Book Reviews
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| 1 | Drawing a Blank: Or How I Tried to Solve a Mystery, End a Fued, and Land the Girl of my Dreams by Daniel Erenraft |
This book was an interesting foray into trying something new. I don't even remember which section of the store I found it in. Maybe the children's section. It was definitely written with a younger audience in mind. While the plot could have been more interesting, and was certainly predictable, the writing style was well-executed and full of fun and flair. Unfortunately, I didn't much care for the main character who ended up coming off as misogynistic rather than shy, and the main female character was less than charming as well. However, the book contains a lot of humor which really boosted it up a rating. |
| 2 | Hana Kimi Vol. 15 by Hisaya Nakajo |
The most recently released volume of Hana Kimi. This is a guilty pleasure for me. I gain nothing by reading, and it's a quick read too, each volume consuming no more than 45 minutes of my time. But I've fallen in love with the characters and want to see them succeed. Hana Kimi follows an American girl who is masquerading as a boy to go to an all-boy's school in Japan to cheer on her favorite high-jump athlete. Hijinks ensue (as always). Hisaya Nakajo has a gorgeous drawing style that takes some getting used to but is easy to fall in love with. |
| 3 | Scholarly studies in Harry Potter: applying academic methods to a popular text Edited by Cynthia Whitney Hallett |
While I'm not a super-fan of the Harry Potter books, I do enjoy them and frequently reread their contents for new meanings and a good diversion. Hallett scoured academia for a lovely collection of essays on various themes within the books. I enjoyed many of the essays but felt many of them were short-sighted or discussed only 1-side of a particular argument. Even so, if you're looking for some spirited conversation-starters, or feeling particularly pedagogical, give this book a try. No big disappointments here. |
| 4 | Protector of the Small: Squire by Tamora Pierce |
If you haven't read any of Tamora Pierce's books yet, I encourage you to get to work on it ASAP. I believe that Protector of the Small is the 3rd of her series set in Tortall, and it's my second favorite of her series overall. Tamora Pierce is constantly giving her readers strong female role-models that make us all wish we could be more like that. Squire may be my favorite of this particular quartet because Keladry, the main character, really comes into her own. |
| 5 | The Provost's Dogs: Terrier by Tamora Pierce |
This is the most recent of Tamora Pierce's books, and possibly the least hyped, and I think I know why. I can't say I was particularly enthralled by the plot (which was transparent and overly complex) or by the writing style which is Diary format and street slang which seems a hypocritical combination. I found out yesterday that the book is to be the first in a series of three. Oh Tammy, say it ain't so! I can't take too much of this style, and may skip the next two in the series if they're anything like this one. The main character's personality was inconsistent and improbable. This only got the rating it did because the writing is still compelling enough that I read it all the way through, despite it's flaws. |
| 6 | The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold |
I sure didn't know what I was getting into when I picked up this reflective and contemplative thriller, but before I knew it, I was trapped. This is what I would call a dangerously addictive read. My mother had mentioned it was a good book, but I'd somehow forgotten that she likes to think about death and all that. The plot isn't exactly what I'd call gripping, and the actual events are brutal and enough to give me nightmares, but the writing style is interesting and kept me reading all the way to the somewhat disappointing end. A plot twister, this isn't. |
| 7 | Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs |
When I originally found out that Patricia Briggs was working on a sequel for her vampire/werewolf romantic/thriller series, the very first thing I did was send her an email congratulating her and begging to know when it would be out. Over this past weekend, my boyfriend surprised me with a copy of it, but I promised myself not to start in on it until I finished Lovely Bones. Patty Briggs continues her good work on the series with even more action and adventure and a strong heroine. I'm going to say that the only things I really found detracted from my reading pleasure were that the cover is overly sexy and unnecessary; some of the plot twists are totally out of the blue and kind of lacking reason and focus; and the heroine is obviously becoming less and less her own person. Even so, I loved the book and soared through it in just 2 days. A-, Patty. I await the next two books in the series with great impatience. |
| 8 | My Life as a Furry Red Monster: What Being Elmo has Taught Me About Life, Love and Laughing Out Loud by Kevin Clash |
I ordered this book for my house library and as soon as it arrived, I sunk my teeth into it. It's quite uplifting, but Clash has a tendency to jump subjects in the middle of a chapter. Ultimately, like Elmo himself, reading this book gave me a warm-fuzzy feeling. If you're ever feeling particularly sad or want to recall those childhood days of watching Sesame Street, look this book up. Note that this book does make reference to both 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. If you are particularly sensitive to these events, you may want to skip this book. |
| 9 | Cod by Mark Kurlansky |
Review coming soon! |
| 10 | Od Magic by Patricia A. McKillip |
Alex gave me this to read and said it was good. The cover art is gorgeous and the plot sounds fascinating. This is probably one of the few fantasy books out there that focuses on a tradesman. Unfortunately, although the main character seems compelling and the reader wants to empathize with him, the actual events of the book focus far more on derived politics and contrived plots that have nothing to do with the gardener. I spent large portions of the book asking myself what had just happened. McKillip has a great narrator's voice but perhaps needs some practice making the events seem a bit more convincing. |