Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett --- 412 pages including Foreword, Afterword and two Authors' Essays.

Good Omens, originally published in 1990, represents the only collaboration we have by two giants of 20th/21st century comic fantasy: the late great Sir Terry Pratchett and the amazing multi-talented Neil Gaiman. The two British authors met in the early days of their careers and formed an immediate and lasting friendship, ended only by Sir Terry's too-early death on March 12, 2015.

The two had tried on several occasions over the years to write a sequel or bring the original book to the screen as a film or television show. Shortly before his death, Gaiman says, Pratchett urged him to try again.  This time Gaiman succeeded; he is overseeing the production of a six-part television series, a joint venture by the BBC and Amazon Prime due to premiere in early 2019.

To summarize the plot (briefly): In 1655, before she was burned as a witch, Agnes Nutter produced the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies right down to the End of the World. Which will occur on Saturday, just before dinner. As the Armies of Good and Evil are massing, everything appears to be going to plan: Atlantis is rising, the seas are on fire, fish are raining down. and the four Bikers of the Apocalypse on on their way to a rendezvous with the eleven-year-old Antichrist.

But a fastidious Angel and part-time rare book dealer named Aziraphale, and his opposite number Crawley, a Fallen Angel (who did not so much fall as saunter vaguely downwards), have spent the last 6,000 years assigned to Humanity. And find they've grown rather fond of their unpredictable charges. Also they are harboring a guilty secret: they managed to misplace the Antichrist at his birth and never got around to informing Heaven and Hell. So they're not really looking forward to the Rapture and the involved and tedious explanations bound to ensue.

The forthcoming series will feature Michael Sheen as Aziraphale and David Tennant as Crowley.  Jon Hamm will play the Angel Gabriel, and Frances McDormand will be God. Click HERE to see the First Look trailer.  Click HERE to read an interview with Neil Gaiman at the recent Comic-Con in San Diego.

Here's two reviews written when the book was first published in 1990.  Click HERE for the review from Publishers Weekly (which got it right) and HERE for the sanctimonious reviewer from the New York Times (who got it SO wrong).

And here's two reviews issued when the cult best seller was re-issued again (and again): Click HERE for a review from tor.com, and HERE for a review from Kirkus.

Guardians of the Galaxy 2: Angela, by Brian Michael Bendis, 168 pages

 Guardians of the Galaxy 2: Angela, by Brian Michael Bendis, 168 pages

In this second in the GOTG series, StarLord is still mad at his Dad, the Earth is in some serious danger, and there's been some kind of disruption in the space time continuum (and of course, stupid Earthlings are responsible).  There is also a new character- Angela, from a place called Heven.  This is the stuff I love about comic books- there's a thread of a really interesting philosophical concept in every one of the good ones.  What if you grew up in a place where everyone had wings and flew around, and there was a mythical "other place" called Earth, where the creatures walked around on the ground and did all kinds of interesting things? It's like if we found out Heaven was a real, physical place- it would kind of blow your mind, right?  Yeah.  So, there's that.  Also, Gamora gets some action, which is cool.

The Kite Runner, a graphic novel, by Khaled Hosseini

 The Kite Runner, a graphic novel, by Khaled Hosseini, 136 pages

Do I feel embarrassed that I read the graphic novel adaptation of a best-selling novel because I've never been able to get through the book?  Maybe a little bit.  But I only read it because it was turned into a movie, which is probably an even worse reason.  Whatever- that's this month's challenge!  And I'm glad I didn't read the whole book- I probably would've understood Afghani culture better, but I also would have been really devastated when all of these majorly devastating events happened.  I'm not in a place where I can handle emotional novels, you know?  So without giving too much away, this book has excellent artwork, there are sad things that happen, and the Taliban is pretty awful.

A Game of Thrones, the Graphic Novel, vol 1, adapted by Daniel Abraham, originally by George RR Martin

 A Game of Thrones, the Graphic Novel, vol 1, adapted by Daniel Abraham, originally by George RR Martin, 240 pages

This is a very loyal adaptation of the Song of Ice and Fire series- more so than the tv series, even.  As anyone who read the books would know, there is a fair amount of sex and violence- and the artist does not hold back.  So... definitely for adults!  This graphic novel covers up to the part where Catelyn Stark makes it to King's Landing to find out who tried to murder her son, and is led to believe that it was Tyrion Lannister (as if!).  So not quite the whole first book.  I think this is a really good way to get the Game of Thrones story for those who don't have the patience for the books, or who just want to watch the show but feel overwhelmed by how many characters there are.  This helps sort them out for you.

Miracle at St. Anna by Jame McBride

Miracle at St. Anna by Jame McBride - 271 pages

While I remember watching and enjoying the movie this book was turned into (2008), I was not impressed with the book.  This novel tells the story of four Buffalo soldiers in World War II who find themselves trapped behind enemy lines in the Italian mountains.  One, Sam Train, tries to save the life of a injured young Italian boy by bringing the boy along with them (figuring when they found their back to HQ there would be medical care).  Eventually, they find themselves hiding in an Italian village.  Also going on concurrently, is the search to find the missing men, the story of a partisan, the stories of the people in the village, and the story of a massacre at the St. Anna church.  While the descriptions are elegantly written, the back and forth of all the story lines plus extra added "fluff" with no relevance to the story is rampant and just killed the experience to read this book. If this book wasn't for this month's theme, I would not have finished it.

Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde by Jeff Guinn

Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde by Jeff Guinn - 480 pages

This most recent account of the Bonnie and Clyde story was originally published in 2009 and has since served as the historical backbone for the History Channel's recent Bonnie and Clyde two-part movie/miniseries.

Everything seemed well-researched and vast amounts of details were provided.  The book began with Bonnie and Clyde's early lives and the economic situation in their home state of Texas, which suffered a widespread crop failure before the Depression hit.  In fact, this crop failure led directly led to Clyde's start in crime, as his family has many children and not enough money and they were living in a West Dallas slum after their farm failed.   The bulk of the book chronicled the crimes Clyde pulled off before meeting Bonnie, Clyde's crimes before Bonnie was an active participant, and their combined crime spree.  The conclusion focused on Bonnie and Clyde's impact, including how laws were changed, the creation if interstate police cooperation, and how pop culture has portrayed them.

The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve

The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve - 293 pages

In this novel, Kathryn Lyons has found out that her husband, Jack, a airline pilot, has just dies in a explosion, taking his passengers and crew with him.  In the first part of the book, we see how Kathryn, her daughter, and her grandmother (who raised Kathryn) deal with the tragedy.  Helping them deal with reporters and arrangements is Robert Hart, a person sent from the pilots union.  In the second part, we see Kathryn dealing with revelation after revelation that her husband was not all her claimed to be.  In fact, these experiences made her wonder if she really ever knew the man she married.

At points this book was heartbreaking.  At others, one wanted to know the next revelation in the string of discoveries.  I can see why it was made into a TV movie in the early 2000s, but I'm not sure I could bear to watch it or reread this book.  Bear in mind, I say the latter due to the emotional side of things, not the masterful writing.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith - 388 pages

This book takes the standard teen dystopian novel and stands it on its head.  95% of the book covers the events leading up to the end of the world with very little spent on living in the aftermath.

Austin and his best friend Robby live in the small town of Ealing, IA.  Austing is very confused by his feelings both for Robby and his girlfriend Shann and terrified of losing them both.  Robby and Austin accidentally unleash a terrifying sequence of events involving the release of plague that creates an army of super amorous and super hungry six foot tall praying mantises. 

Austin is the first person  narrator of the story which can be grating at times because he jumps around much like the reader is hearing the story from a scattered teen but that technique does give a realism to what is essentially science fiction.  The start is slow but I would recommend this book for mature teens and adults who like science fiction and unique narrative voices.   

This book has been optioned as a movie by Sony Pictures: https://movies.yahoo.com/news/sony-pictures-acquires-grasshopper-jungle-coming-age-tale-003224088.html

The Night at the Museum by Milan Trenc

The Night at the Museum by Milan Trenc - 32 pages

In this 1993 book (reprint 2006), we see the basis for the outline of the movie that would be based on it.  However, the stories differ.  In the book Larry is one of many night guards at the museum, not the only.  It is his first night and the other guards have played a trick on him as he searches for the missing dinosaur skeletons.  As in the movie, all the inanimate objects representing former living objects come alive at night and wreck havoc within the museum.  In this case, since the movie vastly expands on the children's book, I will admit to liking the movie better.  And while the basic premise remains the same, the main change is that the movie only has one guard and that slightly changes the plot.

Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro

 Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro, 288 pages

In this book, Kathy recounts memories, both fond and painful, of her time at Hailsham, a private school.  The story is fairly typical, with young romances and graduation nerves, but the ending reveals that it is more complicated than it seems. I thought it was alright- but I was more interested in the story that wasn't told (sorry, no spoilers here).  

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers (v 1), by Brian Michael Bendis

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Avengers (v 1), by Brian Michael Bendis, 136 pages

So this is going to be coming out as a movie in 2014- and I had never heard of it.  The story is actually really interesting- Peter Quill grows up as a boy without a dad- until the day that his mother is murdered by aliens who set out to kill him because it turns out that his dad is kind of a big deal among other aliens.  So he becomes Star-Lord, and somehow teams up with a cast of characters, one of which is Rocket Raccoon, a wise-cracking raccoon in a spacesuit, which was all I needed to know to enjoy it.  For some reason, Iron Man is along for the ride, which is fine.  This book is really more of exposition- letting you know who these characters are, what their motivations are, and setting the tone for an intergalactic war.  Definitely has potential as a movie.  (Oh, especially since I found out that Chris Pratt is going to be Star Lord! Always happy to see that guy working).

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers

Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers - 202 pages

I picked up this in anticipation of seeing the new movie Saving Mr. Banks based on Disney's making of the famous movie.  I had known for many years that the books were vastly different from the  movie but had not actually read them.  The first book is definitely different from the movie.  To be honest, I do not see why the children love Mary Poppins.  She is self-centered, egotistical, and unfriendly.  Another difference is that there are four children in the book -- Jane, Michael and twin babies.  Although is was pretty different, I did enjoy the book and plan to read more in the series.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - 552 pages

Despite it's title, The Book Thief's focus is not stealing books.  Yes, that does occur, but the book is about the power of words.At one point the main character, Liesel Meminger observed that it is because of words that not only she became an avid reader, but that the German people believed in Hitler.  She realized that words, written or spoken have the power to change both individuals and the world.

To provide more of a storyline summary, Liesel is sent to live with the Hubermann family when her mother is presumably sent away due to her communist leanings.  She lived with the Hubermans for approximately four years during which time they become her parents, Hans Hubermann teaches Liesel to read, and they harbor a Jew.  She also befriends Rudy Steiner and attends school for the first time.  Liesel also has an odd relationship with the mayor's wife, but to say anymore will spoil the book for those who have yet to read it.  Overall, I did enjoy the book but I found the fact that it was narrated by "Death" to be odd.

A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin, 761 pages

*SPOILER ALERT*

     A Clash of Kings is the second book in George R.R. Martin's fantasy series, A Song of Fire and Ice,  and therefore picks up almost immediately where the first book left off.  The title is fitting as everybody who is anybody in the kingdom of Westeros declares himself as king following the death of Robert Barantheon, former ruler of the seven kingdoms.  The book was most entertaining, so much that in fact that I have started the third one and shall blog about it upon finishing.  Anyway, the series so far has my seal of approval.