tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58006427894799146002024-02-07T10:14:11.796-08:00The Daily Genoshan: A Weekly Book ReviewBrian McGackinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324401161402352410noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-57167462930598995562011-09-09T05:19:00.000-07:002011-09-09T09:20:15.786-07:00The Night Circus (Erin Morgenstern)<i>by Thom Dunn</i><br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoG_3COEEIapgbSUfB4QbJCWmwzI1rNGLizFSqFPFp5WvHypIMiPgD-SUM0Rx3ms6qz6uT8JiNtyDcAvNRKKIuNU1l1pulgR3LSG8D5qdKIkyt-9ZEggwCvhcM9zi6LnSUqkBg9WxOrFqr/s230/night+circus.jpg" align="left" style="float: left;" hspace="12" vspace="12" height="183" width="120" />The first thing I heard about <i>The Night Circus</i> was that it was "going to be the next <i>Twilight</i>." Naturally, this made me a bit skeptical, but when I heard the first chapter of the audiobook (narrated by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Dale" target="_blank">Jim Dale!</a>) at a lovely circus launch party in Concord, Massachusetts (where some of the book is set), I decided to get over my prejudices towards sparkly vampires and give <i>The Night Circus</i> a fair shot.<br /><br />And you know what? It was good.<br /><br />It wasn't <i>great</i> by any means, but I certainly enjoyed it. From the first chapter (both reading <i>and</i> hearing), I found myself swept up in the magnificent imagery of the story, and its sprawling, magical nature. First-time author Erin Morgenstern fills her story with charming characters, tortured and macabre and beautiful, and does a very good job of creating the world of this supernatural traveling circus at the turn of the 20th century.<br /><br />Except when she doesn't.<br /><br />Morgenstern's descriptions of the magical goings-on in each circus tents is mesmerizing — I can already hear the fans crying out about how the upcoming film doesn't do justice to the Ice Room, or the Wishing Tree, or the White Bonfire, as they appeared in the readers' heads — but she seems to focus so heavily on these descriptions that she neglects to fill in the details of the story. The book jacket describes it as a duel to the death between two apprentice magicians (the magic kind; not the hats-in-rabbits kind) who ultimately fall in love. That's there, I guess, but at no point in the book is there ever any sense of stakes, or drama. Sure, you get <i>told</i> that there's this mysterious "competition," and that there are "rules" and "players" that must remain secret until they are revealed. But other than that, it's just fanciful descriptions of magical midnight dinner parties (which, for the record, I quite enjoyed). The sense of mystery and intrigue that surrounds the story makes you want to keep reading, and the pretty imagery satisfies you for a while, but unfortunately, that's not enough to live on.<br /><br /><b><u>Rating</u></b><br /><i>The Night Circus</i>, by Erin Morgenstern<br /><br /><b>Story:</b> 5.8<br />Somewhere in here, there is a beautiful, timeless story of two unwitting pawns bound by their lineage into an ancient struggle between good and evil, who try to overcome these forces in the name of love. Unfortunately, by the time that Morgenstern really gets into this <i>Romeo & Juliet</i> story, it's already too late. There seems to be some great history and story between Prospero The Enchanter, and the elusive Man In The Grey Suit — but it never really goes anywhere, and we never get much explanation for, well, anything. (It is, however, quite enjoyable to read about Poppet & Widget, the twins born in the circus on opening night, and their friendship with lonely farmboy Bailey. Maybe that should have been the A-Plot)<br /><br /><b>Style:</b> 7.8<br />The style here is what saves <i>The Night Circus</i>. Chapters hardly ran more than five pages, and successive chapters focused on different characters, often in a nonlinear fashion. By jumping between time and character, Morgenstern is able to set up a captivating puzzle that, while simple enough to follow, still makes you want to read more. With such short chapters, I found myself constantly thinking, "Well, just one chapter more," hoping that I would soon return to one of the more exciting scenes or storylines. I also found it interesting that, barring a few one-page interludes rendered in the 2nd Person, most of the scenes were written in 3rd person present, which helped add to the mysteriously nonlinear suspense. And of course, as I've mentioned several times, Morgenstern creates some wonderful imagery in the story. It's not quite poetry, but it is certainly vivid and rich.<br /><br /><b>General:</b> 6.3<br /><i>The Night Circus</i> was certainly an enjoyable read, and I don't doubt that it will be successful as a franchise. And for a first time author — who, if I'm not mistaken, has never had so much as an article or a short story published — it's admirable work. Still, for all its wonderful moments, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing.<br /><br /><b>Overall:</b> 6.63thom dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696350912860421500noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-16582134319313964972011-08-12T13:11:00.001-07:002011-08-12T14:01:06.505-07:00The Truth About Diamonds (Nicole Richie)<i>by Thom Dunn</i>
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<br />Upon discovering that Nicole Richie (of "Nicole Richie" fame) was a <i>New York Times</i> Bestselling Author, I challenged myself to conquer the novel that brought her such a distinction, and to do so as objectively as possible, without simply writing it off as "Haha. Nicole Richie wrote a novel. Haha."
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<br /><img src="http://www3.alibris-static.com/isbn/9780061137334.gif" align="left" style="float: left;" hspace="12" vspace="12"><i>The Truth About Diamonds</i> is the fictional story of <s>Nicole Richie</s> Chloe Parker, the adopted daughter of a famous musician, and her struggles with addiction and fame as part of the Hollywood A-List. The story is narrated by Chloe's good friend, <s>Future</s> Fictional Nicole Richie, and brings readers behind the scenes of <s>Nicole's</s> Chloe's reality television series <i><s>The Simple Life with Paris & Nicole</s> Magdalena Girls</i>, and her rocky relationship with best friend and co-star <s>Paris Hilton</s> Simone.
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<br />Basically, <i>The Truth About Diamonds</i> is #1stWorldProblems in novel form. <s>Nicole</s> Chloe and her friends lead difficult lives as the children of wealthy and successful celebrities. They are forced to go shopping, eat expensive salads at lunch, go to fancy clubs, and get paid ridiculous sums of money to act as walking product placement for top designer brands. Sure, Chloe is forced to deal with her drug addiction and rehab, some annoying paparazzi, and the seedy machinations of reality TV producers, but these problems are only briefly touched upon, and even more quickly resolved.
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<br />Oh! Did I forget to mention that there's a totally sweet collection of glossy photos of Nicole Richie looking drugged up and sad inserted into the middle of the book? No? Whatever.
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<br />I guess what I'm trying to say is that next time I decide to take on such a challenge: please, for the love of God, talk me out to it.
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<br /><b><u>Rating</u></b>
<br /><i>The Truth About Diamonds</i>, by Nicole Richie
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<br /><b>Story:</b> 3.3
<br />You know how there's that whole school of writers like Bret Easton Ellis who like to expose the corrupt and twisted amorality of the American Upper Class in their work? This book's is kind of like that. Except no one's really <i>that</i> corrupted or twisted or amoral (or that complex or interesting). You catch a few glimmers of these treats in the books "antagonists" — mostly PR spinsters and paparazzi, but even then, they're not <i>that</i> bad. Every time an event seems poised to send our main character plummeting to rock bottom, leaving the empathetic reader to pine, "Oh no! How will she ever make it out of this one?", the problem is neatly resolved within 4 pages. Oh no! <s>Nicole</s> Chloe fell off the wagon and went back on drugs? <s>Nicole</s> Chloe made a fool of herself on stage at the <i>MTV Video Music Awards</i>? It's cool, she's an obscenely wealthy pseudo-celebrity, so obviously nothing <i>that</i> bad can happen to her, 'cause, I mean, <i>duh</i>.
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<br />Seriously, there's even a passage that details some of the possible side effects of withdrawal from Xanax (this during Chloe's 6-page stint in rehab) that ultimately finishes with: "Fortunately, Chloe's Xanax addiction was not as severe as they come, so she never came close to ending it all." So much for drama and extreme human emotion. Oh well.
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<br /><b>Style:</b> 4
<br />I give this book a 4 on style simply because a stylistic choice was actually made in writing it. It follows the same kind of narrative style as <i>The Great Gatsby</i>, where the First Person Narrator (in this case, Nicole Richie herself) relays the story of our protagonist (<s>Pre-Rehab Nicole Richie</s> Chloe) while playing only a minor part in the story herself. Plus, the novel contains incredible wordplay like, "But in the board<i>room</i>, everything sounds bor<i>ing</i>." Get it? 'Cause "board" and "bor" are — ya know what, forget it. At least she tried.
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<br /><b>General:</b> 3.8
<br />I mean, it's not a <i>bad</i> book I guess. It's just not particularly good, and I don't see a point to its existence other than paying for a new purse for Ms Richie. It wasn't necessarily a painful reading experience. Although in a way, I wish it had been — at least that way it would have been more dynamic. You can tell that Richie (assuming it was actually written by her, and not a ghostwriter) has personal stakes in the topic of drug addiction, because those moments in the book tend to have the presence and depth. But overall, there's no lesson, or message, or brilliant illumination of the human psyche, or really even a story, or any of those things that fiction is supposed do.
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<br /><b>Overall:</b> 3.7thom dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696350912860421500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-33209227297072733222011-07-08T10:24:00.000-07:002011-07-08T11:42:13.617-07:00How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe (Charles Yu)<i>by Thom Dunn</i><div><img src="http://calitreview.com/images/cov_how_to_live_safely.jpg" style="float:cwnter;" align="left" hspace="12" vspace="10" /><div>I've been looking forward to reading this book since I first heard about it prior to its release last year. I was already familiar with Yu's short story collection, <i>Third Class Superhero</i>, and I enjoyed his dry humor, his simplistic approach to complicated scientific situations, and his complicated scientific approach to simple situations. Unfortunately, <i>How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe</i> proved to be quite the popular book, and I had difficulty getting my hands on a copy until recently. I rarely approach a modern novel with a full year's worth of hype behind it, so I was increasingly worried about how disappointed I might feel after <i>finally</i> reading it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lucky for me, <i>How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe</i> quite lived up to all of my expectations.<br /><br /></div><div>The premise of the book is absolutely delectable: Charles Yu (the character, not the author) is a time machine mechanic with a Masters degree in Applied Science Fiction. He spends most of his life in his time machine along with his non-existent dog, Ed, who was retroactively removed from continuity but, like all good dogs, still provides his master with unconditional love despite this paradox of causality. He will readily tell the long, possibly detailed story of not meeting The Woman I (he) Never Married. And so on. Charles Yu embarks on a quest to reconnect with his father, during which he accidentally shoots his own Future Self, who gives him a book called<i> How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe, </i>which is (or, more accurately, will be) written by Charles Yu (the character — wait, no, the author — oh, whatever). </div><div><br /></div><div>That should pretty much tell me exactly what to expect from this book — ridiculous, self-referential, incredibly clever nerd humor disguised as ridiculously convoluted techno-babble. Charles Yu uses time travel as a means of exploring language, grammar, and the construction of our own memories. Don't be scared off by all the talk of Closed Timelike Curves and wormholes — even when he rambles on about technical terms you don't understand, he does so in an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek manner:<br /><br /><blockquote><i>The base model TM-31 time machine runs on state-of-the-art chronodiegetical technology: a six-cylinder grammar drive built on a quad-core physics engine, which features an applied temporalinguistics architecture allowing for free-form navigation within a rendered environment, such as, for instance, a story space and, in particular, a science fictional universe.<br /><br />Or, as Mom used to say: it's a box. You get into it. You push some buttons.</i></blockquote><br />In many ways, <i>How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe </i>can be seen as a successor to <i>Slaughterhouse-Five </i>by Kurt Vonnegut. Both tell psuedo-autobiographical stories (at least, stories initially inspired by personal histories) through the veil of time travel and other silly tropes of science fiction (fully acknowledging their own absurdities). This gives the author a chance to look at his own (fictionalized) life from the perspective of an outsider. Some of my absolute favorite parts of the story are when Charles Yu uses complex quantum physics (including some made-up psuedo-physical story terms) to discuss his relationship with his father, and the emotions that surround that relationship, as they offer a unique but undeniably sympathetic angle on the situation, something you don't often find when using technical science to explain how you're feeling.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rating</b></div><div><i>How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe</i>, by Charles Yu</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Story:</b> 8.0</div><div>While the basic story doesn't stray so far from the established tropes of time travel science fiction (paradoxes, timeloops of cause-and-effect, etc.), Charles Yu still manages to create a unique and distinctive fictional world, one that is fully conscious of its own fictional nature but never loses its heart. The characters and situations are as absurd as they are endearing, and almost make you wish that you could live in a science fictional universe with them. But it's the meticulous plotting of such a(n intentionally) convoluted mess that is particularly impressive; Yu manages to spin his readers into a cloud of wacky metaphysical concepts and weird science, but never gets lost himself.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Style: </b>9.6</div><div>Cosines, physics equations, and chronodiegetical substrates have never been so hilarious or easy to understand. Charles Yu writes with an incredibly unique voice, exploring otherwise bizarre and emotionless situations with the raw heart and wonder of a child. The humor is subtle and dry and wildly clever, but the reading feels quick and easy.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>General: </b>9.4</div><div><i>How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe </i>is one of the most touching and entertaining books I've read in a long time. If you like humor, read it; if you like stories about father-son relationships, read it; if you like science, read it; if you like science fiction, read it; if you like memoirs, read it. It even manages to use all of those incredibly-clever-but-not-really-anymore-because-duh tropes of metafiction (like writing the story you're reading while you are reading the story that's being written) and makes them feel fresh and enjoyable, and actually have a greater resonance in the story as a whole. While some people might be put off by its seemingly esoteric (or just plain <i>weird</i>) nature, give this book a chance; I don't think you'll regret it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Overall: </b>9.00</div><div><br /></div></div>thom dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696350912860421500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-2563176440844868412011-07-01T17:50:00.000-07:002011-07-07T18:00:20.963-07:00The Year We Left Home (Jean Thompson)<a href="http://thethingstheyread.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/9781439175880.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1946" style="margin: 10px;" title="9781439175880" src="http://thethingstheyread.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/9781439175880.jpg?w=201" alt="" align="right" height="300" width="201" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">by Melanie Yarbrough</span><br /><br />I've been frequenting the library like old times lately, and I picked up Jean Thompson's <em><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781439175880/jean-thompson/year-we-left-home" target="_blank">The Year We Left Home</a>. </em>She's written familiar books such as <em>Do Not Deny Me </em>and <em>Throw Like a Girl. </em>It was on display on the New Books table and because of it's interesting cover (so sue me!), I picked it up. Don't you love the lack of consequences when you impulse grab things at the library? Me too.<br /><br />Thompson's novel is structured by year and character. Throughout the novel, we travel to different parts of the country, getting good clues as to the political and economic climate of the country as well as the family that the novel chronicles. Thompson is strongest when she's in the characters' minds. Each section is written in third person limited, and the outcome is beautiful. Set in a rural farmtown in Iowa, the story starts out in 1973, mostly between Ryan and his cousin Chip, recently returned from Vietnam. Their exchange in Ryan's truck, smoking weed, takes place as much in what Ryan doesn't say as in what the two do say to one another. This introduction to both characters sets up an understanding of the family they come from that is essential to the novel.<br /><br />My favorite part about the novel's structure was the way it dipped in and out of each character's life, showed us glimpses that we return to later in the book, decades later. The first half of the novel's sections end cliffhanger style. There's a build-up of suspense that creates a sort of sigh of relief sensation when you realize you've reached the half of the book that ties up those loose endings. But there is nothing particularly neat about Thompson's ties. There are lives forever changed by tragedy that we get to see once the initial support of the community dies down and the family is left to fend for itself. We are not present for every character's trajectory of growth, and so it seems that it's the circumstances rather than the journey that Thompson wanted us to focus on. Once history begins, there is no changing it until you are on the other side of it, still alive.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rating</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Year We Left Home</span><br />by Jean Thompson<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Story - 6.8</span><br />The story is basically centered around family. I enjoyed the way it stretched out, took on the shape of a tree, spreading in all different directions and winding back into itself. There are so many stories in this novel, but Thompson brings each of them back together nicely into one big story about one big family.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Style - 7.2</span><br />I'm a big fan of novels in stories, probably because I write stories and feel as though that style is my only chance to actually write a novel. I digress. Thompson doesn't focus on one character too much, and the third person limited of each section lends the perfect amount of distance and insight. I enjoyed seeing the family from all angles.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">General - 7.5</span><br />I read this book fairly quickly, and that's usually how I judge if I'm really enjoying a book or not. I was eager to return to it, to sneak moments with it, to finish it. Each character is set up, tested in some way, and Thompson returns to each of them after they've moved past these times of trial. Whether they've changed for the better or worse after them, they are still together, still alive.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Overall - 7.2</span>Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471645198997451462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-42752899512122633992011-06-24T03:00:00.000-07:002011-06-24T03:00:09.904-07:00The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)<span style="font-style:italic;">by Emily Steers</span><br /><br />If you’re a female between the ages of 13 and 45 and your love of fantasy and science fiction wasn’t completely stomped to pieces by the Twilight franchise, you’ve probably already devoured <span style="font-style:italic;">The Hunger Games</span> and have a likeness of the protagonist on your computer desktop. If you aren’t in that demographic and value strong characters, vivid alternative realities, and unapologetic underdog stories, the first book of <span style="font-style:italic;">The Hunger Games</span> trilogy offers an arresting summer read.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Synopsis</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Hunger Games</span> begins with the first person, present-tense narrative of Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year old woman living in the 12th district of the post-apocalyptic country of Panem. She’s a bit bitter, pig-headed, and armed to the teeth, though the latter is accomplished on the sly, because The Capital likes to keep the regular folk in check with the threats of violence and a perpetual state of near-starvation.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0Wf3rd5p5fvOyivEJmWW5dbS7lh5s5me2yG8qAyZGp8lHgsfjOPFuT4pH83nWZS5_5u4AUxRWU8cARBFP2pdVec0TlVF5QUUhJA3T1n-RsMnftSM5qhjQKgA4LmoIr-3EUPnhaF0XA_o/s1600/hunger-games.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV0Wf3rd5p5fvOyivEJmWW5dbS7lh5s5me2yG8qAyZGp8lHgsfjOPFuT4pH83nWZS5_5u4AUxRWU8cARBFP2pdVec0TlVF5QUUhJA3T1n-RsMnftSM5qhjQKgA4LmoIr-3EUPnhaF0XA_o/s320/hunger-games.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621525376787366034" /></a>Katniss uses her analog weaponry (bows, arrows, knives, snares) to go hunting in the woods just beyond her district to feed her mother and sister. In true storybook fashion, her saintly father had taught her these skills but was killed off in a mining accident, leaving her mother comatose and unable to care for her two daughters; the entire district remains too poor and completely unable to lend a hand.<br /><br />If living on the brink of starvation wasn’t a big enough F-U to the people of Panem, the Capital overlords keep an even bigger leash on the people by holding the Hunger Games, an annual event pitting one male and one female teenaged “tribute” from each of the twelve districts in a fight to the death. A televised, must-see-TV fight to the death. Harvested at random through a lottery, it’s “supposed” to be noble to participate in the Games, but obviously no one is too thrilled when the annual reading of names rolls around.<br /><br />Katniss’s angelic younger sister Prim gets chosen, but Katniss volunteers to take her place. Using the survivalist skills she’s honed over the years hunting and keeping her family alive, Katniss takes to the Hunger Games in an emotionally fraught battle for survival.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Rating</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Hunger Games</span><br />by Suzanne Collins<br /><br />Story—8.8<br />Suggested to me by a 30+ year-old male friend, never has the story of a teenaged girl’s struggle with high expectations, growing up, and first loves been so completely universal—and, let’s face it, badass. If there’s a struggle to get young boys and men to connect with female protagonists, I suggest <span style="font-style:italic;">The Hunger Games</span> be required reading for middle school classes. Throw out those beat-up copies of <span style="font-style:italic;">Jacob Have I Loved</span> and let the guys connect with a girl who can stand up for herself.<br /><br />Style—7.5<br />The writing is filled with technical flaws. It’s difficult to read past the present tense verbs, and character development relies pretty heavily on the narration telling you things about each character rather than having personality traits divulged through action. Essentially, everything is told rather than shown. Additionally, since the world of Panem is entirely fictional and loosely based in reality, new “outs” are created on the fly, which can be beyond frustrating for readers used to more technically flawless books.<br /><br />General—9.17<br />This book is difficult to put down. Because of the life-and-death nature of the conflict, the story is cinematic and very compelling. Collins is a young-adult and children’s book writer. Adults will have no problem breezing through the novel, and the content should be considered PG-13 for the gruesome demises of major characters.<br /><br />Overall: 8.49<br /><br /><br /><br />Make sure you have a free 24 hours to read this book from cover to cover!Brian McGackinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324401161402352410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-4554480692836720412011-06-14T09:00:00.000-07:002011-06-23T15:27:10.437-07:00Haiku Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, part 2<span style="font-style:italic;">by Brian McGackin</span><br /><br />Harry is seriously so annoying in this book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix<br /></span><br />Chapter 20: Hagrid's Tale</span><br /><br />What I Did On My<br />Summer Vacation, Hagrid<br />Edition: Giants<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 21: The Eye of the Snake<br /></span><br />Prof. Umbridge audits<br />Hagrid's class. Harry kisses<br />Cho and bites Ron's dad.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 22: St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries<br /></span><br />Weasleys and Harry<br />head to hospital, visit<br />snake-bitten Arthur.<br /><br />Harry overhears<br />adult conversation: he's<br />possessed by Voldy!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 23: Christmas on the Closed Ward<br /></span><br />Harry is angsty<br />until Ginny sets him straight.<br />Hermy ditches 'rents.<br /><br />Back at hospital,<br />Harry and co meet Neville's<br />gran and addled mom.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 24: Occlumency<br /></span><br />Snape and Harry start<br />anti-mind-reading lessons<br />(Dumbledore's orders).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 25: The Beetle at Bay<br /></span><br />Death Eaters escape<br />from Azkaban. Harry and<br />Cho go on bad date.<br /><br />Hermione has<br />Rita Skeeter write Harry's<br />story for Quibbler.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 26: Seen and Unforseen<br /></span><br />Tabloid star Harry<br />sucks at Occlumency and<br />sees Voldy's bedroom.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Umbridge sacks<br />Divination prof. Sibyl;<br />Dumbledore hires horse.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 27: The Centaur and the Sneak<br /></span><br />Centaur Firenze—new<br />Divination professor—<br />says war is coming.<br /><br />Cho's friend snitches so<br />D.A. disbands. Dumbledore<br />evades Fudge, arrest.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 28: Snape's Worst Memory<br /></span><br />With Dumbledore gone,<br />the twins take their mayhem to<br />a whole new level.<br /><br />Then, Harry sneaks peek<br />at Snape's worst memory: picked<br />on by Harry's dad!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 29: Career Advice<br /></span><br />Despite Umbridge's<br />protests, Prof. McG vows to<br />help Harry find job.<br /><br />Harry talks through fire.<br />Twins build portable swamp, fly<br />off into sunset.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 30: Grawp<br /></span><br />Hagrid's bro-giant<br />is hidden in the forest.<br />Weasley is our King.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 31: O. W. L. S.<br /></span><br />Fifth years take tests. Fang,<br />McG knocked out. Hagrid sacked.<br />Sirius tortured?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 32: Out of the Fire<br /></span><br />Harry's annoying;<br />he won't listen to reason<br />about Sirius.<br /><br />Rescue plan devised<br />but thwarted by Umbridge,<br />who Hermy then deceives.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 33: Fight and Flight<br /></span><br />Umbridge abducted<br />by centaurs. Then Grawp rescues<br />Hermy and Harry.<br /><br />Ginny, Neville, Ron,<br />and Luna duel Slytherins;<br />all mount bat-horses.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 34: The Department of Mysteries<br /></span><br />Flight to Ministry:<br />Harry and friends search for Black,<br />find only weird rooms.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 35: Beyond the Veil<br /></span><br />Harry finds glass orb;<br />Death Eaters arrive, chase kids,<br />try to steal the orb.<br /><br />The Order joins in.<br />Dumbledore to the rescue!<br />Black killed by cousin :'(<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 36: The Only One He Ever Feared<br /></span><br />Dumbledore! Voldy!<br />Duel of the Century! With<br />help from some statues!<br /><br />Defeated, Voldy<br />retreats. Fudge finally sees<br />Dumbledore was right.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 37: The Lost Prophecy<br /></span><br />Harry learns truth 'bout<br />Voldy: neither can live while<br />the other survives.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 38: The Second War Begins<br /></span><br />The Wizarding World<br />now knows Voldemort is back.<br />Dark times lie ahead.<br /><br />Harry heads back home.<br />The Order inform the Dursleys<br />they better be nice.<br /><br />I guess Hogwarts needs<br />a new Defense Against the<br />Dark Arts professor...Brian McGackinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324401161402352410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-74757331050659027772011-06-10T03:22:00.000-07:002011-06-10T09:45:44.258-07:00Fun & Games (Duane Swierczynski)<i>by Thom Dunn</i><div><i><br /></i></div><div>The latest novel from Marvel comics scribe and fervent crime fictioneer Duane Swiercyznski, <i>Fun & Games </i>is the first installment in a trilogy of novels featuring Charlie Hardie, an ex-cop (well, cop-<i>ish</i>) with a bloody past. This being a Duane Swiercyznski novel, the obligatory references to his hometown of Philadelphia still manage to sneak their way in, but for this story (and, presumably, the rest of the trilogy), Swierczy exiles his protagonist from this comfort zone and drops him right into the brushfires of Los Angeles.</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><img src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/96910000/96916020.JPG" hspace="10" vspace="8" align="left" style="float:cwnter;" /><i>Fun & Games </i>serves as a kind of love-letter to LA noir and a wake to its history, embedded deeply in the Hollywood Hills. Swierczynski's excitement for the genre bleeds through his prose with a ferocious, whirlwind, almost ravenous energy that engulfs the reader with no apologies, from the epigraphs (quoted from film noir classics and more) to the biting, cynical criticisms of the film/media/LA industries.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's kind of like <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulholland_Drive_(film)" target="_blank">Mulholland Drive</a></i>, except it actually makes sense.*<br /><br /></div><div><b>Synopsis</b></div><div>You know, in a way, I kind of don't want to tell you. Because going into this book, I knew very little about it myself, and that may have made the ride even wilder. But here's at least a bit of background for you.</div><div><br /></div><div>Charlie Hardie is a man with a past who now makes his living as...a professional house sitter. He arrives in Los Angeles to watch after the home of a successful film composer, who is off on business in Russia for a month. He is surprised to find a young, attractive movie star named Lane Madden hiding in the house, tripping on a cocktail of cocaine and heroin and hysterically ranting about some mysterious "Them" that's been trying to kill her. Charlie soon realizes that Lane Madden may not be as paranoid — or as innocent — as she appears, and finds himself wrapped up in a conspiracy of Hollywood insiders who might actually control the world through their (literal) plotting.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rating</b></div><div><i>Fun & Games</i>, by Duane Swierczynski</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Story: 8.6</b></div><div><i>Fun & Games </i>is the kind of story that grabs you by the shirt in the first few pages and then throws you off a cliff. And since it's the first book in trilogy, the ending offers you a small foothold, but its only enough to brace yourself for a moment before you continue falling down the rabbit hole. Swierczynski is an intricate master plotter, and the story is full of moments that shock you and then make you smack yourself in the head and go "Duh! Of <i>course </i>that was going to happen!" Everything has a payoff, almost as if Swierczynski wrote and solved a mathematical proof for an unashamedly juiced-up pastiche of pulp/noir stories.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Style: 7.8</b></div><div>While omniscient 3rd person narrators have never turned me <i>off</i> from a story, I have to admit that I've never been particularly fond of them (I like my narratives to have limits, or at least somewhat unreliable). However, Swierczynski employs a unique method here, which is multiple 3rd person limited narrations that hit you like a slurry. Perhaps unsurprisingly, given its affections for Hollywood and moviemaking, <i>Fun & Games </i>flows like a movie, full of fast-paced jumpcuts and surprising scene changes. Some of these changes come so rapidly after one another that it's hard to keep up (which is part of what keeps the reader on the edge the whole time), especially as it shares the same moment from multiple perspectives (and always in a carefully calculated way — Swierczynski knows how to reveal pertinent information with the strongest impact).</div><div><br /></div><div><b>General: 9.4</b></div><div>Not only did I blow through this book in record time, but when I finally reached the end, I immediately tried to figure out when I could get my hands on a copy of the sequel, <i>Hell & Gone</i>. It's like a flash thunderstorm in the middle of a glorious summer day (or maybe that's just the weather outside right now -- yup, looks like). Anyone who considers him/herself to be a fan of mysteries, thrillers, noir, "the dark side of Hollywood," crime stories, or wild conspiracies would be a fool not to read this book. Swierczynski might not be breaking ground with his new Charlie Hardie series, but he's building such a labyrinthine structure of wheels within wheels that it's hard to resist. <i>Fun & Games </i>only shows us the tip of this conspiracy, but its undeniably intriguing, as Swierczynski offers us a well-developed and scathing commentary of what really goes on behind the scenes of Hollywood — and the world.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Overall: 8.6</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Games-Charlie-Hardie-Duane-Swierczynski/dp/0316133280/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305050047&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Fun & Games</a><i> is available June 20, 2011 from Mulholland Books.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>*I actually quite enjoyed <i>Mulholland Drive</i>. I thought it was a very beautiful experimental/slipstream poem, on film. But let's be honest, that movie didn't make any sense. </div>thom dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696350912860421500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-21412343309276204182011-06-07T09:00:00.000-07:002011-06-14T10:22:29.949-07:00Haiku Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, part 1<span style="font-style:italic;">by Brian McGackin</span><br /><br />Wherein Harry apparently goes through puberty.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix<br /></span><br />Chapter 1: Dudley Demented</span><br /><br />Dudley's soul almost<br />face-sucked out. Mrs. Figg knows<br />Harry's a wizard?!?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 2: A Peck of Owls<br /></span><br />Harry gets expelled;<br />his aunt explains dementors;<br />Dudley voms on porch.<br /><br />Plus foreshadowing,<br />yelling, a bit of intrigue,<br />and so many owls.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 3: The Advance Guard<br /></span><br />Hodgepodge wizard pack<br />lies to Harry's guardians<br />and fly him away.<br /><br />Moody, Lupin, Tonks,<br />Shacklebolt; how does Rowling<br />come up with these names?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 4: Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place<br /></span><br />Who's a little prat?<br />Harry is. He's finally<br />with friends and flips out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 5: The Order of the Phoenix<br /></span><br />Sirius explains<br />the Order, updates Harry<br />on Voldemort news.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 6: The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black<br /></span><br />Summer spring cleaning:<br />Grimmauld Place dolled up; house-elf<br />Kreacher hates Hermy.<br /><br />Younger brother Black<br />is dead Death Eater. Blacks and<br />Malfoys: related!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 7: The Ministry of Magic<br /></span><br />Apparently it's<br />Take Your Youngest Son's Best Friend<br />Harry To Work Day.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 8: The Hearing<br /></span><br />Cornelius Fudge:<br />pretty much the wizarding<br />world's own Judge Judy.<br /><br />Dumbledore and Figg<br />to the rescue! Harry is<br />saved from expulsion.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 9: The Woes of Mrs. Weasley<br /></span><br />Ron, Hermy: prefects!<br />Mommy Molly Weasley's fear:<br />her family dead.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 10: Luna Lovegood<br /></span><br />Only Harry and<br />Loony Luna Lovegood can<br />see weird bat-horses.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 11: The Sorting Hat's New Song<br /></span><br />Who is this Umbridge<br />joker, and why is Seamus<br />suddenly a tool?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 12: Professor Umbridge<br /></span><br />Umbridge is a bitch.<br />She gives Harry detention<br />for telling the truth.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 13: Detention With Dolores<br /></span><br />Harry gets "I must not<br />tell lies" tattooed on his hand<br />during detention.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 14: Percy and Padfoot<br /></span><br />Sirius speaks through<br />fireplace. Percy sends Ron mail,<br />condemns Dumbledore.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 15: The Hogwarts High Inquisitor<br /></span><br />Ministry passes<br />stricter school laws. Umbridge starts<br />reviewing the profs.<br /><br />People seem perturbed<br />by Umbridge's promotion;<br />Hermy has a plan...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 16: In the Hog's Head<br /></span><br />Hermy convinces<br />Harry to head up secret<br />dark arts defense club.<br /><br />Less than legal club<br />formed in dingy side street pub?<br />Nothing could go wrong!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 17: Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four<br /></span><br />All Hogwarts clubs banned,<br />including those recently<br />started up in bars.<br /><br />Sirius attempts<br />firespeaking with Harry, has<br />near miss with Umbridge.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 18: Dumbledore's Army<br /></span><br />Start with the basics:<br />Harry teaches Dumbledore's<br />Army to disarm.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 19: The Lion and the Serpent<br /></span><br />Harry and the twins<br />are banned from Quidditch for life<br />post-punching Malfoy.<br /><br /><br /><br />Make sure you come back<br />next week when we finally<br />learn where Hagrid's been!Brian McGackinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324401161402352410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-29672085742122533832011-06-03T08:59:00.000-07:002011-06-03T09:17:21.668-07:00If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This (Robin Black)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ueew882lL.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 143px; height: 219px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ueew882lL.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">By Melanie Yarbrough</span><br /><br />Short stories: I can't get enough of them. Last year, I won a copy of Robin Black's collection of stories, <span style="font-style: italic;">If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This</span> from Fiction Writers Review, and it is one of the best collections that I haven't paid for. There are ten stories in this collection, six of which I absolutely loved. This is one of those collections where the title story is definitely the strongest and most haunting. Black's narrator in "If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This" elicits empathy without pity, anger without self-righteousness.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rating</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This</span> by Robin Black<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Story/ies</span>:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> 6.0</span><br />Like I said, six of these stories I absolutely loved. The other four, however, I felt lacked the rich characters in the other stories. Where structure and experimentation took precedence to character, I felt a little lost and unsatisfied by the end. Luckily, the ratio is 6:4, so I'd say it's a win.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Style: 5.8</span><br />Black does not hesitate to experiment, to tell the stories from many different angles, with many different voices. Some of these fall flat, while others fill up to their potential and carried me along to the end of the story when I realized I hadn't breathed since I started. In those, Black's style is strong, melancholic, and self-aware. She stares unflinchingly at the world and tells us exactly what she sees.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">General: 6.2</span><br />I enjoyed the collection as a whole, despite my affinity for some stories over others. The stronger stories, namely the title story, kept me going and satisfied even when Black's structure or prose fell flat. The best part about short story collections is the ability to move on when one's not particularly working for you, and Black's collection is no different. The stories that worked for me were definitely worth the ones that didn't.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Overall: 6.0</span><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 19px; text-align: left; font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;" ></span></span>Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471645198997451462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-42607428742422573572011-05-31T09:00:00.000-07:002011-06-06T09:45:56.017-07:00Haiku Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, part 2<span style="font-style:italic;">by Brian McGackin</span><br /><br />Part 2 of 2! My favorite book! Important stuff happens!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</span><br /><br />Chapter 20: The First Task</span><br /><br />Harry Accio's<br />broom, avoids dragon, steals egg,<br />ties for first with Krum.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 21: The House-Elf Liberation Front<br /></span><br />Ron stops being douche,<br />refriends Harry. Hermy finds<br />Dobby in kitchen.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 22: The Unexpected Task<br /></span><br />Ron and Harry need<br />dates for the Yule Ball—Patil<br />twins will have to do.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 23: The Yule Ball<br /></span><br />Pre-dance: snowball<br />fights, special socks, Fleur's a bitch.<br />Dance: Hermy's with Krum,<br /><br />Fleur looks hot. Post-dance:<br />Snape is shady, Hagrid's half<br />giant, Fleur's a slut.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 24: Rita Skeeter's Scoop<br /></span><br />Skeeter's exposé<br />on Hagrid's past leads to brief<br />vaca from teaching.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 25: The Egg and the Eye<br /></span><br />Bath time research leads<br />Harry to believe the next<br />task involves merfolk.<br /><br />Then he gets tripped up<br />in trick step and loses school<br />map to Prof. Moody.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 26: The Second Task<br /></span><br />Harry grows gills, saves<br />Ron (and Fleur's sister) from lake,<br />shows moral fiber.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 27: Padfoot Returns<br /></span><br />Big dog godfather<br />sneaks into Hogsmeade to dish<br />old magic gossip.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 28: The Madness of Mr. Crouch<br /></span><br />Harry and Krum talk<br />Hermy, find crazy Crouch, and<br />go warn Dumbledore.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 29: The Dream<br /></span><br />Harry passes out<br />in class and dreams a little<br />dream of Voldemort.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 30: The Pensieve<br /></span><br />Dumbledore can't<br />leave Harry alone for five<br />minutes; the boy snoops.<br /><br />Harry sticks his face<br />in a bowl of gooey white<br />stuff and sees visions.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 31: The Third Task<br /></span><br />Quidditch pitch maze holds<br />monsters and magic to pass<br />through for the third task.<br /><br />Harry battles Sphinx;<br />Cedric battles Krum; both fight<br />spider, tie for cup.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 32: Flesh, Blood and Bone<br /></span><br />Oh snap yo! The cup<br />was a portkey?!? Cedric killed;<br />Voldy gets new digs.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 33: The Death Eaters<br /></span><br />Daddy Malfoy and<br />other Death Eaters return.<br />Voldy monologues.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 34: Priori Incantatem<br /></span><br />Harry, Voldy duel;<br />Voldy's victims' shadow-ghosts<br />help Harry escape.<br /><br />Hmm, I wonder why<br />Voldy can't kill Harry. Will<br />this come up later...?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 35: Veritaserum<br /></span><br />Oh $#!* Moody's not<br />Moody! He's Crouch junior, a<br />servant of Voldy!<br /><br />Junior confesses:<br />killed Crouch senior, helped Harry<br />win cup/Voldy rise.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 36: The Parting of the Ways<br /></span><br />Harry explains all<br />to Dumbledore. Minister<br />Fudge is a dumbass.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 37: The Beginning<br /></span><br />Dumbledore tells school<br />Voldy's back.Twins given cup<br />gold to start joke shop.<br /><br />Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle<br />are hexed unconscious on train<br />for being douchebags.<br /><br />I guess Hogwarts needs<br />a new Defense Against the<br />Dark Arts professor...<br /><br /><br /><br />OOTP! Part 1! Next week!Brian McGackinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324401161402352410noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-10543471116398753252011-05-27T09:00:00.000-07:002011-06-13T00:28:53.612-07:00The Little Black Book of Big Red Flags (Natasha Burton, Julie Fishman, & Meagan McCrary)<span style="font-style:italic;">by Suzanne Parker</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Synopsis</span><br /><br />Based on the blog <a href="http://bigredflags.wordpress.com/">The Little Black Blog of Big Red Flags</a>, <span style="font-style:italic;">The Little Black Book of Big Red Flags</span> outlines the top 200 warning signs you should never ignore, but usually do, when you start dating a guy. Conveniently divided into five distinct parts, the book guides you through every potential dating disaster you may encounter by providing real life examples and anecdotes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_-tOJ2sItDTnRYhHueFis_rEgOh7ft_2yjcWOVg6QUViE93vGkoRNHEFrG7YS_zhP_RPuqJKmY5Ghb000MTHoVrCPCWC71Nt8EmiWPmNASMjWTc946fzyKVLT5lnoBYfAf6ta-NhY1fC/s1600/book+cover_adams+media.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 233px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2_-tOJ2sItDTnRYhHueFis_rEgOh7ft_2yjcWOVg6QUViE93vGkoRNHEFrG7YS_zhP_RPuqJKmY5Ghb000MTHoVrCPCWC71Nt8EmiWPmNASMjWTc946fzyKVLT5lnoBYfAf6ta-NhY1fC/s320/book+cover_adams+media.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617602809716379378" /></a>However, it doesn’t tell you that if your guy is weird in bed that you should definitely ditch him. Hey, maybe you like that sort of thing. Instead, it gives you advice to help you figure out whether you can accept his quirks, or whether this “big red flag” is a relationship ender.<br /><br />From “He’s Not Really Your Boyfriend” to “He Doesn’t Love You” to (my personal favorite) “He’s Just the Worst,” this witty little black book will certainly come in handy at pretty much any point in your relationship. Should you be doing his dishes when you<br />don’t even live together? Should you let him wear your lingerie even if he claims it’s just for one night? Should you be concerned if you’ve been dating for six months and have never met any of his friends? If you’re in need of further information on any of these topics, you might want to check out this book.<br /><br />Even if you’re happily committed and not planning on dating again, you can still read this and laugh about someone else’s dating catastrophes and thank your lucky stars you’re done with all that.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Rating</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Little Black Book of Big Red Flags</span><br />by Natasha Burton, Julie Fishman, and Meagan McCrary<br /><br />Story—N/A<br />While there are plenty of stories in the book—most of them horrifyingly hilarious true accounts—there’s not really a story per se.<br /><br />Style—6.67<br />Interesting layout. I like the way it’s divided into different parts and then into different chapters. I also like that it lists the 200 warning signs all together as a quick reference guide. It's highly specific, though, and you have to be looking for exactly this type of book for it to have any real impact.<br /><br />General—7.33<br />A good coffee table book. Definitely a conversation starter at a party. The stories are hilarious and fun to read aloud.<br /><br />Overall—7Brian McGackinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324401161402352410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-7546905174870408632011-05-24T08:57:00.001-07:002011-05-24T09:17:16.764-07:00Haiku Review: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, part 1<span style="font-style:italic;">by Brian McGackin</span><br /><br />Part 1 of 2 covering my personal favorite book in the series! Super important stuff happens! The last three books are set up! How can you not love it?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</span><br /><br />Chapter 1: The Riddle House</span><br /><br />Voldemort is back,<br />killing witches and old folks,<br />Wormtail at his side.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 2: The Scar</span><br /><br />Harry writes letter<br />to Sirius post-Voldy<br />dream; past books recalled.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 3: The Invitation</span><br /><br />Grapefruit for breakfast,<br />World Cup invitation, and<br />birthday cake for brunch.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 4: Back to the Burrow</span><br /><br />Dursley's living room<br />destroyed; Dudley poisoned by<br />the twins' cursed candy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 5: Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes</span><br /><br />Ginger twins aspire<br />to open joke shop. Harry<br />meets older Weasleys.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 6: The Portkey</span><br /><br />Harry travels to<br />Quidditch World Cup by old boot,<br />meets Edward Cullen.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 7: Bagman and Crouch</span><br /><br />Twins bet with bookie<br />Bagman, are bored by Crouch, both<br />Ministry high-ups.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 8: The Quidditch World Cup</span><br /><br />Hot Bulgarian<br />chicks fight off leprechauns, turn<br />into angry birds.<br /><br />Krum snags the snitch for<br />Bulgaria, but Ireland<br />wins, as twins predict.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 9: The Dark Mark</span><br /><br />Death Eaters—Voldy's<br />former friends—mess with Muggles<br />post-match. Party: pooped.<br /><br />House-elf Winky sacked<br />when found with Harry's wand 'neath<br />Voldy's calling card.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 10: Mayhem at the Ministry</span><br /><br />Reporter Rita<br />Skeeter tears Ministry of<br />Magic a new one.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 11: Aboard the Hogwarts Express</span><br /><br />Mostly setup: talk<br />of Hogwarts, other magic<br />schools, Mad-Eye moody.<br /><br />Kind of a pointless<br />chapter, now that I’m really<br />thinking about it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 12: The Triwizard Tournament</span><br /><br />No Quidditch this year.<br />Instead, deadly tournament<br />against other schools.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 13: Mad-Eye Moody</span><br /><br />Draco Malfoy: the<br />Amazing Bouncing Ferret!<br />That's Moody "teaching."<br /><br />(Books' best line: "Can I<br />have a look at Uranus,<br />too, Lavender?"—Ron)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 14: The Unforgivable Curses</span><br /><br />Moody teaches some<br />illegal spells, and maybe<br />hits too close to home.<br /><br />First appearance of<br />Avada Kedavra. Plus,<br />Harry gets more mail!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 15: Beauxbatons and Durmstrang</span><br /><br />Huge horses fly huge<br />woman's students; sailboat sub<br />carries Krum and co.<br /><br />The two other schools<br />competing in Triwizard<br />Tournament arrive.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 16: The Goblet of Fire</span><br /><br />Cedric, Viktor, Fleur...<br />Harry? Four champions of<br />TRIwizard tourney.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 17: The Four Champions</span><br /><br />Gryffindors are stoked,<br />but everyone else is<br />pissed Harry got picked.<br /><br />Moody thinks someone<br />wants Harry dead and that's why<br />he's a champion.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 18: The Weighing of the Wands</span><br /><br />Skeeter wants Haryy<br />as scoop; champions’ wands weighed;<br />Hermy's teeth enlarged.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 19: The Hungarian Horntail</span><br /><br />Dragon! A dragon!<br />I swear I saw a dragon!<br />...Wait...that's Pete's Dragon...<br /><br />Hagrid lets slip first<br />task: dragons! Harry talks to<br />Black via fireplace.<br /><br /><br /><br />Make sure to check back next week when Harry competes for the Triwizard Cup in part 2!Brian McGackinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324401161402352410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-61927507795172431872011-05-17T03:00:00.000-07:002011-05-18T10:35:43.845-07:00Haiku Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban<span style="font-style:italic;">by Brian McGackin</span><br /><br />Book the Third, and many people's favorite HP. Since the series plot is thickening, some chapters are going to start getting two haikus. Upgrade!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</span><br /><br />Chapter 1: Owl Post</span><br /><br />A little boring:<br />Rowling recaps Harry's life,<br />he gets birthday gifts.<br /><br />Ron's dad wins lotto;<br />owl cripple brings some letters;<br />Harry does homework.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 2: Aunt Marge's Big Mistake</span><br /><br />Harry blows up his<br />cousin's fat aunt all Violet<br />Beauregard-style. Harsh!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 3: The Knight Bus</span><br /><br />A Miss Frizzle-less<br />magic bus takes Harry to<br />The Leaky Cauldron.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 4: The Leaky Cauldron</span><br /><br />Harry lives in a<br />pub now? Oh, and a psycho<br />killer wants him dead.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 5: The Dementor</span><br /><br />Harry's happiness<br />is snacked on by some creepy<br />reject Scream villain.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 6: Talons and Tea Leaves</span><br /><br />Malfoy almost killed<br />by magic horsebird thingy<br />in Hagrid's first class.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 7: The Boggart in the Wardrobe</span><br /><br />There's nothing to fear<br />but that thing in the staff room<br />wardrobe—a boggart.<br /><br />New prof. Lupin is<br />kinda cool and lets Neville<br />be the star for once.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 8: Flight of the Fat Lady</span><br /><br />Mass murderer moves<br />to defacing sentient<br />works of art. The nerve!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 9: Grim Defeat</span><br /><br />Dog and Dementors<br />interrupt sporting event;<br />Harry breaks his broom.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 10: The Marauder's Map</span><br /><br />Twin gingers donate<br />absurdly powerful map<br />of school to Harry.<br /><br />OH$#!&THEPSYCHO<br />KILLERMASSMURDERERIS<br />HARRY'SGODFATHER!?!?!?!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 11: The Firebolt</span><br /><br />Hermy tattles, so<br />Harry's new broom—probs jinxed by<br />killer Black—taken.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 12: The Patronus</span><br /><br />Professor Lupin<br />teaches Harry how to shoot<br />white stuff from his wand...<br /><br />Ron's rat gets eaten;<br />Harry gets his broom back, eats<br />lots of chocolate.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 13: Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw</span><br /><br />Gryffindor wins! And<br />Sirius Black tries to slice<br />up Ron with a knife!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 14: Snape's Grudge</span><br /><br />Harry just avoids<br />expulsion but magical<br />map confiscated.<br /><br />Prof. Snape professes<br />multigenerational<br />hatred of Potters.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 15: The Quidditch Final</span><br /><br />Hermy quits Psychic<br />Class, but who cares? GRYFFINDOR<br />WINS THE QUIDDITCH CUP!!!!!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 16: Professor Trelawney's Prediction</span><br /><br />Even a stopped clock<br />is right twice a day, and Prof.<br />Trelawney's broken.<br /><br />Psychic Prof. predicts<br />Voldy's return; third-years take<br />exams; and horsebird...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 17: Cat, Rat and Dog</span><br /><br />Harry and co chase<br />black dog Black to Shrieking Shack<br />for well-earned answers.<br /><br />Eeeewwww! Ron's rat has been<br />a middle-aged wizard this<br />entire time? Creeper!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 18: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs</span><br /><br />Lupin's a werewolf.<br />Harry's dad and co magic'd<br />into animals.<br /><br />Much exposition,<br />backstory, followed by a<br />Prof. Snape intrusion.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 19: The Servant of Lord Voldemort</span><br /><br />So Sirius Black<br />is innocent! Pettigrew—<br />Ron's rat—was the spy.<br /><br />More exposition.<br />Harry finally believes<br />godfather Black.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 20: The Dementor's Kiss</span><br /><br />Lupin goes werewolf.<br />Dementors try to make out<br />with Harry and Black.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 21: Hermione's Secret</span><br /><br />Seriously, Rowling?<br />Magic I can believe, but<br />time travel? Get real.<br /><br />Hermy's necklace is<br />a time machine. She, Harry<br />save Black and horsebird.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 22: Owl Post Again</span><br /><br />Lupin resigns; Ron<br />gets new pet; Hermy gives up<br />time travel; Summer!<br /><br />Harry gains pen pal<br />in convicted murderer<br />outlaw godfather.<br /><br />I guess Hogwarts needs<br />a new Defense Against the<br />Dark Arts professor…<br /><br /><br /><br />Make sure to check back next week when we bring you part 1 of <span style="font-style:italic;">Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</span>, my personal favorite! Until then, keep reading, Genoshans!Brian McGackinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324401161402352410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-68310055696390661592011-05-13T16:54:00.000-07:002011-05-24T17:59:48.953-07:00The Meowmorphosis (Franz Kafka & Coleridge Cook)<i>by Thom Dunn</i><br /><br />I hate cats.<br /><br />Now we've got that out of the way. <i>The Meowmorphosis</i> is the latest installment in Quirk Books' literary mashups (made famous, of course, with <a href="http://dailygenoshan.blogspot.com/2009/06/pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-jane.html"><i>Pride and Prejudice and Zombies</i></a>). This time, however, they change things up a little bit. Rather than adding horror elements to a story, <i>The Meowmorphosis</i> takes an already frightening and bizarre tale — Franz Kafka's <i>The Metamorphosis</i> — and injects it with irresistibly adorable charm.<br /><br /><img src="http://steliq.com/c/lm/6/68/21166502_rh+the+meowmorphosis+may+10.jpg" hspace="7" vspace="5" border="0" align="left" style="float:cwntr;">Also giant kitties. Rather than waking up as a large insect, Gregor Samsa instead awakens one morning to find that he has been turned into a cat. <br /><br />As a pet owner myself (a chinchilla — definitely not a cat), I often find myself trying to ascribe my pet with human emotions and thoughts to accompany her occasionally bizarre behavior. Part of the wonderful charm of <i>The Meowmorphosis</i> is the way that Coleridge Cook manages to do this for his feline protagonist, in an endlessly entertaining manner. He uses language and speech patterns akin to Poe and Lovecraft (I fear that calling it <i>Kafkaesque</i> would be redundant) to describe the satisfaction — and frustration — of a cat being petted, or chasing a piece of yarn, or even napping. The story still retains the same existential angst as the original book, but the tongue-in-cheek humor of a man suffering through these crises as a cat instead of a bug is truly hilarious. <br /><br />Cook, along with his writing partner Kafka, also uses this technique to espouse philosophy from the mouths of cats, exploring what it is and what it means to be a member of their species. As someone who is not at <i>all</i> a cat lover (I have terribly allergies, and they <i>know</i> I have terrible allergies, so they like to screw with me), I was endlessly entertained by having an eloquent cat postulate about the things that make them superior to humans (because, as we all know, cats do think they're better than us). But Cook & Kafka manage to articulate <i>why</i> cats might feel this way, from their own point of view, and while the end result is humorous, it's also quite insightful. There were a few points in the book where the long-winded philosopher-cat ramblings carried on a bit too long, but for the most part, I was impressed by Cook's ability to get into the minds of an adorable kitty in such an amusing manner.<br /><br /><b>Rating</b><br /><i>The Meowmorphosis</i>, by Franz Kafka & Coleridge Cook<br /><br /><u>Story:</u> 6.8<br />Most people are generally familiar with the basic story of <i>The Metamorphosis</i>, even if they haven't read it. For the most part, the story proceeds exactly as one might expect, hardly going past its initial premise but still exploring a plethora of ideas within a limited plot and setting. Basically the entire thing takes place in Samsa's apartment, with him as a giant bug, and then it's over. <i>The Meowmorphosis</i>, on the other hand, takes a bit of liberty with this, and allows Cat-Samsa to escape from the cage of his apartment and run free, as cats are wont to do. I enjoyed this part of the book immensely, but ultimately found myself wishing that there was more of it, and was slightly disappointed in how Samsa's outdoor adventure ended. Still, I commend Coleridge Cook for taking the story in a new and different direction, and I certainly can't blame him for having to adhere to at least <i>some</i> of the story guidelines set by Kafka.<br /><br /><u>Style:</u> 8.92<br />Take the proper, long-winded horror prose that we've all come to expect of "classical literature" (specifically the early 1900s). Now add kitties. Some people find that kind of writing to be rather boring, but come on: <i>kitties</i> going on and on in the same way manner? It promises a certainly of ridiculousness, and on that it delivers. Coleridge Cook later lets his own voice shine in the Appendix, which includes a biography of Kafka, as well as Study/Discussion questions based on the book. Here he employs the same dry, ironic humor disguised as formal writing, and it just gets funnier. The Discussion Questions may have even been one of my favorite parts of the book.<br /><br /><u>General:</u> 8.35<br /><i>The Meowmorphosis</i> is one of those books that delivers <i>exactly</i> what it promises. If you're a fan of mash-ups and parodies, this one hits the spot. It's a quick, easy read, full of comical beats (I definitely "LOL'd" a few times) and even some philosophical brain food. <br /><br /><i>Hilarious</i> philosophical brain food.<br /><br /><u>Overall:</u> 8.02thom dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696350912860421500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-88785672436561959562011-05-10T09:02:00.000-07:002011-05-13T09:58:34.589-07:00Haiku Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets<span style="font-style:italic;">by Brian McGackin</span><br /><br />Book two!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;">Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets<br /></span><br />Chapter 1: The Worst Birthday</span><br /><br />Remember Harry<br />Potter? Apparently his<br />friends don't. Bummer, kid.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 2: Dobby's Warning</span><br /><br />Elf Dobby warns, "Don't<br />go back to Hogwarts," breaks stuff.<br />Harry: house arrest.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 3: The Burrow</span><br /><br />Twin gingers and Ron<br />kidnap starving Harry, bring<br />him to magic house.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 4: At Flourish and Blotts</span><br /><br />Back to school shopping<br />gone wrong: fist fights, expensive<br />books, fireplace travel.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 5: The Whomping Willow</span><br /><br />Ron breaks his wand; that's<br />what you get when you fly a<br />car into a tree...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 6: Gilderoy Lockhart</span><br /><br />Mrs. Weasley sends<br />Ron angry voicemail. New prof.<br />Lockhart is a tool.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 7: Mudbloods and Murmurs</span><br /><br />Ron voms slugs, Harry<br />hears voices, Slytherins get<br />new brooms from Malfoy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 8: The Deathday Party</span><br /><br />Nearly Headless Nick<br />throws killer party. Cat found<br />hanging out half dead.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 9: The Writing on the Wall</span><br /><br />Hermione stops<br />ghost prof.'s lecture, asks about<br />Chamber of Secrets.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 10: The Rogue Bludger</span><br /><br />Freak sports accident<br />takes Harry's right arm. First-year<br />Colin petrified.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 11: The Dueling Club</span><br /><br />Lockhart makes kids fight;<br />Hufflepuff fauxttacked by snake,<br />then attacked for real.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 12: The Polyjuice Potion</span><br /><br />What's Christmas without<br />forced puberty, drugged tweens, and<br />identity theft?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 13: The Very Secret Diary</span><br /><br />Who is Tom Riddle?<br />Why was his diary thrown<br />down a girls' toilet?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 14: Cornelius Fudge</span><br /><br />Hagrid arrested!<br />Dumbledore kicked out of school!<br />And Hermione...!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 15: Aragog</span><br /><br />Harry, Ron almost<br />killed by spiders in Forest;<br />flying car saves them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 16: The Chamber of Secrets</span><br /><br />Broken bathroom leads<br />to Chamber of Secrets where<br />Ginny Weasley lies.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 17: The Heir of Slytherin</span><br /><br />Memory Voldy<br />thwarted by Harry; magic<br />bird real hero, though.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 18: Dobby's Reward</span><br /><br />All's well that ends with<br />a house elf being handed<br />a wet freedom sock.<br /><br /><br /><br />I guess Hogwarts needs<br />a new Defense Against the<br />Dark Arts Professor...Brian McGackinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324401161402352410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-77282319394733547122011-05-06T08:09:00.000-07:002011-05-06T08:47:28.293-07:00Art and Madness (Anne Roiphe)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tdbimg.com/files/2011/03/20/img-article---schillinger-roiphe_173435935581.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 160px;" src="http://www.tdbimg.com/files/2011/03/20/img-article---schillinger-roiphe_173435935581.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">by Melanie Yarbrough</span><br /><br />Up until recently I've always been a strictly-fiction girl. But after a brief dry spell of creativity and reading inspiration, I decided to ask the powers that be what to read next (read: <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-20/art-and-madness-by-anne-roiphe-review/#">The Daily Beast</a>). And lucky for me, Liesl Shillinger wrote about Anne Roiphe's most recent memoir, <span style="font-style: italic;">Art and Madness</span>:<br /><br /><blockquote>Reading Anne Roiphe’s riveting memoir of her tumultuous twenties, Art and Madness, written in a tone of Didion-like detachment, but saffroned with her distinctive, pungent regrets and her curious humility, I marveled at her depiction of George Plimpton’s Paris Review parties in the early 1960s, on the Upper East Side, near Manhattan’s East River. Thirty years later, I had gone to those parties, in those same rooms, when I was the age she was then. They did not resemble the bacchanals she remembers. For a while, I almost envied her. She describes “the heavy air of flirtation, the perfume of illicit sex that wafted through the book-filled rooms of George’s apartment,” and the power games played by the male guests, “the famous men or the would-be-famous men flexing their skills, strutting their stuff, talking of agents and publishers and rights to this or that.”</blockquote>After reading Roiphe's enthralling account, I felt the same way.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis<br /><br /></span>One of the downsides to memoirs like Roiphe's are the poor schmucks like myself who read it and romanticize the Golden Age of writing. I've been doing the same thing as I read Raymond Carver's biography by Carol Sklenicka; naively overlooking the depths of alcoholism, adultery, and poverty <span>to wish that I could live in an era where creative writers - creative minds - could be as adored and sexualized as in the olden days.<br /><br />But Roiphe is steadfast in her seeming quest to quell any of those romantic ideas. She is brutal. Her past relationships and decisions are far from pretty; they are neither justified nor justifiable. She does not make excuses, instead she admits to giving up on her own writing in pursuit of her first husband's success. It's a frightening tale to read, as a writer myself, especially as a writer who has been struggling lately with the balance of life and the pursuit of a writing career. Roiphe remembers a time when she forgot herself: "I had to learn that muses can be fired or dismissed but writers either do or don't write without permission or encouragement from anyone."<br /><br />The way she talks about her daughter, her affairs, and how she struggled with love and sex and growing up show life in its messiest of states, the sandpaper underbelly of the creative life.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rating</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Art and Madness</span> by Anne Roiphe<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Story</span>: 9.0<br /><br />While it's difficult to judge the "story" of someone's life, the tales Roiphe tells are intriguing and revelatory. There is not one wasted sentence. From walking through the snow carrying her husband's typewriter even after her water breaks (yes, <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> water) to multiple affairs including with the founder of The Paris Review, there aren't many dull moments. Even for those not interested in romanticizing the old world of writers, Roiphe has come out surprisingly whole after a difficult road, an inspiring story for anyone trying to recognize themselves again.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Style</span>: 7.5<br /><br />Shillinger compares Roiphe's style to Joan Didion in her review of the book, and I would have to agree. Roiphe is succinct without being exclusive; she tells you the whole story with a detachment that strips the sometimes heartbreaking parts of distracting emotion. She gets right to the point of the realities of her situation and their consequences. There are lessons without imposed morals.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">General</span>: 8.0<br /><br />While my reasons for reading this memoir may seem a little sick - exploiting another woman's journey in the world of writers to substitute my own lack of revelry - the experience was very different than I intended. Roiphe glares at her past and, thus, so does the reader. Aside from the scandalous moments, the heart of her story is about a woman, a writer, who gave up her passion for writing and lived a difficult period of time for it. No one will fight for what you want, especially if you give it up so easily.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Overall</span>: 8.2<br /><br />I'd say this is a must-read for aspiring writers everywhere, or anyone who's given up something they felt defined them. Roiphe gives a great description for the feeling of being undefined.<br /><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:medium;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 19px; text-align: left;font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;" ></span></span>Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471645198997451462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-43095256125148317072011-05-03T03:00:00.000-07:002011-05-13T09:59:19.243-07:00Haiku Review: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone/Sorcerer's Stone<span style="font-style:italic;">by Brian McGackin</span><br /><br />Welcome to the Daily Genoshan's <span style="font-weight:bold;">Haiku Review</span> for <span style="font-style:italic;">Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone</span>, where each chapter gets its own 17-syllable recap!<a href="http://dailygenoshan.blogspot.com/2011/04/announcing-harry-potter-haiku-reviews.html"> As I mentioned last week</a>, for various reasons I actually used the UK edition, <span style="font-style:italic;">Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone</span>, but they're basically the same thing.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 1: The Boy Who Lived</span><br /><br />Wizard offers cat<br />candy. Baby with scar dropped<br />on fat uncle's porch.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 2: The Vanishing Glass</span><br /><br />Ten years later: boy<br />can do weird stuff; tries to kill<br />cousin with big snake.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 3: The Letters from No One</span><br /><br />Complaints about strange<br />letters go unanswered, so<br />family moves out.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 4: The Keeper of the Keys</span><br /><br />Massive oaf, battered<br />orphan discuss scholastic<br />opportunities.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 5: Diagon Alley</span><br /><br />Orphan Harry, oaf<br />Hagrid get ice cream, go on<br />wizard shopping spree.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 6: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters</span><br /><br />Harry can't find train.<br />Red-head Ron ogles, helps out.<br />Fat kid loses toad.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 7: The Sorting Hat</span><br /><br />Harry: Gryffindor!<br />Ron: Gryffindor! Annoying<br />brunette: Gryffindor!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 8: The Potions Master</span><br /><br />Prof. Snape hates Harry.<br />Annoying Hermione<br />knows everything.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 9: The Midnight Duel</span><br /><br />Harry breaks rules: learns<br />to fly, joins a sports team, finds<br />three-headed guard dog.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 10: Halloween</span><br /><br />Troll loose in Hogwarts.<br />Harry, Ron defeat it, save<br />Hermione. Friends!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 11: Quidditch</span><br /><br />Harry plays Quidditch,<br />nearly dies, almost swallows<br />snitch. Secrets revealed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 12: The Mirror of Erised</span><br /><br />Hogwarts for Christmas!<br />Harry gets presents, can turn<br />invisible now.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 13: Nicolas Flamel</span><br /><br />Three-headed Fluffy<br />guards Philosopher's Stone. Snape<br />wants stone for himself.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 14: Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback</span><br /><br />Jerk Malfoy learns of<br />Hagrid's illegal dragon;<br />Ron's bro adopts it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 15: The Forbidden Forest</span><br /><br />Detention in the<br />Forest: dead unicorn, some<br />centaurs, Voldemort?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 16: Through the Trapdoor</span><br /><br />Harry and co sneak<br />off to stop Voldy's theft of<br />Philosopher's Stone.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Chapter 17: The Man with Two Faces</span><br /><br />Surprise! Prof. Quirrell<br />hosting Voldy parasite.<br />Harry saves the day.<br /><br /><br /><br />I guess Hogwarts needs<br />a new Defense Against the<br />Dark Arts Professor...<br /><br /><br /><br />Be sure to come back next week for the Haiku Review of <span style="font-style:italic;">Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets</span>!Brian McGackinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324401161402352410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-89491304804999433212011-04-29T10:34:00.000-07:002011-05-10T09:13:55.927-07:00Announcing: Harry Potter Haiku Reviews!<span style="font-style:italic;">by Brian McGackin</span><br /><br />That's right. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Harry. Potter. Haiku. Reviews.</span><br /><br />Starting next week, on a joint venture with <a href="http://fivebyfivehundred.com/">5x500</a>, the Daily Genoshan will be offering a NEW kind of review! Every Tuesday until the release of <a href="http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/harrypotterandthedeathlyhallowspart2/">Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2</a>, I'll be posting individual haiku reviews of each chapter, book by book, to give people the chance to catch back up without having to read through all three trillion pages of the series. Every single chapter, from "The Boy Who Lived" to "Epilogue: Nineteen Years Later," will have its own haiku review.<br /><br />Wanna know when your favorite book will get covered? How about I just give you the whole schedule?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uc0wUMPyFpcIUVrIBCBG5IGlgN3YJaB3aa7Ed28D2NI-eI_k8faIhjZlAbgsXkiUIY9lt0VTurKmlQ9rXhFFs7-vh3Sugj34zfbhALszZZJNZa3XwVZgE6CWhvU5qA5mNOBdfP8OqRKY/s1600/harry-potter_49.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 148px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uc0wUMPyFpcIUVrIBCBG5IGlgN3YJaB3aa7Ed28D2NI-eI_k8faIhjZlAbgsXkiUIY9lt0VTurKmlQ9rXhFFs7-vh3Sugj34zfbhALszZZJNZa3XwVZgE6CWhvU5qA5mNOBdfP8OqRKY/s200/harry-potter_49.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601074616601496802" /></a>May 3—<span style="font-style:italic;">Philosopher's Stone</span>*<br />May 10—<span style="font-style:italic;">Chamber of Secrets</span><br />May 17—<span style="font-style:italic;">Prisoner of Azkaban</span><br />May 24—<span style="font-style:italic;">Goblet of Fire</span>, part 1**<br />May 31—<span style="font-style:italic;">Goblet of Fire</span>, part 2<br />June 7—<span style="font-style:italic;">Order of the Phoenix</span>, part 1<br />June 14—<span style="font-style:italic;">Order of the Phoenix</span>, part 2<br />June 21—<span style="font-style:italic;">Half-Blood Prince</span>, part 1<br />June 28—<span style="font-style:italic;">Half-Blood Prince</span>, part 2<br />July 5—<span style="font-style:italic;">Deathly Hallows</span>, part 1***<br />July 12—<span style="font-style:italic;">Deathly Hallows</span>, part 2<br /><br /><br />*Even though I prefer the American editions—I'm partial to the typesetting and Mary GrandPré's art—I'll be using the UK editions for two reasons. The first is that they are smaller and easier to travel with, and the second is that my sister is borrowing some of my American editions.<br />**Starting with GOF, I'll be breaking the reviews into two parts to make it easier for both you to read and I to write.<br />***July 5, 2011, is a VERY important day for me, but more on that in a few weeks.<br /><br /><br /><br />Be sure to check back in next Tuesday for the first set of Harry Potter Haiku Reviews!Brian McGackinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324401161402352410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-67733161885131086792011-04-15T20:34:00.000-07:002011-04-17T20:37:38.159-07:00Yo Momma So Extraordinary (Zachary Reese and Ethan McCreadie)<i>by Emily Zilm</i> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSiEcTObRPLJlNcr1b3cG5Jve1fOhy1FPXQAk6ySLfoRg5a9H2x&t=1" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSiEcTObRPLJlNcr1b3cG5Jve1fOhy1FPXQAk6ySLfoRg5a9H2x&t=1" width="156" /></a></div>It’s almost that time of year again. You know, that day in May that you never forget. No, not Cinco de Mayo, you drunken fool. Mother’s Day! Yeah, it’s cool. I always forget, too. Maybe this new release from Quirk Books can help you get in the spirit. Thanks to <i>Yo Momma So Extraordinary: A Treasury of Yo Momma Compliments</i> by Zachary Reese and Ethan McCreadie, now there’s a whole new way to express your feelings for that special momma in your life, whether it be your own momma, your momma’s momma, or your cousin's baby momma.<br />
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The jokes in Reese and McCreadie’s 144-page-long list of yo momma compliments follow the classic format of the insults that comedians throw at hypothetical mothers and high school boys (and girls) like to sling at their friends (or enemies). But instead, the authors insist that we respect mothers because, in the words of Mr. T, "If it weren't for yo mother then you wouldn't even be here. So you remember, when you put down one mother, you put down mothers all over the world.” Aww, how sweet.<br />
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The jokes span a wide range: <br />
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Some play up yo momma’s maternal qualities - “Yo momma so fancy she really outdid herself with those bologna sandwiches last Thursday. I love yellow mustard!”<br />
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Or her intelligence - “Yo momma so well read I can talk to her about the satirical portrayal of romance in Hemingway’s <i>The Sun Also Rises</i> without it seeming weird.”<br />
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Then there are the subtly sexual - “Yo momma’s hands are so soft. SO SOFT.”<br />
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And the outright dirty - “Yo momma so sweet I call her ‘Dessert.’ But I wish she would understand that I don’t need to eat three desserts in one night.”<br />
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But the most clever are those that start off sounding like an insult - “Yo momma has so many cats it’s like DAAAAAMN! Which one should I pet first?”<br />
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Through it all, though, the yo momma compliments stay true to a classic yo momma joke in that they still aim to hurt and insult the child of the momma in question. That’s the whole point anyways, right? Reese and McCreadie finally give us a way to get the job done without insulting a mother, who we probably don’t know, and who is probably a very lovely woman. And speaking of lovely women...<br />
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Each joke is accompanied by a silly photo illustration starring Kim Carl as the momma in question, surrounded by various goofy twenty-something dudes. Everything about her is the epitome of what a hot mom should be. You get the feeling that she’s one of those women, who turns “30” every year, and might fool you if you didn’t know her kid just turned 23. She’s got that nineteen-fifties sitcom mom twinkle in her eye and is just so classy. <br />
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Yo Momma So Extraordinary could be a good gag gift for your own Mama Dukes but may be more appropriate for a new young mother, or that girl you just started dating that you know has a kid but is too afraid to tell you because she doesn’t want to scare you away. Maybe your girlfriend’s teenaged kid thinks you’re sooo lame, but if you gave him/her this book they would start to see you as funny and hip and become best friends with you instead of screaming “You’re not my dad!” all the time. Or maybe you hate the kid and want to make him/her cry. Or maybe you need to freshen up the jokes you sling at your one friend with that smokin’ hot mom. Either way, respect yo momma and don’t forget to tell her how extraordinary she is on Sunday, May 8th!<br />
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<b>Rating</b><br />
<i>Yo Momma So Extraordinary </i>by Zachary Reese and Ethan McCreadie <br />
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<u>Style: </u>4.0<br />
I appreciate Reese and McCreadie’s creative, positive spin on yo momma jokes even though they're not my favorite. I guess the real style rating should be more about the visual style of this book, since it is so colorful. SO colorful. Each joke takes up an entire page in a bold, blocky font on a bold, bright background, opposite a color picture. There are so many colors it’s actually a little bit distracting, but appropriate for the overall look and feel of the book. <br />
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<u>Story:</u> 6.0<br />
It’s pretty hard to give a list of yo momma compliments a story rating, so this number is for the pictures. Each single picture depicted the story implied by the joke, and Kim Carl and her co-stars’ poses and expressions may even be better than the jokes themselves. Photographer Steve Berkowitz’s skills ain’t too shabby either.<br />
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<u>General:</u> 5.0<br />
It's not so much for reading as it is for flipping through once in a while.<br />
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<b><u>Overall:</u> </b>5.0Emily Zilmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231451894543779052noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-26753947732828600532011-04-08T12:48:00.000-07:002011-04-08T19:09:09.928-07:00Expiration Date (Duane Swierczynski)<i>by Thom Dunn</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.cadl.org/books-movies/recrev/SwierczynskiExpiration.html/image_mini" hspace="12" vspace="7" border="0" align="left" style="float:cwnter;">Most people who know me can vouch for the fact that I love just about anything involving (a) time travel, or (b) noir tropes. <i>Expiration Date</i>, the newest novel by Duane Swierczynski, is a crime/noir novel about time travel, so needless to say, I was pretty excited to read it. It's like peanut butter and jelly, but with more pre-destination paradoxes.<br /><br /><b>Synopsis</b><br />Mickey Wade, the narrator and protagonist of <i>Expiration Date</i>, dies at the end of the novel. And that's just the beginning! (It's a time travel story, your temporal prepositions are bound to get a little messy) Prior to his death, Mickey Wade loses his job as a journalist for an alt-weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, and moves into his grandfather's apartment back in the crumbling neighborhood where he was born. The night that he moves in, Mickey has a few beers with a friend. He pops a handful of expired Advil before bed, and suddenly winds up in 1972. Stranger still, he seems to be invisible, and — oh yeah, his limbs fall off every time they come into direct contact with light. A few hours later, he wakes up in the present, sweating, with his limbs (mostly) intact. But on one of these trips, Mickey meets the 12-year-old boy who lives downstairs — the same boy who grows up and murders Mickey's father.<br /><br />Swierczynski deals with some pretty heady concepts here, and under less skilled hands, these ideas could have easily stumbled into a convoluted mess. Fortunately, he approaches the story from a stable (and subjectively linear) first-person perspective, and relays the story in simple, relatable terms. Mickey Wade is a character grounded in reality, hard-up on his luck and out of cash, who finds himself thrust into a bizarre situation. This is further helped by Swierczynski's acute attention to detail. From the beer that Mickey drinks to the records that he listens to, Swierczynski writes with a specificity that paint a vivid and familiar portrait of his narrator. A Philadelphia native himself, Swierczynski's cartographic familiarity with the geography of the city helps to immerse the reader in the world he's created — you might not know where you are temporally, but he makes you feel at home spatially, to the point that you feel like you could give directions to a tourist upon your next visit to Philly. (side note: on my last trip to Philadelphia, I consulted Duane Swierczynski on places to go, and he recommended that I check out McGillan's Olde Ale House on Drury Street — the same place that Mickey Wade finds himself in the first chapter of the book. Behold, the power of Twitter!)<br /><br /><b>Rating:</b><br /><i>Expiration Date</i> by Duane Swierczynski<br /><br /><u>Story:</u> 7.1<br />On one hand, <i>Expiration Date</i> can be seen as a fairly typical time travel story. It's great appeal, however, is in the way it's told, as well as the personal stories of the characters involved. The book is meticulously plotted and full of wild ideas, but still manages to make for a quick, easy, and ultimately rewarding read. I would also be doing an injustice to the author if I didn't note the clever ending of the book, an ending which is rendered so effectively due to the First Person narration of the story.<br /><br /><u>Style:</u> 6.7<br />Duane Swierczynski's prose is simple and effective, and therein lies its power. He is able to express these surreal concepts and experiences in a lucid, uncomplicated manner, which makes the book all the more enjoyable. I actually found the story so compelling that I read it in one sitting; even the most seemingly straightforward and civilian sequences ended with riveting twists that kept the book in my hands. Swierczynski certainly isn't writing poetry here, and he hasn't <i>quite</i> mastered the dense pulpy prose of noir legends such as Raymond Chandler, but his writing still manages to express ideas in an unequivocal fashion.<br /><br /><u>General:</u> 8<br />Swierczynski's past works have proven him a master of the crime genre (and Swierczynski himself is a strong advocate of genre fiction as literary fiction), and his recent stint on <i>Cable</i> for Marvel Comics seems to have ignited an interest in time travel stories; by marrying the two, he has created a highly entertaining thriller full of mind-bending, almost Philip K. Dickian concepts that are still grounded in incredibly believable characters.<br /><br /><u><b>Overall</b></u>: 7.267thom dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696350912860421500noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-15174111991909859372011-04-01T10:21:00.000-07:002011-04-12T10:51:04.686-07:00Laughter in the Dark (Vladimir Nabokov)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.indiebound.com/746/216/9780811216746.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 212px;" src="http://images.indiebound.com/746/216/9780811216746.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">by Melanie Yarbrough<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>I was excited to read the latest installment for my book club, Vladimir Nabokov's <span style="font-style: italic;">Laughter in the Dark</span> to add to my list of Nabokov novels. Before this book, my list was at a measly one, having read <span style="font-style: italic;">Invitation to a Beheading. </span>I'd begun and abandoned <span style="font-style: italic;">Lolita<span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>, so the diversion from the usual suspect was welcome. After two days traveling to and from work on the train, my Nabokov list reached its highest number at two.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Synopsis<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span>It can pretty much be summed up the way Nabokov sums it up in the first paragraph of the novel:<br />"Once upon a time there lived in Berlin, Germany, a man called Albinus. He was rich, respectable, happy; one day he abandoned his wife for the sake of a youthful mistress; he loved; was not loved; and his life ended in disaster." Of course, as Nabokov also points out, details are always welcome. And what great details they are.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rating<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Laughter in the Dark by Vladimir Nabokov<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>Story - 4.2:<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>Slightly more than a predictable tale of a man infatuated with his young mistress and the mishaps that happen to him, the story of this novel feels pretty plotty. All of the pleasure is derived from Nabokov's gift with words.<br /><br />Style - 6.7: Nabokov has a no-nonsense way about his stories. He tells you what's happening and manages to slink between characters' points-of-view without jerking the reader around too much. There is always an essence of tongue-in-cheekness that is the epitome of Nabokov's style, and has managed to win me over twice now.<br /><br />General - 7.0: Despite the book's plotty feel and several of the characters' stockiness (in that we are told they are nothing more than evil, conniving, etc.), Nabokov's wit and flair for describing every aspect of a room and a moment without exhaustion fill in the gaps. From tragedy to tragedy, there is a balance of feeling guilty for a man whose bad luck can only grow (and does) and understanding that karma, indeed, is a bitch.<br /><br />Overall - 5.97Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471645198997451462noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-29006393774680647382011-03-25T18:00:00.000-07:002011-03-28T14:54:33.696-07:00Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After (Steve Hockensmith)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIDF0Bl5z0MvelKEG8a_tb12XAh6lk4BMIT3A_xdvKMTWWrm3douzc7YUB5R-5Hyw7HKbm-m8NF-pZz52mUOls8MNCW74Koet4MSmaKdbbmnBH7eg6qu9VXf1FXRMsLQuNcgF-QFlBdmc/s1600/Dreadfully-Ever-After.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 131px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSIDF0Bl5z0MvelKEG8a_tb12XAh6lk4BMIT3A_xdvKMTWWrm3douzc7YUB5R-5Hyw7HKbm-m8NF-pZz52mUOls8MNCW74Koet4MSmaKdbbmnBH7eg6qu9VXf1FXRMsLQuNcgF-QFlBdmc/s200/Dreadfully-Ever-After.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589252370892962226" /></a><br />Out in stores this week is the final installment of the Quirk Classic trilogy that began with Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith's <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://dailygenoshan.blogspot.com/2009/06/pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-jane.html">Pride and Prejudice and Zombies</a></span> and continued with Steve Hockensmith's own <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://dailygenoshan.blogspot.com/2010/05/pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-dawn-of.html">Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls</a></span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Synopsis</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Dawn of the Dreadfuls</span> only earned a 7.62 in its review here. While still a fairly high score, it's abysmal when compared to the 9.22 received by the original, the 9.17 received by Ben H. Winters' <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://dailygenoshan.blogspot.com/2010/08/android-karenina-leo-tolstoy-and-ben-h.html">Android Karenina</a></span>, and the 8.89 for Winters' <span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://dailygenoshan.blogspot.com/2009/09/sense-and-sensibility-and-sea-monsters.html">Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters</a></span>. So, understandably, I was a little nervous heading into <span style="font-style:italic;">Dreadfully Ever After</span>. Thankfully my apprehension was completely unnecessary.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">P&P&Z</span> was simply a retelling of Jane Austen's masterpiece <span style="font-style:italic;">Pride and Prejudice</span>, a Regency-era tale of wit and romance surrounding one Mr. Bennet's five daughters, but with zombies. <span style="font-style:italic;">Dawn of the Dreadfuls</span> acted as a prequel, shining light on the story behind the Bennet girls' martial arts upbringing. <span style="font-style:italic;">Dreadfully Ever After</span> is the true sequel to <span style="font-style:italic;">P&P&Z</span> that I think many people have been waiting for. The novel takes place several years after the marriage of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, the final act of the original book. The Darcy's, once an abundantly happy couple, have fallen into a state of languor. Mrs. Darcy is depressed by the fact that it is not considered proper for a married woman in polite society to take up her sword and slay the undead. Mr. Darcy, ever the caring husband, is frustrated by his lack of ability to cheer up the woman he loves. All of this doubt and unhappiness is thrown brutally into their faces when Fitzwilliam Darcy is bitten by one of the sorry stricken. Elizabeth, mad with grief over the impending zombification of her husband, and feeling guilty over the fact that she could have prevented the tragedy had she been carrying her katana, pistols, or even a throwing star, accepts assistance from her most hated nemesis, running headfirst down a path of shame and subterfuge in an attempt to cure the good Fitzwilliam.<br /><br />In <span style="font-style:italic;">Dreadfully Ever After</span>, Steve Hockensmith is finally able to open himself up as a writer. With <span style="font-style:italic;">Dawn of the Dreadfuls</span>, he was following up a huge success—one that had Jane Austen as a cowriter, no less—and was burdened even further by the fact that he was writing a prequel. Certain characters needed to be included, certain events needed to transpire, and certain questions needed to be answered. Not only that, but he wasn't really allowed to kill anyone important, which is always annoying. <span style="font-style:italic;">Dreadfully Ever After</span> was essentially a blank slate for Hockensmith, and he made great use of the opportunity. While he remained true to each character's original motives, Hockensmith had the freedom to usher in growth for several of the Bennet sisters, making them much more interesting to read. Kitty Bennet, finally free from the shadow of her younger, but more headstrong, sister Lydia, makes great strides in self-discovery here. Even Mary, the middle Bennet sister—and certainly the most boring—is given new life and purpose. Hockensmith accomplishes all of this without any irrational character leaps or unexpected decisions; their progressions are fluid and natural.<br /><br />Increased character growth isn't the only byproduct of Hockensmith's newfound freedom, though. No longer tied to points in a future story, the author physically takes the characters to new places as well. The plot is completely original, and introduces several new concepts and archetypes to the zombie mythos in general. While much of the story was predictable, especially the romantic attachments of several major characters, Hockensmith can only be applauded for maintaing that highly recognizable aspect of Austen's writing without the aid of a base text. At no point in time does anyone truly doubt that Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy will end up married in the original novel. The joy of the read comes from the journey that the two lovers take to reach each other. Such is the case with <span style="font-style:italic;">Dreadfully Ever After</span>. It is crystal clear that certain characters are burdened by a mutual attraction, despite class, race, and, in some cases, wooden barriers. Watching characters slowly fall for each other in spite of themselves is always fun.<br /><br />Before wrapping up, though, one point should be made absolutely clear: the story itself is fantastic. Hockensmith is much funnier this time around, which is probably another byproduct of his creative freedom. Austenian writing, already among the most tongue in cheek in history, is updated and zombified to the nth degree here. Add tremendous amounts of gore, ridiculous conspiracy theories, and attempted regicide, and you've got the recipe for a novel that could have easily stood out strongly on its own. As it happens, though, the book sports some of the most memorable and recognizable characters in all of literature. While having read the first two novels will certainly make this one more interesting—the original is a must-read anyway—<span style="font-style:italic;">Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After</span> is actually perfectly enjoyable by itself. Highly, highly, highly recommended.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Rating</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After</span><br />by Steve Hockensmith<br /><br />Story—8.23<br />Honestly, I liked being able to predict certain aspects of the story. I was curious to see how smoothly Hockensmith could work everything into its final place. It also made the plot points that were unexpected even more of a surprise.<br /><br />Style—8.1<br />Very much what I was expecting thematically, but it was nice to see that the quality was there to support the tone. Also, Hockensmith introduces a few ingenious new concepts into the zombie world. Maybe they existed already, but I've never seen them, and I think he deserves credit for his originality.<br /><br />General—9<br />This is not a difficult book to read. While it's fun and engaging, though, it is most definitely not for people who don't enjoy zombies. The other Quirk Classics could get away with it a bit, because they were more strictly based on classic literature, but this is its own story. That's part of the reason I enjoyed this one so much, but it's also part of the reason why some people might not want to check it out.<br /><br />Overall—8.44<br /><br /><br /><br />Be sure to go out and pick up <span style="font-style:italic;">Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After</span> now that it's out in stores! And just in case you've forgotten, here's a recap of all of the other Quirk Classics and their DG ratings!<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://dailygenoshan.blogspot.com/2009/06/pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-jane.html">Pride and Prejudice and Zombies</a></span><br />by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith<br />The original!—9.22<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://dailygenoshan.blogspot.com/2009/09/sense-and-sensibility-and-sea-monsters.html">Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters</a></span><br />by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters<br />More Jane Austen, but this time with a new coauthor!—8.89<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://dailygenoshan.blogspot.com/2010/05/pride-and-prejudice-and-zombies-dawn-of.html">Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls</a></span><br />by Steve Hockensmith<br />Prequel to the original, and Steve Hockensmith's first foray into Regency-era zombieness!—7.62<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><a href="http://dailygenoshan.blogspot.com/2010/08/android-karenina-leo-tolstoy-and-ben-h.html">Android Karenina</a></span><br />by Leo Tolstoy and Ben H. Winters<br />Ben H. Winters' second title, the first non-Austen Quirk Classic, and my personal favorite!—9.17<br /><br /><br /><br />Keep reading, Genoshans!Brian McGackinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17324401161402352410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-88669293272238206962011-03-18T12:00:00.000-07:002011-03-24T22:57:27.867-07:00The Art of Racing in the Rain (Garth Stein)<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.5760819378916485" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By Emily Zilm</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.betterworldbooks.com/006/The-Art-of-Racing-in-the-Rain-9780061537967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images.betterworldbooks.com/006/The-Art-of-Racing-in-the-Rain-9780061537967.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I haven’t read a book narrated by an animal since I was in grade school. Yes, it was </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Hundred and One Dalmatians</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. Classic. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Art of Racing in the Rain</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is also told from a dog’s perspective, but it’s for grown ups. This one is less like an adorable animated film and a little more like Air Bud got together with a Nicholas Sparks novel and made a baby, though.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Art of Racing in the Rain </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">by Garth Stein follows Enzo the dog’s perception of the life of his owner, Denny, a husband, father and aspiring race car driver. Once I got past all the mental pictures of a dog with a CGI mouth that speaks to humans who can’t hear him, there was a rather cliche but decently crafted story under there about struggle and not giving up.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Denny works at an upscale auto shop and dreams of getting a seat driving in a Formula One race and finishing first. He has a young daughter, Zoe, and a wife, Eve, whose parents think he’s not a good enough husband or father. When Eve is diagnosed with brain cancer (Enzo smelled it long before, as dogs do), a string of seemingly overwhelming obstacles threatens to forever block his road to success. I won’t tell you how the whole scenario unfolds, but it’s all pretty predictable as each point of conflict is heavily foreshadowed. Stein doesn’t seem to be one for surprising readers, so do not prepare to have your mind blown.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In general, I wasn’t sold on the idea of a dog narrating this book from the start, and at times it seemed contrived and gimmicky. However, if the lovable Enzo weren’t telling the story this would probably be just another so-so novel about a guy having a hard time in his life. Enzo’s voice added a certain charming quality to the story and it’s delivery. It also provided opportunities for clarity, impartiality, or humor in places that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. However, I would have liked to see Stein really hone in on Enzo’s role as storyteller to convey the meaning and emotion behind the plot. Enzo just seemed too human. He even remarks throughout the entire book about his desire to be human and expresses feelings of resentment about not being able to help people in the ways they help each other. This does ultimately have a purpose in regards to the plot, yet it seemed as though Stein missed opportunities to really use Enzo’s voice as a lens through which the reader could view the story from a truly different perspective. Despite my underwhelmed attitude towards the book as a whole, there were instances in which Enzo’s inability to control his actions did make me laugh, and his raw emotions made me truly angry or sad alongside the other characters. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rating</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Art of Racing in the Rain</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">By Garth Stein</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Style - 4.3 </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> It was really hard for me to get past the cheesy aspects of the dog narration, but I eventually did. Most books like this usually fall clearly on one side of the line between smart and lame, most on the latter side, but this one manages to straddle it. It had all the cliche aspects that I expected, but at most times where I was sure I’d find a shortcoming or hole in the story, I didn’t. And despite the heavy foreshadowing and all of the repetition of inspirational race car driving metaphors, Stein managed to maintain a nice flow. It was an easy read with little thought required of the reader. Also, I do most of my reading during my hour-plus-each-way daily commute on the bus and train with multiple transfers, so I really appreciated that all the chapters were short. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Story - 4.0 </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This book does not have the most complex or original story, and it’s easy to anticipate what comes next. Sure there are a lot of cliche elements that can get irritating, but what I like about this story is that it doesn’t try to be anything it’s not. It’s the kind of story you can read with your brain on autopilot and not miss anything because there are no deeper layers.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">General - 4.0</span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Overall it’s a really lighthearted, yet serious and emotional story about a man, his dog, his family, his career, and his struggle to balance his love for each while keeping his head up in the face of hardship. If you’re looking for a great, earth-shattering masterpiece then you should keep looking. But if you’re in the mood for a really quick, relaxing read, then you might consider </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Art of Racing in the Rain</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. It’s like one of those movies you flick on during a Sunday afternoon because you don’t have to think too much about it. Reading it won’t change your life, but it passes the time.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Overall - 4.1</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div>Emily Zilmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231451894543779052noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-80468157122820807352011-03-11T06:00:00.000-08:002011-03-20T17:26:37.326-07:00The Nightly News (Jonathan Hickman)by Thom Dunn<br /><br />"<b>The VOICE says:</b> <i>When killing activists, never shoot for the head, always aim for the heart</i>"<br /><br /><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qMSMXLydxXs/S3UEVtoyu-I/AAAAAAAABRc/BdhLCcOcSA8/s320/tnn.jpg" height="150" width="100" style="float:cwnter;" align="left" hspace="7" vspace="7">Jonathan Hickman has received a bit of attention as of late for <a href="http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-01-25/entertainment/27096632_1_johnny-storm-captain-america-superheroes" target="_blank">killing off the Human Torch</a> in the monthly ongoing <i>Fantastic Four</i> comic book series. But before becoming one of the Architects of the Marvel Comics Universe, Hickman first made his mark on the world of graphic literature in 2008 with a creator-owned book called <i>The Nightly News.</i><br /><br /><i>The Nightly News</i> is the story of a cult of domestic terrorists referred to as the Brotherhood of the Voice that is determined to take down the American news media. Each member of the Brotherhood has had his or her life destroyed by subjective reporting — by becoming <i>stories</i>, rather than facts. The book deals heavily with themes of indoctrination and control — both the ways in which the news media influences the masses, and the ways in which The Voice (standing in for any cult leader) manipulates his own subjects. It is propaganda about propaganda, a sprawling conspiracy thriller set against a backdrop of contemporary politics and frighteningly modern issues, full of ideas that challenge and question the status quo.<br /><br />But not without challenging and questioning itself first.<br /><br />From the book's subtitle, "A Lie Told In Six Parts," to the clever footnotes on the first page of every chapter ("Note: All violence in this book should not be considered a reflection of the author. I give to charities, play with children, and love cooking"), Hickman constantly calls his own authorial reliability into question, which only further enforces the labyrinthine manipulations and wheels-within-wheels that the narrative claims to be exploring. For the most part, the story is told from the point of view of the leader of the cult, The Hand of the Voice. Thus, as a reader, it is our initial inclination to accept or agree with the things that we are being told — but then something about the narrative makes you realize that this is precisely the kind of dogma fed to and by fanatics or extremists. And then you realize just how easily you went along with it yourself. And worse, that maybe there's a part of you that agrees with these extremist views.<br /><br />This opaqueness and ambiguity is greatly assisted by Hickman's incredible artwork. It is not a comic book, nor a sequential narrative; <i>The Nightly News</i> is an impressive piece of <i>graphic literature</i>. The artwork is a breathtaking amalgamation of infographics (charts and facts that are just as apocryphal as the rest of the narrative), photo-renderings, comic art, and words that together weave a story of intrigue and deception that constantly looks back in upon itself. A single page might treat you to talking heads with dialogue bubbles, first person narration from The Hand of the Voice, interjections or "facts" from the Voice itself, plus facts about corporate ownerships, and a few witty asides from a disembodied "authoritative" first-person (whom we are led to believe is Hickman himself, but can we ever really be sure?). The sequence of events in a given page is often ambiguous, which echoes the theme of manipulation within the story and recreates the experience for the reader while also rewarding multiple re-readings. Jonathan Hickman truly pushes the limit of what is possible with graphic narrative.<br /><br />The only real drawback of the story is in the development of the characters. Hickman himself claims in the afterword of the book that the large cast is "often intentionally ambiguous," and while this certainly resonates with the thematic nature of the story, it makes it difficult to connect with any of the characters. The highly stylized nature of the artwork also makes it difficult sometimes to distinguish between characters (note: pay close attention to the limited color palette used in each scene). It is the <i>ideas</i> that drive this story forward, with help from the plot; the characters only exist as a means to deliver both of these things to the reader. Still, I cannot help but think that an emotional anchor with which a reader could more easily sympathize would have greatly helped the story. While I do not doubt that this was at least somewhat intentional on Hickman's part, it nonetheless makes it harder for a reader to get a grasp on an already challenging and onerous tale.<br /><br /><b>Rating</b><br /><i>The Nightly News</i><br />by Jonathan Hickman<br /><br /><u>Story:</u> <i>5.7</i><br />While a story told (mostly) from the point of view of political extremists is certainly intriguing, Hickman loses points in this area due to the lack of distinct character development. As mentioned, it is the <i>ideas</i> that drive the reader's interest more than the story.<br /><br /><u>Style:</u> <i>10</i><br />Simply put, <i>The Nightly News</i> is absolutely unlike anything you have ever read. It is a unique marriage of graphic design and words that sends you spiraling down a rabbit's hole that lands you back on top of yourself, before falling through the hole again in an endless loop.<br /><br /><u>General:</u> <i>7.8</i><br /><i>The Nightly News</i> has layers enough to captivate nearly any willing reader, and while it might seem off-putting at first, it is well worth the journey. It doesn't answer any questions, and it's possible it won't even give you any new ideas, but it will certainly make you <i>think</i>. Some people might scoff at its dogma, but once you reach the end, you'll find yourself wondering just what Hickman's agenda was along...<br /><br /><u>Overall:</u> 7.83<br /><br /><p><a href="http://www.pronea.com/issue1_preview.pdf" target="_blank">Read a free preview of Chapter 1 (pdf)</a></p>thom dunnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12696350912860421500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5800642789479914600.post-62959331711945093262011-03-04T18:27:00.000-08:002011-03-11T07:46:02.319-08:00All the King's Men (Robert Penn Warren)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41DZBGXV7PL._bL160_.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 217px; height: 325px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41DZBGXV7PL._bL160_.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">By Melanie Yarbrough<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span>This is the story of the rise and fall of Willie Stark, who strikes a resemblance to the real-life Huey "Kingfish" Long of Louisiana. Published in 1946, perhaps the story of a politician who starts out with the best intentions and ends in corruption seems a bit dated. Put Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert on pause for a moment, and watch it happen in Robert Penn Warren's beautiful and harsh look into the difficulties of making everyone happy, including yourself.<br /><br />Willie Stark is a familiar guy, especially if you're from the South like I am. He understands what his constituents want because he is one of them. It may sound like a page right out of W or Palin's campaign books, but the story of Willie Stark is rich with predicament and the kinds of justifications that pile on top of one another until the whole house is different from the blueprints.<br /><br />Side note: While I've never seen any of the movies, it is my understanding that Sean Penn plays Willie in one of them. Please don't hold that against the book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rating<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;">All the King's Men<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>By Robert Penn Warren<br /><br />Story: 5.5 - While not the most original of stories, Warren's beautiful descriptions and strong, sympathetic characters take over the story and make it their own.<br /><br />Style: 7.3 - Warren manages dialect without cheap apostrophes or misspelled words. The Southern drawl is present in the dialogue, and the heat of the setting is present in the descriptions. He does not rush through the story, instead allowing you to savor each bit.<br /><br />General: 8.5 - The book didn't win the Pulitzer for nothing. This story has been told, will be told, and will occur in real life again and again. Whether or not it will be told in such a beautiful, patient, or sufficient way remains to be seen.<br /><br />Overall: 7.1<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Note on versions of the book: There are some versions that use a different name than "Willie Stark." I'm not sure the origin of this change, but I can tell you that I have read parts of the version with the different name and it doesn't read as well as the Willie Stark version. The cover pictured above is the book I read. </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><br /></span>Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05471645198997451462noreply@blogger.com0