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Archive for December, 2009

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Dec 31

Posted by The Valet in Fiction, Young Adult | No Comments

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

What I may not have noticed in the first book in this series Uglies may very well be the downfall of the whole series. You see, I have this problem with chapter naming. If you’re going to name a chapter rather than use a number, letter or symbol make it something unique, creative or interesting. Do not just throw a word out there that basically describes what the whole chapter is going to be about. It took me until I was about halfway through the book to really put it together, but if you actually pay attention to the chapter titles I think you can get away with not actually reading the chapter. Sure you need some background but honestly it wouldn’t be that hard. I actually wrote down all the chapter names and am going to try and use them in this review just for the hell of it (some will be obvious but let’s see how many of the less obvious ones you can catch).

Despite my problem with the chapter titles, I will not charge Mr. Westerfeld as a criminal (get, it, “criminal” is the first chapter) and ruining his own book. The novel itself was actually quite good, to incessantly bash it would be unfair. I wouldn’t want to be a lurker and not write about how I felt about the story, more specifically the rise and fall of the main character in the series, Tally.

Can I continue this charade? Find out…

Regional Book Store Review: Bay Area Free Book Exchange (El Cerrito)

Dec 30

Posted by The Valet in Other | 1 Comment

The Bay Area Free Book Exchange

What a gem, what a gem. I suppose calling this a “book store” may be a bit of a misnomer seeing as this place isn’t exactly a “store.” It’s more akin to a library but you just don’t have to return the books. You see, what this place does is giveaway books, a lot of books. To be a little more precise as of 12/20/09 they have given away a total of 31,461 books. And yes, they were all given away for free, to be kept for eternity and ever after. Unless of course once your done with them you choose to re-donate them (I highly recommend this).

The Bay Are Free Book Exchange works like this: Run by a cooperative of book store owners / lovers o books, books are collected from stores and people and then put on shelves. Those books which are donated that the store believes may be worth some money are then listed on e-bay. The others, well they go on the shelves and are given away.

While I was there I must have seen at least 15 boxes of books yet to be sorted. Get this, in order to take home books, you don’t even have to donate any. Just stroll on in, browse, pick out books, take to counter, have them stamped and leave. But wait, there is a limit of the number you can take , you can’t be selfish, you gotta leave some books for the next people. Then again if you reach that number, I’d be mighty impressed. Per visit, you are entitled to take home 50 books, yes that’s a 5 – 0 as in fifty. Yeah, I didn’t come close.

Stopping now would be detrimental to your health, keep reading…

Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup

Dec 29

Posted by The Valet in Fiction | 1 Comment

Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup

Whether you know it or not you most likely are already familiar with Mr. Vikas Swarup (you may actually know him by his Hindi name, विकास स्वरूप). His first book Q & A was published in 2005 and was subsequently turned into a movie. Take a guess at the movie, come on. Ok, since I can’t hear you or know what you’re saying I’ll give you the answer. Initially released on November 12, 2008 his novel was adapted into the movie Slumdog Millionaire which went on to win 8 academy awards in 2009. See, I told you you were familiar with him.

Although I did not read Q & A, I am very pleased that I have read Six Suspects. It is quite easy to see from this, his second book, that the same man also wrote the book that would turn into Slumdog.

Now, let’s not pretend that the novels are similar though. There are many stylistics elements which are similar, the language and imagery are pretty much on par and the fact that it’s a compelling, interesting story set in India doesn’t hurt either. But where it does differ is that unlike Slumdog, Six Suspects provides a vision of India through multiple sets of eyes, it is a murder mystery and you really don’t know who to root for.

Six Suspects is basically a game of clue that you can’t play. As the title clearly states there is a crime, a murder, and there are six people who are suspected of the murder. Let’s go through the characters, you’ve got Shabnam the actress as Miss Scarlet, Jagganath Rai the victims father as Colonel Mustard, Mohan Kumar, the beaurcrat as Professor Plum, Munna, the phone thief as Mr. Green, as for Eketi the tribesman and Larry Page the American there are no clue equals. As for the weapons in this game of clue, there is only one, a gun, but there are six different guns so thats almost clue like. And lastly, the rooms, I’m gonna go ahead and say that the six separate stories are the equivalent of the different rooms.

“Don’t stop [readin'], hold on to the feelin’”

This Weeks Book Events, LA (week of 12/27)

Dec 28

Posted by The Valet in Events | No Comments

Ok, I gave my big post holiday schpeel in the my SF events post so LA I apologize, I’m just gonna cut to the chase. You’re lack of events is sorry. I know there are some starving authors in LA that need to capitalize on the American way of spending excessive amounts of money right now.

On another note, I am extremely excited to write about one of Book Soup’s events next week. It’s gonna be a good one (now that the pressure is on).

Happy New Year Los Angeles.

This Weeks Book Events, SF (week of 12/27)

Dec 28

Posted by The Valet in Events | No Comments

Alas, we are through with Christmas. Now run along children and return/re-gift those unwanted prezzies, mob the malls and spend that well deserved cash and drive that new BMW while it still has that audacious red ribbon still tied around it so everyone can see it. I jest. I actually like the holiday season. There are though two side affects that I don’t like.

The first of which is rather selfish. Have you ever tried to date someone during the overly long and drawn out holiday season? I’ve come to the conclusion that dating around this time of year is exactly how I would imagine walking through a mine field must feel like. Avoiding the mines (holiday parties, family, work, travel…) is all but impossible. If you do manage to get a few dates in there it’s inevitable that mines will get in the way at some point and you’ll end up going several weeks with little or no communication. At this point, regardless of how well you got on with one another, there is not telling what may or may not happen. Can you tell I’m frustrated by this? Ok, moving on.

The second effect is a bit more “green” if you will. If aliens were to land on the planet just after Christmas I think they would most certainly be befuddled by all the Christmas trees littering the sidewalks of our fair city. Now I don’t claim to know the relevance of having the tree and I know that these trees are farmed for this particular use but is it really necessary? I could find plenty of other places to put the presents under. Don’t get me wrong, I actually like the trees, they smell great in homes, look pretty neat and are certainly a symbol of the season. I guess what I really want is for people to find ways to utilize and use the tree once they are done looking at it. I know trees at the lot that go unused are often given away to farmers (erosion control), local charities or just flat out burned (not a good idea). Most people claim that they leave the tree on the curb for “recycling.” My understanding is that you actually have to pay to have someone pick it up for this service, although I am almost always proven wrong. Come on city dwellers are you actually doing this. I doubt that tree left on the corner of California and Gough was requested to be picked up. Ok, what am I driving at? Well, I’m going to give you some suggestions on what to do. First, make a tree person. Come on it’ll be fun. It’s like a snowman only it doesn’t melt. You can put big googly eyes, a scarf and maybe some glasses on it. Then whenever you’re home it’ll always feel like you’ve got guests. Next up, make it a project for your child to single handedly remove ever pine needle, one at a time. Then use said needles for an art project, rad right? Lastly find a farmer to come out and pick it up. Here’s a wonky site with some information on tree recycling and here’s an article from 2008 talking about what happens to SF’s trees. Ok, I got tired of thinking, I’m done with this little rant. But click the link below cause there’s some more goodies for you. It’s almost as though they’re under the tree but really they’re “under” the link.

There’s more, including some videos and even some book event information, imagine that.

The Wild Things by Dave Eggers

Dec 24

Posted by The Valet in Fiction | No Comments

The Wild Things by Dave Eggers


Immediately after finishing this book I went to a book store and read Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are for some perspective. Although it was certainly one of my favorite books growing up I honestly didn’t really remember the story and had a pretty strong inkling that Eggers book was pretty different. I was right. After all, as Eggers explains at the end of his novel that “the children’s book Max is, after all, a version of Maurice and the movie [which of course was just recently released] Max is a version of Spike [Spike Jonze, the director of the film]. The Max of [Eggers] book, then, is some combination of Maurice’s Max, Spike’s Max, and the Max of my own [Eggers] boyhood.”

The story of how this book and the movie came to be is a pretty interesting one. If you haven’t already heard about it I’ll give you a quick synopsis. Maurice Sendak writes book in 1963. In 2003 Spike Jonze calls Dave Eggers and says “hey want to do a collaboration on the screenplay for a film adaptation of the book?” Dave says “yes.” Later, Maurice calls Dave and says “hey, I think a novel could be written based on all the material we’ve accumulated for the movie, do you want to write it?” Dave then says “sure, I’ll give it a shot.” And thus we have a movie and a book based on Where the Wild Things Are. (Dialogues are fictional and completely the guesswork of the author.)

At this point, having read both versions of the book I’m 2 for 3. I have not yet seen the movie. I wanted to, but I think all the hype surrounding it kind of got to me and turned me off. I will at some point see it though, preferably with a small child because I hear that I will scare the bejeezus out of them and I think that is pretty amusing.

More “Wild Things” this way…

Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean by Edward Kritzler

Dec 22

Posted by The Valet in Non-Fiction | No Comments

Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean by Edward Kritzler

Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean by Edward Kritzler

Arggggggggggg!

Ahoy me matey’s. What we be havin’ here be a book about gentleman o’ fortunes (aka pirates aka bucaneers aka eye patch wearing, cutlass wielding, peg leg walking humanoids) an’ rather bad one at that! I be hopin’ fer a good story full o’ adventure on th’ high seas, instead I got a long winded history lesson which port me wi’ nay booty t’ keep. Gar.

Sea dogs, like vampires, be pretty much th’ “in” thin’ starboard now. So when me first see’ this har book naturally I thought, “wow, how cool, a mixture o’ swashbucklers an’ Jews.” I can learn about some o’ me heritage while at th’ same time get an excitin’ story. Boy be I wrong.

Ok, I had thought about doing the whole post in pirate lingo but seriously, it’s starting to strain me. Somehow this book kept popping up in every bookstore I went to and I eventually bought it with unfortunately high expectations. Really, pirates and Jews, wouldn’t you have high expectations too.

Click me, or walk the plank matey! Seriously, it’s worth it, some good pictures accompanying.

Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson

Dec 21

Posted by The Valet in Fiction, Young Adult | No Comments

Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson

Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson

I’m starting to think that getting a young adult book published is a pretty easy task. There seems to a pretty specific formula. Start with a youth (that’s pretty obvious), perhaps a teen, who is either ostracized for one reason or another or has a dysfunctional family. Give said teen a best friend. Maybe throw in a sibling, younger or older, doesn’t really matter. Introduce said teen’s love interest, past, present or future. Mix in a bit of a teacher, some homework and an extra curricular activity in there. Establish something for the youth to either complicate before resolving or rebel against. Wrap it all up and throw a bow around it.

Clearly what I’m driving at is the fact that Destroy All Cars is pretty formulaic. That doesn’t mean it’s bad but it also doesn’t mean it’s astonishingly good. Each of the above elements of the formula are evident in the story.

Fortunately there was one facet of this story which set it apart from the others. Although the main character James seemed like a bit of a misanthrope to me, he has a dogma which almost lets me give him the benefit of the doubt. You see, as the title of the book clearly states, James hates cars and wants to see them all destroyed. Why? Well, he recognizes the harm that they do to the environment and therefore wants to rid the planet of em. His main of way of expressing this thought is through his high school English papers wherein he repeatedly writes of his dislike for the car driving populace. It’s a pretty idealistic view for a teenager and a somewhat relevant one given our current circumstances, I mean, I think we all know what we’re doing to the planet. But honestly, the odds of me giving up my 4×4 aren’t very likely. At least I can say that I don’t really drive it very often. Whatever you do though, do not call James an “activist” cause that would put him in same category of do gooders as his ex-girlfriend.

See what I’ve just done? In a single paragraph I managed to give you nearly each of those elements I presented to you minus one or two. I only left the others out cause I really couldn’t find a good way to incorporate them into the paragraph, and it’s 9am and I don’t feel like trying.

I do want to take the time to thank James for justifying and making me feel better for my reluctance to go to an “organic” salad bar at lunch. Everyday that I don’t bring lunch to work I head to Focaccia on Sacramento to get a salad. Well, just the other day I was told that I should instead be going to Mixt Greens because their foods are organic. Well, to that I say, no thank you. I mean, I like organic but it’s not worth it for me to spend an extra $5 or $6 to get the same exact thing that tastes identical. Back to the point, James has no qualms presenting the fact that “organic salad bars are not going to refreeze the North Pole.” Therefore I deduce that going to Focaccia is just fine.

Lastly, although it really has nothing to do with the book at all I thought I had to throw this in here. James lets you and I know that Sadie Kinnel, his ex-girlfriend (the activist), is thought of as “the solution,” thanks to all her activism.  Well, while perusing the interweb the other day I came across someone else who has been deemed “the solution.”  Have a look for yourself, I would start at the 1:20 mark unless you want to watch and listen to these morons spew up extra garbage (sorry, there is an ad):


Yep, that pretty much says it all.

This Weeks Book Events, SF (week of 12/21)

Dec 21

Posted by The Valet in Events | 2 Comments

This week is special or something isn’t it? Hmm, what’s happening this week, I can’t seem to remember. Oh well, I’ll just carry on as though nothing is going. Ha, like hell! That most certainly is not possible. What with all the lovely caroling, the scent of pine in the air, the twinkle of multi-colored light bulbs and that guy on the corner throwing up in a santa costume it’s impossible to ignore what time of year it is!

I don’t even think I’m going to bother checking in on my usual resources for book events. I feel as though it’s pretty fair to say that nothing will be happening this week. Instead, we the people, will be so consumed with finding the right gifts be it a blow up doll, lingerie, that red fire truck or that perfect book that our feeble minds won’t even be able to grasp the idea of attaining some sort of intellectual higher knowledge by listening to an author speak. For those rare authors that are coming to town this week, I apologize for not promoting your appearance but come on, do you really expect people to show up?

Gepetto the nutcracker, scary right?

Gepetto the nutcracker, scary right? This little guy helped me make quite a few friends on Saturday night.

The Anatomist by Bill Hayes

Dec 17

Posted by The Valet in Non-Fiction | 1 Comment

The Anatomist by Bill Hayes

The Anatomist by Bill Hayes

I’ve got this feeling that many of you out there that read my blog may have, at one point or another, watched the tv show “Grey’s Anatomy.” The quasi medical drama with the young, super attractive doctors that we all wish we could have when we go to the hospital, who take an hour out of lives weekly to discuss dramas that have nothing to do with a hospital. You know the one. Well, how many of you understand the name of this tv show is actually a play on words? I guess I’d have to go with somewhere around 50/50. For that other 50, Gray’s Anatomy not “Grey’s,” is actually a reference book on human anatomy which was written by Henry Gray and first published in the UK in 1858. Just a little lesson.

What we have here is a book about book. Hayes’ Anatomist pays tribute to the men who wrote Gray’s Anatomy and the human body. You don’t actually think I’d read a book about a tv show do you? (Confession: If it were a book on “Lost,” I’d probably read it.)

So, I guess I picked this book up at first because I thought the cover was pretty badass. I mean who doesn’t think a drawing of a skull isn’t cool? I also picked it up cause I am marginally interested in Gray’s Anatomy, knowing full well that it was and is the foremost educational resource on human anatomy and dissection.

I’m pretty sure the last thing I dissected was an earth worm somewhere back in middle school in the mid 90′s. I’m guessing I probably botched it and therefore was never again allowed to hold a scalpel. Probably for the best. Although, after reading this book I’m kind of tempted to purchase a cadaver and see what I can do and find.

The gore is that way…

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