The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall by Edgar Allan Poe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a mouthful of a story, very wordy, yet at the same time hysterical. The science involved in this while ludicrous is utterly imaginative on Poe’s part. I could only imagine people reading this during his time period and being duped into believing this adventure to be true. Avery enjoyed it and so did I!



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The Forest Monster of Oz by Robert Evans

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am torn about this book. It is an Oz book, but it is not written by Baum, and that is plainly evident. It is not badly written, just differently. The story takes place soon after the second book of Oz, The Marvelous Land of Oz, and starts to fill in some of the story on how Ozma settled into her tenure as Queen. There are a handful of new characters and peoples that are met along the way, who are at the outset very typical of Oz denizens and very fascinating. But still, you can readily tell it is not Baum.

First, the book tends to be very morals based, almost to the point of preaching. At times, the ethics posited can be very heavy handed and almost feel like a wrap on the knuckles warning or a lecture.

The period is off compared to the other books having been written at some time around the end of the 20th century, or could be early 21st; I cannot seem to find an accurate date. But this surprises me anyway as it seems to have been written around the 1950′s or 60′s. Regardless, there are references to technologies and even some political events, that are a far cry away from Baum’s period.

Towards the latter third of the book is a long story about baseball. While an interesting segue I do not see how it fit into the rest of the story and the character is merely a vehicle for this story, leaving upon the continuation of the quest when they arrive at their destination.

There was a point in the story where it felt like a chapter had mystically disappeared. One minute the party (Ozma and the animals) is fighting the land sharks and the next minute a major arc of the quest is resolved. Somehow their long journey took them in a complete circle both story wise and geographically. Avery and myself were a bit perplexed.

While a fun read, it was definitely not a Baum book. If you have read all the Oz books by Baum and want to continue the journey, The Forest Monster Of Oz is a decent jaunt.



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Free Will by Sam Harris

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a very thought provoking book. Free Will has had me thinking very hard the past few days. Sam Harris provides a short, concise essay on the the fallacy of Free Will. His words are compelling and challenge many of the established concepts we as a society take for granted each and every day. While this book is not thorough review of the current research, it’s a fantastic starting point with many references for further inquiry.

I was rather surprised about how short this book is. Harris does a great job of presenting his argument in so few pages. A good third of it is notes so there is plenty to move on to for the interested reader.



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A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It had been relayed to me by a close friend that John Carter is to be considered one of the first “super heroes” and to this I agree. Having been written over a century ago I can see how his amazing feats set the stage for the many heroic figures rising out the of mid 20th century to grace the pages of comic books and both the silver and television screens.

I admit I had determined to read this book solidly after seeing the movie, John Carter, and wanting to get a feel for how true to the story Disney made the movie. Now I enjoyed the movie, I did, and the first fifth of the book was matched pretty well, but the similarities stopped there. What was so sorely missed was the rich history presented of the Martian races and the further development of their barbaric and sensitive customs.

John Carter himself remained a compelling character. While dashing is his own day I am sure, he is now more and archetype we are all too familiar with. But this does not diminish the enjoyment of the story.

For the time, I find the ideas and technology presented very compelling and futuristic. One could almost lend credence to the possibility of life on Mars at some point even with the results of our current exploration.

Regarding the story, though, the pace was perfect and the characters well written. I am surly compelled to continue reading the rest of the series and to check out more of Burroughs’ work.



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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I believe I enjoyed this book a bit more than my daughter, that I do. I suspect her enjoyments was a bit impaired by my ability to phrase the voices of some of the characters properly, especially the dialect of Jim and many of the more “Southern” folk. Still, the ride was great and never boring.

The racist language aside, I felt it was an interesting reflection of how slaves were treated in the South and the attitudes of the main characters towards Blacks. Still some of this was rough to read, that it was.

This book piqued my interest to take a raft down the Mississippi!



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The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, what an awesome book. I love Vonnegut. His writing style is always engrossing and his tales suck me in and leave me thinking with a tear in my eye. There is such beautiful sadness in this book and many others I have read by him.

I believe this is his second published novel and you can see many of the themes he carries on in future works being established here: Destiny, futility, loss, regret, and longing.

The story is broken into three parts and I must say the transition between the first and second parts rather jarring, but necessary. Reflecting back upon this in the third part revealed the effect to be perfect.

I do strongly recommend reading this novel early on in any Vonnegut experience so as to enjoy the early establishment of universe.



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escape into reality by Anthony Souza

My rating: 0 of 5 stars

I really do dig the Essean philosophy and this book came at a time when I really needed to hear what it said. The idea of handling negative thoughts and stress through an escape to reality; well more of a focus on the reality in front of you has been an excellent coping mechanism through some recent stressful times.

Like the two books before, this is an extremely quick and simple read but do not let that detract you from the important message delivered.



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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is another work of literature that I somehow bypassed in my studies growing up. I cannot recall how so many others have read this book yet it remained untouched for me. I read to this Avery over the span of a few weeks and we absolutely loved the novel. While it was a bit wordy at times, and the dialogue difficult for me to master, it was a delightful romp.

The characters were so colorful and exciting. The racism at times risque for today’s ears but a good reminder of how things used to be. If you have not read this novel you better do so and the rest of his novels.



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The Mantel and Other Stories by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an odd collection of stories: A officer who overwhelming concern for a new cloak captures his complete attention and serves as his ruin spins off into the supernatural; a man’s nose turns up in a pastry then completes a trek as an officer whom he chases all the while worrying over his appearance; another “official” slowly disappears down the halls of insanity, talking to dogs, obsessing over a beauty and finally discovering he is the king of Spain; and two fairy tales which on one hand seem a bit out of place but on the other, seem to fit perfectly. A Cossack who strives to win the heart and had of the village beauty but is thwarted by his father the headman who excessively touts his one time life changing event of assisting the Czar. His mechanitions to despoil his father’s reputation collide head long with an old ghost story. Finally, a haunting tale of Gnomes and wandering scholars, a witch and the rising of the dead.

The first three stories often bordered on the absurd and at times winded down avenues of interest only to meet and abrupt end and take up on another street. Gogol infatuation with Russian bureaucracy is astutely flushed out and quite jarring. My interest is piqued in this period of government and it’s minutia in daily life.

What seems to be the main recommendation in this collection is the Nose. While this story is great, I was left wondering if there was some satire I had not understood. The Mantle and Memoirs of a Madman hit home the effects the Russian life of a middling bureaucrat could result in. The single quest of the Mantle’s protagonist to purchase a replacement cloak at first seemed quite obsessive yet eye opening. Life in today’s United States where simple goods are purchased without a second thought is a drastic cry from the strife this poor man had to go through just to replace his word mantle. Very eye opening it was.

The last two Ukranian fairy tales could easy be said to be the jems of this collection, but I have a hard time selling the remaining three stories short, they are treasures in themselves for different reasons. There is some of Gogol’s depictions of bureaucracy but these are rooted more in the traditional fairy tale settings. For that alone this collection is highly recommended.



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Lord of the Flies by William Golding

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, what a powerful book! For some reason it surprised the wife that I had not read this book back in primary school, as it seems to be on a lot of curriculum; but alas I did not. The imagery was astounding and the pace well suited. My only criticism ist that I had a hard time trying to determine how long they were on the island. Some chapters seemed to take place over a few days while others seemed to have a span much longer between.

The last third of the book is a roller coaster and as the pace quickened to the final pages so did my pulse and my reaction. The build up of fear was palpable, that it was.

The symbolism was subtle yet effective. The post-notes in my edition shed some interesting points and tied this story to a few others I am familiar with (i.e.; Conrads Heard of Darkness) and set the novel in the ideologies of the period. The concept of civilization at its heart still festering the shackles of savagery and humankind’s struggle to maintain the higher concepts of life were poignant.

If you have not read this book in a while, why not give it another read to see what you may have missed with a younger mind. If you never read this book, it is well worth your time to do so.



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