I have read a lot of great nonfiction and fiction titles over the last week.
First up was "The Secret of Chanel. No. 5" by Tilar J. Mazzio. This was an interesting biography not really about Coco Chanel but the perfume she created, the number one bestselling perfume for the last 90 years. It was a bit redundant at times, but it was short and a quick read.
"Thirsty" by M.T. Anderson was a witty, dry humor filled YA book about a boy named Chris who is turning into a vampire. He is approached by an odd stranger named Chet, who says he can help change Chris back to human if Chris will help him destroy the vampire god. Chris agrees, but it turns out Chet was just using him. The story was well written and while I normally don't like open endings (I think the authors are being lazy--just tell me what happened, for crying out loud!) in this case it fit.
"Fat Vampire" by Adam Rex was a bit of a disappointment. My two coworkers who also read it had the same complaints I did. It started off great: it was funny and cute, about a teen named Doug who has recently been made a vampire and he's trying to figure out how to cope with it and not kill anybody. He and his buddy Jay are accidentally captured sneaking into the San Diego Zoo while at the Comic Con convention, and a cheesy cable TV show called "Vampire Hunters" is soon on their trail, trying to capture them. Somewhere along the way it stopped being funny and just drug to a sad, predictable ending.
"The Help" by Kahtyrn Stockett was one of those books I could not put down, and spent the whole day reading. It was worth it. Told in three different distinct voices, the story is set in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi. A recent college graduate nicknamed Skeeter is determined to interview a group of maids and write their story, in their words, about what it's like to be African American (only they didn't call it that back then, it was "colored") in that part of the South and wait on white people. It was moving and beautiful without being sticky sweet and sentimental. It reminded me of Michael Cunningham's "The Hours".
"The True Meaning of Smekday" by Adam Rex was much better than "Fat Vampire". In the not so distant future, a young girl named Gratuity Tucci watches her mother get abducted by aliens. The next day the aliens, named Boov, take over Earth and start moving all humans to Florida. Gratuity starts out, driving her mom's car, with her cat Pig, and along the way meets a Boov named J. Lo who helps her out. When an evil race of aliens named Gorg land on Earth, determined to take it away from the Boov, it is up to Gratuity and J. Lo (and Pig, who plays a pivotal role) to save Earth, or Smekland, as it's been renamed. It was really cute and kind of clever.
"Before I Fall" by Lauren Oliver was absolutely shiningly brilliant. It was powerful and moving and touching and makes me catch my breath just to talk about it. Samantha Kingston is an ordinary high school senior: she's popular, and has great friends, and a gorgeous boyfriend. After she dies, she wakes up the next morning and lives her last day over again. At first she doesn't understand what's going on, but gradually it becomes clear: she is being given the chance to right the wrongs, the little mistakes she made that she didn't realize would have such powerful consequences. It was amazing. Too bad it's classified as YA because I think a lot of adults should read it, too.
And finally, a fun graphic novel to round out the bunch (thanks to Allen for lending me his copy!). Scott Snyder and Stephen King teamed up for "American Vampire, Vol. 1". It tells the intertwining stories of Pearl Jones, an aspiring actress in the 1920s, and Skinner Sweet, a no good outlaw in the 1880s, along the likes of Billy the Kid. What do they have in common? They're both vampires, and they're not the kind of vampires to follow the ancient European rules. The artwork was stunning, the storyline was fantastic, the characters are great (Skinner Sweet's grin is so twisted and evil--I love it) and I can't wait for Volume 2.
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