Hello there! How was your spring break? Mine was just fine, thanks.
I did not read very much this month. I was busy. You know how it goes. But here is what I did read.
Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
Eh, too weird for me. I can see why it's a classic, but tiny people and giants and magic horses just aren't my thing.
Horse Soldiers - Doug Stanton
Speaking of magic horses... No, I'm just kidding. :) Now there is an interesting story behind this book. Part of it is that the author, Doug Stanton, lives in the same town as me. I went to high school with his kids. He and Michael Moore (yeah, the guy who made those documentaries) founded all sorts of cool stuff for my city. My itty-bitty city is going to be famous one day, perhaps a miniature (and I mean miniature) NYC or LA. I have a love/hate relationship with this town. It's so small and cold, but the culture is amazing. But now to the book... It's a non-fiction New York Times best seller about soldiers in Afghanistan who rode horses when fighting against the Taliban. I'm not a fan of non-fiction, and I mostly read this book because of the author... But it was well written, you know, and the subject was pretty interesting. I have strong views about war, which I will not get into right now besides to say war is bad, but I thought the message of this book was good despite the fact that it takes place in a war zone. In the book, the soldiers are supporting each other and trying to stay alive and keep the US free, as they say. Even though I think war is unjust, I was in agreement with many of the things written in this book.
The Stand - Stephen King
Epic, duh. I read the, uh, new and improved version, and I really liked it. It took me about two weeks to read mostly because I was really busy and sick and etc., but also because it was over 1000 pages long. But yeah, it was awesome. Good versus evil, the circle of live, all that good stuff.
Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury
I'm not into fantasy so much, but this was pretty good. The tone of the writing was ominous, which really added to the story. It was cool.
Glue - Irvine Welsh
I've read other Irvine Welsh: Trainspotting (the one about drugs) and Marabou Stork Nightmares (the one about the guy in a coma). This author is kind of weird and writes about controversial stuff. This one has a little bit of everything: sex, drugs, blood and guts. It is also written in a Scottish accent. Weird, I know. It's hard to get used to at first, but once you get going it's kind of fun, and you end up thinking in a Scottish accent for about an hour after stop reading. But yeah, this was a good book. It's about these fours guys growing up in the slums. It's about loyalty and friendship and perhaps a bit of family too.
Peace, Aimee
Books I Read This Month - February 2011
Hey there. Anybody watch the Oscars last night? I did. Pretty sweet, eh? Anyways, here are the books I read this month!
Impact - Douglas Preston
I don't really like science fiction, but this book was pretty good. I'm not sure what else to say about it. Yup. It was good and I liked it, but I didn't like it enough to read it a second time. You know the deal.
When You Are Engulfed In Flames - David Sedaris
I wasn't quite sure what this was about at first. All there was on the back cover was quotes about how awesome it is, which bothers me because how am I going to know if I like it if I don't even know what it's about? But anyway, it turned out that I did like it. Each chapter was a kind of short story that could stand alone, but they were all told in first person by the same guy. I love it when I read a book and it reminds me of my own writing, and tons of ideas rush through my head; the downside to this is that I can't decide whether or not to keep reading since the book is so good or to stop and write the stuff that's plowing through my brain. Then I end up having some existential crisis and have to take a nap. So this book reminded me of my short story The Wayfarer that I have been thinking about turning into an entire novel. It's about this guy telling his life story. But it's way cooler than it sounds. When You Are Engulfed In Flames is about some guy telling his life story, so there. And it's funny.
Against The Day - Thomas Pynchon
I usually don't do this, but in this case, I had to stop in the middle of the book and move on to something else. First of all, the book is about a thousand pages long, and second of all, I honestly had no idea what the heck was going on. It's about some people on a boat, I think? But never mind my complete obliviousness to the plot, I kind of enjoyed the book. There were some funny parts and the writing was interesting.
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
This is one of those classic books that everyone says you have to read. Yup, it was a good book, and I, like those other people, recommend you read it too. It was about freedom of speech and stuff like that. And well-written also.
Booky Wook 2 - Russell Brand
The second installment of Russell Brand's life. Not as funny or moving as the first, but still intriguing. It's interesting to see the parallels in his addiction, and his motivation for fame. It's lovely how his love for Katy Perry changed him so much. The book not only says a lot about how fame and sex can manipulate a person, but it also says quite a bit about how love can change a person for the better. Can't wait until he writes a third one; it will probably be about his married life and be more spiritual.
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
I had read this before two or three times, but I wanted to read it again because it is one of my favorite books. Sal Paradise (Jack Kerouac) begins his journey admiring Dean Moriarty's (Neal Cassady) zeal and lust for life. It is a spiritual journey for Sal/Jack in that he is shedding all material possessions and societal rules to become somewhat of a hobo, traveling across the country in search of the meaning of life. Over the course of his adventure, Sal/Jack changes as he sees new parts of the world and the rude and wild, unchanging nature of Dean/Neal. This book really changes my life. Literally. I'm not just saying that because it was awesome. It actually changed my outlook on life. You should read it if you haven't.
Buffalo Lockjaw - Greg Ames
This book was so depressing. The author was trying to be funny, but the situation in which the characters were was a difficult thing to make humorous. But for a debut novel, it was alright.
Time's Arrow - Martin Amis
Now this is a good book. It's told from the point of view of this entity living in this doctor's head experiencing his life backwards from death to birth. It was awesome. You should read it.
The Keep - F. Paul Wilson
My parents have been urging me to read this for a while now, since the whole Repairman Jack series starts with this book, they say. I was wary at first because I don't quite like my mother's taste in books, but I rather liked it. It was a thriller set in World War Two. I think I might read the first Repairman Jack book by F. Paul Wilson, though it kind of depends on how I like that one on whether I will read the rest of the series or not. There are seriously like twenty books in the series. I don't know if I could be that committed...
The Art of Fiction - Ayn Rand
I posted about this here, here, and here. It is a great resource for writers. Take a look at it!
Peace, Aimee
Impact - Douglas Preston
I don't really like science fiction, but this book was pretty good. I'm not sure what else to say about it. Yup. It was good and I liked it, but I didn't like it enough to read it a second time. You know the deal.
When You Are Engulfed In Flames - David Sedaris
I wasn't quite sure what this was about at first. All there was on the back cover was quotes about how awesome it is, which bothers me because how am I going to know if I like it if I don't even know what it's about? But anyway, it turned out that I did like it. Each chapter was a kind of short story that could stand alone, but they were all told in first person by the same guy. I love it when I read a book and it reminds me of my own writing, and tons of ideas rush through my head; the downside to this is that I can't decide whether or not to keep reading since the book is so good or to stop and write the stuff that's plowing through my brain. Then I end up having some existential crisis and have to take a nap. So this book reminded me of my short story The Wayfarer that I have been thinking about turning into an entire novel. It's about this guy telling his life story. But it's way cooler than it sounds. When You Are Engulfed In Flames is about some guy telling his life story, so there. And it's funny.
Against The Day - Thomas Pynchon
I usually don't do this, but in this case, I had to stop in the middle of the book and move on to something else. First of all, the book is about a thousand pages long, and second of all, I honestly had no idea what the heck was going on. It's about some people on a boat, I think? But never mind my complete obliviousness to the plot, I kind of enjoyed the book. There were some funny parts and the writing was interesting.
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
This is one of those classic books that everyone says you have to read. Yup, it was a good book, and I, like those other people, recommend you read it too. It was about freedom of speech and stuff like that. And well-written also.
Booky Wook 2 - Russell Brand
The second installment of Russell Brand's life. Not as funny or moving as the first, but still intriguing. It's interesting to see the parallels in his addiction, and his motivation for fame. It's lovely how his love for Katy Perry changed him so much. The book not only says a lot about how fame and sex can manipulate a person, but it also says quite a bit about how love can change a person for the better. Can't wait until he writes a third one; it will probably be about his married life and be more spiritual.
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
I had read this before two or three times, but I wanted to read it again because it is one of my favorite books. Sal Paradise (Jack Kerouac) begins his journey admiring Dean Moriarty's (Neal Cassady) zeal and lust for life. It is a spiritual journey for Sal/Jack in that he is shedding all material possessions and societal rules to become somewhat of a hobo, traveling across the country in search of the meaning of life. Over the course of his adventure, Sal/Jack changes as he sees new parts of the world and the rude and wild, unchanging nature of Dean/Neal. This book really changes my life. Literally. I'm not just saying that because it was awesome. It actually changed my outlook on life. You should read it if you haven't.
Buffalo Lockjaw - Greg Ames
This book was so depressing. The author was trying to be funny, but the situation in which the characters were was a difficult thing to make humorous. But for a debut novel, it was alright.
Time's Arrow - Martin Amis
Now this is a good book. It's told from the point of view of this entity living in this doctor's head experiencing his life backwards from death to birth. It was awesome. You should read it.
The Keep - F. Paul Wilson
My parents have been urging me to read this for a while now, since the whole Repairman Jack series starts with this book, they say. I was wary at first because I don't quite like my mother's taste in books, but I rather liked it. It was a thriller set in World War Two. I think I might read the first Repairman Jack book by F. Paul Wilson, though it kind of depends on how I like that one on whether I will read the rest of the series or not. There are seriously like twenty books in the series. I don't know if I could be that committed...
The Art of Fiction - Ayn Rand
I posted about this here, here, and here. It is a great resource for writers. Take a look at it!
Peace, Aimee
Books I Read This Month - January 2011
Bad Twin - Gary Troup
Be prepared to roll your eyes. This book was ghostwriter for a fictional character, Gary Troup, by Laurence Shames. Gary Troup (prepare yourself) was a character from the show LOST. He was a writer whose manuscript was found in the plane crash on the island. Troup never actually appeared on the show, only his name on the cover. A character started reading the manuscript, but he dropped it in a fire and was never able to read the ending. So I wanted to. :) Enough about LOST. This book, though I am biased, was really good. It was a crime novel about a private detective hired to find a wealthy missing twin brother. It was character driven and had great themes: good vs. evil and choice vs. destiny. I thought it was awesome.
Don Quixote - Cervantes
Weird book, kind of hard to read since it's old and translated from Spanish. It was still pretty good, though.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
I saw the movie for this a long time ago, but I think the book was better. This is a great story about community and sacrifice. A good book, a classic.
Under the Dome - Stephen King
When the name of the author is in a larger font on the cover than the title of the book, you know he's good. And Stephen King is good. This was a great book that I recommend to you to read, if you haven't already. It's over a thousand pages, though, which is kind of intimidating, but it was actually a quick read.
Tell All - Chuck Palahniuk
I'm not sure if I liked this or not. I do respect the author a lot, though, because it seems like a lot of research had to go into it. Unless he's just very cultured. Maybe I didn't understand the plot fully, but I could take or leave this one.
Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane
So I went to the library and checked out like three Dennis Lehane books, so excuse the amount of him on this list. I saw the movie before I read this book, and I wish I hadn't because the ending wasn't all that exciting for me. If I hadn't have seen the movie already, it would have been a surprise, like the movie was to me. But besides that, Lehane is a wonderful writer, and I enjoyed this book. If you haven't seen the movie, then read this first! Then watch the movie, since that was really good too.
Gone Baby Gone - Dennis Lehane
I didn't see this movie, and after reading the book, I'm kind of indifferent to seeing it eventually. I liked Shutter Island better than Gone Baby Gone. It's not like I was disappointed or didn't like the book. I did like it. But you know, it's not like I would read it again or anything.
Mystic River - Dennis Lehane (again)
Pretty good. This one was better than Gone Baby Gone but not as good as Shutter Island. Sorry to you guys if I don't go into as much detail about books as other reviews do. But sometimes I just don't have much to say about it other than 'it was good.' (Conversely, there are books about which I could go on and on and on and on.) This one was good. It was entertaining and fun and thought-provoking, but it's not going to be on my favorite shelf or anything.
Dexter Is Delicious - Jeff Lindsay
I love the show Dexter. Michael C. Hall is an underrated actor with a voice almost as awesome as Morgan Freeman. Most people say they would have Morgan Freeman narrate their life, but I would choose Michael C. Hall. But we're not here to talk about him. We're here to talk about the book. This is the fifth book in the series. I read the other ones, of course, and the first one was the best. After that, they kind of went downhill a little bit. Dialogue is also not Lindsay's strong suit. But there is a lot of playful alliteration and play on words that make serial killers seem a little more fun and loveable. I'd recommend starting with the first book. If you like the show, the first book was the basis for the first season, but afterward, the two series separated a bit. I think besides the first book, the TV show is better than the books. They're still alright though. I'm just afraid Jeff Lindsay may have become a sell out.
My Booky Wook - Russell Brand
Every once in a while, like once or twice each year, I discover some fantastic actor or musician, usually a man, and I become absolutely, irrevocably, thoroughly, and possibly unhealthily obsessed. This time around it's Russell Brand. I had a bout of Jude Law last year (The Holiday is still my favorite movie of all time) but I kind of ran out of material. Then I was in love with John Lennon for a while, though he won't be pumping out any new material any time soon on account of he's no longer living. Yes, they are all Englishmen. I'm so cultured. Ahem, back on topic. I saw Get Him To The Greek a few weeks ago and loved it. So I bought Russell Brand's first memoir. He has a second one out already, and I'll probably go get that one if it's in paperback. This guy has led a very interesting life. He's a comedian and actor and writer and musician who is married to Katy Perry and has been clean from drugs and alcohol for eight years. Obviously this book has some intense content in it. I got to around page 100, hoping the rest of the book would be happier than what I'd read so far, but then I realized that he hadn't even become a drug addict yet and I had to take a breather. But he has this way with words that's just so, Aaaaah. And FUNNY! And it brought tears to me eyes on more than one occasion. Russell's attitude on life is so wonderful after everything he's been through. I respect him so much for this and his talents and his spirituality and his mindset and his humor especially. Plus he's really sexy. I think I may, I think I might, have to do an entire post on this book some time. Although it's a memoir, so the post would be less of a book review and more of a rant about Russell Brand, so let's kindly excuse this idea, as I'm sure you would like me to stop rambling now and just tell you to read this book and watch some of his movies. Funniest stuff I've seen in a long time. I just love this guy.
The Stranger - Albert Camus
This was good. The syntax, the prose, or whatever you want to call it, was very interesting. And the whole message of the book was great and I could really relate to it, even though it was about some Algerian man arrested for murder. That's how you know it's good, when you can really connect to the story when it's something completely opposite of yourself.
Peace, Aimee
Be prepared to roll your eyes. This book was ghostwriter for a fictional character, Gary Troup, by Laurence Shames. Gary Troup (prepare yourself) was a character from the show LOST. He was a writer whose manuscript was found in the plane crash on the island. Troup never actually appeared on the show, only his name on the cover. A character started reading the manuscript, but he dropped it in a fire and was never able to read the ending. So I wanted to. :) Enough about LOST. This book, though I am biased, was really good. It was a crime novel about a private detective hired to find a wealthy missing twin brother. It was character driven and had great themes: good vs. evil and choice vs. destiny. I thought it was awesome.
Don Quixote - Cervantes
Weird book, kind of hard to read since it's old and translated from Spanish. It was still pretty good, though.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
I saw the movie for this a long time ago, but I think the book was better. This is a great story about community and sacrifice. A good book, a classic.
Under the Dome - Stephen King
When the name of the author is in a larger font on the cover than the title of the book, you know he's good. And Stephen King is good. This was a great book that I recommend to you to read, if you haven't already. It's over a thousand pages, though, which is kind of intimidating, but it was actually a quick read.
Tell All - Chuck Palahniuk
I'm not sure if I liked this or not. I do respect the author a lot, though, because it seems like a lot of research had to go into it. Unless he's just very cultured. Maybe I didn't understand the plot fully, but I could take or leave this one.
Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane
So I went to the library and checked out like three Dennis Lehane books, so excuse the amount of him on this list. I saw the movie before I read this book, and I wish I hadn't because the ending wasn't all that exciting for me. If I hadn't have seen the movie already, it would have been a surprise, like the movie was to me. But besides that, Lehane is a wonderful writer, and I enjoyed this book. If you haven't seen the movie, then read this first! Then watch the movie, since that was really good too.
Gone Baby Gone - Dennis Lehane
I didn't see this movie, and after reading the book, I'm kind of indifferent to seeing it eventually. I liked Shutter Island better than Gone Baby Gone. It's not like I was disappointed or didn't like the book. I did like it. But you know, it's not like I would read it again or anything.
Mystic River - Dennis Lehane (again)
Pretty good. This one was better than Gone Baby Gone but not as good as Shutter Island. Sorry to you guys if I don't go into as much detail about books as other reviews do. But sometimes I just don't have much to say about it other than 'it was good.' (Conversely, there are books about which I could go on and on and on and on.) This one was good. It was entertaining and fun and thought-provoking, but it's not going to be on my favorite shelf or anything.
Dexter Is Delicious - Jeff Lindsay
I love the show Dexter. Michael C. Hall is an underrated actor with a voice almost as awesome as Morgan Freeman. Most people say they would have Morgan Freeman narrate their life, but I would choose Michael C. Hall. But we're not here to talk about him. We're here to talk about the book. This is the fifth book in the series. I read the other ones, of course, and the first one was the best. After that, they kind of went downhill a little bit. Dialogue is also not Lindsay's strong suit. But there is a lot of playful alliteration and play on words that make serial killers seem a little more fun and loveable. I'd recommend starting with the first book. If you like the show, the first book was the basis for the first season, but afterward, the two series separated a bit. I think besides the first book, the TV show is better than the books. They're still alright though. I'm just afraid Jeff Lindsay may have become a sell out.
My Booky Wook - Russell Brand
Every once in a while, like once or twice each year, I discover some fantastic actor or musician, usually a man, and I become absolutely, irrevocably, thoroughly, and possibly unhealthily obsessed. This time around it's Russell Brand. I had a bout of Jude Law last year (The Holiday is still my favorite movie of all time) but I kind of ran out of material. Then I was in love with John Lennon for a while, though he won't be pumping out any new material any time soon on account of he's no longer living. Yes, they are all Englishmen. I'm so cultured. Ahem, back on topic. I saw Get Him To The Greek a few weeks ago and loved it. So I bought Russell Brand's first memoir. He has a second one out already, and I'll probably go get that one if it's in paperback. This guy has led a very interesting life. He's a comedian and actor and writer and musician who is married to Katy Perry and has been clean from drugs and alcohol for eight years. Obviously this book has some intense content in it. I got to around page 100, hoping the rest of the book would be happier than what I'd read so far, but then I realized that he hadn't even become a drug addict yet and I had to take a breather. But he has this way with words that's just so, Aaaaah. And FUNNY! And it brought tears to me eyes on more than one occasion. Russell's attitude on life is so wonderful after everything he's been through. I respect him so much for this and his talents and his spirituality and his mindset and his humor especially. Plus he's really sexy. I think I may, I think I might, have to do an entire post on this book some time. Although it's a memoir, so the post would be less of a book review and more of a rant about Russell Brand, so let's kindly excuse this idea, as I'm sure you would like me to stop rambling now and just tell you to read this book and watch some of his movies. Funniest stuff I've seen in a long time. I just love this guy.
The Stranger - Albert Camus
This was good. The syntax, the prose, or whatever you want to call it, was very interesting. And the whole message of the book was great and I could really relate to it, even though it was about some Algerian man arrested for murder. That's how you know it's good, when you can really connect to the story when it's something completely opposite of yourself.
Peace, Aimee
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)