The Year of the Whale

The Year of the Whale
Victor B. Scheffer

This is another used bookstore find. The simplicity of the cover is what attracted me to this one. The silhouette of a whale set against the background of constellations is actually a repeated theme throughout the book. Each chapter (there are twelve, one for each month of the year) is begun with such an illustration.

The book follows the first year of life of a sperm whale calf, born in September. We learn of little calf's adventures and explorations in a world few have actually glimpsed and no human has truly experienced.

Interspersed throughout each chapter are interesting scientific tidbits, historical anecdotes, and information on the whaling industry, which, at the time of the writing of the book, was an actual industry. The Year of the Whale does show its age. Certain scientific studies were still experimenting with what we know today to be fact. The author sometimes poses questions to the reader that have now been answered. Truth be told, it is a bit chilling to read about the whaling industry and its factory ships and explosive harpoons. I am glad that some of the author's dire predictions of hunting to extinction have not come to pass (though we are still too much too careless).

All in all, this was a good read. The author gives incredible insight into the life of a mysterious creature. I cannot imagine the amount of research it took to write this, then the imagination it took to fill in the gaps. While more up-to-date books on the subject have been since written, this book is still a good story.

-Kinda Chewy

The City of Ember

The City of Ember
Jeanne DuPrau

There is a Blockbuster video that is closing nearby. While going through their stacks of dvd's for sale, I found an interesting looking movie, apparently based on a book of the same title, The City of Ember. I usually hate to see a movie based on a book without first reading the book, so I added it to my list of books to pick up (the list is long). I stumbled over it at my local used book store, and set to reading.

The story sounded interesting, a sort of a post-apocalyptic setting about a strange underground city where supplies are running out and the infrastructure is breaking down. Now I am a complete nut for everything post-apocalyptic. So even though this one is a book written for 'young-adults' (which is such a bizarre appellation), since the setting is after some unnamed catastrophe, I still enjoyed it.

That the catastrophe remains unnamed and un-described, even completely un-hinted at until the very end is somewhat irritating. I like to know at least something about the events that set in motion the plot of a story. Apparently we may learn about this in a prequel I havent yet read, however.

All in all, it was an entertaining book. The mystery that the main character finds herself embroiled in is actually interesting. The setting, though familiar to the characters, leaves the reader asking some questions about it, and certainly about it's origins, which are taken for granted by citizens of Ember. The fact that this is a book written for younger readers does make it a light and easy read, so don't expect to lose yourself for a weekend in it.

-Tasty, but not filling

Ender's Game

Ender's Game
Orson Scott Card

It feels like everyone and their mother has recommended this book to me. Apparently there are film adaptations of this book, multiple sequels, and I know for a fact that there are comic adaptations (I used to work at a comic shop). So when a friend literally hands me his copy and tells me to read it, who am I to say no? I gave in, and read it.

To be honest, I did not care for it. You cannot connect to the main character. "Oh poor you, you've spent your entire childhood as a guinea pig, a rat in a maze, how terrible, but I cannot seem to muster up any empathy for you whatsoever."

The book does not get at all interesting until nearly the end when people finally begin discussing what the Buggers are actually all about. They have spent the entire book preparing for the next Bugger war, and no one has seen fit to actually describe a bugger or explain anything about them. I suppose this is to build up suspense or a sense of mystery but in a book that centers around events set in place by an alien invasion, I would like someone to start talking about said aliens sometime before page 270.

I don't plan on reading the sequels to this book, though I've heard they are better. Though I think its weird when a book is worse than its own sequel.

-An aquired taste.

Sharp Teeth

Sharp Teeth
Toby Barlow

This one I found while wandering around the bookstore, no real goal in mind. The cover definitely grabbed me, and reading the back of the book, I thought, "Oh cool, a story about a dog-catcher who falls in love with a werewolf, sounds neat."

I take it home and sit down with it, and oh man, it's not written in prose. I found though, that the free verse it's written in serves this book very well. The story flows along smoothly while we still get a great impression of the mood . It's dark, but not in the sense that it's creepy and foreboding, but more that it's raw and shines a light on the dark things that people would rather stay hidden.

The story itself is gritty. The characters are for the most part, caught up in bad situations. The multiple threads of story don't seem to have a link at first, but the author does an excellent job of tying them all together. Not all pasted together last minute, but actually weaving together these threads into a plot that keeps you reading, trying to get to that next big reveal that ties it all together.

The ending, gathers up most of these loose ends neatly, while leaving a few free to tease. I need to know what happens next; I know something is going to happen. Even some of the characters are left in suspense, waiting for the other shoe to drop.


All told, this book was awesome, new stories, new ideas, and a new way of presenting them. Not at all stale and recycled like so much out there.

-Very Tasty.

As a side note, the book has some really cool features in the back, like a playlist, dramatis personae, even a quiz you can take to test if your dog is a werewolf. Also, this book has the absolute coolest website ever. With a public service announcement, quizzes and a pretty neat layout.

www.sharpteeththebook.com