Staff Picks Reviews

The Shortlist:
Citrus County - John Brandon
Machine of Death - ed. Ryan North, Matthew Bennardo, & David Malki!
The Possessed - Elif Batuman
Mimi's Dada Catifesto - Shelley Jackson
Overqualified - Joey Comeau
The Lost Gate - Orson Scott Card
The Five Fists of Science - Matt Fraction and Steven Sanders
Same Life - Maureen N. McLane
The Last Brother -Nathacha Appanah

The Reviews:
Citrus County
Recommended by: Ezra
because: Your heart breaks for the alienated, adolescent protagonist, despite the terrible crime he commits.
Lambshank Review: Adjective heavy, and very short, this recommendation doesn't really give us any insight into the nature of the book.
Hairballs: 4

Machine of Death
Recommended by: A.C.
because: Existentialism sometimes needs its turn in the spotlight. This book comes from the noblest of origins and in itself is a wonderful underdog story. The collected works are diverse: at times hilarious, witty, and poignant.
Lambshank Review: What origins could be nobler than mine? This intriguing comment piques the curiosity of the reader, prompting him to look up the history of the book. To finish up, the recommendation notes that this is a collection of stories with many different moods. However, nothing of the nature of the overall theme is mentioned, and without it, the recommendation suffers.
Hairballs: 2

The Possessed
Recommended by: Stephanie
because: It won't tell you what Anna Karenina is "all about", but you won't be able to put it down.
Lambshank Review: Not being able to put something down is of course a plus, but for whom? A psychology buff might not want to read this at all. Too short, uninformative, and with only a small reference to the russian nature of the book, the recommendation doesn't quite hit home.
Hairballs: 4

Mimi's Dada Catifesto
Recommended by: A.C.

because: It is a sophisticated and loving look at one of the most important art movement of the 20th century. Good for kids artists people young and old.

Lambshank Review: Once again, A.C. uses interesting tactics to draw attention with her recommendations, but as last time, it is lacking in description.
Hairballs: 3

Overqualified
Recommended by: Lima
because: This collection of increasingly strange cover letters will satisfy the inner trickster and soothe the frustratingly unemployed.
Lambshank Review: With room for additional descriptive words, it is well put, to the point, and satisfyingly descriptive. This recommendation wins my award for Least Hairballs today.
Hairballs: 1

The Lost Gate
Recommended by: Waltah
because: Card's gods-turned-magicians swim in a narrative so strong it makes Harry Potter look like a muggle.
Lambshank Review: How can anyone swim in a narrative? This is confusing and inaccurate. Harry Potter already looks like a muggle. In fact, all wizards and muggles look exactly alike.
Hairballs: 5

The Five Fists of Science
Recommended by: Lima
because: Mark Twain and Nicola Tesla save the world! With SCIENCE!! This book is deliciously funny - Mark Twain steals the show like the show stealer he is.
Lambshank Review: I'm not sure if Mark Twain is qualified to use science as a means to save the world, but according to this review, he's a show stealer. So maybe he saves the world with show stealing powers? No mention anywhere that this is, in fact, a graphic novel, but "deliciously funny" and the Mark Twain bits are all this review needs to properly recommend its subject.
Hairballs: 2

Same Life
Recommended by: Erin
because: These poems feel clean and tender. The "After Sappho" series rivals Sappho's fragments in its simple evocations of desire.
Lambshank Review: I'm not sure if the poems themselves can feel clean and tender, but the book, provided it's fresh off the press, just well might. Quite short, but gives specific detail about what was liked in the book. Also, I'm not a fan of poetry, so that's an extra hairball right there.
Hairballs: 3

The Last Brother
Recommended by: Stephanie
because: Its beautifully written, vivid, heartbreaking, and different from any other book about Holocaust survivors.
Lambshank Review: Beautifully written? That's your opinion. Vivid? Heartbreaking? Also your opinion. Different from other books about Holocaust survivors? In what way? Not enough information, but nevertheless the Holocaust comment intrigues one enough to find out just how exactly its different.
Hairballs: 4

So there you have it. The first edition of The Lambshank Review. Stay tuned for my personal review of the book I'm currently absorbing.

--Sir Marjorie Lambshank III, Esq.

Absorb, Review, Cough Up Hairball

Hello friends of the cat world.

I, Sir Marjorie Lambshank III, Esq., would like to present to you my very own book review! The Lambshank Review! It will be just like the New York Times Book Review, the Kirkus Review, your performance review, the Monash University Law Review, and all those other types of reviews, only with none of the legal jargon and things hereafter referred to as [THINGS]. Oh wait, that might just be the MU Law Review.

Like it says above, I'll be absorbing literature like usual, but from now on I'll retain what I absorb, and review the books. Then I'll cough up a hairball on it if I didn't like it.

For contrasting opinions, I will also post the human staff's recommendations here, and most likely comment on them. Then I'll cough up a hairball on them if I didn't like it.

Be prepared, for I will immediately launch into our latest batch of staff picks! Enjoy.

--Sir Marjorie Lambshank III, Esq.