Saturday, April 30, 2011

A Book in Review: Roverandom

Roverandom By: J.R.R. Tolkien
fiction: children, fantasy 106 pages
Book Count: 27

This is a children's book that Tolkien started as a story to tell his middle child after his toy dog is lost. It is about a little dog that gets turned into a toy by a wizzard and has all sorts of adventures after it. He goes to the moon and under the sea. It also has a list of notes at the end that tell you the story behind differnt things, clearify terms and the history of the story.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

A Book in Review:The Gates

The Gates By: John Connolly
Fiction: science, paranormal, humor (YA?) 293 pages
Book Count: 26

First a couple notes. This book was in the adult fiction area of the library; however, the main character is an elementary school kid and there isn't anything in this book that most people would have a issue with a kid reading. (mild unrealistic violence, no sex, I don't remember any swearing, etc) Which gets to note #2, the full cover reads " The Gates of Hell are About to Open Want to Peek?" as the story is about the gates of hell being opened with the help of the Large Hadron Collider, which would be the one thing that might make it too old for young readers. This book has a lot of complete scientific ideas mixed in with deep philosophical issues. (Not so many religious ones as its Hell is just where all the evil that was created in the Big Bang ended up, so the demons weren't fallen angels, but things of various level of evil from the lovable Nurd to the Great Malevolence.)
Now about the story itself. It is a quick and fun read about an unusual boy that has to stop the end of the world after seeing his new neighbors open a portal to Hell when he was Trick-or-Treating a couple days before Halloween. It has fun titles for each chapter which tell what will happen in it without giving anything away. And the characters are also fun even if most of them are a bit typical (the jock, the nerd, the bad guy that's not that bad, the evil animated gargoyle, etc). Also there are a lot of other great things about this book that I forgot because I read it days ago and then got busy with holiday things.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

A Book in Review: Ghostopolis

Ghostopolis By: Doug TenNapel
Fiction: Paranormal, graphic novel 266 pages
Book count: 25


This is a story about a boy who ends up getting trapped in the world of ghosts. The guy who accidentally sent him there also goes to Ghostopolis to bring him back with the help of his ghost ex-girlfriend. The boy also gets to meet the grandfather that he never knew, ride an actual nightmare and fights the evil king of the ghost world.

Friday, April 15, 2011

A Book in Review: The Drunkard's Walk How Randomness Rules Our Lives

The Drunkard's Walk How Randomness Rules Our Lives by: Leonard Mlodinow
Non-fiction: Math, science 219 pages
Book Count: 24

This is a book on the randomness of things that we don't see as such. It deals with probability, bell curves, common errors of logic, the inexactness of many measurements and how they effect lives. It is written so that someone with only a basic understanding of the subjects could enjoy this book, using a lot of real life examples to show the idea that they are talking about.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

A Book in Review: Fool

Fool by: Christopher Moore
Fiction: humor, classics, 311 pages
Book Count: 23

This book is a retelling of the Shakespearean play "King Lear" as told by his jester; however, it only loosely follows the play and refers to many of his plays in it. It also combines the time of the most likely real King Lear, the medieval time of the play, modern times and any other that work in the story. But, like other works of his that mix odd things together, it works. It also has some of the most unusual insults I have ever seen in a book. (None of which I will put here as then it will be the one post my mom reads, and as the warning at the front states it is a bawdy tale [like most of Shakespeare's works were.]) Along with all the main characters of King Lear doing the main things that they did (go crazy, die, invade England, etc) it also has the three witches (from you know what), funny named towns, and a ghost.