Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson [Lyndsay Faye]

This novel was truly remarkable, especially in the aspect that it was written in the perspective of the beloved Dr. Watson.  I found this to be an interesting subject matter, dealing with a well known historical event and a well known fictional character.

I give props to Faye because it is evident that she took her time in writing this. While reading it one can tell that she did a lot of research about the time and history of the events and characters involved. You can also tell that she took a great deal of effort to get into the character of Dr. Watson while she was writing the book.

Like any Sherlock Holmes story, this some holds your interest and keeps you guessing til the end! It is thrilling to go on this adventure in the company of Mr. Holmes and discover what it would have been like to try and track down a killer when you can not just scan in a fingerprint and find them.

If you enjoy historical fiction or the adventures of Sherlock Holmes, then I highly suggest this book!

So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish by Douglas Adams

This book in the Hitchhiker Guide series is a bit unlike the rest. It revolves almost exclusively around Arthur and involves him falling in love.

This book is pretty witty, but not as much as the rest, and there is less action, since love is more of a sweet thing, and in this case a bit less exciting than improbability drives, creatures out for revenge and Krikket wars. Also, this book takes place mostly on earth, which may account for it being a tad bit more dull, because as everyone knows, earth is pretty lame.

The end is quite interesting, and it takes some unexpected turns and brings in some characters one would not expect to see again.

I know I said this book was a bit more dull than the rest, and a bit less witty, but if you take into account how interesting and witty the other books are, then you will realize that this one is definitely worth a read as well.

Life, The Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams

This is the third book in the Hitchhiker Guide series of five.

This book does not disappoint if you are looking for yet another crazy tale of Arthur Dent and friends!

There is a war brewing and it is up to Arthur and his crew to try and save the universe!

One of my favorite parts of the book involves Arthur and this poor creature that believes that Arthur was out to kill him. It made me laugh so hard as it took a jab at reincarnation.

This book is just as witty as the rest of the series, and I would love to tell you more about it, but I don't want to ruin the surprises and jokes for you!

I hope if you have decided to read the series you keep on til the end, because each book really is worth it!

What Are You Waiting For? The One Thing No One Ever Tells You About Sex by Dannah Gresh

First off, this book is intended for more mature females, I would say it would be good for a Highschooler with a lot of questions, up to College age. I myself am a college student and I must say that this book was pretty eye opening!

This book was written for the female gender, but I honestly don't see too much harm in having a guy read it.

What really got me about this book was the Hebrew words that the bible used to love and other such things. The author did some deep digging and found the true meaning behind them. She found what God intended us to know but was lost in translation with each re-write of the bible, from language to language. It really makes you stop and think, and it makes so much sense after you figure it out.

This book also addresses the chemical reactions that go on inside the brain when people have sex, and it makes so much more sense. If every one knew what this book clearly and scientifically states, maybe they would lay off and wait to have sex after they are married.

This book also addresses other issues such as pornography, past sins and lesbianism. All in all I think every girl should read this book. It was very helpful to me in some of the questions I had, and it might help girls realize that sex isn't the answer to a good relationship.


*I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review*

works by Joshua and Patrick Porter.

The Insect by Joshua S. Porter

This is a rather short book by Joshua Porter, being only 14 pages long. It was written as a charming children’s story about 2 insects. The male insect is in love with Lilly, the female, but she does not feel the same way. It is only when the lonely male insect saves her life that she sees him how he truly is.

In the end this is simply a book about the story of the crucifixion told in an unconventional yet heartwarming way. It displays Christ’s unending love for us with something as small as insects.

I applaud Porter’s creativity and simplicity, reminding us all of Christ’s love for us.

 

by Joshua S. Porter and Patrick Porter

Personally, I find it a bit odd to review a comic book, but I figured since I read it I might as well write what I think about. Plus it is by the lead singer and his brother, of my favorite band, Showbread.

This is only the first comic in a series, and they only have the one our right now, so there is not much to go off of as far as plot. So far it is your basic man with a grudge trying to save people. They leave a lot of open ends, so I do plan on buying the next volume.

Also I enjoy the artwork. It is mostly dark toned, with some lighter colors in it. I think the artist, James Nguyen, I think he did a good job and I like the style of the people and such.

It has all the qualities of a normal comic book series, and it is especially good for being self published. I look forward to what is in store for our mysterious hero.

by Joshua S. Porter and Patrick Porter

This is yet another comic book by the Porter brothers. This one is actually the first one that they made and published.

By far this is the oddest comic I have read, and I don’t really know where the plot is going, but it makes me want to read it even more!

It is about a school janitor named Lance. He seems to lead a simple life in Georgia. He gets a headache and a bloody nose, so he sees the doctor. What happens next is truly unexpected and leaves the ending page drenched in a morbid oddity that only the Porter brothers could get away with.

Admittedly, the art work by Elizabeth Jancewicz is not the best, but it gets the job done and the point across. I would like to see them use a different artist in the later volumes, but maybe there were going for a certain look.

Nonetheless it was a good first comic, and spiked my interest for more to come. 

***All of these titles are for sale exclusively at Joshua Porter's  Web Store or if you are lucky sold at the merch table at a Showbread concert.***

The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

I am not sure if you have ever watched the movie based off of this book, but if you have please dispel it from your mind. Although both the movie and the book are brilliant, and somewhat similar, they do take slightly different directions.

First off, I must say that I was greatly entertained in which the way Douglas Adams wrote his book. It is all very nonsensical, yet sophisticatedly practical if you took a moment to make sense of it all. The things that he comes up with astound me and leave me giggling as well as wanting more. The sheer brilliance of it all!

The basic plot of this book is about a poor chap, Arthur Dent, whose house is about to get knocked to the ground. This is soon to be the least of his worries as he finds out his best friend is an alien and informs him the earth is about to be demolished.

The plot thickens when they are taken aboard another spacecraft and meet some old friends. One of them being the odd, yet charming Zaphod Beeblebrox, who for some unknown reason is on a mission to do something he honestly has no clue about.

This fast paced interestingly written book is not for all readers, but for the young at heart and the imaginative who don’t mind the universe making no sense at all. 

I look forward to reading the next book in the series, The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe.

Prelandra By C.S. Lewis

This is the second book in The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis, and I do suggest you read them in order, or you might become a tad bit lost.

            Our hero, Ransom, returns for yet another adventure in space. This time he ends up on Venus with a mission to do something, but he has no clue what.

            He meets a green woman that is the queen of the planet and has been separated from her king, due to the unconventional geographical set up of the planet. She is very naive in the ways of life since she has been living along on her planet and the only other being is the kind. Ransom takes up talking to her, teaching her about life and things, all very philosophical.

            Then an unexpected visitor shows up and ruins everything. Ransom finds out what he was sent to do and basically fights Satan to win the innocence of the green woman and her planet.

            Admittedly this is not the most engaging book out there, it took me a while to read, but I thought it was better than the first book in the sense that I found the discussions between the characters to be thought provoking, and I like to think.