Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

4/10

This is one zany book. There are these two boys, Will and Jim, who are good friends. Jim is the leader and Will the follower. Some crazy carnival comes to town and Jim convinces Will to go sneak in late at night while the carnival is setting up. They witness something nutty and now Mr. Dark is after them. In the face of danger, Will becomes the leader and Jim the one who is dependent on Will (especially at the end).

This was a silly, crazy free-for all. I mean, imagine all the wild things a writer could do with a carnival setting in a fantasy/horror novel. And he does it. And yet the book takes itself too seriously it seems like. Lets just say that there were several dramatic and revealing heart-to-heart father-and-son speeches. Oh well, what do I expect? It wasn't terrible.

My favorite part? Probably the photograph on the inside of the back cover of a white-haired and spectacled Bradbury wearing a turtleneck as well as what looks like one of those old calculator wristwatches all while holding a black cat. Epic.

Quotes:

"No man's a hero to himself."

"Minute by minute, hour by hour, a lifetime, it never ends, never stops, you got the choice this second, now this next, and the next after that, be good, be bad, that's what the clock ticks, that's what it says in the ticks."

"Good to evil seems evil."

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

8/10

This was a pretty fun book. This scientist named Griffin discovers how to turn invisible. He first tries it on a cat, but the eyes cannot go invisible. H.G. gives some plausible scientific reasoning on how the body can become invisible and it had something to do with light. While I was reading it I was like, "Sure." You see, when you commit to read a book about an invisible man you're not really too concerned in how realistic that actually is. You kind of go in to it assuming that it's unrealistic and you're willing to just go with the flow. And I am a great flow-goer. Anyway, he wrote extensively on the scientific plausibility of it all and I appreciated the attempt and said, "Lets roll with it, H.G." And the reason the eyes don't go invisible is because in order to see, your eyes absorb light or some such. So H.G. clearly thought this all out and, in any event, Griffin has to wear sunglasses which is quite sinister. Oh yes, he tries it out on himself after he tried it on the cat.

He goes from proud triumph for his genius to a frightened realization that he cannot reverse the procedure. He permanently invisibled himself. He quickly realizes that he gets cold with no clothes on, so he concocts this outfit where he entirely covers himself so as to mask his invisibility. He has to wrap a bandage all around his face. People become horrified by his presence and then curious. Soon they learn of his invisibility and outright panic and paranoia ensues. At first Griffin is rather harmless but he soon goes quite mad and plans a reign of terror and turns into quite the madman. 'Twas a fun book because H.G. was able to create several scenarios of paranoid townspeople. I mean, what is scarier than knowing that a murderous, invisible lunatic could be right next to you?

Also, H.G. isn't what I would call an artsy-fartsy writer. He mostly just tells the story. And that's fine, so long as it's a fun story. Although I do like artsy writers (e.g. the author of yesterday's post), but I don't necessarily like fartsy writers. Because when all is said and done, it's the story that really matters. And so, while this may not be a literary masterpiece, it was still rather enjoyable. The end.

Quotes:

N/A.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

10/10

This book is considered one of the greatest American novels of all-time. And I must say that I began this book with some very high expectations. I usually don't try to let my high expectations effect my view of a book. But, in any case, it didn't matter because I loved the book in all its cynical glory. I don't know what it is about tragic/depressing stories that I enjoy. Maybe this reveals something shameful about me? Probably. Or, I guess I just like it when authors go against the grain and make the story feel more honest or something.

Most of the characters are pretty lousy people. Seems like almost everyone is cheating on someone. But luckily the narrator, Nick, is rather likable. He's a pretty nonchalant type of a guy, my type of dude. He lives next door to Jay Gatsby who is super rich, throws lots of elegant parties, and who is quite the mysterious fellow with rumors swirling around him concerning his past. Gatsby ends up getting involved in this love triangle deal with two of Nick's other friends and some pretty sweet drama ensues.

The last 1/3 of the book is about as good as anything I have ever read. We've got some different story lines converging which leads to the dramatic conclusion. I have always liked a good conclusion. Lets just say that good old Nick tries not to judge people but some things that people do leave him no choice but to view them as a despicable lot.

Also, the F. Scott sure knows how to write. This is the only book of his that I have read, but this makes me want to again have the F. Scott experience.

Opening quote:

"Whenever you feel like criticizing any one just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had."

"Not My Will, But Thine" by Neal A. Maxwell

9/10

Well folks, it has been some time. Some time. I just finished my last final and thought, "What better way to celebrate..."

My next several posts (if I do in fact post again after this once the luster wears off) will retrace, working backward, all the books that I have read since my last post. This book was the last book I read right before the semester started.

Lets just say that Maxwell is a quote machine. One of the best. Nary a page goes unmarked. He's the master of using scriptural text as part of his sentences. And he sure knows how to put things into perspective. Plus, he is super poetic in his writing style. Hence the designation: quote machine.

As the title suggests, the book was about learning how to humble ourselves as Christ did and put the will of the Father above our own. And that it is when we learn how to live with this mentality that the Lord will bless us with knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. If you want to learn more about the scriptures and how to become a better person, may I present Exhibit A....And so it is.

Quotes:

"Selfishness is a form of self-worship."

"Early repentance thus permits earlier and more extensive service."

"Not to respond in obedient action is tantamount to unbelief."

Quoting C.S. Lewis (Now there are two rather similar chaps, arguably the two wittiest writers of Christianity. Ever.): "The cross comes before the crown, and tomorrow is a Monday morning."