Asterios Polyp

Alright.  So I'm typing this on my Kindle (major pain in the butt), but summer school's even  more tedious, so I may as well get a review in here.  Pictures are to come -way too hard to add on this device.

So, Asterios Polyp (by David Mazzucchelli)*  is a graphic novel about - who else? - Asterios Polyp, told by his still-born identical twin.  It's really a beautiful book, though I'm not a fan of the genre, absolutely captivating with some of the coolest-flowing illustrations I've ever seen.  It's pretty hard to accurately describe, if you want to know what I mean I guess you'll just have to read it :)

Asterios Polyp is a middle-aged man in desperate need of some change.  When a lightning bolt strikes the side of his apartment on his fiftieth birthday, leaving him homeless, he sets of on a journey of self-discovery and digging up the past.

This book is truly what you'd call quirky.  It does what few books ever really accomplish - it envelops its characters in a world of the author's creation, and makes even the bizarre seem commonplace.  Very cool.

Hungry Lionel gives this:

4.5/5

*careful, this website makes my head hurt

The Dust of 100 Dogs

I've been doing a lot of reading lately, just not a lot of reviewing ... I'm utterly exhausted from all the work I've been doing on my vacation (actually, I'm just lazy, sarcasm doesn't travel well via internet), but I'll try to get a few reviews up today and maybe a couple more by the end of the week.

When I first started this book, I really didn't know what to think.  I actually stopped a few pages in like, six times, mostly because of how different this book is from A.S. King's other book, Please Ignore Vera Dietz.  I absolutely fell in love with PIVD and will definitely be reviewing that soon, and when I heard Ms. King had other books, naturally I ran to Amazon.com to buy them.  The Dust of 100 Dogs is different mainly because of the opener - lots more cussing, and it starts out with everybody dying.  Fun stuff.

Emer is a little Irish girl who's been thrown into the big, bad world of a few centuries ago.  Separated from her true love by her parents and a violent war, she has to fight - not just for her rights - but for her life.  Turning to piracy to find respect in a male-dominated world, she faces many challenges until she is ultimately cursed by her arch-enemy of decades to live as one hundred dogs until she is reincarnated as a human.  Very interesting premise, and thankfully, it's executed just as well.  Interspersed with some decidedly-preachy tidbits about dogs and concluding with a deus ex machina (never great), this book nonetheless stands up to its author's other works.

Hungry Lionel gives this:

4/5

Flip

As usual, when I expect a book to have a certain type of feeling, or be a quick, shallow read, I was again surprised by this book, Flip, by Martyn Bedford.  I know that was an incredibly poorly constructed sentence, but I'm tired - I'll try to do better about that in the rest of this review.  Anyways, about the book ... :D

Flip is this pretty interesting book (certainly an interesting spin on a rather overdone, cliche topic).  Alex Gray is your typical geek - he reads lots, plays chess and the clarinet, and is just an overall wimp.  Phillip "Flip" Garamond is his polar opposite - a gorgeous playboy (or at least, as much of a playboy as you can be as a fourteen-year-old), athlete, complete with not one, but two beautiful girlfriends.  So what happens when a hit-and-run leaves Alex in PVS and his soul catapulting into his psyche's "twin", Flip, and vice-versa?

What really sets this apart from the rest is the lovely believability of all of the characters - Alex is incredibly empathetic, and just like in real life, there are no definite "bad guys" - it's obvious that everyone wants what's best for those they love.  The only problem I have with it is the ending: it's incredibly brief, and really should have been developed more.  That could be forgiven (lots of authors/books fall prey to this trap in writing) if even Alex's character changed so much in the last three or four pages - he loses his empathy and becomes almost cold towards those who suffer because of him.  In general, though, it's a really fascinating read and well-worth the three or four hours it'll take to finish.

Hungry Lionel gives this:

3.5/5

What's going on ...

So even though I'm reading some classic, older books now (I'm a few chapters in to Edith Wharton's House of Mirth at the moment), I'm still working on a few books to review.  I'm listening to Room, by Emma Donoghue, via Audible audiobook at the moment (don't take this route, the kid who's narrating has the most grating little voice of anyone I've ever heard), so that should be up with a review in a few days or so.  I'm also reading The Alchemist for summer reading; not gonna review this one, just saying what's on my list - you know there's a graphic novel, too?  iBoy by Kevin Brooks looks interesting as well - I've heard lots of positive reviews about his other books, so I'm thinking about checking this one out.  Also on my list: Flip by Martyn Bedford and Drought, by Pam Bachorz (I loved her book Candor, so this choice seemed obvious).

I've read a few books recently that I haven't gotten around to reviewing: Chopsticks (Jessica Anthony) and What's Eating Gilbert Grape (the movie was too fantastic, what with Leo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp, for me to pass up the book.  It's by Peter Hedges, by the way).  Both of these books I would recommend very highly - I'll tell you why as soon as I get around to doing some reviews.

Hope you're having a great summer and keep reading!

One more thing - you know you can click on any underlined title or phrase for a link to the book on Amazon or Audible, right? :)  And - a review to Candor will be coming ASAP, I just have to find the book.  And time to reread it.

Just a quick update.

As you can probably see, I'm finally active again (after over a year's hiatus, it's about time, eh?).  I'll try to get at least one or two books done a week, but this summer I'm focusing on reading a lot of Shakespeare, Dickens, and Ayn Rand - you know, the classics.  I don't really feel comfortable reviewing books/plays like that (I mean, who am I to question the Bard?) so I might not get as much done on here as I wanted.  But if you just can't get enough of me, check out the blog I launched about two months ago, Narwhal Nook.  Lots of cute pictures, anecdotes, things I find amusing, etc.  So while you're waiting for some new books, check out pics of my dogs, new guinea pig (his name's Mister Butterbutt Little Dude Broski de Pantalones IV, in case you were wondering :D), and more neat stuff.

This summer I'm uber-busy: summer school (for advancement, not remedial) for the next three weeks from 8am-12:30pm every day, plus volunteering at the library on Tuesday afternoons, and a trip to New Orleans on the 15th (we leave at 7am for a nine-hour drive, really looking forward to that part of it).  And then in July and August, marching band and Student Council begin to take over my life again.  I'll be on as much as I can but no promises :)  It would be uber-helpful if I could get another reviewer to start helping out: email me at HungryLionel@gmail.com (subject: Blog, or something like that) if you're interested!

Tricks

You should probably be pretty familiar with Ellen Hopkins' books before you try and tackle this one (it's not one of the easier ones).  For those of you who aren't aware, Ellen Hopkins takes really intense topics like suicide, crazy parents, drug abuse, teen prostitution, etc, and addresses them in ridiculously beautiful, long, poetic books.  Although this isn't my favorite of hers (I was ruined by Impulse, check it out if you're looking for something truly mind-numbing.  Beware - there's a sequel out, Perfect, which I haven't gotten to yet.), she does a wonderful job of melding annoying, sad, and painfully human characters into really relatable poems.

Eden is persecuted by her evangelical parents because they don't approve of her love.  Cody tries to escape family tragedies through sex and online gambling.  Whitney falls in love with all the wrong people.  Seth finds that his sexuality is driving his family apart.  Ginger struggles to avoid the only future she (and her mother) have ever known.  These five desperate teenagers' poignant stories come together to beautifully form Ellen Hopkins' sixth novel, Tricks.

What I love about Hopkins is how unafraid she is to face head-on really graphic situations.  There are definitely some explicit scenes in this book, but she's dealing with brutal topics, so why not?  The next time you want a pretty quick (don't be fooled by the number of pages, they fly by) but very heavy read, check out Tricks.

Hungry Lionel gives this:

4/5

Water For Elephants

Another wonderful book - I've just been hitting on some gems recently! :)  Sara Gruen is best known for this one, obviously, but she has a few more books out there.  This is a brazen look at circus life in the 20th century - always touching and usually fairly raunchy, this book is truly decadent.  It starts as all great books should - with a self-proclaimed old codger reliving memories and annoying peers in a nursing home, where he has been dumped by his large family to while away the rest of his days.  [You know it's a fantastic read when you look forward to both the flashbacks and the interspersed portions of reality.]

Jacob Jankowski doesn't mean to have anything to do with the circus.  He's preparing for his final vet exams at Cornell when he learns that his parents have died in a horrible car accident.  In shock, he leaves the exam room - and everything he knows in life - behind, and enters the dark and dangerous world of circus performers.  As the head veterinarian for the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show On Earth, he meets and falls in love with Marlena, a beautiful performer and wife to a very dangerous man.  Jacob sees things he could not have dreamed of, and lives a life one can only live in a train filled with circus animals.

Water For Elephants is one of the rare few books that transports you to the main character's locale - the imagery is so intense that you can't help but feel what Jacob feels and see what he sees.  An excellent read, though very graphic throughout (if it was a movie, which I guess it now is, I'd give it an R rating).

Hungry Lionel gives this:

4.5/5

Bright Young Things

I read The Luxe series several times a few years back (yes, I cried at the end of Splendor each and every time; in case you haven't read them, check them out.  They seem kind of whore-ish but they are, in fact, quite deeply wonderful).  Imagine my surprise when I discovered Ms. Godbersen had a new series out - this one about the 1920s, still set in New York.  I expected much from this great author, and let me tell you, I wasn't disappointed.

Like The Luxe series, Bright Young Things follows the lives of various teenage girls as they struggle to make it in New York City.  Cordelia wants to find the family she's never known, Astrid's trying to cope with the family she knows all too well, and Letty just wants to escape her boring midwestern life.  Sometimes poignant, sometimes gripping, this book definitely drags in some spots, but in general is paced well and leaves you wanting more.  Personally, I can't wait until I can get a hold of the second book in this promising series.

Hungry Lionel gives this:

4/5

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

Oh gosh.  I haven't been active in so long, I've almost forgotten what to do.  But I'm reading so much now that it's summer, I definitely have enough subject matter to make this interesting.

First of all, let me say that this is my new favorite book.  Ever.  It's 864 pages and took me two months of non-stop reading to complete, and it is honestly one of the most brilliant books out there.  Set in 19th-century England, it's the tale of two magicians and their struggles with society, each other, and ultimately, themselves.  It's not at all like the magic of Harry Potter or the Lord of the Rings series - it's entirely new, beautifully integrated and highly original.  If you can get through the first two or three rather stuffy, slow introductory chapters, you'll discover a perfectly paced, seamless adventure.  I can't recommend this more highly to anyone who wants a nice long read with luscious characters and truly quotable quotes.  Besides the great story, Ms. Clarke really gets into her characters' heads and gives them amazing voice ... I could really blather on about this book much longer than I already have, but you're probably getting tired of me so I'll wrap up :)

Hungry Lionel gives this:

5/5

Note: There is a sort of companion guide Ms. Clarke has published - it's called The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories.