boondockdrunk

I am a member of a book club on another website and I just thought I would share my reviews with you guys (in case anyone was interested).

I just finished The Shining by Stephen King. I am sure you have all heard about this story, either from the movie or the book itself.

This is one of the best works by Stephen King that I have read (and I have read a lot of them: Dark Tower, The Stand, 'Salem's Lot, Desperation) and deservers all the praise it receives. The basic background of the story is about the Torrance family and their recent run of bad luck. This causes the father to take a job looking after a three story hotel in the middle of nowhere for an entire winter. Once the snow storms begin to settle in the hotel's history of bloodshed comes to life. Danny Torrance is the 5 year old son of both Jack and Wendy Torrance and he has a strange gift, which one person calls 'The Shining.'

I don’t want to give away too much of the story, so I will quit there with the summary. Anyway, what makes The Shining truly disturbing is the fact that the killer, Jack, is just like a normal person. But once the hotel gets a hold of him, and cabin fever is induced, he changes from a father willing to do anything for his family to a monster who only thinks for himself. The only major draw back to this book (not for me, but I can see this being a problem for some other readers) is the fact that it takes to about page 300 to actually get into some of the action and more suspenseful parts. However, for people who enjoy the development of a story I would recommend this to you. This is because King really goes into detail about the family’s past and makes you understand their inner workings more.

Score:
4 out of 5

I recently finished American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. This is one of my favorite books of all time, and is a lot different from the movie. The book is a satire on modern living (mocking designer outfits and 'hip' places to go to). Patrick Bateman is the focus of the author's disgust with the modern lifestyle. A handsome and intelligent man, Patrick Bateman works on Wall Street by day and spends his nights in a disturbing life of blood and violence. This book is by no means meant for everyone; because the murders are truly gut wrenching. However, if you are able to finish this book you will find that it is a hilarious and inspiring bit of writing. In addition this book is very different from the movie, so do not judge the book if you have only seen the movie.

Again I have to say that if you pick this one up, prepare for alot of vulgar words, gruesome murders and animal cruelity.

Score: 5 out of 5

Edit: Oh and I forgot to mention for American Psycho, that the author describes the people not on their facial features or outward appearance, but on the clothes they wear.

KLL

Thanks for those wonderful reviews......

What got you interested in doing book reviews? Is this something that you've actually considered pursuing for a career or just do it as a hobby?

I am wondering if you'd be willing to contribute more reviews for this forum? Perhaps a "Book-a-Day" which would help complement "Album-a-Day" which is your choice without any obligation whatsoever.......

I know I tend to emphasize music (since that along with sports are my 2 greater passions in life), but I never want people to believe that I've absolutely lost sight that this forum does cater to those who are both avid readers and gamers, so anyone please feel free about posting about anything related to books and video games, or anything regarding multi-media (except for movies and t.v. which there's obviously another exceptional forum entirely dedicated to those)...

boondockdrunk

I like reading, and I like talking about books in general. However, I am swamped with work, because I have 8 hour days and training on top of that (some days are 12 hours long). I don't think I can do a book a day, but I can write up reviews for past books that I have read and mass post them (multiple ones at a time).

In fact I am going to do that. If anyone is interested the upcoming reviews will be of: Catch-22, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Animal Farm, and Survivor (As soon as I have a chance to finish it).

I would be more than happy to contribute more reviews to this forum. And I will work on them in my free time.

Do you want to keep the reviews to this thread or is there going to be a sticky thread? Just for my future reference.

ajcardfan

I really liked all 3 of those books. I've read all of them more than once (but not in the last several years). I look forward to your reviews.

__________________
We live in a world which is full of misery and ignorance, and the plain duty of each and all of us is to try to make the little corner he can influence somewhat less miserable and somewhat less ignorant than it was before he entered it.

T.H. Huxley

KLL

Please do whichever format is best suited for you.....

You could post a review on just one separate thread initially (which I would "sticky" ontop of the forum) and then I would merge each and every one of them (perhaps after a wk or so) with this thread (since it's aptly titled "Joel's Book Reviews")..... However, it's entirely up to you and I look forward to your future contributions...... Thanks in advance.....

boondockdrunk

I liked them all too, so they will get good reviews. It has been a while since I have read a book that I didn't like. Also, I will be adding A Clockwork Orange to that list as it is also, another one of my favorites (however, I didn't like the movie.. well I did... then I read the book... and ended up hating the movie because it ruined it).

I hope to get around to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas tomorrow or tonight.

*Note: I am no longer going to give a points system at the end of my reviews. The reason for this is because a book that got 4 out of 5 can be just as enjoyable as one that got a perfect score. From now on I might suggest a book to a specific audience or give enough detail to have some people pick it up and determine how much they like it.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (P.453)

Catch-22 follows Yossarian, a bombardier who breaks all boarders in order to save himself from the chances of war. Each of his efforts is purely understandable because at this very moment thousands of people he hasn’t even met are trying to kill him. The problem is that Colonel Cathcart keeps on raising the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service before any men actually do complete the service. The only way that Yossarian and the men can get out of combat is through what is known as Catch-22: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous missions, but if he makes the necessary request to be relieved of such missions then the very act of requesting to be removed proves that he is in fact sane.

A bitterly funny book that centers around an excellent cast of characters, who even have their own chapters to further their development. As a read one cannot help but take most of these characters into their heart and actually find themselves caring about what happens to them.

It should also be stated that the book is not in linearl form. The author gives you pieces of the story through a colorful cast of characters, as each chapter is essentially dedicated to one character of the book and explains them in thorough detail.

A book that many readers will come to love, Catch-22 not only will make you laugh throughout most of the book, but also make you sad and reflective at others.

I recommend this book for any reader and it should be at very least picked up at the library. Catch-22 is a wonderful book, and is one of the best pieces of writing that I have ever read.

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boondockdrunk

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson (total pages 204)

I can summarize this book in one word: Hilarious. If you are a fan of the film (featuring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro) then you will love this book. The film follows the book exceptionally well and is one of the best transfers from literature to the big screen that I have ever seen.

The back cover only provides a selection from the first chapter of the story. But that paragraph is enough: “We had two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high powered blotter acid, a salt shaker half-full of cocaine and a whole galaxy of multicolored uppers, downers, screamers, laughers…. Also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls…. But the only thing that worried me was the ether. There is nothing in the world more helpless and irresponsible than a man in the depths of an ether binge…”

A side-splitting look into the life events of the late Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing took me less than two days to read and throughout I was laughing at comments made by the author along with the situations he was placed into.

A book that brings the ‘dope decade’ to live flesh and blood, this book follows the quote, placed at the beginning, by Dr. Johnson: “He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.” A must read for people who love Ken Kesey or Tom Wolfe and recommended for any avid reader.

krepitch

Good thread.

Catch-22 is my favorite of all time.

boondockdrunk

It is an all time classic. I have written reviews for the following books (but my internet is down at my house right now so I cannot post them yet).

A Clockwork Orange
Survivor
Less than Zero
Animal Farm
Blindness
Disgrace
A High Wind in Jamaica
and alot of others (totaling a little more than 6 pages on a word document)

Hopefully I will be able to post some tomorrow. I won't post them all at the same time because some need to be re-written. If you want any specific one that I mentioned just post and request it. I will try to have it read as soon as possible.

boondockdrunk

I was looking for my thread and was like, "where did it go?" haha. Thanks for the sticky!!

Animal Farm by George Orwell (total pages: 139)

Set on creating a perfect farm, the mistreated animals of Manor Farm rise up against their human captors for freedom. What occurs next is an evolution from tyranny to freedom back to tyranny, in one of the most important satiric parables of the modern era.

When Animal Farm was first printed, the target of Orwell’s work was obviously the ‘Stalinist Russia,’ but today it can be also attributed to modern politics. “Whenever freedom is attacked, under whatever banner, the cutting clarity and savage comedy of George Orwell’s masterpiece have a meaning and message still ferociously fresh.” This book has magnificent staying power, as it has remained exceedingly relevant for over half a century.

A classic that is a must-read, Animal Farm remains one of the most important art works of the Post-World War 2 era.

boondockdrunk

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (Total Pages: 192)

(*Note: get the 21 chapter edition as it has a completely different ending than the movie. Also, don’t judge the book on the movie as I think the movie was a dreadful adaptation. While I liked the actors, I hated the screenplay and thought it could have been a lot better)

In this 1963 classic, Alex is a sadistic fifteen year old ‘droog’ who is part of the criminal night life. Anthony Burgess’s nightmare vision of our future’s destiny, A Clockwork Orange is a frightening fable about good and evil, and what makes up human freedom. The book asks the question, ‘what makes a person good?’ Is it the fact that the person does good works, or is it the fact that the person chooses to do those works? As the state undertakes a new program to redeem Alex, we uncover a new side to the struggle of good men to retain the right to be free.

Perhaps my favorite book of all time, Burgess creates a whole new different vocabulary for Alex and his friends, which takes a while to get used to. However, once you do the book comes out as a dark satire which is surprisingly funny. Also, the paradoxical nature of Alex is clearly shown through his taste in music (which is supposed to be civilized) as opposed to his workings at night.

From the first sentence, ‘What’s it going to be then, eh?’ the reader is sucked into a world filled with violence, betrayal, and the different ideas on good and evil.

I am going to recommend this book to everyone, as it is a wonderfully written classic. I could tell you to buy it and read it as soon as you can, but all that really matters is your answer to one question: ‘What’s it going to be then, eh?’

boondockdrunk

I will try to post links to the books on amazon. Just to be helpful.

Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee (Total Pages: 220)

Professor David Lurie is fifty-two years old, divorced, and still full of the desires similar to teenage boys. He falls in love with a prostitute and when she leaves, he has an affair with a student that leaves him jobless, rejected by friends, and scoffed at by his ex-wife. He retreats to the only place he might be accepted, to his daughter Lucy’s small house. While David stays with Lucy he tries to mend the only remaining relationship he has left in the world. However, an incident of violence towards Lucy forces David to attempt to become something he never was: a loving father.

While I, personally, did not like this book I can easily see why the author won the Nobel Prize in literature. I guess the major reason I didn’t like the book is because of the female characters found in it; they are just too passive. For example, the student does not want to have sex with Mr. Lurie, but she does nothing to stop him and even helps to undress herself. She is apathetic to herself as are some of the other women in the book and I just found that to be irritating. Also, the act of violence is that Lucy (David’s daughter who happens to be a lesbian) is raped and impregnated by three men who break into her house. When Lucy finds out she was pregnant, she marries the one who raped her; which I found to be ridiculous.

All together the book was very well written, but for the reasons I explained I didn’t like it. Although, if you think that you might I like it after reading my review, then by all means pick it up.

Link to Amazon

boondockdrunk

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes (Total Pages: 279)

A story centered on the temperament and idea of innocence, Richard Hughes writes what is supposed to be one of the greatest books of the twentieth century. However, it fails to live up to any sort of expectations.

The novel begins in the late-nineteenth century Jamaica, and quickly moves on to the high seas, as a group of children are kidnapped by pirates (yes… pirates). Many other authors have said that this book is very important to the modern age because of how the children lose their innocence while on the pirate ship. However, a child would have better chance doing that at Disneyland on Pirates of the Caribbean than on this specific pirate ship.

First, one might think that these children would be scarred in some way, but the only major thing that happens is that one girl kills a captive (he moved and was pretty much already going to die anyway… just a slight tap on the head, and he was gone), another girl might have been sleeping with the first mate (however, this was her choice and you never really know if she was) and one little kid dies by falling off of stairs (although the pirates tried their best to save him). It is ridiculous to say that this book has any sort of inspiration on how innocence is portrayed because the children were treated much better by the pirates than they were by their own parents. For example, they got to play on the deck with animals and even the crew treated them with the utmost respect. The pirates don’t even have guns on board (cannons or otherwise).

Throughout, this book will surprise you at just how dull it is. The author’s humor is bland and restricted to things along the lines of, ‘the best way to escape an embarrassing situation is to do a series of cartwheels’ and that is about it. While that line might seem a little funny, Hughes sadly fails at any sort of humorous writing that he attempts.

I cannot recommend this book for anyone who does not like to severely torture themselves while reading. However, if you wish to pick it up to see if I am just being too hard on it, please do. And if you have read this book and had different thoughts on it I would actually love to hear them. I have met some people who have loved this book, yet they don’t know why. If you do know why, please tell me and also note if I missed anything that you thought was especially good in the book.

Link

boondockdrunk

Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk (Total Pages: 289)

Tender Branson is the last surviving member of the Creedish Death Cult. He is relating his life-story to the flight recorder of Flight number 2039, which is cruising on autopilot at 39,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean. As the pilot has recently parachuted after reaching the cruising altitude, Tender is the final member aboard the plane, which will crash into the Australian Outback. However, before it does, Tender will tell the tale of how he went from a religious, hard-working Creedish child to a steroid using ‘media messiah’ to a fugitive wanted for mass murder.

A hilarious satire on modern world living and pop culture, Chuck Palahniuk writes one of his best novels since Fight Club. A deep and introspective piece of writing that will make the reader question their life-style, Survivor is full humor and sudden twists that will keep the audience’s attention until the final page.

I can recommend this book for any reader, especially those who question the media and celebrity fame. This book has a very unique style, as it begins on page 289 and chapter 47, and ends on page 1, chapter 1. Instead of the book counting the pages read, it counts the pages left to read until the inevitable conclusion that will keep the audience guessing long after putting it down.
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boondockdrunk

Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Total Pages: 319)

Pi Patel is the son of a zookeeper, who has an avid love of religious practices not only his native Hinduism, but Christianity and Islam too. When Pi is 16, his family and their zoo animals emigrate from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship. Alas, the ship sinks and Pi finds himself in a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Pi must now find a way to survive for long enough to reach land by using all of his knowledge and cunning.

Life of Pi is based around the idea of faith. The book struck me when Pi was still in India (prior to leaving for North America). When Pi was younger he went in search of God by going to Hindu temples, Muslim Mosques, and Christian Churches. When the religious leaders see Pi walking one day, they all go to meet him and for the first time they find out that he has been going to another religion’s place of worship. The three begin to argue about which religion was better, demanded that Pi tell them which one he liked the most, and finally they asked him why he would become the member of three religions. To which Pi responds, “I just want to love God.”

The book returns to faith once Pi makes it safely to dry land and is asked about his story. No one believes that he was on a life-boat with a tiger, so instead he tells a tale. Where each animal represents a person on the Japanese ship based upon the person’s qualities. To which people take as the truth. Pi then weeps, because though he has faith in others; they have no faith in him.

A wonderful book that teaches a lesson about faith in the impossible and the struggle for survival, this is a must read as it will become a classic in the future.
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