I'm going to do all three books at once.
Summary:
In book one Primrose Everdeen, Katniss' little sister is chosen as a tribute for the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a competition where two children from each of the twelve districts of Panem go into an arena and fight to the death on live TV for the entertainment of the people in the Capitol. Yeah, it's twisted.
So Katniss volunteers, to protect her little sister. And she goes into the arena with her fellow tribute, Peeta, who has had a lifelong crush on her.
And that's just the beginning, next Katniss must fight again in yet another Hunger Games, and then all out war breaks out, with Katniss as the Hero of a revolution. It's a very exciting read.
What I liked
The suspense and the action. This is one of the most suspenseful and gripping series I have ever read.
Also, the premise is a fantastic commentary on consumerism, war, oppression, and whole lot of other timely topics.
What I didn't like
I'm really sorry, but I have to get this out. While I loved reading these books and I kept reading them because of the suspense, there's a lot I really didn't like. So here I'll summarize what I didn't like:
1. The Love Triangle: Okay, I know Love Triangles sell. But they're stupid and annoying and I hate them. It's just way too much pointless drama. How do Peeta and Gale put up with Katniss anyway? Why don't they get frustrated of her double dealing and ditch her?
2. Katniss Everdeen: Easily the least likable protagonist of all time.
So, what makes Katniss so unlikable? Well, for starters, she's self-centered and self-absorbed. I know angst sells, but it's just not cool. Also, through all three books, she never rises above her dysfunction, but rather wallows in it. You'll notice that none of her major or important decisions are based on well thought out or rational reasons but are just the product of how she feels at the moment--except at the very, very, very, very, VERY end, but I'll get to that. For the most part, Katniss doesn't think, she just feels. And, I know, this is normal for kids these days, but again, it's not cool. She always gets her way, and when it seems like she's not going to get her way, she becomes manipulative and underhanded.
She doesn't change or grow as a character across the three books, except at the end of book three. In every circumstance, she relies on who she is and what she already knows and can do to solve her problems. She rarely--if ever--has to stretch. And when circumstances come up where she can stretch, like when she has to perform on stage, she tries for a little bit until she realizes that she can't do it without learning a new skill and then she opts out.
So she ends up bumbling about and, essentially, she bumbles into becoming the hero of the story.
The only redeeming thing about the way Katniss' character is written comes at the end of book three where, when she becomes completely powerless to change her circumstances, she succumbs to PTSD and there's a touching little part at the very, very end about how she grows through it and sort of heals a little bit. I think that would have made a way more interesting story than all of Katniss' dysfunction in books two and three.
3. I found some things about the plot frustrating. For example, sometimes plot points just don't follow one another. That makes the story unpredictable and full of surprises, but not in a good way. I know that's the way things happen in real life, but it's annoying when it happens in fiction.
4. I also have a few reservations about the ending. All along, the story goes, Katniss is on a mission. She's determined and nothing is going to stop her and then WHAM! everything changes. The pace changes, the direction of the plot changes, everything changes. It's super jarring. It ends up being okay and working really well, but at first it's really annoying.
Conclusion:
I can't wait until the movie comes out!!! 3/5 stupid angsty teenagers.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Janelle got this book for her birthday from her sister and voraciously devoured it. Then she recommended it to me: You should read this! You'll love it.
So, I have to admit, I was turned off at first when I read the jacket: "Ann Voskamp is a writer with DaySpring (a division of Hallmark)..." I wasn't super keen on reading a book by a card writer about how wonderful life is and all about rainbows and cinnamon farts.
So I read it anyway and I liked it from the very start. The book is a biographical look at how gratitude, thankfulness, can change a life. In it, Ann Voskamp gives a cross section of her life and chronicles how being thankful erases bitterness, makes her kinder, more willing to forgive. It starts when she decides to make a list of all the things she is grateful for, and as she looks for things she is grateful for, she finds all the things that she should have been thankful for but, all this time, took for granted. Her list unlocked a life full of gifts.
What I liked
The writing was poetic and flowing. Here are a few examples:
"When children sleep under the scraps stitched into quilts and the clock ticks too loudly through the dark hours and the spiral galaxies spin in space, I lie under the afghan by the fire and read the words of an old sermon." (p. 33)
"I want the hunt, the long sleuth, the careful piecing together. To learn how to be grateful and happy, whether hands full or hands empty." (p. 47)
"The moon rounds immense, incandescent globe grazing ours. Her gravity pulls, pearl filling deepening sky, stringing me unto the universe." (p. 105)
So you can see she writes well, she plays with words, turning adjectives into verbs and verbs into nouns, and nouns into adjectives. I like that. It makes for a rich and enjoyable read.
Also, the book is intellectual and deals well with some heavy issues like theology and philosophy. It's also not all about happiness and rainbows and magic, but it wrestles with difficult questions like, why do children die if God is good?
My favourite chapters were the ones where she writes about her family and her children. In one, older-son throws toast in younger-son's face and that turns into a discussion about how thankfulness can bring kindness and dissolve bitterness.
What I didn't like
There were parts, like in one chapter where she runs out into the farm field with her camera to take photos of the moon and she spends the whole chapter out there talking about how thankful she is for how beautiful the moon is. It just seemed a little dumb to me, but Janelle says that's just me.
Conclusion
I heartily recommend this book! Enough said. 4/5 dead little sisters.
Janelle got this book for her birthday from her sister and voraciously devoured it. Then she recommended it to me: You should read this! You'll love it.
So, I have to admit, I was turned off at first when I read the jacket: "Ann Voskamp is a writer with DaySpring (a division of Hallmark)..." I wasn't super keen on reading a book by a card writer about how wonderful life is and all about rainbows and cinnamon farts.
So I read it anyway and I liked it from the very start. The book is a biographical look at how gratitude, thankfulness, can change a life. In it, Ann Voskamp gives a cross section of her life and chronicles how being thankful erases bitterness, makes her kinder, more willing to forgive. It starts when she decides to make a list of all the things she is grateful for, and as she looks for things she is grateful for, she finds all the things that she should have been thankful for but, all this time, took for granted. Her list unlocked a life full of gifts.
What I liked
The writing was poetic and flowing. Here are a few examples:
"When children sleep under the scraps stitched into quilts and the clock ticks too loudly through the dark hours and the spiral galaxies spin in space, I lie under the afghan by the fire and read the words of an old sermon." (p. 33)
"I want the hunt, the long sleuth, the careful piecing together. To learn how to be grateful and happy, whether hands full or hands empty." (p. 47)
"The moon rounds immense, incandescent globe grazing ours. Her gravity pulls, pearl filling deepening sky, stringing me unto the universe." (p. 105)
So you can see she writes well, she plays with words, turning adjectives into verbs and verbs into nouns, and nouns into adjectives. I like that. It makes for a rich and enjoyable read.
Also, the book is intellectual and deals well with some heavy issues like theology and philosophy. It's also not all about happiness and rainbows and magic, but it wrestles with difficult questions like, why do children die if God is good?
My favourite chapters were the ones where she writes about her family and her children. In one, older-son throws toast in younger-son's face and that turns into a discussion about how thankfulness can bring kindness and dissolve bitterness.
What I didn't like
There were parts, like in one chapter where she runs out into the farm field with her camera to take photos of the moon and she spends the whole chapter out there talking about how thankful she is for how beautiful the moon is. It just seemed a little dumb to me, but Janelle says that's just me.
Conclusion
I heartily recommend this book! Enough said. 4/5 dead little sisters.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
Summary
Janelle and I watched the movie way back in December or November. It was so good, so suspenseful, had such great characters, that we desperately wanted to read the book.
So, we bought the book. And the next book. This is the first of seven books in what is called the 'Tomorrow' series.
Ellie and her six friends, Homer, Corrie, Robyn, Kevin, Fiona, and Lee go out to the mountains for a week long camping trip. When they get back, their country has been invaded, their families and neighbours have all been pressed into concentration camps, and they've got nowhere to go but back to the mountains.
Until, that is, they decide to fight back...
What I liked
The characters were very well developed. The plot was very interesting, action packed, and suspenseful. And the writing was really good.
In addition, the characters grapple with some very deep issues and come up with some profound thoughts.
What I didn't like
Nothing.
Conclusion
This is a great young adult book. I can't recommend it enough. 5/5 killer lawn mowers.
Janelle and I watched the movie way back in December or November. It was so good, so suspenseful, had such great characters, that we desperately wanted to read the book.
So, we bought the book. And the next book. This is the first of seven books in what is called the 'Tomorrow' series.
Ellie and her six friends, Homer, Corrie, Robyn, Kevin, Fiona, and Lee go out to the mountains for a week long camping trip. When they get back, their country has been invaded, their families and neighbours have all been pressed into concentration camps, and they've got nowhere to go but back to the mountains.
Until, that is, they decide to fight back...
What I liked
The characters were very well developed. The plot was very interesting, action packed, and suspenseful. And the writing was really good.
In addition, the characters grapple with some very deep issues and come up with some profound thoughts.
What I didn't like
Nothing.
Conclusion
This is a great young adult book. I can't recommend it enough. 5/5 killer lawn mowers.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The 250 Job Interview Questions by Peter Veruki
Summary
Since graduating from University, I've been looking for a job. My aunt lent me The 250 Job Interview Questions You'll Most Likely Be Asked ... and the Answers that Will Get You Hired! to help me with my job interviews.
The book begins by giving advice on researching prospective future employers, contacting them, and landing a job interview. Next it explains how to best prepare for an interview. The middle part of the book gives two hundred fifty interview questions and explains what the best kinds of answers to each question are. The end part of the book is about how to follow up an interview, how to handle rejection positively, and how to negotiate salary and benefits once a job offer is made.
What I liked
The book is very well written, it stays on topic, and it's short. I got through the book in just over five hours including the time I took to come up with my own answers to the interview questions.
The middle part of the book explains the interview questions very well. The question is printed on the page in bold typeface, under it the writer supplies a sample answer, then explains what concerns lead the interviewer to ask the question and what kind of answer would best alleviate those concerns.
The author also stresses that professionalism is important in any job hunt.
What I didn't like
Only one minor issue. The book's target audience is people looking for professional jobs. The questions and explanations reflect that. There isn't much in this book directed at people looking for non-professional jobs. That's not to say that the book isn't helpful to those people, though, because it can be.
Conclusion
A great help and a great confidence booster for any job seeker. 5/5 nervous job hunters.
Since graduating from University, I've been looking for a job. My aunt lent me The 250 Job Interview Questions You'll Most Likely Be Asked ... and the Answers that Will Get You Hired! to help me with my job interviews.
The book begins by giving advice on researching prospective future employers, contacting them, and landing a job interview. Next it explains how to best prepare for an interview. The middle part of the book gives two hundred fifty interview questions and explains what the best kinds of answers to each question are. The end part of the book is about how to follow up an interview, how to handle rejection positively, and how to negotiate salary and benefits once a job offer is made.
What I liked
The book is very well written, it stays on topic, and it's short. I got through the book in just over five hours including the time I took to come up with my own answers to the interview questions.
The middle part of the book explains the interview questions very well. The question is printed on the page in bold typeface, under it the writer supplies a sample answer, then explains what concerns lead the interviewer to ask the question and what kind of answer would best alleviate those concerns.
The author also stresses that professionalism is important in any job hunt.
What I didn't like
Only one minor issue. The book's target audience is people looking for professional jobs. The questions and explanations reflect that. There isn't much in this book directed at people looking for non-professional jobs. That's not to say that the book isn't helpful to those people, though, because it can be.
Conclusion
A great help and a great confidence booster for any job seeker. 5/5 nervous job hunters.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Summary
Having captured Semirhage in book eleven, Rand al'Thor now has her tied up in the mansion he's living in in the back woods of Arad Doman with his army. Cadsuane, Nynaeve, and Min, meanwhile are concerned about his mental health.
Semirhage gets loose, though, and comes after Rand with a vengeance, putting a domination band on him and forcing him to strangle Min. Min and Rand escape, just barely, and Rand determines to become even harder, even meaner, so that no one can take advantage of his weakness again.
That leads his friends to be even more concerned about his mental health. They come up with a plan to fix him.
Meanwhile, the world is getting worse and worse. Food is spoiling randomly. Even though spring has come, the trees don't blossom, the grass won't grow.
Egwene still thinks she can fix the White Tower but after a confrontation with Elaida, she is imprisoned and accused of being a darkfriend. They might execute her! And then the Seanchan attack.
What I liked
This book balances Rand's internal drama and his descent into madness with plenty of action and suspense. There's even a middle of the night killer zombie episode. The end is surprising and happy and I really liked that. The character development was fantastic.
What I didn't like
It was long. I got the feeling that Brandon Sanderson thought that Robert Jordan's original draft was somehow sacred or something and shouldn't be cut. So there were pages and pages of writing that didn't add much to the story--too much description, too much explanation--especially in the first half of the book. It gets much neater towards the end. There was some pointless drama--I felt like Egwene should torch Gawyn with balefire to fix the pointless drama problem of the series--but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Conclusion
A great addition to the series. It builds a ton of suspense, many of the developments are surprising. It's good, and mostly well written. My favourite part, though, is Rand's character development in this series. So here's 4.5/5 violent patricidal temper tantrums.
Having captured Semirhage in book eleven, Rand al'Thor now has her tied up in the mansion he's living in in the back woods of Arad Doman with his army. Cadsuane, Nynaeve, and Min, meanwhile are concerned about his mental health.
Semirhage gets loose, though, and comes after Rand with a vengeance, putting a domination band on him and forcing him to strangle Min. Min and Rand escape, just barely, and Rand determines to become even harder, even meaner, so that no one can take advantage of his weakness again.
That leads his friends to be even more concerned about his mental health. They come up with a plan to fix him.
Meanwhile, the world is getting worse and worse. Food is spoiling randomly. Even though spring has come, the trees don't blossom, the grass won't grow.
Egwene still thinks she can fix the White Tower but after a confrontation with Elaida, she is imprisoned and accused of being a darkfriend. They might execute her! And then the Seanchan attack.
What I liked
This book balances Rand's internal drama and his descent into madness with plenty of action and suspense. There's even a middle of the night killer zombie episode. The end is surprising and happy and I really liked that. The character development was fantastic.
What I didn't like
It was long. I got the feeling that Brandon Sanderson thought that Robert Jordan's original draft was somehow sacred or something and shouldn't be cut. So there were pages and pages of writing that didn't add much to the story--too much description, too much explanation--especially in the first half of the book. It gets much neater towards the end. There was some pointless drama--I felt like Egwene should torch Gawyn with balefire to fix the pointless drama problem of the series--but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Conclusion
A great addition to the series. It builds a ton of suspense, many of the developments are surprising. It's good, and mostly well written. My favourite part, though, is Rand's character development in this series. So here's 4.5/5 violent patricidal temper tantrums.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan
Summary
Rand is finished getting rested up after cleansing the taint on Saidin (the male half of the Force Power) and he wants a meeting with the Seanchan to make peace with them. But he's worried that they'll use the opportunity to set a trap for him.
Mat, fleeing the Seanchan with the kidnapped Daughter of the Nine Moons, reunites with his band and prepares an ingenious campaign to distract the Seanchan and make a getaway.
Perrin has made a deal with the Seanchan that he hopes will help him get his wife back from the Shaido but can he trust Masema, The Prophet, to uphold his end of the bargain?
The siege of Caemlyn has turned into a full blown war for Elayne and casualties are rising. On top of that, Rand's orders to have the Aiel move to Arad Doman and prepare for the Last Battle takes Aviendha away from her. She hires a reformed cutpurse to follow the captain of her bodyguard, Meller, and find out just what he's up to. When that investigation uncovers a nest of Darkfriends, though, Elayne takes off on a poorly planned operation to bring them to justice.
Egwene is hanging out inside the White Tower. She's been brought right back down to being a novice but refuses to let go of her position as Amyrlin, which gets her in plenty of trouble. How long can she stand the beatings and stuff? Will she break? And what will happen to the tower?
What I liked
There was plenty of action and suspense in this latest addition to the Wheel of Time series. It kept me turning pages the whole way through. Very exciting.
What I didn't like
The drama. Like always. But it was toned down a little in this book and replaced with plenty of action and excitement.
Conclusion
My very favourite Wheel of Time book so far! The fast pace, the action, the suspense, and the excitement of this book made up for the flop that was Crossroads of Twilight. I give it 5/5 arm stumps.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Figment Book Review: The Pirate King's Daughter (Book One) by Anande Sjoden
Summary
Because Ivy Morgan is an orphan, she lives in the attic of Miss Trevelyan's boarding school for girls. There are other orphans there, particularly the dear and charming Milo, but Ivy is the oldest so it falls to her to take charge.
One of the students, Lisette Mallerton, who has always been kind to the orphans, turns up dead one morning and Ivy, discovering the body, remarks on the girl's strange tattoo. She finds it so strange, in fact, that she copies it onto her own forearm.
When it turns out that Lisette was actually murdered by the headmistress, Miss Trevelyan herself, who suspects Ivy is a witness, Ivy must assume Lisette's identity to cover the woman's crimes and save herself and the orphans from that villainous fiend.
Ivy becomes caught up in a deadly feud between two brothers. The adventures that follow are beyond imagining.
What I liked
The writing is fantastic and poetic. It's easy to read and a pleasure, too.
The story is exciting and suspenseful from start to finish. A real page turner.
The characters are very well drawn, interesting, believable, and endearing.
What I didn't like
Nothing. The book is just about perfect.
Summary
A perfectly delightful story. Full of excitement, adventure, danger, and suspense. A must read. Plus, it's free on Figment.com! Here's the link: The Pirate King's Daughter (Book One) by Anande Sjoden. I give it 5/5 buried treasures.
Because Ivy Morgan is an orphan, she lives in the attic of Miss Trevelyan's boarding school for girls. There are other orphans there, particularly the dear and charming Milo, but Ivy is the oldest so it falls to her to take charge.
One of the students, Lisette Mallerton, who has always been kind to the orphans, turns up dead one morning and Ivy, discovering the body, remarks on the girl's strange tattoo. She finds it so strange, in fact, that she copies it onto her own forearm.
When it turns out that Lisette was actually murdered by the headmistress, Miss Trevelyan herself, who suspects Ivy is a witness, Ivy must assume Lisette's identity to cover the woman's crimes and save herself and the orphans from that villainous fiend.
Ivy becomes caught up in a deadly feud between two brothers. The adventures that follow are beyond imagining.
What I liked
The writing is fantastic and poetic. It's easy to read and a pleasure, too.
The story is exciting and suspenseful from start to finish. A real page turner.
The characters are very well drawn, interesting, believable, and endearing.
What I didn't like
Nothing. The book is just about perfect.
Summary
A perfectly delightful story. Full of excitement, adventure, danger, and suspense. A must read. Plus, it's free on Figment.com! Here's the link: The Pirate King's Daughter (Book One) by Anande Sjoden. I give it 5/5 buried treasures.
The Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan
Summary
The tenth book of the very, very long Wheel of Time series continues the story of Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn and his buddies. Mat, having kidnapped the Daughter of the Nine Moons is running for his life. Egwene is trying to recapture the White Tower. Perrin is trying to find his kidnapped wife. And Rand is lying in bed recovering from cleansing the taint on the male half of theForce Power.
What I liked
There was some suspense and some interesting parts, especially towards the end.
What I didn't like
Pretty much everything. This book was so SLOW!!! Frustratingly so! Boring! Too much talk and not enough action. Nothing really happens in this book, but Robert Jordan takes about six hundred pages to tell us so. And then, at the very end, one important thing happens, and the book ends.
Conclusion
If you're reading the series skip this book, you can find a summary online. I give it 1/5 cranky old ladies.
The tenth book of the very, very long Wheel of Time series continues the story of Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn and his buddies. Mat, having kidnapped the Daughter of the Nine Moons is running for his life. Egwene is trying to recapture the White Tower. Perrin is trying to find his kidnapped wife. And Rand is lying in bed recovering from cleansing the taint on the male half of the
What I liked
There was some suspense and some interesting parts, especially towards the end.
What I didn't like
Pretty much everything. This book was so SLOW!!! Frustratingly so! Boring! Too much talk and not enough action. Nothing really happens in this book, but Robert Jordan takes about six hundred pages to tell us so. And then, at the very end, one important thing happens, and the book ends.
Conclusion
If you're reading the series skip this book, you can find a summary online. I give it 1/5 cranky old ladies.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Dear Sam
Dear Sam, this morning, after I fed you and changed your diaper and you peed on me--twice--, I held you in my arms on the rocking chair and you put your head on my shoulder and fell asleep and drooled all down my neck while I sang Vito's Ordination Song to you and prayed for you.
...God of the wind and rain, the ocean and mountains, the mud and clay and sky, the grass and the trees; Creator of heaven and earth, God of the stars and the sun and the moon, God of night and day; you know this child, teach him to know you; you love this child, teach him to love you; be a father to him, you're my father, too...
Dear Sam, having you makes me appreciate who God is, as my father, so much more. To him, I am like a child. Everything I need comes from him... when you fuss and complain and scream because you want your bottle and you want it now, I'm not holding it back from you, it's warming up because I don't want to give it to you cold and I'll put it in your mouth in just a minute... God doesn't hold back from me, he gives me the things I need and the things that are good. Like you. God gives me you. And I am as helpless as you are. But I fuss and complain and whine because I want what I want and I want it now and I worry that I'll never get it and that seems like such a big deal to me.
for more:
http://figment.com/books/45886-Dear-Sam
...God of the wind and rain, the ocean and mountains, the mud and clay and sky, the grass and the trees; Creator of heaven and earth, God of the stars and the sun and the moon, God of night and day; you know this child, teach him to know you; you love this child, teach him to love you; be a father to him, you're my father, too...
Dear Sam, having you makes me appreciate who God is, as my father, so much more. To him, I am like a child. Everything I need comes from him... when you fuss and complain and scream because you want your bottle and you want it now, I'm not holding it back from you, it's warming up because I don't want to give it to you cold and I'll put it in your mouth in just a minute... God doesn't hold back from me, he gives me the things I need and the things that are good. Like you. God gives me you. And I am as helpless as you are. But I fuss and complain and whine because I want what I want and I want it now and I worry that I'll never get it and that seems like such a big deal to me.
for more:
http://figment.com/books/45886-Dear-Sam
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
one class down two to go!!
so, today i went to my first last lecture. the professor graciously ended the class two days early because the exam is so soon. not that i'd use the time to study or anything...
so i handed in the essay, which i spent the last two days writing. wow, between essays and the baby, i'm not getting much sleep at all these days.
i have another essay due tomorrow that i haven't started yet. i foresee a pretty busy day ahead of me... i wish i had the impetus to work. i just feel like sleeping and hanging out with sam & janelle... i guess that will come soon enough.
i also applied for a bunch of jobs. home depot e-mailed me yesterday to tell me that they wouldn't be hiring me. haven't heard from anyone else yet. the ibew exam is still up in the air. if i passed, it was by a narrow margin but i can take it again in october.
janelle and i are also shopping for a new phone/internet provider. mainly because we're now with shaw and kodoo and shaw is giving us a student rate on the internet that expires in april and a cellphone/internet bundle might be cheaper. so let me know if you have any suggestions. i'm kind of leaning towards virgin mobile at the moment.
oh yeah, and i'm as addicted to figment (figment.com) as ever. what makes it so addictive is that i get pretty much instant feedback on my writing. some of the feedback is garbage (so is some of my writing), but for the most part it's pretty decent. and i'm an approval junkie so "that was pretty good" also gets me a little high.
here's the cover of my entry in the cereal contest, 'all along the watchtower' to pique your curiosity:
anyways, i should get to work.
so i handed in the essay, which i spent the last two days writing. wow, between essays and the baby, i'm not getting much sleep at all these days.
i have another essay due tomorrow that i haven't started yet. i foresee a pretty busy day ahead of me... i wish i had the impetus to work. i just feel like sleeping and hanging out with sam & janelle... i guess that will come soon enough.
i also applied for a bunch of jobs. home depot e-mailed me yesterday to tell me that they wouldn't be hiring me. haven't heard from anyone else yet. the ibew exam is still up in the air. if i passed, it was by a narrow margin but i can take it again in october.
janelle and i are also shopping for a new phone/internet provider. mainly because we're now with shaw and kodoo and shaw is giving us a student rate on the internet that expires in april and a cellphone/internet bundle might be cheaper. so let me know if you have any suggestions. i'm kind of leaning towards virgin mobile at the moment.
oh yeah, and i'm as addicted to figment (figment.com) as ever. what makes it so addictive is that i get pretty much instant feedback on my writing. some of the feedback is garbage (so is some of my writing), but for the most part it's pretty decent. and i'm an approval junkie so "that was pretty good" also gets me a little high.
here's the cover of my entry in the cereal contest, 'all along the watchtower' to pique your curiosity:
anyways, i should get to work.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
What We All Long For by Dionne Brand
Summary
Tuyen lives in Toronto in an apartment downtown by herself. Her family immigrated to Canada from Vietnam before she was born. They run a successful Vietnamese restaurant. Tuyen has cut herself off from them and only goes home when she needs money. She has a mad crush on her neighbour, Carla. Tuyen's oldest brother, Quy, was lost on the move to Canada. He disappeared mysteriously as the family was getting onto a boat. This has devastated the family. Quy's parents never recovered from the loss.
After disappearing, Quy became a part of the East Asian criminal underground. He's on his way to Toronto. Cue suspenseful music.
What I liked
The story and the characters were interesting. The description of Toronto was just like I remembered it. Although I felt that Brand was a little hard on the city... the city probably deserves it. This story is about immigrants and minorities, and their children who are in limbo between the cultures of their parents and the culture of their city. Above them is an impenetrable ceiling of white heterosexual homogeneity, preventing them from escaping their places in cultural limbo.
What I didn't like
The book was a little academic. I found the story interesting at first, but as it went on it seemed more like Brand was trying to make a point and not that she was trying to tell a story. That kind of irritated me.
Conclusion
An interesting read, not one that I invested into too much, but definitely worthwhile. 3.5/5 lesbian Vietnamese-Canadian visual artists.
Tuyen lives in Toronto in an apartment downtown by herself. Her family immigrated to Canada from Vietnam before she was born. They run a successful Vietnamese restaurant. Tuyen has cut herself off from them and only goes home when she needs money. She has a mad crush on her neighbour, Carla. Tuyen's oldest brother, Quy, was lost on the move to Canada. He disappeared mysteriously as the family was getting onto a boat. This has devastated the family. Quy's parents never recovered from the loss.
After disappearing, Quy became a part of the East Asian criminal underground. He's on his way to Toronto. Cue suspenseful music.
What I liked
The story and the characters were interesting. The description of Toronto was just like I remembered it. Although I felt that Brand was a little hard on the city... the city probably deserves it. This story is about immigrants and minorities, and their children who are in limbo between the cultures of their parents and the culture of their city. Above them is an impenetrable ceiling of white heterosexual homogeneity, preventing them from escaping their places in cultural limbo.
What I didn't like
The book was a little academic. I found the story interesting at first, but as it went on it seemed more like Brand was trying to make a point and not that she was trying to tell a story. That kind of irritated me.
Conclusion
An interesting read, not one that I invested into too much, but definitely worthwhile. 3.5/5 lesbian Vietnamese-Canadian visual artists.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
adventures with the stroller
so, janelle and i purchased a stroller from sears on tuesday. it's a fairly nice one but it came in a big heavy box and we didn't have a car and we were in a bit of hurry, so we left it at the store and promised to come back and pick it up the next day.
wednesday, i returned to sears by myself to get it. i claimed the stroller and the counter person asked if i would like to have it delivered to the loading dock so i could put it directly into my vehicle. well, i don't have a vehicle, so i asked if i could just unbox it right there and carry it out. but they said, it's all in pieces and needs to be assembled. so, right there i decided i would take it home on the bus, in the box.
right. well, i picked up the box and started carrying it out and it was okay at first, but by the time i got out of the store it was abundantly clear that there was no easy way i could carry it onto the bus and from the bus stop to my house. so i set it down in the mall, next to a bench, near a garbage can and cut open the box with my keys.
then i pulled out all the pieces of the stroller and assembled it, right there with lots of people going by and watching me. it was a little confusing and i had to keep referring to the instructions, but i eventually got it. i threw out the packaging into the conveniently located garbage can, but the box the stroller came in was too big to dispose of easily, so i tucked it under my arm and pushed the stroller with my other hand and i wheeled the thing the whole way home, carrying an enormous folded cardboard box under my arm.
wednesday, i returned to sears by myself to get it. i claimed the stroller and the counter person asked if i would like to have it delivered to the loading dock so i could put it directly into my vehicle. well, i don't have a vehicle, so i asked if i could just unbox it right there and carry it out. but they said, it's all in pieces and needs to be assembled. so, right there i decided i would take it home on the bus, in the box.
right. well, i picked up the box and started carrying it out and it was okay at first, but by the time i got out of the store it was abundantly clear that there was no easy way i could carry it onto the bus and from the bus stop to my house. so i set it down in the mall, next to a bench, near a garbage can and cut open the box with my keys.
then i pulled out all the pieces of the stroller and assembled it, right there with lots of people going by and watching me. it was a little confusing and i had to keep referring to the instructions, but i eventually got it. i threw out the packaging into the conveniently located garbage can, but the box the stroller came in was too big to dispose of easily, so i tucked it under my arm and pushed the stroller with my other hand and i wheeled the thing the whole way home, carrying an enormous folded cardboard box under my arm.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Stanley Park by Timothy Taylor
Summary
Jeremy's father lives in Vancouver's Stanley Park. That makes their relationship a little awkward because Jeremy never knows how to find him. He has to set up an appointment with his own father through a dirty homeless man who talks to himself.
Jeremy is a prize winning chef who got his training in France, of all places. He divides the chef world into two classes: the Crips and the Bloods. The Crips are the hipster chefs who experiment with their food and make outlandish stuff. Jeremy is a Blood, he loves traditional cooking, he likes the idea of food that has personal and historical roots. Incidentally, he owns a restaurant called The Monkey's Paw, where he makes traditional worldwide dishes with local Vancouver food.
To say that Jeremy owns the Monkey's Paw is a little inaccurate. You see, Jeremy is no good at managing money. He went two hundred thirty thousand dollars into the hole to buy the restaurant and open it and since then, he has been getting further and further into credit card debt. The bank actually owns the Monkey's Paw. And his cosigner, the devilish Dante Beale of Inferno International.
What I liked
Great story. Really interesting. The archetypal themes were fascinating and created suspense. Also, the food descriptions were mouth watering. And I love the idea of local looking and guerrilla grill.
Also, I loved that the story made the homeless people into real live people with stories of their own. I found myself investing emotionally in the homeless characters. That was unexpected. And neat.
What I didn't like
Long and a little clunky. Not the writing, the writing was actually pretty smooth and nice. But the story. There were chunks of hundreds of pages where I could only bear to read two or three pages at a time. But that's my only complaint.
Conclusion
One of my favourite books so far this year! 5/5 guerrilla chefs.
Jeremy's father lives in Vancouver's Stanley Park. That makes their relationship a little awkward because Jeremy never knows how to find him. He has to set up an appointment with his own father through a dirty homeless man who talks to himself.
Jeremy is a prize winning chef who got his training in France, of all places. He divides the chef world into two classes: the Crips and the Bloods. The Crips are the hipster chefs who experiment with their food and make outlandish stuff. Jeremy is a Blood, he loves traditional cooking, he likes the idea of food that has personal and historical roots. Incidentally, he owns a restaurant called The Monkey's Paw, where he makes traditional worldwide dishes with local Vancouver food.
To say that Jeremy owns the Monkey's Paw is a little inaccurate. You see, Jeremy is no good at managing money. He went two hundred thirty thousand dollars into the hole to buy the restaurant and open it and since then, he has been getting further and further into credit card debt. The bank actually owns the Monkey's Paw. And his cosigner, the devilish Dante Beale of Inferno International.
What I liked
Great story. Really interesting. The archetypal themes were fascinating and created suspense. Also, the food descriptions were mouth watering. And I love the idea of local looking and guerrilla grill.
Also, I loved that the story made the homeless people into real live people with stories of their own. I found myself investing emotionally in the homeless characters. That was unexpected. And neat.
What I didn't like
Long and a little clunky. Not the writing, the writing was actually pretty smooth and nice. But the story. There were chunks of hundreds of pages where I could only bear to read two or three pages at a time. But that's my only complaint.
Conclusion
One of my favourite books so far this year! 5/5 guerrilla chefs.
Patrick's Outrageous Bucket List
Things I want to do before I die:
1. I want to meet Janelle Monae and hug her and tell her she is totally rocking and quite possibly changed my life (or at least my musical preferences).
2. I want to meet Kate DiCamillo and hug her and tell her that her stories are super awesome and they sometimes make me cry.
3. I want to meet Deborah Ellis and/or Patricia MacLachlan and pick her/their brains.
4. I want to skate in St. Petersburg.
5. I want to be baptized by an African rainstorm.
1. I want to meet Janelle Monae and hug her and tell her she is totally rocking and quite possibly changed my life (or at least my musical preferences).
2. I want to meet Kate DiCamillo and hug her and tell her that her stories are super awesome and they sometimes make me cry.
3. I want to meet Deborah Ellis and/or Patricia MacLachlan and pick her/their brains.
4. I want to skate in St. Petersburg.
5. I want to be baptized by an African rainstorm.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Alligator by Lisa Moore
Summary
Frank sells hot dogs on George Street in St. John's Newfoundland. He has a secret crush on Colleen, who's doing community service for vandalizing some bulldozers. Colleen's mom, Beverly is upset about Colleen. Madeleine, Beverly's sister, is directing a movie about Archbishop Fleming. Isobel, one of the actresses in Madeleine's film is seeing this Russian man named Valentin, who lives in the apartment above Frank's. Carol, the woman who lives in the apartment below Frank's thinks Valentin is up to something...
What I liked
The writing is poetic. The sentences are well put together and it is kind of nice to read because it flows really well. The storytelling is also well done, it's deep. It shows how all the characters are really real people and I like how it shows that people who don't even know each other are connected one way or another.
What I didn't like
Well, the first two chapters made me think there would be a love story going on but then it just didn't materialize. That was disappointing. And then it just went on and on for over three hundred pages jumping back and forth from one character to another without developing any kind of cohesive plot. And my, was it boring.
Conclusion
Well it's sometimes interesting and has some good characters and the writing is good. The last one hundred pages are decent, they've got some suspense and some action. But it's so tedious. It's like a dozen or more short stories all fragmented. So I'll give it 3/5 alligator-people metaphors.
Frank sells hot dogs on George Street in St. John's Newfoundland. He has a secret crush on Colleen, who's doing community service for vandalizing some bulldozers. Colleen's mom, Beverly is upset about Colleen. Madeleine, Beverly's sister, is directing a movie about Archbishop Fleming. Isobel, one of the actresses in Madeleine's film is seeing this Russian man named Valentin, who lives in the apartment above Frank's. Carol, the woman who lives in the apartment below Frank's thinks Valentin is up to something...
What I liked
The writing is poetic. The sentences are well put together and it is kind of nice to read because it flows really well. The storytelling is also well done, it's deep. It shows how all the characters are really real people and I like how it shows that people who don't even know each other are connected one way or another.
What I didn't like
Well, the first two chapters made me think there would be a love story going on but then it just didn't materialize. That was disappointing. And then it just went on and on for over three hundred pages jumping back and forth from one character to another without developing any kind of cohesive plot. And my, was it boring.
Conclusion
Well it's sometimes interesting and has some good characters and the writing is good. The last one hundred pages are decent, they've got some suspense and some action. But it's so tedious. It's like a dozen or more short stories all fragmented. So I'll give it 3/5 alligator-people metaphors.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The Saints of Big Harbour by Lynn Coady
Summary
Guy Boucher, an Acadian teenager from Cape Breton, kind of likes this girl, Corrine Fortune. They danced together a couple times at one of those school dances or something. I wouldn't say he's in love with her or anything like that, he just kind of likes her. She seems to like him too. But then she totally, coldly, dumps him for this guy named Brian. What's up with that? And then, before Guy even knows what's going on, everyone in town is out to get him. He doesn't even know what he's done.
What I liked
It was well written, very funny, interesting, and easy to read. The characters were mostly vivid, except for two or three that I really didn't get. And it's a little philosophical, asking questions about the meaning of life without going too deep or being preachy.
What I didn't like
It was weird. It painted a kind of depressing picture of Cape Breton, making it seem like an endless cycle of redneckery, But it wasn't nowhere near as bad as Ann-Marie MacDonald's Fall On Your Knees.
Conclusion
The hilariousness and the vivid characters totally make up for all the depressingness. It's really good. 4/5 hockey playing redneck Acadians.
Guy Boucher, an Acadian teenager from Cape Breton, kind of likes this girl, Corrine Fortune. They danced together a couple times at one of those school dances or something. I wouldn't say he's in love with her or anything like that, he just kind of likes her. She seems to like him too. But then she totally, coldly, dumps him for this guy named Brian. What's up with that? And then, before Guy even knows what's going on, everyone in town is out to get him. He doesn't even know what he's done.
What I liked
It was well written, very funny, interesting, and easy to read. The characters were mostly vivid, except for two or three that I really didn't get. And it's a little philosophical, asking questions about the meaning of life without going too deep or being preachy.
What I didn't like
It was weird. It painted a kind of depressing picture of Cape Breton, making it seem like an endless cycle of redneckery, But it wasn't nowhere near as bad as Ann-Marie MacDonald's Fall On Your Knees.
Conclusion
The hilariousness and the vivid characters totally make up for all the depressingness. It's really good. 4/5 hockey playing redneck Acadians.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears
Summary
In this book Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle answers questions like "Is Jesus the only God?" and "Did Jesus rise from death?"
There are twelve questions and each question gets its own chapter. At the end of each chapter, well-known theologian, Gerry Breshears briefly answers a few further questions that may have come to the reader's mind while reading the chapter. For example, at the end of chapter eight, "Where Is Jesus Today?" he answers the following questions: "Is Jesus reigning as King today?" "Are we under the power of curses?" and "Can people who are with Jesus see us?"
What I liked
The book has a fresh and unique flavour. It's the same old topic, don't expect any new arguments or groundbreaking discoveries in this book. But the writing is interesting. Mark Driscoll tries to bring in some humour, and he answers the questions in a way that demonstrates the topic's relevance. Also, he puts in a lot of statistics like polls on what the average American believes about the resurrection or the virgin birth and information like how and where Jesus shows up in pop-culture or what other religions believe about Jesus. So the topic is both interesting and relevant and the book is sometimes fun to read.
What I didn't like
Mark Driscoll can put a sentence together and knows how to use words but, in this book, he's not such a great writer. And this is my only complaint. The writing itself is good but the structure is poor. For example, at the end of chapter two, "How Human was Jesus?" the following three points are introduced by headings: "Jesus was Funny" "Jesus was Passionate" and "Jesus was Bummed." The third point briefly outlines some arguments to support Jesus being bummed and then goes on for a page and a half about how Jesus has been portrayed in film during the twentieth century without concluding the previous topic or introducing the new one, the one topic just runs into the other. And the chapter ends abruptly, no summary, no conclusion. Stuff like that happens repeatedly through the book. Also, it seems like the book is written based on a sermon transcript (which is generally a bad idea), so a lot of the jokes fall flat because they're written the way they would have been spoken and are so dependent on vocal cues, in the book, it just seems like he's purposely trying to push buttons and upset people because you can't write a joke the same way you say a joke.
Conclusion
A good book, relevant and interesting and informative. Well-researched, too. It has the potential to be a fun read. But poorly structured and poorly assembled. I hope Mark Driscoll's editors do a better job on his other books. So 3/5 redneck jokes.
In this book Pastor Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle answers questions like "Is Jesus the only God?" and "Did Jesus rise from death?"
There are twelve questions and each question gets its own chapter. At the end of each chapter, well-known theologian, Gerry Breshears briefly answers a few further questions that may have come to the reader's mind while reading the chapter. For example, at the end of chapter eight, "Where Is Jesus Today?" he answers the following questions: "Is Jesus reigning as King today?" "Are we under the power of curses?" and "Can people who are with Jesus see us?"
What I liked
The book has a fresh and unique flavour. It's the same old topic, don't expect any new arguments or groundbreaking discoveries in this book. But the writing is interesting. Mark Driscoll tries to bring in some humour, and he answers the questions in a way that demonstrates the topic's relevance. Also, he puts in a lot of statistics like polls on what the average American believes about the resurrection or the virgin birth and information like how and where Jesus shows up in pop-culture or what other religions believe about Jesus. So the topic is both interesting and relevant and the book is sometimes fun to read.
What I didn't like
Mark Driscoll can put a sentence together and knows how to use words but, in this book, he's not such a great writer. And this is my only complaint. The writing itself is good but the structure is poor. For example, at the end of chapter two, "How Human was Jesus?" the following three points are introduced by headings: "Jesus was Funny" "Jesus was Passionate" and "Jesus was Bummed." The third point briefly outlines some arguments to support Jesus being bummed and then goes on for a page and a half about how Jesus has been portrayed in film during the twentieth century without concluding the previous topic or introducing the new one, the one topic just runs into the other. And the chapter ends abruptly, no summary, no conclusion. Stuff like that happens repeatedly through the book. Also, it seems like the book is written based on a sermon transcript (which is generally a bad idea), so a lot of the jokes fall flat because they're written the way they would have been spoken and are so dependent on vocal cues, in the book, it just seems like he's purposely trying to push buttons and upset people because you can't write a joke the same way you say a joke.
Conclusion
A good book, relevant and interesting and informative. Well-researched, too. It has the potential to be a fun read. But poorly structured and poorly assembled. I hope Mark Driscoll's editors do a better job on his other books. So 3/5 redneck jokes.
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