Jane Slayer + Little Women and Werewolves

by Charlotte Bronte and Sherri Browning Erwin

Takes the original Jane Eyre storyline and adds vampires, werewolves, and assorted zombies.  Obviously, Erwin thinks she is a more compelling writer than Bronte, since very little of the original work is used.  What makes Pride and Prejudice and Zombies so much better is the use of the classic work, adding the supernatural.  Erwin misses the point of adaptations by adding too much side story and changing the basic feelings of Jane & Rochester... and creates a sloppy, silly book.  Excellent example of taking a good idea & ruining it with your own thoughts about how a classic book should be written.

by Louisa May Alcott and Porter Grand

If it's possible, this conglomeration is even worse than Jane Slayer! Ugh... stupid, stupid, stupid!  Which is again a shame, since the werewolf angle is perfect for this story.  Unfortunately, Grand decides to change almost everything known about "typical" werewolves to make things creepy and salacious. Ick

First Kill (The Slayer Chronicles)

by Heather Brewer

Joss McMillan's life is torn apart when he witnesses his little sister's death, by a vampire no less.  The next summer, he is sent to live with his Uncle Abraham, who tells Joss that he is meant to be a Slayer.  He is enlisted early, since the vampires are gaining ground and Slayer numbers are few.  But first Joss must survive his uncle's training in order to become a true Slayer and avenge his sister.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.  It began with the typical boy-who-doesn't-fit-in storyline, but gained ground as Joss was forced to mature.  The bad guys were fairly obvious, but it was still a fun read.

Julia Child

by Laura Shapiro

A short but comprehensive biography of Julia Child. Her background began as a flitty California society girl who floated from job to job, to a WWII clerk in Asia & Europe, to her enrolling in the Cordon Bleu and her realization that cooking should be as enjoyable as eating.

Julia Child enjoyed life, and loved to eat.  So what better way to share this than to collaborate on a French cookbook?  She was not a natural cook, but she was dedicated and imaginative.  Child began to celebrate the time and effort that it took to create a meal, just when Americans were discovering the ease of frozen and canned food.  I doubt many people actually made the food that she cooked on her tv show, but they enjoyed her enthusiasm. "There are two cooks: those who want to impress people, and those who want to feed people."

There are also some revelations in the book.  Although she had dear homosexual friends, she sought the "de-fagification" of American cooking. Yikes.  Hopefully she meant that she wanted cooking to be enjoyable for the masses.  I thought it was funny that she & her husband refused to eat at McDonalds, but when they finally did, she was pleasantly surprised by the french fries and the Quarter Pounder (the Big Mac had too much bread).

Anthem

by Ayn Rand

Written in 1938, Anthem tells the story of Equality 7-2521, who lives in a dark future, where individual thought is punished and society dictates every aspect of life.

Before I read the publication date, I thought this story was just a ripoff of 1984.  I realized that this novel is actually the first statement against socialism & communism.  Several reviews I came across wrote that the story is too simplistic, too obvious.  But this was published on the eve of WWII, when people were blindly following whatever leader promised the most.  The German people DID stop thinking for themselves, and they thought nothing was wrong with punishing others, restricting movement, and anything else that their leaders told them was for the good of society.  If they disagreed, they disappeared.

We need to be constantly reminded that the individual spirit should be celebrated, not eliminated.  When I think of what a blessing it is to live in a country where I can have an opinion, or even drive a car by myself, I am thankful for freedom.  On the flip side, people shouldn't try to convince me that my "old-fashioned" beliefs are stupid.  Disagreeing with someone, as long as it's not hateful, can still be a good thing.

Jane Bites Back

by Michael Thomas Ford

Jane Austen is among us... as one of the undead.  Going by the name Jane Fairfax, she operates a bookstore in upper state New York, and wishes she could get her hands the royalties from all the current Austen-mania.  Instead, she focuses on publishing the last novel written when she was human, and is rejected 116 times.  A man from her past appears to add to her troubles, while she finds herself longing to tell another man the truth about herself.

I have a new phrase for books you should read in the summer, on an airplane, etc. -- a Candy Book.  And that's exactly what this is; a quick, enjoyable read when you don't want much depth.  It's not a bad book, and the thought of Jane Austen as a vampire is a fun twist among all the supernatural storylines.  However, it's not nearly as good as Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, but then again, that story leaned heavily on Austen's actual work.

Listening Woman

by Tony Hillerman

Navajo Tribal police officer Joe Leaphorn returns, this time to solve the mystery of two brutal murders.  Along the way, he confronts seemingly unrelated villains and confusing details to finally solve the crimes & save his own life.

Not my favorite of the series, mostly since there's no tension until the last third of the book.  Thankfully, Leaphorn's resourcefulness saves the day (and the storyline) at the end.

The Sorceror's Companion: A Guide To the Magical World of Harry Potter

by Allan Zola Kronzek

Supposedly a comparison of the unusual creatures, potions, and magic included in The Harry Potter series of books... it's actually a lightweight dictionary with HP page references so you know where to find things like centaurs in the books.  A rip-off that should have been stopped by J.K. Rowling, it doesn't include anything unique or interesting about any of the subjects. Total waste of time.

A First Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness

by S. Nassir Ghaemi

The author explores several leaders throughout modern history, using the link between mood disorders and ability to govern during a crisis.  Leaders include Lincoln, Churchill, Gandhi, JFK, & Hitler.  The book attempts to discover possible issues, like bipolar disorder, and whether these leaders' supposed mental problems helped them to more effectively make crucial decisions.

What could have been an interesting topic quickly dissolves. Nassir obviously worships JFK so there's no way he can be objective.  He glosses over Kennedy's affairs like they were just side effects from steroid & testosterone shots --- give me a break. Plus, to say that Nixon was not mentally ill, just an egotistical decision maker is pretty silly compared to the stretches he takes to prove that Lincoln was naturally depressed (forget about his sons dying & his wife being certifiable)!  Hitler wasn't mad, he was just medicated too much!  Truman was "normal", World War Two was basically over when he took office, so thank heavens he never had to deal with a crisis (never-mind those pesky nuclear bombings)! Blech