Summary:
A non-fiction narrative of the breaking-and-entering crime spree plaguing celebs from 2008 to 2009. It discusses the time line and the accomplices through interviews with the culprits themselves. Sales previously wrote an article about the crime ring, dubbed "The Bling Ring" by TMZ and the media, and then expanded on that for this book. The book discusses the curiosity and expectations teens and young adults are beginning to have about celebrities and becoming one themselves. This book is the basis for the movie of the same name produced by Sofia Ford Coppola.
Thoughts:
This could not possibly be drier. The way that Sales lays out the conversations with the Bling Ring suspects is bland, and she hops from interview to introspection to interview with little to no segues, sometimes within the same chapter. I was curious about the book because I heard about the movie and heard there was a book about it, and of course I'm going to read the book first. The book took me far too long to read, because the writing was lacking in any emotion or interest. The subject matter is really quite interesting. A bunch of teenagers broke into celebrity homes and stole clothes, purses, cash, even intimate items and a hand gun. It really could have been a more intriguing book, if only it were written with a better narrative style. I was happy to be done with it.
Book 26 of 50
Pages: 288
Genre: non-fiction
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Meh, it's borderline readable.
Showing posts with label B/C. Show all posts
Showing posts with label B/C. Show all posts
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Saturday, May 25, 2013
California Schemin' (Kate George)
Summary:
Bree McGowan wants nothing more than to have a relaxing vacation away from her native Vermont, and take a few photos of a bridge over a Californian river while her boyfriend does some masonry for a client. But her hopes are dashed when she sees a woman fall off the bridge into the river. From there, she gets wrapped up in the investigation of the whole thing, despite seeing nothing but a falling body, despite flying home to Vermont, despite all the effort made to keep her safe and sound. She wants nothing to do with the case, and yet she keeps getting dragged into it. What's a girl got to do to keep herself out of trouble?
Thoughts:
I found this through one of the Free Kindle Book search sites, the ones that troll through Amazon's site to pull out all the current free downloads. I didn't have high expectations, since several of the Kindle books I've picked up have been fairly mediocre. That said, this one is not bad. There were a few holes in the story (how does Bree suddenly know the vic's name, without showing her hunting for the info?), and there were some gaps in the narrative. But the story itself is solid. You hate to love one of the bad guys, but he turns out to be such an interesting character! Around every corner, I kept wanting Bree to just suck it up and call the cops, but she kept getting into another scrape, and had no chance to do it. You couldn't help but feel bad for Bree. All she wanted was to be back home in Vermont. And when she finally gets there, trouble still follows her. The girl's got it pretty rough. I can't say for sure if I liked the book enough to read more. I'm curious to see what happens with Bree and the eventual love interest, but some of the scenes feel herky-jerky, and not fully complete. I do appreciate, though, that Bree's trying NOT to be involved in the investigation for once, instead of most nosy-neighbor main characters in mystery series. It's hard to really know all that's going on, though, when we only hear about Bree having looked up the victim's information, not actually see her reading a news article about her or something. More show, less tell.
Book 15 of 50
Pages: 252, read as an e-book.
Genre: mystery
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Yeah, it's not bad. I might look into the first (and third) of the series.
Bree McGowan wants nothing more than to have a relaxing vacation away from her native Vermont, and take a few photos of a bridge over a Californian river while her boyfriend does some masonry for a client. But her hopes are dashed when she sees a woman fall off the bridge into the river. From there, she gets wrapped up in the investigation of the whole thing, despite seeing nothing but a falling body, despite flying home to Vermont, despite all the effort made to keep her safe and sound. She wants nothing to do with the case, and yet she keeps getting dragged into it. What's a girl got to do to keep herself out of trouble?
Thoughts:
I found this through one of the Free Kindle Book search sites, the ones that troll through Amazon's site to pull out all the current free downloads. I didn't have high expectations, since several of the Kindle books I've picked up have been fairly mediocre. That said, this one is not bad. There were a few holes in the story (how does Bree suddenly know the vic's name, without showing her hunting for the info?), and there were some gaps in the narrative. But the story itself is solid. You hate to love one of the bad guys, but he turns out to be such an interesting character! Around every corner, I kept wanting Bree to just suck it up and call the cops, but she kept getting into another scrape, and had no chance to do it. You couldn't help but feel bad for Bree. All she wanted was to be back home in Vermont. And when she finally gets there, trouble still follows her. The girl's got it pretty rough. I can't say for sure if I liked the book enough to read more. I'm curious to see what happens with Bree and the eventual love interest, but some of the scenes feel herky-jerky, and not fully complete. I do appreciate, though, that Bree's trying NOT to be involved in the investigation for once, instead of most nosy-neighbor main characters in mystery series. It's hard to really know all that's going on, though, when we only hear about Bree having looked up the victim's information, not actually see her reading a news article about her or something. More show, less tell.
Book 15 of 50
Pages: 252, read as an e-book.
Genre: mystery
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Yeah, it's not bad. I might look into the first (and third) of the series.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Metro Girl (Janet Evanovich)
Summary:
Alexandra Barnaby, known to her family and close friends as Barney, is a former grease-monkey, raised in her father's garage in Baltimore. Now she's an insurance adjuster whose brother calls her from Miami in the middle of the night to say that he'll be away for a while, and don't worry. She flies down to Miami, worried sick, and finds herself wrapped up in a fight to the death over Cuban gold and a Russian bomb. Will she be able to save her brother's life?
Thoughts:
This book SCREAMS Janet Evanovich. Barney reads very much like Stephanie Plum, to the point that I had to remind myself every few pages that this was Metro Girl not Plum Fourteen-and-Three-Quarters. Her partner in finding her brother is Sam Hooker, a horndog racecar driver that feels very much like a young Joe Morelli. She even has a heavyset sidekick type called Rosa who is so Lula-esque, it's hard to read Rosa as "gutsy-but-nuts Hispanic lady" and not "gutsy-but-nuts black lady." It's a fun read, don't get me wrong. But I've read better from Ms. E, and I'm a little disappointed in the not-really-different-ness of this. This is one of those books that you read when you've got nothing else left. Onward and upward, I hope.
Book 3 of 50
Pages: 296
Genre: Chicklit with a dash of mystery and a dollop of comedy
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Meh. You've got better choices.
Alexandra Barnaby, known to her family and close friends as Barney, is a former grease-monkey, raised in her father's garage in Baltimore. Now she's an insurance adjuster whose brother calls her from Miami in the middle of the night to say that he'll be away for a while, and don't worry. She flies down to Miami, worried sick, and finds herself wrapped up in a fight to the death over Cuban gold and a Russian bomb. Will she be able to save her brother's life?
Thoughts:
This book SCREAMS Janet Evanovich. Barney reads very much like Stephanie Plum, to the point that I had to remind myself every few pages that this was Metro Girl not Plum Fourteen-and-Three-Quarters. Her partner in finding her brother is Sam Hooker, a horndog racecar driver that feels very much like a young Joe Morelli. She even has a heavyset sidekick type called Rosa who is so Lula-esque, it's hard to read Rosa as "gutsy-but-nuts Hispanic lady" and not "gutsy-but-nuts black lady." It's a fun read, don't get me wrong. But I've read better from Ms. E, and I'm a little disappointed in the not-really-different-ness of this. This is one of those books that you read when you've got nothing else left. Onward and upward, I hope.
Book 3 of 50
Pages: 296
Genre: Chicklit with a dash of mystery and a dollop of comedy
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Meh. You've got better choices.
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Hacking Harvard (Robin Wasserman)
Summary:
Three sixteen- and seventeen-year-old boys are the kings of pranks, or "hacks" as they call them. They are all about making a statement by pointing out the flaws in the system. And when Max, the obnoxious troublemaker of the bunch, decides to make a bet behind Eric's and Schwartz's backs, they run with it, even though they think the idea of betting over something is abhorrent. The bet: Get the biggest slacker they can find accepted into Harvard. Along the way, they run into a few obstacles, like a pretty girl that might get hurt because of the bet, a guy that's blackmailing them into helping him too, and a bully who doesn't even remember his prey. The whole idea is that you don't have to be brilliant... You just need a plan.
Thoughts:
Just in time for those crazed about college application deadlines! The basic message of the book is a good one. You just need a plan. The way the boys go about getting their plan accomplished is rather unfortunate, though some bits were rather ingenious. The story in general is not a bad one. But it is certainly not one teens should read and think "Hey, this is totally okay." There's some romance in there, and there's some intrigue. But more than anything, it's a fun little coming-of-age story that was at least amusing enough to keep my attention. Though there were certainly plenty of times where I wanted to slap the boys upside their heads. Definitely an interesting story for teens, though maybe not until after they're out of the hunt for a college?
Book 52 of 70
Pages: 320
Genre: teen lit, some romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't fantastic. Read it if you've got the time and inclination...
Three sixteen- and seventeen-year-old boys are the kings of pranks, or "hacks" as they call them. They are all about making a statement by pointing out the flaws in the system. And when Max, the obnoxious troublemaker of the bunch, decides to make a bet behind Eric's and Schwartz's backs, they run with it, even though they think the idea of betting over something is abhorrent. The bet: Get the biggest slacker they can find accepted into Harvard. Along the way, they run into a few obstacles, like a pretty girl that might get hurt because of the bet, a guy that's blackmailing them into helping him too, and a bully who doesn't even remember his prey. The whole idea is that you don't have to be brilliant... You just need a plan.
Thoughts:
Just in time for those crazed about college application deadlines! The basic message of the book is a good one. You just need a plan. The way the boys go about getting their plan accomplished is rather unfortunate, though some bits were rather ingenious. The story in general is not a bad one. But it is certainly not one teens should read and think "Hey, this is totally okay." There's some romance in there, and there's some intrigue. But more than anything, it's a fun little coming-of-age story that was at least amusing enough to keep my attention. Though there were certainly plenty of times where I wanted to slap the boys upside their heads. Definitely an interesting story for teens, though maybe not until after they're out of the hunt for a college?
Book 52 of 70
Pages: 320
Genre: teen lit, some romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't fantastic. Read it if you've got the time and inclination...
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Swan for the Money (Donna Andrews)
Summary:
Meg Langslow has a crazy family that always gets her stuck into crazy situations. This is yet another of them. Her parents decide to get into raising and cultivating roses, and Meg's overbearing, doesn't-hear-the-word-no mother nags Meg into running the annual rose show, on the estate of a crazy woman who insists that her entire home, and every animal on her property be in black and white only. Of course someone ends up dead. Shocker. Especially when not only Meg finds the body, but then figures out who's the killer. Again.
Thoughts:
Boy, Ms. Andrews, Meg is really good at solving mysteries. Why isn't she a cop yet? Oh right, because she's a blacksmith. To be honest, I'm starting to tire of this series. Unless there's something really spectacular that comes out of the next book or so, I'm done. The writing is still pretty good, but it's getting much more predictable. And to be honest, I tried a couple times before I was able to actually get into this one. Not a good sign. I guess it's good for the series, but I guess after eleven books, she gets a little tired of creating a new way for Meg to get involved in the whole mess.
Book 38 of 50
Pages: 320
Genre: mystery
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Meh. If you've made it this far into the series, you might as well finish it, right?
Meg Langslow has a crazy family that always gets her stuck into crazy situations. This is yet another of them. Her parents decide to get into raising and cultivating roses, and Meg's overbearing, doesn't-hear-the-word-no mother nags Meg into running the annual rose show, on the estate of a crazy woman who insists that her entire home, and every animal on her property be in black and white only. Of course someone ends up dead. Shocker. Especially when not only Meg finds the body, but then figures out who's the killer. Again.
Thoughts:
Boy, Ms. Andrews, Meg is really good at solving mysteries. Why isn't she a cop yet? Oh right, because she's a blacksmith. To be honest, I'm starting to tire of this series. Unless there's something really spectacular that comes out of the next book or so, I'm done. The writing is still pretty good, but it's getting much more predictable. And to be honest, I tried a couple times before I was able to actually get into this one. Not a good sign. I guess it's good for the series, but I guess after eleven books, she gets a little tired of creating a new way for Meg to get involved in the whole mess.
Book 38 of 50
Pages: 320
Genre: mystery
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Meh. If you've made it this far into the series, you might as well finish it, right?
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Murder of a Wedding Belle (Denise Swanson)
Summary:
Once again, Skye can't say no. This time, she's gotten her arm twisted by her grandmother, who begs her to help Skye's second cousin have a big, overly expensive wedding extravaganza in the tiny little hick town of Scumble River. Riley goes Bridezilla on Skye, especially after the wedding planner Riley hired shuffles off the mortal coil prematurely. Skye is thrust knee deep into the wedding planning world, which I know from some experience can be a little crazy, and has to fudge her way through pulling off the wedding of Riley's dreams. While she deals with that, she also has to fight off Wally's nagging about whether or not she will marry him, and Simon, who is insistent that she gives up on Wally and takes him back. Oh, the drama for Skye.
Thoughts:
Pretty good. Much better than Royal Pain, to be sure. I had no clue who actually dun it, and was surprised by the end. At this point, I'm getting annoyed with Simon, because Skye's plainly said that there's no chance for him to get Skye back, but he just keeps pushing. I think Swanson just can't give up Simon, because she thinks he's the better choice for Skye, but her fans tell her otherwise, and that's why she keeps bothering us with Simon's idiocy. I would have been perfectly happy with Skye ending it with Simon, and there being a bad break-up that she didn't want to think about or talk about ever again... I just hope that Swanson finds a better use for Simon, rather than making it so that he pops up at the most annoying times.
Book 4 of 50
Pages: 246
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Eh. Not the worst, not the best. But very good if you're working through the series.
Once again, Skye can't say no. This time, she's gotten her arm twisted by her grandmother, who begs her to help Skye's second cousin have a big, overly expensive wedding extravaganza in the tiny little hick town of Scumble River. Riley goes Bridezilla on Skye, especially after the wedding planner Riley hired shuffles off the mortal coil prematurely. Skye is thrust knee deep into the wedding planning world, which I know from some experience can be a little crazy, and has to fudge her way through pulling off the wedding of Riley's dreams. While she deals with that, she also has to fight off Wally's nagging about whether or not she will marry him, and Simon, who is insistent that she gives up on Wally and takes him back. Oh, the drama for Skye.
Thoughts:
Pretty good. Much better than Royal Pain, to be sure. I had no clue who actually dun it, and was surprised by the end. At this point, I'm getting annoyed with Simon, because Skye's plainly said that there's no chance for him to get Skye back, but he just keeps pushing. I think Swanson just can't give up Simon, because she thinks he's the better choice for Skye, but her fans tell her otherwise, and that's why she keeps bothering us with Simon's idiocy. I would have been perfectly happy with Skye ending it with Simon, and there being a bad break-up that she didn't want to think about or talk about ever again... I just hope that Swanson finds a better use for Simon, rather than making it so that he pops up at the most annoying times.
Book 4 of 50
Pages: 246
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Eh. Not the worst, not the best. But very good if you're working through the series.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Cockatiels at Seven (Donna Andrews)
Summary:
Once again in Meg Langslow's world, there's chaos and upheaval. This time around, a friend drops off her little boy, Timmy, for "just a little while." The little while turns into a day, then two, then three... And Meg hasn't even spoken to this friend for a good two years, since before the toddler was even born. It turns into a missing persons case that winds up with a dead body and embezzlement from the local college. It's always good news when Meg's around, after all. To top it off, Meg and Michael, now happily married (for a few weeks), are starting to think about having kids, thanks to Timmy. Are they ready for all that?
Thoughts:
Not one of my favorite Andrews stories, I'm not going to lie. I think I've gotten to the point that I'm reading the rest of the series to see it through to the end. The family's antics just weren't there this time, and there wasn't nearly as much fun. Plus, add a toddler into the danger mix, and it'll always shake out badly. I'm not going to end this series for myself, because I do still enjoy Meg's crazy-ass family, but it's not necessarily on my top priority list anymore.
Book 2 of 50
Pages: 304
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Eh, it's a good series, and probably there will be references to this book in future, so maybe don't skip it, but don't start from this one, as it's not a very good showing of the crazy that could happen when the Langslow family is involved.
Once again in Meg Langslow's world, there's chaos and upheaval. This time around, a friend drops off her little boy, Timmy, for "just a little while." The little while turns into a day, then two, then three... And Meg hasn't even spoken to this friend for a good two years, since before the toddler was even born. It turns into a missing persons case that winds up with a dead body and embezzlement from the local college. It's always good news when Meg's around, after all. To top it off, Meg and Michael, now happily married (for a few weeks), are starting to think about having kids, thanks to Timmy. Are they ready for all that?
Thoughts:
Not one of my favorite Andrews stories, I'm not going to lie. I think I've gotten to the point that I'm reading the rest of the series to see it through to the end. The family's antics just weren't there this time, and there wasn't nearly as much fun. Plus, add a toddler into the danger mix, and it'll always shake out badly. I'm not going to end this series for myself, because I do still enjoy Meg's crazy-ass family, but it's not necessarily on my top priority list anymore.
Book 2 of 50
Pages: 304
Genre: Mystery, romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Eh, it's a good series, and probably there will be references to this book in future, so maybe don't skip it, but don't start from this one, as it's not a very good showing of the crazy that could happen when the Langslow family is involved.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
I Heart New York (Lindsey Kelk)
Summary:
As we first meet the very British Angela, she has the distinct pleasure of finding out that her boyfriend who she thought was about to propose was, in fact, schtooping some chick he plays tennis with. Oh, and she finds this out at her best friend's wedding. Double oh, she finds out that her best friend and the new hubby knew the whole time. Because they all played tennis together. Except Angela. Yeah. So Angela decides to run. To New York City. She winds up not only meeting two hot guys, AND dating both of them, to the point where she gets to choose which man she wants to date, but she lands a blogging gig that gets her serious exposure. And she gets her happily ever.
Thoughts:
The whole thing is very Mary-Sue-ish to me. I didn't like the the dude she wound up with, and the fact that she basically falls into the blog thing annoyed me too. No one has it that easy. The book was a fast read, for sure. But the character was so dysfunctional and wishy-washy, I just didn't like her. It didn't help that the true resolution with her best friend who knew everything about the affair and told her nothing happened some time between the end of the "last chapter" and the beginning of the "epilogue." She speaks to the best friend over the phone for four pages' worth of time, says "Goodbye, I love you, and I'm glad you're okay" and then it goes from there to months down the line where the best friend sends her a congratulatory text. Seriously? Sometimes I wonder about why people end books like that. Let's just leave relationships in a weird limbo, yeah, that's a great plan! I like it.
Book 9 of 30 books for the year
Pages: 307
Genre: General Fiction/Romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Eh. Read it, don't read it. It's all up to you.
As we first meet the very British Angela, she has the distinct pleasure of finding out that her boyfriend who she thought was about to propose was, in fact, schtooping some chick he plays tennis with. Oh, and she finds this out at her best friend's wedding. Double oh, she finds out that her best friend and the new hubby knew the whole time. Because they all played tennis together. Except Angela. Yeah. So Angela decides to run. To New York City. She winds up not only meeting two hot guys, AND dating both of them, to the point where she gets to choose which man she wants to date, but she lands a blogging gig that gets her serious exposure. And she gets her happily ever.
Thoughts:
The whole thing is very Mary-Sue-ish to me. I didn't like the the dude she wound up with, and the fact that she basically falls into the blog thing annoyed me too. No one has it that easy. The book was a fast read, for sure. But the character was so dysfunctional and wishy-washy, I just didn't like her. It didn't help that the true resolution with her best friend who knew everything about the affair and told her nothing happened some time between the end of the "last chapter" and the beginning of the "epilogue." She speaks to the best friend over the phone for four pages' worth of time, says "Goodbye, I love you, and I'm glad you're okay" and then it goes from there to months down the line where the best friend sends her a congratulatory text. Seriously? Sometimes I wonder about why people end books like that. Let's just leave relationships in a weird limbo, yeah, that's a great plan! I like it.
Book 9 of 30 books for the year
Pages: 307
Genre: General Fiction/Romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Eh. Read it, don't read it. It's all up to you.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Born Under a Lucky Moon (Dana Precious)
Summary:
Jeannie is a thirty-nine year old movie promoter dealing with a jerk trying to take her top spot in the company, and who just got proposed to by her hunky boyfriend. But she's also a nineteen year old who hasn't moved out of the house, and who has a crazy family that's all coming back to the house for a summer. The novel flips back and forth between those two parts of Jeannie's life, as Jeannie tells her honey why she thinks he shouldn't want to marry her.
Thoughts:
I liked the younger Jeannie much better than the older one. Young Jeannie laughs off her crazy family a lot more than older Jeannie. Jeannie is self-involved, and a bit of a jerk. She doesn't make time for her family, and especially as a thirty-something, is so concerned with how "wacky" her family is that she won't even take her hunky man to meet her family, and he's ready to marry the woman. I'll take "Oblivious Bitch" for 500, Alex.
Book 8 of 30 for the year
Pages: 419
Genre: General fiction, romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Eh. It was kinda stupid, all things considered.
Jeannie is a thirty-nine year old movie promoter dealing with a jerk trying to take her top spot in the company, and who just got proposed to by her hunky boyfriend. But she's also a nineteen year old who hasn't moved out of the house, and who has a crazy family that's all coming back to the house for a summer. The novel flips back and forth between those two parts of Jeannie's life, as Jeannie tells her honey why she thinks he shouldn't want to marry her.
Thoughts:
I liked the younger Jeannie much better than the older one. Young Jeannie laughs off her crazy family a lot more than older Jeannie. Jeannie is self-involved, and a bit of a jerk. She doesn't make time for her family, and especially as a thirty-something, is so concerned with how "wacky" her family is that she won't even take her hunky man to meet her family, and he's ready to marry the woman. I'll take "Oblivious Bitch" for 500, Alex.
Book 8 of 30 for the year
Pages: 419
Genre: General fiction, romance
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Recommend?: Eh. It was kinda stupid, all things considered.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Tales of the Vampire Slayer, vol. 2 (Various)
Summary:
This is a collections of short stories about slayers through the ages. It starts and ends with Buffy, and passes through Japan, in the year 980, France in 1320, the Caribbean in 1661, London in 1843, Georgia in 1864, London again, 1897 this time, New York in 1922, and Chicago in 1943. This volume, like its predecessor, is a glimpse at all those who came before the Slayers we knew, and gives a little more insight to the way things worked according to the Whedonverse.
Thoughts:
Some stories were good. Others shouldn't have even made it to print. But that's the risk you take when diving into a book of short stories, isn't it? Even when they're all based in the same subject matter, they still have varying levels of quality, and this book is, of course, no exception.
It starts with a Buffy story set in 2000. It's absolute crap, and reads like fan fiction. Most of the rest are fairly good, though some seemed to run a little too long for my taste. The 1843 London one is a rip-off of Dickens' Christmas Carol, only with a Watcher meeting Slayers of the past, present, and Buffy, from the future. There are two with Slayers masquerading as men (one as a pirate captain in the Caribbean, the other as a Lieutenant in the Union army during the Civil War), and both are very interesting stories. I'm torn over a possible favorite, though, because I liked the Caribbean one, the 1943 Chicago Slayer, and I really liked the ending Buffy story, written by one of the show's regular writers.
I think, though, if I were to choose which volume I enjoyed more, I would probably say vol. 1. This set had all happier endings, except for Buffy's second story, and a Slayer's existence is not all rainbows and puppies. Also, this seemed to focus a little too much on the Watchers' points of view, pointing out that the Watchers were there to take care of their Slayers, and were always right about one thing or another. I wasn't looking to read Tales of the Watchers. If I were, I'm fairly sure there's something like that out there. I wanted Slayers' stories.
That said, I'll probably hunt down the other two volumes, in the hopes there's more good material, and also because I'm the crazy type that loves Buffy and needs as much material about the show as possible. Sad, but true.
Still reading the Kermit book, and will probably pick something else up too.
7 down, 43 to go...
Pages: 351
Genre: Fantasy, and a little mystery?
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Read Again?: I don't regret reading it...
This is a collections of short stories about slayers through the ages. It starts and ends with Buffy, and passes through Japan, in the year 980, France in 1320, the Caribbean in 1661, London in 1843, Georgia in 1864, London again, 1897 this time, New York in 1922, and Chicago in 1943. This volume, like its predecessor, is a glimpse at all those who came before the Slayers we knew, and gives a little more insight to the way things worked according to the Whedonverse.
Thoughts:
Some stories were good. Others shouldn't have even made it to print. But that's the risk you take when diving into a book of short stories, isn't it? Even when they're all based in the same subject matter, they still have varying levels of quality, and this book is, of course, no exception.
It starts with a Buffy story set in 2000. It's absolute crap, and reads like fan fiction. Most of the rest are fairly good, though some seemed to run a little too long for my taste. The 1843 London one is a rip-off of Dickens' Christmas Carol, only with a Watcher meeting Slayers of the past, present, and Buffy, from the future. There are two with Slayers masquerading as men (one as a pirate captain in the Caribbean, the other as a Lieutenant in the Union army during the Civil War), and both are very interesting stories. I'm torn over a possible favorite, though, because I liked the Caribbean one, the 1943 Chicago Slayer, and I really liked the ending Buffy story, written by one of the show's regular writers.
I think, though, if I were to choose which volume I enjoyed more, I would probably say vol. 1. This set had all happier endings, except for Buffy's second story, and a Slayer's existence is not all rainbows and puppies. Also, this seemed to focus a little too much on the Watchers' points of view, pointing out that the Watchers were there to take care of their Slayers, and were always right about one thing or another. I wasn't looking to read Tales of the Watchers. If I were, I'm fairly sure there's something like that out there. I wanted Slayers' stories.
That said, I'll probably hunt down the other two volumes, in the hopes there's more good material, and also because I'm the crazy type that loves Buffy and needs as much material about the show as possible. Sad, but true.
Still reading the Kermit book, and will probably pick something else up too.
7 down, 43 to go...
Pages: 351
Genre: Fantasy, and a little mystery?
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Read Again?: I don't regret reading it...
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Living Dead in Dallas (Charlaine Harris)
Summary:
The second in the Sookie Stackhouse series.
Sookie is a telepath, dating a vampire, and working for a shapeshifter. She has become a usually-unwilling detective for the Louisiana town of Bon Temps. In this second installment, she is ordered to go to Dallas and help the Dallas vampires find one of their own who has gone missing, while still trying to figure out who killed a co-worker/friend. The HBO series, True Blood, is based on these books.
Thoughts:
Not bad. It was better than some of the books I've read, sure, but I was continually comparing the book to the TV show. It killed off a fun character in the series, so I was disappointed about that. And the TV show delved more into some things that the book just barely glossed over. It's different, and I don't know that I like it better than the show version of events.
The writing is good, though. There's not a ton of cursing or obscene discussion of sexual situations, which I appreciate. I also found myself liking the not-boyfriend vampire more though, and it seemed that Harris was trying to get the readers to like him a little more. Though I could be crazy. Who knows.
Could be worse.
Pages: 291
Genre: Mystery/Fantasy
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Read Again?: I won't reread, but it's not bad enough to completely avoid.
6 down, 44 to go.
Buffy: Tales of the Slayer 2 or Before You Leap next. Not sure which... we'll see. Maybe both!
The second in the Sookie Stackhouse series.
Sookie is a telepath, dating a vampire, and working for a shapeshifter. She has become a usually-unwilling detective for the Louisiana town of Bon Temps. In this second installment, she is ordered to go to Dallas and help the Dallas vampires find one of their own who has gone missing, while still trying to figure out who killed a co-worker/friend. The HBO series, True Blood, is based on these books.
Thoughts:
Not bad. It was better than some of the books I've read, sure, but I was continually comparing the book to the TV show. It killed off a fun character in the series, so I was disappointed about that. And the TV show delved more into some things that the book just barely glossed over. It's different, and I don't know that I like it better than the show version of events.
The writing is good, though. There's not a ton of cursing or obscene discussion of sexual situations, which I appreciate. I also found myself liking the not-boyfriend vampire more though, and it seemed that Harris was trying to get the readers to like him a little more. Though I could be crazy. Who knows.
Could be worse.
Pages: 291
Genre: Mystery/Fantasy
Grade: B-/C+
Would I Read Again?: I won't reread, but it's not bad enough to completely avoid.
6 down, 44 to go.
Buffy: Tales of the Slayer 2 or Before You Leap next. Not sure which... we'll see. Maybe both!
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