Review: Point Your Face at This

Purchase Point Your Face at This here.

Synopis:

In his first book, This Is a Book, Demetri Martin introduced fans and readers to his unique brand of long-form humor writing. Now Demetri returns with an eclectic volume devoted entirely to his trademark one-liners and drawings, as well as short prose and poetry, leaving the longer-form material for his next hardcover. Like an indie stepchild of Gary Larson and Jack Handey, POINT YOUR FACE AT THIS contains hundreds of drawings, jokes, and page-long bits, showcasing Martin's particular penchant for brevity and a sensibility all its own-and will be a great gift book and a must-have for fans of the brainy, ambidextrous, comedian, palindromist (and author), Demetri Martin.

Review:

As I mentioned previously, I really enjoy Demetri Martin's stand up. I find his deadpan delivery and rough drawings very funny and I've seen many of his videos. When I reviewed Martin's first book, This is a Book, I expressed the wish that the book had been only the drawings rather than having the essays mixed in. So naturally, when I had the chance to review a book that was just that, I was overjoyed. However, I am yet again disappointed by how Demetri Martin's humor translates on paper. His stand up is amazing, but without his trademark delivery, his drawings fall flat. I did chuckle a few times, but an overwhelming portion of the jokes were mysogynistic and just plain fat phobic. I was rather disappointed by Demetri Martin's second book, but I hope to keep enjoying his live stand-up in the future. 

Until next time, happy reading!
-Amanda

Review: Swans & Klons

Purchase Swans & Klons here.

Synopsis:

What does it take to survive in a world built on lies?

Sixteen-year-old Rubric loves her pampered life in the Academy dormitory. She’s dating Salmon Jo, a brilliant and unpredictable girl. In their all-female world, non-human slaves called Klons do all the work. But when Rubric and Salmon Jo break into the laboratory where human and Klon babies are grown in vats, they uncover a terrifying secret that tears their idyllic world apart.

Their friends won’t believe them, and their teachers won’t help them. The Doctors who rule Society want to silence Rubric and Salmon Jo. The two girls must flee for their lives. As they face the unthinkable, the only thing they have left to believe in is their love for each other.      

Review:

The premise of this novel is incredible. As an English major who takes a lot of classes about gender in literature, a dystopian society comprised entirely of women was too good a storyline to pass up. I was not disappointed. Themes of individuality, humanity, gender, and consent dominate this novel, backed by a unique dystopian storyline. I also love that Swans & Klons includes a sweet romantic storyline that doesn't overpower the story. The love is believable because so many different kinds of love are so integral to the storyline. The idea of the Cretinous Males is fascinating (I was wondering how the novel would explain an all-female society, and they actually did fairly well), and I sincerely hope a sequel is in the works. The ending was a bit rushed for me, but that may just be because I didn't want it to end... All in all, a super fun read.

Until next time, happy reading!
-Amanda

Review: This is a Book

Purchase This Is a Book here.

Synopsis:

From the renowned comedian, creator and star of Comedy Central's Important Things with Demetri Martin comes the paperback debut of his bold, original, New York Times best-selling humor book.

THIS IS A BOOK was an instant and long-lasting New York Times best seller, and is the renowned comedian's hilarious foray into prose comedy. In these pages, Martin expands on the sensibility he's developed on stage as an award-winning stand-up comedian and on television as a writer-performer on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and his own Comedy Central series, Important Things with Demetri Martin.

Featuring narrative essays, short stories, and conceptual pieces (such as "Protagonists' Hospital," where doctors treat only the shoulder wounds of Hollywood action heroes) as well as Martin's signature drawings, absurdities, and one-liners, THIS IS A BOOK delivers sharp jokes, colorful characters, and interesting surprises.

Martin takes readers to places as far-off as Ancient Greece ("Socrates's Publicist") and the distant future ("Robot Test," where everyone must take a test to prove that they are not robots). He recounts a lonely man's visit to a strip club in the form of a five-hundred-word palindrome ("Palindromes for Specific Occasions"). And he examines the human condition ("Human Cannonball Occupational Hazards") and the competing world-views of divergent groups ("Optimist, Pessimist, Contortionist").

Martin's material is varied, but his unique voice and brilliant mind will keep readers in stitches from beginning to end.

Review:

I love Demetri Martin's stand-up.  I giggle every single time; I think he's hilarious.  So when I heard he was coming out with a book, I was overjoyed and couldn't wait to purchase it.  However, this book did not live up to my expectations in the slightest.  So many of the jokes were overdrawn or just plain not funny, which was extremely disappointing.  Many of the drawings were very similar to his trademark doodles during his stand-up routines, but others just missed their mark.  Overall, there were a few very funny bits, but not enough to make the book worth it.

Until next time, happy reading!
 -Amanda

Review: The S-Word

Purchase The S-Word here.

Synopsis:

Lizzie wasn’t the first student at Verity High School to kill herself this year. But the difference is, she didn’t go quietly.
First it was SLUT scribbled all over the school’s lockers. But one week after Lizzie Hart takes her own life, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it—in Lizzie’s own looping scrawl. Photocopies of her diary show up in the hands of her classmates. And her best friend, Angie, is enraged.


Angie had stopped talking to Lizzie on prom night, when she caught Lizzie in bed with her boyfriend. Too heartbroken to let Lizzie explain the hookup or to intervene when Lizzie gets branded Queen of the Sluts and is cruelly bullied by her classmates, Angie left her best friend to the mercy of the school, with tragic results.


But with this new slur, Angie’s guilt transforms into anger that someone is still targeting Lizzie even after her death. Using clues from Lizzie’s diary and aided by the magnetic, mysterious Jesse, Angie begins relentlessly investigating who, exactly, made Lizzie feel life was no longer worth living. And while she might claim she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, her anguish over abandoning and then losing her best friend drives Angie deeper into the dark, twisted side of Verity High—and she might not be able to pull herself back out.


Debut author Chelsea Pitcher daringly depicts the harsh reality of modern high schools, where one bad decision can ruin a reputation, and one cruel word can ruin a life. Angie’s quest for the truth behind Lizzie’s suicide is addictive and thrilling, and her razor-sharp wit and fierce sleuthing skills makes her impossible not to root for—even when it becomes clear that both avenging Lizzie and avoiding self-destruction might not be possible.

Review:

Continuing on with my love of a bit of drama (fueled by binge-watching Gossip Girl and 90210 when I'm sick and pretending it's because I'm delirious), the S-Word follows Angie as she tries to make sense of her best friend's suicide and the betrayal that occurred before it.  I don't know what I expected from this novel by the description, but what I got was definitely different.  The book is dark and twisted, voiced by a surprisingly unreliable narrator and with an all-too-recognizable cast of characters.

To be completely honest, sections of this book are kind of trope-tastic.  Ooooh, it's the bleach-blonde cheerleader and the pervy computer nerd.  However, some other characters can be surprising in their depth.  In addition, this book could be triggering to some.  Feel free to shoot me an e-mail if you're concerned; I'm just trying to keep my review spoiler-free.

All in all, an interesting debut novel.  It wasn't my favourite, but it's interesting, surprising, and a quick read.

Until next time, happy reading!
-Amanda

Review: Any Psalm You Want

Purchase Any Psalm You Want: Poems here.

Synopsis:

A fellow poet once described Khary Jackson as a blend of Saul Williams and Pablo Neruda, which may prove fitting given Khary's unique aesthetic as a child of the hip hop generation with penchant for intimate, passionate verse. Jackson's first book incorporates fantastical imagery, quiet vulnerability and a willingness to witness the rite of loss, fearlessly. He is one of the most popular authors in all of Minnesota.

Review:

Khary Jackson's poetry reads like music. His lines thrum to the beat of the instruments he writes about and the places he dedicates his poems to. Jackson raises a symphony of words, painting pictures of America, tiny microcosms of its culture. This collection is absolutely stunning, the kind of body of work that makes a slam poet prod to be a part of the same community. I cannot stop gushing about this, and I'm not sure I want to. Write Bloody consistently brings its readers incredible poets, and this is no exception. This is necessary for any poetry or music lover. 

Until next time, happy reading!
-Amanda

Review: Songs From Under the River

Purchase Songs From Under the River here.

Synopsis:

If someone says a poetry reading is a perfect opportunity for a nap, check to see if their head is under a rock. Today’s poet performers have kicked it up a few hundred notches. Poets like Anis Mojgani, a two-time National Poetry Slam champion, winner of the International World Cup Poetry Slam and author of Over the Anvil We Stretch and The Feather Room. Mojgani has put together his third gathering of poems, Songs From Under the River: Early and New Work, a striking collection of his best out-of-print and new works that jump off the page and prove a performance on their own.

Songs From Under the River showcases what is expected from an artist of Anis’s considerable talent. His words have the fluidity of paint strokes, creating vivid imagines while structured to invite rhythmic reading. Anis’s poetry proves a universal art form, telling his story while at the same time evoking the reader’s own personal interpretation.

Songs From Under the River exhibits all the brilliance Anis’s fans have been reveling in for years. He is playful and whimsical and has the uncanny ability to lift us up while grounding us; flawlessly exemplified in his performance of Shake the Dust, the YouTube video of which has had more than a million hits. The popularity of Anis and other like him proves poetry is not just alive — it’s flourishing. 

Review:

There is nothing so refreshing during a poetry slam as a poem that makes you laugh. Slams are filled with so much sadness and anger and anxiety that they are emotionally draining, so any bit of laughter is beautiful and appreciated. In his most recent collection (released today), Anis Mojgani manages to convey all of the sadness and anger and anxiety that other poets express, but he manages to infuse humor and hope into his lines as well, saying we kiss and breathe like poetry and also "they poop like poetry!" Anis Mojgani manages to weave a beautiful collection that does not lose anything in an attempt to make his readers smile. If you like Mojgani or slam in general, this is definitely a necessary addition to your poetry collection.

Until next time, happy reading!
-Amanda

Review: Waiter Rant

Purchase Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip--Confessions of a Cynical Waiter here.
You can visit Steve Dublanica's blog here.

Synopsis:

According to The Waiter, 80 percent of customers are nice people just looking for something to eat. The remaining 20 percent, however, are socially maladjusted psychopaths.
Eye-opening, outrageous, and unabashed—replete with tales of customer stupidity, arrogant misbehavior, and unseen tidbits of human grace in the most unlikely places—Waiter Rant presents the server's unique point of view, revealing surefire secrets to getting good service, proper tipping etiquette, and ways to ensure that your waiter won't spit on your food.

Review:

Scrolling through the reviews for Waiter Rant on Goodreads, it's easy to pick out people who fit the bill for the usual clientele of The Bistro; they're the ones giving one-star reviews and calling Steve Dublanica "arrogant" and "self-indulgent".  The reviews from former waiters and waitresses are almost exclusively four- and five-star.  It's a dichotomy that gives you an idea of how the rest of the book will go.

As a former waitress (and probably future one, seeing as one is expected to pay for textbooks), I was predisposed to enjoy a book telling people to stop acting like morons in restaurants.  I wish most of the people who dined out would follow Dublanica's advice; for all the profanity and ranting, he gives many good tips about eating in a restaurant.  I agree with the reviewers who didn't enjoy the book so much because it was self-indulgent.  However, the book is meant to be a memoir.  Writing a memoir is the epitome of self-indulgence; when you pick one up, you're expecting to read an account of the author's life.  All in all, this was funny and honest.  An interesting examination of everyone in a restaurant, I would recommend it to waitstaff and patrons alike.

Until next time, happy reading!
-Amanda