Monster The Book Review. People From Texas. This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

I like my pharmacist. I went to pick up my refill last night at Walgreens. He wrote me a note with a little happy face on it. I smiled. When was the last time your pharmacist made you smile? Yay Vinay!

Everyone has a friend who's gone off the deep end over the wrong sports team. I have one such friend. And he's a dentist. I won't mention Stevenson's name here because it'll just go to his head. His daughter's in this video but that's not why you should watch it. You should watch it because it's got a great message and a catchy tune.

My friend Josh posted this to his Facebook page. It gives you perspective as to how deep the Mariana Trench really is. It's to scale and very impressive. I was going to put a thumbnail here, but even that is scarily large. Keep in mind, Mount Everest would fit inside easily and still leave a mile of space unused. Take a gander.

Mark Fischel has this tidbit which is awesome to help educate the people of the fine state of Texas. "Nearly a third of Texans believe humans and dinosaurs roamed the earth at the same time, " says the article invoking images of Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty. Another 30% admitted to not knowing. Only 41% of the people in the state of Texas realize this isn't true. It's the other 59% that scare me. Damn. If you're from Texas, help spread the word. These people ought not be allowed to reproduce -- help protect the gene pool.

Oh, right, a book review for everyone. I just read A. Lee Martinez's Monster. I found this book as I was exiting the Borders at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale. I was just about to exit when I saw this odd, toxic yellow cover with an odd logo. It was catching enough I decided to actually pick it up and read the blurb. I was intrigued. It seemed quirky. It's some weird cross between science fiction, horror, and fantasy. I am unable to characterize it or categorize it. It's quirky in Fforde sort of way and is funny in a Pratchett sense but not like either of those authors. This is not Martinez's first book but I liked it enough to consider other titles.

This is taken from the back cover blurb: "Monster runs a pest control agency. He's overworked and has domestic troubles - like having the girlfriend from hell. Judy works the night shift at the local Food Plus Mart. Not the most glamorous life, but Judy is happy. But when Judy finds a Yeti in the freezer aisle eating all the Rocky Road , her life collides with Monster's in a rather alarming fashion. Because Monster doesn't catch raccoons; he catches the things that go bump in the night. Things like ogres, trolls, and dragons. Oh, and his girlfriend from Hell? She actually is from Hell."

Monster's Girlfriend Liz is a succubus, his sidekick is a paper man named Chester, and more unusual characters than you can shake a stick at. And like all novels in the genre they end up having to save the world. Much hilarity ensues between the drama. One of the reviewers on Amazon compared it to Christopher Moore's The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove. That may be the closest comparison anyone's come up with.

Lastly, a reminder for those on Facebook who continue to make posts that say "I wish there was a dislike button so I could click on it" -- I remind you there is one. Just add this to your browser. Now available for Firefox and coming any day for Internet Explorer. (Though it does beg the question why anyone actually would use IE.)

Eleventh Grade Burns: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod (Book IV) This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

A bit about foreign policies before my regular post. I read The Economist magazine (along with Time, Newsweek, Aviation Week, Rolling Stone, and Entertainment Weekly among others) because I like to read and to be informed about various topics. This one just intrigued me. In India a local non-governmental organisation has invented a new sort of zero sum which, it hopes, will leave everyone better off: the zero-rupee note. What on earth is the point of that? The note is not legal tender. It is simply a piece of paper the colour of a 50-rupee note with a picture of Gandhi on it and a value of nothing. Its aim is to shame corrupt officials into not demanding bribes. A great premise to be sure, but will it work? Read it and see.

Before Thursday's hockey game, I bought and read the latest entry in this excellent series and am hoping it doesn't end with the next tome, Vlad's final year of high school. Each book has been better than the one before it and this one is no exception. Author Heather Brewer is batting 1000 here.  I'm not quite sure where neon orange figures into the cover art, but I feel like I need to comment on every cover. I think it was meant to be orange flame, but instead it's just odd.

We have the same cast of characters as before. Nelly stays in the background and we focus primarily on Vlad and Otis. This is their story, though Joss makes a return with cameos by Eddie Poe and Meredith. I find Meredith just to be irritating. Vlad continues to experience more teenaged vampire angst especially when it comes to new drudge and/or squeeze Snow. But the books is plot driven and is more tightly focused than the others as Vlad becomes more self confident as he deals with his missed relationship with Meredith, his longing to rekindle his friendship with Joss despite the fact Joss still wants to kill him. Otis is on trial with the penalty being death, but there's a bit of a twist with that I don't wish to spoil.

And Auntie Heather is an evil bitch queen for her cliffhanger of an ending that comprises all of one word. I saw everything in the book coming. Everything. Except that. Evil, I say. Evil.

In my review of the previous books I complained that Vlad still cries more than any other male character I've ever met. I doubt it was my advice that caused her to fix it, but he's not so weepy and I'm glad. I really like Vlad -- if he were real, he's the sort of person I'd get along with and be friends with. Not enough Vlads in the world. Vlad appears to be modelled on her own son though I've got no proof of that.

I said before Joss is a fascinating character and I wanted a whole novel about him. In Ms Brewer's blog she sort of said this might happen and I look forward to that with great anticipation. She also endeared herself to me by being a hater of those sparkly-vampire things. 

This story, as I said, is more tightly wound and while it's fast paced she doesn't seem to be in a huge hurry to where it's going. I'm glad, though I still wish she wrote about 100 pages more per novel. Maybe she'll re-do the series in a director's cut. I'd read it again if she did.


Last time I said: Good book. Buy it. Read it. That advice stands.

Weekend Update (Slightly Late) This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

I saw the Pro Bowl Sunday. Let me tell you how fun it was. ..... Well, there ya' go. It was an experience that doesn't come around very often, so I felt obligated to try it once. The tickets were relatively inexpensive, my seats were good, and I wanted to see what it was about.

Evan's Blog sums it up nicely. Since we went together, it'll save me a lot of typing. Karen and I left about 10 minutes before Evan. And another thought on Shane's backpack. Shane is 6 and while he's been known to terrorize people, he's not a terrorist threat. Oddly, inside the gate if you bought a program (I didn't) it came with a free HUGE tote-bag. The point being, they opened Shane's backpack, every single pocket, found nothing in it of any issue. Then they told his parents he couldn't bring it in. Absolutely stupid.

The "Fan Experience" was boring as all Hell. There were a few neat things, though. They had the Vince Lombardi trophy. Never saw it in person before. Unlike the Stanley Cup, they don't let you close to it so you can't touch it or take your picture with it. And it's ugly. They had a nice exhibit on the history of the ball itself, the NFL logo, and they had one of every SuperBowl ring. That was some impressive hardware. Other than that, my experience matches Evan's so read his blog post. Now that I know what happened beforehand, I know why he was Mister Grouchy Pants. After I got home I read half of my new book Iorich the new Steven Brust masterpiece in the Vlad Taltos trilogy until I couldn't keep my eyes open.

I won't discuss the Monday night Panthers loss as it was sad. At least we played hockey and lost as opposed to our usual losing. We still have some tickets for our special group outing to give Jay Bouwmeester (J-Blow) a very special welcome home.

After the game, I came home and finished reading Iorich. I did that at the expense of sleep but it was well worth it. This, the twelfth Vlad book, is one of my favourites. It's a light read, to be sure, but it's got lots of personality and Vlad is very 'himself' and Brust is in his groove. We also get to spend a little time with Vlad's son and get to know him. I'm getting a huge sense he's going to be a major character in the next book or two. I'll avoid spoilers except to say Vlad survives the novel so you know the assassins on his tail will still be at it come the next book. I rather enjoyed the chapter openings which are part of military investigation. Also, Brust, in a witty mood to be sure has included "deleted scenes" in the back of the book. Nice touch. Adds nothing, but still.

I still have House and Heroes on my Ti-Faux. And I'll add Lost to what's sitting there since I'm going to spend many hours tonight as the plumber works in my house. More on that later.

Many years after Concorde's fateful crash that took the plane out of the sky, manslaughter trial against Continental Airlines has opened in France. The claim being a Continental plane that was not properly repaired dropped a scrap of metal on the runway which punctured Concorde's tire and that steel belted tire blew apart, puncturing the fuel tank causing the fire. That ultimately led to Concorde no longer flying. Continental claims they can prove the plane was in flames before it hit the piece of metal. (There is no defense that the piece of metal was there. Only whether it was the precipitating cause.) BBC News reports with all sorts of related links.

I wasn't posting this until I was done but Sue is badgering me.

Apple and stuff that's way more interesting This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

 I am an Apple fan and have been for a long, long time. So I wish to say I am quite disappointed in today's Apple announcements. Seriously anti-climactic if you ask me. There was much anticipation and it was followed by much boredom.

Far more interesting today 9-9-09 was the Beatles release of their entire catalogue in remastered form.  You can read about it here. (The site is overloaded and you may trouble accessing at times). And if you've heard any of it -- radio stations have been playing from it all day -- you know how fantastic it is. What I've heard is phenomenal I ordered it but it hasn't shipped and I am miffed. Beatles Rock Band was released for all major platforms today and is selling like hotcakes. It is estimated that the Beatles will make over $150,000,000 before the day is done. Yeah, 150 million sawbucks. Wow.

Even the Christian Science Monitor has reviewed the new remasters and is smitten. I am really excited about it. I am just pleased that the Beatles' music is still so well-respected an well-loved to generate this sort of reaction. Makes me happy.

Delta is really pissing me off. I got another form letter today that is, word for word, the same as the last one. Apparently they don't read English in Atlanta.

I finished the last book in the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks. In a previous post I had reviewed the first book. Some 2,000 pages later, I'm done. Yay. I liked it. It held my interest until near the end. (Evan stop reading here as there are spoilers ahead.)  I didn't like the ending. Seemed forced and semi-stupid. It didn't ruin the book for me, and just left me a little irritated. The characters in this book Kylar and Durzo are really interesting and appealing. Logan could have been but he was half-developed and then left to be a stereotype. Now, I'm not a prude but the word 'fuck' appears so often as to be noticeable and irritating. If a reader notices it, there's a problem because you've knocked your reader out of the story. It happens multiple times. The book begins and it seems a pretty chaste book aimed at young adults or teens perhaps and then it changes in the middle of the first book. That's a good thing even as it grows slowly more vulgar and violent. The books are good. The Wolf is certainly intriguing. But some end-game cop-outs are frustrating. Still I recommend this book.

The FML site still amuses me. And my shoes have arrived.

The Way Of Shadows (Book One, Review) by Brent Weeks This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

As I said, I was reading a book Evan recommended to me. I've finished volume one which weighs in at a hefty 670 pages of pretty small type. I had to use reading glasses and that made me feel old. I never read something Evan recommended before, so this was a bit of a risk. But when we were in Book-A-Million killing some time, he showed it to me. I read the back cover, thought "Assasain" and "Fantasy" and immediately thought of Vlad Taltos. Brust's Taltos series isn't the best series I've ever read but it's good. However Vlad Taltos as a character is one of the most fascinating ever and one of the best.

This book has Durzo Blint in the Taltos role on they aren't the same. I didn't get Vlad Taltos at all, but something entirely different. He's closer to Garrett from Glen Cook's Tun Faire series. And it's not a bad thing. We also meet Azoth who is a very complex character and that makes him interesting. He's not some stereotypical character and there are quite a few in the genre and in this book. Logan is very stereotypical, but he's needed. But whenever you're reading the book you keep hoping for more Durzo and Azoth.

We have the obligatory love interest, the madam, the guild, the bad king, and everything else you would expect. Yet, even so, this first book manages not to be cliché. It's the first of three, and I won't spoil it by telling you who lives, dies, gets married, and wins the lotto. I am looking forward to reading the second. One warning: there's an interview with the author in the back of book one. I would suggest you not read it until you're done the series as it had a spoiler that I wasn't prepared for and am irritated I read. (And, yes, Mister Weeks, I am one of those quirky readers who reads the acknowledgements in the back of books.)

PS: Dolphins are up 10-0 on the Saints in the pre-season game. Yay.

Movie and Book Review This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

I have a few days worth of updates. Saturday was a busy day. Woke up and after tending to some medical business, I worked my way over to Erin's. We ate breakfast, walked around CompUSA and Borders before I totally ran out of gas. We went back to her place and watched Flash Gordon on TV. Or more accurately, I dozed in and out of consciousness on her couch. We watched some Catherine Tate and Muppet Show DVDs as well. The weather, as all you locals know, was horrific. The bad weather we got is now Tropical Storm Claudette and heading towards North Florida. After that, we went to TooJay's for dinner and I was very unimpressed. My food was really subpar and the service was bad, but we really weren't in a hurry so it didn't much matter. We had some ice cream afterwards, and then went back to Erin's and watched Ratatouille. After that I went home.

Meanwhile Tropical Storm Ana doesn't look like much of a threat to us other than some wind and rain, probably around 40mph or so. Bill looks like he'll become a hurricane and is more of a concern though it is appearing more likely that he'll go further north now. It's so far out nobody can really tell.

It's been a bad weekend in the sense I blew of skating today because I was unable to face a group of happy people. Bad attitude on my part. I suck. I know. Sorry, guys. My head's still all messed up and with all the medical issues and such this may happen from time to time. I'll skip the details because I'm sure you'll all sick of them.

I ended up going to see District 9 instead. Despite my total inability to concentrate, I did enjoy the film. It was nothing like I expected. It's a documentary style film and that's mostly how it plays out when not in "action" mode and consists of a largely unknown cast and is set in South Africa. It's sci-fi officially but it's definitely got action and some major suspense too. It's also very bloody and has some pretty serious gore levels, hence the "R" rating. The film is of note because it's done by Peter Jackson of Lord of the Rings fame. I don't want to spoil it, but you should see this film. I hope they make a sequel because they left room for one. And the story's intriguing as all hell.

I finally finished the book Dave gave me Friday night (at least I think so -- my time sense is all out of sorts too). It's called The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove and it's a humorous fantasy novel or sorts. And it is, indeed, quite funny. Quite bizarre, quite unusual, and well written. Usually when things get too odd, they aren't well written. I would call this "laugh out loud" but definitely amusing. Christopher Moore did a good job with this and I think any reader of fantasy or sci-fi who likes a bit of humour thrown in will find this an amusing read. Certainly not what I expected, but a good read. If I ever wade through my huge unread book pile, I'll try more of his works. The titles alone make me intrigued.

Mind The Gap: Book Review This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

I am reading (still) and have pounded out another book. This one is Mind The Gap by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebborn is set in London. I picked it up last year sometime, but never quite got to it. Now that I am making an effort to spend less time on-line and more time reading and doing other things, I'm catching up. It's the first in a series "A Novel of the Hidden Cities" which I didn't realize when I first got it. It's a murder mystery along the horror genre. At least that's what it appears to be going for.

First, the characters are quite interesting. The lead is a girl, Jasmine (Jazz), who finds her mother murdered and that leads us to the story in which she runs away and tries to find out why. She meets several other characters as well, some of whom should start in their own books. That's how interesting they are.

I'm a great lover of fantasy but this book was much better before the final bit where suddenly it turned into Gothic fantasy instead of how it started out. I just didn't care for the ending so much. But I enjoyed the book enough where I'd certainly get the next one in the series.

I went back to the MRI doctor today. He gave me a cortisone shot in my left trapezius muscle (shoulder if you don't know) and I now hurt more. Blech. I am also prescribed four weeks of physical therapy which I'll try and arrange tomorrow. He also told me to stay on the Celebrex through the duration of physical therapy. I've given up on the worthless pain patches.

My teeth still hurt. My lip still hurts. I have a headache. My antibiotics, thankfully, will be done tomorrow.

In other news, there's quite a row going on about Continental frisking a passenger preparing to board a plane. If you travel aboard on a flight into the USA, you will know that some passengers on the Jetway are randomly pulled aside for screening. This is nothing new. The row is because the former president of India was randomly picked. He submitted with good grace, I might add. However, India is up in arms about this. My feeling is that if you fly a commercial aircraft, you should be subject to the same rules as all other passengers. Then again, the politician is probably low risk -- much like everyone else the seem to pick for screening. However, fair's fair. I side with Continental on this.

I've started yet another book, and am halfway through just from waiting in the doctor's office.

Bruno, Books, and Stitches This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

I visited Erin yesterday, we went to Stevie B's for lunch, then we went and saw Bruno (same idea as Borat). It was really, really funny. But both Erin and I agreed it had too much dick. This movie was a vertibale pickle fest. Bouncing penises are not funny. But many of the jokes were. Much more of this movie was staged compared to the first one and those segments are obviously staged. Within the first ten minutes an entire group of six people walked out, and that's a good thing because they mixed the bicycle with the dildo on the end. I wish I had missed it. This movie needed an NC17 and has no business being an R film. It's funny -- hysterical in some places -- but it's very vulgar even when compared to Borat. It's also short clocking in at under 90 minutes.

Also, I had, shall we say, a fall and thought I was okay. As it turns out I ended up in the Emergency Room and now have 9 stitches in my lower lip, and my teeth in that area hurt like all fuck. It was a pretty hard fall. It's all swollen and I can't talk or eat without a lot of pain. Never go to the ER on a Saturday night unless you're bleeding to death. I was, I guess. A second ice pack is apparently too complex. Somewhere along the way, my driver's license seems to have vanished, and I suspect it will not return. Thanks to those who checked in on me to make sure I was okay. Here's the shirt I was wearing with blood-stains:

I have some pictures of my post-surgered face and pre-surgered face but you really don't want to see them.

While I was waiting in the ER I did have the chance to read an entire book called The London Mystery by Siobhan Dowd. I got it in London a year or two ago and then never got to it. It's about one kid who goes missing on the London Eye. He gets on and never gets off -- a seemingly impossible trick on a Ferris wheel. There's another teen in the book who, we slowly learn, is autistic. He's the one who cracks the case because that's how his mind is wired. It's neat because they never actually tell you that he is, you just learn it from reading.

Off to the pharmacy for some antibiotic cream for my lip.

Spud, The Madness Continues: A Book Review This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

I have previously reviewed the first book in a previous post. I ordered the second book and started reading it a few days ago.

The new book in the series Spud, The Madness Continues is interesting. The first book became famous because of its humour and it was rip-roaringly funny. It was an okay book. The sequel (or continuation really) is not nearly as funny, though it's still quite humorous, is a much better book. Spud, our hero, finally is not a spud. He still got girl troubles and there's far more mayhem but it's not so funny. But it's good.

Like the first book, I'm not sure I'd recommend this book to American audiences if you're not familiar with British English and customs. It's going to be a rough ride otherwise.

Seeing Harry Potter the 18th with Jace and Grant and am very excited. Been too long. I have no shout-outs today.

A special "piss off" to BMW corporate who called and pretty much doesn't care what the dealer does but they'll put a note in the system. That is so helpful. After I get my tire fixed there this weekend (warranty) I'm going to find a new dealer even though I'll have to drive further.

And double "piss off" to DirecTV. I got a replacement receiver for the one that fried. Sent overnight and for free which is great. So you have to activate it after arrival. Their activation system has been down for two days. They have no back up, so I have a brand new working receiver that gets channel 100 and 200 and nothing else. (And this receiver doesn't handle RF remotes which makes me unhappy, but that's a minor detail.)

As for the new meds I'm taking (Celebrex and Lidoderm) I wish to report the Lidoderm is worthless and I am now out $50. The Celebrex isn't helping my neck much but it's certainly pissing off my stomach and making me gain weight rapidly.

Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Tenth Grade Bleeds This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

I bought and read the third tome in this excellent series today. Each book is better than the one before it and this book makes author Heather Brewer three for three. The new book has my least favourite cover but it's the best of the three, so I'll forgive the irritatingly pouty cover.

We have the same cast of characters as before. Nelly falls into the background and we focus primarily on Vlad, Otis, and Henry. Henry becomes, finally, a more complex person, Vlad grows a bit. Otis, well he's just Otis, but that's not a bad things. Meredith still doesn't develop as a character and the surprise ending with her and Vlad makes you feel only for Vlad and not Meredith.

I'll also say I just kept waiting for Vlad to hug Henry. I'm not sure why, but it just felt like they were a little closer than the words on the page were ready to reveal. Eddie Poe appears but is reduced to a mere caricature, which is too bad because he's potentially interesting. We've also got some Goth kids who, in spite of their Gothness, are likeable even though they really don't play prominently in this book; I do suspect we'll see more of them in Eleventh Grade. Vlad still cries more than any other male character I've ever met. I just don't think fifteen year old guys cry so much. Then again he's a vampire, so maybe that's what they do? I really like Vlad -- if he were real, he's the sort of person I'd get along with and be friends with. Not enough Vlads in the world.

Happily, my biggest complaints about the first two novels is resolved. Ms Brewer tells her story and she doesn't seem to be in a hurry to do so. The story gets where it's going and doesn't feel like large gobs of story are left out. It pleases me because a good story -- and hers are good -- shouldn't be rushed.

Good book. Buy it. Read it.

Spud: A Book Review This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

I finished Spud, a book by John van de Ruit, earlier this evening. This is not the sort of book I'd pick out but a number of people who liked the legendary Youth In Revolt also liked this book. So I gave it a shot.

This book actually has some similarities to Youth In Revolt. It's sort of pointless, which you might think is a bad thing, but it's not. What is it? Funny. Absolutely hysterical. Not as funny as YIR, but not much is that funny.

As funny as it is -- and I liked it so much I ordered the recently released sequel -- I can't recommend this to everyone. It's set in South Africa which means there is racial commentary, though all the backwards ideas are definitely subjugated and/or mocked in some form. But that's not why I am hesitant to recommend it either. It's definitely written for an audience that is familiar with British customs as it's set in a boarding school. I'm not sure if all of my readers here can handle the slang. The slang didn't bother me, but I'm sure I lost some of the humour in the boarding school escapades.

The book is sexually charged, which is to be expected from a group of main characters that are teenagers in a boarding school environment. The fun begins, of course, when there's a play and girls enter the picture. I won't put spoilers here, but if you've got some time and want a laugh out loud funny book, this may fill the spot. I'd recommend this for anyone about 14/15 or older.

In other news, the Michael Yormark post (yesterday's) is generating some serious traffic and I still encourage other disenfranchised Panther fans to share a link to that. Remember, this is a rare opportunity for change.

Shout out to Erin: Good luck with your operation tomorrow.

Ender In Exile: OSC Blows One This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

I am a big fan of Orson Scott Card's writing*. I've been especially a fan of the Ender series (both the Game and Shadow cycles).

So with great excitement I got Ender In Exile the latest in this long, ongoing series. It's set between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead or so it claims. I'll get back to that. Alone, the book is pretty dry, definitely not very interesting. It's short compared to the other tomes -- about half the size. He had nothing to say, I guess, though that's not the conclusion because it was short, but because nothing happens. I read the whole book and I can't answer the question as to WHY he wrote it? What purpose did it serve? We learn almost nothing new about any major character, nor does it shed anything new about the Enderverse. I just can't see why he wrote it except to milk more money out of the series. He's done a Robert Jordan and I am mightily peeved.

The fact that once I start a book I read it in between one and three days and this one was started 8 March and finished 19 March should clue you in is to how riveting it was (not). It's well written to be sure, but even so I cannot in good conscience actually recommend this book to anyone. If OSC and I were still in contact, I'd gladly tell him myself but it's been nearly two decades.

It gets worse, though. In the acknowledgement at the end of this new book, he tells us it actually takes place between chapters 14 and 15 of Ender's Game. He then goes on to apologize for the fact that there is some significant discrepancy between this new tome and the classic, legendary Ender's Game. And here's the kicker: future of volumes of Ender's Game will have a newly re-written chapter 15. Yeah, he's doing a George Lucas and just totally changing the original novel. FIE ON YOU MISTER CARD! FIE I SAY! He's also indicated that parts of Speaker For The Dead will also be re-written but I don't much care because I can't get past the first bit. Wow. This is revisionist history in a fictional world. Who knew?

PS: Liz have a safe trip to wherever you're going. Congratulations on an absolutely stellar performance Barky at last night's game. And a special thanks to Murph The Media Whore who gave us some great seats for the game last night: and I am mightily pleased your banner's now got a victory going for it.


* Him not so much since he's gone so extremist the past few years. But that's neither here nor there. In previous reviews of his books I had mentioned how he was getting more and more preachy.

Happy Birthday Mom (Trip Report) This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

Mom's surprise trip has concluded and I am at home. She's due back in Orlando any minute (if the airplane gods are kind).

So. Mom's trip was to see a Tina Turner Concert. I kept that part from her right until 30 minutes before the show. I hosed her good. That was Saturday Night. The show was almost identical to the one here which I previous reviewed so I won't rehash the concert review. The set list was identical but most of the songs were shorter because the concert didn't last as long. And I had a pretty good time except for the herd of heifers in front of us who came in all liquored-up and were really loud and obnoxious. But if you leave that out, it was enjoyable. Where was it? Oh, didn't I mention we flew to London for the weekend to see it? It was the excellent O2 Arena.

We left Thursday night for London, me set to arrive 3 hours before Mom into Heathrow and her into Gatwick. Our plane had a severe mechanical fault (thank you American) and we left close to 3 hours late. The pilot was mightily pissed, the gate agent was mightily pissed, everyone cared, except maintenance.

On the flight to London, I watched Slumdog Millionaire. Excellent film. Really. I tried to sleep but was unable to due to thinking about various personal issues. Didn't read. The food was really good. I no luggage so at least I got through the airport in record time.

I beat her to the hotel by about 15 minutes so that worked out well. We checked in, went to Patisserie Valerie for breakfast around 1030am on Friday.

Then off to the Tube (which due to extensive engineering works was a mess with the District, Circle, an Jubilee lines all shut.) I tried to buy a ticket 3-day oyster based travel card and the guy just argued and argued and argued. I caved so the whole trip wouldn't be ruined arguing with him. Yeah, he saved me a pound. BIG FUCKING DEAL! The oyster card is worth it due to speed.
We went to London Zoo (mom's request) until her feet couldn't handle the shoes. Why is it every single female I've ever travelled with to somewhere they KNOW we're going to walk has a shoe crisis? Does your species not understand it's better to have happy feet than pretty feet? AAAIIIIEEEE.

That night we ate dinner at Bunches of Grapes because Mom wanted good, authentic fish and chips (with peas, of course) and they do a brilliant job. We took to the tube to Picadilly Circus, walked through to Liecester Square and back to the room for the night. (The Rembrandt, of course.)

Saturday morning, we went to Portabello Road after eating at the always excellent hotel buffet. What should be a 10 minute trip from our hotel, required a backwards tube ride to Oxford Circus to get the Central and all the way back to Notting Hill Gate. Mom did a face plant (I feel bad for her) after she was walking and the "sidewalk wasn't there any more" -- but happily she wasn't hurt badly and we did this. This was the other thing she really wanted to do. Since this was a really short trip, I let her pick all activities. After that we went to Tottenham Court Road, walked to Foyles (I did a quick 15 minute toor), and then to Liecester Square after a stop at Cafe Nero for coffee. We returned to the hotel and had "alone time" so she could go shopping.

So, the tickets for the concert clearly said 630pm thus I planned dinner at Pizza Express at the O2 because there weren't many options due to the odd show time. The tube ride, 30 minutes at best, was 1h 10m due to the fact the only way there was: Picadilly from South Ken to Kings Cross, then to the Northern Line back down to London Bridge. Then pick up the Jubille Shuttle to North Greenwich. If that sounds like an ordeal, it was. And we had to reverse it after the show.

Dinner was, of course, a success. We finished at 610, and due to the fact the O2 was swamped with people, skipped the tour I promised her. It was worse than when I was there New Year's Eve with Karen. Really. So as we're walking out, I stop her and said "BTW, I have tickets for the Tina Turner concert" and waved them at her. We got in the very long queue to get in, and the clock ticked, and ticked, and at 7, I asked "what's the deal" to which I got an "8pm" which ended up being 830pm.

I don't much care, except had I know they rescheduled it (which apparently nobody did) I'd have taken mom to Belgo Centraal instead. We wasted a lot of time sitting in our seats in the O2.

The show ended around 11pm and everybody was leaving -- that means all the people at the concert, all the people at the multiplex, all the restaurant people, everything. It was closing. Imagine 20,000+ people all running for the tube. I dragged poor mom like a rag doll to get on a train before it swamped. We did it. Yay.

The flight home was on time out and a bit late in (due to headwinds and a longer than usual air time). The only hitch was a broken loo halfway through. I slept on and off, and barely finished my book Deeper (the sequel to Tunnels). Not nearly as good as the first one, and another sudden ending -- so I won't spoil it for you. More Cal, Will, Rebecca, and Chester. Plus some new folks too. I still liked it but it lacked that certain something. I didn't even make it to my other two books (Ender in Exile and the one Higgins loaned me.)





(Mom called, she's home safe and had fun.)


So, except for the part where Mom is the slowest walker on the planet, the trip was good.

Uglies: The Review This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

I rarely trust recommendations for reading from most of my friends because my tastes and theirs tend to not match up well. That's not to say there haven't been the occasional hits, but mostly it doesn't work well. There have been exceptions: Paul used to do pretty well in matching my tastes and Jose has had some good hits too.

Anyway, when a friend recommended a trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, I was highly sceptical. I read the reviews online and at Amazon and I decided to give it a try despite the fact it didn't quite seem something I'd be into. He was really enthusiastic about it, though, so I thought I'd give it a try even though last time someone did that (Christian said she loved Little Big and hasn't ever forgiven me for saying it was a horribly written tome of little interest. She made me send her my copy. Just because a book is popular, doesn't mean it's good.)

So I brought all three with me to London. I ended up not reading on the way over because I had so many magazines in my backlog. But on the way back, I completed the first book and the second book save for one chapter, which I just cleaned up today.

So, the book is well written. That's helps. I can't get past that part if it's not. So I got into the story pretty quickly, which surprised me. It's not really my "type" of book but lately I've been finding lots of those that I still like. I like this series so far. The first is Uglies, the second is Pretties, and the third (Specials) I haven't yet got to but will in the next few days.

It's the story of Tally, an "Ugly" who is about to become a "Pretty" and realizes maybe that's not where she should be. An ugly is someone who isn't yet 16. At 16 you are surgically altered to be perfect and then move to a new part of the city to be with all the beautiful people. You also become a vapid, mindless drone.

Tally escapes Uglyville into the Smoke -- where the outlaws are -- but she turns traitor before realizing she shouldn't have. She tries to make it up, but the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Her friend Shay ultimately turns against her. Then Tally turns away from David, falling in with Zane.

My complaints are twofold: one there needs to be more time spent developing the characters. I like well developed characters. The second, more substantial is I just don't like Tally. She's a great lead character but the way she can just discard people goes against what I believe is right. And the author clearly is trying to say it's okay. It's not okay. She loved David and then when she became a Pretty and got involved with Zane, it was like David didn't exist. She didn't handle it well and she's supposed to be mature. But I did like the books. I may amend this review when I read the third book.

UPDATE 1-9-09 As promised the third book addition: I liked the third book. There's a bit more action and it held my interest a bit more. Tally is still a self-centred twat right until the end, yet she's still likeable in her own little way. David's back and I still really like him. Doctor Cable is just a great character and I wish there was so much more of her. That's an issue with all of the books: the four GREAT characters: David, Tally, Zane, and Cable there's not nearly enough of. We need more character development, more details, just more. The books are a quick read, but they'd be better if they weren't. I feel like the characters blew through my life and I hardly knew them. Except I wanted to know them. But it's still enjoyable but in a superficial way.

Foundation by Mercedes Lackey This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

I've got another book to give a quick review on. I've read most of Mercedes Lackey's work (my friend Paul had recommended the first one to me aeons ago). Lately I've given them a little less attention as my horizons expanded and my time for free reading decreased -- you should see my unread book pile; it's embarrassing.

Anyway, I was searching for Plane Books. You know, those easy reads you buy for a plane ride so after a bump, an interruption, and so forth, a missed or duplicated paragraph won't be nearly as upsetting. Well, it ended up I only read three of my four plane books (see previous reviews) because I was catching up on magazines. This was the fourth one.

And, I must say, it's pretty damned good. It starts of irritatingly predictable with the poor, mistreated waif of irrelevant gender being chosen. Once that's out of the way, the book really gets going and this one is quite a bit different than her other works, though there are a few preachy moments snuck in by the author. Still, I enjoyed it. I was dismayed to find out this is book one of a multiple volume entry. So there's certainly a cliffhanger I wasn't expecting. I'm usually careful not to get into a multi-volume series where the books can't stand independently until the series is complete. I highly recommend this book. Enjoy.

And I want to, once again, thank Jose for helping me to keep my sanity. I realize there isn't much to work with when it comes to my sanity, but thanks for saving what's left.

I've had a cold for about a week now. As you know, I was recently off at the NIFS/West trade show, having fun, gambling, and sharing food with some of my colleagues. At our group big meals, Gaby is fond of ordering appetizers for the table and sharing them. Proper etiquette means using a fork/spoon solely for dishing from the appetizer plate on to your plate, and then using your personal fork from thereon out. I know the rules. But that's not how they do it. Well turns out Greg had strep so all of us had to go get tested. So now I am on antibiotics, etc, etc. At least I know why I'm sick. I have all the symptoms but the test wasn't conclusive, so they are treating me while they grow a culture just to be safe. I did this all the local Baptist Urgent Care Centre: it was actually a good experience! Treated like a person, everyone friendly, explained everything. I'm not used to that. They get an A+ for everything except for some obscure reason they won't fax a prescription in to the pharmacy which means you have to wait and wait and wait.

I prefer no gifts. I like giving gifts, but not so much receiving them. I've instituted, unilaterally, among my family a two gift policy. This way they know they're not getting more and it doesn't become a contest. It's just silly, especially in this economy. Most of my relatives are thrilled, some not so much. I guess they mistake me for someone who gives a damn. Many of my friends and I have agreed to forgo future gifts, which is even cooler. I just updated my Amazon wish list for those who are interested -- but please, there is no obligation.

I'm doing holiday cards again this year after swearing I wouldn't. And it sucks because I don't have a good insert this year. Damn. Not going to everyone though. I'm behind schedule this year.

I'm still trying to fly the coop this turkey day, but it doesn't look possible because of complications. On the plus side I may get to see Jose. And his brother Hose B. I love that joke. It's an antique John Charles joke.

I should be hungry but I'm not. Stupid cold. I haven't exercised since last Thursday because I have no energy due to being sick. And today my rear tyre* was low on air -- so the sensor light said. I had to add ten pounds of air. But I can't find a puncture anywhere so I've decided to eschew a repair unless it happens again. Maybe someone decided to let a lot of air out for fun? Still, nothing like paying 50 cents for air and getting greasy in 51 degree windy weather when you're sick. How did YOUR day start?

I spoke with Rob about our long delayed (11-2006) collabarotive project, and it will continue to be long delayed. It sucks as I was kinda' looking forward to it. But a two person project needs two people.

Oh and my neck is hurting again. But I won't go to the chiro until I'm over the cold.

* That is spelt correctly. Shut up.

The Murphy Post: It's all His Fault (plus Nation Book Review) This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

First, my original flight was cancelled months ago, so I was re-booked on the afternoon flight. I e-mailed the legendary media-whore and American Airlines pilot VanMurph and told him he should arrange to fly my flight. It's too bad he didn't because I had a surprise for him. I had a copy of the article from US News and World Report with his photo in it. I was going to commandeer the flight PA system and embarass him. "Hi, I'm a friend of Captain Murph and I have something to share with the passengers on this flight." I had it all worked out except he didn't show :(

Anyway, we had a gate change because the flight to Port-Au-Prince was still at the gate. We go to the new gate and leave almost on time. Yay. We get to Vegas a little late and are mid-landing when the pilot veers out over the strip. Aborted landing due to "traffic spacing" -- I've been in a few of these and this was relatively minor, though he didn't bother to explain until he finished the maneuver, leaving most of the passengers confused.

He landed the plane. And I use the term "landed" loosely. Apparently he forgot that you touch down the rear wheels, then the nose. He decided that it's okay to go full throttle and all four wheels to the pavement at the same time. Joy.

I wait for my luggage and wait and wait and wait. It never shows. I go to bag services. Everyone who checked in at MIA in the elite line was missing luggage. The lady there was rude, and uncaring. We asked her to call MIA to see if they had the bags or not. She said she couldn't. Apparently the phone was too complex. She really pissed off the guy in front of me. I asked her questions about my luggage like what "AFM" meant which is what she said the computer said. She said she didn't know. I finally left and called AA bag services from the hotel. They were nicer but couldn't even tell me if my bags were on the next flight. They said they'd reimburse me for some underwear and such. So I went shopping. Lovely first day in Vegas,

My bags were here this morning. Yay.

Lastly, I read the new Terry Pratchett novel, Nation and it's amazing. You want this book. It's not quite like anything he's every written. I just got absorbed into it straight away and through the end. I'm giving this 9 out of 10. If I hadn't read the epilogue, I'd have given it a 10 of 10. It's the story of Mau (an island boy) and Daphne (a girl of class) who come to meet and the story of their journey to adulthood sort of. It's a kids book but it isn't a kid's book. Wow. No wonder I love his stuff. This is his best book. Ever.

And as an added side bonus, someone was online this morning when I was using my laptop and that made my day a WHOLE lot better.

I gotta go to my seminar with the Department of Homeland Security now. Peace out, readers :)

Random Stuff of A Cluttered Mind This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

First,

Second, I must write a half-book review. Half-book? Year, the book was so uninteresting I didn't finish. I tried three times to wade through the muck and give it one last chance, but it just wasn't good. I wanted it to be good. But it wasn't. That book is Brisingr, the third (of four) books in the Eragon series. It's almost like someone else wrote it. The writing is stilted, the style is pedantic. It's all in good technical form but there is nothing of value to read here. I give up. I don't give up on many books. Usually I slog through until the end. I made it through page 392 of this disaster before throwing in the towel. Here's another series I hereby abandon. High Fantasy and I didn't like it. Bad news. Skip this one.

I did buy a new Mercedes Lackey book and a Terry Pratchett Book. Expect reviews of those early next month. They're plane books. That is I'll probably read them on the plane to/from my convention. Unless I finally get to be on the same plane as Murph and Vanessa. Then I'll probably terrorize the flight crew and they'll push me out over the Rocky Mountains :) They're great folks. I hope it works out. We've tried before but as a pilot/flight-attendant combination it's hard for them to book the flight they want.

Lastly, I want to plug a fantastic television show. I first watched it a few weeks ago, quite by accident, on BBC America. I had nothing to do, the above book was sucking ass, and needed to kill some time. Nothing was on TV and I figured whatever was on BBCA was what I'd watch -- it's my channel of choice for 'whatever' when I need something. The show is called Skins and is unique in that it's about high school (ugh) but the actors are all in the right age range. You don't get some 32 year old pretending to be 16 (the actors are all 18 to 20 in series 2): I hate that. The plots are detailed and overly-drama just like real high school. Yeah, it's a soap opera and I love it anyway. I am hooked. Seen four episodes so far, including the finale of the first series which has a beautiful ending. The characters do an "Almost Famous" like bit where everyone starts singing "Wild World," the Cat Stevens hit, as they go about their business. Sid has a great voice and none of the characters are lip-syncing. That's really them. It's just so well done. I've watched this episode THREE times already. I am such a girl ::laughs:: There's lots of nudity (blurred out in the US of course), swearing (whomever makes up the 'beep' rules is an idiot), and fun to be had for everyone. I'm buying it on DVD when it comes out next year. 9 out of 10 rating.

Lastly, I am soliciting opinions. I am toying with getting a small tattoo on my shoulder (the right one because it's the good one). It'd be the size of a half-dollar or smaller (actually the size of the Sacagewa dollar) and look like this without the shadowing:

So whatcha' all think? I finally saw someone with a GOOD Panther tattoo and asked where it came from and who the artist was.

Heavens to Murgatroid This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

Thanks to Snaglepuss for today's subject line which has no bearing on anything at all!

Two quick book reviews. First, Cruel Zinc Melodies by Glen Cook, another novel in the Garrett PI series. As all novels in this series, it was enjoyable. There has been less and less humour in each successive novel. That's not a bad or good thing, just an observation. If you're into this for the humour fantasy bit, this one isn't for you. It's also swinging more and more toward the detective side and further and further from the science-fantasy side. Still, I enjoyed it. Definitely a nice read.

Next up we have Steven Brust's latest novel, Jhegaala which is the new Vlad Taltos book. I was going to read the new Artemis Fowl book but Jose said this was good and so I changed my reading order. He's right it is good: very good. This one's a full Vlad book and not much else which, to me, is a great thing. Vlad spends the book in the East and I was thoroughly entertained. I read it all in (almost) one sitting except for the last 40 some-odd pages. It's very engaging and introduces a new character, Meehayi, who I hope makes a return appearance. This is certainly a return to the old Vlad Taltos, which I enjoyed because I did not enjoy the Sethra Lavode cycle nearly as much as the traditional books in this series -- I thought the Lavode cycle was a bit long winded and bordering on pretentious. My opinion, certainly. Highly recommended. One of the best yet. Long yet it seemed short, which is genereally a ringing endorsement.

I am looking at a new phone to replace my v330i. No iPhone for me because it's still AT&T only through 2010, asApple just extended the contract. So although I really want an HTC Diamond (their iPhone clone which is not technically available in the USA), I suspect I will end up with either a Blackberry Curve or Motorola Razr2 v8 -- and I'm leaning heavily towards the second unit. Advice and such from friends is welcome. I am sticking with T-Mobile, of course.

My neck is killing me but the spinal doctor is seeing me Monday, and sadly, I am looking forward to going even though I suspect all he'll do is order an MRI.

Happy Birthday (yesterday) to Adrian. I saw Timmy today for the first time in ages -- Wall*E was the last time I saw him and KungFu Panda before that. And I will never get used to this G4 keyboard because I keep making typos. I miss my other one :(

Also as the campaign from Hell wears on, I find myself growing more weary of Mr. Obama. He's starting to backtrack and do other things that make me realize despite all his fancy words, he's not going to bring change or be something new as he claims. He'll be more of the same old politics we've had for decades. Mind you, he's still going to be better than Mr. McCain who will be four more years of Bush: our country cannot survive that, so I will still vote for Mr. Obama. I can't imagine any sane, intelligent person voting for Mr. McCain. If your mind can reason and think, McCain cannot be your choice. Which is why all the religious nuts will vote for Mr. McCain.

A Plethora of Palabras This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

Wow. This will be a busy post. I have a lot to say.

First, this YouTube Video has me highly stressed. I've got a very low opinions of all politicians, but is this little clip (verified, thanks) a racist rant from Hillary Clinton? It's her but is what she saying racist? Interesting thing to wonder about. I have to wonder why you'd repeatedly point out why you're white thus drawing attention to the fact your opponent is black. I hereby officially throw my hat in the Obama ring -- my first public statement of support for any candidate (none of whom I am overly thrilled with). This hat contingent upon whatever fool he picks as VP.

Second, the evil empire, AKA Microsoft, has come public about COFEE. Yeah, the same company that sells many of you guys your operating system software and recommends and installs all sorts of security updates has given an all-access pass to your local law-enforcement agency. No joke. This is just absurd. And if there's such a simple back-door to get around your operating system protections, how long for the terrorists to figure it out? The USB thumb drive contains 150 Microsoft programmed special commands to allow the user to decrypt passwords, recover all of the computer's data stores, and read a complete log of the computer's Internet activities. It works on-site with any Windows-loaded computer, including PDAs. That means not only your desktop but your mobile device too. I'm glad I'm not using their programs -- the question is why are you?

3. Jesus Made Me Puke is the title of a Rolling Stone article. David Higgins gets credit on this. While I subscribe to Rolling Stone, I hadn't yet read this issue. Why should you read it? You want to know what evangelicals do behind closed doors? Actually, you probably don't want to know. But you should. You might just lose a little sleep at night after reading this.

4. Tina Turner is coming out of retirement. She'll be here November 2nd and I'm excited. I've put in for the ticket lottery and hope to score some. The tickets go on sale Monday. Oh PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. I wish the International Tina Turner Fan Club was still around and giving us the good seats. Damn. I love Tina. See my review of her final Florida concert here.

5. Cal Rugby once again dominates the Rugby universe.The California Golden Bears blasted out to a 40-0 half-time lead and never looked back against Brigham Young University, taking the 2008 national collegiate championship, 59-7, this past Saturday at Stanford’s Steuber Rugby Stadium. It was the fifth straight title for the Bears and 24th in the history of the Cal rugby program making them the most dominating team in any Division One college sport.

6. I've got Neil Diamond tickets for 10-26-08, which I am also excited about. Nobody cares but me, but, yes, I love Neil Diamond and am greatly looking forward to his concert. I am going with the Mann family.

7. Last, but not least, a brief review of a quirky book called "The Somnambulist" by Jonathan Barnes. This books is unusual. Very much so. I rather enjoyed it. It's set in London -- the Victorian one. It's got humour of the driest sort, often black at that. It's got adventure. If the title frightens you, this book isn't for you. It's got lots of big $50 words, all used properly and without any effort by the author. It's quite the entertaining piece, and if you're in need of something different, this book is for you. I mostly recommend this to readers who would enjoy light fantasy and light science-fiction. Others will not appreciate its charms.

8. Don't forget to read Little Brother. I'm serious. Read this book.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Book Review) This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

This part is spoiler free. I was with Adrian at Barnes & Nobles a few weeks ago while helooked for a copy of the new Vladimir Tod novel. when I saw a book sitting there. I wasn't going to pick it up because it just didn't seem interesting. But, on the cover was a very large blurb by Neil Gaiman. Now, if he says he'd recommend it over anything else he's read this year (which he did), then I am obligated to look at it. I needed a "plane book" so I bought it for my trip to the National Hardware Show in Las Vegas (see next blog post for that write-up).

The book in question is "Little Brother" by Cory Doctorow. I read it, and I recommend this book to anyone with the mind to grasp it. It's a very interesting book set in approximately present-day San Francisco. The story revolves around W1n5t0n a cyber-hacker who happens to be a teenager in a local high-school. It's tech-heavy; so although you probably don't need to understand too much to enjoy the book, it certainly would help. It doesn't drift far-off reality and it's not really even science-fiction except for the detail that it isn't a true story. It's frighteningly close to reality and there's not much separating it from truth. It's hard to pinpoint it to a specific genre -- though the Tor imprint pretty much implies sci-fi.

Before I get to the review with spoilers, I must say this book is FANTASTIC. And it's IMPORTANT. You need to read this book. Seriously. It blurs the line between fiction and reality so strongly, you'll begin to wonder. Forget the conspiracy nuts, this book will actually make you wonder how nuts those theorists really are.

Mr. Doctorow is a former director of the EFF, so his facts are tight. Apart from an unhealthy love of the evil X-box, he's blown me away with Little Brother. And if the recommendation by Neil Gaiman isn't enough, how about Mitch Kapor, Ray Ozzie, or Tim O'Reilly? This book is amazing. And the even the giants of technology agree -- the list of kudos is impressive.

The book is a quick read, tightly packed, well edited (I only found two typos), and fascinatingly entrapping. A good mental exercise and a release at the same time. Buy it. Read it. Then tell your friends. This book should go viral.

This italicized part is NOT spoiler free. Specifically, Marcus (W1n5t0n) lives his life as a cyber-geek and cyber-genius. Unrelated to that, a terrorist attack hits San Francisco. This is the story of Marcus and his girlfriend in their quest to reclaim San Francisco when the Department of Homeland Security takes over. They turn San Francisco into a mini-Gitmo and while they never impose marital law, rights are slowly taken away just like is happening in real life. Alone that would make the book possibly interesting. But that's not all.

The book explains, in detail, why all those little RFID devices everyone carries aren't such a good idea. RFID? They're in your SunPass (toll booth transponder), Passport, and so forth. They couple that with data in the traffic camera, and data mined from government records. All of a sudden they know more about you than you care to think. Might sound like science fiction but it isn't. This part is all current, working, installed technology.

W1n5t0n goes into hiding and his ultimate goal is to survive his imprisonment, torture (yes), and take back what is slowly being taken away. He could be a hero if he can only succeed. Nothing I write here will do this book justice. You need to read this book. If you think you're living in a free America, you probably should read this work of fiction. Because although it's fiction, that story is delivering a message. Freedom is not free. What would you pay for yours?

Please buy this book. I really can't reiterate this enough: buy this book. BUY IT NOW.

As for my friends: you're all getting this for Christmas if you don't write me and tell me you've read it before then. You don't want to wait. Trust me. You're going to have thoughts after you read this book. Be afraid. Very afraid.

Ninth Grade Slays: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

This review is spoiler free except for mentioning some names of new characters.
(Edit: added three video links)

Some time ago I reviewed Eighth Grade Bites: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. It was the first book in a new series by Heather Brewer (known as "Auntie Heather" to her loyal minions*). The new book is out and is entitled Ninth Grade Slays: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod.

The new book, like the first, is a fast read. Ms. Brewer is a great writer, producing an engaging story but my complaints about this book are the same as the first: it's too damned short, and she's in a terrible hurry to get everywhere she's going. A plane flight from Siberia to the USA is dealt with in three sentences. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's a good chance to spend some time letting the character talk and getting to know more about them.

And she writes great characters and I do want to know lots more about them. Besides Vlad and Henry, we meet two new characters of import: Joss and Eddie. Eddie's last name is Poe and that made me smirk mightily. We also have more Meredith, but she's still a think character and we need to learn a lot more about her.

Joss, and this will be hard to do without uttering spoilers, is an amazing character and I wanted a whole book just about him. He's complex -- as complex as Vlad, no mean feat. And Ms. Brewer turns a great trick at the end with Joss, making me feel like someone kicked me in the stomach -- that or I'm coming down with the flu. Joss is the sort of character I'd like to spend an hour with over a cup of coffee, just talking.

Eddie, though only a bit player, has potential to be a big character in the next instalment(s). I get this nagging feeling that not only is important, but that one day he'll be a good friend to Vlad despite what we see in this book.

Otis and Nellie are in the book, but consigned to floating in and out of the story. That's not a criticism either. I much would prefer hearing about the kids because they're very interesting. Vlad cries a bit too much, and I think his circumstances have a lot to do with it. He's very Emo without actually being Emo. It makes sense to me, anyway.

Vlad is a great character. He continues to evolve and get more complex. I wish this book was about a hundred pages longer. Vlad continues to show signs of cuteness when he tries to interact with Meredith. And if he knew anyone thought he was showing such signs, he'd certainly cringe. In my previous reviews, I said a reader would want to be friends with Vlad and that remains even more true in this book.

TRAILER FOR THE NINTH GRADE BOOK (FLASH)



TRAILER FOR THE EIGHTH GRADE BOOK (FLASH)


TRAILER FOR THE EIGHTH GRADE BOOK (YouTube)
LIVE ACTION CLIP DONE BY A HIGH SCHOOL DRAMA CLASS

Download it from the school's website.

Tonight's Springsteen concert was cancelled so I was able to stay home and read the book cover to cover in just about two hours. Enjoyable as all hell. Highly recommended. I mean that sincerely. Auntie Heather has a MySpace page, which you should also join because she is very cool -- even though I never win one of her hoodies. I may have to just buy an XL one and be done with it. Hope spring eternal :)

Oh, and the end is a bit of a cliffhanger. Auntie Heather is evil.

(In worse news, on 3 May I was going to see Billy Crystal in concert in Las Vegas. That's been cancelled as well. I guess I should tell Austri....)


* I am proud to consider myself one of them.

Randomness Part Sept This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

First, a shout out to David Higgins for this awesome video of Pan American Airlines transatlantic flights back in the days when flying was enjoyable.

Woe is us for modern air travel. Spend the 12-1/2 minutes and watch this promotional film. It's a hoot, a gas, and so forth.

I spent quite a few dollars ($3.25) on tolls today. It's Adrian's fault. I am going to buy a tire jack and beat him senseless with it. It won't take long to beat him there as he's almost there already. We finally had breakfast but it took awhile due to the fact Adrian thinks feeding cats is complicated and takes 20 minutes.

Skated today. Yay skating. Only got an hour in, though. After which I got gas at the world's slowest pump. The pump at the Hammocks Mobil took 11 minutes to pump 17.5 gallons.

We saw Spiderwick Chronicles. The concept was good and I didn't hate it but the acting was absolutely atrocious from everyone except the old Lucy. Ham. Lots of ham. But not a bad movie if you can get past the Over Emoting style of acting.

I finished "Little Tom of England" by Madeline Brandeis. Not a good book by any measure but it's entirely quaint and a satisfying read nonetheless. I made sure to drag this out over two months for the sheer pleasure of it, though it is, at best, a 45 minute read. (Edit: Mom, who gave me this book, reminded me to tell everyone this book was published in 1935.)

I am now home doing laundry. I might do my tax preparation today if I can get motivated. If not, I'll just screw around on the computer instead of working. Which shall it be?

I have an upcoming trade show in Las Vegas in early May. Austri may be joining me :)

Last week I replaced all the switch plate and electrical outlet covers. Gone are the standard off-white ones in every home and installed are brushed chrome and/or brushed pewter models. They look good. They're all done except the phone jacks (too much work, but I'll get there) and the stuff behind furniture. My meteorite (see Flickr) has a case and stand now in glass and faux-pewter wood. Very nice.

Airman by Eoin Colfer (Review) This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

Avast ye scurvy dogs, there be no spoilers about so read on without fear.

I purchased Airman on 30 December 2007 at Foyle's in London for £2 off and then promptly misplaced it once I got back, never reading it. I found it a few days ago and thus commenced reading this book.

A reader of all his works (Artemis Fowl, Half Moon Investigations, and his stand-alone novels) I was thrilled. I was not quite as thrilled when I discovered this was his first historical novel, a genre that generally puts me off. But, I ploughed forward because Colfer is a great writer.

This is a story of Conor Broekhart and his quest to fly. It's set near the turn of the century -- when the 1800s change to the 1900s -- and has many historical references though mostly the facts are disregarded in favour of the story, which is a good thing.

Colfer just enthrals his reader as he does with all his books. He weaves a good yarn with his main characters deep and complex. His secondary characters, though, are not drawn well and are not so detailed. As with many of his other books, my big complaint is his use of Painfully Blunt Foreshadowing -- something I abhor. "Conor escaped, but nothing could prepare him for the misery of his next three years." A sentence like that pretty much tells you everything you need to know and deadens the surprise. You know six months later a new character won't rescue him, you know he won't find happiness, and you know any glimmer of hope is a red herring. I do not know why any author uses a baseball bat to foreshadow when subtlety will work much better.

So those are the nits I wish to pick. You will love Conor and you will love (to hate) Bonvilain, as even his name is a bit of a pun. Colfer's truly dry wit shines in some paragraphs, though I think much of it will be lost on a Leftpondian (American) reader. The book is decidedly Irish/English in tone, but I cannot say if they clean the US versions as they do with the Potter books. That local flavour helps the book considerably.

This coming-of-age book is violent and is apparently geared towards older teens at minimum. This is not for the Artemis crowd. The language is a bit more complex, even sending me scurrying to the dictionary once. He leaves it open for a sequel, and I'd certainly read one if it were forthcoming, though I'd much rather he spit out another Half-Moon book first.

And, there was an insert for the new Artemis Fowl book, the Time Paradox due in August 2008 in the UK.

Terry Goodkind's Confessor (Review) This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

Here's the scoop on the final book entitled Confessor in the epic Sword of Truth series. The review of the previous novel in the series, Phantom can be found here.

I was in Waterstone's in the UK on 31 December 2007 to buy a book. I thought I'd buy confessor but at £20 that was over $40 and I figured I'd wait until I got home as that's way too much for a book. I did see it at another shop for £14.99 and decided it was still better to wait until I got home. On 2 January 2008 I was in Harrods and saw a stack marked at £4.99 or about $10. I was informed it was a mis-mark, and I certainly agreed since that's less than a paperback costs and this was a fresh release hardback. To my surprise, they said they'd sell it to me anyway, so I got it and read it on the flight home. I started as the plane was over Ireland and finished before we got to Miami.

I had some trouble remembering all the details from the previous tomes, but it all came back to me quickly. This book is very well written -- even the parts I found, quite honestly, boring.

This book is the last in the series. As I said in my last review, which is good because it's gone on a bit too long. Some authors don't know when to stick a fork in it. I look forward to Mr. Goodkind's next books.

This book is an engaging read front to back, and at over 600 pages, it's hard for many authors to keep the pace going, but he's done it again right until near the very end.

(SPOILERS BEGIN)

However I will say, as in the last book, that some old characters seem to becoming more two-dimensional with age, and that's not a good thing. Cara and Bernedine are barely in the novel at all and serve no purpose, and there is nary a mention of Vera, Ann, Zedd, and Nathan. I don't like Nathan so I don't care. I have to say in this novel every part that mentions Zedd is boring as all hell. When Ann dies, I feel nothing but joy to be rid of a character that ceased being interesting two novels ago. Other characters die, more as an afterthought than as anything else. It's okay in some cases to do that to make a point, but to make a seeming habit of it is silly.

I did like Rachel's story, although it was short it was fascinating. So was the bit with Samuel.

Goodkind seems overly fascinated with some rape scenes and I know he's trying to bring the horror home -- good for him -- but I think he went overboard. What I found the least palatable, though, is the ongoing preaching. Yes, he's gotten preachy. And in the finale Richard turns into a preacher of the worst sort: one who goes on and on with a boring sermon.

The ending of this work disappointed me terribly. I knew it was coming because it was pretty obvious -- Goodkind isn't good at delivering surprises. It was more disappointing because he sold his readers short. He told a great story: especially the bits about Richard in the Emperor's camp. Brilliantly exciting and well done. You just can't sell your readers short. It's not the thing to do.

As I said in the Phantom review, I like what happens in the books because it feels right and with a fantasy novel that's very important. Nothing like a 'doesn't feel right' to ruin a good story. In that same review I also said: However the overriding sense of having a message rammed down my throat never left me and that's my biggest complaint about this novel. This is still true in this novel. It has all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

Despite my complaints, it's a good book. The ending wasn't for me, but that doesn't mean you won't like it.

Tunnels (Review) This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

Tunnels is a book by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams. I bought this right after Christmas at the Borders near Sawgrass Mills. It was an unintended purchases. As is my wont, I was walking through the book store and the title, for obvious reasons, struck me. I picked it up and found it was set in London.

Tunnels + London = Eric Nirvana.

It turns out to not be much about London at all. This is the first in series, and a sequel is coming Summer 2009, and a movie of this first book as well. And that's a good thing, too.

It didn't start off so well. I wasn't sure I'd be interested or not, and thought this could be a grand misstep: always bad when you're on a 8 hour flight from Newark to Paris and have no backup book. As it turns out, it was a page turner. I really enjoyed it because the characters are well developed (eventually) and the forging of a solid friendship is always something that I find satisfying when well done. Plus, it has a twist that would make M. Night Shaymalan jealous.

There's some nice messages on what makes family and what doesn't. It also shows that not all teens are idiots. Chester, Will, Cal, and Rebecca are all very memorable characters that will stick with you long after you've finished the book.

If you're looking for a satisfying ending, you won't get one. It ends, but it's clear they knew there was another book coming so they just sort of leave you hanging, which is okay in this case. You'll just have to trust me on this. A definite BUY!

Making Money (Pratchett Book Review) This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

Ah, yes, another in the beloved Discworld series, and I've just finished it -- Terry Pratchett's latest adventure. This one features Moist, Vetinari, and cameos by some of the Guards. It's a direct follow-on to Going Postal. I really liked Going Postal. And I liked this one too.

However if you're looking for Terry's normal bell-laugh bludgeoning you will be disappointed. While funny in spots, very funny to be exact, mostly it's a relatively serious though comical take on running a Mint.

Personally, I like Vetinari remaining mysterious but we learn quite a bit about him in this novel. And we learn more about Moist and, well, I won't spoil it. We meet Mr. Bent and if he's gone missing you can always get Bent :)

There's also a new family, the Lavishes, who I hope make a return appearance. They are horribly dysfunctional and could be right out of the old soaps Dallas or Dynasty.

I could go on about this book, but I try to be spoiler free. I will give it very high marks, and a full refund in Ankh-Porkian dollars to anyone who doesn't agree*.


* Apply to Sgt. Detrius at the Watch

Book Review: Frek and the Elixir and Hero This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

Ah, well I've read two books in the past 24 hours.

I'm going to review the first one I read, "Frek and the Elixir" by Rudy Rucker was first up, and it started out great. Original, different, unique, and a bit weird. Frek grows up in a truly odd world written by a clearly odd person. At nearly 500 pages, it's hard for an author to keep it going and at some point it becomes so absurd as to be uninteresting. Yeah, the last 100 or so pages really let me down and I lost my desire to finish, but being in a plane makes you plough through. I did. And if you want a fun read that's very imaginative, you'll like this book: right up until the end. This book is enormously popular, so maybe it's just me.

The second book, "Hero" by Perry Moore I cannot imagine anyone I know liking. I read a review in Time and bought it based on the review. I think it's fantastic. I'm going to read it again. If you're brave read this because it's just a little hard to read while being enjoyable nonetheless.

SuperBad, Vladimir Tod, and The Every Boy (Three Reviews) This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

Ladies, Gentlemen, Children of All Ages: Today I have just for you a total of THREE, yes THREE reviews in one.

First up, we have the review of the film SuperBad, which I had decided not to see based on the lame-ass previews. But the film got great write-ups and a number of people recommended it to me. So Saturday, after skating, we went to see it. I could have posted this review Saturday evening but I was having a mixed bag of emotions. I couldn't decide if I liked the film or not.

Ultimately, it was a very funny film in a dark yet loving sort of way. If you're from my generation (born in the late 1960s) you'll probably relate really well to the main two characters. They steal the show. And I believe that if the film was about them and only them, it would have been a grand-slam home-run. But they have the “cop interlude” and that detracts from the final product no matter how funny it may have been – but I felt it dragged.

Michael Cera kicks-ass and his Arrested Development timing and squirmishness is undiminished. You'll never look at a blood-stain the same again.

Next up, we have the book I read on the flight from Miami to Orlando. It's entitled “The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod -- Eighth Grade Bites” and it's the first work by Heather Brewer. I gotta' tell you up front that I would not even normally buy this book because it's not my type of thing. First, it's squarely in the soft side of the young adult category, though that's not a deal breaker. Secondly, horror books aren't my thing, even soft horror and that is invariably a deal breaker. But, the cover icon was so stunningly subversive I picked up the book and read the back cover blurb. I bought it. Boy was a I glad I did. Vlad, the protagonist vampire, is engaging and interesting. You will feel for him and enjoy going along for the ride as his friendship with his best friend Henry is tested. You'll squirm as he tries to get together with his crush, but like all eighth-graders, it's not so easy to ask out a girl on a date. And you will feel the angst (gently) as you read through it. This is not a work of art because (A) the adults except for his Aunt Nelly are very thinly drawn and you just have no real sense about them, especially the villains and (B) the writer is in a huge hurry to get where she's going that she leaves out a little too much detail and I wish she'd taken her time because I really did want to read more. The ending was very compressed. You will like this book – you'll probably wish you were friends with Vlad. Her website indicates this is first in a series, and I will read the rest for sure. Check this one out.

The final review, my book on the return flight from Orlando to Miami was The Every Boy by Dana Adam Shapiro. This book is not for everyone and it's not for kids, that's for sure. The protagonist, fifteen year old Henry Every, is dead – that's the whole premise. His body is found and they learn about his decidedly unusual life by reading his journal – it's not a diary because as Henry says “Only girls keep diaries.” You will laugh with him – he's funny. You will share his frustrations, loves, likes, and dislikes. There's plenty of angst and irony. And you will learn all about his parents including the fact that his father isn't his father (this is not a spoiler). This book is unusual because the author is the director of the Oscar® nominated film Murderball and he was a senior editor at Spin magazine. This is a truly quirky book that could end up as an independent film in the vein of Little Miss Sunshine if handled by the right person.

Nick Twisp (and his Younger Brother) This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

This is a double-review of both "Young and Revolting" the (apparently) last Nick Twisp book and "Revoltingly Young" the story of Nick's younger brother. CD Payne has an interesting style, and if you're reading this review, I can only assume you've read the original "Youth in Revolt" which is an utter classic.

Nick Twisp begins life as an over-sexed nympho-like 14 year-old. He's older in Y&R but that doesn't mean he's mature. That's a good thing. Because what keeps this book enjoyable is the fact that Nick will always and forever be a fourteen year old. His outlook on life doesn't change drastically, and if it did we probably wouldn't like him nearly as much. Nick's a terribly misguided youth and that's his charm. His adventures are still vastly amusing, but nowhere near as madcap as his first adventure. Quite frankly, I miss François and Carlotta who appear briefly only. Payne gives it his best, but the ending is not that satisfying. It's more like an afterthought.

That leads us on to RY which is entertaining as hell. It's closer to the first book than any of the subsequent novels and my constant chuckles had my neighbours on the plane giving me suspicious looks out of the corners of their eyes. It's a rehash of previous books in one way -- you won't be surprised at anything you read because you've seen it all before but sometimes an old comfortable pair of shoes is just what's needed. My biggest complaint about this book is that when Nick makes a cameo -- and his brief appearance can only be called that -- as a 30 year old adult, quite frankly he's not likeable. It would have been better if he hadn't been included. My other complaint is that ending feels terribly rushed and deux-ex-machina, which even the author hints at in a smug, self-satisfied way. Clearly Payne didn't know how to end his novel, so he threw and ending together. The charm of writing journal style means you don't have to contrive an ending.

Book of Horrible Questions This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

The actual link to the Book of Horrible Questions at Amazon which I discuss here:

This book is not suitable for minors and contains graphic and sexually explicit material -- though none is included in this post.

This is from Book of Horrible Questions (ISBN 0-312-20434-5) by Smith and Doe. I highly recommend this book because you can learn a great deal about your friends.

The rules are simple: "The key to your success in using this book is the degree of total honesty with which you answer the questions. Take each question seriously. Imagine the amounts of money you will make or give up as really belonging to you. Imagine the often painful discomforts described herein as actually happening to you (... or the poor sap you sacrifice...)"

Remember: NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW YOUR ANSWER (unless you chose to share)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
These randomly selected questions are from various pages of this book.

1. $10,000,000: If you accept this money you will die of natural causes on your birthday at age 70. You won't live a day longer than that and you will die in your sleep, peacefully, guaranteed.

2. $5,000,000: Same as above, except you'll live to be 75.

3. $1,000,000: Same as above, except you'll live to be 80.

4. $100,000,000. You will die at age 100, but it will be a hideously painful, long (two straight days) and tortuous death.

5. $7,500,000 Your mate will be kidnapped and held like the kid in Ransom (a filthy bed and only the most basic of foods) FOR ONE YEAR. There is a guarantee of no physical harm as well as no sexual contact. When the year is up, YOU will rescue the mate that you profitably condemned and reap all of the loving benefits of doing so. No one will ever know you had anything to do with it, and you just made 7.5 million, although you risk the chance that he/she may suffer some degree of recurring trauma (ie: waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, screaming).

6. $100,000: A funeral is taking place. You do not know anyone at the funeral or anyone involved with it. As a family member is making their heartfelt, teary spech, you must run into the midst of the crowd and yell "I'M GLAD HE'S DEAD! HA HA HA HA HA!" and then run away.

16. $250,000: Think of the most physically repugnant person you know. Say their name aloud. Now, to get paid, you must let that person squat above you and release a large helping of diarrhoea on to your chest. You must then wait for five minutes, breathing only through your nose. Then, you may get up, get showered, and get paid.

17. $500,000: Same as above, except a good portion of the diarrhoea will splatter on to your face.

18. $750,000: Same as above except the person has just returned from an all you can eat corn and nut eating contest.

19. $5,000,000: WOMEN ONLY: You will never be able to have a child, but you may adopt.

20. $10,000,000: WOMEN ONLY: You must give up your firstborn child for adoption. Double the amount if you keep it for a year first.

21. $5,000,000: MEN ONLY: You will never be able to have a child, but you may adopt.

22. $50,000: MEN ONLY: You must give up your firstborn child for adoption.

27. $500,000: A human pancreas is put on a plate in front of you. You must eat it. When it's gone, you get paid.

28. $750,000. Same as above except it's a two foot section of a large intestine. (Double if the offer if it's uncleaned)











Here are some of my answers

1. 7% said Yes
2. 8% said Yes (CMOT also says Yes)
3. 54% said Yes
4. 46% said yes (CMOT thinks they're insane)
5. 48% said yes
6. 85% said Yes (CMOT says NO)
16. 77% said yes (CMOT NO)
17. 38% said yes (CMOT NO)
18. 38% said yes (CMOT NO)
19. 50% said yes
20. 0%* said yes
21. 45% said yes (CMOT YES)
22. 9% said yes
27. 69% said yes
28. 38% said yes

* This is the only question in the book which not one single person said yes. It says a great deal about people's standards that at least one person said yes to every other question in the book, some of which are so morally repugnant I can't even begin to tell you.

Vlad Taltos return in Dzur in time for Hurricane Ernesto This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

Ah, before that damned almost-Hurricane Ernesto arrives, I shall bang out one last blog entry.

I've finished Steven Brust's latest entry in the Vlad Taltos series, Dzur, and enjoyed it thoroughly. Okay, I'm a Brust fan and this isn't exactly an entirely unbiased review.

However, a few special points to bring up: the ending is both a surprise and definitely setting up huge possibilities for the future. I won't be a shmuck and spoil it for you, though. Instead I will say, bravo.

Secondly, there is an introduction at each chapter describing a dining experience. I'm not sure how he did it, but this is probably the first time food has become a sensual, almost erotic, experience. I want to eat at this restaurant even though it doesn't exist. It's amazingly brilliant and fantastically done. Brust has clearly had one amazing meal because I'd buy a book to read about this meal. I kid you not. It's fantastic, so be sure to read it though it probably doesn't affect the plot much one way or another.

Like all reviewers, I have to find a nit to pick. As the cover blurb says: "In which Vlad Taltos confronts the Left Hand of the Jhereg....." I point this out because this is classic Brust talking. He writes in very interesting speech pattern. It's older English, but not Olde English. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about because this cover blurb is a flawless example. Only the book isn't written this way anymore. It's like Brust forgot his old speech patterns and just wrote the book. I'm not complaining but I had to adjust my mindset considerably to get into my Taltos frame-of-mind. Or is it that I've become so used to it, I didn't notice it -- no, I don't think so.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this book a great deal. It kind of reminds me of an Oldsmobile commercial. "This is not your father's Vlad Taltos...."

Hurry up and read it!

In The Merde For Love This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

I recently read A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke -- you may click on the link to see my review of that book. I ended up liking it quite a bit, so I ordered the sequel In The Merde For Love.

The first book had this quote: "There are lots of French people who not at all hypocritical, inefficient, treacherous, intolerant, adulterous or incredibly sexy.... They just didn't make it into my book." That brutally up front statement, is indicative of the sequel's attitude as well. The turn and reason for the sequel comes with the realization that our English protagonist has almost become, Mon Dieu, French! Alors!

And that isn't a bad thing because that's what makes it such an enjoyable read instead of a pedantic rehash of the first book. You will have to read the original or this book will be of no value to you. I will be honest, the parts that take place in England are a bit tiresome. Overall, it kept me occupied whilst the workmen spent the day repairing more hurricane damage -- it was sort of ironic because I related to the workmen he had to deal with in this tome. (My house somewhat resembles something a human might live in now. That's exciting.)

A Year in the Merde (Stephen Clarke Book Review) This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

I bought this book awhile ago, inexplicably moving it to the bottom of my unread book pile in favour of other books. I just never felt in the mood for it. Rather interesting book outside my normal genre of reading. So, this weekend when I was bored out of my skull, I finally decided to give it a try.

I have to admire the book for the cover quote "There are lots of French people who not at all hypocritical, inefficient, treacherous, intolerant, adulterous or incredibly sexy.... They just didn't make it into my book." That's a brutally up front statement, and yet it's very indicative of the book's attitude. And that isn't a bad thing because that's what makes it such an enjoyable read. Is it a work of art? No. But if you know the English and you know the French this book is going to really tickle your funny bone and hold your interest. If you don't know the French or English much of this book might just sail right by you. Much of the joy comes from having experienced (for example) the brasserie waiters, the French strikes, the English unflappability, and seeing them forced together.

If you're not sure if it's up your alley, perhaps you should try the paperback. This book is many things, but happily n'est ce pas merdique :)

Peter and the Shadow Thieves (Review) This blog has moved to http://quagmire.darsys.net

Peter and the Shadow Thieves has finally been released and now I've read it. If you read and liked the previous entry in this series Peter and the Star Catchers, you'll also like this book as well. If you didn't, you just might like this anyway.

As prequels to JM Barrie's famous Peter Pan, they have some limitations. This one, though, is freed of the first novel's need to end up at a certain place in time. At least that's my take. I liked this one a bit better. The plot was more interesting, and it was less of a child's book. Even Mr. Barrie himself has a cameo in this one, though if you're not paying attention you might not realize that's what it is.

Like all children's books this one is a bit predictable but I don't fault the authors because in general that's how the genre plays out. The book's a bit short on character development but it makes up for it in atmosphere and plot.



Tag: Book and Review and Peter Pan and Dave Barry