Middle Ages Books

This collection of cartoons strikes home but causes pain only through the funny bone. The funniest cartoons are generally those that accurately reflect on the human condition and describe it with irony. These certainly do that, lampooning the consequences of a man hitting the big five-oh. My favorite was the one with the caption, "Getting a little action means your prune juice is working." The rest are almost as good and had me laughing as I turned the pages. Very funny!

Zecca is an impressively researched historical work focusing adeptly on its subject: the Venetian mint in the middle ages. The narrative is very readable and the presentation uses footnotes to annotate the voluminous amount of source material that went into the creation of this work. The book focuses first on the coinage itself, the medieval penny, the grosso, the ducat, and finally the soldino. Each era goes into great detail on the weights, the fineness, and the people making the decisions to have the coins made. The book then goes back and examines each of the roles of the mint employees in additional detail. From the mintmasters and engravers to the smiths and weighers the duties of each position are laid out. In addition salaries and legal documents help flesh out some of the actual persons and the work done at the mint.
The book left me with a thirst for more knowledge about Venice's history. There is little background in the book on some of the external reasons that caused some of the decisions presented in th work. I think this is definitely a must read for those people who have a strong interest in both history and numismatics. It is not so well suited for the casual reader who will undoubtedly get bored by the finer details of how many pennies are in a mark, and which minor noble filled the role of mintmaster. But if the reader is interested in medieval coinage, even if it is not Italian, than this work will provide a ton of insightful information on mint practices and medieval monetary policy.

Ziba sits on a creaky fishing boat, packed full with other refugees, remembering the life she left behind and hoping for new opportunities ahead. Although they were not wealthy, she and her extended family led happy, productive lives until war reached their peaceful village. Forced to flee with little more than the shirts on their backs, Ziba now sits on the crowded old boat with her mother's arms wrapped around her, letting her thoughts and dreams change with the temper of the ocean.

Based on actual accounts of Afghani refugees living in Australia, Ziba Came on a Boat is a moving story about how a girl and her family experience the incredibly high social and economic costs of war and conflict. Such a weighty topic is not easy to broach with children, but the hopeful tone, subtle text, and extraordinary illustrations yield a literary work that younger readers can understand without feeling overwhelmed. Long after closing the book, readers may continue to feel Ziba's steady gaze and appreciate her yearning for freedom.

I guess with all the hype, I expected more. At times it was a very boring read.

I couldn't believe how uncreative this story was. After hearing gushing praise from you know who I expected something better...much better. I found this story boring and predictable. I'm offended when an author can't create drama in a female story line other than repeatedly raping her. It doesn't pass as depth, drama or creative...and it doesn't get a free pass from this reader. Don't bother waiting for it to get better.

When I finally came to the conclusion that I was to read the Pillars of the Earth for my summer reading, I was rather skeptical that a near thousand page book, dealing with the construction of a cathedral could keep me inspired enough to read it. I was ineffably mistaken.

Ken Follet introduces the book in a scene that feels abruptly tossed at us, but is nevertheless a phenomenal foundation to the plot. Follet chooses to write the chapters, deviating from character to character. By the time you finish the first chapter, your enticed by one of the main characters, Tom. You simply cannot wait to know what follows the end of chapter, so naturally you'll eagerly begin to read the subsequent chapter and notice that the perspective has changed to another character. "What's this?" I couldn't help thinking angrily. I continued turning the pages, impatiently waiting for mention of the character that I just formed a bond with, and to my surprise, I quickly realized the current character is just as eloquent written and genuinely admirable as the previous. Follet uses this tactic throughout the novel that you ultimately come to understand and appreciate all the characters on some deep level, from Tom to Prior Phillip, William of Hamley, Aliena, Jack, Richard, Ellen, and Waleran Bigod.

The plot also becomes as gratifying in its authenticity as it's characters. The beautifully vivid world of 12th Century England becomes as genuine as today's society is to us. After reading a copious number of pages, it takes some effort to snap back to our 21th century society. Follet balances, although some may argue, the unfortunate events and the elations of the novel perfectly. It's the sorrows that characters experience that give us such powerful, jovial feeling when something finally goes right. Although it stands as the basis of the novel, the Cathedral of Kingsbridge stands for so much more. It's what continuously caused admiration and despair, till Jack's motivational ardor constructed the most magnificent cathedral in all of England.

The only negative thing that I can bring up about the novel is the incessant malevolent acts Bishop Waleran commits. His never ending plots to destroy Prior Phillip, although understandable to some level, become tiring by the last 20 pages of the book. I understand it as his personality, but it's terribly infuriating when the man simply won't quit. All the better I suppose, for the satisfaction of the conclusion.

Far from the trite novel that I was expecting, The Pillars of the Earth has actually given me insight on certain inscrutable things about life. I will inevitably, I'd think, always admire the characters and words descended me within another world. This truly is epic.

I really enjoy listening to audio books to and from work and was really looking forward to this one. I had asked for it at Christmas because there were so many rave reviews, it was a longer book and this would keep me involved for some time. There were so many times I almost gave up on the book and listening to the last CD, I realized how relieved I was to be done with it. Although there was finally some positive experiences for the characters towards the last remaining quarter of the book, the reader is in for a long haul of poorly developed characters that had no depth and the brutalization of them throughout their history. I couldnt fall in love with any of the them, couldnt feel nor sympathize with any of their passions or pursuits, basically had a hard time caring. It is really hard to know about a character who answers a question with "Yes", but it is described as saying Yes in an elaborate way... If I were playing a drinking game like "High Bob" that we played many years ago in college, I would have ample opportunities for a swig if we took a gulp every time a charater thought to themselves "and he/she realized she was about to die". GEEEEZZZZ! I was absolutely put off by the very brutal and violant acts that were played out in such detail... unfortunately, this is the only place where details seemed to be so graphic. Maybe this is unfair. There is some detail with building the church. But I was left thinking...so who cares? Unless you can already visualize what it takes to build a church, the dragged out details are lost on you.

I'm only part way into reading this book - but it's one of those that I can't put down. Not only is it well written, but it is also a fascinating study of the period and a well developed cast of characters. I'm thoroughly enjoying Pillars of the Earth.

This book is not the typical book for me, I like murder mysteries, forensic studies, etc. I was given the book by a co-worker to read. I enjoyed it immensely, as a matter of fact I could barely put it down. The only reason I did put it down is the print was so small, my eyes grew weary. I finally purchased a page sized magnifier to get through it. Most intriguing read.

I must say, I started reading this for book club and had no idea as to the subject matter. Even though it is titled Pope Joan, in my mind, I assumed this was a historical fiction account of Joan of Arc. Boy did I get my Joans confused! I loved this book and learned so much. I had never heard of Pope Joan and am so glad I did. Her character, spirit, wit and knowledge kept me rooting for her the whole way. Reminiscint of Shield of Three Lions by Pamela Kaufman.

"Let her copy the behavior of a dog who always has his heart and his eye upon his master: even if his master whip him and throw stones at him." That is an excerpt from the book. It was in a wedding ceremony, spoken to the bride of course. What a lovely time that must have been to be a woman! I liked this book very much due mostly to the fact it is about an amazingly strong, courageous, and gutsy woman. She struggled like no other heroine I have yet read about. The first half of the book has more personality and really focuses on her, her thoughts, her feelings, and her trials. The last half of the book bored me to tears in some places, as it tends to go on and on about the papacy and a lot of war. That was the times and what was occuring during that part of her life, but I wish it had a more personal feel like the first half of the book. NOTE: be aware this is very controversial and when you are overheard discussing it with your close buddy, some very opinated, know it all male is going to butt in and give his two cents and deny her existence. To each their own I say. I BELIEVE.

A number of reviewers here have noted the protagonist's jarringly modern feminist philosophy, some with a good deal of disdain. Speaking as a feminist, I find the anachronism irritating for the opposite reason some of these people dislike it. Many are annoyed by what they see as propaganda or polticial correctnes, but *everyone* who notes the problem sees at least one thing in common: this modern mindset is simply inappropriate to the setting.

There is a trope now, of proto-feminist Mary Sue characters, paragons of virtue, intellect, and (pointlessly) physical beauty. Understanding why this tempted authors at one time doesn't excuse it years and years into the trend. It's lazy writing, and dishonest philosophizing, to set female characters outside their time (why write about any given period, only to stay outside it?). I see no benefit in telling tales of characters who are now so easily identifiable as frauds. I also see little point in inventing avalanches of abuses for such characters to endure; this sort of thing tips easily into ludicrousness.

Life on its own real terms would have been difficult for any woman in Pope Joan's (purported) period. Manufacturing drama misses that very plain point, and dismisses the weight of reality. Likewise, overstating the perfections of a female character implicitly questions the value of real, flawed womanhood. More to the point, for a book review: it makes for tedious, weak, shallow writing.

As others have also noted, the religious prejudices are thick and oppressive throughout this novel. I'm not Catholic, but Cross's apparent resentment against the Church is distracting and offputting. There are places in which story feels replaced by screed, and token attempts to create (minutely) sympathetic characters fail to achieve any balance.

You can do a blade disservice by grinding it too hard. A dull axe is a poor weapon to wield.

When this novel was released, there was some minor brouhaha about how it's "untrue", "there was never a female pope", "the author is taking liberties", etc. The kind of controversy that sprang up when "The Da Vinci Code" was released, though nowhere near that level. All of which drew me to the book like a moth to flame. The novel tells the tale of a young woman eager for knowledge who takes on the identity of her brother in order to get an education (as only clergy were eligible to be educated in that time) and ends up being elected Pope. I happen to be Roman catholic, and I wasn't offended by what the author proposes. I love historical fiction, so I didn't really care if it was true or not. What mattered was: did the author do adequate research on the time, customs, people and other details to make the story seem real, come alive and keep me turning the pages? Thankfully, the answer was a resounding yes.

Cross focuses on Joan, and the story is told from her point of view. She is an engaging heroine, and I immediately felt immersed in her tale. The writing is fluid, with good background description to put the reader in the right time frame. Yet, the author doesn't become bogged down with details. This truly was a page-turner. Joan slowly rises to prominence in the church, so I had no problem when she was elected Pope. One gripe I did have was the pregnancy fiasco - the ending became more of a circus attraction that didn't fit as well with the rest of the novel. However, it didn't ruin the novel, just tarnished it a bit. Overall, Cross manages to convince us that the unbelievable did happen.

Though this is a work of fiction, the author cleverly includes some factual evidence (circumstantial, certainly) to pique a reader's curiosity about the real possibility that a woman did indeed get elected pope disguised as a man. Church historians and leaders have quick, and likely valid, counters to this evidence, but its existence is tantalizing. This small section made the book that much better because it kept me thinking long past the final page. Some readers have blasted the book for being untrue. Just as many other historical fiction authors have been attacked, including best seller Philippa Gregory. This is fiction - don't read it if you're looking for facts. Overall, a thought-provoking tale with a smart, likeable heroine and excellent writing. Highly recommended.

This is a very beautiful novel, the first 50 pages are bit hard to digest as the writer delves deeply into Christian theology, but go ahead and there awaits you an incredible novel about a priest and his neophyte trying to solve a murder that takes place at a monastery in the world that is just on the verge of tipping to the Renaissance period. I found in-depth discussions on various sects of Christianity profoundly interesting and their annihilation, if they went against the dictates of the Pope (what a villanious authority), most illuminating. In fact, the book has it all, sex (of all hues), murder, mystery and the futility of wanting more than you need including, yes, even knowledge!!!!!

This story very much appealed to the role-playing game aficionado in me. The atmosphere felt both elaborate and decrepit with a tinge of ancient tradition. The period and location definitely played a major role in dressing the characters. As a consequence, they are left with no choice but to exhibit their true nature. Carefully planned but never felt contrived. Exquisite example of Eco handiwork.

The learned & scholarly author, Umberto Eco has heaped mystery upon mystery in this epic tale. This book may be considered esoteric, as it does take more of an effort to read. However, the reader shall be rewarded! The reader will learn the depravities of 14th century. He will also become apprised of examples of how the Catholic church warped the message of Jesus Christ. The book is a venerable deposit of knowledge that gives the mind a justified work-out.

As a mystery this book was just OK, if even that. I enjoyed Foucault's Pendulum because with that book you learned a lesson that I often think about. I was expecting something similar with this book but all I got was a book that was a pain in the rear to read and did not offer anything of substance for the effort.

This book reminds me of the line "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out." Apparently, there's a murder mystery to be found somewhere between the cover's 500 pages. The murder whodunit is actually a pretty good one if you can stand wading through the many, many -- did I say many -- arduous pages of jumbo that goes nowhere. I barely give this two stars because I realize the author does a nice job putting together the numerous philosophical conversations. My advice is to skip this book unless you're looking for an academic read and discussion.

This is the second book of the Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce. I bought the series for my daughter- she enjoys the strong female character who works her way from being a page to being a knight. There are plenty of action packed adventures, quirky characters, and suspenseful subplot with evil wizard.

The Hand of the Goddess is the second book in the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce. I would recommend reading them in order. Even though the book touches on some events in the previous book, there is just not enough detail book of those events to skip them. Many of them are integral in seeing the development of Alanna "Alan" over the years.

This book follows Alanna in her teen years while she is learning to be a squire and then a knight. She is involved in a war and is afraid of her upcoming 18th birthday and the "ORDEAL" that is required for all squires to be officially Knightrd. Something she has dreaded for many years. Her other concern is of informing her close friends who are not aware of her being a girl and how this may change their attitude towards her. Alanna is also struggling with her feelings for Jonathan "the Royal heir" and George "Rogue of Theives." There are only a few people who are aware that she is a girl (Jonathan, George, George's mother, her brother Thom and Coram her comrade in arms training).

Alanna also wrestles with her increasing desire to being more "female" via dressing, manueurisms and proper decorum. Is this change due to her growing affection for George or Jonathan? One of the advantages of this book is more development of Thom's character and Alanna'sw interaction with him and is growing power. She also has to address Duke Roger, the underhanded pretender to the throne.

My favorite parts of the book are the continued development of the relationship between Alanna and Myles (her mentor and teacher). I also like Alanna's cat "Faithful" and I am not even a cat person.

Fortunately, the book covers adventure, friendship, love, loyalty, ethical issues of right and wrong, conquering her fears. All in all, I recommend this book as a strong addition to the Lioness series. I now have to read the additional two stories in the series.

Alanna's quest for knighthood continues in book two of the Song of the Lioness quartet. Alanna's dream of becoming a knight is drawing closer as she becomes Prince Jonathan's squire. But good news hardly ever comes without bad news, especially in the world of fantasy. There are obstacles facing Alanna. Some of which include the war against Tusaine, capture at Fort Drell, a deul with a friend that turns deadly, and the Ordeal of Knighthood. 'In the Hand of the Goddess' is an exciting continuation of Alanna's story. I love this book.

Alanna is in the palace as a squire to the future king Prince Jonathon and is still secretly disguised as a boy. Because of course in this time girls were not alowed to become knights and defend their country. While Alanna is a squire her suspicions about Duke Roger, one of the best sorcerors and the heir to the thrown after Prince Jonathon. She believes that he's trying to kill the king, queen and even one of her best friends Jon, one of the few who knows she's actually female. Alanna doesn't enjoy breaking the rules but she must so she breaks into Duke Rogers rooms and finds evidence proving that Roger is guilty but who will believe her and what will become of her if people find out her secret? Read this book because it's a gaurenteed great book!
-Hannah M.

Alanna is still disguised as a boy in the palace and is now a Squire. And not just any squire...she's Prince Jonathon's squire! This book is probably (in my opinion) the best of 'Song of the Lioness' quartet. Her secret is known by only a few people; of course her twin brother Thom, George Cooper, Alanna's great friend and thief, and Prince Jonathon who's been Alanna's friend for years.

In the beginning Alanna said, "I don't want to fall in love. I just want to be a warrior maiden." But...really that isn't going to happen. Two men enter Alanna's lives at the same time and if I was in that position it would suck! George Cooper and Jonathon of Conte.

I hope that you pick up this book and read it. There's excitement in every line! (But you should read 'Alanna: The first Adventure' first so you won't get TOO confused.

People often associate comic books with childrens' fiction, as if the medium itself is inflexible. Some of us the comic lovers know that is not the case. And case in point Persepolis - where the emotions of a little girl in the politically and socially charged Iran takes us through what would have been a blind journey. I think pictures don't necessarily paint a thousand words, it paints many, and it leaves the number to the reader. While written words force a description on your mind, a picture leaves a lot to your imagination. It lights the spark with the image, and the image takes on its own life in your mind. This is what I felt while reading Persepolis, where just with two shades, Marjane Satrapi gives us enough fodder to ruminate in the visual fields of our imagination. I could see the drastic transformation of one of her neighbours going from a mini-skirt to the veiled burkha.

Marjane Satrapi is gifted and trained no doubt, and it shows in the depictions of emotions that are otherwise hard to describe. You may also want to look for books by Dupuy and Berberian, that tell of personable tales in their lives or fictitious characters drawn with similar dexterity.

With Marjane Satrapi's animated film playing in theatres and available on disc, I almost jumped at the chance to read her book, the part-comic/part-memoir of Satrapi's childhood in Tehran, Iran.

To avoid confusion with more current events, `Marji' (as she was called as a child) recalls her upbringing in a Marxist family, the fall of the last Shah regime, the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and Iran's war against Iraq in the 80's. While Satrapi's words are powerful enough to get in your head and stay there, her simple black-and-white drawing style captures the laughter, the tears, and the raw emotion felt throughout the story. Though only an individual account, the story itself is quite vivid in describing how Iran had left a world of tyranny and chaos--only to wind up in another. Though controversial in its own right, "Persepolis" is still a riveting book for those seeking intelligent reading.

This comic is unrated: Violence, Adult Language, Adult Situations.

I feel I learned more about the history of Iran through the eyes of a little girl who was practically forced to become an adult by the age of 14 than most textbooks. Marjane Satrapi, or "Marji" captured my attention, thanks to the successful marriage of her "crudely-drawn" panels and approachable narrative. While I have yet to read the sequel, I feel I know this individual on a personal level as the book fills us in on her deepest fears and hopes and conflicts.

Although this book is written like a comic book, don't take it lightly. The story is a deep and meaningful one. It is a pretty fast read but not as fast as you'd think...I highly recommend it!

This book was a very easy read. Unfortunately, the plot was a little too easy to follow, and certain parts have nothing to do with the rest of the book. The illustrations, however, have a quirky charm, and the story telling is sweet and entertaining.

Again, no mattre how superficial these books are, I can't seem to stop reading them. It is true that girls should not be exposed to such shallowness as these characters, but that's the author's point: who wants to truly be like these girls?

Well, the third book starts off after some time since the Fashion Show in the point of view of overshadowed beta Alicia Rivera. She finds her rightful power as she holds court in dance classes, a refreshing experience away from Massie where she surfaces as the popular girl. With new friends from dance and Olivia, they plan to host their own sleepover, another move against Massie.

With the guilt of cheating during the fashion show, Alicia feels awful, but doesn't do anything about it. Instead, she buries herself deeper inside a whole that she can't get out, which I find stupid. Her friends know what she did, so what's the point of making it worse.

Well, it gets worse. When Massie gets hint that Alicia is starting her own clique, Alicia is declared EW. But don't think that Massie is a power-hungry brat. She felt awful for it, like any friend would if they found out they were betrayed.

So, as Alicia is out, Claire comes in. Together, she and Massie devise a plot to sabotage Alicia and Olivia's planned photoshoot with Teen People by adding themselves into the shoot. Claire has become the new Alicia and couldn't be happier, she has also snagged herself Cam Fisher. But, as always, she'll fall down to rock bottom. Seriously, why can't Lisi leave Claire alone!?

Massie's secret crush on Cam becomes not-so-secret when Alicia discovers it. This makes Massie mad, as well as finding out that he like Claire instead of her. Massie makes Claire choose, and knowing Claire, she's too wimpy to fight for what she wants. Get some backbone woman!

Meanwhile, Alicia and Olivia psychotically deal with their own drama: re-creating a duplicate of their own Pretty Committee, as well as frolicking with 11th grader Harris Fisher, Cam's brother who is old than them by 4 years! Alicia is instantly crushing, and feels that she's Alpha enough to handle him. Good luck with that sister...

The Pretty Committee starts to fall apart: Massie forces Claire to give up Cam, Kristen and Dylan's secrets are let loose because they think Massie snitched, and Alicia manipulates her way to get what she wants. Total shallow-fest, if you ask me.

But really, girls deal with this: rumors, secrets, more backstabbing, boy drama, and even more. Lisi Harrison just puts too much pettiness on top to show the true message.

In the end, the Pretty Committee is reunited once again, due to a friendship fix at the photoshoot. Or should I say, photoshoot destruction. Literally, they destroyed Christmas via fashion shoot.

In the beginning, Massie seemed to lose a lot, but towards the end, she gained back even more: a new crush on Derrington (who has a crush on her), her Beta Alicia back, Claire as a new friend, and her life back on track.

Oh yeah, and Claire is moving to Chicago. Honestly, LEAVE CLAIRE ALONE!!!

Well, all in all, this book introduced more mature themes and foreshadowed problems for the upcoming book. These books are not really my style, yet I am addicted to them.

Alicia creates her own clique that imitates Massie's pretty committee. She is pretty smug after she cheats her way into victory with Olivia. She and Olivia may have fooled the judges, but they didn't fool Massie! The pretty committee is mad and after revenge. That's just what they get! Massie's revenge humiliates Alicia beyond all reason and in the blink of an eye she manipulate and threatens the whole rest of the pretty coommittee onto her side, leaving Massie all alone. Revenge of the wannabes;the thrilling third book in the clique series by Lisi Harrison is told in Alicia's point of view.

The characters in this book are spiteful, manipulative, and shallow. But even worse than that, I feel sorry for them, and sorry for any girl who feels like she has to be fake in order to have friends. How terrible that people won't like them for who they really are.. and how awful that must feel to think that one wrong move and your best friend is now your worst enemy. The author of these books has glorified being cruel and encouraged young girls to be scared of who they are. What a heartbreaking message to send girls as they try to discover who they are. Being kind, compassionate, funny, adventurous -these are the sorts of things that maintain a friendship. Under all the glam and the glitz, Massie's character seems so lonely. She is afraid to be real with her friends, her family, and herself. Girls thinking of buying this book: you are better than this. Love yourself enough to be proud of who you are and read books that encourage you to be the incredible girl you are! Parents, if you love your daughter, pay her not to read this.

Revenge of the Wannabees is a well written story that is fun, but cleverly educational about the relationship between 5 girls in a special cliuque that they formed at OCD middle school. This book is an interpersonal relationship fiction novel that shows teenage girls how to avoid fighting between Cliques. I believe that this novel has outdone both the other Clique novels. This book dives deep into the plot exposing the 5 girls true charectoristics and allow them to I would rate this book 4 out 5 stars because this is due to the way it shws how cliques really do act and how to avoid making fights with difficult groups of people. This book would be appropriate for anyone who has read and enjoyed any other books by Lisi Harrison and also for any teenage girls even though they may not be as popular or where as much designer clothes as other girls.

Revenge of the Wannabees is a great clique book by Lisia Harrison.The exposition of the story got me involved right away. Alicia and Olivia go to the office of Teen Vogue Magazine. A lot of cool things happen there.

In the story I think Massie and Claire have an important relationship because Claire lives in Massie' guest house and Claire and Massie both have a crush on Cam Fisher. In this story there is a lot of conversation. Alicia takls a lot about Massie and Massie talk a lot about Alicia. There is definitely more conversation then action.

In this story, I love how the author uses description. She describes everything really well. She describes the rooms and the character so well it makes me feel like I am actually there with the characters. The one thing I disliked about the book was that Massie and Alicia were mad at each other and always fighting. But other than that, I think the book was really cool.

During the story, I could never guess what happened next. It always was a great suprise. The book kept me on my toes. It made me want to keep reading all the time. This book left me happy because something really cool happens at the end, but I am not going to tell you because it would ruin the suprise.I would totally recomend this book to others because it was one of the most exciting, fun, interesting booksI have ever read.

So i bought this book for my daughter's birthday and she told me mom thank you and thank you very much for the book and after she was done she was like wow what a great book and that's kind of what like life is like she said that there was a lot of humerious jokes in there!!!

I bought this book for my 10yr old son. He loved it and my 2 daughters (9 & 14) loved it to. I also found myself reading it. Great Book lots of fun.

My son is going into 3rd grade and I tried all sorts of books to grab his interest and get him reading, this one did it, he reads this at night and when I go in to say lights out he pleads to read a few more pages. He laughs and reads me parts that he thinks are funny - enough said!!

I recently gave two of these books to an 8-year old boy. He loves reading and devoured these books in a couple of days. He stayed up with the proverbial lamp under the covers the first night to finish the first book. He loved the books.

I borrowed this book from my public library and I was at first impressed with the little pictures and the layout of the book which really made it inviting to read. However, on reading it, I don't think there is anything really interesting about this book. It's not even that funny to me. I did read the whole book though. I have a better recommendation. Try « The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole » by Sue Townsend. There is about three in the series and while the first one was written in the 1980s and makes references to UK society and culture, it is a much more sophisticated read and a lot more funny, sad, etc. The Adrian Mole diaries begins when Adrian is 13 and 3/4 years old so a little bit older than Greg but not much more.

Two-star rating overall. Could be a lot more interesting.