Yep. It's that time of the year... again. Where I have to read tedious, horribly boring, or (if I'm lucky) just remotely interesting books and pay attention to what they say. This year's list is less than enjoyable, and while it gave me choices, few of them were what I really wanted to read.
Nonetheless, I did see a few of my favourite authors on the list and therefore chose them. Technically I only have to read four, but adding the fifth seemed a safe bet. Without further ado, here is the dreaded List:
-Puddenhead Wilson, Mark Twain
-Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Fannie Flagg
-The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan
-House of Mirth, Edith Wharton
-Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury
Mark Twain and Ray Bradbury are the authors who made me smile and think that maybe this year's list wasn't quite so bad. After all, nothing can beat The Once and Future King in a "kill-it-dead" contest--not even 1984 or Animal Farm (though Animal Farm does give The Once and Future King a run for its money).
Reviews will be on their way. I promise.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Magyk
by Angie Sage
Magyk is the story of Septimus Heap, the seventh son of a seventh son. This is a very Magykal position, as the seventh son of a seventh son has many Magykal powers.
...Okay, I can't continue. Magyk is an enormous book, where every other word is either capitalized and/or misspelled. In order for me to write a review on it, I would probably have to follow the same style, which would bother me to no end.
To be frank, the only thing that kept me reading this story was the characters. The plot rings somewhat hollow, even two books later (I'm currently reading Physik). The unconventional spelling wouldn't bother me nearly as much as it does because all the "important" words are bolded and in a different font face (a highly idiotic formatting move on the part of the editor, in my opinion). But the characters are hilarious, and they keep the story moving. Septimus (aka Boy 412)... Jenna, the not-so-regal Princess... Alther, the very helpful plot-device-character ghost... Marcia, the uptight ExtraOrdinary Wizard... Sarah and Silas Heap, and all the Heap brothers... it's crazy, but fun.
This book is a very hefty one. It's a good read, but more aimed towards those readers who love reading so much that a two-inch-thick novel does not faze them. Read it for the characters!
Magyk is the story of Septimus Heap, the seventh son of a seventh son. This is a very Magykal position, as the seventh son of a seventh son has many Magykal powers.
...Okay, I can't continue. Magyk is an enormous book, where every other word is either capitalized and/or misspelled. In order for me to write a review on it, I would probably have to follow the same style, which would bother me to no end.
To be frank, the only thing that kept me reading this story was the characters. The plot rings somewhat hollow, even two books later (I'm currently reading Physik). The unconventional spelling wouldn't bother me nearly as much as it does because all the "important" words are bolded and in a different font face (a highly idiotic formatting move on the part of the editor, in my opinion). But the characters are hilarious, and they keep the story moving. Septimus (aka Boy 412)... Jenna, the not-so-regal Princess... Alther, the very helpful plot-device-character ghost... Marcia, the uptight ExtraOrdinary Wizard... Sarah and Silas Heap, and all the Heap brothers... it's crazy, but fun.
This book is a very hefty one. It's a good read, but more aimed towards those readers who love reading so much that a two-inch-thick novel does not faze them. Read it for the characters!
Friday, January 16, 2009
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
When someone says "Holocaust novel," the first thing that comes to mind is a tearjerking story of Jews who were tossed into a concentration camp, right? The camp of choice for fictitious stories is usually the ever-infamous Auschwitz, while true stories tend to have more variation. The Book Thief is not an average Holocaust novel.
Liesl Meminger's mother has given her up for adoption. Liesl ends up living with a foster family, the Hubermanns. They are a German family: Papa (Hans) Hubermann, and his wife Rosa (aka Mama). Liesl joins the Hitler Youth, becomes friends with Rudy, a neighbourhood soccer teammate, and is generally a good German girl in the 1940s. But then a Jewish man from Papa Hubermann's history comes to the house and they have a Jew living in their basement in the midst of the Holocaust.
This story, narrated by Death, is fascinating. Instead of a typical concentration-camp story, Death follows Liesl and her life in Nazi Germany. I highly recommend this to anyone who like Holocaust fiction (and even those who don't--it's really, really good!). But start reading some time in the day, or else you won't have time to sleep at night. It's an all-night story.
When someone says "Holocaust novel," the first thing that comes to mind is a tearjerking story of Jews who were tossed into a concentration camp, right? The camp of choice for fictitious stories is usually the ever-infamous Auschwitz, while true stories tend to have more variation. The Book Thief is not an average Holocaust novel.
Liesl Meminger's mother has given her up for adoption. Liesl ends up living with a foster family, the Hubermanns. They are a German family: Papa (Hans) Hubermann, and his wife Rosa (aka Mama). Liesl joins the Hitler Youth, becomes friends with Rudy, a neighbourhood soccer teammate, and is generally a good German girl in the 1940s. But then a Jewish man from Papa Hubermann's history comes to the house and they have a Jew living in their basement in the midst of the Holocaust.
This story, narrated by Death, is fascinating. Instead of a typical concentration-camp story, Death follows Liesl and her life in Nazi Germany. I highly recommend this to anyone who like Holocaust fiction (and even those who don't--it's really, really good!). But start reading some time in the day, or else you won't have time to sleep at night. It's an all-night story.
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