Review by Red Bonney
I blame LoisAbductions Inc and InCoHerEnt for this. I can't read a book now without reviewing it. Any little slip of a book. The copious amounts of rum help too. (Host here... hehehe, my work here is done.)
First thing I have to say is that this book was written in 1977. Which might explain what I thought was basically a B-movie in print. It was about a Utopian society that was foolishly run by men. I mean by foolish power men. Everyone in the society was a blue eyed, blond haired specimen of human being, labeling themselves a "Primaries". Everyone else, presumably the dark eyed, dark haired people, were, as a result, called "Secondaries". The secondaries were servants, or to put it another way, slaves to the Primaries and thought to be other than human. It was illegal for a secondary to mate a primary. Not only illegal, but immoral.
It's meant to be a metaphor, the whole book, for racism, but it's very generalized, very black and white, not to put too find a point on it. It's supposed to shock the readers with it's immorality. I was shocked, but at the many typos and bad grammar. The dialogue was overly simplified, but I was able to think my way through, rewrite it in my head, so to speak. Still, it was almost embarrassing.
But getting past all the technicalities, the story takes you through some intense bigotry, from both sides. It's a fine piece of societal commentary. It's a warning against the dangers of technology and a reminder to look at history and learn the hard lessons. A glimpse at one possible future.
Then, there's the romantic subplot. Oona, a "Primary" woman tries to escape the coils of her perfect society, because perfection doesn't sit very well with her. Perfection consists of a drugged, semi-conscious existence, where most people are pliable and easily controlled by the all knowing, all powerful Father. In her bid for freedom, she meets Garth, a tough, worldly-wise Secondary man. From the very start, she feels an attraction to him, but she is confused by her feelings, having only ever been taught that such a relationship is an abomination, that he isn't really human the way she is.
Of course, it's not always black and white, sometimes it's hard to tell who to root for. That's what makes it a fun story. It's a little tattered around the edges, metaphorically speaking, but I think it's worth wading through. If you like early futuristic sci-fi ... well, it's not a great book, but if you're a die hard, it won't take you long to get through it.
Saturday, March 4, 2006
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Violin by Anne Rice
Review by Red Bonney
They say that writing about music is like interpreting architecture through dance. Well, Anne Rice has given it a shot. The writing about music, not the dancing about architecture, but wouldn't that have been interesting too? Anybody want to start a petition (either for or against) please contact my host. (Host here... yeah, please don't.)
The book, Violin, was another ghost story. Stefan, a Russian prince and a gifted violinist from the eighteenth century wanders the spectral world, looking for people to haunt and drive insane with his music. He seems to be driven solely by his angst and self-suffering. Then he meets Triana, a fifty something, frumpy sort of woman, from 1997, whose angst leaves Stefan's miles behind. She feels personally responsible for the deaths of her mother, father, daughter and her husband, and revisits their deathbeds repeatedly throughout the whole book. Angst.
Stefan plays for Triana in her grief for her husband, enthralling her with his gift and they develop some weird sort of relationship bordering on lust. They argue with each other like an old married couple and then Triana steals his Stradivarius when his guard is down and poor Stefan is unable to take it back from her. He takes her instead to his past and shows her how he died for his very fine violin.
The story is so jam packed full of angst, I can't say the word enough, angst, that it hardly seems likely there will be a happy ending to it. The two of them compare and contrast their evil doings in life, how they betrayed their parents etc. They battle each other, fighting for the prize of the Stradivarius. Then they embrace like seasoned lovers, and it's hard to say which of them is the more insane.
As I was reading, I kept picturing Anne Rice as Triana, the main character and I get the impression she did too. And come on, snuggling with a young, handsome rockstar. Who wouldn't want that? It was kind of a frustrating book, with few action scenes and more reminiscences than I care to recount. As I said, she revisited the four great deaths in her life frequently, and got off on it too. Also, much of the descriptions went toward music and if a violin is played in a book, does anyone hear it? She described Beethoven's Ninth and I wished I was listening to Beethoven, it might have affected the way I felt about the book.
Maybe I would have understood it a little better. It's definitely something I have to read again, after I find a disk with Beethoven's Ninth to play in the background. I also think you should read it. It's a vivid, haunting (mind the pun), ghost story with a hint of unrequited romance. And so full of angst you'll think a teenager exploded onto the pages.
Cheers.
They say that writing about music is like interpreting architecture through dance. Well, Anne Rice has given it a shot. The writing about music, not the dancing about architecture, but wouldn't that have been interesting too? Anybody want to start a petition (either for or against) please contact my host. (Host here... yeah, please don't.)
The book, Violin, was another ghost story. Stefan, a Russian prince and a gifted violinist from the eighteenth century wanders the spectral world, looking for people to haunt and drive insane with his music. He seems to be driven solely by his angst and self-suffering. Then he meets Triana, a fifty something, frumpy sort of woman, from 1997, whose angst leaves Stefan's miles behind. She feels personally responsible for the deaths of her mother, father, daughter and her husband, and revisits their deathbeds repeatedly throughout the whole book. Angst.
Stefan plays for Triana in her grief for her husband, enthralling her with his gift and they develop some weird sort of relationship bordering on lust. They argue with each other like an old married couple and then Triana steals his Stradivarius when his guard is down and poor Stefan is unable to take it back from her. He takes her instead to his past and shows her how he died for his very fine violin.
The story is so jam packed full of angst, I can't say the word enough, angst, that it hardly seems likely there will be a happy ending to it. The two of them compare and contrast their evil doings in life, how they betrayed their parents etc. They battle each other, fighting for the prize of the Stradivarius. Then they embrace like seasoned lovers, and it's hard to say which of them is the more insane.
As I was reading, I kept picturing Anne Rice as Triana, the main character and I get the impression she did too. And come on, snuggling with a young, handsome rockstar. Who wouldn't want that? It was kind of a frustrating book, with few action scenes and more reminiscences than I care to recount. As I said, she revisited the four great deaths in her life frequently, and got off on it too. Also, much of the descriptions went toward music and if a violin is played in a book, does anyone hear it? She described Beethoven's Ninth and I wished I was listening to Beethoven, it might have affected the way I felt about the book.
Maybe I would have understood it a little better. It's definitely something I have to read again, after I find a disk with Beethoven's Ninth to play in the background. I also think you should read it. It's a vivid, haunting (mind the pun), ghost story with a hint of unrequited romance. And so full of angst you'll think a teenager exploded onto the pages.
Cheers.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve
Currently I’m out of town, so this review will be rougher than I’d normally post. It will also be the fastest written ever. Yes, very, very bad of me... you will start to think that I’m not taking this seriously. Yeah... like you are just starting to get that notion in your head... forget I said anything...
The Weight of Water is another in the series of books borrowed from the women at work. This one wasn't that bad though. I'm starting to think that I can trust the books I borrow from one person as we seem to have similar tastes when it comes to the normal fiction stuff. I doubt that I can get her into my weird stuff but that is okay. I'm not expecting miracles.
The main character, Jean, has been assigned to take pictures of the island Smuttynose, the scene of a horrible double murder that took place in the 1800's. Her marriage isn't the happiest at the moment and she suspects that her husband has or will cheat on her. As she researches what happened on that island so long ago, we see what can happen to someone who is pushed too far.
As for this book, it was quite compelling. It jumps back and forth from the present to the past which helped keep me on my toes. Anita Shreve writes in such a way as to very easily picture everything that is happening in a scene, as if I was watching a movie instead of a reading a book. What I'm trying to say is that the story is very visual and not a difficult book to pick up.
It is rather intense in places but not all that graphic, as it doesn't have to be since your brain can fill in everything that isn't explicitly written out. It is also very tragic but I didn't get that sense of loss that should be apparent. I would really like to discuss this point more but I don’t want to give the ending away. It is a good read but I’m not sure if I'd read anything else of her work. Might have to if we choose something of her's for the book club.
The Weight of Water is another in the series of books borrowed from the women at work. This one wasn't that bad though. I'm starting to think that I can trust the books I borrow from one person as we seem to have similar tastes when it comes to the normal fiction stuff. I doubt that I can get her into my weird stuff but that is okay. I'm not expecting miracles.
The main character, Jean, has been assigned to take pictures of the island Smuttynose, the scene of a horrible double murder that took place in the 1800's. Her marriage isn't the happiest at the moment and she suspects that her husband has or will cheat on her. As she researches what happened on that island so long ago, we see what can happen to someone who is pushed too far.
As for this book, it was quite compelling. It jumps back and forth from the present to the past which helped keep me on my toes. Anita Shreve writes in such a way as to very easily picture everything that is happening in a scene, as if I was watching a movie instead of a reading a book. What I'm trying to say is that the story is very visual and not a difficult book to pick up.
It is rather intense in places but not all that graphic, as it doesn't have to be since your brain can fill in everything that isn't explicitly written out. It is also very tragic but I didn't get that sense of loss that should be apparent. I would really like to discuss this point more but I don’t want to give the ending away. It is a good read but I’m not sure if I'd read anything else of her work. Might have to if we choose something of her's for the book club.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Forever Fifteen by Kimberly Steele
I am a weak, weak person. There are a million things I should be doing at this very moment, the clock is ticking down, but instead, I sit here and spend the afternoon and evening listening to an audio book… Oh how did I get sucked in?
I’m not even the audio book type of person. I like the feel of the paper and the smell of the pages. Book stores are my most favorite places in the world and sometimes I think that the only reason I go to work everyday is to finance my book collection. My living room feels somewhat like a library. But thanks to my MP3 player, it has lead to the discovery that I can somewhat safely walk and read at the same time. Quite tempting and consequently, I got sucked into this story.
Forever Fifteen is about a girl who was turned into a vampire many, many moons ago at the age of, you guessed it, fifteen. At the time, she was considered an adult, old enough to be married. But nowadays, she isn’t old enough to buy cigarettes and that must really suck. Reminds me of an old Buffy episode where Anya, a many century old demon but newly turned human, was trying to order a beer in a bar. Bartender asks for ID, she spouts off about how old she really is, undaunted he asks for the ID again, she accepts her fate and orders a coke. Just the memory of that scene makes me laugh.
But back to this story. Lucy had entered the foster care system and has spent the last many years ridding the world of lecherous foster parents, child molesters, and other bad people. She had been living with the Beck’s for awhile now and they are good people. No matter how old she really is, she looks fifteen and that means, going to high school, with all the drama that is included. A boy named John likes her and no matter what age you really are, that still brings on the angst. The story jumps back and forth, from current time to the past, where we learn of Lucy’s beginnings as a human, her turning into a vampire, and her life with Sebastian, her vampire sire/lover.
The story is explicit and nicely detailed in parts. It was read by the author, Kimberly Steele, and she does a good job. She kept the characters’ voices distinctive and kept it flowing nicely. I haven’t looked into why she has posted her story in this way but glad that she did. The only problem I had is that I thought that Lucy should have been written as more jaded or cynical. For hundreds of years, she has lived the life of a predator, living on the lowest of humans to survive. She has seen how horrible humans can be to each other but she came off as rather meek and mild. She would make Rory Gilmore look like a foul mouthed trucker. Not that there is anything wrong with being a foul mouthed trucker.
Anyway, the story did suck me in and I had to find out how it ended. Not that the ending was all that surprising or satisfying, but I really did need to know what happened to these characters. I did love the premise and for that alone, it deserves a read or in this case, a listen. Forever Fifteen can be found via the iTunes music store as a free download.
I’m not even the audio book type of person. I like the feel of the paper and the smell of the pages. Book stores are my most favorite places in the world and sometimes I think that the only reason I go to work everyday is to finance my book collection. My living room feels somewhat like a library. But thanks to my MP3 player, it has lead to the discovery that I can somewhat safely walk and read at the same time. Quite tempting and consequently, I got sucked into this story.
Forever Fifteen is about a girl who was turned into a vampire many, many moons ago at the age of, you guessed it, fifteen. At the time, she was considered an adult, old enough to be married. But nowadays, she isn’t old enough to buy cigarettes and that must really suck. Reminds me of an old Buffy episode where Anya, a many century old demon but newly turned human, was trying to order a beer in a bar. Bartender asks for ID, she spouts off about how old she really is, undaunted he asks for the ID again, she accepts her fate and orders a coke. Just the memory of that scene makes me laugh.
But back to this story. Lucy had entered the foster care system and has spent the last many years ridding the world of lecherous foster parents, child molesters, and other bad people. She had been living with the Beck’s for awhile now and they are good people. No matter how old she really is, she looks fifteen and that means, going to high school, with all the drama that is included. A boy named John likes her and no matter what age you really are, that still brings on the angst. The story jumps back and forth, from current time to the past, where we learn of Lucy’s beginnings as a human, her turning into a vampire, and her life with Sebastian, her vampire sire/lover.
The story is explicit and nicely detailed in parts. It was read by the author, Kimberly Steele, and she does a good job. She kept the characters’ voices distinctive and kept it flowing nicely. I haven’t looked into why she has posted her story in this way but glad that she did. The only problem I had is that I thought that Lucy should have been written as more jaded or cynical. For hundreds of years, she has lived the life of a predator, living on the lowest of humans to survive. She has seen how horrible humans can be to each other but she came off as rather meek and mild. She would make Rory Gilmore look like a foul mouthed trucker. Not that there is anything wrong with being a foul mouthed trucker.
Anyway, the story did suck me in and I had to find out how it ended. Not that the ending was all that surprising or satisfying, but I really did need to know what happened to these characters. I did love the premise and for that alone, it deserves a read or in this case, a listen. Forever Fifteen can be found via the iTunes music store as a free download.
Thursday, February 9, 2006
Belle de Jour: The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl by Anonymous
I’ve been busy, busy, busy, but had no problem finishing this one. This is one I’ve wanted to read for awhile now. Another friend of ours told us all about it and it sounded good in a dirty sort of way. Not to mention, there was a hilarious story of a campaign by her sister to hide this book from her mother and then lie about it. An intro like that can not be ignored. Also, I couldn’t seem to find it in any bookstores so the lack of availability lead to even more want... sort of like that economic supply and demand thing.
Belle is a university educated and unemployed and living in London. Imagine Bridget Jones if she didn’t have that job at the book publishing house and instead decided to work as a high priced prostitute. They both write in the journal format and they both have caring parents. Both are looking for love. We should end the comparisons here. Unlike Bridget, Belle does not try looking for love from the workplace. She has a boyfriend and he knows about her profession and seems okay with it.
She is broke and job prospects are scarce. She contacts an agency to handle the business side of things. Yes, this is where the voice of reason should come in. This isn’t a very good career choice for anyone as I’m pretty sure my guidance counselor didn’t have that pamphlet in her collection of possible futures. But I opted to ignore that voice of reason and just treat this as an interesting character study. She is not in this line of work to support a drug habit, did not have a horrible childhood, and nor is she trying to live with a horrific trauma in her past. She is just a working girl who soon finds out that she can get paid a lot more for one night with a client than most of her other jobs combined.
Most of the entries are about her personal life and her friends. I was really hoping for more on the call girl side of things. There was a lot of that too but those were the parts I looked forward to the most. Not ‘cause I was looking for porn as everyone knows that the good porn is on the internet. And to be honest, I’ve read more explicit stuff elsewhere, just not often in chicklit book form. My favorite client story was the one where she talks about the guys who just want to cuddle. Or about the practical side of the job like how she would buy the regular products at one drug store and then buy all the “job” products (like condoms, lube, etc.) at another.
This was a definitely an interesting book and should be read by everyone who doesn’t have a problem with those type of things. Just fun.
Belle is a university educated and unemployed and living in London. Imagine Bridget Jones if she didn’t have that job at the book publishing house and instead decided to work as a high priced prostitute. They both write in the journal format and they both have caring parents. Both are looking for love. We should end the comparisons here. Unlike Bridget, Belle does not try looking for love from the workplace. She has a boyfriend and he knows about her profession and seems okay with it.
She is broke and job prospects are scarce. She contacts an agency to handle the business side of things. Yes, this is where the voice of reason should come in. This isn’t a very good career choice for anyone as I’m pretty sure my guidance counselor didn’t have that pamphlet in her collection of possible futures. But I opted to ignore that voice of reason and just treat this as an interesting character study. She is not in this line of work to support a drug habit, did not have a horrible childhood, and nor is she trying to live with a horrific trauma in her past. She is just a working girl who soon finds out that she can get paid a lot more for one night with a client than most of her other jobs combined.
Most of the entries are about her personal life and her friends. I was really hoping for more on the call girl side of things. There was a lot of that too but those were the parts I looked forward to the most. Not ‘cause I was looking for porn as everyone knows that the good porn is on the internet. And to be honest, I’ve read more explicit stuff elsewhere, just not often in chicklit book form. My favorite client story was the one where she talks about the guys who just want to cuddle. Or about the practical side of the job like how she would buy the regular products at one drug store and then buy all the “job” products (like condoms, lube, etc.) at another.
This was a definitely an interesting book and should be read by everyone who doesn’t have a problem with those type of things. Just fun.
Monday, February 6, 2006
The Pact by Jennifer Sturman
I really should have written this one up days ago but a friend gave me a book that is so nicely sordid that it hard to put down. More about that in the next review. Besides, I have a new cat and Simon prefers that I read than use the computer because it makes my lap more comfortable to sleep in. Oh, if only I had the life of my cat...
Well, since nothing of that has anything to do with the book I'm currently reviewing, this will be a very crude transition. The Pact is yet another in the series of borrowed books from the women at work. Just a couple more to go and I'll be free. We can only hope.
This one is chicklit goes Nancy Drew. It is a murder mystery and typically I don't do murder mysteries. They are okay 'n all but I get way too wound up trying to figure out who did it and I can't sit back and just enjoy it. As much as I love engaging literature, extra stress in my life is not what I'm looking for. Granted, this one doesn't rate higher than the Mickey Mouse Mystery Club so the valium prescription isn't required.
This book's Velma/Daphne is Rachel. Her old college roommate is getting married and she is playing the role of the maid of honor even though she hates the groom. So when Richard is found floating in the family swimming pool on the day of the wedding, she isn't all that grief-stricken. While the police are giving their all investigating the crime, the family and wedding party have been asked to stay at the house until they have it all figured out. As we soon learn, everyone has a motive to want him dead, even the best man whom Rachel has her sights on as prime boyfriend material. She plays Miss Marple and works to solve who did the dirty deed.
Anyway, it was an okay book. It felt very Murder She Wrote with a bit of “Voted Most Likely to Be Cancelled after Three Episodes” type of writing. Not necessarily horrible but I don't think I'll be admitting to anyone that I'd read this one. It would have been easier to live with if the characters had been stronger and not so caricature. You never get a scene with the vile Richard to see how vile he really is. We just have to trust this is the case via story recounts from the other characters. Even the detectives, who could have been interesting, were booted so very far into the background. They are almost non-entities and were really only a plot device. Oh well. If you like chicklit and some lite mystery, you might like this... I not so much.
Well, since nothing of that has anything to do with the book I'm currently reviewing, this will be a very crude transition. The Pact is yet another in the series of borrowed books from the women at work. Just a couple more to go and I'll be free. We can only hope.
This one is chicklit goes Nancy Drew. It is a murder mystery and typically I don't do murder mysteries. They are okay 'n all but I get way too wound up trying to figure out who did it and I can't sit back and just enjoy it. As much as I love engaging literature, extra stress in my life is not what I'm looking for. Granted, this one doesn't rate higher than the Mickey Mouse Mystery Club so the valium prescription isn't required.
This book's Velma/Daphne is Rachel. Her old college roommate is getting married and she is playing the role of the maid of honor even though she hates the groom. So when Richard is found floating in the family swimming pool on the day of the wedding, she isn't all that grief-stricken. While the police are giving their all investigating the crime, the family and wedding party have been asked to stay at the house until they have it all figured out. As we soon learn, everyone has a motive to want him dead, even the best man whom Rachel has her sights on as prime boyfriend material. She plays Miss Marple and works to solve who did the dirty deed.
Anyway, it was an okay book. It felt very Murder She Wrote with a bit of “Voted Most Likely to Be Cancelled after Three Episodes” type of writing. Not necessarily horrible but I don't think I'll be admitting to anyone that I'd read this one. It would have been easier to live with if the characters had been stronger and not so caricature. You never get a scene with the vile Richard to see how vile he really is. We just have to trust this is the case via story recounts from the other characters. Even the detectives, who could have been interesting, were booted so very far into the background. They are almost non-entities and were really only a plot device. Oh well. If you like chicklit and some lite mystery, you might like this... I not so much.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland
Hey, Nostradamus! I could use some words of advice. We are on the night of the election and I seem to have misplaced my liberal country. I know it is around here somewhere just a minute ago. Perhaps it will turn up but let me know if you see any of this in your cards... we could use some guidance. Actually, it isn’t as bad as all that, it could have been a Conservative majority government. Mind you, I will have to double check the standing before I post this and perhaps update later if that statement becomes untrue. Can’t wait to see what the future has in store.
As for this week’s review, it took me forever to sit down and write this up. Finished the book Thursday and have been busy ever since. Isn’t it funny how things have a tendency to come out of left field and mess up perfectly good days?
Hey Nostradamus! was written by Douglas Coupland, one of Canada’s premiere pop-authors and this is the third of his books that I’ve read. I enjoyed Microserfs because it was about my people. The geeks of the world shall unite! Or at least get computer jobs at Microsoft and spend loads of time in front of glowy screens. Oh, how I know that life... The second, Miss Wyoming, was not exactly a favorite of mine. Interesting but I didn’t care of any of the characters, they were all light, flaky Hollywood types. It had sort of felt like someone was trying to write in Coupland’s style and it wasn’t him at all behind the words.
This book made up for that one. And that is saying a lot considering that I when I heard what the story was about, I really hated the premise. Basically, a Vancouver suburban high school is the scene of a Columbine-esque massacre and how the ripples of that event affect the future which made me feel that the story was really unnecessary. Do we really need to rehash something like that over and over again? I like that I can say that I stand corrected.
The story is broken in four parts. First is the story of Cheryl, the last victim of the shootings and perhaps prophet? GOD IS NOWHERE / GOD IS NOW HERE. She sets the stage for the world we are about to enter and introduces the main character of this story, Jason, who takes center stage in part two. Ten years later, he never got over losing Cheryl and for awhile was wrongly considered the mastermind behind the killings that day. The third part is dedicated to Heather, the woman Jason meets and tries to make a life with. The last part is a look at Reg, Jason’s religious fanatical father, and considered bad guy for most of the story.
All is written in the form of confessional letters, from characters trying to find meaning in life and discovering they can’t hold onto those they love no matter how hard they try. The story is about something unexpected and deeper than I ever expected.
As for this week’s review, it took me forever to sit down and write this up. Finished the book Thursday and have been busy ever since. Isn’t it funny how things have a tendency to come out of left field and mess up perfectly good days?
Hey Nostradamus! was written by Douglas Coupland, one of Canada’s premiere pop-authors and this is the third of his books that I’ve read. I enjoyed Microserfs because it was about my people. The geeks of the world shall unite! Or at least get computer jobs at Microsoft and spend loads of time in front of glowy screens. Oh, how I know that life... The second, Miss Wyoming, was not exactly a favorite of mine. Interesting but I didn’t care of any of the characters, they were all light, flaky Hollywood types. It had sort of felt like someone was trying to write in Coupland’s style and it wasn’t him at all behind the words.
This book made up for that one. And that is saying a lot considering that I when I heard what the story was about, I really hated the premise. Basically, a Vancouver suburban high school is the scene of a Columbine-esque massacre and how the ripples of that event affect the future which made me feel that the story was really unnecessary. Do we really need to rehash something like that over and over again? I like that I can say that I stand corrected.
The story is broken in four parts. First is the story of Cheryl, the last victim of the shootings and perhaps prophet? GOD IS NOWHERE / GOD IS NOW HERE. She sets the stage for the world we are about to enter and introduces the main character of this story, Jason, who takes center stage in part two. Ten years later, he never got over losing Cheryl and for awhile was wrongly considered the mastermind behind the killings that day. The third part is dedicated to Heather, the woman Jason meets and tries to make a life with. The last part is a look at Reg, Jason’s religious fanatical father, and considered bad guy for most of the story.
All is written in the form of confessional letters, from characters trying to find meaning in life and discovering they can’t hold onto those they love no matter how hard they try. The story is about something unexpected and deeper than I ever expected.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
No real life crap, just jumping right to the book...
That's how it goes, you think you're on top of the world,
and suddenly they spring Armageddon on you.*
There is so much I want to InCoHerEntLy say about this book.
But first, I have to say that I’m terribly disappointed in an educational system that has kept me from such a book for the last sixteen years. Granted, only about three of those sixteen years were spent in the public education sector. But I believe that to be a big enough window for at least one of my instructors to make an attempt at suggesting the importance of reading it if they had been as well read as they had claimed. Good Omens would have prevented a little late adolescent angst on the religious spectrum. Or, I would like to think it would have.
Please don't start to think that I believe that Good Omens should be considered the end all and be all of spiritual guides for our generation. I'm not that wacked. But it did surprise me in it's depth for what I had just assumed was just a comedy in the same league as Kevin Smith's film, Dogma. (And yes, I liked that movie but those thoughts are best saved for another time and place.)
CAVEAT:
Kids! Bringing about Armageddon can be dangerous.
Do not attempt it in your home.
We really shouldn't get ahead of ourselves but I fear that I will try to describe it and end up making it sound like a summary of a third grade play. A task that is like trying to describe the Bible in fifty words or less... ooohh, a game... let's give it a try... God created the earth, you get a bunch of sin and morality tales. One of the grandest stories in the collection details how God's only son is killed as part of the ineffable Plan. Other stuff happen and then an ending describing Armageddon that would make any fantasy writer proud. The End. ...hmmm... 50 words on the dot but would you read it?
With that in mind and much trepidation, we will give Good Omens a shot: the Antichrist is born and puts into the play the Ineffable Plan of Armageddon. (The real danger of this book is that it makes you want to use the word ‘ineffable’ a lot.) Aziraphale (angel) and Crowley (demon), the true stars of this story, don’t exactly want that to happen as they like Earth just as it is. They team up to attempt to stop all of human existence from ending in one big train wreck. Due to a hospital mix-up, the Antichrist is incorrectly switched at birth and spends the next eleven years growing up in nice Lower Tadfield. So, the end of humanity is scheduled for this Saturday and you can't have the end of time without the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, 90’s style, wearing Hell’s Angels jackets and riding motorcycles. Not to mention witches, Witchfinders, demons, angels, aliens, Tibetans, Americans, etc, etc, etc... all told in a comedic voice so sharp it could be considered brutal if you weren't too busy laughing.
See what I mean? Not so great in the description department but I hope you will read it anyway. Personally, I enjoyed the general sense of doom you feel that is usually only achievable after a morbid “Disaster Recovery Plan” work meeting. Except Good Omens is much funnier than most management seminars not attended by Scott Adams.
It's the type of book that will make you want to crawl inside and see the world the authors are serving up to us. Granted it would not be that different from today's London but it would be interesting to visit Aziraphale's bookshop. That is if you could happen to find it open and withstand the glowering looks of the owner. And although I'm not much of a car lover, it would be fun to take a spin in Crowley's Bentley with Queen belting from the speakers. The story definitely leaves you wanting more and that could explain the fandom that has sprung from just one book published in the long ago days of 1990. The book is also one of the few that would find its way onto my to-be-read-again shelf.
Normally I wouldn't tell people I don't know what to do but if you haven't read Good Omens, go buy it. Or if you have, you should read it again and let the approaching Apocalypse bring a smile to your face. Cheers!
Have a nice doomsday.
*All bolded quotes were written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, copyrighted 1990, Workman Publishing Company. I would consider it one of the signs of the apocalypse if I could write something with half as much wit.
and suddenly they spring Armageddon on you.*
There is so much I want to InCoHerEntLy say about this book.
But first, I have to say that I’m terribly disappointed in an educational system that has kept me from such a book for the last sixteen years. Granted, only about three of those sixteen years were spent in the public education sector. But I believe that to be a big enough window for at least one of my instructors to make an attempt at suggesting the importance of reading it if they had been as well read as they had claimed. Good Omens would have prevented a little late adolescent angst on the religious spectrum. Or, I would like to think it would have.
Please don't start to think that I believe that Good Omens should be considered the end all and be all of spiritual guides for our generation. I'm not that wacked. But it did surprise me in it's depth for what I had just assumed was just a comedy in the same league as Kevin Smith's film, Dogma. (And yes, I liked that movie but those thoughts are best saved for another time and place.)
CAVEAT:
Kids! Bringing about Armageddon can be dangerous.
Do not attempt it in your home.
We really shouldn't get ahead of ourselves but I fear that I will try to describe it and end up making it sound like a summary of a third grade play. A task that is like trying to describe the Bible in fifty words or less... ooohh, a game... let's give it a try... God created the earth, you get a bunch of sin and morality tales. One of the grandest stories in the collection details how God's only son is killed as part of the ineffable Plan. Other stuff happen and then an ending describing Armageddon that would make any fantasy writer proud. The End. ...hmmm... 50 words on the dot but would you read it?
With that in mind and much trepidation, we will give Good Omens a shot: the Antichrist is born and puts into the play the Ineffable Plan of Armageddon. (The real danger of this book is that it makes you want to use the word ‘ineffable’ a lot.) Aziraphale (angel) and Crowley (demon), the true stars of this story, don’t exactly want that to happen as they like Earth just as it is. They team up to attempt to stop all of human existence from ending in one big train wreck. Due to a hospital mix-up, the Antichrist is incorrectly switched at birth and spends the next eleven years growing up in nice Lower Tadfield. So, the end of humanity is scheduled for this Saturday and you can't have the end of time without the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, 90’s style, wearing Hell’s Angels jackets and riding motorcycles. Not to mention witches, Witchfinders, demons, angels, aliens, Tibetans, Americans, etc, etc, etc... all told in a comedic voice so sharp it could be considered brutal if you weren't too busy laughing.
See what I mean? Not so great in the description department but I hope you will read it anyway. Personally, I enjoyed the general sense of doom you feel that is usually only achievable after a morbid “Disaster Recovery Plan” work meeting. Except Good Omens is much funnier than most management seminars not attended by Scott Adams.
It's the type of book that will make you want to crawl inside and see the world the authors are serving up to us. Granted it would not be that different from today's London but it would be interesting to visit Aziraphale's bookshop. That is if you could happen to find it open and withstand the glowering looks of the owner. And although I'm not much of a car lover, it would be fun to take a spin in Crowley's Bentley with Queen belting from the speakers. The story definitely leaves you wanting more and that could explain the fandom that has sprung from just one book published in the long ago days of 1990. The book is also one of the few that would find its way onto my to-be-read-again shelf.
Normally I wouldn't tell people I don't know what to do but if you haven't read Good Omens, go buy it. Or if you have, you should read it again and let the approaching Apocalypse bring a smile to your face. Cheers!
*All bolded quotes were written by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, copyrighted 1990, Workman Publishing Company. I would consider it one of the signs of the apocalypse if I could write something with half as much wit.
Saturday, January 7, 2006
A Telling of Stars by Caitlin Sweet
Review by Greta Dean
I stumbled upon this book entirely by accident. Most books I read tend to be the high recommendation of a friend/acquaintance/family member, but this one is entirely my fault. A Telling of Stars is about the journey of a girl, Jaele, on the cusp of womanhood to avenge the murder of her family. It is a coming of age story tinged with blood-rage.
Through her travels, Jaele meets a series of people who seem to want neither to help nor hinder her, although most of them try to persuade her that revenge killing is not a good idea. The characters range from the normal human variety to such alien creatures as exiled sea people forced to live on their ravaged desert homeland, and captive, cave dwelling, horned and taloned Iben, to whom the story is being told.
All in all, it was a good book, although the style was sluggish at times. It had the feel of a book written for teens (and for all I know, it was) and still trying to be enchanting to a more "mature" reading group. I recommend it on the sole basis that it is not set in some mid-western one-horse town that is visited by a big city kid, or vice versa.
And that is all I have to say about this...
I stumbled upon this book entirely by accident. Most books I read tend to be the high recommendation of a friend/acquaintance/family member, but this one is entirely my fault. A Telling of Stars is about the journey of a girl, Jaele, on the cusp of womanhood to avenge the murder of her family. It is a coming of age story tinged with blood-rage.
Through her travels, Jaele meets a series of people who seem to want neither to help nor hinder her, although most of them try to persuade her that revenge killing is not a good idea. The characters range from the normal human variety to such alien creatures as exiled sea people forced to live on their ravaged desert homeland, and captive, cave dwelling, horned and taloned Iben, to whom the story is being told.
All in all, it was a good book, although the style was sluggish at times. It had the feel of a book written for teens (and for all I know, it was) and still trying to be enchanting to a more "mature" reading group. I recommend it on the sole basis that it is not set in some mid-western one-horse town that is visited by a big city kid, or vice versa.
And that is all I have to say about this...
Friday, January 6, 2006
Amanda's Wedding by Jenny Colgan
My new goal for 2006 is to read at least one book a week. So far, I have finished two books which means I'm on schedule so far. The first finished book of 2006 was Pride and Prejudice and I decided that it was too good to get the InCoHerEnt treatment. Plus, it was a book I had read before so it wasn't as if it was something I was going in fresh with. Not to mention, I had seen the movie... and before that, the BBC mini-series like a million times... and committed to memory Bridget Jone's Diary (the book and the movie...) it has all been said before.
Amanda's Wedding, by Jenny Colgan, is yet another blasted book borrowed from one of the women from work. Geez, at this rate, I will never have to visit the library again.... but then, the unread book pile in my living room is starting to look like some unorganized library stack. I swear, the next book I read is going to be one of mine.
Anyway, back to what I had come here to discuss... Amanda's Wedding is about ... Amanda's wedding. Basically, main character Melanie, who is your typical late 90's twenty-something person out and about London, gets a call from her old friend Amanda. Turns out she is marrying a guy Melanie used to have a crush on but he had no clue. Amanda is not a nice person. She is all about social climbing and looking for the guy to fill the role of husband to take part in the biggest wedding event to hit London society. Melanie and her friends band together to try and put a stop to this travesty.
Fun stuff does happen, and there were some laugh out loud moments. The author, Jenny Colgan, worked as a stand-up comedian to perfect the material for this book (as per the dustcover) and that does come through. Not to mention, there were a few times I wasn't sure what was going to happen. That does not often happen with this type of book. My only gripe is that she didn't end up with the guy I thought she should have. I'll leave it at that because I don't want to ruin that surprise ending for you. But then, I'm sure you can figure it out without any problem. Good luck with that. My only second gripe is that it didn't feel very UKish. You know how you can see something on tv or a movie or read a book and just know it is Canadian or British or whatever just by instinct. I didn't feel that vibe with this book. But then, I believe the author is Scottish so that might have thrown me off a bit.
Amanda's Wedding, by Jenny Colgan, is yet another blasted book borrowed from one of the women from work. Geez, at this rate, I will never have to visit the library again.... but then, the unread book pile in my living room is starting to look like some unorganized library stack. I swear, the next book I read is going to be one of mine.
Anyway, back to what I had come here to discuss... Amanda's Wedding is about ... Amanda's wedding. Basically, main character Melanie, who is your typical late 90's twenty-something person out and about London, gets a call from her old friend Amanda. Turns out she is marrying a guy Melanie used to have a crush on but he had no clue. Amanda is not a nice person. She is all about social climbing and looking for the guy to fill the role of husband to take part in the biggest wedding event to hit London society. Melanie and her friends band together to try and put a stop to this travesty.
Fun stuff does happen, and there were some laugh out loud moments. The author, Jenny Colgan, worked as a stand-up comedian to perfect the material for this book (as per the dustcover) and that does come through. Not to mention, there were a few times I wasn't sure what was going to happen. That does not often happen with this type of book. My only gripe is that she didn't end up with the guy I thought she should have. I'll leave it at that because I don't want to ruin that surprise ending for you. But then, I'm sure you can figure it out without any problem. Good luck with that. My only second gripe is that it didn't feel very UKish. You know how you can see something on tv or a movie or read a book and just know it is Canadian or British or whatever just by instinct. I didn't feel that vibe with this book. But then, I believe the author is Scottish so that might have thrown me off a bit.
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