April 2010

So I've been doing homework for my two online courses for pretty much the past day and a half non-stop (not counting sporadic periods of Sex and the City watching... but hello! I have to train my roommate). I finally decided my brain will explode soon, so I might as well take a break... to write about books! The month of April was hands down the Worst. Ever. And when I say bad, I'm not over-exaggerating in a "woe-is-me my life is sooo hard" kind of way. But we won't get into that! I still managed to digest some literature through all the major hardshit (har har). Here they are:

1. Whose Panties Are These? - Jennifer L. Leo
2. Percy Jackson & The Lightening Thief - Rick Riordan
3. Just After Sunset - Stephen King
4. The Customer is Always Wrong - Jeff Martin

*****

1. So after reading Paul Theroux in March, I went on a "I'm only going to read non-fiction from now on" kick. This, obviously didn't last long (I thank my semi-ADHD brain). This first collection, however, is indeed non-fiction. More so chick-lit non-fic, but nonetheless. It was relatively entertaining, in particular if you love reading those "Embarrassing Stories" in magazines such as Cosmo, since the entire novel is composed of dozens of stories written by... female writers. I appreciated them even more so as they took place in random destinations around the world. Oh if only I could become a travel-writer. Though I'm not sure I would publish documentation of the shit I get myself into...
7/10

2. Okay, please, simmer down. I only read this first Percy Jackson book as a prelude to my online Children's Lit class, though I quickly realized that I wouldn't be reading anything quite as shit. I was DEEPLY disappointed, especially since I truly wasn't expecting a Harry Potter knockoff. How can such a successful series-turned-into-movie be a COPYCAT of one of the most prestigious series for children ever??! Answer me that! This book was hardly even entertaining since I was constantly comparing every character and event to those in the HP series. Can I just stop thinking about this now? ...It wasn't even written well! The only thing I can sincerely hope for is that the author was targeting a much, much younger and less literate audience.
5/10

3. I don't think I've actually read an entire Stephen King novel, though I've seen many of the movie adaptations (as most humans have). Anyway, I'd started this short story collection a loooong time ago, but like "Acid House" for some reason I put it down and forgot to pick it back up. Which is CONFUSING because both books were aweome! In King's collection, I found maybe 1/3 of all the stories I didn't think much of, but the rest were highly entertaining, well plotted and well written. Which I guess is signature of Stephen King for those of you who have actually read his other novels. From now on, I swear to read all of his books that I own (a surprisingly large amount).
8.5/10

4. And finally... the book that every single being who has ever worked in retail has wanted to write. Heck, I'm jealous! I love how all the stories in this book are written by *writers* who have had to work in retail at some point in their lives. Its hilarious and depressing how familiar some of these stories are to me, as I can imagine they are to anyone else who has experienced the horrors and wonders of retail. Read this book if you want a laugh or are bitter at your current job.
8/10