Looking for Alaska by John Green

I went into reading Looking for Alaska with a bit of prejudgment: my girlfriend had read it before me and has been highly ticked off at John Green ever since she has. In fact, I think it has led her to not read any more books by Green. So I just had to read it and find out what upset her so much. I did. Warning ahead of time: there will be spoilers in this review. If that bothers you, you'd better skip it.

Green has set this book in a fictional private boarding school in Alabama. As I live in Alabama, I was good with this. In fact, I was impressed that he had the geography correct as he told of travels to different nearby towns. It felt pretty authentically Southern to me..

The narrator, who is renamed Pudge (because he's so skinny--it's ironic, see?), is a stranger in a strange land. He is more than a little lost in this new world he lobbied his parents so hard to join. He meets his roommate, The Colonel, and through him several other interesting characters. By far the most interesting is Alaska. Pudge falls instantly in love with her. It isn't hard to believe. Green works hard to make the reader fall in love with her as well..

The book is divided into "days before" and "days after. The central incident is the death of Alaska. Dealing with this. Trying to make meaning of it. Feeling the guilt that someone could have done something to prevent it. These are all realistically and heartbreakingly portrayed. As the book continues into "days after" Pudge and the Colonel try to figure out what happened. And to honor Alaska with one last, grand prank..

Although I felt the ending was a bit too neat and tidy, I really enjoyed this book a lot. That Green was able to draw characters so strongly that the death of one creates an emotional impact, speaks to his strength as a writer. While I would have preferred Alaska to survive, it would have made this an altogether different and far more predictable tale. I think that this is a book worth reading.

There is a great deal of profanity in this book. It doesn't really bother me, but I know some people don't care for that. There is also a lot of talk about sex and a brief scene of a sexual encounter.

Oh Myyy!: There Goes the Internet by George Takei

I love George Takei’s Facebook feed. It is consistently amusing and quirky. I feel much the same way about his book Oh Myyy!: There Goes the Internet.

I have to admit that I had some misconceptions about this book. I thought before reading it that it was nothing more than a collection of the various pics and memes that he has shared on Facebook. It was nothing of the sort.

It is more of a memoir. He tells the story of how “Oh myyy!” became his trademark. He explains how he slowly entered the social media world with Twitter. He has several amusing stories about his Twitter experiences. It is conversational in tone, as though Uncle George is just talking to me. Telling tales.

He goes into how he got into Facebook. And how he was as surprised as anyone else that he became such a sensation. While he could have come off as pompous or self important, he instead seems to be a regular guy. He has his own views on what he should and should not post. He stands by these principles.

I love the self-deprecatory humor, the apparent candor, and yes, the quirkiness of this tale. I also want to reread the last couple of chapters that has tips on how to build and hold on to an audience on Facebook.

I would recommend this book. It was fun. I read the 244 page Kindle version of the book in an evening. Not earth-shattering, but definitely a fun way to spend a Sunday night.

Mercy Thompson: Homecoming by Patricia Briggs and David Lawrence

I have been a long time fan of Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series. I have read the first several novels and found them to be quite enjoyable. She has her own unique take on werewolves, vampires, the Fae, and other supernatural creatures.

The main character is Mercy Thompson, a "walker." She can instaneously shift between human and coyote form. She was raised by the Marrok, the head werewolf. She is independent, contrary, and wonderfully stubborn.

This graphic novel is an origin story, of sorts--a prequel to the novels. It is the story of how Mercy came to live in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. Interestingly enough for me, she came to the area to interview for a teaching position. It seems to me that Ms. Briggs was either a teacher at some point in her life or knows one well--she nailed the absurd expectations some school boards have of teachers.

The story also tells how Adam Hauptman brought his pack into the area. He was sent by the Marrok to take the territory from a pack of rogue werewolves that have been crossing the line and attacking humans. Mercy, of course, gets caught in the middle of this.

The artwork by Francis Tsai and Amelia Woo (and cover art by Daniel Dos Santos) is good. It was interesting to see the artists’ interpretations of the characters who have only been pictures in my head until now. The story was fast-paced and cleared up some questions about Mercy and how she came to be there. It can be read by either newcomers to the series or those who, like me, have been reading the books for years.

It was a good, quick read. Not too heavy. I enjoyed it.