Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.
~Henry Ward Beecher
Posted on August 16th, 2006
Jenn’s Books
An insider’s guide to books.
Title: Fish!
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Title: Fish! Author: Stephen C. Lundin Format: Hardbound |
Fish! I found interesting because no one has ever put a management book in story form before. After millions of copies had been sold, hundreds from my store, I finally picked it up. It wasn’t as good as I had hoped, but not as bad as I had feared. I felt a bit like a child while reading this book. Like the “grown up” words were too much for me, but I had to get the adult concepts. On the other hand it was very compelling. I wanted to find out what happens to Mary Sue and her third floor group (sounds almost like an old country band, doesn’t it?). So while smart, capable employees are going to think this is a waste of time, it is a good book for the entire team to read so that they all can talk about the same book. And while that smart, capable employee is going to think it a waste of their time, it only took them an hour. It’s short, sweet and to the point. If you haven’t already gotten it for your company library, you should think about keeping a copy or two around.
If you would like more reviews on this title, please visit the Amazon website.
Title: Coraline
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Title: Coraline Author: Neil Gaiman Format: Trade Paperbound |
If you are a geek like I am, and you have kids, get them Coraline. Neil Gaiman has taken everything I loved about American Gods and then made it for kids. Coraline, the little warrior of our tale, is an explorer. She wants to find everything that she can; the deep well in the backyard, the creaky hallways and attic of her new home, and most importantly, the door. This door is locked by a dark black key and usually leads into a wall. The key is much, much colder then all of the other keys on the same key ring. When Coraline opens the door one day when her parents aren’t home, the door leads down a new hallway, one she hasn’t explored before. Through the long hall she comes into her kitchen, the kitchen that she just left. In the second kitchen are her parents, but they have buttons for eyes. They say they are her “other” parents. They want her to stay, and if she won’t, then they will just have to steal her real parents. Coraline proves to those that follow the story that being smart is much better then being big, that you can be much more clever then the adults.
If you would like more reviews on this title, please visit the Amazon website.
Title: The Lies of Locke Lamora
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Title: The Lies of Locke Lamora Author: Scott Lynch Format: Hardbound |
The more I read new names in science fiction and fantasy, the more new names I want to find. All of them that I have read recently have brought something new to the field. Someone suggested Scott Lynch’s Lies of Locke Lamora. So since it’s his first book, I gave it a read. OMG, is this good. The storytelling is fantastic; Lynch masterfully switches from the present to the childhood of Locke beautifully. The characters are funny and believable, like Locke. It’s almost like watching Robin Hood grow up, from boy who screws up all the time, into the cunning “Scourge of Nottingham and Thorn in Prince John’s side.” I explained the character of Locke to one of my friends as a mix of Robin Hood and the cast of Ocean’s Eleven, then add the biggest pair any thief has ever been born with. I would say this is more of a romanticized cat burglar mystery than it is a fantasy, but as it is set in a different world and in the middle ages of that world it seems, the book can be found at your local bookstore in sci/fi & fantasy.
If you would like more reviews on this title, please visit the Amazon website.