Jules Verne
Scholastic
1965 (originally published 1864)
I had not previously read this novel, so I was happy to find the time to finally immerse myself in it. "Journey" is the story of a professor, his nephew, and a native Icelandic guide who explore the interior of a volcano in the hopes of finding the center of the earth. Their adventures are many, and young readers (middle school age) will probably enjoy the excitement of discovery.
What this story lacks, is any real character development. The characters are flat and two-dimensional. They do not grow and change.
Many of Verne's predictions about the center of the earth and natural history have since been found to not be true in the real world, but it was still a fun read.
2 1/2 stars.
Frank Delaney
Random House
2009
Shannon is an epic novel of hope and recovery set in post WWI Boston and Ireland.
Father Robert Shannon is suffering from Shell Shock (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) after serving as a cleric during the battle of Belleau Wood. In order to aid his recovery, he is walking the length of the Shannon river to discover his families roots and to heal his soul.
Unbeknown to him, there are those who do not wish him to recover and will do anything to prevent it.
Shannon is filled with Irish history, WWI history, PTSD, church politics, an assassin, and even romance. What more can anyone want?
4 stars.
John Updike
Fawcett Books
Copyright 1960
I'm sure that when this book first came out it talked to many readers who were stuck in similar situations, but as a reader today, I was disappointed in this "Modern Classic". The only character that I could remotely relate to was the part-time prostitute/other woman that Rabbit lured into his dysfunctional life. And even she had serious issues.
The writing was well done, and I kept hoping for something positive to happen in the story. I mean, come on, there are sequels, I thought it would get better, otherwise, why the sequels. Unfortunately, I was wrong.
So here is my review:
rabbit, run is a story of unhappy men and women, repressed emotionally and sexually, who have bad sex, give bad advice, and live unhealthy lives.
And oh yeah, the sex scenes. I can't forget to mention the sex scenes. They are awful. The characters do not handle sex well and reading about it is like reading about a train wreck. One line that just clinched it for me was, "Wobbly Bubbles" when he is describing a pair of breasts. Ugh.
2 stars.
Archive DC Editions
1994
It was nice to see in this volume that The Legion started to have multi-issue stories and were working on continuity. Unfortunately, I believe this volume contains some of the worse Legion writing that I have ever read. Jerry Seigel (Co-creator of Superman) was at his worst with the stories: Secret of the Mystery Legionnaire and The Triumph of the Legion of Super-Villains.
Edmund Hamilton's stories were much better and I am looking forward to the better writing that will be found (I hope) in Volume 5.
2 1/2 stars.
Robert Cormier
Delacorte Press
1998
Francis, an underage war vet with a silver star and with out a face, returns to his hometown to perform one final deed, murder the man who was his hero.
This book is sad and frightening at the same time. Especially while our country is again involved in a war that is crippling and killing American soldiers.
I enjoyed this brief trip through francis's mind.
4 stars.
Neil Gaiman
Illustrations by Dave McKean
Harper Collins
2008
What can be said about this Newbery Award winner that hasn't already been said?
The Characters are wonderfully written and suitably creepy. The plot is smooth and exciting. And while this reader was left wanting more when I finished reading the book, I was satisfied that the plot was completed, even though I am hoping that there will soon be another volume about Nobody Owen's life.
4 stars.
The Brocaded Slipper and Other Vietnamese Tales
Lynette Dyer Vuong, illustrations by Vo-Dinh Mai
Addison-Wesley
1982
This must be my year for reading myths, legends and fairy tales. This volume contains the following tales: The Brocaded Slipper, Little Finger of the Watermelon Patch, The Fairy Grotto, Master Frog, and The Lampstand Princess. The author includes notes in the back of the book and a section on pronunciation.
The stories in this book are unlike traditional western fairy tales, except they do seem to be populated with lots of fairies and lots of princes and princesses. The first story, The Brocaded Slipper, is similar to Cinderella, but a lot longer and darker than the traditional version I was accustomed to. All the stories were entertaining, and I recommend Master Frog as a humorous story with a happy ending.
This is the second vol. in the series. The main characters continue their fight with the hair ogre and face off with Inuyaha's 1/2 brother.
This vol. was rather violent and bloody.
3 stars.
The face on the Milk Carton
Caroline B. Cooney
Delacorte Press
1990
Oooohh… Freaky book!
Most of us have seen the missing children pictures on the back of milk cartons. Sometimes we notice them. Most of the time we just ignore them. But what happens if it turns out the face on the milk carton is yours? That’s what happens to Janie in this novel. Was she really kidnapped? Janie spends “The Face on the Milk Carton” trying to discover the truth about who she is, who her real parents are, and what she should do with her new knowledge.
This was a wonderful story and a very freaky, scary compelling read in a psychological thriller way. A small warning, it ends on a cliffhanger that leads into it’s sequel, “Whatever happened to Janie?”.
4 stars.
InuYasha Vol. 1
Rumiko Takahashi
Viz Media
2003
In this volume, modern girl Kagome falls down a “Well of Legend” and travels to the warlord era of Japan. There she meets Inuyasha, a half-demon boy. Together they are given a mission to collect the shattered pieces of a gem that gives demons and humans immense power.
This is definitely NOT Ranma ½! While humor is still present in the story, there is a firm action/adventure plot and there are only two main characters (so far).
3 stars.
Of Norwegian Ways
Bent Vanberg
Harper & Row
1970
One of the dangers of raiding the long untouched books in someone else’s basement is that the books you find are probably old. In regards to non-fiction books, it generally means that they are outdated. I found this to be the case with “Of Norwegian Ways”. While the historical sections could still be useful, the chapters on tourism, and modern life are unfortunately useless and obsolete.
I did enjoy the section on food, which not only includes recipes, but also a witty explanation on how to properly enjoy a smorgasbord. Some of the anecdotes are both amusing and educational, but, as a whole, this tourism guide, disguised as a book on the Norwegian culture is ready to be retired and replaced by a new/modern/ up-to-date volume.
2 stars.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie, art by Ellen Forney
Little, Brown and Company
2007
(2008 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults)
The main character in this novel is tragic. If something bad could happen to him, it did. Physically, he’s a mess. He has seizures, wears glasses, is fragile, lisps and stutters. Did I mention he lives on a reservation and that his family is dirt poor? And that’s just the start of his problems.
But this novel is not a dark depressing look at the life of the modern Native-American, instead it is a story about hope and rising above adversity while cherishing what you have.
This novel is light hearted, even when the character wants to cry. It was an excellent read.
4 stars.
- Mood:
blah
Boy Meets Boy
David Levithan
Alfred A. Knopf
2003
Paul is a sophomore in high school and gay. He has always known he was gay and doesn’t hide it. This is not a problem, since his town must be the most gay friendly town in the United States. Heck, the star quarterback is also the Homecoming Queen. The only problem that perfect Paul in his perfect town has is…. Love.
If you can suspend your disbelief, this is a really cute and likeable story. There are no bad guys, just lots of good guys on different sides. It also is a quick read and ideal for lunchtime perusal, even if it is not a deep work of art.
3 ½ stars.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain
Modern Library
1985 (original Copyright 1884)
In this classic by Mark Twain, events pick up immediately after “Tom Sawyer” and are narrated by the character of Huck who has recently become a man of means and is being civilized and educated by the widow who has taken him in. During the story, Huck wrestles with his mean and drunk father, running away, flim-flam men, murderers, and his own beliefs in regards to slavery and the runaway slave, Jim.
While “Tom Sawyer” was light comedy, this novel has a darker and more serious feel to it. But, in the end, the good guys still win and Huck has a new understanding of the world around him.
I enjoyed the read, but the dialects can occasionally be hard to decipher and the racist language can be a bit much for some readers.
4 stars.
Masters of Networking: Building Relationships for Your Pocketbook and Soul
Ivan R. Misner, Ph.D. and Don Morgan M.A.
Bard Press
2000
It took me forever to work my way through this collection of essays, but I finally forced myself to finish them today. Why did it take me so long? This book isn’t really my cup of tea, instead it was self-assigned homework.
The essays vary in style and usefulness, but all revolve around the same theme, networking – how to do it and why do it. The cover of the book is misleading: Bill Gates, Ed Asner, and Colin Powell have not contributed essays. Others have contributed essays about them. (The one about Ed Asner is actually interesting and entertaining.) The other fault I have with the book is that it is a vehicle to recruit readers to the “Pyramid” networking club that produced the book.
3 stars.
Archie’s War: My Scrapbook of the First World War, 1914-1918
Marcia Williams
Candlewick Press
2007
This is an oversized “picture book” that I found in the Juvenile section of the public library. The attracted by the interesting cover and when I saw the topic, I decided it was my next “Must Read”.
The book is presented as the scrapbook of budding artist, Archie Albright, a ten-year-old British boy at the start of World War I. The pages are filled with ephemera and Archie’s personal stories and recollections. While aimed at educating and entertaining children, I believe this book would work quiet well in middle and high school classes as supplemental reading. The book is entertaining enough to keep most non-readers’ interest.
I enjoyed the writing and the art. I was also pleased by the letters, notes, and postcards that the reader is able to open or turn over to finish reading, just like a real scrapbook.
- Mood:
good
Anne McCaffrey
Del Rey
1983
This is the 4th book set in Pern and takes place in the distant past in relationship to the Dragonriders of Pern trilogy.
Moreta is a story of loss, sacrifice, and heroism that sets the stage for the other Pern novels. It was filled with exciting adventure, long periods of anticipation, and devastating sorrow. A wonderful book.
Please read the trilogy before Moreta, even though Moreta takes place earlier in time. Reading Moreta first would spoil secrets that help drive the other 3 novels.
4 stars.
Terry Pratchett
Harper Prism
1992
This is the fourth book in the Witches’ arc of Pratchett’s Discworld series. In this novel, our three favorite witches (Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick) return home from their foreign travels (see Witches Abroad) and discover that they have crop circles, a wedding, upstart young “witches”, and the, ahem, Lords and Ladies to deal with.
This was a quick read and was filled with Pratchett’s well-known tongue in cheek humor and social commentary. This novel also has some more serious moments and the reader will learn more about the personal history of the witches.
All in all, another fun read.
- Mood:
satisfied
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance – Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem
By Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Quirk Books
2009
Bwahahahahahaha!
This is a hilarious parody of Pride and Prejudice that should be read by every fan of Jane Austen’s work. The humor and zombie images are so over the top that I couldn’t help snerking and guffawing as I read them.
My husband, also enjoyed the book greatly, and he had not read Pride and Prejudice, previously.
This is a definite keeper in the Humor category.
4 ½ stars
- Mood:
giggly
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