Author Spotlight: Chuck Palahniuk

Known for his crude humor, satirical stories, and sarcastic characters, this is one of my absolute favorite authors! I saw him on his book tour for Rant, and he is so funny and nice! I just love him.

His list of fiction (* indicates a novel that I personally read)

Fight Club (1996) Yes it is a little embarrassing that I have not read his inarguably most famous book- but I have seen the movie with Brad Pitt and Edward Norton maybe 10 times. I don't have time to read everything people!

*Invisible Monsters (1999) This one is my personal favorite. I can't go into too many details, because like many of Palahniuk's books, it is full of crazy twists- including the book beginning near the end of the story- but thats to be expected in his books. Everyone should check it out- they are making it into a movie in 2010! I must say that makes me pretty excited!

Survivor (1999) Seeing as this book is collecting dust on my bookshelf as we speak, this will most likely be the next Palahniuk that I will read. From what I know about it, it starts at the end of the story- and it's about the last surviving member of a death cult (everyone else has committed suicide).

*Choke (2001) Though a movie was made from this book (...it wasn't very good...) this was not my favorite book. Sometimes I am not a big fan of how his books end. It did keep me laughing and entertained though!

Lullaby (2002) This is a really personal book for Chuck. He wrote this after his father's murder- and while contemplating his stance on capital punishment- and whether or not the murderer should receive the death sentence. The book is about a journalist investigating SIDS deaths. At each home, an African book of poems is found, opened at the same page. The lullaby has the power to kill people, and by memorizing the poem, the narrator becomes an accidental serial killer.

*Diary (2003) This is another one where I didn't love the ending, but I loved the story! It was creative, and it kind of reminded me of LOST. I would recommend it even though I thought the ending was a little weird.

Haunted (2005) Scheduled to be the next of his book to movies- this novel is interestingly written. It is comprised of short stories that tie in to the main plot line. After ever story, there is a chapter by the narrator. The short story "Guts" that I previously blogged about can be found in this book.

*Rant (2007) Oddly enough, this is the first Palahniuk book I read, and it was also the dirtiest! Haha! I loved it though, again it's a hilarious book. It is written in the form of interviews and the characters are all very different and interesting in their own rights.

Snuff (2008) One of his dirtiest novels, this is the story of a woman attempting to break the record for basically the most sexual partners in a porn, in one setting. If I remember correctly, there are 600 men attempting to be a part of this event. One of them is a relative... interesting and full of plot twists.

Pygmy (spring 2009) This book is scheduled to come out in May. It revolves around a foreign exchange student-terrorist that has a goal of blowing up millions of Americans with his science project.

Author Spotlight: JK Rowling

I wont lie- it makes me really mad when people wont read Harry Potter because they think it's stupid. The series has sold over 400 million copies worldwide, and the brand is worth $15 billion. I think that makes it worth checking out, right?

Here are my favorite Harry Potter books, in the order from favorite to least favorite.

The Half- Blood Prince (6th)- I loved this one because it was dark and sad and I felt like the characters grew up the most in this book. And you don't know if Snape is good or bad, and by the end of the book you are convinced he is bad. Plus everyone starts falling for each other. I just love it.

The Order of the Phoenix (5th)-again, I loved this one because it was so dark. And who doesn't cry when Sirius dies? It's just sad, but I love it.

Prisoner of Azkaban (3rd)- like I said, I love Sirius. So when he escapes from Azkaban, and you don't know if he is good or bad- it's a page turner. And Hermione has the time turner in this book, which I thought was cool.

The Sorcerer's Stone (1st)- I mean it's the first book, it is where I got hooked. I dont have much more to say but that. Also it's short and you could read it in a day or two.

The Chamber of Secrets (2nd)- While this movie is terrible, it's a pretty cool book. I liked how Ginny was controlled by Riddle's diary- and this book is where you start learning more about Voldemort.

Goblet of Fire (4th)- After reading it this first time, and seeing the movie three times, I cannot possibly read this again. I tried and couldn't get through it. I hated to Triwizard Tournament. I thought it was super distracting from the plot.

The Deathly Hallows (7th)- Might as well be called The Extended Camping Trip. I thought it was boring until the final battle, I thought Ron was a little bitch, and I do not understand how they could possibly be making two movies out of this book. Hmph.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard-If you are planning on picking this up to learn more about Harry Potter, you are in for a disappointment. I read this in about 25 minutes, and it's just 5 fairy tales with commentary by Dumbledore. It sounds cooler than it is. But, the proceeds from the book go to the Children's High Level Group, a charity that JK Rowling started in 2005. The group benefits children living in institutions- whether they are orphaned or disabled. So in summary: good cause, not the greatest book. But if you are an HP fan, it would be great to add to the collection!

Author Spotlight: Joseph Conrad

This past semester I had to take a class that consisted of ALL Conrad, All the time. While I would not recommend it, I think this experience has given me a pretty valid opinion, so here goes. Also, for those of you that know that the enjoyability of a class is directly related to the personality of the teacher that instructs it, I would like to note that I LOVED this teacher. She was nice and understanding and I would have hated Conrad more had I not taken this class with her.

Here is the list of books I read for this semester:

Heart of Darkness (1899)
Lord Jim (1900)
Falk (1901)
Typhoon (1902)
The Mirror of the Sea (1904-1906)
The Secret Agent (1907)
Il Conde (1908)
The Secret Sharer (1909)
Victory (1915)

In my humble opinion, Conrad is one of the most boring, redundant, and dry authors I have ever come across. All of the books previously mentioned, with the exception of The Secret Agent take place at sea, on an island, ship, port, ect. There are generally some sort of tortured heroes, self-sacrificing women, and big storms. DO NOT read Mirror of the Sea. This is a collection of essays about sailing, the topics include: the importance of wind, the relationships between captains and crewmen, and the role an anchor plays on a ship. It put me to sleep every time I picked it up. If I had to recommend some Conrad, I would say that Victory was decent, and The Secret Agent was not unbearable. Hitchcock made a film about the later (Sabotage 1936). And lastly, for the record, Heart of Darkness is incredibly overrated.