Monday, June 27, 2011

A Book in Review: If I Ever Get Back to Georgia, I'm Gonna Nail My Feet to the Ground

If I Ever Get Back to Georgia, I'm Gonna Nail My Feet to the Ground By: Lewis Grizzard
Non-fiction: biography 305 pages
Book Count: 44

I read this book expecting it to be a humorist's essays like all of his other books that I have read. This book has too many deaths, alcholism, ruined relationships and other depressing things to be counted as a humor book. It is however, a indepht look at the way a newspaper was made from the 60's to the 80's as well as a bio of the author. And it has sport.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

A Book in Review: Vamps

Vamps: Blood-chilling Tales of Lady Vampires Compiled By: Martin H. Greenberg and Charles G. Waugh
Fiction: classics, paranormal 252 pages
Book Count: 43

This book is a collection of popular stories with female vampires in them. They all seam to be previously published, many of them in a book I reviewed earlier here. As you know that there is a female vamp in each story if you didn't read a story before it would give away part of the story in many of these ones. It does have a nice mix of types of vampires as well as tone of the story.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

A Book in Review: From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain

From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain By Minister Faust
Fiction: sci-fi 385 pages
Book Count: 42

This was an odd book. It is the story of a group of superheroes who are part of a superhero organization that made them get therapy. It is a complex storyline with many twists and turns. However, it is written from the point of view of their therapist who talks in constant physco-babble and things like this: "For me, Mr. Piltdown remained a fascination figure, an omelet of a man, rife with green onions of bitterness yet held together by the tangy Velveeta of integrity." The characters in the book are a good mix of superheroes including ones that looked somewhat like superman, batman, and spiderman. This storyline deals both with their interpersonal and personal issues as well as an larger "outside" threats to the group.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

A Book in Review: How to Read A Word

How to Read A Word By: Elizabeth Knowles
Non-fiction: writing 155 pages
Book Count: 41

This is a book on how the words of the English language has changed meaning, use, and popularity, and how to find the history of words you find interesting. It deals a lot with dictionaries and the Internet as tools in this search. It also includes a few case studies of words that the author had looked into.

Monday, June 13, 2011

A Book in Review: The Allegra Biscotti Collection

The Allegra Biscotti Collection by: Olivia Bennett
Fiction: children's 256 Pages
Book Count: 40

Emma is just a normal 14 year old girl with normal high school problems; a new cute boy in class, her best friend making friends with a group she doesn't like, school work, and her designs being mistaken as being from the hot new New York fashion designer. OK, the last one isn't normal, but if she was too normal you wouldn't want to read the book.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

A Book in Review: 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover

50 Ways to Hex Your Lover By: Linda Wisdom
Fiction: Paranormal, romance 360 pages
Book Count: 39

1st the title of the book is the title of a book within the book itself,. . . Bookception! Next most of the book was a fun read. Its the story of a 700 year old witch that has an on-again/off-again relationship with a vampire. They tend to get into trouble together, and then not see each other for a few decades. This time they meet up in modern times and have to find out what/who is making vampires disappear and then stop it. Jazz (as the witch calls herself) also works at removing curses, with a 99% removal rate. That 1% failure would be Irma, the ghost cursed to be in the passenger seat of her classic car. Irma is an unusual sidekick that adds fun to the story line.

Friday, June 03, 2011

A Book in Review: Wicked Girls

Wicked Girls A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials By: Stephanie Hemphill
Fiction: YA, historic, poetry 406 pages
Book Count: 38

This book is unusual, as it is written as a series of poems from all of the main characters, who were all real people (although a couple of names were changed.) It tells the story of the Salem Witch Trials from the point of view of the girls who accused others of witchcraft. It is based off of the most popular ideas of why it happened and also deals with underlining social issues of that time. At the end it includes historic information on the people involved and a list of books and websites for more information.

Thursday, June 02, 2011

A Book in Review: Death's Excellent Vacation

Death's Excellent Vacation Edited by: Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner
Fiction: paranormal, short stories 339 pages
Book Count: 37

Each story in this anthology is about some type of paranormal being going on a vacation. It has vampires, werewolves, ghosts, demons, faeries, and others. Some are characters found in the author's other works (but still are written as stand alone stories.) All of the stories are good, some are even excellent.