The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars

by John Green

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Book Length: 337 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Romance

I tend to stay away from young adult novels. When it is a young adult romance novel I really want to run far away. What do teenagers truly know about love? They think they know a lot. Yet, what I have learned in my age is that no one really knows anything about love.

This is my excuse for why it took me so long to read The Fault in Our Stars despite everyone talking about the book. Although, maybe everyone talking about the book is another reason that I stayed far away. I regret taking so long to read it.

This is a young adult novel. It is a romance. Yet it is not a traditional young adult romance novel. One reason is that the main characters are both dying. When you have already had to face your own mortality then you have a maturity that goes beyond traditional young adulthood. This is cliche because it is true.

What I love most about this book are the characters. They are quirky. They are obsessed about a book that has no ending written by a complete jerk. They intertwine cancer with teenage rebellion. Then they dash off to Austria and kiss in the house of Anne Frank.

The entire novel is a bit quirky. Yet the ending is heartbreaking. The story was powerfully told. I have come to respect John Green's writing and will continue to read his books, even though they continue to be young adult fiction.

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Things Fall Apart by China Achebe

Things Fall Apart

by Chinua Achebe

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Book Length: 181 pages

Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, African Fiction

I do not have the appropriate historical knowledge to critique this book on African culture or the accuracy of the British invasion into Africa. Although I am certain that how it was presented in the book is very much how it happened. One culture came to the country of another and decided that it's way of seeing the world was correct and everyone else was ignorant. As such people needed to be reeducated and punished.

The story is about Okonkwo who wants to overcome the disgrace of having a lazy father by becoming a strong warrior and a good provider. He is not the most lovable of characters. He does not speak much and he is very concrete in his own views. He strives to be a strong leader in his community and he works very hard to get there.

Even within his own culture, Okonkwo is not a flexible character. He has little love for his oldest son. He helps with the killing of his adopted son because he needs to be strong. He works hard and expects everyone in his family to do the same. He even expected his four-year-old son to understand a conversation about being a man.

Yet he is also a very real character. When his only daughter of his second wife is taken he circles the village looking for her and then stands outside the cave waiting for her exit. Although, I still have no idea what that was about, except to help show his devotion to his tradition that he would allow his favorite child to be taken and just stand and wait for the outcome. When he helps kill his adopted son he is sick by the action. When he goes to his mother's tribe he is grateful for their aid even while he regrets the necessity of being there. He is not exactly a likable character, but he is a very real character.

It is because he is so strong in the tradition of his ancestors that it is guaranteed that there would be conflict with the invaders. Okonkwo can do nothing except continue to fight for the ways of Africa. When he fights and kills one of the white men his people do not back him up. He knows that he is fighting alone, and as his uncle had said prior, a man is nothing without his kin. He has no choice but to keep to his tradition and hang himself. By keeping with his tradition he also kills his tradition.

Things Fall Apart is a very moving book. It is well written and seems a bit simplistic, yet the story that it tells is extremely powerful. It is not something that I would normally have read, which is something that I need to remedy in my own reading habits. I am extremely glad that I picked up this book.

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Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar - Your Brain's Silent Killers by David Perlmutter

Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar - Your Brain's Silent Killers

by David Perlmutter, MD

Rating: **** 1/2 (4 1/2 stars)

Book Length: 336 pages

Genre: Health, Nutrition, Neuroscience, Science

I loved this book! I really wanted to give it a five-star rating, however, there were two things that held me back. I will get to that in a bit. First, why do I love this book? Grain Brain combines all the research on the impact of gluten and carbs and presents it from a neurological perspective. While the main topic of the book seems to be about preventing dementia and Alzheimer's he also provides examples about Tourette's and ADHD. There is even a small section about autism and mood disorders (bipolar).

When I was in graduate school the general consensus was that there is no research to support the gluten-free diet for children on the autism spectrum. While Dr. Perimutter provides anecdotal evidence from his neurology practice to support the claims he is making, he thankfully continues to back up his claims with peer-reviewed journal articles. While the research specifically on autism spectrum disorders and the effects of gluten may be sparse, there is research showing the effects of gluten on the brain in general. Dr. Perimutter claims that everyone will be better served by adopting a low carb, gluten free diet. However, there are people who are unknowingly more susceptible to gluten, and many of these individuals have conditions such as diabetes, ASD, mood disorders, schizophrenia, or ADHD, to name a few.

The book also contains great information on the impact of fasting. He also explores how sleep, or the lack of sleep, affects our cognitive abilities. There are also a few easy recipes in the back of the book mostly geared towards individuals who have never eaten gluten free before.

Why did I take off half a star?

The first reason is that I do not think that Dr. Perimutter made his claim on the harm of sugar to the brain. He continually mentions the impact of sugar, lumping all sugar including fruit together. Then he shortly says well if you are going to eat sugar then fruit is a lot better than processed sugar. However, even then he does not really provide the evidence to back up his claims. From my own experience I completely agree with him - however, that is not much good without the evidence to back it up. Then when he creates his list of what to eat and what not to eat he never mentions the acceptability of honey and completely outlaws agave. I admit that agave is pretty controversial, specifically for individuals eating Paleo. What I want is evidence about why it is bad for you, or good for you. And why no honey but you are allowed to occasionally put cow's milk in your tea or coffee? That makes no sense to me.

Which brings me to the second problem that I had with the book. He turned it into a fad diet book. I would say that 80% of the book is evidence from a neurological perspective. Then in the last 10% he adds a pretty lamb and skimpy diet outline and points you to his website to buy supplements and tests. It is hard to ignore the sale out factor of this. My advice - ignore this section of the book and focus on everything that came before. After all combined it is really only worth a half a star drop in rating.

If you read no other non-fiction book this year then make it Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar--Your Brain's Silent Killers. It is a great way to start of your new year for a new you.

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Our Chemical Hearts by Krystal Sutherland

Our Chemical Hearts

by Krystal Sutherland

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Book Length: 320 pages

Genre: Young Adult

It has been a while since I have over-identified with character's in a book. At first I found myself relating to the broken nature of Grace Town. Despite her obvious depression Henry was pursuing her. In a way it felt like there was hope for us all.

Except then I found myself identifying with Henry who was chasing after a girl who was really just stringing him along for her own needs. She wasn't into him as much as she was into the healing that he provided her. The whole book she blamed him for wanting a different version of Grace, yet she was the one using him to feel a different version of herself. After they separate Grace begins to heal. This is all to the credit of Henry. Yet, Henry is now broken relying on his friends to help him to heal past the relationship that was Grace Town.

It was a beautifully written book with characters that obviously grabbed me. I do completely disagree with the book's message on love. In principle I get that it was trying to help others to see that love is what we make of it. We have to work at love like we have to work at anything else. My issue is that no one actually worked at love in this book. They all divorced. They all left. Even his parents who were pretty solid dissolved their relationship once Henry learned that there is no such thing as true love. Yet there is such thing. The point is that true love is hard work. The chemical portion of love is just passion. That is not true love. True love is the work and dedication and the choice to stay with someone despite the hard times. Even biologically this book just talked about surface love. It told teenagers everywhere that when the passion ends you have the right to leave and find something else. I do not agree with the message of love that this book portrayed. It is not a value that I would want my children taking away. 

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Matilda by Roald Dahl

Matilda
by Roald Dahl

Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Book Length: 240 pages
Genre: Children Chapter

When I was a child my three favorite books were Matilda, Maniac Magee, and Bridge to Terabithia. Matilda is the precursor to the Harry Potter series. She is a young, brilliant, misunderstood child who overcomes adversity to become great. Although, in Matilda's case great just means getting away from her horrible parents and finding someone who understands and appreciates her. That right there is why this is such a brilliant book.

The writing is classic Rald Dahl - meaning it is well written and appropriate for young children. That being said it is a book that will appeal across the ages. 

If you have not read this book - you should. I am a firm believer that this should be on everyone's bookshelf.

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I Am in Here: The Journey of a Child with Autism who Cannot Speak but Finds Her Voice by Elizabeth M Bonker and Virginia G Breen

I Am in Here: The Journey of a Child with Autism Who Cannot Speak but Finds Her Voice
by Elizabeth M Bonker and Virginia G Breen

Rating: ** (2 stars)
Book Length: 253 pages
Genre: Autism, Psychology, Memoir, Poetry

The title and authorship of this book would lead the reader to think that it is written by, and about, an adolescent with autism. The reality is that this book is a melodramatic memoir which includes a main topic of having a daughter with autism. It also includes many trips down memory lanes by the main author of the book Virginia (Elizabeth's mother). Many of these ventures are quite interesting. She graduated from Harvard, seems to travel extensively, and can pick up and fly across the country for healing prayers. On a trip to Tibet she happened to meet someone who worked for PBS creating documentaries. This is not a typical middle or lower class family. None of this takes away from the book in itself.

My main issue with the book is that it is marketed as being written from the perspective of Elizabeth - a nonverbal adolescent with autism. In reality Elizabeth's poems are extensively included followed by small segments of explanation of the poetry. The rest is her mother's story. Her mother is a melodramatic mess. I would love to read the follow up, actually written by Elizabeth, when she is a few years older. She seems like a remarkable young women.

There should be several warnings before you decided to pick up this novel. The mother comes from a business profession, and this is evident in the writing. She uses analogies from business to attempt some sort of structure of her life in an attempt to make blanket statements. This would be useful if this were a self help book rather then a memoir, and if she had the endorsement, or even more universal experience, to back these ideas up.

The book has a mystical Christian theme to it - the author even described herself as such. Throughout the book you will find a lot of references to God and scriptures. She then seems to mix this around by talking about Tibet a bit.

There are a lot of references to controversial biomedical procedures. If you agree with this approach to autism treatment then I think you will be frustrated by the way she seems to vaguely mention most of them and not really reference their progress or effect, if any. She only partly does this with one treatment - and the response was more an example of an emotion journey on the part of the mother. If you do not agree with this approach then you may be a bit outraged by the fact that this mother seems willing to try anything.

It seems to me that so much emphases is put on the negative aspects. Elizabeth cannot speak - but she can communicate - and in this day and age there are great compact devices that can be used to give her a voice. Hence, one reason why the iPad is so popular with autistic families. I also wish that more attention was given to the journey of the family as a whole. I would have loved to hear about Elizabeth's brother who is also diagnosed with autism. It is not even until the middle of the book that we are told there is an older sister. The dad is given a brief mention - which makes no sense if he is in fact home with them and as such their primary caregiver.

I would have a lot less criticism if the book was marketed as a mother's perspective, although even then I think that would have only earned it an extra 1/2 star.

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The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

The Time Machine

by H.G. Wells

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Book Length: 128 pages

Genre: Science Fiction, Classic

H.G. Wells is a classic science fiction writer. His works are well known and have been transcribed into any sort of framework imaginable. Yet, nothing compares to the original work. 

Wells' works are short and to the point. In The Time Machine we meet a man who builds a time machine and goes into the future where there are two versions of humans. 

On one hand there is the meek and pampered Eloi who are fair and childlike. Below ground there is the ugly and aggressive Morlocks who's use the Eloi as substance. 

The writing is a short and interesting story. However, beyond the tale it is a story exploring the upper class and labor class. The Eloi are the upper class who depend on the Morlocks for their basic necessities. They forget to how to take care of themselves yet they maintain some semblance of culture. They congregate together and have a simple language. The Morlocks are the labors. The language of the Morlocks has been reduced to grunts and screeching. Yet they have kept some of the intellect by maintaining the machinery and continuing to provide for the needs of the Eloi. 

It is an interesting tale of classism. I wonder what Wells was truly trying to say. In the end neither class ruled the other. Both were dependent on each other for their existence. This codependency resulted in the downfall of both aspects of society.

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The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

The Year of Magical Thinking

by Joan Didion

Rating: *****(5 stars)

Book Length: 240 pages

Genre: Memoir, Autobiography

I was first drawn to this book because of the title. Magical thinking is a developmental phase in childhood where basically children believe in what is not real. Fiction, at least the more fantastical type, is almost a way of telling off developmental psychologists who have determined that this thinking ends around the end of elementary school. 

I had no idea what the novel was actually about. I had never read anything by Joan Didion. All I knew is that this book had won some awards and was suppose to be good. 

What I found was one woman's story of coming to terms with a year that she can never forget. A year that she lost her husband and nearly lost her daughter as well. It is a story of tragedy and coming to terms with that tragedy and not coming to terms with that tragedy. The novel is raw and truthful and caused me to feel a type of pain that I had not previously known. 

The writing was excellent. I now have Didion's works added to my to be read pile. I am interested in seeing how her style plays out in other topics. I was intrigued how she used phrases throughout the novel to tie points together or to drift back to other points. I was amazed how she wove in poetry, research, and a neurology textbook she picked up in a hospital gift shop. Didion must be a remarkable women. 

I plan on reading the biography about her as well. 

The only part of the book where I started getting lost was the ending. It didn't end. She just kept writing in a train of thought kind of way. Even the author addressed this - she didn't want it to end. If it ended then it would be over. Her husband would never be coming back. Even when she lost me she pulled me in further. 

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A Little Bit Can Hurt: The Shocking Truth About Food Allergies - Why We Should Care, What We Can Do by Donna DeCosta

A Little Bit Can Hurt: The Shocking Truth About Food Allergies - Why We Should Care, What We Can Do

by. Donna DeCosta

Rating: *** (3 Stars)

Book Length: 193 pages

Genre: Nonfiction, Health

When I think of food allergies I immediately think of gluten and dairy. I will then go to analyze the sulfate level in various foods - since I have an allergy to sulfate as well. I was excited to pick up this book, because I wanted to understand how consuming even a little bit of gluten will affect my intolerant daughter. 

Except that is not what this book is about - at all. This book is mainly about allergies that can cause a child to go into anaphylaxis shock. It talks a lot about peanut allergies and tree nut allergies. It does also mention diary allergies. 

The book is divided into sections. In the first section, you receive stories from various areas of their lifespan - starting at infancy and ending to adulthood. The stories are helpful for individuals to empathize with - an I am not alone kind of thing. They do not provide a wealth of information. You do receive some more information in the second section, which is where medical providers, educators, and community members write about their expertise. 

Overall the book does not provide a whole lot of information on allergies. It is more along the theme of you are not alone, and people do successfully manage their allergy. The biggest problem that I had from the book (besides from a very generic title) is that everyone in the book is a sample of convenience. By this I mean that they were all connected to the same support group - possibly even all members of just one meeting location. This only provides a limited perspective. Even the medical professionals and community members were all connected to the same support group. Both educators for from the same PRIVATE school. Even though one teacher is in preschool and one in early education you do not get a very different perspective since they are both from the same school.

The best thing about this book is that it got me thinking about the effect of my daughter's lunch box on children at her school. Yet at the same time, it frustrated me. The parents in the book were not very sympathetic to children who only eat peanut butter. It was a your kid can starve because my kid is allergic. Since my child WILL STARVE herself rather than eat a non-preferred food I was not very happy with this attitude. However, I have talked with my daughter about how to make sure that she does not contaminate her friends with a peanut allergy. For example, she should always wash her hands after she eats. Also, she should never share food with her friends with a nut allergy since we often bake with almond flour and they could be allergic. These are also rules that I reinforce to help her manage her own allergies.

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Today is Going to be a Great Day: Anti-Stress Therapy and Biblical Inspiration by Christian Art Publishers

Today is Going to be a Great Day: Anti-Stress Therapy and Biblical Inspiration

by. Christian Art Publishers 

Review: ***** (5 stars)

Paper: Medium quality paper

Single Sided: Yes

Perforated Pages: Yes

Book Length: 128 pages

Genre - Christian Coloring Book

Full page pictures, postcards, bookmarks, and tags

This is one of my favorite coloring books. There is a lot of variety in the pictures. There are quotes, wallpaper pages, mosaics, and even bookmarks and postcards.

Each design is unique, there is a lot of variety. You can see that the artist took care with each page. This is a great first book, as you do not feel like you are coloring the same picture over and over again.

The paper is closer to 30 weight. It will bled through with sharpies, but is fine with colored pencils. The pages are perforated and it is very easy to take them out. Doing so does not interrupt the design.

The book does have a Christian theme. There are several quotes, with very nice matching designs. They are great for decorating a house, and I have given away one as a birthday gift. However, not every page is a spiritual quote. There are also nice designs, nature pictures, and a few just fun pictures as well.

My only con would be that the bookmarks and postcards are not individually perforated. You would need to cut them out by hand.

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

by Eric Carle

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Book Length: 26 pages

Genre: Picture book

The Very Hungry Caterpillar may just be my favorite picture book of all time. 

There is so many different ways that this book can be used to teach children. It is a beginning counting book. It is an object recognition book. It is great for colors. It is a science book telling about the metamorphosis of a caterpillar. 

The book is also fun. The words are engaging and easy to understand. The pictures are bright and beautiful and not overly distracting. 

When I worked as an ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) therapist with children with autism I read this book hundreds of time. Not only did the children love it, it was useful to teach them so many things in a fun way. 

My own children (who are also autistic) loved this book as well. My youngest loves caterpillars, I wonder how much of it was the fault of this book.

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Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451

by Ray Bradbury

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Book length: 227 pages

Genre: Science Fiction

Is there still any value in books? We can access information just by speaking into a phone. We can turn on a television set and know that is happening anywhere in the world.

Is there still any value in education? Why learn when you can utilize technology to do anything you need it to do? Is there any value for going to school to study art, English, or any other humanities? 

In Bradbury's world books were no longer seen to be of value. They were corrupting the minds. Schools were no longer interesting. There were more important things to pursue. 

At nights boys drove their cars around hitting people on purpose, and firefighters found hidden books and burnt them. Both are possible outcomes when education is longer valued and individuals are expected to conform to a set mind and be lulled into complacency by drugs and worthless entertainment. 

Except not everyone can stop thinking for themselves. Once you get a thought you cannot un-think it. Once you learn to think for yourself you can no longer go back to the masses. 

That is the brilliant plot for Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. 

Ray Bradbury is an amazing writer. The way he puts together words is poetic. The ideas and concepts behind those words are thought provoking. Yet, the actual execution tends to fall short. 

I absolutely hated the ending in this book. It ends with a belief that what is right will eventually even out. It believes society will work like the law of averages. You can only be ignorant for so long before intelligence will again start being valued. Since it will happen eventually we should just wander around doing absolutely nothing waiting for generations to pass so that eventually their will be change. For good measure we should also blow up the entire city leaving only the main character alive. Although, until that point I actually thought the war was all an elaborate lie. 

I love Bradbury. I love his ideas and concepts. I love the way he puts words together. I can sit and listen to someone read one of his stories and be entranced. Yet, there is always something that doesn't make any sense. If Bradbury doesn't think that people would fight back, then I question his understanding of human nature. 

Still you should read anything and everything by Bradbury. Any book that evokes this much passion must be read!

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

by Roald Dahl

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Book Length: 180

Genre: Children's Chapter

Right before the holiday I was talking with a coworker about Charley and the Chocolate Factory. Although she loved the original movie she had never seen the newer version. I highly recommended that she view it. One point of my recommendation was that it was suppose to be closer to the book.

Only I had never read the book. It has been on my list of books to read forever. However, it never worked out to read it. Until now.

Charley and the Chocolate Factory is written for a younger audience. The children are all around the age of nine. 

The book is different from both movies. It is simpler. This is not surprising when you consider the reading level of a nine year old. This is not to say that the book does not give you more than the movie. The best part is that you do not have to picture the characters like they appear on the movie. I also enjoy Willey Wonka in the book. He is not as over the top as Johnny Depp, but his is a bit more eccentric then in the original movie.

I hate to write a book review based upon the movie. However, it is rare that I have actually seen the movie before reading the book. I think this will tend to be the case for most everyone. If you have not read Charley and the Chocolate Factory you should. 

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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

by. Judy Blume

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Book Length: 162 pages

Genre: Children's Chapter Book

It has been a long time since I was eleven like the main character in this book, Margaret. Yet it has been more recent that my children have been eleven. My youngest girl still is. I couldn't help thinking of her while I read this book. This is why I could not give the book more than three stars.

In many ways Margaret is an extremely stable and lucky preteen girl. She has two parents who love her and support her. They have a great marriage. She has a grandmother who goes out of her way to be with her, and as Margaret gets older even distances herself without it being awkward.

Yet, there is a lot of turmoil in Margaret's life as well. The book opens with Margaret moving from New York City to the suburbs of New Jersey. That is an extremely dramatic change to have happen the last year of elementary school. In addition she moves from a private school to a public school, which is another dramatic change. Thankfully for Margaret she meets her new best friend within pages of starting the book and has a whole peer group before she starts school. I mean really?

This is a book for young children. That does not mean that it cannot have emotional depth and meaningful characters. There are plenty of young adult authors that provide both while still writing to their target audience. This book seems to limit the emotional depth that an eleven year old can and does experience. Living with an eleven year old daughter I do not find that anywhere near the case.

This brings me to my last point. This book is a coming of age story. One big aspect of the story is about Margaret finding a religion to identify with. This motivation is largely driven by her sixth grade teacher. He asks Margaret why she does not like religious celebrations and then never addresses it again, even though they were the chorus in the school play. For her school project she writes him a letter and runs off. He just left it at that? There was no follow though at all? Even the self discovery seemed vacant and lacking real depth. Her grand epiphany was that her parents should have just picked for her and she started to talk to God again when she got her period. I found it a bit hollow.

I know that Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. is suppose to be a classic in children's literature. I may not have a popular opinion, but I was not all that thrilled with the novel. My daughter will not pick the book up, she would not be able to relate to the main character at all. She is busy dealing with middle school and bullying. She dreads hitting puberty even though she knows it is on the way. When I told her about it she politely declined to read it.

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The Paper Magician by Charlie N Holberg

The Paper Magician

by. Charlie N Holberg

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Book Length: 224 pages

Genre: Fantasy, Steampunk

In order for genre writing to be great it does not have to have all of the qualities which make a book literature rather than a novel. For example, Twilight can still be enjoyed by English majors dispute the fact that it is so poorly written.

For a novel to be both a great piece of literature and genre fiction is rare. According to my Junior High English teacher even Isaac Asimov did not make that jump, although Ray Bradbury did.

My point being, this book is an amazing piece of literature. It has great prose, an engaging storyline, and characters worth reading about. It is also an amazing genre fiction. The plot and world are unlike anything else out on the market. This could easily become one of my top ten favorite novels and should make it to the must-read list of every list made after it's date of release.

Yes, it is that good!

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Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

Only Time Will Tell

by. Jeffrey Archer

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Book Size: 400 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

When I picked up this book I had no idea what to expect. I originally obtained the book up from free from Amazon and it sat on my to be read shelf for a while. I decided to read it for a challenge to read something with green lettering on the cover. Historical fiction is not really my thing, so it was a pleasant surprise that I enjoyed the greater majority of the book. 

The novel takes place in Bristol London in-between the end of the first world war and the start of the second. It chronicles the life of Harry Clifton from his birth to his late teenage years. 

The unique aspect of the book is how Jeffry Archer stitches the plot together. He tells it in sections from several different characters. Each section reviews the previous section from a different point of view and then continues the story. The sections always end on a sort of a cliff hanger. The end of the book is perhaps the biggest cliff hanger of them all - since it is, of course, a series. 

In a way I enjoyed the unique style of writing. It was written so it was easy to follow, but was intriguing all the same. Only certain people had pieces of the story line, and those pieces were not introduced until it was the character's turn to narrate. The downside was that each section was more showing what was already known, it was literally a condensed summary, rather than an intricate weaving of the plot that may have happened if the chapters alternated points of views. The end of the novel also seemed to loose the in depth writing that captivated throughout most of the novel and left with more of a rushed summary. 

While I am interested in Harry's tale it is not enough of an interest to make an effort to actually continue. 

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The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows

by Kenneth Grahame

Rating: ***1/2 (3 1/2 stars)

Book Length: 256 pages

Genre: Classic, Children, Fiction

I will admit it; I have not previously read The Wind in the Willows. I had heard about the book and the characters Toad, Mole, and Rat. However, I had no prior reason to actually pick the book up and read it.

Before reading the book I had the impression that The Wind in the Willows is a children's book. The simplicity of the characters and the natural flow of the text would continue to lend that idea. I mean the main characters are animals, right? Perhaps, it was in fact at one time a children's book. Then I imagine (well some days I do not have to imagine too hard) my children using words like wench and ass, to name a few, and I am more inclined to not have them read this story.

When I read the first chapter of the book I had a horrible fear of being stuck reading this book. It starts off with Mole leaving his house after spring cleaning, finding Rat, and never coming home. The actions made no sense, it is almost like the first chapter was added as an afterthought to give the book some context. Which may not be too far off. Most of the book reads like a collection of short stories that were then combined into chapters. The only part of the book that has any sense of a continuing plot is the misadventures of Mr. Toad.

Is the book all that bad? No, after I finished the first chapter I found myself being swept away into the worlds of Mole and Rat. I admit I was a bit surprised about how I found myself engulfed in their world. It was a fun read, one I am glad to have added to my list. However, I do not see myself burning to return to their world.

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Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal

Find this review here

1984 by George Orwell

1984

by. George Orwell 

Rating: ***** (5 stars)

Genre: Classics, Fiction, Dystopia 

I first read 1984 when I was in middle school. I was on a quest to read all of Orwell's works after finishing Animal Farm a few years earlier. Yet, it had been so long since I have last read the novel that I had forgotten quite a bit.

The scary thing about Orwell is that he picks up on the small details, such as the importance of language in forming ideas, and he explains them in such a way that even individuals who have complete faith in our society is left thinking.... well maybe that could happen. That is a scary prospect.

The world that is created is similar to socialist or communist societies, yet it is manipulated with the artistic flair of science fiction and ingenuity. The characters are real, meaning they are likable and appalling. You feel sympathy for them, cheer for them, and are disappointed in them. No matter the emotion, you connect with them.

Orwell is a masterful and popular storyteller. His novel, 1984, is worth the hype that it has received. It is expertly written, and to date the best dystopian novel ever written.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Stardust

by Neil Gaiman

Rating - *****(5 stars)

Book Length - 368 pages

Genre - Fantasy

I was only a few pages into Stardust when I knew that I was going to fall in love with this book. The writing and plot was so whimsical. It walked the world between our reality and a fairy world excellently. 

Stardust starts in a city called Wall. How excellent is it that the city is named after a wall that borders the human and fairy world. On the human side of the wall the humans are as ordinary as possible despite they are very aware that the fairy world exists. It is their duty to guard against anyone entering it except for every nine years when their is a fair. 

The story follows two generations of men. The first falls in love with a fairy at the fair. The second is their offspring. At the age of 17 he is in love with an ordinary human girl. He heads into the fairy world to find a star. When he finds her she is a beautiful young women with a fist attitude. 

The book is a well written fairy tale for the adult reader. There is a mild sexual scene and a lot of talk of murder and eating hearts. It is classic fairy tale stuff. I can't wait to pick up more of Neil Gaiman's books.

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Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley

Lily and the Octopus

by Steven Rowley

Rating - ***(3 stars)

Book Length - 320 pages

Genres - Fiction, Contemporary, Animals

I have seen this book around everywhere. It was one of those most read novels just so that you know what everyone is talking about. 

Everyone was talking about a heart warming book about a man coming to terms with the death of his dog. The book is that - but only in part. 

The book is divided into eight parts - get it an octopus has eight legs. Except the book is really just divided into three parts. 

The first part is when a young lonely male notices that his best friend, Lily, has an octopus attached to her head. He goes about his life while struggling to deal with this development. This part of the story is heartwarming. I found it interesting to see how the author walked the line between reality and denying the situation through selective fantasy.

Then came the second part of the book. While reading the second part I knew there was going to be a catch, there is no way that there would not be a catch. The story wasn't written as true insanity. It is fairly evident that the narrator is not having a psychotic breakdown. Except that he is. There is no sense of reality in the second part of the story. This second of the story seemed to be more written because the publisher decided that the book needed to have more pages added. So this crazy part was developed. It was horrible and I felt destroyed the book. 

I was honestly done after reading the second section. Only two things kept me going. The first was the excellent writing skills. Steven Rowley can put words together like the best of them. The second was the absolute certainty that the mess of the third second would end. It did end. The narrator gave up his fantasy world completely and went straight into reality. Given the middle second I do not think this was handled all that well. It didn't seem to fit. Had there been a different transition I think it would have done well. The third part of the book was emotionally powerful. I cried - even though I was so frustrated with the book I did not want to cry. 

This is a hard book for me to know if I should recommend it or not. On one hand it is a well written emotional narration about the bond between a man and his dog. On the other hand it is a poorly played out fantasy world that just didn't mess with anything. If they had cut out the middle and just made the book shorter this book would have gone down as a great. However, they didn't. 

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The Giver by Lois Lowry

This Review Can Now Be Found HERE

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

This Review Can Now Be Found HERE