Shampoo Planet

This is my third read from Douglas Coupland. Just like the other two books (to be reviewed at another date, possibly) I find him to be hilarious and sarcastic with just the right touch of cynicism. This book follows about a year in the life of Tyler Johnson, a somewhat recent high school graduate who continues to live with his mother in eastern Washington, yet has very high aspirations. He's not exactly sure how to reach them, so he concentrates on his image. The book was published in 1992, and feels like a reaction to the 1980s materialism. This theme is still relevant to America today, it's just not as fresh.

Portofino

This book follows the vacation of Calvin Becker (Swiss missionary kid) and his family in Portofino, Italy. Calvin is a mildly interesting pre-teen character, but the story is a little dull. Frank Schaeffer himself grew up in a strict Calvinist family in Switzerland and so he takes a lot of liberty to poke his finger at his own upbringing. Frankly (ha ha), it gets very old. I was first introduced to Frank (aka Franky) Schaeffer in an art class in college and read his book "Addicted to Mediocrity". I have reread it since them because it is so excellent. It is, however, out of print and not listed in his short biography on the back of Portofino. Apparently this book is the first of the "Calvin Becker Trilogy". I'm going to pass on the next two, mainly because I am not interested in Calvin's adolescent sexual awakening. A disappointing work considering what F.S. is capable of writing.

The Host

I began this book out of a feeling of obligation because a sweet friend of mine loaned it to me. I ended the book with total gratitude to my friend. I don't read a lot of science fiction, but I enjoy the genre from time to time. The Host isn't scifi in that it has lengthy descriptions of space ships and battles, but it is about a quiet and secretive alien invasion of earth very much like "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers". The aliens are using humans as hosts to begin a better world on earth, but they are still trying to track down the remaining humans who are in hiding. The book is pretty easy to read (translation: you won't need a dictionary, a map, or a degree in physics), but is able to bring up philosophical ideas about human nature and choice. I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to reading Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.

Emma Brown

This book was an unfinished manuscript by Charlotte Bronte that Clare Boylan completed. The story is about a mysterious girl named Matilda who is dropped off at a small private school and then abandoned. The school director cannot find the man who referred to himself as her father and it doesn't appear that Matilda is even her real name. The unfolding story is interesting and clearly Bronte. Clare Boylan does an excellent job of imitating Bronte's style.