Jane Eyre (A Dusty Old Books Review)

Jane Eyre is a novel by Charlotte Bronte that traces the life journey of a woman (Jane) from the time she is a young girl living in the house of her aunt to the end of her life. Jane Eyre is not a book for everyone. It is extremely introspective and is not plot or action driven by any means. This is the story of a person, her emotional and spiritual journey, and how she grows through interactions with other people. It is written beautifully, with layered motifs and symbols, and very interesting for the political and social implications for the time it was written in. It also still has a strong message of social equality that makes the book more pertinent to life. However the book may be a bit too slow or too introspective for some people, as well as seem outdated or pointless. In general, I found it quite enjoyable, but it may not be the right read for many teens today. If you're looking for a glimpse inside someone else's head, this is the read for you.

Mistress Fu

NIGHT WORLD No.1 by L. J. Smith

"Vampires, werewolves, witches, shapeshifters--they live among us without our knowledge. Night World is their secret society, a secret society with very strict rules. And falling in love breaks all the laws of the Night World."

This big book of many pages is made up of three different stories for forbidden love between humans and Night People. Of course, as stated above from the back cover of
Night World, falling in love with a human breaks all the laws and is punishable by death.

The first short story was Secret Vampire which was about a young girl with only three months to live. And the only way to save her is for her best friend to turn her into a vampire. Which is totally against the laws. The second was Daughter of Darkness. This one had a cross over from the last one. The third story also had cross over Night People from the first story. If anything more is said about the stories, it would be giving a lot away. So read it.

All three stories were very well written in third person and had good characters. Everyone with a love for vampire and such should read this series of books.

-- Chances vs Pills

Starcraft; Speed of Darkness

This is M-Dog here. Lately I read a book about a computer game from Blizzard. It is the third book in a trilogy. The whole book is based of of the game Starcraft. It was a very good book.
I play Starcraft quite a bit so it was neat when most of the game was used in the book. A lot of the techniques used were the same as I use. This is a great book if you have ever played Starcraft.
The book was written very well. It was interesting and kept me interested through the whole book.
M-Dog out.

Combinations by Eisley (Music)

Combinations is probably one of our favorite CDs of all time. It's hard to believe it came out over a year ago, it still sounds so amazing it's like new. This marks a good amount of growth from Room Noises with more layering, more complexity on a musical level, and more developed voices for Sherri and Stacy (the lead singers). However Eisley still manages to capture a kind of innocence and whimsy that is unique to them, and gives them their distinct vibe. Eisley's lyrics occupy a world completely their own. Each song alone is good to listen to, but when taken as a whole it becomes even better.

Highlights:
Come Clean: This song is one of the most original out at the moment. It has a sense of freshness and is extremely genuine. It has a slightly more pop feel to it but it still incorporates the indie sound that Eisley uses for the majority of their music.

A Sight to Behold: The drums are amazing!! This song is more driven than the majority of Eisley songs, but the slight edge that it has gives it more depth than many of the other songs. The contrast between Eisley's hopeful lyrics and the intensity of the music gives this song a tension that makes it endlessly listenable. Obi Wan's personal favorite.

Combinations: Cutest song ever. The beginning is wonderful and takes the song from a traditional romantic song to something with a different tone. It is far more adorable than the traditional love song, because it isn't overly sweet yet still manages to capture the feeling of the lyrics in the music.

Deadpan Serious

Ariel by Sylvia Plath (A Dusty Old Book Review)

This is one of the most haunting and disturbing pieces of literature I have yet come across. Plath writes beautifully, with strong, vivid imagery that sticks in your mind. She pulls from her attempted suicide, World War II, troubled families and the darker side of nature for her metaphors and images, and together they create something terrifying yet still intensely meaningful. It reads quite easily, although it does have considerable depth in the allusions and structure of the poems. The crowning piece is probably Lady Lazarus, Plath's anthem of a suicidal woman. Strong while still being extremely vulnerable, the poem pulls together the themes that drive Plath's life.
Overall, a book that should be read by everyone, although not all at one time. When taken all together, the poems can be overwhelming, but when spread out they form a beautiful piece.


Mistress Fu

Frannie in Pieces by Delia Ephron

Frannie In Pieces by Delia Ephron

Welll, I thought this was a pretty good book. The character detail is quite good,
along with a decent plot line. Without giving away too much, it starts off about a girl, (obviously named Frannie) who's father dies of unknown causes at the beginning of the book. She struggles to deal with the fact that yes, her parents were divorced before her father died, and her mother had replaced him. Other things happen in her life that add to her issues. Over all, the plot would get a 3.5/5 from me. The characters were far from flat, 5/5. I love the details on each character given towards the beginning of the book. Generally a good book, for anyone interested in a realistic plot. Good book! 4/5.

The Dark Knight Returns, and The Dark Knight Strikes Again

The Dark Knight Returns AND The Dark Knight Strikes Again (Graphic Novel) by Frank Miller

This is a masterpiece. Straight up ridiculously good. Epic, you might say. The dystopia, the acceptance, the call to action, the return, all are unbelieveable. This collection begins with showing how far Gotham City has gone downhill without Batman. Which is saying something, if you've read any Batman graphic novels. Gotham is not a happy place. But Batman returns. Of course. It's in the title. You will subtly be returned to the old characters, until by the end of the second book, you know where most of the primary characters of the DC universe have gone. Everything about this story is amazing. I'm not a huge fan of the arkwork, I like my art dark and glossy. More modern. But the art doesn't detract from the story at all, in fact, it fits it almost perfectly. And I enjoyed the art far more about halfway through The Dark Knight Strikes Again. Regardless, this is spectacular.

FINAL VERDICT: If you like comics, know anything about Batman, or like Watchmen, this graphic novel is for you. Even if you don't, read it. You might like it. As a previous comic fan and batman fan, and a fan of dystopias, I'd give it 5/5 bookmarks.

Signed, Abyss

Coraline

Coraline (Graphic Novel) by Neil Gaiman
(Illustrated by P. Craig Russell)

Coraline is a graphic novel based on the children's book by Neil Gaiman. You may have heard of it because of the buzz from the recent critically praised movie based on the book. So you may be wondering why I am reviewing a children's book on a teen book review site. Well the answer is that I got an ARC (advanced reading copy) of this graphic novel back in august and I just pulled it out. I LOVED it. For most teens, its going to be a simple read. It IS written for 8 year olds and up, and it IS a graphic novel. On the other hand, I think anyone wanting to read this will enjoy it. Not only is the story impressive and very structured, the art is beautiful and eerie. One of the best things about Coraline is its intense creepyness. This will put chills down your spine, at least a little bit. I'm gonna go read the book and see the movie now. READ THIS!

FINAL VERDICT: AMAZINGLY AMAZING. Hits the mark exactly, the only downside is the mark is aimed at middle schoolers. But very good. 5/5 bookmarks.

Signed, Abyss

Doing It

This book is a bit unrealistic by American standards. This books focuses alot on sex and makes it seems as if alot or everyone in this place has a lot of sex. But then again, this is just a small clip or excerpt of a few people's lives. It was witty, weird and portrayed some of the aspects of high school life.

Verde EP by Green Sweater Society (Music)

Green Sweater Society is a local band of straight up rock. Their songs are catchy, fun and good to dance to. Very rhythm driven, but still full and fun. All the members of the band are extremely talented, and the EP sounds clean and musically sound. The lyrics are nothing heavy or deep, but still well-written, and they add to the generally upbeat mood of the album. Of the five songs, four have a very similar vibe, which is probably the biggest downside to the EP. Although it's enjoyable, it seems the band could have more depth in their sound, especially when the fifth song is put into perspective. Water Walkers is slower, more introspective, and the band pulls it off very well. The more one listens to it, the better it becomes. If and when the band comes out with a full-length CD, it would be ideal to see more variety in the songs.

Highlights:
Opening riff of Constance, Please
To Entertain You-upbeat, inescapable, fun. Great drums.
Water Walkers

-Obi Wan Kimono

Bones Of Faerie- Janni Lee Simner

Bones Of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner is a dark apocalyptic fairy tale. From the beginning you can see that this will not be your typical fairy tale. Plants kill people and are savage, and fifteen year old Liza and her village are ruled by her savage father, who rules that any trace of magic, even in people, must be immeadeatly destroyed. We quickly see that this rule is enforced often, even when Liza's father leaves Liza's baby sister out in the wild to die. After this, Liza's mother leaves the village. The story picks up from here, and has many twists. None alter the story in a huge way, but bring out the details more freshly. I would've liked to see more character detail, but this kind of dark fantasy is something I love, and I wish there was more of it. The setting of an apocalyptic fantasy world is something origonal, yet reminiscint of novels such as Garth Nix's Sabriel. I throughly enjoyed the realistic setting, the world, and the theme of continuing a war against all reason. However, the character development could've used work, and the novel could've been a lot more detailed about the backstory of the world it was set in. This was very short, so it shouldn't take you very long. On the cons side, you wont feel quite satisfied when you put it down. This is Simner's fifth novel, but the first four were children's books, and this is her first mature, detailed work. So hopefully we will have more of the same.

FINAL VERDICT: Great novel, but hopefully other books will come out a little more fully formed. 4/5 bookmarks.

Signed, Abyss

Hail Social by Hail Social (Music)

Greatest bass riffs ever. It's pretty hardcore, although not in a metal kind of way. It has a groove that is completely inescapable. Great music to listen to in the car, roll down the windows and turn up the bass. The lyrics may or may not be good, but the music is so distracting that we haven't listened to the lyrics very carefully. Singing along to the guitar/bass parts is far more entertaining.

Highlights include:
Hands Are Tied-extremely hardcoretastical. Gets stuck in your head, but in a good way. Inexorable.
Track #1-Drumcore amazing. Nuff said.

Signed, Deadpan Serious

Truancy: Origins

Truancy: Origins is the story that lays down the background of it's predecessor, Truancy by Isamu Fukui. This book talks about where the Mayor's sons came from, their relationship with each other, and their individual points of view.

Andrew: I found this book greatly more entertaining than the first. The story was much more established, and it made a great deal of sense. The fight scenes were also much better written, with more understanding and dialogue. There was less senseless violence than the first as well.

Paradise Lost by John Milton (A Dusty Old Book Review)

Summary: The story of creation, Lucifer's rebellion, humanity's fall and their hope for redemption.

John Milton is a literary genius. The level of detail, the description, the mathematical precision of the verses is mind-blowing. Although the plotline is somewhat overdone (see The Bible), Milton approaches his theodicy with a passion and a depth that many people overlook. Milton explains God's need for evil in the world through his beautiful poetry, however he is rather sexist, and goes somewhat over the top with his descriptions of God. Book III is my personal favorite, in that the whole book is composed of God, Jesus and the angels sitting around in heaven talking about how amazing God is-how merciful he is for forgiving humanity (which he hasn't done yet) and how just he is for not forgiving Satan (which he also has not done yet). Also, he turns the entire fall into a sex metaphor, placing the blame for all of humanity's problems on Eve's sexuality.

Generally very well written, and a wonderful read for anyone looking for a challenge, but if you are not overwhelmingly religious or a bit sexist, certain pieces might be somewhat bothersome.

-Mistress Foo

Forgive Durden-Razia's Shadow (Music)

Description:This CD is a form of a musical, although it does not have a script or acting. It does follow have characters and have a plotline. It has many guest artists from other bands and very full orchestration as well as some badass guitar riffs. Very intense music for a very intense story.

IT'S AMAZING!!!!!!!! So this is kind of like a book, but not really...it's technically a CD, but it really has a better plot than many of the "books" written for teens. The music reflects the story very well and covers many emotions with badassery. It flows very well listening to the album as a whole, but the songs can be taken as individual tracks and still stand their badassical ground.

Highlights include:
Doctor Doctor featuring Shawn Harris of The Matches-completely terrifying and wonderfully orchestrated, the music makes you want to pee your pants because Shawn Harris is badtastically pretty.

The Missing Piece featuring Lizzie Huffman and It's True Love featuring Greta Salpeter of The Hush Sound are two love songs that are the most adorable things ever heard. Lyrically gorgeous and badass on love.

The Spider and the Lamps featuring Max Bemis from Say Anything-mostly highlighted because Max Bemis is really badass. One of the best vocally as far as capturing emotion and acting through his singing. Also, congrats on his recent marriage. It was badass too. One of our favorite things about this song is that they overlapped lyrics from Say Anything's Spider Song within the song sung by Max Bemis.

Overall, an extremely good listen, very different from the average music being put out right now, covering a variety of styles and with many badassical guest artists.

Signed, Deadpan Serious

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Princess Rose is the eldest of the twelve daughters of the queen. She made a deal with the evil king Under Stone (that's really his name) and now all of the daughters are condemned to dance for him, upon his wishes. This is a curse that has haunted them since birth, and only death will set them free. Then, Rose meets Glen, a soldier who became a gardener because he didn't want to kill anymore. The two join forces and try to get rid of the curse.

This book was an okay book. The characters were strong, but the plot was cliched. Any way, I guess it was a terrible book and i didn't like it at all. Oh yeah, and it was too girly for me.

--Ann A.

Dante's Inferno (A DUSTY OLD BOOK REVIEW)

The Inferno is the story of man's journey through hell at a point of uncertainty in his life. It details the punishments given to a variety of sinners in a plethora of colorful descriptions and dated references that can only be explained by reading the annotated version.

All in all it was quite disappointing. Although some of the descriptions were delightfully disturbing, as a whole, Dante used the book as a smear campaign against his political enemies and those he felt were hypocrites in Italy. It's somewhat akin to if Neil Gaimen were to write one of his typically macabre stories, but instead of having a decent plotline he simply included a litany of what he thought George Bush deserved in hell. It was a fun read, but when put in context, it's really just annoying. Thanks Dante. Way to take the greatest literary form (see poem, epic as epitomized by Milton and Virgil) and make it lame.

--Mistress Foo

Twilight madness

We don't endorse vandalism, but we certainly endorse passionate responses to Twilight (on either side of the fence).