back in the day, i used to post a full review in an individual blog post for every book i read. after rebooting my blog in the late fall of 2009, i changed that practice to posting 3 or 4 “mini reviews” at a time — one paragraph each.

but in 2011, i’ve gotten behind, and haven’t posted any reviews. i kept meaning to, but just didn’t get around to it. so, i’m catching up. and i’ve decided to do it in a different way, since i have 27 to post.

introducing: TWO SENTENCE BOOK REVIEWS

for each review, i only allowed myself two sentences. in each, the first sentence is a summary of the book, and the second sentence is my opinion of the book. i’m still giving 1 – 5 stars (5 means “excellent”, 4 means “worth reading”, 3 means “ah, take it or leave it”, 2 means “take a pass on this one”, and 1 means “do NOT buy or read this book – it sucked, imho).

up first was 7 young adult fiction books.
here, in part 2, i’m covering memoirs and graphic novels:

Memoir

I’m Not High: (But I’ve Got a Lot of Crazy Stories about Life as a Goat Boy, a Dad, and a Spiritual Warrior), by Jim Breuer
2 stars
Jim Breuer of SNL semi-fame pretends to have insight while sharing his life story. Barely funny, self-inflated blah that regularly left me muttering, “Who cares?”

A Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man: A Memoir, by Bill Clegg
5 stars
A rising star as a New York literary agent, Bill Clegg narrates – in real time – his slow and crushing plunge into crack cocaine addiction. Painful and honest, brutally written (in a good way), poignant and cautionary.

Bossypants, by Tina Fey
5 stars
America’s sweetheart tells her story. Drop-dead hilarious while maintaining humility; no wonder everyone loves her.

Graphic Novels

The Walking Dead, Compendium One and volumes 9 – 14, by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore
4 stars
The focus isn’t the zombies, but the internal changes of the small cast of characters who are trying to survive. Awesome art and an interesting angle, even if it’s a tad over-the-top at times.
(Note: I’ve since watched the 1st season of the TV series built on this comic series, and it’s fantastic.)

Mr. Wonderful: A Love Story, by Daniel Clowes
4 stars
Insecure, self-loathing middle-aged loser guy seeks love and companionship. A little hard to justify the expense for the length, but a lovely little story.

Black Hole, by Charles Burns
1 star
1970s teenagers live with a parallel-universe version of STDs that turns them into mutants. Verging on soft porn at times, with weak characters and a lame plot.

——-

up next: leadership and theology/christian living