The Eyre Affair

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde has to be one of the most interesting and elaborate books I've ever read. The characters are well thought out, the plot is interesting and very detailed, and the book doesn't lack in very exciting moments for the reader. There is literately something for everyone in this.

Let's start with the plot. Thursday Next is the main character and she happens to be a very kick-butt sort of female. She shoots first and asks questions later. She is a literary detective and takes care of all of the books in England. She solves mysteries on copyright, reproduction, overcharging of materials, and she carries a gun. At first, she thinks a robbery she is called to is a standard crime, something easily solvable, but it turns out that the sinister plot runs deeper. She is asked to be apart of another division and she readily accepts due to the fact that being a literary detective can be boring. This decision leads her on a whirlwind chase of a master criminal who she may or may not have had an affair with in the past. Throughout the book there is time travel, kidnapping of characters from books, changes made to literary works, and a slight romance. There are also gun fights, violence, hospital stays and various other types of talks of politics and war. This book takes place in our time, but is not of our time. There is so much going on here you have to really pay attention to the details.

The characters, and there are alot of them, are well thought out and wonderful. They are named perfectly and you can tell the author took time to get this book just right. I'm not sure the author thought there would be a second book in the series as the ending wraps up very nicely.

I enjoyed this book immensely. The woman who narrated the audio book (yes, I'm still reading in my car) has a wonderful voice and is able to do many many characters while keeping the storyline going.

If you enjoy mysteries, action, science fiction, literature, or political, this is the book for you!

Airhead and Being Nikki

Meg Cabot is brilliant. I know it's wrong to gush about authors and books, but I am such a HUGE fan and this series does not disappoint.


Em Watts is a (sort of) regular teenage girl. She considers herself to be a feminist, she fights the good fight for the environment and is against big business. She hates Stark, the big corporate mega store. Nikki Howard is a 16 year old supermodel with perfect hair and long legs. She happens to be the spokes model for Stark. During a Stark Mega-store opening, which Em's sister Freida has to attend, Em is killed by a giant flat-screen television that falls on her. At the exact same time, Nikki suffers a brain disorder and is killed instantly. Stark, not wanting to lose a great model, transfers Em's brain into Nikki's body. Unfortunately, Em now has to do a lot of things she hates, like model. She also gets all the perks like a cool loft in Manhattan, a crazy roommate, and a built-in boyfriend. Em has to adjust to everything in her life, including friends, family and her own viewpoints about the world to accommodate her new body. The second book has a great plot that turns into a mystery when Nikki's brother comes to town and Em finds out Nikki's mother is missing and has been for months.

Meg Cabot seems to also have something to say about the way consumerism and industry has worked over the past few years. She makes sly comments about capitalism and sometimes you can hear her views on how big business effects small town life. Meg definitely has a point of view on this and is able to express that in a fun and interesting way. You may not agree with her on this, and that's okay because she doesn't ram it down your throat.

Overall, this is a great series and I will be reading Runaway, as soon as a copy gets turned back into the library. Sometimes, it's difficult to wait.

Some Ether by Nick Flynn

Part of the reason I love reading is that you get to bring into the story all the life experiences you've had. Your baggage becomes a part of the work. How you feel about specific topics, like feminism, comes into play when you read a book. Things you may be horrified to read could comfort someone else. This book was like that for me.

I won't go into details, but my childhood was not the easiest or the best thing ever. This book touched my heart in a way that nothing has in a long time. There were poems of situations and feelings that were so familiar to me that I could have written them myself.

It took me a while to get through this book. Not only was it difficult for me to read because of my emotional baggage, it was also one of those books that needs to be savored and studied. It was haunting and wonderful. Nick Flynn does an excellent job putting his thoughts and feelings in the imagery and the overall feeling of the poems he writes. Like any fine piece of literature, you don't want it to be over.

This book reminded me that life is what you make of it. There are choices and actions and consequences. I don't know if that was the author's intention, but that's what I got out of it.

If you're interested in more information about him, I found an interview at the Poems Out Loud website. It's not about this book, but it is still pretty interesting.

I now need something new to read. Preferably light and fun, please! Any suggestions?

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Doulas Adams Part II

I read it. I read it on the plane going to Las Vegas. Let me tell you, the person sitting next to me did not appreciate the peals of laughter coming from my seat. I'm not quiet when I laugh either. I'm sure the whole plane hated me by the time the book was through.

This book was the funniest thing I've ever read in my entire life, and I've read a lot of books. Douglas Adams took a boring idea and made it into something wonderful. The book starts off with Arthur Dent trying to save his house from a demolition crew. I don't want to say anything I shouldn't, but Arthur pretty much loses his house due to bureaucracy. Which is why it's so funny that our planet is destroyed by the same type of thing.

The characters in this book are rich and funny. They are stupid and smart, naive and worldly all at the same time. They include a president that is really only a figure head that steals a one-of-a-kind spacecraft, a robot that is clinically depressed, and Arthur's best friend, who happens to be an alien. They really emulate all the things humans experience when they have no idea what is going on and are just trying to make it through.

The one thing I loved about this book is the way the author makes you feel like you are a part of the action even through you are really just an observer in this insane world.

I highly recommend this book for those that love science fiction, humor, or laughing out loud.