I am almost finished with the book Liesl & Po (with only about 10-20 pages left), a charming little book about a place where the sun has stopped shining, the people are starving, and a little girl named Liesl has been trapped in an attic against her will after both her mother's and father's death. Her stepmother took reign of her family's fortune and abused it. And guess what? She's what can be considered an evil stepmother.

It's always the stepparent(s).

Or the butler.

The maid works too.

Aside from the somewhat cliché story, I found this book to be an enjoyable read. Although it was not necessarily a funny book, and the character's dialect seemed too formal - especially the one's that were poor or in secluded areas - it's interpretation of the afterlife, ghosts, and the interesting descriptions of certain characters and places were captivating at points. Ghosts were not the typical billowy pale-faced apparition, nor were they beings that haunted any unlucky soul that they happened across. Instead, they just sort of were a part of the universe; they practically melded into and out of existence, and when on the living side they were just like shadows.

In the book existed magic, and was apparently practiced through alchemy. With this, various potions, powders, poisons, and more were created, able to give the user wings, or even turn them into a mouse or a cup. The presence of said magic, and the setting of the book actually reminded me of another book series I read a while ago, the Septimus Heap series.

Actually a really good set of books with an interesting story, I would read it if I were you.

Although, the ending, I feel, was a bit rushed and anticlimactic, this was still honestly an interesting read, filled with wonderful ideas and beautiful descriptions.

I am almost finished with the book The True Meaning of Smekday, but I have not had the chance to completely finish it, as I have been preoccupied with other things. Although the story has reached a standstill of sorts at the point that I'm as, but major events certainly have unfolded. With the introduction of new characters and problems that J.Lo and Gratuity have to face, it has certainly become a story that has kept me on the edge of my seat. Right now, I am extremely anxious to discover how, or if, Earth is returned to it's previous inhabitants, and exactly what role the two protagonists may have in the feat. Hopefully the action will pick up, and I will soon be able to learn of the fate of the characters.

This book has certainly been a thrill ride, filled with sarcasm, silly little jokes, nicely drawn comics, and an extremely immersive story.

I have had this book sitting on my bookshelf for quite a while, not knowing what it was about. I have finally decided to pick up this book, and I must say that I am pleasantly surprised. I am now about halfway through the book now, and so far I think this is a very charming book, with an interesting concept, interesting characters, and quite a few funny moments. There were even a couple of comics and pictures included. 

The story centers around, and is "written by" a girl named Gratuity "Tip" Tucci, who is driving to Florida, a "Human-Preserve," as dictated by the Boov. The Boov being a short and squishy eight legged alien race that decided to take over Earth. Renaming our planet SmekLand, they came on Christmas, eventually forcing human beings all around the world into deals they had no control over, in a fairly similar fashion of a few past events in human history. Before revealing themselves however, the Boov abducted some humans in secret, one being Gratuity's mother. Once the Boov officially revealed themselves, they ended up taking her mother, leaving Gratuity devastated and leads to her eventual decision to drive to Florida as opposed to going to the Rocket pods. On her way, she finds a lone ad friendly Boov who refers to himself as J.Lo, calling it his human name. J.Lo then adds improvements to Gratuity's car, enabling it to hover. They then strike a deal, that they will drive to Florida together, Gratuity providing transportation and J.Lo as an escort. The book continues on.

Overall, I think the concept of this book is fascinating, and I can't wait to read the rest of it. I may even go as far as watching the new DreamWorks movie "Home," inspired from this book.

Staring, looking everywhere but nowhere in particular, Mrs. Phelps shuffled across the empty walk, her head down, preoccupied with the unwelcome emotions that plagued her mind. However much she tried, those feeling would not disappear, and she did not have anything to wipe away the sudden onslaught of thoughts. No radio, television, or even the ability to sleep away her troubles. There they sat, festering within her mind, like a hardy stone that refused to be washed away by the ever-flowing rise and fall of the waves upon a rocky cove. The rock would not move, no matter how much the sea pushed. Unable to handle the reoccurring feelings, Mrs. Phelps could do nothing but concentrate on the ground in front, and attempt to lose herself within the confines of her mind.

"Oh, why didn't I take the beetle? Now I'm stuck walking around. Walking! We haven't done that willingly since the Dark Ages! I just had to walk to that fireman's house. It's really a shame that Mildred has to be stuck with a maniac. Oh, I feel so sorry for her! Agh, I should have taken the beetle! I would already be home by now and listening to some lovely music, I could listen to that nice song that I always enjoyed. I could've even been laughing along and enjoying life with my family, for Pete's sake!"

She muttered to herself, in the hope that a voice within the would calm her nerves. But, with he mention of a certain name, a thought, one that surprised the lone woman, came to mind. One of her husband, and of what Mr. Montag had said, his scathing words. Words not meant directly for her, but ones that still had left a blow. Try as she might to push the thoughts back, they continued to come.

What if... if that man is right?
Why did I feel what I felt? I haven't cried in eight years, and a little poem is what broke that streak.
Oh, why did I listen to that fool and his 'poems'?!
What about Pete? His brains - are his brains being 'blown out' right now?
How could I just sit there and let Montag read that?
I have never done anything to deserve this! Why must someone come along and ruin everything!?
...

Within her daze, Mrs. Phelps stepped off of the walk in front of her house. As if drugged, she wandered to the pad that scanned her hand. With the door sliding open in front of her, she walked into the darkness contained within her house. Stopping, she uttered one final question:

"...Are we really wrong?"


Nothing but silence answered.

I finished Fahrenheit 451, and I must admit that it certainly improved. As I learned more about the society that the characters live in, I  began to understand more about the actions, and certain sequences within it. I still stand by my earlier feelings about this book, that some events could have been better conveyed to the audience, but I now understand the significance of them. This book, which was apparently written in nine days, effectively portrays the catastrophe that is a society that lacks those who think and welcome new ideas. It emphasizes that civilization based purely on emotion is one in which the people are selfish and unhappy, relying on mere illusions and naïveté to escape the inevitable hardships of reality is something to be scared of. It is something that should astonish the reader, as all of those who were considered "normal" were by today's standards, self-absorbed, unsociable, and idiotic. Mildred, being an example of an average citizen, barely spoke to her husband at all, and if they did speak, it was merely small talk. She didn't care if adding a fourth wall television was expensive, she didn't care that they haven't even paid off the third wall. She didn't even think twice about her husband when she reported him for having books, and about his arrest when their house was burnt down. She only cared about her "family," being fictional characters on her mindless TV show. She was entirely independent upon technology, relying on it to sleep, keep herself entertained, and live. And Mildred, along with her "friends" were unable to stomach the thought of reality, and the bad emotions that it may bring at points. That is sickening. It's terrifying to think if a society like that. It is even more alarming to think that, perhaps in a sense, Bradbury's story has already come true. That we are already living in a society in which the inhabitants are completely dependent upon distractions to escape reality, people who would rather be blissfully ignorant of the world around them, than being knowledgeable and accepting of new and different ideas. I know for a fact that I see that lack of acceptance everyday.

I have begun to read Fahrenheit 45, the famous novel centering around a dystopian society, in which books of all kinds are burned, and those who partake in reading them are labeled as insane. Anyone who possesses a book risks having their property burnt to the ground by "firemen," who, instead of stopping fires, create them. One such fireman, Guy Montag, seems to enjoy this task, saying that the work burnt a fiery smile on his face. Once he meets the somewhat odd 17 year old Clarisse McClellan does he realize that he is not truly happy. That something is missing in his life, and the lives of everyone else in society.

To avoid spoiling major plot details, I'll stop there, but I would like to give some insight into how I feel about the book so far.

Now, don't get me wrong here, the idea that Bradbury created is ingenious, and I do enjoy reading this book. But, I believe that there are quite a few holes in the writing, and that the story is not exactly clear. Bradbury, instead of focusing on explaining what is happening in the story, hones in on one small detail and attempts to create a metaphor out of that one thing. This would not be a problem if he did it every so often, and if it was better integrated into the actual story. Such an occurrence can be found on nearly every other page, and at points it seems as if Bradbury just threw in some sort of metaphor for the aesthetic. It is just too distracting when Guy is on a public subway thinking about being a child and trying to get sand into a sieve, when he suddenly comes up with the idea of reading the Bible to memorize every single verse (I wonder what happened to books being illegal?) and "Denham's Dentifrice," without any explanation as to where that phrase is coming from, suddenly and continuously repeats over and over and over every few lines. Then, Guy thinks about sand and goes into an psychotic spiel about lilies as he gets up and screams at the apparently disembodied Denham's dental detergent voice. I suppose he was expecting us to assume that it was a very annoying toothpaste commercial, and not Guy going insane. Moments worse than this are all over this book, where Bradbury throws some cryptic metaphor at the reader, dragging them away from what is actually happening in the scene, then going right back to the story, expecting the reader to follow every vague little detail.

Another thing that bothers me is Guy's character. He seems mentally unstable, and makes so many irresponsible decisions. He never seems to think about how his actions will impact him in the future, and this often seems to be the cause of his problems. But, this could also be to emphasize how screwed up their society is. If the characters aren't maniacs, they're naïve fools that are oblivious to all of their surroundings.

All in all, I find the concept of this book to be quite interesting, but I believe it could've been better executed.

First off, I absolutely adore this series. Rick Riordan somehow manages to successfully combine Ancient Grecian mythology, modern-day ideals and technology, along with plenty of wit and sarcasm to create these masterpieces. Recently, I have picked up The House of Hades (if you couldn't tell by the picture), this book being the fourth installment in Riordan's latest series, The Heroes of Olympus. The story is a direct continuation of The Mark of Athena, and occurs right after the events at the end of said book. 

Some spoilers may be contained below, so I would suggest you stop reading here if you'd rather to dive into this series with a clean slate:

The House of Hades follows two separate stories, following Percy and Annabeth as they traverse the perilous Tartarus, and Jason, Leo, Hazel, Nico and Frank while they travel across Europe in the Argo II. Both parties are attempting to get to the Doors of Death, so they can free it from it's shackles and get both Percy and Annabeth out of Tartarus alive. The group aboard the Argo II encounter various mythical beings and monsters, ranging from giant turtles and thieves, to the Goddess of snow, Khione. Percy and Annabeth, on the other hand, have to travel through the birthplace of monsters, where the taint of the acidic air weakens them with every step. Without supplies, and only the fiery water of the Phlegethon to keep them barely going. To avoid revealing any major events in the plot, I'll stop here.

But, all in all, I greatly enjoyed this book. Although I feel it's ending was a bit anti-climactic, and it didn't leave as much of a dramatic cliff-hangar as in The Mark of Athena, I loved learning about all of these intriguing Greek (and, I suppose, Roman) Myths, all while being caught in the troubles and tribulations of each and every character. I found it hard to put down the book once I was snagged.

Luckily for me, I picked this book up late, and the next book in the series has already been released. I must say, I can't wait to pick up the fifth book in the series, and plunge into the depth of the finale, The Blood of Olympus.