Animal Farm

Title: Animal Farm
Author: George Orwell
Rating: Four and a Half Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
On Manor Farm, the animals are overworked and mistreated by Mr. Jones, the farm's owner. They finally snap and drive out the humans, taking over the farm. They start out to make the farm better... but only end up under a system just as bad--if not a little worse.
And the sad part? They don't even know it!

Rockin' Review:
This is an awesome book. It's a classic, and I can see where. This book was very well-written and it was enjoyable to read. The only down-part was the end. But this book was very well-done, and the message it was meant to send was sent through. It's worth knowing the background of the book... it was written to warn the world of the very bad totalitarianism system of Stalinist (Communist) Russia. And I believe that warning was sent through very loud and clear.
So, whether studying history, classic literature, or even just for fun reading... get this book! It's rockin'! Brace for the ending, however... it's not the happiest, but the message of the book comes through very well!

The Cat Who Turned On and Off

Title: The Cat Who Turned On and Off
Author: Lilian Jackson Braun
Rating: Three and a Half Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
Without meaning to, Qwilleran gets a new beat: doing a feature series on Junktown, an antique shop area. He was actually hoping for an illegal drug den. Qwill's never been crazy about antiques, but he ends up finding a new and much-needed apartment. But when he gets to Junktown, he discovers a murder mystery that no one wants to investigate.
But, of course, he and Koko will be looking about...

Rockin' Review:
This was a pretty good book. It was pretty well-done, but the enjoyment level was only about average most of the book. It started better near the end. You almost couldn't let it go until you found out "whodunit" and finish the action scene. There were also some glitches, but one near the end was honestly admitted as having no good explanation (nice move!). That's a good thing to do in writing books when you have no explanation... find a way to say you have no explanation. Though I suspect a certain Siamese in that incident...
This was a pretty good overall.

The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Rating: Four Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
In the future, humanity has been devastated by disaster. In what was once North America is now the country of Panem. It made up of twelve Districts ruled by a cruel Capitol. The primary iron fist of the Capitol is the Hunger Games... where the Capitol forces each District to send one boy and girl tributes in-between the ages of twelve and eighteen to the Capitol, so the Capitol can send them to an arena and have them fight each other on live TV... to the death!
Katniss Evergreen lives in District 12. When her sister is picked, Katniss volunteers to go in her place. Katniss is determined to win the Games and survive.
She's got experience at surviving, but will it be enough to be the last one standing, therefore the winner of the games...?

Rockin' Review:
I can see where this became a movie. The book's divided into three parts. The first part was excellent. It was very well-written, and Katniss almost seemed alive.
Once we enter the Hunger Games, however (the other two parts), things dropped. It didn't seem as alive, and it was only about average and/or four-Guitar enjoyment. It was still good and well-written, but it could have been done better.
This was a pretty good book overall, however.

The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern

Title: The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern
Author: Lilian Jackson Braun
Rating: Three Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
Jim Qwilleran's got a new job... he has to publish a magazine for the Fluxion about interior decorating! And he has no experience! But things are going to get crazy... when the house that's in the first edition of the magazine is robbed the day right after the magazine came out! Talk about bad rep!
Qwilleran and Koko is going to have to get to the bottom of this before things get even worse... and deadly!

Rockin' Reviews:
This was not Mrs. Braun's best. #2 of the Cat Who series wasn't terrible, but it didn't grab you. It was relax-full (sp?). The mystery wasn't very well-done, though things made sense in the end. It was well-written, but it's not going to be my favorite.
But there's one thing I was very impressed on. I was also impressed at it when Diane Duane did it in her first So You Want To Be A Wizard book. There was a loose end that could have been forgotten, and it was wrapped up. Very well-done!
This was only a so-so book, so maybe get it if you want the next book in this series and it's at least semi-cheap. Note, however, this book introduces Yum Yum in the end, so you might want it if you want to meet her for the first time!

The Prophet, the Sheperd, & the Star

Title: The Prophet, The Shepherd, & the Star
Author: Jenny L. Cote
Rating: Four Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
Taking off where the Adventures Of Max And Liz series left off, the immortal animal team selected by God begin their biggest mission yet. The mission this time is a 700-year mission...
One ending with the birth of the long-awaited Messiah!

Rockin' Review:
I enjoyed the previous series, and I'm glad to say that this book, the first of the Epic Order of the Seven series, has faithfully kept that tradition! It was very well-done, the Biblical characters brought to life very well. The author also managed to fill in many gaps very well (though I do not think that Zechariah going deaf was very Biblical). It didn't grab you and keep you stuck, but it was still a good book. I wait eagerly for the next book in this series!
This was a rockin' book--get it!

The Final Nightmare

Title: The Final Nightmare
Author: Jack McKinney
Rating: Two and a Half Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
The Second Robotech War is about to end. Both sides are desperate. And Zor's memory problems aren't helping!
Things will get worse before they get better...

Rockin' Review:
Probably my least favorite of the Robotech series. The writing style was average, it was just the content. It was two-guitar in the beginning, but got better near the end, almost four-guitar. But I didn't overly care for this book. Good news is that it's the last book in the least favorite part of the anime!
I wouldn't suggest this book.

The Cat Who Played Brahms

Title: The Cat Who Played Brahms
Author: Lilian Jackson Braun
Rating: Four Guitars

Sizzilin' Summary:
Qwilleran decides to take a summer vacation. He heads out to the country, living in a cabin near Mooseville, with his cats Koko and Yum Yum. An old family friend, "Aunt Fanny", is letting him borrow it.
But there's many mysteries hovering around Mooseville, and Qwill manages to hook one about murder...

Rockin' Review:
So far, this is the worst Cat Who book I've read. It was still very good. The story was very well-written. But the mystery needs work. The clues didn't completely add up in the end, and I'm not sure that the surprising twist at the end was completely explained. I know what I think happened, but I'm not sure...
The rest of the book was pretty good, however. The mystery-hunting was decent (though the mystery vein needs work, like I said). It was very well-written.
This was still a very good book, but I'm not sure if it's the best mystery read.