Read with Me - Tales of a Wannabe Author, Cosplayer, and Blogger

Hello, everyone! I'm back, and I'm here to review Another Roadside Attraction  by Tom Robbins. This is one of the novels that I'm reading for my America in Revolt literature class. It contains a motley crew of characters that find themselves in philosophic debate and in possession of a rather important spiritual "artifact." But enough about that. Let's get onto the review. Guys, when I began reading this novel, I was really enjoying it. From the very beginning you get an idea of how the book is going to go. You have characters with ridiculous but very interesting background and points of view. The sequence of events is not told through a linear order, and the main plot of the story was often interrupted with philosophic debate that didn't ever end in a winner. But if you think about it, that's usually how philosophic debates typically end up. But back to the point, I was really enjoying the novel. The symbolism was crazy yet still made sense with...

Hello, everyone! I'm back, and I'm here to review One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Next  (or as I refer to it as, OFOTCN) by Ken Kesey. Short summary: it's about a guy who is institutionalized but doesn't back down from authority. In case you haven't guessed, this causes a whole lot of shenanigans. But enough about that. Let's get onto the review! So as some of you know, I wasn't too impressed with Keroauc's One the Road , and I took that as a bad omen about what I would think about the other books in my American Literature of Rebellion class. After reading OFOTCN, I had to smack myself silly and remind myself that I should not judge a book on its cover, or in this case, genre. That's right. I love this book . A the end of the novel, I felt like I was twisted up in a ball of yarn that a cat had played with for two hours. I was committed (no pun intended), and I actually connected with the characters despite their flaws or supposed mental instabil...

Hello, everyone! I'm back, and I'm here to review On the Road  by Jack Kerouac. The story takes place in the 40s and 50s and follows Sal Paradise who has a fascination with Dean Moriarty, a con man in search of something more. This search leads them across the country on strange and unique adventures. But enough about that. Let's get onto the review! So this novel was supposedly written all in a week and as much in one sitting as possible, and, to be honest, it feels like it. There's a lot of overly descriptive passages and a lot of jumping around. It felt a little scattered for me. For that reason, it was a little hard to get through. It also follow a "beat" philosophy. There's a constant search for something more. There's the idea that becoming "square" would be the death of you. Then there's the idea of mysticism and that there is something different and more meaningful out there if you keep moving and pushing yourself to exhaust...

Hello, everyone! I'm back, and I'm here to review The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. I'm reading this book for my post modernism class, and I'll start out by saying that I was pleasantly surprised. This book is about a kid named, you guessed it, Oscar. He's a fat nerdy kid who no one really gets, and everyone is trying to push him into being someone he really isn't. Not that the rest of the family doesn't have their problems. They definitely do, and they all get told in The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao . But enough about that. Let's get onto the review! As I said before, I was quite surprised with this novel. In case you haven't noticed, I haven't had much luck loving my school books this semester. I didn't hold high hopes with this novel either, but as I started reading it, I found myself wanting to continue it. Even when we had stopped talking about it in class, I felt compelled to finish it. It kept me on th...

Hello, everyone! I'm back, and I'm here to review The Turkish Embassy Letters by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. This book is a collection of letters that were written by Lady Montagu on her trip through Europe to Turkey. They document her travels, experiences, and the different people she met while she was traveling with her husband and children. But enough about that, let's get onto the review! I'll be the first one to admit that the travel writing genre is not my cup of tea. I prefer one continuing narrative that tells an overall story. However, I will also say that this collection of letters did contain some entertaining little tidbits that I wasn't expecting. Lady Montagu met a myriad of characters that told her great stories of their lives. She learned different customs and traditions that were a part of other people's cultures. One thing I have to give Lady Montagu props for is debunking myths of travel writers that came before her. We mentioned this brie...

Hello, everyone! I'm back, and I'm here to review Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger. This book is for my American Lit after 1945 class, and this novel tells two stories. One is of Franny and her boyfriend Lane on a disastrous date. The second is Franny having a mental breakdown and her brother Zooey trying to comfort her but still trying to keep it real. But enough about that, let's get onto the review! Now, these stories were written in the 1950s, a post-modern society. Experimentation was big with authors, and this book is one result of such experimentation. It focuses on the idea that people are given a "script" or they assign themselves one. Then they try to emulate that script. Sometimes it comes off well. Sometimes it ends up with you ready to vomit in a fancy restaurant bathroom. In this novel, you see people who try to force themselves into their box and others who are desperately trying to stay out of the box. I like the concept that the book is pla...

Hello, everyone! I'm back with another book review. This time I'm reviewing Dawn by Octavia Butler. This book, as well as being one of my books for my Popular Genre Class, is the first of the Xenogenesis Series. It has been nominated for science fiction related rewards and has had much acclaim throughout the science fiction community. But enough about that, let's get on with the review! Dawn tells the story of Lilith, a woman that has survived a world wide nuclear world thanks to the help of an alien race called the Oankali. Lilith is one of many people that the Oankali have taken in hopes that they could help repopulate the Earth. The Oankali have a request for the assistance. They wish to mix their genetic material with humans in order to create a better version of themselves and they want Lilith's help. Will Lilith help the Oankali with their mission? Or will she be forced to stay on the Oankali ship for the rest of her life? Only time will tell! Actually, I can...

I'm back with another book review! This time I'm reviewing Watchmen by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons. This happens to be one of my school books. This one in particular is from my Children's Lit class. Now we did talk about how this book isn't tended toward children, but was quite popular with high school students, and I can see why. But enough about that, let's get on with the review! Watchmen is a graphic novel created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. It tells the story of of a group of masked avengers in a time when being a super hero ends up with humiliation at best and jailed at worst. However, these once masked superheros are being killed off. So Rorschach, Nite Owl, Silk Spectre, Ozymandias, and Doctor Manhattan have to try to stop the murder while delving into a conspiracy that is so much bigger than just five costume superheros. Watchmen is interesting in that these aren't the regular superheros we've come to love. Besides Doctor Man...

Hello, everyone! I'm back with another book review. Today's book review is one of my school books from my Popular Genre (that genre being science fiction) class. The book is The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells. Now, on to the review! This book is about a guy named Edward Prendick who after being shipwrecked, finds himself on a mysterious island which is inhabited by the scientist Dr. Moreau, his assistant Montgomery, and strange men. After investigating, Prendick finds out that Dr. Moreau has been experimenting on the people on the island, and then everything gets really messed up. I have to say that I was pretty surprised by this novel. I actually enjoyed it! One of the things that I loved about this story is that it did not turned out the way I expected it to. See, before reading this novel, I didn't do any background research. So, when Prendick was worried about what he thought was happening on the island, I did as well. I did see everything through his eyes ve...

Hello, everyone! I'm back with another book review! This semester, I'm taking a popular genre class, and we are focusing on Science Fiction. We started the semester with a novel by Jules Verne called Journey to the Center of the Earth . That's what I will be reviewing today. Now, on with the review! I read the free version on my Amazon Kindle, so the names for the characters may be a little different from other translations. In my book, a young man named Harry goes on a expedition with his uncle Professor Hardwigg and the stoic Icelander Hans. Together these three men make a trek to the center of the Earth after the Professor finds a message from a long gone famous alchemist. The message says that he made it to the center of the Earth and states the point from which he started from. The professor hopes to make the same journey, Harry just hopes he doesn't die, and Hans is more concerned with getting his payment every Sunday. They face hunger, thirst, wrong turns, ex...

Hello, everyone! I'm back with a much needed update. In this post, I will be reviewing The Great Gatsby  by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This is another one of my school books, except I read this book last semester. I just never had a chance to review it since exams began right after we finished the book. Now, I'm back on track, and let's get started with the review! The Great Gatsby  is the story of Nick Carraway and his experiences after he meets his new neighbor Gatsby. Gatsby is constantly throwing wild parties but doesn't actually partake in them. After befriending Gatsby, Nick finds out the reason behind Gatsby's actions, and Nick decides to help him. This book has nice cars, old flames, cheating spouses, and murder! There are several things I like about this story. I love the mysterious Gatsby, and I may love him more after finding out his intentions. I also like the relationship he has with Nick. Gatsby throws Nick off his game, and Nick finds him fascinating....

Hello, everyone! I'm back, and I've got another review of one of my Children's Lit novels. I know that no one really thinks that I read these books for class, but it's true! It's one of the great things about class selection in college. I finished this one awhile ago, but I've gotten my notes out, dusted them off, and I'm ready to review! So let's get started! This novel is about a young boy named Ged (or Sparrowhawk) who discovers that he's a wizard! He then goes through his life dealing with arch foes, mythical creatures such as dragons, and an evil dark foe as he grows into adulthood. Does this sound like anything we know? I'll give you a hint. It starts with "H" and ends with "Arry Potter." Which is funny to think about considering this book was published nearly forty years before The Harry Potter series was first published. From what I learned in class, this book was a major step and inspiration for fantasy books ever...

Hello, everyone! I'm back and I'm reviewing Annie on My Mind  by Nancy Garden that I read for my Children's Lit class. Now, I know what you're thinking. It's mid December. There's no way I should be in school. You are correct. I'm on my winter break, but I was not able to continuously post book reviews that dealt with school. So, I've still got my books from school, and I thought I would pepper them in with all of the "fun" reviews. Those are coming up very soon. But, please read and enjoy this review of one of the books I read this past semester. Annie on My Mind  has been known to be a bit controversial, especially considering that it's a children's novel. That is because of the sexual exploration that the lead character Liza takes, ultimately realizing that she is gay. She meets Annie at a museum and the novel just sort of takes off from there. From that point, Liza deals with her sexuality silently until she is literally caught ...

Be forewarned, I have seen the movie before reading this book, and I'm ashamed of that. I hate doing things in that order, but when I was little, my mother and I had an obsession with Hayley Mills. We watched all of her movies, but Pollyanna and That Darn Cat were probably our favorites. But that is neither here nor there. Also, when I read this, I was feeling overly sentimental over everything. So this children's book became a real tear-jerk-er for me. Now, Let's get to the actual review! This book was published in 1913, and during this time novels had certain archetypes for children. In the case of Pollyanna , the character Pollyanna would definitely be considered the angelic child. It's exactly what it sounds like. She is a good girl who only sees the good in people, and even when she does something bad, it ends up being a positive situation for all of those involved. Now, that may seem like a one-note book, but I actually really enjoyed reading it. This book w...

Hello, everyone! So you've got to love a class that requires you to read Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass  by Lewis Carroll. One of the many reasons I enjoy Children's Lit. This post is going to be a two-fer since I'll be reviewing both of these lovely books by Lewis Carroll. By the way, yes, these reviews will probably be extremely biased for my love of Alice and all of her recreations. The first is Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland . This book is full of nonsense in the best possible way. You have to keep in mind that these books were made for children, but as an adult, we can see find pleasure from them. For me, there were a lot of jokes that I didn't entirely get as a child. Kind of like when you find a dirty joke from Aladdin the movie by Disney. This story is a group of adventures that Alice takes while she is in Wonderland. I can't get any more specific than that. Go and enjoy it! The next book is, of cours...

Hello, everyone! Two in one day, I'm telling you. College is keeping me busy, but I've been reading a lot, just not what I call "fun books." That isn't to say somethings I'm required to read aren't fun. I just wouldn't pick them out on my own accord. Now, I'm going to be reviewing The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. Let's get started! This is another book that I actually enjoyed reading. Wharton really makes you feel like a part of the story. This story follows Newland Archer and his struggle between high New York society and the love of his life. In a time where having your name in the paper could only cause shame to your family, Archer has to decided to follow his heart and divorce his wife or bury his feelings but keep his family honor. It's really a moving story and I would have to say that this is a good read, no SparkNotes required. I'll give it a four and a half gold roses out of five. That's it for this post....

Hello, everyone! I'm back again and today I'm reviewing The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I've read this for my American Lit. class. It's part of our "realist reading" that we have been doing lately. I was pretty compelled in this book. I actually enjoyed reading this book. It has a beautiful writing style, and the characters are fully fleshed out. You really want to know what happens to these characters. You have the "protagonist" Edna, who the reader follows as she comes to her "awakening." You have her husband that seems to be absent for a great deal of the book. Then there is the love interest Robert. While love does have something to do with furthering this novel, it's more about Edna finding out who she is and the consequences of her knowing that. Don't even think that I'm going to spoil the ending for y'all. Go check it out yourself. I would say that this book is totally reading and somewhat enjoyable. No SparkNotes ...

Hello, everyone! Two posts in one day, things are getting crazy. And in the middle of the week, too! Hopefully I can stay on this ball until midterms are over. I know that week of my life I will want to crawl into a cave and wither away, but I'm trying to keep up with the blog posts. College has been trying to take away all of my time, but I promise I'll make time for y'all. So without further ado, let's start the review. The Rise of David Levinsky by Abraham Cahan was actually written to be sort of a response to The Rise of Silas Lapham . It has the same concept of making it in America, but this time the main character is a Jewish immigrant from Russia. I really like the style of the writing compared to the other one. It flows better, and I don't find myself getting a headache from just one chapter of complete nonsense on paint. On the downside, I hate the main character. I've never wanted a main character to die alone, unhappy, and penniless before reading...

Hello, everyone! I'm back (in the middle of the week) with a book review from my required reading for college. Today I'm reviewing The Rise of Silas Lapham  by William Dean Howells. Let's get to it. This book did not make a good first impression on me. The writing turns me off, and it doesn't help that the main character sits there are talks about this amazing paint that he's invented that is just a gift from good for a good three pages. It hurt me to get through that part. Thank god it picks up in the next chapter. Once I got into the major plot, it wasn't that bad. It had a little bit of everything: class distinction, forbidden romance, ridiculous business ventures, and a moral to the story. I will leave all of the spoiler-y stuff out, but I have to say that my favorite plot in the story had to be with the Lapham sisters and Mr. Corey. It was so obvious to the reader what was going on but not to the characters, it comes across as both funny and emotional. ...