Book Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone can be a very polarizing book. You have the people who will tout it's greatness and marvel at one book's ability to get children to read; and then you have another group of people who will do nothing but bad-mouth this book, stating that it is nothing more than a tool to teach children the art of witchcraft. The second group has probably never read this book, or any children's books of any merit, for that matter. If they did, they would see the wonder that lives in these stories. Most children do not want to read. It is a skill that is mastered slowly; and honestly, most children are too impatient to really get there. That's why books like this are so wonderful. The story is one that (almost) every child can relate to.

Harry has his eleventh birthday and finds out something wonderful about himself. He really is special and his family really is just the most boringest of the boring families ever. What child doesn't want this? He gets to leave his boring life of being picked on by bigger kids and ignored by his family and enters this fascinating world of magic and wizards and mail-delivering owls and chocolate frogs that actually jump. He makes new friends rather quickly, despite being one of the most famous wizards of his time.

But Harry's new life is not without bullies and bad stuff here. There is Draco Malfoy, whose only goal in life seems to be making Harry Potter miserable. Professor Snape also has a dislike for Harry that would almost be understandable, if Snape didn't try to hard to make it obvious that he hates Harry.

Harry Potter lives through a lot of the trials that normal children face every day. Mean teachers, bullies, super hard exams, and learning new sports. Just because he does it while at a school for magic doesn't make it any less real for children. If anything, children are more willing to believe in Harry's trials and tribulations despite the magic. It almost makes it harder for him. Not only does he have to get through all the same things they are dealing with, he has to learn how to be a wizard on top of it all. And someone is out to get him.

Book Review: Geek Love

This book took me FOREVER to read. I did not enjoy it, at all. I found myself reading the same paragraphs over and over again, lost in my thoughts that were no way related to the story. The characters were unlikable and I didn't care about them. The narrator, Olympia, was passive and never did anything because SHE wanted to. She did what other people around her TOLD her to do. No thank you.

Update Time

I'm behind on my reading, again. I am finding it very hard to really get into the book I'm reading at the moment. It's not a terrible book, I just don't care about any of the characters the way I normally do. But I'll keep on trudging through it.

In other news: tomorrow I'm getting a haircut. My first one in almost a year. I'm terrified. Of haircuts. It's true. They scare the bejeezus out of me. I know I'll feel better once it happens, but I'm going to work myself into a frenzy just thinking about it until then.

Book Review: Labyrinth

I thought I did the review for this one already, but apparently not. Well, it's Friday at work and that means Jeans Day! and I really don't have much else to keep me occupied. So, I'm going to catch up all my book reviews/thoughts from the last few I've read. I'll start here.

Labyrinth was disappointing. It had such great potential. I thought it would be an archaeological mystery where someone stumbles into an old important historic site, finds something of importance and the mystery surrounding that item or site would come out, detractors would also find themselves out in the open and maybe even a love story would blossom. But No. This was not what I got out of this book at all. It was more of a historical fiction than anything else, and I don't really like historical fiction. Especially not books that focus on the Crusades and the lack of importance that women had and the importance of religious persecution.  I'm not saying that those aren't important topics, but they were not handled well within the constraints of this story.

It started off fine, but quickly devolved into a sort of mock-feminist escapade that lost its luster quickly. There were too many story lines that started at roughly the same time and when the story would jump back and forth between the present and the past, I found it very hard to keep up with what era we were currently experiencing. Especially considering the characters names were disturbingly similar. I never knew what was going on 100 percent of the time. I think I just fumbled through this book hoping it would end much more quickly than it did.

 2 stars. No more.

Book Review: Inkheart

I am not ashamed to admit that my Mom was the first person to tell me about this book. We often trade books because we tend to like the same things in our literature: fantasy, magic, other realms, time travel, etc., so this book was perfect for us to share.

Meggie and Mo are both book lovers and they have such an endearing relationship that I can't help but squee internally every time they are on the page together. Dustfinger, as much as he plays a minor villain, is also lovable, in a discrete fashion. You could never tell Dustfinger that he was your favorite character, but he would appreciate it just the same.

The novel feels like it is one long prologue, honestly. As much as I loved the book overall, it took far too long to really get into the "meat" of the story.

It is really a story for and about book lovers. And anyone who has ever wished they could live inside their favorite novel. Or even those people who want to bring their favorite characters to life. This book serves a kind of warning about what would happen if you could. It also takes you on an interesting ride along the way.

Book Review: Ender's Game

I loved this book. I'll admit that it took me a few tries to really get into it, but I was completely absorbed once I got past the first few pages. Ender is not a typical child, by any means. His siblings are also not typical children. None of the children in this novel would be considered normal. They are all in the Battle School for a reason and that is a hard fact to face when you consider their age. They are there to fight and to train and to win a war.

Ender is singled out and separated from the very beginning of the novel, almost in a pure outsider role. He is going to be the best at what he does and his teachers and trainers see this very early on. They make his life difficult in trying to make him the ultimate victor.

The games the children train with are not the most inventive of strategy games, but they are constantly pushed to their limits with them. I think this is a key theme in the novel. Ender quickly realizes that doing something a hundred times the same way and expecting different results will never work out. He knows that you must try new things to get a new outcome.

Ender is also kept in the dark about a lot of the dealings at the Battle School. The teachers purposefully withhold information from him because they don't want to see his demeanor change or see his spirit break. They are using him as a pawn in their war against the Buggers and as much as Ender knows this, he also avoids directly dealing with this information. His day to day survival is more than enough for him to deal with.

Book Review In Progress: Franny And Zooey

They say "goddam" too much in this novel.

Bret Easton Ellis must have read this book obsessively in preparation for American Psycho. There are lots of superfluous lists of thing in the house, in the cabinets, in the bookshelves, the kinds of furniture they had, how many empty birdcages were present in the living room with the exact number of comfortable chairs AND uncomfortable chairs.

I wish I had read this when I was 15 and not 28. I don't think I "get" it like I'm supposed to. I don't dislike Salinger by any means, I just don't enjoy his stuff the same way my nihilistic younger self would have.

I think this is my 40th official book of the year.

Edit on 08/24/12:

Well, I've given myself a few months to "ruminate" on this book. I still don't get it.  This puts me at odd with all my friends who LOVE Salinger. I just can't get into it. I also can't get into Bukowski, which is another thing I guess I'll just have to accept. If this makes me a terrible person, so be it.

Book Review In Progress: Her Fearful Symmetry

Okay, so I'm not quite done with this book yet. I just wanted to jot down some quick thoughts.

I find the two main twin characters to be incredibly pompous. Julia is overbearing and needy. Valentina is meek and fearful. Julia calls Valentina "Mouse", which I find rather insulting. Is it meant to be diminutive? Is she trying to put her sister down all the time? The answer is probably.

So far I think Martin is my favorite character. He seems the least cringe-worthy in personality. Which is an odd thing to say about a man living with a crippling case of OCD.

Robert is a timid man-child who deserves to be slapped on the side of the head. He cannot fathom life without Elspeth and somehow thinks that Valentina will be a good substitute. It just feels so wrong and gross.

I am finding it really hard to like this book. It had so much potential. But the characters are all irritating and droll.

UPDATE: Do not like this book. No no no. Predictable and infuriating. This will not be getting a permanent place on my bookshelf.

Book Review: American Gods

I don't really know where to start with this one. I love Neil Gaiman. I love this book. But the first time I read it, several years ago... I'm thinking sometime around 2003/2004-ish.. I didn't really GET this novel.

But things have changed. Oh yes.

It is filled with allusions to most of Norse pantheon and mythology and several other pantheons as well. Mr. Nancy being the first one I can think of off the top of my already-too-full head. Mr. Wednesday is one of the great characters in this novel. He embodies the trickster archetype, which I find hard to fit into my world-view of this book. I don't know.

My brain is too full of mush and pancake batter to really suss through all my thoughts right now.

It's a good book. Read it. Enjoy it. Learn from it.
It really helps if you have a slight mythology/folklore background too. It helped clarify a lot of the allusions that I definitely missed the first time through. 

Book Review: The Girl Who Played With Fire

I'm still behind on all my reviewing, but I'll be caught up soon I promise. I read this book a while ago. 3 books ago, maybe.

Like the first book in the series, this novel is not exactly classics material. It is not that well written, but I don't think anyone minds. The story is compelling and lush and a bunch of other words I can't really think of right now.

This book was more enjoyable than The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was for me, at least as far as the main mystery/driving force of the novel was concerned. As much as the last book centered on Mikael, this book is almost solely about Lisbeth. And it is Lisbeth that we all want to know about. At least I do. She is an interesting character. An antisocial outcast with possible Aspergers who is incredibly good with math, computers and blending into a crowd. Yes, please.

I especially liked the cliffhanger at the end of the novel. I find that this happens a lot in the second part of trilogies. Catching Fire is another book that did that. I need to know what happens next! Cannot wait! Instant gratification! Now now now!

My only complaint with this book is how easily confused I was by all the new characters. There were so many important people added so quickly that I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information presented in such a short time. Who is doing what again? What's going on? Is this person good or bad or do we know them yet? I was constantly asking this. But the end more than makes up for the lack of cohesion throughout the rest of the book. 

And yet, I do not own the third book in this series. And I probably won't for a very long time. Unless I find it for a dollar again.

Book Review: Dearly Devoted Dexter

Okay. Dexter book number two. Review time.

Dearly Devoted Dexter is a much better novel than the first in this series. I've already expressed my dislike for book-Deb. Well, she doesn't really get much better in this novel, but I can stand her presence more here.

This book flows much better, to me. It seems like Lindsey planned the storyline out a little better than he did the first one. It was more of a mystery, despite the ever-present "who-dunnit" feel to the entire thing.

We also get to know Sgt. Doakes's back story a little better in this novel, something I don't believe is ever revealed in the TV show. Rita and the kids become bigger parts of Dexter's life here too, especially Cody.

A good book overall. But don't look to this book for any clues as to where the TV show progresses in the second season. It is a loose relationship the two mediums have with each other. One is drawing on the other for inspiration and that is it. 

Book Review: Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Sigh.

It's been a while since I've read this book, but it's been an even longer while since I've wanted to really post anything. I feel old and jaded.

But here it is. My review of Darkly Dreaming Dexter.

First things first. I hate the book version of Deb. I might be biased simply because I adore Jennifer Carpenter, but the Deb in the book is a brainless bimbo whose only asset is her chest size. Just no.

I also really dislike the book LaGuerta, but I can see why this is a necessary plot device for the novel to work. Again, I might be partially biased because I do greatly enjoy the Showtime drama for what it's worth.

The story is slow and I really had a hard time "getting sucked in". This was actually the second time I'd attempted to read the novel and only the first that I managed to finish it. Some of the things felt a little too coincidental and while coincidences are good plot devices to get the main character INTO trouble, they should never be used to get one OUT of trouble. Herein lies my main problem with the entire flow of the novel. Dexter relies on coincidences entirely too much. He also relies on his charms and his good luck and quite possibly the stupidity of the people around him.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. I probably would have given it 3.5 stars if half stars were an option, but alas, they are not. So I erred on the upside.

Fans of the TV show should not hold this books shortcomings against it. It is a good story on it's own. It is not something to judge the TV show against, however. Do not read it for that merit alone. I personally feel that the Showtime version is a lot stronger and more dramatic. The novel is a quick, throwaway beach read.

Book Review: The Testament

Let me preface this by saying that I don't normally read John Grisham novels. Not that they are bad, or anything. I just don't much care for the subject matter he deals with. I am not a fan of legal thriller/mystery novels. The only legal dramas I enjoy involve Agent Gibbs and are usually more interesting. But I have read my share of Grisham novels in the past. This is partially my mother's fault. She had a small collection started and one day decided she didn't want to keep them any longer. I am not one to get rid of books that I haven't read, so I added them to the ever-expanding to-read list. I think this was the last of them.

The Testament is not a typical Grisham novel though. It doesn't deal with lawyers in a court room, or fleeing from murder charges, or helping someone get out of their impending murder charges. It's a lost-and-found scenario, more or less. Involving a lawyer. Who gets to venture deep into the jungle of South America to find a woman. A very important woman. The lawyer is also an ex-alcoholic/drug addict.

The premise of this book struck me as stupid. It is a harsh word to use, but really, this books seems preposterous and over-wrought. And it was.

Despite the fact that I think I liked it the best out of all the Grisham novels I've read thus far, it was a complete waste of time. I'll stick to watching NCIS in the future.

Book Review: I Know This Much Is True

Okay, so I'm a little behind on posting reviews and posting in general. I think it's been about two weeks since I've said anything here at all. Oops.

The good news is that I've only read 4 books since then. The bad news is that I've only read 4 books since then.

I Know This Much Is True is another one of those books that has been floating around my bookshelf for far too long. I think I've started it more than once only to put it down a few pages in. I know precisely why, too. It's the self-mutilation scene in the library. That's what gets me, every time. Now, you might think that I've just ruined a major part of the story for you, and yes, I probably have. But, this happens so early in the story that I'm pretty sure you'd read it in your first sitting. And promptly be disturbed and put off by it. Just like me.

But don't be. Push through the hand-removing and keep reading. It gets better. And by better, I don't mean he removes more of his appendages, because that never happens. The story progresses neatly and logically, as much as a story about a schizophrenic man who cuts off his own hand in a library can.

And how many times can I mention the hand removing? Because that's what sticks out the most from this novel. It does have an integral role in the storyline. It serves to keep the plot moving and is something no one can forget about, especially not Dominick, our protagonist.

The novel itself is very well written. Much better than the godawful She's Come Undone, which holds the distinction of being one of only two books I've hated enough to give away. I Know This Much Is True, in my unprofessional opinion, accurately portrays schizophrenia. It shows just how hard it is to be schizophrenic and how hard it is for loved ones to deal with a schizophrenic.

The story never gets boring, right until the very end, when things end a little too neatly and succinctly for me. But life is never neat. Life is messy and that's the one thing this novel forgets about. Things don't work out the way you want them to, no matter how much you hope.

Overall, I've given this book 5 stars, forgiving the indiscretion of the ending, of course. The overall course of the book was amazing and the characterization was phenomenal. 

Book Review: The First Chronicles of Amber

Okay. I'm going to admit something here that I will probably never fess up to again. I cheat to get my book count up for the year sometimes. This book is proof.

My yearly reading goal, set for myself by myself, is 100 books. This is not a novels only goal. This is a BOOK goal. If it was published, as a book, it counts. Comic books/graphic novels count, as do nonfiction works, and even novellas. I've counted picture books in the past. If I take the time to READ the work, then it counts in my READING list.

This book encompasses the first "cheat" I've employed this year to get my book count back up. I'm still behind by 9 book, yes, but not by 12 like I was before embarking on this journey into Amber.
The First Chronicles of Amber is an omnibus of the first FIVE books in this series by Roger Zelazny. It was published by the Science Fiction Book Club a long time ago and when I was in high school, or thereabouts, I was a member. I bought this book thinking it sounded interesting. And because it had five books under one cover.

Well, I finally got around to reading it. All five of them. And for the sake of clarity, I am listing them on Goodreads as each individual one, despite writing the review for the omnibus.

The five novels within the omnibus are:

• Nine Princes In Amber 
•  The Guns of Avalon
• Sign of the Unicorn 
• The Hand of Oberon 
•  The Courts of Chaos

 Nine Princes In Amber starts as a sort of mystery. I was confused as to what was happening mostly because the main character was confused. Zelazny unfolds the world of Amber by presenting us with a man who has just woken up from a very long drug-induced bout of amnesia. We are finding out everything about this character just as he is learning it himself. Corwin eventually frees himself from the hospital and makes his way to his sister's house. We learn that they are part of a superhuman family from another dimension/world and there is a power struggle happening between the siblings. Some have taken sides, others have gone missing.

This is pretty much the plot line the entire series will take, I think. Brother against brother, faction against faction. No one knows who to trust and doesn't trust anyone until it's absolutely necessary to seek help.

The books flow very quickly, but they are less than 200 pages each. I know I read them all in less than 3 days at work. Lots of reviews have said that they all feel like chopped up bits of a single novel and I think this is true.

There were certain parts I enjoyed more than others, as evidenced by my 3 or 4 star ratings on individual books, but as a whole I would say that these are quite good. I wish Goodreads let you give half star ratings, because this book could definitely use one.

I might seek out The Merlin Cycle eventually, which encompasses the last five books in the series. This first set is considered The Corwin Cycle, since the main character is the brother Corwin. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Book Review: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

If any of you remember, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was THE popular book a few years ago. It really was everywhere for a short time there. I don't think it left the NY Times Bestseller list for weeks. And there's probably a good reason for this. Well, I worked in a book store at the height of it's popularity and I avoided it like the plague. I mean, all these housewife-y moms with their brat children running around would ask for the book and overly make-upped grandmothers would also come in looking for it and NO ONE would be able to find it, despite being displayed prominently on the Bestsellers wall right at the front of the store. It was practically the first thing you would see when you walked in, that is, if you paid attention to what you were doing and where you were going, rather than lumbering into the store and heading straight for the first person wearing a name tag. That brings back memories. And is precisely the reason I never read the book until now.

A books core audience tends to influence my opinion and willingness to read the book itself. I know, that's probably the wrong way to look at something that has great potential that I personally know nothing about. But we all do it. With clothes, with music, with stores in the mall. If you do not like the people that shop there, you will not shop there. And I did NOT like the people coming in to find this book.

But, almost three years later, I found a copy of the book at a used book store for a dollar. And I'm not one to leave a dollar book behind, no matter how much I disliked it's buyers from my book store days.

So I gave it a chance.

It starts out slow. The characters feel a little flat and misguided. But I can see how bored housewives would find this book compelling. The story is full of twists and turns and reminds me just a little bit of The Westing Game. It takes about a hundred pages to really get its story-teeth into you and by that point, it's more of an effort to put the book down than to keep reading.

I did not dislike the book, but I would never rank it as one of my favorites. I doubt it would even make my top ten list. But the story was compelling. And forgiving all the gratuitous sex (there isn't much, just enough to feel unnecessary) I will probably read the sequels. As soon as I find them for a dollar.

Book Review In Progress: The Witching Hour

This is the first time I've ever been compelled to write a review before I've even finished the book.

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice is the longest book I've tackled this year. It's taken me several weeks to get halfway through it. And I've decided to come clean about why.

This book is rubbish.

The reviews on the back state that it is: "[A] huge and sprawling tale of horror" courtesy the NY Times Book Review; "Vintage Rice.. lush prose, dense atmosphere, steamy sex, gothic tension" from the San Francisco Chronicle; and the only review that comes close to capturing this monstrosity in a few words is via The Washington Post Book World "Extraordinary... Marvelous... Anne Rice offers more than just a story; she creates a myth."

These reviews are slightly misleading. There is no steamy sex. There are incestuous relationships. There is no horror; there is a story about a family with psychic abilities and a tall, dark man that happens to follow their heir apparent around, even in childhood.

Rice is not SHOWING us a story at all. (From a phrase that many writers will recognize: Don't TELL, SHOW.) She is telling us the very long, very convoluted history of the Mayfair family.

I was interested in the story at the beginning of the novel, but once we ventured back to New Orleans to read the Chronicles of the Mayfair family as collected through several centuries, I was done.

I am tired of skipping characters, I am tired of the phrases: "history from this point forward", "from this point in the story", and "we will deal with... at the proper time."

I am just tired of this book.

EDIT: UPDATE: I finished this god-awful book. A fucking month later. If you're not a fan of cursing, then I suggest you not read the rest of this review. Or any review of Anne Rice I ever write. Because Holy FuckBalls. That was the longest, most drawn out, convoluted book I've managed to read this year.

I honestly skimmed over the last 400 pages or so today at work. I couldn't tell you what the entire point of that book was and I'm not quite sure that Anne Rice could either.

Jesus. I'm glad it's over though. I won't read it again. And honestly, I cannot tell you why I keep reading Anne Rice's books at all. They are never as good as I want them to be. I think I keep reading them because they are there. And that's just generally how I work.

Book Review: The Thirteenth Tale

Well, I'm officially at one of my halfway points with this book. This is the 25th book I've read this year; and while that puts me 12 books behind on MY goal, I am ahead on the Blog Challenge as issued by Zim.

Lots of my friends on Goodreads have marked this book To-Read. And while I think they should give it a chance, I wouldn't necessarily say that this book is the greatest thing to hit bookstores in a few good years. If anything this book had potential that it failed to live up to.

The blurb on the back cover leads you to believe that this novel will be a ghost-story-mystery for book lovers. That's not exactly true. It flows quickly but it has a very meta feel to it. It is a book about the writing of a book. A biography, actually. And there in lies the "ghost-story" aspect of it. All histories can be considered ghost-stories in some way, and this book is the history of a family. A dysfunctional yet wealthy family, but really, aren't they all?

There are some interesting plot twists, but the ending feels a little contrived. Instead of the ending you were expecting, the author throws in a "Just Kidding! This is what REALLY happened because I forgot to reveal some things to you along the way." That really irritated me. Or maybe I'm honestly just not a close enough reader to have caught all the little hints. I don't know. It feels like I'm being underestimated as a reader though. And I don't like that.

Despite my inability to catch everything during a first read through, the story is set up to grab your attention and keep you trapped. I didn't really care for the story but I couldn't stop reading. I needed to know what happened. It's on that same level of interest that Soap Operas have to me. I don't know why I'm watching it but I can't stop looking.

All in all, not a terrible book but not great either.

Book Review: The Westing Game

I must have attended a terrible public school system because we were never forced to read anything good in any of my English classes. I think we had to read parts of The Canterbury Tales one year, but that was junior year of high school. Far too late for me to really get anything educational out of it. I remember hating it.

I didn't get to read The Westing Game in school like lots of other people have, but I knew about it as a school book, just the same.

Having owned this book for several years before actually reading it, I can say that with complete honesty that it is very short and doesn't take up much shelf space. What I can't say is why I haven't read it until now. Laziness? Probably.

I read this book in a single sitting at work. I should probably stop reading at work, but what else am I going to do. And how else am I going to hit my goal of 100 this year. I'm already behind by 11 books at this point. Add in the two gigantic tomes I'm reading through now, I'll surely sink even further behind than that.

It is a quick read but very involved and detailed. You can't skip a single thing or you will lose the game. I was definitely intrigued by all the subtle details of the game and its clues. I couldn't figure it out though. I think that's sort of the point, really.

I did really enjoy this book. It'll go back on the bookshelf to be revisited in a few years time. I guess this whole "read a book, get rid of a book" thing I've been attempting is not working out too well. Oh well. At least I'm reading through what I've owned for far too long.

If you have a day to spend with a book, I'd highly recommend this one. Especially if you are at all interested in murder mysteries and word plays. Oops. I may have just said too much.

Book Review: The Harp Of The Grey Rose

This is another one of those books that I've looked at for several years, tried to start more than once and always ended up putting down for one reason or another. After several people, who don't know each other and have no way of ever meeting, tell you that you should check out an author, you will probably do it, right? Well, Charles de Lint is that author for me. I like fantasy novels usually, and I sometimes enjoy lush characterizations with richly inventive worlds, but there is just something about the first 30 pages of this novel that put me off. Every. Single. Time.

Well, this time I stuck it out. And by that I mean, I was bored at work and this was the only book I had with me to pass the time. I made it past the first 30 pages and let me tell you that they are the only draggy part of this novel. The introduction of this novel has nothing on the rest of the book. This book was good. It felt a little Lord of the Rings-y at times to me, but the action flowed without seeming too forced. If anything, I thought some of the things happened a little too fast and too close together. It is a short book and with the amount of stuff that happens to the characters, it could have easily been another hundred pages if the descriptions and characterizations were fleshed out a little more. But they shouldn't be. It would just be an easy thing to do, that is all.

This was my first foray into the world of Charles de Lint, and I'm not sure if I want to go back there anytime soon. Oh, I will go back eventually, but I don't think I could handle it right now. He's very lush in his word choices. He feels like the fantasy version of Anne Rice sometimes, with less actual words, whereas Anne Rice is verbose to me. Florid is another word I use to describe her at times.

Which is actually where I am now, still attempting to read through the thousand page historical tome that is The Witching Hour. This book is neverending. I think after this I won't be reading any fantasy for quite some time.

Unless I revisit the world of Harry Potter. Now that's something I could stand to do again.