Hemlock Grove by Brian McGreevy

In this modern, post-Stephenie Meyer age anything vampire or werewolf is held with some skepticism. For me, anyway. The last thing the genre and mythos needs is another writer to take a large, Mormon turd upon it. Well, I don't know what religion Brian McGreevy practices, but his mission is clear – he set off to scrape off the Meyer (get it?) and make teenage vampires and werewolves cool again.

I promised myself this post wouldn't just bash the Twilight author, but forgive me one more, okay? Where Stephenie Meyer fails as a writer, Brian McGreevy flexes his literary muscle. Literary references, not just throwing a classic title around, and in depth research of the occult, gypsy traditions, and introducing us to a breed of vampire that can walk in the daytime without sparkling like a goof fill the covers of this not-quite-so-teenage-horror book. And here's a spoiler alert: The main plot isn't about love. It's not even about seeking a girlfriend/boyfriend. It's about bringing a killer down. So fans of Twilight need not to apply as the psychological aspect, unromantic aspect, allusions, and meaning might fry your tiny noodles (okay, I'm done).

Hemlock Grove is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and for Kindle and Nook. And check out the Netflix original series based on the novel. Until next time, happy huntin'.

The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson

It's almost a crime, how little I've been focusing on reading anything. I lost motivation and interest in books. And this blog, which is focused on books and book related subjects, is suffering severely.

I picked up Hunter S. Thompson's long lost novel, The Rum Diary, at The Book Stop located in McAllen, Texas. The store, which deals in mostly thrift books wrapped in plastic to protect their aging pages, normally charges out of my price line, but every now and again, I find a used book worth the extra couple of dollars. This book, the first edition published in 1998, cost me ten bones. It was worth it.

Gonzo writer, Hunter S. Thompson sends us on a banal adventure of journalist Paul Kemp. There's nothing beautiful in this book, there is no deeper love story, and none of the characters learn much of anything except how to appreciate rum and drink rum and get drunk on rum and travel to drink more rum and get shitfaced on rum and appreciate pubic hair on a girl high off her mind while they sip down paper cups filled with–you got it!–rum. And despite that I don't appreciate the marvels that alcohol brings, I want to visit Puerto Rico regardless.

Thompson has a way with words, even with his dry prose. Any true reader will find something to love about this book. I have to assume the rest of you only wanted to read the book after watching the Johnny Depp flick.

You can pick up a copy of the long lost novel at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It is also available for Kindle and Nook.

2012: A Year in Books

1. Breathers: A Zombie Lament by S. G. Browne
2. Best Sex Writing 2012: The State of Today's Sexual Culture edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel, selected & introduced by Susie Bright
3. American Vampire by Scoot Snyder & Stephen King (writers), with Rafael Albuquerque (artist)
4. X-Men: Magneto Testament by Greg Pak (writer) & Carmine  Di Giandomenico (artist)
5. Zap: A Play by Paul Fleischman
6. Binky Under Pressure by Ashley Spires
7. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
8. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
9. Boudoir Books by Summer Ellis
10. Doofus and Valiant by English Teacher X
11. Crack in the Glass by Jonathan Carter
12. The Darkness by Tony Cusumano
13. How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell
14. Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
15. The Ballad of Ballard and Sandrine by Peter Straub
16. Star Wars: Red Harvest by Joe Schreiber
17. Zombie in the Library by Michael Dahl 
18. Binky the Space Cat by Ashley Spires
19. Binky to the Rescue by Ashley Spires
20. Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip
21. G.I. Joe: Hearts & Minds by Max Brooks (writer) & Howard Chaykin and Antonio Fuso (artists)
22. Batman: Long Shadows by Judd Winick (writer) & Mark Bagley and Ed Benes (artists)
23. Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson
24. The Boy Who Cried Ninja by Alex Latimer
25. I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll
26. The Breast by Philip Roth
27. Kick-Ass by Mark Millar (writer) and John Romita, Jr. (artist)
28. Kick-Ass 2 by Mark Millar (writer) and John Romita, Jr. (artist)
29. Glue by Irvine Welsh
30. Savages by Don Winslow
31. The Good Lion adapted by Don Brown
32. The Last Children's Book by Jesse Garza
33. Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield
34. Cuffed by Alison Tyler, Sommer Marsden, and Sophia Valenti
35. The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman
36. American Gangbang: A Love Story by Sam Benjamin
37. Migrant by Maxine Trottier
38. Magritte's Marvelous Hat by D.B. Johnson
39. Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen
40. Flanimals Pop-Up by Ricky Gervais
41. Mortality by Christopher Hitchens
42. "Let's Get a Pup!" Said Kate by Bob Graham
43. Chick 'n' Pug by Jennifer Sattler
44. What Pete Ate from A-Z by Maira Kalman
45. Tied Up & Twisted by Alison Tyler
46. Wolf at the Back Door by Marilyn More
47. Fifty Shades of Red Riding Hood by R.R. Hood
48. Batman: The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder (writer), Jock and Francesco Francavilla (artists)
49. Batman: Earth One by Geoff Johns (writer) and Gary Frank (artist)
50. The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
51. Batman: Eye of the Beholder by Tony S. Daniel (writer & artist), & Steve Scott, et al.
52. Explorer: The Mystery Boxes edited by Kazu Kibuishi
53. The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks (writer) and Ibraim Roberson (artist)
54. Zom-B by Darren Shan

First Cool Day of the Season Book Finds

Considering that I went to bed at four-in-the-morning the night before, I was quite chipper when I awoke to the sound Ruby Gloom. "It's a nice day," Jyg exclaimed. "We're taking Shaun out. Are you awake?" Even though my mind was rested, this still didn't make sense. So I managed a 'hu' and she filled me on how autumn finally arrived. That explained why my a/c wasn't working.

We headed out to IHOP, but so did the rest of the city. We settled for DQ instead. Hey, if we couldn't have pancakes, the least we could do was get Blizzards. Shaun fell asleep before we got to the park, so we detoured to the Dollar Tree. That's where I found Point Omega by Don DeLillo and Michael Caine's The Elephant to Hollywood. Both were just a dollar each. However, we did walk out the store with $57 dollars worth of Halloween decorations.

Until next time, keep on huntin'.

The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman

As much as I love Chuck Klosterman's writing, I have to say his nonfiction is my preference. Killing Yourself to Live is on my top ten nonfiction books, but it's a short list. Still Downtown Owl was worth the sit through. But what about his latest novel, The Visible Man? What sort of world does he take us to? Something worth reading, or something worth waiting for.

Unlike former two books mentioned, I didn't learn about The Visible Man until I saw it at Barnes & Noble's new-in-paperback table. After much debate - there wasn't any - I opted to purchase the copy because I love Klosterman - I'm sure it's the bearded face.

Victoria Vick, a therapist from Austin, is contacted by a memorable man, one who would change her life forever. Convinced that the outlandish stories he conveys over the telephone are delusions created by a lonely man, she asks to meet him in person. When he proves that his delusions are anything, but she's thrust into a world of adventure. But even though she knows what he's capable of doing, how much is truth and how much fiction? And how far is she willing to take their relationship?

I need to be honest, I'm on the fence about this novel. At times, the flow is great. Other times, I'm forced to re-read paragraphs because they just put me into the motions. Nothing was absorbed. Klosterman creates an unlikable character with Y___, but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to dislike our narrator, Victoria. Much like Downtown Owl, I'm disappointed with the ending.

Oh well, you can pick up your copy at Amazon or Barnes & Noble, and is available for Kindle and Nook. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Glue by Irvine Welsh

I did thing backwards – sorta. Back when Barnes & Noble placed Irvine Welsh's Porno out on the discount table, I bought it not knowing it was a sequel-of-sorts to Trainspotting. Okay, fine. I bought Trainspotting at Hastings back when McAllen, Texas housed a location. After reading that book - this must've been on the old book blog (the one that I never really paid any attention to, so I won't link my review, if I wrote one, that is) - I surfed Amazon to read some customer reviews on the book (don't ask why I did this because it's a bad habit I broke long ago). That's when I realized that some of the characters featured in the sequel had their own book entitled Glue. Great, another book I have to buy. That being said, it took me nearly a decade before I started reading it. And nearly three weeks before I finished it.

From childhood to adulthood, Glue follows the story of four friends coming from the schemes of Edinburgh. There's Carl Ewart, whose passion for music is destined for greatness; "Juice" Terry Lawson, whose only concern in life is getting his hole; Billy Birrell, whose dedication to his sport makes him into a local celebrity; and doomed Andrew Galloway, whose run with bad luck helps steer the course of his friends' lives. Mixing in humor that he used in Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh manages to keep the reader engaged in this slice of life novel told in four separate decades of the characters' lives.

The novel also features some of the beloved characters of Trainspotting, which is why – I guess – that reviewer stated that Porno acted as a sequel-of-sorts for both novels. Renton makes an appearance as does Begbie and Spud. Some of the events of the novel are mentioned in Glue, as well.

Glue is available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  Also, keep an eye out for the Trainspotting boys in Welsh's upcoming novel, Skagboys. Until next time, happy huntin'.

The Breast by Philip Roth

I first met David Kepesh a few years back - way back when I was still in college. My creative writing professor, Rene Saldana, Jr. turned on to reading a John Gardner collection of essays on writers and writing. He discusses Philip Roth's novel, in which David Kepesh wakes up one day to learn he has become a giant breast. I jumped onto the internet and bought the first copy I found that was inexpensive. Hardback. Good price. Moving on.

I read it then continued on to reading The Professor of Desire and The Dying Animal. Both equally wonderful reads.Nothing, however, compares my first experience reading The Breast.

Last week, I reread the novella for the second time. And like Kepesh states, when you read a favorite novel later in life, you find things you didn't see before. I never questioned Kepesh's transformation. I read the novel rather literal. Here was a man who followed his lustful instincts in life who gets transformed into a breast. No big deal. 

The question I find myself asking, was Kepesh just crazy?

I won't go into too much detail because it's such a short book, but it's a must read for fans of The Metamorphosis.

The Breast is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Two Children's Books

Taken during peace time

For those of you not following the blog, I work in the Children's Department of the local library. Because I'm also the father of a two-month-old, colicky son, I don't have much time to read big boy books anymore. This blog has suffered greatly because of my job and my new role in life. It's worth it, believe you me.  When I do get a sliver of chance to read, it's usually when I'm shelving books at work. So if this morphs into a children's book blog, well, so be it.

I've read a few books already, come to think of it. None of them seemed worth mentioning outside of I Want My Hat Back, but I still haven't figured out a way to review that book and give it justice without giving away too much. Because I've never reviewed children's books before, I sought advice from Cover to Cover. The irony, of course, is that I have not time to read that book.

Well, here goes nothing.

The Boy Who Cried Ninja by Alex Latimer

Alex Latimer delivers a comical spin to the classic "The Boy Who Cried Wolf," all the while keeping its intended moral. In it, Time has a problem. He's telling the truth but his his parents still punish him for all the things going wrong. Is it his fault the truth is so fantastical? Why is it so hard for them to accept that a ninja finished the last of the cake? Or that a sunburned crocodile broke the TV antenna?

Let's be honest, the title drove me to the book. I couldn't help it. If a children's book contains the "ninja" or "zombie" in the title, I'm picking it up. 99.9% (thus far) I put it right down. But Latimer offers us something great. Something that parents would have fun reading to their little ones and readers as old as third-grade (possibly older, but I'm winging the age recommendation here) can relate to. On the plus side, children will adhere to the message of telling the truth no matter what. I think that's something we can all relate to, no?

I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll

Think Monsters, Inc. Got that image? Well, this is better than that. The fact that it's a book sends it over the wall.

When Ethan checks under his bed, he learns that Gabe - his monster - has gone fishing. Ethan grows worried. How will ever fall asleep knowing a monster - his monster - isn't hiding underneath the bed?

Amanda Noll shows us a camaraderie between a boy and his monster that charms the  heart. It's funny and an enjoyable read. And it just might be the proper medicine for the boogieman blues for the little one. Let's not forget the message of excepting no substitutes when it comes to one's best friend (or in this case, best monster).

You can purchase both books at Amazon and Barnes and Noble using their respective links below:

• The Boy Who Cried Ninja by Alex Latimer (Amazon) (Barnes)
• I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll (Amazon) (Barnes)

Until next time, happy huntin'.

Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson

I first read Jesus' Son in college, during my first class with Jose Skinner (Flight and Other Stories). And of all the books I read in that class, and all of my college career, the words of Denis Johnson stuck with me the longest. Why? Because his ability to mix poetry with prose. Never before had I read a story where a character "knew every raindrop by its name," or whose heart broke for the person he would never find, the person who loved him.

The collection of stories follows a character whose name is never mentioned, though the moniker fuckhead follows him like a proverbial rain cloud. A junky, Fuckhead, walks through life having several misadventures, none without reason. He is lucky, but he's a failure. He tries, but rarely succeeds at anything. His friends are there one moment, and buried the next. 

There is no chronological order to the stories found within the covers of this book, but, nevertheless, the reader leaves with something he didn't have before - an experience only someone strung out on heroin could have felt. Because that's what Denis Johnson presents to us with his collection - literary heroin. And we'll keep going back for more.

Jesus' Son is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, for Kindle and Nook respectively. Until next time, happy huntin'.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

via Media Bistro

Let's be honest: If not for the fact that I work in the Children's Department of the local library, I would have never picked up a copy of Brian Selznick's Wonderstruck. I would have not paid $16 dollars - that's $14 off cover price - for this insanely thick children's book. I may not have even beaten myself over the fact that it took me four days to read rather than the one night/one morning time span it should've taken me (my eyes do get tired). However, I can't say I didn't enjoy the book. Hell, it might be a brick but it's still a damn good book.

The novel follows to characters. Ben, a partially deaf boy who becomes fully deaf after an accident during an electrical storm and recently suffered the loss of his mother after a car accident; and, Rose, a young deaf girl who dreams of escaping her father's house in order to find a place in the world. The two stories are set fifty years apart - Ben's taking place in the 70's while Rose lives in the 20's.

Having never read anything by Selznick before - and if the price of this book is any reflection, it'll take another mandatory reading to get me to pick up anything by him - I don't know much about his style. Whether or not The Invention of the Hugo Cabret follows the similar structure is beyond me. See Ben's story is told through conventional storytelling - you know, with words - while Rose's story takes a more primal spin - with pictures. It's a lot of guess work to be made with the latter story, but it's still just as powerful. It's the allure of the book. And probably why it was chosen for that International Book Discussion we're doing at the library late next month or early April. The story is about language barrier - not entirely, obviously. And when you have a school of predominately English speaking kids discussing with those of a predominately Spanish speaking school, well, you see my point. Clearly not at all like the characters lost in New York in the book, but you know, what are you going to do? 

 It's a sweet story of two kids looking for their place in the world with a mixture of pop culture, Deaf culture, arts, history, and nature. The art work is beautiful and its detail is breath taking. Selznick has a way to keep his readers captivated and wanting more, while dropping subtle clues as it leads you down the path.

This 600+ goliath is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

One more thing before I go. As I mentioned, Wonderstruck is part of the International Book Discussion we host at the library. It brings two schools together - a local school and one from Mexico - to discuss the chosen book. The responsibility of the children's library is to creative activities that will get the children discussing the novel. There are a few that I've encountered via Google searches - such as the ones offered in TeachMentorTexts - but nothing that really grabs the attention. A part of me thinks that having the children create their own cabinet of wonders would be a great way to get the ball rolling, but the required materials they'd need to provide might be a little too much. 

Anyway, if there is anyone out there currently or recently teaching this book in your class, please do send suggestions. It would be greatly appreciated.

Breathers: A Zombie Lament by S. G. Browne

Andy has several problems. Months after a fatal car accident that stole his wife from him, he's attempting to put his life back together. His in-laws are refusing him the right to see his own daughter. His father is vocal about the resentment he holds for him. His mother makes a failed attempt to accept him as she once did. Due to his inability to speak, he can't even verbalize how he feels about the whole ordeal. Not that it matters, his overpriced therapist could care less about Andy's troubles. Hell, he can't even take a walk to clear his thoughts without someone threatening his existence or hurling food and drinks at him. See, Andy problems stems from the fact that his life was also taken in that fatal car accident. However, unlike his wife, Andy didn't stay dead. He walks among the living as one of the undead that has plagued humanity for centuries. That is, Andy is a zombie. Decomposing slowly with the help of consuming shampoo among other every day products that contain formaldehyde. 

Living in his parents basement/wine cellar, he passes the time watching cable TV and feeling resentment. The accident not only left him crippled, it also stole his voice. His only form of communication is the dry erase board that he wears around his neck. The only thing going for Andy are the Undead Anonymous meetings he attends. This is where he met Rita, a suicide who just happened to wake up in the morgue. A budding romance leaves Andy wondering what lies in store. Then there's Jerry, who happens to be the closest thing to a best friend in Andy's post-life. When the trio meet Ray and his Resplendent Rapture - jarred venison - things in their zombie life turn for the better. Andy's speech is returning. His left leg is magically healing. Same with Rita's scars and Jerry's skull. It slowly becomes apparent that venison might not be magical in of itself. Because what they're eating is far from it.

Breathers is possibly the funniest book I've read to date. The way S. G. Browne times his jokes make the read marvelous. It leaves me wondering why I put it off for so long. It's not difficult to see the comparison to any civil rights movement - the narrator even brings it up himself. What makes this book great is that it's not your typical zombie book. The world isn't at the brink of apocalypse or even the dawn of the post-apocalyptic era. Zombies haven't overpowered humans. In fact, they've been around for centuries and kept in the shadows. Not until recent decades has their presence been acknowledged. And they're even treated the way people treated African-Americans and homosexuals - with fear and ignorance. 

The whole zombie civil rights idea aside, the book also judges the humanity of, well, humanity. By shining the light on innocence of children - "Is that true? Are zombies really human?" - to the shear hate of adulthood - "Go back to the grave!" - we're given insight on how outside forces mold our views on what is right and wrong, acceptable and what should be abhorred. It stay true with the Romero-philosophy, the sense that zombies should only bring to realization the way we handle social issues - war, racism, materialism, xenophobia, civil rights, etc. 

But Breathers also brings another aspect of the zombie evolution. The creatures aren't mindless. They are exact reflections of the people they once were. And the vampiric rejuvenation is a nice edition to the zombie mythos. 

It's the zombie book that will become canon, if not already. 

Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Purchase Breathers: A Zombie Lament by S. G. Browne @ [[Amazon]] [[Kindle]] [[B&N]] [[Nook]] [[Kobo]]

Obligatory First Post of 2012

I have been slacking off, I apologize. Work has me, well, working. And working has made me grow tired. And growing tired fills me with ennui. Filled with ennui, I have dropped all my writing/blogging projects - including my personal blog and my Letters to Shaun blog. However, working at the library hasn't hindered my book hunting habits. If anything, working there is exacerbating it. Worse, because now I'm on a budget - a tighter budget than I was before I became a book hunter, I should add. Jyg and me and baby makes three. Babies, I am told, are expensive and writing "ad" blogs and working part time isn't going to cut it unless I execute Project: No Spend. 

Lucky for me, I started to follow Rachel Kramer Bussel whose book, Best Sex Writing 2012, is currently being read for review. If you'd also note, I reviewed Bussel's Best Bondage Erotica 2012 last month. I love sex, what can I say? It's an interesting topic. Best part of it all, these books were free of charge. All I have to do is write an Amazon review. Presto. Life is still grand.

However, you'll also note that the picture above features a copy of The Living Shakespeare. I bought that lovely piece of work for only $2. Even sweeter. Still, I have to tie up my wallet. 

Along side Best Sex Writing 2012, I'm still working through Breathers by S. G. Browne. It's not a tough read, it's the aforementioned ennui that has me dragging. The only reason I muster up the energy to read Bussel's book is the review (well, the fact that it deals with sex doesn't hurt it, either).

This year, however, I do plan to read my 50 books as per the GoodReads Challenge. Because I started working at the children's department at the local library, I've opted to make this the year of the YA book. Not that I'm going to solely read YA novels, but there will be a stress on them. Hopefully, however, this won't turn out like last year's "year of the religion" theme. Heh. Am I right?

Oh well, until next time, keep on huntin'.

 Now that X-mas has come and gone, it's time to look forward to Valentine's Day.

Books of 2011

1. The Queen of the Damned - Anne Rice
2. "What is an Agnostic" (essay) - Bertrand Russell (read my thoughts here & here)
3. God is Not One - Stephen Prothero (read my thoughts here)
4. Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
5. Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
6. The Original of Laura - Vladimir Nabokov
7. Gospel of Judas - Rodolphe Kasser, Marvin Meyer, and Gregor Wurst (editors)
8. Vixen - Jillian Larkin
9. Twin Forks (short story) - Daniel Woodrell
10. Like a Girl (short story) - Alison Tyler
11. Doc - Mary Doria Russell
12. On Finding Jon's Porn (short story) - Alison Tyler
13. Good Doggy (short story) - Gemma Parkes
14. Home Visits (short story) - Gemma Parkes
15. Hungry for Your Love - Lori Perkins (editor)
16. Dexter in the Dark - Jeff Lindsay
17. Dexter by Design - Jeff Lindsay
18. The Crow - J. O'Barr
19. Wanted - Mark Millar (writer), J.G. Jones (pencils & inks), and Paul Mounts (colors)
20. Son of M - David Hine (writer) and Roy Allan Martinez (artist)
21. Spider-Man: Maximum Carnage - Tom DeFalco, J.M. DeMatteis, Terry Kavanagh, David Michelinie (writers)
22. Marvel Zombies - Robert Kirkman (writer) and Sean Phillips (artist)
23. X-Men: Age of Apocalypse the Complete Epic Book 1 - Howard Mackie, John Francis Moore, et al (writers), Terry Dodson, Steve Epting, et al (artists)
24. X-Men: Age of Apocalypse the Complete Epic Book 2 - Fiabian Nicieza, Scott Lobdell, et al (writers), Tony Daniel, Salvador Larroca, et al (artists)
25. X-Men: Age of Apocalypse the Complete Epic Book 3 - Larry Hama, Terry Kavanagh, et al (writers), Adam Kubert, Chris Bachalo, et al (artists)
26. X-Men: Age of Apocalypse the Complete Epic Book 4 - Judd Winick, Jeph Loeb, et al (writers), Ben Herrera, Roger Cruz, et al (artists)
27. DC Versus Marvel Comics - Ron Marz & Peter David (writers), Dan Jurgens, Josef Rubinstein, et al (artists)
28. The Silent Girl - Tess Gerritsen
29. Spider-Man: Reign - Kaare Andrews (writer & artist) with Jose Villarrubia (artist)
30. Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
31. Dexter is Delicious - Jeff Lindsay
32. HitRECord: RECollections Vol. 1 - Joseph Gordon-Levitt (editor)
33. Smart Ass - Alison Tyler, Kristina Lloyd, Sommer Marsden, Sophia Valenti & Thomas S. Roche
34. Darkness Falling - Peter Crowther
35. Daddy's Lil Devil - Rachel Boleyn
36. The Death Clock - J. Rock
37. UR - Stephen King
38. Crazy Emma - Brandie Buckwine
39. Mile 81 - Stephen King
40. Cthulhurotica - Carrie Cuinn (editor)
41. Weeping Underwater Looks a Lot Like Laughter - Michael J. White
42. Marvel Zombies 2 - Robert Kirkman (writer) & Sean Phillips (artist)
43. Less Than Zero - Bret Easton Ellis
44. Imperial Bedrooms - Bret Easton Ellis
45. Double Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
46. The Deportees and Other Stories - Roddy Doyle
47. The Pillowman - Martin McDonagh
48. The Walking Dead Vol. 1: Days Gone Bye - Robert Kirkman (writer) & Tony Moore (artist)
49. The Walking Dead Vol. 2: Miles Behind Us - Robert Kirkman (writer) & Charlie Adlard (artist)
50. Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? - Neil Gaiman (writer) & Andy Kubert (artist)
51. The Walking Dead Vol. 3: Safety Behind Bars - Robert Kirkman (writer) & Charlie Adlard (artist)
52. The Martian Child - David Gerrold
53. The Walking Dead Vol. 4: The Heart's Desire - Robert Kirkman (writer) & Charlie Adlard (artist)
54. Go the F**k to Sleep - Adam Mansback (writer) Ricardo Cortes (illustrator)
55. Best Bondage Erotica 2012 - Rachel Kramer Bussel (editor)

The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle

Purchase: [Amazon] [B&N] [Kindle] [Nook]

"Ireland America was never Ireland America to me." It's Langston Hughes rewritten, but the message works an ocean away from Harlem. And that's what drew me into Roddy Doyle's stories. Racism isn't just an American issue, nor is immigration. I'm sure the world will like to think so, but Doyle has painted a clear picture that it's not. But it's those topics that hit home. That made these stories memorable. 

The book collects nine stories - eight of which are set in Ireland, one in New York - and each deals with the xenophobia\racism of a nation. 

The title story is a sequel of sorts to Doyle's novel, The Commitments, in which Jimmy Rabbitte decides it's high time for another band. No whites, he wants to write in the ad. In fact, that's part of the interview. Do you like the Corrs? Are you sure you're not white? With a rag tag of immigrants, Jimmy decides that the name of this new band is The Deportees and they will sing folk songs rather than soul. 

"The Pram," a Polish nanny decides to seek revenge on her troublesome charges, two daughters who seemingly sabotage her romantic life, by telling them a ghastly story. Only the hauntings enter her waking life rather than their nightmares. The story echoes The Turning of the Screw with a slightly different ending.

In "Guess Who's Coming for the Dinner," a liberal-thinking father is faced with the fact that one of his daughters might be seeing a black man. How he acts surprises him and his family. Luckily, they're there to make sure he doesn't embarrass himself.

A group of teenagers shine some light on racism and stereotypes at local shops and how it hurts the stores financially in "Black Hoodie."

The Deportees and Other Stories is an eye opener at the state that we're in. Cross out Ireland and Irish and replace with America and American, and you'll see how this stories echoes across the sea. It makes the reader take a side step and evaluate how low we've come as a people by refuses others the seem benefits and dreams that we hold close to our hearts.

Before I close this post, I want to announce that I do have an extra copy of The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle. And because I'm such a nice guy, I've decided to give one away.


Now this giveaway will take place starting the moment the Tumblr post or this post hits 30 notes/comments.  The rules are simple:

1. This giveaway is only open to residents of the Continental USA, sorry.
2. To enter, you must comment below and tweet the link, mentioning me in said tweet (@EnnuiPrayer).
3. Once one of the two posts hits 30, a period of fifteen days will pass before I draw a winner. 
4. I will announce said winner on both pages and my twitter - hence the reason I want you to mention me. You will then have a period of 48 hours to contact me with your address. If you fail to do so, I will pick draw another winner.

If you have a Tumblr, there's more, but I feel no need mention those here. You can check out the page if you feel like it. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Read the new rules here.

Get a free $10 Barnes & Noble e-Gift Card. 

The Book Hunter Goes Hunting

Please note: I'm a book hunter, not a photographer. Pardon the picture.

Sometime last year, I decided that it'd be a great idea to hold book giveaways rather than just talk about it. Last week, I purchased a copy of A Blue Hand by Deborah Baker and - Bing! - it seemed like the appropriate book for my first giveaway. Sadly, I couldn't find a second copy. However, The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle seemed like a great choice, as well. The week before last, a copy of The Journal of Joyce Carol Oates also seemed like a good book giveaway, so I bought another copy of that. Tagging along was My Revolutions by Hari Kunzru. Now I'm struggling with the idea of which book is should be the first placed up for grabs. Perhaps a toss of a three-sided coin or with the help of my three-armed friend, I will find the answer. 

Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis

Question the narrator of Imperial Bedrooms - Bret Easton Ellis's follow up to his cult novel, Less Than Zero - because we've been duped before. In Less Than Zero, we're led to believe Clay's the one at the helm. He's writing the story as it happens. Imperial Bedrooms, on the other hand, opens with Clay - once again - narrating: "They had made a movie about us. The movie was based on a book written by someone we knew." Clay describes the book and the movie and the differences between the both. "The book was blunt and had an honesty about it, whereas the movie was just a beautiful lie," he says. We share the same feelings for the novel and its cinematic counterpart, "The movie was begging for our sympathy whereas the book didn't give a shit."

And the book still doesn't give a shit. Adapt that, Hollywood!

Less Than Zero is to first year of college as Imperial Bedrooms is to mid-life crisis. Is that accurate? In Less Than Zero, we're forced to see that things change. People change. And college is the enforcer of this change for many of us. Some of us become nostalgic, others become cold and jaded. And those who become come cold and jaded grow up to be Hollywood producers, writers, directors, actors, pimps, schemers, executives, and whore mongers. They use people for their own sexual gratification, whispering - not sweet nothings - spectacular promises that one can never hold on to. 

Has Clay grown up? Has he matured? No. Not in the least. Rather than evolving, he's become less than  he was in Less Than Zero. Has Julian learned from his time as a hustler, working for Finn? No. Instead, he becomes the pimp. Has Blair learned not to pursue Clay? No. 

And much like the film of Less Than Zero, Rip plays the villain. Julian owes him a ton of money. Julian is his little project. And Clay is forced to realize that he has been given the same opportunity that his fictional counterpart was given on the big screen. He has the power to be a friend. To bail Julian out of troubled waters. 

The novel shines a light on our darker selves, examining the people we can be and the people we choose to be.

Imperial Bedrooms is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble for Kindle and Nook, respectively. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

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The Kids Aren't All Right Part 1: Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis

Less Than Zero is a terribly chilling book about the woe-is-me white upper class college-aged kids, spending their time partying, snorting coke and whoring themselves out. And the way Bret Easton Ellis tells it, well, it's damn right poetic. 

Clay returns home for Christmas break. After spending the last four months in New Hampshire, Los Angeles seems foreign to him. Even worse, the people he knew are less friends than they are strangers. Oblivious ex-girlfriend picks up where their relationship left off. His friends are degenerate junkies. And Clay, while no different himself, begins to see himself for the first time. And the thought depresses him.

The book holds every vice in this ugly world that is glamoured up. Clay friends find it no big deal gang raping a twelve-year-old girl. Pimp Finn finds nothing wrong with subduing Julian into prostituting himself in order to pay back a debt. In fact, Finn even uses heroin to keep him in line. In the world Ellis created, there is no right or wrong. There's just action without consequences. 

The reader feels no sympathy for Clay or the people who make up his L.A. life. Even the flashbacks of Clay's childhood bring no connection to him. Bret Easton Ellis created a masterpiece of repugnant people that readers will enjoy hating for years go come. At least for me, anyway.

Less Than Zero is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble for Kindle and Nook, respectively. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

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Dollar Tree Shopping Spree

A book hunter never gives up a bargain. And one of the most overlooked hunting grounds are dollar stores, more notably the Dollar Tree, where literally everything is only a dollar - Family Dollar and Dollar General only use the name for show.

Quite a few books are Dollar Tree finds. Today, I found three more. Panic!: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity edited by Michael Lewis (Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World, Moneyball), Short Girls by Bich Minh Nguyen (Stealing Buddha's Dinner), and The Journal of Joyce Carol Oates 1973-1982 by Joyce Carol Oates (I Am No One You Know: Stories, The Gravedigger's Daughter: A Novel).

I'd been wanting to read both Stealing Buddha's Dinner and Short Girls by Nguyen, mostly because I've never heard of the writer before and the titles intrigued me. The Journal of Joyce Carol Oates 1973-1982 piqued my interested because I love reading the journals of writers - I own a few already. Panic! stuck out because of Michael Lewis, who did an excellent job with Moneyball, which I'm still slowly digesting. Not only that, but since a lot of these articles were written about ten or so years ago, it might lend in some hindsight to this whole Occupy Wall Street business.

There might have been more fines, but the organization was chaotic. If I had the time and got paid for it, I would've fixed it up nice and neat because I'm on a roll with organizing. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Weeping Underwater Looks a Lot Like Laughter

Michael J. White set off to tell us a story about love, loss, lust, love, and loss. In short, with his debut novel - Weeping Underwater Looks a Lot Like Laughter - he gives us a story about high school romance and infatuations. It's like no other than I have read in the past. It presses us to feel, see the through the eyes of the narrator, George Flynn, and his days with the Schell girls, Emily, his love interest, and Katie, the little sister. When tragedy strikes, George's life - social, familial, and romantic - is thrown into a tailspin. He cannot help put to grasp at the pieces, hoping that they one day fit into each other. 

Somewhere between YA and adult contemporary is where you'll find Weeping Underwater Looks a Lot Like Laughter. George Flynn is well into adulthood as he begins his narrative. The need to do so raises when he sees former high school sweetheart, Emily Schell, on television. And while the novel is interesting and emotional, there are several times that it just drags out. George acknowledges that he doesn't feel like giving us all the details in the days when his relationship with Emily grows sour, yet feels the need the give us details that add nothing to the story. There were several times in the story that I just felt the need to put it down and read something else, returning as if nothing happened in between. Truth be told, I started the book sometime during the summer and just finished it now. And that's because I had less than a hundred pages left. I can't help but feel that if ever there were a film adaptation, I'd enjoy it more than the novel itself. 

Weeping Underwater Looks a Lot Like Laughter is available on Amazon in bargain price hardback ($9.98), paperback ($11.70), and Kindle ($9.99). It's also available at Barnes & Noble in paperback and Nook edition. Until next time, keep on huntin'.

Doc: A Novel by Mary Doria Russell

First of all, I'd like to thank the great people at Good Reads who gave me the opportunity of being one of the first readers of Mary Doria Russell's historical novel, Doc. For those of you who don't know, Good Reads hosts giveaways held by publishers and authors - from well-known authors to indie writers.

John Henry Holliday, better known as Doc Holliday in popular culture, was immortalized as a quick-drawing, drunk, gambling gunslinger in  movies like Tombstone and the docu-drama, Wyatt Earp. His been portrayed on screen by actors like Val Kilmer, Kirk Douglas and Dennis Quaid. But how much of Doc Holliday - as well as, his relationship with Wyatt Earp - do we actually know? He was made famous because of the shoot out at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, AZ, which only lasted less than a minute. Dime store novelists and Hollywood producers wanted more action, more thrills. Soon the mere dentist, slowly dying of consumption, was turned into a fiend, an anti-hero.

Mary Doria Russell set off on her writing adventure to capture the man, not the legend, unmuddied by media-created lies. And in doing so, she created an image of Dr. John Henry Holliday - the dentist, the good friend, the lost soul, the taker of those abandoned and less fortunate - that we would otherwise never have known - despite the evidence and literature that contradict pop culture.

Russell's novel isn't exactly a western, though it does have its feel. More poetic than a regular historical novel. She allows the reader to make judgments and comparisons - once in a while, flash forwarding us to the future persona Doc Holliday would hold.

When Dr. John Henry Holliday - a dentist who just established his practice in Dodge City, Kansas - is called to inspect the burned body of young John Horse Sanders, he calls foul play. Because Sanders is Negro, Bat Masterson disregards the death, calling it accidental. What doesn't make sense is, Sanders' body was found in the ashes of the Elephant Barn when he didn't own a horse. But in Dodge City, everyone is suspect. When Wyatt Earp returns from Texas, he learns of the death. Panged with guilt, Earp takes on the position of lawman for Dodge City, alongside his younger brother, Morgan. The event of John Horse Sanders' death draws the three men closer.

Mary Doria Russell gives us a look of life before Tombstone, something that is rarely done. She casts away any popular culture depictions of Holliday and the Earps, placing poetic prose in their place. The book hits shelves on May 3 and will be available in Kindle and Nook.