Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography, by Andrew Morton

I remember being a wee lass and seeing commercials for L. Ron Hubbard’s Dianetics on tv. It was such a neat commercial – there was a volcano, and a loud, booming voice, and so it seemed to me like a really cool book. Then again, I was eight.

The Zombie Survival Guide, by Max Brooks

I like books, right? And everyone knows how I just luurve zombies. So if you add the two together, I’ll like the result, right?

Right?

The Soul Thief, by Charles Baxter

I'm pleased to report that another review's up over at Pajiba, this time on Charles Baxter's Soul Thief. You can read my review here.

In a nutshell: Adequate...but coulda been so much better.

Bibliolatry Scale: 3.5 out of 6 stars

Beautiful Children, by Charles Bock

My review on Bock's Beautiful Children is up at Pajiba, so click here to read it.

In a nutshell: A solid debut novel: not perfect, but better than you might think.

Bibliolatry Scale: 4.5 out of 6 stars

The Almost Moon, by Alice Sebold

Another review is up over at Pajiba; you may click here to read it. As always, I'll include my usual touches below.

But honestly, I'm still kinda intrigued by the cover art for this one. A chair in the air. Why why why why why. I'm stumped. THINK, dammit. Symbolism is your forte, right?

Brasyl, by Ian McDonald

My latest book review for Pajiba is up. This one's for science fiction fans: Ian McDonald's Brasyl.

Brasyl has won the 2008 British Science Fiction Association Award and was a finalist for both the 2008 Hugo Award and the 2007 Quill Book Awards.

You may click here to read my review. If you'd like to read the first chapter, click here -- be aware, though, that the first chapter doesn't really do it justice.

In a nutshell: Brasyl is a must for science-fiction fans, but be prepared to work for this one.

Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

My latest review for Pajiba has been posted on Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. It's for young adults, so I was a little nervous reviewing it, as I always am when reviewing books written for a younger audience. This is, of course, in addition to my already healthy dose of anxiety that accompanies every review I write for Pajiba. They keep you on your toes over there, they do.

Anyway, this is Sherman Alexie's first novel for young adults, and I have to say I found it quite enjoyable. Usually when reading a book written for teens, I have to keep reminding myself of the fact so that I can avoid being unnecessarily harsh. Thankfully, I didn't need to do much reminding during Diary.

When You Are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris

My latest review is available at Pajiba, this time on the latest by David Sedaris, When You Are Engulfed in Flames.

Many critics complain that this latest collection of personal essays isn't as hilarious as previous collections, such as Naked, which, to be fair, made me wet my pants from laughing too hard. However, comparing Engulfed to Naked is, in my mind, a bit unfair, and you can read what I say in response to such criticism here.

In a nutshell: Perhaps not as hilarious as previous works, but that doesn't mean When You Are Engulfed in Flames isn't worth the read.

Bibliolatry Scale: 5 out of 6 stars

The Year of Living Biblically, by A.J. Jacobs

My latest review is up at Pajiba, and you may click here to read it. This time I tackled The Year of Living Biblically, by A.J. Jacobs. Basically, the author follows every rule in the Bible for an entire year.

The Fall of the House of Bush, by Craig Unger

My latest review for the good people over at Pajiba is up, for a book that is astounding for, among other things, its amazingly long title: The Fall of the House of Bush: The Untold Story of How a Band of True Believers Seized the Executive Branch, Started the Iraq War, and Still Imperils America's Future.

Who Stole the Funny?, by Robby Benson

Hey there, folks, my second review has been published over at Pajiba, this time on Robby Benson's Who Stole the Funny?

I didn't have time to write a "real" post, but I found a few things that made me laugh. First, though, I have to say book jokes are either a) impossible to find, or b) horribly lame.

Still, I was able to find two bookish jokes that not only tickled my funny bone but also involved chickens. I'm not sure how adding chickens to books is a logical joke formula, but it works for the two funnies I've presented below.

The first, taken from this site, is an oldie but a goodie. Yeah, it's corny. Whatever.

A pair of chickens walk up to the circulation desk at a public library and say, 'Buk Buk BUK.' The librarian decides that the chickens desire three books, and gives it to them...and the chickens leave shortly thereafter.

Personally, I'd rather stab myself in the eyeball than use a port-a-potty. I don't care if I'm the first person to use it. There is no level of cleanliness that would ever convince me to step foot inside one of these foul chambers. As far as I'm concerned, they are tiny vestibules of torture, just waiting to trap an innocent asshole inside its gaping maul of death.

In honor of Mother's Day, I bring you (via McSweeney's) The Magic 8 Ball Amended by my Mother for my Middle-School Years by Kate Hahn.

Armageddon in Retrospect, by Kurt Vonnegut

I've had the honor of reviewing Kurt Vonnegut's Armageddon in Retrospect for Pajiba.

You may read my review here.

In a nutshell: If you haven’t read anything by Vonnegut, don’t start here; however, for die-hard Vonnegut fans, Armageddon in Retrospect is a must, even if it’s not on par with his seminal works.

Bibliolatry Scale: I'm going to rate this at 4 out of 6 stars, but I'm wondering if I didn't add a star just because this is from Vonnegut. So take this rating with a grain of salt.

No time for a full review today (although a review on a literary thriller is forthcoming, don't you worry), but I had to pass along this great article I found courtesy of Jacket Copy, which linked to this Granta article about the Web Habits of Highly Effective People.

Unfortunately, instead of inspiring me to surf less, I've added more links to my Favorites folder. Great.

This lead me to ponder how I spend my online time. I, of course, am NOT highly effective, so don't expect me to surf "an hour a day" like some of the people featured in the article.

Here's how I'd respond to Granta's request:

What happens when a publisher gets fourteen wild and crazy artists together to illustrate their favorite knock-knock jokes? In this case it's a very funny book that kids and parents can enjoy together.

A kinda-sorta new review is up at Pajiba: a reworking of my earlier review of The Road by Cormac McCarthy. The new review (one which focuses less on zombies and more on -- call me iconoclast, I know -- the work itself) can be found here.

You might also enjoy reading the following fascinating miscellanea:

Hollywood scumbags an Afghan kid.

Because we all know that people -- excuse me, dinosaurs -- don't actually read magazines.

Assuming he was in possession of nothing else, could you be arrested for a book?

Emotionless Souls, by David S. Grant

Don't expect to like the people who fill the pages of David S. Grant's Emotionless Souls. They're sick, empty people made emptier by their attempts to make their lives full.

I'm sure you're wondering, what exactly do these emotionless souls do to add feeling to their lives? Sex, drugs, violence? Of course -- and lots of them, with a little sadism thrown in for good measure.

Dead Star Twilight, by Chez Pazienza

I've just had the honor of being the first person to have ever reviewed Dead Star Twilight, the self-published memoir by Chez Pazienza, author of Deus Ex Malcontent.

Dead Star Twilight is a frenetic, wild ride that describes the true-life downfall and resurrection of the author. It's insane, it's debauched, it's frequently disgusting -- and if it didn't make Chez look like a piece of shit I'd doubt it was true. Thankfully, Chez has firmly closed the door on that period of his life, and his description of these dark days is both touching and entertaining.

Click here to read the review, which is posted over at Pajiba, and be sure to check out Deus Ex Malcontent to download Dead Star Twilight when you're finished.

In a nutshell: I think that if I ever [..........SPOILER REMOVED..........] I would have taken that shit to my grave.

Bibliolatry Scale: 5.5 out of 6 stars

The Invention of Morel, by Adolfo Bioy Casares

The Invention of Morel has been getting a lot of attention recently due to its appearance on Lost. I don’t watch Lost, so don’t expect any great revelations about how Morel explains the show. By the way, are they still on that damn island? I only watch quality television, like Big Brother 9. I like my tv with a side of brainlessness, thank you very much.

The Invention of Morel begins as our unnamed protagonist, a fugitive from the law, hides on an uninhabited island. One day, mysterious tourists suddenly appear, and our fugitive is frightened they have come searching for him. He needn’t have feared, however; it’s clear they are unaware of him.

How much do reviews (good and bad) affect your choice of reading? If you see a bad review of a book you wanted to read, do you still read it? If you see a good review of a book you're sure you won't like, do you change your mind and give the book a try?

In general I'd say that reviews have some affect on my choice of reading, but not terribly much because what you like and what you don't like is really a matter of taste. A reviewer could say absolutely wonderful things about a book, but I might not enjoy reading it. Similarly, I might love a book that a reviewer thought was horrible.

The Millions posted an interesting question recently: When it comes to the books you collect, New, Used, or Antiquarian?

My answer is not as simple as it once would have been. The me of a few months ago would unequivocally answer "new!" while sneering at the idea of a lowly, used book.

The me of today isn't so sure.

Of course, there is nothing like a new book; as Beecher knew, human nature is never so weak as in a bookstore. (I assume he meant a bookstore specializing in new books -- if he didn't, then forget him.) I love the feel, the smell, the promise of a new book. Unfortunately, when I spend my heard-earned dollars on a new book that ends up being -- to put it rather bluntly -- a major piece of shit, I get angry, which, of course, leads me to consider purchasing used books.

I found this meme on negative reviews over at the hidden side of a leaf and thought it was interesting. Then I googled "grumpy" and found this grumpy cookie. Now that's what I call kismet.

But damn I could go for a grumpy cookie right about now. Hell, I'd even take a happy cookie.

1. When you dislike a book, do you say so in your blog? Why or why not?

Absolutely, because I believe that books – whether good or bad – should evoke a visceral reaction in the reader. The worst reaction I could have is one of total apathy. In fact, I’d have to say that some of my best reviews were for books I didn’t like.

2. Do you temper your feelings about books you didn’t like, so as not to completely slam them? Why or why not?

Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout

This is another book that I received through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program, and at first I was worried it would prove to be another Larryisms. This belief was aided by the cover, which just gave off a whiff of boring (I’m glad to see they changed the design for the final edition). But still poor Olive sat for weeks on end as I delayed and delayed reading it.

Janefan tagged me for this one a couple of weeks ago, and I've finally remembered to post it! The process:

Type your first name into Amazon and show the first or most interesting book cover that results. Since I'm Canadian, I tried Amazon.ca first and found one of my favourite children's books! Both this one and the first in the series, Scaredy Squirrel, are fantastic to read one on one, and feature Scaredy, a neurotic squirrel. They are absolutely hilarious; I love them.

Since it's Halloween, I'll feature a fun ghostly collection by one of my most beloved authors. It's L.M. Montgomery's Among the Shadows, a collection of ghost stories she wrote for various magazines, which were later gathered up to form this book. To find out more about it, you can read summaries of all the stories over at Tickled Orange, a good LMM page.

I haven't participated in BTT lately, not because of my lack of internet access but because I didn't have anything to say for the topics. But this week I'm back.

"What fiction book (or books) would you nominate to be the best new book
published in 2007?(Older books that you read for the first time in 2007
don’t count.)

What non-fiction book (or books) would you nominate to be the best new
book published in 2007?(Older books that you read for the first time in 2007
don’t count.)

And, do “best of” lists influence your reading?"