Breathers

"Breathers" by S.G. Browne is a sci-fi book about the plight of zombies who struggle for basic human rights. In this world, no one is sure why some of the dead reanimate, but they live among normal people, or "breathers", and one of the recent undead, Andy, is fighting for zombie civil rights. It had a bit of a quirky love story thread when Andy falls for another zombie, Rita, and they discover that eating people helps them heal, so they are less undead and more like the living (their hearts start beating again, their wounds heal, etc). While funny, as a dedicated zombie killer I take exception to the idea that zombies have feelings and human emotions. Everyone knows better :-) I like my monsters to know their place in society. Benevolent vampires and werewolves are okay in my book, but not zombies. Don't ask me why.

The Last Divine Office; Curiosities of Literature

"The Last Divine Office" by Geoffrey Moorhouse took a look at how the monasteries were dissolved under the rule of my favorite love-to-hate monarch, King Henry VIII. Because I've read so much information about Henry over the years, this book really didn't present me with anything new that I cared about (lists of how much the wine cost the monasteries each year aren't really my cup of tea). While it was an interesting book, I could easily sum it up: "King Henry broke with Rome when the Pope refused to grant him a divorce from Katherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn, so he dissolved the Catholic Church in England and as an added bonus he got ridiculously wealthy in the process by stealing all the church's money". There. Saved you the trouble of reading it. He didn't really go into too much detail as to what happened to the priests and nuns after the monasteries were dissolved, unfortunately.
"Curiosities of Literature" by John Sutherland was right up my alley: very darkly humorous with interesting tidbits about authors and their books. While it was mostly British authors, it was still interesting and very fun, full of insider jokes. I enjoyed it.

I Love it When You Talk Retro; Macy's: the Store, the Star, the Story

Language fascinates me, and I've read a few books on the history of word and phrase origins. It's always interesting. "I Love it When You Talk Retro" by Ralph Keyes examined the origins of slang in our culture, both current and past. It was pretty good, mostly interesting. A little too political for my taste in some parts, and he kind of injected his own opinions into the mix by calling "Pulp Fiction" an overrated movie and "The Truman Show" underrated. It didn't really add to the book; instead I just wondered what the hell? Unless you're a movie critic (or I ask), I don't really care about your taste in film.
"Macy's: the Store, the Star, the Story" by Robert M. Grippo was very entertaining: it read more like fiction than nonfiction. The only gripe I have is the size of the book. The copy I checked out was huge, like 9 X 13, which made it very difficult to hold and read. But it was full of interesting historical tidbits that put what was going on at Macy's into context. The pictures were a nice added bonus.

2666

I finally finished reading Roberto Bolano's "2666". It took forever. And, typically, I was left wondering why it's gotten such great reviews. Before Bolano died, he wanted the book published as five separate novels, and I can understand why. First off, it was long, almost 900 pages (although I've read other, longer novels that were just fine that way). Secondly, it really was like reading 5 different books. In the end they all tied together (which was nice) but by then I had given up caring and just wanted the book to end. One whole section, I think it was part 4, was just a catalog of murdered women: he described how their bodies were found and if they were ever identified. It was 200 pages of this. Absolutely useless information that didn't move the plot forward at all. Very disappointing.

Columbine

I finished reading "Columbine" by David Cullen Friday night. Now, I read a lot of true crime. I love true crime, horror...anything that is disturbing. This was truly one of the most unsettling books I've ever read. First of all, Cullen did an amazing job with the source material. Not only did he have really disconcerting events to work with, but he arranged it in such a way that the overall effect of the book was quite jarring. Anyone interested in dispelling myths about the Columbine tragedy will find this book very compelling. The videos of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold on YouTube are equally fascinating and disturbing.

Healing and Preventing Autism

"Healing and Preventing Autism" by Jenny McCarthy and Dr. Jerry Kartzinel was amazing. I wish I could afford to buy copies of this book to give them to every new mom/woman who's thinking of ever having a baby that I know. I've even made some lifestyle changes after reading this book. Jenny McCarthy is just amazing, and this book was easy to read and understand. I've now even got my father interested in learning more about autism: he was glancing through the book when I took it over to his house this weekend and he couldn't put it down (and he's not a big reader).

Fatally Flaky

"Fatally Flaky" by Diana Mott Davidson is her latest Goldy the Caterer mystery. Really, I just read these for the recipes, which are awesome. The plots are never very good or easy to understand, and she has a tendency to introduce a ton of new characters in the beginning of the book and it gets very confusing if you're not paying close enough attention (which I admittedly am not). This one was actually pretty good, I liked it better than the last few I've read. Goldy is catering a wedding for a real Bridezilla, and her godfather's best friend turns up dead. Some great food in this one, too. Definitely have to make the Black and White cake...yummy. The only thing that really bugged me was her constant repetition of Goldy's caffeine addiction. I just wanted to scream "I get it already! Girl likes her espresso! Now move on, dammit!". Oh, well, minor annoyances.