She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb

one sentence summary:
this is the chronicle of a girl who becomes a woman who had a shitty life.

Review:
this was one of those "everyone must read" books in the late 1990's, I do not understand why. Wally Lamb is a great author and story teller, this is NOT and example of his talent, I actually do not understand why he let this be published. I understand that people are supposed to feel bad for the main character but I really want to smack her upside the head and say "yeah you had a shit run of it but you are worth more than that so man up and get a life". The whole premise of this novel pisses me off. I do not recommend this to anyone. Also there are so many cliches, mixed metaphors and stereotypes this reads like it was written by a teenager.

3/10

Memorable Quotes (stereotypes and shitty advice):
"Love is like breathing, you take it in and let it out." 

"I think... the secret is to just settle for the shape of your life takes...Instead of you know, always waiting and wishing for what might make you happy."

"This was what could happen to you: you could end up this far from where you thought you were going."

"Accept what people offer. Drink their milkshakes. Take their love."


If you enjoyed this (you have no taste in books but I will assume you like reading about pathetic people) i recommend --- from most well written to drivel:
A Confederacy of Dunces (really well written but you still hate the protagonist)
Twilight Series (Bella is an idiot)
Fifty Shades of Grey series (Anastasia is an idiot and what is worse she ruined the name Anastasia for the future generations)

The Wind in the Willlows - Kenneth Grahame

one sentence summary
a story about animals living around a river. (or alternately  an allegory for the class struggle post Victorian and pre-WWI which takes into account the possible actions one class could take by rising against the other and also the consequences of such actions, written in a way even a child could understand.)

review
This novel is one of the best according to the BBC's Big Read survey which placed it at number 16 of the best British books. The speed of the story varies, much like the river it is told around, from meandering descriptions of setting and character to fast paced dialogue and adventure. This truly has something for everyone, the middle school boy, the middle school girl, the university historian reading into it as allegory and the normal person reading it as a wonderful story full of vibrant characters. Everyone ought to read this novel, it is a light volume making for a quick read.  
8/10
8/10

Memorable quotes:
“All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered.” 

“Home! That was what they meant, those caressing appeals, Those soft touches wafted through the air, those invisible little hands pulling and tugging, all one way.”

“But Mole stood still a moment, held in thought. As one wakened suddenly from a beautiful dream, who struggles to recall it, but can recapture nothing but a dim sense of the beauty in it, the beauty! Till that, too, fades away in its turn, and the dreamer bitterly accepts the hard, cold waking and all its penalties.”

If you enjoyed this please reed:
everything by Francis Hodgson Burnett
everything by Edith Nesbit

The Undomestic Goddess - Sophie Kinsella

One Sentence Summary:
A high powered lawyer is mistaken for domestic help and takes a job as a maid in a large house.

Review:
who hasn't wanted to just leave their life behind and become a totally different person living a totally different life. In this novel a woman gives up her high powered career to play as a maid for a large house. In her witty and often hilarious style Kinsella tells an enthralling story about a character that you will love. Though not great writing this is a funny story still worth a read on a rainy (or sunny) afternoon. The ending is a bit weak but the story makes it worth reading. I recommend this to people who enjoy chick-lit.
9/10
6/10

 if you enjoyed this I recommend:
more by Sophie Kinsella
Marian Keyes
Jane Green
Gemma Townley
Susan Elizabeth Philips
Jennifer Cruise

Kim - Rudyard Kipling

one sentence summary:
An orphaned Scottish boy born in Colonial India who raised himself on the streets of Banjor is recruited as a British spy and has some hard choices to make.

review:
One part coming of age, one part history and one part political statement this early twentieth century novel is well worth a read. It tells the story of India as part of the Common Wealth and the struggle that ensued for the UK to keep it as Kim becomes a spy for the Brits. It also tells the story of a wonderful friendship, racial clashes, and personal religious conflict. For a short novel this has a lot of messages packed into it. This is a very pro-imperialism read but at the same time it humanizes the Indian struggle (which I understand was unusual at the time) by making Russia the enemy in the story. As we have established I really enjoy historical fiction and seem to have a thing for Colonial fiction. This is really well written and a relatively quick and easy read. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story or is interested in the colonial history of India.

8/10

memorable quotes
"Something I owe to the soil that grew—
More to the life that fed—
But most to Allah who gave me two
Separate sides to my head."

"This is a brief life, but in its brevity it offers us some splendid moments, some meaningful adventures."

"There is no sin so great as ignorance. Remember this."

if you enjoyed this I recommend
Joseph Conrad
E. M. Forester (esp. A Passage to India)
More Rudyard Kipling
C. S. Forester (Hornblower Series)
George MacDonald Fraser (Flashman Series)

Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

one sentence summary:
the horrid life of an orphan in Victorian London is described in heart wrenching detail.

Review:
Dickens is the king of bleak Victorian stories, full of horrid conditions described in excruciating detail with characters who would have been better off being born in the Middle Ages than in their current circumstances. This is no exception to that rule, Oliver is an orphan who, through the circumstances of life ends up homeless in London where he is taken in by a con man and his group of pick pockets. I love this story, the actual novel not as much as some of the adaptions, but it is still worth reading. The story is depressing, the prose are brilliant and the descriptions so intense it is almost like you are actually living in the squalor of Victorian London, smelling the stench and hating the world. The line "Please, Sir, I want some more." really encompasses the whole story, it is a have and have not world, we are lucky to be counted among the haves. I do not recommend this to a casual reader as it is not the easiest thing to read. Any one who is interested in Victorian London would get enjoyment out of it for sure.

memorable quotes:
"It is because I think so much of warm and sensitive hearts, that I would spare them from being wounded."

"My heart is set, as firmly as ever heart of man was set on woman. I have no thought, no view, no hope, in life beyond her; and if you oppose me in this great stake, you take my peace and happiness in your hands, and cast them to the wind."

"Please, sir, I want some more."

If you enjoyed this read:

more Dickens

Blindness - Jose Saramago

One Sentence Summary:
A mysterious illness renders most of the world blind, one woman who was spared leads a band of people through the disaster.

Review:
This is a brilliant work, if anything was lost in translation one would be hard pressed to figure out what it was. It isn't the easiest read (both literally and emotionally) but it is well worth reading, it is the story of humanity. Yes I know that is a dramatic statement but it really is the story of all of the different personality types and how they would react and interact in an end of the world situation. There is violence and kindness, organization and chaos, and, fear and acceptance - all wound up in a great story with characters you will feel great emotions toward. I recommend it to anyone who likes reading good writing and isn't easily frightened by what people can become when pushed.

8/10

memorable quotes:
"Inside us there is something that has no name, that something is what we are." 

"Perhaps only in a world of the blind will things be what they truly are."

"If I'm sincere today, what does it matter if I regret it tomorrow?"

If you enjoyed this I recommend:
The Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham
The Postman - David Brin
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
On The Beach - Nevil Shute
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter M Miller Jr

Love You Forever - Robert Munsch

one sentence summary:
The love between mother and child is unbreakable, sometimes to the point of being a bit creepy.

review:
Through rhyme and rhythm Munsch expresses the undying love between a mother and her baby, even when he grows into a man, and the love he returns to her. I loved this book when I was little and it is one of few I recall my mom reading out loud to me (my dad read a lot out loud to me but mom was always tired, and had two other kids). If you think about it too hard it will probably creep you out a bit, so don't do that, just read it as a sweet happy story. Everyone should read it (and possibly memorize it from reading it far to many times to your children)

10/10
10/10

Memorable quote:
"I love you forever
I like you for always
As long as I am living
My baby you will be"

If you enjoyed this I recommend:

The Velveteen Rabbit
Mama, Do You Love Me?
Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Where the Wild Things Are

Dracula - Bram Stoker

one sentence summary
A hapless woman encounters a vampire and requires rescuing

review
Arguably the foundation of modern vampire culture this is a brilliant work. Even read at face value, as a simple vampire story this is an engrossing read, a fascinating story with great characters. That said, when we put on our thinking caps and read it while thinking about all the possible metaphors and the cultural references it becomes ever more interesting. (Even more so when you read it with Dracula being a stand in for the disease of syphilis, which is one theory of the meaning behind it). This is nothing like any interpretation of it  you may have seen on television or on the big screen.  I recommend this to anyone who really wants to know what a vampire is supposed to be.

9/10

memorable quotes
"We learn from failure, not from success!"

"Remember my friend, that knowledge is stronger than memory, and we should not trust the weaker"

if you enjoyed this I recommend:
Frankenstein - Mary Shelly
The Beetle - Richard Marsh
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner - Coleridge
The Yellow Wallpaper - C P Gilman
Turn of the Screw - Henry James
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson

Standing in the Rainbow - Fannie Flagg

One Sentence Summary:
The people of Elmwood Springs have very interesting lives, read up on them here.

Review:
Tracing a 50 year time span in the small town of Elmwood Springs and following the people from there Fannie Flagg does it again, creating characters we want to follow. This is book two in the Elmwood Springs series, it does a commendable job of filling in the back story of everyone in the town. I really enjoyed the small town, everybody knows everything feel to the book made me kind of want to move to a tiny town and travel back to the 1950's. This novel does an excellent job of touching on Americana from Bazooka Joe Bubble Blowing contests of the 40's, to the Korean War, to the rise of big business and the death of main street. I recommend this to anyone who is looking for a light read for a sunny or rainy afternoon.

6/10

If you enjoyed this I recommend reading books by:
Fannie Flagg (duh)
Rebecca Wells
Garrison Keillor
Tom Sharpe (for the UK equivalent)
Jan Karon

Neuromancer - William Gibson

one sentence summary:
A hacker has pissed off his former employers who and has one last chance to save himself.

review:
Gibson creates a fascinating world of equal parts technology, science and violence. Well written, using language that is a bit beyond your average reader, I found it very enjoyable. I also like that Gibson explains science but not it too complected of a way, I find really really technical sci-fi a bit too much but this was not that. This is an entertaining read while still feeling a bit intellectual, with a great story and characters I loved to hate. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys science fiction in any form.

8/10

memorable quotes:
"The sky above the port was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel."

"Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts... A graphic representation of data abstracted from banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding..."

"His eyes were eggs of unstable crystal, vibrating with a frequency whose name was rain and the sound of trains, suddenly sprouting a humming forest of hair-fine glass spines."

"His teeth sang in their individual sockets like tuning forks, each one pitch-perfect and clear as ethanol."

If you enjoyed this I recommend:
Neal Stephenson
more William Gibson
Robert J Sawyer

Valley of the Dolls - Jacqueline Susann

one sentence summary:
Sex, Drugs and Hollywood debauchery - with three woman's struggles for Hollywood fame.

review:
The original trashy chick lit read (at least I am pretty sure it is... at least of the modern era). Written in a perfectly horrid fashion with very little skill this is a hilarious romp through 1960's sexual liberation. I don't think it was meant to be hilarious but reading it today it really is, I am under the impression it was meant to be a cautionary tale. It is apparently based loosely on the real life's of various Hollywood starlets (Ethel Merman, Judy Garland, Betty Hutton, Frances Farmer, and Marilyn Monroe). A very interesting read which I recommend to anyone who is curious about the 1960's.

7/10

memorable quotes:
"Never judge anyone by another's opinions. We all have different sides that we show to different people."

"A man must feel he runs things, but as long as you control yourself, you control him."

If you enjoyed this I recommend:

The Gidget Series - Frederik Kohner
Shopaholic Series - Sophie Kinsella
Biographies of old actresses, such as those listed above

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession - Daniel J Levitin

One Sentence Summary:
An explanation of what music does to the human brain.

Review:
Well written with lots of academic studies sited this book is full of fascinating information for anyone interested in Music. Written for the slightly-above-average reader this is not an easy read unless you are really interested in the content in which case there will not be enough. Levitin uses research of his own and research from everywhere else as well to explain about what music does to the brain in various circumstances. I only recommend this to someone really really interested in the neurology of music.

8/10

If you enjoyed this I recommend: 
Oliver Sacks
Norman Doidge

The Time Machine - H G Wells

one sentence summary:
A Victorian era scientist invents a time machine and travels through time.

review:
Ok, on this one I am super biased. I wrote an essay all about it, well actually about the use of science fiction in the Victorian Era's popular culture and how it shaped society, but this was one of the strongest examples I used. Written using Victorian Era language this work tells a compelling story with characters you will never forget. There is a reason that this is still on bookstore shelves over one hundred years after its initial publication, and that reason is that it is a wonderfully written, entertaining read. It is a big ideas told in relatable  entertaining ways novel. I recommend it to anyone who is curious about where science fiction came from or is just really into either Victorian literature or Sci-Fi. (I also recommend all the movies, and even the cartoons that feature the story line and the Morlocks)

8/10

memorable quotes:
"Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no need of change."

"We all have our time machines, don't we. Those that take us back are memories...And those that carry us forward, are dreams."

If you enjoyed this I recommend these classics:
Everything else by H G Wells (esp. the Invisible Man)
Everything by Jules Verne (esp. Journey to the Centre of the Earth)
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Robert Louis Stevenson's writing that is still in print (and there is a lot of it out there)

The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Neffenegger

one sentence summary:
A woman falls in love with a time travelling librarian.

review:
I loved the premise of this book but not the book itself. The writing leaned heavily on stereotypes and was not subtle with the foreshadowing, rather hit you over the head with it like it was a hammer. The characters could have been much stronger and I kept getting really annoyed at both of the leads as they were whiny annoying bitches. The prose are decent but rely on curse words to stimulate emotion even in places it would be better to not (and I do really like well place curse words and characters with dirty mouths but this was awkward 80% of the time). If you want to read this please go watch Doctor Who instead a way more epic time-traveller.

5/10

memorable quotes:

“Don't you think it's better to be extremely happy for a short while, even if you lose it, than to be just okay for your whole life?”

If you enjoyed this you clearly like to cry while reading medeocre writing so I recommend you read books by (listed from my least enjoyable to the most enjoyable):

Jodi Picoulte
Kristin Hannah
Wally Lamb

Little Bee - Chris Cleave

one sentence summary:
A British couple visiting Nigeria run into a girl on the beach and have to make a life changing decision, they tell the girl that if she is ever in England to look them up... years later she does.

Review:
This was a big book club book when it came out and I can see why but do not agree with it being so well reviewed and acclaimed. A compelling story with characters you feel compassionate about. That said when you invent characters that have hugely scaring back stories and you share those stories early in the book it is easy for a writer to create emotion in the reader - shock value and all that. It is not a "life changing masterpiece" as the hype says but it is a good (if a bit disturbing at times) story. I recommend it as beach or cabin reading if you are in the mood for an unique story.

7/10

Memorable Quotes:
"On the girl's brown legs there were many small white scars. I was thinking, Do those scars cover the whole of you, like the stars and the moons on your dress? I thought that would be pretty too, and I ask you right here please to agree with me that a scar is never ugly. That is what the scar makers want us to think. But you and I, we must make an agreement to defy them. We must see all scars as beauty. Okay? This will be our secret. Because take it from me, a scar does not form on the dying. A scar means, I survived."

"Sad words are just another beauty. A sad story means, this storyteller is alive. The next thing you know something fine will happen to her, something marvelous, and then she will turn around and smile."

"Horror in your country is something you take a dose of to remind yourself that you are not suffering from it."

If you enjoyed this I recommend:

The Kite Runner
The Help
The Bonesetter's Daughter 

A Redbird Christmas - Fannie Flagg

One Sentence Summary:
Oswald is told by his doctor that if he stays in Chicago he will die so he moves south to the small town of Lost River where he is adopted by the small close knit community.

Review:
I am not ashamed to say I love Fannie Flagg, her stories are all have characters I want to have tea with and communities I would hate to live in because everyone knows everyone else. Her writing is simple, old fashion, character driven, small town exposing story telling. I recommend this to anyone looking for an easy read with a happy ending full of off the wall characters.

6/10

If you enjoyed this I recommend you read these authors next:
Garrison Keillor
Alan Bradley
more Fannie Flagg
Rebecca Wells
Garth Stein

The Secret Word of Og - Pierre Burton

One Sentence Summary:
Three siblings (whose names all begin with P) go searching for their youngest brother Paul (Pollywog) in a magical underground land.

Review:
Written by Canadian historian Pierre Burton and illustrated by his daughter Patsy this was one of the go to books of my childhood. I made my mom and dad read it out loud to me so many times I am certain they would be happy to never see it again. I loved the illustrations and the story. It is perfect for the early reader or an afternoon with your favourite kidlet curled up in a chair.

10/10
10/10

If you enjoyed this I recommend:

The Railway Children - Edith Nesbit
All of Farley Mowats younger reader books

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Zombies - Matt Mogk

One Sentence Summary:
Everything you ever wanted to know about zombies.... literally... a history of zombie culture.

Review:
This is a very comprehensive non-fiction look at zombies. It starts at the very beginning of zombies in popular culture and touches on everything you ever wanted to know about zombies. Written in short entertaining segments Mogk touches on the "scientific" reasons that there would be a zombie uprising, zombie books and movies and adds in a smattering of tips on how to survive a zombie uprising. I recommend this to anyone who considers themselves a zombie enthusiast.

7/10

What Do You Say To A Naked Elf - Cheryl Sterling

One Sentence Summary:
Jane is struggling to make ends meet when suddenly she is transported to a faerie world to be tried for murder.

Review:
A really light read, typical of the chick-lit genre. Apparently this if book one of a series but I will not be continuing reading the series because it just wasn't that good and the world in it just wasn't that interesting to me. The novel has good writing, a decent vocabulary and a number of laugh out loud moments but it uses stereotypical characters and an overly familiar setting. If you have nothing else to read and enjoy trashy romances with a silly plot and stereotyped characters I recommend this book, otherwise I do not.

4/10
6/10

If you enjoyed this I Recommend you Read books by:

MaryJanice Davidson
Charlaine Harris
Katie MacAlister

Charlotte's Web - E B White

One Sentence Summary:
a spider who writes words in her web promotes an amazing pig.

Review:
This is one of the books I read and re-read over and over, at least fifty times. A great farm story about the love of one little girl for the pig she raised. The animal characters are all really well written, showing compassion and wit while still retaining their animal characteristics. The writing is perfect for young readers using a vocabulary they recognize and a story that draws them in. I highly recommend that everyone who hasn't read this read it, preferably to a child. Be warned though you will cry at least once, probably more.

10/10
10/10

Memorable Quotes:
"You have been my friend,' replied Charlotte. 'That in itself is a tremendous thing."

"After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die."

"Never hurry and never worry!"

If you enjoyed this I recommend checking out these authors: 

Beverly Cleary
Judy Blume
Roald Dahl
more by E B White
T H White

Watership Down - Richard Adams

one sentence summary
a group of talking rabbits went on a giant adventure.

review
Ok, I know that a book about talking rabbits doesn't really have cross generational appeal... but what if I told you it was all an allegory, they weren't really rabbits, they were people (with some very rabbit like characteristics and logic) and the adventure they were going on is actually the story of the uncertainty we all face when we have to do the unexpected (like war). Still not appealing to you? Don't read the book then. For everyone else, this book is a wonderfully written story about how different personality types interact when thrown together. Guaranteed to increase the average middle schoolers vocabulary I recommend this book to anyone in middle school OR to anyone who has a kid to share it with. I also recommend that if you didn't have the pleasure of reading this when you were a middle schooler pick up a copy now and give it a go. (Disclaimer: You will get tears on the book... if you have a soul... you will cry)

7/10
9/10

Memorable quotes:
"Animals don't behave like men,' he said. 'If they have to fight, they fight; and if they have to kill they kill. But they don't sit down and set their wits to work to devise ways of spoiling other creatures' lives and hurting them. They have dignity and animality." 

"He fought because he actually felt safer fighting than running."

If you enjoyed this I recommend: 

Where the Red Fern Grows - Wilson Rawls
Shiloh - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
the Redwall series - Brian Jacques
The Once and Future King - T H White

Lord of the Flies - William Golding

one sentence summary:
A physiological study of the system of self-governance adolescent males would devise if left to their own.

Review:
I wish I could just say: "go read the damn book" it isn't a long book, it would only take an afternoon for a fast reader to get through. But, that isn't much of a review so here goes nothing. The characters are all really thought out and you feel for each and every one of them as the power among them continually shifts. The scenery and vocabulary used to decribe it (and the boys) are both brilliant. The plot, while simple, is brilliantly used to allegorize the way men turn on each other and are granted even more power for doing so. Leadership is a terrible thing. I think everyone should read this at some point. I, myself got way more out of it when I re-read it as an adult than I did reading it for grade ten English (I think it was grade ten, I might be off by a year).

10/10
10/10

Memorable quotes:
"Maybe there is a beast… maybe it's only us."

"We did everything adults would do. What went wrong?"

"The thing is - fear can't hurt you any more than a dream."

"We've got to have rules and obey them. After all, we're not savages. We're English, and the English are best at everything."

If you enjoyed this I recommend:
Brave New World - Huxley
1984 - Orwell
Grapes of Wrath - Steinbeck

The Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins

One Sentence Summary:
In a dystopian world Katniss is selected to compete to the death, but she has other ideas and inadvertently starts a revolution.
7/10
8/10

The Hunger Games

One Sentence Summary:
In a dystopian world Katniss is selected to compete to the death.

Review:
This whole series is well worth the popularity it has held. Well written with well developed characters and a plot (possibly borrowed heavily from another young adult novel but we will not get into that) that draws you in this is a "can not put down... what happens next??" novel. Written for young adults but not with that condescending "what you mean teenagers have a vocabulary" way. The relationship between Katniss and the two main men in the novel really irritated me.

Memorable Quotes:
"You don’t forget the face of the person who was your last hope."

"Destroying things is much easier than making them."

"may the odds be ever in your favour."

7/10
10/10

Catching Fire

One Sentence Summary:
Katniss inadvertently starts a revolution.


Review:
This is the weakest of the three novels. Katniss and Peeta seem to degrade as characters, both really annoyed me in the novel. There is so much tension in the novel, it feels overdone, from the love triangle to the political drama it all just left a bad taste in my mouth. That said, the plot does keep moving along at a steady clip and this novel is worth reading if you enjoyed the first one. I view it more as a bridge to the third part of the story rather than a great work on it's own.

Memorable Quotes:
"My nightmares are usually about losing you. I'm okay once I realize you're here." 

"I always channel my emotions into my work. That way, I don't hurt anyone but myself."

7/10
7/10

Mockingjay

One Sentence Summary:
Katniss has to learn to live with the hard consequences of her actions.


Review:
I enjoyed the conclusion to the story very much. I was disappointed in the conclusion to the love triangle and was really pissed off at some of the deaths. I was also really annoyed at the further degradation of Katniss, she went from being an awesome role model, the antithesis to Bella, but in this third story she loses her kick-ass girl power, she becomes a typical female lead who does what the men around her tell her to do and lets them take charge (she also spends a lot of time unconscious it seems).  Really irritated me.

Memorable Quotes:
"Fire is catching! And if we burn, you burn with us!" 

"It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart."

"Technically, I am unarmed. But no one should ever underestimate the harm that fingernails can do. Especially if the target is unprepared."

"I drag myself out of nightmares each morning and find there's no relief in waking."

7/10
8/10

The Once and Future King - T. H. White

one sentence summary:
The story of King Arthur.

Review:
I read this when I was rather young, I enjoyed it immensely. I believe it is the sole reason I have so much love for historical fiction. This book will have you laughing (I am pretty sure it is where the witty Merlin we see in cartoons came from) and crying. All of the characters in Arthur's life are brilliantly crafted and we get to see Arthur grow as a person. I also really enjoyed the relationships between Arthur, Guinevere and Lancelot. It is one of those books you can read over and over again. I recommend it to anyone who likes the Arthur legend and wants to know more about it.
8/10
10/10

memorable quotes:

“The bravest people are the ones who don’t mind looking like cowards.”

“You run a grave risk, my boy," said the magician, "of being turned into a piece of bread, and toasted.” 

If you enjoyed this read: 
The Gormenghast Saga - Mervyn Peak
Jack White's Camulod series

Catholic Guilt and the Joy of Hating Men - Regan Wolfrom

One Sentence Summary:
9 short stories that will make you shake your head and say What the Fuck was that (for example: Sex with Portuguese Garden Gnomes.)

Review:
I loved all of these stories. When I first started reading them I found the writing a bit jumpy but as I got used to that the stories really kept me enthralled. I really enjoyed the disturbed mind of Wolfrom and his (that's right he is a he) take on "typical" story lines and his use of myth and stereotypes to push his stories forward. My favourite of the stories was “Vegans Are Fucking Delicious” which has just the right amount of cannibalism for a love story. All in all I recommend you read this book if you are tired of the typical paranormal mass-produced crap publishers keep feeding us and are looking for a more entertaining alternative.

8/10

memorable quotes:

"I had a couple of nibbles, but Maggie ate most of him; to be honest, it was not as bad as I expected, and while I certainly felt an urge to brush my teeth, I was left with a feeling of power that I'd never gotten from my summer internship as a dominatrix for war amputees."

If you enjoyed this read:

Geek Love - Katherine Dunn
MaryJanice Davidson's - Fred the Mermaid series

The Prince - Niccolò Machiavelli

one sentence summary
A political treatise that you don't feel bad for agreeing with.

review
Written over five hundred years ago this treatise is where we got the term "Machiavellian" from. A very interesting read gives us insight to why our leaders do what they do. It is also a highly entertaining read, I found my self chortling often, not so much at the content but more the way it is written, full of over the top language and run on sentences (though that may have just been the translation). Clearly someone trying to write a more grandiose version of themselves. All in all if you want to have a better understanding of what shaped the world, read this book

7/10

memorable quotes

"Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are."

"it is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails."
If you enjoyed this and want to read more of the books that shaped our world I recommend

On Liberty - John Stewart Mills
The Wealth Of Nations - Adam Smith
The Origin of Species - Charles Darwin

Alias Grace - Margret Atwood

One Sentence Summary:
Grace Marks is in prison for a murder she does not remember committing.

Review:
This was required reading for a university class I took, I really enjoyed reading it for the class and spent a good deal of time working with it as I wrote an essay. I am an unrequited fan of Margret Atwood, I love everything she has ever written so if you are the opposite I do not recommend this. It is written in Atwood's typical style, well researched with major focus on the characters and flowing (sometimes run-on) prose  This novel is sure to take you to a place where you will be unsure what to believe. It is a beautiful piece of Canadian literature and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

8/10

Memorable Quotes:

“If we were all on trial for our thoughts, we would all be hanged.”

“When you are in the middle of a story it isn't a story at all, but only a confusion; a dark roaring, a blindness, a wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood; like a house in a whirlwind, or else a boat crushed by the icebergs or swept over the rapids, and all aboard powerless to stop it. It's only afterwards that it becomes anything like a story at all. When you are telling it, to yourself or to someone else.”

“Murderess is a strong word to have attached to you. It has a smell to it, that word - musky and oppressive, like dead flowers in a vase. Sometimes at night I whisper it over to myself: Murderess, Murderess. It rustles, like a taffeta skirt across the floor.”

“I am afraid of falling into hopeless despair, over my wasted life, and I am still not sure how it happened.”

If you enjoyed this I recommend:

Three Day Road - Joseph Boyden
The Stone Angle - Margaret Laurence
Pierre Burton

Brains: A Zombie Memoir - Robin Becker

One Sentence Summary:

A zombie with intelligence keeps a memoir during his zombie adventure trying to keep humans from killing all of his kind.

Review:

Finally a unique look at the zombie genre, I really enjoyed reading it. I loved all of the characters and how they interacted with each other, as well as the whole concept of a zombie story told by a zombie. This one stayed with me well after I finished reading it because it was so interestingly told. The humour Becker uses is brilliant and if you read this you will be entertained. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys zombie stories. 

8/10

Memorable quotes:

"..the nuclear family from across the street, which, as a result of decay, truly did have 2.5 kids;"
If you enjoyed this you should read:

Max Brooks
Seth Grahame-Smith