Tag Archives: books

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Posted by melydia on July 15, 2011 None comments

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons: My first exposure to this comic was the movie a few years ago. I’d heard of it, of course, knew it to be one of those Graphic Novels Everyone Should Read, but before watching the movie I never had much interest. However, given both the amazing scope of the plot and my general confusion about same, I picked up a copy of the book within a week of seeing the film. (And promptly left it on the shelf for the next two years, but that’s par for the course.) And while the movie is actually quite true to the book, there were some things left out by necessity, such as the entire subplot about the people at the newsstand and the pirate comic book. Which were interesting and added quite a bit, but not strictly necessary in the larger scheme of things. If you’re not familiar with it, this story takes place in an alternate 1985, where the existence of superheroes has changed history – we won the Vietnam War, Nixon is still president, etc. Between comic chapters are additional documents, such as excerpts from the original Nite Owl’s memoirs, Silk Spectre’s scrapbook, and newspaper articles. It’s all very well-done, very believable. Rorschach remained the most interesting character, but the comic brought additional depth to Dr. Manhattan and Ozymandias – the latter in particular, actually. (It didn’t help that he was horrendously miscast either.) The story as told in the comic made sense and was actually far more astonishing and memorable than the movie. It’s the most believable superhero story I’ve ever read, and one of the more plausible alternate histories as well. If you can handle the violence and often disturbing imagery (the comic-within-a-comic especially), this is one graphic novel you should definitely check out.

The Meowmorphosis by Franz Kafka and Coleridge Cook

Posted by melydia on July 12, 2011 None comments

The Meowmorphosis by Franz Kafka and Coleridge Cook: Continuing the classics-with-extra-bits trend that began with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, here we have the tale of The Metamorphosis where instead of turning into a giant bug, Gregor Samsa awakens to find himself transformed into an adorable kitten. It’s been a long time since I read the original, but I think there were also portions from The Trial included as well. Either way, it doesn’t work very well. There are a few good lines here and there, but by and large you’d be better off just reading the original, which is absurd enough on its own. I did, however, very much enjoy the appendices: a snarky biography of Kafka and some hilarious discussion questions. Those are worth reading on their own merits.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Otherworld Tales: Irish the Demon Slayer by C.T. Markee

Posted by melydia on July 8, 2011 None comments

Otherworld Tales: Irish the Demon Slayer by C.T. Markee: Preteen Irish and his friends Streak and Huff are minding their own business when suddenly they find themselves in the middle of an ancient Celtic prophecy in which they must join forces with Cuchulain in the Otherworld to defeat the evil forces of the Underworld, and rescue Irish’s little sister on the way. The story moves quickly, with never a dull moment even between action scenes. I particularly enjoyed the connection with the trees, Cuchulain’s casual attitude toward facing deadly enemies, and the fairly realistic language of the preteens (or maybe I just felt a connection because I still say “dude” far more than is strictly necessary). I thought Huff’s dumb jokes were kind of pointless, but otherwise the characters were distinct and fun. Definitely something a middle-schooler would enjoy.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Releasing Gillian’s Wolves by Tara Woolpy

Posted by melydia on June 23, 2011 1 comments

Releasing Gillian’s Wolves by Tara Woolpy: Gillian has been married to Congressman Jack Sach for three decades, during which time he has never been faithful to her. One day he goes too far and Gillian decides she isn’t going to take it anymore. I am of two minds here. On the one hand, this is a well-written book with believable characters, great scenery, and a plausible story. On the other, the romantic relationships are all a bit on the gooey side, and it’s always a little dispiriting to read about someone who succeeds only because they’re discovered and helped by someone who is already successful. (Maybe that’s the way it works most of the time, but occasionally it’d be nice to read about success through hard work and determination rather than the right person coming along and taking them under their wing.) Not that this latter bit is a huge part of the story. Quite the contrary, actually: it’s more about Gillian taking her first tentative steps in life as Gillian rather than just the wife of Jack Sach. And it’s about food. There are a few folksy recipes sprinkled throughout which are worth reading even if you don’t cook, and everything Gillian prepares sounds delicious. In the end, it’s just a sweet story about a pleasant, middle-aged woman. Nothing too memorable, but a good beach read.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

2011 TBR Pile Challenge – check in

Posted by melydia on June 22, 2011 None comments


2011TBR

Adam from Roof Beam Reader popped by the other day to remind me about the 2011 TBR Pile Challenge I’d signed up for some 6 months ago. It’s a good thing he did, because I’d forgotten all about it. Let’s check in, shall we?

  1. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
  2. Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer
  3. Adventures by Mike Resnick
  4. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
  5. Jennifer Government by Max Barry
  6. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
  7. Suburban Safari by Hannah Holmes
  8. As Nature Made Him by John Colapinto
  9. Uncivilized Beasts and Shameless Hellions by John F. Burnett
  10. Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way by Bruce Campbell
  11. Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
  12. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

My alternates:

  1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
  2. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami

Hmm. Well, I did manage to read The Graveyard Book but nothing else so far. I also did a major sweep of my TBR pile and got rid of Suburban Safari, Uncivilized Beasts and Shameless Hellions, and A Walk in the Woods. I guess that means I’ve failed the challenge already.

The truth is, I’ve been spending so much time reading and reviewing new books that I haven’t been making any progress whatsoever on my existing TBR pile. Perhaps I’ll be able to get caught up (somewhat) during my current hiatus…but no promises.

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill

Posted by melydia on June 21, 2011 None comments

20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill (unabridged audiobook read by David Ledoux, 12 hrs 11 min on 11 discs): I have discovered that I generally don’t go for short story collections, but after reading Heart-Shaped Box, I figured I could make an exception for Joe Hill. I’m glad I did. Most of the stories could be classified as some variety of horror, and those were generally my favorites. I particularly enjoyed Voluntary Committal, The Black Phone, and 20th Century Ghost. Definitely recommended, though not for the squeamish. He is his father’s son, after all – though I would argue that Hill is the better storyteller of the two.

A note on the audio: Ledoux is simply excellent. This is what voice acting is supposed to be. His tone, inflection, usage of stuttering and dramatic pauses – all of it adds to the atmosphere of each story. Brilliant. I definitely need to pick up other books he’s narrated.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules edited by David Sedaris

Posted by melydia on June 13, 2011 None comments

Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules edited by David Sedaris (audiobook with multiple readers; 3 hrs 30 min on 3 discs): A friend gave me this, as we are both Sedaris fans. None of this is his work (save the introduction, which was on par with most of his better essays), but I decided to trust his judgment and try something new. As with most collections, the stories were of varying quality.

Where the Door is Always Open and the Welcome Mat is Out by Patricia Highsmith, read by Cherry Jones: Mildred is rushing around frantically to prepare for her sister Edith’s visit. The reader was great, but the story itself was pretty boring. Maybe it was because I just wasn’t all that interested in the characters, or maybe because all the minutia felt excessively detailed.

Bullet In the Brain by Tobias Wolff, read by Toby Wherry: A fascinating little vignette that stretches out an instant of time into a fully coherent narrative, and it ended at just the right spot too.

Gryphon by Charles Baxter, read by David Sedaris: A new substitute teacher with crazy ideas. Sedaris did an excellent job, which is kind of surprising since he tends to narrate in a sort of monotone, but somehow he managed to get across everything with subtle changes in pitch and inflection. Probably my favorite of the batch.

In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried by Amy Hempel, read by Mary-Louise Parker: I’ll be perfectly honest here: I had a whole lot of trouble following this one. Maybe I was just distracted, but I have absolutely no idea what it was about.

Cosmopolitan written and read by Akhil Sharma: A somewhat strange tale about an older Indian man attempting to have an affair with his American neighbor. Sharma probably should not have read his own story, as his cadence tended toward the droning, but I still very much enjoyed the story, and the ending made me smile.

In all, not a bad collection. These are the sorts of stories we’d read in creative writing classes, which gave me weird flashbacks from time to time, but it was a nice break from the string of novels I’d been listening to lately.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Book Review Hiatus

Posted by melydia on June 12, 2011 None comments

This summer is going to be extremely busy, so I have decided not to accept any new books to review between now and September 1, 2011. I will, of course, read and review the books currently in my possession, but I simply cannot accept any new ones for the time being. If you have any questions, comments, or really good jokes, please don’t hesitate to contact me. There’s a form on the About page. Thanks!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Posted by melydia on June 10, 2011 2 comments

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (unabridged audiobook read by Carolyn McCormick; 11 hours 11 minutes on 9 discs): In a kind of Battle Royale-meets-The Running Man-type setting, each of the twelve districts in what used to be the United States must submit two randomly-selected teenage tributes – one boy and one girl – to the annual Hunger Games, where they fight to the death until only one remains. The story starts on Reaping Day (the day the tributes’ names are drawn) and ends when the victor returns home. Our narrator, Katniss, volunteers to be a tribute for District 12 (somewhere in the West Virginia area, I think) when the name of her younger sister is chosen. Since she’s the one telling the story you can be reasonably sure she won’t die, but it’s still quite gripping as you follow her fight for survival. There was a good balance between the drama of the games and Katniss’s confused emotions as a sort-of love triangle emerges. Never a dull moment. Can’t wait to find out what happens next.

A note on the audio: McCormick was great, using subtle but distinct voices for each character. I especially enjoyed her version of Haymitch, and I look forward to her interpretation of the other books in the trilogy. And for some reason, even though I knew she was supposed to be an olive-skinned brunette, I kept picturing Katniss as Atlanta Silverstone. I don’t know if this is because of the character or the narrator, but that’s how it is.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Torah Codes by Ezra Barany

Posted by melydia on June 9, 2011 None comments

The Torah Codes by Ezra Barany: This was described to me as sort of a Jewish Da Vinci Code and, truth be told, that was enough to get me interested. Nathan discovers that his landlord is spying on him, his name (and several other things) are encoded in a certain book of the Torah, and several people are after him for some weird and vaguely religious reason. Okay, so maybe my synopsis isn’t a good sell, but the fact is that I plowed through this book in record time. Nathan is likable and often very funny, and the action kept me turning the pages. Do I believe prophecy is encoded in the Torah? Doesn’t matter. It was fun and crazy and I look forward to Barany’s next thriller.

Confession time: I did not read the essays in the appendix. I hear they’re quite good and well worth reading, but I was just in it for the story, not the religious speculation.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

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