overdue book review(s)

You may or may not have noticed that things have been awfully quiet around here at isn't it pretty to think so? Chalk it up to a series of 3am nights churning out a labor of love (...that may have come out wrong). At any rate! I've been reading about as much as ever, just terribly lax with posting reviews. So let's play a round of catch-up, shall we?

No, David!

David Shannon

My boyfriend's mom gave him this for his birthday, so of course I gave it a read. The concept is pretty self-explanatory after a glance at the cover: David does something he's not supposed to; David's mom says, "No!" It's a cute little book with some good laughs to be had, but the best part is the art. Shannon's illustrations have a definite whimsy, but of a sort not typically found in children's books (at least in my experience). And the colors are absolutely fantastic. Highly recommended for anyone with children (your inner child counts).

Ender's Shadow

Orson Scott Card

I'd heard that this was as good as, if not better than, Ender's Game, which I thoroughly enjoyed, so needless to say I was a tad skeptical. Happily, this didn't disappoint. Rather than Ender Wiggin, this book focuses on Bean, and aside from the opening section (if this were a comic, it'd be Bean's origin story), the rest of the plot is more or less identical to its predecessor. Yet in this second telling, we see all the events from the Battle School and Command School through the lens of Bean's perception, which is fascinating. Can't say that I find Bean to be anywhere near as likable as Wiggin, but there's a pretty satisfying character arc, so that's a bonus. I also really enjoyed the fact that this book investigated the role of religion in Card's imagined society (or any wartime society, really). Throw in some Lord of the Flies overtones, and it's hard to go wrong here.

Pride & Prejudice & Zombies

Seth Grahame-Smith (Jane Austen with the assist)

Unlike the vast majority of die-hard bookworms I seem to know, I am not an Austen fan. In fact, the professor of my undergrad survey on 1800s literature would probably be mortified to know that I've never read her. But Hollywood seems to love her, and every time I've caught part of a filmic adaptation featuring the leading lady who just happened to be in particular vogue when they started production, I received one message loud and clear: There is no appeal in Austen's plots for me. Throw in zombies and ninjas, on the other hand... now we're talking. I've gotta say, I think I prefer Little Women & Werewolves, but this was nearly as good. Great fun, excellent summer reading material. Supposedly a movie is forthcoming. Finally, a Jane Austen(esque) picture I'd actually have a desire to see on the big screen!

Lady Gaga: Just Dance

Helia Phoenix

In the interest of full disclosure, let me say that I know the author personally, and she is an absolutely amazing writer. That being said, I didn't get much out of the book. This could be due to the fact that I'm used to reading Phoenix's fiction, and nonfiction (particularly biography) is an entirely different animal. So my expectations were naturally unrealistic, and that felt dissatisfying. To be fair: That's wholly to do with me, not at all the quality of writing. There's some interesting information in here, it's certainly well researched, and the color photography is a nice touch. But it felt to me like a pretty one-sided representation, and while I enjoy Lady Gaga's music, I just don't find her particularly interesting (and after reading this book, I fear I find her regrettably pretentious). If, on the other hand, you're fascinated by Lady Gaga, I think you're bound to enjoy it.

Full Dark, No Stars

Stephen King

Let us be perfectly clear: I love Stephen King. I fell in love with him from the moment I finished reading the copies of Needful Things and The Dead Zone that Jill Conder was kind enough to let me borrow back in our prime playground days, and my unabashed adoration has continued to grow ever since. My high school math teacher, Mrs. Schroers, would turn her nose up every time I had another of his paperbacks in my possession, forever referring to him as "junk food for the brain." But you know, all these people read books intended for people at least half their age (some of which are well written, so no offense to JK Rowling, others (*cough*cough*Twilight*cough*) certainly aren't), or Tom Clancy or John Grisham, or (shudder) Dan Brown, or sappy crappy romance trash, but I swear, none of those readers get even one ounce the grief that King fans seem to suffer on a regular basis.

Aaaaaaaaaaaanywho, I enjoyed this book, as I more or less was guaranteed to since SK is just the man. It's not his best, but by no means his worst (and even his worst always seems to be worth reading). Of the four stories contained, I think "Big Driver" was the best. Absolutely flawless in execution. "A Good Marriage" strikes quite a few chords, and "Fair Extension" had a strong Needless Things/Thinner vibe to it, both of which are books I really enjoyed, so that worked. "1922" was easily the bitch of the bunch, but if you can make it through, it's smooth sailing.

...I'm still about four reviews behind to date, so keep an eye out for more. 'Til then, happy reading!