All Consuming : PixySix

I picture the author.. (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Wed, 09 May 2007 01:20:34 GMT

by Aritha Van Herk

as an emo-punk with fake black hair, a thesaurus and too much eyeliner. This was the most overly romanticized sucide fantasy that I have ever read.

Death could not have alluded to sex more prominently if the main character had fucked the grim reaper. I was pretty tired by the end of this book just from wading through all of the delusion. If I could say one thing to the author, it would be
“Put up or shut-up.”

It’s obvious that there is some deep-seated suidide fantasy going on and this book was her way of working through it. Damn though! This kind of literature is supposed to be theraputic and I have known for ages that I feel better about hard times if I write about them. I just don’t think that it should have become an award-nominated novel open for public consumption. I never got that ‘Yes, this author understands me!’ kind of feeling that non-judgemental relations of suicide literature are ‘supposed’ to have. All that I came away with was:

a. Wow, that author needs to work through some stuff
and
b. Wow, literature that proudly boasts Canadiana is SO pretentious and dull.

Come on Canada, let’s get some fresh talent flowing. This is embarrassing.

Meh (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Thu, 03 May 2007 01:20:07 GMT

The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing

by Melissa Banks

Well it wasn’t bad.
Some of the situations and dialogue were fairly endearing. The wit is clever and well-used.

I just couldn’t stand the choppy style. It was largely focused on the love life and times of a single heroinne, but suddenly an unrelated story about a completely different person flares up and then burns out.

There needed to be several other short stories fitting in the theme or the other characters needed to be dropped. The focus in this book was just bizarre.

I would reccomend it to someone who just wanted to read any old story on a long bus ride or something.

Belly Laughs (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 03:22:06 GMT

Hot Fuzz

by Edgar Wright

It’s strange and yet totally believeable that the last movie I have seen that made me laugh this much was ‘Shaun of the Dead’ (by and starring the same people).

There’s just something about British humor. Somehow it goes way farther than American humour without ever having to sink lower.

There’s not much to say about it. You’d have to be SO prudish not to laugh at this movie.

Why I recommend "Durable Goods"

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 03:18:26 GMT

Durable Goods

by Elizabeth Berg

A nice, quick read. It was more of a long short story.

I usually hate short stories because I feel like they’re over too quickly to have established good depth, character and situation. That was not the case with this book.

It’s a pretty good ‘growing up’ story. I say read it.

The Stigma (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 03:14:46 GMT

Brand New Friend

by Mike Gayle

In a lot of ways I could completely relate to the drama of ‘mixed gender’ friendships portrayed in this book. It seems very apparent that the author has been through the agony and misunderstandings involved in trying to be friends where everyone else sees ‘sexual tension’. Unfortunately he really seems to only have experienced friendships that DID have some degree of sexual tension.

In the end the author’s own psychology drives the story to a sort of stale-mate ending. The story is great and it features a lot of laughs and heartache. I could relate to most of it, but I wish the ending had been a bit more hopeful.

Read this book if you’ve ever gone through the frustration of explaining how you are friends with someone from the opposite gender and DON’T plan on ever sleeping with them.

SO gorgeous (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 18:23:27 GMT

The Art Of Joseph Michael Linsner

by Joseph Michael Linsner

Gad!
This man is so unbelievably talented. He does this all without computers (or mostly without anyways). His style is dynamic and expressive. Dawn has to be one of the most mysterious, intriguing and beautiful ladies in comics. JML seems like a very down-to-Earth, friendly guy. He also seems rediculously modest for someone who I consider in the top ten best all-around comic book artists working today. I would just LOVE to go to DragonCon this year and have him sign my copy.

If you love art involving gorgeous ladies (especially curvy Goddesses) then you just HAVE to check out JML. You won’t be dissappointed. The book is all color, no run-on blabber and features the bulk of JML’s best work of all time.

Why I gave up consuming "Justinian"

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 18:13:16 GMT

Justinian

by H. N. Turtletaub

Ugh!
Just Ugh.

As interesting as it is to learn about history, this book just couldn’t cut the mustard. It was agonizing to wade through the over-comma usage and goofy sentences. I made it to the halfway point in the book in four weeks! Yikes. I’m not usually a slow reader, but I was down to only reading this book when I was commuting and had nothing else to do.
The gimmick of having the story read as Justinian’s aoutobiography was fine, but the interjection of his servant talking to the priest who is reading the autobiography was annoying and redundant. We never hear what the priest is saying so we got things like: “Eh? What’s that brother? You want to know why I told Justinian to kick a puppy? Oh, now you’re coughing.”
Obviously not ex-actly that sentence, but you can imagine how annoying that dynamic got when it interrupted the story every three or four pages. Who would talk like that? Who would just repeat every single sentence that was just spoken to them before replying?

This book was a pain in the ass to read. I’m no masochist, I couldn’t finish it no matter how much I love history. It would’ve been faster to just Wiki Justinian II and learn about the guy online.

Didn't technically finish it (rated 1 star)

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 01:21:26 GMT

Married to the Mop (Charlotte Larue Mysteries)

by Barbara Colley

Ok. I know that there are a lot of lonely, bored oldah ladies out there, but is this kind of book REALLY what gets them through the day??

It was harder to buy than ‘Murder, She Wrote’. This bumbling old maid is solving mysteries left right and center (even though she SOO doesn’t want to). Are the local cops inept or is it because she’s constantly LYING TO THE POLICE AND TAMPERING WITH THE FREAKING EVIDENCE! Damn!

I didn’t even get to the part where she deals with the bloody towels she found days later on the crime scene that the police somehow missed and she then stashed under her house, fully intending to bring them to the cop shop except she was tired that day after work.

DUH! She was going to get caught with them and become a suspect and then have to cunningly clear her name with some random case-winning information that only she had noticed.

I almost hucked this book in the pool while I was on vacation. Burn it if you see it. Burn your eyes if you read it.

I'm trying to save you some time. (rated 1 star)

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 01:12:42 GMT

Stop That Girl: Fiction

by Elizabeth Mckenzie

This book needed a much harsher editor. There was no discernible point. It was clearly just a bunch of self-help psychology for the author. I’m all for working out the crappy life in writing so that you understand yourself better and lighten the baggage, but WHY this cathartic lump was made in to a book I just don’t get.

Skip this book.

Why is it always the ending? (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 01:07:46 GMT

The End of Mr. Y

by Scarlett Thomas

I was SOOOO in to this book for the first half. It was fascinating and there was a ton of potential. Then it got in to quantum physics and pyschology and philosophy and I found myself thinking: If I WANted to learn this stuff I wouldn’t be reading a fiction novel. It’s like the author is so pround (or just cocky) about knowing this stuff that she had to ramble on about it.

I found the ending disappointing too.

It was an interesting book, but it felt more like three almost entirely separate stories. Intro, text book, strange end.

This is your ending on drugs

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 00:56:48 GMT

Island (Perennial Classics)

by Aldous Huxley

Ok. This book was fluid and beautifully written. The concepts on how to run a Utopian society where the indiviuality of every person is understood and utilized for the greater good of the community were, in my opinion, fascinating and plausible.

I felt that the ending was very unsatisfying though. Aldous Huxley was apparently very in to the hallucinogens in his later years and as this book (being his last published book before he died) seems to be very disjointed by the end. It was kind of a ‘What the Fuck?” ending really.

It was still just lushly amazing to read and probably one of the best books I’ve read in the last 365 days. I guess that the first half had me hoping for a new messiah in Huxley and he couldn’t deliver.

So much for looking to one man for leadership, though I guess he warned me not to do that.

Why I recommend "Watership Down: A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 04:27:28 GMT

Watership Down: A Novel

by Richard Adams

I doubt you will ever find a book that more endears and enthralls you with the trials of a warren of rabbits. It’s very humanizing and yet stil distinctly feels ‘rabbitty’.

Why I recommend "The Old Man and the Sea"

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 04:24:56 GMT

The Old Man and the Sea

by Ernest Hemingway

This book was so beautiful. I picked it up on a lark once at the public library and it blew me away. The story of the old man is so simple and yet so compelling. I felt like I was alongside him through the whole story just waiting and struggling and holding on with all of my willpower to best this fish. As a side note I hate fish and think that they’re absolutely gross so it was big for me to care so much about how this man fared. I found the ending extremely powerful. Check it out.

A story about "Orlando"

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 01:35:27 GMT

Orlando

by Sally Potter

According to my ‘History of Costume’ teacher this movie is one of the most historically accurate movie of all time lookswise. The costumes, the interior decorating, even the pets. It’s bizarre to say the least and it deals with a lot of gender definition and confusion.

At the end of the movie everyone in my class was asking ”..... ssooooooo was she a man or a woman?” to which my teacher laughed and said “Noone ever asks me how she managed to live for over three hundred years. It’s always the gender question.”

When a movie looks this good though, anyone who likes to see how we (or at least the English and French) once looked should check it out.

Why I recommend "Little Britain - The Complete First Series"

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 19:55:00 GMT

Little Britain - The Complete First Series

by Declan Lowney

If you liked ‘Monty Pythons Flying Circus’ or ‘Kids in the Hall’ then you will probably laugh your butt off at ‘Little Britain’.

The characters are hilariously rediculous. Keep your eyes out for Lou and Andy and for Dafyyth (the only gay in the village). These guys have no shame and it’s awesome!

If I were still a kid I would dream of going to Sky High (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 19:49:28 GMT

Sky High (Widescreen Edition)

by Mike Mitchell (VI)

A cheesy, good-natured romp. It’s actually one of those movies where you pick up more and more little side jokes the more you watch it (the kids I used to nanny for had me watch it with them about forty times- I’ve picked up a lot).

The kids are adorable, the adults are hilarious and the art direction is superb! The plot is silly, but totally enjoyable and the cast plays extremely well off of each other. The ‘moral messages’ are clear and smart.

Few movies use specific colors for their characters so blatantly, but it looks gorgeous and vibrant in this movie.

If you don’t enjoy this movie (even secretly) then you are just an old grump with no imagination.

To All Appearances... interesting.

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 05:58:45 GMT

To All Appearances A Lady

by Marilyn Boewring

Wow. It’s hard to randomly grab a book out of the library and enjoy it. I had never heard of this book or this author before. It was a pretty interesting read with fairly well measured amounts of suspense, mystery, compassion, humor and heart. If I could change one thing about it then I would have made it more apparent that the story was building up to the ending that it did because said ending blindsided me quite a bit. I enjoyed that the story takes place on and around Vancouver Island and really offers up some lovely visuals and intriguing historical facts about the area. It’s worth reading.

Straight-line Labyrinth (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 00:58:35 GMT

Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)

by Guillermo del Toro

I was disappointed with this one. It wasn’t anywhere near as fantastical as the previews showed. It was pretty brutally violent in many parts. All in all I walked away just not caring that much. It was a powerful movie at many points, but I found no staying power afterwards. Great acting, just some strange plot points and twists that greatly took away from it.

For the true nerds.

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 07:02:52 GMT

The Wildlife of Star Wars

by Bob Carrau

Beautiful illustrations, just beautiful. If you consider yourself a Star Wars geek and you love to flesh out the universe then this book will look great as part of your collection. Learn about the habits and habitats of many of the major and quite a few of the minor species of creatures throughout the Star Wars ‘verse. Bonus points because we finally see what the Sarlacc looks like.

His name is my name too.

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 06:57:39 GMT

My Name Is Earl Season 1 Good Karma Deluxe DVD Set

It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I love this show. The plot lines are usually so goofy, but still done in such creative ways that you can almost believe that Earl really is some well-meaning American screw-up out there trying to make his life better. Stand-out performances by Jaime Pressly and Eddie Steeples as Earl ex-wife Joy and her new husband Darnell. Give it a shot.

Why I recommend "Scribblings"

nobody@allconsuming.net (PixySix) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 03:12:03 GMT

Scribblings

by Dean Yeagle

Dean Yeagle is an amazing artist! His designs have so much life and energy. Mandy is one seriously hot babe (see my avatar). He’s also a very nice person as I have experienced by trading messages with him on his website about purchasing this and other sketchbooks of his. Check him out if you’re interested: http://cagedbeagle.com/