Shopocalypse by David Gullen

The Blurb On The Back:

Novik and Josie have a lot of catching up to do. Two years he’s been in jail; two years she’s been waiting. They never want to be apart again.

A stress-filled encounter with some “Old-fashioned Boys” at a chain eatery turns their best of intentions upside-down: they’re now on the run and in possession of a super-hot sentient muscle car and 190 million dollars, covered with a potent psychoactive powder.

Welcome to the Shopocalypse.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

David Gullen’s debut SF novel is a dystopia packed filled with ideas about capitalism, the environment and the cynical use of war by politicians. It’s a clever read that – for the most part – is fast-paced but there’s a large cast and as a result, characterisation is slim. Also some of the ideas don’t quite hit the mark, which is inevitable given how much there is going on and was certainly not something that made me want to stop reading. All in all, this is a promising debut and I look forward to reading what Gullen does next.

Hyperbole And A Half by Allie Brosh

The Blurb On The Back:

Hilarious stories about life’s mishaps from the creator of the cult blog HyperboleandaHalf.com

This is a book I wrote. Because I wrote it, I had to figure out what to put on the back cover to explain what it is. I tried to write a long, third-person summary that would imply how great the book is and also sound vaguely authoritative – like maybe someone who isn’t me wrote it – but I soon discovered that I’m not sneaky enough to pull it off convincingly.

“… some might say the book is full of stories …”

“… it could be claimed that this has more pictures than the dictionary …”

“… is great book.”

So I decided to just make a lost of things that are in the book:
- Pictures.
- Words.
- Stories about things that happened to me.
- Stories about things that happened to other people because of me.
- Eight billion dollars.*
- Stories about dogs.
- The secret to eternal happiness.*

These are lies. Perhaps I have underestimated by sneakiness!

Hyperbole And A Half is a blog by twenty-something American, Allie Brosh. Her debut book – half new stories, half favourites from the blog – chronicles her ‘learning experiences’ and character flaws. It includes stories about her rambunctious childhood; owning a mentally challenged dog; and a moving comic account of her struggles with depression.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

I had heard of Brosh’s blog and seen some of the strips, but had never checked it out. As a result, all of the material in the book was new to me but those who do know the blog may find it old news. The comic strips are crudely drawn but that’s kinda the point and it’s amazing how much emotion Brosh manages to pack into the pictures – particularly those relating to her account of dealing with depression. I found it a hilarious and moving read and would definitely check out Brosh’s blog and any further books with the caveat that given how expensive the book is, I’d prefer to buy something with all new material rather than another collection.