Three Mini-Reviews

Title: August is a Wicked Month
Author: Edna O’Brien
E-Book: 168 pages
Pub Year:  1965
Rating: +

Short summary:

Separated from her husband, and with her young son away on a camping trip, Ellen decides to flee her lonely London home, naively pursuing “a jaunt into iniquity” along France’s Mediterranean coast. But will she find the escape she longs for, or the entrapment she so deeply fears?

Review

This is the worst book I read all year. Maybe it was feminist and great in 1965, but now it is cheesy and pathetic. It was incredibly predictable. I went into it knowing nothing and within the first five pages already knew what was going to be the turning point.

The only reason I finished the book is because it was so short. Stay away from this book unless you like annoying characters and ridiculous sex scenes!

Title: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
Author: Douglas Adams
Hardcover: 247 pages
Pub Year: 1987
Rating: +++

Short summary: Detective Gently whizzes about the world, the universe, and time itself as a group of eccentric characters help him find an eccentric cat, solve a murder, and save the human race.

Review:

The problem reading anything by Douglas Adams is that it is automatically compared to  Hitchhiker’s Guide and nothing of his compares to that book.

That isn’t to say that it wasn’t enjoyable, it was, but my expectations were too high. Gently is a great character, btu doesn’t come into the novel until much too late. I awnted more of him and less of everythign else since he is the title character nad the name of the series.

It was still a funny and fast book that science fiction fans will enjoy!

Title: The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul
Author: Douglas Adams
Hardcover: 319 pages
Pub Year: 1988
Rating: ++++

Short summary: When a passenger check-in desk at London’s Heathrow Airport disappears in a ball of orange flame, the explosion is deemed an act of God. But which god, wonders holistic detective Dirk Gently? What god would be hanging around Heathrow trying to catch the 3:37 to Oslo? And what has this to do with Dirk’s latest–and late–client, found only this morning with his head revolving atop the hit record “Hot Potato”?

Review: I started this the day after I read the first one and I have to say I enjoyed it even more. It reminded me of American Gods only this was first and better. It was fun and I breezed through it. It also had one of the best opening lines.

The secondary characters were just as great as Dirk Gently in this one and it was more engaging and more fun. This is a great series and I am glad I read it!

Though I will say – these covers are terrible@

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G Wells

Title: The Island of Dr. Moreau
Author: H. G. Wells
Softcover: 131 pages
Pub Year: 1896
Rating: ++++

Summary from goodreads:

A shipwreck in the South Seas, a palmy paradise where a mad doctor conducts vile experiments, animals that become human & then “beastly” in ways they never were before–it’s the stuff of high adventure. It’s also a parable about Darwinian theory, a social satire in the vein of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels & a bloody tale of horror

Mini Review:

I was really excited to read this book after reading The Time Machine. Wells was one of the original science fiction writers, so as I have started reading more and more science fiction, I have wanted to read where it all started.

This isn’t just a science fiction story though, it is also a horror novel. The creatures were scary, different and there was a little to leave to your own imagination.  There was action and danger, looks into morality and judgements. There are times the main character is very sympathetic, but looking at it from today’s perspectives and views, there are some views that are very different now, so it was hard to really like him much. Yet I had to remember that it was wirtten over 100 years ago and to judge people for feeling how most felt then isn’t so easy.

If you are looking for a fast classic to read that is exciting and a little scary this is a great one! I look forward to reading more by H.G Wells

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Challenge: Completed!

 

When you complete your challenge, please add a link to a blog post/goodreads shelf/Shelfari shelf with your list of books in the comments below!

This is where I will pick the winner for the gift card!

 

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die 2012 Check In

Can you belive 2012 is already half over? I know I can’t!

 

So how are you doing in this challenge? Are you half way to your goal yet? I know I’m not!

Let me know how it is going in the comments and don’t forget to link to your reviews!

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Challenge Check in #1

 

So we are a quarter through 2012, so I thought I would check in with all of the amazing participants! How are you doing with it? Are you 1/4 of the way done with your goal?

I…am not doing well. I have read one book and that is it. I need to work on it!

If you are not sure what you want to read next, make sure you check out the review post. There are some great reviews on there and I am really excited to read some of these books!

Share with us how you are doing and I hope you are all having fun!

The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

Title: The Time Machine 
Author: H. G. Wells
Hardcover:  124 pages
Year Published: 1895
Rating: ++++

Summary from goodreads:

When the Time Traveler courageously stepped out of his machine for the first time, he found himself in the year 802,700–and everything had changed. H.G. Wells’s famous novel of one man’s astonishing journey beyond the conventional limits of the imagination is regarded as one of the great masterpieces in the literature of science fiction.

Review:

I wanted to read a novella and when I saw that this is considered the first science fiction book ever, I knew it was something I wanted to read.

It was really good, when you consider that it is the first. These ideas were not cliche and nothing had been done before. I had to keep reminding myself of that and when I did I was delightfully surprised.

The writing is great. The idea of the future is unique and, over 100 years after it was written, still makes sense and fits how our society is going today into the future. The reactions of The Time Traveller’s acquaintances is also fascinating. No one has a name, they just are what they do. There is “The Medicine Man”, “The Editor”, “The Psychologist” and more. They react exactly how you would expect people in these professions to react and it is a accurate portrayal.

Without this book, science fiction may not be what we know and love today. Take a chance to see where it all started!

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die Challenge Sign Up: 2012 Edition

This challenge was such a success last year (well, for a lot of people, I only read two…but still success!) that i am running it again and it will be new and improved!

Here is a run down of the origins of the challenge:

I got this book for Christmas a couple years ago and am slowly making my way through the list. I have discovered some amazing books and writers. I don’t expect to ever read all of the books – but I do want to make a dent in the list and want to open it up for other to join me! The list is so great because it has a huge variety! There are classics that you may have read in school, but there are also some great books we have all missed and some fantastic world literature.

The challenge is simple – read some books from the list! If you don’t own the actual book, you can find a simple list online. For the most basic, check out the Listology list. There are spreadsheets outs there that you can look at too that are more complex.

Sine this year is an Olympics year, I thought the structure would change…so here are the levels this year!

Levels:

Got to trials:  5 books from the list
Made the Olympic team: 6-10 books from the list
Bronze medal: 11-15 books from the list
Silver Medal: 16-20  books from the list:
Gold Medal: 21+ books from the list

Rules:

Challenge runs January 1 2012 – December 31 2012.

You don’t have to make a list beforehand. 

You DO need to choose your level at the beginning so you have a chance to win the prize!

You can use any version of the list, not just the current, since they update it every couple years. I figure, once a book is on the list, it is always on the list!

Books that cover other challenges are not only permitted, but encouraged!

**ADDED*** Non bloggers are welcome to participate! Just sign up and leave a comment on this post letting me know what you are going for. At the end, provide a list of what you read this year via shelfari, LibraryThing, goodreads, or just a list of books! But if you review anything on those sites, link to the review post so we can see what you thought!

You do NOT have to review every book you read for this challenge – it is an etra so that the rest of us can see what you thought!

You can link to your here on this post! 

Sign up in Mr Linky!

But wait, there is more! I will be posting a review post with another Mr Linky link, so if you want to link to any reviews of 1001 books you have read! And please do, I love seeing which books you all loved and I am sure I am not the only one.

And this year there will be a prize. One lucky person who reaches their goal will win a gift card to either Barnes and Noble, Books a Million, or The Book Depository. So now there is an incentive to finish!

Can’t wait to see what you are reading!

Any updates or links will be added to this post

If you are done, please head over to the completion post!