So here's my take on #zombie: I loved the concept for this story. A zombie invasion that began because a computer hacker unleashed a subroutine through every available avenue on the Internet? BRILLIANT. As someone who uses social media on a daily basis (who doesn't these days?), it was a chilling thought that by clicking on what first appears as an innocuous link on Twitter I could become a mindless destroyer of humanity. However, it didn't hold my attention as I had hoped it would. Line has a tendency to drift and focus on minutiae that has no bearing on the tale. Re-telling of information previously stated is also another issue. Also, I didn't really feel connected to the protagonist, Ven. I didn't especially care if she made it through the apocalypse or not. Your main character needs to at least be somewhat relatable/likeable (at least I think so) to keep the interest of the reader. If I hadn't felt obligated to review I probably would have given up despite the fascination of the story's concept. In conclusion: great concept and some really great wit but could stand a bit of tightening up on storyline and characterization.

Next up is Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (yay signed copy!). This is the sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children which if you'll remember I reviewed this back in August. SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST IN THIS SERIES. The story continues the journey of the main character Jacob and his peculiar friends as they try to escape from the wights and hollowgast who are after Miss Peregrine (who is stuck in bird form). The children are stuck in Jacob's past which means it's WWII making things even more complicated and dangerous. There only hope is to find another loop and an ymbryne (like Miss Peregrine) who can protect them and get Miss Peregrine back to human form. I'm only on Chapter 2 and I'm riveted. This guy is seriously a talented writer. I can't wait to see what kind of a journey this book takes me on.

Update: I never received That Hideous Strength. I'm trying to find a copy of it now. :-(

The Rubber Band follows a young woman on a quest to solve a mystery and fulfill a promise owed to her father (recently deceased). Of course, nothing is every simple in a Nero Wolfe mystery so from the beginning there is murder, intrigue, and suspicion on all sides. Wolfe (and Archie!) are at their best in this novel and the story culminates in a shocking ending that left me with my mouth agape in wonderment.

The Red Box started out in the style of a whodunit except where the suspects were numerous but the motive was unknown. As the story progresses, the mystery mounts around a core group of people (a family in fact) and Wolfe is forced to switch clients (unheard of for him) as the cast of characters is whittled down by murder. You can feel the mounting frustration with each turn of the page as Archie is left out of the loop (nothing new there really) and the lack of evidence takes a toll on the master detective.

Honestly, if you enjoy a riveting mystery novel then either (or both) will sate your appetite.

As you know, I occasionally do early review work for publishers and authors. My next title, #zombie, falls under that heading. Written by Al K. Line, the story follows two hackers, an infant, and an overweight dog as they navigate a new world overrun by zombies. The twist is that Ven (the pre-imminent hacker extraordinaire) is the CAUSE of the zombie catastrophe. Line has come up with a unique scenario of how a zombie apocalypse could begin. What if it all started with a computer hack that perpetuated itself through links on Facebook, hashtags on Twitter, and ads on YouTube? Could it be stopped? How could you avoid becoming infected?

Cliffhangers

As I said in the last entry, I wanted to wait until That Hideous Strength arrived before I reviewed the other two books in the Space Trilogy. However, it hasn't arrived as yet and I grew impatient. :-) Therefore, I bring to you 2 reviews plus a preview! Yay!!

Out of the Silent Planet saw our hero (although you wouldn't think of him as such at first) kidnapped and taken to a planet called Malacandra (to inhabitants of Tellus or Earth this would be Mars). He escapes his captors and on his journey across this entirely foreign land where he meets the planet's inhabitants, learns their language (he's a philologist), and adapts to their way of living we discover there's mischief afoot. This isn't simply an exploratory mission for his captors. One is determined to make riches from the planet's precious stones while the other seeks to find a new world for humanity to inhabit. What will Ransom do to stop them? <cue tense music>

Perelandra begins with Ransom back at home in England where he has revealed the entirety of his adventures to the author of the tales (we're made to believe this is a factual story disguised as science fiction by C.S. Lewis himself). There's a new mission that has been given to Ransom which involves him traveling through space once again except this time it's to Perelandra (that's Venus if you're curious). He's told nothing more about his trip except it's vital that he goes and he may or may not return to Tellus after the mission's completion. Once there he meets a beautiful Green Lady (this is her title for the majority of the book which is why I've capitalized it) who lives on ever moving lands on the water's surface. She is not yet "grown" which means that she has much to learn from this stranger (and he from her as it turns out). Things seem idyllic until they have a visitor from Ransom's past. If it wasn't apparent in the book which preceded this one Lewis has cleverly created a sci-fi/fantasy novel which illustrates the ultimate struggle between Good and Evil. Ransom directly battles with the 'Bent One' (aka the Devil) for the spiritual welfare of not only the Green Lady but the entire body of people which are soon to populate the planet. Will he succeed? <ominous fade to black>

So suffice it to say, I'm quite intrigued to see what the last book in the trilogy will bring for our hero (you see why he's a hero now right?).

I decided to start in on a two-in-one by one of my favorite mystery authors (or really he's just a favorite) Rex Stout. Some of you may have heard of him but for those who haven't he's the creator of the world's greatest (and I think first) armchair detective, Nero Wolfe. However, in my opinion (and in many others) it's Wolfe's confidential assistant, Archie Goodwin, that Stout really triumphed. A character worthy of being called a 'literary triumph', Goodwin fairly leaps off of the pages. The two-in-one that I picked up includes two cases: The Rubber Band  and The Red Box. The first of these has so many moving parts and so many characters that even though I'm about 75% of the way through I haven't the foggiest notion of whodunit (I generally never know until the very end though so don't put all of your eggs in my basket). A beautiful woman, a murder, accusations of larceny, and a Marquis round out the story and keep the reader on their toes bracing for what might happen next. The second mystery is about a red box...full of cyanide laced sweets. Who poisoned the candies and who's next?!

Tiny update (or gigantic depending on your point of view)

So despite the fact that I didn't post the review of Out of the Silent Planet, I actually finished it last week. It was such a great read that I thought it would benefit you guys if I just finished up the Space Trilogy in its entirety before updating. With that thought in mind, I started on the sequel entitled Perelandra and I'm moving along quite well with that. I think you guys are really going to like these.

While that was happening I went to my very first book signing (in Brooklyn no less!). If you remember I reviewed Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs a few months back. Well, his sequel (I'm into book series apparently) Hollow City has just come out and he's touring to promote it (and be charming and create lifelong followers). Long story (which isn't particularly long) there was cookies, creepy pictures, and strange videos. It was delightful. I encourage you all to participate in an interactive book discussion with an accomplished author whenever the opportunity arises.

I'm nearly finished with Perelandra and hopefully That Hideous Strength will arrive in the mail shortly so I can post again next time. I want to create a regular posting schedule if possible and I welcome your suggestions and comments on where you want this blog to go in future. I know I'm having a fun time and I hope you all are too!!

Keep turning those pages!!!

If you're a Doctor Who fan, then you're probably going to be more interested in my review of Beautiful Chaos than someone who has no clue of the devastation that was Donna Noble. However, I'l do my best for you non-Whovians because I still think this was a fun read. With that being said, I need to impress that this was by no means my favorite DW novel. The plot was a bit too plodding for my taste at times and I didn't feel the normal drive to see what clever thing the Doctor had up his sleeve this time. This is a hard one to discuss because on the face of it there was nothing really wrong with the telling of this story. It had interesting characters, a baddie straight from canon, action, heart wrenching sadness, and a clever conclusion. However, I can think of three separate DW novels sitting on my bookshelf that had me flipping pages so fast I nearly ripped off my fingerprints and this one just didn't have that urgency. So while it was a decent story about the Doctor it wouldn't be my first recommendation. (If you want that just let me know.)

Next on my list of January reads is the first in a trilogy by C.S. Lewis. The Space Trilogy begins with Out of the Silent Planet and is followed by Perelandra and That Hideous Strength. The stories follow the adventures of Dr. Ransom who is kidnapped and taken to the planet Malacandra. The reason for his kidnapping is made clear when he is told that he's to be a human sacrifice but things don't quite go the way of the captors when Ransom escapes and starts life anew on this strange planet. I confess that I absolutely adore C.S. Lewis and when I saw this in the bookstore and realized that I had never read it I didn't even think twice before picking it up (and paying for it of course, DUH!). 

Let's get on with the show!

Welcome to a new year of reading!!

For my first entry in the new year, I am pleased to review a book by one of my heroes, Jane Goodall. In The Shadow of Man is the story of a young girl studying wild chimpanzees. When I first learned of Goodall's work I was at college and trying to figure out exactly what I would do with a Bachelor's in Anthropology. After that particular Primatology lecture I was convinced I had found my path. Clearly I didn't follow in her footsteps but that doesn't mean that I'm not still fascinated by these magnificent creatures. I think that's one of the greatest things about her (and this book). She shares her enthusiasm and her passion for chimpanzees on every single page and invites the reader to get a glimpse of what it was like on those first days when she couldn't get within a hundred feet of the animals she was meant to study. She takes you through several years of her work at Gombe in Tanzania and details what she learned in that time. For example, she witnessed chimps not only using tools but making them which is something that most scientists were convinced only humans could do. You come to know these chimps which she named (it was easier to remember and therefore easier for taking notes) and by the end you're sad to say goodbye to them. Also, she didn't skimp on the pictures which were fantastic or on the endnotes which were packed with appendices (stages of development, facial expression and calls, weapon and tool use, diet, chimpanzee and human behavior) replete with drawings, a bibliography, index, and information on the Jane Goodall Institute. I could talk a lot more about this book (and indeed I ran on a bit more than I meant) but I want to leave some for you!

Now here is where my geek begins to show. Some of you may be aware that last year marked the 50th anniversary of the British sci-fi show Doctor Who. What you may not know is that I LOVE THIS SHOW. Therefore, it wasn't a hard decision when I saw a 50th anniversary special featuring David Tennant's Doctor I had to pick it up. The title is (aptly) Beautiful Chaos and was penned by Gary Russell. Ugh the back cover has something written there which I must share:

The Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Collection.

Eleven Classic Adventures.

Eleven brilliant writers. One incredible Doctor.

And that pretty much sums up why I'm a Whovian. *sigh* Okay back to the book. This is a Donna Noble (and Wilf!) special which means it's going to be packed full of laughs and most likely missteps. However, after reading the short description it wouldn't seem that's the case. There's an ancient evil heading toward Earth and it is not happy. UH OH. I can't wait to review this one for you all!!

Since I haven't reiterated this in awhile I'll say it here. If you want me to review a book that you were thinking of reading OR if you want a recommendation please don't hesitate to comment. Your feedback is ALWAYS appreciated (and greatly looked forward to I promise!). Have a great one!!

2013 Book Roundup!!

So I'm the kind of nerd that keeps a running tally of the books I've read on a yearly basis. I thought I'd just list them here for kicks and giggles. :-)

1. A Wrinkle In Time (graphic novel adaptation)
2. The Ever-After Bird
3. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
4. The Fault in Our Stars
5. The Meaning of Night: A Confession
6. Where the Heart Is
7. Warm Bodies
8. The New Hunger
9. The Best Tales of Edgar Allen Poe
10. Twelve Years a Slave
11. The Why of Things
12. Jack the Ripper: The Facts
13. Prisoner's Base
14. Ender's Game
15. Moll Flanders
16. Edge
17. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
18. Countdown
19. The Troop
20. All Our Yesterdays
21. Sky Jumpers
22. My Brief History
23. Our Final Invention
24. Blood Work
25. The Land of Laughs
26. The Alice Behind Wonderland
27. Winnie-the-Pooh
28. Beautiful Creatures
29. My Booky Wook
30. Treasure Island

I didn't start off the year with a specific goal of how many books that I wanted to read so I'm not terribly disappointed. However, I hope to do better in 2014. :-)

And with that being said, I'm going to finish this up so that I can type up my latest review!