All Consuming : NothingToDeclare

Consumed "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:49:06 GMT

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food

by Jennifer 8 Lee

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Cry Wolf"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:48:46 GMT

Cry Wolf

by Tami Hoag

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:34:52 GMT

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex

by Mary Roach

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold Story of English"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:34:17 GMT

Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold Story of English

by John McWhorter

WORTH IT!

Consumed "The Touch of Twilight"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:33:36 GMT

The Touch of Twilight

by Vicki Pettersson

WORTH IT!

Consumed "The Taste of Night: The Second Sign of the Zodiac"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Thu, 14 May 2009 21:33:19 GMT

The Taste of Night: The Second Sign of the Zodiac

by Vicki Pettersson

WORTH IT!

A review of "Undead on Arrival (Crimson Moon, Book 3)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Sat, 09 May 2009 03:10:26 GMT

Undead on Arrival (Crimson Moon, Book 3)

by L. A. Banks

Well, I read one of the other Crimson Moon novels a few years back, (either #1 or #2, since the events in the novel pre-date this one) and somehow picked this one up at the bookstore without recalling I’d already started the series.

Pretty standard supernatural vampire werewolf thriller genre. Hot female lead character. Lots of slobbery bad guys (the bad guys are Vampires in this universe, and the wolves are (mostly) good, and the humans are mostly naieve). Less sex than average.

Good character development. A complex plot is carried forward from the previous one I read, but without so much mind-numbing complexity (see my review of the Malazan series) that I couldn’t pick up where this book started, and didn’t feel the need to go back and find the other one so I’d understand what the heck happened.

Will definitely be looking for the rest of the series now.

Consumed "1434: The Year China Ignited the Renaissance"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:57:04 GMT

1434: The Year China Ignited the Renaissance

by Gavin Menzies

WORTH IT!

A story about "Men of Mathematics"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:08:22 GMT

Men of Mathematics

by E.T. Bell

got this from the bargain bin at a local bookstore.

it’s a slow-moving but interesting account of the personal histories of some important dead mathematicians. along with some of their most important work.

probably not worthwhile unless you have an interest in the personalities behind the work, and some interest in the work itself.

Consumed "The Scent of Shadows: The First Sign of the Zodiac"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:58:10 GMT

The Scent of Shadows: The First Sign of the Zodiac

by Vicki Pettersson

WORTH IT!

Consuming "Head First Java, 2nd Edition"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:05:34 GMT

Head First Java, 2nd Edition

by Kathy Sierra

Consuming "The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad, Revised Edition"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:19:39 GMT

The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad, Revised Edition

by Fareed Zakaria

Consumed "Howling Moon (Tales of the Sazi)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 23:14:44 GMT

Howling Moon (Tales of the Sazi)

by C. T. Adams

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Quiet Nights"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:53:18 GMT

Quiet Nights

by Diana Krall

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Hotter Than Hell"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:48:30 GMT

Hotter Than Hell

by Kim Harrison

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Captive Moon (Tales of the Sazi)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:47:11 GMT

Captive Moon (Tales of the Sazi)

by C. T. Adams

WORTH IT!

Consumed "Moon's Web (Tales of the Sazi)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 21:44:07 GMT

Moon's Web (Tales of the Sazi)

by C. T. Adams

WORTH IT!

Put the book down, and step away slowly and no one gets hurt

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:37:21 GMT

Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, Vol. 1)

by Steven Erikson

One might try to compare the Malazan series with

Chung Kuo series by David Wingrove
Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind
Lazarus Long series by Asimov
Lord of the Rings by Tolkien

But the only similarities that I can find is that they use the same alphabet. And even then, not so much, given that Tolkien invented several new ones for his books.

Malazan are unecessasrily confusing, complicated and convoluted. The series I mention above each demonstrate that you can write a long series of fantasy books with lots of characters and locations without losing all your readers along the way. This series fails to do so.

No better than bad samizdat fanfic newsletter writing. Yes, I know some fanfic is fabulously good, but when it’s bad it’s shamefully bad. Except that in the case of Malazan, it’s expanded to an enormous number of thick tomes thru some demonic pact with an evil publisher seeking to destroy your will and eat your soul.

Perhaps a better comparison would be to vampire-pulp series like

Rachel Morgan series by Kim Harrison
Anita Blake series by Laurell K Hamilton

except that both of these series are still way better written, plotted, scripted and executed. So it’s still not a fair comparison, since after reading Malazan you the reader and not a character in the books, end up as a drooling shuffling undead meal for a vampire.

Then I realized I knew exactly where this sort of writing comes from. An automated markov chain prose generator program makes exactly this sort of mind numbing mishegas. I once wrote a generator like the one the author must have used on my own website to produce candidate holywood movie plots (hit refresh a few times to see it generate a new plot with each refresh)

Why I recommend "Obsidian Butterfly (An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 9) (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:17:04 GMT

Obsidian Butterfly (An Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 9) (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter)

by Laurell K. Hamilton

Okay, I’ve now read seven of the Anita Blake novels back-to-back (yes this is number nine, but I read 1-6, then 9 and still have remaining on the nightstand 10,13. I got confused in the bookstore buying, okay).

This one develops the Edward character much more fully, and very vividly. The dramatic tension is much better now, and and the internal dialogue inside Anita is better.

And the monotonous repetition of description that was really hurting my enjoyment of the first few novels has finally gone by the wayside. Laurell K Hamilton still repeats herself far too often, but reading all these back to back is actually insightful in that I can see her growing in strength as an author from book to book. A bit like a vampire getting older and and stronger. Heh heh.

I know a bit about native religions in mesoamerica, and it’s an interesting thesis that Hamilton puts forward about who the “gods” really were. One that makes me chuckle (in a good way) all the way thru the book, actually. On the otherhand, Hamilton may have done some research into it, but not much more than Professor Dallas, a character in the novels, whose research seems to consist of watching a vegas-style show at a nightclub of an aztec religious ceremony.

A review of "The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter)" (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:37:46 GMT

The Lunatic Cafe (Anita Blake Vampire Hunter)

by Laurell K. Hamilton

The fourth of the Anita Blake series. Again, not as tasty as Kim Harrison’s work (Rachel Morgan) but better than some of the vampire-pulp genre. Lots of biting, even if there’s not so very much sex. Of course, biting is a proxy for sex in vampire books, and we all know that.

It still annoys me that Laurell K Hamilton seems to keep a bunch of descriptive phrases on “auto fill” in her word processor.

For example, every time someone sits with correct posture it doesn’t always need to be followed by the exact words “My stepmother, Judith, would have been proud.” At least mix it up and say “Judith still bemoaned the fact that I never sat that way. I always disappointed my stepmother.”

Descriptions of guns are word-for-word identical between the books. Stuff like that. It’s not endearing, and it’s actually starting to get in the way of my enjoyment of the series. And I’ve still got the next five books already bought and laying by my hand this vacation.

I marked it Worth Consuming but my recommendation would be to not read lots of this back-to-back if you can avoid it.

Why I recommend "Every Which Way But Dead"

nobody@allconsuming.net (NothingToDeclare) — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:02:50 GMT

Every Which Way But Dead

by Kim Harrison

Kim Harrison rocks. I’ve anxiously awaited every Rachel book so far, and have devoured each like a rabid werewolf gnawing at it’s hapless prey.

Unlike the Anita Blake series (by Laurell Hamilton) this series by Harrison always surprises and delights.

I know I’m rooting for Rachel to do her vamp roommate. You know what I mean. Oh yeah.