The Authoritative Calvin and Hobbes: A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury

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Fans of Calvin & Hobbes who used to read the newspaper strip in the 80s and 90s will find great pleasure in reading this treasury of C&H comics. These witty comics about the 6-year old Calvin and his stuffed tiger Hobbes, named after the famous philosophers, will amuse people of all ages. The perceptiveness and humor of Watterson deserve the highest of cartoon awards, while his artistic creations exude hilarity. This cartoon is perhaps one of the most piercing yet funny critiques of modern society.
This book starts out with Calvin Transmogrifying himself into an elephant so he can memorize his vocabulary in a snap. Naturally, that leads to never-ending funny adventures to entertain adults as well as children. Here we enjoy Calvin playing croquet with Hobbes, their flying carpet adventures, snowballs against Susie, and Spaceman Spiff. Watch him play pilot, archaeologist, annoy Rosalyn the babysitter, and quarrel with Hobbes over the treehouse.
Note that there are two series of C&H collections: individual wide-format albums, each covering an entire year of strips (will call it "regular"), and the vertical aspect ratio "treasury series" which covers selected comics from two regular C&H books. Note that C&H ran for a year in newspapers, so there's 10 regular books and 5 treasury books. Though the cartoons are slightly smaller in the treasury collection, each treasury book is far thicker and contains more strips than a regular book, and is furthermore less expensive, so treasury books are a real bargain. "The Authoritative Calvin & Hobbes" belongs to the Treasury collection, and was first released in 1990.

The Essential Calvin and Hobbes: A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury

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Calvin & Hobbes was so popular during its run that people never needed to explain what the strip was about to anyone; it's been a couple of years and with the exception of little kids, people seem to remember the strip for the most part. So, all I'll say about this collection is that it is the preferable purchase over the first two books, the self-titled "Calvin & Hobbes" and "Something Under The Bed Is Drooling." Why? "The Essential Calvin and Hobbes" actually collects every single strip from those two books (it's NOT a best of, as some people would say), and most importantly, the Sunday strips are in color. Hands down, Watterson painted the most beautiful looking Sunday strips since Walt Kelly, and it would be a shame if you only knew them through the black and white reproductions of the smaller collections. It's also cheaper to buy this book instead of the first two, as well. As a special bonus, Watterson included a nice, water-colored poem at the beginning, which isn't available anywhere else.

Gone Girl: A Novel

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In the first few pages of Gillian Flynn's new novel Gone Girl, I was thinking, "This is it -- one of those rare novels that's unique and totally engrossing, cleverly plotted so that each new development has me astounded and eager to find out what happens next." Then the story continued as Midwestern husband Nick began to deal with his wife Amy's sudden disappearance and some gradually revealed details that might cast doubt on his own innocence in the matter. During that time, the book dropped down from the level of extraordinary to merely somewhat intriguing. However, once I reached Part Two of Gone Girl ("Boy Meets Girl"), it was like Ms Flynn kicked it up a notch, and the book became amazing again. Without giving any spoilers, Part Two unveils some major plot twists that cast Amy's status in an entirely new light. From that point on, the story moves along in powder keg fashion: the fuse has been lit, and it's only a question of how long 'til the explosion, and how much damage will be done when it happens. Flynn has a distinctive writing style that really involved me in what was going on with her two main characters. I had previously purchased but not yet read her Dark Places (after several recommendations). Now I will have to read it, and also get her first book, Sharp Objects. Only one warning, though: Gone Girl contains a fair amount of foul language. This was not a problem for me, but it might be for some readers.

GONE - Part Three (The GONE Series Book 3)

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Great ending to another great series!!!! I love Lilly Randall and Clive Parker. However, usually the men steal the show in Deborah's books most time but despite Clive Parker and all his arrogant sexiness Lilly stole the show..making this series even that more special
! She was everything I love a female character sensitive, vulnerable, beautiful, charismatic and strong in spite of her heartbreak. Thank you so much Deborah for you wonderful books I have read and loved each one and continue to wish you much more success in the new year and am looking forward to starting it off with TRACE.

GONE - Part Two (The GONE Series Book 2)

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I didn't realize that I was holding my breath until I closed out of the book... Incredible doesn't begin to describe Deborah Bladon's work. I am in love with all of her books. But Gone is my favorite. I love Lilly. She's so sweet and has this innocent side to her that you can't help but to love her. I want to reach into my kindle and hug her. Clive is one of my favorite male characters. He's got the whole package. This a must read. I'm stunned by the ending. I always am when it comes to these series. But I never saw it coming. I'm beyond ready for part 3 and I will be checking amazon constantly the day it's supposed to come out! You will not be disappointed if you buy this book!

Big Little Lies

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The Hypnotist's Love Story was good, the Husband's Secret was better, but Big Little Lies is the best. I was captivated from the first page, as I waited to figure out the mystery as to what was going to happen to these amazing characters on Trivia Night. The book is told by multiple voices, particularly Madeline, Celeste and Jane, each one had a distinct voice and a point of view that felt familiar, yet in this author's competent hands totally unique.

Madeline Martha Mackenzie is a 40 year old throw-back to the screw ball comedies. She has the mouth, the wardrobe and her heart is in the right place when not suffering from her monthly PMS. She lives in the same town with her ex-husband, Nathan and his yoga chanting, euphorically perfect second wife, Bonnie. Nathan left Madeline and their newborn infant 14 years ago, and while Madeline has re-married a wonderful man and has two children with him, it still hurts that their 14 year old daughter now wants to live with her ex and his wife.

It would seem that Celeste has it all. She is a beautiful woman, married to a very wealthy man, Perry, and has two adorable twin boys attending Pirriwee Public School. What looks to be a perfect relationship to others, can become toxic when the couple is behind closed doors. This is a fact that is finally becoming glaringly clear, even to Celeste.

Jane is a single mother raising her five year old boy, Ziggy, with the help of her mother and father, who live near by. She has just moved to the Pirriwee Peninsula, after taking leases in different apartments across Sydney, hoping to finally find a "life that worked". Once an outgoing career oriented 19 year old, she bears the scars of a disastrous sexual encounter.

As serendipitously as it was meant to happen, on her way to kindergarten orientation, Jane stops to help a slightly injured Madeline after a fender bender. Having their children in the same kindergarten class is the impetus that brings Celeste, Madeline and Jane together. While all three woman are experiencing troubles, some certainly more serious than the others, they are drawn together and stick together. Jane has a real support system from her new friends, when Ziggy is accused of bullying a female kindergarten classmate of a high powered attorney. When a petition is circulated to try and have Ziggy suspended from the school, it divides the parents of Pirriwee Public school into two factions.

This is chick literature with a sting, that is both funny, intelligent and ultimately moving. There is simply so much to recommended about this book, written by an author who has proven herself incapable of creating a one dimensional character or a boring plot. The characterizations are perfect, the Australian setting idyllic, the pacing perfect as there is not one unnecessary page, the character's interconnections realistic and touching.. The story is full of clever dialogue and laugh out loud moments, while never losing sight that the subject matter is at times complex. I have to admit I did not like the ending of The Husband's Wife, this time all the subplots converge at the right time and place, giving the narration a most satisfying ending. Big Little Lies is filled with sharp observations about domestic abuse, bullying, second marriages, self-esteem, parenting, friendship and second chances. "Oh calamity" what an enjoyable book. Very Highly Recommended.

Captivated By You (Crossfire, Book 4)

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Please be aware there will be small spoilers concerning the plotline.

It is such a shame......this series started out so strong. Bared To You and Reflected In You were absolute perfection. Entwined With You (book 3) was just okay for me, but I understood going into it that is was a transition book so I didn't expect too much to happen. The best part of EWY was Gideon and Eva solidified their relationship. Looking forward to Captivated By You, I had very high hopes. I had read some interviews with Ms. Day and watched her on Youtube explaining books 4 and 5 would focus on Gideon's issues and I was excited about the prospect of finally really digging into Gideon.

Unfortunately that is not how it played out for me. Right off the bat, Eva is dealing with some left over emotions concerning Brett Kline. I am like....what??? I thought that particular door closed for Eva in EWY at the Golden video premiere. She realized she loved Gideon completely and although she may have a sexual chemistry with Brett, their relationship would never resume. She belonged with Gideon. I felt the only lingering storyline concerning Brett was the sex tape....guess I was wrong. This bothered me for a couple reasons. I felt this drama was contrived only to be a filler.....I felt this issue was resolved also Eva's conflict over Brett seemed to set her back a few steps.....taking her back to that desperate girl who used sex to try and keep him. That is not the Eva that has been growing stronger and stronger in the past 3 books. I didn't get angry with Eva, but I truly didn't understand why Ms. Day chose to take Eva's character in this direction. I did get frustrated with the fact it seem to take Eva much too long to really deal with the Brett situation and would have preferred to see it wrap with more quickly.

Something different happened in Captivated By You, rather than just experiencing Eva's point of view Gideon had a turn to express his inner thoughts. It should have been awesome crawling into Gideon's head, but honestly Gideon and Eva's voice seemed to be exactly the same. I really couldn't distinguish between the two "different" views. In the past books, I thought Ms. Day did an excellent job of allowing readers to really understand Gideon even though we only saw him through Eva's eyes. And while it was nice to hear from the man himself, I am not quite sure I liked it. Gideon is not really good at telling Eva anything and he was doing things, manipulating situations and people without communicating with Eva. I found that I didn't like that aspect of him. He knows how much Eva hates that. Gideon has seen how secrets have stressed Eva and Monica's relationship so I was frustrated seeing him do the exact same thing knowing full well that these actions were going to cause problems later on. The best part to Gideon's point of view was being about to see how truly damaged he is from his past. I think I expected more growth from Gideon in this book. He has slowly started making changes to heal and confront his past in the previous books, but I really wanted to see more of that in this book and I didn't get that until the very end of the book. I am sure in book 5 Gideon will really start to the process, but I expected more.

Captivated did answer some questions that have been floating around in my head, but not all questions of course were answered. I thought some loose ends were tied up a little too quickly. For example, I have been wondering what the hell was going on with Nathan's bracelet and basically it was answered in two pages.

When I finished CBY, I turned the page and saw the title for book 5 and I can tell you quite frankly I don't feel any excitement for the next installment. I don't have that dread of waiting a year or six months for it either. I feel let down; as far as I am concerned books 3 and 4 could have been combined. I feel like the past 2 books have not taken the characters far enough and the series seems to have lost that momentum. I don't know if that is because of the long wait between installments or if that the characters are not as vibrant as they were in the beginning. I will definitely be reading the last book; it just won't be with the enthusiasm and excitement I had before. I had no problem with Ms. Day extending the series by 2 books, but I don't feel like extra books have added anything to series or strengthen the characters or the storyline.

All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel

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ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE is one of the best books you’ll read this year. On one hand, the title implies the lessons learned by a young German orphan boy about radio waves. On the other hand, as the author describes it, “It’s also a metaphorical suggestion that there are countless invisible stories still buried within World War II.” Add in a newly blinded French girl who is forced to leave her familiar surroundings, and you’ll soon find yourself in literary heaven.

The layered meanings run deep in this book. No wonder nearly every advanced review uses the word “intricate” to describe this masterpiece. The German boy and his sister discover an old radio, where they hear science lessons from afar. There are lessons about the brain, sitting inside the darkness of our skull, interpreting light; there are lessons about coal having been plants living millions of years ago, absorbing light, now buried in darkness; lessons about light waves that we cannot see—all applicable as the story unfolds.

Readers will appreciate the short, almost lyrical chapters of alternating characters. The author helps by italicizing earlier mentioned quotes and then leaving almost every chapter closing with a message to ponder. Take for example: “a real diamond is never perfect”, “open your eyes and see what you can with them before they close forever”, and “the entropy of a closed system never decreases”. All of this is explained in a natural way, but never given out in an assuming manner. The story flows and draws your heart into its deep meaning.

Having personal connections to both veterans of World War II and members of the blind community, I can attest to the authenticity of this story’s writing. Author Anthony Doerr brings out lovely characters, along with their own fascinations: seashell collecting, bird watching, locksmithing, electronics, and geology. The history surrounding these personal stories is real and deep. You will fall in love.

The author also includes connections to the song Clair de Lune, the book 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, and a fictional story about a priceless diamond called the Sea of Flames, whose owner “so long as he keeps it, the keeper of the stone will live forever.”

I cannot proclaim loud enough how much this book means to me; I have been left awe-inspired. So, thank you to Scribner for making this book available for me to review. It has been an honor.

The Christmas Basket

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As a relatively new reader of the romance genre, I was surprised by the great development of the characters in this book. Seeing good people at their worst was so much fun. It had great humor. I was cracking up through most of the book. This is NOT one of those sappy sweet sticky books. It is not the least bit smutty. I would be quite comfortable to let a young girl who likes romances read this. If you need a quick read to lift your holiday spirits, or to give you a holiday spirit any time that you need it, pick up this book. I will pick up more from this author. This would make a great chick film. (Sorry, not for they guys, not explosions, no nudity!)

The Top Ten Things Dead People Want to Tell YOU

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I read a lot of books, but rarely am I moved to tears as I was with this wonderful book. I lost both an aunt and uncle to cancer in the past six months. This book most certainly soothed my soul and helped me find answers to questions that came up while witnessing my relatives' dying process. I also feel like I finally got confirmation on afterlife for my beloved fur baby who passed away 2 years ago. Even if you aren't experiencing any type of grief or loss, the wisdom contained in this book is phenomenal. I couldn't put the book down and want to read it a 2nd time!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

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Wow. This book should be required reading for scientists and students of life. The true story of Henrietta Lacks and her family has finally been told, beautifully, in this book. The book encompasses science, ethics, and the story of a family who was terribly wronged in the pursuit of scientific research. I could gush about this book for pages but I'll try first to hit the main points of why this book is so remarkable in list form for the sake of brevity:

1. The author clearly developed a strong relationship with the Lacks family, which was absolutely critical to ensuring the story was told accurately and with the respect to Henrietta Lacks that was so deeply deserved.

2. The storytelling is amazingly moving despite the need to convey a lot of scientific information. It reads like fiction.

3. Ms. Skloot's research into the science is impeccable.

4. The book is FAIR. It presents the unvarnished truth, obtained DIRECTLY from as many prinicpal people involved in the story as is humanly possible. It would have been easier to simplify the story into heroes vs. villians, but Ms. Skloot deftly handles all sides of the story.

For some detail: I have worked with HeLa cells in the past, but did not know even the barest information about the story of Henrietta Lacks until a few years ago. It simply was not common knowledge, until a few less ethical folks released her name and medical records to the public. This obviously should not have been done without the express permission of the Lacks family, which Ms. Skloot obtained. In the past, others have not been as ethical. The book covers Ms. Lacks' early life, how her cells came to be harvested, and what happened to both the cells and her family afterward.

The contributions of HeLa cells to science are absolutely staggering and cannot be over-stated. The sections where the science was described were clear and accurate. With the story of Ms. Lacks' family interwoven, this book was fairly close to perfect. I found myself moved to tears several times because of the fate of the Lacks family and Henrietta's daughter's indomitable spirit. I do not think anyone but Ms. Skloot could have written this book. She worked with the family for over a decade in order to get the story right. This was critical, as the family had been wronged too many times in the past.

Thank you for this astounding work of art. I will be donating to the Henrietta Lacks foundation in honor of the entire family, and I hope many others will read the book and be similarly moved.

The Girl Who Came Home: A Novel of the Titanic (P.S.)

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I've been drawn into the world of Titanic fascination by my Titanorak daughter who is ten. Because of her, I started reading a number of books about the history of the Titanic, all factual - until now. The Girl Who Came Home is the first historical fiction I've read on the subject, and I loved it.

Based on a true(ish) story of a group of people who emigrated from one Irish village, TGWCH brings the past to life in a vivid and absorbing way by introducing the reader to believable and engaging characters, both passengers and members of staff who were on board, and echoing the effects of that tragedy down to subsequent generations.

I highly recommend it to any reader who enjoys well-researched historical fiction, and who is caught up in Titanic centenary fever!

Fatal Puzzle (Zons Crime Book 1)

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I scored this book free through Kindle First, and read the book today. (I'm a pretty quick reader, and this is definitely a book that I couldn't put down!) As you can tell from the book summary, the basic plot is that this story switches back and forth in time. In 1495, there are a series of murders, which are connected by a puzzle. Mühlenberg must solve them in order to save himself and his lover. Then, in the present day, Emily Richter (a journalist) begins writing a series of articles about those 1495 killings. Then, she finds a woman's body hanging -- much like had happened in the 1495 events. Emily then works with a Detective Bergmann to piece together the investigation, using notes left by Mühlenberg.

I won't give away any more of the plot line than what you get on the back cover and in the book's description on the Amazon page.

This really is a story that you want to read and figure through for yourself. The books skips around, between different time periods, and from the perspectives of different characters. I enjoy that type of book, and I think that it worked well here to keep the story moving along and maintained a good level of momentum.

OVERALL: It's not the best murder mystery I've ever read, but it's still very good. If you love a good solid mystery that keeps you guessing, you'll probably like this book. I found it completely engrossing and hard to put down.

For Kindle First Readers: I don't think you'll be disappointed getting this book, especially if you want a mystery that isn't a straight up police procedural, or that has some genuinely good storytelling.

The Last Passenger

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I was not a very big fan, for several reasons:
1. I found this book to be disjunctive. The beginning was great, very engrossing, and hard to put down. But towards the middle, and especially toward the end, the storyline seems to get overly complicated. I had a hard time following along with it all. I had to re-read parts just to make sure I understood the plot. (I can't remember the last time I had to do that with a book.)
2. Some of the "surprises" I figured out ahead of time because they were kind of obvious.
3. The author does pull together a lot of storylines to weave together an ending, but I personally found the ending (which I won't reveal or even hint at!) to be unsatisfying. And some ends were left dangling.
4. The character development wasn't great.

But, despite those criticisms, the book isn't all that bad. I thought the plot was very interesting -- Nazis and ghosts and love, oh my! -- and I wanted to finish reading it. (Like, it's not a book that I think most people would abandon partway through.) So, putting aside my gripes listed above, I enjoyed the book. I'd heard someone say that this book is reminiscent of The Shining or the X-Files, and I thought those remarks are dead-on.

If you tend to like Suspense, I think you'd like this book, but probably not love it.

Marked (Servants of Fate Book 1)

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The flooded post-apocalyptic world and idea of ferrying souls to the afterlife caught my interest, but ultimately this book wasn't for me. The predominant storyline is a romance, and really, romance is the wrong word because it mostly consists of juvenile exclamations in the vein of he's so hot/she's so hot/wow, look at her bend over! And why is the heroine conversing with work colleagues while topless? Just weird, and not enough focus on building the characters and relationship beyond superficial attraction to make me care about whether the leads get together (not that there's much question about that). I would have preferred a story centered directly on the more interesting Charon plot. The author's Guards of the Shadowlands series had the same trouble (great concept overshadowed by a shallow and uninteresting love story), so perhaps this writer is just not for me. For readers who like the Shadowlands series, this book is more of the same and will probably be a good choice. On the positive side, the writing is skillful enough, the world-building is really well done, and the secondary characters are fairly rounded.

Guardians of the Night (A Gideon and Sirius Novel)

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I couldn't help but compare this book to Hilary Waugh's ground-breaking police procedurals. Set in small-town America in the 1950's, they always featured a gruff, battle-hardened Chief of Police. The Chief ruled with an iron fist and a cop who screwed up or a reporter who stepped over the line got his ass kicked. There was no public relations department and a cop who could read and write was derisively called "College Boy." The cops were the good guys and the criminals weren't.

In Russell's 21th Century Los Angeles, the Chief of Police is a smooth-talking former academician given to solemn lectures. When his subordinates break rules, he's "disappointed." A cop without a degree in Criminal Justice wouldn't be allowed to empty the trash baskets. The PR department is the tail that wags the dog because the real enemy isn't criminals, but the all-powerful media that molds public opinion.

Detective Michael Gideon has a good cop's confidence, instincts, and waggish sense of humor. He has a few loyal friends and makes enemies effortlessly. He became a local hero when he and his police dog Sirius captured a serial killer. The aftermath failed to live up to its promising beginning. Gideon was left with deep physical and emotional scars and the charismatic murderer is now a hero to many. Gideon is now assigned to "special cases" where he and Sirius can work alone. A widower, he's currently involved with a nice woman who has her own life and seems to expect little of him. Just as well, since he doesn't have much to give.

In Venice Beach ("L.A.'s Freakshow") a homeless man called "Wrong" witnesses a murder in an alley. A "being of light" is somehow destroyed. Wrong is convinced that an angel has been killed and he sobers up and stays sober so that he can tell his story and be believed. The author tells us a lot about Wrong, seemingly using the character to say that we shouldn't dismiss the homeless as worthless, that they're the same as the rest of us. With his intelligence, humility, and decency, Wrong is a damned sight better than most of us. He's not far from being an angel himself and soon after he tells his story, his time on earth abruptly ends.

The death of a delusional wino is unimportant enough to be turned over Gideon, who's impressed with Wrong's personality and even more by the fact that all of the neighborhood surveillance cameras have been blocked to keep them from recording the event. The trail leads to the high-profile owner of a company that makes drones and has connections with "black ops" military types. He's a man whose hubris puts him on a collision course with the rest of the world.

I enjoyed this book. It's not great, but it's very good. This author writes well enough not to have to depend on the violence that keeps me from reading most modern mysteries. Sadly, he can't avoid the wordiness. When a tightly crafted book of 180 pages could find a publisher, mysteries had a spare elegance. Now they must be door-stop size to justify the price and that means filler. It's interesting filler, because Russell is a skilful writer and a man of wide interests and knowledge, but it's still filler.

If you're a dog lover, you'll love this book. The bond of humans with dogs (police dogs, military dogs, and plain-old dogs) is an integral part of the story. Sometimes he's a bit heavy-handed and explains things that the reader could figure out for himself. but every time you think you've caught him in a cliche, he twists things around so that it's not a cliche after all. It's well-plotted and well-written with unusual characters and thought-provoking themes. That's all I ask for.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

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I read this book in two days flat and I know that, had I had the time, I would have read it in one sitting. This is a book that grips you, draws you in and leaves you feeling a slightly better person for having read it.

The story is that of Louie Zamperini - a track and field star of the 1930's, who participated in the Berlin olympics, was part of the US air force in WWII, was shot down over the ocean, was adrift in the Pacific for over a month, was held as a POW by the Japanese forces and finally made it back to his life and has had the courage to live it to its fullest.

Hillenbrand is a marvellous author. I was never tempted to read Seabiscuit and this was my first introduction to her work. She is one of a few authors who can write a non fiction story in the most gripping and vivid way imaginable. Instead of being flowery or overly embellished her prose relies squarely on research and on witness accounts and yet manages to never be dull. The swiftly moving story takes the reader from Zamperini's early beginnings, his swift rise to track star, the Berlin olympics and then to the World War. This is where the story really blooms. Hillenbrand settles in for the long haul here and we get to see the air force and the B24 bombers through the words of the men who actually flew them. The sequences where Zamperini and his friend Phil are adrift at sea are vivid and strangely beautifully described. The horrors that await them at the Japanese prison camps are not glossed over but neither does Hillenbrand wallow in the gore and violence as some authors may be tempted to do. There is always a strong sense of the respect the author holds for the men whose story she is being allowed to tell.

History has perhaps focused its eye too exclusively on the war in Europe to the extent where the situation in the Pacific and the plight of POW's there has not recieved the attention and the respect it deserves. Hillenbrand's book and detailed research certainly makes a strong attempt to change that.

Solidly based on statistics and army reports from both sides of the war, Hillenbrands book paints a clear picture of the hellish conditions that the POW's endured and the utter madness of the war that was being waged in the Pacific. This is a hard story to read but one that is well worth it. The falling apart of Louie's life and his slow path to regaining his life and sense of purpose is a story that is truly inspiring. This book will find a permanent place of honor on my bookshelf.