A Book I Read, A Book I Heard, and Some Books I Didn't Read

The book I read: The Chicken Dance, by Jacques Couvillon

This book almost made me cry, and then it made me angry, but I still love it.

I almost cried when Don, the main character, is trying to show his parents his picture in the paper for winning a prize and his mother belittles it before snapping at him to stop blocking the TV. I got angry when the book ends and she still hasn't gotten told off by Don. She gets told off by the father, but he's a sad sack--he doesn't give the telling off any "oomf". In the end Don even decides to stay with her, when he has TWO other choices! Yeah, he lets a chicken choose, and he has a good reason for doing that, but I still wouldn't stay with her. She deserves to be alone.

I couldn't put the book down, though. It's one of those you have to read until the end, and no stopping!

The book I heard: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis

I've started to listen to audio books in the car--I have book radio on Sirius, but they don't always play books or audio theater that I actually like.

This telling is not just a dude reading the story; it's theater. Every character has his or her own actor, and there's even sound effects. It was a little hard getting used to at first, the background noises were distracting, but after a while I really got into it. The stand-out scene in this had to be Aslan's death. The White Witch lets out a scream that is fucking chilling! I almost turned the CD off, seriously.

Books I didn't read:

"Y" City, by Wade Rivers

I read the first 20 or so pages......it's boring. And he writes in this exaggerated drawl that sounds forced.

Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving

I like two of his other books (Owen Meany and Cider House Rules), so I really thought I'd like this, but I could NOT get into it. I'm going to try again some day when I'm in more a John Irving mood, I guess.