The Art of Racing In the Rain - Garth Stein

The Art of Racing In the Rain - Garth Stein

Author:

Garth Stein

Published:

2008

Blurb on the Back:

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.

Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it.

Review:

This book was read as part of my 2014 Goodreads.com Reading Challenge.

Garth Stein has created a wonderful book based around the reminiscences of a dog in the hours before he is going to be put down. Enzo the dog in question is a reincarnation believing, opposable thumb envying, lovable narrator, who as he accepts that is time is nearing an end and taking the reader on a tour back through his life constantly shows his unwavering loyalty to his master Denny Swift, an up and coming race car driver.   

The book shows the life of Denny and Enzo from the view of the faithful companion. How relationships affected them, how Denny's love of motor sport imprints itself on Enzo, the birth of children and what that meant to Enzo and Denny and how illness of loved ones affect them. 

The book is both heart-warming and heartbreaking in equal measure and the ending, Oh it was perfect. 

The book is fantastically well written and you cannot help but fall in love with the characters involved and that makes sharing their ups and downs all the more emotional. 

A must read for dog lovers and well everyone else too.

9 out of 10

Peace 

Deejay

Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell

Author:

Rainbow Rowell

Published:

2013

Blurb On The Back:

Two misfits.

One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Review:

I read this as part of my 2014 Goodreads.com Reading Challenge.

I was recommended Rainbow Rowells novels after reading a couple of other YA books. I had started out with Fangirl (already reviewed) and had enjoyed it, however, I had put this book on the back burner in order to read a couple of memoirs and books that would be considered age appropriate for my decrepit 30 year old mind. 

I'm glad I did as it left me refreshed and ready for the whimsy of young love that comes from this book. It provides a classic set-up of two outsiders coming together to make sense of a world that is uniquely unfair to them. 

Eleanor is a wonderfully rounded character who has everything thrown at her and maintains her relative sanity by keeping everyone and everything at arms length. Park is a guy who enjoys wearing eye-liner and not driving a stick shift car (Being from the UK I cannot understand why you wouldn't drive a manual car as it is the norm over here.)

Their friendship and eventual courtship over 80's rock and comics is nicely paced and keeps the reader interested. The antagonist in the father figures of the young couple are perfectly pitched, abusive and self-absorbed in Eleanors case and overly masculine and old fashioned in Parks.

I really enjoyed the book and the ending left me wanting more. I'm starting to feel that the term Young Adult Fiction should be scrapped as so much of this genre spans all ages. In my reading I am discovering that if I conformed to what my age says I should I would miss out on a treasure trove of brilliant writing. Authors like Rainbow Rowell, John Green and Meg Cabot. To be honest that would be a damn shame.

Please tell me what you think of the book, the genre, me etc I'd Appreciate the feedback

9 out of 10 

Peace Deejay.

Cranium - Lee Scarratt

Cranium - Lee Scarratt

Author:

Lee Scarratt

Published:

2013

Blurb on the Back:

Ever wondered what it’s like to be in someone else’s head? Dive into the deep depths of my adventurous dreams, vivid and sometimes frightening imagination and the unusual workings of my brain. 

Wander inquisitively through the first half of this book with short stories involving a curious silhouetted man drenched in rain, a malicious warlock that transforms a woodsman, and a mysterious vintage word processor with deadly consequences. Meanwhile, a ghostly house with a mysterious atmosphere gets shaken down to its very foundations….and exposes its hidden depth. 

Then prepare in the second half to be thrown head first into the whirlwind story where two strangers who are unaware but inexplicably linked try to beat the trepidation, overcome the terrifying truth and escape plunging into the abyss of insanity. The darkness is upon them, but are they willing to make that final decision, take that final step and walk into the unknown? 

Join me now and see where your imagination takes you.

Review:

This was read as part of my 2014 Goodreads.com reading challenge.

I also received this copy for free from the author,  in a Goodreads.com give-away and had promised a fair and honest review.

This book is rather different from anything I have read previously. Written in almost blog style, it is a series of short stories, poems and musings. Some are a lot darker than others. Personal favourites are "No Knowledge Needed" about a computer that changes the world around you depending on what you type into its word processor, "The Butterfly Complex" a short one page poem about a dream of being a butterfly and "The Ascension" the books outstanding short novel about two people intertwined in a dark tale of the afterlife.

I sat and read this book in one sitting. To be honest I had started it, stopped after 2 or 3 pages and headed up to my local library as I didn't want any distractions and it seemed the place I would get the most peace. It is a wonderful collection of different stories and I cannot recommend it enough.

It's not a book I would have normally picked up to read as my experience with short stories ended with the casebooks of Sherlock Holmes, however, since reading this I have been looking for more books with short stories. 

10 out of 10.

Moab is my Washpot- Stephen Fry

Moab is my Washpot- Stephen Fry

Author:

Stephen Fry

Published:

1997

Blurb on the Back:

A number one bestseller in Britain, Stephen Fry's astonishingly frank, funny, wise memoir is the book that his fans everywhere have been waiting for. Since his PBS television debut in the Blackadder series, the American profile of this multitalented writer, actor and comedian has grown steadily, especially in the wake of his title role in the film Wilde, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and his supporting role inA Civil Action.

        

Fry has already given readers a taste of his tumultuous adolescence in his autobiographical first novel, The Liar, and now he reveals the equally tumultuous life that inspired it. Sent to boarding school at the age of seven, he survived beatings, misery, love affairs, carnal violation, expulsion, attempted suicide, criminal conviction and imprisonment to emerge, at the age of eighteen, ready to start over in a world in which he had always felt a stranger. One of very few Cambridge University graduates to have been imprisoned prior to his freshman year, Fry is a brilliantly idiosyncratic character who continues to attract controversy, empathy and real devotion.

Review:

This was read as part of my 2014 reading challenge on goodreads.com.

Is there a man alive who is more eloquent than Stephen Fry? The man is a national treasure. This is his first autobiography and spans his life from birth to his 20th year when he was starting University. The book is both in equal parts funny and brutally honest about his early years. 

He makes no bones about his problems in school both with expulsion and with theft. His subsequent arrest and prison term as well as his honest retelling of his suicide attempt makes for a personal and interesting read. Interspersed are tales of life, love, family and the unique observations that make Stephen so beloved to so many people. It is these tales that make the book hard to put down once started. 

I must admit that I have done his autobiographies back to front as I started with the Fry Chronicles last year but Moab gives a good ground on his pre Fry and Laurie life and if you like Stephen then it is a must read.

For shear enjoyment there is not much better. 

10 out of 10 

Peace 

Deejay.

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared - Jonas Jonasson

Author:

Jonas Jonasson

Published:

2013

Blurb on the Back:

It all starts on the one-hundredth birthday of Allan Karlsson. Sitting quietly in his room in an old people's home, he is waiting for the party he-never-wanted-anyway to begin. The mayor is going to be there. The press is going to be there. But, as it turns out, Allan is not...Slowly but surely Allan climbs out of his bedroom window, into the flowerbed (in his slippers) and makes his getaway. And so begins his picaresque and unlikely journey involving criminals, several murders, a suitcase full of cash, and incompetent police. As his escapades unfold, we learn something of Allan's earlier life in which - remarkably - he helped to make the atom bomb, became friends with American presidents, Russian tyrants, and Chinese leaders, and was a participant behind the scenes in many key events of the twentieth century. Already a huge bestseller across Europe, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared is a fun, feel-good book for all ages. 

Review:

This is part of my 2014 reading challenge.

You can compare this book to Forrest Gump in a lot of ways, Karlsson has the knack of being in the right place at the right time and although not being that educated helps Franco, Stalin, Regan throughout his life. This is told in a series of flashbacks while in the present day he is involved in a gang plot on his 100th birthday

The book is wonderfully bright and funny and makes a refreshing change of pace from other Scandinavian novels, from the likes of Nesbo and Larsson. It features so bizarre characters and alot of plot twists that keep the main plot running nicely. However it is the flashbacks that I found provided the most entertaining material.

A charming crime novel which will leave you with a smile.

10 out of 10.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk - David Sedaris.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk - David Sedaris.

Author:

David Sedaris

Published:

2010

Blurb on The Back:

Featuring David Sedaris's unique blend of hilarity and heart, this new collection of keen-eyed animal-themed tales is an utter delight. Though the characters may not be human, the situations in these stories bear an uncanny resemblance to the insanity of everyday life. 

In "The Toad, the Turtle, and the Duck," three strangers commiserate about animal bureaucracy while waiting in a complaint line. In "Hello Kitty," a cynical feline struggles to sit through his prison-mandated AA meetings. In "The Squirrel and the Chipmunk," a pair of star-crossed lovers is separated by prejudiced family members.

With original illustrations by Ian Falconer, author of the bestselling Olivia series of children's books, these stories are David Sedaris at his most observant, poignant, and surprising.

Review:

This was part of my 2014 reading Challenge on Goodreads.com.

I first got to know David Sedaris through his Radio 4 series "Meet David Sedaris" and thoroughly enjoyed his monologues on his everyday life, so I had high expectations for this book which unfortunately did not come fully to fruition with Squirrel seeks Chipmunk. The premise is interesting however the execution is just slightly off and  means that the book frequently doesn't hit the heights we have come to expect from his essays.

It is a series of short stories about everyday life however instead of human interaction it is based around animals. From a studding dog philosophising on adultery, Lab animals discussing whether illness is psychosomatic and Storks trying to explain to their offspring where they came from, the humour is there but it is the setting that often lets it down.

I wish I could be more positive about the book as I liked is earlier works and his works since this has been published but it falls flat more often than not. I think in my humble opinion is that a lot of his material is funny because we can relate to them, however, because they stories have been superimposed onto unlikely pairings of animals I found them stilted and often fragmented.

A shame as it could have been so much more.

5.5 out of 10

Peace

Deejay.

Off to be the Wizard - Scott Meyer

Off to be the Wizard - Scott Meyer

Author:

Scott Meyer

Published:

2013

Blurb on the Back:

Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.

What could possibly go wrong?

An American hacker in King Arthur’s court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin…and not, y’know, die or anything.

Review:

This was read as part of my 2014 reading challenge on Goodreads.com

Pop-Culture meets the middle ages in an excellent comedic fashion. The story centres around Martin a geek in a dead end job who enjoys hacking. One day when fooling about within a website he comes across a file which seems to contain all his personal data in real-time. After messing about with his personal stats he finds that it in fact can control the world around him. 

Obviously he does what anyone else would do and starts by adding money to his bank account. This sets the US treasury on his trail for bank fraud and he uses the program to escape their grasp to medieval England.

This sets off a sequence of events which at time is hilarious and at times juvenile in its humour, As Martin struggles to become a wizard in the past all the while returning to the exact point he left the present to confuse both the Government Officials and his own parents. 

This was a highly charged, fast paced book and has left the world open so if he so desired it could easily form a sequel or even a whole series. Personally I'd like to learn about the Atlantis mentioned frequently throughout the plot.

8.5 out of 10.

Peace 

Deejay