The Compound, by S. A. Bodeen

Wow. Okay, this was one eye-opener of a book. Recommended to me by Dave and the Lateiner Gang (here's their review of it), I read through it very quickly, just in a matter of 2 days, and I loved every page of it. The story was so intense! It was one of those novels that absolutely sucked you in and wouldn't let you go until you were done, even when you took a break from reading it. All I wanted to do was find out what happened next!

Basically it's about a rich family who goes underground as soon as a nuclear bomb apparently strikes, and they hide in a luxurious Compound that the billionaire father designed. The only problem is that the Grandma and the main character's twin brother, Eddy, weren't able to get through in time, so the rest of the family is devastated. ~,~

The Compound is set not to open for 15 years, so Dad, Mom, Lexie, Terese and our main character Eli all have to make the best of their living conditions. There are many rooms, and enough supplies to last them the whole time. But after 6 long years of routine and simply surviving, 15 year old Eli does something that breaks his routine. He looks into the room intended for his perished twin, and finds a laptop computer that has an icon for the internet. He tries to keep it a secret, but later he discovers that when he goes near his dad's office, an internet signal picks up, and he has an IM conversation with someone who is logged in with Eddy's old username. Dad takes the laptop away after this, but Eli's mind is still blown. What other secrets could his father be keeping from him and his family?

This is pretty much the plot of the story. I don't think I should reveal any more, because the rest of it is too good. For example, as Dave pointed out, there is a mysterious "yellow room" in which the purpose is at first completely morbid and revolting to Eli. At first, I was shocked at the thought as well. It really turns ethics on it's head. But once inside, he discovers that the room's inhabitants are wonderful and worth protecting, deserving of as much love as his family. He knows that he absolutely must get everyone out of the Compound and learn the truth, before it's too late. I hope this brief synopsis has aroused your curiosity, because this is one book that deserves a read.

Book news #2

I figure it's about time for another Book News post.

The book I'm currently reading is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which is quite the fascinating read so far! What a spin on an old classic! ^_^ I'll give a much fuller review when I'm through with it.

I decided that I wouldn't read Leviathan in the end, so I returned it to the library. The first couple chapters just didn't hold enough interest me. I guess I'm not the "steampunk" type.

The books I now have waiting to be read on my shelf are Compound and Shades of Grey, which I actually picked up from the library yesterday! I can hardly believe that this is circulating in the library just weeks after it got published, and I can read it without buying a copy at the signing event tonight! Speaking of which...

You don't know how excited I am to meet this guy! He'll be the first British author I've ever met, the third famous author I've been in the same room with, and hopefully the fifth author to give me his autograph. ^_^ I'm a little worried about the last part, though. Instead of buying his brand-new book to get his signature (I try to avoid buying books as much as possible, and plus I already have a copy to read), I ordered his first Nursery Crime book, The Big Over-Easy, on Amazon for only 80 cents (plus shipping and handling) for him to write in. It hasn't arrived yet, so I won't be able to use it.

What can I do?! In my experience, people who run this type event say you must have a book ready for him to sign, preferably a book you bought in the store. How typical. It's like theaters telling you not to bring any munchies from the outside, but offer you butter-drenched popcorn and candy at the concession stand. We work our way around that one, though, so maybe I'll be able to get away with Mr. Fforde signing a scrap of paper for me. That's all I really want, anyway. I collect the autographs. Of course, I'll bring some money just in case I'm forced to buy a book.

See you later either tonight or tomorrow for more updates!

Book news #1

Okay, this isn't a book review, but since it's around the beginning of the month I thought I'd share about certain book news. I don't know if anyone will be interested in it, but this is really more for me than for other people.

Right now I'm reading Howl's Moving Castle. I'm almost finished with it, so you'll get a review of it probably in the next day or 2. Anyone more familiar with the Hayao Miyazaki film adaptation of Howl's Moving Castle? So far I'm liking the movie slightly better, but the book is quite good too. You'll hear more of my opinion when I actually finish it.

Down below are the library books I currently have on my shelf that will eventually be read and reviewed, most probably in right-to-left order. I hope I like them.

House of Many Ways is a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle that was published very recently (mid-2008), so I want to read that first. Teen, Inc. is another book by Stefan Petrucha, who wrote Rule of Won, which I read last month (see review). I'll follow with that, since it has the least pages. I've heard a lot of things about Leviathan. I'm going to read this next, but kind of because Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is due later. Ha ha. That should be an interesting read. I've seen a movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, one that had Kiera Knightley as the main character. I wonder what that story will be like with zombies thrown into the mix...

I see that on the website for my library, I have a new book ready for me to pick up, Compound, by S. A. Bodeen . It was recommended to me by the Lateiner Gang (see their review). From what Dave and family say about it, I can't wait to check that one out. ^_~

Oh, now here's something that's really awesome. You'll love this. The other day, when my mom took me to Borders to hang out, I noticed this book. Not only did it catch my eye with the wild cover art. The first thing I saw was the author's name, Jasper Fforde. I really like this guy's works. He's written some pretty great book series, like Thursday Next and Nursery Crimes. This book, Shades of Grey, seems to be a standalone novel though, and it literally just came out! Amazon says it was published December 29th of 2009, the year that we said goodbye to not so long ago. Haha. ^_^

But that's not the good part yet. I decided to research this book a little, and I found that the book already has it's own website. See? On it, I discovered that the author, Mr. Fforde, is going to be on tour in the USA, so I took a look at the schedule to see if Florida was anywhere on it. Well... IT IS!!! He's coming on January 14th to a bookstore down in Coral Gables, which is 40 minutes from my house, for a Reading/Q & A/Signing. ^__^ I'm not sure whether my parents will let me go, but the event is two weeks away, so I'll probably be able to convince them by then. *cross fingers*

Jasper Fforde is also going to be touring New York, Missouri, Illinois, Washington, California, New Mexico, Georgia and DC. If any of my readers live in these states and you've raised an eyebrow in interest of this event, you should click this link for details.