Gina's Book # 19: Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk

This book centers around main character Carl Streater, a reporter who realizes he has unintentionally become a serial killer after reading a culling song: a poem in a book called 27 Poems and Rhymes from Around the World.  After reading the poem, all he has to do is direct his thoughts toward a person and think the words of the poem in his head to kill them.

In an effort to cure himself of this unwanted new power and also rid the world of the poem, he tracks down a woman he knows suffers the same fate as him. They gather a small group, and together embark on a cross-country trip to destroy all known copies.

The book goes on to document this journey, and turns even darker as it nears the end as it turns out not everyone has the same goal in mind. The ending was quite a twist in my opinion, as I was not expecting it at all, and had to read it over again to make sure I understood it fully.

One thing that stood out to me was that Palahniuk seems to be big on repetition, constantly repeating lines about people who fear silence.  Here are two examples:

1. "These sound-oholics. These quiet-ophobics."
2. "These music-oholics. These calm-ophobics."

In summary it was an interesting read, definitely out of the box for me. Palahniuk has an interesting writing style and for those who enjoyed Fight Club, I would recommend reading it.

Jamie's Book #24: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

 

Something Wicked This Way Comes is a fantasy novel about a dark carnival that visits a Midwestern town and the two boys who discover its secrets.  

A major theme in the novel is good vs. evil; the boys Jim and Will, as well as Will's father Charles, represent good, and the cast of characters that make up the carnival –  such as Cooger, Dark and the dust witch, represent evil. Bradbury has a way bringing his characters to life through unique descriptive language. He's fond of metaphors like "That's Jim, all bramblehair and itchweed. And Will? Why, he's the last peach, high on the summer tree." It was this writing style, not so much the actual plot line, that kept me interested.

It's definitely got some creepy concepts in it, and once or twice I had to put the book down because the suspense was too much! On the other hand, there were a few scenes with Charles Halloway that went on and on – specifically when he is talking to the boys about the carnival's past and how to defeat it. I suspect for many this is the best part of the book, but I wanted to skim through most of it (I didn't though! I have a bad habit of skimming when I get bored.)

Overall – 8/10, definitely worth a read!

“A stranger is shot in the street, you hardly move to help. But if, half an hour before, you spent just ten minutes with the fellow and knew a little about him and his family, you might just jump in front of his killer and try to stop it. Really knowing is good. Not knowing, or refusing to know is bad, or amoral, at least. You can’t act if you don’t know.”

"Like all boys, they never walked anywhere, but named a goal and lit for it, scissors and elbows. Nobody won. Nobody wanted to win. It was in their friendship they just wanted to run forever… no one losing, both winning, thus saving their friendship for other times of loss. "

"Will runs because running is its own excuse. Jim runs because something's up ahead of him. Yet strangely, they do run together…. So there they go, Jim running slower to stay with Will, Will running faster to stay with Jim."   ( I really like this section of the book, when Will's dad is reflecting on the boys' friendship. It captures the strength of the friendship in a profound way.)

Jamie's Book #23: The Stranger by Albert Camus

Well… I don't know. I just didn't "get" this one.  The back of the copy I own states "Since it was first published in English, in 1946, Albert Camus' first novel, The Stranger, has had a profound impact on millions of American readers." What?..how? and why? Nothing about it had a profound impact on me. Perhaps it went over my head.  For me, this was just another classic that disappointed.

The main character is named Meursault and the story takes place in Algeria. When Meursault's mother passes away, he shows disturbingly little emotion at her funeral, and the next day goes to the beach and on a date.  As new characters were introduced, I as the reader often felt for them the sadness, pity, or anger that Meursault was unable to. Though Camus made me feel these emotions, I did not enjoy it. Meursault ends up senselessly murdering a man, and the book is divided into two parts, before and after the murder.

I know this novel explores fancy themes like existentialism, absurdism and nihilism, but they still were not enough to make me think it worthwhile. I won't give it a second try.

Frankly, the notes that were left on the pages from the book's previous owner were more interesting to me than the story:

 

Overall, I rate this a 4/10

 

 

Holly Book 17: World War Z by Max Brooks

Last Sunday I saw World War Z with bean. I had yet to read the book and heard pretty bad reviews of the movie. Seeing the movie before reading the book I have to say I personally enjoyed the film. It wasn't overly gory or scary and I don't mind staring at Brad Pitt for a few hours. On the way home we stopped at Meijer and I decided to pick up the book so I could compare the two.  The book itself  is actually a collection of short narratives from people who survived the zombie war. Through the eyes of the people who lived through the war you learn  how it started, how people survived and died, and ultimately how the zombies were defeated. The book is nothing like the movie, a few of the movie characters seem to have been inspired by the book but nothing very specific. The plot of the movie is also told a completely different way, it is the story of brad pitt and how he ultimately discovered the way to defeat the zombies ( In the book however there is no easy anecdote and the war lasts many years) Honestly, I don't even know how the book and movie can be considered the same story. If the movie had a different name and I had seen it I would never think to myself, of this movie must be based off World War Z the novel. That being said, I think the book is a million times more interesting. It is such an addictive read and it is the first story I have ever read that actually makes a zombie apocalypse seem plausible. For me the author did such an amazing job at creating a scenario that seemed 100% authentic and telling it in a way that let you see how the entire world was affected. You get so many perspectives and insights into what happened, and even though every story is short, you don't feel like there are missing pieces. After I finished the book I continued thinking about it as if the story had really happened. I think the angle I found so interesting was that this story focused more on the politics of what would happen if the world was overrun by the undead, and less on the blood and guts most zombie stories focus on. The fear wasn't created by gruesome imagery but by the idea that  a scenario like this could so easily happen and very few of us would be prepared.

Overall a great summer read 10/10 for me! If you saw the movie make sure you read the book for a completely different and ultimately more interesting and in-depth story.

Jamie's #22: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

This book was a more difficult read for me. In short, it's a story about Dorian Gray, a beautiful young man who does not age while a painting of him grows old and shows the signs of the many sins he commits. Basil is the friend of Dorian's who paints the portrait, and Lord Henry is a friend of Basil's whose world view helps corrupt Dorian. This is not a book you can just pick up and be swept away with. Even so, I was fascinated by the plot and had high hopes. Several early passages struck me, such as:

"When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one. It is like surrendering a part of them."

"I always like to know everything about my new friends, and nothing about my old ones."

"There are many things that we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up."

"When one is in love, one always begins by deceiving one's self, and one always ends by deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance."

"Nothing is ever quite true."

"Women ... inspire us with the desire to do masterpieces, and always prevent us from carrying them out."

It was captivating to see the world through Lord Henry's words; so cynical, yet eerily honest. Though, as Basil pointed out about Lord Henry, ""You never say a moral thing, and you never do a wrong thing."

However, as the book progressed, I began to lose interest. Wilde goes on long tangents that I found myself skimming through, and in the end,  I never really got the shock I was anticipating. I think this is because Wilde ended up censoring much of the more controversial passages for publication.

Overall: 6.5/10

 

 

Jamie's #21: The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

Quick's writing style made for an easy, enjoyable read. The main character, Pat Peoples, is very likeable. The book begins on the day his mother checks him out of a mental health facility, and follows him as he tries to overcome his illness and end "apart time" from his estranged wife, Nikki. He is flawed, but is constantly working to become a better person who is worthy of the wife he knows he took for granted. You are rooting for him the entire time; though it's clear his mindset is still off and is more on par with a naive teenager than a 30 something year old man.

On a side note, I did see the movie before I read the book, and I liked the way to movie wrapped things up better. There are other differences throughout, but most of them didn't bother me a whole lot.

Overall: 7.5/10

A few quotes I liked:

"When I read the actual story – how Gatsby loves Daisy so much but can't ever be with her no matter how hard he tries – I feel like ripping the book in half and calling up Fitzgerald and telling him his book is all wrong."

"I believe in happy endings… and it feels like this movie has gone on for the right amount of time."

"Haven't you ever realized that life is like a series of movies?"

 

Gina's Book # 18: The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

I enjoyed this book! Lately I've been reading the journals of Sylvia Plath and that can be a little draining. This was much more fun.

The majority of the novel is the main character, known only to us as "The Time Traveler" recounting to his colleagues his experience traveling to the year 802,701 AD.  He explains that his first encounters there were much different than he'd imagined. He had been envisioning a race of humans much more advanced in the future, but instead finds a society of simple, childlike adults. They at first appear to have no cares or worries, and spend their days eating fruit and playing in the streams and fields.

After exploring a bit, he is horrified to find that his time machine has vanished. Knowing the small creatures would not have the strength to move it, he beings to wonder if there is something else living in this future world, and he can't help but feel ominous over this prospect.

The remainder of the book is his attempt to find the machine and return to his own time. I won't give anything else away, but I would definitely recommend The Time Machine.