Susie's Book Review: Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

When it comes to Chuck Palahniuk, it seems that readers either love or hate his work. In fact, this particular book was Palahniuk's first, and was rejected by publishers for being a bit too 'out there'. Often his books are alarmingly grotesque, and you aren't quite sure whether to cringe or laugh at what he's presenting. Invisible Monsters definitely pushes the limits as far as "bizarre-ness" is defined, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

So here's the story: Shannon McFarland has a career as a picture-perfect supermodel, but her days of glamour and attention are ruined the day her lower jaw is shot off while she is driving down the highway. Her face is hideously deformed, and she finds herself abandoned by all the people who were close to her; including her best friend Evie Alexander who has a prominent role. Now instead of being looked on with admiration, people now are mortified by her appearance.

During speech therapy classes Shannon meets Brandy Alexander; a pill-popping transgendered woman, who has modeled her body after Shannon's previous appearance. The drag queen and Shannon embark on a journey of self reinvention and revenge. The climax of the book includes a rifle-toting Evie and lots ( I mean lots) of blood.

This book isn't for anyone with a weak stomach; there is quite a lot of drugs, a lot of violence, and the characters are demented and troubled. Yet somehow you can't stop yourself from laughing at all the grotesque or absurd situations these people get themselves into. Don't read it if you're too young, and certainly don't give it to mom or grandma for Christmas is all I'm saying;)

The deformed heroine says, "If I can't be beautiful, I want to be invisible". Although the story and the writing isn't necessarily 'beautiful', the book is sharp, exciting, and has pointed commentary on the culture of beauty, consumerism, and cosmetic surgery. I give it 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend it to anyone who likes off-the-wall satire and cinematic-style storytelling.

FYI: There are also rumors that a movie will be made of this book, with Jessica Biel starring as Shannon McFarland. I hope the rumors are true!

Christy's Book Review: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Neverwhere's protagonist, Richard Mayhew, learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished. He ceases to exist in the ordinary world of London Above, and joins a quest through the dark and dangerous London Below, a shadow city of lost and forgotten people, places, and times. His companions are Door, who is trying to find out who hired the assassins who murdered her family and why; the Marquis of Carabas, a trickster who trades services for very big favors; and Hunter, a mysterious lady who guards bodies and hunts only the biggest game.

I will say that having my attention captured by a book revolving around people who live in a dark sewer underneath a dirty city is quite remarkable. The lead character, Richard Mayhew, was an ordinary guy with a big heart and that's why I enjoyed the book. He meets so many fascinating characters (some of them drove me crazy, however!) and proves over and over that people with kind hearts can do a lot to save the people they love.

My favorite kind of story is one where an ordinary guy (or girl) finds that he's actually extraordinary in the end. I kept hoping that at some point he'd gain some special power or prove that he was born for this particular adventure. Nothing quite like that happened, but the thing is... I still loved the story! Richard grew and overcame difficult circumstances, which is very important.

One thing I did not enjoy was his companion, Door. She drove me a little crazy with her mood swings. One moment, she was running to him for help and guidance; in the next chapter she was ditching him due to his incompetant ways in the underworld. I was never quite sure how she felt about him. Maybe that was the point...

Overall, great job from a wildly successful author! And although I didn't enjoy the theme (again, the sewage thing was a turnoff) as much as his screenplays (i.e. Coraline, Mirrormask), I would still give this book a 3.5 out of 5.

Review of The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman

OK, I am an Alice Hoffman addict. This means I read her blog, have her web site listed in my favorite places, and whenever I hear about a new book she's writing I am filled with excitement and count down the days till I can go and buy it. The Probable Future is one of my all-time favorite Hoffman books. There's a whole lot of realistic, fully-realized characters, a big mystery, and a little witchcraft thrown in just for fun.

The whole story is centered around a New England family who are blessed (or cursed, depending) with special gifts. Each of the Sparrow women, upon reaching her 13th birthday, is given a supernatural gift. Elinor, the dying matriarch of the Sparrow family, has the ability to discern liars. Her estranged daughter, Jenny Avery, can divine other people's dreams. Jenny Avery is a single mom who never liked having this so-called 'gift'; she wanted to be normal. She left home as soon as she could, trying to get away from a mother who didn't seem to care for her, and a town where she was kind of an outcast. As a mother she is wholly dedicated to giving her daughter a normal, happy life. She worries about her daughter constantly. She's a hard worker, she's responsible...and obviously she's my favorite character in the book! She hopes when her daughter Stella turns 13 that everything will stay the same, but alas, this isn't the case. Stella's 'gift' is the ability to see how people will die.

When Stella asks her father, Will, to try to prevent a death, he ends up becoming a murder suspect, and her mother sends her to live with Elinor at the mysterious Cake House where Jenny grew up. It's a murder mystery, it's a character story, and it's completely magical.

One thing I love about this book (and about most of Hoffman's writing) is that none of the characters are one-dimensional. Even Jenny's ex-husband, who you begin to think is just an alcoholic, philandering, jerk has another side, and you get to see the sadness and deep pain of a man who's been careless with the things that mattered most to him. Each character has their own story and I was fully immersed in each one. I found myself missing my favorite characters after I put the book down, and wishing there was a sequel so I could find out how they were doing. Ridiculous really, but a sign of a good book!

- Susie

Susie's 'Uglies' Review

Well if you have read Christie's synopsis of The Uglies series, then you will know what the basic premise of the stories is about. If you haven't read it, then you can scroll down to see it:

The minute I started reading The Uglies I knew I was in for a ride. I don't read a lot of Young Adult fiction or science fiction, so this was a perfect introduction for me. I felt like I was on some kind of roller coaster ride that I really didn't want to get off of. The atmospheres are beautifully written, and I felt like I could envision every scene perfectly; from the mountain of white flowers that goes up in flames, to the towering, decapitated buildings in 'the rusty ruins'. The landscapes that Tally encounters on her travels are both beautiful and treacherous, as she's discovering the vastness of the world outside of 'new pretty town'.

Out of the three books, The Uglies was my favorite. I liked the precarious situation that Tally was in, I liked her life-risking travel to 'the Smoke' where one minute everything was fine and the next minute she's in the middle of flames or falling down a cliff. It was all very exciting, and I found myself ignoring the housework and the dishes while I read it as fast as I could.
The book gave an interesting perspective on how much importance is placed on looks, and the idea of everyone having this 'makeover' surgery when they're 16 doesn't seem that strange anymore. The line "I'm Tally Youngblood. Make me pretty." goes through my head a lot since I've read it. The book really ends with a bang.

The Pretties was my least favorite of the three. I just had a hard time appreciating any of the characters as 'pretties' and the futuristic lingo got a little old after a while. I guess it wasn't a problem with the book being flawed, as much as I just didn't enjoy the atmosphere, the characters nearly as much when they are 'pretty minded'.
I think Shay was one of the more interesting characters in this book, forming her own group called 'the Cutters' who cut themselves in order to be able to stay 'bubbly'. 'Bubbly' means that they can see things more clearly even though their brains were altered when they underwent 'pretty' surgery. The people running this futuristic world want everyone to be pretty, happy, and very, very stupid...this way (they hope) everyone will get along and there will be no more wars, etc,..

Specials was nearly my favorite, it was so good. I really love seeing Tally more as a loner type, and this book kind of brought that back. It was very cool seeing her as "the bad guy" and seeing the conflict as she struggles with feelings of love and right and wrong, versus the feelings she has been programmed to see. As a special she has been designed to feel superior, and hate others inferiorities, and to obey the orders of the villain, Dr. Cable. I really actually find myself liking Dr. Cable in a really weird way.

Specials is darker, which I generally like. At the end I definitely felt good about having read all three books, and was glad I had given them my time. I would very much recommend these books to anyone.

Review: Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld

I'm wracking my (very fried) brain and I can't think of where I first discovered this series, but I loved the plot idea and, although I wasn't willing to buy the series and resorted to loaning it from friends, I read all three books in rapid succession.

I got this synopsis from IMDb.com because they are turning the series into movies!!!

In the future children are "Uglies" until they turn 16. On their 16th birthday they get to become "Pretties" by surgery. Tally, a rule breaking teen befriends a girl named Shay. Shay is unsure about the surgery and runs away. When Tally's 16th birthday comes Tally must make an awful decision:she must either betray and turn in Shay on never turn "Pretty" and be "Ugly" forever Written by Selena

In 300 years, normal people are "Uglies" until they turn sixteen and have plastic surgery done to be transformed into the bubble headed "Pretties" who move to the glamorous part of town. The main character, Tally, is threatened with being denied the procedure unless she spies on a friend, Shay, who skipped the operation and joined a rebellious group, The Smoke.

Uglies focuses on Tally's relationship with Shay and with a "Smoke" boy named David. Of the three books (Uglies, Pretties, Specials), I enjoyed this one the least. I felt that it was fairly shallow and I didn't really relate to any of the characters. Perhaps this was simply because I was getting used to the "fluffy" writing, which I believe Westerfeld did on purpose. When I read Pretties, I began to appreciate the author's consistant "from the character's personality" writing that drove the book (very important since the theme of book 2 was about being a shallow "bubblehead" pretty). Book 3, Specials, was by far my favorite. I loved LOVED that Tally was turned - through brainwashing surgery - into one of the "bad guys" but we still felt for her. The book was written from her (unknowingly) skewed perspective, making the reader question who was actually right - Tally or Shay or David?

Although the adventures were fairly quick and not that engaging (aside from the finale in book 3, which I loved), the concept drew me in. I guess I'd call myself an environmentalist, and like to read anything that shows YA that we are destroying the earth by drilling for oil, warring with each other, building huge metal buildings and cutting down all the trees. This book gives a fair description of what could happen if we continue with our destructive behaviors. And for that, I have made Scott Westerfeld my "most want to meet in person" author. His backstory and ideas are ingenious.

If I had a rating system (which we need to get set up!), I would give this book:

5 out of 5 for concept ideas
4 out of 5 for engaging story
4 out of 5 for writing
3 out of 5 for character development

- Christina

Twilight Review

She may not be my favorite author, but I can't escape the fact that I am insanely jealous of her easy entrance into the world of cult fiction. What I wouldn't give to be able to have that kind of fan energy....

So in honor of a woman I admire - and to answer my (modest amount of) own fans who've asked my opinion of the infamous Twilight Series, here goes.

When I first started reading Twilight, I was nearly shaking with excitement. The books were long and I like that (more good stuff!). I read the first book July of 2008 within about 48 hours and enjoyed it quite thoroughly, disappointed when it ended. I loved many of the characters, especially Alice, Esme, Jasper and Carlisle.

Regarding Bella: I enjoyed reading about a girl who is bad at sports, has very white skin and isn't regarded as "the cool girl." However, I found her relationship with Edward displeasing almost instantly. I love a good romance; I do NOT like a romance that is held together by an insatiable need to...what? be together forever? be with someone who excites you? be near someone just because you HAVE TO BE? I wasn't exactly sure WHY they were together and thus my love of Bella began to fade. As the series continues, Bella becomes a very needy girl who can't be away from Edward at all.

Edward? Well, something about the books always bothered me. I didn't exactly know what it was until those "Team Edward/Team Jacob" tees came out. That's when I realized that I was - unintentionally - a Team Jacob girl. Edward makes Bella desperate, heart stricken, shaking from the cold, and, well faint just from kissing him! Jacob builds her a motorcycle, takes her for walks on the beach, and makes her smile!

My conclusion: The premise was fun (cute girl stricken by boy she can't exactly have), the writing was fast and easy to read (not JK Rowling, but nothing to complain about really), and although I wanted to throw Eclipse across the room (or rather, the London airport, where I read the entire book last summer) because of her unrationalized need for a vampire who refuses to turn her, I read every book (and re-read many parts of Breaking Dawn). I mean, let's face it: it's not every day you turn into a gorgeous, super fast and strong, immortal vampire. But when it comes to the romance, a little "why I love him" would be nice. And no, the answer can't be "because I can't be without him."

The Time Traveler's Wife Review

I was very enthusiastic about reading the Time Traveler's Wife after seeing the incredible reviews it got. This book certainly did not disappoint. Just as I was thinking 'this really doesn't make sense', everything started fitting together perfectly.

The Time Traveler's Wife is about a man, Henry, who has "Chrono Displacement" disorder. This means that he has the ability to spontaneously jump to different sequences in time. He does this by no will of his own, and he has no control over where or when he will appear (completely naked I might add) in time. That's right. Every time he passes through time he appears, stark naked, without any idea of where he is or what year he has arrived in.

He first meets his wife, Clare, when he is 28 and she is 20. She runs up to him and exclaims that she's known him her entire life. This is all news to him however, as he's never seen her before. However, when he reaches his 40's he finds himself traveling back in time to Clare's childhood and meeting her as a 6-year-old. She knows a whole lot about Henry that he doesn't know, and the book alternates between his viewpoint and hers. The reader gets to experience the frustrations Clare experiences, as a woman who never knows when her husband will disappear and for how long, or if he is safe. We also get to 'travel' with Henry as he ends up in sometimes beautiful, sometimes precarious situations.

Instead of being purely science fiction, this book weaves together an amazing love story that deals with complex ideas - time travel, marriage, children, religion, death, loss - and it weaves them all together in an honest way that really makes you feel like you can understand the characters. These aren't perfect people; they each have flaws, and make mistakes, and at times I found myself not liking things that they did. However, at the end if you haven't shed at least a few tears for them then you have a heart made of stone. Seriously.

So I highly recommend this book, and I also highly suggest that you read it before it's upcoming theatrical release on August 14th. I have no idea if they will destroy this story on screen or make it worthwhile. I'm posting the trailer here if you're interested, but in my opinion the trailer is severely lacking the darkness or the science fiction aspects of the book. It kind of looks like they took this amazing book and turned it into a really sappy chick flick. The book has many male and female fans, and many feel the same way I do about the trailer. Some love it, some absolutely detest it. I'm not really liking it, but I'm hoping it will surprise me. I will definitely see it either way.