Me Talk Pretty One Day

Read September 2009.
Photo courtesy Wikipedia. 

The Scoop: The fourth essay collection of humorist David Sedaris (US). Published by Little, Brown and Company in 2000. New York Times bestseller for which Sedaris was awarded the 2001 Thurber Prize for American Humor, and became Time magazine's "Humorist of the Year".

The Ingredients: Essays based on Sedaris' own experiences, split into two parts - life before moving to France, and after. He touches upon such topics as his childhood speech therapy classes, family and pets, instrument lessons, and much more; the title story revolves around his attempts at learning French.

Serves: Mainly adult audience; some mature topics and strong language.

[One] Go Carolina: "Anyone who watches even the slightest amount of TV is familiar with the scene: An agent knocks on the door of some seemingly ordinary home or office." [4/5]

Result: I can't add much to its already rave reviews. I distinctly remember hearing about this book in high school and had been trying to read it since then, but it was always checked out, which comes to no surprise to me now. It was entertaining the whole way through; I had trouble putting it down, even though I really needed to go to sleep; and I finished it so satisfied and already wanting to reread it. David Sedaris' colors his stories with fantastically-expressed self-deprecating humor and sharp wit, making them memorable. And even though our lives are obviously so different, I could still find myself to relating to much of it, by the way he expressed his feelings and his spot-on observations. It is an example of both humor and writing at its best. [5/5 High reread value; very funny and entertaining; quick, easy, relaxing read.]

Pretties

Read September 2009.
Photo courtesy Simon Pulse.


The Scoop: The second in the young adult sci-fi Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld (US). Published by Simon Pulse also in 2005.

The Ingredients: The continuing story of protagonist Tally Youngblood. Don't want to give away too much, because it might spoil the preceding book.

Serves: Young adult.

[Chapter 1] Criminal: Getting dressed was always the hardest part of the afternoon. [2/5 Again, not very inventive or enthralling, but the style does play to describing a 16-year-old's "pretty" life.]

Result: I didn't like this one as much as Uglies. We learn a lot more about the life of "pretties" and it couldn't be more of the kind of people and lifestyle I don't like. Also, the language of the pretties (their slang, you could say) got on my nerves quickly, but I just got used to it. It's still an easy read, I still was able to read it over the course of a day, but it just dragged on more than the first, as I guess the premise was getting stale. Not to say there's no excitement in it; there still are thrills and suspense, even some pretty emotional parts. But some things (and people) I liked about the first one weren't here to the same extent. It's been awhile since I finished it, but still I'd have to go back and skim the end to remember what happened and see where the next will pick up from (and yes, I do plan on finishing the series, so that's still saying something...) [2.5/5 A bit lower than the first, but still a good young adult fiction book compared to some trash that makes it out there. Not a high reread value, but I will move on to the following book.]

Uglies

Read via free download offered by author & publisher, August 2009.
Photo courtesy Simon Pulse.


The Scoop: Part one of the New York Times bestselling "Uglies" series (a total of four novels now). Young adult science fiction novel by Scott Westerfeld (US). Published by Simon Pulse in 2005. Film rights bought by 20th Century Fox and Eragon producer John Davis in 2006, movie scheduled for 2011.

The Ingredients: Tally Youngblood is turning 16, which, in this dystopian society, means she must undergo a mandatory comprehensive plastic surgery to make her "Pretty". The "Pretties" seem to have perfect lives, but Tally meets some others her age who show her what exactly it means to be "pretty".

Serves: Young adult, preferably.

[Chapter 1] New Pretty Town: The early summer sky was the color of cat vomit. [2/5 While I appreciate the attempt at being descriptive with the use of 'color of cat vomit', this sentence doesn't draw you into the story much. It sounds like something any middle-schooler could write.]

Result: I saw the free download offer and had nothing else to do so I decided to give this a go. I read it in a few hours, as it's on a 'young adult' level, and it's actually very interesting. The premise is unique; the main characters and (future) technologies are well-described and developed; and there are enough twists and suspense to keep one intrigued. And if you take the time to think about it, the story delves into many modern-day issues that adolescents especially deal with - body image, conformity, emotional and physical change, individuality, peer pressure, authority, surveillance, and environmental issues. The end left me hanging and I was eager to check out the next in the series. [3/5 While I admit I couldn't really draw myself away from it, in the context of all literature, I can't rate it very high. I also don't think I would read it again. However, in the context of YA fiction (and had I read it in middle school or some years ago), it's definitely one of the better choices available with its sci-fi setting and rather adult (mostly positive) messages. So in that narrower scope, it would have a higher rating.]

Lullaby

Read August 2009.
Photo courtesy Wikipedia.


The Scoop: Horror-satire novel by Chuck Palahniuk (US), best known for Fight Club. Published by Doubleday in 2002. Nominated for Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in same year, and won the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award in 2003.

The Ingredients: Reporter Carl Streator goes on assignment to write about a series of infant deaths and links them all (including his own wife and child's deaths) to a 'culling song'. With this knowledge, Streator becomes increasingly powerful and sets out to destroy all copies of the song, with real estate agent Helen Boyle by his side, Helen's assistant Mona, and Mona's boyfriend Oyster. They also endeavor to find the original grimoire which is the source of the culling spell, though each has his/her own reasons.

Serves: Adult audience. Contains very mature content (e.g. necrophilia and other sexual acts, violence, murder, etc.) with strong, explicit language.

Prologue: "At first, the new owner pretends he never looked at the living room floor." [4/5 Short but definitely inspires much curiosity.]

Result: A variation of a "frame story", Palahniuk starts at the end of the story and frames the series of events that led up to that endpoint within it. In other words, Carl Streator as narrator, tells us where he is and delves into the story of how/why he got to that point, and so it continues to alternate between the present time (distinguished by italic typeface) and the backstory. If it sounds confusing, it is. To a point. Of course the present story is full of foreshadowing, and everything is tied together at the end, leading to a huge 'aha' moment, which in and of itself is quite rewarding. Though many parts were hard to get through, and I just found myself confused and trying to make sense of what I was reading, I liked it. Lullaby, surprisingly, is the first of Palahniuk's novels I read, and if it is indicative of what his others are like, I am very interested in reading them. I am drawn to his writing style; I love repetition (he uses a style here referred to as 'choruses') and his succinct sentences and vivid detail are very satisfying. The themes and issues Streator explicitly questions are very thought-provoking (leading to me to actually take time out to ponder things like censorship, power, free will, addiction, the role of media). It is a dark novel that speaks of the degradation of our modern society. There are definitely a lot of strange, cringe-inducing, crazy, violent scenes, but if that doesn't deter you, give Lullaby a read. [4.5/5 High reread value because of its complex storyline and characters, and I'd like to re-experience it from the start knowing what I know now. Also made me want to read more of Palahniuk's superb writing.]