Kim Is Well Read...

Moved

2011-07-17T07:03:00.001-07:00

This blog has moved to: www.dorkwithaneedle.com/kimiswellread/

Thank you for your time.

Toxic Planet, by David Ratté

2009-09-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

isbn: 9780759529281

This book, which is a collection of one page short stories and gags, is visually stunning and totally hilarious. The art style is fresh and sharp and the work that has to be done by physical acting (since everyone is wearing a gas mask) is really well done. Although some of the strips are more disjointed than others, together they make a lovely portrait of a world gone totally gross.

4/5

Bad Science, by Ben Goldacre

2009-09-08T14:36:00.001-07:00

isbn: 9780007284870

This book is not yet available in Canada, which is a shame since I so rarely have excellent non-fiction books to recommend to customers. This is an awesome book about the failings of typical medical reporting and the quacks people have to deal with when it comes to demystifying health care. It can be such a scary and misunderstood topic, and he makes it all make sense. Goldacre is funny, friendly and clever, and really shows how important it is to understand what you are reading before you turn it into front page news.

If you are not in England right now and you want a taste of it, try his blog, which is a reprinting of his column from The Guardian. http://www.badscience.net/

4/5

The Magicians and Mrs Quent, by Galen Beckett

2009-07-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

isbn: 9780553589825

This book was tons of fun. Part Jane Eyre, part Sense and Sensibility, part The Turning of the Screw, part soft core fantasy, all fabulous. The world created is fabulous, with bustling cities, superstitious little villages, feral woods older than time, magicians who can lock and unlock dangerous puzzles, illusionist who run theaters of ill repute, and to top it all off, the days are not always the same length. Sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, the rhythm of the book is rushed or slowed as the days go by. I really enjoyed the device, which made for extra spooky bits and a world where taking a nap and then having a second supper is okay.

My only complaint is that the title totally gives away that she is marrying Mr Quent and not the dashing young man from the beginning of the novel. Oh well. I am ridiculously looking forward to the next one, which is still unannounced as far as I know.

5/5

Monster by A. Lee Martinez

2009-05-17T06:19:00.001-07:00

isbn: 9780316041263

I have looked at his book Too Many Curses before, and thought it sounded kinda cool, so when this appeared in the store I decided to borrow it (one of the perks of working in a bookstore is that you get to borrow the hardcover books, as long as you don't damage them). I ended up reading it in a quick afternoon and it wasn't bad at all. The opening scene is incredibly strong, the buildup is pretty good and the descriptions of the monsters and of the battles is super fun. There is a lovely bit in the middle where we learn what bonding with the universe is like. The main character, Monster, is fun; he changes colours everytime he wakes up, and different colours give him different powers (he flies when he is goldenrod, shoots beams from his eyes when he is peach, can heal when he is turquoise). Too bad he can't choose what colour he will be in the morning. The end, though, is a bit like finding out the only ice cream left at the dessert buffet bar is lemon sorbet. It's still nice, but it's not triple chocolate fudge.

3/5

Lack of updates.

2009-05-17T06:15:00.000-07:00

I have been madly re-reading things I adore, recently, and therefore have not felt the need to repost the same reviews over and over. Sorry guys! Things I have re-enjoyed recently:

- All my Stephen Leacock
- Fancies and Goodnights by John Collier
- Karma Girl by Jennifer Esteep
- Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks

A few things I have started but not yet finished (and may never get through)
- Summoning by Armstrong
- Greywalker by ...
- Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (holy shit that book is long! Excellent, but a brick!)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

2009-04-05T16:14:00.000-07:00

isbn: 978-1594743344

I have been waiting for this book for months and have not been disappointed! I fully admit to having a degree in English Lit and having never read any Jane Austen before today. I have seen the A&E 6 hour version of Pride and Prejudice more times than I dare to recall, and yet picking up the book always made me sleepy and I put it down... That is until they added zombies! The story is all still there, the major plot twists and the language and the letters back and forth, but there are muskets and tales of training in China and legions upon legions of the undead. I devoured it in two days, and I almost want to read the original to see what exactly was changed. Almost. Not quite. As far as horror goes, it has more romantic bits than it does gory ones, although my gore tolerance is quite high. I am also kind of upset that it was not any sexier than it was. I am apparently spoiled by all the historical romances (which I have not read but am now thinking I may have to) where they wear bodices that serve no other purpose but to be ripped off... by the decomposing hands of zombies! Ha ha, snort.

Can you believe Amazon.ca is sold out? We also hand sold about 6 in as many hours the first day we got it at work. Woot!

6/5

The Wonderful O by James Thurber

2009-03-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

isbn: 978-1590173091

This book reminds me of Ella Minnow Pea, which was way more fun for me. I wish this book had been about 50 pages shorter, which is sad since it was only 80 pages long. If I am confused about the plot and I am 24... I loved the playfulness with words and the lesson at the end, but where the hell does the castle come from?

2/5

Throw Out Fifty Things, by Gail Blanke

2009-03-05T15:55:00.000-08:00

isbn: 978-0446505796

I saw a favourable review of this on Bookgasm and spotted it at work. It is a very short book and only took a few hours to read. She has really simple rules and interesting anecdotes which make throwing out things make sense. What have I thrown out? Some Christmas rubbish, 6 pairs of shoes (which only count as one thing according to the rules). bits of clothes and three feather boas from three halloweens ago. Ok, so I am not doing so great. Oh well.

3/5

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley

2009-01-20T03:50:00.000-08:00

isbn: 9780385665827

I managed to nab an advanced copy of this mystery (you will have to wait til February 10th to read it!) and am so glad I did! Flavia is one of my favourite characters ever, an adorable 11 year old chemist who poisons her sister's lipstick with poison ivy in order to make serious observations (alright, a bit of revenge in there too) and who just happens to find a body in her house's cucumber patch. Like you do. She is clever and fun and different. She is the kind of character I want to take out to coffee - although I would keep a close eye on my cup at all times. I devoured this book and cannot wait to sell it to people!

5/5

The Savage by David Almond, illustrated by Dave McKean

2008-11-21T10:12:00.000-08:00

isbn: 9780763639327

This book was beautiful, short and powerful. The story is told by Blue, who, being told to write down his feelings about his father's death, writes the story of the Savage instead, a boy who lives in a cave under an abandoned church and who kills anyone who sees him. The narrative is written a few years later, when his spelling has improved. The mistakes in the original story add to the roughness of the illustrations and of the story. It is absolutely dark but in the end redeeming. It was a bit short, but perhaps packs more of a punch that way.

4/5

We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson

2008-10-28T04:05:00.000-07:00

isbn: 978-0143039976

Shirley Jackson is the woman who wrote "The Lottery" and The Haunting of Hill House (which was bastardized in the movie version by adding little weeping children and a supernatural plot where the only thing we should have been watching was her declining mental health). This book is ridiculously well written, repetitive in all the right ways, claustrophobic and spooky, nerve wracking even though nothing truly terrifying happens. Not directly, not exactly. Constance and Merricat (Mary Katherine) are both sweet and terrifying and you never know when they will cry or laugh. This book was incredible. Truly fantastic.

5/5

Jinx, by Jennifer Esteep

2008-10-26T05:09:00.000-07:00

isbn: 9780425220627

This is apparently the last book in the Bigtime series, though I kinda wish it wasn't. I have already blabbed about the first two and this one is just as good. Same set of characters but adding something new each time. Interesting note, the author blurb at the back is quite cool, listing her as a writer by night and a journalist by day. She wears cute glasses and a sweater vest. Totally dorky and adorable.

4/5

The Sisters Grimm Book 1: The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Micheal Buckley

2008-10-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

isbn: 9780810993228

This was tons of fun. The evolution of the characters was realistic and their feelings seemed genuine. If my parents had disapeared because of a secret organisation and I was being shuffled around from foster home to foster home, I would be pretty damn pissed off when I found out my grandma wasn't actually dead. That my dad had lied to me. And then the giant shows up. Ugh. Made me smile.

4/5

Hot Mama, by Jennifer Estep

2008-10-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

isbn: 9780425217344

This is the second book in the Bigtime (the name of the city) series, and it was fun. The main character is so different from the first one that it feels brand new. It was lovely. She was very clever to send the guy and gal from the first book on a honeymoon for the duration of the book, allowing readers to get to know Fiona without being distracted by the old story. It still feels like a sequel but allows you to get to know characters completely differently. This is the most fun I have had with a romance novel.

4/5

Fancies and Goodnights, by John Collier

2008-09-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

isbn: 9781590170519

I wrenched this book out of Mike's hands as soon as I found out it was being compared to Roald Dahl. If you have read and enjoyed "Lamb to the Slaughter", the short story by Dahl, you will adore this book. A collection of short stories (3-12 pages each, ish), it is a fun ride through Hollywood, hell, suburbia and downtown. It has fleas in love, myriad murders, strange and unusual destinations and tons of fun. It is comparable to Roald Dahl for darkness and to Stephen Leacock for social satire. It was a super fun read that I cannot wait to shove into the hands of unsuspecting customers.

5/5

World of Warcraft Graphic Novel by Simonson and Lullabi

2008-09-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

isbn: 9781401218362

I used to be way more into comic books than I am now. Then again, I am way more into World of Warcraft than I have ever been. When I saw this sitting at the library, I grabbed it. I feel that a graphic novel created by many people can never really be rated on one thing alone. Art-wise, Lullabi does a great job. He keeps the bright, slightly cartoony look of the video game and knows how to draw fights, which is rarer than you might think. His elves are pretty, his bears are vicious and have big butts (wow inside joke) and his armour totally fits the over the top style. Writing wise, they also did a good job. It keeps moving and the dialogue does not feel overdone. Plot wise, though, ouch. They tried to cram in so much lore... Wow lore is best discovered slowly, through series of quests that make you understand the motivation of one group or another. This thing bounces around the horde, the alliance, all the main towns (which are beautiful, don't get me wrong. Seeing Darnasus, the giant tree, or the high peaks of Thunderbluff is amazing) but then you throw in the furbols, the naga, warsong gulch.... They are trying to cram about 40 levels of lore into a hundred pages. Ouch, my head!

Art: 4/5
Writing: 3/5
Plot: 2/5

Average: 4/5

Zombie Haiku, by Ryan Mecum

2008-09-03T15:24:00.000-07:00

isbn: 9781600610707

This is cute. Really cute. In a gory, horrible, flesh-eating way. The story told is lovely, interestingly paced and fun. There is even an awesome video on youtube advertising the book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd1Ws9QnmZY The book is classified as humour at the store, but I will put it squarely in the horror genre just because of the grape/eye reference. It was a bit short but the artwork inside was fun, matching the poems and the movement of the character. How a zombie can still write is beyond me, though I guess we are supposed to forget about that part.

3/5

Karma Girl, by Jennifer Estep

2008-08-26T17:28:00.001-07:00

isbn: 9780425222829

I saw this months and months ago and thought: that looks cool, but slightly dorky. But since it was in the romance section, I put it back. Mistake! It was tons of fun. I want to read the second one now. Carmen, our heroine, finds her fiancé boinking her best friend on her wedding day. AND they are superhero and the corresponding evil nemesis. Ouch. She snaps pictures and ousts them, and starts on a crusade to expose all heroes. This of course goes horribly wrong and funny bits and superhero sex ensues. This was a quick read I ate up in about 2.5 hours after work. Well worth the fun.

4/5

The Curse of Mousebeard, by Alex Milway

2008-08-10T05:45:00.001-07:00

isbn: 9780571234349

Wee, the second book. Short story: I bought the first one during a trip to London and ate it on the train ride back to Nottingham. I wanted the second one, but oh no! They didn't have it in Nott! Could I get it in Canada when I got back? Curses, not till next month! I couldn't wait that long! So I searched left, then right, and finally found it in a WH Smith! Hurah! And the second one I kept carefully till the plane ride home, to distract me from the screaming baby sitting in the seat next to me. Worked, too! End of short story.

This one was even more epic than the first one, with huge hidden temples and uber baddies. God I hate Miserly, the horrible evil Mousehunter girl. Arg! Had tons of fun with the mice again, and I cannot wait till we get the second one in Canada so I can sell it to kids. Wee!

On another note, Alex Milway commented on the blog which led me to his blog. Anyway, he has a rather clever little bit about the trend of overweight, extra long kids' books. Harry, I am looking at you, you little bastard. Click through for the full text.

5/5

The Economic Naturalist, by Robert H Frank

2008-08-10T05:12:00.001-07:00

isbn: 9780753513385

Since I enjoyed Freakonomics, I thought I would pick this up too. The British cover, seen above, is way more appealing than the Canadian one. Oh well. Most fantastic fact in the book: Why is milk stored in rectangular containers and pop in cylindrical ones? It all has to do with wasted space between the cans and the price of keeping milk refrigerated. If you have to keep it cold, you may as well minimise the space between cartons to have no wasted space. Clever and ridiculous, eh? The book is full of little gems that sometimes get repetitive but often are eye openers into the weird world we live in.

3/5

The Mousehunter by Alex Milway

2008-08-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

isbn: 9780571234332

An epic tale of pirates, mousehunting, giants, sea monsters, golden mice, hangings, stabbings, dung mice, elephant mice, nosferatu mice, messenger mice, moon howl mice, mice mice mice! Despite my bias in favour of rodents, this was an excellent book. It is suitably dark and spooky but silly at the same time. It has steampunk elements, pirate elements, fantasy elements... The whole package has a nice end, if a bit cliffhangery. The second book, The Curse of Mousebeard, looks even more fun.

5/5

Dogfish, by Dan Taylor and Gillian Shields

2008-08-02T10:48:00.001-07:00

isbn: 9781416910435

Absolutely the cutes book about a fish I have ever read. Blurb from the book:
"Everyone has a dog, except me. So I say to my mum, "I need a dog." But my mum says, "Why do you need a dog when you have such a nice goldfish?" The little boy in this book is desperate to have a dog as a pet. After all, what's the use in having a goldfish when they don't catch sticks, they don't wag their tail and they don't go for walks? Can a goldfish EVER be the perfect pet?"
The illustrations are the sweetest thing ever and this little goldfish grins!!

5/5

Button Button, by Richard Matheson

2008-08-02T10:46:00.000-07:00

isbn: 978-0765312570

Another collection of short stories that are dark, spooky, and very inspiring. The title story is especially excellent, short and snappy and hits you in the face. There is something in these stories that reminds me of "lamb to the Slaughter", by Roald Dahl, arguably the best short story ever written. Yes yes yes.

4/5

The Hollow People, by Brian Keany

2008-06-23T03:50:00.000-07:00

isbn: 978-0375843327

I have wanted to read this one for a while, and I was not disapointed. Apart from a very Matrix 2/Pirates 2 ending, this book is very nearly perfect. The world around the two characters is well thought out, the scary big brother-ness is just subtle enough that you could mistake it for misery, and Dante and Bea, the main characters, are lovely and real. I cannot wait till the next one, which aparently comes our in December 08. Arg!

4/5

Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr

2008-06-12T15:04:00.000-07:00

isbn: 0061214671

I have been looking at this one for a while, and finally took it out at the library. I am really torn. On one side, I really wish it hadn't ended so damn well. Ugh. I think boy A should go with girl B. Oooooh. Of course! On the other hand, I did really really want to finish it. Ate it up in two days (on the bus and at lunch). Honestly the second part looks better, but I can't figure out how it will work at all. Hmmm.

3/5

Operation Red Jericho, by Joshua Mowll

2008-06-10T14:23:00.000-07:00

isbn: 0763626341

I just ate this up. It is the story of two (probably) orphans fighting Chinese pirates and trying to protect the world from quasi-nuclear doom. Although the orphan + secret society is a little worn, the book makes it fresh with fantastically realistic reporting techniques, diagrams, inserts, notes on chemistry... I had tons of fun devouring this. Perfect for curious 9-12 youth.

4/5

Fire Study, by Maria V Snyder

2008-06-10T04:19:00.001-07:00

isbn: 0778325342

This is the third book in the series that started with Poison Study. I find it interesting/annoying that the books follow each other within a week or so. Her entire story is told in the books, with nothing happening off page. This is fun, but also a bit tedious. I feel the first chapter could have been cut out.

Still, the twists in this one are fantastic, and the evil things the bad guys do is so damn evil that by the time you realise what has happened you really really want to finish it. I had about 10 pages when I started by shift and I just wanted to die. :)

3/5

Hellboy: Unnatural Selection, by Tim Lebbon

2008-06-04T05:28:00.001-07:00

isbn: 9781416507833

I wanted to read something fun after reading that semi-serious teen fiction last month. This was pretty entertaining, felt like the comics and movie feel, kinda silly and full of one liners. Unfortunately, most of the oneliners were things used in the comics, so it felt like Hellboy was always going to be sore in the morning. I think they used it twice. Still, the story fun.

2/5

The Compound, by S.A. Bodeen

2008-05-29T03:36:00.000-07:00

isbn: 0312370156

I read this in one afternoon and got annoyed at someone who tried to have a conversation with me while I read it. I had to finish it. The book is paced extremely well and feels like the first big hill on a rollercoaster. The description of the food they can no longer have was ridiculously good, making me hungry for things I didn't even know I craved. The end was a bit weak, though not in a strictly bad sense. I think it was maybe a bit sudden for the speed I was going at.

4/5

Prom Dates From Hell, by Rosemary Clement-Moore

2008-05-26T05:24:00.000-07:00

isbn: 978-0385734134

This book was actually very clever, and sped up at just the right moment in the plot to keep me interested. Mixing serious issues with magic, this is a brilliant teen book for people who want softcore fantasy and discussions about bullying and high school royalty. I devoured this in one day, and when I thought I knew what was going on, I got slapped in the face and liked it.

4/5

Theodosia and the Sepents of Chaos, by R. L. Lafevers

2008-05-23T05:27:00.000-07:00

isbn: 978-0618756384

This book is a bit odd. I loved the story. It was very political and spooky. The writing was fine, with the descriptions of curses and objects being just the right length. The pace, on the other hand, was out the window, with zero decent introduction to Theo's powers. There is also a serious lack of details sometimes, like who this secret society is and how does Theo change from a decurser to a curser within 300 pages... A better title would have been Theo and the Heart of Egypt, which would have not ruined the major punch in the story. There is a second one lined up. I dunno if I will read it. The story was really good, though. Arg.

Generation Dead, by Daniel Waters

2008-05-21T04:11:00.000-07:00

isbn: 142310921X

I picked it up because of the cover and read it because of the blurb. Teenagers in America are coming back from the dead. Unfortunately they have limited mobility and speech, and no civil rights. The story is kinda dorky, with dating and proms, but it also has a lot of ethics questions and awkward decisions for the characters to make. By the end I had cried a little bit, even though it was sorta silly. Good message, nice softcore sci-fi/speculative fiction.

4/5

The City of Dreaming Books, by Walter Moers

2008-05-14T18:36:00.000-07:00

isbn: 1585678996

A very self-indulgent book, it chronicles the adventure of a wannabe-author dinosaur who travels to Bookholm, the City of Dreaming Books, and gets involved with Cyclops, Bookhunters, bug-like books, and the Shadow King! It is self-indulgent because it makes up most of the authors, creatures, races, places, everything, and describes it all in ridiculous (but fun) detail. Seriously, the asides and footnotes almost read like The Hitchhiker's Guide. Which is a compliment. It was a little long, but I totally wanted to finish it.

3/5

Playing With Fire, By Dereck Landy

2008-05-13T03:46:00.000-07:00

isbn: 0061240885

This is the second book after Skullduggery Pleasant, and features Valkyrie Cain and Skullduggery in another gory adventure to save the world and their hides. They really upped the horror/gore factor in this one, with people dying left, right and center, sometimes all at once when their bodies explode. It was a roaring good time, a tad predictable but still fantastic, opening the way to a third book rather explicitly.

4/5

The Raw Shark Texts, by Steven Hall

2008-05-01T03:55:00.001-07:00

ISBN: 978-0002008402

This is a strange and wonderful book. It is about a man who wakes up, remembering nothing, and who receives letters from his past identity telling him he needs to protect himself from a shark born in languange and writing, a Ludovican. IT is full of puzzles and strange locations and strange viruses of language that can control your mind or eat away at your memories. Spooky and fun.

4/5

Bones, Rocks and Stars, by Chris Turney

2008-04-26T09:34:00.000-07:00

isbn: 978-0230551947

A cute little soft-core history book about the trouble with dating things. Each chapters goes through a different mystery such as the identity of King Arthur or the validity of the Turin Shroud or the problems one faces when identifying the missing link. It discusses different calendars, the ways of criss-crossing calendars together (and why it rarely is as simple as it seems) and explains everything in a easy but not dumbed down way. Tidbit of information: the Egyptians started back at year zero every time a new King showed up. The Chinese, with each new dynasty. If there were years of famine and war and turmoil between official people being in charge, those years were simply lost. Hmph!

3/5

Bloodletting, by Victoria Leathan

2008-04-04T17:13:00.000-07:00

isbn: 1572244577

I don't typically read non-fiction, but spotted this at work. I work with youth who sometimes have serious mental health issues. This book, about cutting, depression and the innadequate medical system made me think and reflect how everyone feels this way sometimes, but with mental health issues, it is not so easy to control the inner images and voices. A quick read, but well paced.

3/5

Fly by Night, by Francis Hardinge

2008-03-11T04:56:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0060876296

Reading this book, you feel that you are in a fantasy world where boat ship coffee houses hide refugees and crocodiles guard towers. But once everything settles, you realise that it is based loosely on real history and that ridiculous adventures like this took place over the silly topic of religion and wether you should or should not believe in Saints (which they call The Beloved, which amuses me, for some reason).

It also has one of the best lines ever: You are caught between the frying pan and the fire; you will sizzle and like it.

4/5

Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, by Kirsten Miller

2008-02-23T11:10:00.001-08:00

ISBN: 978-1582349602

This book is fantastic for any girl of any age, but it will be high on my list to recommend for the 9-12 range. Especially for those who don't necessarily like magic or shopping. It is rare nowadays to find a good mystery/spy/science novel for girls. I love the little non fiction bits at the end of the chapters where she teaches you how to be a spy.

4/5

Sharp Teeth, by Toby Barlow

2008-02-05T17:07:00.000-08:00

ISBN: 978-0061430220

This may be one of the best books I have ever read and I am pleased to have bought it instead of having taken it out at the library. It is a story about werewolves. It is a poem about werewolves. In LA. Who pick up strays. And destroy meth labs, if someone will pay them to do it.

Because it is a poem, the sex is not romance novel sex, and the gore is not horror novel gore. In a poem you can describe dogs sleeping in a pile, chasing after something in their dreams. You can explain hunger. You can write about cute moments where someone does dishes and is hugged from behind, without it seeming dumb.

5/5

Fup, by Jim Dodge

2008-01-29T04:14:00.000-08:00

ISBN: 0671509101

This book was lent to me by Mike from work, after in made the rounds to a few other people around the store. It is a quick little thing, about a 40 minute read, and is more of a short story than a book. Still, it is immensely funny and sad all at once, a very enjoyable read, especially since it has apparently gone out of print.

The duck is called Fup, because it is a F'ed up Duck. This sums up the book quite well.

4/5

Shelf Monkey, by Corey Redekop

2007-12-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

ISBN: 1550227661

I think my friend Sophie said it best: it is good, but I won't read it again. This isn't because of bad writing, or lack of suspense or anything. This is a book's book, a bit like The Eyre Affair, a book that knows how elitist it is and revels in it. IT hits too close to home, too much like the job I have right now, dealing with people who eat up books written by women with a mental age of 13 but who have sex. Ugh.

4/5

Portugese Irregular Verbs, by Alexander McCall Smith

2007-11-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0676976809

Now this guy usually writes murder mysteries for 50+ women, so when I was told that this short little book was hilarious, I doubted it. But it is. It stars a grumpy old professor who worries about who has a "Von" in front of his name and whose nose is more unfortunate than his. He studies languages and is one of the silliest, most boring men in the world, and it is fantastic. I will be reading the other two in the series when I get the time (which is never, most likely).

4/5

Crooked Little Vein, by Warren Ellis

2007-10-21T05:14:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0060723934

Apparently this is warped book week. This book is quite short, but any longer would be too much. In the vein of Incompetence, everything that can happen to him does. Everything that can go wrong, does. He gets his testicules injected with saline, half his leads die, his gf (of sorts) cheats on him... But it is a great book. It's funny, a decent look at today's society and what is wrong (or is it?) with it.

4/5

Bad Monkeys, by Matt Ruff

2007-10-16T04:52:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0061240416

This book is crazy. I like books with twists, but this is a bloody tornado! :) A girl kills someone, then is caught and interviewed by a doctor at the psych-prison. According to her, she is part of an organization called the Bad Monkeys who kills evil people with a thing called the NC (Natural Causes) gun.

And then it gets weird.

3/5

Dilbert and the Way of the Weasel, by Scott Adams

2007-10-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0060521493

Like all Scott Adams books, it does get a little weak at the end, but it was a laugh and his knowledge of human nature is spooky.

3/5

Making Money, by Terry Pratchett

2007-10-12T03:35:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0385611015

I was so anxious for this book I literally screamed when I saw it on the basement table in receiving. I got a few strange looks. This book is very funny, very twistey, but it feels more like a direct (as in moment after) sequel to Going Postal. I don't know if that is fundamentally bad, but it made my reading extremely quick since I was totally in the story already, having read Going Postal about 6 times already. I will have to review my score once I can read it at my leisure in paperback (which is always more enjoyable and comfortable than trying to be extra careful with a hardcover book you borrowed from the bookstore you work at - which they expect to sell again afterwards (the book, not the store)).

3/5

Plague Zone: A serial novel, by David Wellington

2007-10-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

LINK: http://www.brokentype.com/pz/

I read this in two days. David Wellington writes serial novels, putting a short chapter online every monday, wednesday and friday for the duration of the novel, which are typically 60 chapters long. Now THAT is determination.

This was a nice take on the zombie genre, different than his "monster" series. The main story is about a guy who decides to go and kill the specific zombie that killed his wife (which was lovingly broadcast again and again as the official footage on tv. Brr).

4/5

Monster Planet, by David Wellington

2007-10-08T17:50:00.001-07:00

ISBN: 978-1560258674

The final book of the trilogy brings all the characters together, which is excellent. It actually makes all the characters figure all the right things out, and makes me super happy. I found out that the whole series is available online, at http://www.brokentype.com/monster/ . If you don't mind reading things online, get in there right now. Now.

5/5

The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch, by Terry Pratchett, Jack Cohen and Ian Stewart

2007-10-04T17:59:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0091898243

The first book explained physics of the planets. The second explained how culture evolved, and this one discusses time travel and evolution. The basic premise is that the Discworld wizards have created Roundworld, and they try and figure out how things work inside and how to fix it. In this one they try to make sure Darwin writes the right book in order to make technology evolve (sic) properly. A chapter of science is followed by a chapter of story and humour, which keeps the pace interesting. I like reading books about science ( I loved the Science of Star Trek when I was a kid ).

4/5

Extras, by Scott Westerfield

2007-10-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-1416951179

Eeek! Totally unanticipated, this is the fourth book in the Uglies "trilogy", and takes place three years after the end of Specials (as far as I can figure). It is based in a Japanese city where fame is the most important thing around. How much fame you have dictates how many credits you have. It was still a bit slow, and this guy totally likes falling from great heights too much, but still a nice addition to the series.

4/5

The Island of Dr Moreau. by HG Wells

2007-09-29T14:22:00.000-07:00

ISBN: um....

I read this on the recommendation of a customer, who told me she would not be responsible if I had nightmares and threw up. Um... This girl should read monster island. Anyway, I like Wells (War of the Worlds is one of my favourite classics) and this lived up to his name. Unfortunately it was extremely short and was really not as gory as I was expecting/hoping. We have vivisection and that is it, and that is really not even described. Meh.

3/5

The Zombie Survival Guide, by Max Brooks

2007-09-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 071563318x

I typically keep this book by my bedside, since reading and re-reading it relaxes me. Something about being prepared, studying the land and learning which vehicle to use to escape an infested area (bicycle is always best!) just makes me happy. The book is funny and scary at the same time, entertaining and educative, and is a great companion read to World War Z.

5/5

Calculating God, by Robert J Sawyer

2007-09-24T17:24:00.000-07:00

This is the second time I read this book, and it still makes me happy. The premise is that aliens land in Toronto to try and figure out if there are mass extinctions on earth that match theirs. Such an ocurence would prove that there is a God. It is touching and scientific and kinda scary all at once. If there is a god, I want it to be this one.

4/5

Ella Minnow Pea, by Mark Dunn

2007-09-20T06:35:00.001-07:00

ISBN: 978-0385722438

I read this in under 12 hours, including sleeping a night-full in there. It is very short (only 200 pages) but it is also so incredibly excellent that I woke up early to finish it (then went back to bed). This book is written in the form of letters, whose vocabulary and word usage gets more and more constricted as letters fall of the statue devoted to Nollop (the guy who wrote: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog) and they get axed from the island's vocabulary. The penalty for using these letters is eventually death. This book is hilarious and still scary, a literary 1984 if you will.

5/5

Zodiac: the eco-thriller, by Neal Stephenson

2007-09-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0802143150

I have tried to read Snow Crash three times now and cannot get beyond the first thirty pages. Something about this guy's writing style bugs the shit out of me. It distracts me and I find it hard to keep track of who is speaking. Sometimes I skip pages and don't notice. BUT! Despite this book not being my kind of writing style, I really liked it. The topic, toxic waste and how we could "solve" it is fantastic, and it really kept me interested for the whole book. It got really good by the end, but the writing style gave me a headache. For some weird reason it is classified as sci-fi, when it should be in the regular fiction, along Christopher Buckley and the like.

3/5

Lizard, by Banana Yoshimoto

2007-09-15T02:43:00.002-07:00

ISBN: 978-0671532765

This collection of short stories is one of the best I have ever read. Sophie from work said I should pick this author up, and she was right. The title story is especially moving, because it wraps you up, then it's over, and you never see it coming. You just feel it should keep going, but it doesn't. Crazy.

5/5

Failed Reads - September

2007-09-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

Colony, by Rob Grant
Diary of a Madman, by Gogol
May Bird and the ever After by ...
Swimming With The Fishes by Mary Janice Davidson

The Fourth Bear, by Jasper Fforde

2007-09-14T11:03:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0340835722

This book was just as awesome as The Big Over Easy, if not better. They develop the characters a bit more and they twist and turn the story so many times that by the time you get to the last little bit, you STILL have no answers. Love how he sums up what happened to all the characters after the book in a short little blurb. The next one will be about the hare and tortoise.

5/5

The Professor's Daughter, by Joan Sfar and Emmanuel Gulbert

2007-09-10T09:20:00.001-07:00

ISBN: 978-1596431300

This short graphic novel deals with egyptian mummies walking around and love. It is very pretty and mostly in sepia tones, and has a nice rounded feel to it. My only complaint is that is way too short, though I would not like to see it stretched for my sake.

4/5

Fat, by Rob Grant

2007-09-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0575078208

I'm sorry to have to say it, but I ate this novel up. It follows the story of one girl with anorexia, one overweight, anger-driven chef and one publicity spinner in charge of making a Well Farm (fat-nazi camp), skipping to each one each chapter, and mixing up the narratives by the end. It is really excellent, a study of how being "fat" is now illegal. The book starts by talking about the fat tax that planes are charging people based on their BMI, to account for the extra fuel needed to carry extra-sized people around.

5/5

Baltimore, or the steadfast tin soldier and the vampire, by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden

2007-09-07T03:42:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0553804713

This illustrated novel is one of the scarier things I have ever read. Almost a collection of short tales, the whole thing is wound together so well that you barely ever miss a beat. It is a story about war, plague, human weakness and vampires. These vampires are original and disgusting, and there is no way you can root for them in any capacity. It is a gorgeous, 35$ book and I am seriously considering buying it. Help me resist!

6/5 and more.

The Big Over Easy, by Jasper Fforde

2007-09-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0340835685

Jasper Fforde is the author of The Eyre Affair (The Thursday Next novels) and this is his Nursery Crime Division novels, Staring Jack Spratt and Mary Mary. This novel had an awesome buildup, tons of twists and seriously funny characters. It follows the veins of The Eyre Affair, where the world Fforde presents is more concerned with literature than anything else (such as right and wrong). Interesting factoid: The Eyre Affair is mentioned as a fictitious book in the novel. That was a nice little wink in the right direction.

There is a second book staring these characters called The Fourth Bear. Look for it soon.

5/5

Fantasy Gone Wrong, ed. Martin Greenberg

2007-09-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

ISGN: 978-0756403805

This is a collection of short stories that explore how WRONG fantasy can get. Stories of note include Food Fight, where a man can hear food talking, conspiring against our arteries, and Crumbs which takes knighthood and gingerbread and bops it on the head.

3/5

A Dirty Job, by Christopher Moore

2007-08-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0060590284

I usually like about half of Christopher Moore's books. As in, I will like half of each book and be bored to death by the other half. This is the exception. The story really pushes you through, the span is perfect, the details are pretty much all hilarious and touching at the same time... The personification of death has always been interesting to me, but this book really raises the bar. Will definitely read this again.

5/5

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

2007-08-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0312865047

They are turning this into a movie, and I don't see how it will work... It has a downer rating of about 6-7 out of ten, so they will have to change it, probably, to make it work as a blockbuster Will Smith flick. Meh. It is still a fun short story. Word of warning: the title story is followed by multiple other short stories, which I mistook for other chapters. Trying to fit them into the I Am Legend mythos completely ruined all of them for me. Do not let it happen to you!

3/5

Monster Island and Monster Nation, by David Wellington

2007-08-26T18:12:00.001-07:00

ISBNs: 978-0307346605 and 978-1560258667

Books one and two in the series, these horror novels work more from the point of view of the zombies than anything else. You actually feel for the zombies way more than for some of the other people in the book (although his survivors tend to be quite smart and charismatic). Monster Nation is actually a prequel to Monster Island, but they definitely need to be read in the order they were published. Monster Planet is the last book in the series, and I still have to read it.

Monster Island 5/5
Monster Nation 4/5

World War Z, by Max Brooks

2007-08-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0307346605

One of the most awesome books I have read in my life. I have read this about 4-5 times since receiving it at christmas time. Part slasher flick, part War of the Worlds, and part Day of the Triffids, this is the perfect social commentary of our time. Through dozens of characters we can see how a world deals with the impossible, and how some people cannot deal with it at all. Funny at times, sad at others, this is the ultimate read for any sci-fi, fantasy or horror fan.

5/5

Failed Reads - August

2007-08-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

Failed reads are books I could not get into enough to even finish. Sad but true.

The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
- couldn't get into it at all
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
- the first person narrator annoyed me
Stray by Rachel Vincent
- put it down after the first sentence
Poppy Shakespeare by Clare Allen
- the narrator is interesting, but hard to read because of the way she speaks. I am willing to try again later, perhaps
Keeping it Real by Justina Robson
- oh please... the cyborg chick who falls in love with the elf rock star she is supposed to be protecting... ugh.
Saint Vidicon to the Rescue
- very slow but interesting... Just not interesting enough for me to finish. Saints meets hackers is an interesting mix, though.

Magic Study, by Maria V. Snyder

2007-08-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 9780373802494
Fantasy, sequel to Poison Study which was better but less dramatic. This Snyder woman really does like to have rapists in her novels, doesn't she... Yet it never happens, we only hear about the people being raped. Quite entertaining though, Valek is a totally sweetheart.

4/5

Soon I Will Be Invincible, by Austin Grossman

2007-08-22T19:42:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 0375424865

Hilarious and touching at the same time, the chapters rock back and forth between the super villains and the super heroes, dealing with the tough stuff such as keeping your secret identity to getting your costume right and maybe even taking over the world a few times.

5/5

Supernaturalists, by Eoin Colfer

2007-08-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0786851492

This was a great teen book, with more serious themes than you sometimes see in adult fiction. Lots of torture and death, and plot twists galore. The characters are really fun too, especially the main kid who is quite brilliant.

3/5

Darkly Dreaming Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay

2007-08-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0307277886

IF you ever thought that serial killers were sweet, this is the book for you. Although it has quite a few lovely moments, and it kept me reading till the end, it is not quite my kind of book. Too slow to be overly violent, and too fast at the end to be satisfying. I would like to see the television series, though, just to see what they did with it.

2/5

Taken, by Edward Bloor

2007-08-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0375836367
Publish date: Oct 9th

Got a preview copy at the Random House Fall Preview, and it is the best book I have picked up from there so far. As soon as you start, you know it'll be full of twists, but then it just keeps on twisting back and forth, mixing just enough sci-fi to make you happy, with all the worries of our modern age. Best Edward Bloor book I have ever read.

4/5

Uglies, Pretties and Specials, all by Scott Westerfield

2007-08-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

ISBNs: 978-0689865381, 978-0689865398, 978-0689865404

This series of books is based in a world where when you turn 16, you get plastic surgery to make you into a Pretty, a perfect, cookie-cutter person who does not ask questions and who does not make a fuss. The three books folow Tally Youngblood, who, thank god, makes a huge fuss and gets things moving. Great book for young girls.

5/5 for all three.

Boomsday, by Christopher Buckley

2007-08-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0446579810

By the same author as Thank You For Smoking, Boomsday presents a world drowned by baby boomers (ours), where a bill is proposed: if you agree to kill yourself at 75, you get a tax break. More involved than TYFS, the book was more serious, almost, and just as funny.

4/5

My Financial Career and Other Follies, by Stephen Leacock

2007-08-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0771098925

Hilarious as always, this collection of Leacock lives by my bedside. From great works such as the book store study to new stuff I hadn't read before, all of Leacock's work makes me giggle and grin. Pick him up if you like short stories.

5/5

Poison Study, by Maria V. Snyder

2007-08-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

ISBN: 978-0373802302

Excellent novel, and apparently her first. A girl gets the choice to be executed or to become a food taster. The rhythm is excellent, and by the end you like her so much you just want to take her home with you. Awesome fantasy world that is serious enough to be taken seriously (no elves!).

5/5

Image Sources

2007-08-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

All images taken from Amazon.ca, for review purposes.