I'm going to publicly thank my wife for signing up and getting awarded an advance copy of The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive, The) by Brandon Sanderson! He's the author that took over the Wheel of Time after Robert Jordan's passing. I wasn't expecting to see an advanced copy of anything, so that's very cool! This does mean that I'm putting The Stand again.... I'm 400 pages into that so maybe a mini-review is in order.
Since we started the book blog, we have a lot of suggestions for books to read from friends and acquaintances. Rarely, someone will actually bring a book to me and say, please read this and let me know what you think. Since this is so rare, I often take up the person on the offer. It seems rude to do otherwise.
I think I might start to be rude! Here's the story:
I am into cooking. I am currently taking a professional baking course at a local cooking class. One of my classmates asked me if I had read The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. I told her I had heard of it but I have not read it. The next week, she brought the book and asked me to read and let her know what I thought of it. Since the class is winding down, I put it on the top of my to read list.
So, now that you have background on the reason for the read, here's what I think:
I didn't like it! I thought the beginning was compelling enough, but then it just died on the vine. It was all idea and no substance. The premise suits foodies well enough (I guess): a girl who can taste a person's feelings by eating the food they prepare. Yeah, imagine what that would be like, think about it for a good 4 minutes. Now you can skip reading this book. Apparently, that is how long Aimee Bender thought through the plot lines of this book.
I kept comparing it to "Heroes" (without the really interesting superpowers) and The Lovely Bones (without all the murder and stuff). I can't tell you very much else about the plot of this book, because, although, things happen, they happen without direction. The story just meanders on, without any resolution, without any real point. Does she use her superpower for good or for evil, or is it just a burden she lives with forever? You will never know because the author really didn't care enough to tell you.
I would skip this one. I think Ms. Bender should have thought of a direction for the protagonist and then shortened the novel to a short story. It would have made for a much more exciting 20 pages.
*UPDATE* - Added a plain white background, and a colorized version. The color is just conceptual and doesn't include the new blog picture links or the final color. The white gives me the added width but not the background. Maybe we'll rotate? =P
We both happen to like a lot of simplicity for the blog, but I'm wondering about spicing it up a bit. The wife doesn't want to change anything, and I'd like to add a background image and a little modification to the blog template we're using.
I like it that way.. gives a little more width. Are the books too busy? L thinks the books should be gone. Opinions greatly appreciated.. even if you don't agree with me.
Well, maybe not a giant. More like really small. But really important!
Have you noticed the "trend" (I am calling it this because I have read a few books like this lately) of modern authors to "forget" to use quotation marks? I have. And I am saddened by it. Those little quotes help guide me along. They tell me, "Wake up! Someone may say something important here." Alternately, they tell me when one character stops talking and another picks up the conversation. They also decorate pages of dialogue quite nicely (look at all the pretty commas! It's like they are hanging themselves!).
Why the infatuation with disregarding such an important literary piece of the puzzle? I say bring them back and keep them FOREVER!
Well, so much for getting back to the Dark Tower series. I was going to read through Wolves of the Calla (The Dark Tower, Book 5) so I could be that much closer to finishing the series, but the book has some ties to The Stand: Expanded Edition. It would appear that I wouldn't get the full experience out the Dark Tower if I didn't first finish The Stand. I'm only 160 pages in on a thousand page book. I'm sure you won't see much of me this week in regards to review unless I cheat and read something tiny to fill in. =\
A couple weeks ago, I posted a request to our lovely readers for suggestions on funny books. I was in a rut and I thought a good laugh would do. I received a lot of feedback - some laughable, some insightful. The top suggestion was something about a Guide to the Galaxy. I was thinking it was probably not for me, but we went to the bookstore to check it out anyway. On the way to locating the book, another book caught my eye. Undaunted, we went to the Guide and -D read the leaf for me. I tuned out about two sentences in. It is not a book for me - I just don't think I will "get it." The point is to cry from laughter, not from boredom. Sorry, lovers of the Guide - maybe some day.
The book I spotted on my way to the Guide was The Bible of Unspeakable Truths by Greg Gutfeld. Listen up those who are unacquainted and I will acquaint you. It all started a few years ago at 12AM. I turned on my TV to find a short, somewhat portly man speaking heinous things while his repulsive sidekick, a hot FOX news lady, and a CIA operative watched. This Gregalogue (it's a monologue with Greg) introduced me to what would become a household staple around here. Sadly, last month, we decided to cut our ties to the extended world by getting rid of our cable, so Greg is no longer a household staple (oddly, enough this dovetailed quite nicely with my need of a humorous book, coincidence? ithinknot). We no longer get to hear the misadventures of a post-operative, houseboy enthusiast and his preoperative, questionably coiffed sidekick.
Naturally, when I spotted Greg's roundish face on my way to the guide, I immediately thought, "This is what I need!"...and it was. This book is basically a collection of Gregalogues so it does not really find a cohesive theme...unless you consider his love of underground rooms, houseboys named Pablo, and fastidious research(of books not yet written) a theme. It is more a book you read bits of at a time because his Gregalogues can be quite short (sometimes even one sentence). There are some truths in here, some head scratchers and some overshares. But, overall, it is like watching an episode of Red Eye, which I find cathartic. Greg really seems to want to connect with his readers. He even invites them to join him for various events (usually in a park, scantily clad, with only a birthmark as his true source of identification). He wants his readers to be well-fed. Thus, he includes what looks like a great recipe for lemon bars. I had never considered the inclusion of a prostitute, but that might add a little something. Oh, and he cares about his readers' safety. His argument for guns is quite cogent.
Overall, this book is a treat. And for you, a treat:
The Neverending Story, can we consider this one a classic? Written in 1979 by Michael Ende, it became an instant classic and the inspiration for three movies - one remembered as excellent and two with dubious results. I also found out, with a little research, that there was a short lived TV or Mini-series based on the book. From the reviews, it seemed best to stay very far away from that one. If you're interested in the movie, go ahead and click on this The Neverending Story [Blu-ray] link(Yes, I have a Blu-Ray player and use the power of my will to force readers to purchase one as well... you need it!). But, if you want to see a movie with an actor that committed suicide later in life click on this The NeverEnding Story / The NeverEnding Story II link. The sequel was one of the creepiest movies that I saw as a child. The actor, Jonathan Brandis, has really freaky eyes! But I've talked about that already - HERE.
Back to the book, The Neverending Story is about a child whose attempt to hide from the school bullies sends him on a journey through the alternate world of Fantastica. Bastian, the boy, steals a book out of the shop that he hid himself in and then hides up in the school attic. As he starts reading, the world seems magically alive and in dire need of help. I'm sure that everyone has seen the movie, so why give you the entire plot?
For those that have seen the movie and not read the book, let's just say the movie really takes place in about the first 120 pages of the novel. The rest of the Neverending story is a continuation of where the movie sort of left off. I guess you have to take certain liberties to create a movie from a book. For instance, Atreyu happens to be a green human-like creature and not just a tanned boy! I did learn that I've been spelling Falkor wrong all this time. My first and only cat was named Falcore, after the luckdragon in the movie. After 20+ years it's good to know that I had it wrong all this time.
But what a book! It's a little lengthy at points, but the story flows well. Think Arabian Nights meets Aesop's Fables meets Grimm's Fairy Tales. It's an adventure through one world with many themes. That happens to be the point of Fantastica - dreams of the human world make up the realm of Fantastica. It's not as dark as Grimm's, but there are some points that are eerie, some that are sad, and some that are life lessons (e.g. Aesop's Fables). It definitely reminded me of my childhood, but I would recommend to all ages. I'll be watching the movie soon to see how much they actually got right.
Rating: 7.5 CBs - I won't be reading it again soon, but it was a good novel to add to the list. I got the Penguin version of the paperback and like the look just a little more than the image on top. It also doesn't appear that Ende wrote a sequel to The Neverending Story or, if he did, it was never translated from the original German. And it's tough to write a review without giving the story and most of my opinions.... that are based on the differences between the book and the movie, or major plot points. =\
by Brandon Sanderson! He's the author that took over the Wheel of Time after Robert Jordan's passing. I wasn't expecting to see an advanced copy of anything, so that's very cool! This does mean that I'm putting The Stand again.... I'm 400 pages into that so maybe a mini-review is in order.
I am into cooking. I am currently taking a professional baking course at a local cooking class. One of my 
classmates asked me if I had read The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
. I told her I had heard of it but I have not read it. The next week, she brought the book and asked me to read and let her know what I thought of it. Since the class is winding down, I put it on the top of my to read list. 
so I could be that much closer to finishing the series, but the book has some ties to The Stand: Expanded Edition. It would appear that I wouldn't get the full experience out the Dark Tower if I didn't first finish The Stand. I'm only 160 pages in on a thousand page book. I'm sure you won't see much of me this week in regards to review unless I cheat and read something tiny to fill in. =\
The book I spotted on my way to the Guide was The Bible of Unspeakable Truths by Greg Gutfeld. 
Listen up those who are unacquainted and I will acquaint you. It all started a few years ago at 12AM. I turned on my TV to find a short, somewhat portly man speaking heinous things while his repulsive sidekick, a hot FOX news lady, and a CIA operative watched. This Gregalogue (it's a monologue with Greg) introduced me to what would become a household staple around here. Sadly, last month, we decided to cut our ties to the extended world by getting rid of our cable, so Greg is no longer a household staple (oddly, enough this dovetailed quite nicely with my need of a humorous book, coincidence? ithinknot). We no longer get to hear the misadventures of a post-operative, houseboy enthusiast and his preoperative, questionably coiffed sidekick. 
The Neverending Story
, can we consider this one a classic? Written in 1979 by Michael Ende, it became an instant classic and the inspiration for three movies - one remembered as excellent and two with dubious results. I also found out, with a little research, that there was a short lived TV or Mini-series based on the book. From the reviews, it seemed best to stay very far away from that one. If you're interested in the movie, go ahead and click on this The Neverending Story [Blu-ray]
link(Yes, I have a Blu-Ray player and use the power of my will to force readers to purchase one as well... you need it!). But, if you want to see a movie with an actor that committed suicide later in life click on this The NeverEnding Story / The NeverEnding Story II
link. The sequel was one of the creepiest movies that I saw as a child. The actor, Jonathan Brandis, has really freaky eyes! But I've talked about that already - HERE.