"Odd doesn't mean curious or peculiar or eccentric."
580534
The Odd Series is still enjoyable for me, more so because I look forward to Koontz' commentary that slips in as a train of thought from Odd Thomas. So many gems get highlighted while I read, I wish I could list them here but I digress.

I wish to know more about the mysteries of the world that Odd is also trying to learn about but the story is still quite enjoyable.

"Odd doesn't mean curious or peculiar or eccentric. Something is odd when it can't be matched, when it's singular, alone of its kinda."
1038541
This is a very odd little book.  It is neither trekking guide, deep cultural inquiry, memoir, nor travelogue, but has elements of all of these.

We hit the ground running, as it were, skipping all background or preamble to join the author as he sets off on a day's walk from somewhere in Nepal near the Chinese border.  It's not a bad way to start, this literary equivalent of randomly hooking up with a travel companion.  At first we're merely engaged in the physical aspects of our journey: the landscape, flora, fauna, and human encounters, the occasional reminders of the hardships of high altitude.  But like a stranger we discover to be compatible, the author slowly opens up to us.

I found him a genial companion.  His notes on the local flora and fauna, for example, are just informative enough to help us form an image without weighing us down in cumbersome detail--Thubron is no expert, just an ordinary fellow who knows the names of a plant or three and isn't sure if the cuckoo we're hearing is one or another subspecies.  The same could be said for the historical, cultural, and religious tidbits liberally sprinkled throughout this surprisingly epic little book.

This book isn't for everyone.  Readers seeking to learn everything about anything having to do with Mount Kailas (the titular mountain in Tibet) are advised to go elsewhere; there are excellent works that do a good job of meeting those needs.  No, this book seems casually tailored to the lay reader; I'm tempted to say it calls out to readers at loose ends, to the lost, the aimless, to those who find themselves "between" other books.

It's an interesting book if one is drawn to the region.  But it is very much a coat of many colors, patched together from the very personal ruminations of the author, and as such it is as quirkily flawed and erratic as any individual--something I found rather pleasant and charming, but which I could easily imagine others finding annoying.

Bottom line: I found this a worthwhile read--pleasant and pleasantly written--and one that I found surprisingly expansive in such a few short pages; the equivalent of a trekking experience in a simple day hike.
2531694
This was an odd book. I can't say that I didn't like it, because I read it with interest until I finished it. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, though, and found them a little tiresome at times. I think the topics addressed were handled well...Alzheimer's is not an easy subject to write about, and I think every patient is somewhat different. Early onset Alzheimer's is particularly sad, and the question of a genetic predisposition was addressed as well...although not resolved. All the characters were well developed, with all their character flaws on display. Like I said, an odd book, and a long one...which dragged a bit in spots. I "think" I'm glad I read it...it wasn't easy at times, and I struggled to stick with the characters, hoping for the best.
3751340
The author is no victim of the usual post apocalyptic tropes and devices. I appreciated the refreshingly odd characters and plot development.
1162504
I probably didn't do my due diligence on this. The comics in this book are funny and clever, but it's not to be mistaken for a story.
1131335
Chesterton was unique, but not in the way people today define the word. Modern society teaches that everyone is equally unique, which really means no one is special. GKC stands alone. Whether you engage in religious study, social study, the love of literature, or look for interesting tidbits to share on Facebook, this book has something to offer.

GKC defines words and labels with wit and laser-point insight. No political correctness here but no ill will either. After sharing a few quotes with friends, they immediately bought the book for themselves or a spouse.

Thank you to editor Dale Ahlquist for compiling this great lexicon. He subtitles the book "Mad, Mundane, and Metaphysical" but I think it's a humorous reminder that people haven't always been as narrow as they seem today.

Enjoy!
2498889
While life isn't for everyone living it; such as those who make it harder for others to live, or for those who cannot seem to find it easy to live or make simplicity in it; this book is much in the same. This book is not for everyone; so for you to criticize this book negatively only indicates that your PERSONAL opinion is shallow; that your mind is limited and your expectations have become greater than your ACTUAL potential. Like drugs. This books is good. That is all I am going to say. Not everyone enjoys reading and if you are not an avid reader, this book is for you. It is simple, it doesn't throw you for a loop, and yes, it IS interesting. Additionally, thats why it is fictitious, so that you do not think of it to be "absurd", or "ridiculous", because it is fake. Or so it seems so. People of "uncommon" knowledge (such as myself) will understand and know this. Goodluck.
3331381
There is a word that used to be quite useful and is rarely heard nowadays... "nifty"

Something nifty was not GREAT in some grandiose way, but was really good for what it was; thus a magnificent gourmet meal could never be nifty, but a really good hot could: "The Imitation Game" is a marvelous piece of cinema... "Ghostbusters" is nifty.

This little electronic marvel from Altec Lansing is NOT the greatest listening experience you will ever have, indeed, it is not even the system you can get lost in for a transporting auditory adventure.

AND
 as the other reviews will attest, and I cannot refute, it has some (relatively) serious drawbacks (although they bother me less than they seem to bother some)

But, for its size and its price and its style and its sound and its uses, I can tell you

This is one "nifty" piece of equipment
2740184
To be sure, this is an unconventional book... but what can you expect from Robert Capon?  A rich and odd send-up of all of those self-help books, which ultimately nails one of the points Capon has been making all along:  as humans we are hopelessly religious and idolotrous, and if we could just get it through our thick heads that Jesus was decidedly disinterested in that sort of nonsense we'd be able to get on with the party.
It's fun, but also more than a little unsettling.
2201458
A man and his wife, owners of Binewski's Carnival Fabulon, acquire many odd human freaks of nature, including their own children (both alive and dead) as part of their traveling show.  As odd as they are within the context of the story, the freaks tend to be the norm. "Normal" people flock to see the show and some even begin to amputate body parts in order to be more like Arty, the charismatic flipper-limbed star of the show.

Here is a most amazing book that will be either loved or hated by its readers.  The writing is wonderful.  The topic is difficult.  If the reader is not offended by the material and stops halfway through in disgust, the story itself turns out to be imaginative and thought-provoking.  It brings to mind concepts of what is "normal" versus freaky as well as makes us wonder why people often so blindly follow cults.
3552306
A book written simply yet creating a strange, new world.  Why do writers feel the need to write in a bizarre way to make a bizarre new world?  They don't.  Andrus K. proves it.
200232
Christopher Moores imagination is always weird. Fluke is weirder than most. Not to give away the plot, but it is neatly summarized by the cover illustration: a whale sounding to show BITE ME painted on its tail. I tend to read Moore in small increments because weirdness combined with swearing are hard to take for very long. But this story is entertaining and worth sticking to it. Its also fun to read bizarreness written for its own sake.
Maybe the funniest line is not in the book but on the cover. The New York Times is quoted as reviewing Where has this guy been hiding? Maybe The Times should stray from their usual genres deemed worthy of review more often. Theres a whole other world out there.
1385375
I dunno, but I didn't come away from this volume feeling that I understood what the editors understood by New Weird despite the reams of discussion material added to the end of the book that included some heated interchanges.

And this from a book avowedly about explaining and defining the genre. Heck, it has an Origins collection of stories as it's first part and finishes with lengthy essays and internet chatroom logs all about "what is New Weird?"

The book fails (for me) to define, explain or designate the New Weird. I have no yardstick to say "these are the New Weird tropes that define a story as New Weird rather than Gothic Horror, Steampunk or SF". Which is OK; I've been buying books for almost five decades without the need for such a yardstick, but *this* book seems to sell itself as a serious attempt to make that yardstick.

Four stars for the stories.
100183
This is an odd book, but I think many will find it beautiful. It's an imaginative take on Creation, to some extent. Since I'm a firm believer in the One in the Bible, alternate ones aren't my personal cup of tea. It does move, ever so slightly, into an "Alice in Wonderland" type of thing(only with 3 characters and without all the fun extra adventures...) The illustrations are a bit on the odd side, too, but still have a loveliness about them. Just with all things in life, I imagine some will find more beauty in them than others.

Overall, while I didn't hate the book, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Content: Perfectly fine for younger readers. There's no profanity or mature content.
1780316
You might think I am making an editorial comment about a person by calling Mr Thomas "Odd". Rather, the name of the book by Dean Koontz is Odd Thomas and follows a set of events in the life on a young man of 21 who's given first name is in fact "Odd". Yep, he goes by the nickname Oddy.

In this unabridged audio book, Koontz (as usual) richly describes in great depth the characters. He always seems to create rather unique people (remember "The Face"?) with strange problems. So why is Odd odd? Well, he sees dead people (OK, not like the kid in the movie). Let's just say he sees, ah ghosts and other assorted things that are associated with dead or soon-to-be-dead people (hint hint about the book!). Rich characters and deep descriptions on the local environment of Pico Mundo all leading to a rather major event.

Is it a must read? I'd say yes. Did I like it? Yep. In fact, my next audio book is "Forever Odd" (by Koontz) which picks up with Oddy about a year after the previous book ends. Sorry for the spoiler, Oddy does live thru the end of Odd Thomas, but, then again, you could guess that he does.
2623394
This book was not exactly what I expected.  It certainly kept me intrigued and was interesting commentary on how far people will go for the ones they love.  But in the end, it was just too odd.  Wildly creative.  Well written.  Just not my cup of tea.
754094
The title caught my eye.
Different, funny, but not particularly challenging.
I do not want to do these and I do not care for the word requirement.