Bobby Singer's Guide To Hunting

A book a friend recommended.

David Reed is a script coordinator for the show Supernatural and has even wrote a few of the episodes himself. So when he picked up his pen to write a companion book to the show, telling the story of Bobby Singer a little more in depth, it was an excellent idea! Reed takes a character that has grown in importance throughout the show, one who is greatly loved (and missed) by fans, and gives him a tough case that makes him take a closer look back at his life as he fights loosing his memories to a monster he can't even remember encountering. Through his nostalgia we find out more about the crotchet old hunter than we are allowed since the show is very focused instead on Dean and Sam Winchester. By reliving his memories, Bobby tells the reader about how he started hunting, a story he never felt comfortable with elaborating on in the show since it all started with heartbreak. The reader is also privy to some of the hardest memories in Bobby's catalogue including what exactly happened in Omaha between him and Rufus Turner, and the details of the last time he saw John Winchester and his boys, something that is only hinted at in the series when Dean seeks the old hunter out after years of silence. Underlying all of this is a memory Bobby refuses to let surface, the only thing we are left mostly in the dark about, but maybe for good reason.

As a fan of the show, and admittedly a reader of fan fiction (hush, some of it is really good!) I loved getting the chance to read this addition to the show. It gave the fan in me a little more info about one of my favorite characters that is actually fact based. I mean come on, a show writer wouldn't lead us astray, right? Let's hope, even if it means that now I feel even more heartbreak for the character that meant so much to the Winchester brothers.

So why does it fulfill this particular goal? Well because every week our closest friend gather for dinner, every other time being here at my house. At some time during the night the conversation usually dissolves into talk about the latest episode of one of the shows we all have in common: Supernatural. A couple of weeks ago one of the woman in attendance hands me this book and says "oh my gosh, I couldn't put it down, you have to read it." She said it only took her two days to read it. This is a woman with a full time job and two toddlers. If she flew through it with what little time she has, of course I am going to be interested! So I read it! Loved it! And this week I will be passing it on to another woman in the group so she can love it as we did. That's the great thing about gathering with people I. Your fandom and who like to read, you get to pick up new books! Because while I love the show, I may never have gotten around to picking up this book, or at least no time soon. And I am so glad I got the chance.

So find a friend, ask what they would recommend. You never know when you will find something new to love. And always think of someone else who will like any book you really enjoy, pass on the joy!

Onto the next item on the list!

Rats Saw God

A book that you read in one day.

Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas is a coming of age story about a young man named Steve York. He was a straight A student with a small group of friends and a girlfriend he was completely in love with. But somewhere along the way things went bad and he finds himself in the guidance office stoned, alone, and barely passing. When it is brought to his attention that he is one credit shy of graduating with his class he is given the option of writing a 100 page story to make up for it. Through this project he finds himself reliving the events that led him from a hopeful high school freshman to a distraught senior.

Rob Thomas does an amazing job with this book. I loved everything about it. The characters are believable and real, even to the point where you kinda love them all just because they are people, you can't hate everyone for no reason. There is no clear antagonist in the story because Steve feels apathy for everyone, even his father whom he seems so determined to hate, he just can't work up a good enough reason to do so. The plot is completely real, as well. When you are in high school you feel like everything is IT, the center of the universe, the end of the world. Steve has this egocentric mentality, but it doesn't drive you crazy and make you want to bash him over the head with his own book, because it just is. That's how he is supposed to be at that age, and it is perfectly written as normal.

Then you have the tone of the novel. You know something big went down to make this kid go from taking a final on the last of his junior year in Texas to moving across the country for his senior year of high school. Yet the book is humorous. It's wonderfully written and hopeful, even though the kid telling the story already knows how things turn out, because he is true to the story and writes things as he remembers them. Meanwhile he is slowly building his life back up and making it work. So even through the tough bits and the shocking bits, I found myself laughing often. 

I recommend everyone read this book. Everyone! It didn't make me miss high school or even be glad that I am no longer in that drama. No, instead it allowed me to relate to another person. Simple as that. It was a beautiful story wonderfully written that I think anyone can enjoy. I look forward to discussing it with my husband as soon as he gets a chance to read it. So until then, have you read it? What did you think? Let me know!

2015 Reading Challenge

A New Year means a new reading challenge! Of course if you are on Goodreads, as I am, you have already been hit with the chance to commit to the challenge by entering the numer of books you want to read this year. Have you picked a number yet? 

At the beginning of the year I found a list on Pinterest and went ahead and pinned it to look at as soon as I could finish the book I had started back at Halloween time when I had time to read and thought I could finish a book. Of course, then came NaNoWriMo, the holidays, moving time, and the book got put on hold. Which was a shame, because it was such a great read! So I finally finished it yesterday and looked at the pin I had set aside. The list is long (well, 52 can be long when you haven't been reading enough lately) but I am determined to finish this year!

So, I am going to post my list here. Maybe you can join me in the list, or you have one of your own? And as I read the books, and review of course, I will let you know which list item the book covers. I really look forward to the diversity that is this list!

Take a look at the list. Do you have suggestions for books? Because I can use your help in finding some! Thanks!

*NOTE* Some books could cross of multiple items, but I am looking for the challenge, so each book will only stand for one list item. Except for trilogy which will have three books, obviously.

A book with more than 500 pages

A classic romance

A book that became a movie

A book published this year

A book with a number in the title

A book written by someone under 30

A book with nonhuman characters

A funny book

A book by a female author

A mystery or thriller

A book with a one-word title

A book of short stories

A book set in a different country

A nonfiction book

A popular author's first book

A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet

A book a friend recommended 

A Pulitzer Prize winning book

A book based on a true story

A book at the bottom of your to-read list

A book your mom loves

A book that scares you

A book more than 100 years old

A book based entirely on its cover

A book you were supposed to read in school but didn't 

A memoir

A book you can finish in a day

A book with antonyms in the title

A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit

A book that came out the year you were born

A book with bad reviews

A trilogy

A book from your childhood

A book with a love triangle

A book set in the future

A book set in high school

A book with a color in the title

A book that made you cry

A book with magic

A graphic novel

A book by an author you've never read before

A book you own but have not read

A book that takes place in your hometown

A book originally written in a different language

A book set during Christmas

A book written by an author with your same initials

A play

A banned book

A book based on or turned into a TV show

A book you started but never finished

World War Z - Book and Movie

Max Brooks presents you with a history of the great war against the zombies, one from which mankind nearly didn't survive. He took the time to travel the globe finding stories from individuals that were in the thick of things as the menace came down on the world, people who helped make a difference, some not such a good contribution, in how the war was fought. And he presented it to the public, giving them a chance to see the behind-the-scenes actions of those that worked so hard to give the people back their world.

Zombies are the new big thing, plenty of people writing or making books about how they take over the world, leaving the last vestiges of mankind to fend for themselves. Brooks takes it a step further, looking more in detail at how the people reacted, handled, and faced the zombie infestation from it's first cases until the near end of the clearing of them so that mankind could take back their world. With personal accounts from a number of different sources, Brooks tries to give the reader a variety of angles from which to take a look at the crisis. 

One of my favorite aspects of this book is that ever bit of it is presented as fact. From the reviews on the back to the jacket information presented, it is all given to the reader as though that reader was right there in the thick of the zombie war with everyone else. This happened and this is why we survived! Another part of the book that really enthralled me was that some of these people who are being presented as heroes started out their stories with how much of a nobody they were. A simple doctor not given all the facts but lucky enough to understand his friend's hidden warning. A teenager whose family thought they were safe until the walking dead invaded their suburb, convincing her father to take the family and trek north. A technologically engrossed young adult who only began to freak out when he lost internet connection. Yet when they were forced out of their comfort zones they made big differences that helped turn the tide of the war. 

I greatly enjoyed this take on the zombie culture, and look forward to picking up more of Max Brooks' work. If you are a fan of the genre, I encourage you to take a look at this one! And for those who think the zombie craze is overrated, here is your book! Presented as a history it is a great gateway into the world of zombies!

A comparison between the book and movie.

I saw the movie about 3 months before I got the chance to read the book. By itself, I liked the movie, the new take on zombies being rather frightening since they were infinitely more difficult to combat with their increased speed. I liked that they tried to find patient zero and therefore a cure for this new virus, but was a little disappointed by the results.

Upon reading the book I and once more watching the movie, I have new opinions on the subject. But first I must say that my one rule when seeing a movie adapted from a book is to take it as it's own. I try not to compare or expect the movie to be exactly like the book, too many times have I been disappointed.

That being said, I have found a way to mostly reconcile the two. The movie is focused simply on one man and his mission of trying to find patient zero and therefore a possible cure. The book however is the behind-the-scenes tale of what was going on in the world while he was doing that. This leaves only 2 problems that did not translate from book to film: 1) The zombies in the book are slow moving - as traditional zombies are, while in the film they are frighteningly fast. 2) The book was never about a cure that couldn't be found, it was simply about surviving the zombies.

By itself I still enjoyed the movie, although it was rather disappointing when it came to what was going on in the world around this man. And he never really found any of the answers he was looking for. But give it a chance if you haven't already seen it. I think it is worth the watch.  

Eyes of the Dragon

The Eyes of The Dragon is the story of a small kingdom led by a mostly wise king, Roland. King Roland has two sons, Peter, the eldest son destined to be a great king himself, and Thomas, the younger brother who is timid and sometimes jealous of his brother. Among those at court is also the King's Magician, Flagg, who has plans for the small kingdom of Delain, plans that he will carry out despite the royalty in his way.

My son is a big reader; with his own bookshelf in his room that now has two shelves bowing under the pressure of too many books! He is 7 years old! My mother found this book by Stephen King and was so excited that he had written a young adult book, since she is a big fan herself. So we stepped out on a limb and began reading this just before bed each night when my son started his 1st grade school year. It was slow going, sometimes he would pick another book to read, when the plot was a little slow for his taste, but as we reached the end and everything began to come to a point, I found myself reading for a half hour at a time because my son kept asking for more! He enjoyed the book!

I must say this is the first Stephen King book I have finished, growing much too frightened midway through Pet Cemetery many years back. But his writing is just as captivating as he speaks out to this younger audience! The characters are ones we can relate to, a not so perfect King, a first born Prince who learned some lessons the hard way, and a younger Prince who made many mistakes but was determined enough to right them. And of course there is the villain Flagg who has the potential to haunt the reader's nightmares for a long time, just as he did every other character in the story. And the pictures were beautiful and well times, exciting my son as he was given an image to go with scenes he could only imagine.

I am not sure that this book is wholly appropriate for children as young as mine, he has a mature taste, but I do recommend it to young and budding readers. This is a great first book to get a young adult hooked on the master of horror himself! I say pick up a copy now and put it on your child's bookshelf for the future! I can't wait until my daughter is old enough to hear it, too!

American Gods

American Gods is mostly the story of Shadow, a recently released convict who finds himself at a loose end when he discovers his wife has died in a car accident. Having nothing to go home to and no job, Shadow agrees to take up employment with a mysterious man named Mr. Wednesday. As the story unfolds and Shadow tries to understand the events taking place around him, he soon realizes that they people he is dealing with are bigger than he was prepared for; gods kind of bigger. Meanwhile Gaiman also presents us with the stories of the people who brought those gods to this country they find themselves trapped in. With a war between old and new on the horizon, Shadow finds himself enmeshed in things he had not even known were an issue.

Once more Gaiman has presented me with a story that fascinated me until the very end. I have always been fascinated by the old gods, ones that have become obsolete as people forget them and the rituals that were dedicated to them. Gaiman not only gives us an explanation on how those gods made it to our country before fading into the background, but he presents us with how these gods would react and handle the weakening of power as people forget them completely. Meanwhile Shadow is caught up in events that he can hardly believe as gods he could not believe in move around him. Trying to understand everything and simply do as he is told, he is confused by the fact that so many seem to think he is important for no other reason than he is. As that story unfolds, Gaiman did a wonderful job of giving the reader only enough information to be on pace with Shadow as he struggles to figure things out, allowing them to be just as surprised as the main character by the truths hidden behind all the mystery that is the gods.

I love Gaiman's writing style, something I really came into contact with as I moved from his graphic novels to actual novels with Stardust. The fact that he is not originally from America did nothing to stop him from telling an amazing story about the beliefs that led to our mixed culture. He weaves a wonderful tale with his writing skills! I look forward to reading more of his work! I highly recommend this book to everyone looking for a tale outside the norm about beings not only forgotten in the literature, but also among the readers. I hope you are just as impressed as I was by this master of writing. Let me know what you think!

The Last Christian

What should be a bright future turns bleak in this look at the life of a young Christian who steps into a world ruled by rationalizations that claim God is a myth no longer needed by humanity. As Abigail Caldwell steps from the jungles of Papua New Guinea to find help for the tribe her family came to preach to before she was born, a tribe that had become her family, she finds herself immersed in a culture she is not prepared for. The USA she travels to in hopes of connecting with her cousin, the only family she has left now, is one fueled by technology and looking for greater leaps in science. Such as the ability for artificial brains that one can has transplanted in replacement of their own, limited biological ones. Abby has come tot he country with the hope of finding other Christians or leading more to God, but instead she finds a country that has turned it back on religion altogether.

I really enjoyed this unique twist on a Christian and futuristic book. Gregory took what most would view as an amazingly bright, hopeful, future, one that we can look forward to with anticipation, and turned it into a frighting look at how things could turn upside down for Christians. And I do not believe the threat ends with Christians. Anyone of any religion should be afraid of this kind of future. One in which humanity decides that their connection to technology and rationalization is better than one with spirituality and a higher power. I found this to be a scary look into how mankind seems to be going, and pray that Gregory gets it wrong.

I liked Gregory's writing, as his characters uncover a vast conspiracy along with the reality of God's gift of eternal life. I must say that non-Christians should be aware that throughout the novel the Christian gospel is preached, as it should in a Christian novel. And I believe if the reader can tolerate these revelations of spirituality, they will uncover a great story. As someone from a different faith, i found myself enthralled with this story. I look forward to finding more of Gregory's works, and hope that some of you will take a chance on his writing as well!