Chuseok | Official Korea Tourism Organization

A little off the topics of books, but how could I miss a major holiday?? So for everyone that celebrates, Happy Chuseok!

Chuseok | Official Korea Tourism Organization

Review: The Fall by Albert Camus

Title: The Fall

Author: Albert Camus

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf

Pages: 147

Ok, I didn't like this one. My first read by this author and maybe my last. This story was about some guy talking about how great he is and any mistakes he has made he has corrected or some crap. I don't know. I feel like I would avoid this guy if I saw him coming at me. Reading one guy venting for an entire book was just too much. I am probably missing some amazing philosophical message here but I just don't care.

There were a couple of quotes I did like though:

"Have you noticed that death alone awakens our feelings?" 

I think this is true...

"...at the same moment, hundreds of millions of men, my subjects, painfully slip out of bed, a bitter taste in their mouths, to go to a joyless work."
OMG!!!! THIS PERFECTLY DESCRIBES ME GOING TO WORK!!!

Ok, so outside of those quotes, this dragged. Since I am pretty sure I only have one life, I won't attempt to read anything more by this author unless it's more like a traditional story format, which I am used to. It's not that I don't mind try or reading new things, but this tried my patience!

I give this a 1 out of 5. (oh how i want my time back for reading this one!!!)

(Squeeze In) Review: God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian

Title: God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian
Author: Kurt Vonnegut
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Seven Stories Press
Pages: 79



I was in the library for one book, but I picked this one up as well!!! I was curious and it was short and I could add to my goodreads.com challenge, which I am lagging behind in BIG TIME!!! I will call this a 'Squeeze In' book since I have already started a book and haven't finished this one but I'll add this just because... :)

The cover caught my attention right away. And I am always interested in the topic of death. It is coming for us all after anyway.  

This book is from a radio series of 90 second interludes on WNYC. During these interludes famous people (though I don't know everyone, but I just figured the others were famous to someone) do a quick interview. The dead have stories about unique parts of their lives and they only last from one to a few pages each.

Overall, this was a very smart, creative, and thoughtful short book that can keep the reader very entertained as they move on to the next dead person's story.

I give this a 4 out of 5. Go read this book! 

Review: Notes From the Internet Apocaypse...A Novel...

TITLE: Notes from the Internet Apocalypse...A Novel...
AUTHOR: Wayne Gladstone
GENRE: Fiction
PUBLISHER: St. Martin's Press
PAGES: 216

This is about a man, Gladstone, who goes to find out what happened to the Internet, basically.

Very easy to read and with an interesting cast of characters, the story begins on a journey in New York. Soon he meets Oz, and along with his friend Tobey, they set off. The world moves along but of course with any addicts, those with withdrawal come out as well, well they kind of have to since there is no more Internet.

The story isn't comedy, but not full of drama either. Tobey is the main comic relief and Gladstone confronts or relives past pain.

The end is not what I expected. It goes off into an area that made it feel like a quick way to end the story so I am not sure how I feel about it exactly.....

I give this a 3 out of 5. Definitely pick this one up from the library. Actually, just go to the library, hang out, read a book, borrow a book, borrow some movies, find a class to join....

Review: Sita's Ramayana

TITLE; Sita's Ramayana

AUTHORS: Samhita Arni and Moyna Chitrakar

GENRE: Juvenile Ficiton

PUBLISHER: Groundwood Books/House of Anasi Press

PAGES: 149

Another slow to review book. I really don't like that, but I do stay a bit unorganized...anyway, this book caught my eye in the library. It is very pretty and I was drawn to the color. So this is a retelling of a classic tale where Sita is kidnapped by Rama! This version tells us Sita's side and since I don't know of any other view, this one is pretty good. With good drama and emotion, I enjoyed this story. The book this is described as Juvenile Fiction, but it's really a story for anyone and it makes you think about women's roles and war. This story kind of made me think about the world today and the issues we have and even how I let myself be treated. This is not a downer of a story, well maybe a little, but I felt a little bit of a personal uplifting. I recommend it.

I give this a 4 out of 5.

Review: The Revenant by Michael Punke

So I am back and ready to restart this blog with The Revenant by Michael Punke. In this book, Hugh Glass, a man that has decided to live the whole outdoorsman lifestyle but set in a very different time than today. This story take place during the later1800s and the threat of Native Americans (or vice versa in their opinion I would imagine) is alive and well. Glass is with a fur trade business and they have decided to travel through potentially dangerous land. The bit of backstory of how Glass came to be with them is another story (a couple actually) but this one focuses on how after his attack from a bear, the 2 men that were suppose to protect him, betray him in the worst way. What does he have left? Yup, revenge.

I first came upon this book after watching the trailer for the upcoming movie. It grabbed me and of course I was super happy it was a book! I haven't done much in the way of research on this man, but this story here is historical fiction, but Glass was a real man, and from the bit I read about him, he lead an interesting and hard life.

I am torn with a final rating. I was hoping for more action and more emotion in parts but overall this is a great read.

I give this a 3 1/2 out of 5.


See the trailer here on youtube.com:
The Revenant Trailer