Dr. Rozakis sets up a Spark Notes-ish collection of classic literature, which, apparently, is all zombie based. The work is clever and fun and shows Rozakis’ knowledge of the classics and the Cliff Note form; however, I think this works more as a good idea, or as a joke gift to someone like me rather …
Category Archive: Book Review
Reviews of actual literature (no pikchures)
Jan 05 2013
St. Thomas USVI or Bust: 2013! – Day 3: So it Begins
Starting to settle into being on vacation. While it was a little chilly (by St Thomas standards) due to a strong wind, it didn’t stop me from swimming and snorkeling, which was good as I got to chase around a sea turtle for a while. Started reading Damned by Palahniuk. After 90 pages I remembered …
May 17 2012
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
In the future we are divided into districts controlled by the decadent in the Capital and must pay tribute for a past rebellion by having a group of teenagers fight to the death in a bizarre arena for amusement. Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take the place of her sister and face this almost certain death. …
Apr 16 2012
How I Became Stupid – Martin Page
Originally a French novel, it is the tale of Antoine, a young, eclectic scholar, who seeks to quiet his mind and finally become happy. To do so he attempts alcoholism, considers suicide, takes antidepressants, starts body-building, makes money, and generally engages in the typical things people suggest you do when you’re down. Needless to say …
Mar 09 2012
City Gates – Elias Khoury
I am certainly grateful that Mark Beta gave me this short book about a stranger who comes to a city where everyone is gone, dead, or a weeping woman. It’s very strange and surreal, but, unfortunately, not anything I cared for. Surely it was better in Arabic.
Oct 04 2011
The Fourth Bear – Jasper Fforde
What does the return of the evil genius, the Gingerbreadman, have in common with a missing journalist (AKA Goldilocks) and a secret, devastating weapon? That’s for Detective Jack Spratt to find out and you to read all about. Don’t be fooled by the nursery rhyme theme, it is a great and intelligent read.
Sep 13 2011
A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini
The second novel from the Afghan author is not as strong as the first, which might be due to the character focus. The story deals with two women, Mariam, who is raised ignorant and illegitimate, and Laila, who had all the potential to be an influential and developed westerner, trapped in a marriage to a …
Sep 07 2011
Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
Both the movie and the book are powerful looks at pre and post Soviet and of Taliban Afghanistan. The tale revolves around Amir, a Pashtun boy of privilege, and his strained relationship with his father, his best friend/servant, and the upheaval caused by the ceaseless turmoil in his homeland. My problem with the book is …
Aug 30 2011
Rework – Jason Fried and David Hansson
Full disclosure: I actually grabbed this because I thought it said Refwork which is a citation computer program and wanted to know more about it. Still, I was glad to learn the authors’ views on how business can be productive, profitable, and enjoyable, without being destructive to oneself and others. However, although the practices described …
Jul 29 2011
A Dance with Dragons (Book Five of A Song of Ice and Fire) – George R. R. Martin
Like everyone else on the planet I was waiting for this book to come out. Two summers ago I read the series to date (the first review is here), positive that A Dance with Dragons would be out in a season or three since Martin claimed in the last one that he had written a …
Jun 28 2011
The Chocolate War – Robert Cormier
Cormier gives a magnificently horrible portrayal of high-school life in his tale of a Catholic school freshman who refuses to participate in the school’s fundraiser of selling boxes of chocolates. Its painful to read as one recognizes the realities go far beyond the mundane teenage world. The next time you want to waste you time …
Jun 20 2011
The Librarian: A Novel – Larry Beinhart
Beinhart is probably best known for the movie Wag the Dog which was an interesting/scary look on how a politician can fake events in order to manipulate the country, but the idea that an entire war can be faked is stretched too thin. Sadly, this book with its similar plot (a Bush stand in has …
Feb 12 2011
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter – Seth Grahame-Smith
Definitely a fun idea and there have been comics similar to this one which is the earlier idea of Grahame-Smith before his take on Sense and Sensibility. It tells the true story of the 16th president and how vampires and his secret battles with them shaped his life and actions. Minor problems exist such as …
Jan 26 2011
Guns, Germs, And Steel: The Fates of Human Societies – Jared Diamond
If you want a good summary of this excellent study then read Cej’s comic summary. I don’t have much to add to it; Cej explains that the book tries to show that some societies and civilizations had advantages, not due to race, but because of agriculture and domestication of animals. Some areas had better plant …
Oct 24 2010
Howl Be Thy Name
I can’t possibly review this after one reading. I don’t know how many readings it will take me to fathom even a fraction of the depths presented within. I’ve know of Ginsberg for roughly four years. That is all. It may have been during Banned Books Week 2006 that his named would be etched into …
Sep 25 2010
Herbert West: Reanimator – H.P. Lovecraft
Those who know my literary tastes may find it difficult to believe that I had never read this particular tale of the eccentric (to be polite) author. In fact, it is the only Lovecraft tale I have not read; a fact that continues to remain true. Cory lent me an audio recording of the story …
Sep 22 2010
Ender in Exile – Orson Scott Card
This is the story after Ender saves the human race by defeating (annihilating) the Formics. Forced into exile, Ender attempts to come to terms with his unintentional genocidal actions and start to have a life. The writing is as good as it was in the original and isn’t in his take on Iron Man. Unfortunately, …
Aug 03 2010
The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell
I had heard of this book some time ago. I was at a friend’s party and about half the people there had met through me. Marshall said I was what the book calls a Connector, someone who provides relationships between people (it’s a compliment although I think I’m closer to a Maven, someone who provides …
Jun 05 2010
Me of Little Faith
Black, Lewis. Me of Little Faith. New York: Riverhead Books, 2008. Lewis Black takes us on a journey of the religious experiences (or lack thereof) that he’s had in his life, and along the way he winds up poking fun at some of the more familiar belief systems. Faith is an amusing diversion, but it’s …
May 05 2010
Panicology
Briscoe, Simon and Hugh Aldersey-Williams. Panicology: Two Statisticians Explain What’s Worth Worrying About (and What’s Not) in the 21st Century. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2009. Tackling a panoply of modern day fears, Panicology offers a thoughtful treatise on the differential between what we are afraid of and how likely it is to affect us. Authors …
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