Book blogging: The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors and Conservationists.

The Dangerous World of Butterflies: The Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists by Peter Laufer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You're thinking, "Butterflies? Really?" I was right there with you when I first heard Peter Laufer talking about his book on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. But I was intrigued, and when a friend gifted me a copy of the book, I couldn't wait to get into it. I'm glad I didn't put it off because Dangerous describes this world to a tee. Right from the start you're immersed in the world of butterflies - not stuff of cliche, but truly fascinating facts drawn from this very bizarre world. You'll learn things like how some female butterflies are fertilized before they've even hatched (pupal rape, ewww) and how there's this whole feud between butterfly breeders (you can breed butterflies?) and butterfly enthusiasts whose only goal anymore is to see and maybe photograph butterflies - netting and pinning is so passe. There's this dark and dangerous world of butterfly smuggling where certain species can bring you thousands of dollars for a single specimen . . . and several years in jail when you're caught. Finally there are the scientists who devote hours and hours tending larva and supergluing chrysalises to the undersides of leaves only to have to schedule and carry out these black ops-type releases of endangered species so that butterfly hunters don't descend on the release sites and net all the carefully raised butterflies.

It's exhausting, but oh, what a ride.

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Book blogging: Coraline

Coraline by Gaiman-N

My review

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fantastically creepy book! Short enough to be read in a single day - practically in a single sitting, this book will transport you to a world where nothing is what it seems. Coraline stumbles upon the deceptively familiar "other" world and soon finds herself in a desperate scramble to save herself, her parents and the lost children from the malicious "other mother" with the black button eyes. Helping her is a surly black cat, who can talk in the other world, and the lost children - shades of children previously snatched by the bedlam - who lead her to find their souls.

Gaiman outdoes himself again. The imagery he conjures up is so vivid you'll be sure there's an other world on the other side of your closet door. And then, just when you think it's all over, the worst is yet to come! The final chapter is so intensely creepy, it just may keep you up nights.

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Book Blogging: Paul of Dune

Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert

My review

Rating: 3 of 5 stars

The teenage me would have loved this book. She would have hung on every prophetic pronouncement from Paul Muad-Dib's lips. She would have found it all so *meaningful* and fraught with symbolism . . .

The adult me thinks, "Meh." I didn't even finish it. It was OK, but it was a filler, something I was reading because I didn't have anything better to read. Then my friend gifted me with something much more interesting. Dune is due back tomorrow. Hopefully there is a teenage girl out there somewhere who will pick this up and keep the dream alive.

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