Six Sentence Saturday

Welcome to Six Sentence Saturday.

Where I try to express my thoughts on recent reads using only 6 sentences!!!!.

At the end of each review I will post a

rating scale of 1-5 using the cute and original (lol) Playing Cards.

Rating scale will be as follows:

5 of Hearts- You must read this book NOW!!

4 of Hearts- A great read, put it on your TBR list.

3 of Hearts- Glad I read but no big deal

2 of Hearts- Why did I finish this?

Joker Card - Don't bother (why did I?)

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Completion Date: January 15, 2011

Reason for Reading: Fun!

The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early.

The shrill siren song of a calliope beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes. . .and the stuff of nightmare.

Few American novels written this century have endured in the heart and memory as has Ray Bradbury's unparalleled literary classic SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES. For those who still dream and remember, for those yet to experience the hypnotic power of its dark poetry, step inside. The show is about to begin.The carnival rolls in sometime after midnight, ushering in Halloween a week early. The shrill siren song of a calliope beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two boys will discover the secret of its smoke, mazes, and mirrors; two friends who will soon know all too well the heavy cost of wishes. . .and the stuff of nightmare.

I really liked The Halloween Tree by Bradbury, but for some reason this book just didn't work for me at all. I think it can be put down to a mood at the time and having read two books before it that I just could not seem to enjoy, so I will probably try and read it again someday. The book did have a fun plot and idea behind it, but I found myself not really caring what happened to the characters after a while. If this was a book I easily could have got again I would have put it aside and tried again later, but unfortunately it was an ILL and could not be renewed, so it was read it now or maybe never. Bradbury is an author that has had lasting fame, so obviously it was just me and I still think many other people will enjoy this book if they haven't read it all ready. I think before I try this one again I will attempt read something else by him later this year.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Volume 2 by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Completion Date: February 19, 2011

Reason for Reading: Carry on with the series.

Does Scott and Ramona's burgeoning relationship have a future? Isn't Scott still supposedly dating Knives Chau? Who is Ramona's second evil ex-boyfriend, and why is he in Toronto? Who are The Clash At Demonhead, and what kind of bizarre art-punky music do they play? Who's their hot girl keyboardist, and what is Scott's relation to her? Why are they Knives Chau's new favourite band? Fights! Drama! Secrets revealed! The answers to all these questions and more!

I like this series, but unfortunately do not love it, so now that I have read the two books that the library has in the series I am not sure what I am going to do about the rest of the series. I recently watched the movie and actually think that considering the size of these stories, it pretty much covered the comics; so at least if I don't get a chance to read the rest of the series I know what happens! Scott is a fun character and it is entertaining that he has to fight Ramona's ex-boyfriends like in a video game. The comic really does answer the questions presented in the blurb above and I think it was better than the first book in the series. I also really enjoy that this book is set in Toronto and I have actually been to Toronto, so I knew the places that were being talked about. Overall, a fun read, and someday I may finish the series.

Series:

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness

Scott Pilgrim Gets it Together

Scott Pilgrim vs. Universe

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour

(This book counts for the Manga Challenge.)

Bone: Quest for the Spark by Jeff Smith and Tom Sniegoski (Book 1)

Completion Date: February 23, 2011

Reason for Reading: Spin-off Series from BONE.

A return to the enthralling world of BONE with book one in this gripping spin-off novel trilogy, illustrated in four-color!

Twelve-year-old Tom Elm is just an ordinary turnip farmer from the Valley, but he's always felt destined for something bigger. So when he discovers everyone in his village is asleep and plagued by nightmares, he assembles a band of unlikely heroes. They must fight to preserve the Spark--a divine light born at the core of a vast, dark nothingness called the Nacht. The Nacht is trying to permeate the Waking World with nightmares of the Dreaming, and it's Tom's mission to defeat the Nacht and its most loyal follower, the Constable. If he fails, his family--and everyone--might never wake up again.

I really enjoyed the Bone graphic novel series, so when I heard that there was going to be a spin-off series I was very excited to read it, but on the other hand disappointed that many of the characters would not be included. These really are new adventures with mentions of the events from the other series and a few choice appearances from old characters. I wanted to love this book, but instead I only liked it. It's just not the same when it is told mostly in words and there are very few pictures, so it makes for a totally different reading experience. The adventures were still fun and I will still read on in the series, but I think I am ultimately disappointed in the direction the series has taken. If it was new stories in graphic novel format, it might have worked better for me, but I found myself wanting pictures and they were not there.

Chobits Volume 6 by Clamp

Completion Date: February 23, 2011

Reason for Reading: Carry on with Series.

Can a human be happy living with a machine? Hiroyasu Ueda truly believed he could when he married his persocom but one fateful day tragedy struck and Ueda was separated from his true love. It's often said that persocoms are more perfect than humans, better looking, better lovers, better thinking. Is it possible for someone who once loved the perfect, if artificial, woman go back to loving a mere human?

Since the series is drawing to a close, this book actually answered some of the questions that have been hovering in the background, so I think I appreciated this volume more than some of the previous ones. It is a interesting idea for a series and is something that in many ways is being worked on now. It addresses the idea that if there were personal computers that looked very much like humans, would people love them and marry them? The manga series is much more complex than it first appears, so I enjoy that aspect of it greatly. It also has entertaining characters and situations that will easily make you laugh. I am glad I am reading this series and look forward to more very soon!

Series:

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 4

Volume 5

Volume 6

Volume 7

Volume 8

Happy Canada Day!

In honour of Canada Day, I am going to do mini-reviews of the last few books I read for the 2nd Canadian Challenge, Eh? It finishes today, so it would be a good plan to finish things up.

The Golden Phoenix and Other Fairy Tales from Quebec Edited by Marius Barbeau & Michael Hornyansky

Vasilly asks: What were some of your favorite tales in the book, The Golden Phoenix? Should I read it?

I read this book quite a while ago because Nicola reviewed it. I love fairy tales, so what better to read than a collection released by Canadians. It was a really worthwhile read, I must say. The stories were ones that I had heard before, in many cases, but they had been retold probably through the generations orally. These two men took the oral stories and wrote them down for everyone to enjoy. To see the transformation made the book that much more enjoyable. The book follows a lot of the common trends in fairy tales: There is the repetition, the use of the number three, the successful youngest brother winning over his two older ones, etc. It should be read and enjoyed by more. Unfortunately, I didn't write down which stories I enjoyed and I already returned it to the library. I will say that I think I enjoyed all eight of the stories, though, and I do recommend it.

Scott Pilgrim: Precious Little Life - Volume 1 by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Scott Pilgrim's life is totally sweet. He's 23 years old, he's in a rock band, he's "between jobs," and he's dating a cute high school girl. Nothing could possibly go wrong, unless a seriously mind-blowing, dangerously fashionable, rollerblading delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts cruising through his dreams and sailing by him at parties. Will Scott's awesome life get turned upside-down? Will he have to face Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends in battle? The short answer is yes. The long answer is Scott Pilgrim, Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life.

This book was just a fun read. Scott Pilgrim is one of those characters that everyone would love. It's funny because in many ways, it is a book about nothing. It is just Scott's life told in comic book form. He is in his twenties, lives with a guy, has no stuff of his own, plays video games, and belongs to a band. Then, there are the girls, of course. You think it is just going to be a typical down on his luck guy, but then O'Malley surprises you. I am looking forward to more in this series. Frankly, I think it is so stupid in premise that it makes it great!

Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Raleigh doesn't have a soul. A cat stole it - or at least that's what she tells people - or at least that's what she would tell people if she told people anything. But that would mean talking to people, and the mere thought of social interaction is terrifying. How did such a shy teenage girl end up in a car with three of her hooligan classmates on a cross-country road trip? Being forced to interact with kids her own age is a new and alarming proposition for Raleigh, but maybe it's just what she needs - or maybe it can help her find what she needs - or maybe it can help her to realize that what she needs has been with her all along.

This was a good graphic novel. The artwork was well-done, the characters were interesting, and the story kept you wanting to learn more. It's rather interesting, though. O'Malley deals with a serious subject, but he manages to do it with a bit of humour thrown in. I enjoyed that. What teenager doesn't feel like they have lost themselves at some point and time. A very good book, I must say. I look forward to more by him.

The Guests of War Trilogy - Book 3 - The Lights Go On Again by Kit Pearson

For five years Gavin and his sister Norah have lived in Canada as "war guests." But now, as 1945 approaches, the war is finally ending, and Gavin and Norah will soon be going back to England.

Norah, who's fifteen, is eager to see her parents again, but ten-year-old Gavin barely remembers them. He doesn't want to leave his Canadian family, his two best friends and his dog.

Then something happens that forces Gavin to make the most difficult decision of his life.

The Lights Go On Again is the last book in the acclaimed series that began with The Sky Is Falling and Looking At The Moon.

All I can think of to say at the beginning of this review is FINALLY! I read the first two books in this trilogy several years ago, reread them a couple years ago, and then is the first time I have finally read book three. The first two books are told from the perspective of Gavin's sister, Norah, but in this book he takes centrestage. When he came to Canada because of the war, he was really too little to know what was going on. Now that the war is drawing to an end, though, he finds that the time to go home is near and he doesn't remember anything but his life in Canada. This book is a struggle between what is home for Gavin and the changes that the end of the war are bringing with them. A strong end to the trilogy. I am glad that I finally read it!