50 Book Challenge

#17. "Rules of Attraction" by Bret Easton Ellis.
I loved this book. I thought that because I'd already seen the movie adaptation I wouldn't enjoy it as much. Not true. The device he uses of jumping from perspective to perspective of events is conatnatly interesting. The events of the book couldn't be called interesting when explainly, it's the misunderstandings and secret thoughts of each character that make this a must read

#18. "Glamarama" by Bret Easton Ellis.
The 3rd book in my Ellis- Bender :) I enjoyed this and could never quite predict where it was going. Not the most enjoyable read I've ever had though. Unlike the literary style of "Rules of attraction", the text and descriptions of asthetics and celbrity are relelntless and dense. I did lose interest from one chapter to another at times. That wouldn't have been an issue if the book wasn't about 200 pages too long...Did Mostly Enjoy but wouldn't recommend!

#19. "The Fall" by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan
The 2nd book of 'The strain' trilogy. Oh dear, the scoobies aren't doing too well against a unending wave of the savage undead. But of course that makes it all the more interesting :) Would recommend if Apocalyptic battles are your thing :)

In 1871, self-made Arctic explorer Charles Francis Hall spearheaded the first U.S. expedition to reach the yet-unconquered North Pole. By three months in, however, he was dead - the probable victim, as author Richard Parry notes in Trial by Ice, of a murderous plot among certain members of his crew. That was only the start of the misfortunes for Hall's expedition, though; a Lord of the Flies mentality swiftly descends upon the crew, and a series of wrongheaded, incompetent decisions put the survivors in a fight for their lives in a desolate, icy wasteland.

Now, the story takes a while to get going, though perhaps that's just a vagary of the format - this is the first unabridged audiobook to which I've listened. Parry's digressions in the first, pre-expedition part of the book, though, are a bit patience-trying. He also telegraphs certain information about who survives that would be best left unrevealed early on, and his completely warranted frustration with the scholars who interfered with Hall's ill-fated expedition often turns into petty animosity against scholarship in general. When the book gets going about a third of the way in, though, it's utterly gripping - the writing and character work allows us to see how interactions compounded their misadventures and made the worst of their situation, and Parry milks every small turn of the crew's fortunes for (totally earned) nail-biting drama. Near the end, I was shouting out loud with relief or disbelief at every development and often stayed in the car for a good long bit after I'd arrived at my destination to see how Hall's explorers would get out of their latest jam (and into their next one).

I've read offhanded rejections online of Parry's explanation for Hall's death, but I dunno - the forensic & circumstantial evidence and journaled testimony the author assembles is pretty damning. Regardless of whether you agree with Perry's conclusions as to Hall's fate, though, his chronicle of the man's doomed expedition is arresting.

Book 78: Corsets & Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances .
Author: Edited by Trisha Telep, 2011.
Genre: Steampunk. Science Fiction. Fantasy. Romance. Short Stories.
Other Details: Paperback. 437 pages.

There are millions of stories in the Clockwork City; here are thirteen of them. - Introduction to Corsets & Clockwork.

This collection of romantic short stories was commissioned to reflect the current popularity of the steampunk sub-genre and is aimed at young adult readers. Contributors included a number of well known names such as Maria V. Snyder, Kiersten White, Lesley Livingstone, Caitlin Kittredge and Michael Scott.

I am not a great fan of short stories collections though they can serve as an excellent introduction to new authors. There were a couple of authors here who intrigued me enough to want to check out their longer works.

As with most short story collections it was something of a mixed bag but overall there was more stories that I enjoyed than those that just fell flat. I especially enjoyed Marie S. Snyder's WWII story and was surprised I got on so well with Michael Scott's 'Deadwood' as westerns are not really my thing. I also loved Dru Pagliassotti's Code of Blood with its lush Venetian setting. I liked how many of the stories had elements of fantasy including magic alongside the steampunk tropes.

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Forget You by Jennifer Echols
angst, beach read, high school, mature, romance, social issues, young adult
4/5   -just wonderful

There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four- year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon.

But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people— suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them?

Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her.

Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug

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first read in March 2011:
I enjoyed reading this, staying up to the wee hours of the morning to finish. I wasn't crazy about the ending.

Read again in June 2012:
I've often found myself thinking about scenes from this book, like the part in the back of the cop car, and I had to read it again.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
adult fiction, male protagonist, mature, movie
4/5   -just wonderful

The tragic story of the complex bond between two migrant laborers in Central California. They are George Milton and Lennie Small, itinerant ranch hands who dream of one day owning a small farm. George acts as a father figure to Lennie, who is a very large, simple-minded man, calming him and helping to rein in his immense physical strength.The tragic story of the complex bond between two migrant laborers in Central California. They are George Milton and Lennie Small, itinerant ranch hands who dream of one day owning a small farm. George acts as a father figure to Lennie, who is a very large, simple-minded man, calming him and helping to rein in his immense physical strength.

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I never read this in high school. I was in the stupid class so we just watched the movie version of classic books.

It was good, I'd recommend it.