Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Gaiman is the king of macabre children's literature. A short, quick read. but creepy as well. It literally gave me nightmares. Don't let this stop you from reading it though. I love the worlds Gaiman creates in his books. On top of that, his writing is amazing. His prose is sparse but very effective. He combines the best of two literary worlds: amazing plots and beautiful prose.

The Secret Garden

As many of you know, I am taking a children's lit class. We just finished The Secret Garden. I had read this as a youngin', but haven't read it for many years.
I forgot what a great book it is! I love the pictures it makes in my head of the secret hidden garden, a place that magic happens.
One of my all-time favorites!

Cracked by Dr. Drew Pinksy

I am completely addicted to the VH1 shows "Celebrity Rehab" and it's spin-off, "Sober House." Not to mention I have been a Loveline fan for years, so when I was at the bookstore perusing and came across a book written by Dr. Drew I had to read it.

A good portion of the book is basically Celeb Rehab in written form minus the celebrities. I guess addiction looks the same whether you are rich and famous or a broke nobody.

What I found was interesting was the running commentary by Pinsky not only about the situations at hand from a medical standpoint, but also what was going on in his heart and head. On tv he portrays a calm demeanor, unaffected by the chaos and sadness his profession brings. In reality is deeply affected and doesn't always feel in control of the situation. It was an interesting perspective.

I also liked how he went into his theories and biology behind addiction and why addicts just can't up and stop. Again, it was an interesting perspective.

I would recommend this book with a caveat. (Other than it's not the best written!) It has frank discussion of drug abuse and all that goes with it, sexual abuse, abusive parents, violence, etc etc. Plus what I would describe as "real-life" language (ie tons of f-bombs). Like I said though, it's an interesting perspective on a problem that plagues our society.

Middlemarch: by George Eliot aka: Mary Ann Evans

I picked this novel for my first review because it is being held in serious consideration to possibly earn the title of "Jessica's favorite novel of all time," which is a huge deal. I will be honest, as with most novels that I consider life-changing, you have to work a little at the beginning. Eliot has a brilliant intellect, and she is writing during a period of change and reform, so at the beginning of the novel you have to sift through a lot of tensions involving class, economics, politics, religion, science, occupation and education in order to really understand the depth of the story. However, I promise you it is worth the work.

Eliot's voice in the novel is ironic, and moves from person to person. She has remarkable characterization and narrative skill. The novel introduces profound and probing questions about religion, life, and human relationships. To me the novel poses the question, "if each individual sees the universe so differently, how do we form a community?" It opens the readers eyes (at least mine) to the human tendency to judge and misinterpret others. Middlemarch is truly a novel that is not just concerned about action and plot, but with interiority as well.

As for the impact this novel had on me, that is individual, and cannot be completely described, but I will say this: it is incredible to me that at the time Eliot wrote Middlemarch she had already decided that she did not believe in England's institutional religion or even religion in general. More than any other novel, her novel awakened inside of me a true desire to be a better, more Christian human being. She forced me to take an internal look, to analyze myself in terms of judgement v. understanding, hypocrisy and selfishness v. acting in a charitable manner, pride v. humility and affectation v. pure honesty. She forces you to confront the motivations behind your actions, and the deep and often incredibly difficult ability to purely forgive.

I honestly could go on and on and write a book about my journey with the characters, chapter by chapter, but in short, I highly reccomend this book. :)

the twenty-one balloons.

hello again. 

this story, has been a favorite of mine since i was ten years old. the author, William Pène du Bois, encapsulates all of the things that make a fabulous book. simplicity, creativity, international cuisine, secret societies, pinstriped suits and hot air balloons. it is quite a quick read, but it will bring you joy for quite sometime. it has been compared to "the diamond as big as the ritz" by f. scott fitzgerald. although similar in ideas, they each take quite a different route. the twenty-one balloons is definitely geared towards children, and mister fitzgerald's story, towards adults. i plan on reading both simultaneously one of these days, and will let you know how it goes. until next time, farewell. 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Inspired by The Jungle Book, Gaiman tells the story of a young boy who is raised by ghosts in the local graveyard.
I LOVED this book. Each chapter is its own short story, which made for many delightful adventures. The characters are fun (The Sleer had to be my favorite). It's a charming children's tale with a macabre and bittersweet twist. This is a must read and I am excited to delve into more of Gaiman's work.

real food.

hello dearest peoples. this book, has changed my life. you better believe it. validating everything my mother taught me {growing up} about nutrition, expanding on ideals that i always held, teaching me more about the SIMPLE facts of food and nutrition and showing that there is hope for mankind to rethink their ways. if i could get people to read this book, the most IMPORTANT book regarding health/nutrition/food, that would be an amazing thing. in fact, i would so like everyone to read this, that if you do, i will make you dinner. yes. i am for REAL. i have read many a book about food/nutrition in my day and while offering a bit of truth and helpfulness, they were always a bit complicated and overboard. while reading this book, i have had so many "duh" moments that its not even funny. it really just makes sense. nothing to insane and "modern". yes, i will go as far as saying this is one of my top five "life changing" books ever. i am serious about the making dinner thing too...so let me know if you want to take my challenge. farewell. 

through the narrow gate.

can i just say, wow. that is what pops into my head when i think about this book. although it took me a while to get through this book, it had nothing to do with the pace of the story. i thoroughly enjoyed every morsel! i would often have to remind myself that this was a piece of non fiction. karen armstrong {the author} is such a wonderful 

writer. she has definitely led a most interesting life. she takes you through her journey of becoming a nun and all that goes with it. reading this book, like most people, i had my own ideas about nuns. the sound of music, sister act and the trouble with angels come to mind. hollywood obviously doesn't portray them correctly, but by reading this, i have come to understand a great deal of what goes into becoming a nun and the emotional roller coaster ride it takes you on. this was a FABULOUS read though. i highly recommend it to anyone who is curious about the religious life and the real story of a nun. i am excited to start her other book the spiral staircase; my climb out of darkness. it will be interesting to hear the rest of the story. 

if you are interested, feel free to come borrow it from me. 

love love

Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper

What a great, yet devastatingly sad book.
For those that don't know, Anderson Cooper is a news anchor for CNN, usually taking special assignments he has been all over the globe reporting on many world crises.

This book he chronicles his experiences with some of those events as well as his childhood and tragedy in his own life.

It's not an easy read. I found myself in the coffeeshop this morning blinking back tears as I was reading the last few chapters. Cooper definitely has a way with words though. Hopefully he will put out more books like this!

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

What a fun book! It truly is a book lovers' book! It quotes a passage from a famous book at the beginning of each chapter, and made my to-read list much longer in the process.
I enjoyed the characters and the fantasy. I REALLY enjoyed the book up until the ending. I won't spoil anything here (note to Kate, perhaps we should have a no spoils rule for all posts?? Just a thought...) But I felt one of the characters ended up doing something completely OUT of character and the resolution was messy in my opinion.
Despite that, I still enjoyed the book thoroughly and plan to read the rest of the trilogy at some point.

Alphabet Juice

Alphabet Juice : The Energies, Gists, and Spirits of Letters, Words, and Combinations Therof; Their Roots, Bones, Innards, Piths, Pips, and Secret Parts, Tinctures, Tonics, and Essences; With Examples of Their Usage Foul and Savory by Roy Blount Jr.

This was a fun book, full of random trivia and words. Organized like a dictionary, with a chapter for each letter, it has a plethora of both common and bizarre words. It would make the perfect bathroom book (ie something to read on the john while doing your business).

xiii

welcome comrades. 

this is a book review blog. 

over the coming months, it shall be filled with glorious reviews, from a number of distinguished writers. we have quite the eclectic bunch here, so we will be covering numerous genres. 

if you would like to be an author or have any questions please email me at, misterstevesir@gmail.com. 

farewell. 

just wait for it.

we are nearly there.