Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

William Golding's classic novel starts out when a plane full of young British schoolboys crashes on a deserted island. As they all find each other, the leader (Ralph) begins delegating tasks. They soon discover that only a select group is responsible enough to do the tasks that need to be done. The older boys desert their posts at the signal fire to go out hunting, and this leads to a fight when they see a ship out on the ocean - a ship that would have seen them if the fire had been going. The boys dissolve into two groups - Ralph's group, of which there are few, and Jack (the older boy's) group. While Ralph's group stays civil, Jack's group dissolves into savagery and chaos - a clear allusion on Golding's part as to the darkness of human nature. Satan himself even makes an appearance to one of the boys, foreshadowing what is to come, incarnated as the Lord of the Flies - a man so covered in dark flies, his face cannot be seen. One of the boys is murdered during a hunting game (on purpose), and the dark pull of Jack's savage life tempts Ralph immensely. When the boys are finally rescued by Naval officers, one of the men asks Ralph what happened to cause all the savagery. Ralph weeps for his two lost friends as well as his lost innocence. I thought the book was overall very good, but very deep. I had to read several passages many times over to realize that the Lord of the Flies was, in fact, the devil. Reading up on Golding's life was very interesting to - he had several life experiences that contributed to his desire to write a book exploring human nature. I disliked that Golding was heavy on the descriptions. I prefer dialogue, and there wasn't much of that in the first half to three-quarters of this book.

Overall: 7 out of 10.

Details:

Paperback: 190 pages
Publisher: Perigree Books; 1954 19th Printing edition (1953)
Language: English
ASIN: B000FXT2LA

Catch-22, by Joseph Heller

Catch-22 is the satirical story of a fighter pilot squadron during WWII. The book is full of wit and humor, as well as dealing with some very serious issues and underlying political commentary.Heller opens the story with a fighter pilot named Yossarian who appears to be a deserter - faking illness to get grounded off combat missions, as every time he comes close to the required amount, the number gets raised. Heller's story is really about Yossarian, but it is told in an anecdotal format, so each chapter is told from another person's perspective. All the stories intertwine beautifully, leaving you with a very complete story. Several themes appear and reappear throughout the book, such as (for those who have read it): the Chaplain's plum tomato, Milo's black market enterprise, egg-selling, Nately's whore, the countess and her daughter-in-law, the maid, Capt. Flume and Chief Halfoat's threat, Hungry Joe's cat, etc. The story also reveals the original Catch-22 - the only way to get prematurely grounded from combat duty was to be determined crazy, and if you didn't want to fly more missions, you were sane, but if you did, you were crazy. The book explores the theme of several versions of Catch-22, all perfectly told, and possessing their own witty, ironic humor. I would recommend this read to everyone, but to fully enjoy it you must be in possession of a sense of humor.

Overall: 10 out of 10. A great book.

Details:

Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (September 4, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0684833395
ISBN-13: 978-0684833392

Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld

For my teen book club, I read Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld. To be honest, I felt like it was trying to be a futuristic dystopic societal commentary (think Soylent Green), but fell far short. The story is basically about a future society where, at the age of 16, everyone gets an operation to be pretty. The main character, Tally, joins her friend Shay in running away from "Uglyville" (imaginative name, right?). Westerfeld organizes the society in a way that is completely unrealistic. In the story, after Shay runs away from being pretty, Tally is prevented from having the operation by Special Circumstances, an organization of government officials. It has an air of being a "big brother" society, but it's like having only half a story - there is absolutely no motivation presented for Special Circumstances to WANT to run a society of made-mindless pretties. The pretties produce nothing and have nothing the government could possibly want. All they do is have parties. They also have not bothered to restrict access completely to the outside world. After Tally runs to the Smoke, a city of renegades run away from the society and hunted by SC, she meets David (of course she does) and falls in love (despite only knowing him for about a week. That totally happens.). The progression of Tally's relationship with David was laughably unrealistic. Another peeve about Tally's relationship with David - Westerfeld made them out to be perfect, which bothers me for whatever reason. Seeing as relationships aren't perfect, there's no point in trying to fabricate them as such. The second half of the book was better than the first, but the whole premise of the society was ridiculous and I couldn't take it seriously. This all being said, the book is a trilogy, and I will probably read the second book despite how much I disliked the first.

Overall: 4 out of 10.

Details:

Publisher: Perfection Learning (March 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 075697237X
ISBN-13: 978-0756972370

Animal Farm, by George Orwell

This was a great example of Communism in a small, realistic setting (realistic SETTING!). Orwell's message comes through much clearer in his "fairie tale" than if he had expressed his political opinions in an essay or nonfiction novel. Orwell was a well known democratic socialist, and absolutely hated Stalin, his basis for the pig Napoleon. He also tried to make a statement about the absolute power involved with communism, and that it corrupts - using the outcast pig, Snowball, as his example (modeled after Trotsky). If you really read into the dialogue and events that take place, you will see that Snowball was not actually a champion for the animals. While Napoleon was more direct about his quest for power, Snowball did not protest when the pigs were given special privileges. It is more than likely that Orwell was trying to make the point that the end result of Animal Farm would have been the same, regardless of whether Snowball or Napoleon was in charge. I loved how Orwell showed the progression (or rather, degradation of) Animal Farm by showing how the pigs used propaganda to achieve their goals. For example, they changed the fundamental prospects of Animalism in subtle ways - for example, after the pigs changed the commandment "No animal shall ever drink alcohol", it read "No animal shall ever drink alcohol in excess". They also lied to the animals (for example, sending off poor Boxer to the glue factory) and used made up figures to "show" the animals how the situation was improving since they drove out the farmer (much like the communist nations of the mid-20th century did, when in reality, people were starving). At one point, Orwell goes so far to say, "But sometimes the animals wished they had less figures, and more food." Orwell's book is more than meets the eye, as with many of his books, and is no less a classic because of it.

Overall: 10 of 10.

The da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown

I loved this book. While some people (*cough*) classify it as a trashy spy novel, I can easily see how it earned its success. Author Dan Brown is a master, incorporating just enough true facts into spun fiction to almost make you believe him. A lot of work clearly went into writing this novel, and all the invented codes, clues and pieces combined with true lore were beautifully crafted into Brown's overall story. While the book is not to be taken too seriously, as it is a work of fiction, it is almost difficult to remember that it is in fact, fiction. I thought that Brown's "un-indictment" of Opus Dei (which is, in fact, a real organization and prelature of the Church) was masterful in unexpectedly committing Leigh Teabing as the actual "teacher". I loved also that Teabing did not suddenly turn on Langdon and Neveu in the cliche style - he was on a self-justified quest for "the truth", and believed it really was time to release the "truth" about the Holy Grail. The only complaint I have about Brown's masterpiece is the revelation that Sophie is a direct descendent of Mary Magdalene and Jesus Christ. To be honest, I saw that coming a mile away when Langdon asked her of her family history after learning her grandfather was the Grand Master of the Priory of Sion.

Overall: A work of art. 10 of 10.

Eldest, by Christopher Paolini

I have much the same comments about Eldest as about Eragon - both are extremely well-crafted novels, and both display the same depth of character. I loved Paolini's expression of Murtagh's character, and his presence as the next Rider was completely unexpected. The only complaint I have about this book is that Murtagh revealed an important plot point - the King wants to keep Eragon and his dragon alive, as his dragon is the only female dragon left. If she dies, that will mean the end of the species. This revelation gives Eragon and Saphira a sort of invincibility I don't care for. If the King won't kill them, why do they need to be concerned about their safety? Does that make everything else they've done up until this point meaningless? As for the undeniable strokes of good fortune Roran and the villagers encounter, it seems a little unlikely an entire village's worth of the King's Most Wanted fugitives would escape detection for quite so long. The other plot point that worries me is the terrible coincidence of everything. Everyone is so interconnected, it seems highly unlikely there aren't more just ordinary people.

Overall: 7 out of 10. I was slightly disappointed with this book, but it was still worth reading.

Eragon, by Christopher Paolini

I read Eragon a few years ago, and I came out with mixed reviews. This time, however, I give it a solid thumbs-up. I love Paolini's use of vocabulary, and while the dialogue is not realistic, it is not supposed to be. I also love the flaws in his character, Eragon, making clear that he was completely unprepared for his role as a Rider and adventures with Brom. The only thing I would say that was poor about it was the fact the book was clearly planned out beforehand (which is also what makes it such a winner). As a writer, I know that going so in-depth into your world as to create history, detailed maps and political struggles is very entangling. Sometimes you can forget that readers just coming into the story are unaware of these details and you want them to understand so quickly that you confuse them. I think Paolini did as best he could to immerse the reader in the Empire's situation, but it wasn't until the middle of the book I was remotely clear on who the Varden were or what kind of ruler King Galbatorix was. I loved how Paolini helped the reader to see the relationship between Saphira and Eragon but portraying a depth of mental intimacy that is beyond grasp. I liked also how Paolini included chapters about Eragon's normal life before the action began, to help you understand how boring his life was before, and to help you understand how much Eragon's life and family meant to him. The only other complaint I have is the cliche that Eragon is much stronger than he should be and a fast and instinctive learner of magic. I hate to say realistically, but realistically, it would have taken him months of training to complete the tasks he completed with none at all.

Overall: Except for some beginning mistakes, Paolini's book is a masterpiece. 9 out of 10.

Details:

Mass Market Paperback: 768 pages
Publisher: Laurel Leaf; Reprint edition (June 12, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0440240735
ISBN-13: 978-0440240730

Cirque du Freak: Sons of Destiny, by Darren Shan

This book was great, the best in the series.

What I liked: It wrapped up all the unanswered questions about Des Tiny and was full of important and interesting details. I loved the main character's push towards madness in the Lake and it was great to have all the bits worked out.

What I didn't like: I really had no complaints for this book, except the last few pages were rather inconsequential and droning. I also disliked the "unexpected" third choice at the end. It was expected that Shan would find a way out of making his main character the eventual destroyer of the Earth, but it was just plausible enough that he wouldn't to keep it a pageturner.

Overall: 8 out of 10. Fantastic.

Details:

Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (April 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316016640
ISBN-13: 978-0316016643

Cirque du Freak: Lord of the Shadows, by Darren Shan

This book was somewhat of a disappointment, not as good as the last.

What I liked: I liked the inner struggle the main character has with himself. It's extremely important to the plot and will decide the series.

What I didn't like: Basically the same empty-until-the-end format as before. I also didn't like that Desmond Tiny and his daughter flip flop on their vampiristic involvement. They keep saying that now that the end is near, they can reveal more about the future without changing it, but then they say that they can't tell anything until the end. It's extremely inconsistent.

Overall: Overall the penultimate installment was a drag. 4 out of 10.

Details:

Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (September 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316016624
ISBN-13: 978-0316016629

Cirque du Freak: The Lake of Souls, by Darren Shan

This book was great. I am thankfully almost finished with the series and will be able to move on to something else. On another note, my mom finally ordered a subscription to VegNews magazine for me. WOOT!

What I liked: I liked the idea of a search for a main character's past identity. I also liked that said search was extremely well-put together; each quest item was completely necessary to help them find Harkat's soul. The satisfying macabre touches come for me when Spit's secrets are revealed. The anagramic forshadowing was genius on Shan's part, and although I saw it coming with the teeth, I never guessed who the past soul was. This book really breaks Shan's stylism - a book void of plot until the end, when a very big overall plot piece is revealed. The tenth installment in this series is full of satisfying and surprising plot twists. As for an important plot piece, meddler Desmond Tiny plays a much larger part in this book, which becomes very important later in the series.


What I didn't like: I don't have very many complaints against this book, other than the dialogue. Shan's dialogue skills are nothing to write home about.

Overall: 8 out of 10!

Details:

Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (April 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316154377
ISBN-13: 978-0316154376

Cirque du Freak: Killers of the Dawn, by Darren Shan

This one was better than the last but seemed much emptier.

What I liked: All the major plot details were at the end. This made for a very epic battle scene but required you pay close attention.

What I didn't like: Like I said, all or most of the major details were at the end, so the majority of the book was pretty empty. Basically the only complaints I have are ones I registered about the other books in the series, fortunately, only three more books to go....

Overall: 5 out of 10.

Details:

Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (September 6, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316016667
ISBN-13: 978-0316016667

Cirque du Freak: Allies of the Night, by Darren Shan

This is the eighth book in the series and I can't help but wish I was through with it....

What I liked: This book was very important to the series but didn't come right out and state its purpose. I also liked that the main character has undergone a lot of changes since the last book I read.

What I didn't like: The dialogue was wooden and the book was a little shallow. It also tends to be very formulaic in its style (beginning-middle-climax-end).

Overall: 5 out of 10.

It is difficult to produce a tangible review for such a short book and I apologize for that.

The Weather Makers: How Man is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth, by Tim Flannery

This book is exactly the opposite of Gretel Ehrlich's book I reviewed last month, but they make great companions. While Flannery's book gives you the facts, figures and politics of global warming, Ehrlich's is a tribute to what is being lost, giving a face to Flannery's hard numbers.

What I liked: It debunked a lot of global warming myths that I have found hard to explain in global warming debates; for example, the "Medieval Warm Period", when the Earth was thought to be warm due to evidence of wineries in England. As evidenced by global temperature records (ice cores, tree rings, etc.), the Earth was overall cooler, but warmed in a sort of patchy way due to natural stratospheric shifts. Flannery's book gave me a lot of the facts, numbers and predictions I was looking for out of Ehrlich's book, but having read Ehrlich's book helped me clearly envision what he meant. I would highly suggest reading them together. I also liked that he made it clear that even if we stopped emitting any fossil fuels this very minute, the Earth would still warm a little (maybe 2 degrees overall) because of the lifetime of carbon dioxide to stay in our air.

What I didn't like: For all of Flannery's hard facts, putting compassion behind facts is very difficult. Saying that the hole in the ozone is 11 million miles wide (made up number) is not the same as showing it. I often found myself checking the page numbers to see how long I had before I was done.

Overall: I would give it a 7 out of 10.

Alternative review:

Publisher's Weekly:

Mammologist and paleontologist Flannery (The Eternal Frontier), who in recent years has become well known for his controversial ideas on conservation, the environment and population control, presents a straightforward and powerfully written look at the connection between climate change and global warming. It's destined to become required reading following Hurricane Katrina as the focus shifts to the natural forces that may have produced such a devastating event. Much of the book's success is rooted in Flannery's succinct and fascinating insights into related topics, such as the differences between the terms greenhouse effect, global warming and climate change, and how the El Niño cycle of extreme climatic events "had a profound re-organising effect on nature." But the heart of the book is Flannery's impassioned look at the earth's "colossal" carbon dioxide pollution problem and his argument for how we can shift from our current global reliance on fossil fuels [...]. Flannery consistently produces the hard goods related to his main message that our environmental behavior makes us all "weather makers" who "already possess all the tools required to avoid catastrophic climate change."

Details:

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Grove Press (January 10, 2001)
ISBN-10: 0802142923
ASIN: B001PO66MG

Cirque du Freak: Vampire Mountain, by Darren Shan

This is the fourth book in the series.

What I liked: The dialogue flowed well and the author stayed true to his style of narration (although I suppose Shan could be considered a one-trick pony in that respect - all of his Cirque novels as well as the exponentially better Demonata books contain the same stylistic consistency).

What I didn't like: I saw this book as a vehicle book to tie up a few loose ends and introduce new characters and ideas. The plot wasn't much to write home about, but having read the series, it is a very important book as it introduces a lot of more main characters as the book transitions from the main character getting used to his new life to a more vampiric, plotted story. That being said, this meant the plot was really fabricated around the need to introduce these new people, places and concepts. I also didn't like the lack of a character arc. In the story, eight years have passed between book 1 and 4, but the main character has not matured or changed at all, even with his unusual experiences.

Overall: I would give it a 5 out of 10.

Details:

Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (November 1, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316905747
ISBN-13: 978-0316905749

Cirque du Freak, by Darren Shan

Let me make clear before I begin that I do not just review adult or nonfiction books, I also do fiction and young adult books. This is a reread of a book I read probably two or three years ago, and I'm going to review the series (although I only have a few books, so I will not be reviewing all of them).

Summary: Cirque du Freak is a fiction book about a boy who wins a ticket to an illegal freak show.

What I liked (spoilers forthcoming): The voice is real, and Shan's writing style stays true throughout the book. When Darren "died", I liked that he made clear how hard it was to leave his home and family. I liked that he reacted like a real person.

What I did not like: It was very short. I did not like his selfless attitude throughout parts of the book (although he was plenty selfish at some points). I also didn't like that he didn't react enough like a real person when he found out about vampires and such. The dialogue was also nothing to write home about.

Overall: I would give it a 4 out of 10.

Alternative reivew:

Publishers Weekly:

With strong sales overseas and a movie deal in the works, book one in The Saga of Darren Shan series is poised to capture a wide audience of series horror readers. After a rather slow buildup, a boy with the same name as the author sneaks out with best friend Steve to an illicit freak show, and his life becomes entangled with a vampire spider-wrangler, Mr. Crepsley. "This is a true story," writes Shan. "In real life, bad things happen. People die. Fights are lost. Evil often wins." The scenario is compelling, and the author mines the exploitative history of early 20th-century sideshows to create an artfully macabre "Cirque du Freak." But Darren's actions are often undermotivated: "I can't explain why Madam Octa [the spider] meant so much to me, or why I was placing my life in such danger to have her. Looking back, I'm no longer sure what drove me on." Also his intermittent attraction to and repulsion by the vampire is never fully explored. His behavior may be explained in the sequel, The Vampire's Assistant (due in Sept.), but the open ending leaves so many loose ends that readers may leave more frustrated than intrigued, especially since the characters' wooden dialogue drains them of personality ("I'm upset," says Steve. "It hurt, what Mr. Crepsley said, and you ignoring me at school... If you break up our friendship, I don't know what I'll do"). Readers interested in boys becoming vampires would be better served by M.T. Anderson's Thirsty and those fascinated with freaks by Iain Lawrence's Ghost Boy. Ages 10-up.


Book details:

Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 254 KB
Print Length: 272 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (August 1, 2008)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Language: English
ASIN: B000SESJ0Q

The Future of Ice: A Journey into Cold, by Gretel Ehrlich

Being a rainy day, and having finished my schoolwork for the year, I had plenty of time to sit down and read.

Summary: The Future of Ice was not a climate change education book, like I thought. Rather, it was a record of Ehrlich's travels, from Tierra del Fuego to the frozen Rockies to a Nordic island near the North Pole.

What I liked: Ehrlich is also a poet, and that really comes through in her words. She has a beautiful vocabulary and each sentence flows, like poetry. Her descriptiveness painted a beautiful picture of these places, making them come alive even for those of us not fortunate enough to be able to go there.

What I did not like: Ehrlich's poetic background is quite apparent, including in the bad ways. She uses her metaphorical speaking even when talking about scientific facts, which somewhat bothered me and made it a little difficult to read. She droned a bit as well, and I often found myself checking the page numbers to determine how much more I had to read before I could be done.

Overall: I would give it a 6 out of 10.

Alternative reivew:

Publishers Weekly

In this lyrical meditation on deep cold and its potential demise through global warming, Ehrlich (The Solace of Open Spaces; This Cold Heaven) backpacks among the glaciers of the southern Andes, winters in a Wyoming cabin and sails with the research ship Noorderlicht to the Greenland ice pack. Her prose is as sharply observed as poetry and nearly as compressed, and her narrative favors short scenes as fragmented as the breaking ice sheets she encounters. Though it occasionally dips into underpowered assertion ("We're spoiled because we've been living in an interglacial paradise for twenty thousand years"), it often soars to the sublime ("We are made of weather and our thoughts stream from the braid work of stillness and storms"). Ehrlich includes plenty of facts (the area covered by glaciers has diminished by 75% since 1850; increased meltwater from Greenland may actually make Europe colder), but her book is less about science than about sensation: loneliness and the relentless circling of the snowed-in mind; the rumbling of a glacier as its azure ice crumbles away; the whistling, ululating calls of the bearded seal. It does not lay out the workings of global warming nor attempt to provide blueprints for how to rescue what we are losing. It stands, instead, as a passionate elegy to what is melting away.

Book details:

Paperback: 224 pages
Hardcover: 201 pages
Publisher: Vintage (November 8, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1400034353
ISBN-13: 978-1400034352

Fat Land, by Greg Critser

I recently read Fat Land, by Greg Critser. It was not exactly what I expected. I actually expected a book about, well, things I already knew (the evils of high-saturated fat, high cholesterol, carcinogenic animal foods).

Summary: Fat Land was more of a political book than a dietary book, explaining the political pressures on lawmakers from fast food companies, and national agricultural policy that shaped how our food came to us.

What I liked: I did learn quite a bit about why America (especially America's youth) is getting larger. It taught me a lot about the inner business of fast food, not just their evils. For example, it talked about pouring contracts (deals with schools to serve only one kind of soda, for example) and ways brands are assailing our children younger and younger (McDonald's, Pepsi, M&M, etc. donates school nutritional materials and other ways to incorporate themselves into lessons). Luckily, Critser does not blame the schools exclusively; with our school system forever cash-strapped, he reminds us that turning down a seven-figure contract to sell fast food on campus at no cost to them, or free "educational" materials is extremely difficult. Critser also explains modern state and town politics, and how people have the option to change these frightening realities by organizing, voting and educating others. I also liked that he was very cut-and-dry about the solutions to some childhood obesity problems: It starts at home. To bring down a child's weight, you must amend your own eating and leisure habits as well as theirs. Telling Johnny to eat his carrot sticks then run a mile doesn't cut it if you're sitting in front of the TV with a pint of fudge ripple.

What I didn't like: Critser droned a bit. His book became very difficult to read at some points, and it was hard to stay motivated. He also focused very exclusively on one DOA (Dpt. of Agriculture) head, as opposed to touching on policy changes of many that greatly affected this. While I liked his clear cut message, by the end it was getting a little didactic. I also disliked his heavy reliance on statistics. I am a visual learner: I'd rather see the chart than read about it (to be fair, he has several charts in the back of the book, but they do not really make up for the huge number of statistics he uses).

Overall: I would give it a 7 out of 10.

Alternative review:

Publishers Weekly
You reap what you sow. According to Critser, a leading journalist on health and obesity, America about 30 years ago went crazy sowing corn. Determined to satisfy an American public that "wanted what it wanted when it wanted it," agriculture secretary Earl Butz determined to lower American food prices by ending restrictions on trade and growing. The superabundance of cheap corn that resulted inspired Japanese scientists to invent a cheap sweetener called "high fructose corn syrup." This sweetener made food look and taste so great that it soon found its way into everything from bread to soda pop. Researchers ignored the way the stuff seemed to trigger fat storage. In his illuminating first book (which began life as a cover story for Harper's Magazine), Critser details what happened as this river of corn syrup (and cheap, lardlike palm oil) met with a fast-food marketing strategy that prized sales-via supersized "value" meals-over quality or conscience. The surgeon general has declared obesity an epidemic. About 61% of Americans are now overweight-20% of us are obese. Type 2 (i.e., fat-related) diabetes is exploding, even among children. Critser vividly describes the physical suffering that comes from being fat. He shows how the poor become the fattest, victimized above all by the lack of awareness. Critser's book is a good first step in rectifying that. In vivid prose conveying the urgency of the situation, with just the right amount of detail for general readers, Critser tells a story that they won't be able to shake when they pass the soda pop aisle in the supermarket. This book should attract a wide readership.

Book Details:

Title: Fat Land
Author: Greg Critser
Hardcover edition: 240 pages
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; January 14, 2003
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0618164723
ASIN: B000TVIW6E
Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches

Why lemongrass? What's up with coconuts?

Hey all!

The purpose of this blog will be to review books that I read on a regular basis, and I read very many. I should have my first post up within a week or two (that actually relates to a book), and any other special features will be considered upon request, or when I find them. :) Thanks!!

M

P.S. The lemongrass and coconuts came from a random stroke of inspiration after reading about a blog with another food name.