Not My Favorite Carlin

When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? by George Carlin

Adult Humor

This was Carlin's third book and while it is terribly funny, this was also biting.  I winced in several spots instead of laughing.  Carlin is clearly not a fan of organized religion so if you're the least bit religious, you might just get offended.  Of course, if you're reading Carlin, that's probably just an expectation!

My favorite sections are always his euphemisms and he doesn't fail to deliver here.  This book, though, had a different tone. The focus was less on being funny and more on observing our demented American lifestyle.  It wasn't like some of Carlin's other books that felt like a running comedy routine that you could just pick up and and devour in one sitting.  This one is more like a sharp cheese that you have to nibble on a little at a time.

Still, if you're a Carlin fan, you'll like this one.

Fun Trivia

Why Can't Elephants Jump? and 113 Other Tantalizing Science Questions Answered by Mick O'Hare

Trivia

This is the third book in a series by the editors at New Scientist magazine.  The magazine is divided into sections and is answered by a variety of people--some questions have many answers and it's almost like following blog posts on the computer.

It is unclear who is answering some of the questions---researchers, scientists or general readers.  It seems more like random readers of their blog so I'm not sure how much credibility I can give to their answers and many answers seem to even contradict one another.

Anyone who reads trivia bokks (and this is just one trivia tidbit after another) know the pitfalls and pleasures of reading this genre.  It is a book to read over time, not one to read at one sitting.  Pick it up and put it down at your leisure.  Overall, interesting scientific questions; questionable answers.

I'm Not Loving It

Eat, Pray, Love:  One Woman's Search for Everything in Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

Memoir

The book is divided equally into thirds:  1/3 is eating in Italy; 1/3 is praying in India; 1/3 is loving in Indonesia.  The first third was my favorite by far! I love the kinds of books that involve travel and are also a recipe-logue.  I delude myself that I might walk in these same footsteps and have the same culinary adventures.  I take notes about the foods to eat and the best places to visit.  Oh, to live vicariously through another!

And, then I stopped living vicariously.  The second third of the book was an absolute drudge.  I do consider myself a spiritual person and I do believe in the power of meditation but way too much time was spent on this and, as a reader, I didn't get anything out of it.

The last third of the book was an improvement.  Although it is only in the last third that the author mention 'love', this is really the underlying theme of the whole story.  The entire book was the author's journey through a bad divorce and debilitating rebound romance so finding that love awaited her at the end was a nice closure.

It's really hard to picture this as a movie and really, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about.  I did like it overall, but I'm not getting the build-up and hype.

An Older, Wiser Vlad

Eleventh Grade Burns:  The Chronicles of Vlad Tod by Heather Brewer

Paranormal

If you haven't read this series before, don't start here.  These books must be read in order!  In this 4th installment of the series, Vlad is in the 11th grade.  While most boys his age are looking forward to dating and driving, Vlad is withdrawing more and more from those around him.  The other books were filled with adventure and humor and some terror, but this feels mostly filled with despair.  Vlad, and this book, are much more somber and serious as the curse draws to a close.

Vlad has lost so much already--hi parents have died, his circle of friends and family have whittled down to just a few and he was forced to break up with the love of his life.  How many more things can he afford to let go of?  To make matters worse, his es-best friend and arch enemy is back and thirsting for vengeance and hooks up with Vlad's ex-girlfriend.  The only person he can count on, Uncle Otis, is on trial and might be sentenced to death.

And yet, Vlad's biggest problem seems to be the new vampire on the block, a youth named Dorian who gets exactly what he wants.  Unfortunately, the thing he most wants is a big bite of Vlad!

This series just gets better and better--more thrilling, more mysterious, more deadly.  It is climbing to that ultimate climax and last book.  Gulp!  I have so many hopes for Vlad--mostly that his story continues and he goes to college!  I just don't want it to end.

A Different Kind of Grisham

The Appeal by John Grisham

Adult Legal Thriller

This is a classic case of big corporation versus the little guy.  Since I am always fighting for the underdog, I had high hopes for this book.  But, it wasn't a typical Grisham.  It seemed to be more introspective, more reflective, more sad.  It was almost as if the outcome of the story was a foregone conclusion.  He seemed defeatist from the get-go.

For the plot, a husband and wife lawyer-team take on an unwinnable case:  a small-town woman whose son and husband died from cancer.  They take on the company accused of dumping chemicals illegally in a nearby creek from which the whole town gets its water supply.  The two lawyers have gambled everything for this case, and lost so much already before the book begins, because the implications of the verdict could change legislation statewide.

It is really also the story of a town that is dying and the consequences of corporate greed on a community. 

This is not one to read if you are looking for a typical legal thriller.  It is thrilling and legal but not Grisham's usual pace.  It's a slow, afternoon ride as opposed to a race to the finish.

The Best of the Bunch

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Classic Mystery

My favorite of all the Sherlock Holmes stories!  Also, one of the longest but those two things might be connected. 

Is there any setting more creepy, more perfect, more mysterious than those English moors?  And, even better is a ghost tale of a haunted hound from hell!   Combine Sherlock Holmes with an unnaturally large wild canine with glowing red eyes and you have the perfect mystery.

When Lord Baskerville is found dead and the only clue is a large set of dog prints. Holmes is consulted so that a similar fate doesn't await the new heir of Baskerville Hall.  Unfortunately, Holmes is on a prior case and cannot go with Watson to the moors. Watson has to be the eyes of the story and relays information through letters and posts.  Holmes is only in the story briefly at the beginning and end--so how is he still the main character????  Only a master could pull that off.

This is classic Holmes at his very best--secretive, ill-tempered, rude-and genius!  The ending was a complete surprise--a real shocker.  I had the same clues as Watson so why couldn't I solve it?  I ask myself that time and again with Holmes's stories.  Alas, I will never be a detective but with writing this good, it feels like I'm on the case anyway!

Jolly good show!

An Old-Fashioned Mystery

The Hermitage House Miracle by Malcolm Ater

Adolescent Mystery

Jamie has always felt as if his life were a little odd.  His mother doesn't seem to like him very much; his family moves every few months; he isn't allowed to have friends and even when he manages to make some, they never return his letters; he doesn't even know his father; and, strangest of all, he can't remember anything that happened to him before he was six years old.

When Jamie's mother dies unexpectedly, he has no other family and must go to an orphanage, Hermitage House, that is on its last legs and about to close its doors.  Once there, Jamies starts having strange out-of-body dreams and experiences that point him towards solving the mystery of his own past.

Adolescent boys will like this book.  While I knew the mystery right away, I think the pacing of clues is perfect for young readers and the video game subplot was a neat addition.  It is a very clean book, so parents don't have to wonder about anything inappropriate.  A good read.