Chris

Chris rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Fifty Year Sword
by Mark Z. Danielewski (Goodreads Author)

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I give Danielewski points for finding an inventive and original way to tell his story, and for the story itself, which I enjoyed.

Unfortunately, the frame for the story (that frames a story within it), the form and structure of the words on the page,...more

Chris rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Irredeemable, Vol. 10
by Mark Waid

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I suppose it's not really fair of me to be disappointed in an ending that was made clear by the title from the very start, yet I nevertheless felt let down by this series conclusion. The concept and early execution hooked me right away: What if a per...more

Chris rated a book 5 of 5 stars

A.A. Milne's Pooh Classics Boxed Set by A.A. Milne

A.A. Milne's Pooh Classics Boxed Set: Winnie-The-Pooh; The House at Pooh Corner; When We Were Very Young; Now We Are Six
by A.A. Milne

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Ah, so that's why Winnie-The-Pooh was my favorite when I was very young.

(Of course, I'm sure it helped that I'm Christopher Ronald.)

This is the first time I've gone back and read these stories since I became old enough to remember them. Though, you c...more Ah, so that's why Winnie-The-Pooh was my favorite when I was very young.

(Of course, I'm sure it helped that I'm Christopher Ronald.)

This is the first time I've gone back and read these stories since I became old enough to remember them. Though, you could say, I've yet to actually read them, strictly speaking, since they were read to me by my parents when I was little and this time I listened to Peter Dennis ("the only readings of A.A. Milne's Pooh classics authorized by Milne's son, Christopher Robin," we're told in each introduction) read them to me. And, it seems to me, that's as it should be.

Reading and listening are two different activities that don't always overlap. Sometimes words that are elegantly eloquent as written on the page trip stumblingly off the tongue and quickly become too convoluted for ears to follow, while oral presentations that astound and amaze can lose all sense of voice and magic once they are transcribed. Finding the realm where the two overlap is a delicate task. It's one that Milne mastered. His stories are as wonderful read as heard, as animated heard as read, and are best when they are both: not simply told, not merely read, but read aloud in shared tellings.

The magic of Pooh is that of the simple, young imagination. Many of my favorite books are those that capture the make-believe moments of children, from the beloved egocentricity of Bill Watterson's Calvin and his Hobbes to George and Harold, the boundary-pushing, hero-inventing, comic-book-writing prankster protagonists of Dave Pilkey's Captain Underpants books, to the wildly captured imaginings of Malachai Nicolle in Axe Cop. As different as those more recent stories might seem due to setting and context, they are descendents of Christopher Robin's adventures with Pooh and their friends--they are each a window into the mind of child at play, having fun with imagination and stories. There are many others to choose from, of course, and they are almost always a delight. Milne's Pooh classics are among the best.(less)

Chris rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Case File 13: Zombie Kid
by J. Scott Savage (Goodreads Author)

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I liked this well enough, but not nearly as much as I wanted to. I just kept thinking, from start to finish, that it was too mild. I expected the humor to be sillier, more slapstick and absurd, and the horror to be darker, grosser, and scarier. If at...more

Chris rated a book 4 of 5 stars

Cardboard
by Doug TenNapel

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Cardboard won me over and I had an excellent time reading it in one sitting over breakfast the other morning. I have to admit I was tentative heading into the book because: I wasn't crazy about TenNapel's "critically acclaimed" effort Bad Island , co...more Cardboard won me over and I had an excellent time reading it in one sitting over breakfast the other morning. I have to admit I was tentative heading into the book because: I wasn't crazy about TenNapel's "critically acclaimed" effort Bad Island , couldn't get into his Ratfist and only read the first few pages, and only decided to read this one at the request of a colleague who wasn't crazy about it. So I went in not expecting to care for the book and ended up pleasantly surprised.

We have Cardboard in our teen collection and I'm not sure it belongs there, though. The protagonists are an out-of-work carpenter and his son who seems to be around ten, with the supporting characters being an adult neighbor, a neighborhood bully and peer of Cam's, and cardboard bill, another adult--so not a proper teen in sight. At least, the boys appeared preteen to me, though I don't think the book ever states their ages, and certainly works better if they are. For readers around age ten, this story works in quite a few issues with pretty good depth and complexity; for readers fifteen and up, I can see the issues feeling a bit more simplified and reduced. For younger readers, then, this is a rousing adventure with complicated characters and relationship issues.

I think the moment, very early on, that fully won me over, was Gideon's presentation of the cardboard:

"A good boy is rare indeed! . . . I have the best, most amazing, and utterly stupendous gift in the history of the universe . . . but I'm saving it for a really good kid!"

"Gideon, this is an empty box."

"Empty? It's full! Full of ideas . . . projects . . . adventure!"

"He does like to make things."

"Now you're getting it! Make a submarine, a monster, a train! It beats the heck out of some dumb ol' hundred-dollar, remote-controlled car!

"To the nakes eye, it appears to be just a plain old cardboard vessel! But this is actually a father-and-son project in disguise! Slay the giant! Kill the Nazis! Hunt for buried treasure! It's up to you!

"No, this is not just a box! It's everything mankind ever needed to accomplish pressed into a cube of corrugated pulp!"

Of course, that speech takes on a whole new meaning once Mike and Cam realize that anything they make from the cardboard comes to life, complete with existential angst and a Pandora's box of trouble.

Oh, and the artwork. Bright, vibrant, expressive, and angular, I'm not sure it would work for every story, but it suited this one excellently.(less)

Chris rated a book 3 of 5 stars

The Apothecary
by Maile Meloy

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Intrigue, I think, is the word for this book. Spies and international espionage. Cold war politics, plots, and double crossings. A secret society dedicated to protecting scientific and alchemical magic, and to using that magic to better the world. Ad...more

Chris rated a book 4 of 5 stars

The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland

The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire, #1)
by Tui T. Sutherland

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So much fodder for the imagination, beginning with the map, illustrations, and brief descriptions of the different dragon races and their cultures right at the start of the book. Also, the prophecy of greatness, young dragons destined to end a bloody...more

Chris rated a book 5 of 5 stars

Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn (Goodreads Author)

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That was quite the experience, one that lived up to all of the popularity and positive reviews. A compelling, engaging, appalling, stimulating story.

What stood out to me as the most effective aspect of Flynn's impressive telling was the way she took...more

Chris rated a book 3 of 5 stars

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
by Stephan Pastis

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I'm a sucker for a flawed, unreliable narrator, love understated, deadpan humor, and believe self-delusion is an unavoidable fact of life that should be embraced by all good stories, so it would seem that Timmy Failure has a winning formula for me si...more

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Chris rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Fifty Year Sword by Mark Z. Danielewski (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I give Danielewski points for finding an inventive and original way to tell his story, and for the story itself, which I enjoyed. Unfortunately, the frame for the story (that frames a story within it), the form and structure of the words on the page,...more
May 23, 2013 04:31pm · see review
Chris rated a book 3 of 5 stars Irredeemable, Vol. 10 by Mark Waid	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I suppose it's not really fair of me to be disappointed in an ending that was made clear by the title from the very start, yet I nevertheless felt let down by this series conclusion. The concept and early execution hooked me right away: What if a per...more
May 22, 2013 01:50pm · see review
Chris rated a book 5 of 5 stars A.A. Milne's Pooh Classics Boxed Set: Winnie-The-Pooh; The House at Pooh Corner; When We Were Very Young; Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Ah, so that's why Winnie-The-Pooh was my favorite when I was very young. (Of course, I'm sure it helped that I'm Christopher Ronald.) This is the first time I've gone back and read these stories since I became old enough to remember them. Though, you c...more
May 22, 2013 01:09pm · see review
Chris rated a book 3 of 5 stars Case File 13: Zombie Kid by J. Scott Savage (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I liked this well enough, but not nearly as much as I wanted to. I just kept thinking, from start to finish, that it was too mild. I expected the humor to be sillier, more slapstick and absurd, and the horror to be darker, grosser, and scarier. If at...more
May 20, 2013 03:20pm · see review
Chris rated a book 4 of 5 stars Cardboard by Doug TenNapel	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Cardboard won me over and I had an excellent time reading it in one sitting over breakfast the other morning. I have to admit I was tentative heading into the book because: I wasn't crazy about TenNapel's "critically acclaimed" effort Bad Island , co...more
May 20, 2013 02:59pm · see review
Chris rated a book 3 of 5 stars The Apothecary by Maile Meloy	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Intrigue, I think, is the word for this book. Spies and international espionage. Cold war politics, plots, and double crossings. A secret society dedicated to protecting scientific and alchemical magic, and to using that magic to better the world. Ad...more
May 16, 2013 05:21pm · see review
Chris rated a book 4 of 5 stars The Dragonet Prophecy (Wings of Fire, #1) by Tui T. Sutherland	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
So much fodder for the imagination, beginning with the map, illustrations, and brief descriptions of the different dragon races and their cultures right at the start of the book. Also, the prophecy of greatness, young dragons destined to end a bloody...more
May 14, 2013 03:02pm · see review
Chris rated a book 5 of 5 stars Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Goodreads Author)	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
That was quite the experience, one that lived up to all of the popularity and positive reviews. A compelling, engaging, appalling, stimulating story. What stood out to me as the most effective aspect of Flynn's impressive telling was the way she took...more
May 06, 2013 06:58am · see review
Chris rated a book 3 of 5 stars Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made by Stephan Pastis	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I'm a sucker for a flawed, unreliable narrator, love understated, deadpan humor, and believe self-delusion is an unavoidable fact of life that should be embraced by all good stories, so it would seem that Timmy Failure has a winning formula for me si...more
May 01, 2013 09:44am · see review

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