For those familiar with Lin’s previous work, Shoplifting reads more like an extended story from his short story compilation, Bed, rather than a shortened version of his novel, Eeeee Eee Eeee. For those not familiar with Lin’s previous work, for shame. You should be.

Lin exemplifies exactly what it takes for a young author to break into the modern publishing world and maintain a modicum of success once in it. Through his internet persona, Lin has used gimmicks and scandals to boost his presence and gather as many haters as well as fans.

Such gimmickry includes auctioning his Myspace account password which led to earning more than $8,000 on Ebay as well as selling shares for a novel that, at the time, he had not yet written.

His blog is primarily used for self-promotion where he posts anything from substandard artwork and Gmail chats to advertisements of “surprise boxes” containing items packaged from his room to sell for whatever amount of money a fan may be willing to pay.

While his detractors are all too fond of calling him a fraud, Lin’s success speaks for itself. Lin has published two poetry anthologies, a novel, a collection of short stories, and now this novella, all before turning 30. He also established MuuMuu House, Lin’s very own publishing house.

What does any of this have to do with Shoplifting? Pretty much everything. The main protagonist, Sam, is a young writer in New York City with a small amount of success, suffering from severe depression, and chats on Gmail. Shoplifting is a fictitious version of Lin’s life where only the names of people have been changed. Through the eyes of Sam, Lin explores many aspects of his own life. Written in Lin’s detached, minimalistic prose, this novella is best read with a neutral facial expression.

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He is once again embracing a mature audience with his new novel, The Mystery of Grace.

Altagracia —or Grace as her friends refer to her—has gone to extreme lengths to make sure trouble stays out of her life.

On her shoulder she has a tattoo of Nuestra Senora de Altagracia for luck, not to mention that her other tattoos from her feet up make for quite a fierce impression.

Yet, luck is not on her side when she steps into a local grocery store just in time to witness it being robbed.

Spooked by her sudden appearance, the paranoid robber opens fire on Grace, leaving enough bullets in her to ensure she will not ever need groceries again.

When Grace gains consciousness, she finds that she is still in the grocery store and unharmed; nothing has changed except the fact that she is dead.

Now she is trapped in a world parallel of hers with ghosts who have also died in the neighborhood.

Nobody knows why they are here. Whether they have constructed this world from their memories or whether they are just a part of someone’s dreams has yet to be discovered.

All Grace knows is that she has twice a year to visit the world of the living to spend time with loved ones and search for clues about her personal version of an afterlife.

Fans of de Lint’s work may be disappointed to discover that the story is not set in the fictitious city of Newford nor features any of the recurring characters found in most of his novels.
De Lint writes a magical tale of new characters and new experiences.

It is a tale of love and loss, and more importantly, what it means to let things go when the time is right.

The Mystery of Grace is bittersweet with  language masterfully crafted in a style that can only belong to de Lint.

Both first time readers of de Lint’s work as well as long time fans will find that they might need to take a lesson from the characters of this novel as the feeling and emotions evoked by The Mystery of Grace take a long time to let go.

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For those who are not familiar with the series, It Had To Be You is a great starting point to test the water of a series that is definitely not for everyone. If you only read books with depth or for intellectual stimulation/enlightenment, then by all means avoid, avoid, avoid. If you are looking for a quick, entertaining read during times of boring, von Ziegesar’s novel might just suit your fancy. And for those of you who are in the know of the series, it is still most likely not a waste of time to give this book a read as it provides new perspectives for already familiar territory.

The novel takes the reader back in time, before the collapse of Nate Archibald and Blair Waldorf’s relationship and the mysterious disappearance of their mutual best friend Serena van der Woodsen. Dan Humphrey is still just a lonely writer, dreaming of a true love. Everything in It Had To Be You consists of brand new material that fans of the series will definitely appreciate, and, often, it feels as if this novel was written by the author as a gift of thanks to her devoted fans.

What makes the novels better than the recent television series based off the books is that the novels, while possessing the same amount of drama and scandal as the television series, are very well-written. Cecily von Ziegesar writes with wit and a deep knowledge of pop culture, which separates her from amateur, teenage writers’ attempts at creating pseudo-autobiographies of the lives of their closest friends. It Had To Be You is genuinely entertaining, if the reader is able to get past the fact that it will not fulfill any aspect of one’s life otherwise.

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In Haruki Murakami’s novel After Dark, Mari is a girl who, for her entire life, has lived unnoticed in her older, magazine modeling sister’s shadow. As a result, Mari has become increasingly independent, academic, and anti-social as her freshman year of college quickly approaches.

The two sisters have never been close, but Mari is finally starting to see that her older sister, Eri, may not be living the most glamorous life. Recently, Eri, has fallen into a coma-like sleep, only waking long enough to eat before falling back to sleep for days at a time. What is even more unusual is that since Eri’s deep sleep began, Mari cannot seem to find any sleep for herself, leaving her nothing else to do but wander the streets of Tokyo at night, seeking something to keep her occupied.

The entire novel of After Dark takes place between the hours of midnight and dawn.  During this time, Mari meets a string of strangers, all of them holding a key to the puzzle of the girl Mari is. Only by getting in touch with herself does Mari have any chance of finding out what happened to her sister and how to help her finally wake from her sleep for good.

After Dark, not ironically, takes on a dreamlike quality itself. The character of Mari often seems one-step removed from all the events taking place after midnight, as if she is merely an observer rather than an actress. Haruki Murakami transforms the city of Tokyo into a place where the lines between reality and dreams are blurred; leaving the reader with a sense of mystery long after the novel has been completed. But like in dreams, the characters are only vaguely aware that things are not the way they should be.

As with all Haruki Murakami novels, After Dark transcends genre classifications, pulling themes and motifs from multiple places. The reader will be immersed in aspects of horror, mystery, and a coming-of-age story that will stay with the reader like the most haunting of dreams, unlike those that simply vanish upon waking.r, Eri, may not be living the most glamorous life.

Recently, Eri, has fallen into a coma-like sleep, only waking long enough to eat before falling back to sleep for days at a time. What is even more unusual is that since Eri’s deep sleep began, Mari cannot seem to find any sleep for herself, leaving her nothing else to do but wander the streets of Tokyo at night, seeking something to keep her occupied.

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“If you like horror, you should go with Dean Koontz or Stephen King. If you’re in the mood for a little romance tonight, Nicholas Sparks will do the trick.”

Thanks, but no thanks. As I said before, I don’t want to take home just anyone. I’m looking for something new and refreshing. I don’t want to read a book that is constructed of the same writing formula as its authors last forty titles, and I don’t necessarily want to take home a book that has been used and abused by mostly everybody out there. I want something special.

That is why when I see the bright yellow cover of Miranda July’s No One Belongs Here More Than You, my world takes on that slow-motion clarity witnessed in movies. An eternity passes between the instant where my eyes first graze its title to when the two-hundred page book of short stories is held in my hand. It only took the first few pages to convince me that it was the reason I had come to the bookstore that night.

Miranda July is a fierce writer, one who will not hold back when others might. She is not afraid to place her readers in awkward situations and see how they behave. It is safe to say that I learned more about the human experience from these sixteen short stories than I would have from twenty of most author’s novels.

Most of her stories are written about relationships: family relationships, romantic relationships, even the subtle relationships of strangers. In her effort to thoroughly explore the function of why these relationships work, or more often don’t work, July delves into the deepest crevices and pushes through the thickest growth simply to observe.

In her pages the reader will witness the lustful, daydream relationship of two neighbors, the unhealthy, incestuous relationship of a father and daughter, and even the relationship of a woman and the house she is afraid to ever leave. In all of her stories, July knows that it is what is beneath the surface that matters, and where other writers would turn away or lightly brush upon, July, camera-like, brings such matters into glaring focus.

Her stories are not for everyone. She is not a safe read. Her stories are often vulgar in content, and will most likely change your perception of at least one aspect of your life. But, if you’re anything like me, all of these reasons just make her far more endearing.

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Everyone knows someone like Scott, which makes him all the more lovable.

In the first four books we learn that in order to be with the woman of his dreams, American girl Ramona Flowers, Scott must fight her seven evil exes. These exes are trained in everything from martial arts to psychic veganism, and Scott has to beat at least one of them per book.

While dealing with these evil exes, Scott also has to deal with such normal difficulties as getting a job, finding an apartment, being in a band, and having friends.

Scott Pilgrim 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe is no different than the others. Scott has to fight two evil exes and their robots. But c’mon, he’s Scott Pilgrim, he can handle it. The robots and evil exes he can handle, but can he handle actually being in a relationship with Ramona? In this book more than any of the others, their relationship is in peril, and for once it’s not just Scott’s fault.

The head of Ramona’s evil exes, Gideon, hangs like a dark cloud over them. Ramona develops a strange and shiny condition whenever she feels the need to flee; something which does not bode well for their future as a couple. Will all the fights have been in vain?

This is by far the saddest of the Scott Pilgrim series. It still has the same fun flavor with all the references to video games and music, but it seems like all the characters are getting tired. The band, which was always a source of great amusement in the books, is now recording. And when they do finally play a live show, it does not go as well as their previous shows did. With less of Scott’s old roommate Wallace around, there are less laughs, and there are less laughs in general. But that does not make Scott Pilgrim 5 any less of a good read. On the contrary, it makes the series better.

The characters behave like people actually would. They develop, act irrationally, and  change their minds about things.

If you like video game references (example: whenever Scott defeats an ex-coins appear), music, comic books or Canada, you should probably check out Scott Pilgrim. It is a very entertaining series that promises to become something that people  talk about for a long time.

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The plot follows the protagonist, Andrew, a confused twenty-three year old college graduate and Domino’s Pizza deliverer as he endeavors to cope with severe depression, the general rules of society and consumerism, resisting the sudden urges to go on a massive killing spree, and the loss of a love he cannot seem to leave behind. As depressing as the premise sounds, it, nevertheless, makes for a humorous read as nothing in this novel can be taken seriously, and it’s little over two-hundred pages are packed with a perfect mixture of clever metaphor, bitter irony, and absolute nonsense. This novel is, in a word, ridiculous.

Tao Lin is able to take the most ordinary and mundane instances of life and twist them into something extraordinary and new, if not exactly sensible. Although he receives criticism for his unconventional style, which he exercises simultaneously with breaking all the rules of writing, Lin knows exactly what he is doing, and he does it well. His numerous literary awards as well as the publications of bed, an anthology of short stories, as well as multiple poetry anthologies are a testimony to his competence as an upcoming writer, despite his young age of twenty-five.

In short, Eeeee Eee Eeee won’t teach the reader anything worthwhile about life, but its trippy, nonsensical imagery and abstract concepts will either leave the reader salivating for more or never wanting to look at a hamster, especially if that hamster happens to be depressed, again.

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Victor works at an historical theme park where breaking character, even for a moment, would mean a trip to the stocks, and too many trips to the stocks means unemployment. By day he pretends to be from another time, but by night he attends group therapy sessions for sex-addicts. Unlike in Fight Club, Victor actually needs the therapy group he attends. Sometimes he will attend the meetings just to get laid by the women who attend from the local prisons, but sometimes he realizes that he actually needs the help.

Victor’s mother is losing her mind. She is getting on in years, and she lives at a nursing home. They never had much money and Victor never even knew his father’s name, so it’s up to him to take care of his mother. The salary of an historical theme park employee isn’t quite enough to keep his mother taken care of in style, so when he’s not working, having sex, or going to his support group, Victor chokes. Victor doesn’t just choke anywhere, and he doesn’t do it just for fun. He does it for the money.

When he goes out to eat he chokes on a piece of food, pretending to almost die. Some kind man or woman will “save his life” and forever after they’ll feel they have to help him out. He’ll get checks periodically for birthdays, the anniversary of his choking, and sometimes just because the person is worried about him.

At his mother’s hospital, Victor befriends an attractive doctor. She wants to sleep with him, but thinking he might actually love her, Victor refuses. She becomes a large part of his life as she advises him about his mother’s care, and he becomes more and more intrigued by her mysterious ways.

For those who liked Fight Club, Choke is a must. It is a great book, and an incredibly entertaining one. For those who are easily disturbed by sex, drugs, or weirdness, maybe you better find another book to read.

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5) J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. There is no way to escape this one. If you have not heard of Harry Potter by this point you must have been living under a rock, a time traveler from over a decade ago, or completely ignorant of everything going on around you! Harry Potter is beloved by fans and critics alike, and for good reason. Rowling brings her story of schoolchildren learning witchcraft and wizardry to life in a simple and elegant manner. It is one of the most easily accessible and entertaining mainstream fantasy novels for young adults out there, and if you have not checked it out yet, do so immediately!

4) Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. The Discworld books are fantastic fun! Magic, corrupt governments, amusing reoccurring characters… Terry Pratchett makes sure to always keep his readers entertained. Most of his books are parodies. Masquerade, for example, is a clear parody of The Phantom of the Opera, complete with a girl who can sing in harmony with herself and the neverending wonder that is Nanny Ogg, a witch. Some books in the series are better than others, but as a collection they’re wonderful, and they can serve as a gateway into more series works of fantasy and science fiction.

3) Garth Nix’s Abhorsen trilogy. This is really one of the best trilogies out there. It has the perfect mix of humanity and the paranormal, with characters who seem to live and breathe just as we do. The main focus of the trilogy is death, and the Undead (mainly fighting them to save the Old Kingdom) but despite that they are not particularly dark or frightening. Endlessly entertaining, these books stay fresh even after many reads.

2) Tamora Pierce’s Tortall books. These books are pro-woman, pro-contraception, and pro-self defense. Pierce’s stories of girls who become knights, talk to animals, and become spymasters for countries in turmoil may sound clichéd and boring, but they are anything but. Her characters are layered, and the adventures they go on remain attached to the usual knight stories without being just the same old thing. There is more to these books than just women in roles usually reserved for men.

1) Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. Please, please please do not judge this book by the movie! Ignore the movie, pretend it never happened, and go buy all three books. They’re exciting, different, and most importantly they are thought provoking. Most fantasy stories are a comment or reflection on our on society, and that is never more true than in His Dark Materials. The books are a comment on society at large, but especially on religion. Some may say it’s a little too harsh, but I say it is perfect as it is.

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He co-wrote Twister, directed The First Great Train Robbery, and was the creator, executive producer, and a writer for ER. He was a talented and busy man, and the world will miss him.

Jurassic Park is probably Michael Crichton’s most famous novel. Between the book and movie, countless people now harbor fears of velociraptors. An irrational fear, maybe, but Crichton has taught us that anything might be possible.

Jurassic Park the book differs from the novel—it goes into more detail about the dinosaurs (particularly the raptors!) and different people live and die. The character of Hammond is less of an adorable old guy and more of a power-hungry old fool, and the children are equal parts more annoying and more intelligent. But in essence, the story is the same. Through the miracle of science, dinosaurs are brought back to life.

Hammond and his company create the dinosaurs for their zoo/theme park, doing their best to take every precaution with the formally extinct animals. But as mathematician Ian Malcolm warns, life will break free.

On the first weekend tour of the island when some of the consultants are brought in, havoc breaks loose on the island and Jurassic Park becomes less of a park and more of living hell for those trapped there. Thanks to an unfortunate series of events, two T-Rex’s roam the island, trying to make a meal of paleontologist Dr. Grant and Hammond’s grandchildren, among others. More than 30 raptors, the most intelligent and deadly of the dinosaurs on the island, also roam free. Dinosaurs that can fly, dinosaurs with big teeth, dinosaurs with poison, and of course dinosaurs that are big enough to crush a person without even noticing—Isla Nublar is fraught with peril, even for someone like Grant who has spent his entire career studying dinosaurs.

Despite the imminent death throughout the novel, Crichton does a good job of balancing survival and death. At no point does the reader feel depressed by the circumstances, more awed and scared than anything.

Michael Crichton was an imaginative and intelligent writer. His work fits perfectly into the genre of science fiction.

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