Anansi Boys
author: Neil Gaiman
audience: Adult
Definitely enjoyed this light, weird, fun, fantasy... Gaiman is so good at creating parallel worlds inhabited by slightly "off" characters -- and they tend to be some form of magical/godlike beings. The images are so vividly presented that even I, the non-visual-reader, can picture the scenes, the settings, and the individual characters. It's definitely a story that leaves a long-lasting impression.
Raven's Gate
author: Anthony Horowitz
audience: 4th-6th
Although I liked the gloomy and scary bits of the book, too many scenes simply did not work for me and the momentum kept being stopped by unnecessary descriptions of something that the readers already were told. At moments, it just seemed sloppy. Still, parts of the story work quite well and I imagine those who like both Alex Rider series and Cirque du Freak series will enjoy the blend of adventure and horror in this volume. I wonder whether the second book will be better than the first..
Fire and Hemlock
author: Diana Wynne Jones
audience: 6th-8th
I just love how Jones writes -- there is a distinct tone, witty, dark, whimsical, and wise all at once.. and the world is so out of kelter... dangerous and fascinating at the same time, alluringly alarming.. is that how best describing this strange and charming book? I can't wait to discuss it with the online pals who will start the discussion tomorrow -- the last chapters are very murky and I could not quite figure out what really happened. Hopefully, in a few days, I'll have some answers to my questions (and I don't even know what my questions ARE!) This cover art puts me off, though. I much prefer the version I read - darker and more mysterious, much less focusing on the main characters.
Something's Fishy, Hazel Green
author: Odo Hirsch
audience: 4th - 6th
Slightly entertaining and at times very funny, in an intellectual, quirky way. A really fast read with some interesting scenarios. I like especially Hazel's relationships with all those surrounding her -- from the fishmonger, to her best friends, to bullies whom she is not afraid to challenge. However, I did find the set of quirky characters appear a bit unbelievable and the mystery simply... not very mysterious?
American Gods
author: Neil Gaiman
audience: Adult
Fascinating? Brilliant? Fragmented? All-encompassing? I cannot quite pin down exactly how to describe this book, except that I really enjoyed reading it. All the legends, myths, characters are highly intriguing. Of course, Gaiman's ability to present the most grotesque, morbid, and gory images with utter beauty, total elegance, and an alluring charm is what truly attracts me. American Gods reminds me of Peter Greenaway's movies.
Inexcusable
author: Chris Lynch
audience: 8th and up
Although this book can make one very "uncomfortable," I was impressed with Lynch's ability to maintain a very unsympathetic, unreliable narrator's view point throughout the book. What a sad story.. but I imagine, not a completely abnormal one. It's interesting how one can justify just about anything that one does -- no matter how external evidences all point to a very different conclusion. Thought-provoking, to say the least.
I definitely liked the character very much and enjoyed a few stories tremendously: especially the first story when she was 7 and the story about her first romance. However, it does not quite feel that all the stories are connected, and I can't quite figure out how each of them builds on the previous version of Dolores. I think that is the intention -- to show how she becomes the Dolores of the next stage. But, it might be just me as a reader who failed to see the connection between one set of characteristics to the next. It also seems very unrealistic, fairy-tale like almost -- although I do know young women who remain true to their inner-selves and are accepted and even admired for their fierce loyalty to their own hearts. So, maybe it is not quite a fairy-tale!
After hours of listening, I am now finally done with this famous work. So many of my friends read this when they were younger and told me how this book "changed their lives." At this stage of my life, I definitely did not feel that the ideology or situations presented in the work have that much impact on my life as a whole. It is a gripping story with completely unforgettable characters, for sure.
This reminds me of some of the best and most horrifying mangas I read as a teenager, fitting the serie's title. Whoever wishes to read it, must proceed with caution -- and a strong appetite for the graphically gory scenes.
This is bound to be popular with anyone who loves action-packed adventure stories. Vastly accessible due to its simplicity both in prose style and in its explicitly directive explanations of Percy's emotional reactions to events. For me, there were simply too many repeated and predictable patterns (and some scenes thrown in simply for thrills) and not enough layers for contemplation to warrant deep satisfaction.
