Book Reviews, Screnzy Update, and Bookshelves

I love fanfiction. The problem, with fanfiction, of course, is that so much of it is bad. I try not to read bad fanfiction, for the most part - but I have a confession: I actually kind of like it. Sometimes, it’s just really fun to read the bad stuff, in all its ungrammatical glory, and laugh at it. Bad writing is just fun.

That’s the idea behind book 79, In Search of the World’s Worst Writers, by Nick Page. It’s a book of some of the worst writing ever. Most of it is bad poetry, but there's also bad plays, bad novels, and an amazingly terrible Portugese/English phrasebook. All are hilariously bad. I was giggling the whole way through. 
Six Words: This writing's terrible! And it’s hilarious!
Book 80 was Candide, by Voltaire. I read it because Mother Dearest recommended it to me. She said, and I quote, “It’s exactly the way your mind works.”

I really enjoyed it. It's about someone named Candide who believes that this is the best of all possible worlds. Then he is kicked out of the castle in which he lives, and lots of terrible things happen to him. Yes it really is funny I promise. He says everything in this utterly matter-of-fact way that somehow makes it really funny. 

Six Words: Best of all possible worlds – NOT!

OR

Many terrible things happen to optimist. 

OR

Voltaire really does not like optimism. 

Book 81 was one that I Did Not Like. But I'm going to start with an attempt at fairness: This may have been partly due to having to read it for a class, and having to fill out a huge packet of worksheets on it, something always guaranteed to kill any enjoyment a person might have in a book. That said... The book was The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare. 

This book is set in The Time of Jesus, and features a protagonist named Daniel. Daniel Hates the Romans, as we are told many times throughout the book. He wants to Defeat them in order to get Revenge for what they have Done. But Jesus tells him that Love is More Powerful than Hate. Now Daniel does not know what to do! 

Betcha can't guess what happens after that. 

I found this book both boring and predictable, and definitely would not have finished it if I hadn't been required to. 

Six Words: Daniel hates Romans. 

Jesus: "Love's better." 

In Other News: 90 pages woo! I mean, yes, so far nothing much has actually happened, and yes they've spent most of the time sitting in caves eating doughnuts while Victor and Violet argue, but still!

...What do you MEAN I only have three days left? *scribbles furiously* 

In Other Other News: I want these bookshelves. So much. I mean, look at this:

Or this: 

Now go check out the rest.