Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs, and Some Other Things That Aren't As Scary, Maybe, Depending on How You Feel About Lost Lands, Stray Cellphones, Creatures from the Sky, Parents Who Disappear in Peru, a Man Named Lars Farf, and One Other Story We Couldn't Quite Finish, So Maybe You Could Help Us Out by Nicky Hornby, Neil Gaiman, Jon Scieszka, Jonathan Safran Foer, and More
Edited by: Ted Thompson, with Eli Horowitz
Rating: *****
My librarian roommate brought this home last night from her volunteer work at another library. She was intrigued by it's ridiculous title, and list of authors. It's possibly one of the funniest books I have ever read. It is a collection of 11 shorts stories about children. I'm not 100% sure that the book is children friendly, because there is actually some pretty graphic things in it, plus a lot of hilarious only-adults-get-it references. But I'm fairly sure it would be enjoyable for all ages. The title pretty much tells you the content of the stories, and each story is hilarious. I laughed for the hour and a half straight it took me to read the book. It starts off with a real kick in the face introduction by Lemony Snicket, which made me giggle uncontrollably, much to the confusion of other people in the room. The book was published in 2006, and the cover is actually part of an intriguing contest, which 3 years later is over and done with. The contest was Lemony Snicket wrote half a short story and couldn't finish it, so they put it on the inside of the book jacket, with a challenge to send it back to the publishers. The best entry would have been published as a complete story in another book. I'm not sure how that contest ended, but probably awesomely.
In addition to being an extremely hilarious, must-read book, the proceeds of the book sales go to 826NYC, a nonprofit in NYC which helps children from 6-18 with their creative writing and literary skills. Their website can be found at http://www.826nyc.org/
Enjoy your reading!
<3 Care
Upcoming episodes:
We Don't Live Here Anymore by Andre Dubus
'salem's Lot by Stephen King
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
The Big Necessity by Rose George
Hope's War by Stephen Chambers
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Slaves to Faith by Calvin R. Mercer
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
11/04/2009 - 6 opinions
Hey everyone!
Long time, no see. The weeks of delay were caused by death and mayhem!! ... in the books I was reading, of course, not in real life. In real life, the delay was caused by me dilly dallying about with no regard to you whatsoever, dear reader. Which is probably just me, but I like to read my own words, so I guess it's not really an issue. Six books today, very exciting, I know!! I have six more books after this too, even more exciting!!
Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsey
Rating: ****(1/2)
In this fourth installment of the vigilante Dexter series, we join Dexter as he honeymoons in Paris with his new wife Rita. The overall writing of this book is fantastic, with beautifully illustrated imagery and a deeper insight into Dexter's sociopath mind, and of course the ever delightful plays on words and alliterations. As the book evolves, Dexter finds himself in the center of another mystery which is garnering national attention, and could easily reveal his killer nature to the word. Dexter is at his prime here, juggling his dark side with family and work life, struggling to stay ahead of the game. While this book, like the others, could easily stand alone, I'd recommend reading the other books in the series. Lindsey ends this book with a delicious cliffhanger, which charges excitement for the next book. I cannot stress enough how amazing the imagery and writing is in this book.
The Dexter series: Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Dearly Devoted Dexter, and Dexter in the Dark
The Rosetta Codex by Richard Paul Russo
Rating: ***
This is the first book I've read by this author, and his writing style is fairly effective. The story follows a predictable story arc, involving a young boy named Cale who is raised in poverty as a slave, only to find much later in life that he's a member of a rich family. The story is made interesting because it takes place over the reaches of space, as Cale struggles to discover the meaning behind a mysterious book he finds in his wanderings. The story progresses very well, following Cale from the age of 5 until he's in his 30s, and all the characters are interesting. The overall plot and writing style lead to very movie-like settings and dialogue, which made it somewhat less interesting. If the story had read a little less like a hammed up screenplay, it would probably be 4 stars, but minus 1.
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Rating: ****(1/2)
Conceivably one of Card's most famous novels, this story centers around a young boy created and recruited by the military under the expectations of his becoming mankind's hope in a war against aliens. Taken from his family, and trained in a no-holds barred military academy satellite station, young Andrew "Ender" Wiggin quickly rises through the ranks of the students. Back on Earth, his brother Peter and sister Valentine start their own political campaigns under online pseudonyms. The three siblings, unknown to Ender, quickly become some of the most respected people worldwide. The novel originally started out as a short story, and was conceived only to introduce the character of Ender for additional books. However, it is a powerful testament to the power children have on their own, as well as containing fascinating insights into xenophobia, and the potential of political action, even when wielded by anonymous sources.
Other books in the Ender Saga: Ender's Exile, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind, A War of Gifts
Related books: The Shadow Saga
The Call of Earth by Orson Scott Card
Rating: ****
The second book in the Homecoming Saga, a group of novels centered around the planet Harmony, where the refugees from a dying Earth settled millions of years ago. Although civilization on Earth lasted only a few millenniums, the peaceful and long lasting civilization created on Harmony has been maintained by a computer called the Oversoul. In the first novel, we were introduced to the city of Basilica, a powerful matriarchal city on one of the main continents. The Oversoul has realized that it has long outlasted its programming, and needs to return humans back to Earth and to the main computers light years away. The Oversoul contacts some of the few remaining humans that remain completely open to its 'voice', and convinces them that it is time to go home to Earth. The second novel picks up right where the first ended, as young Nafai tries to convince his friends and family that Harmony is coming to an end, and that they all must make a pilgrimage and trust to the Oversoul to lead them back to Earth. However, the military and political threats surrounding both Basilica and the surround city-states takes a toll on both Nafai and his followers, and the civilizations on Harmony. An extremely satisfying second book, with great character development, military maneuvers, and plot continuations. Card is at a high point in his writing, as the story pretty much flies off the pages.
The Homecoming Saga: The Memory of Earth, The Ships of Earth, Earthfall, Earthborn
The Woad To Wuin by Peter David
Rating: ****(1/2)
The second book about the crippled Apropos of Nothing finds him hiding out in a cave with his wizardly accomplice Sharee. His friendship with Sharee quickly goes downhill after Apropos finds himself in the middle of the most hilarious Lord of the Ring satire I have ever read. However, after that little adventure, Apropos bides his time owning a bar and minding his own business in the middle of nowhere. Sadly for him, a visionary who will only speak the future straight out tells Apropos that he's about to take the Woad to Wuin.. or is it the Road to Ruin? Non-stop hilarity ensues, as Apropos finds himself in one unfortunate adventure after another, until he wakes up one day and pretty much finds himself ruler of the world. This book would more or less stand alone, but I highly recommend reading the first book. Peter David's writing is fantastic, and his ways to find plays on words, and hilarity in the most mundane situations makes this a great read.
Other books in the series: Sir Apropos of Nothing, Tong Lashing
The Phoenix Transformed by Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory
Rating: ***(1/2)
The final book in the Enduring Flame Trilogy, sequel to The Obisidan Trilogy. I just did not enjoy this saga as much as the original, but read very much the same. It never really grabbed me in, but was still a fun read. The characters were really fleshed out, and the cliffhanger from the second book was nicely resolved. This trilogy takes place 1000 years after the original trilogy, which really makes a fun way of looking at how time and tradition really change how a story evolves. The two main characters are two teenage boys, Terciel and Harrier, who have at this point somewhat come to terms with their magical gifts, and are planning a war against the Darkness that has been loosed upon their world. With the help of the desert people who they once fought against. They struggle in this book against the Darkness and their own trust issues, because they are forced to work with the mage who loosed the Darkness in the first place. There is excellent resolution to the series, and the entire trilogy is overall very enjoyable. This trilogy can stand alone, but I recommend reading the first trilogy for a lot of the back story on some of the holidays that are celebrated, and some of the characters encountered in their journey.
Other books in The Enduring Flame: The Phoenix Unchained, The Phoenix Endangered
Books in The Obsidian Trilogy: The Outstretched Shadow,, To Light a Candle, When Darkness Falls
Enjoy your reading!
<3 Care
Upcoming episodes:
We Don't Live Here Anymore by Andre Dubus
'salem's Lot by Stephen King
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
The Big Necessity by Rose George
Hope's War by Stephen Chambers
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Slaves to Faith by Calvin R. Mercer
Long time, no see. The weeks of delay were caused by death and mayhem!! ... in the books I was reading, of course, not in real life. In real life, the delay was caused by me dilly dallying about with no regard to you whatsoever, dear reader. Which is probably just me, but I like to read my own words, so I guess it's not really an issue. Six books today, very exciting, I know!! I have six more books after this too, even more exciting!!
Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsey
Rating: ****(1/2)
In this fourth installment of the vigilante Dexter series, we join Dexter as he honeymoons in Paris with his new wife Rita. The overall writing of this book is fantastic, with beautifully illustrated imagery and a deeper insight into Dexter's sociopath mind, and of course the ever delightful plays on words and alliterations. As the book evolves, Dexter finds himself in the center of another mystery which is garnering national attention, and could easily reveal his killer nature to the word. Dexter is at his prime here, juggling his dark side with family and work life, struggling to stay ahead of the game. While this book, like the others, could easily stand alone, I'd recommend reading the other books in the series. Lindsey ends this book with a delicious cliffhanger, which charges excitement for the next book. I cannot stress enough how amazing the imagery and writing is in this book.
The Dexter series: Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Dearly Devoted Dexter, and Dexter in the Dark
The Rosetta Codex by Richard Paul Russo
Rating: ***
This is the first book I've read by this author, and his writing style is fairly effective. The story follows a predictable story arc, involving a young boy named Cale who is raised in poverty as a slave, only to find much later in life that he's a member of a rich family. The story is made interesting because it takes place over the reaches of space, as Cale struggles to discover the meaning behind a mysterious book he finds in his wanderings. The story progresses very well, following Cale from the age of 5 until he's in his 30s, and all the characters are interesting. The overall plot and writing style lead to very movie-like settings and dialogue, which made it somewhat less interesting. If the story had read a little less like a hammed up screenplay, it would probably be 4 stars, but minus 1.
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Rating: ****(1/2)
Conceivably one of Card's most famous novels, this story centers around a young boy created and recruited by the military under the expectations of his becoming mankind's hope in a war against aliens. Taken from his family, and trained in a no-holds barred military academy satellite station, young Andrew "Ender" Wiggin quickly rises through the ranks of the students. Back on Earth, his brother Peter and sister Valentine start their own political campaigns under online pseudonyms. The three siblings, unknown to Ender, quickly become some of the most respected people worldwide. The novel originally started out as a short story, and was conceived only to introduce the character of Ender for additional books. However, it is a powerful testament to the power children have on their own, as well as containing fascinating insights into xenophobia, and the potential of political action, even when wielded by anonymous sources.
Other books in the Ender Saga: Ender's Exile, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind, A War of Gifts
Related books: The Shadow Saga
The Call of Earth by Orson Scott Card
Rating: ****
The second book in the Homecoming Saga, a group of novels centered around the planet Harmony, where the refugees from a dying Earth settled millions of years ago. Although civilization on Earth lasted only a few millenniums, the peaceful and long lasting civilization created on Harmony has been maintained by a computer called the Oversoul. In the first novel, we were introduced to the city of Basilica, a powerful matriarchal city on one of the main continents. The Oversoul has realized that it has long outlasted its programming, and needs to return humans back to Earth and to the main computers light years away. The Oversoul contacts some of the few remaining humans that remain completely open to its 'voice', and convinces them that it is time to go home to Earth. The second novel picks up right where the first ended, as young Nafai tries to convince his friends and family that Harmony is coming to an end, and that they all must make a pilgrimage and trust to the Oversoul to lead them back to Earth. However, the military and political threats surrounding both Basilica and the surround city-states takes a toll on both Nafai and his followers, and the civilizations on Harmony. An extremely satisfying second book, with great character development, military maneuvers, and plot continuations. Card is at a high point in his writing, as the story pretty much flies off the pages.
The Homecoming Saga: The Memory of Earth, The Ships of Earth, Earthfall, Earthborn
The Woad To Wuin by Peter David
Rating: ****(1/2)
The second book about the crippled Apropos of Nothing finds him hiding out in a cave with his wizardly accomplice Sharee. His friendship with Sharee quickly goes downhill after Apropos finds himself in the middle of the most hilarious Lord of the Ring satire I have ever read. However, after that little adventure, Apropos bides his time owning a bar and minding his own business in the middle of nowhere. Sadly for him, a visionary who will only speak the future straight out tells Apropos that he's about to take the Woad to Wuin.. or is it the Road to Ruin? Non-stop hilarity ensues, as Apropos finds himself in one unfortunate adventure after another, until he wakes up one day and pretty much finds himself ruler of the world. This book would more or less stand alone, but I highly recommend reading the first book. Peter David's writing is fantastic, and his ways to find plays on words, and hilarity in the most mundane situations makes this a great read.
Other books in the series: Sir Apropos of Nothing, Tong Lashing
The Phoenix Transformed by Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory
Rating: ***(1/2)
The final book in the Enduring Flame Trilogy, sequel to The Obisidan Trilogy. I just did not enjoy this saga as much as the original, but read very much the same. It never really grabbed me in, but was still a fun read. The characters were really fleshed out, and the cliffhanger from the second book was nicely resolved. This trilogy takes place 1000 years after the original trilogy, which really makes a fun way of looking at how time and tradition really change how a story evolves. The two main characters are two teenage boys, Terciel and Harrier, who have at this point somewhat come to terms with their magical gifts, and are planning a war against the Darkness that has been loosed upon their world. With the help of the desert people who they once fought against. They struggle in this book against the Darkness and their own trust issues, because they are forced to work with the mage who loosed the Darkness in the first place. There is excellent resolution to the series, and the entire trilogy is overall very enjoyable. This trilogy can stand alone, but I recommend reading the first trilogy for a lot of the back story on some of the holidays that are celebrated, and some of the characters encountered in their journey.
Other books in The Enduring Flame: The Phoenix Unchained, The Phoenix Endangered
Books in The Obsidian Trilogy: The Outstretched Shadow,, To Light a Candle, When Darkness Falls
Enjoy your reading!
<3 Care
Upcoming episodes:
We Don't Live Here Anymore by Andre Dubus
'salem's Lot by Stephen King
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
The Big Necessity by Rose George
Hope's War by Stephen Chambers
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Slaves to Faith by Calvin R. Mercer
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