Book Worm

October Books

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:16:53 GMT

Wilde Thing by Janelle Denison.
Barely two starts. If you take the sex parts out of the story there's not a lot left. Both characters (Steve (the wild thing of the title) and Liz) have very little depth. Nothing beyond fulfilling each other fantasy.

The whole finding her cousin who is off with a rich client from the sex phone/escort company she works with is the excuse to go into the sexual fantasy game for both characters. Steve doesn't come across like a very professional private detective.

Disappointing.

Le trosième homme (The Third Man) by Graham Greene
Short novella. Written at first for the now classic movie The Third Man. It does keep your interest and keeps you wondering. The POV moves from the narrator to the lead without much warning it made me go "who's talking here" a few times. But overall a solid noir/spy/mystery novella with all the trimmings.

so awesome to see my new book on shelves!!

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:36:01 GMT

My book is now in stores nationwide (US) at Barnes & Noble and Borders. I interviewed a bunch of folks who've become incredibly famous off the Internet and TV and share 61 of their most fascinating secrets for becoming well-known. It's getting great reviews and it's a cheap paperback, but if you don't want to pay money to read it just borrow it from a friend or get it at the library.

If you want to read more about it, visit the book's site here or read the reviews on Amazon right here.

Very exciting to see it out there after a year's wait. I'll check this thread throughout the week to see what people say....

David

Book 35

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:06:53 GMT

Title: Tunnels
Author: Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams
Published: 2007
Pages: 463
Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Will Burrows lives with his family in London. He has little in common with them except for a passion for digging which he shares with his father. When his father suddenly disappears down an unknown tunnel, Will decides to investigate with his friend Chester. Soon they find themselves deep underground, where they unearth a dark and terrifying secret - a secret which may cost them their lives.
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: Pretty good fun, nicely dark with great little twists and turns. I'm assuming this is going to be a series, if so it's a very good opening and leaves enough loose ends to be tied up later and things to be explained. Recommended if you're looking for a new series to fill the gap left by Harry Potter or for anyone who loves a good piece of children's fiction - that said, there's a lot of swearing and some of the story elements might be too upsetting for younger children.

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:24:09 GMT

I also have a question, my boyfriend doesnt know what to read next and was wondering if any of you had any suggestions. He is 26, and has recently read and loved A Suitable Boy and Middlemarch, his favourite book is Crime and Punishment...does anyone have any suggestions?

Liz Williams: Snake Agent

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:06:59 GMT

This is a fun book. It's set in China, in the future, and has Chinese demons and goddesses.

Detective inspector Chen works in Singapore Three which is one of the franchise cities in China. The city is huge and bustling, and has also quite a lot of supernatural activity: ghosts, demons, manifestations of goddesses, exorcisms. Chen is the police officer in charge of investigating the supernatural. Unfortunately, most his fellow officers don't believe in the supernatural and so Chen is shunned by them and even his superior officer doesn't really trust him.

When a wealthy industrialist's wife comes to Chen telling that her daughter's soul hasn't reached Heaven, Chen takes the case even though his superior stresses that it must be kept quiet. Soon, the industrialist Tang himself phones Chen and Chen agrees to meet him. When the inspector comes to the industrialist's house, he finds out that a demon has taken over the wife. When the police department's exorcist, Lao, has banished the demon, the wife lays dead and her husband has fled. Chen suspects that the man knows far more than he tells. He traces Tang to an interdimensional nexus where Tang is keeping the soul of one unfortunate dead girl. There Chen also meets Zhu Irzh.

Zhu Irzh is a detective from the Vice Department from Hell. He got a wind of a smuggling operation from Earth to Hell: someone has been taking the souls of recently dead young girls who should be going to Heaven and snatched them to work in Hell's brothels'. Vice is interested in the case because it could impact on Hell's relationship with Heaven and because the brothels' owners' aren't paying their taxes. It's easier for both Chen and Zhu Irzh if they work together on the case although Zhu Irzh isn't convinced that the girls's souls should be sent to Heaven. The industrialist Tang manages to escape and make enough ruckus that the authorities summon an expert to the scene: the demon hunter No Ro Shi. This is, of course, a bit inconvenient for Chen since he happens to be married to a demon.

Inari, Chen wife, is a demon who managed to escape Hell and an arranged marriage with a high-ranking minion in the Ministry of Epidemics. However, she must keep her true nature a secret from everyone on Earth and also evade all attempts by Hell to capture her. She and her familiar, a teakettle which can turn into a badger, usually keep in Chen's houseboat. But when the demon hunter comes calling, they must flee. Unfortunately, Inari is then captured by a demon and dragged back to Hell.

Meanwhile Chen and Zhu Irzh find out that there's much more going on than a simple smuggling of souls. Zhu Irzh is temporarily employed by the First Lord of Banking to look into the matter while Chen decides that it’s best if his demonic "partner" doesn't know much. But when Chen finds out that Inari has disappeared, he follows her to Hell.

The book has a complex mystery story with settings in both Earth and Hell. The world is a very interesting place. Even though most people don’t seem to really believe it, when human souls (or at least the souls which lived and died in the Chinese culture because there are hints that European afterlife is somewhat different) go the Heaven or Hell according to how well the surviving members of the family have dealt with the Celestial and the Hellish bureaucracy. If the right permits are signed and offerings made, a soul should go to Heaven. However, it's also possible to get special visas for a living human to visit Hell. Chen has one.

There are places that act as nexus between the worlds. Where it's possible to come from Hell (or Heaven) to Earth and vise versa. Most temples seem to be these and so are funeral houses.

Hell itself is, well, hellish. It's a bureaucracy which has been divided into several Ministries: Vice, Epidemics, War... The demons work in terror of their superiors and in hope of getting a better job. The overwhelming majority of workers (except for secretaries) seem to be male and the most successful ones have several wives, whom they don't seem to like much.

While Hell has demons Heaven has gods and goddesses. Chen's patron goddess is Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy and compassion. She demands honesty from her followers which is difficult for Chen in his profession and even more difficult as the book progresses. Kuan Yin considers Hell and demons her enemies so Inari is somewhat of a sore point between her and Chen. Kuan Yin has helped Chen in his previous battles but has grown tired of Chen’s deceptive ways and their relationship is strained at best.

Earth seems to also have more sophisticated technology than our current one. The newest craze is biotech where humans are the central processors of a sort for cell phones and internet connections.

The book has a fairly leisurely pace which fits both the tone and the story. In addition of Chen, Zhu Irzh, and Inari, there are two other point-of-view characters but they come along a little bit later.

Books read in September (Books 98-104)

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:32:32 GMT

Although it seems my reading has slowed this month, I actually completed another 5 books but have been too busy with therealljidol to write up reviews. So I'll try to catch up in October.

Book 98: Devil Bones (Tempe Brennan Book 11) by Kathy Reichs, 2008. Hardback, 320 pages.

When remains are discovered during the renovation of a house that suggest Voodoo or Santeria practices, Tempe is called in. She has to determine if the bones, that includes the skull of a teenage girl, are linked to an unidentified headless torso recently found in a nearby lake. In opposition to Tempe is a fundamentalist preacher with political ambitions who claims that the bodies indicate the presence of devil worshippers in the community. Naturally local feelings are inflamed.

Another solid forensic thriller that once I had started I really couldn't put down. I bought this one hot-off-the-press as I wanted to see how Reichs approached the topics of Santeria, Voodoo and Wicca. My full review here.

Book 99: Casino Royale by Ian Fleming, 1953. 2006 Penguin Edition with Introduction by Jeffrey Deaver. 213 pages.

I read most of the James Bond books many years ago and recently decided to buy these new Penguin editions with their attractive retro covers. I found that many of my perceptions of James Bond had been modified by the film adaptations so it was quite interesting to return to the source texts.

Casino Royale is the first novel in the James Bond series and introduced British secret agent James Bond to the world. Set in the south of France it involves Bond using his skills as a card player to ruin a Russian operative known Le Chiffre (the Cypher). Fleming writes in a sparse journalistic style which keeps the tension high. My full review here.

Book 100: Before the Frost (Linda Wallander Book One) by Henning Mankell, 2002. Translated from the Swedish by Ebba Segerberg, 2004.Unabridged audiobook, Read by Sean Barrett, 12 hours, 15 minutes.

Although I am reading the Kurt Wallander series in order, when this audiobook became available at the library I elected to jump ahead to Mankell's 2002 offering featuring Wallander's daughter, Linda, who has been a minor character since the first book. Here Linda takes centre stage as she prepares to enter the police force though her dad continues to play an important role in the story. Although I don't feel this was Mankell's best work, it was still a solid police procedural with Mankell's usual social commentary and a nail-biting conclusion. My full review here.

Book 101: The Aviary Gate - A Novel by Katie Hickman, 2008. Hardback, 340 pages.

While doing research at the Bodleian Library graduate student Elizabeth Staveley finds a fragment of paper dating from the late 16th century that tells of an English sea captain's daughter held captive in the harem of the Sultan. This was reviewed by a prominent UK magazine as Think Jane Austen meets the Pirates of the Caribbean." This makes it sound like a rather frothy period romp where in actually it is a much more serious and quite poignant novel. Framing the 16th century main story with a contemporary one allows for modern exposition on life in the harem and the politics of the time. Hickman also includes a number of real historical personages alongside her fictional ones.

I enjoyed this very much as Hickman has a wonderful way with her descriptions and the story of the star-crossed lovers Cecilia and Paul was quite moving. However, it did have flaws; primarily for me the modern day story was weak and I found myself disinterested in Elizabeth's relationship woes. Anyway, my full review, with quibbles, can be read here.

Book 102: His Dark Materials Book 3 - The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman, 2000. Paperback 550 pages.

I have to say that although I appreciated His Dark Materials as a whole this conclusion to Lyra Belacqua's and Will Parry's story didn't quite fulfil its promise. Still I consider it an important work and am reading some commentaries by others on its themes. My full review is here. The summary contains some spoilers for Books 1 & 2.

Book 103: Elizabeth the Queen (USA Title: The Life of Elizabeth I) by Alison Weir, 1998. Unabridged audiobook, read by Davina Porter. Approx: 25 hours.

An excellent biography of Elizabeth I that covers both the major events of Elizabeth's life and the smaller details that flesh her out as a woman.

Book 104: Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Book 1) by Laurell K, Hamilton, 1993. Unabridged audiobook. Read by Victoria Gordon.

Anita Blake is an animator, a raiser of the dead and also a vampire hunter working with the St. Louis police. In this alternative world vampires have rights though if they kill humans they can be slain by hunters like Anita. In this first in the series Anita is blackmailed into helping the master vampire of the city discover who has been murdering vampires. I originally read this book about 10 years ago and enjoyed it and its sequels very much. I've pretty much abandoned Hamilton's writings in recent years now that she's abandoned plot for porn. Still I've wanted to re-visit the early volumes and a long road trip proved a perfect opportunity for this first one. Gordon does a good job in capturing Anita's ironic banter and made me recall how much I enjoyed the series first time around. My full reviews of Books 103 & 104 can be read here.

Cross-posted to book_worm, books, 100ormorebooks and bookshare.

Books 17-30

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 19:53:43 GMT

Here are my recent reads, books 17-30

17. Mungo City by Rutiger Knox (308 pages)

Great book by a local author.

18. The Monk by Matthew Lewis (496 pages)

A must read for those who like Gothic literature.

19. Demon Prince by Kathaleen Morgan (448 pages)

A quick read.I actually really enjoyed this more then I thought I would. It felt like I was reading a video game, ha.

20. Blood Rites by Barry Nazarian (219 pages)

Better then I thought it was going to be.

21. The Crow by J. O'Barr (240 pages)

Excellent.

22. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (288 pages)

Great book, I love flow of the writing. A must read.

23. The Dragon Lord's Daughters by Bertrice Small (384 pages)

24. The Devil Who Tamed Her by Johanna Lindsey (417 pages)

I enjoyed this book, it was a light quick read.

25. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (281 pages)

Amazing, no wonder it's a classic

26. The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (576 pages)

Great book, not as good as the Hobbit. Very Dark at times.

27. The Terror Trap by Willo Davis Roberts (237 pages)

28. Two Towers Rings by J.R.R Tolkien (464 pages)

I enjoyed this book.

29.My Fair Mistress by.Tracy Anne Warren (432 pages)

Book 1 of the Mistress Trilogy.Frustrating at times, I wanted to smack the Rafe and Julianna and tell them to say something instead of jumping to conclusions. But still interesting.

30. ]The Accidental Mistress by Tracy Anne Warren ( 368 pages)

Loved it, so far it is the best of the Trilogy. I loved the playfulness, I might have to go out and buy this one. This book made me smile on more then once. Lily and Ethan where enjoyable main characters.

30/50
10,457/15,000

Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:39:28 GMT

Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
by Chelsea Handler

This audio book, a collection of essays from Handler's personal life, was read by the author; given her talent as a stand-up comedian, she's the perfect narrator. I first saw Chelsea on a couple talk shows, though for the life of me, I can't recall which ones. She's a bit raw and crude, and has no qualms about "letting it all hang out", but she can be wickedly funny. In addition to stand up, she has appeared on the hidden camera prank TV show, Girls Behaving Badly; and she now has her own late night show on E!, Chelsea Handler Lately. I can imagine that a lot of people might be easily offended by her schtick; I found these essays ranging from mildly comical to laugh out loud funny. If you like your comedy on the uninhibited side of life, this is the book for you.

Book #34

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:00:42 GMT

Book #34
Book Title: Angela's Ashes (reread)
Author: Frank McCourt
Category: memoir
# of pages: 363
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best].: A+
Short description/summary of the book: (taken from amazon.com):Frank McCourt's haunting memoir takes on new life when the author reads from his Pulitzer Prize-winning book. Recounting scenes from his childhood in New York City and Limerick, Ireland, McCourt paints a brutal yet poignant picture of his early days when there was rarely enough food on the table, and boots and coats were a luxury. In a melodic Irish voice that often lends a gentle humor to the unimaginable, the author remembers his wayward yet adoring father who was forever drinking what little money the family had. He recounts the painful loss of his siblings to avoidable sickness and hunger, a proud mother reduced to begging for charity, and the stench of the sewage-strewn streets that ran outside the front door. As McCourt approaches adolescence, he discovers the shame of poverty and the beauty of Shakespeare, the mystery of sex and the unforgiving power of the Irish Catholic Church. This powerful and heart-rending testament to the resiliency and determination of youth is populated with memorable characters and moments, and McCourt's interpretation of the narrative and the voices it contains will leave listeners laughing through their tears.

My Thoughts: This book was a reread for me and there were so many things that I didn't remember reading the first time. I love the vividness of every event that McCourt remembers throughout his childhood and adolescence. I recommend that everyone read this book at least once in their life.

Books read this year: 34/50. I'm 68% done!!!

Next read(s): I am about to start reading At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon.

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:15:10 GMT

I've been home from work for two days and I spent most of the time reading (The Road, The Alchemy of Air, and Endymion) as well as thinking about "bookish" issues.

In particular:
* Was it correct to call the 'no cost but limited use' PDF version of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere "Free?"

* In your mind is an alternate history book like, The Yiddish Policeman's Union truly science fiction and, subsequently, eligible for a Hugo award?

And essay and discussion are in my journal here.

Goal-8 books. 1 month!

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:41:58 GMT

I have gotten bad with not reading as much as I used to, and I want to change that! I have a little pile of books next to my bed and I hope to get through them all they are:

One Piece Volume 18

She's Not There:A Life in Two Genders

Trans Liberation

Stiff:The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Freddie and Me

Stone Butch Blues

The Walking Dead:Book 1

The Ethical Slut

I'm in the middle of "She's Not There" and "Trans Liberation", but "Stiff, "Ethical Slut" and "Freddie and Me" belong to other people, so I may read them first.

Writer's Block: Neuromancer

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:44:05 GMT

Happy birthday, Neuromancer! Since its publication 24 years ago, William Gibson’s visionary novel has influenced everything from technology to pop culture. What other novels have had such an unexpected impact?

View other answers

Fehrenhiet 451 by Ray Bradbury.
I read this after watching the movie based off of the novel. And I found that the novel transcended time easier than the movie. But mostly it was the way that Bradbury talked about this "Dystopian" future that really affected me. Basically it's the reality I live in: Wall sized picture tubes (big tvs), people walking around with little seashells in their ears playing music (headphones), people taking medications to wake up, go to sleep, feel good, etc; no one actually talking to one another on a truelly personal level (everything that people talk about is superficial). it was scary.

The only thing that my reality does not have is book burning... but honestly, many people are not reading books anymore and that's how it all got started.

Book 34

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 02:40:44 GMT

Title: Just a Geek
Author: Wil Wheaton
Published: 2002
Pages: 267
Synopsis: Not the usual celebrity biography Just a Geek fleshes out the stories that started on the webblog. Wil takes you with him to auditions, to Star Trek conventions, to his living room, and into the deepest reaches of his soul. Along the way, he realises that he's happy to be... Just a Geek!
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: I enjoyed Wheaton's honestly when talking about how his career was going post-Star Trek, about the auditions he went to and about his struggles paying his bills. I was never a fan of his character on Star Trek and it was interesting reading his journey from wanting to get away from Trek to finally embracing it and accepting everything the good and the bad. He does loose points though for saying that 'Nemesis' was the best Trek script since 'Wrath of Khan' and the best TNG film script... A fun read and recommended for any Trekkie :)

September reads...

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:40:41 GMT

Hey everybody. It's the time again huh? Another month has pasted us by so that means, an update on all the books that we've read throughout the month of September. I post all the books that I read in my journal. Feel free to read and comment and add me if you like. :) Here's my reads for September...

Night World: Volume 1 by L.J. Smith (4/5)
Dark Lover by J.R. Ward (First book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, 5/5)
Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward (Second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, 5/5)
Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward (Third book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, 5/5)

Right now I'm reading Untamed by P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast.

Hope everybody has a good and productive October.

Amy

Countdown by Michelle Maddox

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:52:51 GMT

Publisher: Dorchester, 2008
Genre: Science fiction
Sub-genre: Mystery/thriller

Read the full (spoiler-free) review here.

The premise of this book is pretty simple. Kira and Rogan (her criminal partner) spend more or less the entire book trying to figure out a way through a deadly underworld reality gameshow without dying. It's all very fast-paced and high energy, and while a "life or death" reality show might not be a new concept, it's done well here. The sci fi trappings act as little more than window dressing, though, and while there were some interesting ideas, the focus is on the incredible tension, both in the struggle to get through the game and the romance building between Kira and Rogan.

I really liked Kira, who was a nifty combination of tough and vulnerable. She also has some minor psionic abilities, which essentially mean she can "read" a person and know who they really are, all facades stripped. The story is written entirely in her perspective, first person narrative, and her delightful complexity makes for fun and easy reading.

Rogan is presented as a mystery, and Kira (and by extension, the reader) goes back and forth as to who exactly he is. Is he a good guy in an unfortunate spot, or is he the hardened killer he's initially made out to be? Either way, Kira's attracted to his pretty pretty eyes and his sense of humour.

People have talked about the darkness in Countdown, but I have to confess, I actually found the thing to be pretty light reading. It borders on dark, but shirks away just before plunging into that territory. High energy with lots of tension and a little suspense? Yes. Dark and gritty? Not so much. A fun, quick read? Absolutely. Countdown is the futuristic sf/action/romance blend I've come to expect from Dorchester's "Shomi" line of novels (Hidden is another of those titles), so if you're like me and enjoy that sort of combination, this is a good one to pick up.

Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:37:22 GMT

Dirty Girls On Top by Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez

I read her first book, The Dirty Girls Social Club last year and LOVED it. The characters were so different, so deep but the book was also really fun. I didn't even know that she had another book coming out until I saw Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez Comes Out online. CRAZY. She does have a lot of lesbian and bisexual women in her books so I guess it makes sense.

The article (above) links to a free audio download of the first chapter of the new book. Pretty great. Sexy voice. I'm going to download the book. :-)

Sorry I don't have a photo to put up of it like everyone else.

«The End of History and the Last Man» by Francis Fukuyama

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:13:16 GMT

       The End of History and the Last Man is a 1992 book by Francis Fukuyama, expanding on his 1989 essay "The End of History?", published in the international affairs journal The National Interest. In the book, Fukuyama argues that the advent of Western liberal democracy may signal the end point of mankind's ideological evolution and the final form of human government. "What we may be witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or the passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalization of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government.".
       This thesis conflicts strongly with Karl Marx's version of the "end of prehistory".[2]. Fukuyama's thesis, coming at the end of the Cold War, is an obvious reference to Marx's phrase. However, Fukuyama draws from the work of the source Marx got the phrase from, the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. In particular, Fukuyama is influenced by the interpretation of Hegel by the French thinker Alexandre Kojève, both arguing that the historical progression has led towards secular free-market democracy (conceived in terms of a multi-party system of political representation). Fukuyama seems to have been pointed in Kojève's direction by the prominent Straussian political philosopher Allan Bloom, who taught Fukuyama.
       Very interesting book in my opinion...
Download the book (txt)...

Review: Osprey M-A-A #448: Irish-American Units in the Civil War

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 20:45:25 GMT

This is my latest purchase from Osprey Publishing's "Men-at-Arms" series. It's a new release I learned about from the company's mailing list. I'm not a big student of the War Between the States, even though I grew up here in the South. A title about the Irishmen in the war caught my attention, however, because of the large Irish community that lived in ante-bellum New Orleans.

Being the second-largest port city in America (behind NYC) for most of the 19th and 20th centuries, New Orleans naturally attracted a large number of immigrants. The Irish, escaping famine and oppression at home, found New Orleans and the areas of the Louisiana Purchase offered a lot more than home. The Irish took on many of the dirty manual labor jobs on which slave owners wouldn't risk their property, such as construction of the navigation canals that connected New Orleans with Lake Pontchartrain and the Gulf of Mexico. When North fought South, it was natural that Irishmen on either side would take up arms and defend their homes, even while thinking back to their Homeland.

Irish-American Units in the Civil War offers a state-by-state overview of the Irishmen serving with both the Union and the Confederacy. The section on Louisiana's Irish troops to be fascinating. The Louisiana Tigers, dressed Zouave-style in blue jackets with red-and-white striped pants are legendary, and their Irish heritage is detailed here. Because it deals with the Civil War, there are many more photographs than illustrations and paintings throughout the book, providing accurate views of uniforms.

The eight pages of color plates, four Union, four Confederate, show the preponderance of green that Irish volunteers wore as part of their uniforms on both sides. Two of the plates show some of the ante-bellum uniforms of Irish volunteer companies. These are great examples of how the influence of mid-Victorian styles in Britain filtered over to the US, complete with high bearskin caps. The plates stir the imagination, as one wonders what would be on the mind of an officer of the Montgomery Guard of the NY State Militia, as he walked through Manhattan on a leisurely Sunday afternoon in 1859.

As always, the book has a Selected Bibliography, which makes a great starting point for more in-depth research on the subject.

The Children of Men

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:03:23 GMT

The Children of Men by P.D. James

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
From back: Imagine a world with no children and no future.

October 19th 1995 the last child was born on Earth, and on Jan 1st 2021 the last child born, had died.

Those born in the year 1995 where know as the Omegas.

Just imagine never hearing the sounds of a newborn cry, the laughter of children. What where once playgrounds full happy smiling faces, thorn down and paved over like they never existed in the first place.

Literature, great works of art, music all boarded up because there is nobody around to enjoy it, because there is nobody to care, with the exception of a select few. A world with no future, is a world with out hope. People see no reason to keep going. Cites get closed down, suicides is at a high, in fact they are organized.

At times I almost gave up on this book, I'm glad now that I stuck with it.

I recommended this book who likes intelligent literature.

View all my reviews.

Books = 16
Pages = 5,299

Consider The Lobster by David Foster Wallace

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 04:04:33 GMT

Consider The Lobster and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace

This was my second foray with DFW, a gifted writer who is often referred to as THE greatest writer of his generation. I previously read another essay book of his, A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again. There is no dispute that DFW was truly brilliant, though sadly he committed suicide at the age of 46 just a few weeks ago. His suicide, though shocking, did not surprise me all that much, as his perspective, one of truth seeking and laying bare the hypocrisies in modern society, struck me as depressed and cynical. His father confirmed that DFW suffered from depression and that his "medication failed him".

The essays in this collection are thoughtful, deeply researched, and painfully honest. The first, Consider the Lobster, written for Gourmet Magazine on the annual Maine Lobster Festival devolves into a meditation on the ethics of killing and eating lobster. The overwhelming details regarding the animal's level of pain felt and the necessity regarding the consumption, could lead anyone to consider a life of vegetarianism. He seems to be searching for a rationalization for this human behavior that he could consider justifiable. Surely, this was not the intent of Gourmet when they commissioned this work.

The longest essay, covering in excruciating detail the vagaries of the porn industry, was far more than I could ever have bargained for. I didn't need to read this treatise to know the industry is vile and disgusting and headed towards ever more misogynistic and vulgar exploits that likely won't be reined in any time soon. And, truthfully, I never needed to read it regardless.

The final essay on the disappointment he feels in reading athlete's memoirs, but more to the point, articulating the essence of the athletes achievements is something that athletes are not by nature suited to produce, was perhaps my favorite of the collection. For this final essay alone, I felt the book was worth reading.

It is truly a shame to have lost such a talented writer at such a young age. Though I'm not sure this work inspired me to try and tackle his mammoth novel, Infinite Jest.

September books

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:08:35 GMT

L'espion qui venait du froid (The Spy Who Came in from The Cold) by John Le Carré.
Not my first Le Carré but one I hadn't read before. The pace is excellent, the double, triple play of spies, counter spies, who is behind who is very good. It's from an era that is now part of history but at the time that it was published it was reality. It hasn't lost any of its powerful narrative. The characters are interesting if a little cold but it's expected in the context of the game they are playing and it is a game. A game, where the pawns are very much alive. A cruel, deadly game that still has echos in our time.

Nevermore (Supernatural) by Keith DeCandido.
It had factual errors (the boys eyes are green for one that I was warned about) that bugged the heck out of me. But the plot was interesting (Poe and the haunted musician's house). Dean's nightmare scene was well done, so was Dean's complete love at first sight with Manfred's music collection. The author came up with 3 good female minor characters (unlike the show who has problems with that). Overall not as good as the second novel where both brothers were in characters but not as bad as I was expecting it to be.

Lois McMaster Bujold: Warrior’s Apprentice

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:19:54 GMT

I'm listening (once again) through my audiobooks of the Vorkosigan saga and decided (finally) to write a review of them. It’s really a shame that the two prequels to the series, Shards of Honor and Barrayar, aren’t available on audio. Warrior's Apprentice is also the first book in the collected edition of Young Miles.

The Warrior's Apprentice is the first book to feature Bujold's perhaps the most famous main character: the ever-energetic Miles Vorkosigan. He was subjected to a deadly toxin while still in his mother's womb and because of that he’s very short and has very brittle bones. Yet, he's a very charming and engaging character especially because he comes from the culture from the planet Barrayar which is very dedicated to the military service and health. Many view Miles as a mutant and spit on him (some quite literally). Miles is also the only son and heir of the second most powerful man on the planet (after Emperor Gregor) which makes his deformities very visible. Miles wants very badly to live up to his father’s reputation as a both military and political genius.

So, despite his physical handicaps Miles has determined to get into the Barrayaran Imperial Military Service. He has passed all of the written exams with flying colors and the only thing left is the physical exam. If he can at least complete it, he's going to be a new cadet. Unfortunately, he lets the other candidate's taunting get to him and ends up breaking both of his legs in the obstacle course. After a sever bout of depression, he has to think of something else to do with his life.

Shortly afterwards, his grandfather dies and during the funeral Miles gets the idea that he should stop being an embarrassment to his father (as Miles himself sees it), at least for a while and leave the planet to see his mother's mother on Beta Colony. He should take, of course, his scary, border-line psychopathic but unwaveringly loyal bodyguard Bothari with him. Miles also insists on taking Bothari's 17-years old daughter Elena who is Miles' good friend and the object of his day dreams. Bothari has planned out his daughter’s life for her: a dowry, a respectable marriage with a military man... Miles rather disagrees with that.

Soon enough they land in Beta Colony where Miles promptly rescues an intoxicated pilot and ends up buying the pilot's star ship. Unfortunately for Miles, he doesn't have that much money but manages to scam long enough. In order to actually buy off the ship, he takes up a valuable cargo into his new ship and blasts off just before the outraged former owner can press charges. Unfortunately, the cargo is valuable because it has to be delivered into a war zone. Miles' biggest problem is the mercenary fleet which is blockading the wormhole his ship has to jump through.

Warrior's Apprentice is a very fast-paced space opera. While is does have it's own share of technology, such as space ships which jump routinely through wormholes, it concentrated on the more human side of things: characters, their interaction, culture clashes... The tech isn't the main point and the book is very much character centered instead of plot or setting centered. While Miles, as the only point-of-view character, hogs the center stage most of the time, the other characters are very interesting as well. Sergeant Bothari with his life-long traumas (which the readers of the prequels know about far better than Miles) and his obsession to make his daughter the quintessential Barrayaran maiden. Elena who wants to please his father but also to have a life of her own. And many others. Some of them will become recurring characters in the later books and acquire more depth and history.

Book 33

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:52:28 GMT

Title: Starship Troopers
Author: Robert A. Heinlein
Published: 1959
Pages: 219
Synopsis: 5,000 years in the future, mankind is threatened with extermination... This is the story of Starship Trooper Johnny Rico, from his idealistic enlistment in the infantry of the future, through his rigorous training to the command of his own platoon. His destiny is a galactic war of unlimited violence and destruction. Rico and his fellow troopers scour the metal-strewen emptiness of space to hung down a terrifying enemy - an insect life form which threatens the very future of mankind.
Rating: 5/5
Review: Very different from the film in many aspects but in the way 'Blade Runner' is different from 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep', I'm a big fan of the film and I think that you view them as separate. Great fun read and I can see how Heinlein has influenced other sci-fi writers. I was very taken with his view that women make the better space pilots :):) Very well written and very well structured, very recommended :)

September books

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:10:06 GMT

L'odyssée de Pénélope (The Penelopiad) by Margaret Atwood.
I was disappointed. I, maybe, expected too much from Atwood which I usually love. Penelope became under her guidance this whinny, very unlikable character. The idea of Ulysses leaving her in the Elysians fields to roam the world even after death is not strange but that Atwood still made Penelope a passive character even after death was. Maybe I remember it wrong but I remember a strong Penelope from the Odysseus not this weak, whinny character.

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips.
I liked this one a lot. Funny, completely bunkers, yet endearing. Yes, it's a retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice, yes, the end is simplistic and the reader can figure it out a mile away, how the gods didn't, well, Athena did but poor thing, she can't communicate to save her life.

I love Greek Mythology. This was a very easy sell for me. Gods are still alive (barely) and living in London, in this very gross house and try to get by and keep the world together.

It's a light tale of true love, family feud and how even gods need a little love.

spreading the word

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 20:38:29 GMT

My brother wrote a book. And it is now available for sale on Amazon and a few other places. Go buy it.

Description -
    Alexander, for the most part, was an average employee of the best Metal/Gothic club in Buffalo. Was, being the keyword, because The Continental had burned to the ground nearly six months ago in a fire that claimed as many lives as it ruined.
   Pining over the loss of life and the cause of the blaze, Alex has descended into a vast downward spiral of self-despair and pity, filling his days with endless drug abuse and alcohol consumption to chase the pain away. That is, until he returns one night in a random act of madness, to the charred remains of The Continental. There he meets a shadowy figure who seems bent on changing his life, for better or worse.
   It isn't long before this mysterious figure guides Alex into a world of truth that opens his eyes and sends him on an adventure to figure out what happened that night. As Alex reluctantly digs deeper at the urging of the strange figure only referring to himself as Daniel, he soon finds clues that open his eyes to the blinding truth. The fire that he blamed himself for, might not have been his fault.
   What's more, it might not have been an accident at all!