March's Mini Book Reviews Part 1

I really enjoyed writing the smaller reviews a couple weeks ago.  Therefore, I have decided to continue this series, which I stole from Vivatramp (check her out, she's awesome!).  So, here are mini reviews of the books I have read so far in March!

On the Genealogy of Morals by Friedrich Nietzsche

☆☆☆

04MAR14

163 pages

     This was the first book I read for school this month.  This is actually my second time reading this book for philosophy class and I have to say, it gets better with repetition.  I find Nietzsche's writing style very difficult to understand as he buries his opinions below layers of sarcasm and contrary opinions.  However, with this reading, I think I managed to unpack the words enough to have a decent understanding of Nietzsche's philosophy.  In On the Genealogy of Morals, Nietzsche attempts to discover the origin of human morality.  It grows into a discussion of the differences between master and slave morality which you can think of as predator and prey morality.  Nietzsche, after claiming that humans have grown out of the master morality and accepted the morality of the slaves, advocates for a new system of morals outlining all of the faults and advantages of the other two moralities.  I found the essay to provide and interesting perspective on the world, however, I would only recommend it if you are willing to analyze some difficult writing.

Rotters by Daniel Kraus

☆☆☆☆☆

06MAR14

448 pages

     Rotters is a coming of age story mixed with horror and suspense.  It follows the life of Joey Crouch who moves in with his father, whom he has never met, after the accidental death of his mom. Joey quickly becomes the subject of torment at his new high school, it doesn't help that his father, Harnett, lives in a three room shack devoid of furniture, a shower, or food. Oh, and he's a grave-robber!  This is the setting for the crazy adventure which is Rotters.

     I cannot put into words how much I loved this novel.  Everything was foreshadowed brilliantly.  I knew certain aspects of the story had to happen thanks to the foreshadowing, but the way the events actually unfolded was unique and surprising.  On top of that, the character development was superb.  I'm not fantastic at picturing characters in my head but Rotters was so vivid and intriguing that I literally had a movie running through my mind.  The best part was that while reading, my image of Joey grew and changed along with the character.  I never thought a book about grave-robbers could be so moving and memorable.  If you have a strong stomach, as there are graphic descriptions of corpses, rotting bodies, and way to many rats, I would highly suggest picking up this novel!

Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl

☆☆☆☆

06MAR14

81 pages

     During my reading of Rotters, I needed a second novel to calm my over-active imagination before bed, so I picked up this childhood favorite.  If you don't know the story of this children's novel, three chicken farmers, annoyed at the consistent stealing of Mr Fox plot to kill Mr Fox and his family.  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed Dahl's storytelling.  Mathilda and The Witches have always been some of my favorite novels and after being reintroduced to Dahl's world, I cannot wait to pick them up again!

Dr Faustus by Christopher Marlowe

☆☆☆☆

08MAR14

56 pages

     While incredibly short, this play is so accessible and ageless that you would never guess that it was written at the same time as Shakespeare!  Dr Faustus follows the tragic figure of Faust, a German doctor so invested in the pursuit of knowledge and power that he willingly sells his soul to the Devil. This is a story I have seen retold multiple times in modern novels and it was interesting to read a more classic retelling.  There were quite a few of these now commonplace ideas, like the good angel vs the evil angel and the seven deadly sins, in Marlowe's novel and I enjoyed looking at these ideas from a different perspective.

     I had to read Dr Faustus for class this month, but I would suggest it to anyone who enjoys mythical retellings.  The language is easily acceptable to the modern reader despite being written in the late 1500s and I think this is the type of story everyone should read as it has become ingrained in our culture.

What have you read so far this month?

Mini Book Reviews

It is only rarely that I have enough to say about a book to write an entire post about my experience reading it.  When I don't have a lot to say, I will clump a couple recent reads together with a short paragraph of my thoughts.  So, without further ado, here are mini reviews of the two books I've read this week.

Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman

This book is the most adorable thing I've read in the past few years.  It is the story of a father who goes off in search of milk for his children's cereal.  However, this tale is much more than just a trip to the store.  The dad is whisked away on a floating time machine meeting vampires, dinosaurs, aliens and more along the way.  Gaiman's writing is captivating, like usual.  None of his talent in storytelling is lost in this picture book.  The illustrations, which are similar to Tim Burton's art in style, are absolutely gorgeous.  I love how the slightly creepy illustrations mesh with a very loving children's story.  If you have a young child, I would definitely suggest reading this book to them.  If you don't, I would still suggest reading this picture book, however I wouldn't buy it.  Just sit at your local bookstore and read it.  It won't take more than an hour but you'll finish with a smile on your face, I promise.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

This book was such a disappointment.  If you don't know, it is the third and final book of the Divergent series.  I read the first two books almost two years ago and loved them.  I loved learning about the different factions and their different approaches to a good life.  Tris and Four, the main characters, were always engaging and interesting but my heart lied with the minor characters like Uriah and Christina.  I was looking forward to learning more about this world in Allegiant.  However (spoilers ahead), in Allegiant, the characters leave the city of Chicago and find a world that was just not interesting.  Much like Maze Runner, it's all just an experiment conducted by the government.   I did not find the genetic plot line interesting, I didn't feel connected to either Tris or Four at all.  I was bored throughout the novel.  I don't think it was a good idea for Roth to completely change the setting and reveal so much that was not even hinted at in the last book in a series.  So much had to be explained leading to a slower book.  All in all, not a fan.  I'm actually going to give this book to my local re-seller and pretend the series was never completed!

Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston

Micro by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston

Publisher:  Harper

Pages: 529

Rating: 4/5

     In the locked office of a Honolulu building, three men are found dead, with no sign of a struggle except for ultrafine, razor-sharp cuts covering their bodies.
     In the lush rain forests of Oahu, groundbreaking technology has ushered in a revolutionary era of biological prospecting.  Here, seven brilliant graduate students recruited by a pioneering microbiology start-up company are thrust into a hostile wilderness that reveals profound and surprising dangers at every turn.  Prey to a technology of radical and unbridled power - armed only with their knowledge of the natural world - they must harness the inherent forces of nature itself to survive.
     Melding scientific fact with pulse-pounding fiction in vintage Michael Crichton fashion - completed by visionary science writer Richard Preston - Micro is an instant classic of sophisticated, cutting-edge entertainment.

Micro centers on the survival story of seven graduate students; Karen, Rick, Danny, Peter, Amar, Jenny, and Erika. This team is recruited by Nanigen, a new company located on Honolulu, to study the various plants and animals found in their highly diverse forest.  The students, excited to do their work in such a nice environment, quickly fly out to the island.  Upon landing, they learn that Eric, Peter's brother and a Nanigen executive, has gone missing.  Peter, suspicious that CEO Vincent Drake had something to do with his brother's disappearance, brings his colleagues deep into company corruption, government projects, and bugs, lots of bugs.

It is really difficult to explain this book without giving a major part of the plot away.  It happens close to the beginning of the novel, however, I do not want to give it away as it completely surprised me.  That's one of the things I love about Michael Crichton's books.  The plot and progression of Micro was completely unexpected.  With so many twists and turns, I was never bored or hit a low point even though the novel was 529 pages long.  What impressed me even more about Micro was the amount of factual information on bugs and the natural world within the novel.  I now know about the interior of a solitary wasp's nest and the ferociousness of ants among other things.  I love knowing that I am learning in my leisure time.  Plus, how cool is it to read a fictional book with a bibliography?!

This book was just what I wanted.  I was looking for a break from the non-fiction books and memoirs I've been reading lately and found it in this thrilling mystery.  I was also extremely pleased that this novel, due to its facts, would not feel like a deviation from my goal to grow this year.  If you're looking for an exciting, page-turner but not willing to sacrifice intellectual growth, I would definitely suggest picking up Micro.

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Publisher:  Point

Pages: 353

Rating: 4/5

   Scarlett Martin has grown up in a most unusual way.  Her family owns the Hopewell, a small Art Deco hotel in the heart of New York City.
     When each of the Martins turns fifteen, they are expected to take over the care of a suite.  For Scarlett's fifteenth birthday, she gets both a room called the Empire Suite and a permanent guest named Mrs. Amberson.  Scarlett doesn't quite know what to make of this C-list starlet and world traveler. And when she meets Eric, an astonishingly gorgeous actor who has just moved to the city, her summer takes an unexpected turn.
     Before the summer is over, Scarlett will have to survive a whirlwind of thievery and romantic missteps.  But in the city where anything can happen, she just might be able to pull it off.

Suite Scarlett opens with Scarlett's fifteenth birthday.  A day that should be filled with happiness and excitement but is clouded by the financial hardships the Martins are facing.  Instead of a wonderful meal of Belgium pancakes, Scarlett finds a burnt substitution as her parents have had to fire the chef.  Welcome to life with the Martins.  Scarlett's parents and three siblings; Spencer, Lola, and Marlene, live inside a gorgeous, slightly out-dated, and usually empty hotel named the Hopewell.  However, the Empire Suite is soon filled by Mrs. Amberson, a once actor and looking to reconnect with New York after years in Thailand.  The addition of Mrs. Amberson to the Hopewell brings career opportunities, costumers, and love the Martins have waited so long to find.

I really liked this book.  It was fast-paced and I finished it in about a day.  I have read Maureen Johnson's other books (Devilish and others) before and I was glad to find the same type of lovable and engaging characters in both books.  I fell in love with Scarlett's brother Spencer which is odd considering he isn't the main love interest in the novel.  In my defense, he is written splendidly with interesting character faults, like being unaware of the effect of his words, plus he has the strong yet thin and wiry body type which is always attractive to me. I was less thrilled with the actual love interest for Scarlett.  I felt Eric was not the right person for Scarlett and didn't even find him attractive! This is amazing, I find trees attractive.  During multiple interactions between Scarlett and Eric, I had to physically close the book and verbally display my annoyance with the proceedings.  In other words, I had to yell to my empty room.  However, while this was aggravating, it does show that I was invested in Scarlett's life so bravo to Maureen Johnson.

The main driving point of the novel is that Spencer must land an acting job or unwillingly enroll in a culinary school.  This motivates Spencer to join a production of Hamlet which is where Scarlett meets Eric and so on.  I found Johnson's portrayal of the production of a play endlessly entertaining and fitting as I'm going to be spending the next two weeks locked inside a theatre!  I especially loved the physical comedy routines between Eric and Spencer.  They helped to lighten the book and who doesn't want to picture two hot guys riding unicycles and having fake fights? Just me? Okay.

By far my favorite part of Suite Scarlett was the emphasis on family.  So many novels, especially young adult novels, focus on romance, love and relationships but that all takes a backseat in Suite Scarlett.   The focus of the novel is really on Scarlett and how this summer help strengthen her connections with her siblings. Over the course of the novel, all four siblings learn more about one another and come together as a more cohesive family.  I love to see groups of people overcome their clashing personalities and come together to make something awesome.  Yeah, it's one of my favorite types of plot.

To round up my thoughts, I'm really glad I took the time to read Suite Scarlett. It has pumped me up for my own production as well as reminded me that not every YA book is centered on romance.  If you're ever feeling a bit stuck or low on energy and want a quick fun read that still has some depth, Suite Scarlett is the way to go.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore Levithan
Publisher : Harper

Pages :  440

Series : Lorien Legacies Book 1

Rating: 4/5

Nine of us came here
We look like you
We talk like you
We live among you - but
We are not you
We have powers you dream of having
We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books -
But we are real.
They caught number one in Malaysia, number two in England, and number three in Kenya.
They killed them all.
I am number four.  I am next.

I loved this book. It was way more than I expected.  I assumed that this book could not possibly live up to the hype it receives in my head but it surpassed that hype.  The roundness of the story, the way that nothing was lost and the development of the characters are perfect.

During the final battle of a war between the Mordagians and the Loriens, the Loriens send 9 kids and their Cepan, mentor, to earth to ensure the survival of their species.  A spell is placed on the kids that they can only die in order of their numbers as long as they are separated from one other.  However the Mordagians have followed these kids to earth and they are killing them one by one.  One, two, and three have already died, but number four, John, the protagonist, is still alive.  After moving to Paradise, Ohio his legacies, powers, begin to emerge and so do the Mordagians.

I loved the characters most of all. I really liked Sam and Mark.  I really lived how they were given time to develop and evolve as characters.  You also really have time to learn about all of the characters and why they are motivated which was great and something I don’t see a lot in what I read.  You get to learn about John before the Mordagians show up and before his legacies arrive and you get to see him uncover, train and learn to control his powers.  Also, Berni was also just a fabulous addition who is just perfect and if the author kills him I will cry.

I loved the antagonists.  The Mordagians aren’t jumping out of every corner attacking.  They’re a real threat. They plan and stalk and figure out the best way to kill the Lorien.  And when John actually fights them they aren’t easily killed which is nice when you consider how many books have a ‘huge’ threat above the protagonist’s head but when that threat arrives the protagonist has no problem killing it cause they’ve trained for it.  John had trained but he still has major difficulties and almost dies a couple times.  

The only thing I didn’t love about it was the romance.  It was entirely unnecessary in my opinion and it gets really obnoxious in the 2^nd book (spoilers?).  Yeah, the immediate love and cuteness really bothered me and I really wish it just wasn’t a part of this book because I Am Number Four would have been better without it.

Overall, you should definitely read this book.  It’s one of the best superhero/alien books I have ever read. 

Book Of Shadows by Cate Tiernan

Book Of Shadows by Cate Tiernan

Publisher: Speak

Pages: 176

Series: Sweep Book One

Rating: 4/5

"Something is happening to me that I don't understand. I see things, feel things in a new way. I can do things normal people can't do.  Powerful things.  Magickal things. It scares me.  I never chose to learn witchcraft.  But I'm starting to wonder if witchcraft is choosing me."

I must admit, this series is one of my guilty pleasures.  I’m firmly against Twilight and books of that nature but yet I still love Sweep even though it contains the some of the same, for lack of a better word, problems. Although there is not stalking! At least not that I remember…

Book of Shadows starts on the first day of school.  Morgan and her best friend Bree are entering junior year of high school and everyone is gaga over a new senior named Cal.  Cal has this ability to get along with everyone and within a week he has invited most of the upperclassmen to a party in a field.  At this party Morgan participates in her first Wiccan ritual and suddenly she finds herself obsessed with learning more about this culture.

This is my second time reading Book of Shadows and I loved it just as much the second time.  Granted, the first time I read this book was approximately four years ago so I wasn’t remembering the plot while I was reading.  I find Morgan incredibly relatable with her non-existent boobs and beautiful best friend who gets all the guys.  I was replacing myself with Morgan throughout the book. In her place I would have made the same choices and said the same things.

Cal…how can you not love the sexy, perfect, mysterious, new kid? That is exactly who Cal is. Even after finishing the book I have no idea who he is but I still want to follow him into the Wiccan religion.  However, I thought Cal was flat.  He always did what he should, never spoke up and never really showed any personality.  I hope that we’ll get to know him more in the later books, because right now he is just kind and hot.

While you will enjoy this book if you’re a big fan of mysterious, secretive, sexy, no-personality men I would definitely suggest this book, it would also be very informative if you wanted to learn more about the Wiccan beliefs, rituals and cultures.  In my opinion Sweep would be much more informative then The House of Night series. Merry met, merry part and merry meet again.

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

Introduction by Carl F. Hovde

Published: 1851

Publisher: Barnes and Noble

Pages: 628

Series: N/A

Rating:

4/5

"On a previous voyage, a mysterious white whale had ripped off the leg of a sea captain named Ahab.  Now the crew of the Pequod, on a pursuit that features constant adventure and horrendous mishaps, must follow the mad Ahab into the abyss to satisfy his unslakable thirst for vengeance.  Narrated by the cunningly observant crew member Ishmael, Moby-Dick is the tale of the hunt for the elusive, omnipotent, and ultimately mystifying white whale - Moby Dick."

Now, I know this isn’t a book that you are going to run out and buy, and I don’t expect you too.  I had to read Moby-Dick for school and liked it a lot more than I thought I would.  I rated this book on a different scale then all other books that I read because I want to, not because I had too. If I didn’t have to read Moby-Dick, I never would have, but because I was required to read it, I actually enjoyed it.

One of my favorite things in this book was Herman Melville’s writing style.  Melville creates great metaphors that help to explain the complicated world of a shipping boat to my fifteen year-old mind.  I also liked how he was able to present complex human issues of mortality and madness without taking a side. But by far my favorite thing was the sarcasm I found every now and then. The sarcasm really helped me to finish this book.

Now, onto the actual story told in the book.  Overall, I really did like the story. It was interesting and shared great insights to humankind.  What I didn’t like was how Melville would go off on long talks about various equipment and rules of a ship.  While these talks did help me understand how a whaling ship works, they were tedious, boring, and at times, unneeded. 

Overall, if you’re looking for a classic with great writing technique and you wouldn’t mind long lectures on shipping, Moby-Dick is the book for you.

Demon Thief by Darren Shan

Demon Thief by Darren Shan

Release Date : March 31, 2007

Publisher : Little Brown

Pages : 244

Series : Book Two in the Demonata Series

Rating : 4

"The voice says something crazy to me.  I want to argue, roar at it.  But, as scared and confused as I am, I can't disobey.  I find my legs tensing.  I know, with sick certainty, what's going to happen next.  I open my mouth to scream, but before I can, a force makes me step forward - after the monster, into the light."

First thing first, don’t read this review if you haven’t read Lord Loss by Darren Shan.  Lord Loss is a wonderful, horror filled novel and this book I’m reviewing is its sequel, so go read the first!

One thing I love about the Demonata series is how the books, at least the first two, don’t seem to be related at all!  When you start Demon Thief you have just finished Lord Loss and you’re expecting the story to continue but it doesn’t!  It takes you into a completely different story with characters you’ve never met before, although Dervish does make an appearance.

The main character of this book is Kernel Fleck.  For as long as Kernel can remember he has been surrounded by lighted shapes in the air.  They’ve never bothered him, but when he concentrates he can move them around into patterns.  One day, he discovers that if he moves the pulsating pieces together, they form a window.  Unfortunately there is a demon trying to come out of the window.  Kernel manages to push it back but feels compelled to follow it through the light.  When he wakes up, with his brother Art in his arms, several days have passed and he cannot remember what happened after he went through the window. One night his parents bundle Kernel and Art home and drive them to their new lazy town called Paskinston.  In Paskinston, no one knows that Kernel disappeared and he is able to live a normal life.  Until he must find out what happened to him and what the lights are.

The only thing that made this book not as interesting to me as the first was that I knew exactly what would happen.  I think this is because I read the book a couple years ago and was drawing off that.  I knew who the demon thief was from the very beginning.  Because of this I was hurrying to finish the book and move on.  But never the less I found it to still keep me enthralled.

Shan’s horror is still ever present in this installment of the Demonata Series.  If you have a queasy stomach or rather not read a description of a head being torn of a body, this book is not for you.  But if horror is your thing, don’t pass this book by.   Once the action starts you won’t be able to put down this book, it’s a fast entertaining read.

Lord Loss by Darren Shan

Lord Loss by Darren Shan

Release Date : June 12th 2005

Publisher : Little Brown

Pages : 224

Series : The Demonata Book One

Rating : 4.5

"The door feels red hot, as though a fire is burning behind it.  I press an ear to the wood - but there's no crackle.  No smoke.  Just deep, heavy breathing...and a curious dripping sound.  My hand's on the doorknob.  Inside the room, somebody giggles - low, throaty, sadistic.  There's a ripping sound, followed by snaps and crunches.  My hand turns.  The door opens.  Hell is revealed.

Grubbs Grady is about to learn three things: The world is vicious.  Magic is possible.  Demons are real.  A horrifying new adventure begins with this first book in the spine-chilling Demonata series."

Darren Shan is one of my favorite authors.  You may know him by his best selling series Cirque Du Freak.  They made a horrible movie out of it and the ending was a little disappointing but that is a different post.  This post is about his series titled The Demonata.  I started this series a couple years ago but only got about three books in.  I have no idea why I stopped because I did really like the books.  I’ve recently decided to pick up the series again and try to read through the ten book series.

Lord Loss is the first book in the Demonata series.  Grubbs, after being left at his grandmother’s house, sneaks back home only to discover that his parents and sister have been murdered by demons.  He is instantly whisked away to a mental institution where he constantly falls into horrible nightmares about the demons.  One day a man named Devrish, his uncle, visits and claims he knows all about the demons.  Grubbs goes to live with his uncle and is learns about his family history with magic and demons.

This book is definitely gruesome with a lot of blood and gore.  I would recommend this book not to be read by anyone under the age of eight or nine. 

My favorite parts of the book were at the end.  The final showdown between Grubbs and Lord Loss was captivating.  I loved how it was as much psychological as it was physical.  I also loved the very last couple pages of the book.  They were hilarious.

If you like Darren Shan’s Cirque Du Freaks series and want to read something darker, or if you’re looking for a good horror story definitely try Lord Loss or, actually, anything by Darren Shan.

The Face On The Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney

The Face On The Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
Release Date: April 30th, 1991
Publisher: Laurel-Leaf Books
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 184
Source: Barnes and Noble
Buy the Book: Amazon

Rating: 4/5

"No one ever really paid close attention to the faces of the missing children on the milk cartons.  But as Janie Johnson glanced at the face of the ordinary little girl with her hair in tight pigtails, wearing a dress with a narrow white collar - a three-year-old who had been kidnapped twelve year before from a shopping mall in New Jersey - she felt overcome with shock.  She recognized that little girl - it was she.  How could it possibly be true?

Janie can't believe that her loving parents kidnapped her, but as she begins to piece things together, nothing makes sense.  Something is terribly wrong.  Are Mr. and Mrs. Johnson really her parents?  And if not, who is Janie Johnson, and what really happened?"

First off, how great is the idea for this book?  I've seen those ads looking for kids who disappeared years ago and its true who would recognize the child except the person themselves.  This plot had me hooked from the very beginning.  

Janie is just a normal, lactose intolerant girl.  She has a crush on her next door neighbor Reeve, a great life with parents who love her and she loves them back.  But then she sees herself on the milk carton and her world is turned upside down.  Did her parents kidnap her?  Are they horrible people or was it just a lapse of judgement?  Who is this other family of hers in New Jersey?  What if they want her back?  What if she has to leave her parents who she still loves?

I, for one, LOVE the Hannah twist but I'm not going to say anything because it is a little spoilery...

I liked how Caroline used flashbacks through out the books.  I liked how Janie slipped into them and didn't realize what else was happening around her.  In other books I've read, flashbacks happen while the character is sleeping so it is not noticeable to the other characters.

Even though I didn't love this book I will definitely read the rest of the series.