Joel's Book Reviews

[boondockdrunk]

Eragon by Christopher Paolini (P. 497)

A poor farm boy, named Eragon, was out on his final hunt before the winter season when he finds a large, polished blue stone in the forest. He thinks of his luck with a precious rock that might have some value in the form of food for his family. But this thought is misplaced when the polished stone brings a dragon hatchling into the world. Soon Eragon falls into a world larger than the Empire he has grown up to know. Overnight his entire life is changed, and he will embark on an adventure beyond his wildest imaginations, with an old storyteller as his only source of guidance.

While this is a good book I have a few minor issues with it. First off, it is very evident at some places that Mr. Paolini started this book when he was fifteen years old. Parts of it seem a little childish at times (i.e. when he gives his dragon a name) and its idea of love parallels Lucas’s in the new trilogy.

Another issue I had with this book was that a reader can see several borrowed ideas from other fantasy novels (i.e. the way a person uses magic – see Ursula K. LeGuin). I also had problems with the idea that dragons never stop growing and can reach the size of mountains (although, as purely an idea or exaggeration would make it better).

Overall this book is rather enjoyable and is quick to grab one’s attention. It is also as easy and not too complex to read, so it should have a wide audience. On a side note, this book’s sequel is planned to be released this August.

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[boondockdrunk]

*blame my Greek Mythology 101 Class for these ones*

Metamorphoses by Ovid (P. 364)

In this book, Ovid (43 BC - AD 17) creates a series of narrative poems from Greek mythology, Latin folklore, and legend to link them under a common theme. A harmonious order takes the place of a once chaotic universe; animals turn to stone; men and women become trees, stones, and stars. Ovid is a master of his vocation and his understanding of the human nature is surpassed by few individuals.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Greek mythology. However, a basic background of gods would be needed as Ovid uses the Roman names in place of the more well known Greek names.

Medea by Euripides (P. 43)

Once a powerful woman, Medea has been brought down by the betrayal of her husband, Jason. Now she seeks to harm Jason, without any thought of her own pain. One of the first depictions of divorce in literature, Medea still captivates audiences to this day.

What is seen as a dramatic script to most critics was just bland and too over-dramatic for my tastes. While, Medea is a classic for the time it was written in, it falls flat with the newer generation because of Medea’s ‘struggles’ are seen as trivial (mainly since divorce is more common now).

 

[boondockdrunk]

Maybe I like books too much. Finished this one in a day.

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk (P. 293)

Victor Mancini is a hopeless anti-hero for our fanatical era. While he works at a colonial theme park in order to pay his bills, his salary does not cover the care for his elderly mother. So he comes up with a creative con: he pretends to choke on pieces of food at restaurants, then allows people to ‘save’ him, and these ‘heroes’ later send him money as they feel a certain responsibility for his well being. When he is not pulling this scam on people, Victor searches sexual addiction recovery workshops for action.

The reader of this book is fairly warned, as the first sentence states: “If you’re going to read this, don’t bother.” Choke is a novel that starts off as predictable and later slides into a work of art that has ingenious surprises popping out of the most unlikely of places. Nothing is as it seems in Victor’s world, and the only constant in his world is that there is no constant.

Choke is a book that makes one ponder the ideas of materialism and whether anything is worth… well… anything at all. A wonderful work of art that only Chuck Palahniuk can pull off, Choke is one of the most inspiring novels of the new millennia.
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I would also like to note that if anyone wants me to read something feel free to make suggestions. However, I refuse to read any book by Jenna Jameson or Pamela Anderson.

 

[boondockdrunk]

The War of the Worlds by HG Wells (P. 164)

A portrayal of aliens landing on English soil from the red planet in our own solar system, Wells creates an entirely new genre. The first novel to explore the possibilities of intelligent life from another planet, War of the Worlds has been the canon for all science fiction books to follow. The War of the Worlds is truly a classic that has stood the test of time ever since its first publication in 1898.

Although this book is a classic, HG Wells seems to have an impractical method to how people would react to an alien invasion. Since most novels would have people running away screaming or in pure hysterics. However, in this book the narrator sees a ‘meteor’ that crashes into earth and talks to all of his best buddies about it. Then when the ‘meteor’ turns into a giant machine with two aliens controlling it and a giant mirror that shoots flames which engulf a mass of people, the narrator runs home where he promptly has dinner with his wife. The next day, the narrator mingles with some soldiers and even hears about more ‘meteors’ turns killing machines that have landed. I don’t know about other people, but if I saw a group of people turned into charcoal I would probably find a payphone and call a psychiatrist or get out of town.

Some other things that might be a problem with modern readers is the fact that he runs away from the machines on a horse {because it is set in 1898}. While this didn’t bore me, I do think that some people would be bored with a man fleeing a giant alien controlled armed with a flamethrower on steroids using only black beauty.

The book is suspenseful, but some paragraphs can seem a little drawn out or just plain dry. Though if you can get past that then the reader will find a book that was more than worth the time.

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[boondockdrunk]

I really hope you guys enjoy this one because it took me the most time to do. I read this book before War of the Worlds, but I worked so long on this review it was just easiest to read and review the other as a sort of break.

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. [P. 338]

Although A Canticle for Leibowitz was published as a book in 1959, parts of it existed years before that. The first part, now known as ‘Fiat Homo’ {‘Let There Be Man} appeared in 1955 and was entitled ‘A Canticle for Leibowitz’. The second part, know as ‘Fiat Lux’ {Let There Be Light} was first published a year later under the title ‘And the Light Is Risen’. The conclusion to these stories was published in 1957 as ‘The Last Canticle’ (‘Fiat Voluntas Tua’ {‘Thy Will Be Done’}). These all appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

Since this book is essentially three different books, and can really be read separately (although I suggest that the reader read all three stories together), I will review each own individually.

Fiat Homo (‘Let There Be Man’)
The Order to Leibowitz is awaiting New Rome’s judgment on whether or not their founder (Isaac Leibowitz) is to be canonized as a saint. It was this one man who, during the times of darkness after the Flame Deluge (the atomic war that spurred the world into a rugged radioactive wasteland) set out to preserve learning and texts from a generation bent on ignorance. For trying to save educational materials, Isaac Leibowitz was burn and hanged at the same time.

Many years later, monks of the New Catholic Church have followed Isaac’s example and tried to preserve and copy materials which would help future generations learn from the past. One such monk is Brother Francis who, in the Utah desert, has made a miraculous discovery (with the help of an old man). For while on his Lenten retreat, he has discovered relics of the founder of his order, among which are the blessed blueprint and the sacred shopping list. Brother Francis hopes that these articles can bring a shinning light into an age of ignorance. However, they only bring him contempt and misfortune.

Fiat Lux (‘Let There Be Light’)
Many years have passed since Brother Francis’s discovery of the ‘sacred’ documents, and there is a rumor of war. The king of Texarkana begins the first steps to unite the entire continent under his own flag. However, this provides the king’s cousin, Thon Thaddeo, with the perfect distraction to safely traverse through the plains, unharmed by the barbarians who make them their home.
What the Thon seeks is a treasure guarded by the monk’s of the order of Leibowitz. But how will the monk’s receive the cousin of a genocidal monster?

Fiat Voluntas Tua (‘Thy Will Be Done’)
604 years have passed since the king of Texarkana waged a dishonest war against his neighbors, and the world has risen to heights not seen since before the Flame Deluge. There are space ships, automobiles, and once again rumors of war engulf the entire planet. However, this time enemies now have the means to destroy entire cities in a single flash of light. Radiation begins to take its toll on citizens and the moral question of whether it is better to assist in the suicide of ‘doomed’ patients or to allow them to suffer and die.

*Note: this book is especially intriguing because Miller seems to be arguing against assisted suicide, yet he eventually kills himself before finishing the sequel to A Canticle for Leibowtiz.*

All three of these books are extremely good and Miller’s usage of Latin terms is excellent. Of course, Miller could not anticipate the effect that Vatican II would have upon the Catholic Church (which would remove Latin from mass). What I liked most about this book were two individual characters. First, was the character known as ‘the pilgrim,’ Benjamin, and Lazarus. Even though only one name appears in its own individual book, they all represent the same person.

It is thought that this person was based upon the medieval legend of the ‘wandering Jew.’ According to this legend, when Jesus was carrying the cross, he paused at the threshold of a house. The owner of the house told Jesus to move on and Jesus sadly replied, ‘You move on too, until I come again.’ The householder was then forced to wander the earth, undying, until Christ would come again. Much the same, the pilgrim is a mysterious and cynical man who is forever waiting for someone who he calls ‘the one.’

Another character who made this book especially enjoyable was the Poet from Fiat Lux. The Poet is a cynical man, who gets on the monk’s nerves, and he owns a glass eye that he likes to play with. For example, he scares Thon Thaddeo by taking it out at the end of a fight between the two men, places it on the table, and says, ‘watch him carefully.’

Many critics have claimed that Fiat Homo is the best book, but I enjoyed Fiat Lux the most. This was because of the two great characters and their additions to the second story. Also, the second is the most evident in portraying the book’s overall theme of knowledge verses morality. On the whole this book is exceptionally written with a wonderful storyline. I recommend this book to everyone, but I would like to stress the importance of having the Latin translations handy. They are easy enough to find on the internet.

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[boondockdrunk]

Currently Reading: Galapagos By Kurt Vonnegut

Next up:
1984 by George Orwell
The Electric Cool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Lulliby by Chuck Palahntuk
The Siriens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

 

[boondockdrunk]

I am in school now and have two literature classes along with two history classes, so I am averaging about 150 pages a day to read. This leaves me with little time to review books, so if you want to take away the sticky that is okay. I will write some reviews down in a word document while I am in school and should have a few done by Thanksgiving break.

 

[Pariah]

Currently Reading: Galapagos By Kurt Vonnegut--This is a good one

Next up:
1984 by George Orwell--a classic, of course. Very good.
The Electric Cool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe--haven't read it
Lulliby by Chuck Palahntuk--it's on my shelf to read next
The Siriens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut--read it; but don't remember it

 

[boondockdrunk]

I had to do a book review for one of my classes, so I thought I would share it with you guys. It is the story of the first Navajo female surgeon.

Dr. Lori Arviso Alvord straddles the line between multiple worlds: the Dine and the American, the operating rooms of western medicine and those of her tribe’s medicine people, the academic halls and those of her home. She defines it as “living between two worlds and never quite belonging to either” (Alvord & Van Pelt, 16). Now the associate dean of minority and student affairs at Dartmouth, Dr. Alvord reflects upon the trials and tribulations that have caused her to be the woman she is today.
Raised on the Navajo reservation in the little city of Crownpoint, Dr. Alvord begins her course to become the first Navajo woman surgeon. The Scalpel and the Silver Bear is a brilliantly written autobiography that takes the reader on a journey from Dr. Alvord’s childhood in Crowpoint (a tiny town near what used to be the Anasazi city of Chaco Canyon), through her undergraduate studies at Dartmouth, to medical school in Stanford, and finally back home on the reservation.
After Dr. Alvord finished medical school she returned to the Gallup Indian Medical Center to begin an even more daunting task: to incorporate her studies of biological medicine with traditional Navajo beliefs and philosophies of healing:
“In my culture—the Navajo culture— medicine is performed by a hataali, someone who sees a person not simply as a body, but as a whole being. Body, mind and spirit are seen as connected to other people, to families, to communities, and even to the planet and the universe . . . Those types of relationships, so key to us, are not strongly acknowledged in medicine today . . . People . . . want a medicine that understands their health needs are not separate from the rest of their lives. A medicine that does not isolate but connects” (Alvord and Van Pelt, 3).
It was through this philosophy that Dr. Alvord began to incorporate her learned Western studies with the Navajo beliefs she grew up with.
Like most of the more than five-hundred tribal groups located in North America, the Navajo preach the importance of “walking in beauty.” This is defined as a “way of living a balanced and harmonious life, in touch with all components of one’s world” (Alvord and Van Pelt, 3). Keeping with this idea, the medical center at Dartmouth, where Dr. Alvord is currently working, is surrounded by trees and instilled with natural light; and Dr. Alvord states that it is the first hospital to adopt this notion of “walking in beauty.” In her autobiography, Dr. Alvord stresses that certain ceremonies which have personal meaning can be an significant part of the remedial procedure. Whether it is lighting a candle for someone, regularly attending church, or any other sort of ceremony it can help every patient’s health. For example, Dr. Alvord suggests that patients who are preparing for surgery to practice meditation, a yoga routine, or to just take daily walks. In her book, she notes that heart surgery patients who listen to “guided imagery” tapes that help them relax and imagine serene scenarios seem to heal faster, have shorter hospital stays, and need fewer pain medication (Alvord and Van Pelt).
Along with promoting personal ceremonies Dr. Alvord also promotes closeness to family and the communities at large as an essential part of the healing process. This approach was confirmed by science to be an enormous factor to promote a superior curative course. It is because of this that Dartmouth is one of the first major medical centers to make it easy to families to congregate together.
Along with promoting being a part of a community as a way of healing, Dr. Alvord also promotes singing as a means to cure illness. She says that “singing comes from the misty place where human physiology, feeling, and spirit collide. It can even be, for some people, a holy act, a religious act, an act with great power” (Alvord and Van Pelt, 5). Many different peoples around the world recognize singing as a way to cure illnesses; and Dr. Alvord has even applied it to her patients along with accepted Western medicine.

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[Pariah]

Lulliby ended up being my least favorite of Chuck P.'s. It started out really neat, but the it maybe should have been a novella or short story instead of a full-length novel. The premise was more suited for a half-hour twilight zone, IMO.

 

[boondockdrunk]

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon (P. 152)

An extremely original satire about Oedipa Maas, a woman who finds herself thrown into a worldwide conspiracy, meets a horde of interesting characters, and received a large amount of self-knowledge.

Thomas Pynchon, who I heard went to school with Vonnegut, is almost as bizarre as his work. Not only is he almost like a hermit, he mocks the institution of writing through his OWN writing (little odd). He does this by playing with names of his characters. Examples include, Mucho Maas, Dr. Hilarius, and Fallopian, not the mention the name of the radio station that Mucho works at, KCUF (figure it out? Do not feel bad… it is naughty, hence why I caught it).

Pynchon plays games with the reader by revealing something that might be important, but then never talking about it again. This whole book is unique, and mocks other books that follow a certain formula.

Definitely a book to pick up if you are a fan of authors like Vonnegut or Palahniuk. It is one of my favorite books and will remain forever on my bookshelf.

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[Pariah]

Definitely a book to pick up if you are a fan of authors like Vonnegut or Palahniuk. It is one of my favorite books and will remain forever on my bookshelf.


Amazon

Thanks! It'll probably be on my list next time I'm at the bookstore.

 

[boondockdrunk]

Thanks! It'll probably be on my list next time I'm at the bookstore.

I didn't like it for about a chapter or two... but then I really got into it!

 

[BigDavis75]

I didn't like it for about a chapter or two... but then I really got into it!

Have you read Slaughterhouse V?

 

[boondockdrunk]

Have you read Slaughterhouse V?

Loved it, on the list of my favorite books of all time. I have that specific list on my facebook profile (a college thing). Let me post it:
A Clockwork Orange
Cat's Cradle
Mother Night
Catcher in the Rye
Life of Pi, To Kill a Mockingbird
A Canticle for Leibowitz
SlaughterHouse 5
Some Shakespeare (Hamlet, MacBeth, Othello)
'Salem's Lot
Catch-22
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
American Psycho
Ordinary People
The Dark Tower Series (The Gunslinger is my favorite)
The Bunny Suicides
Survivor
The Stranger

 

[boondockdrunk]

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (P. 55)

“When Gregor Samsa woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous vermin,” begins this shockingly, yet surprisingly funny, allegory of a man place in unusual circumstances. Written in 1916, this book might never have been published if Kafka’s best friend, and fellow writer, had obeyed the man’s last request.

Prior to his death, the self-considered failure as a writer, Kafka, asked his friend to burn all of his works once he had passed. However, these unpublished works remain for the sole fact that the friend, Max Brod, saved them. He justified his actions by saying that Kafka picked him to destroy the novels because Kafka knew that Max could never do such a thing.

This book is purely based upon the absurd nature of a man who has been transformed into a vermin, which many people see as a cockroach or some other type of bug. The man had been providing for his family, but once he has become despicable he is the object of disgrace for them. He is an outsider in his own home, and quintessentially an alienated man.

Highly recommended, this book will challenge your understanding of those who are downtrodden in our society. Moreover, it will surely change your perspective on life or the social structure.

Amazon

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[boondockdrunk]

I got Flowers for Algernon for my birthday! And I will review Camus's The Stranger when I can... Loved the book.

 

[Pariah]

Currently Reading: Galapagos By Kurt Vonnegut

Next up:
1984 by George Orwell
The Electric Cool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe
Lulliby by Chuck Palahntuk
The Siriens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

What'd you think of Lulliby? I was disappointed. I thought it started out with so much promise, but then it just dragged on. Should have been a short story, IMO.

 

[boondockdrunk]

What'd you think of Lulliby? I was disappointed. I thought it started out with so much promise, but then it just dragged on. Should have been a short story, IMO.

Sorry I haven't gotten to it yet. I will try to over Thanksgiving break. I have three books to read by the end of this week and having 2 literature classes isn't helping my free time.

 

[boondockdrunk]

Grendel by John Gardner
174 total pages

In this work, John Gardner takes a unusual perspective from the old Anglo-Saxon tale Beowulf. However, Grendel is a completely different tale then that of the original tradition. Writing from Grendel's perspective, Gardner takes the first and most terrifying monster in English literature and humanizes him, as he tells his own side of the epic tale. This fiend is portrayed as a lonely, friendless creature that wants nothing more than be accepted by those in Hrothgar's hall. Throughout the account, Grendel is fascinated by Wealtheow and the Shaper, Hrothgar's harper, humiliates Unferth, confronts a nihilist dragon, and confuses priests, before meeting his end at the hands of a stranger from over the sea (Beowulf).

To read this work, is to take one's perception of truth, reality, etc. and place them completely on their head. Part novel and part epic poetry, this work never ceases to mock theories of existence and personal morality.

While not for everyone, Grendel is simply worth reading in order to explore the alternate side to reality and perceived truth.

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[Bada0Bing]

Maybe I like books too much. Finished this one in a day.

Choke by Chuck Palahniuk (P. 293)

Victor Mancini is a hopeless anti-hero for our fanatical era. While he works at a colonial theme park in order to pay his bills, his salary does not cover the care for his elderly mother. So he comes up with a creative con: he pretends to choke on pieces of food at restaurants, then allows people to ‘save’ him, and these ‘heroes’ later send him money as they feel a certain responsibility for his well being. When he is not pulling this scam on people, Victor searches sexual addiction recovery workshops for action.

The reader of this book is fairly warned, as the first sentence states: “If you’re going to read this, don’t bother.” Choke is a novel that starts off as predictable and later slides into a work of art that has ingenious surprises popping out of the most unlikely of places. Nothing is as it seems in Victor’s world, and the only constant in his world is that there is no constant.

Choke is a book that makes one ponder the ideas of materialism and whether anything is worth… well… anything at all. A wonderful work of art that only Chuck Palahniuk can pull off, Choke is one of the most inspiring novels of the new millennia.
Amazon

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I would also like to note that if anyone wants me to read something feel free to make suggestions. However, I refuse to read any book by Jenna Jameson or Pamela Anderson.

I just recently finished this one. Strange book.

“If you’re going to read this, don’t bother.” - too funny.

I wouldn't say that this book was very inspiring, but I'd definitely agree that it might make you ponder materialism, at least a little bit.

 

[Bada0Bing]

I liked them all too, so they will get good reviews. It has been a while since I have read a book that I didn't like. Also, I will be adding A Clockwork Orange to that list as it is also, another one of my favorites (however, I didn't like the movie.. well I did... then I read the book... and ended up hating the movie because it ruined it).

I hope to get around to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas tomorrow or tonight.

*Note: I am no longer going to give a points system at the end of my reviews. The reason for this is because a book that got 4 out of 5 can be just as enjoyable as one that got a perfect score. From now on I might suggest a book to a specific audience or give enough detail to have some people pick it up and determine how much they like it.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (P.453)

Catch-22 follows Yossarian, a bombardier who breaks all boarders in order to save himself from the chances of war. Each of his efforts is purely understandable because at this very moment thousands of people he hasn’t even met are trying to kill him. The problem is that Colonel Cathcart keeps on raising the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service before any men actually do complete the service. The only way that Yossarian and the men can get out of combat is through what is known as Catch-22: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous missions, but if he makes the necessary request to be relieved of such missions then the very act of requesting to be removed proves that he is in fact sane.

A bitterly funny book that centers around an excellent cast of characters, who even have their own chapters to further their development. As a read one cannot help but take most of these characters into their heart and actually find themselves caring about what happens to them.

It should also be stated that the book is not in linearl form. The author gives you pieces of the story through a colorful cast of characters, as each chapter is essentially dedicated to one character of the book and explains them in thorough detail.

A book that many readers will come to love, Catch-22 not only will make you laugh throughout most of the book, but also make you sad and reflective at others.

I recommend this book for any reader and it should be at very least picked up at the library. Catch-22 is a wonderful book, and is one of the best pieces of writing that I have ever read.

Recently read it. Funny as heck, probably the funniest book I've ever read. It was a little hard to keep track of all the characters, but I kept taking breaks while working on other books simultaneously. I actually stopped and watched the movie when I was half way through the book so I could get a picture of what they all looked like.