Take a photo of a barcode or cover
vivalibrarian's reviews
519 reviews
Good Dog by Graham Chaffee
3.0
Ivan was born an unwanted pup that survived being thrown into the river only to become a lonely stray who has nightmares about rabbits. His nomadic life is troubling to Ivan and as he makes his rounds through his neighborhood, he struggles to understand which would be better-having a "boss" (for better or worse) or being part of a pack. The pack offers protection but at what cost?
Watership Down is one of my most favorite books of all time. When animals are anthropomorphized well it leads the reader into a bigger picture where it is easy to draw parallels with humanity and our own individual struggles to find the place where we belong, feel safe and are comforted by love. Chaffee nails it. The facial expressions on the dogs are amazing at conveying what is going on which blanaces nicely with the less expressive humans. I don't know if it was intentional, but it gives the reader pause. A sweet read.
Watership Down is one of my most favorite books of all time. When animals are anthropomorphized well it leads the reader into a bigger picture where it is easy to draw parallels with humanity and our own individual struggles to find the place where we belong, feel safe and are comforted by love. Chaffee nails it. The facial expressions on the dogs are amazing at conveying what is going on which blanaces nicely with the less expressive humans. I don't know if it was intentional, but it gives the reader pause. A sweet read.
Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish by David Rakoff
5.0
When poetic phrases like "eyes, look your last"
Become true, all you want is to stay, to hold fast.
A new, fierce attachment to all of this world
Now pierced him, it stabbed like a deity-hurled
Lightning bolt lancing him, sent from above,
Left him giddy and tearful. It felt like young love.
He'd thought of himself as uniquely proficient
At seeing, but now that sense felt insufficient.
He wanted to grab, to possess, to devour
To eat with his eyes, how he needed that power.
-David Rakoff
I can't do him justice. Just...read.
Become true, all you want is to stay, to hold fast.
A new, fierce attachment to all of this world
Now pierced him, it stabbed like a deity-hurled
Lightning bolt lancing him, sent from above,
Left him giddy and tearful. It felt like young love.
He'd thought of himself as uniquely proficient
At seeing, but now that sense felt insufficient.
He wanted to grab, to possess, to devour
To eat with his eyes, how he needed that power.
-David Rakoff
I can't do him justice. Just...read.
Red Moon by Benjamin Percy
3.0
In a world very much like ours, Werewolves(lycans) are real and live side by side with humans in a fairly peaceful but government regulated existence. Lycan terrorists, unhappy with the status quo begin a series of attacks on the United States-starting with Lycan suicide killers who rip apart entire planes to start a revolution. Told from the alternating viewpoints of three very different characters, human and lycan, the story weaves together a manifesto on what it means to be human and if we even deserve to survive.
Does this sound familiar to you? Perhaps a supernatural parallel to 9/11? Ding, ding! What makes Red Moon truly scary is how close it comes to reality. Prions cause lobos(the disease that makes one a lycan)which is how Mad Cow Disease gets started. The atrocities committed based in fear-the way both sides morph into unrecognizable animals that exact great emotional and physical harm is hard to read. I read an interview with the author in which he said the scariest stories are the ones that channel cultural unease. Yes.
I enjoyed the build up and the concept infinitely more than the actual reading of this book. The characters are well-developed but I had trouble fully engaging with them. Definitely in the literary horror realm(think Justin Cronin), there were less surprises and erratic intervals and much more grim violence. Heads up: the audio version is read by the author-who has a very deep and monotone voice.
Does this sound familiar to you? Perhaps a supernatural parallel to 9/11? Ding, ding! What makes Red Moon truly scary is how close it comes to reality. Prions cause lobos(the disease that makes one a lycan)which is how Mad Cow Disease gets started. The atrocities committed based in fear-the way both sides morph into unrecognizable animals that exact great emotional and physical harm is hard to read. I read an interview with the author in which he said the scariest stories are the ones that channel cultural unease. Yes.
I enjoyed the build up and the concept infinitely more than the actual reading of this book. The characters are well-developed but I had trouble fully engaging with them. Definitely in the literary horror realm(think Justin Cronin), there were less surprises and erratic intervals and much more grim violence. Heads up: the audio version is read by the author-who has a very deep and monotone voice.
Joyland by Stephen King
4.0
Devin Jones takes a summer job at Joyland, an amusement park on the North Carolina coast in hopes of forgetting about the girl that broke his heart. Almost immediately, he learns of an unsolved murder in the park's Funhouse and the girl that haunts it. When he befriends a young boy who has "the shine" (see what I did there) he realizes the mystery is not something he can let go.
I didn't expect to like this book. I've tended to shy away from King's pulp writing but I stand corrected. There is a lot that happens in a small amount of time but it never feels overbearing or too much. I feel like King is returning to another high with his storytelling skills this year. A quick paced, character driven and creepily redemptive novel. I want to call it charming but that is not the right word-welcome to the world of carny speak and superstition. You decide what is real and enjoy the ride.
Michael Kelly narrates the audio book and did such a perfect job of catching the personality of a young kid in college in the 70's that I scrambled to find other titles he'd read. Let me save you the trouble-this is his first time out as a reader but hopefully not his last.
I didn't expect to like this book. I've tended to shy away from King's pulp writing but I stand corrected. There is a lot that happens in a small amount of time but it never feels overbearing or too much. I feel like King is returning to another high with his storytelling skills this year. A quick paced, character driven and creepily redemptive novel. I want to call it charming but that is not the right word-welcome to the world of carny speak and superstition. You decide what is real and enjoy the ride.
Michael Kelly narrates the audio book and did such a perfect job of catching the personality of a young kid in college in the 70's that I scrambled to find other titles he'd read. Let me save you the trouble-this is his first time out as a reader but hopefully not his last.
Lost Cat by Jason
4.0
Dan: "Where are your books?"
Charlotte: "I'm not a book person. I've got a lot of dvd's."
Dan: "I need to leave."
I've read this three times and am sure I am missing A LOT but that is what makes it so interesting. Using animals instead of people, this is a classic PI noir story that is part detective story and part manifesto on loneliness and finding someone you can be comfortably silent with. Also, what a MacGuffin!
I have more to say-I've just got to keep thinking on this. I suppose that is a good thing. :)
Charlotte: "I'm not a book person. I've got a lot of dvd's."
Dan: "I need to leave."
I've read this three times and am sure I am missing A LOT but that is what makes it so interesting. Using animals instead of people, this is a classic PI noir story that is part detective story and part manifesto on loneliness and finding someone you can be comfortably silent with. Also, what a MacGuffin!
I have more to say-I've just got to keep thinking on this. I suppose that is a good thing. :)
Kitty & Dino by Sara Richard
3.0
We all know cats are not fond of change. Bringing a new pet into the family can cause a lot of tension, hissing and well, complete indifference to the new evil creature causing such chaos. What would your cat think if you brought home a dinosaur?
Yep. Bad things are going through your head right now, aren't they? It's ok, let it go. This is a children's book and a lovely twist on the idea of change and friendship. The drawings and colors are simply beautiful and the last picture might have made me have some feels. Perhaps.
Yep. Bad things are going through your head right now, aren't they? It's ok, let it go. This is a children's book and a lovely twist on the idea of change and friendship. The drawings and colors are simply beautiful and the last picture might have made me have some feels. Perhaps.
Maude the Not-So-Noticeable Shrimpton by Lauren Child
3.0
The Shrimptons are a flamboyant family that draws attention with their outrageous outfits, mesmerizing talents and beautiful eccentricities. They hated to be missed...except for Maude, who would very much rather blend in and not make a fuss. Hoping for a goldfish for her birthday, Maude is disappointed to find her family thought a tiger a much more exciting gift! How embarrassing, Maude thinks until they run out of tiger food and her ability to not be noticed becomes the best gift of all.
This makes a great read out-loud story and is just twisted enough to make it a lot of fun.
This makes a great read out-loud story and is just twisted enough to make it a lot of fun.
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
4.0
“History isn't about dates and places and wars. It's about the people who fill the spaces between them.”
Sage Singer is not Jewish. At least that is what she tells everyone-religion is not her thing and just because her family is Jewish and her Nana survived Auschwitz, doesn't mean she is able to connect with or understand the heritage she is a part of. Why? As her Nana says, if you lived it-you don't want to relive it and if you weren't there, you will never understand. For years, the holocaust and the personal toll it took on her family was not something the family talked about. Until now.
I did not want to read this book. When I read the synopsis I just didn't want to go there but it was nominated for a committee I am on so I had to. It lingers. My family is not Jewish but my family-my Oma, Opa and their children and grandchildren live with what they endured in the War. We never talk about it. I wish we did. So, I'm not sure I can write an objective review. My emotions are too much this time.
Sage Singer is not Jewish. At least that is what she tells everyone-religion is not her thing and just because her family is Jewish and her Nana survived Auschwitz, doesn't mean she is able to connect with or understand the heritage she is a part of. Why? As her Nana says, if you lived it-you don't want to relive it and if you weren't there, you will never understand. For years, the holocaust and the personal toll it took on her family was not something the family talked about. Until now.
I did not want to read this book. When I read the synopsis I just didn't want to go there but it was nominated for a committee I am on so I had to. It lingers. My family is not Jewish but my family-my Oma, Opa and their children and grandchildren live with what they endured in the War. We never talk about it. I wish we did. So, I'm not sure I can write an objective review. My emotions are too much this time.
Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker
4.0
It surprised me how much I liked this book. Sure, this is a quintessential western but it is very much a story of friendship, loyalty and the code of the wild frontier.