Review: Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter… I am going to give it a “meah”. In middle school these books were fun and entertaining but by the last book I was too old and the books became slightly embarrassing (too over-the-top with the whole teen romance thing). Don't get me wrong, I loved these books and was so tied up in the story I had to know how it ended, but I think that I outgrew them. There are lots of holes in books based on the assumption that they are written in these times. Rowling did not write about some alter magical land or a galaxy far far away, but instead recounted the tale of teenage wizards supposedly amongst us "muggles." In the end, the books are childish and won't work for an adult audience. Even in the Harry Potter reality, SEAL Team 6 would take out Voldemort in every book, until he no longer existed, he wouldn’t hear the stealth helicopters coming. Still, if you can hold back reality and immerse yourself in the fantasy than these books may work for you. Though, it may sound as if I give this series a bad rap, I still actually enjoyed reading these books. That being said, I wouldn't recommend anyone older than their teens to take up these novels. These books are one of the best, but for the 8-16 year old range.

Review: Broca's Brain - Carl Sagan

This was a very interesting non-fiction science book. I don't really have a particular interest in science and I still found this extremely intriguing. The book not only looks at theories of the universe, but also about religion. I found the part about near death experiences the most interesting. The book also takes a very unbiased view on the topics he discusses. I enjoyed this book for the most part. However, the middle part was a bit boring to me. I read the book cover to cover, but if you don't want to do that you don't have to. The parts as a whole are related, but you still can take the book chapter by chapter and read through the ones that interest you the most without missing out; you don't have to know what happened in the prior chapters to understand. I recommend this book if you are looking for an interesting non-fiction book no matter what background you have.

Review: Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

If you are a girl who likes romance, you can't help but love Pride and Prejudice. This story is generally regarded as Austen's best work and having read many of her novels, I would agree. The only complaint that I have is that the story is a little too perfect. I don't like when everything is perfect because I think it loses a sense of reality, but that's me. However, I should warn readers that it is initially difficult to get into the story, because Austen goes into an extensive set-up of the story and the dialect is a lot different from today. Still I think that as you continue reading, it becomes smoother and easier to catch on. I think it is worth the initial struggle to get into the story, because Darcy and Elizabeth are the classic story of love and hate. I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants a good romance novel that is not too hot for T.V.

Review: Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

Though I personally was not interested in this book, I know a couple of people that I think would love it. I just wasn't captivated by the setting or the pace of the novel. It was a little too heavy, too serious, too slow for me. However, people who liked the movie Apocalypse Now (I didn't) would probably love this book since this was the inspiration for that movie, which does a great job of capturing the mentality of this novel. They basically follow the same plot, but Heart of Darkness takes place during Belgium's colonizations of Africa, instead of Vietnam. I have nothing against this book, other than my own preference.

Note: I labeled this novel in War even though it's not about a war, but colonization. Still, I think it captures that type of mentality and because of it's relation to Apocalypse Now.

Review: The Mist - Stephen King

I found that this book started off so well, but ended really bad. There was a lot of great excitement at the beginning of the book then it just fell flat. There was no explanation of anything. This book just felt as if King was really excited about the idea at first, but then couldn't figure out how to have it make sense and just left it like that. The story is entirely pointless and completely unbelievable, even for a work of fiction. If you are looking for a good scary book do not read this one.Though the first chapters are intriguing, don't be fooled or else, like me, you'll be left frustrated at the end. I kept reading thinking that perhaps everything would be tied together at the end, but it did not happen. Do not put yourself through the same frustration.

Review: The Belgariad - David Eddings

The Belgariad is actually the compilation of a five book series; Pawn of the Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, Castle of Wizardry, and Enchanter's End Game. The series is a fantasy quest story about a group of characters that must set the world/future back on its course, in relation to destiny (the plot is a bit complicated to explain). Compared to some other fantasy books this one has not got much attention, but this is one of my favorite books. I know that some things are not explained very well or at all, but when you're reading you don't care. I actually think that this helped the story. Instead of halting the story to make tedious explanations, Eddings continues (making the assumption that it just works) and keeps the momentum going. Additionally, the characters are so welcoming, fun, and very distinct, that you forget that it doesn't make sense how things happen sometimes. Furthermore, the story is great combining a lot of action, romance, seriousness, and comedy as these characters go on their quest. I absolutely love this book. I am a junkie when it comes to these characters; I have read the sequel to this story, The Mallorean, as well as the character books: Polgara, the Sorceress and Belgarath, the Sorcerer and also the Rivan Codex. So as you can see, I love this series. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes the fantasy genre, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Review: Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

This book definitely gets top marks from me. The writing was descriptive without being too poetic. However, Rand can get too long-winded at times and repetitive. Furthermore, though I am not one to fear long books, this one was extremely long with parts that I believe could have been condensed to be more captivating. The momentum got lost in the dialog at times. Still, the plot and the characters were dynamic. They represent an extreme type of person, but still maintain a warm quality about them. I really liked Dagny, the main character in the story, who represented a strong woman without having any feminist motives. Without giving anything away, the book is about an alter United States in which the government is becoming more socialist controlling businesses and at the same time becoming more corrupt. The story focuses around the struggle of major industry players who fight for capitalism and the right to control their own destiny, but in a surprising way. I am a complete fan of this book and recommend this book to readers who like a good philosophical story.

Review: The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

This book shocked me; it was not what I expected at all. I really don't want to say much about the plot, but to give you an idea: its in the supposed future where some women play a new role based on a story from the bible, but one that people will find appalling, seriously appalling. Though I felt that the book was just okay, the story was so unique that you couldn't help but be slightly intrigued. Also, though the writing was different, I found it kind of off-putting. This is by no means my favorite, but as I said, it can still be captivating. Also, this novel has an underlying intensity, which is not from action but from the nervousness and fear for the characters. I recommend this book if you are looking for a unique story.

Review: Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk

This book was awesome. Surprisingly, I didn't find that it was as violent as it sounds. Don't get me wrong it is violent, there are fights and lots of mayhem. However, I think there is also a lot of witty dialog between the characters that draws you in and philosophy about the nature of people today, which I did not expect. The characters in this book are outrageous, yet somehow believable. I loved this book, because it was very convincing and the best shocker. For those tempted, DO NOT watch the movie it will give it away and the whole book will not have the same effect. For those who have already seen the movie, this book is still good and is fun in that you are able to catch the subtleties and hints. I am a fan of this book and although it tends to have a masculine draw, I think ladies will enjoy this book too (for you semi-romantics, you will never read about a stranger love triangle). I recommend this book for anyone who wants something that has good (but maybe a little crude) humor, and lots of action.

Review: On the Road - Jack Kerouac

Ughh, I absolutely hated this book. I understand that it's a book that described a generation, but I just got fed up with the characters' lives and their complete lack of responsibility. The worst was that the book seemed entirely pointless. It's kind of like the blog I wrote about my time in Edinburgh; it was enjoyable for people who knew me, but no one else would have cared. This book left me completely unaffected, well except for the frustration in that I had to force myself to finish it. I think if you like stories that follow the life and the growth of characters you may like this novel, but I felt like I was dragging my feet to finish this book. The development was slow and though I enjoyed some of the descriptions and culture, it was about as often as a blind squirrel finds a nut.

Review: 1984 - George Orwell

I enjoyed this book, mostly for the surprises and intensity. However, I became so frustrated with the characters. Still I guess if a book can make you feel something at all that is a good thing. I thought that the idea was a great take on a now widely popular theme of a future world controlled by a select few leaders in which the people are repressed, but brain washed into thinking its right. What's good about this one are the twists on that now familiar story. Though 1984 has come and gone, this story is still intriguing and advanced in some ways even now. Readers if you enjoy an intense book with a little bit of beautiful, yet sinful intrigue as well as shocking twists, this is definitely for you.