Prank Night by David Robbins

I read Prank Night around Halloween last year. So I'm a little behind on this blog. Waddaya gonna do 'bout it, hey? Make me quit? Cuz I just might do that with or without your help, fool. Anyway, Prank Night got me scared, but not for the right reasons. There were so many errors! Aaaaaaaaaah! To see the errors I detected, click here.

[After posting this, I learned that I actually finished Prank Night in November of 2010! For real?! That was not last year. Holy smokes.]

Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Fun, fresh, new. I had never read a graphic novel before starting Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life (unless Archie comics are included in the genre, then I read a shipload of graphic novels while in elementary school) and if the six books in the Pilgrim series are any indication, then I have definitely been missing out. The writing was clever, the plot enjoyable, the drawings entertaining, and I just loved taking in the whole experience.

For the longest time, I would take the dogs out for a walk while either listening to music or doing nothing but walking and looking around. Then, last summer while reading Pilgrim, I realized how much time I had, ummm, wasted - for lack of a better word - when I could've been both walking the dogs and reading. It's not so good to combine the two these days, my hands get awfully cold, but during the summer it's fantastic. Do some reading while walking the trails, then find a rock by the river and sit and read while the dogs do their thing.

SmellyBelly and I watched the Scott Pilgrim movie a few weeks ago, and I was impressed by how well the movie captured the feel and energy of the books. The movie's presentation was superb. Even though SmellyBelly hadn't read the books, I so thought that she'd be into the movie, but, alas, she wasn't.

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life on BookCrossing. There are links from that link to the other five books in the series.

e Squared by Matt Beaumont

An entertaining follow-up to e, Beaumont's debut novel from 2000, e Squared didn't quite capture me the way the first one did. I liked it - I liked it a lot - but it felt too outrageous. As much as I liked the many electronic ways through which Beaumont moved the story along (including emails, texts, and eBay postings), there seemed to be less focus this time on the office side of things. It has been several years since I read e, so maybe that one was the same way. The thing from e Squared that stands out the most, the thing I liked the most, is the staffer who was always away at some conference or retreat, and therefore always had a different out-of-office email reply. Those never failed to make me smile, and I wish I'd jotted a few of them down to share here now.

e Squared on BookCrossing.

Generation A by Douglas Coupland

I have the hardcover, and on the dust jacket's front cover book flap there is a quote from Kurt Vonnegut, from his Syracuse University commencement address on May 8, 1994:

"Now you young twerps want a new name for your generation? Probably not, you just want jobs, right? Well, the media do us all such tremendous favors when they call you Generation X, right? Two clicks from the very end of the alphabet. I hereby declare you Generation A, as much at the beginning of a series of astonishing triumphs and failures as Adam and Eve were so long ago."

This is a story about stories, or as put on Coupland's website: "Generation A mirrors the structure of 1991's Generation X as it champions the act of reading and storytelling as one of the few defenses we still have against the constant bombardment of the senses in a digital world."

There were many wonderful scenes and moments in the story, and the surprise of my parents' hometown as a key setting was tops among them for me.

Generation A on BookCrossing.

Velocity by Dean Koontz

I had never before read a Koontz book and I flew through this one super fast. I can see why his books are so popular, as the plot just steamrolls forward with increasing suspense and any time spent not reading is spent thinking of the book and wanting to read more. A fun and creepy read.

Velocity on BookCrossing.

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

A very easy book to read, with many nuggets scattered throughout - some grand nuggets, some less so. Morrie has wise things to say about how we should live our lives, but if collected and sold without decoration, I feel the aphorisms wouldn't be as valued. What makes them valuable here is the story behind them. The story Albom has told about reconnecting with a former professor is one that readers can take great joy in as they remember past professors of their own.

Tuesdays with Morrie on BookCrossing.

Drinking Sapphire Wine by Tanith Lee

This is a book given to me by Betty (I want her template) shortly before the Biscot and I left Malaysia. The start was slow, but gradually picked up and by the time I reached the halfway mark it was full speed ahead. A wonderful assortment of characters who change - I mean really change - and grow and break free. Lee's style of writing is enjoyable and is matched by the quality of the story that, although slow at the start, was descriptive and fun throughout. I would not have read this book if Betty hadn't gifted it to me, so terima kasih, ooma.

Drinking Sapphire Wine on BookCrossing.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

I enjoyed it but expected more. The book sat on my shelf for many years at four different homes. Wow, I hadn't actually realized how much moving I'd done since 2005. Ch-ch-ch-changes. Anyway, the book was good, but I wasn't blown away. The best part for me was the assorted characters and their various antics. Heller must have had a hell of a good time writing this, as it was a hoot to read at parts. Many good turns of phrase, but to the point of repetition, which may have been Heller's point in regards to his thoughts on war.

Catch-22 on BookCrossing.

Lucky Dog by Mark Barrowcliffe

Any book that prominently features a dog is a good book in my books. Get that dog a-talkin' and, well, it's a nice novelty now and then but I wouldn't read many of those books. Barrowcliffe does a fine job in creating a storyline and situations that bring about some clever passages, both with and without the dog's presence. He does appear to be fond of dogs. I don't know if there's anbody out there who could write a full-length novel of this type who wasn't fond of dogs, no matter how great the idea. All in all, I'd rate this as a lighthearted book with some areas of depth.

Lucky Dog on BookCrossing.

Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor

After buying Stanley Park on October 22, 2004, I finally got around to reading it. I started it shortly before moving, and made sure to keep track of it during all the packing and relocating of boxes so I could pick it up without too much elapsed time and still be able identify characters' names. That's my main problem with books, even books I love. If I set it down for too long, say a fortnight or so, then continue on, I'll have to rack my memory to recall who so-and-so is. Usually I have to flip back several pages to be sure they are who I think they are. Didn't have that problem with this one. It kept my attention, even through all the cooking/restaurant/chef details which is a testament to the writer's ability to wruite about it so even the laypeople among us could keep up. At the same time, I noticed there were (brand)names that the insiders would know about.

The storyline of Stanley Park - the actual park - was very well done. The true story bit about the babes is heartbreaking. I've long known pieces of the story, but being the father of a five-month-old baby makes it much tougher to ponder.

Stanley Park on BookCrossing.

Choose Me by Evelyn Lau

The second collection of short stories I've read recently, and I found this one to be much more enjoyable. I don't have bad things to say about the other collection (Rock Springs), but this one grabbed me a whole lot more. From the first story to the last, Lau had me engrossed; her story-telling abilities outshine many other authors. She expresses so much emotion and sets such a detailed scene in so few words. Remarkable.

Choose Me on BookCrossing.

Rock Springs by Richard Ford

A good collection of stories, but I would've liked more variety of setting and pace. Huh, I just realized that with a collection entitled Rock Springs, I shouldn't be expecting the setting to change much. Good stories with good thoughts. The first few stories absorbed me the most, and "Communist" was a good closer.

Rock Springs on BookCrossing.

Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson

I started reading this on August 31, 2008. Man - it takes me forever to finish a book, eh? Several times I went several weeks without touching this one, and didn't get into the flow of it until a couple of weeks ago. It was entertaining enough as it was going, but in hindsight - having finished last night - there could have been more. While I enjoy watching Craig Ferguson on his Late Late Show television program, his writing style - much like his standup at Richmond's River Rock - didn't grab me.

Between the Bridge and the River on BookCrossing.

Ulysses by James Joyce

It's been a long time since reading a novel - reading anything - was this hard. I wasn't enjoying the read, but giving up was not an option. I must finish. I have to finish. In the end, I couldn't finish. My bookmark is on page 47 of 704 and I haven't touched the book in several weeks; I can't even bring myself to look in its direction, which is hard as it's been collecting dust on my bedside table! Over two years ago, in February of 2006, I PM'd an American BookCrosser and offered to mail this novel in their direction when I was finished with it. Since I'm now finally finished with it (or is it finished with me?), I'll PM them again to see if they're still interested. Time to choose some lighter reading off Mt. TBR for the start of summer.

Ulysses on BookCrossing.

The Explorer of Barkham Street by Mary Stolz

An enjoyable and realistic story of a young boy that has the potential to prompt good critical thought. Some of the issues faced by the boy could be talked out by the reader with the guidance of a parent/guardian. Issues such as body image, friendships, pet ownership/campanionship, hobbies, responsibility. All in all, I got way more out of this book than I thought I would. It made me think of my first dog, Lucky, several times.

The Explorer of Barkham Street on BookCrossing.

The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland

Reading a Douglas Coupland book makes you think. By you I mean me. His books make me think, and the thoughts are usually sad - thoughts about meaninglessness, about loneliness. There is humor in his books; not in-your-face punch-lines type humor, more of a subtle dark-humor type humor. But the humor, I find, is overwhelmed by sadness. The main character in The Gum Thief, Roger, has nothing going for him and he is working the aisles at the local Staples. He his attempting to write a book, titled Glove Pond. One of the characters in Glove Pond, Kyle, is in the middle of writing a book. The setting of Kyle's book: an office superstore. That is delicious.

The Gum Thief on BookCrossing.