Tuesday, July 26, 2016

A Head Full of Ghosts

by Paul Tremblay

Merry was 8 years old when her older sister Marjorie started seeing things and acting weird and causing trouble in the family. They quickly come to the conclusion that Marjorie is possessed by a demon and the whole family goes into turmoil as they determine how to deal with her Head Full of Ghosts.  First they agree to become a reality tv show and fill the house with cameras that record all the unusual incidents. Then they send Marjorie to a psychiatrist for counseling and medication, which doesn't work. Ultimately, they bring in a priest to perform an exorcism.

The book is ok, but could be better. The story is told by Merry as she is recounting it to a writer who wants to publish a book about these events. And there are some strange "interruptions" in the story by a blogger, which was out of place and annoying. It was kind of a combination of The Exorcist, Poltergeist and The Omen.... only not scary. However, if you liked those books, you'd probably like this too. 

Friday, July 8, 2016

The Ex

by Alafair Burke

The Ex is a crime courtroom drama about a middle-of-the-road attorney who gets talked into defending her ex-fiance after he is accused of murder. Because Olivia has some long held guilt over their breakup, when Jack's 16 yo daughter calls in a panic, Olivia comes to the rescue, despite this being a case she should never take, she is confident Jack is incapable of the crime. Despite there being a few plot twists, this wasn't my favorite read. I didn't like any of the characters, so didn't care what happened to them and I couldn't buy the premise. I found the story forgettable.
However, if you like stories with some courtroom action you may enjoy this book. 

Monday, July 4, 2016

A Confederacy of Dunces

by John Kennedy Toole

Ignatius Reilly is a fat, lazy, 30-something who lives with his mother, can't keep a job, is paranoid and is writing his life work on Big Chief notepads that he stores under his bed. Other than attending school in Baton Rouge, Reilly hasn't left the New Orleans French quarter, where he has some spectacular encounters with a stripper, a "flamer," a nightclub owner, an elderly secretary and a policeman who is trying to arrest him. A Confederacy of Dunces is a comedy of errors!  The story is fun and funny and a tiny bit irritating. Ignatius is a Louisiana cross between Kramer and George Costanza, sarcastic and obtuse.

I can't think of any book like it, but if you're a fan of Seinfeld you should give it a read.