Review: The Boston Ranter: Slanted Vignettes from a Native New Englander by Layden Robinson

Title: The Boston Ranter: Slanted Vignettes from a Native Englander

Author: Layden Robinson

Publisher: Self-published

Date of Publication: 2015

Number of Pages: 85

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.

Summary

This autobiographical novella was inspired by my life growing up in New England. Comedic, dramatic and quite revealing. This latest title will truly explain why I am the raving lunatic I am today.

Review

I'm always up for a short and quirky read. The number of pages appealed to my first demand, and if a cover can tell us things about the book, then this cover appealed to my second demand. But the first question that comes to mind about The Boston Ranter is whether this is a short story collection or a novella, as the summary promises. Would it be some sketch-like stories or would a central plot exist? Is it the story of the author's life, or is it a work of fiction? To be honest, I was kind of confused. I can understand if the author changed the names of the people he mentioned in the stories, but I never figured out if the incidents he described actually happened.

To answer my first question, this is a short story collection. In fact, there are 37 chapters in this book all dealing with different subjects. But there is no way I could see The Boston Ranter as a novella. I'm not sure if describing those chapters as short stories would be alright. Vignettes is definitely a more fitting word. In each chapter the author shares a certain memory, but most of the times the stories don't lead anywhere.

This leads to my next question: is it fiction or not? There is definitely a very particular point of view and some of the characters appear again and again. The way that the stories are written makes you think that these are things that have actually happened. At least, I hope so. In that way, I could forgive that there is no structure in the stories. Most of the times there is neither a beginning nor an ending.

The writing style is vivid and it actually makes The Boston Ranter an easy book to read. The author tries to bring the particular accent of Massachusetts is his writing, but the result isn't always as pleasant or as funny as it tried to be. There are also some profanities, which don't really bother me, but I know that some readers find disturbing. Lastly, there are smileys in a couple of chapters. I didn't mind, but I couldn't explain either the need for their existence in the text.

The Boston Ranter is indeed a quick and easy read. If you can pass the fact that there isn't a central plot and you don't have any problems with the profanities, then you could give it a try. At least, some of the stories are entertaining.


This counts as a self-published book for the 2016 Reading Challenge.

The Reading Book Post, February 29th

Hello, everybody! Last night was Oscars night. I was particularly interested in the Adapted Screenplay category, as one of my favourite authors was nominated (Nick Hornby for Brooklyn) and one of the greatest adaptations I've ever seen onscreen was also nominated (The Martian). Eventually, none of those won, but all the nominees made this particular category really tough. Anyway, let's see what happened in the literary world the previous week.

• Dash & Lily's Book of Dares is getting a sequel! See the cover and read an interview with the authors Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily is due on October 18, 2016.   

• Prepare to add two more books to your to-be-read list! New novels by Zadie Smith and Ali Smith will be published this year. Swing Time by Zadie Smith is expected on November 3rd, while Autumn by Ali Smith is due on August 24, 2016. 

• The End of Watch, the upcoming novel be Stephen King now has an animated cover. What do you think? The novel will be available on June 7, 2016.

• Irvine Welsh is also returning in 2016 with his new novel The Blade Artist. For now, you can read an excerpt while the novel is coming on April 7th.

• Watch the new book trailer for the upcoming picture-book They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel. What an impressive art style! The book will be published on August 30.

• Tell the Wind and Fire, the upcoming young adult novel by Sarah Rees Brennan's is due on April 5. But you can watch the book trailer. Are you fired up for this novel?

• We have some news about The Winds of Winter. Unfortunately, it's now a release date. George R. R. Martin has revealed that in the latest installment of The Song of Ice and Fire there will be a twist that cannot be used in the series, as this character is dead in the show.

• What is a better combination than tea and books? Well, Novel Teas combines both of those things. Each tea bag includes tags with quotes by famous authors. I need this in my life!

• Which Literary Heroine Are You? Take the quiz to find out! I got Hermione Granger (Yay!), which one did you get?

Review: Bioshock- Rapture by John Shirley

Title: Bioshock - Rapture

Author: John Shirley

Publisher: Tor Books

Date of Publication: 2011

Number of Pages: 444

Find it at: Book Depository

Summary

It's the end of World War II. FDR's New Deal has redefined American politics. Taxes are at an all-time high. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has brought a fear of total annihilation. The rise of secret government agencies and sanctions on business has many watching their backs. America's sense of freedom is diminishing... and many are desperate to take that freedom back.

Among them is a great dreamer, an immigrant who pulled himself from the depths of poverty to become one of the wealthiest and admired men in the world. That man is Andrew Ryan, and he believed that great men and women deserve better. And so he set out to create the impossible, a utopia free from government, censorship, and moral restrictions on science -- where what you give is what you get. He created Rapture -- the shining city below the sea.

But as we all know, this utopia suffered a great tragedy. This is the story of how it all came to be... and how it all ended.

Review

Bioshock: Infinite is one of my favourite games. I don't usually play first-person shooters, but in this particular case, the story was so engrossing that I had to make an exception! Indeed, if you're looking for a great story in a game this is one of the titles that definitely come in mind. So, when I decided to read Bioshock - Rapture for the video games to books themed read I was equally excited and anxious. The first book of the theme (Assassin's Creed: Renaissance) turned out to be a disappointment although the game had an excellent story and I was worried that history would repeat itself. But with Bioshock there was a difference: I hadn't played the first installment of the franchise prior to reading the novel. And doing both of these, reading the novel and playing the game at the same period, gave me an experience I didn't expect. 

First of all, Bioshock - Rapture is a prequel to the game. We get to know from the very beginning who Andrew Ryan was and how he decided to build Rapture, an underwater city. Before even the foundations of the city were laid, we understood which people Ryan wanted to recruit. If everything went according to the tycoon's plan, the Rapture would surely be the utopia he was hoping for. When the city was finally built, Fontaine came into the foreground and the relentless game of power began. There was a lot of politics and manipulation while each one tried to control Rapture. Ryan wanted to avoid unions and nationalism at all costs, but he was forced to act as a tyrant. If you haven't played the game, then there are a couple of spoilers towards the end.

The idea of a city like Rapture is very appealing. A free city, with free market, where everyone will be entitled to his own work. No government, no religion, nothing to control society. The rise of such a city was rapid and the falling was even more rapid. If it weren't Fontaine, then there would surely be someone else that would want to control Rapture.

The key to the fall of Rapture was the discovery of the plasmids. This is one of the distinctive elements of the game and it couldn't be omitted. But at the same time, it offered a tool of manipulation. Plasmids were addictive and helped human genes to mutate, giving to the users super-human abilities, like telekinesis and incineration. The one who sold the plasmids was the one who possessed all the power.

As I've already mentioned, Bioshock is a first-person shooter game. If there were violent scenes in the novel, then it would totally be justifiable, but this wasn't the case. The novel indeed had a couple of fights, but the violence was mild. Also, looting was absent. To be honest, I would find it absurd if this gameplay element was included. What Bioshock - Rapture managed to do was to keep the atmosphere of the game and that was what impressed me the most.

Playing the game while reading the novel gave me an extraordinary experience. I was completely immersed in the world and the novel gave me a better understanding of some of the characters that appeared in the game as well. It was like I was reading about the cause and then I traveled into the future and saw the effect it had. If you haven't played the game, then I would recommend that you do both.

All in all, Bioshock - Rapture was an excellent read. If you expect to find the raw violence of the game, then you'll be disappointed. But if you want to dig deeper into the motives of Andrew Ryan and what the citizens of Rapture thought, then you'll definitely love it. This is a tough call for the score, as the novel is as good as the game, but I'll have to give the point to the book format.

Play(list) by the Book: Bioshock - Rapture

Hello, everybody! Another book, another literary playlist. This time, get ready to be immersed in the melodies of Bioshock: Rapture. Most of the songs originate before 1950, so sit back and enjoy!

In the Play(list) by the Book, I included all the songs and artists mentioned in the novel Bioshock: Rapture by John Shirley. Since it's a prequel to the well-known game Bioshock many of the songs listed here were also featured on the soundtrack of the game. When only an artist was mentioned I used either a song that I personally liked or a song that can be found in the soundtracks of Bioshock, Bioshock 2 and Bioshock: Infinite.

Find more playlists at: Play(list) by the Book

Radio Show: Play(list) by the Book  

Review: Headlines You May Have Missed by Morris Brady

Title: Headlines You May Have Missed

Author: Morris Brady

Publisher: Self-published

Date of Publication: 2016

Number of Pages: 82

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.

Summary

Are you ready for some news that isn't fit to print?

Humor and news come together in the new ebook Headlines You May Have Missed. Sure, you can find news in most newspapers, but where else can you find headlines like these...

SHRINK SAYS YOUR GRANDMA COULDN'T COOK... You just liked food she prepared because she put sugar or booze in everything.

FLORIDA COLLEGES SLASH BUDGETS... Academics out--football to stay.

TRUMP: I THOUGHT FOOD STAMPS WERE POSTAGE STAMPS WITH PICTURES OF FOOD ON THEM

Admit it... you don't see headlines like that in the New York Times or the Los Angeles Times. See what you've been missing by reading Morris Brady's new book, Headlines You May Have Missed.

Review

I love books that make me laugh. The funny books themed read is, in fact, one of my favourite themes I've done so far. So, I was eager to dig into Headlines You May Have Missed, especially after reading lengthy novels, such as 11/22/63.

The format of this book is quite simple. The headlines fall into seven categories: Popular Culture, Sports, Politics, Modern Life, Big Business, Tabloid News and Politics (The George W. Bush Presidency). In that way, everyone can find a topic that will enjoy more. For example, I couldn't really get the Sports and Politics headlines, but I was interested in Popular Culture and Tabloid News ones.

But the issue with Headlines You May Have Missed is that many of these headlines didn't connect with me. Most of them are topical, so people from the USA might enjoy it more since they will be more familiar with the news and people the headlines intent to comment upon. Another thing that I missed in this book is a foreword by the author, even a short one. This is a book that contains only headlines, there are only a couple of exceptions where there is also a subheader, but I'd love to read one or two words from the author.

Headlines You May Have Missed is a quick read. The humour might not be for everybody, but if you're in for a quick and light read then give it a try.

So, my advice is...

Visit the newspaper stand...