Alright, four more for ya:
Book #5 "Shipbreaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
Nailer and the rest of his crew are shipbreakers - they scrap old ships and sell what they can. A hurricane hits and stalls all work. Nailer and his friend Puma are out searching for food when they discover a huge ship overturned. They go inside and start grabbing everything of value, but what happens when they find a girl barely alive on the ship. Do they kill her and make a profit or save her and risk losing everything.
Scale of Awesome says: 7/10 I don't think I explained it very well but I was actually impressed by the story even though I don't know much about ships.
Book #6 "Payback Time" by Carl Deuker
Mitch is the high school newspaper's star reporter. He's all about the news. But his senior year he's reassigned to the sports section. He used to play football so he's not completely clueless but he hates the assignment because all the coach wants him to talk about is their star quarterback (who just happens to be Mitch's ex-best-friend). This becomes difficult when Mitch and his photographer Kimi Yon become intrigued by the backup quarterback. He throws and plays better than anyone on the team but when it's pointed out to the coach the player starts playing worse to avoid being detected. Why doesn't he want the coach's attention? Why is his past so mysterious? Mitch is intrigued.
Scale of Awesome says 6/10. Quick read, a lot of sports stuff, but I kind of figured out the ending really early in the book and I just wanted to get to that point.
Book #7 "The Lost Hero" by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson has gone missing. Completely vanished. Meet Jason, wakes up on a bonus, no idea who he is, apparently has a girlfriend named Piper and a best friend named Leo. Oh, and they happen to be demi-gods. One of the gods has stolen Jason's memory and is holding it hostage because she's been kidnapped and Jason has to be the one to save her. Zeus has closed off all contact from Olympus so who else is there to assist him on this quest other than Piper and Leo.
Scale of Awesome says 9/10. I listened to it on audio and while the narrator was annoying at times I was so deep into the mythology aspect that I rarely even noticed him. An excellent story, seriously.
Book #8 "Zombies vs. Unicorns" edited by Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black
Okay, I've rambled enough about this book already but apparently I was supposed to post my final version of the booktalk. So here. Read it or skim it whatever.
There have been many great debates over the years. Obama vs. McCain, Pepsi vs. Coke, Edward vs. Jacob, but the one debate I want you to focus on today is the debate of all debates, the quandary of all quandaries: Zombies vs. Unicorns.
This novel is a collection of stories about, you guessed it, zombies and unicorns. Team Zombie is led by Justine Larbalestier and the team leader for the unicorn squad is Holly Black. The book goes back and forth with a story about a zombie followed by a story about a unicorn, lather rinse repeat.
Many aspects of Zombies are covered, their love of brains, their strong devotion or hatred for their loved ones, their ability to travel in packs and stare at you, their cold hands, and their undead-ness. There's even stories about zombie children!
"But there was another voice in my head, a quieter one way in the back telling me to leave. To get out of the house and away from there. To go back to into the rain. To hitchhike to London or starve or even just call home. And while I can still assign blame I want to make sure you know. This was all Franklin's fault."
They've got Unicorns covered as well. Their ability to heal, their draw to virgins, their desire to help baby unicorns, their love of chocolate milk and you know that big spikey thing on their foreheads. There are even stories about the depression that can go along with eternal life and the violence of becoming a killer unicorn. Surprisingly, some of the unicorn stories are even more violent than the zombie ones! Some stories are serious and some are parodies. This is more of a parody.
"'What does being a virgin with opposable thumbs?' she said.
'Nothing!' the unicorn said. 'But will anyone else in the herd listen to me? Of course not! They go off and grab the first thirteen year old who coos at them and then it's all *insert girly voice* their purity will lead the way...blah blah blah... Lead the way to a whole bunch of dead baby unicorns maybe. I want a little more competence in my heroine.'
'Um, I'm drunk and sleeping on a bench in central park,' Alison said. 'That meets your criteria?'
'Hello!' the unicorn dipped his horn and hoisted the tangling sleeve from her wadded up jacket. The one she had been using as a pillow. 'U.S. Marines?'"
So, do you like brains? Would you like healing powers? What's it gonna be? Team Zombie or Team Unicorn? Read Zombies vs. Unicorns by Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black and choose your side in the debate of the century.
Scale of Awesome 8/10. Okay so this book was seriously gruesome. And I'm not even talking about the zombie part of it. That was graphic but the unicorns were gruesome. The part I gave you was parody but duuuude. Like seriously. For more rants and ramblings on ZvsU go here: My Life in Closed Captions: sickness, bee stings, greek mythology, zombies, un... or here My Life in Closed Captions: Impromptu speech-writing
"FINALLY! signs of intelligent life from inside the Dear Jane Gang!"
-name that quote.
I love that Provensa brings Flynn a balloon when he's in the hospital that says "It's a girl". Pure awesomeness.
"SALSA!"
love captain raydor at 2:35, she says it that way in the final cut as well and now that's the only way i can say it. love it.
"it was a hilarious robbery."
Two versions of an awesome song.
"Big Yellow Taxi" - Joni Mitchell original
original awesomeness. dad was shocked i knew the lyrics.
"Big Yellow Taxi" - Counting Crows feat Vanessa Carlton
awesome.
here's a link to Joni when she's younger and more goofy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgMEPk6fvpg
think i like that one better. more like the recording i have of hers.
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