Good news and bad news

The good news is that I thought Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was fantastic and there is a SEQUEL (not due out until January 2014 though). The bad news is that I'm already finished with it and the sequel isn't out until January 2014. JANUARY 2014. Okay, maybe I should review this or something. Firstly, I would like to thank Ashley for asking me to read this (and for loaning me her copy). This book is a perfect example of magical realism gone so very right. The author, Ransom Riggs, uses vintage photographs to bring the story to life for the reader. They're so beautifully woven into the storyline that you (well, if you're like me at least) look forward to them every few pages. I really dig photographs (especially those found in old family albums) and I thought it was a clever device for transporting the reader into the world that he had created. These children are "peculiar" because of their abilities and these same gifts make them vulnerable. I don't want to say anymore because I want you to go read this immediately. GO NOW. OH and they're turning it into a motion picture due out in 2015. EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING. Edit: It's actually coming out September 30, 2016 and I'M EXCITED.

Okay if you managed to make it through the paragraph above I have to assume that you're a hardcore fan of mine (hi mom!) and I really appreciate you sticking it out with me. The next book up is another title from NetGalley which means it hasn't been published yet and therefore will not be readily available to you. However, it will be beneficial for me to trundle through it so I can let you know if I think it's worth your time. The book is Countdown: Our Last, Best Hope for a Future on Earth? by Alan Weisman. The basic question that this book is trying to answer is how humanity can come into balance with the earth. He travels the globe asking questions about limiting the growth of humans (not a new concept), ecosystem development (is the earth strong enough to hold all of us?), and what the economy of this newly stabilized (and shrunken) world might look like. I find nonfiction works about the state of our world and our place in it highly compelling which is why I gravitated toward this one. I imagine a world of possibilities that I never even imagined are about to be opened before me!

If a book has an overabundance of grammatical errors I find it exceedingly difficult to enjoy the experience. I'd love to sit down with the editors of Edge and find out just what they were thinking when they thoughts this book was okay to go to print. Also, it read like I should have had prior knowledge of events as if there were a prequel. There is no prequel, guys. This is the first in a series. I guess you gather that I don't highly recommend this one. The premise was a good one. The idea that society had degenerated into such violence that the majority of individuals walked around with sheathed knives is a novel one. However, I don't think this book was ready to deliver. Don't waste your time.

In awesome news, I met up with a friend to exchange books and the one she recommended is Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (great name). Photographs from the past are used to help create fictional stories about children set apart on a deserted island because they may (re definitely) have been a danger to society. I glanced at the photographs and I can already tell that for those easily spooked this book will keep you up at night. Good thing I've mostly gotten over my fear of the dark. Here we go!

From scandals to slaughter

Daniel Defoe did not disappoint. Moll Flanders was a fantastic read. If you're into classics (and if you're not please tell me why), then this book is going to be right up your alley. Written in an autobiographical style, the story of Moll Flanders unfolds in England (for the most part) in the 18th century. She begins her life inauspiciously as a servant for a well-to-do family where she is known for her genteel manners and pious spirit. However, this lasts only until she is made an offer from a young man in the household and the next you know she's his mistress. O_O Don't worry, guys, I'm not encouraging you to read smut. The book was intended to be a cautionary tale for both those headed down this path and for those that might come across these ne'er-do-wells. She is purely driven by her fear of becoming destitute and living on the streets. To that end, she marries many times (dubiously for the most part), sells her body (I don't mean for science), and steals. BUT this is a moral tale and so there are messages spread throughout (not so subtly either). Like I said, if you're a fan of the classics you'll like this one.

Next up is Edge by Thomas Blackthorne which is a novel set in Britain. This has classic (not the same as above) science fiction written all over it. An evil corporation has taken over and not only have they legalized duelling but they've made it entertainment for the masses. Basically, the apocalypse has arrived and there's horror around every corner. I'm super excited. Also, it's set in Britain and if you haven't caught onto this fact yet I'm a TOTAL Anglophile. :-D

Is there anything you've read recently that you'd like me to read and review? Comment below and let me know!

No shockers here, ladies and gents. I thoroughly enjoyed Ender's Game. What's not to love about apocalyptic earth in a fight with alien enemies with a child as our only hope for survival? I'm super excited to see what the movie will be like now and I'm already plotting how to get a copy of Ender's Shadow which chronicles the life of a secondary character from the book named Bean (which I love by the way). I made the mistake choice to read a portion of this book and I'm hooked. If you're into science fiction with a psychological twist then you'll probably like this one.

Well, as you're all aware I like to jump between genres a lot and so my next choice in reading material probably won't come as much of a surprise. SO MUCH SUSPENSE! Okay, relax yourself. I'm reading Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe. I picked up my copy from a little hole-in-the-wall bookstore that specializes in mysteries, thrillers, classics, and out of print materials. When I saw this little volume I knew that it had to be mine. I often choose books on how they smell. The mustier the better in my opinion. If you're unfamiliar with this particular classic let me fill you in. It's the story of a woman named (gasp!) Moll Flanders who let's say is a creature of the night. It was used as a moral tale but not the way you're thinking. Generally, it's YOU SIN AND YOU REAP THE CONSEQUENCES. This is more like YOU SIN AND REPENT AND YAY. Or so says the dust jacket. I'll read it and let you know if I was right.

I hope you are all having a fantastic Monday night and that above all you're reading!!

IT'S NATIONAL BOOK LOVERS DAY!!

I hope those of us that don't have to work tomorrow (yay not until the 17th!) will pick up a book and dive right in tonight. I'm about halfway through Ender's Game and besides the odd nightmare involving war I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Never miss an opportunity to open a book and immerse yourself in the world that the author has created just for you!!

Nom nom nom that book was delicious

I told you that I loved a good Nero Wolfe mystery. Yes, I did just sit motionless for the last two hours and finish off the book. AND IT WAS GLORIOUS. Mind you, I've already seen the televised version of this story so I already knew how it played out AND YET. Don't get me wrong, guys. Timothy Hutton's portrayal of Archie Goodwin is pretty much why I first picked up a Rex Stout novel. Thanks, dude. If you're at all like me (and you must be if you've wandered here and stuck around) then you'll love Stout's style. Set in New York in the early 50's, Archie is your proverbial private eye complete with dialect and predilection for brute force and curvy women. AND I LOVE IT. Please go read this and comment below with your thoughts (because comments are like cookies but without the calories).

Now of course I'd love to pick up another Wolfe mystery but unfortunately I don't have anymore on tap sooooo a book that I picked up a few months back because I had heard of it and it was in the discount bin: Ender's Game. You might have heard of this title if you've been to the movies recently or you enjoy watching trailers for upcoming films. Yes, they've adapted it for the big screen (Asa Butterfield!!). Orson Scott Card's sci-fi tale about children being trained for war against aliens received the Hugo and Nebula (that's big ya'll). I'd also like to remind you that it was originally published in 1977 which means that kids fighting for their lives in a militaristic society was conceived well before a certain Famished Frivolities was even a thought.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for taking the time to check out my blog. I hope you're finding it relevant and (mildly) entertaining. I'd appreciate it very much if you'd leave me feedback (mmm so tasty) and if you followed me then I'd probably combust with excitement (which sounds painful but I have on good authority is actually like chugging Cherry Coke on a hot day). Happy reading!!!!

Murder, Mystery, and Mustaches (Oh my!)

As you might have already guessed from previous posts, I'm rather fond of true crime. So when I saw the title, Jack the Ripper: True Facts, you know I had to give that a read. If you're looking to get every conceivable fact (however minute) about the murders committed in Whitechapel in the year 1888 then this book is perfect for you. PERFECT. However, if you're wanting something that reads a little more like a narrative and which offers some plausible suspect of the crimes then you're barking up the wrong book. While I appreciate an author that knows his facts this book was drowning in minutia which overshadowed the meat (I'm not even sorry for that) of the tale. And most frustratingly the author doesn't offer up his thoughts on who he believes is the killer. This might be due in part because every single piece of evidence conflicted. It's no wonder that no one was ever brought to justice (or were they? Government conspiracy theories abound!) for the crimes with all of the inconsistent "eyewitness" testimony. *sigh* I guess I was hoping for something quite different from this book but in regards to listing out all available data (and sources, yay!) on the subject this book can't be beat.

Because I was disappointed in an ending which was tied up in a neat little bow I decided to turn to one of my favorite authors, Rex Stout. Some of you might recognize the fictional detective that he created, Nero Wolfe. Those of you who don't are really missing out. He is the armchair detective and there was even a miniseries created which focused on a few of his more famous storylines that had Timothy Hutton (ha cha cha) playing Nero's right hand man, Archie Goodwin. I hope I've gotten you excited because the book I'm reading is one I haven't sunk my teeth into before: Prisoner's Base. All of his stories start out similarly. A distraught individual seeks Nero's help. That person gets killed. Then it's up to Nero to solve the case because the police are pretty much bumbling idiots (sound familiar anyone?). It's a rollicking good time!! This one revolves around an heiress (of cotton-towels? ummm).

I hope you're all aware that it's Geek Week. GEEK OUT AND READ A BOOK!!

PS The reason that mustaches creeped into the title is because there were copious mentions of mustaches in Jack the Ripper. COPIOUS. Waaaaay too many references and descriptions of male facial hair. Sooo yeah.