Dear Luke, We Need to Talk. Darth

This is a review of Dear Luke, We Need to Talk, Darth.

I give it ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ 2 stars, I disliked it.

The Author, John Moe, is a radio show host of a nationally syndicated show.  His show is called "Wits."  He is also a columnist for McSweeneys.net where his column is called "Pop Song Correspondences."  

This book has a lot of celebrity and comedian endorsements, because of this I expected it to be funny.  It was not very funny.  There were a few occasional humorous sections but the vast majority of it was not funny.  Perhaps my sense of humor is just different than intended for this book, or perhaps I expected too much out of it because of it's endorsements.  Either way I just didn't enjoy it very much. 

The parts that I found funny were great.  Dorothy Gale's letter to the Good Witch was pretty spot on, though a bit heavy on the work "fuck" somehow I doubt a 1920's girl would have used that as much as we do in 2014.  The Walking Dead walker forum was a humorous look into the mind of a zombie.  

The sections I didn't enjoy were ones that have been on the internet for years as memes.  Yes, Popeye seems to be some weird Navy experiment and Spinach seems more like a drug than a vegetable on that show.  Yes, all of the aliens encountered on Star Trek The Original Series were basically humans with make up or funny hair cuts who spoke perfect English.  Those things are funny the first time you notice them but they don't hold their humor very long.

If you haven't spent much time on internet meme sites you will probably enjoy this book.  If, like me, you have read them all you probably won't enjoy this book a whole lot.

I received this book free from blogging for books in exchange for an honest review.

Reasons My Kid Is Crying

This is a review for Reasons My Kid is Crying by Greg Pembroke.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars, I loved it.

Author Bio via the publisher: Greg Pembroke is the father of two sons (and the husband of one wife) from Rochester, NY. He works part time as radio advertising copywriter three days per week and stays home with his young sons two days per week. 

This book is absolutely hilarious, more so if you are a parent or around small children a lot!  It is a glimpse into the life of a parent or caregiver.  Children are brand new to this planet and they are unfamiliar with it's ways and customs.  They don't quite understand our speech and we definitely don't understand their logic.  This book is a testament to all of those things.

I personally loved this book.  My son is past this age, his tantrums are generally rooted in reason now but that didn't lessen my enjoyment of it.  I was reminded of the days when a broken piece of cheese, a refusal to let him explore something dangerous or allowing him to dress himself could result in a sobbing fit on his part and complete disbelief on mine.  I also found that along with all of the hilarity of this book it is a reminder to me as a person that everyone has their own perspective.  Even between adults a comment or action can be interpreted differently by everyone involved.   It is a small reminder to take a moment and think about the people around me each day and remember that everyone has their own thoughts, troubles and joys that I may not even know about.

You can find out more about this book on the publisher's website here.
You can watch a trailer for this book below.

I received a copy of this book from blogging for books in exchange for an honest review.

Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle

This is a review for Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle by George Hagen.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ 4 stars, I liked it a lot.

Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle is the story of nearly twelve year old Gabriel.  His father is missing and has been for 3 years, his aunt is sure he will be back someday, he is missing, not dead.  Gabriel and his talking raven friend Paladin travel to Aviopolis to search for his father.  Every step they take they are faced with riddles, good thing Gabriel has been learning riddles his whole life.  They have to solve every riddle they are faced with or they have no hope of finding Gabriel's father or fighting the evil that is holding him!

This is George Hagen's first novel for children.  It is a very good story.  Gabriel Finley is a fairly loveable lead character.  He is everything that a good role model should be; brave, strong, honest and trustworthy.  He isn't perfect, he definitely has his faults but they serve to make him a well rounded character.  His best moments come when he faces his faults and overcomes them. 

I enjoyed this book quite a lot.  The story moves along at a good pace.  The characters are interesting and likeable.  The villain is sufficiently scary but not an inhuman monster who is completely alien.  Children reading this book can learn many valuable lessons from Gabriel and his friends.  "Don't assume you know what someone's home life is like."  "Spying on people will hurt both you and them."  "Being kind to someone is free and you may make an unlikely friend." 

If you are a fan of books such as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson you should check this book out.  You can find more information about this book on the publisher's website here. 

I was given a copy of this book by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.