Dad is Fat Review

The final book that I read this semester was Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan. I chose this book because I had seen many skits by Jim Gaffigan and I think he's hilarious. I had never read a comedy book before, so I thought this book would be a good intro to the genre.


This book told many stories that my parents love to tell me about what it was like raising my sister and me. There were a lot of laugh out loud moments and I could definitely see some of these same scenarios playing out when I have kids. Although I'm not old enough to fully understand the situations, I was still able to understand 90% of the jokes.


There wasn't any "downtime" in this book because of the continuous stories, but there were times when it felt repetitive. With a humor, there isn't really a "plot" to follow, so most of it is just one chapter after another of different stories about his family. It was fine by me because I had so much fun reading it and being able to read without thinking about it. It was relaxing to read a book that was focused on humor rather than complex characters and plot twists.


Gaffigan combined hilarious tales with glorious one-liners and "hidden" jokes that catch you off guard. The input of zingers also added to the humor. The commentary on situations that we've all been in and thoughts we've all had also made the book great to read.


Overall this book was a new experience and definitely helped get me into a genre and gave me a nice break from the constant drama and complexity of other books. I loved reading a book from one of my favorite comedians and I hope to read his other book in the future and continue to read books published by comedians.

Books I'll Read This Summer

1. The Innocent by David Baldacci

2. Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan

3. Watership Down by Richard Adams

4. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

5. Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan

I chose these books because I want to continue reading from some of the same authors while also exploring different genres. These are books that have intrigued me in the past, but I haven't had the chance to read them. 

Mr. Mercedes Review

So... Mr. Mercedes ... My first Stephen King book. Although I won't say I was surprised, I was a little bit betrayed (in a sense) after a few chapters.


When I first looked up this book, it was classified as mystery. I was ready right off the bat for the usual mystery elements; the detective, the suspects, the closed room murders. Now, the book does contain some of these elements; the protagonist is (or was) a detective who was trying to chase down "Mr. Mercedes", and there is a "closed car" mystery involved. However, there are no suspects, because after a few chapters, we get see through the perspective of the psychopathic Mr. Mercedes himself.


When I realized that this wasn't a "who-dunnit" kind of book, and more of a thriller, I was a little disappointed. I've been reading several thrillers lately and I wanted to dive into the mystery novel more. Big deal, right? So what if it's a thriller instead of a mystery? They're very close to each other. That's like your friend telling you that they have tickets to a tennis game and then showing up and realizing that it's a badminton game instead. "Eh, they're pretty close, right?"


Not only did I not get the joy of trying to problem solve through this book, I also had the disgust of reading things that I really did not want to read because 1) they had nothing to do with the plot and never had any relevance later on and 2) just seemed to be like one of Scarecrow's toxin-induced hallucinations rather than something that would actually happen.


Yes, I understand that this is a Stephen King novel and I should've anticipated the horror element from the start. And trust me, I did. I just wasn't expecting sex scenes to be explained in pain-staking detail and causing me to not only have to skip sections but also throw up in my mouth.  Like I said earlier, these scenes had no relevance to anything else in the plot and instead distracted from the thriller / cat-and-mouse game that was occurring.


Don't get me wrong, I loved some of the descriptions, such as "Hodges has read there are wells in Iceland so deep you can drop a stone down them and never hear the splash. He thinks some human souls are like that". Descriptions like that are just pure poetry. And the scenes where Hodges is deducing what could've happened in the crime scene are brilliant. But by having the story also be from the perspective of the killer, the reader can't figure anything out; it's all given to us.


A lot of this book is about what I would expect from a Stephen King novel, but at the same time, it was like watching badminton; slow, quirky (not in a good way), and downright confusing.

Book Covers



Book covers have always been the first thing that makes me pick up a book. I prefer books with covers that tell a story on their own or contain a symbol or object within the story.

I love the cover for The Glass Castle , because it focuses on the girl in the image, with the rugged edges around her, almost like a photo cut out of another photo. The pose she's in also drew me in because it almost looks like she's telling a secret to someone, which makes you want to read the book in order to figure out who this girl is and what she has to say.

I don't like covers that have eyes on them. I don't know what it is, but the eyes have this deep, cutting feeling that distracts me from the book itself.

For In Cold Blood , I was spooked out the minute I saw the cover. I know that it has a very dark, cold theme, but it still freaked me out every time I took it out of my backpack. Cartoon eyes are fine, but when the eyes are real, it just makes the book that much more terrifying.

I have bought a book solely based on its cover, and it was Incarceron. It was a very confusing book that I have no desire to re-read, but the cover just drew me in with the metallic colors and the mysterious key.



The cool way the key is designed and how intricate the key and gears surrounding it are just pulled me in. The tagline at the bottom intrigued me as well. I wanted to know how it was possible for a prison to be alive and what the key had to do with it.

Although covers don't entirely make or break a book, it is annoying when the book is amazing, but the cover is awful, and vice versa. I think that equal effort should be put into both aspects so that the reader is given an accurate representation of what they're getting themselves into. 

Book #4 Intro

 For my fourth book, I've chosen Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. I chose this particular reward because it won an Edgar Award and I've never read a Stephen King book, so I thought I'd pick one that was more of a mystery novel than a horror novel. My expectations are that this book will have a mix of Stephen King's typical horror elements along with more a classic mystery feel to it that follows the guidelines of other mystery books. My thoughts on the cover are that the book revolves around a murder, which is what the book it about. Based on what I've read so far, it has a lot to do with the plot of the story and the agenda of "Mr. Mercedes". I hadn't heard anything about this book before I looked at the Edgar Award winners list. I know that Stephen King hasn't written many mystery novels, so I was interested in seeing how he writes mystery.


 Since I've been reading thrillers lately, I wanted to read a mystery so that I could really see the difference between the two genres. I also wanted something similar to what I've been reading, but not something in the exact same genre. I wanted to change up my selection a little bit by a reading a Stephen King book since I've never really considered reading his books before. Since I'm not a horror fan, I don't know if I'll like this book or not, but I'm hoping that it focuses more on the mystery of finding out who the killer is rather than focusing on the murder. I also wanted to read a modern mystery book rather than one that takes place in the past. I love detective novels, so I hope that this book gets me back into the genre.

The Short Drop Review

 The Short Drop by Matthew Fitzsimmons is about the story of Gibson Vaughn, an infamous computer hacker who helps investigate the disappearance of his childhood friend Suzanne Lombard. While this thriller may have taken a little while to get started, when it did start, it didn't stop until the last few pages. The plot gets more and more twisted as you go along, and trust me, it's worth it.


 When the book first started, I was skeptical that it was actually a thriller; the first few chapters were nothing but long descriptions of the characters and their backstories and the occasional dialogue. But once all of the pieces cam together and the actual investigation aspect started, it really was a thriller. It followed many of the main "ingredients" that thrillers follow. The nail-biting moments and the constant suspense of wondering who would catch who first kept me hooked. Although the actual "big twist" itself was very similar to another thriller I read, it still caught me off guard. The gradual build-up of the story and the truth that slowly unraveled in front of the characters added to the rollercoaster of emotions. Even though the story got convoluted at times, you didn't really have to think that much about it to understand what was going on, unlike mystery novels.


 The several different perspectives setup the cat and mouse game nicely with sinister characters and unknown intentions. While some characters seemed to serve no purpose, in the end they helped build up to a larger plot. One of my only problems with this book was that one of the main characters, Benjamin Lombard, wasn't really mentioned that much. He is very essential to the plot, and yet we only really get to "see" what he's doing sometimes; he serves more of a purpose in the shadows than when it was told from his perspective. But given the intense nature of the book and the web of lies, I guess it's fitting.


 Overall, I really enjoyed this book, even though the beginning was slow. There were some loose ends at the conclusion, but since there's going to be a second book, it's to be expected. Once the ball gets rolling, it's hard to put it down. I highly recommend this book to people who love thrillers or are trying to get into the genre.  

Top 5 Book List









I've had a lot of different favorite books depending on my age. For this list, 1 will be my earlier years when I seriously started reading (so you won't find things like Junie B. Jones in here).


1. The Legend of Thunderfoot

In a desert, Thunder the roadrunner gets bitten by a rattlesnake, causing his feet to grow five times bigger. In order to survive, he has to learn to deal with this problem and overcome his mistakes. In fifth grade, I absolutely adored this book. I read it over and over again, and it's one of the few book that I've kept over the years. I like it because it's an encouraging story about how you can overcome your mistakes and learn to turn what other may see as a disadvantage into an advantage. I loved the voices of all of the characters and the plot that may be simple, but heartwarming at the same time. I would recommend it to people who enjoy a light read and love hopeful/ overcoming stories.

2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

In the third book of the Harry Potter series, Sirius Black escapes from Azkaban, and word is he's after Harry. With dementors lurking around Hogwarts and the constant threat of danger, Harry starts to discover the truth behind the prisoner and how it all ties into his parents' deaths. I used to get up early in the morning and stay up late at night reading all of the Harry Potter books, but this one caught my attention more than the others. I really like it because it's kind of a turning point in the series where we really start to see what happened to Harry's parents and the kind of legacy that they left behind. It also sets up the rest of the series by getting event rolling. I would recommend it to people who enjoy fantasy and enjoy the other Harry Potter books.

3. Inkheart

Meggie and his father Mo have always had the ability to bring characters out of books just by reading aloud out of them. One day, they accidentally bring the evil villain Capricorn out of the book Inkheart, and they have to find a way to send him back, but it won't be as easy as they thought. I picked this book up immediately when I saw it in middle school because I thought it was so cool how people could bring characters to life just by reading the book out loud. I love the plot of having the powers backfire and having to journey to find a way to reverse them. I would recommend this book to people who like fantasy that's a little bit uncommon and has an interesting journey.

4. Traveller

Told from the perspective of Robert E. Lee's horse, Traveller, this book is about his journey through his own life, as well as life in the Civil War. I enjoyed this book because it's from a completely different perspective than what you would expect. I like how Traveller's perception of the war is so different from what everyone else's perception is. I would recommend to people who like historical fiction, but also like seeing things from a different point of view.

5. The Thief Lord

Prosper and Bo are brothers that run away to Venice, Italy. Once there, they're taken in by orphans who steal things for a shopkeeper named Barbarossa. Victor, a detective, is hired by Prosper and Bo's parents to find their sons. In a cat-and-mouse type book, Scipio, The Thief Lord, and his band of thieves must stay hidden from Victor and stay out of trouble in order to live freely. I like this book because it's almost like a calmer version of a thriller, with many twists and turns. There are characters that you could never forget. I would recommend this book to people who want a less complex thriller and love the cat-and-mouse set-up of books. 

YA Article Response

Before I really dive into this response, I just want to make something clear; I think that people should be able to read whatever they want to read, regardless of age, gender, race, etc. People have different genre preferences, and that's okay. However, I do believe to a certain extent that genres are meant to (and should be) steered towards a specific audience.


YA novels exemplify this better than any other genre. Since they are targeted for a teenage audience, it's a bit strange to see adults reading them. Sure, they're not ALWAYS centered around romance, but we have to admit that 9 times out of 10 they are. I'm sure that adults feel some sort of sentiment towards the teenage romance and emotions, but to a certain degree it almost takes them out of reality entirely.


The relationships are almost too perfect, and that sets people up for disappointment in real life; they expect for boys and girls to be shaped exactly to their liking, but that's not how life works. Relationships don't start wrapped up with a cute bow and continue to go along without any problems (although I guess you could count love triangles as "problems", even though it's usually two hot guys fighting with tooth and nail over the girl). It's become a common theme in social media and people in my generation to assume that guys will always know the right thing to say and have a spectacular date planned out; the reality is that boys don't have the money or telepathy to know what a girl wants from him. This leads to bad dates and girls who can never really fall in love because the guy they're looking for doesn't exist.


To me, it doesn't matter who is writing a YA or who reads it; the fact of the matter is that the obsession with the genre come from a fascination with a dream date that doesn't exist and a relationship that won't come out exactly the way they want it to. It's fine to dream, but at some point you have to get your head out of the clouds and realize that things aren't always exactly the way you planned.

The Thriller Genre

Thriller is a genre that relies heavily on emotion and keeping the reader on the edge of their seats. While thriller and mystery novels share some characteristics, thriller relies more on the actual takedown of a villain rather than the process of identifying them. What makes thrillers unique is the multiple viewpoints that they take in order to get a clearer picture of what's going on and to build the suspense of the protagonist taking down the villain. Thrillers live to put the main character through the wringer until the very end when they finally win (or, in some cases, reach a somewhat satisfactory conclusion). But the main focus of thrillers is never really on characterization; it's on the plot and how it drives the characters, as well as the readers, to bite, scratch, and crawl their way to the bitter end through the rollercoaster of events and emotions.


The reader always feels the build up of suspense and can't put a book down when it's a thriller; they're designed to keep making the reader turn the pages to drive off the constant, gnawing question of "what happens next?". Authors build the protagonist and antagonist so that one is thwarted (not always completely, but at least somewhat) and the other is stronger in the end. This consistent build up gives the reader satisfaction at the end when they know that things have been resolved and the anxiety is over.


One of the most classic thrillers of all time, The Silence of the Lambs, has all of the basic components of a thriller. Many people refer to this as the thriller to read because of its psychological elements and the suspense.

Another thriller (that is actually based on a true story) also follows the basic guidelines. Truman Capote's In Cold Blood focuses on the viewpoint of the murderers, but also the victims and the people trying to hunt them down. It focuses on the chase of the killers and the overall emotions that all of the characters feel at every point.

Articles:

Ten Basic Ingredients of a Successful Thriller: http://www.writersdigest.com/qp7-migration-conferencesevents/qp7-migration-maui/10-basic-ingredients-of-a-successful-thriller

A Thrilling Genre; Thriller Novels and Subgenres: http://writersrelief.com/blog/2008/12/a-thrilling-genre-thriller-novels-and-subgenres/


Brief Definition of the Thriller Fiction Genre: http://www.findmeanauthor.com/thriller_fiction_genre.htm

Gone Girl: Movie vs.Book

*WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS*

Overall, the movie version of Gone Girl stayed very true to the book. However, there were some obvious differences that made the perception of the characters slightly different than in the book.

One of the biggest things that I noticed was how Nick was portrayed as a lot more trapped and pitiful than he was in the book. This is especially evident when Nick realizes that Amy is framing him, but he doesn't want to explain or reveal it to Boney or Go to try to get them to help him; instead, Boney stays out of the investigation once Amy returns and makes it seem like Nick doesn't have a choice. Nick is also perceived as a little less sleezy and pitiful than in the book; the morning of Amy's "disappearance", Nick actually goes to the beach instead of going to see Andy and reading issues of his old magazine like in the book. The viewer feels a little more sorry for Nick than they do in the book because of this (until his mistress comes in, of course).

The perception of Amy is also altered. In the movie, when she goes to fake the crime scene, she siphons her blood out of a tube rather than cutting herself like she does in the book. This makes her seem a little more calculated and careful about what she does (as well as a little less crazy). She is also a lot more careful with her money when she's hiding in the cabin as well. The only time she is less calculated and more gruesome is when she kills Desi. In the book, she slips him her sleeping pills and then kills him, but in the movie, she slits his throat while he's awake, and she murders him after being with him for days in the book, but the movie cuts the timeline shorter. The movie also doesn't go into the other instances of Amy's crazy episodes, like the two "friends" she had in the past. In the book, Nick uses their stories to validate what he thinks about Amy. In the movie, they aren't mentioned, making it seem like Amy only became crazy after she met Nick.

As for the other characters, Boney and Gilpin play much larger roles; for example, they're the ones that go into the abandoned mall to investigate instead of Nick and Amy's father. Since the book was more inside of Nick's head and the movie can't do that (obviously), there's a lot more focus on the actual investigation, which helps keep it interesting, rather than having pointless comments from Nick that have nothing to do with what's going on; this gives more opportunity for Boney and Gilpin to have key roles.

Two characters that were noticeably missing were Desi's mother and Tanner Bolt's wife. Although neither of them played a key role in the book, they once again change the perception of the two main characters. The absence of Desi's mother adds to the "less crazy" perception of Amy in the movie. The absence of Tanner Bolt's wife doesn't really do much, but it is interesting that in the book it was an interracial marriage (not entirely sure why it was in the book; just some social commentary about differences between the north and the south?).

Overall, I think that the movie had a lot more intensity because of the fact that it focused on the investigation rather than having pointless side stories, trashy comments from Nick or psychotic ones from Amy. Also, Nick gets the last word instead of Amy, which I think he deserves; even though he wasn't a great guy, Amy put him through a lot of crazy crap.



Gone Girl Trailer

 After watching this trailer, I expect that this movie will be very fast paced compared to the book. In the book, it takes a long time for the twists and developments to occur. The movie makes it seem like it's more about the investigation and the suspicion than the background of Nick and Amy's relationship. From this trailer, Amy isn't exactly how I imagined she would be based on the book. Desi also seems different in the trailer than how I saw him in the book; in the book he seemed much more relaxed and luxurious, but in the trailer he almost seems dead inside. Nick is exactly the way I imagine him. As far as I can tell, the movie is very similar, if not exactly like the book. The only difference may be that the book a lot more psychological because you can actually see into each character's thoughts. The movie might stay more on course with what's happening with the crime and everything, because rather than getting distracted with random back stories from Nick and Amy that have no relevance to the mystery, it's easier to get tangled in the plot.

 I enjoyed this book a lot because of the revelations and the extreme twists that occurred; I hope that the movie reflects the same amount of suspense. I hope that is also attaches me to the characters the way that the book does so that the twists are just as devastating. Without that attachment, the twists don't seem that bad and don't really affect the viewer/ reader at all, but those emotions are what's so good about the book. I hope that this gets reflected in the movie so that people who didn't read the book can go through those same highs and lows.



Movie Adaptions

I haven't read a lot of books that have been adapted into movies, but the ones I have read have blatant differences from the movies. While some of these changes are necessary to make the movie more interesting for viewers, there are others that directors make that stray away from the book almost entirely.


A classic example would be the Harry Potter series. In my opinion, the movies were very good and followed the books very closely. But some of the changes that they made were just inexcusable. The most obvious one was in The Goblet of Fire:

There was no need to have such a drastic change in Dumbledore's character from the book to the movie; it just painted a beloved character in a terrible light.


In other film adaptions, whenever you talk about how they compare to the book, almost everyone emphatically says, "the book was WAY better". The main reason they say this is because the movie leaves out a lot of important details or events that were in the book. It's understandable that every single small detail from the book can't be in the movie due to time and budget constraints,  but when huge events  or characters are left out, you can't help but feel like you were robbed a little bit; you feel sorry for people that haven't read the book because they're missing out on such a great part of the story.


But I also think that films do a good job of expanding on things that may have only been a page or half a page in the book. They help us get a unique visual of the book and understand certain aspects of the plot that we couldn't quite see just by reading. Getting to see the story you love on screen helps you feel even closer to it (unless you hate the adaption; then you just cry).

Book Review

For this blog post, I am reviewing the book The Guilty by David Baldacci. It was published by Grand Central Publishing in 2015 and has 418 pages. The genre is mystery, thriller, and suspense. This book is about a man named Will Robie who fails a mission and discovers that his dad is being charged with murder. In order to save his father and confront his past, Will goes back to his hometown to clear his father's name.

The story takes place in a small, southern town named Cantrell, Mississippi. It is told from a third-person omniscient perspective and focuses on Will Robie. Will Robie is a top assassin for the United States government who fails to complete one of his missions after a traumatic event occurs. After discovering that he no longer has the will to continue, he goes back to his hometown to try to resolve his past issues and regain his skills. His father, Dan Robie, became a town judge while Will was away and was very respected by the other citizens of Cantrell. He refuses to state whether or not he committed the murder and represents himself in court. Jessica Reel, another top assassin and Will's most trusted partner, helps him with the investigation. The main theme of this book is redemption; even after being away from home for twenty years, Will and Dan Robie still wish to make amends and look forward instead of always looking back.

*I would love to give a plot summary, but there are a lot of spoilers that could be given away, so I think that the above paragraph is all the information I can give.*

I really enjoyed this book because you could never predict what was going to happen next; I enjoy thrillers and mysteries for that very reason. Even within the first twenty pages, there are so many twists that happen and keep the reader at the edge of their seats. The characters and plot are developed so well throughout the entire book that you feel like you're stuck in their situation along with them. Foreshadowing is also used throughout the book with the characters' actions and dialogue. The constant questioning and doubt makes you want to read more, and just when you think you have everything figured out, another twist or development comes up that changes the whole situation. I loved the way the story ended and how everything was resolved instead of having loose ends.

Overall, I would give this book a five out of five stars due to its unpredictability and its theme of redemption and hope for the future.

"'You[Will] were right. To go forward, you have to go back. You get this square, your foundation is set. You can move on. But until then, you're going to be damaged goods'" -Jessica Reel (Baldacci 276).





Author Research

The author of The Guilty, David Baldacci, has published close to 40 books and counting. Over 110 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide and he has had several books on the bestselling list for both adults and children. His books have also been translated in over 400 languages and sold in about 80 countries.

Aside from his writing accomplishments, David has donated to and become a part of many charities and even founded one himself. He and his wife Michelle started the Wish You Well Foundation, which helps support the education of people who can't afford books or school. His main mission is to teach everyone to read. "If everybody read, we'd have a much better world" (Baldacci from Fox 8 interview).

David mainly writes thriller novels, but explored the fantasy genre when he wrote The Finisher for a younger audience. He likes having the ability to create an entire new world rather than having to comply to the rules of the real world for his books.

Despite living a solitary life as a writer, David says that he loves interacting with other people and going to book events because he believes that it helps improve the quality of communities.

Helpful Links:

http://davidbaldacci.com/

http://myfox8.com/2015/09/11/author-david-baldacci-visits-fox8-will-speak-at-bookmarks-festival/

Why I Read

For me, reading is a way to explore other worlds or philosophies by seeing through someone else's eyes rather than being lectured or simply told about something. Reading is an experience that allows me to relate to characters and go through their story rather than worrying about my own. By relating to other characters, I feel like I'm not alone in how I feel or think. I read because I want to learn new words and further develop my own opinions rather than conforming to everyone else's.


I liked getting locked into a story that I can't escape without knowing the ending. Even though characters aren't real people, when they feel like they are, it's such an incredible thing. I love it when books teach such incredible lessons that can apply to my life and help me through a tough situation or prepare me for the future. I love seeing how writers create such complex worlds and navigate us through them.


Books that can travel you back to another time period help me learn more about what it was actually like to be a person in that time, whereas history class only talks about the important events, not that the everyday person going through that event. It's important to know contrasting views about history, which I think books like All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr do so well. Rather than getting the typical American view of World War II, this book gives you the perspective of what people experienced in Europe before, during, and after the war. Books like this are the reason I read.