All Consuming : Marina

A story about "influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 22:00:56 GMT

influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Collins Business Essentials)

by Robert B. Cialdini

This book came highly recommended to me from multiple sources.

The first three chapters were very interesting and are covered in sticky notes, underlines, and highlights. It’s not that the book shared anything particularly new, but it presented it in an organized fashion that directly related to many of my current business endeavors. If you have any project that involves selling/marketing – whether writing web copy or attending networking events – there will be some good tips, or at least friendly reminders, in these first three chapters.

The rest of the book was pure pop psychology, along the lines of “Stumbling on Happiness” – well-written, with many illustrative examples, but not all that useful. I only highlighted three phrases in all of chapters 4-8. If you like pop psychology, the rest of the book is an easy and enjoyable read.

Amazing! (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:05:45 GMT

Wild Hope

by Mandy Moore

I don’t care for Mandy Moore’s early pop stuff, but I really loved “Coverage.” This album is by far the best-yet. “Gardenia” is especially powerful.

A story about "Second Sight, Vol. 1 & 2"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 03:40:24 GMT

Second Sight, Vol. 1 & 2

by Edward Bennett

This was SO good! I am not a fan of British television or television in general, but I do love Clive Owen, so I threw these discs on my NetFlix queue.

The love scenes were a little hard to watch, but otherwise, this was truly sumptuous—it fully captivated my attention for hours.

A story about "The Fountainhead"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 16:11:51 GMT

The Fountainhead

by King Vidor

I love Ayn Rand. “Atlas Shrugged” is easily, to me, the greatest book ever written.

That said, this movie was disappointing, as, I think, any movie would be that attempted to condense over 800 dense pages into a two-hour film. The speed at which character development and history were glossed over was blinding.

A story about "The Fountainhead"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 23:41:45 GMT

The Fountainhead

by Ayn Rand

Definitely worth consuming … but Atlas Shrugged is SO much better.

A story about "Men's Rights Activists"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 17:32:26 GMT

Men's Rights Activists

by Steeves Volmar

This book is not on Amazon yet, but you can purchase it (only $2 for a PDF) at: http://www.lulu.com/content/704697

Misandry is a huge topic of interest for me and I’m eager to read this book.

A story about "Driven"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 10:34:04 GMT

Driven

This is NOT my type of movie at all (I only rented it to complete “Movies Robert Sean Leonard Is In” on Lists of Bests), but my expectations were so low, I actually didn’t mind it. In fact, I may have even enjoyed the part where they save Memo.

A story about "Jesus Camp"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 05:19:12 GMT

Jesus Camp

by Heidi Ewing

This is truly the most frightening movie you will ever see in your lifetime.

A review of "Death of a President" (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 06:31:10 GMT

Death of a President

by Gabriel Range

This was MUCH better than I expected. I am not exactly “pro-Bush” at the moment but at the same time I do not relate to most anti-Bush zealots. I expected this film to be 90 minutes of Bush-bashing but was pleasantly surprised to find a healthy balance of criticism while treating his hypothetical assassination compassionately.

I disagree that it’s too controversial to depict the assassination of a sitting president. At least it is clearly a fictional film and not fiction-purporting-to-be-truth ala Michael Moore.

A review of "From Hell (Widescreen Edition)" (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 06:25:41 GMT

From Hell (Widescreen Edition)

by Albert Hughes

If you like period pieces and are at all interested in Jack the Ripper, you will definitely enjoy this film. There was a bit of gore but it was fairly tame overall, despite the suggestion on the NetFlix DVD sleeve that it is “not for the faint of heart.” The “love story” between Depp/Graham was underdeveloped at best. Cinematography was fantastic and Depp was, as always, brilliant. Still, I want my two hours and one minute back.

A review of "Atlas Shrugged" (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 03:10:55 GMT

Atlas Shrugged

by Ayn Rand

I’m not one who makes comments like this lightly, but: Atlas Shrugged is the greatest work ever to be born of the union of pen and paper. Even at 1069 solid pages of size five font, I found it impossible to put down. (It took about three days—definitely not ‘skim’ material.) Sheer brilliance. Absolutely expanded and refined many of my personal values, from capitalism to sex.

John? Are you out there?

A story about "The Secret"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 05:38:50 GMT

The Secret

by Rhonda Byrne

You could save the $4.95 and buy Jack Canfield’s “The Success Principles” which says the same thing, and even includes all the same examples. (No small surprise seeing as Jack was one of the stars of this film.)

A story about "An Inconvenient Truth"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 01:39:11 GMT

An Inconvenient Truth

by Davis Guggenheim

You can watch the full film online at:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xlr9k_an-inconvenient-truth-part-1-of-2

A story about "Beowulf: A New Verse Translation"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 07:11:15 GMT

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation

Save yourself the time and read Marina’s summary:

There is a guy named Beowulf. He kills a monster named Grendel. He kills Grendel’s mother. He kills a dragon but dies in the process.

A story about "The City of Lost Children"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 06:32:24 GMT

The City of Lost Children

by Marc Caro

Clearly, I am missing something. I am a foreign film nut. I loved Amelie and enjoyed Delicatessan, but this one … I couldn’t wait for it to be over and almost stopped it multiple times. Perhaps it’s my intense dislike of science fiction. (?)

A story about "Free Prize Inside: The Next Big Marketing Idea"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 02:59:48 GMT

Free Prize Inside: The Next Big Marketing Idea

by Seth Godin

This book was largely about how to get your idea past your boss. Good information, but I cannot say I picked up much as an entrepreneur. All I wanted to say was: quit your job, forget your boss, and make the idea your own!

A story about "Pope John Paul II Paper Dolls in Full Color (Pope John Paul II)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 01:14:06 GMT

Pope John Paul II Paper Dolls in Full Color (Pope John Paul II)

by Tom Tierney

This is the funniest gift you could ever give someone. (Unless they actually respect the pope.)

A story about "Yes Lives in the Land of No: A Tale of Triumph over Negativity (Bk Life)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 00:19:37 GMT

Yes Lives in the Land of No: A Tale of Triumph over Negativity (Bk Life)

by B. J. Gallagher

This took, max, 15 minutes to read. It was amusing and certainly made its point clearly (Perservere), but it is most certainly not worth $20.

A story about "The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 09:20:09 GMT

The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency)

by Alexander Mccall Smith

A solid, quick read, but definitely not my typical sort of book. (I just joined a new local book club and it is their current selection.) I practically live at Borders, yet this was my very first venture into the “Mystery & Thriller” section.

Although the first in a fictional series, it did spark an interest in visiting Botswana in the near future—and since the author, Alexander McCall Smith, used to teach at the University of Botswana, I am assuming many of the native descriptions were not simply sewn together from National Geographic articles.

I may or may not read more books in the series. I have a significant library of books at home, but very few “casual” reads such as this, so it might be worth investing in the series for those infrequent nights when you just want to curl up with a book and not think too hard, but you cannot bring yourself to give Dan Brown money :)

A story about "Samoas"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 04:36:09 GMT

Samoas

by Girl Scout Cookies

As a vegan, the only two things I miss are samoas and fresh mozzarella cheese. Sigh.

A story about "A Virgin's Guide to Everything: From Sushi to Sample Sales--A Novice's Handbook to Doing It Right"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Marina) — Thu, 04 May 2006 06:25:44 GMT

A Virgin's Guide to Everything: From Sushi to Sample Sales--A Novice's Handbook to Doing It Right

by Lauren McCutcheon

Cutesy prose that was humorous at times. Overall, the content left much to be desired. If you need a book to tell you not to wear a white pantsuit to a wine tasting event, you deserve to spill some red down your front.

“Ms. Witherspoon’s first name + rhymes with bling” is certainly a memorable way to remember how to pronounce Riesling, though.