Going Bovine By Libba Bray

https://www.wevideo.com/view/537987923

The book, Going Bovine by Libba Bray, orbits around the illusions of 16 year old Cameron Smith as he is slowly taken over by Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human equivalent to mad cow’s disease. His story begins after he accepts a quest offered by Dulcie, a literal pink “punk rock” angel, to engage in an exorbitant adventure find Dr. X, the time traveling physicist who triggered the end of the universe via his excessive trips across dimensions through the means of wormholes. Along with Gonzo, his neurotic hospital roommate affected with dwarfism, the sudden appearances of Dulcie, and random signs of guidance, Cameron goes on a utopian road trip to Disney World, the location of Dr. X’s secret laboratory. En route, they meet Balder, a Norse god cursed to appear in the form of a lawn gnome, escape the ever appearing theoretical fire dragons commanded by the Wizard of Reckoning, encounter a mysterious cult, meet the acquaintance of several physicists and fight against a notorious snow globe corporation. At their final destination, Cameron realizes his true identity and twist that shakes the reader’s entire perspective of the book is revealed. The book offers valuable insight to the true meaning of life and leaves the reader wondering even after the last page, regardless of the number of times, has been turned.

 

The novel brings up unpopular yet eye-opening perspectives on modern education, religious cults, as well as American materialism, and includes several references to wormholes and string theory. Its overall bold quirkiness and unpredictable storyline also added to the book’s appeal. The unexpected twists and turns of the plot made the book more intriguing and harder to put down. Although the book supports several disliked opinions and contains varying degrees of profanity, it offers stimulating views on various topics trending in modern culture. The book invites the reader to be more curious as to how a character ends up. I would recommend this book to readers interested in profound, vivid and yet cryptic dark comic tragedy.

 

Reviewed by Sritharini R.

 

Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief, the first book of the Percy Jackson series, is written by Rick Riordan. He has also written two other series, one about Egyptian mythology and the other about Greek as well as Roman mythology.  The Lightning Thief is a fantasy fiction, revolving around Greek Mythology. Riordan uses the three powerful Greek gods: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades as well as the Titan Kronos to play major roles in this novel. This fictional book is based on a dyslexic 6th grade boy, finding out that he is a half-blood, meaning his father is a god, however his mother is a human mortal. This boy, named Percy Jackson, finds out that he is not a normal human. He is taken to a camp to be trained to face evils that he will face in the future. As the title states the Lightning Thief, this book is about a thief who stole the Lightning Bolt, a symbol of power, from the Greek god, Zeus, in order to ignite a significant war against the powerful gods. The ending of this novel, is left at a cliff-hanger as the thief is known only to Percy. The overall theme of this book is associated with the motif of identity. Riordan suggests that the theme of the novel is: identity should be recognized as life progresses, rather than at rough times of life. This fictional book talks about a young boy and his ambiguity of his reality. This novel is really interesting as a boy in middle school finds his real parents and sets out on adventurous journey to help a god. This is an action packed book which ensures that the reader doesn’t get bored at any point of the plot. The only question that this book would raise in a reader, is, “What happens next?” By ending the plot with a cliff-hanger, Riordan compels the reader to continue reading the next book in the series. In my opinion, this book lacks nothing. It is both relatable as well as action-filled. By visualizing the plot of the novel, I personally find it amusing to read this book. I love this book, because it is fascinating to portray in my mind. As the plot deepens, so does my attention to detail as I visualize the images of the plot in my mind. The book talks about the strength that each god posses, and their power granted to their children. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in action-filled novels.

 

 I picked up this fictional book, because it had a displayed a contrasting and interesting juxtaposition of an innocent boy in a dangerous world. The novel implied a relatable yet an engaging tone as suggested by the adventurous almost dangerous cover. I selected this novel, because of both the peculiar and the conceptual title, The Lightning Thief. Finally, I chose this novel, due to the vast majority of my friends and peers recommending it. I was genuinely drawn into the novel because it was fascinating to me. Not only was it easy to comprehend, but also this book was extremely relatable to me and displayed to me that even though school and life gets rough, just seek comfort by surrounding yourself with people that give you positive influence in your life. This book was also exceptionally easy to visualize the scenes in my mind, which in turn made it better for me to effortlessly understand the entire plot. I would give this fictional book to anyone interested in reading action and adventurous books. People who are interested in fantasy fiction and greek mythology would love reading this book. This text could be given to anyone as it is easy visualize the plot.

Reviewed by Sam Choppala

Lost and Found by Shaun Tan

Lost and Found by Shaun Tan is a graphic novel containing three unique and interesting short stories. Each tell a simple story with simple plots but the heavy messages in those stories are what ultimately invests a reader in the story. Even more impressive is the art style and sheer creativity in expressing the pieces in the book. Shaun Tan’s style is hard to pin down, its like a mixture of minimalistic, steampunk, cartoonish, and abstract. A different style is expressed in each of the stories to give them individuality, tone, and mood. Personally, the book sent me down into a smooth river of feelings and emotions that subtly changed after each story was told. It was a riveting experience that ended all too soon because of the books width. However, the novel’s depth weighs more heavily than the books length. Like a song we understand just as much it understands us in such a short amount of time. Before I began the awe-inspiring journey, I picked up the novel and found curiosity in its bizarre art style that I would later call beautiful. Like the perfect song, I fell in love with its deep, hidden meaning and emotional art. Anyone who likes to find special meaning in lost and forgotten things ought to give this little book an audience.

Reviewed by Autumn Greene

Prey by Michael Crichton

Prey is about a man named Jack Foreman, who has recently been fired from his job as software developer working in a time period in which the computer industry made a huge boom. Now a house-husband, Foreman deals with the kids and also with having a wife that works long hours. The company that Julia Foreman, Jack’s wife, works for is Xymos. This company is currently working on microscopic cameras that can be used by the military. These cameras can’t be destroyed, and they are controlled by algorithms that were written by Jack and his team at his former company. When the code goes wrong, Jack is called to Xymos on a contract to work to solve the problem. The problem seems to have no solution at first, as it seems that the company knew about the problem but never did anything to solve it. Instead, it continued to build the cameras without fixing those problems. Unfortunately, those cameras escaped, and due to the software algorithms that Jack writes for his old company, they are able to reproduce and also grow by feeding on live prey. The cameras have become an indestructible killing machine and it is up to Jack and his former team, which has actually moved to Xymos, to solve the problem in 24 hours or less…

I was able to relate to this book a lot, as I work on scripting algorithms myself. I apply some of the programming methods vaguely referenced in this book to my own code, and as a result, my programs run a lot more smoothly now. As someone who works on a team with the occasional fool in the tech world (robotics), I enjoy relating to Jack’s problems with people on his team. The thriller in this book is that of a whole new level. As a reader of many fiction books, I know that in most cases, the characters will solve the problem no matter what. The thing with this book is, though, that you never know what Xymos has hidden from us next. The problems keep on piling on, and as the situation becomes more desperate, a reader like myself truly enjoys poring over the plot and soaking in the mystery. This book has truly changed a lot for me this past month. I can write algorithms a lot smoother now, and I learn from Jack that working on a team is more than just carrying when no one does anything. It is more about trusting your teammates that the job will be done. I learn from this book that during stressful situations it is important to remain calm but it is understandable to break down at times. It is all about getting up and continuing to work harder, putting in as much steam as you can. I truly enjoy thrillers, and Michael Crichton has written several other amazing thrillers that I have read as well, including Jurassic Park, and I was truly looking forward to this experience. The book looked like it would be about aliens based on what it said on the back cover, and as a result, I was very excited, as I always am at the mention of anything unusual, including the extra terrestrial. The book contained a lot about the writing of algorithms, and as that is something I do, I wanted to see more references to that. I was in luck, as Crichton continued to include code bits and pieces here and there across the book. The thriller got to me, yes, but it was primarily the programming portion of the book I enjoyed the most. I would give this book to a person that loves technology, loves programming, or just wants to read a thriller in general. If you love seeing characters deal with problem after problem, this book is for you. People who love books about family and how it must stay together would love this book as well. Prey contains a lot about office politics and busy life in an industry, so adults can relate to this book as well. Any of the people mentioned above really would be possible people I would give this book to next.

book reviewed by Deep Sethi

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

In the story, a Game Of Thrones by George Martin, the plot lies within the family of Winterfell, the Starks. There is Eddard Stark, his wife Catelyn, their sons Robb, Bran, and Rickon. They also have two daughters, Sansa and Arya. There is a half-brother by the name of Jon Snow. While Jon goes to the Wall, to help defend the kingdom, Eddard and his daughters go to King’s Landing because Eddard must now serve king Robert Baratheon. There they willl face their greatest enemies and must fight to live.

The book is very interesting because it gives us a possible insight as to what life in the medieval times would have been like. The book raises issues about how corrupt kings could be.

I kept on reading because at every page there was a new character and a plot twist. Characters who were friends would suddenly turn on each other, kings fought each other and many more twists like that came up it this story.

In my opinion this book was amazing. I really liked all the plot twists and all the different types characters. I especially enjoyed the fight scenes and tournaments because they had to fight with armor and swords and spears. There were no guns, just traditional fighting. I would recommend it to someone who likes fiction, medieval times, and crazy plot twists.

by Oleon

Skim By Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Skim by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, brings forth the melancholic, confusing, tragic, and emotional life of a perfectly woven imperfect character nicknamed Skim. Skim has to deal with jerky popular school girls, a crashing and burning relationship with a friend, depression, the death of a classmate, and the question of her sexuality. Is there a silver lining to all of this? Falling in love, learning something new, and finding something that was always there.

Skim= a bit of an Aquarius.

Skim= I would shove this book into the hands of anyone going through the stuff she was going through and any who are adventurous.

Skim=I picked it up because of the unique art style.

Skim=it became my favorite graphic novel when I kept reading it.

Skim= a must read coming of age graphic novel.

Reviewed by= Jalen x. Greene

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

Summary: The Screwtape Letters are a collection of letters written by chief Devil, Screwtape, who writes to his junior devil nephew, Wormwood, about the techniques and tricks to deceiving humans and condemning their souls to hell by keeping them away from God and the Truth.

Why I picked it up: It was recommended in a magazine I was reading.

Why I kept reading it: It was difficult to read but it really provoked new thoughts and a different approach to perceiving human desires and temptations and how humans choose to endure and respond to them.

Who I would give it to next: A friend 🙂

Reviewed by Eun Young K.

Matched by Ally Condie

Summary: Matched is about Cassia, who lives in a society where everything is chosen for you, like your job, how much you eat, how much you can excercize, and who you will marry or be “matched” with. Cassia gets matched with Xander, her best friend, and she loves him. But Cassia eventually falls in love with Ky, and she finds out that Ky should have been matched with Cassia, but Ky can’t be matched since he is cannot be matched with since someone in his family committed a crime.

Why I picked it up: The cover looked good and the summary seemed interesting.

Why I kept reading it: It had an interesting plot, and the story was well written.

Who I would give it to next: My friends that have read the Hunger Games.

Reviewed by Sarah R.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Summary: Beatrice Prior, nicknamed Tris, lives in the dystopian city of Chicago. This society is divided into different factions, each standing for its own morals and purpose: Dauntless, Abnegation, Candor, Erudite, and Amity. The day that each citizen becomes sixteen is of utmost importance; it is the day that he or she chooses which faction to join for life. However, there are buried secrets in the history of this isolated society. Tris discovers during a simulation that she is unique- or, as they say, Divergent. As she goes through initiation, she faces the difficulties in training, dealing with other initiates, and the corruptions in the government. The mystery of what being Divergent actually means eludes her. The problems build, providing stepping stones to lead to the climax: an all-out civil war between the factions.

Why I picked it up: My friend, who has a similar taste in novels, recommended it to me. I was intrigued when I started reading the first chapter; it sucked me in from the start.

Why I kept reading it: The plot line was fascinating and fast-paced; it kept me glued to the book. Also, the fact that each faction stood for a human characteristic was certainly interesting.

Who I would give it to next: In a way, this book is slightly reminiscent of The Hunger Games- a teenaged girl protagonist, dystopian society, and budding romance. However, the storyline varies greatly. Fans of The Hunger Games will probably enjoy this.

Reviewed by Nicole W.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Summary: The book sets itself sometime in the near future in a post-apocalyptic, perspective of the world, where a son and his father are one of the last surviving “good guys.” In this book, both of the protagonists remain nameless, the book begins with the boy and his father both waking up while suffering from a nuclear winter, which is dominated by rain, snow and almost freezing temperatures. Unfortunately, the pair decide to head south for the almost endless winter. While on a constant alert for shelter and food, along with the fear of other belligerent survivors or cannibals.

Why I picked it up: I selected this book, because I seen the movie The
Road and I took an interest in the movie and liked the general feel to the
movie, because it had strong themes of the father-son relationship, survival of the fittest and how humanity had broken down because of the apocalyptic event which took place. Additionally, this book was also highly recommended by Mrs. Accorinti for me to read, which is one of the other reasons on why I selected this book.

Why I kept reading it: I kept reading this book, because I have always been
interested in the genre of a post-apocolyptic era. I proceeded to read this
book because the book was quite ambitious, and used constant foreshadowing and used cliffhangers at the end of each of the chapters. Furthermore, this book somewhat kept me wanting to read, because it I wanted to know what was going to happen to the pair, at the end of the novel.

Who would I give it to next: I would recommend this book, to readers who like he mystery genre, because of the foreshadowing throughout the book, along with other individuals who like the sci-fi genre, due
to this book taking place in a fictional world of a post-apocolyptic environment and how humans
attempt to survive in the annihilated wasteland

by Jonathan Brizuela