Books 29 & 30 - 2012
Book 29: Going Bovine by Libba Bray - 480 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
"Can Cameron find what he's looking for? "All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school--and life in general--with a minimum of effort. It's not a lot to ask. But that's before he's given some bad news: he's sick and he's going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure--if he's willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.
Thoughts:
Libba Bray writes really odd stories that make you think. As at reading this book, I had read all her previous books, The Gemma Doyle trilogy a few years back, and earlier this year, Beauty Queens (I’ve since discovered she’s released a new book and I was like ‘ahh, this is awesome but when am I going to get time to read this!’). Her stories aren’t run of the mill. They are always a little twisted, modern in flavor even if not in time period, and seem to get a very nice grasp on the teenage internal voice (or at least as far as I can remember back to when I was a teenager). I won’t deny that this book took me awhile. Cameron is a tough character to get along with as a reader, but as the story unfolds and his really crap situation becomes known, descending into a story where it is impossible to tell reality from fantasy. In fact for a long time, I really wasn’t sure whether Cameron was dreaming or not, even though some of his situations were ridiculously fanciful. Bray weaves it so well that the lines are deliciously blurred for the reader as much as they are for Cameron. I won’t say it was my favourite book because it wasn’t, but by the end, its point was abundantly clear and it did make me sad for Cameron, even at the same time that I was happy he’d learnt the lesson of life. A fascinating, engaging and very odd story.
29 / 50 books. 58% done!
8891 / 15000 pages. 59% done!
Book 30: How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack: Defend Yourself When the Lawn Warriors Strike (and They Will) by Chuck Sambuchino - 106 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
Move over zombies and adolescent vampires. There's a new threat in town--and it's only twelve inches tall. "How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack" is the only comprehensive survival guide that will help prevent, prepare for, and ward off an imminent home invasion by the common garden gnome.
Thoughts:
I can’t remember where I bought this book, but I picked it up mostly because it seemed like a good laugh and it had cute pictures. It was funny, making it out as if garden gnomes are devilish little menaces out to get us all. The pictures are all cleverly staged, and quite entertaining. A good coffee table book.
30 / 50 books. 60% done!
8997 / 15000 pages. 60% done!
Currently reading:
- A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the Seventh: The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket - 256 pages
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - 313 pages
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman - 588 pages
And coming up:
- The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Volume 3: White Gold Wielder by Stephen Donaldson - 500 pages
- The Odyssey by Homer - 324 pages
- One for the Money by Janet Evanovich - 290 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
"Can Cameron find what he's looking for? "All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school--and life in general--with a minimum of effort. It's not a lot to ask. But that's before he's given some bad news: he's sick and he's going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure--if he's willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.
Thoughts:
Libba Bray writes really odd stories that make you think. As at reading this book, I had read all her previous books, The Gemma Doyle trilogy a few years back, and earlier this year, Beauty Queens (I’ve since discovered she’s released a new book and I was like ‘ahh, this is awesome but when am I going to get time to read this!’). Her stories aren’t run of the mill. They are always a little twisted, modern in flavor even if not in time period, and seem to get a very nice grasp on the teenage internal voice (or at least as far as I can remember back to when I was a teenager). I won’t deny that this book took me awhile. Cameron is a tough character to get along with as a reader, but as the story unfolds and his really crap situation becomes known, descending into a story where it is impossible to tell reality from fantasy. In fact for a long time, I really wasn’t sure whether Cameron was dreaming or not, even though some of his situations were ridiculously fanciful. Bray weaves it so well that the lines are deliciously blurred for the reader as much as they are for Cameron. I won’t say it was my favourite book because it wasn’t, but by the end, its point was abundantly clear and it did make me sad for Cameron, even at the same time that I was happy he’d learnt the lesson of life. A fascinating, engaging and very odd story.
29 / 50 books. 58% done!
8891 / 15000 pages. 59% done!
Book 30: How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack: Defend Yourself When the Lawn Warriors Strike (and They Will) by Chuck Sambuchino - 106 pages
Description from bookdepository.co.uk:
Move over zombies and adolescent vampires. There's a new threat in town--and it's only twelve inches tall. "How to Survive a Garden Gnome Attack" is the only comprehensive survival guide that will help prevent, prepare for, and ward off an imminent home invasion by the common garden gnome.
Thoughts:
I can’t remember where I bought this book, but I picked it up mostly because it seemed like a good laugh and it had cute pictures. It was funny, making it out as if garden gnomes are devilish little menaces out to get us all. The pictures are all cleverly staged, and quite entertaining. A good coffee table book.
30 / 50 books. 60% done!
8997 / 15000 pages. 60% done!
Currently reading:
- A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the Seventh: The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket - 256 pages
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - 313 pages
- American Gods by Neil Gaiman - 588 pages
And coming up:
- The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: Volume 3: White Gold Wielder by Stephen Donaldson - 500 pages
- The Odyssey by Homer - 324 pages
- One for the Money by Janet Evanovich - 290 pages