an update of sorts

Just so people don't start to think I've abandonded the blog. December was hectic,, I read a bunch of books and caught up on reviews. These have been posted to the blog in a postdated format (so y'all will have to scroll down for them). I'm still working my way through a few of the books on my to be read & reviewed pile and will continue to post them here when I get them done...

However, I started classes again, so my updates will most likely end up being on Fridays when I don't have class time constraints.

I'm looking forwards to seeing what 2008 brings to read, and sharing it with y'all!

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday

What's your favorite book that nobody else has heard of? You know, not Little Women or Huckleberry Finn, not the latest best-seller ... whether they've read them or not, everybody "knows" those books. I'm talking about the best book that, when you tell people that you love it, they go, "Huh? Never heard of it?"

I don't know that I can recomend just one book. I tend to read alot and I tend to read a wide varietyof genre's and read a whole lot of unknown author's. In fact, since I started reviewing, I've been introduced to a lot of new and little known authors. So feel free to poke around the archives and see if you see anything that catches your eye.

One of the books that definately stands out though of the books I've reviewed in the last year was Sigourney's Quest by Gordon Snider, as well as Flight of the Goose: A Story of the Far North by Lesley Thomas.

But, I think caligula's advice is great. Visit your library and just look for something new to you to read, steering clear of well known author's. Try a book you wouldn't normally pick up. You might be pleasantly surprised!

Book Review: Bang Crunch by Neil Smith

Read & reviewed for Armchair Interviews

Bang Crunch is Canadian author Neil Smith’s debut collection of short stories. It contains nine short stories all about pretty ordinarily average people, who find themselves in rather unexpected situations. I didn’t know what to expect when I opened up the book, while snuggling up on my sofa, against the cold weather outside with a large mug of tea. What I found between the covers of this slim novel captivated me and left me wanting to read more by this extraordinarily talented author.

These are a few of the introspective stories in Bang Crunch:

Isolettes introduces us to a young set of parents dealing with the extremity early birth of their child. The story examines the frailty of the new life, and the struggle the young mother has with finding love for the incubator found, baby wrapped in tubes and sensors.

Green Florescent Protein is about Max, a teen struggling to cope with several new situations. He recently moved to a new home in Westmont. His mother, a wacky, sober ex drunk who talks to his father’s cremated remains (which are housed inside a curling stone), deciding to give herself a “life overhaul”. He also is struggling with a new feeling of attraction past friendship with his closest friend Ruby-Doo.

The B9ers What happens when a survivor of a benign tumor starts a support group for others in the same situation? The B9ers captures the struggle of a group of people trying to return to normal life after a close call. They don’t get the support and sympathy they need, since their tumors were not malignant, but still struggle along after surgery.

Bang Crunch Is a look into the life of a girl with Fred Hoyle’s Syndrome, which ages her a year a day.

Scrapbook Amy and her boyfriend struggle with the attack on a University German class that ends with the death of eight women. He was one of the survivors of the attack. This story delves into the what ifs? Why did this happen? The storry delves into the emotions of guilt and anxiety of being a survivor.