Title: Practical Demonkeeping

Author: Christopher Moore

Paperback: 243

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (May 25, 2004)

Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis from Amazon:

Good-natured, often funny, but excessively complicated tale that matches a people-eating demon against his reluctant master and the citizens of a small California town. First-novelist Moore throws in more plot twists than the Pacific Coast highway has curves. He obviously knows and is amused by the flawed but feisty denizens with which he inhabits Pine Grove, south of the Big Sur wilderness area. To this tourist town comes Travis O'Hearn, a 20-year-old who, 70 years before, got saddled with a demon, Catch, who gave him eternal youth plus problems. Catch is sometimes under Travis's control but often not, particularly when he's hungry. Travis wants out, namely by finding an incantation that will return the demon to Hell. On Travis's side are the King of the Djinns and August Brine, Pine Grove's purveyor of bait, tackle, and fine wines. Others who swell the cast past overflowing include waitress Jenny and her estranged, alcoholic husband Robert; tough old Mavis, who owns the Head of the Slug bar (it had been Head of the Wolf until animal-rights activists leaned on her); retired woodcarving codger Effrom and his wife Amanda; hotel night auditor Billy Winston, who flirts with other males by computer modem while wearing red silk panties; once-battered Rachael, who runs a coven to empower women through worship of the Goddess; and Detective Sergeant Alfonse Rivera, who fears he will end up bagging microwave burritos at a 7-Eleven unless he nails down a case.

My Thoughts: This is another one of Christopher Moore's completely improbable stories. He uses the demon from Lamb and spins him into the tale of Practical Demonkeeping. The books magical creatures, like the djinn and demon, makes the story more fantastical than other books that take place in our own time. The way Christopher Moore writes this book it feels like he was having a great time while writing it. I remember a part of the book where the main character has thought of what would happen if someone figured out about the demon. He thinks about the demon eating a man then an officer comes behind him and simply asks, "Umm what is he doing?" then he explains about the eating habits of the demon, and the officers nods like he's saying "been there, done that" "well that's our mayor he's eating so I would like to see your license to be eating a county official" and then he gets back to the moment like the worst thing could be waiting in line to get a license to eat county officials.

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SNAPS
Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

Would I read it again? Yes
Would I read more from this author? have been
Who should read this? This book is for adult males. There is some swearing and sexual content, but it's an enjoyable book, to say the least

Next on the TBR pile: Fool by Christopher Moore

Title: Lamb

Author: Christopher Moore

Paperback: 444

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks; First Perennial edition (February 4, 2003)

Genre: Satire

Audiobook: Read by Fisher Stevens

Synopsis from Amazon

The Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John leave a gaping hole in the story of Jesus. They tell of the shepherds, the angel, the virgin, the manger, and the wise men, then jump to Jesus as a thirty-something rabbi. What did Jesus do during his formative years? Christopher Moore has an answer in his latest novel Lamb: The Gospel According To Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. Biff is Levi bar Alphaeus, son of a stonemason and childhood friend of Joshua bar Jehovah, son of God. The first section of the novel tells of the adventures of Biff, Joshua, and Maggie in and around Nazareth. The next three sections take Biff and Joshua to visit and learn from each of the three magi. The last section puts a Christopher Moore spin on the story told in the New Testament. We can read the good news according to Biff because the angel Raziel has resurrected Biff [and one other person] to write their versions of the Gospel. Biff's interactions with Raziel are interspersed with the main story, usually at the beginnings of chapters, and [inconsistently] set apart as long block quotes. This is a humorous book from a master of humor.

My thoughts: This book was hilarious. I know it's made up, but it simply fills in a blank space for the Bible. With no way to prove the story is false it just makes everything so much more thrilling. Although it's a complete blasphemy, I liked the part where Joshua and Biff were stuck in China at one of the Magi's palaces. Biff was asking questions that he wasn't supposed to ask, so he got poisoned and temporarily paralyzed. While he was paralyzed, the people at the palace painted Biff blue. Though this book is not well suited for children I enjoyed it and learned some things about the Tora and about the Jewish law back then.

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SNAPS
Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

Would I read it again? Yes
Would I read more from this author? yes
Who should read this? This book is for adult males. There is some swearing, but if you like satire, you'll enjoy it

Next on the TBR pile: Practical Demonkeeper

Title: Bloody Jack

Author: L.A. Meyers

Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Harcourt Paperbacks (June 1, 2004)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Audiobook: narrated by Katherine Kellgren

Synopsis from Amazon:

The Jacky of the title was born Mary Faber, whose life turned upside down when a pestilence in 1797 left her orphaned and homeless. She turned to the streets, surviving for a few years by begging, brawling and occasionally stealing on the dirty streets of London. But she lost her taste for that life when her best mate was "done for" by a vile city grave robber, and with few options remaining she hacked away her hair, changed her name, lied about her age and secured a post as a ship's boy on HMS Dolphin.

My thoughts: this is a very interesting story that takes a lot of unexpected turns. L.A. Meyers is a good writer that likes to lead you one way then pull you into a completely different direction. Jacky knows that if her ship mates find out that she's not a boy, they will leave her at the nearest port, but Meyers is good at putting Jacky at the brink of danger, and then pulling her back. Jacky always seems to get into trouble, even when she tries not to, so that's what makes this book so exciting.

I actually listened to this and what I like about the narrator is that Katherine Kellgren does so many voices that it sounds like more than one person is telling the story.

SNAPS
Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭
Would I read it again? Yes
Would I read more from this author? YES!
Who should read this?: anyone interested in a historical fiction that tells about pirates and life on the sea

Next on TBR list: Lamb by Christopher Moore

Title: Twisted

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Hard cover: 272 pages

Publisher: Viking Juvenile (March 15, 2007)

Genre: Contemporary realism

From Amazon:

Tyler Miller, former nerd, returns for his senior year with a new buff bod, courtesy of the manual community service he was forced to perform for graffitting the school. To his surprise, school Queen Bee Bethany Milsbury starts paying attention to him. This causes conflict with his nemesis, Bethany's twin brother Chip, and is complicated by the fact that Bethany's dad is his father's boss. When he rejects her (drunken) advances at a party, things become complicated when anonymous nude camera photos of Bethany wind up on the Internet. Suddenly, the police are paying attention to the former school defacer and he faces hostility from the other students. Like Melinda in "Speak," he has a dysfunctional family and minimal support from peers and adults. As he begins to implode from the pressure, finding a way to clear his name and stand up to the bullies in his life looks more and more difficult.

My thoughts: This book was an amazing tale spun by Laurie Halse Anderson. The way she writes, I feel like all this could be happening to the author herself, even if it's fiction. Ms. Anderson knows how to create realistic characters. Every detail is included. For example, she goes into detail about the amount of cracks in the wall, or how many lockers are in the school. It creates a picture in my mind and I feel like I'm in the story. I really enjoyed this book, though the language seems a bit mature.

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SNAPS
Rating: ✭✭✭✭✭

Would I read it again? Yes
Would I read more from this author? yes
Who should read this? This book is for high school students. There is some swearing, but if you like contemporary realism, this one's for you.

Next on the TBR pile:

✍ I'm putting the Book Thief on the side, stopping at page 46, and going back to it after. I just had a sudden urge to re-read the book Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. I read Hunger Games a while back and read Catching Fire, but I don't think I really understood the book. I had completely forgotten the book right after I read it because I just tried to get to the end, so now I really want to read it again. ✎✏✐

What are books that you've read more than once?