"The Apocalypse has never been funnier."

~ Tell us the title: GOOD OMENS

~ Who penned this work?: NEIL GAIMAN & TERRY PRATCHETT

~ How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?: I DISCOVERED IT HIDING IN THE SHELVES AT BARNES & NOBLE AND REALIZED IT WAS ONE OF NEIL GAIMAN'S BOOKS THAT I DIDN'T ALREADY OWN (VERY RARE)

~ Number of pages: 412

~ Time passed from start to finish?: I READ THIS ONE SLOWLY, SIPPING IT LIKE A NICE WINE.  EVEN AT THAT, I'D SAY NO MORE THAN 2 WEEKS

~ Describe the cover: WHITE BACKGROUND WITH RED WRITING, AND A NICE HANDSOME DEMON LOUNGING AROUND.

~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?: SCI-FI, APPARENTLY. 
~ Summary of the basic plot: "ACCORDING TO THE NICE AND ACCURATE PROPHECIES OF AGNES NUTTER, WITCH (THE WORLD'S ONLY COMPLETELY ACCURATE BOOK OF PROPHECIES, WRITTEN IN 1655, BEFORE SHE EXPLODED), THE WORLD WILL END ON A SATURDAY.  NEXT SATURDAY, IN FACT.  JUST BEFORE DINNER.  SO THE ARMIES OF GOOD AND EVIL ARE AMASSING.  ATLANTIS IS RISING, FROGS ARE FALLING, TEMPERS ARE FLARING.  EVERYTHING APPEARS TO BE GOING ACCORDING TO DIVINE PLAN.  EXCEPT A SOMEWHAT FUSSY ANGEL AND A FAST-LIVING DEMON - BOTH OF WHOM HAVE LIVED AMONGST EARTH'S MORTALS SINCE THE BEGINNING AND HAVE GROWN RATHER FOND OF THE LIFESTYLE - ARE NOT ACTUALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THE COMING RAPTURE.  AND SOMEONE SEEMS TO HAVE MISPLACED THE ANTICHRIST..."

~ Background information on the story/author: THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THESE TWO WROTE A BOOK TOGETHER.  TERRY PRATCHETT I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH, BUT HE APPEARS TO BE A MORE HUMOR-INCLINED AUTHOR.  I'M CERTAIN HE BROUGHT MANY OF THE LAUGH OUT LOUD MOMENTS TO THE BOOK.  COMBINED WITH GAIMAN'S MASTERY OF WORDS, IT WAS AWESOME!

 
~ What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it): I LOVED IT!!  I HAVE YET TO DISLIKE A NEIL GAIMAN BOOK, BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE TOP THREE EASILY (IF YOU CAN COUNT THE INTRODUCTION TO 'FRAGILE THINGS' A BOOK).  A PERFECT BALANCE OF HUMOR, WHIMSY, DRAMA, AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING IDEAS.

~ Which page was your favorite? Share why: THIS IS SO HARD!  WHEN I READ, IF I FIND A PAGE I LOVE, I EARMARK THE BOTTOM PAGE OF THE BOOK.  I CAN HARDLY CLOSE THIS ONE ANYMORE, SINCE NEARLY EVERY PAGE IS FOLDED OVER.  I'M GOING TO PICK ONE, AND GO WITH PAGE 56, WHERE CROWLEY IS REMINDING AZIRAPHALE JUST HOW LONG ETERNITY IS IN HEAVEN, (HAVING TO WATCH 'THE SOUND OF MUSIC' FOR ALL OF IT)

~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters? CROWLEY IS GEORGE CLOONEY.  OR MAYBE HUGH LAURIE.  AZIRAPHALE IS MATT DAMON? MAYBE (THINKING OF HIM IN THE INFORMANT).  ANATHEMA IS BRITTANY MURPHY (SAD, SORRY, BUT SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN GREAT IN THAT ROLE).  AND... ADAM I HAVE NO IDEA. NEWT IS SOMEONE LIKE OWEN WILSON PERHAPS.

~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why: I'M JUST GOING TO SHARE A FEW I LOVED... AND FOR YOUR SAKE, I'LL GET RID OF THE CAPS (SORRY, IT WAS A BAD IDEA, BUT ONCE I WAS HALFWAY THROUGH THIS REVIEW, I WASN'T GOING TO GO BACK AND CHANGE IT) 

"Anathema tried every method of search she could think of.  There was the methodical quartering of the ground.  There was the slapdash poking at the bracken by the roadside.  There was the nonchalant sidling up to it and looking out of the side of her eye.  She even tried the one which every romantic nerve in  her body insisted should work, which consisted of theatrically giving up, sitting down, and letting her glance fall naturally on a patch of earth which, if she had been in any decent narrative, should have contained the book."

(On Newt Pulsifer's crazy Japanese car, the Wasabi):

    "Newt had never actually seen another one on the road, despite his best efforts.  For years, and without much conviction, he'd enthused to his friends about its economy and efficiency in the desperate hope that one of them might buy one, because misery loves company.

    In vain did he point out its 823cc engine, its three-speed gearbox, its incredible safety devices like the balloons which inflated on dangerous occasions such as when you were doing 45 mph on a straight dry road but were about to crash because a huge safety balloon had just obscured the view.  He'd also wax slightly lyrical about the Korean-made radio, which picked up Radio Pyongyang incredibly well, and the simulated electronic voice which warned you about not wearing a seatbelt even when you were; it had been programmed by someone who not only didn't understand English, but didn't understand Japanese either.  It was state of the art, he said.  

    The art in this case was probably pottery."

"As he stared over the top of his map, a door in the saucer slid aside with a satisfying whoosh, revealing a gleaming walkway which extended automatically down to the road.  Brilliant blue light shone out, outlining three alien shapes.  They walked down the ramp.  At least, two of them walked.  The one that looked like a pepper pot just skidded down it, and fell over at the bottom."

~ Choose your rating:
          - Changed. My. Life.
          - I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
          - A definite page-turner
          - Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
          - Why did I waste my weekend on this?
          - A disgrace to paper everywhere

~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page."The crowd drew nearer, one or two of its members a little uncertain as to whether they'd done the right thing, now they came to think about it."

Of All Time

~ Tell us the title:  

Stardust

~ Who penned this work?:

The astounding Neil Gaiman

~ How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?:

It was a recommended book on the B&N table, and I bought it on a whim.  I'm not sure it ever made it to my nightstand, however, once I cracked the cover.

~ Number of pages:

248

~ Time passed from start to finish?:

8 hours at the most

~ Describe the cover:

A whimsical swirl of blue vines accented with some gold scroll-like text boxes

~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?:

Is 'amazing' a section?  No?  Well them I would tend to say Fantasy or Fiction perhaps, but I know that B&N always puts Neil in the Sci-Fi section, for reasons I don't entirely understand.

~ Summary of the basic plot:

From the cover: Young Tristan Thorn will do anything to win the cold heart of beautiful Victoria -- even fetch her the star they watch fall from the night sky.  But to do so, he must enter the unexplored lands on the other side of the ancient wall that gives their tiny village its name.  Beyond that old stone wall, Tristan learns, lies Faerie -- where nothing, not even a fallen star, is what he imagined.

~ Background information on the story/author:

From the cover: Neil Gaiman is the critically acclaimed, award-winning creator of the Sandman series of graphic novels; author of the novels Anansi Boys, American Gods, Neverwhere, and Coraline; the short fiction collections Smoke and Mirros and the upcoming [it's released now] Fragile Things; and the bestselling children's books The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish and The Wolves in the Walls. 

From my mind: My favorite author of all time.  Greatly under-appreciated in the greater public awareness of literature.  Creator of my greatest verbal intoxication.

~ What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it):

I can't say enough.  This is my favorite story and favorite author...ever?  I can't really say that because I certainly haven't read every book there is on the planet, but for my first twenty-five years this certainly wins the prize.  I LOVE THIS BOOK!  The story is so simple, yet the most utterly romantic concept EVER, with of course a beautifully unexpected twist and ending.  His style of writing mesmerizes me... it's at once stunningly simple (I hate when writers think an excess of adjectives creates beautiful writing), yet flows and melds and twists and twirls (much like the visual on the cover of the book) to create a delicious collection of text.  It just blows me away, and my own writing skills simply can't do it justice. 

~ Which page was your favorite? Share why:

Page 68-69, whereupon a star falls from the sky. You simply have to read it to understand :)

~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters?

Don't even get me started on the movie.  It already was made into a movie, and though the movie was pretty good, it did very little justice to the story.  Claire Danes should NOT have been the star.

~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why:

"He stared up at the stars: and it seemed to him then that they were dancers, stately and graceful, performing a dance almost infinite in its complexity.  He imagined he could see the very faces of the stars; pale, they were, and smiling gently, as if they had spent so much time above the world, watching the scrambling and the joy and the pain of the people below them, that they could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does."  (I don't feel I need to explain why)

Choose your rating:

- Changed. My. Life.

-I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it

-A definite page-turner
  - Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
- Why did I waste my weekend on this?
- A disgrace to paper everywhere

~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page.

"The snowdrop chimed in his hand."

Meditations on Mortality from the Human Anatomy Lab

~ Tell us the title:  Body of Work

~ Who penned this work?: Christine Montross

~ How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?: It called out to me from the shelf at Book Warehouse.  For only $4.99, I couldn't NOT get it...

~ Number of pages: 292

~ Time passed from start to finish?: I'd say about 3 days

~ Describe the cover: A strange vaguely tinted shade of greenish blue and a faint image of a cadaver covered in gauze.

~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?: Biography/memoir, maybe medical or health

~ Summary of the basic plot: A woman who went to medical school reflects on her experience with human cadaver dissection and what she learned from the process.

~ Background information on the story/author: From the inside: Dr. Christina Montross is a resident in psychiatry at Brown University.  She received her master's of fine arts in poetry from the University of Michigan and has had several poems published in literary journals.  While compiling this book, she traveled to anatomical theaters, sought out holy relics, and dissected three arms, a leg, and an entire human body.  She lives in Rhode Island with her partner, Deborah, and their one-year-old daughter, Maude. 

~ What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it): I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I found it really interesting that she had a fine art degree and then went on to medical school -- I think it gave both her experiences in medical school and the stories she shared about them a unique perspective for the reader.  This wasn't a woman who was all about science her whole life, she was about as sensitive as they get (a poet, I mean, come on) and yet she survived dissecting a human being. 

~ Which page was your favorite? Share why: Page 121.  The author shares how strange it is that even a few weeks into medical school, people automatically assume she can answer every question about every ailment they have, friends and family members included.  How so quickly, with just putting on a lab coat, people completely expose themselves physically and emotionally to these 'doctors', not realizing that they know little more than their patients at that point.

~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters? No. Idea.
~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why: "Dissection, we discover, is in part a process of beginning to name parts of our own bodies whose names we have never known.  We find a structure beneath our skin, a place we have toweled dry perhaps ten thousand times and never noticed, and then we uncover it in our cadaver, feel the shape of it, learn its purpose."  I just found this interesting (as something I can relate to, having done dissections), but also rather poetically put.  There were a lot of quotes like that in the book. 

~ Choose your rating:
          - Changed. My. Life.
          - I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
          - A definite page-turner
          - Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
          - Why did I waste my weekend on this?
          - A disgrace to paper everywhere

~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page."Two types of forceps are available, one with thin, blunt ends and one with a 'rat tooth' -- a metal V on one end that fits into a corresponding notch on the other -- to grasp and pick away extraneous matter."

A boy and his dogs

~ Tell us the title: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
~ Who penned this work?: David Wroblewski
~ Number of pages: 561
~ Time passed from start to finish?: Too long, like 6 weeks
~ Describe the cover: Farm setting, with a boy and a dog walking towards a barn
~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?: Fiction
~ Summary of the basic plot: Without giving anything away, it's about a mute boy (he can hear, but uses a made up sign language) and his parents who live on a farm but they raise dogs, and train them to a great extent before selling them.  
~ Background information on the story/author: This was his first book. It takes place in Wisconsin in the 50's, and the author lives in Wisconsin.
~ What did you think of it? He is a great writer, in his phrasing.  He had some excellent thoughts, but holy cow was the ending horrible.  I thought that, then looked online and almost all reviews said the same thing.  He wove a wonderful story, but left so so many of the storylines unfinished.  As one review said, it was almost like he was on a time crunch and just threw an ending together.  It was not satisfying in the least.

~ Which page was your favorite? Share why: I couldn't tell you.  There were a lot. of pages.
~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters? Well, since the main character is 14 for most of the book, I don't know many 14 year old male actors.
~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why: I'm sorry, I returned the book to the library before doing this.  So I have nothing to tell you.
~ Choose your rating:
- Changed. My. Life.
- I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
- A definite page-turner
- Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
- Why did I waste my weekend on this?
- A disgrace to paper everywhere
~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page. That spring their dog, Violet, who was good but wild-hearted, had dug a hole under the fence when she was in heat and run the streets with romance on her mind. (sorry that is not sentence number 7, because that sentence sucked. but this one was good on that page)

it's simple...

~ Tell us the title: keeping life simple
~ Who penned this work?: Karen Levine
~ Number of pages: 154
~ Time passed from start to finish?: 2 days
~ Describe the cover: Very simple. Paper-bag brown with a green and white daisy illustration, title, author and short description
~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?: Not sure actually...probably the gift section or perhaps a self-help(ish) type section.
~ Summary of the basic plot: There is not really a plot. The book contains guidelines, tips and ideas for keeping life simple.
~ Background information on the story/author: Well, the author is a contributing editor to Parents magazine, which I was not surprised to discover once I had finished the book...
~ What did you think of it? I really enjoyed what a light,quick and somewhat inspiring read it was. I also liked how many ideas it shared, however, I was expecting a little more substance. The first chapter contains some great guiding principles and an action step to take towards making those principles a bigger part of your life, but that is where that discussion ends. The rest of the book is a list of tips broken down into different categories. I think one of the biggest things I realized, though, is that the book is written from the perspective of a mother. This was quite obvious to me as I read through the book and I struggled to relate at times. It still contained lots of great ideas, but for me it was a struggle to keep focused.

~ Which page was your favorite? Share why: I don't think I really have a favorite page in this book. I suppose I enjoyed the first several pages the most.
~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters? Um, yeah...no. That movie would not make money.
~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why: "Remember, you really do have the capacity to make choices. And that is the key to your simpler life." This really stuck out to me because I have been pondering the power of choice lately and I found this to be one of the most simple, yet powerful quotes in the book.
~ Choose your rating:
- Changed. My. Life.
- I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
- A definite page-turner
- Good to check out but don't spend the cash. (unless you are a mom and want tons of ideas for making your life more simple)
- Why did I waste my weekend on this?
- A disgrace to paper everywhere
~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page. Page 222 does not exist and there is a chart on page 22, so here we go: "On the pragmatic level, we hope to help you simplify your life by offering tips and hints for accomplishing tasks and chores more efficiently."

tales of fate and fortune on the road

~ Tell us the title: the Kindness of Strangers

~ Who penned this work?: 26 different people

~ How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?: yet another fateful trip to Powells

~ Number of pages: 271

~ Time passed from start to finish?: about a month(ish)

~ Describe the cover: There is an outline of a human torso and strangely shaped head with a heart outline in the middle of the head and whimsical, childlike text declaring the title and basic information.

~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?: Probably travel, but I found it on a random shelf while passing by in hopes of escaping the store with only one book...

~ Summary of the basic plot: It is a collection of true short stories of adventures and encounters with strangers during travel all over the world.

~ Background information on the story/author: Each story in the book is shared by a different author, but they all get a little mini bio at the beginning of their story. Most authors have penned other works in newspapers, magazines and/or their own books.

~ What did you think of it? It was great! Each story is only a few pages long, so it was easy to read a story a day quickly and not feel that I should be using my time more wisely. :) It made me long to indulge my sense of adventure and either get lost somewhere in the world or pick up a hitchhiker and learn of their journey. It also reminded me that simple kindness towards one another no matter what barriers may exist is beautiful and powerful.

~ Which page was your favorite? Perhaps the table of contents because it represents the diversity that exists within the pages. :)

~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters? Um...this would be hard considering the whole 26 different stories thing...

~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. "Here's what I love about travel: strangers get a chance to amaze you. Sometimes a single day can bring a blooming surprise, a simple kindness that opens a chink in the brittle shell of your heart and makes you a different person when you go to sleep - more tender, less jaded - than the one you were when you woke up."

Also: "DECENT UNDERWEAR: It's important."

~ Choose your rating: I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it

~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page. Then, after a few moments of reflection, my host reached down to the floor next to his bed and picked up what I took to be his two most valuable belongings.

Memoirs of a boy soldier

~ Tell us the title: A Long Way Gone

~ Who penned this work?: Ishmael Beah

 
~ How did this piece find it's way to your nightstand?: My sister gave it to me for my 25th birthday.  It got lost in boxes during my packing and moving, and patiently waited for my eyeballs to see it again.  

~ Number of pages: 229

~ Time passed from start to finish?: Three days

~ Describe the cover: A small boy walks, staring at the ground, on a dirt road, wearing green flip flops with holes in the soles and a gun slung over his shoulder.

~ In what section of the bookstore would a reader find this?: Memoir, Biography

~ Summary of the basic plot: From back cover: At the age of twelve, Ishmael Beah fled attacking rebels in Sierra Leone and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence.  By thirteen, he'd been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts.  At sixteen, he was removed from fighting by UNICEF, and through the help of the staff at this rehabilitation center, he learned how to forgive himself, to regain his humanity, and, finally, to heal. 

~ Background information on the story/author: From inside: Ishmael Beah was born in Sierra Leone in 1980.  He moved to the United States in 1998 and finished his last two years of high school at the United Nations International School in New York.  He graduated from Oberlin College in 2004.  He is a member of the Human Rights Watch Children's Rights Division Advisory Committee and has spoken before the United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities (CETO) at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, and many other NGO panels on children affected by war.  He is also the head of the Ishmael Beah Foundation, which is dedicated to helping former child soldiers reintegrate into society and improve their lives.  His work has appeared in VespertinePress and LIT magazine.  He lives in Brooklyn. 

~ What did you think of it? (your general response, what you liked or didn't like, what you learned, anything else you want to share about it): Wow. Yet again, a memoir written by a child of war has blown me away.  This book, like many others, includes a map in the front, which really helps to put the story in context for me.  Only 4 years older than me, I can relate much better to the timeline and cultural references as well.  There is also a list at the back of the book with a succinct history of the country.  I have learned more about world history from reading memoirs such as this than I ever learned in school.  Several things stand out to me that I wasn't expecting.  First, the writing is clear & concise, yet beautiful & evocative.  Much of the story is written with the voice of the child he was at the time, which I find notable.  He didn't write the story as an adult looking back, but rather as the part of him that's still that child, remembering things as they happened.  I was blown away by the things Ishmael experienced.  It's incomprehensible, especially when you consider the parallels in time.  It's easy to think of these stories as happening far in the past, in a wholly different place and time, but Ishmael was killing his first person when I was learning about Lewis and Clark in 4th grade.  He was completely robbed of his childhood, and the unfairness in that is striking.  For some reason, I assumed that his rehabilitation had taken place in the US (shame on me for that), and was surprised that it took place in his own country.  After the joy of realizing that he had an uncle in Freetown that would take him in, I was furious with what became of the situation a few years later, feeling that Ishmael had simply been through too much already.  I also felt slightly angry at the intro, where it calmly states that he moved to the US in 1998, when in fact he fled from war for the second time, constantly in fear and unsure whether he would survive. 

~ Which page was your favorite? Share why: Page 200.  Ishmael was selected to come to the United States to speak about his experiences, and found a group of fellow children and adults who cared for him and became very close with him.  As he is leaving, everyone bursts into tears and says goodbye.  The closing to the page weighed on my mind.  He said: "I was sad to leave, but I was also pleased to have met people outside of Sierra Leone.  Because if I was to get killed upon my return, I knew that a memory of my existence was alive somewhere in the world."

~ If the story was made into a movie, who would you cast as the main characters?  I have no idea. 

~ Share a quote that was worth reading twice. Explain why: "I walked behind the coffin, the sound of my footsteps clinging to my heart."   During the time period when Ishmael was a soldier, the children soldiers were drugged with cocaine and other drugs (another thing I was completely shocked by) to keep them energized and numb their emotions.  The contrast between that time of his life and how much he FELT when this quote happened was astounding.

~ Choose your rating:
          - Changed. My. Life.
          - I laughed, I cried, I want you to read it
          - A definite page-turner
          - Good to check out but don't spend the cash.
          - Why did I waste my weekend on this?
          - A disgrace to paper everywhere

~ Flip to page 2, 22, or 202. Share the 7th sentence on the page: "But on the first day of school in Freetown, all the students sat apart from us, as if Mohamed and I were going to snap any minute and kill someone."