William Howard Taft disappears right before the inauguration of his successor and somehow time-travels 99 years into the future and ends up running fo...moreWilliam Howard Taft disappears right before the inauguration of his successor and somehow time-travels 99 years into the future and ends up running for President. Crazy? Yes. Original? Completely. I thought this book was terrific.
I'm not much into politics, but this book is more the study of a man than a man's campaign. Interspersed are snippets of talk shows, internet activity and all kinds of craziness, but this book works. It's full of humor and humanity, and Taft became a man for me, not just a historical figure. I enjoyed his trip.
This is the first novel by Jason Heller, and I look forward to reading more by him.
Note: I received a copy of this book to review from Quirk books.(less)
This is a love story - the story of Evelyn and Brendan. I really enjoyed this book - the format is something I think a lot of people will be talking a...moreThis is a love story - the story of Evelyn and Brendan. I really enjoyed this book - the format is something I think a lot of people will be talking about. It's printed "accordion-style" and you can either read Evelyn's story first or Brendan's, it doesn't really matter, they both read from front to back, from different ends of the book.
Evelyn is an American who sometimes "sees things" and is always being told she's too imaginative for her own good and that she needs to get more serious with her life. She feels herself needing a break, and takes a week's vacation in Cornwall where she meets Brendan, who along with his father owns an old bookstore in town. He tells her of the legends of the Queen of Cornwall and her lover, Gawan, a knight who comes to her rescue. They're cursed for their true love to spend 1,000 years apart. Evelyn and Brendan have feelings for each other but Evelyn has another vision and flees to America.
Of course, years later, in America, they come together again. Can they get past the visions Evelyn has? Are they the modern version of the Queen and The Knight? Has their 1,000 year separation finally come to an end, or are they destined to be parted yet again?
As in any good love story, things come between Evelyn and Brendan, and I was anxious that their story be resolved in a happy way. I'll admit it here: I'm a sucker for a good story of Hope - the promise of happiness is so important and so many stories don't give you that.
I enjoyed this book, it's shorter than most books I read but definitely packs a punch. I loved the way the book is styled, though I kept dropping it all over the place (I blame that on me, not the book). I loved the drawings, they really added to the feel of the story. I gave it 5 stars because even though the stories aren't long, they surprised me with their charm.
I read the book Evelyn's story first, then Brendan's story. Just in case you're interested. I'm sure it would have been different had I read his story first but it just seemed to me that's how it needed to be done.
* Note: I received a review copy from Quirk Books, but as always, my opinions and the review above are my own.
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The Giving Tree has creeped me out my entire life. I found The Taking Tree at the library while I was browsing with my four year old and was glad ther...moreThe Giving Tree has creeped me out my entire life. I found The Taking Tree at the library while I was browsing with my four year old and was glad there wasn't anyone else around because I laughed my head off! Not sure it should have been in picture books, but it was a terrific book, I loved it!(less)
I picked up this book because I love Sophie Blackall's illustrations. It's a cute story about baby Edwin, who tries to tell his family what's going on...moreI picked up this book because I love Sophie Blackall's illustrations. It's a cute story about baby Edwin, who tries to tell his family what's going on but no one will listen because, well, he's just a baby. Very cute pictures and the story moves along well. My 4 year old enjoys this too.(less)
I was lucky enough to recently receive a review copy of Quirk Books' Gig Posters Volume 2 by Clay Hayes. What an awesome book! It's huge, first of all...moreI was lucky enough to recently receive a review copy of Quirk Books' Gig Posters Volume 2 by Clay Hayes. What an awesome book! It's huge, first of all, and loaded full of amazing posters for music shows. I personally love music posters - I grew up in the era of record albums and would spend hours looking at the sleeves and the liner notes. There was plenty of room for art and there were always all sorts of cool things inside. Music posters are, to me, right along the same line.
The book is sorted by the artists who created the posters, with assorted small pictures and a full page spread of their work. There are descriptions of the posters from how they were made to how the ideas for the designs came about.
There's a great variety of bands - from world famous to I-never-heard-of-them-before but the posters are all top notch and from shows in the last year or two. The best part of the book? All of the full size posters are perforated so you can remove them from the book, frame them and hang them on your wall! Now my only problem is finding enough wall space.(less)
This is one of my very favorite books of all time. This - along with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and A Wrinkle In Time - is what made me love...moreThis is one of my very favorite books of all time. This - along with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and A Wrinkle In Time - is what made me love reading as much as I do. I consider it a classic.(less)
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