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Archive for the ‘Book Reviews’ Category

  • The Maze Runner (A Book Review)

    Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

    Thomas awakens to find himself on a lift being propelled toward a set of doors overhead. When the doors open, he is deposited in the middle of the “Glade,” a sunny homestead surrounded by massive stone walls and populated by a host of teen boys who welcome him–some with more suspicion than others. Unfortunately, Thomas has no answers for their questions because, aside from his name, he has no idea of who he is or where he’s from.

    As the “Newbie” to the group, Thomas must quickly learn the rules of Glade society—the most important one being that only Runners are allowed to set foot outside the Glade’s walls into the maze, which completely encircles the homestead and keeps the boys trapped within. In the morning Thomas watches as the stone doors open and the Runners leave to race through the giant labyrinth, mapping as much of it as possible before nighttime falls and the maze walls shift into alternating patterns. In the evening, he sees the doors close as if by some unseen hand, locking the homesteaders inside the Glade, while shutting out the murderous monsters known as Grievers (think ginormous, all-purpose-pocket-knife-type monsters made from metal and jelly…yeah, totally weird, but creepy). Any Runners who haven’t returned by the time the doors close are as good as dead.

    But something keeps nagging at Thomas—a suspicion that somehow he knows the key to solving the maze. Just as he’s seeking the truth about it, a comatose girl with telepathic abilities appears who seems to know Thomas from his life before. And with her arrival, Thomas is forced to face the possibility that he is more responsible for their situation that he can bear to imagine.

    The Maze Runner cover.png

    THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner

    What I liked:

    1. The premise. Curious and creative.
    2. Dashner’s supporting characters. Am I the only one who thinks Chuck is wonderfully reminiscent of one of the Goonies?
    3. The slang words! Heheheh. ;0) Um, yes, since reading the book, I’ve totally been tempted to use them. 
    4. The beginning. Okay, I’ll admit that at first the lack of Thomas’ orientation annoyed me (I was kind of like “Thomas, seriously, get on with your moody confused self already”) until I realized Dashner was employing it to enlist our empathy for Thomas. Nicely done.
    5. Thomas. Not too old. Not too young. He’s believable as a freaked-out teen guy trying to get a handle on himself and his environment.
    6. The level of creepiness. For whatever reason (don’t ask why), I was expecting a slightly “tamer” story, so the intensity of some of it caught me off guard, which is harder to do the older I get. One reviewer suggested the book feels like a cross between ENDER’S GAME and LORD OF THE FLIES, and that’s probably a pretty good comparison. :0)
    7. Although it’s a dystopian, I love the fact that it reminded me just a bit of ENDER’S GAME (my favorite sci-fi ever)!

    What I’m looking (and hoping) for in the rest of the trilogy (which is on my to-read list):

    1. Teresa’s character developing more fully.
    2. A clear enough explanation for what’s going on behind the scenes as to justify the boys’ situation and some of the violence. While I don’t have an issue with mysterious origins or violence in books (when they’re done well and with purpose in the arc of the story), the ending in THE MAZE RUNNER definitely left me going, “Wait, what?! Okay, there’d better be a darn good explanation for all of this!”
    3. Rumor has it there are zombies in the next two books. Enough said. *big grin*

    How about you, Preciouses? Have any of you read it? And if not, what’s your favorite bookish read of late???

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    THE MAZE RUNNER book trailer (which is a tad more terrifying than the book)

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  • ALL THE PRETTY HORSES by Cormac McCarthy (a book review in which we point & laugh at my 90’s hair)

    Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

    CONFESSION #1:

    ALL THE PRETTY HORSES is the first Cormac McCarthy book I’ve ever read–yeah, yeah, don’t throw things at me–and I spent the first three pages of it going, “What the aardvark? Who does this guy think he is? I have NO idea what’s going on in this scene.”

    CONFESSION #2:

    I spent the entire rest of the novel going, “Oh. That’s who he thinks he is. He’s a freaking genius.”

    And I’m tempted to end my review right there.

    All the pretty horses mccarthy cover.jpg

    Alas, I won’t. But consider yourselves warned. THINGS CAN ONLY DIGRESS.

    If the second of my brothers had been written into a novel, he would’ve been something akin to ALL THE PRETTY HORSES’ main character, John Grady. In fact, come to think of it, Grady probably could’ve been any one of my brothers. Growing up with four them (and a little sister who insisted she was THE actual little Ariel singing mermaid), I spent a good many years of my life eating and breathing anything and everything to do with cowboys, whether I wanted to or not. My days were a balance of playing cowboys and building forts and watching EVERY SINGLE John Wayne movie in existence while still trying to prove my inherent “coolness” to my friends with my ability to master Aerosmith songs and the biggest 90’s hair possible.

    Okay, so maybe growing big hair wasn’t so hard, but perming it to frizz like electro-charged shrubbery? That took serious talent, people.

     Case in point:

    big hair

    So when I say I loved the book, keep THAT in mind (er…my days spent playing cowboys with my little brothers–not the disturbingly big hair pic).

    The PRETTY HORSES story begins with sixteen-year-old John Grady grieving the passing of his grandfather (in the stoic way teenage cowboy guys tend to grieve such things). With his parents having divorced years before and no one left to run the Texas ranch but Grady, his mother decides to sell the home he loves so dearly. Thus, on a “coming of age” whim, Grady and his friend, Rawlins, set off on horseback to cross the Rio Grande into Mexico. Along the way, they’re joined by the ridiculous Jimmy Blevins, and, in-between meandering conversations on religion and philosophy, they encounter a world of adventure and heartache in the form of bandits, crazy storms, stolen horses, a Mexican prison, and a short love affair with a rich Spaniard’s daughter. The story is raw and real—so much so that you can taste it for days to come once you’ve reached the emotionally-exhausting (and not necessarily happily-ever-after) ending. Just like a good cowboy book should be, in my experience.

    What I liked:

    1. The landscape as character. You guys know I love this in books. When the world is living, biting, breathing down the neck of our protagonist. In this case, the landscape is as thickly a developed character as Grady or Rawlins. And it works. And it’s beautiful.
    2. The prose. With each one, McCarthy breaks convention beyond sanity (no quotation marks, scarce punctuation, etc.), but again it works. In fact, not only does it work–it’s rhythm. It’s musical. It’s poetry. In a story my brothers’ would label as “totally manly,” no less.
    3. John Grady. One reviewer referred to him as “endearing,” and I find that to be the perfect description. He’s like an old, well-versed man in a teen’s body. And while I’ve heard that some might find his level of maturity implausible for his age…those people have not met my little brother, Jon.

    :0)

    (By the way… Jonathan, I’m totally tempted to show off pics right here of you being all cute in your little man cowboy boots at the age of four…but…I refrain. You owe me, dude.)

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    Posted in Book Reviews | 12 Comments »

  • THE STRAIN by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan (a book review)

    Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

    As you’ll recall from my recent post regarding Jonathan Maberry’s DUST & DECAY, I promised you a review of the most terrifying book I’ve read in years.

    Well, Preciouses…here it is. :0)

     cover image for The Strain

    THE STRAIN by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

    Call me a wimp (remember I’m the girl hiding behind the blanket, stuffing Lucky Charms in my face while watching “The Walking Dead”), but this novel is seriously for hardcore creepfactor peeps. You know, the ones who love to sit and squirm cuz they can’t bear to watch the horror, but it’s so graphically absorbing that they can’t NOT watch. (And then they pee themselves.) It’s creepy. It’s plausible. It’s CSI and Michael Crichton challenging Stephen King to a dance-off to see who can best spin the yarns of H.P. Lovecraft. It’s pull up those granny panties you’re wearing cuz…well, it’s Guillermo del Toro.

    A Boeing 777 lands at JFK airport and comes to a dead stop on the tarmac. The lights go out. The shades are drawn. The coms are silent. When no one emerges from the aircraft and no response is elicited from inside, Dr. Eph Goodweather’s CDC team is brought in to investigate the possibility of biological warfare. What they find is a plane full of dead passengers (save four), iridescent white matter splattered all over the cockpit and cabin, and a giant box of earth (which is very Draculesque).

    Then the box disappears right in front of Dr. Goodweather’s eyes and, shortly after, the dead bodies from the plane begin rising in the morgues and heading back to their homes to feed on/infect their families with a vampiric plague. And it’s not the angsty, sparkly kind.

    Pawnbroker, Abraham Setrakian, is old enough to remember the legend told by his grandmother of the Stroigoi, a vamp. He’s also old enough to remember lying awake at night in the WWII Holocaust death camps, listening to that same Stroigoi feed off of his dying bunkmates. While the rest of New York is trying to hush-up the horrors, Setrakian is the only man who knows what’s up: the Stroigoi has arrived. And Setrakian has been preparing for it his whole life. (Seriously. He’s got a very cool arsenal of weaponry. Well…that and a vampire heart he keeps in a jar that shoots a stinger if you get too close.) In his words, ”It will take this thing less than one week to finish off all of Manhattan, and fewer than three months to overtake the country. In six months – the world.”

    Crammed with a diverse (and excellent) cast of characters, ranging from Eph and his son, to Abraham (“My sword sings of silver!”) and Vasiliy Fet (the pest exterminator / ghost buster who’s quite awesome), THE STRAIN manages to balance a fast-paced plot with many an excellent prose and a nice old-fashioned “good versus evil” theme. Oh, but toss in some swearing, intense gore, 6-foot stingers (a tad B-movie-ish IMHO), and a lot of traumatizing horror. Would I watch it as a movie? Probably not. But as a book with great writing and fabulous medical-thriller-babble, I enjoyed it. Also, I appreciated the father-son relationship between Eph and Zach, and the marriage-divorce discussion between Eph and Kelly (so well done).

    Will I read it again? Er…no. Will I ever sleep again? Not likely. But will I read the next in the trilogy? Oh yes. And I’m putting together my arsenal of awesome weapons as we speak. You know…just in case.

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  • DUST & DECAY by Jonathan Maberry (a book review)

    Wednesday, February 8th, 2012

    Shortly after being crowned one of the elite few who is *MOST* likely to survive a zombie apocalypse (remember that Facebook test I rocked a while back?), I decided that it’d be a good idea to actually read a variety of zombie literature beyond just Mr. Cronin (and, yes, his creepers are more vamps anyway, but…whatever). You know…just to make sure my mad fighting/shooting/awesome-singing skills were really up to par (and also to see if there were any authors who might benefit from my newly-identified zombie survival advice).

    Especially seeing as, before discovering this zombie-fighting-intelligence gift I’ve got, I’d never had ANY interest in zombies. Partly due to the whole rotting flesh thing, and partly due to the fact that they’re just so INCESSENTLY WHINY. As if us moms don’t deal with that enough. When I have my zombie apocalypse compound, I’m totally going to have to post a sign that says the exact same thing I tell my kids: “This is not a moaning/whining space. If you want to moan/whine/try to eat my brains, go do it in your own room.” (I predict these signs will be popular and I’m copywriting them as we speak.)

    Anyhoo, as you’ll recall, one of the books I’ve enjoyed on this whole zombie enlightenment path is Jonathan Maberry’s YA novel “Rot and Ruin” (which I reviewed for you a few months ago). Not overly gory, not obsessively horrific, the book is zombies and YA and character development done with brilliance. And kind of a gateway zombie drug book, if you will. After reading it, I found myself seduced into thinking—This whole zom thing isn’t so bad; they just want to be loved! And promptly followed it up with indulging in the most terrifying book of my adult life (which I will review for you one of these days because it also was brilliant). It’s even gotten to the point where I can now watch “The Walking Dead” with my husband. (Cringing behind blankets and cramming obscene amounts of sugar-drenched cereal in my face because I eat when I’m stressed still counts as “watching,” right?)

    So, it seems fitting that the first zombie book I recommend this year happens to be the second in Mr. Maberry’s “Rot and Ruin” series: “Dust and Decay.” I enjoyed it (almost) as much as the first. Lilah rocks (as always), Benny and Chong are just as funny, and Tom Imura is still a total hottie.

    Rot & Ruin
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    As they head off into the Rot and Ruin in search of civilization (following the path the airplane flew), Tom, Benny, Nix, and Lilah (and accidentally Chong—poor Chong) come face to face with their deepest fears. And I’m not talking zombies (which is odd since you’d think dead people craving your flesh would be the most horrifying aspect to a person’s world). Their fears come in the form of their pasts—people, violence, memories, loss, internal demons—being carried into their futures—Gameland, death, love, and vulnerability. Combine that with just enough twists to keep me surprised and like “What the kraken?” at certain points, and sad at others as I felt the loss with this little band of tested friends. Oh, and I loved that the underlying themes developed so well in “Rot and Ruin” of love, family, friendships, and valuing human life are in there, working beneath the skin, pulling the reader into caring about the zombies, the harsh landscapes, and the broken individuals as they struggle through pain and, at times, anger in their quest for hope.

    If “Rot and Ruin” was a coming-of-age novel, then “Dust and Decay” is a coming-of-relationship novel.

    And it’s so good.

    So, there you have it, Preciouses. Run off and read it. Or have you already? (Or any other zombie/apocalypse/scare-your-pants off books that we should know about?)

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    Posted in Book Reviews | 13 Comments »

  • “Shatter Me” by Tahereh Mafi (a book review)

    Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

    My first book review in 2012 is of the last novel I read in 2011. It was also the most beautifully written novel I read in 2011….

    SHATTER ME by Tahereh Mafi

     

    Juliette has been locked away in 144 square feet of isolated space for 264 days. She sits. She counts. She writes on private pages, with a pen, in her secret notebook. She tries to keep herself from going insane in an asylum where she was incarcerated in order to protect her parents and society. A society devastated by pollution, wars, and population control, newly-presided over by a totalitarian regime—The Reestablishment. And while Juliette thinks she’s been locked up because of her dangerous “disease,” The Reestablishment has plans for her. They’re about to use her as a weapon of power. A weapon that can kill with one single touch.

    Juliette has not been touched in 6,336 hours.

    Until a boy enters her 144 square foot space of aloneness and single-handedly shatters her world into one million breathtaking pieces.

    What I liked:

    1. The Writing. Between penning unbelievably beautiful prose, breaking a host of grammar rules, and employing gorgeous metaphors, Ms. Mafi has created some of the most exquisite passages I’ve ever read.  As a writerly type person, I have a habit of dog-earing  pages (yes, I dog-ear—don’t hate me) that contain a phrase or simile I wish I’d written. In the case of “Shatter Me,” roughly ¼ of my copy is dog-eared. No joke.
    2. Mafi’s use of strikethrough strikeout (<– yes, that thing), which is applied quite heavily early on in the novel, then lessens as the story progresses. Not only is it unique (in the book world) but it’s effective at showing the gradual growth of Juliette from a self-doubting, emotionally-interned girl to an individual discovering freedom and power. Love it.
    3. The protagonist, Juliette. She’s a beautiful balance of sweet vulnerability and a passionate conduit for power. She’s frank. She’s timid. She’s healthy. She’s broken. Oh, and the numbers thing… Juliette counts everything.
    4. The use of landscape as a character. The world surrounding Juliette’s cell is a heartbreaking reflection of her core. Stark. Slightly insane. Starving. Devastated by self-inflicted horror. Mafi’s use of the dystopian setting and bleak landscape to highlight Juliette’s emotional brokenness makes us love our heroine more.
    5. The superhero conflict. Juliette holds the power to do good and also harm, both of which tempt her in their own ways.
    6. The villain, Warner. So intriguing. So yummy. So creepy.
    7. James. Perfectly precious.
    8. The fact that the book has the dystopian feel of Lauren DeStefano’s “Wither” blended with the powers (and outfits) of X-men.
    9. The ignition of Juliette’s emotions in proximity to being touched. Left without physical contact, she’s wilting. With it, she’s a lighting rod. Very psychological. And, from a writerly perspective, it’s an excellent way to build sexual tension.  Speaking of creating sexual tension, Mafi writes some incredibly sexy scenes without the main couple ever actually consummating anything (although they try too, which is why I’d agree with another reviewer who said she’d recommend this book to older teens on up).

    Um…did I mention I LOVED it?

    How about you, Preciouses? Have you read it? Thoughts??? ;0)

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    Posted in Book Reviews | 15 Comments »

  • Tuesdays at the Castle (a book review by my kids)

    Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

    You know when you see a book from a room-width away and KNOW it’s a going to be a good one? Like you can taste the quality? Yes. THAT. Well, that’s exactly how it happened with Jessica Day George’s TUESDAYS AT THE CASTLE. I was furtively eyeing it on the Barnes and Noble Children’s shelf (while pretending to browse the Classic Literature section like any nerd who takes her book snobbery seriously) during a recent coffee date with the Husband. The book sang my name and I answered. I read the back cover, followed by the quaintly written first page, and then carried it to the Husband with the comment that, “This is written as a classic. Our children need it.”

    Being my husband, he sweetly just nodded and tried to conceal the look on his face that said, “Uh-huh. Our CHILDREN need it? Riiiight.” So, of course, we bought the book. And I read it to our cute children, who loved it (so much so that one of them promptly reread it).

    And they are here today to review it for you.

    Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

    (as reviewed by Rilian, Avalon, and Korbin)

     

    Our Summary: Castle Glower is full of fun personality, especially on Tuesdays when it decides to grow another room or secret passageway. Eleven-year-old Princess Celie, daughter of King Glower the seventy-ninth, likes to explore the changes and add them to her atlas. When Celie’s parents go missing and some unwanted visitors try to take over Castle Glower, Celie and her brother and sister must defend the Castle at all costs until they discover what has happened to their parents and older brother, Bran.

    What We Liked:

    • “I liked everything, especially when the girls are in the tower.” (Korbin, age 6)
    • “My favorite parts in the book were the pranks.” (Avalon, age 9)
    • “Mine too!” (Rilian, age 12) “I thought the author wrote the story so well—the excitement kept up the whole way through.”
    • “Yeah, I thought the book was exciting and fun and full of action! And I loved Castle Glower, especially how Celie could talk to it and it would do stuff. I like that it had feelings.” (Avalon, age 9)
    • “I loved that the castle was alive too. That made it so much cooler than if they’d just lived in a regular old castle.” (Rilian, age 12)
    • “My favorite room in Castle Glower is the throne room.” (Korbin, age 6)
    • “My favorite character was Celie.” (Avalon, age 9) “I loved her relationship with the castle. I also liked her and Rolf’s relationship.”
    •  “My favorite character was Prince Lulath. He’s so humorous, and his accent makes it even better. Oh, and his affection for his dogs. I liked Lulath’s dogs.” (Rilian, age 12)
    • “My favorite part is when the dog pees.” (Korbin, age 6)

    So, basically, we’d recommend it. ;0)

    And now Dear Readers, we’d like to know: What was YOUR favorite book as a child?

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    What’s the mood noise of the moment? Sarah Mclachlan: Happy Christmas

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    Posted in Best & Worst Books, Book Reviews | 16 Comments »

  • Six Degrees of Interesting

    Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

    While I rarely do roundups, bookish or otherwise, this week was all sorts of intriguing! So, I thought I should share and you could enjoy. (Just click the links as you please.) Because, seriously, how can we bypass the news that Jane Austen might’ve died from arsenic poisoning? I’m totally convinced.

    And doesn’t it only seem appropriate that, in light of BREAKING DAWN hitting theaters this week, we read Sarah Blackwood’s fantastic post in defense of Bella Swan’s character? Yes, it does. (note: post includes some swear wordage)

    Also coming out, in books not theaters (yet), is my friend Jay Asher and his coauthor Carolyn Mackler’s book, THE FUTURE OF US. It releases next week. You can read their silly interview here and my book review here.

    And for those of us who obsess over the HUNGER GAMES more than coffee itself, the Examiner offers us a Hunger Games Holiday Suggestion list of dystopian books that fans might enjoy. Um, yes please!

    Which leads us to the HUNGER GAMES MOVIE TRAILER!!! Good gracious it’s incredible! To the point that it exceeded all my expectations. Thank you Hunger Games movie people.

    And finally…I had a birthday this week along with my son. Which we combined into a vacation last week. One of the perks of homeschooling is that you get to take time away in the off-season when hotels are cheap and theme parks are empty (plus, we had free tickets!). Here are a few of my favorite moments:

    Sea World San Diego photo

     Yep, that’s me.

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    Shamu

     And that’s a giant Orca.

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    Mission Bay, San Diego

     And that’s Mission Bay.

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    vacation

     And that’s some strikingly handsome guy I have a rabid crush on.

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    PubCakes photo

    And this is PubCakes.

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    PubCakes cupcakes photo

    And they make beer batter cupcakes.

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    And here is my favorite birthday gift from Wolverine.

    Book photo of Robert Browning's Poetry

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    Posted in Book Reviews, Genre Savvy, Uncategorized | 9 Comments »

  • ROT & RUIN by Jonathan Maberry (a book review)

    Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

    I recently met Jonathan Maberry at the Central Coast Writers’ Conference, and while I’m not a huge zombie-book-fan-type-person, Mr. Maberry’s humor was so contagious and his personality so open and friendly, I quickly suspected I’d probably enjoy just about anything the guy wrote (including Wolverine for Marvel Comics, ahem). Hence, I picked up his book ROT & RUIN.

    Here’s the review. :0)

    Benny Imura lives inside a fence-enclosed town in post-apocalyptic America where he semi-enjoys, semi-whines about the only life he’s known since First Night, when most of the world’s population turned zombified. As long as Benny and his friends stay within the compound (and away from anyone newly dead) they are safe from the billions of zoms free-ranging it across the great Rot and Ruin, which is fine with Benny seeing as he hates zoms more than anything. When his fifteenth birthday approaches, however, and Benny must find a job or have his food rations cut, his inability to get work forces him into the family business of zombie hunting with his Japanese, samurai, half-brother Tom, a man whom Benny believes to be a complete coward. Together, the boys take trips into the Rot and Ruin (Tom as a zom hunter, Benny as his apprentice) where they encounter zoms, zealots, and bounty hunters, the latter of which are far worse than the living dead. In this environment, Benny soon discovers just exactly what it is his brother Tom does that garners so much respect from the townsfolk, while learning what it truly means to be human.

    What I liked:

    1. Tom Imura.
    2. The Lost Girl. Loved her. Loved her cave. Loved her books.
    3. The well crafted, well paced plot marked with characters I fully cared about and, ahem, might’ve cried for. In a zombie novel, no less.
    4. The whole awesome sword-wielding thing. I seriously need a samurai sword. If I had one, I’d be like, “Yeah, that’s right, look at my sweet fighting sword. I’m gonna wield it now.”
    5. The fact that the guy on the book cover kind of looks like Nathan Bransford as a zombie. (Am I the only person who thinks this?)
    6. The beautiful, seamless way in which Maberry inserts a powerful message regarding the value of human life, no matter what stage it’s at. This seems to be the underlying conviction of the novel—that the ability to be truly human is found in the heart’s intentions, specifically in one’s choices to show mercy. Tom Imura’s embodiment of this value was both fluid and extraordinary. From the first few chapters in, the message struck and kept me absorbed beyond all other plot points or personalities. Believe me when I say that the capability of pulling this off without soapboxing is the art of storytelling at its finest.
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    What’s the Mood Noise of the Moment?  Michael Jackson’s THRILLER

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    Posted in Author Tidbits, Book Reviews | 12 Comments »

  • The Silent Gondoliers (a guest review)

    Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

    Meet Kristen Evey, an old friend and new book blogger! Kristen is funny, sweet, and writes awesome book reviews over at her pretty website, and today we get her reviewing a book for us! **clap, clap, clap, clap, clap** *whistles* Check it out, leave a comment (have you read Goldman’s stuff?), and then go visit her blog and become a follower. You’ll like her cool style, I promise. ;0)

    Hello, everyone! My name is Kristen. I’m a recent addition to the book blogging community and Mary is graciously allowing me to bestow her blog with a few of my words. I love books and writing, talking to others about books and writing, and of course (cuz’ I don’t think she’d allow me to post on here if I didn’t) I love food! Now without further ado, on to the review! (And, yes, sometimes I pretend to be a poet…)

    The Silent Gondoliers: A Fable: Goldman, William

    Summary:  Luigi is one of the most talented gondoliers in Venice, but his truest desire is to sing out loud with his whole heart, mind and soul. And since “everyone knows that the gondoliers of Venice are the greatest singers in the world,” Luigi must have a remarkable voice. Unfortunately, the Venetians do not appreciate Luigi’s singing. When he sings, Luigi’s gondola is pelted with fish and vegetables. Soon no one wants to hire him, and Luigi is forced to quit his profession. Thus Luigi begins a journey to fulfill his desire of learning the art of singing. He returns home years later in defeat, fearing that he will live out his days in mediocrity. But when disastear strikes the city, Luigi is quick to help, and he may just find his happiness where he least expects.

    Thoughts:  William Goldman is my inspiration as a writer. Every book and screenplay he writes is genius, in my somewhat biased opinion (e.g. The Princess Bride is the best book and movie ever written/made). The Silent Gondoliers is short, sweet, and funny. Goldman is a master of creating offbeat characters, to the point of making them almost ridiculous, but stopping just shy of over the top. (Okay, so some of them may be over the top. A deaf music teacher, perhaps?) In any case, we come to love and admire these characters, yet we laugh at them as well. So it is with Luigi, the lovable gondolier who wants to sing, even though he has no talent whatsoever. He shows us the heartache, struggle, beauty, and satisfaction of reaching for the stars.

    Some of my Favorite Things:

    1. William Goldman’s writing. Wonderful and witty.
    2. Luigi. He is lovable and ridiculous at the same time.

    Criticisms:  None.

    Recommended For:  Those looking for a quick and entertaining read by a master craftsman.

    Quoteworthy:  “A girl and a boy bump—surely an accident. A girl and a boy bump and her handkerchief drops—surely another accident. But when a girl gives a boy a dead squid—that had to mean something.”  – William Goldman, The Silent Gondoliers

    Oy! I can’t believe I’ve never read this book! *kicks self in annoyance and promises to grab it from the library* It sounds super fun and witty! THANK YOU KRISTEN!!!  -m

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    Posted in Best & Worst Books, Book Reviews | 9 Comments »

  • A Wrinkle in Time (a book review – well, sort of)

    Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

    WrinkleInTimePBA1.jpg

    So, I’ve just finished reading Madeleine L’Engle’s  “A Wrinkle in Time” for the first time. Yes, you heard that right: FOR. THE. FIRST. TIME. Why I never read it in grammar school is beyond me; currently I’ve decided to blame my mother for this oversight, which I’ll be reminding her of from here on out every time I need to borrow her Amazon card (right before I hold up a photo of her grandchildren looking all book-needy and cute).

    Anyhow, a few days of pondering this Wrinkle in Time book, and I’ve decided that my issues with it boil down to one major complaint: Basically, my parents intentionally ruined my life. My proof? Why did they not become government scientists housing a secret lair in our basement while indulging in a little tessering now and then? I know, right? Instead I grew up in a world devoid of off-planet vacations, fuzzy alien encounters, and the chance to battle a gigantic oozing brain nicknamed IT. I feel robbed.

    And while we’re on the subject, would it have hurt them to produce among their offspring a small genius boy who was all contemplative and charming and could’ve been fondly referred to as Charles Wallace? I mean, they had six of us regular kids, after all. They couldn’t pop out just one highly-intelligent boy child? No offense to my brothers but…well, you know. And for the record, having our fair share of creepy witch friends didn’t actually count like the Wrinkle in Time ones did since ours weren’t actually magical. They were just creepy. As were the large, furry blind beasts who used to feed and rock me to sleep.

    Anyhow, enough of my complaints. I’ll be working past them once I find a good therapist.

    In the meantime, mom and dad, I love you. And if either of you HAD been locked in a cell for years and years on another planet and everyone began doubting you’d ever come home, and then you almost gave in to the oozing brain’s mind control? I would’ve tessered to save you.

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    Posted in Best & Worst Books, Book Reviews | 14 Comments »

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