Specials

Read November 2009
Photo courtesy Scott Westerfeld's site.

The Scoop: The third in the Uglies series with protagonist Tally Youngblood. Written by American author Scott Westerfeld in 2006, published by Simon Pulse.

The Ingredients: Tally Youngblood is now part of a unique Special Circumstances crew with her friend Shay and other Cutters. Being a Special also means undergoing a different surgery that makes one virtually superhuman. They are tasked to find the new location of the New Smoke, the camp where Uglies go to rebel against the Pretty operations and lifestyle. Aaaand adventure ensues.

Serves: Young adult.

[Part 1: Being Special] Crashing a Bash - The six hoverboards slipped among the trees with the lightning grace of playing cards thrown flat and spinning. [2/5 Not very enthralling, but...hoverboards!]

Result: Very action-packed, suspenseful, and thrilling. We find out what characters who appeared previously had been up to, so there's a good sense of cohesion and tying things back together. The technological concepts Westerfeld incorporates just add to his strength at science fiction writing. It makes the story all the more interesting and really drew me in to imagining all of it in full form. I think it's pretty neat when, while you're reading a book, you can just picture everything happening right in front of your eyes, down to the littlest details. The sneak suits, the Specials' unique body modifications, the hoverboards of course, position finders...they really make for a fascinating world. [4/5 A significant improvement from the second. The action scenes are very exciting and the ending left me wanting more.]

Holidays On Ice

Read October 2009.
Photo courtesy Amazon. 

The Scoop: A collection of short stories and personal essays by David Sedaris (US), published in 1997 by Little, Brown and Company.

The Ingredients: The collection included previously published stories/essays (the first 2 I recognized from Barrel Fever - "SantaLand Diaries" and "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!") and some new ones. All are based around the holiday season, as the title suggests. "Season's Greetings..." is a short story in the form of a Christmas letter that strays far from the norm, as Mrs. Dunbar, writing on behalf of the family, is forced to deal with some unsavory circumstances, but still tries to maintain a cheerful festive tone. "Dinah, the Christmas Whore" is a recounting of the night Sedaris (and the rest of his family) discover a new meaning to "ho, ho, ho". "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol" is an honest review of the local school's Christmas plays/pageants. A man who works in the TV industry gives a sermon pleading the congregation for help in an ultimate heartwarming story in "Based on a True Story". Holidays on Ice ends with "Christmas Means Giving", a story that spirals into the most extreme showdown of generosity.

Serves: Adult, maybe even down to highschool-er age - there's nothing that I can remember being of extreme offense. But even though it's partially marketed as a holiday season collection of stories, it remains a grown-up book - don't sit the kiddies 'round the fireplace after the family Christmas feast and do a read-aloud with this one (note the stiff drink on the book cover).

"SantaLand Diaries": I was in a coffee shop looking through the want ads when I read, "Macy's Herald Square, the largest store in the world, has big opportunities for outgoing, fun-loving people of all shapes and sizes who want more than just a holiday job! [3.5/5]

Result: The two stories that I previously read in Barrel Fever obviously came as no surprise. I don't think I re-read them, as they were still pretty fresh in my memory. As I've mentioned, I prefer Sedaris's autobiographical essays to his fictional stories, so "Dinah" satisfied me well (double entendre not intended). The other three stories also had their own merits, and were mostly quite funny. Sedaris continues to impress me with his ability/gift to bring such unique and relatable characters to life. A nice easy read - you don't have to wait for the holidays to read it (as I chose not to do as well), but I can see how it would make one's holidays more spirited and amusing! [4/5 Prefer it to Barrel Fever in terms of material, but also theme, because I just love the winter holidays. Easy to read, sometimes tough to put down, entertaining, and witty.]