Roadmarks: 06/30/07

Combine the walking through shadows of the Amber series with the history of the world stretching into infinity like Farmer's River World series and throw in some dragons (just 'cause) and you get Roadmarks.

There are parallel stories each playing out one chapter at a time. They are labeled: Two and One. Chapters Two follow Red and Chapters One follow Randy and how these two stories relate to each other is the main crux of the book.

The book is only 187 pages, so a quick read, though one might need time to mull the chapters early on. I have to admit that I cheated and read all the Chapters Two first and then went back and read all of the Chapters One. I'm finding that I don't always like reading a book linearly and that it's not always important to read from page one all the way through to the end. Sometimes it works to skip around.

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A Tree Can Be...: 06/29/07

A Tree Can Be... is one of Harriet's current favorite books. It is a short poem spread over sixteen beautifully illustrated pages. It is Anna Vojtech's soft illustrations that Harriet responds to most.

Her favorite part of the book is spread across pages 10 and 11: "a place to climb, and a place to stay dry." Climb is illustrated with a pair of curious raccoons who are climbing the oak tree. "Dry" is illustrated with a pair of sparrows who are huddling under the leaves during a rainstorm.

For reading aloud, the book has a soothing and easy rhythm except for the last page where the poem ends awkwardly. It ends with "and it changes year-round" (page 15) but it would flow better with "and it changes all year-round."

The final page has a lovely diagram of the various parts of the oak tree, each which has been highlighted in the course of the book. The pieces labeled are: leaf, stem, bud, branch, seed, trunk, bark and root.

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The Modern Researcher: 06/29/07

The Modern Researcher was first published in 1957 and the most recent edition (#6) was published in 2001. I read the third edition (1977). The third edition examples of how to do research and how to use libraries are a little outdated especially the emphasis on the card catalogue and the lack of discussion on computers and internet usage. I don't know if the most recent edition is modernized to cover computers and the internet.

The book's greatest strength is how well it highlights the differences between facts and opinions and between copying and researching. True research involves verifying facts (names and dates) and adding thoughts to these facts (opinions and conclusions). The book also covers the correct way to cite sources, including common errors with names and dates.

Although I am no longer doing research in an academic setting, I still found the book both interesting and useful. I often do research for my book reviews and other blog posts. It was also a good reminder on how to spot opinion and bias in writing.

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Peter's Chair: 06/27/07

I had planned to blog about how Peter's Chair was my introduction to the works of Ezra Jack Keats but I now realize that Sean and I have also read Hi Cat!

I got Peter's Chair for Sean because it is about Peter coming to terms with being a big brother to a baby sister. I like Keats's bold illustrative style. I also like how Peter learns important lessons about growing up and sharing.

I have a small quibble though with Peter's parents. I completely understand their desire to reuse Peter's baby furniture for his sister. We did the same thing with Sean's stuff for Harriet. The parents though don't seem to have taken into account Peter's feelings. They just take away his old stuff and repaint it pink (ewww!) for his sister. They could have saved Peter a great deal of heartache if they had warned him ahead of time that his sister would need the furniture and that they wanted to repaint it to make it hers.

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Youth: 06/26/07

I picked up Sixteen Short Novels at the September BookCrossing meeting last year. Yes; I went a week postpartum and Harriet went too. My goal is to read and review each of these short novels but if I do it all at once I'll only get this one massive book read for quite some time. Instead, I'll concentrate on each novel separately and count each one as its own book just as I did for the four novellas in Four Past Midnight. At that rate I figure I can read about three of these short novels a month and I should have the book ready for release by Harriet's first birthday.

"Youth" is a companion piece to "Heart of Darkness" and is the first story in Youth, a Narrative, and Two Other Stories. The finally story is "The End of the Tether." Like "Heart of Darkness", "Youth" is a narrated by Charles Marlow and is an account of his first voyage east. While "Heart of Darkness" is about the destruction of one man's soul and mind, this is the tale of a ship's demise by all means possible. "Youth" is a more light-hearted affair to read and certainly easier for me to follow (I've read "Heart of Darkness" three times and each time was a painful experience). I think "Heart of Darkness" might actually make more sense in context of the two other tales.

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The Humane Interface: 06/25/07

The Humane Interface has been sitting on my shelf for seven years. I bought it when I was starting my first salaried job in web design thinking I'd have more control over the site I was hired to help redesign. Boy was I wrong! Since I didn't need the book, I let it sit unread until this year. I was finally inspired to read it as part of the Non-Fiction Five Challenge. Although it wasn't part of my official list, I've been having so much fun reading non-fiction that it seemed appropriate.

The Humane Interface tries to find the most efficient way to balance the needs of two different types of users: the habitual and the novice. The habitual user needs efficient ways to handle tasks but flexibility to handle changes in routine. Meanwhile, the novice needs an interface that is easy to learn and obvious enough to handle the tasks at hand. While both users are being courted, the interface should also stay out of the way of whomever is using it.

All that is good and practical advice. When Raskin begins giving examples of good computer interfaces things become muddled. Now for a man who helped design the Macintosh and me a huge Mac geek, I would expect to agree more with his ideas of what makes an interface good but I don't. I like having my files as separate entities. I don't mind having to switch programs to send email. What is wrong with drag and drop?

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Chromosome 6: 06/24/07

In 1896, H. G. Wells published The Island of Doctor Moreau in response to the debates over animal vivisection. A hundred and one years later, Robin Cook, updated the basic plot in Chromosome 6 to reflect recent progress in DNA research but didn't manage to bring any new insights to table.

Chromosome 6 is one of the worst books by Cook I've ever read (and perhaps one of the worst full-stop). The winner for worst book by Cook still goes t Coma which is both misogynistic and poorly written; Chromosome 6 is only poorly written. The basic premise is the same as The Island of Doctor Moreau; on a distant island (this time in the Congo), scientists have grafted together humans and animals to create animals with human characteristics. This time, the animals in question are bonobos and the reason behind the monkey business is the creation of cloned body parts for use by wealthy patrons who need transplants and don't want to wait in line for a donor. Unfortunately, the bonobos are so close to being human already that a few swapped genes here and there and they develop human tendencies (discovering fire and tool use).

Anyone who has suffered through those horrible chimp films from the 1970s knows that chimps can be taught to use matches and already (oh shock!) have opposable thumbs and basic tool use. So altered chromosomes or not, the bonobos can already chase one down with a hammer if they wanted to.

If Cook's underestimation of bonobos isn't enough, he tries to make the mystery more interesting by adding in a mob connection. Yes, it's not just mad scientists in Africa making man-apes, they're being hired by the mob! So of course, the New York cop has to hop a plane and fly halfway across the world to break into the compound to solve the case. Add to the mix flat dialogue and stupid doctors who have to ask what's going on for Cook to "info-dump" and Chromosome 6 ends up being 400 pages of wasted time.

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Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe: 06/23/07

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is one of those books I've heard so many different arguments about. A few years ago I got a copy through BookCrossing determined to have a go at reading it so I could make up my own mind about it. And there the book sat for three years. Finally, inspired by the Southern Reading Challenge, I sat down and read the book.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is the story of the rise and fall of Whistle Stop and the people who lived there. This story is told over the course of many years and from many points of view. At the heart of it all is the love story of Ruth and Idgie during the Depression and then the empowerment of Eveyln Couch as she struggles through the ups and downs of menopause.

While Evelyn is the vehicle for the revelation of Whistle Stop's history, she is the least likeable character of the entire novel. She's so repressed, so clueless and so full of self loathing that every time her piece of the story comes up, the book's tempo hiccups.

Even with my annoyance at Evelyn, I found the book a pleasant surprise and a quick read. I still don't want to see the film, though.

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Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon: 06/22/07

The Curious George stories are so formulaic that any one can tell a story in style of of Margret and H. A. Rey. The Man in the Yellow Hat (TMYH) has a chore, job, business trip, etc that takes him and of course George somewhere new. TMYH of course then is called away on some emergency or has to leave for some reason, leaving George to his own devices. After an initial series of goof-ups, everything works out for George and he ends up a better monkey for the ordeal.

The original series that can actually be credited to Margret and H. A. Rey is a very short list from all the titles bearing their name:

• Curious George (1941)
• Curious George Takes a Job (1947)
• Curious George Rides a Bike (1952)
• Curious George Gets a Medal (1957)
• Curious George Flies a Kite (1958)
• Curious George Learns the Alphabet (1963)
• Curious George Goes to the Hospital (1966)

These initial stories are rather appalling. George is not the loveable monkey that he is remembered as and TMYH is a strange authoritarin figure that is part abusive parent, part master and part kidnapper. In the flurry of books since those initial seven, TMYH has softened as a character and has ended up more like soft spoken David Seville than a "bring it back alive" adventurer. By the current incarnation after the 2005 film, TMYH is actually loveable and caring (shown making numerous attempts to find day care for George whenever he's away).

In all of these changes, the original authors are still credited, to the point that the modern versions bear their names and the name of the company contracted to actually make the books (story board and illustrate is the way their website describes their roll in creating the books). I find it odd and sad that the current people working on the books receive no credit for their work. It may be a committee or a single person. I have no idea. George has gone from a disturbed monkey to a commodity.

So that brings me to Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon. In this adventure, George finds himself carried away by a hot air balloon. After nearly getting lost, nearly crashing and so forth, he manages to rescue a ranger and becomes the hero of the day. It's a fairly typical and vanilla plot from the most current incarnation. For children who enjoy the movie and the PBS cartoon, it's a cute book. My only wish is that the publisher would have the balls to say who actually wrote and illustrated it.

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Dark Voyage: 06/21/07

Dark Voyage was my introduction to Alan Furst's WWII spy novels. The book follows the ad hock crew of the Noordendam, sailing for the Royal Navy under a stolen Spanish flag. While the crew sails from port to port, we are given hints at the battles through letters, radio transmissions and their brief ports of call.

Furst's writing style is reminiscent of Grahame Green, especially when writing for Carol Reed. I was most reminded of Our Man in Havana and The Third Man.

The middle section, "Ports of Call" is written in a diary format. Each entry is headed with the coordinates of the ship and her itinerary. It is the most information heavy of the entire book, focusing more on the machinations of the various warring nations and less on the characters aboard the the Noordendam. History buffs will enjoy the chapter but I found my attention wandering at times.

Save for the one dry chapter, I enjoyed Dark Voyage enough to jump into another Alan Furst novel, Kingdom of Shadows. Stay tuned for my review.

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The Hours: 06/19/07

Read the review at 1morechapter.

books | bookcrossing | fiction | virginia woolf | michael cunningham

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Living Lean: 06/18/07

I did my initial pass of the book while we were staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Castro Valley thinking that our road would be repaved the next morning. When we heard that the weather had turned too cold and wet to do the paving we rushed home and in the process, I accidentally wild released Living Lean before I had a chance to reread it in greater detail. This review then will be initial impressions only.

The premise of Living Lean is that eating small meals (5 for women and 6 for me) that are low fat, high fiber and protein will boost one's metabolism to make weight loss easier. Oddly enough the suggested eating schedule (and many of the recipes) are identical to what pregnant and nursing women are told to eat. Perhaps the book should be retitled Eating Like You're Pregnant.

The main foods touted in the book are chicken breasts, eggs and whole grain bread. Readers are also told to avoid box cereal in the morning and to avoid ice cream for dessert. Frankly most of the book's eating routine I'm already doing and not because of this book. I'm doing it from the suggestion of two different nutritionists through my health plan.

The problems I had with the book were the assumptions made by the author. I don't eat for comfort. I don't starve myself to get thin (because I know it doesn't work). I don't snack throughout the day. Frankly if I ate as many eggs as this book suggests, I'd puke.

Living Lean is one of many books and other "products" in the Larry North system. While the book's advice seemed to be fairly level-headed, it's still just a money making device.

books | bookcrossing | health

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Old Man: 06/17/07

I picked up Sixteen Short Novels at the September BookCrossing meeting last year. Yes; I went a week postpartum and Harriet went too. My goal is to read and review each of these short novels but if I do it all at once I'll only get this one massive book read for quite some time. Instead, I'll concentrate on each novel separately and count each one as its own book just as I did for the four novellas in Four Past Midnight. At that rate I figure I can read about three of these short novels a month and I should have the book ready for release by Harriet's first birthday.

"Old Man" I've now read twice and neither time have I read it in its full context. The first time I read it, it was part of The Famous Short Novels which I read and released through BookCrossing but didn't review on this blog. I've since done some research on "Old Man" and have learned that it is actually part of a longer and more typical Faulkner novel, If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem, consisting of two different but complimentary narratives: "The Wild Palms" and "Old Man". Some reviews say these two narratives are separate novellas and an equal number says that the two are one novel and can't be separated out as unique stories (even though a variety of book editors would disagree).

From my BookCrossing review I can see that last time I didn't like the book. I know that when I read it I was rushed and also suffering from the early stages of morning sickness (although I didn't know it at the time). With both readings I picked up on a O Brother Where Art Thou? vibe, the only difference being that this time I found the story humorous and entertaining.

I don't know if I've matured as a reader in 18 months or I was just in the right mind set but this second reading of "Old Man" was the first time that I really felt like I understood what all the fuss was about William Faulkner as a writer.

sixteen short novels | books | bookcrossing | fiction

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Lucky Man: 06/16/07

Another theme (besides medicine) that is popping up in my recent reading is Canada. I've read more books about Canada, Canadians and stories taking place in Canada. Michael J. Fox's memoir, Lucky Man, falls under both categories: medicine (for his thoughts on living with Parkinson's Disease) and Canada (born in Edmonton, Alberta). Lucky Man also qualifies as one of the best books I've read this year.

Fox begins his memoir with his diagnosis of young-onset Parkinson's Disease but the book isn't just about living with PD but about all the ups and downs of his life and who he has grown as a person. He covers his childhood, growing up as a military brat on various bases throughout Canada, his closeness with his grandmother, and his interest in both rock and roll and acting.

Of course the meat of the book is Fox's experience with PD (and the main reason why I wanted to read it, having known so many people with the disease). Fox writes with brutal honesty about his denial of the situation, using alcohol to deal with the news, and trying to use his medications to hide the tremors in his hands to keep his career going (while keeping the PD a secret).

The book though, is not a sob story or a pity party Fox isn't asking for sympathy. The book seems to have been a form of personal therapy (from reading the Acknowledgements at the back of the book). That people want to read his memoir seems to both humble him and amaze him. If you are interested in the actor, or know some with PD, or both, read Lucky Man.

books | nonfiction | canada | michael j fox | parkinson's disease

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Doctors: 06/15/07

I'm continuing with May's nonfiction trend. June seems to be heavy on medical books, both fiction and nonfiction. Doctors, is a series of essays (newspaper articles, I think) about different Canadian doctors. A variety of skills and fields are covered in this book but the author's own interpretations of his interviewees' perspectives gets in the way. While reading the book I felt too much like a captive audience forced to listen to O'Malley's views on life, politics, religion and so forth. O'Malley's essays fall into a common trap of nonfiction writing; he makes them too much about himself rather than the people he's covering.

I did come away learning a few things about doctors. I learned that the medical profession has a higher than average suicide rate (except among pediatricians who are the happiest of the lot). Drug and alcohol abuse is high and self esteem among doctors sucks. Basically it's a high stress field with "no margin of error" (that quote comes from Lucky Man).

books | nonfiction | canada

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Justice Hall: 06/14/07

Whenever I think of the Holmes and Russel series that started with The Beekeeper's Apprentice, I think of trains. I read the first five of the series on Amtrak going up and down from Los Angeles to San Diego to visit my parents. When we were making the big move up to the Bay Area from South Pasadena, my mother gave me her copy of Justice Hall (in the pre-BookCrossing days) and I've only just now taken it off my shelf in the interest of reading for fun.

Justice Hall stands well on its own but does refer back to two previous books: The Moor and O Jerusalem. Russel and Holmes are invited to Justice Hall by friends met in O Jerusalem to help investigate the death of the young man who should have been the next duke.

The book takes a little too long separating out the personas of the brothers when they live abroad (Bedouins Ali and Mahmoud Hazr) versus their more genteel personas (Alistair and Marsh) when at home in Justice Hall. Once Russel starts to investigate the history behind Justice Hall and the death of the youngest heir, the story comes alive. King captures the brutality of WWI and how it swept across all facets of British life.

books | mystery

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Teaching Your Children Values: 06/13/07

I got Teaching Your Children Values from the now defunct relay site. It's not a book I would normally purchase and I got it mostly for giggles. It ended up being better than I feared it would but I can't imagine actually trying any of the authors' step by step programs. We just aren't that regimented a family.

The book is broken up into twelve chapters with a new value to teach each month of the year. Along with the practical advice and personal reflections from various family members, the book has charts and games one is supposed to play with one's family. These role playing games are supposed to teach the values that I guess the children won't otherwise be able to learn. Somehow just plain old talking to my children seemed to work just fine.

To the book's credit, it doesn't bring God or religion into the mix nor does it suggest dumbing down the important talks about sex and other adult stuff. The frankness of the authors on the tougher topics and their practical advice about listening to children and teaching by example make this parenting advice book a step above the average parenting book.

books | nonfiction | parenting

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The Liveliest Art: 06/12/07

The Liveliest Art by Arthur Knight covers the history of filmmaking from the early days of photography through the establishment of television. The book is at its best when covering the history of American cinema and the business of Hollywood and of the Movie Theater business.

Knight though, takes a manifest destiny approach to history writing, seeing all the developments worldwide were designed to make Hollywood possible and to make American cinema better than any other country. One quote that sums up the whole attitude of the book is: "No one can out Hollywood Hollywood."

books | nonfiction | hollywood

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Be Buried in the Rain: 06/11/07

Be Buried in the Rain is a fairly typical Barbara Michaels book with a bachelor-girl protagonist who has been estranged from her family but now forced to return home during a family crisis. In this case, Julie Newcomb must return to the crumbling family plantation to care for her ailing grandmother.

While there she must help her estranged boyfriend uncover the mystery of two skeletons found on the side of the road while Julie receives threats to her life from all fronts. With a small cast of characters and a limited area of scenes, there aren't many options for who could be threatening Julie or the mystery behind the bones. For the observant and alert reader, the mystery will be easy to solve. Nonetheless, the book is an enjoyable light read; something to take on a trip.

books | mystery | barbara michaels

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A Thousand Days in Tuscany: 06/10/07

A Thousand Days in Tuscany, the sequel to A Thousand Days in Venice finds Marlena and Fernando moved from the bustle of Venice to the quiet countryside of Tuscany. While they try to find their piece with the seasonal rhythms of the village, they also balk at convention, trying to bring their own version of rural life to fruition. For example, Marlena to the astonishment of her neighbors, has a wood oven built in her yard so she can make her own bread.

A Thousand Days in Venice is a more hectic book with the clashing of American and Italian culture and the race to get married. There is also the underlying question of Marlena's sanity in marrying a man she barely knows, having just met in on a business trip to Venice. All those distractions are gone in the sequel. Save for a brief moment where Marlena questions her decision to remarry and then to move the countryside, the book is more just a leisurely observation of life in her new home, a taste of the local recipes (many of which are included in the book) and an introduction to the local customs.

books | nonfiction | marlena de blasi

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The Forest Lover: 06/09/07

Susan Vreeland seems to have made a niche for herself writing historical fiction based around women who were artists. In The Forest Lover, she covers the career of Emily Carr, a Canadian artist who imported the Fauvist style to capture the landscape, people and totems of western Canada.

I enjoyed watching Emily grow as an artist and her drive to learn as much as she could about art and painting while still staying true to her own convictions. I smiled at her frustration at being confused for being an American while traveling and studying abroad as it was a nice follow up to How to be a Canadian.

Unfortunately the book suffers from an abundance of tragedy. For every triumph that Carr has, her friend Sophie must suffer. I am not questioning the real life losses of Sophie Frank but her life in this novel is so intricately tied to Carr's rise to fame that her life becomes an overdone liet motif.

books | historical fiction | canada | emily carr | susan vreeland

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How to be a Canadian: 06/08/07

books | nonfiction | canada

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The Fall: 06/08/07

I picked up Sixteen Short Novels at the September BookCrossing meeting last year. Yes; I went a week postpartum and Harriet went too. My goal is to read and review each of these short novels but if I do it all at once I'll only get this one massive book read for quite some time. Instead, I'll concentrate on each novel separately and count each one as its own book just as I did for the four novellas in Four Past Midnight. At that rate I figure I can read about three of these short novels a month and I should have the book ready for release by Harriet's first birthday.

I have to admit that this compilation is starting to become a chore to read. I've read other works by Camus and enjoyed them. I can't say that of "The Fall." It's written in the same style as "Notes from Underground" in that it is a one on one dialog with the assumed reader of the novel. This type of narrative rarely works well and it certainly didn't work here for me.

When all the window dressing is pulled away from this thankfully short novel (only about 50 pages), the story comes down to nothing more than a recollection of the narrators "fall" from grace and his exile.

sixteen short novels | books | bookcrossing | fiction

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The Time of Our Singing: 06/07/07

The Time of Our Singing follows the musical career of one brother as told by another. It's a family drama spread over many decades from the marriage of the boy's parents (a German Jew and a black women who met while singing) and goes up to present day.

I liked the premise of the story and Richard Powers has a masterful control over his prose. Unfortunately, his chosen motif, music, is drawn out as an all-encompassing metaphor for all the problems and triumphs of the characters in the book. As the story progresses, the plot strains under the imposed metaphor and the book loses its tempo and staggers to an unsatisfying end.

Even with this novel's faults, Powers is a strong enough writer that I want to try at least one more of his books. I think that The Time of Our Singing was a noble experiment that just didn't work for me as a reader.

books | fiction | richard powers

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Patterns of Culture: 06/06/07

When I was a teen and had a $20 a week allowance, I didn't use the money on clothes or music. Instead I used the bulk of my funds on books. One of those early acquisitions was a 1957 copy of Patterns of Culture. I got it simply because it looked interesting. It was until recently that I realized this book is a classic in its field.

Patterns of Culture tries to separate the assumptions of one culture from its study of another culture. The book starts with a lengthy thesis of cultural relativism. She explains it as the importance of culture and tradition and how it must be taken as a part of the whole study of any given group of people.

The later chapters are cast studies, mostly from various Native American tribes. I remember picking this book up for these chapters. At the time of the purchase I was especially interested in the Navajo and Pueblo cultures.

The chapter on the menstruation huts links up nicely with another book I read in May, The Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland. Reading Benedict's book first helped me better understand the setting of Vreeland's novel.

books | nonfiction | ruth benedict | susan vreeland

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The Very Busy Spider: 06/05/07

Now that Harriet is older and enjoying books, I've started reading her Sean's old board books. One of her current favorites is The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle.

The book introduces children to a variety of animals, the concept of time and of the importance of seeing a task to completion. The spider in question carefully builds her web over the course of a day and is rewarded at the end with a fly for dinner.

Harriet enjoys the book for the textured web (done with a gel paint), the bright colors and the repetition of words. She's also partial to the page with the cat. Although the words are nearly the same on each page, there are enough changes on each page to make the book a bit of a tongue twister for parents reading the book out loud.

books | childrens | eric carle

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Pawmistry: 06/05/07

Pawmistry is a bookring I signed up for during a bout of pregnancy induced stupidity. That's the only sensible explanation for why I'd sign up to read as silly a book as this one. I'm not one normally interested in palmistry, let alone pawmistry and if I were insane enough to try pawmistry on Caligula she would tear my hands to shreds.

The second half of this thankfully short book covers the astrological signs and how they relate to cats. While it's every so slightly possible to get some personality vibes off a person's zodiac sign (just from the sheer number of people who believe in it enough to act accordingly!), cats are cats. Sure they have personalities but they don't give a damn about what sign they were born under.

books | nonfiction | cats

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Left-Hander's Handbook: 06/04/07

The Left-Hander's Handbook contains four previous published humorous looks at what it means to be left-handed. These books are: The Left-Handed Book (1966), The Natural Superiority of the Left-Hander (1979), The World's Greatest Left-Handers (1985) and Left-Handed Kids (1989).

The book has its humorous moments but there's a lot of repetition and the book's main shtick is how hard it is to be left-handed in a right-handed world. Having been left-handed all my life, it just isn't that hard. I don't feel prejudiced against. I don't find it hard to learn how to use new tools in a way that won't injure me.

On a side note, left-handedness has been an issue with the recent Wii version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Link in all the previous games has been left-handed but now that the wiimote requires both hands to play the game and it's really easier to play with a right-handed configuration, Nintendo has mirrored all of the animation so that Link in the Wii version is now right-handed. Apparently the man who designed the games is left-handed and Nintendo wanted his okay before making this change.

People who know me and know I'm a fan of the game, have asked me how I feel about the change. My reaction: Link is left-handed? Yup, I'd never noticed. I figure for the Wii version, Link is just showing the world that's ambidextrous.

So back to the book, it's a quick read. You'll get a few laughs out of it but if you're a right-hander looking for insight into the mind of the left-hander, you won't find it here. We just like so many other minorities really aren't that different.

books | left hand | zelda

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Pompeii: 06/04/07

books | fiction | robert harris

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Private Eyes: 06/02/07

Private Eyes is the sixth in a series of thrillers staring Dr. Alex Delaware. This book is the first in the lot that I've attempted to read and will be the last. I don't normally stop reading a book since I read so quickly but this book didn't hold my attention enough to even both speed reading it.

The premise for this book is that Dr. Delaware is visited by a patient he hasn't seen in 10 years and now he has to help her again face her fears. Her mother had been brutally attacked which caused her to have a whole bunch of phobias. These phobias she then passed on to her daughter. Now that the man who attacked is out of prison and on the move, the patient is once again afraid.

If this were any normal thriller, the weird stuff would have started by page twenty or so. Not here. No, we have to suffer through endless medical reports instead of getting either plot or characterization. By page 100 or so where nothing had yet happened, I gave up.

books | mystery | jonathan kellerman

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Mind the Gaffe: 06/01/07

books | nonfiction | english

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