Reviews: By Ramse

Friends: Stories About New Friends, Old Friends, And Unexpectedly True Friends

2006-04-16T16:00:00.000-07:00

This is a collection of stories about friends from various authors, the only one I recognized was Meg Cabot.

Most of the stories were quite good, a few were a little confusing (perhaps because I'm not sure if they are true or fictional stories or perhaps a mix of both).

I found that when Meg Cabot isn't trying to capture the voice of a dorky teenage princess she is actually a rather good writer who doesn't overuse capitalization. I wouldn't say her story was the best but it certainly wasn't the worst.

These stories didn't offer much insight into friendship but they were entertaining, not a waste of time at all.

Rating: ®®®®

Harry Potter: J.K. Rowling

2006-04-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry, but I just have to give my Harry Potter rant.

I think the Harry Potter books are awful, absolutely horrible. Perhaps I just find them too popular (as Oscar Wilde says, "everything popular is wrong") but I don't think this deep-seated hatred can come from a simple need to go against the grain.

For one thing that writing isn't all that great, it was just luck that they're so popular (in my opinion). The only reason I even thought about reading the latest one (I didn't) was the promise of trashiness.

Also, Harry Potter gives an unrealistic and rather damaging portrayal of magic(k) and if the point was to raise awareness then J.K. Rowling has certainly failed.

If possible the movies only made things worse, I only saw the first and third (the third was on a plane).

I would certainly suggest reading something a little less mainstream: The Lighting Thief is an excellent book that many Harry Potter lovers would like; my only complaint is the false build-up to romance, perhaps in the sequel.

Rating: ®

A Mango-Shaped Space: Wendy Mass

2006-04-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

This is probably one of my favorite books of all time. It combines quirky people, strange histories, just a pinch of trashy and some beautiful moments. The writing is a little bit worse then that in Elsewhere but it certainly does not plunge to Cabotian depths.

I cried at the end which is a big plus as it really aids in catharsis (cleansing through pain, yes, it's different from masochism).

I actually liked this book so much that I emailed the author, I was pleasantly surprised to find that she wrote back personally within a few days.

I am eagerly awaiting her new book: Jeremy Frink And The Meaning Of Life which should be coming out in a few months, so expect a review of that as soon as it is out.

Rating: ®®®®®

A Note On Writing By Ramse

2006-04-15T23:13:00.000-07:00

I felt like taking a little break from reviews so here is a general note on writing:

Everyone has heard of first and third person but second person (well, you've probably heard of that too, or at least assumed its existence)?

Since third grade I thought second person was from an omnipotent point of view, then I looked it up and discovered otherwise. Second person puts the reader into the story (such as: "you arrived late at the meeting only to find your peers had eaten all the doughnuts.") resulting in a rather campy piece of writing. It's pretty obvious why second person never caught on.

Elsewhere: Gabrielle Zevin

2006-04-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

In order to balance out my last review, I give you: a good review.

Unlike The Diaries the writing in Elsewhere was excellent, not an extra question mark to be seen. It also contained just enough trashiness to keep me entertained but by no means was I swimming through a sea of cliches or doomed romances.

Most importantly though, this book really helped me to see death in a new light. It offered such a refreshing, unique outlook my entire perception of death changed. I am a believer that what happens to us when we die is dependant on what we want to happen (for instance, someone who wants to go to Valhalla will or someone who wants to be reincarnated will) and now I know what I want to happen to me. I would especially suggest this if you recently had a death in your social circle/family and you need a little help coping.

It sounds to good to be true right? A perfect book that entertains and enlightens? Almost. My only complaint is the later part of the book. About thirty pages from the end I became really confused, a bunch of time had elapsed and I had no idea what was happening. It might have been because I was really tired/possibly asleep but I can't say for sure.

My Rating: ®®®®®

P.S. Just some trivia: the cover art is not the same as the copy I read (it had the Nile snowglobe on it) but I like this one more.

Party Princess: Meg Cabot

2006-04-15T21:44:00.000-07:00

Ah, nothing like a scathing review to cheer me up.

As much as I love the shameful indulgence of a Princess Diaries these books suck when it comes to writing quality. I have never seen such shameful overuse of capitalization, exclamation points and question marks.

And, although this book is hot off the presses the pop culture references are already stale, does Netscape even still exist (and if so who uses it)? And does anyone care about Lindsay or Paris?

Plus, the characters use perfect grammar while IMing (except for one use of chatspeak, way to be consistent). No one does that, except me and other weird writer people.

Like always the plot is trashy (the only reason I read these) but it doesn't quite make up for the horrible writing.

Towards the end it actually got very sweet and I forgot about the gramatical horrors, although it would have been better if she dumped Mike for J.P.

Rating: ®®®