As the title suggest, this is me, doing some different. No, this totally wasn't inspired by lazyness at all ... You're probably guessing what this new and shiny idea is. Well, you're probably not, but whatever. Also, I'm sorry if this doesn't make any sense. Which it won't. Yeah, that's not the new thing. The new thing is that you can get penguin flavoured ice-cream, made with real penguins; and by that I mean people in penguin suits! Not really. The real new thing is ...
Mini-Reviews!
(*insert sparkly announcer music here*)
I guess I should try and fix the layout first ...
Oh come on, don't expect me to come up with something completely original. Or, like anything, you know, good. Anyhow, since I'm growing old here, the first of two, maybe three, but most likely zero reviews is a guilty pleasure series of mine, meaning that I've just caused several people to bash their heads in with disappointment. I'm not entirely sure why, but whatever. Perhaps I should go help them? Hmm.
Now, it's also very likely that this reviews will be in no way short, nor good, but hey.
The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa (and illustrated by Noizi Ito).
In the second installment of this quirky, amusing and insanely popular series, Haruhi revokes Kyon's free will and forces him to become her whipping boy once again. Haruhi then decides that James Cameron has become too comfortable on his throne of fame and fortune, and whips it out from underneath him. Yes, that's right! She's going to become a director! And inadvertently becomes a dictator in the process. She then forces her menagerie of supernatural followers to assist, and suddenly, cats can talk, maids can shoot a selection of damaging things out of their eyes, and stuff happens! All while this happens, Kyon doubles his quota of sarcastic narration, Yuki bites people, Mikuru is abused, Koizumi stands there and looks pretty and all of this comes as no surprise. (I wrote this. Now you know the reason why I never write my own summaries for books. They suck.)
Or something like that.
If one doesn't know about my strange, perverse love for the series, almost as strange and perverse as the series itself, then one is living in a hole. I recommend hibernating in carpets, occasionally, but not holes. But what I recommend at this moment in time, is that you climb up out of your current spot, and go and read this book. The method you attain by does not bother
me, as long as you eventually flick open a copy and give it a chance. Why do I recommend I you walk away from the spot you've been warming since January, you ask. Because this series, is incredibly amusing. The second installment, which I sit here and type about today, was not quite as amusing as the first one, but still retained an air of satirical, snarky spastic spasticness due to Kyon's freshly cynical narrative.
One thing I like about this series, and therefore this book is how it twists a previously overused, unoriginal idea into something entirely new, drops it in context and makes it awesome in one way or another. It does it frequently, as according to Haruhi's whims and it all lies in the execution. Some things are weaved subtly into the story (such as Haruhi and co's abilities ... in fact, common ideas saturate the plot so much that I can't even begin to describe them), whereas somethings aren't handled quite so carefully. Somethings just feel as if they were ploinked there for humour or something. You know, things like Mikuru being sexually harassed every once in a while.
But in the end, I don't think any of this matters. After all, Haruhi always proves a delightful romp. Constantly enjoyable and refreshing, despite it's flaws. Plus, you know, pretty pictures.
★★★★
Coraline by Neil Gaiman
A curious young girl with a name that no one can seem to pronounce is bored. Fortunately, when she is bored, the world is not under the threat, as she has a new house to explore. It's very possibly crumble down around her ears, and the other tenants are as strange as they come but it's redeeming feature is the mysterious door that leads to a shiny, amusing world, where cats can converse (cats with functioning vocal chords seemed to be a staple of today's reviews, no?) and everything is exciting. Well, for a while, as this mystical world starts to distort into something much smaller, scarier and dark than the world where she came from. So basically it's like last year's film resume! (I wrote this. This is why I never write summaries.)
The world, that is. The book itself isn't nearly as dark and dreary. Coraline is a book that doesn't really deserve words. It deserves so much better; flowers, shrines, oceans of incensed worshippers. Now, those unfamiliar with the books details will be wondering what such a slim volume achieved to make me bestow this praise upon it. Well, for one thing, Coraline is creepy. It grabs some average fairy tale conventions, and then it distorts them into something completely different. Fear not, different being a good word here. From what was originally a overused, heart warming template dragging it's feet through numerous pieces of fiction, Coraline was born. Completely original, completely entertaining and completely terrifying. No, honestly, shivers must have been using my spine as some kind of bridge while I was reading this. It's not that the events themselves are particularly creepy, and that is a lie because some of the stuff that goes down is genuinely frightening, but the atmosphere that surrounded the story, the 'be careful what you wish for', 'trust nobody' atmosphere added to it, and invited paranoia in for a cup of tea.
The writing was fairly simple, but flowed smoothly, and felt very dignified all throughout. Coraline was a fantastic heroine, very resourceful and snarky, refreshing and full of life. She developed throughout the story. Same goes for all of the other characters; they were what kept the book walking. Their scheming, backstabbing ways were the books method of transport. Like car, but with less carbon emissions, and more emissions of evil and failure and ... suckidge. However, they weren't particularly developed, and most of the background characters were simply pretty plot devices or quirky statues, like the three ghost children or the inhabitants of the house. Either way, they all served there purpose well and were like-able while doing it. I don't know what they are like when they aren't doing their jobs. Maybe they sit and watch movies about penguins together. BUT ANYWAY.
What I intended to get across with this review is that instead of reading this, you should be reading Coraline. It's a wonderful book, and has something to satisfy everyone. Mild horror? Yup. Interesting and like-able characters? Sure, why not. Nicely crafted plot? Yarrrrp. Calm, pretty narrative? Oui. Should you read it? This, enquirer is a idiotic question. Of course you should. You should tell your friends to read it. Your friends should tell their friends to read. Those friends of friends should tell foreign delinquents to learn how to read, and then read it. I read it, I enjoyed it, and I hope so will you, as well.
★★★★.5
Mini-Reviews!
(*insert sparkly announcer music here*)
I guess I should try and fix the layout first ...
Oh come on, don't expect me to come up with something completely original. Or, like anything, you know, good. Anyhow, since I'm growing old here, the first of two, maybe three, but most likely zero reviews is a guilty pleasure series of mine, meaning that I've just caused several people to bash their heads in with disappointment. I'm not entirely sure why, but whatever. Perhaps I should go help them? Hmm.
Now, it's also very likely that this reviews will be in no way short, nor good, but hey.
The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa (and illustrated by Noizi Ito).In the second installment of this quirky, amusing and insanely popular series, Haruhi revokes Kyon's free will and forces him to become her whipping boy once again. Haruhi then decides that James Cameron has become too comfortable on his throne of fame and fortune, and whips it out from underneath him. Yes, that's right! She's going to become a director! And inadvertently becomes a dictator in the process. She then forces her menagerie of supernatural followers to assist, and suddenly, cats can talk, maids can shoot a selection of damaging things out of their eyes, and stuff happens! All while this happens, Kyon doubles his quota of sarcastic narration, Yuki bites people, Mikuru is abused, Koizumi stands there and looks pretty and all of this comes as no surprise. (I wrote this. Now you know the reason why I never write my own summaries for books. They suck.)
Or something like that.
If one doesn't know about my strange, perverse love for the series, almost as strange and perverse as the series itself, then one is living in a hole. I recommend hibernating in carpets, occasionally, but not holes. But what I recommend at this moment in time, is that you climb up out of your current spot, and go and read this book. The method you attain by does not bother
me, as long as you eventually flick open a copy and give it a chance. Why do I recommend I you walk away from the spot you've been warming since January, you ask. Because this series, is incredibly amusing. The second installment, which I sit here and type about today, was not quite as amusing as the first one, but still retained an air of satirical, snarky spastic spasticness due to Kyon's freshly cynical narrative.
One thing I like about this series, and therefore this book is how it twists a previously overused, unoriginal idea into something entirely new, drops it in context and makes it awesome in one way or another. It does it frequently, as according to Haruhi's whims and it all lies in the execution. Some things are weaved subtly into the story (such as Haruhi and co's abilities ... in fact, common ideas saturate the plot so much that I can't even begin to describe them), whereas somethings aren't handled quite so carefully. Somethings just feel as if they were ploinked there for humour or something. You know, things like Mikuru being sexually harassed every once in a while.
But in the end, I don't think any of this matters. After all, Haruhi always proves a delightful romp. Constantly enjoyable and refreshing, despite it's flaws. Plus, you know, pretty pictures.
★★★★
Coraline by Neil GaimanA curious young girl with a name that no one can seem to pronounce is bored. Fortunately, when she is bored, the world is not under the threat, as she has a new house to explore. It's very possibly crumble down around her ears, and the other tenants are as strange as they come but it's redeeming feature is the mysterious door that leads to a shiny, amusing world, where cats can converse (cats with functioning vocal chords seemed to be a staple of today's reviews, no?) and everything is exciting. Well, for a while, as this mystical world starts to distort into something much smaller, scarier and dark than the world where she came from. So basically it's like last year's film resume! (I wrote this. This is why I never write summaries.)
The world, that is. The book itself isn't nearly as dark and dreary. Coraline is a book that doesn't really deserve words. It deserves so much better; flowers, shrines, oceans of incensed worshippers. Now, those unfamiliar with the books details will be wondering what such a slim volume achieved to make me bestow this praise upon it. Well, for one thing, Coraline is creepy. It grabs some average fairy tale conventions, and then it distorts them into something completely different. Fear not, different being a good word here. From what was originally a overused, heart warming template dragging it's feet through numerous pieces of fiction, Coraline was born. Completely original, completely entertaining and completely terrifying. No, honestly, shivers must have been using my spine as some kind of bridge while I was reading this. It's not that the events themselves are particularly creepy, and that is a lie because some of the stuff that goes down is genuinely frightening, but the atmosphere that surrounded the story, the 'be careful what you wish for', 'trust nobody' atmosphere added to it, and invited paranoia in for a cup of tea.
The writing was fairly simple, but flowed smoothly, and felt very dignified all throughout. Coraline was a fantastic heroine, very resourceful and snarky, refreshing and full of life. She developed throughout the story. Same goes for all of the other characters; they were what kept the book walking. Their scheming, backstabbing ways were the books method of transport. Like car, but with less carbon emissions, and more emissions of evil and failure and ... suckidge. However, they weren't particularly developed, and most of the background characters were simply pretty plot devices or quirky statues, like the three ghost children or the inhabitants of the house. Either way, they all served there purpose well and were like-able while doing it. I don't know what they are like when they aren't doing their jobs. Maybe they sit and watch movies about penguins together. BUT ANYWAY.
What I intended to get across with this review is that instead of reading this, you should be reading Coraline. It's a wonderful book, and has something to satisfy everyone. Mild horror? Yup. Interesting and like-able characters? Sure, why not. Nicely crafted plot? Yarrrrp. Calm, pretty narrative? Oui. Should you read it? This, enquirer is a idiotic question. Of course you should. You should tell your friends to read it. Your friends should tell their friends to read. Those friends of friends should tell foreign delinquents to learn how to read, and then read it. I read it, I enjoyed it, and I hope so will you, as well.
★★★★.5
Well, that's it for now. If anyone ever bothers to read this, and bothers to respond, then I might make more. I probably will.
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