Homer's Odyssey

Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been reading a lot of books about people lately and I wanted something different. I wanted to break free of the dramatic saga known as life. So I chose this book. The picture on the front cover of the book looks like a cat with it's eyes closed, as you learn about Homer's story you find out that he is blind. Homer gives hope to everyone and proves that he is more then just a blind cat. He's the comic character of Daredevil in a pint size version with a furry coat. He's a Wonder Cat that has no boundaries. Most of all Homer is an inspiration to not only his owner(s) but to everyone that he meets, whether they are a cat lover or not. After a meet and greet with Homer people become cat lovers! When Cooper moves to New York City to get a job and take charge of her life she packs her 3 cats in carriers and takes them with her. Things are going great until........the horrible day of September 11 occurs. Cooper's patience and love for her feline friends is tested. She has to jump through many proverbial hoops to save her cats. In the end the cats are fine but they have been rattled by being separated from their owner for several days without any warning. (As a sidebar - it was refreshing to hear how the ASPCA was willing to help many pet owners be re-united with their pets after such a devastating occurrence. It truly shows that in desperate situations humanity will band together and help each other.)The book also tells the tale of Cooper falling in love and marrying her best friend. A dream that so many of us wish would come true. Overall the book was fantastic and really brought to light that even animals with disabilities can live a worthwhile and happy life. This book gets 5 stars for being a great story as well as a true tale of how sweet life can be. I found myself finishing the last few pages off with a smile and that alone was well worth it!

View all my reviews

Sugar and Spice

Sugar and Spice by Lauren Conrad
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I read this book and now the series is over. It was a tad short, 3 books a series does not make. I guess I am a little disappointed that it's over. With Scarlett moving to NY and Jane moving up in the event planning world how could LC call the series over. I would have liked to see how Jane and Scarlett did in their new elements but at the same time I understand that LC wants to write a different series about Madison, which I plan on reading. Even though I despised Madison as a character, I want to see what happens with her and her attempt to conquer fame and fortune. I have already purchased the first book in the new series. I may take a break from reading LC bc i will have to wait a while before I can read the second book of the series. It was so much fun reading the books and I really do think that LC has great potential writing books 'loosely' based on her experience with reality tv.

I really enjoyed reading the series and have kind of predicted who is who, although i may be slightly off :
Jane=Lauren
Scarlett=Audrina/ Lo
Madison=Heidi
Sophie=Holly
Gaby=Jenn Bunny
Hannah= Whitney
Jesse=Jason
Braden=Brody
Caleb=Stephen Colletti
Trevor=Adam Divello (creator of the Hills)

View all my reviews

Sweet Little Lies

Sweet Little Lies by Lauren Conrad
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I whipped through the second installment of the LA Candy series. LC didn't do as bad with the brackets as she did in the first book, but there were some areas that she used them. So I am hoping by the third book she has all the brackets out of her system and she is able to tell the story the way she wants. The best thing about this series is that I feel like i am a bystander watching all this drama and romance go on. I actually feel like i am at the clubs that the main characters are at. The bonus is that the clubs are the actual clubs that LC and her friends went to ie. Les Deux, The Roosevelt, Goa, Big Wangs, etc. Another great book by LC. I have already started reading the third one and will report back with that soon as well.

View all my reviews

LA Candy

L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really am a fan of Lauren Conrad and I have been wanting read her books for the longest time. So I finally got up the courage to purchase one and give it a try. This series from what I noticed pretty much resembles Lauren's life and friends that were on the hit MTV show THE HILLS. I really enjoyed the Hills so I also really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read and a good little page turner. The book would have gotten 5 stars but the first 65 pages Conrad over uses brackets and the descriptions in the brackets. It is a little frustrating and it's almost as if she wants to supply the reader with detail they may not know. Having watched the HILLS avidly I know that if a character is wearing a red shirt it most likely is made of a decent fabric, maybe quite possibly silk. So telling me in brackets that the shirt was made of (silk) was a little bit irritating. Thoroughly enjoyed the story line and most likely will buy the next one in the series as I am curious to see what happens. Great job LC, you have proved you are more then just tv talent. You're an actress, author, and fashion designer. Nice triple threat combo I might add.

View all my reviews

Guilty Wives

Guilty Wives by James Patterson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

James Patterson books are usually the same, once you have read one or two you will find a newer novel with the same plot line. I found that Guilty Wives was written how James Patterson used to write when he wrote his first few novels, such as Kiss the Girls and Along Came A Spider. This book was like that old style but it was more elaborate and gripping. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was refreshing to see a strong female character like Abbie Elliot in the lead because she truly believed she was innocent and wasn't going to roll over for lighter sentencing. I loved the descriptions of the settings in Monte Carlo and also the French prison. I would consider the descriptions some of Patterson's best work to this day. Usually Patterson's books are an easy read that you don't really have to pay much attention to, but this book broke the mold. It was still an easy read but at the same time the story was very gripping and kept you wanting to find out what was going to happen. Excellent job on Patterson's part. I plan on continuing to be a James Patterson follower, I just hope he writes more books in this style.

View all my reviews

How To Be A Woman

How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran


I gave this book a decent try but all it did was put me to sleep. I was surprised that after reading the prologue I thought, just give it one more chapter it might get better. Nope.......sure didn't. Having a feminist perspective on life that's fine. But ranting and raving about how horrible it was when you got your first period and stuff is just bland. Every woman goes through that first period Bs and we all live.

Needless to say.........DON"T SPEND YOUR MONEY ON THIS BOOK. IT"S NOT WORTH IT.

View all my reviews

The Saddest Girl in the World

The Saddest Girl in the World by Cathy Glass
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoy reading Cathy Glass books. Since I am going to school for my ECE diploma, I find they really touch my heart because at some point in my career I may have to deal with children that have faced some or all of the problems that are written about in Glass' various books.

This story was very sad, the main character of Donna was an unwanted child, who was abused by her mum in various ways and then also abused by her other siblings (2 brothers and an older sister). Donna experienced so much sadness that when moved into Glass' care she would destroy her bedroom or take her anger out on Glass' youngest child, Paula. Through living with Glass' family she learns that the best way to take her anger out is to rip paper into tiny pieces and then the act of cleaning up the mess will help her to feel better. There are several occassions in the book when Donna has contact with her mother and all her mother says is digusting things that should never be said to a daughter (ie. calling her a shit/turd, C---). I have never imagined that I would see or read about a child being hated so much by a parent, and all I could feel for the character of Donna was complete sorrow. As the book progresses she learns that her mother is a horrible example of a parent and gets adopted by a woman that is going to give her the love and consideration that her own mother couldn't have bothered too.

A positive ending for such a tragic story.

View all my reviews

A Red Herring Without Mustard

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley


I read the Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and it was amazing. Then struggled through The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, (it took me like 2 months to read it). And now i am putting my foot down and not going to suffer through another one of these books. It's a shame that Bradley could not carry the story the same way that Sweetness was written. Oh well. Lesson learned no more Bradley books for me. (I only read to page 52 by the way which has taken me over 4 days to complete.)

View all my reviews

Call Me Russell

Call Me Russell by Russell Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Russell Peters is my favourite comedian but I did not expect his book to get on the various emotional levels that it did. Gave me a bigger appreciation for him as a person. When it comes to women he was a dick but he's got a fiancee right now so good luck to her. It was nice to see that even though he is completely hilarious he relates most things back to his family which are the most important thing to him. Ohhhhh Russell!

View all my reviews

Range of Motion

Range Of Motion by Elizabeth Berg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have to say there were certain parts of this book that I really liked and found quite interesting, ie. when jay is trying to communicate while in a coma, the introduction and use of the character of Evie, how the children handled visiting their dad while he was in a coma and then how they handled when he returned home.

Elizabeth Berg has a way of writing that speaks to your soul and has you look at things that you may not have considered. I found it exceptional all the work that Lainey did when Jay was in a coma, ie. bringing and putting on his shoes, getting him into his regular clothes, the best was the spices. It truly conveyed the huge responsibility and amount of work that is needed when someone is in a coma. Now I'm sure that not everyone goes to the extent that Lainey did, but she was so keen on the idea that Jay would return to her with the aid of all these things that were familiar. Even though he didn't remember when she introduced such things it was still worth the effort. You could see this reflected in Lainey, the nurses that helped Jay and her best friend Alice.

However, i did not like the ending. I found the epilogue tied up all the loose ends too quickly, and there needed to be more explanation for certain things. That is why the book only got 3 stars. I also did not like the sub-story line of Alice and her husband. It was totally irrelevant and pointless at times.

View all my reviews

Let's Pretend This Never Happened

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was an absolute hoot. Jenny Lawson has the funniest interpretation of things, and the pics embedded in the chapters are quite hilarious. My favs were: James Garfield (the wild boar), Hamlet von Schnitzel (the mouse in shakespearan garb) and of course Jean Louise (The Cuban Alligator wearing a beret and is an amputee). Lawson gives such inanimate objects a personality and actually considers them true friends. Sounds kooky but it makes the book different then many others. The book was like the Glass Castle and Shit My Dad Says combined but with a little more outrageous flair. Definitely had me laughing out loud a lot when I was reading it. A nice break from the harshness of reality.

View all my reviews

The Accident

The Accident: A Thriller by Linwood Barclay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am a giant fan of Linwood Barclay. I have read all his books, and own majority of them.

This by far was the most interesting though. He chose to have the book surround the topic of the fake purse/electronic/ prescription trade. Intertwining the topic around a regular suburban family and then throwing in a few wrenches definitely made this book worth the read. There were lots of twists and turns. Barclay totally had me at the end of the book, I was not expecting the main character to have to re-think one of his most important relationships and it was great way to keep the reader on their toes.

View all my reviews

What Alice Forgot

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed the premise of the book, which was Alice is at a spin class and falls off the bike and loses 10yrs of her memory. She forgets life changing events that happened, ie. the birth of her 3 children, the fact that she is going to be 40, the death of her friend Gina, her trial separation with her husband, and her new relationship with a man that is the principal at her children's school. Needless to say, when Alice gets out of the hospital (her memory is still lost) she has to learn and adapt to all these 'new' changes in her life. I will state that there was a little bit of confusion in approx. the last 40 pages, but the 10 pages in the epilogue bring everything together.
I will readily admit that Alice 2008, i did not like her at all. She was always rushing around to places and things, she was a not nice person (ie. very snippy, rude, intolerant and unsympathetic), she was addicted to exercising, and had a major issue with her husband causing her to want to separate and divorce. Alice 1998 was a very chill, relaxed person. She enjoyed eating custard tarts, she was friendly and nice to people (made amends with people while experiencing memory loss and wanting to have a relationship with them because she couldn't believe she was that mean and cold hearted), she valued all the things that had been done with her house since she last remembered it (ie. it had all the renos she wanted, it had a pool, the drive way had WHITE gravel). Overall she was a much more thankful, easy going and caring person. Even though we find out that the death of her friend Gina is a trigger for a lot of the changes that Alice 2008 has made, i found that a little wacky jacky for being the cause. Her relationship with her best friend was in my opinion, a little too close and therefore had certain affects on her marriage. The ending was the ending i wanted to happen........and other things happened that were bonuses too! The book was a fairly easy read and very light hearted comedy. I have never read a book about a topic like this but if you need a comparison to a movie it would be 'The Vow' but with a nicer/more funny woman/wife/mother that loses her memory.

View all my reviews

Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I'm going to keep this review short and sweet:

I hated this book. I wish that Katniss had died earlier in the series. It took me three weeks to read it. Awful book. So glad i am done the series.

View all my reviews

Annie May's Black Book

Annie May's Black Book by Debby Holt
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

So i picked this book because the title sounded interesting and i really liked the fact that the main character kept a little black book of all the people that had done wrong to her, oh yeah and it was $2. I admit that i have done the same thing throughout my entire life but i keep the running tally in my brain. The book was mediocre, i would give it 2.5 stars but it did give me some moments where i laughed out loud. Very simple story. Jumped around a fair bit so got a little confusing sometimes. Otherwise, a cheap, easy read.

View all my reviews

The 9th Judgement

The 9th Judgement by James Patterson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I only chose to read this book bc I find that James Patterson books are a quick and easy read. They aren't terribly great and they aren't that terrible! If you've read a few of his books then you get used to his style and then majority of his books are predictable. The one thing i really enjoyed about this book was that Patterson chose a criminal character that was very brutal which isn't his style. When the murderer goes around killing women and babies it kind of makes your skin crawl. I liked that Patterson went out of his comfort zone with that criminal but the story did kind of fall flat around that particular character. Like I said it's an easy read and not horrible so it gives a reader a break.

View all my reviews

Hot Zone

The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story by Richard Preston
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is by far my most favourite book. I read it at least once a year. It's based on true events about the Ebola break out that happened in Reston Virginia. My most favourite part of the book is when the virus amplifies to max capacity and causes a man to liquify on a small airplane. Preston has done his research and contacted the people involved to get their point of view on the situation that happened. This book sends chills down my spine when i read it because of the unsurety of the origins of the Ebola virus and it's sisters (Marburg, Ebola Zaire, Ebola Sudan and Ebola Reston). When the team is going through Kitum Cave and at the end of the book when Preston makes his journey to Africa to explore Kitum Cave for himself, you actually feel like you are right there. Observing first hand what he sees, touches, and feels. Some of the descriptions are too incredible to describe. Preston definitely hit a homerun with this book and it's a shame that there are not many novels around these days that can compare to such a story and the writing.

View all my reviews

Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had expectations for this book. I thought it was going to be a good follow up to the Hunger Games. I found the story almost exactly the same as the first book with a few minor tweaks. If you guessed that Catnip and Peeta were going to be called back into the Hunger Games/Quarter Quell, you were right. There were some interesting characters brought on to the scene, ie. Finnick, Chaff. The one thing that i was expecting was for Catnip to be dreaming of Gale and a possible life with him, but it was strange how she fell in love with Peeta. I'm not really sure what to expect with the third instalment, hope it's better then this one was.

View all my reviews

Fifty Shades Freed

Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Out of all the fifty shades books i liked this one the least. The story was very boring and when the author has a chance to really get things rev'd up with the Jack Hyde story line she only does it part way not allowing the chase to go on and the reader really get enticed by it. As in my review for the second book there was a lot of the same repetitive dialogue. From start to finish the whole series reminded me of a smutty story of the little mermaid. Ana being cast as Ariel and Grey cast as Prince Eric. Just as in the little mermaid Ariel is in awe when she gets her legs and is able to see the human side of life, Ana is able to experience the same awe since she is married to a husband that is a multimillionaire. Before Grey, Ana had to watch her spending and be thrifty with the cash she made at the hardware store, now money is a frivilous item and there is no worry about how it is spent or on what. My major gripe with this story is that the epilogue finishes on page 548, then there are 2 short chapters under the sub heading SHADES OF CHRISTIAN, (1. Fifty's First Christmas, and then 2. Meet Fifty Shades), that have the book ending on page 578. Now my math isn't great but my calculator's is wonderful and that means there is 30 pages of information that is really quite unnnecessary. Under Fifty's First Christmas there is the introduction of his first helicopter but JEEZ i really don't care what his first christmas was like. We already know that his childhood was pretty screwy. Then the second chapter as Meet Fifty Shades takes you to just before he has the interview with Ana and it's written from his perspective. This leads me to believe that either the author was unsure and wanted to add this to show people what his true thoughts were like but JEEZ she already conveyed that through the book even though it was written from Ana's perspective. I have to be honest and say that if the book was written from Grey's perspective I probably wouldn't have finished reading the first one let alone all three. That being said and done the best of the three would definitely be the first one, the rest just get more disappointing and lame as they go on.

View all my reviews

Fifty Shades Darker

Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After reading the first book of the series i had a very high expectation. While i found Ana highly irritating, there is something about Christian Grey that makes me want to keep reading more. The main thing that drove me crazy about this book was the back forth between Ana and Grey of 'I can't live without you/I love you and won't leave you/You're mine..........etc.' How many times do we as the reader have to hear the same lines over and over. I guess it makes it easier for the writer to write the book if the same lines are constantly repeated. The one thing i did enjoy was one of Grey's crazy ex sub coming back to get Ana with a venegeance. The author could have written this part with a little bit more zest but it was mediocre. It was a decent break from the excessive PDA between Ana and Grey. Hopefull the third is the best out of the Fifty Shades saga.

View all my reviews

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was only ok. If i could i would only give it a 2.5 rating.

When i was reading the book the first 150 pages were only mediocre. I say this because the books characters are more of the type that you would find on a side show. Ie. the girl that can make fire, the invisible boy, the strong girl, the girl with 2 mouths, etc. Then factor into the mix the idea of time travel and that's where it gets a little batty. After the 150 pages i couldn't put the book down. It was like i was drawn to the bizarre ideology of the book. I wouldn't say it was the best book i ever read though as i did not enjoy it that much. For some people this book might be very appealing, such as those that truly enjoy reading science fiction pieces involving time travel and going through different 'loops' that take you to a place where the date never changes. The one thing i found strange was that the peculiar children were all able to keep track of their age, some would say they were 79, others 88, etc. If they were stuck in a time warp that stayed the same how would they know when a year had gone by? That was one of my hitches with the book. The best thing about the book was the photos embedded within the story of the various characters, some would be shown using their 'power' while others were simply old portraits. It was nice because it was actually able to let me put a name to a face. The pictures were fascinating and eerily interesting. I like that the author tied such things into the story. Alas, pictures could not save this story, nor could the character recognition. It was just a story that was far too out there for me. Nice try Ransom Riggs.

View all my reviews

Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was suggested to me by the person at the bookshop. It was strange because she said it was new and hot, but i had never heard of it before. While i found the character of Christian Grey quite intriguing, the character of Ana was very weak. When i started reading the book there was no mention of her age, so i thought that she was a young 18 year old woman at the most. When it was revealed that she was 21 I was shocked. Her language was very mature but the things she had and had not experienced were unbelieveable. Sure there some people that don't have sex before they are 21 but in this day and age i found it a little unreal.For the most part i enjoyed reading the book but when there was 100 pages left the story really fell to pieces. I found the last 100 pages very daunting and i was thinking, "Come on, ANA, like for real?" As the book continued it was like her character became more ridiculous as it went along. Then the ending even though it was kind of expected Ana acted like a total retard. She loves the guy but doesn't love the BDSM he participates in. After the belting experience not only would i be running for the hills but i would be screaming FUCK YOU. So sure for 414 pages the book was great the last 100 not so much. I am probably going to get the next one though since i want to know what Ana does. Is Grey really out of the picture? My guess is probably not, he just won't go to great lengths with the BDSM with Ana. We'll have to see though............

View all my reviews

The Man Who Ate Everything

The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Although this book seems a little daunting and maybe even a bit tedious for someone who dislikes cooking PLEASE read it. Steingarten is very witty and makes most chapters of this book something memoirable. Very much like Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, this book is ten times better. Sure I loved that Bourdain took me to various countries and stuff and the experiences were great but he just wasn't witty enough! Steingarten takes you all over the place as well but giving you great recipes to add to your collection as well as smart ass factoids like what amount of newtons a good cooking pot should weigh. My favourite part that I have had on the brain for the last few days is when Steingarten is at medieval times and he's wanting to mention to management that there is a really out of control guest sitting beside him (screaming and hollering) and then he looks more closely and realizes it's his wife! PRICELESS! I would also love to try the horse fat fries, and i'm not against horses as I have 2 of my own and love them dearly, but come on, my mouth was watering after the description of how lovely they were. The most admirable thing that Steingarten wrote was his mantra to get into this project. He wrote down all the things that he didn't like or wouldn't eat, then he gradually trained himself to get over it and eat majority of them. Sure somethings he didn't budge on, but there's always going to be something like that somewhere. I too have done the same thing with certain foods that now happen to be some of my favourites, ie. oatmeal (i eat it everyday in the winter.....so warm and tasty), *MOST* seafood (i love it and would eat it everyday if i could), yogurt (great for when you're really sick and you can't eat much of anything, and it goes down nice and cool and doesn't irritate the stomach!) and a few other things. Enjoy the food you eat and eat the food you enjoy!

View all my reviews

Cut

Cut: The True Story Of An Abandoned, Abused Little Girl Who Was Desperate To Be Part Of A Family by Cathy Glass
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Although the subject matter of this story is quite sad (it's about a child that harms herself and has dealt with emotional and physical abuse), Cathy Glass did a phenomenal job in writing the story. Even though Glass was one of the main characters in the story she did not take away the true main character of the story, which was the child she was a foster carer to, named Dawn. Glass was able to project her wonder as to how this polite girl got to be so stressed and anxious that she was walking in her sleep and when she was awake she revolted by not going to school, and when in secret she cut herself using sharp objects. I was suggested this book by a teacher of mine and i wasn't really excited to get it and read it at first. Sometimes when teachers suggest reading it's more like a text book style and dry as a piece of burnt toast. This book was amazing though. It captured the child's perspective as well as the perspective of Glass and her husband. It was very humbling for myself as a reader also because it gave me chance to reflect on my childhood and be thankful for how lucky i was and the experiences i was able to have with my family. The ending of the book was great ant i will be heading to the bookstore to buy my next story by Cathy Glass as i am interested to read about other children that she has fostered. The other fabulous thing about this story is that it was actually true. Glass had to change some names and places for privacy issues but the premise and the story were true. Gives a whole new meaning to a 'hard knock' life and what some people may consider as having it tough.

View all my reviews

A Lion Called Christian

A Lion Called Christian: The True Story of the Remarkable Bond between Two Friends and a Lion by Anthony Bourke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an easy read. It was a wonderful tale about 2 best friends and their journey with owning a lion cub and then releasing him back into the wild with teh assistance of George Adamson. There were lots of quirky stories but the entire book left you with a warm fuzzy feeling. Cannot begin to describe how much i enjoyed the book. I even went so far as to dream what it would be like owning a lion cub!

View all my reviews

Deeper Than the Dead

Deeper Than the Dead by Tami Hoag
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

The premise of this book is great as it revolves around See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil. As the story unfolds it becomes more predictable. I will admit that i had figured out the killer by page 174, which is a tad unfortunate. The dynamic between Anne Navarre and her cop boyfriend is enough to make you puke. The one thing that i really enjoyed reading about was the character of Dennis Farman. He was such a derranged child and the way his mind worked had me in awe. It was almost an inside view of what a homicidal maniac would be in his childhood years. The story line was very basic and not very exciting. I didn't really enjoy reading this book and i'm glad it's over.

View all my reviews

WhiteOut

Whiteout by Ken Follett

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


When i read the bio on this book i was really excited because it was about a virus that was cast on the same scale as Ebola. After the initial few chapters the book more was about whether or not the criminals were going to get their opportunity to expose the virus in the public sector. The book played out more like a cop drama where the chief inspector was chasing after the bad guys, therefore making the story predictable. This wasn't the worst book i've read but there's no way in hell it compares to RICHARD PRESTON'S HOT ZONE. Ken Follett is a talented writer and it was interesting to see how he managed to fit in the variety of characters while trying to keep the story based on a a possible breakout. Mediocre read.



View all my reviews

The Tiger

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was only ok. I really liked the tiger hunting the people/ people hunting the tiger, but the story could have only been 25 pages. The rest of the book was about Russian myths and beliefs as well as the illegal tiger trade. A lot of the information had such little bearing on the story it was irrelevant. A fact finder would love some of the info, me= I thought it was pointless to the story. If you have watched the movie the Ghost and the Darkness, this is slightly similar but in a totally different climate which adds a whole new element.



View all my reviews

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I decided to read this book because I really would like to see the movie (since it looks really good) and I would like to know what the book was like before watching the movie. At the beginning i really found the premise of this book lame. There was a lot of getting to know the characters and learning about their families and lives.......WHICH I REALLY DIDN"T CARE ABOUT. Then once it got into the actual Hunger Games, I had a hard time putting the book down. It was almost like a futuristic gladiator competition. The motives and types of challenges the characters had to surpass while in the games was really intense. When i read the ending of the book my jaw had dropped about a foot and i was shocked at what just happened. Peeta had made an effort to help Katniss (even though she didn't know it at the time) and then it was almost like she spat in his face. After going through what they had together and she still is dreaming about Gale, come on! How rude! Even though Peeta has an unfortunate name, he did his best and he survived, allowing him and Katniss to be the only district couple to win the games. I am curious how the next book will go and i want to know where this will take them. Maybe the people will still be pissed and they will want to challenge Katniss and Peeta to a harder, more intimate games against each other. Maybe when Katniss reunites with Gale she will see how ordinary he is and be more drawn to Peeta. So many possibilities. Another character that i really didn't care about was that of Haymitch or Effie. They were supposed to encourage Peeta and Katniss and instead it was more like they were in the story for the irritative factor. Haymitch was always drunk, which sometimes provided a laugh, ie. him falling off the stage. Effie was like the Anne Landers of etiquette but she really only cared about how things were for herself, and for some reason i continually pictured her with this terribly nasal high pitched voice. I can't wait to see the movie to see how Katniss and Peeta were introduced to the crowds. I really hope they do the whole costumes being lit on fire because the imagery of that scene was so breathtaking and interesting.



View all my reviews

Remarkable Creatures

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


This book was interesting in the fact that I have never read a book about fossil hunting. The book was only ok but it was read-able. Different treasures mean different things to diffrent people and this was a great book that carried that idea right through to the end. The underlying story was about a friendship that comes to be, there is a problem and a slight breakdown, but then the characters re-unite.



View all my reviews

Waiter Rant

Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip-Confessions of a Cynical Waiter by Steve Dublanica

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Just when you think the world is safe from Hannibal Lecter, he gets re-incarnated into a waiter. People you seldom think have power, truly do possess the magic stick. This waiter's account on being a manager at a bistro in NY is incredible. There's tons of witty comments, ironic moments, times when you're thinking the human race could not get anymore rude and of course times where you're laughing out loud going WHAT THE FUCK! If you piss this waiter off he's not going to spit in your food he's going make you look like the ass that you really are. I never really understood how many jobs were involved in being a waiter until reading this book, ie. food allergy specialists, sommeliers, cell-phone-rule enforcers, eye candy, confessors, entertainers, mixologists, emergency medical technicians, bouncers, receptionists, joke tellers, therapists, linguists, punching bags, psychics, protocol specialists, and amateur chefs (preface). Trying to hold a restaurant together is a verying trying duty but somebody's got to do it. At certain instances this waiter has time to reflect on what is important and the few things he really does like about the job. There's not many items on that list but the ones that are have left an imprint on this guys' heart. In my personal opinion this was an amazing book because it gives you the point of view of the waiter and what they have to deal with: people skipping out on the bill, people not tipping (and how that effects their lives), people having medical/social/ martial and other emergencies, and last but not least PEOPLE JUST BEING PLAIN OLD RUDE. Take a minute and think about how you treat your server when you go out for a drink or meal. If you need a checklist on how to be a good customer, you're in luck this book has one and take note to read it.

There were some really profound passages in the book that really struck a chord with me, this one in particular:

"I also had two English teachers in high school. They taught me that reading literature could teach you about the 'universal human experience.' Maybe you'll never hunt another man through the jungle, my teachers told me. Maybe you won't climb Mount Kilimanjaro or watch a bullfight in the afternoon- you don't have to. The world's a big place. You can't do or be everything, nor should you. Life is bigger than any one man. But when you read about other people's lives, when you read their STORIES, you catch a glimpse of a world bigger than your own. You may never travel a hundred miles from where you were born, but if you read stories, you'll get to see the entire world. You'll enter into the Great Mystery." (pg. 189)

The above stated passage is exactly why I enjoy reading so much. You get exposed to different worlds and different people. You get to explore the unknown without really leaving your comfort zone. For a waiter that has a lot to say he nailed this one right on the head and he had some really great teachers.

If you read this book you won't be disappointed! It's totally out of the ordinary, which is something that is always nice to lighten up the reading horizon!



View all my reviews

The Thorn Birds

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


One of the sales people at the local coles book store suggested the Thorn Birds to me. When just looking at the book it's massive and i found it a little daunting but once i decided to give it a chance and read the book it was actually pretty good. The story chronicles the life of a family from when a baby (Meggie) is born all the way to and adult watching her children grow up and go about their lives. The wild outback of Australia to a quiet reserved place on Matlock Island to Rome and London. The best thing about this book was that when the characters were travelling to the various places I actually felt like i was there with them. I could picture myself in the hot desert watching kangroos hop around and the infestation of bunnies. When they were ranching it was like you were riding right behind them on the same horse. You felt every bump and jolt. Since i am not religious at all i found the heavy basis on religion and god hard to take. The forbidden love story wasn't as good as it could have been and i just got tired of hearing how Ralph was so devoted to the church yet he broke every one of his vows. The one thing i found relatable was that the families rarely showed emotion to the female daughters, it was almost like they were a lost cause. The end of the story gives the female character a bit of clout but that's it. It was a good book! Don't let the huge appearance fool you, there are some nuggets of fabulous-ness in there.



View all my reviews

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


If you liked Guernsey and The Potato Peel Society, you will love this book. With authors such as Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants) and Garth Stein (The Art of Racing in the Rain) giving this book great reviews how can you not pick it up and give it a try. I was given the book as a Christmas present for those very reasons, and they were on par with how fantastic this book really was.

The topic is a boy meets girl type of story but this happens in 1942 when the Japanese Internment happened in Seattle. You get to read about the story from the side of the boy, who is Chinese, and falls in love with a girl who is Japanese American (born on American soil) but is placed in the internment camps bc of her Japanese background. It's forbidden love in a different place and different time. The common ground is the boy and girl learn to like each other and share some of the same likes, such as jazz music. The boy ends up taking a job with the school cook where he travels to the various internment camps to make meals for the people. This is the way he gets to see his girl friend while she is in the internment camp. Then they continue their relationship through letters, but SOMEONE intercepts the letters from getting to the boy. He thinks that his dear friend has moved on with her life and that sadly, he should do the same. This wonderful story plays out perfectly in the end.



View all my reviews

Heat

Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I will be completely honest, when the tale of this story was related to Mario Batali or his restaurant, Babbo, I really didn't care for this book. Once Buford went to Italy and Tuscany I really got into the book. Is this book 4 star quality, no. Since I can't give 3.5 or 3.75 then 4 is the closest because it isn't wholely a 3 star book either. When Buford goes to Italy to learn how to make pasta the traditional way the story begins the adventure and as he repeatedly goes back to Italy/Tuscany it furthers that food is an essential part of family. By that i mean, the people take their food prep skills very seriously and nothing short of perfect is acceptable, almost like the daunting approval seeking relationship between a child and parent. The people that teach Buford skills that he will remember for a life time become his family and friends. Simple gestures like leaving his knife steel is seen as an act of pride and true friendship. The people Buford met on his journey are people that he probably still keeps in contact with and sees on a semi-regular basis. When he wrote about them, I got the impression, these people truly touched his life and left their mark forever on his history. It was almost as if i went with Buford on his journeys and was standing beside him being the same keen student he was, sucking in the knowledge these incredible people had to offer or at least allowed him to have the privilege of seeing.

The reason i didn't like the Mario Batali parts: i found him to be a pompus character (even when watching him on tv, which is very impersonal, i find him to be unbareable, so this indepth time with him was a bit much.), the restaurant lifestyle is so fast paced and it's almost like there is a revolving door on the industry (if you can't hack it move on to the next place that will try you and chalk up your abilities. Those were the main two reasons. I found it sad that Buford held Batali in such high regard but in the same sentence some of the things Batali does......he is a flavour genius.



View all my reviews