Audiobooks make it so darn easy to do other things and still get to read books you have in your "to-read" pile.
Wicked Lovely is a fairy book, and while I normally avoid fairy books, I was curious about this series. This is the story of Aislinn, who is a teenager with the sight to see the fairies around us. It was passed from her Grams to her mother to her. Apparently, fairies are little bastards who get angry if mortals see them, so Aislinn has to keep her sight a secret, even when the fairies are harassing mortals for fun. She is in love with her best friend, Seth, but is being stalked ("courted") by Keenan, the Summer King. He is convinced she is the Summer Queen, and will not take No for an answer.
Supernatural folk are horribly pushy. That might be the main pet peeve of mine with fantasy books. In the real world, this would be harassment and a crime to browbeat a girl into dating you (especially when you threaten to kill her boyfriend). But I guess it all is fair in fantasy land.
I was happier with the outcome, because Aislinn and Seth are two mortals who don't get shoved around. Looking forward to the next book.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Life by Keith Richards
Seeing as how I grew up in the 80s, where synthesized crap was king, I'm jealous of those that grew up in the time of good music. The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, etc. Of the Stones, Mick has always scared me. The man is just a fright to look at. But Keith fascinated me. He's put voice to dictation (I don't believe he actually *wrote* this book) and is letting us in on his life.
Quite honestly, I don't know how much is true. He swears it all is, and it probably is, but the amount of Zorro-type moments he puts himself in seem....over the top. But I suppose if you carry a big knife around on a regular basis you will have more Zorro moments than the average citizen. Being strung out on drugs and quick to anger probably helps too.
Keith's book was a rough road to follow. I'm sure he didn't even read some of it, what with one page contradicting the very next page. But it was an entertaining path anyways. He has taken the life of a rock star and blazed a path for others to follow. He takes us through his childhood, his beginnings with the Stones, arrests, drugs, and surprisingly only 2 women that he had kids with and pretty long term relationships with. Several times in the book he promises to tell us more about events and stories but fails to do so.
He clears up the rumors of snorting his dad's ashes, climbing trees for coconuts and his drug habits (he had them, just not all the drugs that people said he took).
Maybe there will be a sequel so he can tell us more stories. He is a mighty fun storyteller.
Quite honestly, I don't know how much is true. He swears it all is, and it probably is, but the amount of Zorro-type moments he puts himself in seem....over the top. But I suppose if you carry a big knife around on a regular basis you will have more Zorro moments than the average citizen. Being strung out on drugs and quick to anger probably helps too.
Keith's book was a rough road to follow. I'm sure he didn't even read some of it, what with one page contradicting the very next page. But it was an entertaining path anyways. He has taken the life of a rock star and blazed a path for others to follow. He takes us through his childhood, his beginnings with the Stones, arrests, drugs, and surprisingly only 2 women that he had kids with and pretty long term relationships with. Several times in the book he promises to tell us more about events and stories but fails to do so.
He clears up the rumors of snorting his dad's ashes, climbing trees for coconuts and his drug habits (he had them, just not all the drugs that people said he took).
Maybe there will be a sequel so he can tell us more stories. He is a mighty fun storyteller.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Bad Blood by John Sandford
Another F*ckin' Flowers book. He might be topping Davenport as my favorite character...might.
Spoilers ahead:
We start this one off with a young adult murdering another adult. It's all very vague, there's no background or particular reason why this young man, Tripp, committed the murder. While Tripp is in jail, he is murdered. His death is made to look like a suicide by Crocker, one of the cops in charge of the station that night. Then Crocker is murdered, made to look like a suicide.
This trail of deaths prompts Lee Coakley, the lady sheriff, to bring in Virgil Flowers. The little area that Coakley is in charge of usually has maybe 1 murder every 5 years, so 3 in a week is more than they can handle. Flowers comes in and does his thing that leads him to another murder years earlier.
After a lot of digging, something even more heinous than the murders turn up. A church, called the World of Spirit, has a large congregation among the farmers but rumors of child abuse keep surfacing. Emmett Einstadt is the head of the church and pretty despicable.
It's a long haul to get the church taken down but well worth it. Full of frightening concepts that actually make the murders the tamest part of the book.
Spoilers ahead:
We start this one off with a young adult murdering another adult. It's all very vague, there's no background or particular reason why this young man, Tripp, committed the murder. While Tripp is in jail, he is murdered. His death is made to look like a suicide by Crocker, one of the cops in charge of the station that night. Then Crocker is murdered, made to look like a suicide.
This trail of deaths prompts Lee Coakley, the lady sheriff, to bring in Virgil Flowers. The little area that Coakley is in charge of usually has maybe 1 murder every 5 years, so 3 in a week is more than they can handle. Flowers comes in and does his thing that leads him to another murder years earlier.
After a lot of digging, something even more heinous than the murders turn up. A church, called the World of Spirit, has a large congregation among the farmers but rumors of child abuse keep surfacing. Emmett Einstadt is the head of the church and pretty despicable.
It's a long haul to get the church taken down but well worth it. Full of frightening concepts that actually make the murders the tamest part of the book.
The Barefoot Book by Daniel Howell
I got this book as an early review from Librarything. It called out to me from the list of books because, as much as I like buying and looking at shoes, I don't like wearing them very often. I'm in my ever-present flip flops until the first snow arrives and then back in them once the snow is gone.
This book gives you 50 reasons to go barefoot, a no-brainer for someone like me, but pretty compelling for people who think wearing shoes is the best thing to do for their feet. If you think about it, your feet are not fragile little things that need protecting. They withstand our weight, absorb the shock of our walking and running, help us keep our balance, etc. Wearing shoes immobilizes the feet, not letting them absorb impact or expand the way they need to in order to help us move.
Women's shoes are particularly bad, and it doesn't take a PhD to note that. Just look at those things!! Of which I have many many pairs. Men's shoes are just as bad and running/athletic shoes are pretty bad too. You get an education with this book on how shoes are made and how they purposefully alter how your foot moves (twisted ankles, anyone?).
An interesting note, children's feet stop developing around age 8, so they really shouldn't be in shoes up until then. I've always always wondered by people put shoes on babies and children who can't walk yet. Just for looks, obviously, but let those feet run free! Baby shoes are pretty silly.
Even if you don't like being barefoot, read this book, it may change your mind about ditching your shoes. Even if it's for a little while.
This book gives you 50 reasons to go barefoot, a no-brainer for someone like me, but pretty compelling for people who think wearing shoes is the best thing to do for their feet. If you think about it, your feet are not fragile little things that need protecting. They withstand our weight, absorb the shock of our walking and running, help us keep our balance, etc. Wearing shoes immobilizes the feet, not letting them absorb impact or expand the way they need to in order to help us move.
Women's shoes are particularly bad, and it doesn't take a PhD to note that. Just look at those things!! Of which I have many many pairs. Men's shoes are just as bad and running/athletic shoes are pretty bad too. You get an education with this book on how shoes are made and how they purposefully alter how your foot moves (twisted ankles, anyone?).
An interesting note, children's feet stop developing around age 8, so they really shouldn't be in shoes up until then. I've always always wondered by people put shoes on babies and children who can't walk yet. Just for looks, obviously, but let those feet run free! Baby shoes are pretty silly.
Even if you don't like being barefoot, read this book, it may change your mind about ditching your shoes. Even if it's for a little while.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle
Although I've heard of L'Engle, I don't recall ever reading any of her books, even the more famous Wrinkle in Time. I got this book on a whim and now it's one I won't part with.
Circle is book one of the Crosswicks Journals. I had, wrongly, assumed this was fiction but found that this series of books are pulled from L'Engle's personal journals. Judging from the journals alone, what a fascinating, intelligent, and insightful woman! I ended up writing in this book quite a bit and have already went back and re-read passages. She speaks of living out at Crosswicks and co-owning, with her husband, the local general store in a small village. She's a writer who teaches and she does a great deal of teaching in this book, but it feels more like great conversation with a friend. L'Engle also details her failures, the times where her books were rejected by as many publishers as they were sent to. If someone like that has trouble getting published....
While she has been deemed a children's author, she takes a more practical approach and claims she's just a writer. If she feels a subject is too harsh or complicated, she will make it a children's book because children are more open and not yet close-minded to ideas. One of her main topics is how to help children be children and how to not keep trying to "save" them from the world. Very interesting ideas are put forth that make a lot of sense.
Looking forward to reading the other journals in the series.
Circle is book one of the Crosswicks Journals. I had, wrongly, assumed this was fiction but found that this series of books are pulled from L'Engle's personal journals. Judging from the journals alone, what a fascinating, intelligent, and insightful woman! I ended up writing in this book quite a bit and have already went back and re-read passages. She speaks of living out at Crosswicks and co-owning, with her husband, the local general store in a small village. She's a writer who teaches and she does a great deal of teaching in this book, but it feels more like great conversation with a friend. L'Engle also details her failures, the times where her books were rejected by as many publishers as they were sent to. If someone like that has trouble getting published....
While she has been deemed a children's author, she takes a more practical approach and claims she's just a writer. If she feels a subject is too harsh or complicated, she will make it a children's book because children are more open and not yet close-minded to ideas. One of her main topics is how to help children be children and how to not keep trying to "save" them from the world. Very interesting ideas are put forth that make a lot of sense.
Looking forward to reading the other journals in the series.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Gunn's Golden Rules by Tim Gunn
This is an instance where my Kindle is the best thing ever. I pre-ordered Gunn's book and boom! there is was on the day it came out. Love that.
This book is subtitled Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work. Naturally. As an avid fan of Project Runway, I often wish I had a Tim Gunn in my life. With this book, I kind of do. Gunn is a huge advocate of manners and I'm a somewhat less huge advocate of manners. We both agree that technology is getting in the way of people interacting with each other. People now live in their own little bubble that they forget there are humans around them and whoops, that was a human they just ran into without so much as an "Excuse me". Gunn realizes that he probably sounds like a schoolmarm and I do too. It's not that hard to just pay attention to the people around you, although it obviously IS that hard now.
Gunn shares many many behind the scenes stories, not just of PR, but of the fashion world. God bless the dishy man. He talks about his family, about how Make It Work came to life, and how to navigate the world ... nicely. While most of me agrees with him, I recognize that I suffer no fools and have no filter on my mouth. I have gotten much better at taking the high road in life, but I'm still apt to take the low road on occasion. A lot of Tim's advice I knew to be true. Yes, things would function so much better if people did have manners. Things would function better if I had better manners (although in today's society, I'm probably a schoolmarm too).
Tim is very frank about his past relationships and current single status. As one perpetually and happily single person, I want to give him a hug. Like he said, it's perfectly fine and normal to be happy and single. I've been preaching that for years!
I love fashion but often look like a clown dressed me, so I admire it from afar. Gunn is my mentor into the fashion world. May he keep writing books and being on my television to make this middle of Indiana girl feel like she can be fashionable and polite.
This book is subtitled Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work. Naturally. As an avid fan of Project Runway, I often wish I had a Tim Gunn in my life. With this book, I kind of do. Gunn is a huge advocate of manners and I'm a somewhat less huge advocate of manners. We both agree that technology is getting in the way of people interacting with each other. People now live in their own little bubble that they forget there are humans around them and whoops, that was a human they just ran into without so much as an "Excuse me". Gunn realizes that he probably sounds like a schoolmarm and I do too. It's not that hard to just pay attention to the people around you, although it obviously IS that hard now.
Gunn shares many many behind the scenes stories, not just of PR, but of the fashion world. God bless the dishy man. He talks about his family, about how Make It Work came to life, and how to navigate the world ... nicely. While most of me agrees with him, I recognize that I suffer no fools and have no filter on my mouth. I have gotten much better at taking the high road in life, but I'm still apt to take the low road on occasion. A lot of Tim's advice I knew to be true. Yes, things would function so much better if people did have manners. Things would function better if I had better manners (although in today's society, I'm probably a schoolmarm too).
Tim is very frank about his past relationships and current single status. As one perpetually and happily single person, I want to give him a hug. Like he said, it's perfectly fine and normal to be happy and single. I've been preaching that for years!
I love fashion but often look like a clown dressed me, so I admire it from afar. Gunn is my mentor into the fashion world. May he keep writing books and being on my television to make this middle of Indiana girl feel like she can be fashionable and polite.
I Know I Am But What Are You? by Samantha Bee
The Daily Show being one of my favorite shows, this was a no brainer to read (or listen to, in my case). Bee read the audio book herself and, much like on the Daily Show, I ended going eh... or laughing hysterically.
Comedians are hit and miss with me for some reason. Bee IS funny, but I don't laugh out loud at, say, half of her work. I can chuckle, say "That was cute" and move on. But the other half has me laughing like a fool. When listening to an audio book in the car, without tinted windows, and laughing like a nut....well, I'm not surprised at the stares I get.
Bee illustrates her childhood in Canada and growing up trying to be an actress. Her stint as the lead in Sailor Moon, where she met her husband, Jason Jones, was funny and easily visualized. She runs us through her crazy cat lady period, her forced camping excursions with her dad and stepmom, and her trying times with gift giving. The funniest part was the Dude Ranch present for her husband. That part made me cry with laughter.
Comedians are hit and miss with me for some reason. Bee IS funny, but I don't laugh out loud at, say, half of her work. I can chuckle, say "That was cute" and move on. But the other half has me laughing like a fool. When listening to an audio book in the car, without tinted windows, and laughing like a nut....well, I'm not surprised at the stares I get.
Bee illustrates her childhood in Canada and growing up trying to be an actress. Her stint as the lead in Sailor Moon, where she met her husband, Jason Jones, was funny and easily visualized. She runs us through her crazy cat lady period, her forced camping excursions with her dad and stepmom, and her trying times with gift giving. The funniest part was the Dude Ranch present for her husband. That part made me cry with laughter.
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