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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Book Review: The Taking by Dean Koontz


Published 2004, approx 410 pgs, paperback

Just the other day, a coworker comes up to me and goes, "How many books have you read since you started working here?" I answered, "A lot." Honestly, I don't know, but it is quite a few. I'm a receptionist, I'm responsible for guarding the front door (anyone who knows me realizes how comical this is if anyone really dangerous came in) so my days have a very strict schedule. One 15 minute break at 10am and 3pm and a one hour lunch at noon. Because my schedule is so strict, I can rarely get out during my lunches, so I read. I have a pretty large collection of hard cover books at home I still haven't touched so in this past year, I've finally made a dent.

Now that Idol is over, I've been struggling to find something to write about so why not the books I'm reading? If I ever catch up to SYTYCD, maybe I'll cover that too. We'll see.

Anyway, Koontz and I go way back. He was one of the first horror writers I read after discovering Stephen King. I read a lot of his books in high school...not so much as an adult. What brought me back was my recent trip to Florida and the obnoxious amount of flying I had to do. I needed a paperback and I knew I could count on Dean Koontz.

The synopsis starts like this "On the morning that will mark the end of the world they have known, Molly and Niel Sloan awaken to the drumbeat of rain on their roof." Sounds interesting right?

The book is basically about the take over of the planet by an alien species in a 36 hour period. Rather than just showing themselves, the aliens appear to be reforming the planet to suit the life forms of their planet/species. The main characters are Molly and Neil, a childless couple in their late twenties. It follows their discovery of the changes happening to the planet, their struggle to survive, and their desire to help others in their town.

Their are quite a few parallels with the story of Noah's Ark and references to the religion vs. science debate. I always enjoy the combination of these two themes as I consider myself a fence sitter on the issue. Regardless, the book is fast paced and I found myself surprised that little more than a day passes in the story. It's not ground breaking or exceedingly original but it was a good book. Koontz does throw in a good little twist at the end on the science vs. religion topic that wrapped up the story nicely. So, if you are into sci-fi/horror and need a solid read, I recommend giving this a try.

Friday, June 5, 2009

When two loves combine

Books and Joe Mac. Joe Mac and Books. HEAVEN.

Joey started the Let's Get This Foundation and his first "step" as he calls it, is a book drive. Joey needs new books for kids between 0-5 years old. If you donate $10 (buys 5 books) you get a free download of his new song. Anyway, my brain is still mush from Florida so just go here, www.letsgetthis.org for all the details.

Me and my NKOTB friends in sunny (HOT) Florida.
As you can see, none of them are axe murderers and nobody is crazy. We had an awesome time despite our dates standing us up.