Review - Puddn'head Wilson by Mark Twain

Title: Puddn'head Wilson
Author: Mark Twain
ISBN: 9780393925357
No. of Pages: 488
Genre: Classics
Synopsis:

"Puddn'head Wilson (1894), written in a more sombre vein than his other Mississippi writings, was Mark Twain's last serious work of fiction. It reveals the sinister forces that, towards the end of his life, Twain thought to be threatening the American dream. The central plot revolves around the tragedy of "Roxy," a mulatto slave whose attempt to save her son from his fate succeeds only in destroying him."

Thoughts: Nobody quite combines comedy and tragedy like Mark Twain. His ability to mock the most unfortunate of situations makes even the most scathing of social commentaries enjoyable reading. Puddn'head Wilson is a perfect example of this with its discussion of race and privilege in the South.

Twain accomplishes two goals with this particular work. When discussing the reversed identities, he hits right at the heart of racial prejudice. Tom’s treatment of Chambers, and eventually his mother, is absolutely appalling, especially as the reader understands the true situation. His sense of entitlement because he is “white” is as disgusting to modern readers as it is telling of the difference in mindset between the 1850s and today.

What is fascinating is Twain’s use of the beginnings of forensic evidence in murder trials. The polite interest that turns into overt mocking that then switches to apt fascination is spot on in society’s acceptance of any new scientific methodology. While presenting this new, objective methodology, Twain also continues his biting commentary on the subjectivity of a jury that is hampered by close-mindedness and social stigmas. The crowd’s reaction when they understand that a “white” man of privilege could commit such a horrible crime is humorous in true Twain fashion while simultaneously horrifying at their ignorance.

Puddn'head Wilson is a fascinating look at a society long past. In fact, modern readers can appreciate Twain’s message more than his contemporaries could because we have the benefit of hundreds of years of ingrained social messaging about the equality of races. It begs the question of what Twain’s contemporaries thought about this social commentary. Would they have appreciated what Twain was mocking? No matter what era in which this novel is being read, Puddn'head Wilson provides plenty of fodder for discussion and contemplation, as befits a true classic.

Acknowledgements: Mine. All mine.

Audiobook Review - Lunatics by Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel

Title: Lunatics
Authors: Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel
Narrators: Dave Barry, Alan Zweibel, Mark Thompson, Sean Kenin, Orlagh Cassidy
ISBN: 9781611760576
Audiobook Length: 7 hours, 3 minutes
Synopsis:

"One of them is a bestselling Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist. The other is a winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor. Together, they form the League of Comic Justice, battling evildoers in the name of . . . Okay, we made that line up. What they do form is a writing team of pure comic genius, and they will have you laughing like idiots.

Philip Horkman is a happy man-the owner of a pet store called The Wine Shop, and on Sundays a referee for kids' soccer. Jeffrey Peckerman is the sole sane person in a world filled with goddamned jerks and morons, and he's having a really bad day. The two of them are about to collide in a swiftly escalating series of events that will send them running for their lives, pursued by the police, soldiers, terrorists, subversives, bears, and a man dressed as Chuck E. Cheese.

Where that all takes them you can't begin to guess, but the literary journey there is a masterpiece of inspiration and mayhem. But what else would you expect from the League of Comic Justice?"

Thoughts: Philip Horkman and Jeffrey Peckerman never imagined the wild ride their lives would become after a girls’ soccer game on fateful Sunday. As opposite as two people could be, they are forced together into the most bizarre situations, having to rely on the other in order to survive. The resulting story, Lunatics, is as entertaining as it is improbable. Better yet, it is made even more entertaining because of its improbability.

As the authors, Dave Barry and Alan Zweibel work well together. Each brings his own unique brand of humor to the story, creating two very distinct characters that feed off of their differences. The story is told from the two differing perspectives, creating distinct separations in tone and mood. The differences in storytelling, and perspectives, make Lunatics an absolute delight as the reader gets the pleasure of discerning the truth behind the two narratives while enjoying the banter between them.

As narrators, Dave Berry and Alan Zweibel are absolute perfect. Each embodies his character with the ideal amount of sarcasm or earnestness, crassness or patience, as required. Because they best know the comedic moments, the audio performance is even more hilarious than just reading the book. Truly, the sound effects – the mimicking of Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, and various reporters around the globe as well as the various sound effects made by Peckerman – can only be appreciated on audio and do nothing but enhance the overall experience.

Lunatics lives up to the hype by being one of the funniest and goofiest novels in a long time. Peckerman and Horkman are a modern-day Odd Couple with a great repartee that boosts the wickedly funny narrative. Due to the coarse language and some graphic frat-humor scenes, it may not be for everyone; those who are not bothered by that however will find themselves hard-pressed to not laugh out loud multiple times either while reading or listening to it. Lunatics is a great way to wind down in the evenings or get away from the stress and idiocy of a typical work day.

Acknowledgements: Thank you to Penguin Audio for my review copy!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - February 20th edition

Hosted by Sheila from Book Journey, this is a weekly event to share what we've read in the past week and what we hope to read, plus whatever else comes to mind.

Finished Last Week:




The first of these was an audiobook, which I absolutely loved. The second was a review book that left me rather meh.

Currently Reading:

The first one is going to be on this list for a while as it is a book club selection that has been split into six parts. The book club reaction has been very subdued so far, which really surprises me. 

Currently Listening:

At 48+ hours, this one is going to take me a while.

Up Next:

As always, I reserve the right to change my mind, depending on how I feel on any given day.

What are you reading this week?

The Sunday Salon - February 19th

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. My parents are in town, and I'm taking a vacation day tomorrow (since my daycare has decided to celebrate Presidents' Day by taking the day off too). We'll be taking everyone to one of the museums downtown later today - we haven't decided which one yet, but the kids are really looking forward to it. I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon...outside of reading that is.

For those who wished Connor well on his little bet, the well wishes were much appreciated. Unfortunately, he lasted five days. Now, to be fair, we decided that he'll get the chance to try again in March. It was definitely an eye-opener for him, especially as he had a tendency to focus on the bigger, weekly chores instead of the smaller, daily ones that were the point of the exercise. We'll see next month if the lesson was learned.

Well, it's been an exciting few weeks in the family, both immediate and extended. Two weekends ago, my parents came home after a weekend away to find that they had been robbed. All TVs, computers, jewelry, gift cards, and some other odds and ends were all gone. Thankfully, no one was in the house, not even the dogs. The robbers did not even destroy or damage the house. While my parents are understandably shaken with a horrible feeling of being violated, they took only things. The entire situation could have been so much worse. As terrible as it is, we have to count our blessings. Things can be replaced; life cannot.

The town of Monroe, Ohio is in a bit of an uproar lately. It turns out that the former treasurer of the school board opted to use the funds from the building fund to pay for general expenses rather than let the board and the community know that the schools have been operating in a deficit. In order to pay the building fund, cover all expenses and the loans the district had to take out to pay payroll, the district needs to raise over $4.4 million before June. It's an absolute mess. As of right now, the district is officially under a state fiscal watch, although the district needs to vote to move to a fiscal emergency before the end of March. This means the state would then implement a committee to find a way to make additional cuts, more than the $2.2 million that have already been cut, and raise the $4.4 million that the state would loan the district but would need to reimburse them. The cuts that have been made are absolutely heartbreaking, so much so that I've volunteered to become part of the finance sub-committee. I'm afraid that I have committed myself to a second job, especially since the finances are still being straightened out and the true damage has yet to be calculated. If anyone has any ideas on how a community of approximately 12,000 can raise that much money quickly, I am all ears.

Since I didn't share the list last week, here's the list of everything that has been reviewed over the past few weeks:

• The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton
• Obedience by Jacqueline Yallop
• Nice Girls Don't Live Forever by Molly Harper
• Death Watch by Ari Beck
• The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkins
• Bending the Boyne by J. S. Dunn
• The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• Spin by Catherine McKenzie
• Wake by Lisa McMann
• Envy by Gregg Olsen

With that, I'm off to enjoy the rest of the day and capitalize on the day off tomorrow. Have a great Sunday. Happy reading!

Mini-review Saturday - Wake and Envy

Title: Wake
Author: Lisa McMann
ISBN: 9781416974475
No. of Pages: 224
Synopsis:

"For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody- notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can't tell anybody about what she does — they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant...."

Thoughts: Being able to fall into people’s dreams, to see their deepest and darkest desires, is not something I would wish on an enemy. Yet Janie handles herself with aplomb, making Wake an enjoyable read. Lisa McMann’s signature style allows the reader to get a good understanding of Janie and her struggle with her power without bogging down into details or overly descriptive passages; this also makes Wake a very fast read. Janie is a fun character with a very different problem, one that makes it difficult for her to navigate her way through the tricky halls of high school. Of all the superpowers to have, Janie’s is probably one of the worst ones. A reader is immediately drawn to her fragility but her willingness to fight to control her powers. Wake is not necessarily a departure from similar stories but is enhanced by Ms. McMann’s ability to weave a story.
Acknowledgements: Mine. All mine.


Title: Envy
Author: Gregg Olsen
ISBN: 9781402789571
No. of Pages: 304
Synopsis:

"Crime lives — and dies — in the deceptively picture-perfect town of Port Gamble (aka “Empty Coffin”), Washington. Evil lurks and strange things happen — and 15-year-olds Hayley and Taylor Ryan secretly use their wits and their telepathic “twin-sense” to uncover the truth about the town's victims and culprits. Envy, the series debut, involves the mysterious death of the twins' old friend, Katelyn. Was it murder? Suicide? An accident? Hayley and Taylor are determined to find out — and as they investigate, they stumble upon a dark truth that is far more disturbing than they ever could have imagined."

Thoughts: Billed as a true crime mystery, Envy definitely has a “ripped from the headlines” feel with a slightly supernatural element. Unfortunately, for such a tragic story with very tangible motives and actions, the twins’ telepathy is seemingly out of place. It is almost as if Olsen was trying to attract readers specifically drawn to the paranormal genre and felt obliged to add this plot device, even though the story does not need it. While enjoyable, I am getting tired of the paranormal plot device and wish YA authors would do something unique by not including it in their stories. Envy would have been a perfect story for this bit of originality. What exists instead is a creative story with an all-too-familiar otherworldly element that feels like a crutch more than a necessary narrative element. Envy is enjoyable but does nothing to separate itself from the hundreds of other YA stories with a paranormal aspect.
Acknowledgements: Thank you to the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association for my copy.