I can't review this book by thinking about the plot or about theme and diction, for it is only (and truly) a series of snapshots, candid and sore, thaI can't review this book by thinking about the plot or about theme and diction, for it is only (and truly) a series of snapshots, candid and sore, that piece together the lives of living people. The delicate sweet soul of a father; a grandmother with the heart of an empath; a sister whose youth and adulthood travel arm in arm; a numb and emptied mother; a young girl then grown woman living pierced on the periphery. This book is about the people in my life and yours whose very essence is pinned down to a spot in time and space--these lovely bones, growing in a soft-shelled skeleton around our lives. It is by turning the pages where these bones grow, that I could reflect on the wheel of life--what a joy (can you call it joy when it's sad?) to witness humanity breathing ceaselessly, moving forward, and loving without remorse. I am at peace to think that this sweet family, though scarred, will smile at another sunrise.
I wouldn't pay 15 bucks for this sucker, but the $3 I paid was well worth it! Combing through the Humor section of my local used bookstore, I came acrI wouldn't pay 15 bucks for this sucker, but the $3 I paid was well worth it! Combing through the Humor section of my local used bookstore, I came across this hidden treasure and never looked back. Filled with horrendous pop-culture references from the late 90s, the CIGFD is Colbert before there ever was a Colbert (only not as funny). Authors Dullard and Dolt have written your best how-to on living the "ignorance is bliss" lifestyle. (I didn't even notice that the title's spelled wrong. Excellent! I'm well on my way to becoming dumber, and therefore happier!!!) By the time you're done reading it, you'll be glad your hopes and dreams didn't come true. After all, happiness can only be found in a bag of Nacho Cheesier Doritos, sweetly accompanied by a can of the Silver Bullet and an obsessive compulsion to watch High Def ESPN until your eyes bleed.
Soooo, it took me about 43 years to read this book. And upon thinking for a while and discissing it with Christina for a while I've come to the concluSoooo, it took me about 43 years to read this book. And upon thinking for a while and discissing it with Christina for a while I've come to the conclusion that my opinion is based on a two-fold rubric. (Can rubrics have folds?)
Anyway...
Point 1. Character Development. The character development in this book sucked balls. And not in the good way, either.
Point 2. Plot. The plot was fuckin' awesome. Except for the fact that it didn't start until a third of the way into the book. But whatev. It's still a clever story filled with science! (I love science!!!)
Let's discuss the above two points in more depth, shall we? As far as character development goes, I'm really disappointed. I mean, really. Amy is supposed to be some quirky gal whose personal slang consists of "mook," "jeepers," and other silly stuff. But she didn't develop that characteristic until we'd met her a half a dozen times. Another example, and I'll try to spare you details, occurrs @ the end of the book. There's a reunion. And it should be romantic and touching, but it's not. It's just quick and flat. Why even bother? Pissed me off.
Alrighty, plot... Underwater city and additional theories of evolution--genius! Carbon based passenger vessels navigated neurogically--double genius! Loved it. Kick ass. Cool. And then they saved the world. No surprises there.
That's all I have to say, really. The book was ok, not great. I'll probably read another Christopher Moore, but only because Christina (et al) really love him, so I figure it's worth giving him a second chance. ...more
Hmm... Ok, this book wasn't awful. I was upset at first that the entire book wasn't in first person, but actually, Pascal switches back and forth betwHmm... Ok, this book wasn't awful. I was upset at first that the entire book wasn't in first person, but actually, Pascal switches back and forth between 1st and 3rd AND she switches between points-of-view of the different characters. Multiple POVs is one of my favorite storytelling vehicles!
I don't think I'd recommend this book for adolescent girls, because there is way too much value placed on sexiness and having boyfriends and stuff--it takes away from the storyline! The book is about a tough girl who can beat the shit out of a zillion people at once, and it just so happens that the bad guys are secretly watching her and sending people to try to beat her up. So I wish they'd get rid of the love shit. It's a really bad example for young women!
I didn't realize this was a series at first. But it is. Which means, of course, that nothing is resolved in the end. That's ok, though. It gives you a little hint at who the bad guys are, but it definitely doesn't tell you what they want with her. Intriguing enough to make me want to read the second one....more
November 19, 2008. I've read these books a zillion and one times and surely I shall read them a zillion more. Because every single time, I realize newNovember 19, 2008. I've read these books a zillion and one times and surely I shall read them a zillion more. Because every single time, I realize new truths and find more honor in their pages.
Today, I've read a passage that I find disturbing and quite out of character for CS Lewis:
p.72 "Shall we go farther up for you, up to the crags? There's an Ogre or two and a Hag that we could introduce you to, up there." "Certainly not," said Caspian. "I should think not, indeed," said Trufflehunter. "We want none of that sort on our side."
Seems a bit racist, if you ask me. It really makes me wonder exactly what CS Lewis is getting at here. It's totally the opposite of what happens in The Last Battle when Aslan sorts the good guys from the bad guys by whether they're good oir evil in their hearts. So anyway, it seems weird and I don't like it. The Hag does ends up being a bad guy in the end, but still... I dunno.
I'll keep reading and blame the racism on the 1950s for now.
Oh yeah, as a side note, whenever I read British literature, I talk to myself in a British accent and rhythm for a while afterward. It's so dorky!!!
Later... I've read a bit more now. The race issue didn't come up again.
The battle scenes are not the same as you might see these days. There's something more frank and quick about them. Lewis doesn't explain every little move and maneuver, so in fact, if you're reading too fast, you might even miss a fight going on. Here's an example of a battle overview without much in the way of specifics: P. 187 But the new bout went well. Peter now seemed to be able to make some use of his shield, and he certainly made good use of his feet. He was almost playing Tig with Miraz now, keeping out of range shifting his ground, making the enemy work.
I think if this book had been written today by a different author, it might be about 500 pages of battle scenes. I'm glad its not. Instead, the book is more about people standing on the side of good. Here's a passage that I just love which describes Edmund who may be a boy, but is also a king: P.174An hour later two great lords in the army of Miraz, the Lord Glozelle and the Lord Sopespian, strolling along their lines and picking their teeth after breakfast, looked up and saw coming down to them from the wood the Centaur and Giant Wembleweather, whom they had seen before in battle, and between them a figure they could not recognise. Nor indeed would the other boys at Edmund's school have recognised him if they could have seen him at that moment. For Aslan had breathed on him at their meeting and a kind of greatness hung about him.
Ahhhhh... See? For Narnia and the North!
Also, you Tolkien fans will recognize the onslaught of trees which comes in at the end of the battle--Two Towers--and the river emerging (with the help of Bacchus and his grapevines) to take out the bridge and thwart the enemy in its path--Fellowship. Who came up with it first, I wonder... :)
Later still... As I finish reading this lovely little novel, allow me to drop off to sleep with feet towards the fire and good friends on either side... Thank you, Mr. Lewis. I have had a time. ...more
This book was cute and neat even if it wasn't fantastic and amazing. I love the little world that DuPrau creates--one in which they don't know what biThis book was cute and neat even if it wasn't fantastic and amazing. I love the little world that DuPrau creates--one in which they don't know what birds or dogs look like, in which noone chooses her job but it's chosen for her, one in which all the needs of the city are fulfilled by willing and able hands. It's facinating really. It's genius. Well, ya know, aside from your standard-issue greed and corruption which leads to the ultimate downfall of an entire "race" of people. But other than that, these Ember folks really have their shit together. ...more
I didn't do any of the suggested activities in this book, but I imagined doing them which was kinda funny. I didn't do any of the suggested activities in this book, but I imagined doing them which was kinda funny. ...more
As I walked out of Penn Station this morning, the proverbial country mouse blinking in the early morning city sunshine, the homesick hole in my heart As I walked out of Penn Station this morning, the proverbial country mouse blinking in the early morning city sunshine, the homesick hole in my heart was filled with a glorious and familiar sight--Borders Bookstore! Oh thank god, finally somewhere I can navigate with familiar ease. And familiarity is an understatement. Every table and shelf looked exactly the same as every table and shelf in the bookstore back home--Cormac McCarthy alongside Love in the Time of Cholera. Jane Green sidling up to Jodi Picoult. And over there, wouldn't you know it? An entire tower dedicated to the Twilight series and associated chachkis. Yep, Borders is ironically unbound by American geography.
Except for one thing--Dewey. Dewey doesn't grace our Carolina shelves as abundantly as he does in the Big Apple. This little Iowa pussy has, in fact, made himself quite the cosy home on Seventh Avenue. And I just couldn't resist. Prejudjed as a comely mini-tome for housecoated grannies (regardless of the fact that our own well-respected marketing team has been giving us hairballs for weeks on end), good ol' Dewey is exactly the knitted cardigan type of book you'd expect. The only exception (and not a minor one, in this cat-lover's opinion) is that Dewey the Cat is a fucking awesome, caring, and cuddly kitty. And, true to life, he's not nearly so annoying as the narrator, the library patrons, or the townspeople featured in this quaint feline biography. Granted, I only skimmed this little novel cover to cover, but the cat is heartwarming, even if the humans are conservative lameasses. It was just like being at home... :)...more
The Wednesday Sisters are as delightful, insightful, and wonderful(ful) a group of women as you could ever hope to meet. Such a touching tale, I long The Wednesday Sisters are as delightful, insightful, and wonderful(ful) a group of women as you could ever hope to meet. Such a touching tale, I long for such sisterhood in my own life--to be able to bear my soul, raw and rough. This book is about people. About the power of being a woman. It is about you and me, your mother your sweetest sister-friend. I adored this book in a way I can't describe. So I'll just leave it at that, shall I?...more
Good lord, I already love this book. While I haven't had sex with anywhere near forty men, I VERY MUCH understand what Kerry is describing just on theGood lord, I already love this book. While I haven't had sex with anywhere near forty men, I VERY MUCH understand what Kerry is describing just on the book jacket. I was crying reading the intro in the bookstore!!! Ugh. I can't tell if this is gonna be a healty read for me or not. So far, I've only read about fifty pages. It makes me both disgusted and horny at the same time... We shall see...
7/23: About half way through now. God, such truth. Anything for love, I suppose.
7/25, 3:30am: I'm wondering if I need therapy.
7/25, 11am: Finished.
7/30: So, as I come away from this book several days later, I'm still not sure what I've taken away from it. Maybe it's too soon. I do know that this book illustrated the fact that all of us have stupid habits and idiosyncrasies that make our neruoses personal and that convince us we are on the path to wholeness. Kerry's was sleeping around--because she thought that would lead her to love. I suppose I do the same thing sometimes. As a way of dealing with stress and depression and a whole series of other shit, I'm sure. People eat, they do drugs, they drive fast, whatever. We're human. And we're empty. So it seems. Is it curable? Or is it chronic? Should we just get used to it? I don't know......more
Why do I keep reading these? This one was particularly bad, unfortunately. Thank god it only took a few hours to read...
First off, I'm sick to death Why do I keep reading these? This one was particularly bad, unfortunately. Thank god it only took a few hours to read...
First off, I'm sick to death of all the oil company conspiracy that people talk about in this country. And this whole book was about sabotaging the Alaska pipeline so some dummy could buy it out and make a billion dollars. Whatever. Secondly,it just wasn't a mission I think APO would normally concern themselves with, so I could never get into the story. And of course, the author tried too hard to make the characters talk like spies. They were always using their damn code names--something they rarely did on the show--and they were super serious about everything. None of their personalities shone through; they could have been any run-of-the-mill adventurers on a mission. Disappointing. My final point about how stupid this book is: Sydney hurled a bunch of throwing stars at the wing of an airplane as it was zooming down the runway trying to take off, and of course that made the plane crash as soon as it got in the air. Nadia shot at the plane with a machine gun which did nothing, but Sydney's throwing stars took it out??? Sure. ...more
I have finished the book. And it's yet another dark/twised book written by a GoodReader!!! (I'm beginning to think that you people were born of the saI have finished the book. And it's yet another dark/twised book written by a GoodReader!!! (I'm beginning to think that you people were born of the same womb and perhaps need group regressive hypnosis to cure you of your dark and twisty ways, but what do I know...)
Beatie is a girl who you never really get to know. A girl who sort of slips through your day with little more than glance at best and a quick and quirky lie to your face at worst. We see snippets of a life. Is this how we see people in reality? I think probably so.
**SPOILERS** Ginnetta, does she have sex with the roller rink guy? I think not, but it's hard to tell. It's the only place in the book where you shy away from biology--when we see poop and puke, I'm sure of what's going on, but the sex scene wasn't so clear. (Edit: Gennetta said no, she didn't have sex with dat boy. I read it right then. Good!)
I love Petey. Absolutely ADORE Petey! What a fantastic vehicle. I think lots of kids have their own Peteys and I'm fascinated by the fact that it's so much easier for kids to use that style of reasoning, when adults just don't know how to put it into perspective. (Ok, I'm sleepy and I'm rambling.)
I was really wondering for a while if Beatie is going to grow up to be crazy. She doesn't end up nutso by the end of the book, but she was still only 14 or 15. Hmmmm... I don't think this girl has an easy road ahead of her.
I love your use of the word "Episodes." I was probably on episode 30-something before I got the double meaning: episode means a scene (as in television or something) but it also refers to a breakdown.
Edit: Now that it's tomorrow and I've had some more time to think, I realize that this book makes me think of Cats Eye by Margaret Atwood. Not the style, or even the specific events of the storyline, but in the fucked up childhood sense. The girl in Cats Eye grew up to be ok. Will Beatie? Somehow, I think not... ...more
**spoiler alert** I was reading merrily along until Chapter 17 (I think) which was when the SHIT HIT THE FAN. In a plot-revelation kind of way. You pe**spoiler alert** I was reading merrily along until Chapter 17 (I think) which was when the SHIT HIT THE FAN. In a plot-revelation kind of way. You people have got to start warning me before I read books about fucked up shit.
Note: Richard, no, there was no Kenya in the book. Not even on the father's travels. Good!
I don't yet know what I've taken away from this book. I did think that Deo would turn out to be Deelee for a while. Guess I was wrong on that one......more
I made it to page 245. That's all I can do. I'm sorry, noble GoodReaders! I swear to god I tried. But 245 MORE pages of angsty teenage romance is justI made it to page 245. That's all I can do. I'm sorry, noble GoodReaders! I swear to god I tried. But 245 MORE pages of angsty teenage romance is just too much torture. Especially on Christmas! (Plus, my mommy told me I could stop reading, so I did.)
You had your chance, Twilight Series, but now I'm breaking up with you. ...more
This book is a love story. 400 pages of love story, 50 pages of danger, then 50 more pages of love story. I liked it--it was cute and sweet (even thouThis book is a love story. 400 pages of love story, 50 pages of danger, then 50 more pages of love story. I liked it--it was cute and sweet (even though I do hold a grudge against lovers). I shall keep reading the series...
The Genesis verse: eating of the tree of knowledge refers to drinking blood? Is that why there's an apple on the cover?...more
The good guys win. Don't act surprised--it's billed as a love story after all.
At first, I loved this book because it was so lovely and loving and in lThe good guys win. Don't act surprised--it's billed as a love story after all.
At first, I loved this book because it was so lovely and loving and in love. It was almost silly-cute and completely unrealistic. Like some kind of literary ballet, complete with twinkling and tremulos. But I was only half-way through the book--hell, it couldn't have gone on like that forever! I KNEW something bad was bound to happen. And then it did. Something bad. Something really really bad. Something...REALISTIC!
What the fuck???????????
YOU RUINED MY BALLET! How dare some Mr. Right Now come in off the street and ruin the perfect courtship? How dare sex replace love? How dare Agathe get scared and how dare she have doubts and how dare she make wrong decisions? How dare real life come in, stomping around and putting dirty footprints all over my clean white pages of this work of FICTION??? And this was fresh-laid marley, too. I'm mad at you, Truth! Look what you did to Agathe! And poor Tibo Krovic!!! Only Anna Karenina might know what it is to suffer like you've suffered, ol' Tibo.
*sigh*
I'm glad the bits of magic brought me back to a willing suspension of disbelief. And the bits that stroked my hair and snuggled me and reassured me and snuck a tutu or two out from the wings--those bits were good. I think my heart stopped beating once or twice out of pure sadness, but somebody came and massaged it back to life. I'm pretty sure it was deus ex machina.
Am I autistic? Am I Christopher Boone? What is it about my OCD (self-diagnosed, boo yah!) that separates me from this fifteen-year-old kid? Fate is kiAm I autistic? Am I Christopher Boone? What is it about my OCD (self-diagnosed, boo yah!) that separates me from this fifteen-year-old kid? Fate is kind, but there is nothing more disturbing than learning that you possess so many of those qualities that categorize people as "special needs." I mean, shit. Choosing Item A over Item B because you like the color? Yep. Counting incessantly? Yep. Getting lost in London Underground? Yep. Quirky eating habits? Yep. Getting ridiculously sidetracked during storytelling? Yep. Yep, yep, yep. I've got it all. And it wasn't so bothersome at first, but as I read on, I grew to empathize with this kid so much so, that I felt like a fucking crazy person. I'm glad I'm done reading it.
Some items of note: 1. Christopher likes maths. I remember when I used to like maths. Maths are fun! 2. Christopher has a pet rat. I remember when I used to have a pet rat. Pet rats are fun! 3. I wish Siobhan was my girlfriend. Well, sorta. I mean, I don't think I'd be satisfied sexually, but still. She seems like a great gal. 4. I have decided that it is impossible for non-crazy people to ever reach peace and comforting solitude. That's why snatching it bit by bit is necessary. 5. I don't want to give birth.
Thank you, Mr. Haddon, for the quick read. Life is quite complicated, even outside London, huh?...more
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