As a re-imagining of the "Table of Time" saga from multiple issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Forever Young is a bit of a disappointment. As a re-imagining of the "Table of Time" saga from multiple issues of The Amazing Spider-Man, Spider-Man: Forever Young is a bit of a disappointment.
The strongest parts of the story are borrowed directly from a couple of issues in the Stan Lee/John Romita days of ASM. Filled to the brim with angst for Peter Parker, multiple villains for our favorite web-slinger to contend with and a McGuffin to drive the story (in this case, an ancient tablet that contains the formula for a fountain of youth serum), the first half of the story is entertaining, riveting and chock full of classic Spidey goodness.
Then we get to the second half of the story, which deviates wildly from Marvel continuity. Featuring a time jump that sums up the "Death of Gwen Stacy" epic in about ten minutes (at least in the Graphic Audio version), the story quickly devolves a bit into over the top Parker angst and a bunch of lackluster threats -- at least in the Graphic Audio version. Maybe it's just me but it's hard to find the Lizard all that compelling in a "movie in your mind" kind of way. The story brings back Silvermane, suffering from a condition in which he rapidly ages and then de-ages again, losing his memories in the process. Meanwhile, Aunt May is in the hospital and that tablet could hold the key to her survival -- but only if Peter is willing to betray everything he stands for to get her the help she needs.
At times in the second half of this graphic audio story, I found myself growing restless with the story that was unfolding. Part of this was the few minutes I wondered why Graphic Audio didn't decide to adapt the famous "Death of Gwen Stacy" storyline instead of the less known "Tablet of Time" saga. If you're looking for a full-on, great Spidey story that has the right level of angst and threat, you can't really go wrong with condensing the Green Goblin vs Spider-Man saga.
In the end, I got to the final moments and felt more relieved that it was all done rather than feeling satisfied with the story.
As an audio production, I can't fault this one, though. The voice-acting works well, the narration is crisp and helps flesh out the various fight scenes. Even the sound effect of Spidey shooting webs and then swinging around New York helps bring things to life.
It's just a shame the last half of the story didn't hold my attention. ...more
“As everyone had long feared, it was Tennessee football that finally killed Jerome Malcolm.”
With an opening line like that one, how could I possibly r“As everyone had long feared, it was Tennessee football that finally killed Jerome Malcolm.”
With an opening line like that one, how could I possibly resist Sally Kilpatrick’s Orange Blossom Special?
The short answer is that I couldn’t.
When her husband of sixty year passes away, Edie Malcolm discovers that he has some very specific thoughts on how he and his estate should be distributed. In addition to leaving behind funding for two neighborhood friends to pursue a college education, Jerome wants to be cremated and have his ashes sprinkled in three places – the Ryman, General Robert Neyland’s grave and the orange and white checkerboard of the University of Tennessee end zone. And Jerome wants his wife, sister and the two college scholars to complete the scattering together.
So, the four of them pack into Jerome’s orange and white checkerboard painted hearse with Jerome safely stored inside a Carmen Miranda cookie jar and set out to fulfill his final wishes.
This journey they take is hilarious and poignant – often within the same paragraph. By putting us inside the mind of each character on this road trip, Kilpatrick allows us to understand where each is coming from and to see that there are always two (or three) sides to every disagreement. The journey across the Volunteer state isn’t an easy one but it’s memorable. \
I also couldn’t help but feel like Kilpatrick wrote this novella specifically for an audience of one – me. With shout-outs to Tennessee football, the late great General Neyland and the Ryman auditorium, Orange Blossom Special was filled with Easter egg after Easter egg tailored perfectly for me. This includes the moment when our faithful band of heroes parks at the UTK Wesley Foundation for a Tennessee home game.
As I read Orange Blossom Special, I couldn’t help but have a huge grin on my face. As with her previous novels and stories, Kilpatrick has filled Orange Blossom Special with authentic, memorable characters. There is equal parts humor and sadness, all equally earned over the course of this novella. There’s even some fun in figuring out which recent Tennessee football season and game versus the hated Vanderbilt Commodores serve as a backdrop for the novella’s final pages.
In short, this is another winner from Kilpatrick.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received a digital ARC of this novella from the author. I will also add that I am friends with the author and we matriculated together at the University of Tennessee. So, I may have recognized a few Easter eggs thrown in there for die-hard UT fans like myself....more
If there has been one glaring omission from the classic Doctor Who Target novels audiobooks line, it's "The Day of the Daleks." One of the first seriaIf there has been one glaring omission from the classic Doctor Who Target novels audiobooks line, it's "The Day of the Daleks." One of the first serials adapted by Terrance Dicks, "Day of the Daleks" was one of the first Target novels I read (though it was under the U.S. Pinnacle reprint, including the fantastically, ranting introduction by Harlan Ellison) and it's easily one of the strongest adaptations the line ever produced.
And while I was delighted that the story was finally getting the audio treatment, part of me was still a bit nervous about visiting this old friend from my Target-obsessed days. Could it live up to the greatness associated with it in my memory?
The good news is that it not only lived up to my fond memories of it, it may have even exceeded them.
"Day of the Daleks" shows exactly how good Terrance Dicks is at adapting the television series when he's given time to really get into and develop the story and he's not constrained by a page count. In fact, this adaptation is so good that when I finally got to see the four-part televised version a few years later, I was a bit let down by it. Dicks does a fantastic job of character and world building on the pages of this story, making the story far richer than anything we see on our screens. Even a recent "special edition" on the DVD that adds some new effects, corrects some Dalek voices and offers a few other tweaks can't compare to just how effective the printed version is.
For a series about time travel, classic Doctor Who rarely looked into the mechanics and implications of it. "Day of the Daleks" is an exception where time travel and its implications play a pivotal role in the story. When a high ranking British official is mysteriously attacked by commandos who seemingly vanish into thin air, the Doctor and UNIT are called in to investigate. Turns out the guerrillas are resistance fighters from the future, trying to change history so the Daleks won't conquer the Earth and enslave all of humanity.
Dicks' adaptation not only develops the characters of the various guerrillas who travel back in time but also gives us a more nuanced looked at the top human servant of the Daleks, the Controller. Dicks delves into his motivations and even makes us understand and feel a bit of sympathy for him, even as he's trying to help the Daleks maintain their stranglehold on humanity.
The world-building involves a far bleaker view of the future than was realized on the screen, where it felt like it was just another Doctor Who episode filmed in a rock quarry. Limited only by the power of the reader's imagination, Dicks paints a world like something out of the pages of Orwell. Dicks even manages to make a weakness of the serial (the absurdly silly chase on a motorized tricycle) seem exciting, fast-paced and memorable.
All in all, Dicks turns "The Day of the Daleks" into an absolute delight and one of the true highlights of the Target range.
Returning to the audio range for "The Day of the Daleks" is Richard Franklin, who starred in the original serial as Mike Yates. Franklin has delivered some solid audio performances with a couple of other Pertwee-era stories, so I was looking forward to seeing what he'd deliver here. Maybe it's that Yates isn't quite as pivotal or as involved in this story as he was in "The Claws of Axos," but this one doesn't feel like Franklin's strongest work. For every good choice he makes (the Controller's accent, the Ogron voices), there are some that left me scratching my head. The biggest is how Franklin interprets the voices of the Doctor, the Brigadier and Benton. I suppose that part of it could be familiarity with the actors who play these roles on screen. But something felt distinctly off about how Franklin brings them to life in this reading.
And since this is a Dalek story, we get Nicholas Briggs bringing the Dalek voices to life. Briggs does a superb job of distinguishing one Dalek from another (helped immensely by Dicks creating some distinction between the pepper-pot shaped baddies). The voices used are authentic to how Dalek voices were created on the show at this point in the series run. They are more from the corrected special edition DVD than the original version. (The original voices were VERY off due to the long absence of the Daleks from television as their creator tried to find new ways to exploit them).
I'll admit part of me wished that Briggs (and the production) would really have a good go at fans by delivering the Dalek lines in the original television voices.
Again, "Doctor Who and the Day of the Daleks" is a highlight of the Target novels. And while the audiobook isn't quite as solid as I'd hoped it would be, it was still a fun way to revisit my fond memories of reading this story during my early days of Doctor Who fandom....more
In this world, there are only so many f*cks one person can or should give, argues Mark Manson. And determining which things are worth giving a f*ck abIn this world, there are only so many f*cks one person can or should give, argues Mark Manson. And determining which things are worth giving a f*ck about and which ones are is an important and necessary distinction.
Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck will not only help you determine which things are important to care about and put your passion behind but will also give you steps to determine if what you're giving a f*ck about is really worth it. Manson even argues that failure, rejection, and pain are all part of being a better human being -- provided that we take the time to learn from those setbacks.
On many levels, a lot of what Manson asserts in this self-help book isn't breaking a lot of new ground. Instead, it's a reminder to make sure you've got your priorities in the right places and that the things you give a f*ck about are really worth giving a f*ck about.
With its attention-grabbing title, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck isn't exactly subtle. But it's real, honest and authentic advice from Manson, delivered in a straightforward, readable and compelling style. His arguments and ideas will linger with you after you've read each chapter and the book -- and that's a good thing. It's almost one of those books that demands to be read again in the near future to make sure the tune-up up Manson lays out is really working. ...more
When Eleanor Roxy-Frost and Billy Frost decide to go their separate ways, they decide to divide everything equally. This includes their twin daughtersWhen Eleanor Roxy-Frost and Billy Frost decide to go their separate ways, they decide to divide everything equally. This includes their twin daughters, Tabitha and Harper.
And so, at the age of seventeen, the sister play a game of rock/paper/scissors to decide who “wins” and gets to go with Billy and who “loses” and has to go with their mother. Decades later, the outcome of that game casts a long shadow over the lives of the estranged twin sisters.
When their father passes away, the sisters are forced back into each other’s orbit. Harper lives on Nantucket, where she’s done everything from landscaping to package delivery to being an unwitting drug mule. The last position has granted her a bit of infamy on the island (and the ire of the drug cartel she unwittingly helped bring down), but not nearly as much as the latest news that she’s having an affair with her father’s married doctor.
Tabitha lives on Martha’s Vineyard with her rebellious teenage daughter, Ainsley and works in her mother’s sinking boutique (based on her mother’s line of clothing and an infamous dress designed years before). Referred to by an ex-boyfriend as “a piss-poor parent,” Tabitha blames Harper for everything that has gone wrong in her life, including the death of her infant son, Julian, fourteen years ago.
If there were ever two people in need of a fresh start or a chance to see how the other half lives, it’s Harper and Tabitha.
And the two do get that chance in Elin Hildebrand’s The Identicals.
After their mother falls and breaks a hip, Harper heads to the Vineyard to watch Ainsley and run the failing boutique. Tabitha initially heads to Boston to help their mother, but soon finds herself in Nantucket, renovating their late father’s house and falling for the man in charge of the remodeling. Switching points of view between Harper, Tabitha and Ainsley, The Identicals teases out bits of the complex history of the Frost family. The death of Julian looms large over the story and Hildebrand wisely allows the mystery to build until it’s finally revealed what happened fourteen years before.
Along the way, she allows us to gain insight into how each character views not only herself but those around her.
And while the sisters may not necessarily understand each other fully, they’re more alike than you might think from the first page.
Twins switching lives stories aren’t necessarily a new thing. But Hildebrand uses the trope to help build her characters over the course of the story. At times, I found myself actively rooting for and against each sister and the situations each one faced. The most compelling story is that for Ainsley as she struggles to find who she is and who she wants to be.
At times laugh out loud funny and at times lump in your throat serious, The Identicals was a fun summer read. And while there most of the major plot threads are resolved by the time the final page is turned (or in my case the last disc runs out in my car’s CD player), there are still some lingering questions. Just like real life – not everything is neatly wrapped up in a pretty bow. ...more
A friend of mine once lamented that great literature is often wasted when we're forced to read it in high school. Some works need a bit more time and A friend of mine once lamented that great literature is often wasted when we're forced to read it in high school. Some works need a bit more time and distance to be fully appreciated. And then there are those that hold up to being read then and then read again with a different life perspective.
After spending the last few days immersed in the nightmarish world of George Orwell's 1984, I can't help but feel this is a novel that should be read not only in high school but every few years after graduation day.
I read this one in school and beyond the popular culture allusions to it, I didn't recall the true dark nature of the story nor Orwell's fascinating world-building within the printed page. Starting off with the great opening line about a clock striking thirteen, the novel immediately set me on edge with that feeling that something is horribly wrong here. In some ways it reminded me of certain episodes of Star Trek where mind-bleepery is on full display. As the audience, we know something isn't quite right with reality and we spend the rest of the episode trying to figure out if and when our familiar characters will return to the reality we know for most other episodes.
The nightmarish part about 1984 is that the characters are caught up in this world and there is no escape back to a less harsh reality. Winston Smith works for the State, altering historical documents to support the regime's current view of history and to keep the population under control. As the novel points out multiple times, control of the people is easy if all the supporting documentation to the contrary backs up your point. Eliminate any hints that you're fallible and suddenly, you're not.
A thinking man, Smith wants to escape. He's haunted by memories that his country was originally at war with another world superpower who is now their allies in the fight against a superpower that was the ally before. The State (through the means of Big Brother) whips up the hate for the nameless, faceless enemy, even though there is little or no evidence that the war is actually taking place or has any hopes of ending any time soon. It's a bit chilling to ponder this in our current age. The population is also kept under control by not knowing if and how time is passing. Has it been a year, more, less? It's hard to tell in the world of Orwell with the constantly blaring screens that monitor your actions and thoughts in every home.
Reading 1984 again, I was struck by how much of what Orwell predicted is coming to pass. And how we have allowed it to come to pass. We allow monitoring for the sake of being more secure and we have multiple screens in our homes that can and do monitor our every thought. As exciting and powerful as Siri or Alexa can be, it's a stark reminder that they can be used to control us as well. And how it can all be done some subtlety.
Winston wants to rebel, he's just not sure how. He starts out keeping a journal and slowly tries to find someone to share his subversive tendencies with. This comes in the form of Julia, a woman who works for another division. Winston goes from suspicious of her (he wants to kill her, fearing she is a member of the Thought Police) to being romantically linked to her when she slips him a note professing her love. The two meet surreptitiously and begin an affair. Big Brother has even gone so far as to rob humanity of the beauty of sex.
Julia is interesting because while she's willing to rebel, she's not as interested in Winston is in the whys and reasons to rebel. She's content to rebel by sleeping with Winston and getting certain contraband items for the two to share. But she's not interested in trying to figure out how and why it is the State and Big Brother rose to power.
And while I'd read the novel before, I couldn't help but wonder if somehow Julia was less an agent of subversion and someone sent to ferret out Winston as a rebel. Orwell seems to imply as much from Winston's initial reaction to his disbelief that someone young and attractive like Julia should seek him out. While the two are captured together and sent to the Ministry of Love for interrogation and rehabilitation, I still can't help but question Julia's motives and role. Maybe I'm reading too much into the story, but reading the novel this time around I kept wondering if she was in on it and using sex as a way to expose potential radicals and revolutionaries.
It's paths like this and ponderings that make 1984 stand up as great literature. If you haven't read it lately, it's a book worth re-reading. And if you haven't read it yet, it's one you need to seek out and find out. It will chill you, it will set you on edge and it will make you think....more
Reading Final Girls, I found myself more intrigued with who Riley Sager really was rather than if any of the characters in the novel would make it to Reading Final Girls, I found myself more intrigued with who Riley Sager really was rather than if any of the characters in the novel would make it to the final page. I'm not sure if that says more about me as a reader or more about the book itself.
Honestly, it's probably a bit of both.
Billed by Stephen King as the "first great thriller of 2017," I went into Riley Sager's Final Girls with a lot of hope. Quincy Carpenter is one of three women in the United States who is the sole survivor of a tragic, horror-movie-like massacre. Unable to recall any details about the attack, Quincy has spent the last decade moving on with her life, including a live-in boyfriend and starting her own cooking blog. But when one of the three "final girls" (named after the girl in the slasher film who makes it the ending credits) dies and another appears on Quincy's doorstep after years of hiding, Quincy soon begins to question everything about her life, both the and now.
The first hundred or so pages of Final Girls is a slow burn as we get to know Quincy and the people in her life. Things pick up a bit once Sam (the other final girl) shows up and Sam slowly begins to pick away at Quincy's life and defenses. Unfortunately, it's once Sam shows up that things begin to quickly go off the rails -- not only for Quincy but for readers. As Quincy begins to fill in details on the death of the other final girl, she begins to piece together what might have happened to her that fateful night.
Like a summer blockbuster, Final Girls is a more enjoyable if you just turn off your brain and go with the story. There are some revelations in the last third of the novel (when things really pick up) that make sense in a take-the-mickey-out-of-a-horror-movie type of way (think Scream). But shocks, revelations and plot-twists don't add up to a "great thriller." (Sorry, Steve, but you missed on this one.) As a mindless, summer read this one works well. But I can't honestly see it staying with me once I've read a couple of other novels.
And in case you were wondering just who Riley Sager really is -- it's Todd Ritter. You're welcome. ...more
With his adaptation of "The Pirate Planet," James Goss has done what multiple authors have tried but rarely succeeded in doing -- recreating the spiriWith his adaptation of "The Pirate Planet," James Goss has done what multiple authors have tried but rarely succeeded in doing -- recreating the spirit of Douglas Adams on the printed page.
Goss takes the original shooting script as well as notes kept during the development of the second installment of the Key to Time season to produce one of the more entertaining, fun and delightful novel adaptations of the Tom Baker era. Searching for the second segment of the Key to Time, the Doctor and Romana arrive on what should be the planet Calufrax. But instead of finding an icy, desolate world, they discover a planet that regularly declares new ages of prosperity under the rule of the tyrannical Captain.
Something doesn't quite add up -- and it's not just that the Doctor and Romana can't easily locate the second segment of the Key. As with many classic Doctor Who serials, there are plucky rebels, a nefarious leader who stands in the way of our heroes and has to be overthrown by story's end and hints of something bigger going on here. Goss expands the original television story for the printed page, adding some depth to characters, changing the name of the Mentiads to the Mourners and including some scenes that would never have made it to the screen given the budget limitations of classic Doctor Who. But he never loses sight of the charms of the original story, even as he expands the scope a bit to hint that other cosmic forces are helping the rulers of Xanxia stay in power and wait for the Doctor to arrive to thwart his quest for the second segment.
If Goss were able to do all that, it might be enough. But where the novel excels is the way Goss seems to be channeling Douglas Adams in this adaptation. Of the many laugh-out-loud funny asides in the story is one in which the Doctor imagines the glee the Supreme Dalek will have in sending a telegram to the Cyberleader detailing the Doctor falling victim to the Polytrase Avatron (the half-mechanical Captain's mechanical parrot).
Clocking it at close to eleven hours, the audio version of this story never wears out its welcome, thanks in large part to another superb performance by John Culshaw. Not only does he sound eerily like Tom Baker in bringing the fourth Doctor to life, but he does a great imitation of actor Bruce Purchase as the Captain. He even brings a bit of depth to the poor, put-upon Mr. Fibuli.
It all adds up to a Doctor Who novel that absolutely delights. And like any good adaptation, it left me wanting to visit my DVD version of this story again....more
After penning a hundred issues, Stan Lee turns the reigns over to writer Roy Thomas (at least for a couple of issues) and there's a perceptible changeAfter penning a hundred issues, Stan Lee turns the reigns over to writer Roy Thomas (at least for a couple of issues) and there's a perceptible change in the storytelling quality.
Seeking to cure himself of being Spider-Man in order to have a normal life, Peter Parker downs an untested serum, falls into a deep sleep (in which we are treated to a summary of Peter Parker/Spider-Man's life up to now) and wakes up with six arms. Horrified by what he's done, Peter scrambles to find a cure all while battling new threat Morbius the vampire and the return of the Lizard.
Another arc centers on Flash Thompson's return from Vietnam and the fall-out from his attempting to do the right thing for a group of villagers. The arc starts well for Flash but quickly goes in an entirely less than politically correct direction for the remainder of its run.
Then Spidey and company are off to Antartica to find Ka-Zar's forgotten world and deliver a photo feature that will save circulation at the Daily Bugle. (Interesting to see that newspapers were having issues with circulation back then and not just as we continue to explore the digital age). Gwen Stacey tags along as a model, which complicates things when Peter has to go all Spider-Man to battle Kraven the Hunter as well as various prehistoric beasts that inhabit the area.
Honestly, this storyline feels like an excuse for the artists to give us Gwen Stacey in a bikini, much to the delight of Peter and Jolly Jonah (who tags along to make sure his money is being well spent). At multiple points in this collection, I found myself wondering at the angles taken by artist Gil Kane for various characters. One memorable panel seems to want to give us a view of what it looks like up the nostrils of Robbie Robinson, the Bugle's long-suffering assistant editor.
It's clear that the storylines here aren't going to mined for adaptation for the silver screen (though we did get a re-telling of the Morbius story and the six-armed Spider-Man in the 90's cartoon). It feels like this is Spider-Man on autopilot, complete with all the drama of how being Spider-Man is ruining Peter Parker's life and relationships. Seriously, the guy can't be happy for more than two consecutive panels. I knew as soon as we saw Gwen in the bikini that Pete's life was about to take a turn for the worse.
Knowing what's coming up in a few issues (20 or so at this point) makes this collection feel a bit less essential than others in the Masterworks series. It feels a lot like we're treading water and waiting for the next big development for Spider-Man or possibly the introduction of a new, great villain or foe.
The eleventh edition is my least favorite of the collected Amazing Spider-Man series I've read so far. ...more
Ever since she dipped her toe into a pool, Maggie has been obsessed with being the water. Driven to be one of the best swimmers in her state and countEver since she dipped her toe into a pool, Maggie has been obsessed with being the water. Driven to be one of the best swimmers in her state and country, Maggie is training hard for her final year of high school and her college career as well as a shot at the United States Olympic team.
But in between keeping her grades up and swimming laps, Maggie can't help but wonder if she's missing out on something. Namely, dating, guys, relationships and the logistics of making out. As Maggie ponders this situation, she begins to see her best friend and fellow swimmer, Levi in a new light. So Maggie proposes that Levi teach her the basics of making out before she graduates from high school.
What could possibly go wrong?
With Coming Up for Air Miranda Kenneally is at the top of her game. She captures not only Maggie's drive to compete but also captures her confusion and anxiety at trying to figure out the world of dating and that her feelings for Levi may run deeper than just friendship. Maggie, Levi and the rest of the characters in the story feel realistic and authentic.
Set in a shared universe with several other of Kenneally's previous novels (there are great Easter eggs for long-time fans), Coming Up for Air did what I didn't think it could do -- top her superlative Run, Annie, Run. It could be that like Maggie, I enjoy swimming (though I'm no where as strong or competitive a swimmer as she is!). It's nice to see a young adult romance that rings true on every level and doesn't include supernatural powers or sparkly vampires.
In short, this is a wonderful book by a great author.
A word of warning to parents of young readers. Kenneally's teenage characters feel, act and talk in authentic ways. This means there is frank conversations about sex and there's a couple of instances of salty language thrown in as well. But it doesn't feel gratuitous and is more about world and character building than shock value.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
While John Grisham still reliably delivers page-turning legal thrillers, he still likes to challenge himself and his readers with novels that occasionWhile John Grisham still reliably delivers page-turning legal thrillers, he still likes to challenge himself and his readers with novels that occasionally go against the “typical” Grisham grain.
But while Camino Island isn’t a typical Grisham legal thriller, it does have the feel of what Grisham does so well in the pages of his legal thrillers. In this case, it’s not a young lawyer with his or her ethics being challenged or figuring out how to fight the system for the underdog. This time Grisham turns his sights upon the publishing world and the lucrative world of book collecting.
Camino Island starts off at a sprint with four thieves stealing four rare F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts from the Princeton library.
Once the manuscripts are stolen, Grisham then introduces us to one of the high stakes players in the world of book collecting and his lucrative business.
It’s only then that we meet our conflicted heroine, Mercer. Mercer is a struggling writer whose first novel gained rave reviews but not necessarily the sales to back it up. Facing writer’s block while trying to write her second novel, Mercer has just been dismissed from her academic teaching role and faces an uncertain future and a mountain of debt due to student loans. When the FBI approaches her about infiltrating the world of the book dealer and gathering information on if he has the manuscripts and where they might be stored in exchange for forgiving her student loans and a nice stipend, Mercer reluctantly agrees.
Returning to her favorite aunt’s home on the island, Mercer begins to insert herself into the lives of various literary characters on the island.
It’s once Mercer makes the decision to return to the island that Grisham pulls the throttle back a bit on the story and the real meat of the story begins. Mercer’s investigation and discoveries (both about herself and the world of book collecting) make for fascinating reading. Grisham isn’t the first author to examine the implications of being a writer in his work. Stephen King has famously looked at the impact of being a writer in works like Misery and The Dark Half. But Grisham is less concerned with the creative implications of being a writer as much as the financial ones and pulling back the curtain on the publishing world and the current distribution model. Ever a champion of the “little guy,” it’s hard to not root for the book dealer with questionable ethics, simply because he’s following his passion for reading great books and making sure that authors have the opportunity to be read in the ever growing din of book conversation.
If that sounds a bit dry, let me assure you that Camino Island is anything but dry. It’s got Grisham’s signature character examination and peeling back the layers of a mystery. This may be the best legal thriller you’ll read this year that never sets a foot inside a law office. Grisham’s writing is assured, as always. Part of the charm that keeps bringing me back to Grisham’s novels is his assured, friendly voice that leaps out from every page. And Grisham still has the ability to surprise you with developments in the story – both in plot and character.
And all the discussion of Fitzgerald and his literary output sparked this reader to consider visiting Fitzgerald's works again. And given that I was not enamored with The Great Gatsby when I read it in high school, that may be the biggest "win" for Grisham and Camino Island....more
Gwendy's Button Box feels like an homage to Richard Matheson's superlative short-story "The Box."
Young Gwendy Patterson is running the town's SuicideGwendy's Button Box feels like an homage to Richard Matheson's superlative short-story "The Box."
Young Gwendy Patterson is running the town's Suicide Stairs in the summer of 1974 in an attempt to leave her derogatory nickname behind when she enters middle school that fall. She meets a mysterious man in black who offers her a box with buttons. One button will give her a chocolate treat that will help curb her appetite. Another dispenses silver dollars and the others come with warnings that they shouldn't be pushed except under extreme circumstances.
Gwendy accepts the box and the responsibility that comes with it. Within a few months she's dropped some weight and her life seems to be trending more positively than before. But in the back of her mind, she can't help but feel the responsibility of being the guardian of the box and the what pressing one of the other buttons might means.
According to reports, Stephen King began the story but couldn't find a satisfying way to end it. He asked author Richard Chizmar for help and the two collaborated on the final product. Reading the story, this feels like an early King story with ordinary characters thrust into extraordinary circumstances and seeing how they react. The story is really more of a novella than a standard King novel and I'm hard pressed to find examples that are clearly King writing and examples that are clearly Chizmar writing. (Having not read much, if anything that Chizmar has written might be part of it, though I'm certainly curious to pick up more of his work now.) If you're looking for your standard King horror, it's not necessarily here. But if you're looking for a story that feels a lot like vintage Richard Matheson, this one is for you.
The story is doesn't overstay it's welcome and while you won't get a lot in the way of answers surrounding the button box, I couldn't help but come away feeling completely satisfied by this collaboration. ...more
Principal Linda MacDonald wants Career Day at Gaudalupe Middle School to be memorable. But as she frets over the language of her introductory speech, Principal Linda MacDonald wants Career Day at Gaudalupe Middle School to be memorable. But as she frets over the language of her introductory speech, little does she know what will unfold on this day and how truly memorable it will be for herself, the students and the participants.
Laurie R. King's Lockdown bills itself as a novel of suspense. And like a film by Alfred Hitchcock, King gets us to invest in her characters to help build and ratchet up the tension until it finally reaches a boiling point. And when it does, King not only earns the payoff, but has a few well foreshadowed surprises for readers as well.
Alternating between multiple viewpoints and characters, King invests the world of Gaudalupe Middle School with several potential scenarios, slowly building to the (seemingly) inevitable outcome and the lockdown of the title. Leading up to an event that is taken from today's headlines, King gives readers multiple options of who and what might be the trigger for the events of Career Day.
I read this book several months after reading This Is Where It Ends, another multiple viewpoint take on violence on a school campus. Of the two, this one is the superior telling of the story. Part of it is the amount of time King puts into creating characters for this world -- characters that I felt invested in and was truly concerned about their fate as well as curious to see how things would play out for them. She also creates better motivation for the culprit in her story simply by giving us multiple people that the culprit could or should turn out to be.
As a novel of suspense, Lockdown succeeds in spades. It's a character-driven suspense story that builds a slow-burn to a seemingly inevitable conclusion.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received an ARC of this novel as part of the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review....more
While Molly Pescan-Suso has experienced 26 crushes in her life, she's rarely acted on them. Entering the summer before her senior year, Molly yearns tWhile Molly Pescan-Suso has experienced 26 crushes in her life, she's rarely acted on them. Entering the summer before her senior year, Molly yearns to find the right person to share a first kiss with and possibly take things from being a crush to actually being her significant other.
Now, Molly has two possible new crushes on her radar -- the popular guy Wil and the fantasy t-shirt wearing, Reed. Which one, if either, will Molly chose makes up most of the drama and teen angst of The Upside of Unrequited.
Becky Albertalli caught my attention last year with the funny, entertaining and thought-provoking Simon vs the Homo Sapien Agenda. And while Simon has an Easter egg cameo in this book, overall Upside ranks as one of the more disappointing stories I've read lately. Much of my frustration with the novel comes from its first-person narrator, Molly. Albertalli tries her best to make Molly self-deprecating about her lack of romantic experience, chalking a lot of it up to a lack of confidence because of her body type. Molly's own self-image isn't necessarily the most positive as she repeatedly refuses to believe that anyone else would find her attractive, despite there being signs from that two potential crushes might be interested in more than just being an unrequited object of her affection.
I get what Albertalli is trying to do with Molly and giving us the perspective of someone who is an outsider, looking in at what the "popular" kids (including her own twin sister) are doing. But it felt like Unrequited was getting a bit redundant and hitting all the expected romantic comedy touchstones for Molly instead of giving us an authentic journey for her. In the end, it feels only like Molly comes out of her shell because a boy likes her and not because she realizes that she has inherent worth as a person regardless of her external appearance.
Albertalli fills Upside with a diverse group of characters, many of whom feel one-dimensional. Too many of them feel like they're summed up by one or two characteristics instead of being fully realized characters.
It all adds up to a disappointing sophomore effort by Albertalli. Maybe my expectations were too high for this one. But I can't help but feel like this one had potential that it never quite lived up to. ...more
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