April 13, 2015

The Hot Rock by Donald Westlake - PP

April 13, 2015/ John Box

In The Hot Rock, John Dortmunder, a hard-luck planner of heists, leads a five-man crew of career criminals on a series of capers in a quest to steal the Balabomo Emerald for an African UN Ambassador.

According to the back of the book, “this thrilling, often hilarious caper is the seminal work of fiction by a true master of the craft.”

According to the Johnny Box, “this caper is a work of crap.”

March 28, 2015

Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death by Kurt Vonnegut - PPPP

March 28, 2015/ John Box

This book does not belong here. Despite being written by one of the most renowned comedic authors ever, it is not a comedy. While it is full of wit, insight, and creativity, it is not full of chuckles.

Centering on the infamous fire-bombing of Dresden, Germany at the end of World War II, Slaughterhouse-Five tells the story of Billy Pilgrim, a goofy yet gentle and unassuming kid from upstate New York who becomes “unstuck in time” during his brief involvement in the war mainly as a POW.

March 05, 2015

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller - PPPP

March 05, 2015/ John Box

Catch-22, the renowned classic by Joseph Heller, tells the story of an outrageous Air Force squadron stationed on a Mediterranean island during World War II.

The story centers around Yossarian, possibly the only sane character in the book, and his struggle to not get killed. He is convinced that everyone is out to get him and given that he faces enemy fire on each bombing mission and that Colonel Cathcart continually raises the number of missions that must be flown in order to be discharged, he might be right.

March 05, 2015

Publish This Book by Stephen Markley - PPP

March 05, 2015/ John Box

I purchased this book hoping for a funny and irreverent story lambasting the gatekeepers of the publishing world and providing insight into triumphing over them. Any aspiring writer can tell you about the mountains of rejection letters they’ve received, so I was hoping this book would shed light on the later stages of the process and what leads to success.

It did not.

January 25, 2015

Flashman (The Flashman Papers, Book 1) by George MacDonald Fraser - PPPPP

January 25, 2015/ John Box

The Flashman Papers, Book 1 is the first book in a series of twelve comprising the memoirs of a fictional Brit making his way through actual historical events beginning in the early-mid 19th century.

Harry Flashman is a coward and womanizing misogynist of epic proportion who also has outrageously good luck that not only saves his skin from numerous seemingly inescapable pinches, but also allows him to reap tidal waves of unwarranted praise and adoration.

January 25, 2015

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy - P

January 25, 2015/ John Box

Disclaimer: I did not read the entire book because it sucks. I made it about 40% of the way through and I am kicking myself for not flushing this steaming pile of poop at the 5% mark. I want my time back!

Blood Meridian is a story about … ummmmm … urrrrrrrr … I don’t know what this story is about. Some kid with a few guys and a spattering of mans rambling through some part of the US or Mexico or a post-apocalyptic Australian desert seeing scores of gruesome, pointless scenes of violence, inhumanity, and death.

The Comedic Novel Review