I’m conflicted.

I’ll be finishing Portland Noir within the next couple days I am not sure which book I want to start next. With And Another Thing… coming out soon, I feel compelled to re-read the entire Hitchhikers Guide series. I’ve already read them twice, but they are good enough to warrant a third reading. My “to-read” (for the first time) pile however still has books that I have been meaning to get around to since February. Do I go on re-reading books or should I read books I have not read yet? There just seems like so little time and so many books.

I feel re-reading books is a waste of time seeing how I have already read them. My reading time should be filled with filling my head with new stories and ideas instead of refreshing old ones. But Hitchhikers is a classic.

I read the book a few years ago. I liked it for the most part. However, from what I remember, the movie feels different than the tone of the book.

Plus I dislike Peter Jackson.

While googling to see how long I have to wait to dive in to Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters (Sep 15th BTW), I came across the following books. Immediately I started banging my head in to the wall and crying out “Why? Why?”.

Mr. Darcy, Vampyre (Aug 11th) by Amanda Grange

Vampire Darcy’s Desire: A Pride and Prejudice Adaptation (Dec 1st) by Regina Jeffers

The War of the Worlds Plus Blood, Guts and Zombies (April 30th) by H.G. Wells and Eric S. Brown

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim: Mark Twain’s Classic with Crazy Zombie Goodness (July 10th) by Mark Twain and W. Bill Czolgosz

Most likely these are quickly produced books to cash in on the fad. Coincidentally, I am asking myself why did I not cash in on it when I had the chance. But, whatever.

The Time Traveler’s Wife film, based off one of my favorite books, earned $18.6 million its opening weekend which was apparently enough for ABC to order a pilot. The TV series will be created by Marta Kauffman who you may know created a little known show called Friends.

I haven’t seen the movie yet. The book didn’t feel like it would translate well in to a movie. Maybe a TV show though?

We’ll just have to wait and see if ABC picks up the series.

(source)

Blurb for the back cover:
“Pleasant”

The City of Ember assumingly takes place in the future after something horrible happened to the surface. To save mankind, a city was built underground and came with instructions on what to do when the time came to leave the city. However, over the years those instructions were lost and the people kept on living in the city and soon the surface was forgotten. Now that the city is falling apart from old age, Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow discover a mysterious box and a faded note that may be the answer that the city is looking for.

Originally I wanted to read The City of Ember because I saw the movie that it was based on and thought it was really good. It’s a great family film that I found to be fun. Plus it has Bill Murray. The book however feels very much like a children’s book and that’s because it is. I like Young Adult fiction as much as the next book blogger, but this book was possibly the youngest book I have ever read. Maybe I went in to it expecting it to be more advanced.

Other than that, I thought the book was pleasant and the movie was relativity faithful to the book. I would recommend the book if you are a fan of children’s fiction or if you are looking for a book to buy a younger child. I believe there are three additional books in the Ember series, but I do not think I will be reading them.

Second Opinions:
Book Dweeb
Final Haven

Blurb for the back cover:
“Damn Entertaining”

Once in a great while there comes a book so epic, so compelling, so nautically-themed, that is rises above past preconceptions of what a novel is redefines what it means to read a book.

Naturally, I am not talking about The Pirates! In an Adventure with Napoleon.

Whenever that book mention above comes along let me know. ‘kay thanks.

As I was saying, TPIAAWN is not the best piece of literature out there. However, it is a damn entertaining one. The fourth book in Defoe’s The Pirates! series sees the Pirate Captain growing tired of his pirating ways and after losing the Pirate of the Year contest, decides to give up his life at sea and devote his life to bee keeping. The Pirate Captain and his crew then retreat to St. Helena and quickly become to most popular residents on the island until Napoleon shows, thus sparking an epic battle. An epic battle of egos that is. The Pirate Captain and Napoleon constantly try and one-up the other and this is were the book starts to fail.

There is very little seafaring, swashbuckling or jokes about ham. For the adventure doesn’t leave the island and fails to create an adventure-esque feeling. Fans of the Pirates! series will most likely enjoy this book because the humor is still there. Surprisingly no jokes about Napoleon being short. Weird. If you have never read one of Defoe’s classic novels, may I recommend you go read The Pirates!: An Adventure with Scientists first and work your way up to this one.

Random Thought: I am strongly in favor of the next Pirates! book being called The Pirates! in an Adventure with Jane Austen. Maybe Austen could somehow be related to Jennifer. I’m just say, Defoe if you are reading, go ahead and steal that idea. Think about. With Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, now would be the perfect time to capitalize on Austen’s popularity.

A songs inspired by Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events.

Blurb for the back cover:
“Over the top”

Further Tales of the City is book Three in Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series. In this book Mary Ann Singleton pursues a career in reporting while trying to get the inside scoop on two lesbians who escaped the Jonestown Massacre. Micheal Tolliver continues to be gay in San Fransisco and Anna Madrigal watches over her children at 28 Barbary Land.

More Tales left a slightly sour taste in my proverbial mouth. Luckily, I found Further Tales to redeem the series. Sure, the plot is just as ridiculous and involves the Jonestown Massacre, an impromptu trip to Russia to catch a kidnapper, and a local anchorwoman locked in the basement of 28 Barbary Lane. These characters who I have been following for three books have grown on me and now I actually care about them. In a single novel I know that when it is over, I may never run in to those characters again. But with series I know that I have a couple more books that will tell the story of the cast I have grown to enjoy. If something bad happens to one of them I know that I am going to see that play out for a longer period of their life.

Mary Ann’s plot is pretty much the forefront of Further Tales. Rightfully so because I always saw her as the main protagonist. She moves the story along as she uncovers the mystery and suspense surrounding DeDe and her children. It’s over the top but it kept me reading.

Micheal Tolliver, however, I felt had the best character development in this book. Recently singled, he explores life in San Fransisco and people there while possibly reconnecting YET AGAIN with his on-again, off-again boyfriend Jon.

Anyway, I need to turn around writing about the Tales of the City books before I jump in to the next book. I’m starting to get them confused and the plots and events in the character’s lives are starting to mash together.

Wes Anderson, the director of Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums, is a director that people love, yet I have no idea why. His movies are quirky but not “good” in my opinion. On the bright side, Anderson’s continual casting of Bill Murray makes up for his continual casting of Owen Wilson.

This fall Anderson will be releasing The Fantastic Mr. Fox in theaters starring all the people from his previous films plus George Clooney. It’s stop motion and reminds me of The Mouse and the Motorcycle.

Anybody use Shelfari and want to be my friend?

http://www.shelfari.com/thebookpirate