Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Away Laughing on a Fast Camel

Away Laughing on a Fast Camel by Louise Rennison
Young Adult


From the Publisher
Bedroom 7:00 p.m. Georgia Nicolson Crap House Crapton-on-Sea Crapshire Crapland
Just when the Sex God becomes Georgia’ s official boyfriend, he decides to go off and snog sheep in Kiwi-a-gogo land, taking her heart with him. Georgia decides to display extreme glaciosity to all boys -- after all, a girl can only have her heart broken so many times.

Until, ohmygiddygodstrousers, she meets Masimo, the new Italian-American lead singer for the Stiff Dylans band. The Dreamboat has landed -- again -- and Georgia is away laughing on a fast camel (whatever that means)!

I liked this book better than the last. Georgia made me laugh out loud. The cardboard kitty glasses sound something else. Also setting someone on fire trying to light a candle at church was hilarious. I also thought the description of costumes for the Lord of the Rings party was very funny. I hope she soon realizes that Dave the Laugh is much better than Masimo.


Rating:

(4.0/5)

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Windows on the World by Frederic Beigbeder

Windows on the World by Frederic Beigbeder
Fiction/Autobiography


This book starts off quite simple and to the point. "You know how it ends: everybody dies". The book has the potential to be a great work of art, or to upset people and open still healing wounds. The book is split in two, alternating chapters between a fictional account of a man and his two children who go have breakfast at Windows on the World the fated day of September 11th, 2001, and an autobiography of the author Frederic Beigbeder. It is a translation from French, and unfortunately not a great translation.

At first, it's unclear what Beigbeder sets out to prove about himself. His writing leads you to believe he's writing about how his life has changed since 9/11 (he's a Frenchman and even talks about the American dislike for the French). But then it seems like he can't make up his mind. Is he writing about the current ways of the world? Is he writing about history? Is he writing about himself (because he does come off kind of egotistical)? It gets to the point where I skim through these chapters. Beigbeder just cannot keep my attention because it seems he can hardly keep his own attention. Every chapter is about something different.

The other story, however, is quite touching. How many of us have wondered what it would be like, god forbid, if we were trapped in the World Trade Center? Is it morbid to think it? Probably, but didn't the events of 9/11 prove that it's possible for anyone to be in the same situation? Carthew is an extremely flawed man. His wife has divorced him because he cheated on her and he has led an adulterer life. He has two children that he loves, but he is too self-absorbed to recognize the light that his children could give him in life. Carthew eventually comes to realization that his life has been pretty much wasted and that he is grateful for his kids, even though he brought them into the world only to die shortly after. This book is about the hope, despair, love, hate, faith, anger, and any other emotion you could think of.

"The two badly behaved children have reminded her that she needs to buy a present for her grandson's birthday ... She thinks she remembers seeing a branch of Toys R Us ... this is what she is thinking as the doors to the elevator close noiselessly. For the rest of her life, she will believe it was the Lord God who told her to leave at this precise moment; for the rest of her life she will wonder why He did so, why He spared her life, why He made her think of toys, why He chose her and not those two little boys."


Rating:

(3.5/5)

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
Young Adult


I'm not going to bead a dead horse here. I'm sure enough people have either read it already or are sick of hearing about it.
This book is my second favourite in the series. I still enjoy The Prisoner of Azkaban the most. This was jam packed with action minus one part where things seemed to drag because Harry & Herminone didn't quite know what they were doing.
Everything was wrapped up nicely and it was great to have some old characters come back. There was one part I didn't really like because it was too convenient. I'm sure there was another way for Rowling to explain the final battle, but beggars can't be choosers!
As for the final chapter, I thought it was a bit too crammed. I was having trouble keeping track of who was who. And I wanted to know more about what profession the characters had taken up.
Wow I think I just wrote all of this without giving anything away!!


Rating:

(5/5)

Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants

Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants by Louise Rennison
Young Adult


From Chapters:
Georgia thought she had put her ""red-bottomosity"" to rest when she finally chose Robbie the Sex God over Dave the Laugh. Anyway, Dave the Laugh is now dating her friend Ellen (which didn’t stop Georgia from snogging him at a party...)

But when Dave breaks up with Ellen and the Sex God is never around, Georgia doesn’t know what to do! As always, in Georgia’s life, nothing ever turns out as planned!

Thank God, Georgia isn't my child. She is very irreverent and seems not to really care about anything. We do get a glimpse that she is not that bad at school or sports. If she were my friend I would have told her to take a hike long before now. I am really pulling for Dave the Laugh. My fav character is Angus. You just have to love this free-wheeling independant feline.


Rating:

(3.5/5)

The BFG

The BFG by Roald Dahl
Children's literature


Sophie, a young orphan, gets picked up by the BFG (Big Friendly Giant). The BFG was blowing dreams into people's heads. Sophie and the BFG come up with a plan to stop the other giants from eating children. This is a fun book but would be extremely hard to read aloud. I absolutely loved the way that Dahl plays with words and grammar.

I really must read some more children's literature as it is so entertaining




Rating:

(4.0/5)

McNally's Caper

McNally's Caper by Lawrence Sanders
Mystery


From the Editors
Palm Beach sleuth Archy McNally gets caught up in the sordid family affairs of the Forsythe Clan when he's hired to find out who's stealing valuables--including a priceless first edition of Edgar Allan Poe--from their mansion. Behind every door is a suspect; in every bed, a seductress. And a murderer is hiding just around the corner. . . .

I do so love Archy McNally. But I am so glad I am not his girlfriend or parent. How frustrating that would be HAHA. This book starts off with some stolen goods of the Forsythes. The Forsythes are as loony as they come. Who is the thief? Of course it must be a family member; wife, son, daugther-in-law or daugther. The woman in the family try to seduce Archy and Archy sure doesn't resist too much. When the patriarch gets murdered everyone is a suspect. There are some real relationship tangles in the book and a lot of good laughs



Rating:

(4.0/5)

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath

Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath
mystery


Never judge a book by its cover. Everything about this book is deceiving. The cover looks like it's going to be a cozy mystery or at the very least something very Janet Evanovich-like. The name of the quirky character (Jack Daniels) makes you think it's going to be a fun mystery. But when you start reading, it's some serious sick shit. The murderer rapes, kills, maims, stabs, shoots, and anything else gross you could possibly think of.
But still, there is a bit of a Stephanie Plum type feel to the book. The characters play off each other very well and there are quite a few funny moments in the book. Jack is an actual professional though so she knows what she is doing and doesn't blunder through life like Plum does.
Without the play on words and the chemistry between the characters, this book would be just average. But because there is that extra something, it turns out to be quite a good book.
There are three more books in this series. I'm quite interested to see where Lunch Mates (the dating service) takes Jack, as well as reading about her fun relationship with her partner on the force. Who knows, maybe she'll even get a promotion!


Rating:

(4/5)

Monday, July 16, 2007

The Kommandant's Girl

The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff
Fiction


Emma, a Jewess, marries Jacob on the brink of Germany's invasion into Poland. Jacob goes immediately to join the Resistance leaving Emma to join her parents in the ghetto. Emma is saved from the ghetto by the Resistance and sent to live with Jacob's Catholic aunt. She is then given the chance to work for the German Kommandant of Krakow. Jenoff describes the nervousness of spying and the conflicts of Emma's leading a double life very well. Emma soon finds herself the Kommandant's mistress. Will she be caught? Is she falling in love with the Nazi?

Emma is depicted as such a frail and fragile woman. In order to do what she has to do she must be a very strong woman. I found the story with regards to Jacob a bit unbelieveable. Why wouldn't he have taken Emma with him? Especially if he loves her as much as he proclaims. Or was this what he had planned for her. The Kommandant is a flawed, weak man. One wants to pity him but that is hard to do when he is a committed Nazi. Jenoff has written a story that you get caught up in very quickly. It is an easy read but definitely not a simple read.


Rating:

(4.0/5)

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling
Teen


I wanted to have all of the past 6 Harry Potter books re-read by the time the 7th one had come out. Unfortunately time got away from me and I only managed to get the first one read this weekend. I probably should have skipped straight to book 5 and 6 because those were the 2 with the most complex plot lines that I don't really remember.
Obviously I don't need to give any plot description for this book. Everyone knows Harry Potter. I was just re-reading to see if I could pick up on anything new, and also to sort out the timeline in my head so that I'm right and ready for next Saturday when book 7 comes out.

So here's what I noticed:
1. Sirius Black is mentioned within the first couple pages of the book. Hagrid borrows his flying motorbike to bring Harry to the Durleys as a baby.
2. Everyone keeps mentioning how Harry's eyes look like his moms. Apparently this is supposed to be something important in book 7.
3. One of the members of the Order of the Phoenix was bowing to Harry Potter before Potter even really knew who he was.
4. Why did Dumbledore have Harry's Dad's invisibility cloak? I would have expected it to come from Black or someone who was a friend of the family. Not from Dumbledore. I wonder if we will ever find that one out.

I'll still re-read through the rest of the books. I'm sure I'll pick up on some other interesting things since I'll have read book 7 by then.

Happy Harry Potter Day next Saturday!


Rating:

(5/5)

Whiskey Sour

Whiskey Sour by J. A. Konrath
Mystery


This is the debut novel of J. A. Konrath. It is a wonderful mystery with a humourous twist. Jacqueline (Jack) Daniels is a police lieutenant whose personal life is a mess. She is on the case of a sadistic torturer and murderer who has her in his sights. This murderer makes those who love 'sick shit' very happy. Jack, an insomniac, is joined by her food loving partner, her former partner turned PI, and 2 FBI agents who should be named Dweedle Dum and Dweedle Dee. How are all the murders connected? Can Jack stop them?

Jack is an everyday person with many foibles. She is a reminder of what we could all be like. I haven't heard so many puns since my daughter was in grade school. Konrath had me laughing out loud and then on the edge of my seat wondering if Jack would make it. I definitely want to read more about Jack so I will be going straight to my wishlist to add some more books.


Rating:

(4.0/5)