false 5 33 33 true 5773899 read 0 true 3130301 currently-reading 0 true 3130300 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74857913 to: Cat's Cradle (Paperback) by Kurt Vonnegut
I think I tried reading Vonnegut when I was younger, but didn't seem to have the patience for nonsense. So, I didn't get into him. (Same is true for Don Adams.) However, this time around it was quite different.

Cat's Cradle is a twisted story that starts with a writer on a quest to write a book about the mundane life of the inventor of the atomic bomb on the day the bomb was dropped. In this quest we are taken on a wild ride with bizarre characters (I'm a sucker for bizarre characters). Through out the book there is the weaving of a new religion called Bokonism.

Bokonism is a wonderfully refreshing religion with many truths and Psalms are replaced by Calypsos.

Right after the dedication in the book is a single page that reads:

"Nothing in this book is true

'Live by the foma* that make you brave
and kind and healthy and happy.'

The Books of Bokonon. 1:5

*Harmless untruths"

See the cat? See the cradle?

Enjoy! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73976137 to: Nature Girl (Hardcover) by Carl Hiaasen
This is the second book by Carl Hiaasen that I read and I really liked it.

It's the story of a caste of wacky characters in a story that revolves around a woman, Honey Santana. Honey is strong minded, obsessive and possibly bi-polar. She wants to make the world a better place, even if she has to do it one person at a time. She becomes obsessed with a telemarketer in Texas and sets out to set him straight.

There are other stories woven around this main plot. All the characters eventually converge on one small island off Florida for a complicated and thrilling finale.

I love Carl Hiaasen's unusual characters. Reading this book reminded me of some of my favorite John Irving books that he wrote early in his career.

I had a lot of fun reading this book and look forward to more from Carl Hiaasen.

P.S. I love the cover art on these books. I checked and the cover was done by Charles Burns! See my review of Black Hole by Charles Burns ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73541759 to: My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey (Paperback) by Jill Bolte Taylor
This book is a memoir of Jill Bolte Taylor, PhD, who is a neuroscientist (neuroanatomist). In 1996 at the age of 37 years old, she had a massive stroke. In this book, she details what happened to her during the stroke and also describes her recovery over an eight year period.

I found this book to be very fascinating. Because of her work at the Harvard Brain Bank and teaching anatomy in medical schools, she was able to give a detailed account of what areas of her brain were being effected by the stroke.

With the left side of her brain pretty much "offline", she began to experience the world in a completely different way. Some of her descriptions come close to descriptions of Nirvana. Some of her statements are very close to my understanding of Buddhism. She also talks about how we can choose to experience the same sort of thing she experienced through the right side of her brain.

What happened to her is a lesson to us all.

I highly recommend this book.

]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73245527 to: Ignore Everybody: and 39 Other Keys to Creativity (Hardcover) by Hugh MacLeod
I happened to find this book through a series of links/clicks on the Internet. I ended up at Hugh MacLeod's blog gapingvoid.com. He has an excerpt from the book on his blog. I enjoyed it so much, I ordered the book and read it in a day.

He writes about creativity and also shares his insights about people and especially creative people. His writing is concise and witty. He also includes several of his cartoons that he draws on business cards. I found the cartoons also insightful and very funny.

The only thing is that after reading the book, I felt I had wasted several years of my life, which depressed me somewhat. On the other hand, the book motivated me to try and not waste too many more years of my live.

This is a fun, insightful book. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73244901 to: Black Hole (Hardcover) by Charles Burns
This book caught my eye one day in the library. I went back for it many times, but it was always checked out. I finally had to put a hold on it, to get it.

Charles Burns has been around for a long time and published comics in Art Spiegelman's Raw magazine back in the day.

The story takes place during the 1970's in Seattle. Burns captured the time period very well, sometimes painfully well. (I can attest to this, since I was a teenager during the 70's.) It is a dark story about a group of teenagers, who are dealing with a sexually transmitted disease that causes their bodies to mutate. This occurs with the backdrop of a serial killing on the loose.

The artwork is extremely well rendered and as dark as the story. Although I enjoyed the book, there were nights, when I didn't want to read it just before going to sleep, if you know what I mean.

A good, although disturbing book. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73244482 to: Breakdowns: Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@&*! (Hardcover) by Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman is the author of the Pulitzer prize winning "Maus". This book is full of his earlier work and some work he did related to Maus. Many pieces are autobiographical. He also explores the boundaries of sequential art and how to represent different concepts through the art. He was very much a pioneer and pushed the boundaries of the art form.

I thought this was a wonderful book with a lot of thought provoking art.

I highly recommend it. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73243810 to: Kiss Me, Deadly (Paperback) by Mickey Spillane
I believe this is my first Mike Hammer book. I loved it! Mickey Spillane wrote great noir, pulp.

While driving down a mountain road, Mike Hammer almost runs over a beautiful blond standing in the road. He gives her a ride only to find she is a woman pursued. After she is killed, Mike sets out to solver her murder.

There were many twists and turns as Mike Hammer pursues the killers.

Here are some great quotes from the book that I particularly loved:

p113 “I sat down, started to light a cigarette and stopped in the middle of it when the nurse walked in.
Some women are just pretty. Some are just beautiful. Some are just gorgeous. Some are like her. For a minute you think somebody slammed one in your belly then your breath comes back with a rush and you hope she doesn’t move out of the light that makes a translucent screen out of the white nylon uniform.
But she does and she says hello and you fell all gone all over.”

p130 “Her mouth was too close and too hungry looking. It wasn’t trying to be that way. It just was, like a steak being grilled over an open fire when you’re starved.”

Gotta love it! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/73243413 to: Something's Down There: A Novel (Mass Market Paperback) by Mickey Spillane
Well, I meant to write this review some time ago. I was actually inspired by Ed to read this book (based on his reviews of Mickey Spillane).

This was the first book I could find in the library. It was written recently and does not have the same feel as his earlier Mike Hammer books (I read one after this).

I found the book a little slow and the ending somewhat anti-climatic.

Overall, it was an okay book. However, if you're looking of the old Mickey Spillane, you won't find him here. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67930381 to: Richard Stark's Parker, #1: The Hunter (Hardcover) by Darwyn Cooke
I had read about this book in the NY Times and wanted to check it out. Darwyn has a great style to his drawings and his ability to tell a story visually.

This was a much grittier version of the story than I was familiar with through the movie "Payback" with Mel Gibson.

This graphic novel is based on the book "The Hunter" by Richard Stark (Donald Westlake). The story is about Parker, a master thief, who is betrayed by one of his partners and his wife. He fights his way back and seeks his revenge all the time trying to get back what is owed him.

Parker is tough and intelligent; an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67928924 to: Comeback (Hardcover) by Richard Stark
This is the first Parker book I've read. I'm familiar with the Parker character through the movie Payback with Mel Gibson and the movie Point Blank with Lee Marvin as well as the graphic novel "The Hunter" by Darwyn Cooke.

From what I understand, this is a typical Parker story. The story of a man, who has been wronged by those he trusted and is trying to get what's his and maybe a little revenge along the way.

This particular story deals with Parker being betrayed by one of his gang, and during the process becomes separated from the others. Alone in a town that is hunting him down, Parker tries to reunite with the ones he trusts and also get revenge on the one that betrayed him. It's an engaging story that kept me guessing until the end.

I'll definitely be checking out more Parker novels in the future. ]]>