| Book of Ghost Stories |
[Jul. 16th, 2009|09:58 am] |
Hi!
Does anyone know of a decent collection of ghost stories I can take on my camping trip next month? Most are targeted towards kids / teens... which is okay, but I would prefer something scarier. ;)
Bonus points if it incluces The Tailypo (one of my old favourites).
Thanks! |
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| Has anyone read... |
[Jul. 15th, 2009|10:04 pm] |
The Chosen by Chaim Potok?
I wasn't sure that I would appreciate it, but I'm a little over half finished, and I'm really interested and intrigued. The only down side to the book is that I do not have a good understanding of Jewish traditions, so some of the book is over my head. The story about the two boys is really beautiful, though. :)
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| Book #47: All Together Dead |
[Jul. 15th, 2009|08:58 pm] |
This is the seventh book in the series, and as much as I said after book six that I thought Charlaine Harris had hit her stride and had the formula right, I now have to say maybe I was too quick to be quite so positive after that book. This one just lacked something - and it very well may be because Sookie left her home to go to the vampire convention, so some of the characters that set the backdrop were gone - but I found myself getting tired of Eric and Bill; even Sookie grows tiresome when she gets obstinate (there seems to be one scene per book where Sookie starts showing her ignorance and loses some of her heroic qualities. Come to think of it, we seem to also get a scene where Sookie gives into her sexual proclivities in each book: well-written scenes, but I am surely sensing a formula).
I've got two books to go, and I will certainly listen to both, but I wonder now if Charlaine Harris has some big picture she's aiming for (all-out confrontation between the vampires and there weres once the weres come out to society perhaps?) or if she is just writing books to write books.
I think we need a big change. Something like...Sookie becomes a vampire. Yes, that is the only thing that can save this series now, if Sookie becomes a vampire.
Oh, and another thing: I understand the branding that's been done, so CH really has no choice but to keep the word "Dead" in all her titles, but there's really no meaning to the titles any more. Dead Until Dark? Great title! Living Dead in Dallas? Catchy! Club Dead? Yeah, that works. But then Dead As a Doornail, Dead to the World, Definitely Dead, and now All Together Dead...blah blah blah. And what's next? From Dead to Worse, Dead and Gone? I'm less than inspired. Again, I know it's branding, but I wish she was able to do something better with the titles. |
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| thoughts |
[Jul. 15th, 2009|12:34 pm] |
My brain isn't fully engaged. Too many other things to think about...
Hope that W has a good recovery from having her tonsils removed
hoping that MOLLY has a easy procedure to remove her blood filter on Thursday
hoping that N's mom continues to heal from surgery and the other procedure from Monday
hoping my aunt recovers from her emergency bowel surgery
And Universe? That's enough. Thank you. |
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| BOOK PROJECT: BOOK 36 |
[Jul. 15th, 2009|10:37 am] |
Fluke, Christopher Moore
I had read Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal years ago, and meant to read more of Moore's stuff, but never got around to it. Then a friend pointed me towards his Twitter, which is entertaining, and so I grabbed this last week at the library.
And loved it. It started out fairly normal. Interesting tale about whale researchers. Then a few weird things happened.
Then the line "Hey! Shoes off in the whale!", and things never quite got back to normal again. Which is the best part of Moore's books. They're just off center enough that the weirdness works.
Will be picking up something else of his next trip to the library. |
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| An American Hero |
[Jul. 14th, 2009|03:47 pm] |
I was in alt.callahans today and I saw this posted. Read it and weep for the ones who are gone.
A toast to the men of the 101st and to the men and women who have served in all of the branches of service since time began.
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| I Was Told There'd Be Cake |
[Jul. 14th, 2009|02:41 pm] |
Book #24
I Was Told There'd Be Cake
Sloane Crosley
Nonfiction; humor; short stories
230 pages
This debut essay collection is full of sardonic wit and charm, and Crosley effortlessly transforms what could have been stereotypical tales of mid-20s life into a breezy series of vignettes with uproariously unpredictable outcomes. From the opening The Pony Problem to the hilarious Bring-Your-Machete-to-Work Day (which will ring true for any child of the early 1990s who played the first Oregon Trail computer game), Crosley is equal parts self-deprecating and endearing as she recounts her secret obsession with plastic ponies and the joys of exacting revenge via a pixilated wagon ride. In less capable hands, the subjects tackled—from unpleasant weddings of long-forgotten friends to horrendous first jobs—could have been a litany of complaints from yet another rich girl from the suburbs. But Crosley, who grew up in Westchester and currently lives in Manhattan, makes the experiences her own with a plethora of amusing twists: a volunteer job at the American Museum of Natural History leads to a moral quandary, and a simple Upper West Side move becomes anything but. Fans of Sarah Vowell's razor-sharp tongue will love this original new voice.
I have mixed feelings on this book. On one hand, there were quite a few humourous short stories that one could easily relate to. However, I found Crosley to be quite unlikeable, honestly. She just seemed like she was quite the snob and I had a difficult time empathizing with her in certain stories. However, I did love the short story "The Ursula Cookie" because I was in a similar job situation and know how nerve wracking so mean bosses can be. That being said, I am glad that I read this book, but I am also glad that I borrowed it from a friend instead of buying it!
Books read this year: 24/50.
Pages read this year: 9025/15000 |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 13th, 2009|01:53 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  happy | ] |
I would like to announce that I finally had the bravery to open my literature (reading) web page. you're invited to visit the page since I will be reviewing some books that have not been released yet. I will have three contests as part of the page's inauguration celebration. I will be giving away: One Harry Potter Gryffindor collector pin, a $100 Amazon Gift Card and the Twilight Diaries along with some other books too, so be very wary on updates and the mailing list.
http://windowpane-memoirs.com/ |
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| Book #46: The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories |
[Jul. 13th, 2009|10:07 am] |
I was first introduced to this book by a student who was doing a poetry project back in 2003, and when I found out that our curriculum this year had a Tim Burton unit I immediately remembered it; searching for it on Amazon, I was excited to see that it was available for 60% off (especially when I saw the cover price was $20).
You know Tim Burton, right? The director of Edward Scissorhands, The Corpse Bride, Sleepy Hollow? This book of poetry is exactly what you would expect from someone who sees the world the way he does, and the poems are further enhanced by his original ilustrations. In the end, what you get is a clever albeit macabre book of verse. I've already recommended it to the other 9th grade teachers in my county, all of whom will be teaching Tim Burton this year, and if you like weird, creepy, twisted poetry then you might enjoy it too. Remember: 60% off at Amazon!
(Edited to reflect that he did not direct Nightmare Before Christmas; he produced it. |
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| Unshelved News: Unshelved @ ALA update |
[Jul. 13th, 2009|03:14 am] |
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http://www.unshelved.com/blog.aspx?post=1446 Here in Chicago we're having a great time at ALA. We've talked with thousands of librarians, heard some great stories, and signed a lot of books. Only one problem - we're almost out of things to sell. So here's what we're going to do. Monday morning we'll continue to sell our remaining shirts, bags, hats (and even a few hoodies) while supplies last, and we'll take orders for Reader's Advisory, which we'll ship to you for free when we get home. Early afternoon we'll pack up the booth for good. And we'll skip Tuesday, a day that is widely known to be a barren post-apocalyptic wasteland in the exhibit hall anyway.
For those of you we disappointed by not bringing enough stuff, all I can say is that we're disappointed too. Predicting this stuff is notoriously difficult. We'll try to do better next conference.... that's Comic Con International, in just ten days!
Posted by Bill on 7/12/2009 8:01:00 PM |
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