1. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell - Tucker Max
2. The Secret of Platform 13 - Eva Ibbotson
3. Matilda - Roald Dahl
4. Julie & Julia - Julie Powell
5. James and the Giant Peach - Roald Dahl
6. Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery
I must say that my fourth year children's lit class is the best course I've ever taken... ever. Which is depressing considering I'm far from a Lit major, and used to turn my nose up at those who were. I mean - why study books when you can simply read them? After getting my hands dirty with this class in particular, however, I realized that BECAUSE I love books so much, I SHOULD be interested in studying them. Oh and how!
Although only one of these books - Anne of Green Gables - was on the syllabus for my course, I couldn't help but delve into other old favourites. Although Dahl is a quick and easy read, my god he is a genius! The only two "adult" books I read this month were non-fiction, which I am growing extremely fond of. Allow me...
*****
1. Alright, so I've had a discussion with a friend of mine (girl) over this book who claims her boyfriend (boy... obviously) loved it. She, however, did not. She told me she could barely get through the first story. Let me elucidate: this book was, like most nowadays, a collection of stories written on a blog for the initial entertainment of the author's friends and family (though in this case, perhaps not family after all). Tucker Max writes about his outrageous, obscene and abnormally offensive adventures... not well, mind you, but hilariously. I found myself bursting out in snorts every other story or so (short and sweet, good for a work break read), and couldn't help but read whole passages aloud. Though this collection is by no means a Pulitzer, it has its amazing moments, and you know what? If it makes me laugh, I buy it. I strongly suggest being a man (or at least, like me, having penis envy) before picking this one up!
On a side note, I found a copy of the movie adaptation, and it was surprisingly candid and well-done. It can't possibly capture the enormity of shitstardome the book does, but it purposely mellows out Tucker's stories in a way that makes a very cohesive film. I recommend it, although maybe only after you've read the book (or else I'd assume it would appear unneccessarily nasty).
8.5/10
2. Cute novel, very well written, interesting concept - although after devouring the Harry Potter series 10+ times as a child and an adult, this quirky book came up a little dry. But what can you expect? Not every fantasy children's novel is Harry bloody Potter.
7/10
3 & 5. I'm fusing the two Dahl books together as they are both short, sweet and tremendous fun. One can't help but read these books with huge smiles on their faces. Immediately after reading these, I watched their movie counterparts - all which are supremely decent considering Dahl's imagination was a far-fetched one. Why should I even recommend these books? If you haven't read them already, I won't be surprised if you've never left your cave.
10 DAHL STARS out of 10 because you can't compare his to anyone else.
4. I actually bought this book for my mom when she insisted on reading it shortly after watching the movie (ew, Meryl Streep). I then, as I do most items I generously give as gifts to my parents, borrowed it. It has been on my bookshelf for a month, though I do plan on returning it as my mom never did get the chance to read it. NOT BAD I must say, as the movie was a slight dud, and the material never interested me to begin with. Just to say, the narrator is actually much less annoying than the character Amy Adams plays in the film. She is spunky and bitchy and human and it is nice to be able to relate to other women who have no idea what they are good for in life. Also, I love food, and descriptions of food are like porn to me.
7/10
6. I REALLY didn't want to read this book. It was the first set in the curriculum for my online children's literature course, and I'd never liked the made-for-TV series, and had never dusted off the second-hand copies I kept in my room. Luckily, I was very wrong and very dumb with my anxieties. Although yes, the book is dated, and yes it is sexist and has all sorts of politically incorrect (in today's standards) ideals, but GOSH DARN IT was it fun. I hadn't read such a joyful novel in a long time - and here Dahl's do not count, as usually something horrible is always going on in his. Anne, on the other hand, gives off such a positive vibe that I'd be amazed if someone (especially a hetero and non-defensive-feminist female) didn't like it. It is gender-based literature, the first I've read in fact, but I felt as though I were transported back to the late 1880s in good ole Prince Edward Island. You know... come to think of it, I've never met an unhappy ginger...
9/10
