong, and thus her obvious oblivion to the psychological problems that beset long suffering brother Theo.

Having said that, this is a very well written book and Jodi Picoult has obviously done quite a lot of research into the condition as she described Jacob's unique world and behaviours admirably.

It's a page turner in it's own right and keeps us all guessing as to the final outcome.

*     *     *

CHASE

by

Dean Koontz

This is one of, if not the earliest suspense book by Dean Koontz originally published under the pseudonym of K. R. Dwyer, but recently reworked and published under his real name.

It tells of Vietnam war hero Ben Chase who is struggling with many personal demons after his war experiences. One night he witnesses a murder and intervenes in order to save the victim's young teenage girlfriend from also being murdered. The result is that Ben finds himself on the killer's hit-list.

This book is a fairly good read, but its main interest for me lies in that it shows how Dean Koontz has evolved in his writing style over the years.

Okay for a quick read. Will most likely keep you turning the pages.

Neil Diamond at the O2 Arena, London, UK

Three or four weeks ago, I managed to secure a ticket for Neil Diamond's gig at the O2 Arena in London. It was a relatively easy time on the internet and I finally bought a ticket for the front row, side of stage.

It took me back three years when I saw Neil at the O2 in 2008. Then it was a last minute thing. I was only aware rather late on that he was playing the O2. Never-the-less, I managed to get a good seat, after paying a silly inflated price for it from some ticket touts. I booked my hotel and went to the concert. It was great with the audience standing throughout the entire two hour performance and all of them singing along to most of the songs. At one point, I think it was when "Forever in Blue Jeans" started up, Neil sat down onstage and let the audience sing the whole of one bridge. 

I enjoyed the concert so much. I came away elated.

And so once again these summer I will be at the O2 arena. This time sat in the audience at the side of the stage and singing my heart out along to bygone hits such "Sweet Caroline," plus a few of Neil Diamond's newer hits. And I know that once more, just like the summer of 2008 I shall be blown away by the concert.

Star studded night on BBC TV Sunday March 6th

Really enjoyed Sunday night's astronomy programmes. The first to be broadcast was Wonders of the Universe. Professor Brian Cox explained entropy and it's role in the arrow of time in a way that we all could understand. Iconic photography and great special effects made this a programme not to miss. If you did miss it, catch it on BBC iPlayer

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00zf9dh/Wonders_of_the_Universe_Destiny/

Followed a little later by the 700th edition of The Sky at Night. This programme has the distinction of being the longest running TV show in the world and Sir Patrick Moore has presented all but one of them himself. Also, he has just celebrated his 88th birthday, so all in all it's quite an achievment. Professor Brian Cox appeared in this too as did Dr Brian May, ex lead guitarist with rock group Queen, now an astrophysicist. Not out yet on BBC iPlayer. Will post a link when it is.

It was also good to see these two show trending at number one worldwide on Twitter !

Another Trip to London.......

I went on one of my forays up to London last Wednesday for a three day stay. I went to look at a tiny apartment with the dubious intention of maybe moving in? I had also arranged to meet up with my friend, and we would go for lunch after I had viewed this tiny flat. 

Feeling a bit restless and out of it just lately. The sea and sand here in Cornwall is all very nice, but of late, it seems to be  just a tad too quiet for me. Of course all that alters when the holiday makers arrive. Then the place goes wild. But that's not what I want at the moment. I just feel I need something different. Somewhere where there's lots of things happening. Somewhere I can reflect on my life and where it will (hopefully) take me from here. 

And so I arrived in London after a long coach journey, (during which I did not feel well for most of the time). The dwelling place I was to look at is in the Earls Court, South Kensington area. Quite an in crowd and a very trendy place to be in. 

I arrived at Victoria Coach Station and ordered a cab to Earls Court. The fare set me back £15. I was a little mad at myself, because the coach had already made it's way down Earls Court Road on it's way to Victoria and had I been quick enough, I'm sure the coach driver would have let me get out at the traffic lights. However, I was not quick enough and so to Victoria we went.

I arrived at the apartment block in a good mood though. I always love the journey into central London, it's always bustling with many, many people of all different races and creeds, looking at all the fascinating shops and a good many of them were sat at the side walk cafes. It was more than a little chilly when I arrived, but it obviously had not deterred them from sitting, drinking coffee and watching the world (and me) go by.

Tired after the coach ride, I spent a quiet night reading until I felt my eyelids drooping and so I decided to  call it a day.  The following morning, after first viewing the flat,  my friend came to meet me and we set off in search of a good restaurant or pub where good food was to be had. We had partly decided beforehand that we would look at one on Brompton Road, namely, The Drayton Arms. It's a pub by day and night and a theatre (and pub) in the evening.

As Earls Court is at an intersection (junction) with of Old Brompton Road, we had not anticipated any difficulty finding this pub, but lo and behold we soon got lost, even with a map and all. Seemingly going round in circles, we finally asked a gardener who happened to be trimming a hedge where the hell we were and how the hell do we get to Brompton Road from here? He looked at us with great amusement and told us that we were much nearer than we thought (thank God for that. We were freezing.) And so we set off and sure enough we found our destination.

This was Thursday lunch time and by now as you have no doubt guessed, it was very cold in central London. It soon became apparent that it was not gonna be too much fun trailing around looking for alternative suitable places to eat. And so we decided we would eat at the Drayton whatever it was like!

We got to the Drayton Arms just as it was opening for the day. It looked  rather nice ( well it is a fairly famous place). We settled down, ordered a coffee and a meal and a some wine. And we took our time eating. It was so cold outside that we were not in a rush to leave. There was a big roaring fire at one end of the room and we ordered desert and some more wine and sat round the fire, under a small but elaborate chandelier.

A pleasant afternoon went by very quickly, and when I got back to the apartment block in Earls Court I had another look at the tiny flat. I decided it was just a little too tiny, and that most of the things I possess here in Cornwall would not fit in to such a small space. And so I turned it down. A pity. I was disappointed. Sad that the little apartment in the heart of London was just too small a heart. And so with a bit of  regret, I left. I said I would wait until another one became vacant and see if that one was a bit bigger.

I packed my bag and said farewell to the people who live in that apartment and whom I have come to know over the years during my visits to London. A taxi took me back to Victoria Coach Station.

The coach ride through London was fascinating as the driver took us on a route that I have not been before with this particular coach company. There was much traffic and that meant that we went very slowly along Kennsington and Knightsbridge and it was great just to do a little window shopping from the coach; looking at the window displays in such shops as Harvey Nicholls and Harrods. I had to resist an overwhelming urge to jump out of the coach and  into the shops, but I was a bit restricted from doing that. Just as well. 

Out of London the journey back to Cornwall was pleasant with green pastures flying past the windows on either side of the coach. But it was a long journey. Eight hours in all. It was nine in the evening when I finally got back to my own apartment. As I walked throughout the door the difference in size of my apartment to the one in London was amazing. I twirled around feeling all that space that I had missed for just a short spell of time.

What will happen? Will I ever make that move to central London that I have wanted for quite some time now?  Only time will tell. 

www.thedraytonarmssw5.co.uk

BOOK REVIEW

EXPECTING ADAM

BY Martha Beck

Review for Amazon and 

abookamonth2011.blogspot.com/p/notice-board.html

At first I was unsure about this book. I didn't think it was my kind of book at all. And at the beginning Martha Beck describes a  lot of interaction between herself and her husband that seemed to drag a little.

Then, as I read on it picked up the pace and I became more and more interested in it.  Eventually, I found myself loving it and ended up in tears!!

It's mostly a womans book and many women will empathise with Mrs Beck's  struggles with nausea and illness whilst she is carrying her Down's Syndrome baby. 

Humour is injected into the story, presumably to lighten what would otherwise be a dark and possibly depressing subject. But, having said that, I was not blown away by the humour itself. I think the story, so beautifully in itself, about how she coped with her difficult pregnancy, was strong enough to carry itself, humour or no humour.

Martha's decision not to have her baby aborted, when confronted with such adversity from colleagues and the medical profession was commendable. What a brave lady she is. And what an inspiration to other women who may find themselves in a similar position. It is notable that, in a situation such this, Martha finds out just who are her true friends, and who are those "friends" who eventually show themselves to be shallow people whose creed is that only perfection and money bring happiness. How wrong they are.

Martha's mystical experiences were somewhat unusual to say the least and I am wondering how many people found them credible. To Martha, they were no doubt as profound and real as they came across in the book. To the reader? Well maybe there is a big question of credibility here. I will give Martha the benefit of the doubt, as I think it must be quite difficult to describe such feelings and experiences on paper and make them real.

Whatever they were they helped Martha through her pregnancy, and as such it is obvious that they were in part instrumental in her deciding to write the book. It's wonderful that she felt confident enough with herself and her readers to include them in such vivid detail, as they make reading this book a fascinating and unforgettable experience. 

But the book really comes to life when Martha talks about Adam. Her love for him and his "specialness" is endearing and it just lights up the page. Adam's own capacity for love and his uniqueness touches the reader with warmth and gladdens the heart.

And this book had a special resonance for me too, as I am the mother of an autistic child (who is an autistic adult now). 

Expecting Adam is a heart warming experience for the reader. It shows that courage and conviction will almost always  triumph over adversity. Mrs beck's love for Adam and her pride motivated her to immortalise him in a book and I'm so glad she did. I would love to know more, as to how she and her husband coped with the (then) new addition to the family. It would, I'm sure make for another heartwarming read. Thoroughly recommended.

MY BOOK REVIEWS FROM AMAZON

Apart from one book over this last four or five weeks of reading, they have all been rather spooky reads. I must say I've enjoyed them all, but for the purpose of this review I'll start with the non-spooky one: The wonderful

Water for Elephants


by 


Sara Gruen

Set against the backdrop of the great Depression in the 1930s the main protagonist of this delightful book is Jacob Jancowski. 

There are two stories of Jacob in this book, both brilliantly intertwined. Jacob the old man who is suffering and finding his aged body almost intolerable to live with. Then there's the story of the young Jacob, which is told in brilliant, vivid retrospect.

After the death of his parents and loss of his inheritance, the young Jacob runs away and eventually finds himself attracted to a  travelling circus. He joins the circus and there he discovers a world that at first gives him feelings of alienation. As he struggles to fit in, he comes into contact with types of people he has never known before; misfits, freaks, and the lovely Marlena.

And so begins a love story told by an old man who is now basically lost and forgotten, and who looks back over his life as a young man, reminiscing with his attentive and charming nurse Rosemary.

A lot of research has gone into this book. The circus is described very vividly and the result is that it comes over to the reader as exotic and colourful.You are thrilled and often shocked simultaneously at the way the people and the animals are treated.

It's an obvious page turner and the character of Jacob is extremely well written. Marlena, August and Walter the clown are more two dimensional but even so, they are fascinating characters in their own right and help to make the book the riveting read that it is. 

I have to say I was slightly perplexed when a few of the characters seemed to "disappear" from the text with little or no explanation. Maybe it was something to do with the old man telling the story? Having said that, the book is so well written that all the characters truly bring the book to life and for me  the wonderful Rosie the elephant and the circus itself were the true heroes of this book.

It's a great read, a page turner that will thrill and shock the reader at the same time as it twists and turns it's way to the climax. I also loved the archived circus photographs, and I would have liked to have read it in one sitting, but alas for me it was not possible.

P.S. This book was also reviewed for the

2011 Ladies Book Club

*    *    *

And so on to the spooky reads.....

Everything's Eventual

By 

Stephen King

I'm not sure how he does it, but what would otherwise be the most bland and mundane text and dialogue takes on a life of it's own under Stephen King's masterful pen. Somehow the words jump from the page and you are hooked. 

Maybe it's the dead pan and often black humour that's so skilfully interwoven in the text of most of his stories; often cropping up when you least expect it and to which the reader can instantly relate. For instance in The Death Room: "the woman.....black hair with striking white streaks. Flying up from her forehead as if blown by a gale force wind ....Bride of Frankenstein....," and the often hilarious maitre d's dialogue in "Lunch at Gotham Cafe" 

And then, we wait with bated breath for the punchline, the climax and Stephen King rarely pulls any punches. The only author I know who can simultaneously scare the living daylights out of me and have me in fits of giggles. 

And so, in this collection of 14 short stories, he delivers a rib tickling ride as well as a thrilling and scary one. 

My favourites were - in no particular order: 

Riding the Bullet~~ A young man gives a ride to a bizarre hitchhiker. A tense, poignant and often scary ride for the reader. 

In the Deathroom ~~ A men is under interrogation in the depths of South America. Probably the one to give the reader nightmares as it seems it is not too far removed from reality. 

Everything's Eventual (from the book title): A thought provoking essay. 

Lunch at Gotham Cafe~~ Enter the maitre d from hell. Horrific yes, but with a delightful comedy dialogue that gives a delicious sense of balance to the grisly, culinary goings on. 

The Little Sisters of Aluria~~ A dark and fascinating love story, quite different from the others in the collection. And although you can more or less guess the ending it's still a bitter sweet joy. 

1408~~ Stay in this hotel room at your peril...it's not so much haunted as alive... 

Autopsy Room Four~~ Another nightmare inducing ride this time to the autopsy 

room........... 

The Man in the Black Suit~~A young boy meets a stranger on day whist he is fishing. Eerie and compelling 

All That You Love Will Be Carried Away~~ And here the humour is 'toilet humour,' as we go on a sort of road trip, but it's still pretty good and carries the story giving it credibility . 

LTs Theory of Pets ~~ A good Yarn.....maybe with an underlying mystery. 

The Road Virus Heads North~~ A man is attracted to a weird painting at a yard sale. Downright scary. 

The Feeling you can only say it in French~~ I have to say had me a little baffled but intrigued.

I didn't care too much for The Death of Jack Hamilton; the story of a gangsters draw out death, a bit overlong, (no pun intended).  Also Luckey Quarter: Quirky and a little too short? Could have been expanded a little? Having said that, they were still excellently crafted. 

So all in all a great collection of stories by the master of the macabre. Recommended

*   *   *

What the Night Knows

By

Dean Koontz

Dean Koontz goes back to his early days of writing supernatural thrillers after years of writing novels where mainly psychopathic killers take centre stage. Of course you can have supernatural psychopathic killers too, and we have one in this book. 

As a teenager, homicide Detective John Calvino is the only survivor from one horrific night when his entire family were massacred. John killed his family's murderer, (who had also massacred three other families besides the Calvino family.) But now twenty years later the killings start again, being near replicas of the original ones. 

The characters are stereotypical Koontz characters; flawed and guilt ridden main character with a beautiful and perfect wife, perfect intelligent, near genius kids, one of them psychic, and of course the "best ever golden retriever in the whole world." In contrast there's the evil villain, often without motive who's only main purpose is to kill, maim and cause maximum distress. 

So we have a story of obsession, possession, murder, revenge and inherent evil. Often cruel, with little if any humour to lighten the load. It's also an allegory with quite a few existential questions lurking beneath the text; and so like another reviewer here, I too found it a little heavy going in parts. 

Up to around chapter 23, there are some really spooky goings on and it has the makings of a very fine ghost story. However it changes drift a little as the spirit of the psychopathic killer "goes to town', as it were, causing mayhem and murder. At this point it becomes less of a ghost story and more of a teenage slasher story. 

Also, I would have liked to have seen the character of Calvino's detective partner developed more and playing a bigger part in this story. As it is, he appears to have no real purpose in the book. After an almost nondescript start, he briefly turns up from behind the scenes again when the action is nearing it's climax, but then inexplicably disappears altogether from the story. 

But in spite of a few misgivings I liked this book. Yes I would recommend it to seasoned Koontz Fans. If you're not familiar with Koontz, read some other novel of his too so you can get a broader idea of what My Koontz is capable of. And you may consider reading his novella "Darkness Under the Sun" which is a kind of prequel to this novel.

*   *   *

Christine


by


Stephen King

My son who is Autistic (he has Asperger's Syndrome) carried this book around with him throughout his teenage years, most everywhere he went. I remember we replaced it a time or two with a new book when the old one started falling to bits! He may even have a copy to this day. 

I was always amused as to why this book was so important to him, his fixation with it. And although I was familiar with the story and the film, I could never see why it was so special to him. Well, I never did really find out and so had to draw the conclusion that the fuss was about a car with a girls name. 

Anyways, I have just read the book myself and I have to say I thought that it was just great. Okay, maybe a little long before any action really gets going, but at the end of the book I realised that every word is necessary if you are to fully appreciate the toxic atmosphere behind the story. 

Christine, the car herself, brings mixed emotions. You love her and you hate her at the same time, even through the murderous rampages. Stephen King brings her to life on the pages of his book and you feel the need to see her, to touch her, to let your fingers trail along her shimmering body work. You almost feel like running out of the way when she revs her engine and leaps forward - for this is a car like no other. I got a perverse pleasure at the end of the book. Analyse that! 

Yep I loved it. Only Stephen King can lead me through page after page of dry text, (eg, his description of a high school football game,) and I manage to get a thrill out of it. 

Quality stuff. Very enjoyable.

* * * 

Frankenstein: Lost Souls (book 4)

By 

Dean Koontz

This is the first Frankenstein book I have read by Dean Koontz. Although I am fan of his, it was with some trepidation that I bought it, not really knowing what to expect with this one, not having read the previous three in this series. But I'm glad I did buy it. I found it quite a good and entertaining piece of hokum. It's full of suspense and kept me gripped right up to the last page. Also Mr Koontz "brings you up to speed" as it were early on in the book. 

I particularly liked the characters Bryce Walker and Travis - a poignant bond forming between an elderly man and a young boy as they go on the run for their lives. Also the equally comfortable and often humorous pairing of Mr Lyss and Nummy. Crooked wise guy meets 'intellectually challenged' boy, also on the run for their lives. 

However I have to admit I was a little irritated with former detectives, turned private investigators Carson and Michael, finding most of the dialogue between them tedious and redundant, especially when their young child Scott was involved. Maybe it had something to do with me not having read the first three Frankenstein books and thus not being familiar with Carson and Michael. But apart from this I did enjoy the book and thought it was a good read even as a 'stand alone' novel. 

Well, half a 'stand alone' novel, that is. I was a little perplexed that we did get only half a novel and have to wait until later this year for the second half and this story to be finished. 

But wait I will. As the saying goes: "I've started so I'll finish."Dean 

GALAXY ZOO - CLASSIFYING DEEP SPACE GALAXIES

Galaxy Zoo is part of the online Citizen Science project Zooniverse. We classify galaxies that have been filmed and then computed by the Hubble Deep Space telescope. 

In addition to GalaxyZoo classifying project, the Citizen Science project has other live projects. They are: 

Planethunters.org, 

The Milky Way Project, 

Moon Zoo, 

Old Weather, 

Solar Storm Watch, 

GalaxyZoo Understanding Cosmic Mergers, 

GalaxyZoo the Hunt for Supernovas

I also take part in the Cosmic Merger project, Old Weather, Planet Hunters and The Milky Way Project. It's all very interesting, very informative and there are forums where you discuss the object you are currently studying.

Most of  the galaxies in GalaxyZoo are from deep space, that is near the edge of the known universe, and taken robotically by the Hubble Telescope. So the person classifying them is usually the very first human to see these objects. Likewise, you too will be some of the first humans to see these images.

Below are some of the Deep Space Galaxies I've classified for Galaxy Zoo

SPIRAL GALAXIES

Spiral Glaaxy

This is a lovely spiral galaxy. Not all the ones seen in deep space are this well formed. Light from this galaxy has taken 11.763 billion years to reach Earth, and so we are seeing the galaxy as it was 11.763 billion years ago. The age of the present known universe (from the Big Bang) is 13.299 billion years. 

The other galaxies listed below have approximately the same statistics.

Radio Spiral Galaxy

The predominance of clusters of blue stars and radio waves suggest that this galaxy is prolific in new star formation 

.

Egde on spiral

An edge on spiral with a prominant dust lane, suggesting lots of intergalactic material for star new formation

MERGING GALAXIES

Two galaxies have merged

Shell eliptical

Shell ellipticals happen when two galaxies merge at high speed. The result being that lots of stars get knocked out of the galactic plane and thus form what looks like a "shell" around the new galaxy.

Star formation after merger.

After two or more galaxies have merged, the resulting collision of gasses in the galactic plane trigger new star formation. The above is a rather complicated merger possibly showing the (bluish) area of new star formation.

NOTE: Our own galaxy The Milky Way id on a collision course with our nearest spiral neighbour The Andromeda galaxy! However, this merger wont take place for a few million years.

ELLIPTICAL GALAXIES

Blue eliptical

A huge galaxy with millions of young blue stars.

Red galaxy

A red galaxy consisting of older stars. No new stars are formed in these galaxies

LENTICULAR GALAXIES

Lenticulalr galaxies. These are a neither spiral or elliptical, but they have a galactic plane which is between the two types. They have a flat disk, but no spiral arms although a centre bar is sometimes visible.

Blue lenticular

A Yellow lenticular

Blue lenticular viewed edge on

RINGED GALAXIES

Ringed galaxies are often spectacular and sometimes strange looking objects. The ring is probably a left over from galaxy transitions or mergers.

Heart shaped ring

The above galaxy is lenticular with a heart shaped ring.

A lovely ringed galaxy with a spiral at the top of the picture

BARRED SPIRAL GALAXIES

Beautiful barred spiral with an edge on spiral

A beautiful inner ringed barred spiral

Well there you have it. A very small selection of my galaxies with galaxy Zoo. Hope you like the pictures.