Grade: D+
Recommended for David Sedaris fankids.
Let's get the obvious out of the way first. David Sedaris is funny, twisted and funny. He can usually be counted on for some chuckles and belly laughs. He is the same guy who did an in-store appearance while chain-smoking and brought along a helper monkey with his/her own Tupperware container of Cheerios. The store is a non-smoking building and the helper monkey was not because Sedaris needed help with any task. Sedaris was also telling dirty jokes and asking for the audience's dirty jokes. Makes you wish you could have been a fly on a wall there.
Now that the obvious is out of the way, let's talk about Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk. This is an off the wall odd collection of essays akin to Barrel Fever. These are not tales of his nutty family's shenanigans, although some may be the inspiration behind some essays. These essays are like a demented version of Aesop's Fables. Chances are if you have young kids, you will recognize the illustrations are by the same illustrator of the Olivia books. The illustrations are fantastic, fantastic and really gross. Thankfully this collection is short, like under 200 pages short.
Not the finest collection from our darling David. It does give me hope that he's squirreling away crazy stories about his family for another book. Or maybe he will do a book of dirty jokes. Just something that's a little less dark and a little more funny. With a family like his, there should be no shortage of material worthy of some humorous essays.
Wednesday
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Grade: F
Not recommended.
Can I give this an F-? Because I really really want to, it's just that bad. Or would my point be more succinct if I recommended it for my worst enemies, sociopaths and women who really hate men?
Gone Girl seems to be the it book that everyone who reads is reading. People saw me reading the book and say "oh you're reading Gone Girl, don't you just love it?" Um, no, not at all. It's the story of a couple Nick and Amy who are celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary when Amy mysteriously disappears. Sounds like the beginnings of a great thriller right? The story is told in alternating voices, one being the hubby Nick's and the other being Diary Amy. Diary Amy is exactly that, it is Amy's story told in diary entries that she has concocted. Nick falls far short of winning Husband of the Year while Amy appears to be the golden child trust fund brat. The cops get involved and the story goes from weird to WTF in no time.
Part of me hears my mom's voice in my head telling me if I don't have anything nice to say that I shouldn't say anything. The bigger part of me wants to spare others the agony of wasting precious reading time on this, so scathing review ahead.
There is A TON of swearing in the book. It's a lot of swearing even for me and I cuss like a sailor (although somehow restrain myself here). I do enjoy a well placed f-bomb when the language adds to the story, but this was complete overkill. Like Stephen King overkill. The writing is rather pompous and smug, and the plot twists are predictable and overly ridiculous. If you think about where you imagine the story going, you can probably figure out the ending before 100 pages. If you want to guess at the ending, message me and we will have some fun. Characters in the book are absurd and some even entirely pointless. When a side character goes catfish gigging with dry cat food, I smacked my forehead and groaned out load. Come on, Gillian Flynn! That's the best redneck stereotype you can come up with?! Another irritant is that Nick's sister is named Margot, and goes by Go for short. When sentences start with Go, it takes a little extra time to figure out if it's being used as a verb, noun or adjective. There was nothing pleasant about reading this, not one redeemable part and I finished the book only to validate my early prediction of the ending. Not fun when your guess is spot-on and you're barely past page 50.
If you want to read a book about a miserable married suburban couple, try Revolutionary Road instead. The writing is so much better and the story is shorter. Oh and I don't remember much cussing in that one either.
If you absolutely must read this, download an excerpt first. Otherwise, don't say that I didn't warn you!
Not recommended.
Can I give this an F-? Because I really really want to, it's just that bad. Or would my point be more succinct if I recommended it for my worst enemies, sociopaths and women who really hate men?
Gone Girl seems to be the it book that everyone who reads is reading. People saw me reading the book and say "oh you're reading Gone Girl, don't you just love it?" Um, no, not at all. It's the story of a couple Nick and Amy who are celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary when Amy mysteriously disappears. Sounds like the beginnings of a great thriller right? The story is told in alternating voices, one being the hubby Nick's and the other being Diary Amy. Diary Amy is exactly that, it is Amy's story told in diary entries that she has concocted. Nick falls far short of winning Husband of the Year while Amy appears to be the golden child trust fund brat. The cops get involved and the story goes from weird to WTF in no time.
Part of me hears my mom's voice in my head telling me if I don't have anything nice to say that I shouldn't say anything. The bigger part of me wants to spare others the agony of wasting precious reading time on this, so scathing review ahead.
There is A TON of swearing in the book. It's a lot of swearing even for me and I cuss like a sailor (although somehow restrain myself here). I do enjoy a well placed f-bomb when the language adds to the story, but this was complete overkill. Like Stephen King overkill. The writing is rather pompous and smug, and the plot twists are predictable and overly ridiculous. If you think about where you imagine the story going, you can probably figure out the ending before 100 pages. If you want to guess at the ending, message me and we will have some fun. Characters in the book are absurd and some even entirely pointless. When a side character goes catfish gigging with dry cat food, I smacked my forehead and groaned out load. Come on, Gillian Flynn! That's the best redneck stereotype you can come up with?! Another irritant is that Nick's sister is named Margot, and goes by Go for short. When sentences start with Go, it takes a little extra time to figure out if it's being used as a verb, noun or adjective. There was nothing pleasant about reading this, not one redeemable part and I finished the book only to validate my early prediction of the ending. Not fun when your guess is spot-on and you're barely past page 50.
If you want to read a book about a miserable married suburban couple, try Revolutionary Road instead. The writing is so much better and the story is shorter. Oh and I don't remember much cussing in that one either.
If you absolutely must read this, download an excerpt first. Otherwise, don't say that I didn't warn you!
Little Girl Gone by Drusilla Campbell
Grade: A
Highly recommended.
Little Girl Gone is a dark, depressing story about a young girl from a messed up family heading nowhere quickly. We meet Madora, a 17 year old girl who goes to a party with a friend and gets gooped up on something. She meets a man named Willis who says he can rescue her if she comes with him. Off Madora goes with Willis to his trailer in the middle of nowhere for five years. Madora becomes Willis' attendant, taking care of her captor without realizing that he has indeed kidnapped her. While driving around, Willis spots a pregnant teen and sets his eyes on her. He must have her and rescue her too, so he takes her and keeps her prisoner in a crappy trailer on his property. Madora finds solace in a little pit bull puppy, Foo, that she saves from certain death in a box on the side of the road. Along with Foo, a young boy Django Jones comes along and slowly befriends Madora. Django helps Madora see Willis for his true self and helps her remember who she really is.
Little Girl Gone is a fast paced story and reminded me a bit of Joyce Carol Oates. This is a dark and creepy story about a sick and perverted man kidnapping young girls while telling them that he's saving them from a worse fate. We get to see Stockholm Syndrome in action without the plot feeling heavy handed or trite. Sure you can kind of tell where the story is going, but that won't stop you from reading. This was my first Drusilla Campbell read, and it was the mention of the pit bull that piqued my interest. Those who know me know I have a big soft spot for pit bulls. She's an Australian author although you'd never tell. I really like her writing style and think you guys will too.
Highly recommended.
Little Girl Gone is a dark, depressing story about a young girl from a messed up family heading nowhere quickly. We meet Madora, a 17 year old girl who goes to a party with a friend and gets gooped up on something. She meets a man named Willis who says he can rescue her if she comes with him. Off Madora goes with Willis to his trailer in the middle of nowhere for five years. Madora becomes Willis' attendant, taking care of her captor without realizing that he has indeed kidnapped her. While driving around, Willis spots a pregnant teen and sets his eyes on her. He must have her and rescue her too, so he takes her and keeps her prisoner in a crappy trailer on his property. Madora finds solace in a little pit bull puppy, Foo, that she saves from certain death in a box on the side of the road. Along with Foo, a young boy Django Jones comes along and slowly befriends Madora. Django helps Madora see Willis for his true self and helps her remember who she really is.
Little Girl Gone is a fast paced story and reminded me a bit of Joyce Carol Oates. This is a dark and creepy story about a sick and perverted man kidnapping young girls while telling them that he's saving them from a worse fate. We get to see Stockholm Syndrome in action without the plot feeling heavy handed or trite. Sure you can kind of tell where the story is going, but that won't stop you from reading. This was my first Drusilla Campbell read, and it was the mention of the pit bull that piqued my interest. Those who know me know I have a big soft spot for pit bulls. She's an Australian author although you'd never tell. I really like her writing style and think you guys will too.
Home Front by Kristin Hannah
Grade: D+
Not particularly recommended.
I'm sure I gave at least one book in The Hunger Games trilogy a D+, so I should say that this Kristin Hannah was slightly better than that.
Home Front is the story of Jolene, an army helicopter pilot, and her family; husband Michael, a lawyer, daughter Betsy, a bratty teenager, and Lulu, the four year old. Jolene and her neighbor and bestie Tammi are sent off to Iraq, leaving their husbands as single parents. Michael disapproves of the war and has a hard time dealing with Jolene being called to duty. Betsy is just a miserable teenager who acts out because she misses her mom and is scared that she won't come home. The war continues and Jolene comes home, but nothing is the same.
This book read like a slightly better Jodi Picoult book. The writing is just meh, and the plot twists predictable and sappy. Kristin Hannah also has a love affair with the word mulishly, as it is used over and over and over again. I did read an ARC edition so hopefully that changed. The characters are trite and straight out of a Lifetime movie. Naturally Michael is anti war, because what else would you expect from a military spouse whose wife is a proud soldier. And naturally with Michael being a lawyer, he would get a case involving PTSD, because how else would he learn what his wife is going through. It's only fitting that Jolene goes from being a control freak mom to having to learn to let someone else be in charge, no matter what your magic binder of directions says.
I was hoping for a fun beach type read, but instead got this, nearly 400 pages of mediocrity. I should have known from the cover being all pink and pretty, and also the book being the same size and thickness of a Jodi Picoult, but the ladies in my book group looooooooove Kristin Hannah, so I gave her a try. Not helping matters was my darling husband who just glanced at the book on the kitchen table and asked if it was a box of tampons. I'll give her another chance since the book group has chosen Night Road as the other Kristin Hannah selection. She gets one more chance and that's it. Life is too short to spend reading books by bestselling authors hoping that there is a good read amongst all the dreck.
Not particularly recommended.
I'm sure I gave at least one book in The Hunger Games trilogy a D+, so I should say that this Kristin Hannah was slightly better than that.
Home Front is the story of Jolene, an army helicopter pilot, and her family; husband Michael, a lawyer, daughter Betsy, a bratty teenager, and Lulu, the four year old. Jolene and her neighbor and bestie Tammi are sent off to Iraq, leaving their husbands as single parents. Michael disapproves of the war and has a hard time dealing with Jolene being called to duty. Betsy is just a miserable teenager who acts out because she misses her mom and is scared that she won't come home. The war continues and Jolene comes home, but nothing is the same.
This book read like a slightly better Jodi Picoult book. The writing is just meh, and the plot twists predictable and sappy. Kristin Hannah also has a love affair with the word mulishly, as it is used over and over and over again. I did read an ARC edition so hopefully that changed. The characters are trite and straight out of a Lifetime movie. Naturally Michael is anti war, because what else would you expect from a military spouse whose wife is a proud soldier. And naturally with Michael being a lawyer, he would get a case involving PTSD, because how else would he learn what his wife is going through. It's only fitting that Jolene goes from being a control freak mom to having to learn to let someone else be in charge, no matter what your magic binder of directions says.
I was hoping for a fun beach type read, but instead got this, nearly 400 pages of mediocrity. I should have known from the cover being all pink and pretty, and also the book being the same size and thickness of a Jodi Picoult, but the ladies in my book group looooooooove Kristin Hannah, so I gave her a try. Not helping matters was my darling husband who just glanced at the book on the kitchen table and asked if it was a box of tampons. I'll give her another chance since the book group has chosen Night Road as the other Kristin Hannah selection. She gets one more chance and that's it. Life is too short to spend reading books by bestselling authors hoping that there is a good read amongst all the dreck.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Grade: A+
Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction, WWII stories, and those who enjoy the beauty of words and books.
The Book Thief should include coupons for kleenex because hoo boy are you going to need them! I'm talking crying oceans of tears.
The Book Thief is a story about a foster child, Liesel, sent to live in a poor town near Munich after her parents were accused of being Communists. Liesel's foster family is a cast of characters to say the least. Her mother does the laundry for those who can afford it and swears like a trucker. Her father is a painter and accordion player with a heart of gold. Liesel meets a neighborhood boy named Rudy and together they navigate the crumbling town of Molching, stealing books and fruit. Along the way comes Max Vandenberg, a Jewish man in desperate need of help. Death is our narrator.
The prose of Markus Zusak is beautiful and just goes to show how you can craft short sentences into beauty. Considering how heavy the subject matter is in this book, Zusak turning it into beauty shows what a talented writer he is. The writing is so superb that you can close your eyes and imagine the streets of Molching, the Hubermann's house, the Mayor's library, etc. Bonus points for teaching me how to swear in German! The Book Thief has won quite a few awards, although I have to disagree with it being considered a YA novel. Had I read this in junior high or high school I doubt that I would have appreciated the prose.
If you can get through the book without crying buckets of tears, I'm not sure if we read the same book. This book is deeply affecting, will haunt you, and does take time to fully process, but it's so worth it. The Book Thief is one of those titles that I'm all evangelical about.
Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction, WWII stories, and those who enjoy the beauty of words and books.
The Book Thief should include coupons for kleenex because hoo boy are you going to need them! I'm talking crying oceans of tears.
The Book Thief is a story about a foster child, Liesel, sent to live in a poor town near Munich after her parents were accused of being Communists. Liesel's foster family is a cast of characters to say the least. Her mother does the laundry for those who can afford it and swears like a trucker. Her father is a painter and accordion player with a heart of gold. Liesel meets a neighborhood boy named Rudy and together they navigate the crumbling town of Molching, stealing books and fruit. Along the way comes Max Vandenberg, a Jewish man in desperate need of help. Death is our narrator.
The prose of Markus Zusak is beautiful and just goes to show how you can craft short sentences into beauty. Considering how heavy the subject matter is in this book, Zusak turning it into beauty shows what a talented writer he is. The writing is so superb that you can close your eyes and imagine the streets of Molching, the Hubermann's house, the Mayor's library, etc. Bonus points for teaching me how to swear in German! The Book Thief has won quite a few awards, although I have to disagree with it being considered a YA novel. Had I read this in junior high or high school I doubt that I would have appreciated the prose.
If you can get through the book without crying buckets of tears, I'm not sure if we read the same book. This book is deeply affecting, will haunt you, and does take time to fully process, but it's so worth it. The Book Thief is one of those titles that I'm all evangelical about.
Monday
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Grade: D+
Not Recommended.
Huzzah! The end of The Hunger Games trilogy is here!
Let me answer the question you all are thinking...why did I read this if I disliked the first two so much. One reason being a huge glass of shut up juice to certain Hunger Games fanatic friends. Another reason is to validate myself for figuring out the ending after less than 50 pages of The Hunger Games.
I'm not going to add spoiler warnings because if you have only the slightest clue what the books are about, you can guess the ending. If I spoil anything for you, sorry. You can thank me later when I have saved you the time of reading these three books.
Having the ending figured out in book one isn't saying much. It's not like Suzanne Collins made it all that difficult when she spells out the logical ending. The whole series has been nothing but predictable, so why should the series conclusion be any different.
We left off in Catching Fire with the districts rebelling against the Capitol and the very likely result being an all out war. Surprise surprise, here in Mockingjay war has broken out. After the Capitol bombed district 12, the survivors were taken to district 13. Katniss and the rebels who rescued her are plotting on how to kill President Snow. Let me rephrase, the rebels minus any effort from Katniss are plotting. Katniss is her usual dumb as dirt puppet self incapable of any original thoughts and ideas. Peeta has been taken by the Capitol and brainwashed to think that this is all Katniss' fault and she needs to be stopped. Gale is his usual Edward/Jacob self. The rebels want Katniss to own up to her Mockingjay title and be the image of the rebels where a television crew can follow her around and make rebel propaganda videos to show to the citizens of Panem and the Capitol. In true Mary Sue form, Katniss stays in her puppet like state and lets everyone else tell her what she should do.
Suzanne Collins is a lousy writer, plain and simple. Lousy is probably paying her an undeserved compliment. What really steamed my beans in this book were the paragraphs consisting of sentences of 5 words or less. I'm dead flipping serious, there was at least one paragraph of 2 and 3 word sentences with one lonely 5 word sentence thrown in. Every page had 2 and 3 word sentences...every stinking page! Surely her editors mentioned changing some of those periods into commas, but if those suggestions were made they were made on deaf ears.
The plot is formulaic and predictable as usual and still ripping off other (better) books. The plot "twists" can be figured out in no time. There's still no page turning suspense or gripping action. Katniss is a puppet who still cannot think for herself. Strong female character that teens can look up to...not in your lifetime. Characters with silly names are introduced and killed off, same with people close to Katniss. Peeta still fits into this little pathetic love triangle of Katniss-Gale-Peeta. Gale is equally as uninteresting. The only character remotely close to interesting is Buttercup the cat.
If you are reading the series expecting a satisfying conclusion, you picked the wrong series. The ending is rather brief and doesn't wrap up all that much. Naturally Katniss and Peeta end up together and have a couple of babies, because really who else would she have ended up with? Things in district 12 start coming around as soon as President Snow and President Coin have died. Haymitch raises geese because apparently they require little effort to raise and he can continue being drunk while raising them.
Allow me to pause and wipe the snark and sarcasm off my chin.
This series was bad, really really really bad. The worst of the three books is hands down The Hunger Games. If you can stomach that, you become a little desensitized to books 2 and 3 being garbage. Or maybe the rest of you cheated and looked up the series spoilers. I stupidly clung to the hope that there was something redeeming somewhere in the series. There is nothing of the sort. In hindsight I should have stopped after book 1 when one of my fangirl friends all but confirmed my predictions of books 2 and 3. Clearly I am a glutton for punishment. Stephenie Meyer may be a lousy author, but at least she can entertain me.
Mad Magazine really needs to parody books two and three to spare even one person from reading that dreck. Their parody of The Hunger Games is hilarious.
If I could retitle the series it would look something like this:
The Hunger Games would be The Hunger Pains.
Catching Fire would be Catching Gonorrhea.
Mockingjay would be Mockingjerk.
May the odds be ever in your favor of not reading this series. Otherwise don't say I didn't warn you.
Not Recommended.
Huzzah! The end of The Hunger Games trilogy is here!
Let me answer the question you all are thinking...why did I read this if I disliked the first two so much. One reason being a huge glass of shut up juice to certain Hunger Games fanatic friends. Another reason is to validate myself for figuring out the ending after less than 50 pages of The Hunger Games.
I'm not going to add spoiler warnings because if you have only the slightest clue what the books are about, you can guess the ending. If I spoil anything for you, sorry. You can thank me later when I have saved you the time of reading these three books.
Having the ending figured out in book one isn't saying much. It's not like Suzanne Collins made it all that difficult when she spells out the logical ending. The whole series has been nothing but predictable, so why should the series conclusion be any different.
We left off in Catching Fire with the districts rebelling against the Capitol and the very likely result being an all out war. Surprise surprise, here in Mockingjay war has broken out. After the Capitol bombed district 12, the survivors were taken to district 13. Katniss and the rebels who rescued her are plotting on how to kill President Snow. Let me rephrase, the rebels minus any effort from Katniss are plotting. Katniss is her usual dumb as dirt puppet self incapable of any original thoughts and ideas. Peeta has been taken by the Capitol and brainwashed to think that this is all Katniss' fault and she needs to be stopped. Gale is his usual Edward/Jacob self. The rebels want Katniss to own up to her Mockingjay title and be the image of the rebels where a television crew can follow her around and make rebel propaganda videos to show to the citizens of Panem and the Capitol. In true Mary Sue form, Katniss stays in her puppet like state and lets everyone else tell her what she should do.
Suzanne Collins is a lousy writer, plain and simple. Lousy is probably paying her an undeserved compliment. What really steamed my beans in this book were the paragraphs consisting of sentences of 5 words or less. I'm dead flipping serious, there was at least one paragraph of 2 and 3 word sentences with one lonely 5 word sentence thrown in. Every page had 2 and 3 word sentences...every stinking page! Surely her editors mentioned changing some of those periods into commas, but if those suggestions were made they were made on deaf ears.
The plot is formulaic and predictable as usual and still ripping off other (better) books. The plot "twists" can be figured out in no time. There's still no page turning suspense or gripping action. Katniss is a puppet who still cannot think for herself. Strong female character that teens can look up to...not in your lifetime. Characters with silly names are introduced and killed off, same with people close to Katniss. Peeta still fits into this little pathetic love triangle of Katniss-Gale-Peeta. Gale is equally as uninteresting. The only character remotely close to interesting is Buttercup the cat.
If you are reading the series expecting a satisfying conclusion, you picked the wrong series. The ending is rather brief and doesn't wrap up all that much. Naturally Katniss and Peeta end up together and have a couple of babies, because really who else would she have ended up with? Things in district 12 start coming around as soon as President Snow and President Coin have died. Haymitch raises geese because apparently they require little effort to raise and he can continue being drunk while raising them.
Allow me to pause and wipe the snark and sarcasm off my chin.
This series was bad, really really really bad. The worst of the three books is hands down The Hunger Games. If you can stomach that, you become a little desensitized to books 2 and 3 being garbage. Or maybe the rest of you cheated and looked up the series spoilers. I stupidly clung to the hope that there was something redeeming somewhere in the series. There is nothing of the sort. In hindsight I should have stopped after book 1 when one of my fangirl friends all but confirmed my predictions of books 2 and 3. Clearly I am a glutton for punishment. Stephenie Meyer may be a lousy author, but at least she can entertain me.
Mad Magazine really needs to parody books two and three to spare even one person from reading that dreck. Their parody of The Hunger Games is hilarious.
If I could retitle the series it would look something like this:
The Hunger Games would be The Hunger Pains.
Catching Fire would be Catching Gonorrhea.
Mockingjay would be Mockingjerk.
May the odds be ever in your favor of not reading this series. Otherwise don't say I didn't warn you.
Thursday
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Grade: C-
Not particularly recommended.
If you can tell me that you can walk through your library's YA section and not notice Sarah Dessen, I call your bluff. She's written a ton of books.
Along for the Ride is a super easy peasy read and if it were food it would likely be Peeps with questionable nutritional content. In this book we meet Auden, a high school girl spending the summer with her dad and his new family. Clearly Auden's parents are a bit off considering her name is Auden (yes after the poet) and her brother has an equally odd name that escapes me for the moment. Her parents are divorced and her mother seems to enjoy the company of her grad students while her dad has a new wife and baby. Auden hasn't slept at night for quite some time and in her insomniac wanderings crosses paths with an introvert named Eli. They form a dynamic duo of insomniacs who bond over junk food, coffee and pie. Oh and BMX bikes, hence the cover. Eli along with some local girls that Auden meets at her clothing boutique job teach her what being a normal teenager is like.
Sarah Dessen is the YA intro to romance novels. If you're a teenager reading Sarah Dessen and liking her a lot, I'd be willing to bet that as an adult, you'll be devouring Jennifer Crusie and Kristan Higgins. Maybe because it's like a watered down version of one of those books or maybe it just isn't Dessen's best. The book didn't do anything special for me. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. I'm willing to give her another chance and welcome anyone's suggestions and recommendations of which titles you liked. This is the light side of YA fiction, certainly lightyears different from Please Ignore Vera Dietz and Looking for Alaska. The plot wasn't interesting enough for me and I found the characters to be almost awkward and unlikable. It was the book version of Peeps, Lucky Charms and Fruity Pebbles, pick your poison. Not every YA book can be as fantastic as a John Green or A.S. King.
Not particularly recommended.
If you can tell me that you can walk through your library's YA section and not notice Sarah Dessen, I call your bluff. She's written a ton of books.
Along for the Ride is a super easy peasy read and if it were food it would likely be Peeps with questionable nutritional content. In this book we meet Auden, a high school girl spending the summer with her dad and his new family. Clearly Auden's parents are a bit off considering her name is Auden (yes after the poet) and her brother has an equally odd name that escapes me for the moment. Her parents are divorced and her mother seems to enjoy the company of her grad students while her dad has a new wife and baby. Auden hasn't slept at night for quite some time and in her insomniac wanderings crosses paths with an introvert named Eli. They form a dynamic duo of insomniacs who bond over junk food, coffee and pie. Oh and BMX bikes, hence the cover. Eli along with some local girls that Auden meets at her clothing boutique job teach her what being a normal teenager is like.
Sarah Dessen is the YA intro to romance novels. If you're a teenager reading Sarah Dessen and liking her a lot, I'd be willing to bet that as an adult, you'll be devouring Jennifer Crusie and Kristan Higgins. Maybe because it's like a watered down version of one of those books or maybe it just isn't Dessen's best. The book didn't do anything special for me. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. I'm willing to give her another chance and welcome anyone's suggestions and recommendations of which titles you liked. This is the light side of YA fiction, certainly lightyears different from Please Ignore Vera Dietz and Looking for Alaska. The plot wasn't interesting enough for me and I found the characters to be almost awkward and unlikable. It was the book version of Peeps, Lucky Charms and Fruity Pebbles, pick your poison. Not every YA book can be as fantastic as a John Green or A.S. King.
Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins
Grade: B
Recommended for fans of chick-lit romance and those needing a good beach read.
If you pay attention to and follow the RITA Awards, no doubt you know about Kristan Higgins. If not, you're missing out on a ton of fun light reads.
Until There Was You is a cute story about a woman named Posey and the bad boy she lusts after Liam. Normally, Kristan Higgins writes from one POV, but this time we are treated to Liam's as well. He's a bad boy who's not really all that bad. He's actually quite the sweetums. The bad boy part comes from his love for motorcycles and that he builds custom bikes. Posey, our heroine, is a bit of a tomboy. She owns her own business, an architectural salvage company so she's usually in work clothes. Her family also owns a German restaurant. She also had her heart squashed and trampled on by Liam while they were in high school. Liam comes back to town and stirs up all these warm melty feeling in Posey, and you probably know how the rest plays out.
Part of why I like Kristan Higgins so much is she writes light fun chick lit romances without slapping some tanned up beefcake on the cover. Maybe someday I'll get up the nerve to read one of those books, but very likely in my Kindle Fire so no one can see the beefcake cover. So long as I don't run out of Kristan Higgins stories, the beefcake covers have to wait. Sometimes when there's just too much crap going on in life, books like this are fantastic escapism. Curling up on the couch in a pair of pajammy jams (pajamas for those who don't speak my borderline LOLcats language) with a Kristan Higgins book is just the ticket. Or perhaps taking her in the bathtub for a good soak if you don't mind laying in your own soup. Whichever you prefer, she's like a pint of Ben and Jerry's...pure comfort food. Some of the stuff I read is pretty heavy. Let's not forget the fact that if I read Joyce Carol Oates one after another, lots of antidepressants would be involved. I like to vary the books I read so that I don't get bored and to please my inner child who has a bit of ADD. There's also the part about it being summer and the weather lately has been hot. Hot like a freaking toaster hot. My poor lil brain cells either needed a fun fluff read or for my chubby butt to sit in one of the ice cream freezers at the grocery store. I chose the first for obvious reasons.
If you're in the mood for some light romance-ish reading, check out Kristan Higgins. You might just realize that you really like her and discover a new genre of fiction to enjoy.
Recommended for fans of chick-lit romance and those needing a good beach read.
If you pay attention to and follow the RITA Awards, no doubt you know about Kristan Higgins. If not, you're missing out on a ton of fun light reads.
Until There Was You is a cute story about a woman named Posey and the bad boy she lusts after Liam. Normally, Kristan Higgins writes from one POV, but this time we are treated to Liam's as well. He's a bad boy who's not really all that bad. He's actually quite the sweetums. The bad boy part comes from his love for motorcycles and that he builds custom bikes. Posey, our heroine, is a bit of a tomboy. She owns her own business, an architectural salvage company so she's usually in work clothes. Her family also owns a German restaurant. She also had her heart squashed and trampled on by Liam while they were in high school. Liam comes back to town and stirs up all these warm melty feeling in Posey, and you probably know how the rest plays out.
Part of why I like Kristan Higgins so much is she writes light fun chick lit romances without slapping some tanned up beefcake on the cover. Maybe someday I'll get up the nerve to read one of those books, but very likely in my Kindle Fire so no one can see the beefcake cover. So long as I don't run out of Kristan Higgins stories, the beefcake covers have to wait. Sometimes when there's just too much crap going on in life, books like this are fantastic escapism. Curling up on the couch in a pair of pajammy jams (pajamas for those who don't speak my borderline LOLcats language) with a Kristan Higgins book is just the ticket. Or perhaps taking her in the bathtub for a good soak if you don't mind laying in your own soup. Whichever you prefer, she's like a pint of Ben and Jerry's...pure comfort food. Some of the stuff I read is pretty heavy. Let's not forget the fact that if I read Joyce Carol Oates one after another, lots of antidepressants would be involved. I like to vary the books I read so that I don't get bored and to please my inner child who has a bit of ADD. There's also the part about it being summer and the weather lately has been hot. Hot like a freaking toaster hot. My poor lil brain cells either needed a fun fluff read or for my chubby butt to sit in one of the ice cream freezers at the grocery store. I chose the first for obvious reasons.
If you're in the mood for some light romance-ish reading, check out Kristan Higgins. You might just realize that you really like her and discover a new genre of fiction to enjoy.
Monday
It Looked Different on the Model by Laurie Notaro
Grade: B+
Recommended for fans of Jen Lancaster and David Sedaris.
This is one delicious collection of essays from Laurie Notaro. Riotously funny at times and just meh funny other times. The hilariously funny essays more than make up for the less funny. Notaro spares no one, mainly herself in these essays that run the gamut from trying on a super cute shirt in a boutique and getting stuck in it to Ambien induced highs and neighborhood Christmas parties. Throw in a neurotic Italian mother with a penchant for forwarding emails regardless of their validity. Oh and there's a Fart Chart.
Lessons I learned while reading this:
- I probably should have waited until I was rid of the UTI from hell.
- I should not have read this while the mister is sound asleep. It took every bit of restraint not to wake him up and say you have to read this part.
- Laurie Notaro, Jen Lancaster and I have the same potty mouth, snarky sense of humor, lack of a verbal firewall, and were likely related in a past life.
- Peeing your pants from laughing so hard is no where near as funny to you as it is to the above said husband.
- I hope the bouts of insomnia do not return. Ambien me is not someone I want to meet.
If you can't read an essay about Laurie's alter ego Ambien Laurie and not snort with laughter there must be something wrong with you. Because I'm a jerk, if I were friends with someone with an Ambien prescription, I would totally be the first one calling or emailing to find out if the Ambien friend could come out and play. If you can read a well thought out Fart Chart and not think it's funny, not only is there something wrong with you but you probably had no business reading this book in the first place.
Highly recommended for anyone with a sense of humor, especially if you have found yourself in one of the same predicaments as Notaro. Getting stuck in an article of clothing that has a size tag on it from the devil is a very real issue.
Recommended for fans of Jen Lancaster and David Sedaris.
This is one delicious collection of essays from Laurie Notaro. Riotously funny at times and just meh funny other times. The hilariously funny essays more than make up for the less funny. Notaro spares no one, mainly herself in these essays that run the gamut from trying on a super cute shirt in a boutique and getting stuck in it to Ambien induced highs and neighborhood Christmas parties. Throw in a neurotic Italian mother with a penchant for forwarding emails regardless of their validity. Oh and there's a Fart Chart.
Lessons I learned while reading this:
- I probably should have waited until I was rid of the UTI from hell.
- I should not have read this while the mister is sound asleep. It took every bit of restraint not to wake him up and say you have to read this part.
- Laurie Notaro, Jen Lancaster and I have the same potty mouth, snarky sense of humor, lack of a verbal firewall, and were likely related in a past life.
- Peeing your pants from laughing so hard is no where near as funny to you as it is to the above said husband.
- I hope the bouts of insomnia do not return. Ambien me is not someone I want to meet.
If you can't read an essay about Laurie's alter ego Ambien Laurie and not snort with laughter there must be something wrong with you. Because I'm a jerk, if I were friends with someone with an Ambien prescription, I would totally be the first one calling or emailing to find out if the Ambien friend could come out and play. If you can read a well thought out Fart Chart and not think it's funny, not only is there something wrong with you but you probably had no business reading this book in the first place.
Highly recommended for anyone with a sense of humor, especially if you have found yourself in one of the same predicaments as Notaro. Getting stuck in an article of clothing that has a size tag on it from the devil is a very real issue.
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Grade: A+
Recommended for John Green fans and fans of high quality YA lit.
Part love story but mostly coming of age. This is the story of Vera Dietz and her best friend Charlie, who redefine the term best friends. They feel more like soul mates who keep the deepest of secrets for each other, even when one betrays the other. Then Charlie dies. His death is very dark and Vera is determined to find out the truth about the night Charlie died.
This along with Looking for Alaska are some of the finest YA books I have ever read. The love story isn't over the top with romance. It's very subtle the way a kinda sorta romance between best friends can be. The coming of age part is so very real. Vera copes with Charlie's passing in a very real and believable manner. She grieves the way any teenager might except she doesn't drown her sorrows in tantrums of hysterical tears. While Vera grieves for Charlie, she also faces things about herself and her mother's past. The writing is stunning. For those who say they left YA books behind in junior high or high school because they are mostly fluff stories should read this book. This isn't a Sarah Dessen YA story. This is a story with heart and depth. Oh yeah and it won a Printz Honor last year. Believe my praise, this story is incredible. I still think that this should have won the top Printz award. The secrets that unfold will break your heart, maybe because you were lucky enough to have your own Charlie.
I dare you to read this and tell me it is anything less than amazing.
Recommended for John Green fans and fans of high quality YA lit.
Part love story but mostly coming of age. This is the story of Vera Dietz and her best friend Charlie, who redefine the term best friends. They feel more like soul mates who keep the deepest of secrets for each other, even when one betrays the other. Then Charlie dies. His death is very dark and Vera is determined to find out the truth about the night Charlie died.
This along with Looking for Alaska are some of the finest YA books I have ever read. The love story isn't over the top with romance. It's very subtle the way a kinda sorta romance between best friends can be. The coming of age part is so very real. Vera copes with Charlie's passing in a very real and believable manner. She grieves the way any teenager might except she doesn't drown her sorrows in tantrums of hysterical tears. While Vera grieves for Charlie, she also faces things about herself and her mother's past. The writing is stunning. For those who say they left YA books behind in junior high or high school because they are mostly fluff stories should read this book. This isn't a Sarah Dessen YA story. This is a story with heart and depth. Oh yeah and it won a Printz Honor last year. Believe my praise, this story is incredible. I still think that this should have won the top Printz award. The secrets that unfold will break your heart, maybe because you were lucky enough to have your own Charlie.
I dare you to read this and tell me it is anything less than amazing.
Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
Grade: A
Recommended for fans of historical fiction.
This may very well be the hardest book I have ever read. Not because the book is boring or challenging, but because the subject matter is so unsettling. This is not a book for the faint of heart.
Those Who Save Us is a World War II story from the German civilian perspective. It is the story of Anna Schlemmer, a German woman who survived the war. Anna falls in love with a Jewish man while the war broke out and tried to keep him safe. We all know the horrible things that the Nazis did during the war, and those disturbing facts are not spared here. Anna finds herself pregnant and alone doing whatever she can to stay safe. A Nazi officer meets Anna and takes her for his mistress while providing Anna and her daughter with things that they otherwise could not have afforded or had access to.
This is also the story of Trudy, Anna's daughter, born during the war and growing up with the Nazi presence around her. Anna and Trudy find their way to the states and settle in Minnesota. Anna does not speak of her time in Germany during the war and Trudy has only a photograph of her with her mother and the Nazi. Trudy is a German History professor working on a research project when the pieces of her mother's past begin to fall into place.
This book is extraordinarily well written and a most impressive debut from Jenna Blum. The book is emotionally heavy and at times warrants some separation to process what you just read. The story is also told in alternating viewpoints from present day Trudy to Anna during the war. Just when things start to get too heavy to bear another page, the viewpoint switches. It works perfectly. I highly recommend this book, but if you are going to read it, have a lighter book in mind to read afterwards.
Recommended for fans of historical fiction.
This may very well be the hardest book I have ever read. Not because the book is boring or challenging, but because the subject matter is so unsettling. This is not a book for the faint of heart.
Those Who Save Us is a World War II story from the German civilian perspective. It is the story of Anna Schlemmer, a German woman who survived the war. Anna falls in love with a Jewish man while the war broke out and tried to keep him safe. We all know the horrible things that the Nazis did during the war, and those disturbing facts are not spared here. Anna finds herself pregnant and alone doing whatever she can to stay safe. A Nazi officer meets Anna and takes her for his mistress while providing Anna and her daughter with things that they otherwise could not have afforded or had access to.
This is also the story of Trudy, Anna's daughter, born during the war and growing up with the Nazi presence around her. Anna and Trudy find their way to the states and settle in Minnesota. Anna does not speak of her time in Germany during the war and Trudy has only a photograph of her with her mother and the Nazi. Trudy is a German History professor working on a research project when the pieces of her mother's past begin to fall into place.
This book is extraordinarily well written and a most impressive debut from Jenna Blum. The book is emotionally heavy and at times warrants some separation to process what you just read. The story is also told in alternating viewpoints from present day Trudy to Anna during the war. Just when things start to get too heavy to bear another page, the viewpoint switches. It works perfectly. I highly recommend this book, but if you are going to read it, have a lighter book in mind to read afterwards.
The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk
Grade: A
Recommended for fans of the movie Angus, or anyone looking for a YA book with a strong male character who is handicapped. Carl Hiaasen fans too.
Huzzah! A YA book that I really liked.
Will Halpin is deaf and transitioning from a deaf school to a regular hearing school. He's also a fat kid. Two strikes right off the bat. He meets a fellow outcast Devon Smiley who could not be more opposite Will. Devon is the skinny dorky kid who jocks pick on. The two become oddball friends and find themselves trying to solve a murder mystery when a jock gets killed during a school field trip.
This book is what I had hoped Fat Kid Rules the World would have been. Will is a strong character who also happens to be fat and deaf. He isn't too fat to be of any use like Fat Kid Rules the World. Together with Devon, a dynamic duo is formed. I couldn't help but be reminded of the gem of a movie, Angus. Grossly underrated. This story is quickly paced and can easily be finished in a sitting or two. The pacing of the story is similar to a Carol Hiaasen YA title. This is an excellent book if you are looking for a character with a handicap who is a strong well written character. If you remember the movie Angus, you should definitely read this book too. Highly recommended!
Recommended for fans of the movie Angus, or anyone looking for a YA book with a strong male character who is handicapped. Carl Hiaasen fans too.
Huzzah! A YA book that I really liked.
Will Halpin is deaf and transitioning from a deaf school to a regular hearing school. He's also a fat kid. Two strikes right off the bat. He meets a fellow outcast Devon Smiley who could not be more opposite Will. Devon is the skinny dorky kid who jocks pick on. The two become oddball friends and find themselves trying to solve a murder mystery when a jock gets killed during a school field trip.
This book is what I had hoped Fat Kid Rules the World would have been. Will is a strong character who also happens to be fat and deaf. He isn't too fat to be of any use like Fat Kid Rules the World. Together with Devon, a dynamic duo is formed. I couldn't help but be reminded of the gem of a movie, Angus. Grossly underrated. This story is quickly paced and can easily be finished in a sitting or two. The pacing of the story is similar to a Carol Hiaasen YA title. This is an excellent book if you are looking for a character with a handicap who is a strong well written character. If you remember the movie Angus, you should definitely read this book too. Highly recommended!
Thursday
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Grade: D+
Not recommended.
Another book that I had really high hopes for. The buzz about Before I Fall is generally good and it's been on my radar for some time. YA books are still some of my favorites and I'll get to the good ones in a wee bit.
Before I Fall is the story of Sam Kingston, a high school girl who dies in a car accident. She gets to relive her last day over and over again, each time playing out a little differently . Sam and her group of friends are the popular girls, and very much like the characters in the Mean Girls movie. Sam and her bitch posse make Mean Girls look like saints and that is no exaggeration. The book is a little bit Mean Girls and Groundhog Day combined.
One beef with the book is that it's long. There were parts that could have easily been omitted seeing as they didn't add much to the story. Another beef is that the girls are truly hideous characters. They are realistic and just beyond horrible. Those girls stirred up some previously dormant emotions in me from my high school years. They were the girls who were truly awful at my school. Sam relives her last day to see if she can get it right. I never quite believed any of her actions to be genuine. The only time she seemed genuine was when she was being a snotty, conniving brat.
Lauren Oliver is a good enough writer. She hit the nail on the head with the bitch posse, perfectly capturing the awfulness that popular teenage girls embody. I think the book could have been much better with some better editing. I will still in all likelihood read another Lauren Oliver title. Delirium is another one that's been on my obscenely large to read list.
Not recommended.
Another book that I had really high hopes for. The buzz about Before I Fall is generally good and it's been on my radar for some time. YA books are still some of my favorites and I'll get to the good ones in a wee bit.
Before I Fall is the story of Sam Kingston, a high school girl who dies in a car accident. She gets to relive her last day over and over again, each time playing out a little differently . Sam and her group of friends are the popular girls, and very much like the characters in the Mean Girls movie. Sam and her bitch posse make Mean Girls look like saints and that is no exaggeration. The book is a little bit Mean Girls and Groundhog Day combined.
One beef with the book is that it's long. There were parts that could have easily been omitted seeing as they didn't add much to the story. Another beef is that the girls are truly hideous characters. They are realistic and just beyond horrible. Those girls stirred up some previously dormant emotions in me from my high school years. They were the girls who were truly awful at my school. Sam relives her last day to see if she can get it right. I never quite believed any of her actions to be genuine. The only time she seemed genuine was when she was being a snotty, conniving brat.
Lauren Oliver is a good enough writer. She hit the nail on the head with the bitch posse, perfectly capturing the awfulness that popular teenage girls embody. I think the book could have been much better with some better editing. I will still in all likelihood read another Lauren Oliver title. Delirium is another one that's been on my obscenely large to read list.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Grade: D-
Not recommended.
Apparently I'm one of the last people to read The Lovely Bones and I'm okay with that. The universe was trying to tell me not to bother. This is the rare case where the movie is better than the book. And the movie is not all that great either.
Susie Salmon is murdered by a neighborhood skeeve or Creepy Creeperton, whichever you prefer. This book is her story from what she sees in heaven. Susie watches her family grieve and the police look for her killer and body. The grisly stuff happens at the beginning and the rest of the book is full of cotton candy and glitter. Or so it feels. The ending is beyond weird.
The idea of the book and jacket summary caught my interest. That's where it ended though. The book is fluff plus glitter and sparkles and plays out like a tampon commercial.
Spoiler alert! The only redeeming part of the book was Susie's reunion with her dog Holiday. That had me in tears.
If you haven't read the book, do yourself a favor and watch the movie. Stanley Tucci is superb as George Harvey. He plays the neighborhood creep perfectly. Susan Sarandon is also stellar as the grandmother forever in makeup and with a drink in hand.
To those of you who liked the book, please let me know what you liked about it. I'm super curious what worked for you that clearly did not for me.
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Grade: D+
Still not recommended.
I don't know that it's really any better than the first book, but at least I didn't throw an epic tantrum a la The Hunger Games. The writing is still the same (really bad) and Katniss is still a total Mary Sue. Oh and I was spot on right about how this book would play out. Seriously spot on.
The formula is the same. The character names are just as silly...Gloss, Cashmere, Wiress, Enobaria just to name a few. There are more characters who apparently are not worthy of being named (even though they were previous Games winners), this time referred to as the Morphlings. The writing is the same (lousy) and the plot "twists" completely predictable.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Katniss and Peeta find themselves thrown into another Hunger Games, except it's not called the Huger Games. Every 25 years there is something called the Quarter Quell where previous Hunger Games winners are chosen to compete against each other. Same game, different name.
The Capitol creates an arena that turns out to be a clock. There are different things that happen during each hour like poisonous fog and blood rain. There is also lightening, tidal waves and monkey mutts. That's right, in this book we have monkey mutts.
Likable characters are killed off or assumed dead because apparently they did not deserve definitive closure.
Since there is a third book, it's no secret that Katniss, Peeta and Gale survive. How else could the love triangle continue. Of course Katniss survives, since she is the mockingjay and oh such a rebel. Districts are rebelling one by one because they *finally* realize what jerks the Capitol hot shots are.
Excuse me while I wipe the sarcasm off my chin.
This time I learned my lesson. I did not buy this book. Instead this was checked out from the library. Will I read Mockingjay...eventually. That will also come courtesy of the library since I have no intentions of feeding Suzanne Collins' bank account. Also to prove that I did figure out the series ending early in the first book.
Again, flame away you Hunger Games fanatics.
Still not recommended.
I don't know that it's really any better than the first book, but at least I didn't throw an epic tantrum a la The Hunger Games. The writing is still the same (really bad) and Katniss is still a total Mary Sue. Oh and I was spot on right about how this book would play out. Seriously spot on.
The formula is the same. The character names are just as silly...Gloss, Cashmere, Wiress, Enobaria just to name a few. There are more characters who apparently are not worthy of being named (even though they were previous Games winners), this time referred to as the Morphlings. The writing is the same (lousy) and the plot "twists" completely predictable.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Katniss and Peeta find themselves thrown into another Hunger Games, except it's not called the Huger Games. Every 25 years there is something called the Quarter Quell where previous Hunger Games winners are chosen to compete against each other. Same game, different name.
The Capitol creates an arena that turns out to be a clock. There are different things that happen during each hour like poisonous fog and blood rain. There is also lightening, tidal waves and monkey mutts. That's right, in this book we have monkey mutts.
Likable characters are killed off or assumed dead because apparently they did not deserve definitive closure.
Since there is a third book, it's no secret that Katniss, Peeta and Gale survive. How else could the love triangle continue. Of course Katniss survives, since she is the mockingjay and oh such a rebel. Districts are rebelling one by one because they *finally* realize what jerks the Capitol hot shots are.
Excuse me while I wipe the sarcasm off my chin.
This time I learned my lesson. I did not buy this book. Instead this was checked out from the library. Will I read Mockingjay...eventually. That will also come courtesy of the library since I have no intentions of feeding Suzanne Collins' bank account. Also to prove that I did figure out the series ending early in the first book.
Again, flame away you Hunger Games fanatics.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Grade: D
Not recommended. Check out Lauren DeStefano's Chemical garden Trilogy instead.
Hi, my name is Shelley and I did not like The Hunger Games.
Okay my pretties, flame away! I have my big girl undies on and can take it.
Seriously, if someone would please explain what I'm missing here I would be ever so grateful.
Do I need to summarize the book? I'm assuming that if you read this blog you know what the series is about.
This has been done before. 1984, Lord of the Flies, Star Wars, Twilight just to name a few books. The movie The Truman Show also comes to mind. Hugely derivative of another little book called Battle Royale. And movie with the same title. In short story form, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. If you take parts from all of these mentions, you have The Hunger Games.
***SPOILER ALERT***
The setting is a futuristic North America called Panem. That spells me nap backwards. Coincidence I think not.
Katniss is supposed to be the strong character that teen girls can look up to. Katniss was completely unlikable to me mainly because she was so wishy washy. She could have been great had she been properly developed. She takes her sister's place in the battle but then only kills one opponent?! And only out of pity! Give me a break. I want a ruthless chick who would do anything to survive and make life better for her family. Not a girl who lets everyone else do the dirty work for her. She's a wimp just like Bella Swan. I think it's fair to call her a Mary Sue.
As for Peeta and Gale and the supposed love triangle, it's completely unbelievable. Also been done before. Hello Twilight Saga.
The suspense...what suspense? I kept reading because I was wondering when it was going to get good. Not because it was a gripping page turner.
The writing is bad. Really bad. Not that I'd ever expect Suzanne Collins to admit that she wrote the series to cash in on the Twilight craze. In the world of lousy YA lit, I much prefer Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight Saga. At least that was entertaining.
Will I read the remaining two in the series, probably. Only to prove that I have the series ending figured out. No I didn't cheat and read spoilers. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what happens. In fact Suzanne Collins gives the ending away pretty early on in the book.
Flame away guys.
Not recommended. Check out Lauren DeStefano's Chemical garden Trilogy instead.
Hi, my name is Shelley and I did not like The Hunger Games.
Okay my pretties, flame away! I have my big girl undies on and can take it.
Seriously, if someone would please explain what I'm missing here I would be ever so grateful.
Do I need to summarize the book? I'm assuming that if you read this blog you know what the series is about.
This has been done before. 1984, Lord of the Flies, Star Wars, Twilight just to name a few books. The movie The Truman Show also comes to mind. Hugely derivative of another little book called Battle Royale. And movie with the same title. In short story form, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. If you take parts from all of these mentions, you have The Hunger Games.
***SPOILER ALERT***
The setting is a futuristic North America called Panem. That spells me nap backwards. Coincidence I think not.
Katniss is supposed to be the strong character that teen girls can look up to. Katniss was completely unlikable to me mainly because she was so wishy washy. She could have been great had she been properly developed. She takes her sister's place in the battle but then only kills one opponent?! And only out of pity! Give me a break. I want a ruthless chick who would do anything to survive and make life better for her family. Not a girl who lets everyone else do the dirty work for her. She's a wimp just like Bella Swan. I think it's fair to call her a Mary Sue.
As for Peeta and Gale and the supposed love triangle, it's completely unbelievable. Also been done before. Hello Twilight Saga.
The suspense...what suspense? I kept reading because I was wondering when it was going to get good. Not because it was a gripping page turner.
The writing is bad. Really bad. Not that I'd ever expect Suzanne Collins to admit that she wrote the series to cash in on the Twilight craze. In the world of lousy YA lit, I much prefer Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight Saga. At least that was entertaining.
Will I read the remaining two in the series, probably. Only to prove that I have the series ending figured out. No I didn't cheat and read spoilers. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out what happens. In fact Suzanne Collins gives the ending away pretty early on in the book.
Flame away guys.
Barrel Fever by David Sedaris
Grade: D-
Not recommended
David Sedaris is usually really really funny. Barrel Fever is not funny. Not even remotely close to funny. The only amusing entries are included in the Holidays On Ice collection. This didn't even feel like the same David Sedaris who had me laughing so hard I had tears streaming down my chubby cheeks. Clearly this is his first collection, and an odd one too. The book is split in two parts, a short story section and an essay section. His short stories are O-D-D odd to put it mildly. While I'm 99% sure that David Sedaris is quite the strange bird himself, these stories were odd even for him.
Here's how I imagine a conversation going between David Sedaris and the powers that be at his publisher's office.
Publisher Big Wig: Barrel Fever was funny, but we know you can do better.
David Sedaris: Well the folks at NPR thought the book was riotously funny.
PBW: Yeah, well they also liked The Weird Sisters.
DS: Point taken.
PBW: Maybe for the next book you could skip the short stories. You come from a pretty nutty family, right? We think they would make great essays. You know cause they're nuts and all.
DS: I think you might be on to something...
Yes I know the above imagined conversation is completely illogical seeing as the publication date of Barrel Fever is 1994 and The Weird Sisters is 2011. It was the only logical explanation of the difference between Barrel Fever and the rest of his collections.
If you have not yet read any David Sedaris, do not start with this. You will be hugely disappointed and likely would not read anything else he has written. Pick any other collection and start there. If you absolutely must read Barrel Fever, get it from the library. Thankfully I read the ebook and didn't spend any of my own money on this garbage.
Tuesday
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
ISBN: 9781565125605
Grade: A+
Recommended for: anyone and everyone
Rarely do I think a book is deserving of all its hype, but Water for Elephants is worthy of the hype and then some. This is also one of those rare books that is even better the second time around.
Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob Jankowski, a circus veterinarian, told in alternating time frames of present day and back in the 1930s. We meet the 90 or 93 year old Jacob living in a nursing home and learn about what his younger life was like and what led up to him joining the circus. Jacob was a veterinary student at Cornell when his parents were killed in an accident. His parents had spent every cent they had on his education, leaving him less than nothing after their passing. Not knowing what else to do, Jacob leaves vet school and starts walking until he stumbles upon a circus train. The circus is second rate at best, full of sleazy characters and less than ideal living standards. As if a tale of Depression era circus life wasn't enough, there's also a little romance.
The characters are so well rounded and written that you can easily picture them in your mind as you read. Sara Gruen did an amazing job researching circus life and her depictions are spot on perfect. She covers the good, the bad and the downright despicable conditions and abuse the animals and employees went through. Some people found the abuse to be too much, but it's nothing worse than what you would read in the newspaper. The romance is not overdone so as to only appeal to women and get the story shelved with the bodice ripper books.
Don't even think about asking to borrow my copy! It's so good that you should go out and buy your own copy. If anyone has read Ape House by Sara Gruen, let me know what you thought of the story.
Monday
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
ISBN: 9780385512107
Grade: A+
Recommended for: Anyone and everyone, even non-readers.
After being disappointed with too many books from last year, and thus the absence of posting, I have decided that 2012 will be a year of only good books. Not to mention the fact that I have boxes of books that I've purchased over the years and still have not read. Fair warning for those who have not read this book, if you're even slightly OCD this book will give you a complex, albeit temporary, and make you feel like you could be autistic. In no way am I making light of autism or Asperger's, so put away your pitchforks and torches. What I am saying is that once you read Christopher's do and don't list, you will likely be saying "oh my god I do that too".
Shame on me for taking this long to read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time! This was absolutely fantastic and one that I could not put down. It is a story about Christopher Boone, an autistic teenager who has trouble reading people's emotions. Late one night he discovers his neighbor's dog Wellington dead after being stabbed with a garden fork. Christopher sets out to determine who killed Wellington and write a mystery book about the investigation. Christopher knows each prime number up through nearly 8000, cannot have his food touching other food on his plate and despises the color yellow, knows all the capitals of the world, and relates well with animals. He also hates being touched and is a huge Sherlock Holmes fan.
This book could have easily been terrible had anyone else written it. Mark Haddon writes perfectly from the point of view of an autisic teen. Nothing in the story felt unbelievable. Other authors night have come across as having pulled out every stereotype that ever existed for autism. It can be a struggle at times to find books that appeal to me and Mr. Shelley (don't tell him that I just called him that). Mr. Shelley still has yet to read this, as he's too engrossed with his Mad magazines and Astronomy magazines. This is one of those rare books that I just want to shove into the hands of everyone I talk to. Highly recommended!
The Winters In Bloom by Lisa Tucker
ISBN: 9781416575405
Grade: F
Technically this book was started in November, but it has taken this long to finish. The grade speaks for itself. This is hands down the worst book I have read since the abominations known as My Sister's Keeper, The Time Traveler's Wife, and The Weird Sisters. The book felt like a lot of tell and no show. Don't tell me this and that happened and then this happened. Show me what happens instead. You know the concept that every English teacher from the junior high level and up preaches. The writing also felt really disjointed almost like each chapter was an afterthought.
The book's premise sounded fantastic. Overprotective parent Kyra and David Winter have a young son who disappears from their backyard one afternoon. Each parent has someone they suspect of taking their son, and each has some serious skeletons in the closet. What I expected was a gripping page turner about family secrets. What I got was chapter after chapter of random characters with no continuity from the previous chapter's character or timeline. This happened, that happened, this happened again, and finally this girl (me) got bored and no longer cared what happened to the little boy. My interest faded after 50 pages and there was nothing in the remaining pages that made me glad I finished the rest.
If anyone else has read this and liked it, please tell me what I'm missing. There was so much hype about this book that I just cannot understand. This could have been a decent book in the hands of a different writer or at the very least a different editor. Definitely not recommended.
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