I'm typing this on an iPad in the airport...

...and it's not even my iPad.

As you might have guessed this is a post from the road...sort of. I quickly finished up Beautiful Creatures before I left home and I am seriously jonesing for the next book in the series, Beautiful Darkness. So I guess that tells you what I ultimately thought of the book. Full of angst that only a teen romance seems to deliver and bursting with elements of the supernatural, Beautiful Creatures was an absolute delight. For a book with over 500 pages, I certainly didn't feel the burden of reading to the end. The characters were relatable (despite supernatural powers), the setting a perfect backdrop for drama, and the love story enchanting. GO AND READ.

In lieu of having the next book in the series I thought I'd change gears and read a memoir. This is one that I've been wanting to read for quite some time. It's Russel Brand's My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Stand-Up. Yes, it's that Russell Brand. The opinionated, slightly off-kilter glam rocker who occasionally plays parts remarkable dissimilar from himself (or entirely too similar if you've seen the movie Arthur). If you've ever seen his interviews you know the man is not entirely what he at first seems. He has a sharp mind and an even sharper tongue. I know that I'm in for quite an adventure with this one.

Now it's time for the wait for the plane. 1 hour and counting...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Changing gears

Winnie-the-Pooh was exactly what I needed. I basically read it in one sitting and smiled the entire time. There are scenes from one's childhood that seem fixed in place. They are immoveable and grounded in such a way that it's as if they were always there. Many times you try to revisit them in your adulthood and discover that they were little more than cardboard sets and a man pulling strings. Christopher Robin and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood are a completely different ball of wax. In fact, I learned more about these beloved characters through this book. For instance, did you know that Winnie-the-Pooh had a different name? (I'd tell you what it was but that would be a spoiler. (-: ) Or that Tigger didn't show up until the second book in the series? I recommend that everyone read this book with their children (or nieces, cousins, etc.) because it's beautiful. The storylines are sweet, the illustrations are enchanting, and the way it makes you feel is indescribable.

Of course, as is my way I decided to completely change gears with my next book. I picked this one up at the start of the year after I saw the film adaptation and fell in love with the concept. It's a massive tome though so I'm not exactly looking forward to carting it around on my commute but such is life. It's Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl. I was dubious about this book but within 10 minutes of the film I knew that I would have to read the book to get to all of the meaty stuff that couldn't possibly be covered in a 2 hour film. I don't even know where to start with outlining what the book is supposed to be about. If I had to choose keywords: magic, first love, family discord, and self-discovery. Keep in mind that it's young adult fiction so you just know there's gonna be angst for days. Here we go!

Meh

I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting from The Alice Behind Wonderland but I came out of this book feeling less than impressed. The main focus was on Dodgson's photography and in particular the photos that he took of Alice Liddell (with main focus on this image). I suppose I thought that this would further my knowledge of the man behind the famous stories of Wonderland and the girl called Alice. However, its narrowed focus on only one aspect of the man (and his relationship with the Liddells) left me feeling disappointed. The book covers Dodgson's fascination with photography and the history of photography itself. Briefly, Winchester touched on the controversy surrounding his "child friends" of which he took many photographs (some of them in the nude). I do appreciate that he made it clear that during this time period (the late 19th century) this was not seen as anything more than an attempt at capturing innocence and purity onto film. Nowadays, the first thought through anyone's mind is PEDOPHILE which we can neither confirm or deny because any evidence was erased long ago (Dodgson removed several pages from his diary or at least someone removed them for him). If you want a tiny glimpse into the man behind one of the world's most famous fairytales then you should take a look at this book. However, I recommend that you delve further and pick up some supplemental reading such as Morton Cohen's Lewis Carroll: A Biography.

I guess I was in the mood for children's fairytales after reading the above so I picked up Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne. The copy I have came from a used bookstore and it is GORGEOUS. The illustrations and text placement (falling from the top of the page, circling around the illustrations, etc) make this a delightful read for readers of any age. Most of us know all about Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood because of the cartoons and movies but have you actually read the first volume of stories that the cartoons were drawn from originally?  I haven't and I am pretty excited to rectify this oversight on my part. Already I'm enjoying the light fluffiness of the stories (each chapter is treated as a standalone). Take me along on your journeys, Pooh Bear!

Fantasy masked as fiction

I'm not even sure where to begin with my review of The Land of Laughs. From the very beginning, I was unsure of where the story was headed and not in a "wow this is going to be a really interesting journey"kind of way. The introduction of the main characters threw me off as they weren't necessarily relatable or even likable. If you're like me it's very difficult to really get into a story if you feel completely separate from the characters who are your eyes and ears in the narrative. However, it started picking up speed around 100 pages in when I figured out where the story was headed. The author has a flair for description and he knows how to get you on the edge of your seat. Of course, figuring out the author's plan meant that I knew what the ending would be less than halfway through. :-/ Conclusion: It wasn't the worst thing I've ever read but it was also far from the best.

Simon Winchester is known for his narrative nonfiction. I was first made aware of him when I studied Library Services in London when two of his books were on the required reading list. I was immediately a fan. This time I'm reading The Alice Behind Wonderland. Beginning with the famous photograph of Alice Liddell which Charles Dodgson aka Lewis Carroll took (and which many have speculated about) and continuing with Dodgson's personal journals, Winchester gives a more complete story of the girl behind the famous story. Having done extensive research on the topic myself I'm interested to see his take.

5,000 Views!!!

I just broke 5,000 views!!!

Thank you all so much for visiting my blog and for taking an interest in reading. It means so much to me that something I am so passionate about (creating lifelong learners and readers) is actually getting a response. My hope is that I get more interaction with all of you. I want to have a dialogue between us so that I can continue to deliver reviews which are relevant and which inspire you to go out and pick up a book (or several!).

So if this is your first time visiting or your hundredth, I appreciate you! Thanks so much for sticking with me and I look forward to the months and years ahead!!

Footnotes: A love story.

You realize that you're a nerd when you get excited for a book with footnotes. The probably with this particular book was that the footnotes were actually endnotes which meant a lot of page flipping which I found tedious and annoying. I have to say though that this minor inconvenience was the only issue that I had with Blood Work. As you know already, I'm a huge fan of scientific nonfiction and this definitely fit the bill (with a side of history and murder to make it even better!). Learning about the history of something (blood transfusion) which I've never given much thought about was more engrossing than I had originally anticipated. Tucker made great use of resources to paint a vivid picture of Parisian life (specifically among scientists and academics) in the 17th century. The conditions of the time which included religious bias and political favor (or disfavor) effected any advances that were being attempted by the scientific community. In fact, because of the events which unfolded in this story there was no experimentation whatsoever regarding blood transfusion for over 150 years. It was essentially a dead end that no one dared to attempt (or even cared to attempt). For anyone who's interested in either history or science this book will be ideal for you (and it's a quick read!).

I'm trying to get to my backlog of books which range from earlier this year to many years ago that I haven't gotten around to quite yet. Next up on the "to read" list is The Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll. According to a well-known author, "The Land of Laughs is a book for anyone who has ever believed that a favorite book could be a safe place to go when things get hard." When a book has a blurb from Neil Gaiman you know it's going to be a good one. From the title, you'd think that this was a book full of comedy. However, it's actually the story of two people who go on a quest to write a biography of their favorite children's author which leads them on a frightening journey of discovery AND self-discovery. Just because you wish you could immerse yourself in your favorite storybook world from your childhood doesn't mean you'd really jump at the chance to do that if you could. Imagine the frights which would greet you there!

I almost wish this WAS only science fiction

Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is not something only relegated to science fiction. It is a reality. Most people immediately think of their smartphones but what about the machinery that powers cities? Would you consider that to be a facet of AI? It could be argued that because many pieces of an electrical grid are run without human interference (or understanding as to why certain parts work the way that they do) that it is a type of AI. However, the book Our Final Invention is about what happens when AI turns from AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) to ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence). At that stage, machinery becomes self-sufficient, self-aware, and self-improving. It's surpassed human intelligence and can continue to improve itself and become even more intelligent. Barrat believes that at this point the machinery which should not be compared to humans will not have "feelings" about its creators. It will wipe us out in its quest to fulfill its own goals and agendas. Replication on a global scale will occur and all matter than can be used for that purpose will be used even if that matter is humanity as a whole. There are some decidedly scary concepts housed within the pages of this book. As if to ram the point home I ran across this article today which talks about the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence and how the vast majority of the populace is completely unaware of the advances being made RIGHT NOW. Chilling, eye-opening stuff. Conspiracy theorists will be eating this book up.

Blood Work: A tale of medicine & murder in the scientific revolution by Holly Tucker is more than just a history of blood transfusions. It is more than historical nonfiction wrapped up in scientific jargon. It is a political discourse on humanity and its moral and political evolution. The same issues that plagued people in the 17th century seem to be plaguing us today. Is it morally wrong to experiment on humans if it will help the human race as a whole? Is it an abomination against God to put animal's blood inside of a person's body in the hopes that it will help them to survive? I have no idea if this book will even come close to answering these questions but I'm fairly positive it will raise even more intriguing questions while delivering a fascinating depiction of science unfolding.