To Read & To Write

"Neverwhere" is the first book I've read by Neil Gaiman and I thoroughly enjoyed following the main character, Richard Mayhew: a guy down on his luck a billion times over due to his naivety and weirdly optimistic nihilism (perhaps a more sufficient term would be: apathy). Admittedly, Gaiman's style is decidedly not literary (IMHO - at least not here), and I think "Neverwhere" could undoubtedly pass for a teen or YA novel. I couldn't tick off more than one star for that complaint, though. Part of that is because Richard is a genuinely special character. His whole problem within this story - which I found extremely relatable - is that he cannot seem to accept the fact that his old life, his "normal" life, his previous "reality" has been taken from him because of a chance meeting. His choice, to basically help a dying creature on the streets of London (her name is Door, I believe she's an elf), completely changes his entire notio...

Kazuo Ishiguro's "Nocturnes" features five light and entertaining anecdotal stories concerning music and the rocky lives of traveling classic and classical musicians. The characters in each story vary, yet each is a bit of an odd, awkward bird trying to make it in the music world. The book is very enjoyable and would be the perfect read for a flight. I say this because of the various geographies described, though all European, they are also all not shy in taking liberties of opinion on said cultures and their people: a refreshing take. Nocturnes is reflective of the relationships of ordinary people, and their dreams and goals. Though there was some lack of passion here. The passion of the musicians within the stories was dulled by obstructions of frustration and insecurity. In short, the fire within them, that must live on and grow within any musician's heart and soul, was burning them out. Throughout the book there is a pity underlining the text that wasn't ...

After reading and loving Hack/Slash Omnibus Volume 1, I decided I might as well purchase Hack/Slash Omnibus Volume 2. It was definitely worth my money. I’ve heard that many comics struggle to keep audience attention after their first release. One theory is that perhaps since the second release is, many times, no longer an “origin story”, writers begin to lose the sense of plot, and thus character development suffers as well. This is not the case for Hack/Slash.  Cassie Hack returns with a vengeance, still side-by-side with Vlad, the monstrous but gentle man (if not engaged in a fight) that she calls her friend. There are eleven stories presented in this volume, and they run together seamlessly. Cassie and Vlad continue to fight the slashers (a.k.a. Revenants) as this is their raison d’etre; they would like to save as many people as possible from the hands of these reanimated, angry, corpses. Cassie and Vlad encounter a psychotic psychologist, a rock and roll band that has sold ...

I loved Eilis, I hated Eilis, I felt sympathy towards the story, I felt frustrated with the story, I didn’t necessarily want to finish the book, but I did, indeed, in two days. This was the course of emotions that ran through me while reading Brooklyn by Colm Toibin.  The book is entertaining to say the least, and is deeply moving, especially in the beginning and middle parts of the story, and then very shocking towards the end. Things happen to Eilis, the protagonist, that a reader may not (and probably won’t) suspect, and the contradictions of emotion and action within this very particular young woman are told in such a way by Toibin that is economical perhaps of because of how straightforward his writing is. In otherwords, it’s a quick read. However, there is an aura of mystery as well, which makes this story potent for discussion. Toibin will not tell you why things happen in the story, he tells you the events and hints at certain things, while the reader hypothesizes as s/...

Malinda Lo's "Ash" is a moving story, which creatively draws up a retelling of older versions of "Cinderella". Young Aisling, nicknamed Ash, once had a powerful, beautiful, and kind mother who believed in magic, but after she dies, Ash has to live under the same roof as her awful, selfish, and worldly stepmother, whose biggest goal is to find an advantageous husband for her eldest daughter Ana. Once Ash's father dies as well, her problems are only made worse by the sting of degradation and strain of oppression. However, Ash has not fallen into the the new fad of logic and reason, touted by philosophers and business men. She still believes in the old fairy tales and folktales of the land from centuries past, and she reads these stories to escape her predicament... and they eventually lead her to the fairy land and Sidhean, the most gorgeous creature she has ever laid eyes on. Sidhean keeps a special secret from her, waiting for the right moment to disclos...