All Consuming : MegaraTheDiary

A story about "Baby Proof"

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:00:06 GMT

Baby Proof

by Emily Giffin

This was undoubtedly the silliest book I’ve ever allowed myself to read.
Summer reading at it’s best.

A story about "The Book of Dahlia: A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:46:14 GMT

The Book of Dahlia: A Novel

by Elisa Albert

I simply loved this book. I read it in two sittings. It’s an every day story, the engulfment of western lifestyle and how apathetic we become, even when faced with the worst. The main character is impossible to like, but she is definitely a memorable one.

Good packaging (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:44:01 GMT

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61)

by Eckhart Tolle

Weary of every single help book out there, I was intrigued by this because my sister (who is also weary of them) read it and for the first time in her life she was capable of tolerating the stress in her life. It’s a good summary of all the major eastern disciplines broken down into a comprehensible language. Some things are easy to apply, others are simply crazy, but overall it’s not completely far fetched.

A story about "La Virgen de los Sicarios Our Lady of the Assassins (Spanish edition) (Alfaguara Hispanica)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:54:09 GMT

La Virgen de los Sicarios Our Lady of the Assassins (Spanish edition) (Alfaguara Hispanica)

by Fernando Vallejo

Sordid, sad, shocking. When you walk the streets of Colombia through the pages of this book, it’s like you yourself become the assasin, you are the one killing the people who deserve death, or don’t, the people that annoy you, the people who don’t have a sense of humor or have too much and among all of them, the killing of Colombia, a country long gone, where the FARC’s, the drug lords and the criminals have completely
exterminated peace all together.

A story about "Take It Like a Man: The Autobiography of Boy George"

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:55:17 GMT

Take It Like a Man: The Autobiography of Boy George

by Boy George

It has been quite educational, very honest and straighforward, with the cutness and ugliness that we all have.

German cinema never disappoints (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:55:42 GMT

Vier Minuten

by Chris Kraus

Just the final scene makes your money worth. Even though the story is predictable, the performances are breathtaking. Watching a foreign film always breaks the monotony of theme recycling on american films.

A story about "Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust"

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:46:41 GMT

Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust

by Sigur Rós

Can they be more sublime?

Why it's taking me forever to finish consuming "Special Topics in Calamity Physics"

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 20:35:09 GMT

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

by Marisha Pessl

Can somebody explain to me why, oh why the editor did not chop off 150 pages off this book? So far none of what I’ve read is necessary. I’ve been hauling this book for months and I can’t read more than a page at a time. However I’m giving it a chance, I’m sure it must own up to the hype it made, but so it has been snobbish unnecesary babble.

Such a waste (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:36:18 GMT

The Post-Birthday World

by Lionel Shriver

Such a waste of time and good writing. There were brilliant paragraphs, there were brilliant ideas and dialogues.. but there was no story.
I had to stop. Life is too short to digest hundreds of pages of babble.

Good beach reading (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 00:13:23 GMT

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

by Kim Edwards

If you’re not into Stephen King at the beach or any of those suspense novels, this is a good option. It’s a nice story.. but the ending was straight out of “happily ever after” book.

A story about "Love, Etc."

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 02:43:04 GMT

Love, Etc.

by Julian Barnes

So worth it, I devoured this book.
This is a powerful reason to love the English language.

Another example of "hype" (rated 1 star)

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 16:40:45 GMT

Running with Scissors: A Memoir

by Augusten Burroughs

I had this book in my wishlist for a while. I have come to undestand that misleading marketing is indeed present in literature, I guess I’ve been naive.
You can tell that this book is an exaggeration, with more fiction than truth, an elaborate attempt to shock and disturb. I don’t find it believable, actually I would if it was marketed as fiction, but this is just boring, no wonder the movie was not successful.

Which is worth more?

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 18:26:01 GMT

No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories

by Miranda July

There are two different types of writers, those that leave us in awe over their use of their language, while their stories are not so original, and the ones that might not use the language this way but their stories seem to make you actually FEEL something, and you can tell that the author was honest while not having perfect domain of writing rules. I think that if Miranda July had gone and tried to be the first type of writer, she would’ve gotten terrible reviews, but if we understand that the girl is a performance artist, and not a english major, or MFA graduate, we can see that they are just honest creative stories, and her style is not disrrupted, and yea.. she made a cool website for her book. She was linked enough to go from “hey check out this cool website” to “she’s only selling her book because of the website”.
Funny phenomenon. Anyway, there are good stories and bad stories in the book, like in every anthology.. but the good ones are quite good!

A story about "The Writer's Harbrace Handbook"

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Wed, 23 May 2007 12:35:41 GMT

The Writer's Harbrace Handbook

by Cheryl Glenn

I am re-learning english with this book….

Why it's taking me forever to finish consuming "In the Name of Friendship (Classic Feminist Writers)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Wed, 23 May 2007 12:34:17 GMT

In the Name of Friendship (Classic Feminist Writers)

by Marilyn French

This is the type of book that makes me mad. It’s the type of feminism I completely hate, however, I am learning about novel structure and dialog, especially when they give such long “oh poor me, back in those days, I couldn’t choose between having a family or a career, I never chose my life….” dicourses.

A story about "Microserfs"

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 13:13:39 GMT

Microserfs

by Douglas Coupland

This book is funny to read because it was written in 1990-something and back then it must have been amazingly innovative and it must have pushed the line for all those sillicon valley people who were getting ready to take the world by storm. It’s almost antropological!

A story about "A Complicated Kindness"

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 14:25:07 GMT

A Complicated Kindness

by Miriam Toews

I was browsing through the nuveautés in the National Library of Quebec and I bumped into this book. It seemed to have been checked out so many times.. I read the first paragraph, not the back cover, but the first paragraph and I was marveled and the easiness, the fluidity, the stroytelling.. wow..
I was in a reading rut, trying hard to read big literature figures and forgot how valuable are the new people, the natural story tellers…
Beautiful!

A story about "I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies): True Tales of a Loudmouth Girl"

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 14:21:45 GMT

I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies): True Tales of a Loudmouth Girl

by Laurie Notaro

I got sick of it by the 15th page.. it’s true, she tries so hard.. after she writes an anecdote she unwinds it until there is no more “funny” in it.. geez..annoying.

This is what a good record means (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 02:02:49 GMT

Joan as Police Woman

by Joan as Police Woman

Nobody should live without it. A true musician, a wonderful songwriter and a name truly original. Joan as Police Woman..
she will be the icon of 2006

This is it (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Fri, 09 Jun 2006 00:51:14 GMT

Springtime Can Kill You

by Jolie Holland

This is the type of music you can take with you for years and years and you will never feel it is old, even though it has the old bluish feeling. Wonderful.

A story about "The Sacred and Profane Love Machine (Penguin Books)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (MegaraTheDiary) — Sun, 28 May 2006 17:03:10 GMT

The Sacred and Profane Love Machine (Penguin Books)

by Iris Murdoch

Unfortunately I had to take it back to library before I finished.
In august I’ll go get it again!