Book Review: Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

Book Title: Breakfast of Champions

Author: Kurt Vonnegut(www.kurtvonnegut.com)

Pages: 302

Publisher: The Dial Press/Random House

Genre: Fiction

(Scale Explanation: 1) Meaning awful, 5) Meaning not good, but not bad, equal, 10) Meaning wonderful)

PLOT - 10

CHARACTERS - 10

BEGINNING - 10

ENDING - 10

FLOW - 8

OVERALL - 10

What I liked about this book:
Who doesn’t like Kurt Vonnegut’s dry, cynical humor? This book was my favorite by far of the very few books that I have read by Vonnegut, even though I have several on my bookshelf waiting to be read. I loved Kilgore Trout, he is lonely, but doesn’t show that he cares. I liked Dwayne Hoover, his character was a nice handsome older man who went crazy in the book and went on a violent spree of beatings and his character totally depicted how one can snap. Plus the Creator of the Universe was an awesome storyteller!

What I disliked about this book:
The only reason the flow gets an 8 is because, vonnegut’s writing is a bit choppy, he will move from idea to a completely different idea all in one section of a chapter. I love it, but others have been known to hate it. I only gave it an 8 to show that the flow isn’t flowy!

Who I would recommend this book to:
Anyone that is a fan of the works of Vonnegut. Anyone that enjoys fictional satire.

What I felt the book was about:
Dwayne Hoover and Kilgore Trout are the main characters that the author and The Creator of the Universe follows in this sotry. You get life stories of the both of them along with a plethora of many other interesting characters. You also get to find out some anatomical lengths of certain members of characters bodies, but that is just a part of the satirical humor that this book encompasses.It mocks so many issues that Americans have today in ways that make you think, "Huh, some of us really are disgusting," but not so much to get you to want to go and revoke your citizenship. Who would want to do that? Anyway, I don't want to write too much about this book in this section because I feel as though too much info would give the greatness of this book away.

Favorite excerpts or quotes from the book:
“And it is in order to acknowledge the continuity of this polymer that I begin so many sentences with “And” and “So,” and end so many paragraphs with “…and so on.”
And so on.
“It’s all like an ocean!” cried Dostoevski. I say it’s all like cellophane.” – Page 234

Upcoming Book Review: Ravished by a Highlander by Paula Quinn

This was a great story with some steamy romance intertwined. I can't wait to post the review.

Excerpt from the book:

FORBIDDEN LOVE
Davina Montgomery is no ordinary Elgish lady. For her own protection, she's been locked away from society, her true identity the Crown's most closely guarded secret. Until a shocking betrayal-and a bold rescue-land her in the arms of a fierce Highlander, a powerful warrior whose searing gaze and tantalizing touch awaken her body and soul.

UNDENIABLE DESIRE
As the firstborn son of a powerful Scottish laird, Robert MacGregor has no loyalty to the English throne, but he's not the kind of man to leave a woman in distress. He vows to deliver Davina to safety, unharmed and untouched. Yet one stolen kiss leaves them both smoldering with desire...and desperate for more. With Davina's secret threatening to destroy his clan, Rob must choose between everything he holds dear and the one woman he can't live without.

Visit http://www.paulaquinn.com/ for more information.

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (HP#6) by J.K. Rowling

Book Title: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (HP#6)

Author: J.K. Rowling(http://www.mugglenet.com/)

Pages: 653

Publisher: Scholastic

Genre: YA/Science Fiction/Fantasy

(Scale Explanation: 1) Meaning awful, 5) Meaning not good, but not bad, equal, 10) Meaning wonderful)

PLOT - 9

CHARACTERS - 8

BEGINNING - 9

ENDING - 7

FLOW - 8

OVERALL - 8

What I liked about this book:

I liked that it was a Harry Potter book and the same characters were involved. Being able to see into Lord Voldemort’s past was pretty darn interesting as well. The love that sparks between the teens is slightly believable, but not Rowling’s strong point. The comedy is still there, in the dialogue which was pleasant. The danger is there as well, but it’s sneaky and kept under wraps until the ending.

What I disliked about this book:

Pretty much the majority of the book seemed like it was written by someone other than J.K. Rowling. I was expecting something reminiscent to Order of the Phoenix, but I was unhappy that the entire story was different. It wasn’t that entertaining and though as I said above, looking into Voldy’s past was interesting, I think it took up too much of the story and just made it lengthier than it should have been. The budding romances between the teens are slightly believable, yet incredibly awkward, as teens can be, it still just didn’t settle well in my mind. The whining of Hermione over Ron is annoying, just tell him already you silly girl! And Ron dancing around the bush about how he might like Hermione, but he doesn’t want to say anything. I was thoroughly surprised that Harry was much more brazen and even more shocked when Ginny was the aggressor for their love story. I was very angry that Snape ended up being a bad guy or more on the bad guys side. Even though there are some other ideas that I have about that whole situation. Snape made the unforgiveable vow, and so therefore, I think that since Malfoy coulnd’t do it, Dumbledore knew the situation and sacrificed himself for Malfoy and Snape, but I won’t know until the last book. An interesting tidbit that was added to the movie that has nothing to do with things that happened in the story that solidified my idea that something may be coming in the last book pertaining to Snape being on the good guys side was when Harry was hiding under the stairs instead of under his invisibility cloak on the Astronomy tower, Harry has his wand pointed at Malfoy, but isn’t acting, but Snape comes up behind Harry and points his wand at him and motions for him to stay quiet. I found this odd and the people making the movie were perhaps trying to show us that Snape isn’t entirely on the bad guy side. Reading the last book in the series will tell if this is true.

Who I would recommend this book to:

Anyone that is a fan of the Harry Potter series, even though this is the worst book by far in the series. Anyone that is a fan of YA fantasy with science fiction strewn in.

What I felt the book was about:

Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts with the most danger yet. Lord Voldemort is back and he’s made life harder for the wizarding community as well as the muggles. Harry has become the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and he has to hold try-outs. Harry gets to continue in potions even though his O.W.L. grades weren’t up to par with Snape, because Snape has become the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Slughorn is the new Potions teacher. Harry didn’t know that he could continue potions, so he didn’t buy any of the supplies. Slughorn lets him borrow a book from the supply cabinet of the potions room and he stumbled upon a book that was owned by the Half-Blood Prince. The directions for the potions are altered and there are even a few charms and spells in the book that Harry gets to use. Malfoy has joined the Death Eaters and Snape has made the Unforgivable Vow to protect him. Strange things start happening, a cursed necklace turns up and almost kills Katie Bell. A bottle of wine that was supposed to be given to Dumbledore as a Christmas present turns up in Slughorns study and Ron almost dies drinking this as well. Harry concedes that they are attempts on Dumbledore’s life and says that Malfoy is behind it. Dumbledore assures Harry that he knows what’s going on and to not worry about it. Ron starts dating Lavender Brown and Hermione rushes off crying just about every time the couple is mentioned. Ginny starts making advances on Harry and he is ecstatic. They start dating and Ron okays it. In the end, Harry has to tell her that he can’t continue to date her anymore because he is leaving Hogwarts the next year and going to find the mysterious Horcrux’s in which he has uncovered Voldemort has stored parts of his soul in them. Dumbledore told Harry that Voldy cannot be killed unless all Horcrux’s are destroyed. There is a horrible ending to the book that is bound to make any HP avid reader cry. And a betrayal by Snape is outrageous, though still shrouded in mystery as to the reasoning behind it and why it happens.

Favorite excerpts or quotes from the book:

““What’s that?” asked Harry.

“It’s from Lavender,” said Ron, sounding revolted. “She can’t honestly think I’d wear…”

Harry looked more closely and let out a shout of laughter. Dangling from the chain in large gold letters were the words: My Sweetheart.” – Page 338

Upcoming Book Review: Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

Oh man, do I love Kurt Vonnegut or do I love Kurt Vonnegut. I would even go so far as to say that I wish he had been my g-pa or my father. I would love to have some of the talent that the had. Amazing, that's what he was!!


Excerpt from the back of the book:

Breakfast of Champions is vintage Vonnegut. One of his favorite characters, aging writer Kilgore Trout, finds to his horror that a Midwest car dealer is taking his fiction as truth. The result is murderously funny satire as Vonnegut looks at war, sex, racism, success, politics, and pollution in America and reminds us how to see the truth.

Visit: http://www.vonnegut.com/ for more information.

Book Review: Menage-A-20: Tales with a Hook by 20 Goodreads Authors

Book Title: Menage-A-20: Tales with a Hook

Author: 20 Goodreads Authors (http://www.menage-a-20.com/)

Pages: 408

Publisher: Lulu

Genre: Fiction(many different takes)

(Scale Explanation: 1) Meaning awful, 5) Meaning not good, but not bad, equal, 10) Meaning wonderful)

PLOT - 9

CHARACTERS - 9

BEGINNING - 10

ENDING - 9

FLOW - 10

OVERALL - 9

What I liked about this book:
This was an anthology, so there were so many different views and stories that were written in the fiction genre. I like a lot of them and only had a few issues with some of them. This was truly an interesting read and I found that if I read story after story, I didn’t pay attention as well, until I read one story a day or every few hours. Much better way to read an anthology.

What I disliked about this book:
Nothing really. I had a few issues with a few incidents in a few of the stories, but nothing that would prevent me from reading again or recommending this book to someone that wants a good read.

Who I would recommend this book to:
Everyone that likes to read.

What I felt the book was about:
As I stated above, this was an anthology so there was no real way to dissect each story without going on for pages and pages of synopsis. So, basically, read it and you can pick and choose what you liked and pick and choose what you want to read. Great book that was a real time passer and I really liked all of the authors that had their stories showcased in this anthology.

Favorite excerpts or quotes from the book:
The very last line of the very last story that was a collaborative story by all of the authors. I really liked it, but I won’t reveal it because it would give too much away. It would totally ruin your reasons for reading the last story, well, not entirely, just read it. The last story is hilarious!

20 Goodreads Authors:
Carlos J. Cortes (editor), Andy Love, Minnie Estelle Miller, Renee Miller, D.B. Pacini, Roy L. Pickering Jr., Kate Quinn, Lauren Stone, Michael Keyton, Kelley Roby, Rita J. Webb, Diane Condon-Boutier, Henry Lara, Paul Mitton, Gwendolyn McIntyre, Susan Curnow, Rita Stradling, Isabella Erlenmeyer, Wendy Swore, Jeanne Voelker.

Happy Release Day to Jaimey Grant with 'Deception'

Happy Release Day, Jaimey Grant!!!

July 15th, 2010 (That's today), is the release day for 'Deception' by Jaimey Grant.

I really feel this will be a successful day for Jaimey. She has worked very hard on this book, and just look at that lovely, beautiful, eye-catching cover!

A few links that you need to know to get the scoop on 'Deception' and Jaimey Grant:

The publishers site, where there is an all day party!

http://www.treasurelinebooks.com/

The blog for everything 'Deception!'

http://www.regencydeception.blogspot.com/

The site for all that is Jaimey Grant!

http://www.jaimegrant.com/

The blog for going inside the mind of Jaimey Grant!

http://www.jaimeygrant.blogspot.com/

I hope that anyone that visits my site today visits these sites to show support for an author and woman that I truly admire. Perhaps, you may stumble upon a giveaway on the publishers site. Hmmmm...was that a hint? I think, yes!!!!!

Congratulations Jaimey!