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!

Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski

Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski

Publisher:  Alfred A. Knopf

Pages: 275

Rating: 5/5

     From the master of literary reportage whose acclaimed books include Shah of Shahs, The Emperor, and The Shadow of the Sun, an intimate account of his first youthful forays beyond the Iron Curtain.
     Just out of university in 1955, Kapuscinski told his editor that he'd like to go abroad.  Dreaming no farther than Czechoslovakia, the young reporter found himself sent to India.  Wide-eyed and captivated, he would discover in those days his life's work - to understand and describe the world in its remotest reaches, in all its multiplicity.  From the rituals of sunrise at Persepolis to the incongruity of Louis Armstrong performing before a stone-faced crowd in Khartoum, Kapuscinski gives us the non-Western world as he first say it, though still-virginal Western eyes.
     The companion on his travels, a volume of Herodotus, a gift from his first boss.  Whether he was in China, Poland, Iran or the Congo, it was the "father of history" - and, as Kapuscinski would realize, of globalism - who helped the young correspondent to make sense of the events, to find the story where it did not obviously exist.  It is this great forerunner's spirit - both supremely worldly and innately Occidental - that would continue to whet Kapuscinski's ravenous appetite for discovering the broader world and that has made him our own indispensable companion on any leg of that perpetual journey.

In Travels with Herodotus, Ryszard Kapuscinski explains his intimate relationship with the ancient Greek writer Herodotus.  When Kapuscinski embarked upon his first trip overseas, his boss handed him a copy of Herodotus's Histories.  When shocked and overwhelmed by India, Kapuscinski retreats into Herodotus's writings.  In this historic text, Kapuscinski finds a deep appreciation for the world.  Herodotus, alive in 400 BCE, wished to write down the history of all people regardless of pertinence.  He gave the Persians and Greeks the same amount of care and attention as the Scythians and Phoenicians.  Kapuscinski, inspired by Herodotus's view and dedication to history bring the book, and the reader, along with him to various nations and provides thoughtful insight on the passage of time, history, and people.  Full of quotes from Herodotus's Histories, Travels with Herodotus is both a memoir and great introduction to the ancient work.

This became one of my favorite books ever within the first 50 pages.  I actually picked up other books and set this book down simply because I didn't want it to end.  Travels with Herodotus did a great job of weaving different cultures and time periods together to take the reader on basically a whirlwind tour of the ancient Mediterranean and various places Kapuscinski has visited.  I really loved seen the common trends between each population.  I find the similarities between people and cultures really interesting so this book captured my interest right from the start and never let go.  I actually plan to go out and buy this book as soon as I can because I know I will want to reread this book multiple times.  If you like memoirs, history or culture I would definitely suggest checking out this book!

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.

Ladies of the Field: Early Women Archaeologists and Their Search for Adventure by Amanda Adams

Ladies of the Field: Early Women Archaeologists and Their Search for Adventure by Amanda Adams

Publisher:  Greystone Books

Pages: 192

Rating: 5/5

     The first women archaeologists were Victorian era adventurers who felt most at home when farthest from in.  Canvas tents were their domains, hot Middle Eastern deserts their gardens of inquiry and labor. Thanks to them, prevailing ideas about feminine nature - soft, nurturing submissive - were upended. Ladies of the Field tells the story of seven remarkable women, each a pioneering archaeologist, each headstrong, smart and courageous who burst into what was then a very young science.  Amanda Adams takes us with them as they hack away at underbrush under a blazing sun, battle swarms of biting bugs, travel on camel-back for weeks on end, and feel the excitement of unearthing history at an archaeological site. Adams also reveals the dreams of these extraordinary women, their love of the field, their passion for holding the past in their hands, their fascination with human origins and their utter disregard for convention. (from Shelfari)

Whenever I have been asked what I want to be when I grow up, I have always answered archaeologist.  Something about the adventure and monotony of archaeology attracted my attention as a toddler and remains to this day.  So when I saw this book at my local library, I had to pick it up.  Before this book, I didn't know of any female archaeologists but now I know of 7 amazing ones.  In Ladies of the Field, Adams does a fantastic job of outlining these women's archaeological accomplishments as well as their lives.  The seven female archaeologist examined in that novel are Amelia Edwards, Jane Dieulafoy, Zelia Nuttall, Gertrude Bell, Harriet Boyd Hawes, Agatha Christie, and Dorothy Garrod.  For each woman, Adams tells of their life-long struggles, romantic interests, career paths, education, opposition to typical female stereotypes, and, of course, their contribution to archaeology.  While it was definitely interesting to learn about the contributions these women have made to history, it was more inspiring than informative.  Reading about how these women overcame Victorian stereotypes to follow their passion has inspired me to continue to aspire for a career in this field.  If you're looking for some female empowerment I would definitely recommend this book.  I know the stories of these women will be a source of inspiration for me.

The Sting Man: Inside Abscam by Robert W. Greene

The Sting Man: Inside Abscam by Robert W. Greene

Publisher:  Penguin

Pages: 324

Rating: 4/5

     In February 1980, the nation learned that the FBI had been conducting a sophisticated sting operation called Abscam in an effort to combat white-collar crimes such as art-theft, securities forgery, and counterfeiting.  Led by Mel Weinberg, international con man par excellence, the investigation soon revealed that there was a bigger game afoot.  Abscam eventually led to the convictions of a US Senator, several members of the House of Representatives, a gaggle of state and city officials, and a small army of lawyers and influence brokers who specialized in government favors.
     In The Sting Man, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Robert W. Greene presents not only an expose of the operation itself, but also a thrilling account of Weinberg's genesis as a small-time street hustler in the Bronx and his rise as the FBI's international con mastermind.  A rogue's story, as well as an unsettling lesson in civics, The Sting Man offers a vivid and fascinating look at the underbelly of the American Dream and poses the question: Can you really con an honest man?

In The Sting Man, Greene provides an all-inclusive account of Abscam.  In 1978, Amoroso and other FBI agents created a con to catch white-collar criminals.  They enlist the help of Melvin (Mel) Weinberg, a life-long confidence man, to structure their sting.  Mel had been coning people since the age of six in 1931 when he would steal gold stars from the teacher's desk to hide his failure from his mother.  He soon graduated into front-end scams building himself a large fortune.  With Mel's help, the FBI formulate a scam in which two agents pose as the American representatives of an imaginary Arab sheikh who wishes to invest billions and find permanent asylum in America.  Greene utilizes 237 interviews with Weinberg, FBI tapes and official court transcripts to trace how this con attracted elected public officials as well as the white-collar criminals it was originally designed to capture.

I picked up The Sting Man as it is the true story behind the upcoming film American Hustle.  Before I found this novel in Barnes and Noble, I thought that American Hustle was a fictional movie and had never heard of Abscam before.  Having finished the novel, I am amazed by the amount of corruption the FBI found. Numerous congressmen were named as possible targets and quite a few were actually convicted for trading money for pushing bills.  The power of greed is examined deeply in this story. Weinberg's philosophy of man emphasizes that all men are powered by greed. The idea of obtaining large amounts of money causes men to push aside all rational and moral judgement. Weinberg also talks about how hope helps a con man. People would rather hope that the money will eventually come rather than entertain the notion that they are being conned. I found these two insights extremely interesting and knowing them makes me hope I'll be harder to con! All in all, The Sting Man, while at times dry due to it's journalist author, outlines one of the few events in which the FBI fought against the government directly and was engaging, making me truly interested in the subject, and chock full of facts, making me confident in my knowledge of this historical event.

Ninety Days by Bill Clegg

Ninety Days by Bill Clegg

Publisher:  Little, Brown and Company

Pages: 191

Rating: 3/5

     Ninety Days is a powerful account of an addict's journey to recovery, by a writer "as intoxicated by language as he was by crack".  The goal is ninety-just ninety-clean and sober days to loosen the hold of the addiction that caused Bill Clegg to lose everything.  With six weeks of his most recent rehab behind him, he returns to New York and attends two or three meetings each day, avoiding the people and places of his drinking and using life.  It is in these refuges that he befriends essential allies, including Polly, who struggles daily with her own cycle of recovery and relapse, and the seemingly unshakable sober Asa.

     At first, the support is not enough; Clegg relapses with only three days left.  Written with compromised immediacy, Ninety Days begins where Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man ends - and tells the wrenching story of Clegg's battle to reclaim his life.  As any recovering addict knows hitting rock bottom is just the beginning.

The complete opposite of the last book I read about addiction (The Wolf Of Wall Street), Clegg paints a very relate-able view of addiction and recovery.  Moving back to the city after a 6 week stay in rehab, Clegg has to discover how to avoid relapse with no outside force  requiring his sobriety.  Living in his brother's office with no money, Clegg focuses all his efforts on attending multiple addicts meetings each day where he finds the community and support system he needs to reach ninety days.

Lately I've been craving non-fiction.  Weirdly, I've grown sick of plots with beginnings, middles, and ends.  Life isn't organized like this.  Therefore, I've been drawn to memoirs where there is a sense that this is only a snapshot of someone's life, not the entire thing.  In Ninety Days, Bill Clegg does a great job of relaying this sense of reality which I've been craving.  He takes the reader though his battle with coke and alcohol.  From what I gather, his experience with addicts meetings and relapses is very similar to the experience of others.  Thankfully, I have never had an experience with addiction myself or with people I know, but Ninety Days has made me more understanding to people in those positions and provided insight into the recovery experience.

The Wolf Of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort

The Wolf Of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort

Publisher:  Bantam

Pages: 520

Rating: 5/5

     By day he made thousands of dollars a minute. By night he spent it as fast as he could, on drugs, sex, and international globe-trotting. From the binge that sank a 170-foot motor yacht and ran up a $700,000 hotel tab, to the wife and kids waiting at home, and the fast-talking, hard-partying young stockbrokers who called him king and did his bidding, here, in his own inimitable words, is the story of the ill-fated genius they called . . 

                   THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
     From the stormy relationship Belfort shared with his model-wife as they ran a madcap household that included two young children, a full-time staff of twenty-two, a pair of bodyguards, and hidden cameras everywhere—even as the SEC and FBI zeroed in on them—to the unbridled hedonism of his office life, here is the extraordinary story of an ordinary guy who went from hustling Italian ices at sixteen to making hundreds of millions. Until it all came crashing down . . .

In The Wolf Of Wall Street, Belfort reflects on his life as the owner of Stratton Oakmont, marketing penny-stocks and manipulating the stock market.  However, his time at the investment firm was only a small part of his life as a multimillionaire.  During this time he was also addicted to Quaaludes, cocaine, and sex.  On the cover, Belfort writes "I partied like a Rock Star, lived like a King" and this book most definitely proves that claim true.  The book starts with Belfort almost crashing his helicopter from which he walks away completely indifferent.  This is only the beginning of the crazy tale that was his life.

I loved this book so much I needed to share it.  I haven't posted a book review since The Brothers Karamazov back in June!  The Wolf of Wall Street pulled me out of this lull because I need to tell you to read this book.  I decided to pick up this book after seeing the movie trailer.  I wasn't incredibly interested in the story to begin with but as soon as I began to read it, I was completely enthralled.  This memoir is incredibly engaging.  I was reminded of an over-the-top dramatization of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying but these events actually happened.  However, Belfort's writing style was even more appealing than his slightly disturbing life.  He writes with is balls out, unashamed to admit what he's done and relay his, sometimes flawed, thinking.  It was reminiscent of a best friend telling you their drunken misadventures.  I would really recommend this book to anyone who wants insight into a fascinating world of billionaire investors.  Just beware; you're entering a world of sex, drugs, and bad decisions.

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Publisher:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 776
Rating: 5/5

     The Brothers Karamazov is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving the "wicked and sentimental" Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov and his three sons - the impulsive and sensual Dmitri; the coldly rational Ivan; and the healthy, red-cheeked young novice Alyosha.  Through the gripping events of their story, Dostoevsky portrays the whole of Russian life, its social and spiritual striving, in what was both the golden age and a tragic turning point in Russian culture.
     This award-winning translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky remains true to the verbal inventiveness of Dostoevsky's prose, preserving the multiple voices, the humor, and the surprising modernity of the original. It is an achievement worthy of Dostoevsky's last and greatest novel.

Can I just start by saying that I love Russian literature.  I have read three Russian novels for school (The Brothers Karamazov, War and Peace, and Anna Karenina) and have preferred them by far to any American novel that has been assigned (1984, Scarlet Letter, Red Badge of Courage, Moby Dick, Huck Finn, Heart of Darkness, The Great Gatsby). I blame it on my infatuation with Stalin.

I did read this book for class so the rating is based on how much I liked this book compared to other classics not other books in general. I like to hurry through the books my school assigns for summer reading as quickly as possible.  I hate the feeling of having something to do looming over me.  Hence, I have finished this book in about 3 weeks.  Most of my classmates don't even have a copy yet.  When I started this book I found it really hard to believe that it would be as interesting as the back of the book claims.  A murder, affairs?! Yeah right, Alyosha is chilling in a monastery! However, it picks up around part III and all the back claims did come true.

Now, I am not religious, but I joke that the only time I have any spiritual tendencies is when a plane is taking off or landing, then I pray my heart out.  I must admit that Russian novels also bring out my spirituality.  All classics are supposed to make you question your society and yourself, but sometimes the questions are outdated or something I've already uncovered myself, which is annoying.  It feels worthless to read the book when that happens.  However, I always am moved by the Russian works I've read.  What has stuck with me from The Brothers Karamazov the function of God in society.  Basically the novel showcases the downfall of religion in popular thought.  Facts and science are taken into account more then Alyosha's feelings.  The novel shows that excluding spirituality and sensuality doesn't always result in the truth. For a while I haven't felt that science needs to explain everything and be the basis for all knowledge so it was interesting for me to see this viewpoint with a religious backing because, like I've said, I do not have any religious experience.

Wow, I haven't done a great job selling this book have I?  I've said it reminds me of Stalin and that it promotes deep thought.  Not really what you want on the beach right?  Well, it's also a good story.  Those Russians certainly know how to shock society.  Anna had an affair then offed herself and in this novel, contrary to the first half of the book, there is a very interesting murder, a complex love affair, and the courtroom was interesting (if you like that kind of thing).  Americans are afraid of love and sensuality but Russia just digs deep and spreads all their dirty laundry on the page for the world to read.  Give it a try, they're very honest.

Well, I haven't done a great job of explaining what this book is about.  However, for a classic is that really necessary? You're either going to read it for school or...actually don't read it otherwise.  It might mess you up if you do.  (Trust me War and Peace changed my life and all of my convictions)  If you do have to read it for a class, now you know why I liked it! What book have you actually liked that you read for a class?

Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre

Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre

Publisher: Faber and Faber
Pages: 277
Rating: 4/5

The riotous adventures of fifteen-year-old Vernon Gregory Little in a small-town Texas and beach-front Mexico mark on of the most spectacularly irreverent, satirically acute and critically acclaimed debuts of the 21st century so far.  The only novel to be set in the barbecue sauce capital of central Texas, Vernon God Little, suggests that desperate times throw up the most unlikely of heroes.

This may be the first 'adult' book I've read for fun.  I feel so grown up!  Granted, the main character was a fifteen year old but it still counts right? I have to say this is not the book I expected it to be but never the less it was very very good.

The novel starts with Vernon arrested in the sheriff's office.  His friend Jesus had just shot up their school killing fellow students and himself.  Trying to find the cause of Jesus actions, they arrest Vernon and question him.  Upon being released on bail, kinda, Vernon works to clear his name.  However, he has no idea how to do that and as the blurb states somehow ends up in Mexico.

Everyone likes a good satire.  People read to learn about their society and to develop their own morality.  Satires make the reader think about what they have previously accepted by pointing out the flawed system.  In Vernon God Little, DBC Pierre analyses the criminal justice system.  The reader knows throughout the novel that Vernon is innocent of murder yet the community is in dire need of a fall person so they mold him into one.  Even his mother helps incarcerate him.  This book made me really think about how we assess a crime when the perpetrator cannot explain himself.

Vernon is brutally honest about the events and the people around him.  He gives a faithful first person narration that hits home.  The twisting knife in his back was a metaphor that stuck with me.  However, there is a light side.  The diction is amazing.  I definitely was not expecting it and it blew me away.  I thought it was very realistic, except for that fact that I don't think I child would have that type of vocabulary (I don't!).

All in all, I really liked this book. The story was very unpredictable and at times admittedly unbelievable but it  told an interesting tale and made me question if is really so unbelievable.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 360 pgs
Rating: 5/5

The maze was only the beginning...
     Solving the maze was supposed to be the end.  No more puzzles.  No more variables.  And no more running.  Thomas was sure that escape meant he and the Gladers would get their lives back. But no one really knew what sort of life they were going back to.
     Burned by sun flares and baked by a new, brutal climate, the earth is now a wasteland.  Government has disintegrated - and with it, order - and now Cranks, people covered in festering wounds and driven to murderous insanity by the infectious disease known as the Flare, roam the crumbling cities hunting for their next victim...and meal.
     The Gladers are far from done running.  Instead of freedom, they find themselves faced with with another trial.  They must cross the Scorch, the most burned-out section of the world, and arrive at a safe haven in two weeks.  And WICKED has made sure to adjust the variables and stack the odds against them.
     Thomas can only wonder - does he hold the secret to freedom somewhere in his mind?  Or will he forever be at the mercy of WICKED?

If you don't know The Scorch Trials is the second book in the Maze Runner series so if you haven't read the first book, I may spoil a little.  If you want to read my review of the first book, The Maze Runner, click here.

I really liked this book.  Just like the first, it is a nonstop adventure, but I found this installment much less predictable which was a nice surprise.  It actually scared the crap out of me a couple times.  I found it to be much more realistic which just helped the terror factor.  The Maze Runner is set in the maze, a world completely controlled by WICKED, but The Scorch Trials are set in the actual apocalyptic world in a ruined city.  This takes away any separation between the reader and the characters that I felt in the first novel.  Plus, in the Maze most of the characters were unknown to the reader allowing them to care less about the deaths, but now that the pack has been whittled down to about 20 and it's harder to be separate from their misfortune.  

The Flare infected Cranks are terrifying.  I thought the grievers were scary, but now there is a human element.  I don't know why, but human monsters that have lost their humanity are always the scariest monster.  What was interesting is while the Cranks returned to their bestial state, they still retained their intelligence to a certain extent.  They could talk and plan an attack, they definitely weren't zombies.  That being said, the nose man scared the CRAP out of me.  After I read that I had such a problem turning off the lights and trying to sleep. Even last night, approximately a month after reading that part, I was so scared thinking about it I couldn't turn off the lights!  

If you can’t tell, this installment was a lot harsher, scarier and therefore more interesting to me than the first.  Thomas now knows what's going on and is thinking about why and what he should be doing about it, questions that lead to a much better story in my opinion.  Also, I loved the additions of Brenda and Jorge, Aris, and Group B.  Both groups brought new elements to the story.  Now there are conflicting emotions and goals among all the characters and the reader is forced to look outside Thomas views and the Glader’s goals.

The one thing I didn't really like about the book was the romance.  Now, I can love romance, but I don't think it has a place in a story when there are much larger problems present and that's how I felt reading The Scorch Trials at certain points.  For example (semi-spoiler), when Teresa disappears in the beginning, that is all Thomas can think about not the multitude of bodies hanging from the ceiling!!! Thomas, I'm much more interested in your memories about WICKED than your maybe relationship.  However, this is just my personal opinion and dislikes, if you don't mind a little side tracking, there's a good story there, I just thought it was a little annoying how occupied his thoughts were of her not the boys around him.

All in all, it was a good read.  I finished it in a few days, though there was a month of rest between those days. I'm still deeply interested in WICKED's motives and future plans so the next book is now sitting on my bed waiting for me. The Death Cure, here I come!

Elixir by Hilary Duff (again)

Elixir by Hilary Duff
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Pages: 327
Rating: 3/5
Series: Elixir Series

A soulmate for life...or death.

     Seventeeen-year-old Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life.  The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent politician, she has become a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a world that allows her to travel to many exotic places.  But after Clea's father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea begins to notice eerie, shadowy images in her photos of a strange and beautiful young man - a man she has never seen before.

     When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him.  As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father's disappearance, and they discover the centuries-old truth behind their love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives and their futures.

I've read and reviewed this book previously, almost two years ago, but I always feel the need to reread a series when a new installment arrives.  I still enjoyed Elixir on the second go, but I found more faults in the writing though I still loved the story and when it's right it's really good.

Clea is rich, famous and a fantastic photographer trying to live after her father's disappearance. Coming home from a trip through Europe, she sorts her pictures and finds the same man in many of them.  In one, he's floating on air! Clea begins to have scarily realistic dreams about this man, but she’s never herself.  She’s another girl in another decade with him.  Scared and confused, Clea, with the help of her friends Ben and Rayna, travels to Rio to try and solve the two mysteries.  She is soon involved in a 500 year old feud and torn between love and a painful death.

I couldn't connect with Clea and that's a problem.  She's just too rich, famous, pretty, kind of a Mary Jane.  In fact most of the characters were like that which makes it me think well why the hell do I like the book then? And the truth is, I have no clue.  Sometimes I read a book that I don't really love but there are parts which I am ecstatic about.  That's what happens in Elixir.  I love the descriptions of Clea's past life and when she discovers Sage in her photos, but the romance and the drama I couldn't careless about.

The dependency and romance eerily echoed Twilight which made me question my taste even more.  If I find Edward watching Bella sleep super creepy why does Sage inspire different feelings?  He’s in the picture of her birth!  Also, both Bella and Clea will do anything to keep their love alive, no matter the consequences.

I don't know how this worked but I disliked all the characters, loved the story and can't wait to read Devoted.  It's like Reality TV.  I don't know why I love Dance Mom's but I come back every week to see the next episode.  I think this book is worth reading for parts of the novel, but not if relate-able characters are a necessity for you.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 374
Rating: 4/5

     When Thomas wakes up i the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name.  He has no recollection of his parents, his home, or how he got where he is.  His memory is empty.
     But he is not alone.  When the lift's doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade, a large expanse enclosed by stone walls.
     Just like Thomas, the Gladers don't know why or how they got to the Glade.  All they know is that every morning, for as long as anyone can remember, the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened.  Every night, for just as long, they've closed tight.  Every thirty days a new boy is delivered in the lift.  And no one wants to be stuck in the Maze after dark.
     The Gladers were expecting Thomas's arrival.  But the next day, a girl is sent up - the first girl ever to arrive in the Glade.  And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.  The Gladers have always been convinced that if they can solve the maze that surrounds the Glade, they might find their way home...wherever that may be.  But it's looking more and more as if the the Maze is unsolvable.
     And something about the girl's arrival is starting to make Thomas feel different.  Something is telling him that he just might have some answers - if he can only find a way to retrieve the dark secrets locking within his own mind.

This book is unstoppable and I mean that in the most literal sense.  There are no pauses in the action, no time for the reader to accustom themselves to the world.  Plus, like Thomas, you have no idea what is happening or why.  It's written in third person limited which was really weird to me.  At the beginning, I didn't catch and remember Thomas's name so every time the book mentioned him I thought they were talking about someone else. :P I found couldn’t but it down due to the fast pased action but I found when I did put it down, I didn't feel the urge to pick it up again for a few days.  However, I’m glad I finally did.  I read the last 2/3 of the book in one night!

I loved the characters, especially Minho and Newt. I loved how this group of 50 boys was functional even though they didn't agree 100%.  A scene in which they argue the fate of Thomas was great at showcasing this.  The leaders of their community all have different thoughts but have the common goal of surviving the Maze.  I thought it was a great way of showing the government in a small scale. Also, none of the characters were perfect.  Thomas was a loner who doesn't appreciate his first friend and Minho has a terrible anger management problem.

As a dystopian, I found the story to be good and not overused.  Unlike most, the characters in The Maze Runner are separated from the world.  They can't remember it.  All they know is how things work and the words for them but there are no previous memories attached.  There is also no oppressive government, only WICKED the organization responsible for the boy's predicament.  In fact, the boys have created their own democratic system in the maze which functioned well until WICKED begins to make changes in their environment.

All in all, I really enjoyed The Maze Runner.  It wasn't a difficult read, nor did it leave me deep in thought, but I did devour it. Plus, I could hardly bring myself to turn off the lights when I finally finished.  I was actually shaking and terrified that a Greiver would enter my room as soon as darkness fell.  This book is no Cloud Atlas, but it had great imagery and a bounding story line that could keep a sloth interested.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Publisher : Random House
Pages :  509
Rating: 5/5

A postmodern visionary who is also a master of styles and genres, David Mitchell  combines flat-out adventure, and Nabokovian love of puzzles, a keen eye for character, and a taste for mind-bending philosophical and scientific speculation in the tradition of Umberto Eco and Philip K. Dick.  The result is a brilliantly original fiction that reveals how disparate people connect, how their fates intertwine, and how their souls drift across time like clouds across the sky.

No, that summery doesn't draw me in either, but it was on the back of my book so I'll include it. However, I will attempt to do better. Cloud Atlas is an amazing anthology written by one person, so not an anthology at all....it's six stories that fit together like Russian nesting dolls (are they Russian...). Basically, you get half of a story five times then a whole story then the end of the 5 stories backwards to the way they were initially presented. Make any sense? No? Well, the first half and the last half are the same story. Get it now? If not I don't know how to tell you. I can say I've never seen another book formatted this way but I really liked it. It was easier to see how the stories tied into one another and it felt like you were uncovering the stories as the characters were. My memory was the only problem, by the time I was reading the ends of the stories; I had forgotten what happened in the beginning! However, a few quick rereads put everything back in to perspective.

The range of stories told in Cloud Atlas is amazing. Everything from mystery to romance to sci-fi included in just 500 pages! There is easily something for everyone, just look at the scope of these six stories and tell me you’re not interested in any of them.

1. Adam Ewig is crossing the Pacific with a doctor who collects human teeth and a runaway stowaway in his cabin.  
2.  Robert Frobisher was never one for subtle.  He falls in and out of love easily and struggles through life while composing his life's work.  
3.  Luisa Ray, aspiring serious reporter, cannot believe she's stumbled upon such a story but people start to get hurt and she starts to wonder if she's next!
4.  Timothy Cavendish just wanted to escape the gangsters trying to kill him and now he's trapped in a nursing home with a torture-happy nurse.
5.  Somni-451 lived the same life day in and day out slowing working her way toward freedom from the Papa Song Corporation.  She lives, completely unaware of reality until someone breaks her out.  
6.  Zachry has lived a normal on the big island with his fellow Vallymen, the canbalistic Kona and his goats until a woman Prescient arrives and asks to be lead to the home of the devil.

This is one of the most influential books I have read this year. I will admit that I saw the movie first but trust me when I say they are not the same story. For me, the movie was more focused on the connections to others, romance and growth via the actors and their parts and the book was stories of people standing against the will to power. The "will to power" is a philosophical concept created by Friedrich Nietzsche. The cliff-notes version is that all of mans actions are based out of a desire for power and a desire to reach the highest possible position in your life. Nietzsche makes a very persuasive and agreeable argument for this pessimistic idea. Cloud Atlas does its best to show that will to power is not a necessity in a human. All six main characters embody this idea and send a powerful message of belief. Belief in free will, in humanity, and in each other which is something I find hard to believe in. As at unwilling believer in the worst it was great to read something so hopeful. If you ever feel stuck in a rut I would suggest giving Cloud Atlas a try.

 "Fantasy. Lunacy.  All revolutions are, until 

 they happen, then they are historical 

 inevitabilities."

The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini

The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini
Publisher : Balzer and Bray (Harper Collins)
Pages :  387
Rating: 4/5

     Given the chance, fifteen-year old Peregrine "Perry" Eckert would dedicate every waking moment to Creatures & Caverns, an epic role-playing game rich with magical creatures, spell casting, and deadly weapons.  The world of C&C is where he feels most comfortable in his own skin.  But that isn't happening - not if his parents have anything to do with it.  Concerned their son lacks social skills, they ship him off to summer camp to become a man.  They want him to be outdoors playing with kids his own age and meeting girls - rather than indoors alone, with only his gaming alter ego for company.  Perry knows he's in for the worst summer of his life.

     Everything changes, however, when Perry gets to camp and stumbles into the World of the Other Normals.  There he meets Mortin Enaw, one of the creators of C&C, and other mythical creatures from the game, including the alluring Ada Ember, whom Perry finds more beautiful than any girl he's ever met.  Perry's new otherworldly friends need his help to save their princess and prevent mass violence. As they embark on their quest, Perry realizes that his nerdy childhood has uniquely prepared him to be a great warrior in this world, and maybe even a hero.  But to save the princess, Perry will have to learn how to make real connections in the human world as well.

I like to think of this book as a mix between Percy Jackson and Dungeons and Dragons.  Although the story and characters are nothing like Percy’s, they evoked the same feeling of a nerdy kid trying to make his way through puberty with a couple monsters thrown in.  Ned Vizzini is one of my favorite authors and I picked up this book without reading the summery so I had no idea the Creature & Caverns characters would actually become reality!  I thought this would be a feel good story of a RPG playing nerd trying to understand puberty, I mean it IS like that but with a fantasy world on the side.

Perry Eckert is a 15 year old New York dork.  With Creatures & Caverns and mathletes on the mind it’s no wonder he’s a ‘late bloomer’ and can’t get a girl.  His divorced parents, worried for the boy playing a RPG alone in his room, send him into the scary world of normal summer camp.  No math, no science, just a cabin and a lake.  Addicted to his game Perry can’t imagine weeks without it, but soon upon his arrival he spots a C&C character running through the woods! Perry can’t help but follow and finds himself in the World of the Other Normals, where everything is different but not. His companions might be human if you take away the frog head or the blue hair or the tail or the permanent glittery nail polish.  With his new friends Ada and Mortin he embarks on a quest to save a princess or just kiss a girl.

Perry is an incredibly awkward, cringe worthy pubescent boy.  I know, lots of books have that cute, awkward nerd with social problems but Perry takes it a step farther.  There were times when his humiliation was painful but being 15 is painful. Thinking back 2 years I know many a boy who can share his problems.  He starts off as a C&C loving loner and slowly becomes more and more socialable but retains the awkward.

I’m not a big fantasy nerd.  I don’t like Lord of the Rings or anything that takes place off earth or with unhuman characters.  I find it hard to picture the world or feel sympathy for any of the characters when taken away from a real world setting.  I ran into this problem a few times with the World of the Other Normals (precisely the underwater part and some of the creatures) but I wasn’t put off.  Vizzini did a good job creating this world and how it connects to ours.  Questions about Mortin’s capability to switch universes kept me enthralled in the Other Normal’s world.  Thankfully my questions were the same as Perry’s and unlike some other books he asks them and receives an answer!

I have to say one of the best things about this book was its pacing and jokes.  I read this book in less than a day.  I couldn’t put it down.   Between the embarrassments, questions and laughs I found myself done practically before I’d even started.  Along with the quickness, I found myself stopping to laugh or just gaping in shock at the craziness on the page many times.  There was one time where I legitimately stared at the words for a good minute with a shocked smile on my face (trust me you’ll know what I’m mentioning).   Though almost 400 pages long, to me it felt short and sweet and, while I probably won’t reread The Other Normals, I’m glad I read it.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Publisher : Penguin Classics

Pages :  817

Rating: 4/5

Anna Karenina has beauty, social position, wealth, a husband, and an adored son, but her existence seems empty.  When she meets the dashing officer Count Vronsky she rejects her marriage and turns to him to fulfill her passionate nature - with devastating results. One of the world's greatest novels, Anna Karenina is both an immortal drama of personal conflict and social scandal and a vivid, richly textured panorama of nineteenth-century Russia.

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first Tolstoy novel I’ve read; it’s not even the longest.  Granted I didn’t read either of them by choice but what does that matter?  I read them thoroughly, unlike some of my classmates…anyways; Anna Karenina was a good read.  It is a grand romance and, like most classics, leaves you overwhelmed because of life.

Unlike the title may suggest, only half of the story is centered upon the adultery and love between Anna and Vronsky.  The other half is the storybook romance between country boy Konstantin Levin and city girl Kitty Alexandrovna.  This romance is ADORABLE!!! There are a few moments when I’m sure I “Ahhhh”ed out-loud.  They’re basically a YA romance in a classic. 

Anna was a very annoying character.  That’s kind of the whole point of the narrative but the fact that I thought her every action was stupid did not help me finish this book.  Anna, and Levin, has a tendency to think too much basically.  While I think this is a common problem, hell I have it, it leads to a slow moving story.  They both are halted in doing what they want by how that action would look to the outside world.   However the whole story shows the reader another perspective and leads you to question.  For example, should you mold yourself to society’s norms or do what you truly want, what’s the difference between your perceived reality and the real one, and so on.  It’s truly a thought provoking book.

Tolstoy, unlike say Nathaniel Hawthorn, is an easy classic to read.  His writing style isn’t too different from the modern he just likes to write down every thought in a character’s head which leads to these epic size yarns.  However, if you want to read something to impress others I can’t suggest a better book than one by Tolstoy.  I mean how awesome is it to say you've read Anna Karenina?!

OH! I saw the new Anna Karenina movie with Jude Law and Keira Knightly and thought it was ridiculous, not in the good way.  I didn’t like it.  It just wasn’t the book. I know, everyone whose read any book turned movie says that but hey, it’s true.  But if you liked the movie you’ll like the book.  The story is the same but with TONS more Levin and Kitty and more of view inside the minds of the characters.