Yes, it’s the fourth of July. Happy Independence Day, folks! Today, I am independent from the contractors who have been plaguing me all month, and who will be plaguing me for at least another week. Which means I’m going to stuff you to the gills with reviews so you don’t starve when my interweb shuts down again, due to a lack of electricity.
Here’s a book with lots of electricity: My Summer on Earth by Tom Lombardi.
Meet Clint Eastwood. That’s not actually his name. It’s supposed to be Stanley Boriswat, which is the name the folks on his home planet told him to use. He said it was “douchey” and decided to call himself Clint Eastwood instead.
Yes, I said home planet. Clint/Stanley is an alien, who has been sent to Los Angeles on a rescue mission of sorts. You’re starting to think, “Oh, no. Sci fi. I don’t like sci fi.” Or you may be starting to think that, except if you are, you’re wrong. Because this is sci fi a la Douglas Adams, a la The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
What I mean is, it’s a barrel of teen laughs, and there’s a bit of drama to go with it. I mean, what teenage boy-ish creature comes to earth and doesn’t have some angst? Some issues? Not only does he have to try to blend in, which is hard enough for us earthlings, but he also has to capture a fellow alien and take the dude home. He’s got his hands very, very full. He doesn’t know what the colloquialism “loser” means, let alone how to get a girl to fall madly in love with him or how to capture a fellow alien.
Can I just say that this is the perfect beach read? The perfect fourth of July read? The perfect bathtub read, the perfect eat-while-you-read? I cannot recommend My Summer on Earth more highly. (Warning: Please be careful eating and/or drinking while gobbling down this novel, as you may end up painfully snarfing tuna salad and cola out your nose.)
Buy My Summer on Earth
I have this book in my TBR pile. I read a bit of it when my friend was looking around Pier 1 after we had left B&N where I’d bought it, lol. It was pretty funny- I’m definitely looking forward to reading the rest!
Definitely write back and share your thoughts once you’ve read it! I want to know if you, like me, think it is the perfect combo of Douglas Adams-esque hilarity and teen angst.
I just bought this today and am so looking forward to reading it…I read the first chapter and it was hilarious!!!
Caroline, please do come back when you’ve finished and discuss. I’m hoping that as this site grows we can start a wee little online book club in which we all read a book once a month and then discuss it, perhaps in comments in a thread or maybe, if I get super ambitious, in a chat room. But for now, I really want to hear everyone else’s opinions — honest ones, too — of the books I review. ♥