Taft 2012 by Jason Heller

Summary from quirkbooks.com –

He is the perfect presidential candidate. Conservatives love his hard-hitting Republican résumé. Liberals love his passion for peaceful diplomacy. The media can’t get enough of his larger-than-life personality. Regular folks can identify with his larger-than-life physique. And all the American people love that he’s an honest, hard-working man who tells it like it is.

There’s just one problem: He is William Howard Taft... and he was already U.S. president a hundred years ago. So what on earth is he doing alive and well and considering a running mate in 2012?

Rhia’s Review –

When I started reading Taft 2012, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. This was probably a very good thing, as it made reading the book more fun, never able to quite predict what would happen next. It certainly made me more interested in looking into Taft's presidency, which is something I really know very little about.

Regardless of whatever you might expect of this book, it is sure to entertain you. Interspersed with documents relative to the story, the book follows Taft through his sudden re-emergence into the spotlight, and his slightly unwilling campaign for presidency in 2012. I loved all the characters that were brought into the story. they each served a purpose in the story, and were memorable, but never over or underused.

While the story is about a former president, and a political campaign, this is not a book about politics. it's a book about our society, about how it has changed over the years, and about how we are reluctant to face change. it also the story of a man who is given a second chance to succeed where he made mistakes before. wouldn't we all love a chance like that?

All in all, Taft 2012 was a very good read, and I’m glad to add it to my collection.

The Recommendation –

I'd recommend Taft 2012 for any fans of satire, especially of the political or societal variety. Also, if you are a Taft fan, you might find this fictionalized account of his further adventures very entertaining.

The Vitals* – Taft 2012  is available in paperback for $14.95.

The Links – Taft 2012 Official Campaign Website

*=All prices are from the cover of the book itself and are subject to change without notice, and without this page reflecting those changes.

Currently Reading

I could have sworn I had already updated this blog a thousand times. I must be working in my dreams.

Anyway, I’m currently reading The Hidden by Jessica Verday, which is crazy good so far. I’m also working on the Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, which I picked up at my local Borders on my last visit. It is really interesting. I think it started out a little slowly, but it’s getting better and better as I read.

Stay tuned for a review and an interview I was certain I’d posted months ago…

Happy Reading Everyone!

I love books!

Last night I started Beyond the Grave by Mara Purnhagen, which she generously sent me to review. I read the whole thing in one sitting, and I’ll be reviewing it tomorrow.

I also began Cryer’s Cross last night, which has just completely captured me. I can’t wait to read more!

Today, the Hidden by Jessica Verday arrived! I won a copy from Jessica, and I started the first few pages already!

I can’t remember whether or not I’ve posted about it, but I’ve also been reading Steel by Carrie Vaughn. It’s also incredibly good, and I can’t wait to read more of it and share my opinions with you all!

Well, off to wear my eyes out! Happy reading, everyone!

Decatur Book Festival 2011

This past weekend was the Decatur Book Festival! This year, I went to see Lisa McMann and Libba Bray on Saturday! After hearing Lisa speak, I couldn’t resist grabbing a copy of Cryer’s Cross, which I am now currently reading. Both she and Libba were really great, and I loved meeting them. I can’t wait to see who’ll be there next year!

^^Lisa McMann and I. I took my copies of WAKE and FADE for her to sign, along with my newly bought copy of Cryer’s Cross.

 

^^ Libba Bray and I. I took my set of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy to get signed.

Bedbugs by Ben H. Winters

 

Summary from Goodreads.com - Alex and Susan Wendt are the perfect couple in search of the perfect brownstone-and they find their dream house in the heart of Brooklyn Heights. Sure, the landlady is a little eccentric, and the handyman drops some cryptic remarks about the previous tenants. But the rent is so low, it's too good to pass up!
Big mistake: Susan soon discovers that the brownstone is crawling with bedbugs . . . Or is it? She awakens every morning with fresh bites, but neither Alex nor their daughter Emma has a single welt. Exterminators search the property and turn up nothing. Neighbors insist the building is clean. Susan fears that she's going mad-but as the mysteries deepen, a more sinister explanation presents itself: She may literally be confronting the bedbug problem from hell.

Rhia’s Review - *Shudder* This was a really great book.

Susan, our protagonist, was not a character; she was a person. She was so real, and I related to her very easily, despite the fact that she's a married woman with a child, and I'm a 19 year old girl without a current boyfriend. All her feelings are still very real, and felt by everyone at some point or another. Because I knew Susan so well, her slow descent into madness as she struggles with her insect tormenters really affected me emotionally. I was rooting with her all the way, fighting with her. You don't always get such a relatable character - I mean person - in books these days. How much I related to Susan struck me for some reason, so I had to express that here.

The storyline itself moves a little slowly in the beginning, but there is a slight sense of foreboding, because we all know *something* is going to happen, but getting there is half the fun. There are plenty of creepy and mysterious moments in the book as we meet all the characters, but in the climax of the story, Winters goes full on horror movie. It was perfect; just disturbing enough that I'll remember it, but not so disturbing as to downgrade my opinion of it.

Bedbugs managed to surprise me; I didn't have it all worked out by the end of the first half of the book. Of course, where I usually pause to think about it and guess, Bedbugs was so interesting, I was too busy reading to make any predictions.

This is one of those books that, as you are reading it, it actually plays out like a horror movie in your head. When all is said and done you think 'this would make a great movie,' but then you realized that just watched it in your head, and instead you hope Hollywood never ruins it. It was so well written, that no studio could ever do it justice.

The Recommendation -  I’d recommend this book to any fan of suspense and horror stories. It's just a fantastic book!

the Other Books -  Ben H. Winters is also the co-author of Quirk Classics Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, which I am currently reading, and Android Karenina, which I have reviewed previously on my blog. (link) Ben's purse talent really shined through in this novel, and I'm definitely looking forward to his future offerings.

The Vitals – Bedbugs is available in paperback for $14.95 starting today, and I highly suggest you all go get a copy.

New Arrivals and what I’m currently reading.

Sorry for not keeping you all up to date! I'm not really sure what happened there, but you can probably blame the knitting.

Anyway, I'm currently reading Steel by Carrie Vaughn. It's really good so far, and I've noted that the pacing so far has been pretty much perfect. Nothing has happened without a reason, and there hasn't been too much happening at once.

Beyond the Grave by Mara Purnhagen arrived in the mail the other day, and I’ll be starting it soon. I'll probably switch back and forth between Beyond the Grave and Steel until I finish them both. That's a lot of fun to do. :)

So I'm off to catch up a little on my reading. Happy reading, everyone!!

Quick Review: Deltora Quest, Volume 1, by Emily Rodda.

Rhia’s Review - Deltora Quest has always been pretty much my favorite series ever. It was my replacement series between Harry Potter books. It was one of my first obsessions. It is still one of those series that I can call a foundation of my life, helping to shape me into the person I am today. I still think about it often, especially during the summer (I have fond summer memories of the series) and in fact was just thinking about the other day. So, when I was at Borders and saw it sitting on a shelf where it didn't belong, practically appearing right in front of me, there wasn't a single moment of hesitation in me before I snatched it. Literally.

I read it in two nights. I hate to say it, but I'm not impressed.

Volume one covers what I would call about the first half of the Forests of Silence. The art is not visually spectacular, which is important if the story has already been told, because it's the only new thing you have to offer. While I don't think the art is *bad* per se, it's just nothing special. Also, if I didn't know better, I would have sworn that Endon was a female. He looked like a girl when he was young, and a woman when he was grown. Including pearl earrings. It just wasn't right.

I know it has been a while since I first read the series, but something about the adaptation for the mange didn't seem right. I think all the major plot points were covered pretty well, but it wasn't told the way the story deserved to be told. I think it's because it is geared for younger readers, and it felt as though the story was told to simply.

The only thing I really got out of it was an urge to re-read the original series, and yet somehow I still don't regret buying it.

Recommendation- This manga version is probably great for young or reluctant readers, and may spark an interest in reading the original books, which would be a step up. And hardcore fans of the series and/or its anime adaptation may find a need to include this in their collection. (I did.)

the Other Books- At $10.99 each, I don't think I’m really interested in buying the rest of the series. Even with the going out of business sale at Borders, the price is still a little too high. If I could get them a little cheaper, then I might consider getting them to complete my collection. Otherwise, I think it’ll stick to the real thing.

The Vitals – You can pick up the first volume of the manage in paperback for $10.99.