Showing posts with label Mary Roach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mary Roach. Show all posts

November 10, 2011

Long time no update!

Well, hello there!  I'm so sorry that I haven't updated in forever but it's been busy with school and such.  HOWEVER, I have finished Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach and declare it to be absolutely delightful and worth the read.  I must reiterate my earlier sentiments that if you can't handle detailed descriptions of gore and a wit that is very macabre you'd best stay away from this book.  If you're like me and really enjoy books that talk about really interesting and sometimes gross things then get to reading!

I'm now reading (completely for my own enjoyment I might add) Serial Killers & Mass Murderers: Profiles of the World's Most Barbaric Criminals by Nigel Cawthorne.  I'd like to blame my obsession on the tv show Criminal Minds for my interest in this read but that would be a lie.  The truth is that I've always loved true crime and all that is macabre so this book fairly leapt off of the shelf at me.  The title pretty much tells you exactly what you're in for when you read this book.  It discusses some of the most prolific serial killers and the heinous crimes that they committed.  Some of the criminals you'll find within its pages: The Boston Strangler, Ted Bundy, Doctor Death, etc.  Each chapter starts off with how many people were killed, the modus operandi (look at how fancy I am!), and if the killer was caught and since sentenced to death.  If you're interested in what makes up the mind of a killer then you'll probably like this book.  I have to be honest that I don't find it all that well written but the meat of the story is what I'm after so I can look past that for the most part.  I should be finished with this one fairly quickly and when I am I will be sure to let you all know my thoughts on it. :o)

Until next time, happy reading!!

PS It just so happened that I've been reading these rather ghastly books around the time of Halloween.  Sheer coincidence, I swear!

EDIT: Because I just can't help myself here's a booktrailer that I created for Stiff.

October 10, 2011

This junk is rough!

I've come across a snag.  I'm back in school for the fall semester and as I should have predicted I've been too busy to read for leisure.  Soooo I'm going to have to talk about the books I'm reading for class for a while.  Luckily, I now own Maladies so I will be able to get back to it. 

Alright, so I'm currently reading a young adult book entitled  Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach.  When you're in the business of reader's advisory you learn that young people (and boys in general) tend to like those books that are more gruesome and feature grotesque storylines.  This book delivers that along with some great potty humor.  If you don't have a strong stomach and aren't into jokes about the dead then I don't recommend you pick up this book.  I chose this book specifically for our assignment on creating booktrailers.  Booktrailers are created to entice potential readers to pick up and read books that you (as the librarian) particularly recommend.  I'm still in the process of reading the book so I'm not sure yet how I'm going to structure the trailer (although I know it's going to be full of humor).  I'll keep you all updated. :oD

Until then, hang tight and keep reading!