The True Meaning of Smekday

#925
Title: The True Meaning of Smekday
Author: Adam Rex
Publisher: Hyperion
Year: 2007/2009
423 pages

A very funny, often arch YA F&SF novel of alien invasion. Rex plays with typical expectations for both content and form, resulting in an enjoyable and sometimes surprising story. I enjoyed the ending, though [highlight for spoiler] it was a little too The Trouble with Tribbles to be completely excellent.

The Trivia Lover's Guide to the World: Geography for the Lost and Found

#924   
Title: The Trivia Lover's Guide to the World: Geography for the Lost and Found
Author: Gary Fuller
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Year: 2012
288 pages

    Entertaining geography trivia, with related digressions. Since the chapters are short and self-contained, it's a good choice for an airplane, which is where I read it.

Afakasi Woman: A Collection of Short Stories from a "Real Samoan Woman"

#923
Title: Afakasi Woman: A Collection of Short Stories from a "Real Samoan Woman"
Author: Lani Wendt Young
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Year: 2012
Country: Samoa
92 pages

A collection of short stories and essays by a Samoan writer. It provides a good look at daily life and tensions.Some are very funny or astute; some portray aspects of culture even though they are not as well-constructed.

This is Our Georgia

#922
Title: This is Our Georgia
Author: John Simpson (Ed.) & Kutaisi Third School Students
Translator: Tinatin Kutivadze
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Year: 2012
Country: Georgia
55 pages

I'm trying to find a cover photo, though this seems to be available only as a Kindle book. This is a collection of folk narratives, history, and daily practices written by Georgian students. I found it informative, and the profit goes to help students.

I read this when I gave up on Sandro of Chegem, where the punchlines or points of the stories often seemed inexplicable.

Legion

#921
Title: Legion
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Year: 2012
88 pages

Very disappointing. The problem isn't the basic idea, which is fun and interesting to explore. It's that this isn't a novella. It isn't even a long short story. Rather, it reads like an excerpt of a longer work. Despite the fun ideas, there turns out to be no plot. Oh, there's action--things happen, and they're engaging. Then Sanderson just stops. I had to double-check online to make sure I didn't have a defective copy. When I say there's no plot, I mean that the action doesn't resolve. This is not a post-modern narrative that plays with form, but a conventional story that appeals to the reader, has what appears to be rising action and character development, then ends with not even a whimper. If this is an excerpt, market it as such. If it's supposed to be a novella, somebody needs to sit Sanderson down and explain what a "novella" is.

Popol Vuh: The Sacred Book of the Maya: The Great Classic of Central American Spirituality, Translated from the Original Maya Text

#920
Title: Popol Vuh: The Sacred Book of the Maya: The Great Classic of Central American Spirituality, Translated from the Original Maya Text
Author: Allen J. Christenson & Anonymous
Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Year: 1701 (Popol Vuh)/2007
Country: Guatemala
327 pages

An engrossing religious and historical document, well-contextualized and commented upon by Christenson. Lots of linguistic and explanatory notes, as well as anthropological material. I confess to skimming the lists at the end, but I got the gist.

People are almost Soylent Green, in that they were created from maize.

The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaws

#919
Title: The Pattern in the Carpet: A Personal History with Jigsaws
Author: Margaret Drabble
Publisher: Mariner Books
Year: 2009/2010
368 pages

A somewhat rambling, somewhat structured memoir/history of the jigsaw puzzle. I see the intent but it didn't work quite as well as I hoped. While I enjoyed reading it, it was also a slow read and I'm not sure why.