When Everyone Knows But You

Have you ever read a book, finished it, and as you close it say, "that was a good book!" That is what I did with Whatever.: or how junior year became totally f$@ked, by S. J. Goslee. Mike Tate is a confused junior in high school. Confused about life, confused about his friends, and confused about who he is attracted to. He starts out in a relationship with Lisa Viking, but does not end up with her. I am not going to spoil any of the surprises and twists, so I will simply say this was a wonderfully fun book to read. We get inside Mike's head (which is a typical high school junior boy) and learn all sorts of wonderful things about his life, his wonderful and eccentric family (I love Rosie and his Nana), and his quirky friends. I enjoyed the unique names such as Rook, Cam, and Serge, making these characters stand out more. The ending was what I expected and wanted. 

Return to White Plume Mountain

White Plume Mountain by Paul Kidd is based on the Dungeons and Dragons module White Plume Mountain, I got to relive the adventure I played as a youth. The Justicar, with the help of a faerie named Escalla and a teamster named Polk, are commissioned to go to White Plume Mountain and rid the world of a possible reincarnation of the wizard Keraptis, an evil sorcerer who died many years ago. 

The Justicar, whose real name is Evelyn, is a hearty ranger who simply wants justice. Escalla, a thieving faerie, is full of witticisms and humor. Polk, the stereotypical adventurer, is the chronicler of the trio. I laughed when he suggested to bring supplies that many adventurers would buy to prepare for their adventures, but were typically useless and extra weight.

I got to read about Blackrazor, Whelm, and Wave, the magical weapons sought after in the original adventure module. I had always wanted Blackrazor as and adventurer, but realized its power was to great and used for evil.

There were some slow places in the novel, but anyone who has played D&D will enjoy revisiting the story and the adventure itself. At the end Escalla has purchased the village of Hommlet, which was my first dungeon module purchased. It leaves the story for a possible sequel.

Prep School Reality

Honestly Ben, by Bill Konigsberg is a novel about owning up to yourself and being who you are. His characters are lovable and realistic from the quirky Albie to the genderfluid Toby. Ben Carver, the main character, is coming to terms with being in love with his best friend Rafe. He does not consider himself gay, even dating a girl named Hannah for a while, but cannot get over that he loves his best friend, who happens to be a boy.

Set in a rich kids' private school, Ben Carver has to deal with being from a poor farming family. He also has to deal with an staunch, relentless father who only believes in one way - something Ben is not. This raises the issue of privilege and how most students are not aware they are.

Ben is up for an award, the Peter Pappas Award, named for a former student at Natick, and has to give a speech about him, until he realizes the dead Vietnam hero was not who he was. This forces Ben to come to terms with who he is and ultimately forces him to abandon opportunities he could have as a privileged graduate of Natick. The second book of a duology, we get to see another perspective of a character from the first book. Very enjoyable and a highly recommended read.

Norman vs Norma vs Normal

Reading Challenge 2017: book that takes place in a hotel. Psycho, by Robert Bloch, was an interesting read, having seen the movie (which is a different version of the book) and all the cultural references to the shower scene.  Had I read this before seeing the movie, the ending would have been a twist when discovering the mother was not actually alive and Norman is schizophrenic.  Of course, if Mary Crane had not wanted to help Sam Loomis with his financial problems and stole the $40,000, she would still be alive.  For all the focus in movies about the shower scene, Mary hardly exists long enough in the book to be considered a major character.  

Norman Bates was fat and bespectacled in the book instead of the tall, thin Anthony Perkins in the movie.  At one point he is described as "an old geezer" even though he is not that old chronologically.  I wonder why the choice was made to change his physical characteristics in the movie, making him a sexier killer.  

Ed Gein was mentioned toward the end of the novel, insinuating that both were serial killers and similar, even though Norman only killed two people.  The psychology of a peeping tom and schizophrenic seeing his "mother" made for a nice addition to the thriller aspect of the novel, but it did not make him scary.  As was mentioned in the novel, he was a quiet, shy man in the area and was even embarrassed at points, which might be a response to his mother's dominance in his life and not wanting him to leave her, even though she had found a suitor before Norman poisoned them.

The ending is strange as it leaves the reader with the sense of being a cliffhanger, as Norma has fused with Norman and Normal to make one person who does not see himself as being anyone that "could hurt a fly", even though he decapitated Mary and killed Arbogast, the detective.

Reading this does not make me want to watch the movie, but it does help explain where the thriller originated.

Dead Fish

Reading Challenge 2017: book with a subtitle.  Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, by Daniel Wallace, was a let down. Normally I would say the book is better than the movie. However, in this case, I cannot. The novel is touted as "a novel of mythic proportions" but it seemed more like a collection of "big fish" stories and jokes shared by the father on his death bed.  I waited for that clarity that comes when reaching the end of a novel and the feeling of sadness that comes after reading something wonderful.  Instead, I felt glad I was finished and glad it was so short.

I expected the same magical realism that the movie provided in the novel, yet it seemed to be just chapters full of stories a son was telling about his father. The movie seemed to bring all the stories together in the end when the novel simply allowed the father to turn into a big fish. Ewan McGregor brought the main character to life in ways the author did not seem to do.  

Edward Bloom had a wonderful life, which he was trying to impart to his son. This seemed to be lost in the method of telling stories. One could write similar stories and tales about family, in a grandiose way, and share wisdom learned through that.  I feel none wiser after finishing it.

In retrospect, I am glad I only paid a dollar for it at a library sale and will not read it again.