Lots of people have claimed miracles by following this program. Of course lots of people claim to have seen the Virgin Mary on a piece of raisin toas...moreLots of people have claimed miracles by following this program. Of course lots of people claim to have seen the Virgin Mary on a piece of raisin toast.
The library had this book shelved with weight-lifting books, where it very clearly did not belong. Most of the book is pseudo-science geared towards the Paleo diet. Some of the book is examples of exercises for the routine . There is no doubt that anyone who followed this program would lose weight. Here: I'll tell you the secret: Don't eat anything white. Or sweet. Or buttery. Or creamy and milky. There ya go. Oh, yeah...fish oil. Apparently the fish oil pills are the magic part. Because our hunter ancestors tracked vast herds of fish through the plains?
I enjoyed skimming the book, just for the sheer delight of hearing about Herr Doktor's life as an underwear model, and how it was so easy to be skinny and be a medical doctor who trained rich celebrities, while being a medical doctor! Who then discovered, being a medical doctor, that fat people were allergic to *all the foods*, and she...being a medical doctor who was also a fitness model...was going to save the world by teaching them to eat like cavemen. Because cavemen had such long and healthy lives. She should know, she's a medical doctor. And a fitness model. Did I mention that she was a fitness model? I wanted to be as subtle as the author, so I just thought I should mention it, in case you forgot. You know, the model thing? Yeah. Also a doctor. The medical kind and everything!
I loved this book. Loved it. It is a spot-on Regency spoof, without being spoofy at all. The story itself is entertaining, the protagonist's voice is...moreI loved this book. Loved it. It is a spot-on Regency spoof, without being spoofy at all. The story itself is entertaining, the protagonist's voice is delightful, the action is hysterical. The shades of Jane Austin are impossible to miss, but it's a delicate lavender shading. Anything more (or less), would be unseemly.
This is a lovely, light afternoon romp through wondrous estates, The Home Office, the seedy docks of London and mad Selleresque plots to overthrow the Crown.
This delightful comedy of errors is replete with obnoxious relatives, a guardian uncle who has become an entomographic gourmet, a butler who carries the Dreaded Vial, and the valuable lesson that one should pack a sandwich if one is to be standing around Trafalgar at night. Also; butterflies, best friend Jane, and the dreamy, much-longed-after Lord James Sinclair.
It's classified as Young Adult Fiction, but I'd say it was age appropriate for 9 and over, although some of the vocabulary may be daunting at first.
Bless his heart, I'm looking forward to Jeffery Rotter's next attempt. He's obviously a very well trained writer. His turns of phrase are evocative, h...moreBless his heart, I'm looking forward to Jeffery Rotter's next attempt. He's obviously a very well trained writer. His turns of phrase are evocative, his descriptives are full bodied...and yet none of that is enough to save this book.
I get the anti-hero thing. I get the whole decent into madness genre. I get the nod to Confederacy of Dunces...but it just never coalesces. I couldn't work up any empathy for the main character. (It's important to note that Jim is a main character, and not a protagonist. This novel doesn't seem to have a protagonist, as such.) Jim is an overly broad caricature of "enlightened man"...you know, the sort of guy who lectures women on feminist ideals. Yawn. As well, I can't decide if the way Jim named things was supposed to be a signal to the reader about Jim's mental acuity...or if the author was terribly unoriginal. I believe that Rotter is probably a good enough writer that it was intentional...but it's really hard to tell. Either way, the naming of the fantasy world objects is jarring.
The government agent responsible for checking terrorism levels at Holiday Inn pools is so absurdly over the top that reading his "transcript" was as painful as watching a Will Ferrel movie without anesthesia.
I had to force myself to finish this book. I kept waiting for it to all come together...for there to be a denouement...resolution...something.
The book held great promise, it could have been either very funny, or very tragic...or even both; but it never delivered. Mr. Rotter has a lot of talent however, and I look forward to watching his evolution as a writer. (less)
If Ralph Wiggums was a Machiavellian mastermind with a fortune that rivaled Monty Burns...well, you've got a starting point for Oliver Watson, the Uns...moreIf Ralph Wiggums was a Machiavellian mastermind with a fortune that rivaled Monty Burns...well, you've got a starting point for Oliver Watson, the Unspeakably Evil protagonist of this romp through middle school. On the way to trying to earn his father's love, Oliver overthrows African dictators, finds true love for his opponent's father, admires a girl who may be more evil than he is, turns his locker into a secret hide-away complete with butler, and generally does the sort of things I would have done, given unlimited resources and access to military grade firepower. Also...blimp. I really need my own blimp. It's a quick read; probably most enjoyed by kids 6th grade and up...and adults who wish they had their own security force in middle school. (less)
Well, I'm gonna be the rebel reviewer (rebel, get it? Ha...I kill me), that actually liked this book better than I liked GWTW, which I hold almost ent...moreWell, I'm gonna be the rebel reviewer (rebel, get it? Ha...I kill me), that actually liked this book better than I liked GWTW, which I hold almost entirely responsible for the ridiculous nostalgia for the antebellum era.
This book purports to tell Rhett's story, and while knowledge of the characters may come from GWTW, I think the book could probably stand on its own in the genre of historical fiction.
Unlike GWTW, RBP doesn't portray the Civil War as some chivalric battle...but how the only reason the South was seceding was because of abolitionist laws that were being passed at the federal level. While the South did have her heroes, the entire economy of the South was based on treating humans as commodities. Without slavery the Old South, as it briefly existed, could never have happened. Plantation owners knew good and well that they couldn't lead the lives of Southern Gentlemen if they actually had to pay workers.
I liked that the politics of the time played a role in RBP. The abolitionist vibe is very pronounced. A scene with Rhett Butler, his black friend from childhood, and a mob of approaching KKK was heartrending. The KKK was presented in a way one normally doesn't seen in antebellum historical fiction, in that they were not romanticized at all, and members of the KKK are the source of most of the "evil" that happens in the story.
I also think that the author did an outstanding job of creating full formed characters out of bit part players from GWTW. Melanie became more real, Belle was wonderful...there are a host of memorable characters in this book that were mere sentences in GWTW.
The story of Rhett Butler was great fun. I found the book irresistible; once started, I carried the book around for a day or so until I was finished reading it. Is it a classic? Good lord, no. It's dime-store fiction just like GWTW. Is it worth checking out from the library for some "guilty pleasure" reading...absolutely. (less)
Alan Snow's books are reminiscent of a kinder, gentler Roald Dahl. Snow captures the concept of whimsical surrealism, but without the dark underpinnin...moreAlan Snow's books are reminiscent of a kinder, gentler Roald Dahl. Snow captures the concept of whimsical surrealism, but without the dark underpinnings that are at the heart of almost all Dahl books.
The book's protaganist is a smally boy named Authur, who has lived underground with his grandfather for all of his life. We meet Arthur as he is wearing a flying contraption that consists of leathery wings and a box with a crank, quietly fluttering across the night sky above the town of Ratbridge.
He liberates a bunch of bananas from the greenhouse of "a very large lady with a very long stick" and escapes, only to spot an illegal cheese hunt, give chase, and land in a peck of trouble. Soon the courageous lad allies himself with boxtrolls, cabbageheads, pirates, rats, a retired lawyer, and the sadly imprisoned Man in the Iron Socks in a mighty struggle against a pack of scurrilous villains.
Almost every page is illustrated with outstanding cross-hatch art, which I think makes the book more accessible to younger readers, who might otherwise be daunted by a book this large.
We read this book over a period of a couple of weeks, every night at bedtime. It was a big hit with both children and adults, and I highly recommend it for family storytime.
Cory's books are good, light, fun. (Some day I'll have to ask him about the Disney fetish.) I love the idea of the Makers, just because I know so man...moreCory's books are good, light, fun. (Some day I'll have to ask him about the Disney fetish.) I love the idea of the Makers, just because I know so many guys who think like that, and if they had access to the tech that Cory includes offhandedly, they would be able to create similar things.
I've read a lot of Cory's stuff lately, and amongst the things I've noticed is that his narrator always has the same voice/tone/etc. I've heard that "For the Win" breaks that chain, so it'll be interesting to see if it's told with the same smart-ass, sarcastic, hipster deus ex machina that may be a trademark...but may just be the only voice he knows. (less)
Boy picked this up at Half Price. We're a few chapters in, reading it at bedtime. It seems like a good introduction to the fantasy genre for the young...moreBoy picked this up at Half Price. We're a few chapters in, reading it at bedtime. It seems like a good introduction to the fantasy genre for the younger set. (less)
I was a huge fan of Molly Ivins. One of my fondest memories of college was when she was a guest lecturer in my journalism class, and she and the othe...moreI was a huge fan of Molly Ivins. One of my fondest memories of college was when she was a guest lecturer in my journalism class, and she and the other 8 people in the class piled into the professor's massive convertible and we all headed out to swim at the river and have our lecture on intertubes with loads of beer and smoke-ables. That class started a correspondence friendship that lasted for years.
This book did a good job of sharing a side of Ms. Ivins that was probably unknown to her readers. However, I felt that the book had a moralistic "we don't approve" vibe that colored how she was presented, vis a vis activities such as drinking/smoking/generally having a fine ol' time.
As well, I feel that there was an enormous emphasis on her early life, and not nearly enough emphasis on her writing, her impact on the political landscape both local and national, and I feel that her overwhelming joy of life and people wasn't captured as well as I might have preferred.
Some of the early family details felt voyeuristic; I was uncomfortable with some of them because I felt it was an invasion of both Molly's privacy and the privacy of her family.
However, to be fair; Molly Ivins is one of my idols, I worship her in a way that I worship no other political writer...heck, most any other non-fiction writer...and as such, I may have be disposed to dislike anything that showed her having feet of clay, rather than being portrayed as the Muse on a pedestal I have in my head.
Reading the end of the book made me cry, because it felt like losing her all over again...which I consider a loss for the country, for Texas, and for me personally. (less)
I got this as a birthday present a few days ago, and tore through it in blazing speed...as one tends to do with Pratchett books. They're so much fun,...moreI got this as a birthday present a few days ago, and tore through it in blazing speed...as one tends to do with Pratchett books. They're so much fun, it's hard to put them down.
Yay, for a new female character whom I adore! This book introduced a whole slew of new characters, some of which I anticipate we'll see again, as well as our regular band of University Misfits, our favorite Tyrant, and a drop in from the Lady of Perpetual Darkness and Ruler of the Night.
It was a fabulously fun read and a welcome new addition to my groaning shelves of Pratchett lore. (less)
It's a fun little romp. I just adore Cory as a person, so I tend to hear his voice in his writing. I liked this book, but I think some of his later ...moreIt's a fun little romp. I just adore Cory as a person, so I tend to hear his voice in his writing. I liked this book, but I think some of his later work does a better job showcasing his talent. That said; the universe he's created here is really well defined without bothering to explain it, which is always interesting to see a writer be able to pull off. The main characters are 3 dimensional, but the primary antagonist is more of a cardboard cutout than a fleshed out character. There's some really great "throw-away" details that I wish I had thought of first...deadheading and canopic jars...genius.
One of the things that was really groundbreaking about this book was Cory's decision to publish it under the Creative Commons license, which up to that point had been considered financial suicide for content creators. He proved that the model could work, and for that both readers and writers should be thankful.
It's a zippy little read that won't take more than an hour or two, and it's a fun way to spend that brief time. (less)
Depending on how you look at it, Madame Bovary's Ovaries is either a bit of a pop-science lark or one of the stupidest books written in a long time. ...moreDepending on how you look at it, Madame Bovary's Ovaries is either a bit of a pop-science lark or one of the stupidest books written in a long time.
If you read it as a breezy application of current ideas in sociobiology and evolutionary science to the field of literature, it makes for an occasionally interesting primer. It analyses our selfish genes in action, using the classics as data. Exploring themes ranging from adultery to kin selection to parent-offspring conflict, it draws on the examples of Anna Karenina, Richard III, and Holden Caulfield.
But as a new species of literary theory, what the authors call Bio-Lit-Crit, it signals a reduction to the absurd. Their starting point comes from Northrop Frye, of all people, who famously declared literary criticism "badly in need of an organizing principle, a central hypothesis which, like the theory of evolution in biology, will see the phenomena it deals with as parts of a whole." But such a principle already exists, "needing only to be recognized and developed." And, ironically, "it is the same one that Frye gestured toward so longingly: evolution."
This is way off base. Frye found his organizing principle by supposing literature a unified order of words. He was deeply suspicious of intellectual structures and theories imposed on literature from outside that order. But Bio-Lit-Crit is all about grounding literature in something prior to the very idea of order. Prior even to language or the ability to walk upright. A Darwinian critic digs down to the "bedrock that all human beings share with elephant seals, elk, gorillas, and much of the animal world."
Such a grounding may be valid on one level, but it doesn't take us very far. Applied to literature it boils down to providing some pretty bare analyses of character motivation. Aeneas forsaking Dido? While in his conscious mind it is the gods driving his actions, "it is his biological impulses that compel him to leave." His genes made him do it. It is a Darwinian genetic imperative that compels him to cut off his "sterile dalliance with a middle-aged woman." Othello? "The truly important thing about Othello wasn't the color of his skin, his age, or his war record. Rather, Othello was all about sperm; Desdemona eggs." And so it goes.
It's hard to know just how seriously the authors want us to take all this. As you might expect, they have to keep insisting that humans aren't just animals, and that what makes a book great is more than its biological accuracy. But if you want more insight into Othello than the fact that "the play is great because it is wonderfully written", you will be disappointed. Literature here is just a bunch of case studies, as well as an endless source of lame jokes. Altruism is really a form of selfishness? Well that means the Three Musketeers, "for all their friendly collegiality" are, "at heart, the three must-get-theirs"! Groan. And sometimes the authors don't even have their facts straight. The Human Comedy of Balzac is attributed to Zola at one point, leading one to wonder just how many of the books mentioned here were actually read.
Grounding literature in biology also has a terrible leveling effect. If Othello is all about sperm and Desdemona eggs, so what? If Aeneas is simply being driven by the need to breed, who cares? What does that tell us about ourselves that we didn't already know, and haven't moved beyond? Is this really expanding our appreciation of literature? Enriching the reading experience?
Of course basic biological truths about human nature get represented in literature. How could they not? But literature isn't the stuff of scientific laws. It isn't life, or nature, or reality - though it certainly shapes the way we think about these things.
In other words we can take a Darwinian look at literature, but what we might really be seeing is literature looking back.
This little novella was much more fun than I remembered it being. Irving's text is a brilliant example of that period's style; while remaining humoro...moreThis little novella was much more fun than I remembered it being. Irving's text is a brilliant example of that period's style; while remaining humorous and a bit subversive.
I hadn't remembered the ending correctly at all, probably because of the various cartoons throughout the years which have lost the true meaning of the story.
This is a fabulous Halloween read, and I recommend that everyone spend a few minutes with the spooky denizens of Old America. (less)
This book is a phantasmagoria of brilliant fantasy, philosophy and steampunkery. Miéville paints with some of the most carefully crafted language and...moreThis book is a phantasmagoria of brilliant fantasy, philosophy and steampunkery. Miéville paints with some of the most carefully crafted language and semantics I've ever seen. His word choices are extraordinary...psoriatic instead of flaking, cossetted instead of enclosed...his prose is poetry.
Acknowledged by the author, and obvious to anyone who has ever been exposed to that classic of fantasy fiction, is Perdido Street Station's debt to Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast. Both Miéville's New Crobuzon and Peake's Gormenghast inhabit the texts that spawned them like living creatures: they are not only settings, they are characters. Both works also show a predilection for baroque -- and oddly evocative -- names. Perdido Street Station is no mere imitation, though; it is a work of relentless inventiveness.
New Crobuzon and Perdido Street Station defy easy categorization. They are the mesmerizingly complex creations of China Miéville's intricate imagination. They are seductive and perverse, beautiful and menacing.
I found the end troubling, and have had trouble reconciling it with the characters I'd built in my head. My friend who was rereading it at the same time, saw the end as something more hopeful than I did; whereas I found it nihilistic and disheartening. But that is the wonder in Miéville's work, that two people can read the same words and come away with such radically different impressions. (less)
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