Why did I read this when I have no plans to visit Japan?

I had high hopes for Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats, and Ramen by Abby Denson. Some of this stemmed from the fact that this was recommended to me from a trusted source but more so from the fact that I've so enjoyed the travelogues that I've read in the past (especially Lucy Kinsey's). Sadly, this book fell far short of the mark for me. While this is 'marketed' for a young adult audience the cat character that the authors use for Japanese vocabulary lessons (a great idea in theory) was childish in the extreme. The illustrations weren't anything to write home about either but I think they were secondary to the purpose of providing helpful information to the international traveler. In this the authors definitely succeeded although their advice should be taken with a grain of salt as some information could potentially be out-of-date. All in all it was a 2/10 for me although I did have a craving for ramen right after reading it. 😉

Source: Amazon

An example of the illustrative style (and the cat). [Source: Comics Worth Reading]

What's Up Next: Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade

What I'm Currently Reading: Fair Play: A Game-Changing Solution for When You Have Too Much to Do (and More Life to Live) by Eve Rodsky

**If you're interested in buying this book or any books really, you can click here or here. The first will re-direct you to AbeBooks and the second will re-direct you to The Book Depository. These are great websites for purchasing books (AbeBooks carries inexpensive used and out-of-print books and The Book Depository ships free everywhere in the world). Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made by following either of these links. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **

Proving that cats are indeed hilarious

If you want a book that is BURSTING at the seams with funny then you're in luck because How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity is just the book for you. This book is an entrepreneur's dream how-to manual giving step-by-step instructions on how to utilize the gifts of that pesky cat that up until now only slept and destroyed villainous toilet paper rolls. Instead of bemoaning the fact that your cat seems to think her water bowl is possessed by a demon catch her (on tape!) giving it distrustful looks before knocking it flying with a paw. If your cat looks fetching in an ascot (meow!) make sure to grab footage of him strutting his stuff while looking extraordinarily stylish. This book has every tip for making a mint by harnessing the hidden talents of the feline in your life. (Also, the pictures and captions are FANTASTIC.)

Is it any wonder that I don't want the laughter to stop here? Next up is William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back by Ian Doescher. Now I know what you're thinking: Why aren't you starting with the first in the series? Well, that's because...I have no good reason. However, this is the way it's happened to work out and if I enjoy it (signs point to yes) I'll be taking a look at William Shakespeare's Star Wars. Merging two vastly popular worlds is an incredibly clever and possibly risky endeavor especially these two which seem completely incongruous. Setup as if it's just another Shakespearean play except with a cast of characters sci-fi aficionados are more than familiar with, The Empire Striketh Back, has high hopes for becoming a cult phenomenon. We shall see...

Read with an eye on the past

It's important to remember the time period that a book was written in when delving into a work of classical literature. For example, The Spy came out in 1821 when American novelists were still focused on telling stories about their brethren over the pond. It was quite revolutionary (pun sooo intended) to focus a story on American soil. The story is set during the American Revolution and opens at the end of 1780. Slavery clearly still practiced and attitudes about the slaves themselves were not altogether complimentary. If you go into a work of classic literature without remembering the context of the story itself then you are doomed to find the entire body of work unpalatable. With that being said, I must say I really enjoyed The Spy. True to the style of the time there was a lot of focus on unimportant details which made a majority of the tale drag on somewhat. I felt that it didn't really pick up steam (or grab my interest) until about 3/4 of the way through. There are two fantastic characters, however, which kept me turning those pages: Captain John Lawton (of the Continental Army who is fierce, brave, and impetuous) and Harvey Birch (the spy himself who is always full of wit and intensity). These two indomitable spirits are what make this story a classic piece of American literature.

For those of you who know me outside of this blog you'll know that I have a cat. A very fat cat who has a personality as big (or bigger than) her rotund middle. So clearly the next book on my list was made for me in mind. It's How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity: A Guide to Financial Freedom by Patricia Carlin with photography by Dustin Fenstermacher. I think the main premise of the book can be summed up by this sentence from the introduction: No financial opportunity will give you a greater return on investment than your cat. Flipping through the pages of the book already has me giggling as the author has paired photographs (and graphs) with semi-serious marketing strategies for raking in millions by using a cat's innate star potential. I'll read and if you don't hear from me it's because Zuzu has made me a kazillionaire.