Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Nerd Test
I took the Nerd Test. Turns out I'm a High Nerd. I'm actually surprised I didn't get a higher score on the dumb/dork/awkward portion. But only 18% scored higher than me in the history/literature portion.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Reading Challenges
I recently finished the last of the reading challenges that I had signed up for this year.
I did four (4):
Support Your Local Library Challenge
Young Adult Book Challenge
Books Off the Shelf Challenge
75 Books in 2010 Challenge
And I’m wondering whether I’m going to do any next year. I must admit that I like to make lists of the books that I’ve read and I do like the feeling that I reached some kind of goal when I fill in the last book. But I’m not sure why I do reading challenges. I tend to pick ones that don’t really push me at all. I was pretty certain I would have no problem completing all of these because it wouldn’t be much different from what I would have read anyway. And I also tend to pick numbers that are not impressive. So they don’t get me to read faster, or read something I might not read otherwise. So what is the point? I’ll have to think about next year. Do I just want to do my normal reading and call it a challenge like I did this year? Do I want to pick a challenge that might actually be a challenge? Or do I want to forget the whole thing? I think if I decide to do 2011 challenges I’ll want them to be worth doing. Something that will make me have to try to finish it. Even if that means, in the end, that I don’t. I have a month to figure out what I’m going to do. But knowing me I’ll procrastinate until sometime in June and the whole point will be moot anyway. We shall see.
I did four (4):
Support Your Local Library Challenge
Young Adult Book Challenge
Books Off the Shelf Challenge
75 Books in 2010 Challenge
And I’m wondering whether I’m going to do any next year. I must admit that I like to make lists of the books that I’ve read and I do like the feeling that I reached some kind of goal when I fill in the last book. But I’m not sure why I do reading challenges. I tend to pick ones that don’t really push me at all. I was pretty certain I would have no problem completing all of these because it wouldn’t be much different from what I would have read anyway. And I also tend to pick numbers that are not impressive. So they don’t get me to read faster, or read something I might not read otherwise. So what is the point? I’ll have to think about next year. Do I just want to do my normal reading and call it a challenge like I did this year? Do I want to pick a challenge that might actually be a challenge? Or do I want to forget the whole thing? I think if I decide to do 2011 challenges I’ll want them to be worth doing. Something that will make me have to try to finish it. Even if that means, in the end, that I don’t. I have a month to figure out what I’m going to do. But knowing me I’ll procrastinate until sometime in June and the whole point will be moot anyway. We shall see.
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Friday 56, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
Rules:*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it to Freda's Voice.
The book this week is The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Tate. I recently finished this one and liked it. It’s about a girl in 1899 who doesn’t want to learn to sew and cook but wants to be a scientist instead.
The sentence:
I honked away and felt somewhat better.
Well, that’s good news for her but probably not so good for her grandfather who just lent her his handkerchief.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
WWW Wednesdays (November 17th)
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?
Leave a link to your post (or the answers themselves if you do not have a blog) in the comments of Should Be Reading.
What are you currently reading?
Resolution by Robert Parker
I had high hopes for this one and so far I’m not disappointed.
What did you recently finish reading?
Prostho Plus by Piers Anthony
A dentist gets kidnapped by aliens and pressed into service in space. I never knew how dangerous being a dentist could be
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
All Callie wants to do is catch bugs with her grandfather but her mother wants her to learn to sew and cook. It’s a fun coming of age tale. I like how Kelly conveys the wonder of discovery.
What do you think you'll read next?
I don’t know but I’ve been thinking I want to read some nonfiction since I haven’t read any in a while. Maybe The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean. Then again, maybe not.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Buck Rogers: A Life in the Future Review
Buck Rogers: A Life in the Future by Martin Caidin
From the book jacket:
In that instant, Buck saw his plane was going to crash directly into the crowd.
Hundreds of people would die, while others would be burned horribly as the fuel tanks exploded. With what little control he had left, he kicked the rudder hard and threw the Fokker into a flat spin, away from the screaming throng on the ground. He also gave up his one and only chance at a controlled crash from which he could survive.
In those final moments, everyone watching knew that Buck had made his final decision…
Form the moment of the terrible crash that should have ended everything, the very life of Anthony “Buck” Rogers hung by the thinnest of threads…
…until he regained consciousness more than four hundred years later. His body literally reconstructed by advanced medical technology and nursed back to health by the tender care of Wilma Deering, he is ready to face his new future in the twenty-fifth century.
Here, for the first time, is the true story of Buck’s life in the future… as only he can tell it.
This certainly is not the Gil Gerard or Buster Crabbe Buck Rogers I’m familiar with. However, that is not why I didn’t really enjoy this book. It does still have a sense of campy fun to it but there were large chucks of it that were rather boring. When Buck wakes up in the future he has to be told all that has happened while he was out of the loop. All 400 odd years of it. There are also long passages about the strengths and weaknesses of every plane Buck has ever flown and detailed descriptions of how the future technology works. I understand that certain things need to be explained to us as the readers as well as Buck but it got pretty dry at times and I found some of it hard to slog through. The plot also seems to jump about randomly. They are on one mission and then on to the next without any sort of transition or anything that ties it all together. Which would work if it came in monthly installments but doesn’t really come together into one cohesive novel. And there are a lot of interesting characters but no one is developed very well. Caidin seemed to want to fit everything in the Buck Rogers myth in this book and it becomes some what of a jumbled mess. I think it would have worked out better if some things were left out and one story line was developed more fully. I’m assuming that the racist attitude of everyone in the book was an attempt to stay close to the feelings in the original stories but it still seemed tacky to me. And it all came together in an ending that wasn’t as satisfying as I had hoped for. There is a reproduction of the Phil Nowlan’s 1933 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' novelette included at the back of the book that is a lot of fun and which, unfortunately, I found more interesting than the book itself.
From the book jacket:
In that instant, Buck saw his plane was going to crash directly into the crowd.
Hundreds of people would die, while others would be burned horribly as the fuel tanks exploded. With what little control he had left, he kicked the rudder hard and threw the Fokker into a flat spin, away from the screaming throng on the ground. He also gave up his one and only chance at a controlled crash from which he could survive.
In those final moments, everyone watching knew that Buck had made his final decision…
Form the moment of the terrible crash that should have ended everything, the very life of Anthony “Buck” Rogers hung by the thinnest of threads…
…until he regained consciousness more than four hundred years later. His body literally reconstructed by advanced medical technology and nursed back to health by the tender care of Wilma Deering, he is ready to face his new future in the twenty-fifth century.
Here, for the first time, is the true story of Buck’s life in the future… as only he can tell it.
This certainly is not the Gil Gerard or Buster Crabbe Buck Rogers I’m familiar with. However, that is not why I didn’t really enjoy this book. It does still have a sense of campy fun to it but there were large chucks of it that were rather boring. When Buck wakes up in the future he has to be told all that has happened while he was out of the loop. All 400 odd years of it. There are also long passages about the strengths and weaknesses of every plane Buck has ever flown and detailed descriptions of how the future technology works. I understand that certain things need to be explained to us as the readers as well as Buck but it got pretty dry at times and I found some of it hard to slog through. The plot also seems to jump about randomly. They are on one mission and then on to the next without any sort of transition or anything that ties it all together. Which would work if it came in monthly installments but doesn’t really come together into one cohesive novel. And there are a lot of interesting characters but no one is developed very well. Caidin seemed to want to fit everything in the Buck Rogers myth in this book and it becomes some what of a jumbled mess. I think it would have worked out better if some things were left out and one story line was developed more fully. I’m assuming that the racist attitude of everyone in the book was an attempt to stay close to the feelings in the original stories but it still seemed tacky to me. And it all came together in an ending that wasn’t as satisfying as I had hoped for. There is a reproduction of the Phil Nowlan’s 1933 'Buck Rogers in the 25th Century' novelette included at the back of the book that is a lot of fun and which, unfortunately, I found more interesting than the book itself.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Stieg Larsson
Haven't read Stieg Larsson's trilogy yet? Or know someone who hasn't? Then it is your lucky day because Bookin' With Bingo is giving away the whole set to one lucky winner. The winner will get The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (TPB), The Girl Who Played With Fire (TPB), and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (HC).
To enter you have to go vote for Bookin' With Bingo on the We're on the Fence page. Bingo has put the link on their page to make it easy for you.
For more entries:
+1 Comment on which novel you would want if you could only have one
+1 Comment on who you want to win the books for
+1 Comment on something you find interesting on Larsson's website
+1 Blog or Tweet and leave Bingo the link
+1 Comment on another Bingo giveaway that you have entered, you can do this for each giveaway you enter but make sure they are all in separate comments
Giveaway ends at 6:00 PM EST on December 2nd.
Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
To enter you have to go vote for Bookin' With Bingo on the We're on the Fence page. Bingo has put the link on their page to make it easy for you.
For more entries:
+1 Comment on which novel you would want if you could only have one
+1 Comment on who you want to win the books for
+1 Comment on something you find interesting on Larsson's website
+1 Blog or Tweet and leave Bingo the link
+1 Comment on another Bingo giveaway that you have entered, you can do this for each giveaway you enter but make sure they are all in separate comments
Giveaway ends at 6:00 PM EST on December 2nd.
Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Friday 56, The Pets
Rules:*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it to Freda's Voice.
The book this week is The Pets by Bragi Olafsson. I just finished this book about 10 minutes ago. The idea is that some guy doesn’t want to let his visitor in so he hides under the bed and hopes he goes away but instead he climbs in the window and stays awhile. It was a slow start but then when the guy was actually under the bed I got interested. And then it just stopped. I actually flipped the pages back and forth wondering where the missing text could be. I scanned the little bio of the author and the translated too. I’m sure there is some deep meaning in the ending that I just didn’t get. I have to admit that I don’t really like books that make me feel as if I am not smart enough to be reading them.
Anyhow… the sentence is:
I feel the need to cheer myself up and decide to make instant coffee with whisky.
I use tea myself, which still sounds kind of sad but at least it isn’t instant coffee. I don’t know how instant coffee can cheer anyone up even with whisky added.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
WWW Wednesdays
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?
Leave a link to your post (or the answers themselves if you do not have a blog) in the comments of Should Be Reading.
What are you currently reading?
The Pets by Bragi Olafsson
I’m only on page 40 but so far I’m not impressed. I’m hoping it picks up.
The Bait and the Trap by George Challis
This one isn’t quite as good as The Firebrand which came first but it is still a lot of fun.
What did you recently finish reading?
Front Porch Prophet by Raymond Atkins
Finished. I liked it a lot.
Dead Pan by Gayle Trent
A cozy mystery with an amateur sleuth. Nothing much surprising.
What do you think you'll read next?
Resolution by Robert Parker
I’d only read his Spencer books before I tried Appaloosa and I liked it so much I want to read the rest in this western series.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Arizona Free Review
Arizona Free by Doug Martin
(from the back of the book)
When three co-workers searching for a way out of the corporate rut they an irresistible multi-level marking product called DiNAmite it was love at first sip. But as Jason, Tony and Cloe soon find out, there’s more than just caffeine in that supercharged energy drink: it’s chalk full of dinosaur DNA, and it’s causing some unusual changes in peoples’ behavior… and bodies.
Based on a completely untrue story, Arizona Free will have you wondering if artificial DNA transcription is really all it’s cracked up to be, and just how far you’d go to serve your corporate masters. For an energy drink experience that’s out of this world, a little mayhem is in order. Caution: it’s a trip
A book about an energy drink that contains dinosaur DNA and has unexpected effects on the people who drink it sounded quirky and fun. And in some ways it is. But in other ways it falls flat. Such as the characters, which are all rather underdeveloped. And I found myself distracted by the odd dialogue that didn’t sound natural. And once the aliens showed up I realized that is was not the book I was expecting. It reads like a bad sci-fi movie where everyone is running around doing things that don’t make any logical sense. The twist at the end helps to explain this somewhat and it also helps itself by the fact that it knows it reads like a bad sci-fi movie and keeps reminding us of the fact, making it evident that that is the intent but at times it is too self-aware of the fact and makes the point a little too blatantly. And poking fun at itself can only go so far and it isn’t quite enough here since it failed to make me laugh more often than not. It had its moments of wit and cheesy sci-fi goodness but in the end there just were not enough of them to pull this up to a good book.
(from the back of the book)
When three co-workers searching for a way out of the corporate rut they an irresistible multi-level marking product called DiNAmite it was love at first sip. But as Jason, Tony and Cloe soon find out, there’s more than just caffeine in that supercharged energy drink: it’s chalk full of dinosaur DNA, and it’s causing some unusual changes in peoples’ behavior… and bodies.
Based on a completely untrue story, Arizona Free will have you wondering if artificial DNA transcription is really all it’s cracked up to be, and just how far you’d go to serve your corporate masters. For an energy drink experience that’s out of this world, a little mayhem is in order. Caution: it’s a trip
A book about an energy drink that contains dinosaur DNA and has unexpected effects on the people who drink it sounded quirky and fun. And in some ways it is. But in other ways it falls flat. Such as the characters, which are all rather underdeveloped. And I found myself distracted by the odd dialogue that didn’t sound natural. And once the aliens showed up I realized that is was not the book I was expecting. It reads like a bad sci-fi movie where everyone is running around doing things that don’t make any logical sense. The twist at the end helps to explain this somewhat and it also helps itself by the fact that it knows it reads like a bad sci-fi movie and keeps reminding us of the fact, making it evident that that is the intent but at times it is too self-aware of the fact and makes the point a little too blatantly. And poking fun at itself can only go so far and it isn’t quite enough here since it failed to make me laugh more often than not. It had its moments of wit and cheesy sci-fi goodness but in the end there just were not enough of them to pull this up to a good book.
Friday, November 5, 2010
The Friday 56, Dead Pan
The Friday 56 has moved. It will now be hosted by Freda's Voice. And you should come and visit at its new home.The rules have changed slightly too.
Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56.
*Find any sentence that grabs you.
*Post it.
*Link it to Freda's Voice.
The book this week is Ah-Choo! The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold by Jennifer Ackerman. I have not started this one yet but it does seem like the right time of year for it. Especially since my nose is a little stuffy as I type this.
The sentence:
But nose cells had one distinct disadvantage -- they're attached to the rest of the human.
I always hated that about nose cells. Why don't they grow up and move out already?
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Free Books For Fall
Library Girl Reads is having a November Book Giveaway. Go to the prize page to see the list of books you get to choose from.
To enter all you have to do is leave Library Girl a comment saying which book you would like to win.
For extra entries:
+2 Post about the giveaway on your blog or link to it in your sidebar and leave the link.
+1 Be a Google Connect Follower or subscribe by email to Library Girl Reads.
+1 Link to this giveaway on Twitter or another social media site and leave the link
Open to US addresses only. (Shipping is expensive!!)
Deadline for entries is November 27, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST
To enter all you have to do is leave Library Girl a comment saying which book you would like to win.
For extra entries:
+2 Post about the giveaway on your blog or link to it in your sidebar and leave the link.
+1 Be a Google Connect Follower or subscribe by email to Library Girl Reads.
+1 Link to this giveaway on Twitter or another social media site and leave the link
Open to US addresses only. (Shipping is expensive!!)
Deadline for entries is November 27, 2010 at 11:59 PM EST
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
WWW Wednesdays (November 3rd)
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
* What are you currently reading?
* What did you recently finish reading?
* What do you think you’ll read next?
Leave a link to your post (or the answers themselves if you do not have a blog) in the comments of Should Be Reading.
What are you currently reading?
Front Porch Prophet by Raymond Atkins
I’m still reading this. I’m still liking it.
Dead Pan by Gayle Trent
A cozy mystery with a lot of baking going on.
What did you recently finish reading?
Sky Burial by Xinran
From the story it told I expected this to be more powerful than it was. It wasn’t that I didn’t like it but parts of it just held no interest for me.
2% of 2% of All the World’s Stories
A bunch of really short stories written by kids in a program called 826 Boston, which helps kids with creative writing. It is interesting to see how the kids get from one place to the next.
Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 by David Peterson
What do you think you'll read next?
The Pets by Bragi Ólafsson
A man doesn’t want to answer the door so he hides under his bed, only to have the visitor break in and start living in his house. It sounds interesting and I’m looking forward to it but I’ve read some reviews that weren’t so great so I may be disappointed.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
B-I-N-G-O
I know I say this all the time but I never get tired of it and I’m sure you don’t either. So I’m going to say it again. Bookin’ With Bingo is giving away a bunch of books.
For Fat Witch Brownies Cookbook by Patricia Helding go here. Ends November 14th. Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
For Angelology by Danielle Trussoni go here. Ends November 15th. Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
For Petty Magic by Camille DeAngelis go here. Ends November 15th. Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
For The Confession by John Grisham go here. Ends November 16th. Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
For the audiobook My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space by Lisa Scottoline go here. Ends November 16th. Open to the US and Canada, no PO boxes.
For Cross Roads by Fern Michaels go here. Ends November 16th. Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
For Deadly Intent by Kylie Brant go here. Ends November 16th. Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
For Fat Witch Brownies Cookbook by Patricia Helding go here. Ends November 14th. Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
For Angelology by Danielle Trussoni go here. Ends November 15th. Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
For Petty Magic by Camille DeAngelis go here. Ends November 15th. Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
For The Confession by John Grisham go here. Ends November 16th. Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
For the audiobook My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space by Lisa Scottoline go here. Ends November 16th. Open to the US and Canada, no PO boxes.
For Cross Roads by Fern Michaels go here. Ends November 16th. Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
For Deadly Intent by Kylie Brant go here. Ends November 16th. Open to the US only, no PO boxes.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Books I Read in October
10 this month. Not bad but 3 were young adult, 1 was just a little over 100 pages and 1 was a kid’s graphic novel.
Jennifer Government by Max Barry
Interesting concept of a future where everything has been privatized and everything is about profit.
Princess Bride by William Golden
Good, but I liked the movie better.
Donegal: Irish Justice by James Lower
See my review here.
Weight by Jeanette Winterson
This didn’t do much for me but at least it was short.
Blue Girl by Charles de Lint
I liked this one. I have come to expect to run into characters that I find too annoying to care about in stories about outsiders but I didn’t have that problem here.
Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer
Managed to be fun without being cute and too nice about everything.
Arizona Free by Doug Martin
Not really a fan of this one. Clunky dialogue and all kind of goofy and weird, but not in a good way.
Vampire Zero by David Wellington
Evil vampires which is good but an unlikable and unrelatable heroine which is not. I'll probably eventually read the next one though to find out what happens.
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Peterson
I love the art in this graphic novel and the fact that there are panels without any words so the graphics get to tell a lot of the story.
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
Bond. You really can’t go wrong.
Jennifer Government by Max Barry
Interesting concept of a future where everything has been privatized and everything is about profit.
Princess Bride by William Golden
Good, but I liked the movie better.
Donegal: Irish Justice by James Lower
See my review here.
Weight by Jeanette Winterson
This didn’t do much for me but at least it was short.
Blue Girl by Charles de Lint
I liked this one. I have come to expect to run into characters that I find too annoying to care about in stories about outsiders but I didn’t have that problem here.
Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer
Managed to be fun without being cute and too nice about everything.
Arizona Free by Doug Martin
Not really a fan of this one. Clunky dialogue and all kind of goofy and weird, but not in a good way.
Vampire Zero by David Wellington
Evil vampires which is good but an unlikable and unrelatable heroine which is not. I'll probably eventually read the next one though to find out what happens.
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Peterson
I love the art in this graphic novel and the fact that there are panels without any words so the graphics get to tell a lot of the story.
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
Bond. You really can’t go wrong.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
