Zoo

Zoo Plot Summary

I've made it through another book.  I seem to be doing a better job picking books that keep my interest.  Maybe I need to steer away from the chick books for a bit, since they don't seem to be doing it for me as of late.  This book however was awesome.  Obviously a guy wrote it, I can tell by where he put his emphasis in the story line.  More on the action and science than on romance and relationships.  I'm absolutely not faulting him for this, it was refreshing.

Let me preface this entry by saying; i'm a huge lover of animals, not in a crazy vegan eating save all the animals no matter what kind of way, but more like animals deserve to be treated with respect considering they keep us alive and happy kind of way.

This book is not for kids or those who aren't ok with violence that is somewhat graphic.  I wouldn't say it was overly so but there were definitely times when I thought "Ouch, that would really suck," and added a line to "the ways I would never want to die" list.  The storyline was definitely an interesting view on how human pollution can affect the animal population, so much so that it resulted in catastrophic unforeseen consequences.  There also seemed to be a thought process that the animals (or more specifically mammals) were acting as the executioners to humanity as a result of their own selfish actions.  Hopefully, this does not reveal to much more than you would read in the synopsis if it does let me know.
The author jumped around a lot, usually at the most frustrating times and for which I became a little irritated.  They were like little cutaways that didn't have anything to do with the main story line (other than death by animal).  Of course I know this was to build and continue the suspense but arrg! Touche Mr. Patterson Touche.  This is a book that can be enjoyed by men and women which I find to be a rare occurrence.  Women are drawn by the animals men by the violence.  Yes, I'm stereotyping a little but hey they exist for a reason.  There is also a lot of scientific and political tones spread throughout the book but it isn't nauseatingly bad.   This is my first Patterson book and I must say I am impressed.  Good story line, seems well researched (not really my area but sounds accurate) and most important good grammar.  All of this attributed to my positive favor of this book, managed to finish it in about 3 days.

Rating ~ 2

The Martian

The Martian Plot Summary

So when I stared reading this book I didn't realize that it was about to be a movie.  A friend of mine gave me the run down on what it was about and e-mailed me the book.  Yes, that's right e-mailed.  This was my first experience with an electronic book.  I had to download the kindle app and read it on my tiny iPhone screen.  While I appreciate my friend giving it to me i'm so glad I never got an e-reader y'all techies can keep 'em i'll stick to my paper copies.  I know they take up more space but they don't require batteries and they don't make my eyes/head hurt after reading for too long.  On a separate note since this was an electronic copy I had no cover so I just went with the basic non-movie cover.

I really enjoyed this book.  The main character was funny and likable, I actually laughed out loud while reading this book which doesn't happen often.  The main guy was easy to root for all alone in that wasteland.  He kept good spirits despite insurmountable odds and horrible loneliness. The technical stuff and NASA protocol from what i've heard is pretty accurate and incredibly in-depth.  The writer really did some major homework to make sure the book was as accurate as possible. On the down side, there were times that I zoned out while reading just like I did in school.  I never claimed to be a genius, except in boastful jesting, and reading this book made that fact glaringly obvious.   The main reason for the wandering mind was on several occasions I had no idea what the hell the main charter was talking about; mechanics of oxygenators, engineering tasks, and scary math are not my forte.  It's hard to stay focused on what I could never comprehend, but at least I can admit that.  Other than the content that skyrocketed over my head I enjoyed this book, which says something because when stuff gets too technical I get bored.  This is one of the few non-chick books I've read in a while and it was totally worth it.  As always my best advice is read the book before seeing the movie!


Rating ~ 2