Divergent (Divergent, #1)

author: Veronica Roth

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.40

book published: 2011

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/30

date added: 2013/05/30

shelves: young-adult

review:

In a dystopian future (a more than common theme in YA lit these days), humans are divided into factions based on dominant personality traits: Abnegation (selfless), Candor (honest), Dauntless (brave), Amity (peaceful) and Erudite (intelligent). If you are not able to make it in a faction, you become factionless (a sort of poor class). If, for some reason, you have multiple dominant traits, you are considered to be Divergent, and likely to be hunted. At the point when you turn 16, you take a test to help you determine which trait you likely have, then you get to choose the faction you will join.



Our heroine, Beatrice, has to make a choice. Choosing a life in Abnegation means staying with her family, but living a life that doesn't ring true. Choosing a different faction means turning her back on her family with the likelihood of never seeing them again. The factions are fiercely loyal to themselves and stay apart from each other. Beatrice makes a choice that will test her to the breaking point. She will make friends and enemies and uncover a deadly plot along the way.



As far as YA dystopian goes, this was better than most. The factions is a good idea that works for the most part. There is the inevitable teenage angsty romance, and it gets tiring, but it's not as bad as others I could name (Twilight, I'm looking at you). Also, Beatrice is the master of her own destiny. She bravely makes her own decisions and stands up to her fears. She is not dependent on others for her strength, so that makes her a better female character than in some YA fiction (aka Twilight).



This is part of a series (trilogy?) and the second book is out. The book doesn't exactly end on a cliffhanger, but there are plot points left open for further books. I liked it. Emma Galvin's narration wss good on the audiobook version I listened to.





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Wonderland Volume 2

author: Raven Gregory

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.43

book published: 2013

rating: 3

read at: 2013/05/29

date added: 2013/05/29

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

An interesting, albeit dark and gothic, take on the Alice In Wonderland story. Filled with strange and sometimes gruesome images, it is definitely not for children.



This is volume 2, and there are references back to the first volume as well as other volumes. Not having read prior volumes, I admit to being a bit lost, but I was still able to follow what was going on. The story takes place in 2 realities. Our present day finds Alice's daughter and granddaughter trying to recover from a family tragedy. Meanwhile, in Wonderland, the Red Queen is on the run and trying to find the Temple of Purity with her son, the Red King. Plenty of peril and treachery abound in both storylines. In the modern day storyline, a drug called Dream and a strange nightclub threaten Violet, Alice's granddaughter. In Wonderland, the Black Queen's army stands poised to destroy the Red Queen and her son. In both stories, the sacrificial love of a mother stands out.



There are 5 chapters, or issues, included. Also included is a cover gallery with a lot of the cover variants done for many of the comic conventions. Also included is the first issue of Madness of Wonderland, a 4 part mini-series.



The art falls into the pin-up good girl style. It is on the risque side, and may be offensive to some readers. All of the characters are overly beautiful and a little unreal looking. But the art is good, with lots of panel details. Thicker outlines are used to give the art a storybook illustration appeal. The story, as stated, is dark, but that fits with the madness of Wonderland, so it works especially well.





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The Uninvited

author: Liz Jensen

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.47

book published: 2012

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/28

date added: 2013/05/28

shelves:

review:

Hesketh Lock is employed as a sort of corporate troubleshooter. His Asperger's makes him good at recognizing patterns that others can't seem to see. He is sent to Taiwan to investigate sabotage at ta lumber company by a corporate whistle blower. The man he interrogates makes reference to child gods. Shortly after Hesketh leaves Taiwan, the man dies horrifically. At the same time, there are growing reports of children attacking adults in vicious ways all around the world.



Hesketh is an engaging and memorable character, with his Venn diagrams, obsession with numbers and physical and mental origami. His emotional distance from the people around him can be grating and uncomfortable to those people. At the same time, he has an almost childlike attachment to some of the people in his life. This alien detachment and childlike attachment, along with the surreal events happening around him, make for a fascinating read.



The story has horrific elements, but feels like something from television shows like Fringe or X-Files. By the end of the book, all answers are not arrived at, and you will be left with questions. This might bother some, but I preferred the open-ended nature of the book and I look forward to reading more by Liz Jensen.





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Comeback TP

author: Ed Brisson

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.26

book published: 2013

rating: 3

read at: 2013/05/27

date added: 2013/05/27

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

In the trade paperback Comeback, time travel is possible through a company called Reconnect. They offer the wealthy a second chance by travelling into the near past to rescue people from certain death. The near past and present seem to be a limitation, or maybe Reconnect is concerned with creating time paradoxes.



Matt and Seth are two agents of Reconnect who travel back, rescue victims, and place cadavers in place of the victims. When the FBI starts investigating, the 2 agents find themselves trapped in the past and hunted by the FBI and employees of Reconnect who may have some dirty secrets to hide. It seems that Reconnect has blood on their hands and will do anything to keep their secrets hidden.



The art style is a rougher look, and I liked it, but I did keep confusing 2 key characters because of the style. They look somewhat similar and the book introduces past and future versions of some of the characters. The graphic novel includes lots of extras like alternate covers, and much of the steps in the process of creating a graphic novel. Also included are the elevator pitch for the book, which I found interesting as a summary. It's a well-written, gritty noir story with plenty of the usual head-scratching that time travel stories put me through.





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Only God: Change Your Story, Change the World: Change Your Story, Change the World

author: Dwight Mason

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.17

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/26

date added: 2013/05/26

shelves: non-fiction

review:

An inspirational and encouraging book that will inspire you to examine your story and see how God can work in your life. Filled with examples from the Bible and other sources, it also includes Dwight Mason's inspiring story and how he became pastor of his church in Ohio.



Every chapter is filled with anecdotes and ends with distinct and easy action steps. The book's progression is from finding faith in God to embracing change, sharing your story, helping your children and ending well. Dwight tells of starting life with a leg brace and a stutter and overcoming it to become an athlete and a public speaker.



Practical and inspiring.





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Future Games

author: Paula Guran

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.43

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/22

date added: 2013/05/22

shelves:

review:

Editor Paula Guran has put together a really great anthology of sf stories involving a variety sports and games in Future Games. From a sport involving planets colliding to a story about the children of enemies playing football, the stories span the familiar to the unfamiliar.



There are a wide variety of authors included in the collection with stories going back as far as 1965. Included is the original novella for 'Ender's Game' by Orson Scott Card as well as stories by Cory Doctorow, George R. R. Martin and Scott Westerfield, among others. There are encounters with alien beings, reality television events and sports played on strange terrain.



An editor of an anthology has the job of deciding what to include and exclude in a collection like this, and usually I walk away liking most of the stories. In this case, I can't think of one I didn't enjoy in this collection. There are a couple standout favorites, but the collection stands quite nicely in it's complete form. All the stories seemed to focus on what it means to be human and compete, whether your opponent is an alien lifeform, or your own mind. I'm glad I picked this one up.





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Great Pacific Volume 1: Trashed!

author: Joe Harris

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.54

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/21

date added: 2013/05/21

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

A rich young oil-heir, a mutant octopus and a new country founded on a man-made floating garbage heap are all featured in Great Pacific Volume 1: Trashed, which collects the first 6 comics in the series.



Chas Worthington has it all and is known as a frivolous young man. After his father dies, he is in line to inherit the oil company his family owns, but Chas has other plans. It seems he feels responsible for the mess we've created and decides to found a new country on a floating heap of garbage out in the Pacific. Taking along his best friend, he is quickly pursued by those he left behind. He also runs into mutant animals, pirates and soviet nukes.



All in all a fun ride. An interesting sci-fi premise with a feeling of the great punk comics of the 1980s. Gorgeous art by Martin Morazzo has a real Moebius feel to it, and Joe Harris has written a story with humor, adventure and a great 'stick-it-to-the-man' feel to it. There is so much happening in these 6 issues, and I can't wait to see what they do next.





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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Guarded (Season 9, #3)

author: Andrew Chambliss

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.73

book published: 2013

rating: 2

read at: 2013/05/20

date added: 2013/05/20

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

A graphic novel with 2 separate stories that both left me a little flat. The art is rendered fine, and I know this is part of a larger "Season 9" series, but these 2 episodes felt a little too much like filler. Having guest writers Jane Espenson and Drew Greenberg writing one didn't do much for me.



In the first story, Buffy is hired by Kennedy to act as a bodyguard in her post-slayer career. Buffy can't help seeing demons around every corner and this proves problematic, at first. Then a case comes up regarding a high-profile client who invented a sort of Facebook for demons. The second story deals with Billy, who is the first boy slayer chosen. This story was written by the guest writers (both veteran writers of the Buffy TV show), but it falls flat as well. Buffy makes an appearance towards the end of this story. Billy might be an interesting character eventually, but here he is a bullied young man living with his aging hippie grandmother. He fights against the new zompire epidemic.



I suppose completists will need to purchase this, and I realize that they are just collecting individual issues in a larger volume, but I kind of like my graphic novels to have a larger cohesive story arc. While the two stories are somewhat linked by the growing zompire epidemic, there is little reference back and forth. Buffy shows up at the end of Billy's story, but it almost seems random.





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Mickey Spillane's from the Files Of...Mike Hammer: The Complete Dailies and Sundays Volume 1

author: Mickey Spillane

name: Wayne

average rating: 0.0

book published: 2012

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/19

date added: 2013/05/19

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

While I am familiar with the Mike Hammer character through books and television, I was unaware of his life as a comic strip character. As explained in an excellent forward by Max Allan Collins, we learn of Mickey Spillane's foray into comics before World War II, and how the Mike Hammer dailies came about.



The strips are great. A bit crowded with words, they crackle with a noir life filled with vicious cracks to the back of the head, double dealers and the women that Mike can't resist, even if they mean trouble. Included are Mike's loyal confidante Velda, and his cop friend Pat Chambers, there to dole out common sense and help Mike out when he needs it. The stories are dated, but still a lot of fun to read. The restoration process includes some before and after shots and shows the amazing work to restore these comics (especially the Sunday strips) to life.



Included in the book are lobby cards from films with Mike Hammer, book covers and a nice overview of how this strip came to be, then suddenly came to be cancelled. A nice volume for fans of Mike Hammer and crime comics. Now I feel like roughing up some thugs and cracking wise.





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The Testing (The Testing, #1)

author: Joelle Charbonneau

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.99

book published: 2013

rating: 3

read at: 2013/05/17

date added: 2013/05/17

shelves: young-adult

review:

A young girl in a dystopian future America must pass life or death tests to prove herself worthy of attending University in this new young adult novel. There are obvious comparisons to other works out there in this large and ever-growing subcategory of YA fiction, but this one is still a page-turner with compelling characters.



Cia Vale is about to graduate high school and wonders if she'll be chosen for the Testing, where a group of bright students are given the opportunity to attend University and given jobs restoring the broken remains of the United States. There are 18 colonies left and no one from Cia's colony has been chosen for quite a while, but her father attended years ago and has vague, uneasy memories of what he went through.



The Testing is a series of tests determined to find out who is the best in variety of subjects such as math, science and survival. One test has subjects determining which plants are poisonous and which are safe, then having the students eat the ones they deem safe. The final test is a grueling trip through a war-scarred land where resources are scarce, water is potentially deadly, and fellow test subjects who may be out to eliminate the competition.



Filled with tension, a definite feeling of paranoia, and a likeable heroine in Cia. I've read a lot of dystopian YA fiction, and while this brings nothing new to the genre, I think it will be the breakout hit in YA fiction this Summer.





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Year Zero

author: Rob Reid

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.56

book published: 2012

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/16

date added: 2013/05/16

shelves:

review:







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Get Your Shift Together: How to Think, Laugh, and Enjoy Yourget Your Shift Together: How to Think, Laugh, and Enjoy Your Way to Success in Business and in Life Way to Success in Business and in Life

author: Steve Rizzo

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.40

book published: 2012

rating: 3

read at: 2013/05/14

date added: 2013/05/14

shelves: non-fiction-business

review:

Steve Rizzo is a successful stand up comedian who decided to try something else in life. He is now a successful corporate speaker, using his humor skills to teach people how to get through tough times. His new book does the same. Filled with lots of humor (much of it groan inducing), Steve shows that just having the ability to laugh at ourselves and our situations can make a huge difference.



The book's premise is to shift our mindset. Whether we find ourselves in a life-altering situation or a long line at the grocery store, how we react to it can make a huge difference to us and to those around us. There are plenty of stories in the book to back up the points being made. Some involve famous people Steve has met, like Rodney Dangerfield and Eddie Murphy. Perhaps the most inspirational person is Steve's brother Michael, who suffered a combat injury in Vietnam.



It's a very positive read and many of the chapters have action steps. It's all very encouraging and if you find yourself stuck in a rut with negative thoughts, you might want to pick up a copy of this book.





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Creativeship: A Novel for Evolving Leaders

author: Bob Kelleher

name: Wayne

average rating: 0.0

book published: 2012

rating: 2

read at: 2013/05/10

date added: 2013/05/10

shelves: non-fiction-business

review:

'Creativeship' is a business book disguised as a novel. It's a quick enough read, but the principles laid out in it don't strike me as particularly earth-shattering.



The book starts with Joe retiring and travelling with his daughter to his retirement party. Along the way, he reflects on his life and career. Over time, he coalesces his experience with newer ideas and the book ends with Joe giving a "TED" style talk to an audience. The important principles that should be combined include Purpose, Engagement, Performance, Innovation, Tri-Branding and Global Growth. These are combined into something called 'Creativeship.' Emphasis on using viral videos and social media is given, as well as tying engagement of employees with performance. But are these especially new ideas? Especially when a lot of the companies have been around for at least a decade?



Each big idea is given an appendix which redefines the idea, gives key learning points, discussion points, example companies, reading lists videos and blogs.



The ideas are good and probably still relevant. They just feel a bit dated here in 2013 to come across as the kind of bold revelations that the story wants to make them. Perhaps there is a market for this in well established old companies run by leaders who are resistant to change. Perhaps I've just read some better examples of ways to drive innovation and creativity.





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It's Not about the Coffee: Lessons on Putting People First from a Life at Starbucks

author: Howard Behar

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.38

book published: 2005

rating: 3

read at: 2010/01/01

date added: 2013/05/10

shelves: non-fiction-business

review:







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Mars Attacks Idw

author: Chris Ryall

name: Wayne

average rating: 2.50

book published: 2013

rating: 3

read at: 2013/05/09

date added: 2013/05/09

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

A fun, sometimes loopy comics crossover idea that works for the most part, IDW has taken the iconic characters from the Mars Attacks Topps trading card series (and the later Tim Burton movie) and mashed them up with four of their other properties. In this comic series, the martian invaders with the oversized brains meet characters from Popeye, Zombies vs Robots, Kiss, The Real Ghostbusters, and The Transformers.



I loved these kind of crossover comics as a kid, and I still think their fun. An imaginative "what if" story. In all five the martians invade and have strange encounters. I think the Popeye story was my favorite and worked the best. I was less familiar with the Zombies vs Robots comic, but loved the zombies going crazy over the martians with their huge brains. The Kiss story is the only one that didn't work as well, and maybe that's because they tried to play it straight instead of going for a more campy feel. Your mileage may vary, of course.



Art styles vary throughout. Again, my favorite was the Popeye story with it's washed out color panels, but all the art was quite good. Some of it might be hard to follow without reading some of the other properties, but a fun, light read nonetheless that took me back to the summers of my youth.





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Sticks and Stones: Defeating the Culture of Bullying and Rediscovering the Power of Character and Empathy

author: Emily Bazelon

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.92

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/08

date added: 2013/05/08

shelves: non-fiction

review:

A book that succeeds in addressing the social issue of bullying in a rational, coherent way. Emily Bazelon combines journalism with compassion in a way that remains unbiased, rational and sympathetic.



Three case studies are presented in the course of the book that show different aspects of bullying. Two are somewhat typical cases and one was a higher profile case. Two are victims, while one was accused of bullying. All aspects are fairly presented. Bullying has been around a long time, but now with social media, the victims seemingly have no escape. Schools are also required to intercede more and provide training in social norms. Emily also visits schools with successful anti-bullying programs and visits the headquarters of Facebook to see what they are doing (or not doing) about bullying complaints. The role of parents is also addressed. After all, we shouldn't have to leave it all up to the schools to teach conduct to our children, right?



Can a school intercede and punish based on an internet post made from a location outside of the school? What should parents, educators and students be doing? What is bullying and what is not? These are a few of the many questions asked in the course of the book.



The book concludes with FAQs and resource lists with sections aimed at students, parents and educators. This can only be of great help to anyone in one of these situations, and makes the book a valued resource. It's so refreshing to read something that addresses a social issue in such a clearheaded way.





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Doctor Who: Devil in the Smoke

author: Justin Richards

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.48

book published: 2012

rating: 3

read at: 2013/05/07

date added: 2013/05/07

shelves:

review:

A novella that acts as a prequel to the most recent Doctor Who Christmas special 'The Snowmen.' This novel features Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax, but is notably missing the Doctor. Set in Victorian England, Madame Vastra is referred to as the Great Detective. Her lizard-like appearance means she wears a veil most of the time.



A couple of young boys build a snowman and discover a dead woman in it. They are chased and one of the boys, Harry, is rescued by Strax, a stocky alien with a mind set on mayhem. Harry is taken to Madame Vastra for help. The mystery is solved, but leads right into where the Christmas special picks up.



I would love a series with these three characters, known as The Paternoster Gang. I'd like more depth, and having them solve crimes in Victorian London would be a lot of fun. This book is a novella, so it gives no more depth to the characters, which is a shame, but it's still a quick, fun read.





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Three Graves Full

author: Jamie Mason

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.46

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/06

date added: 2013/05/06

shelves:

review:

'Three Graves Full' reads like a Coen brothers movie. There are dark twists and turns, characters that seem caricatured at first, and a kind of loopy humor at the ludicrous nature of it all.



When milquetoast Jason Getty killed a man who pushed him too far and buried him in his backyard, he lived in fear that the body would one day be discovered. What he didn't expect were the two bodies the cops find buried in his front yard. Bodies that he knew nothing about. When Jason decides to move the body he buried before the police find it, that's when the craziness really begins.



A darkly fun debut novel from someone I hope to read more from. The characters are interesting and resist stereotyping. Sure, there are the small town cops, but they are smarter than they let on. Jason's nervousness and bumbling give him an interesting growth arc, even if it takes until almost the end of the book to see it, and the jilted fiancee even shows an interesting side when it counts. If you like your thrillers quirky and strange, and you have a strong stomach, you can't go wrong with this book.





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Creative Strategy: A Guide for Innovation

author: William Duggan

name: Wayne

average rating: 0.0

book published: 2012

rating: 3

read at: 2013/05/05

date added: 2013/05/05

shelves: non-fiction-business

review:

'Creative Strategy: A Guide For Innovation' seeks to show groundbreaking ways in which creativity and strategy should be part of the same idea process, not individual components. Newer research refutes the separation between right and left brain, and yet, that's how we continue to approach finding new ideas. Duggan proposes a method that uses our strategic experience with our creative ability to make connections to come up with better solutions.



There are three phases to the process and a grid is given to show the process. Examples are in the book of how the grid is used in some real life examples. There is a large section of the book that looks at existing thought on creativity and another section on strategy. Lots of competing methods and thoughts are discussed and dismissed or partially credited for their contributions to innovation. Initially, this came across as a little self-serving since they were all held up to the Creative Strategy method and found lacking. Upon further thought, I had to admire the depth of research the author went to in the field. Having researched a few of the sources, they do seem to lack exactly what creativity actually looks like to derive a workable business innovation.



A short read, but one that attempts to be more specific than many of the other sources I've read to date. If you are looking for a process to guide you to innovation, this gives a much clearer path.





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Ningen's Nightmares

author: J.P. Kalonji

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.00

book published: 2012

rating: 3

read at: 2013/05/04

date added: 2013/05/04

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

Ningen is a young monk who is just leaving the temple for the first time. Or is he? There is more to Ningen's story than even he realizes, and witch Hannya has her own designs on him.



It turns out that Kitsune is responsible for killing a lot of samurai, as well as fathering a child with one of the seasons, so there are a whole host of people out trying to find him. Some want to help, but most want him dead or to use him to bring about chaos on the land.



In a surreal story, J. P. Kalonji weaves some mythological creatures into a strange story that includes the embodiment of the seasons and a Kitsune. The artwork is great, but I found the lettering to be a little hard to read at times. If Japanese fantasy sounds interesting, check out this graphic novel.







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Star Trek: The John Byrne Collection

author: John Byrne

name: Wayne

average rating: 4.00

book published: 2013

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/03

date added: 2013/05/03

shelves: graphic-novels

review:

As a comics fan, I've always liked John Byrne's art. This graphic novel collect seven issues of his run on Star Trek at IDW, and although my review copy only included the first issue, I can confidently review this book based on past experience with Mr. Byrne's work. He is that consistent.



The lines are clean, the characters familiar and iconic, and the skies are filled with a bewildering array of stars (how did he draw all those stars?). The crafty Romulans are deploying a new ship with a warp drive and they have an unusual ally in their quest to dominate the galaxy.



Even after all these years, and thanks to J. J. Abrams reboot of the series, the franchise continues to be strong with fans, and they will not be disappointed with this collection.





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Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker, #1)

author: Paolo Bacigalupi

name: Wayne

average rating: 3.75

book published: 2010

rating: 4

read at: 2013/05/01

date added: 2013/05/01

shelves: young-adult

review:

In a post-oil world, Nailer works light crew salvaging copper and other metals from derelict and abandoned oil tankers. He's good at what he does because he's small and he can fit in the ducts of the ships, but it's a hard life and a poor one. Everyone dreams of making that "lucky strike." Finding something that will make them rich enough to not worry about other scavengers. Nailer also has a violent abusive father, so that gives him even more desperation to get away.



One day, after a big storm, Nailer and his friend Pima discover something with the potential to change everything. This leads Nailer into danger and new adventures.



This book is set in the same universe as 'The Windup Girl' and 'The Drowned Cities.' The latter is for adults and is quite different in tone. I'm quite impressed with Paolo's writing, and his ability to scale his writing for adults and younger readers. The books are quite different in tone, and I enjoyed both of the ones I've read (and the few short stories I've read). I look forward to other books by this author.



'Ship Breaker' won or was nominated for quite a few book prizes when it came out, and rightfully so. Check it out.





via Wayne's bookshelf: read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/143660633?utm_medium=api&utm_source=rss