(very short) book reviews

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

...by Douglas Adams

I don't know why I own this book. I think someone gave it to me when I was about nine, and I reread it when I had the flu. It makes for a good I'm-stuck-in-bed-and-don't-have-anything-to-do read. Other than that, I can't recommend it. Most of the novel fit in very well with my hallucinations, and I enjoyed it when I was reading it, but I don't think I would now. There's something about being feverish that doesn't make you the best judge of literature. 

***

The Whispering Mountain

...by Joan Aiken

Someone definitely gave me this one, maybe a year ago, and it's on my bookshelf because I never turn down a book. It's a fairly good YA fantasy, but nothing more than that. The characters are generally believable, the plot is okay, and the writing passable. It was the sort of book that I read just to see what happens in the end, and then the ending disappointed me. Oh well. 

***

City of the Beasts, Kingdom of the Golden Dragon, Forest of the Pygmies

...by Isabel Allende

Fairly good YA fiction. I love the characters to death, I love the writing, and they make up for me not loving the plot(s). They're okay, and interesting to read about, but just not quite my thing. But the characters... I could go on and on about how much I love Alex, but I won't. Suffice it to say that I read all three books in one day and had to be dragged out of the second one for lunch. 

***

Speak

...by Laurie Halse Anderson

I really have a sore spot for this book, because I can really, really relate to the protagonist, Mel, and because I love the commentary on high school. I've probably read this book five times, and it's never disappointed me. A lot of other books fade after a couple of readings, but Speak is always just a little bit darker and funnier than I remember it being. 

***

Pebble in the Sky

...by Isaac Asimov

Not my favorite of Asimov's, but still good. I love the concept, the theme, the voice, the writing... I just felt like the ending was too predictable, too forced, and it didn't have that twist that I expect from Asimov. It's still a very good book, just not quite up to some of his other works. 

***

The Bicentennial Man and Other Stories

...by Isaac Asimov

I love his robot stories. All of them. Unfortunately, I'm of the opinion that short stories are like one chocolate chip. you get a teeny taste of the characters and the setting, and then it's over. Despite that opinion, I love all the stories in this book. They were the first robot stories I ever read, and they're definitely some of the best.