YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING BLOG TOUR : INTERVIEW + REVIEW

Paperback: 206 Pages

Publisher: Trans Über LLC

Language: English

ISBN: 0985900202

 

Why did God turn Lot's wife into a pillar of salt? Were there no other seasonings available? Why don't we know anything about the early years of Jesus? Did someone lose his baby book? Who reported the desert encounter between Jesus and Satan? Jesus-or Satan? And why does the Holy Spirit like to show up as a bird?

As irreverent as the musical The Book of Mormon, Joe Wenke's YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING: The Cultural Arsonist's Literal Reading of the Bible is an engaging, provocative and hilarious investigation into the bestselling book of all time. Written to "cause trouble" cultural arsonist Wenke, a keen observer of human gullibility, tempts readers to more closely examine the stories they think they know about the Bible.

Drawing upon the same pool of incendiary and cerebral humor as Bill Maher, Jon Stewart and the late, great George Carlin, YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING is a call for humor to restore our sanity and our ability to think for ourselves. Just as it was written in the Bible-or was it?

 

MY REVIEW:

 

Let me just start out by saying that this is without a doubt the funniest book I've ever read. I sat with my parents and read aloud some of the passages and we all laughed a lot! It was such an interesting take on the bible and whilst I kind of always hovered between believer and non-believer this book tipped me into the non-believer category. This isn't a bad thing. It points out just how unfair, old fashioned, sexist and ridiculous some of the stories are, Noah's Ark for example. I highly reco...moreLet me just start out by saying that this is without a doubt the funniest book I've ever read. I sat with my parents and read aloud some of the passages and we all laughed a lot! It was such an interesting take on the bible and whilst I kind of always hovered between believer and non-believer this book tipped me into the non-believer category. This isn't a bad thing. It points out just how unfair, old fashioned, sexist and ridiculous some of the stories are, Noah's Ark for example. I highly recommend this book for those who don't believe or for those who aren't sure, it's very funny and very interesting. I don't think I'd recommend it to devout Christians though as it may cause offence.

 5/5 stars!

 

AUTHOR Q&A:

 

 

1. There is a famous quote which states ‘There are two things I’ve learned never to discuss with people … religion and politics.’ Were you nervous about sharing your views on religion with the public?

No, not at all. I could care less.

 
 

2. You have such a logical approach to religion in this book have you always viewed the bible this way or have your views changed over time?
I started questioning everything at a very early age, like around eleven or twelve, right when I was hitting puberty. It took a while to work through all of the crazy stuff that was drilled into my head, but once I had, I would have to say that I pretty much had this attitude and this approach.

 

 

3.This book made me laugh out loud, it is seriously one of the funniest books I have ever read. Was it your intention to make the book so humorous?
Thank you. I’m glad you found it to be so funny. That’s the exact reaction I was looking for.

 

 

4.  What was the hardest part about writing YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING? What was the easiest?
The whole thing was really easy. It just was. That could of course change. At some point I might find it impossible to write another word, but for the time being everything is just sort of flowing out of me. 

 

5. How did you get the inspiration for this book?
As I explained, I just rolled out of bed one day, and the whole thing came to me.

 

6.  What is your typical writing routine?
I don’t plan. I don’t outline anything. I just get an idea and go with it. I don’t really revise anything, although I do tweak stuff and make sure that everything is grammatically correct and all of the punctuation is right.

 

7.  Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Go with your ideas. Go with the positive energy, and don’t give a fuck.

 



The School for Good and Evil (Soman Chainani) Review

Well well, where on earth should I begin with this one?

This book is about Agatha and Sophie, two girls from Gavaldon who are kidnapped and taken to The School for Good and Evil. Sophie is ecstatic about this certain she is destined to become a Fairytale Princess and Agatha gets dragged along out of loyalty to her friend. However, Sophie is placed in the school for evil where she must practice uglification and wear disgusting clothes, because apparently being less than attractive automatically means you're evil ... nice message for the kids reading the book! Agatha is then subsequently placed in the school for good where she is ridiculed for her looks (shouldn't the kids in the school for good actually be good and not judgemental little brats?!).

Anyway the writer then spends a good chunk of the book going over and over the same 'problem' that the girls have been placed in the wrong schools. Around 300 pages in I felt really bored by this and wished the girls would just accept the schools they were in. This chunk of the book could've been written better, I would've liked to have focused on perhaps another storyline. I felt as though it was dragged out beyond belief.

The characters are a huge let down in this book too, I have never read such stereotypical characters in my life. It was actually cringeworthy, apparently having warts makes you evil and being blonde makes you good. This book is supposedly middle grade and this is not the kind of message to give to kids. It annoyed me throughout the book.

After I forced myself to push through the final chapters I almost laughed at the end of this book, I was in disbelief. I had gone through 500 pages on torture only to reach an ending that felt like a slap in the face, it was pathetic and a cop out.

I have heard there will be a sequel and I will NOT be picking it up. This book was awful and to be honest I am surprised it is middle grade it would be better suited to YA in my opinion. If I had not been reading this as part of a Buddy Read I would never have finished it.

On the plus side the cover is really gorgeous.

I gave this book a VERY generous 2 stars!



Leaving Paradise (Simone Elkeles) Review

I just feel completely MEH after reading this book.

After reading The Perfect Chemistry trilogy by Simone (which I loved) I had high expectations for Leaving Paradise, maybe it's my own fault that I am so disappointed.

This book felt rushed and didn't really effect me in any way. I liked the characters but I wasn't given enough to fall in love with them. Caleb Becker has spent a year in jail after hitting Maggie Armstrong with a car. She has been left with a limp and he is seriously jaded from his experience of Juvie. They meet again and become friends and even develop feelings for each other. This should be interesting but it just wasn't.

My favourite character in the book was Mrs Reynolds she was a feisty old woman with a love for good food. If not for her I'm not even sure I would've finished this book.

The ending was so disappointing to me, I felt annoyed at how abruptly the book ended. I just found out there is a sequel and I will definitely be picking it up, I just NEED to know if things get better and I want to give Simone another chance as I really did love Perfect Chemistry.

I don't have much else to say really expect it was a very quick read and left no impact on me whatsoever. I generously gave it 3 out of 5 stars!



The Night Rainbow Review (Claire King)

First of all let me just say ... this book made me feel all the feels!
The Night Rainbow is a beautifully written book about 5 year old Pea and her Maman (Mother). After the death of her new born baby and her husband Joanna is in a serious depression, neglecting her daughter and spending all of her time in bed. Pea and Margot look after themselves, spending their days out in the meadow and in the beautiful French countryside. Maman does not feed them properly or bathe them and they are basically left to fend for themselves.

They meet Claude and his dog Merlin and an unlikely friendship is formed, while I was suspicious of Claude's intentions at first we learn that he really is just a kind hearted man who is trying to help. He gives the girls food and attention and nurtures them.

The writing in this book and the descriptions were fantastic, I really felt like I was right there in the French countryside with Pea, I could taste the peaches, olives, baguettes and biscuits as she ate them. I could feel the hot summer breeze and her loneliness, I was COMPLETELY lost in this book.

I adored Pea as a character, Claire King does an amazing job of capturing the innocence of a five year old and it made me nostalgic. I think we'd all like to be children again to go back and see things as magical and wonderful in the way Pea does.

The relationships were both heart warming and heart wrenching at the same time. They were always believable and I cried a few times while reading this book. I loved how all of the characters developed and matured throughout the book. There were times when I wanted to jump into the pages and comfort Pea and give Maman a piece of my mind but everything worked out for the best I feel.

I completely adored this book it is a summer read in my opinion and I will be fishing it out again to reread next year for sure.

5 out of 5 stars!!



June 2013 Buddy Read

Hey everyone.
So if you follow my Youtube channel you probably already know about this by now but for those of you who only follow my blog I thought I would let you in on a little project I am taking part in.
Along with two other Booktubers, Erin and Ryan, I will be taking part in a 'Buddy Read'. All this basically means is that each month we will all decide on a book and read along together. Last month we chose Acid by Emma Pass and we met on the 10/07/2013 to discuss it. I will post a recording of the live stream below if you're interested in finding out what we thought about it. I will create a separate post announcing our choice of book for July and please feel free to read along with us. You can keep up to date with our thoughts over on twitter I will post all of our accounts below.

Twitter:
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My Twitter: @EmCharlton_xo
Erin's Twitter: @Wrathsqueen
Ryan's Twitter: @RyanHeartsBooks

The Live Stream:
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I hope you are all well, speak soon!

Emma
x



The Elephant Girl (Henriette Gyland) Review

I absolutely loved this book and was hooked from the first chapter.
As a child Helen witnesses her mother's murder but due to an epileptic fit her memory is a bit hazy, rejected by her family and handed over to child services Helen grows up seeking revenge on her mother's killer.

After reading the first couple of pages I was totally sucked in to the book, resulting in a very late night and a whole day spent with my nose in this book. It was gripping and I became completely lost in the story.

Gyland has a fantastic writing style and not once during this book did I feel bored, the plot is well paced and flows well. I was eager for answers along with Helen and by the last 50 pages I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the big finale.

The characters were my favourite aspect of this book though, each and everyone of them are three dimensional and have interesting back stories, Gyland must have took an awful lot of time creating these characters and their lives. They're all entertaining and engaging and they really brought this book to life.

I enjoyed the romance aspect of this book and I loved how protective and caring Jason was, he is man all women dream of meeting and I suspect many women will swoon at the thought of him after reading this book.

I gave The Elephant Girl 5 out of 5 stars it was a fantastic, thrilling and engaging read and I cannot recommend it enough. Definitely one of my favourites of 2013 so far.



The Rosie Project (Graeme Simsion) Review

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion was a highly addictive and pleasurable read that may very well be one of my favourites of 2013.

We are introduced to Don Tillman a middle aged Professor of Genetics at a prestigious university who has Asperger's syndrome but doesn't know it. He designs a questionnaire in order to find the perfect mate and names it 'The Wife Project'. Enter Rosie Jarman a bartender / student who does not meet the ideal criteria and is the complete opposite of what Don is looking for.

These two are polar opposites and make for some pretty funny reading, there is one particular dance scene that had me laughing out loud. Don as a character is so lovable and I loved every moment spent with him whilst I read this book, he is socially awkward and lacks empathy but still managed to capture the heart of the reader.

Don Tillman reminded me very strongly of Dr Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory which is not a bad thing at all being that I am a huge fan of the show. If you are a fan of The Big Bang Theory I cannot recommend this book enough.
In fact I cannot recommend this book enough to everybody it is funny, engaging and heart warming with lovable characters.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars and I will definitely be re-reading this book again and again for many years to come.