All Consuming : Cathy

Water down the river... (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 21:32:00 GMT

by Thomas King

Synopsis from Amazon:
“Fresh, inventive, funny and intriguing, this latest novel from King ( Medicine River ) is an imaginative exploration of contemporary Native American culture. The plot revolves around the escape from a mental hospital of four very old Indians called Ishmael, Hawkeye, Robinson Crusoe and the Lone Ranger. These, however, are no ordinary natives. They may be the last survivors of the Indians interned at Fort Marion in Florida in the 19th century. Or perhaps they are the first human beings, as described in tribal creation myths. Their repeated breakouts – 37 to date – have coincided with disasters: the 1929 stock market crash, the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, etc. Their mission this time brings them into the lives of an eccentric Canadian Blackfoot family: Lionel Red Dog, who sells TV sets and has no ambition; his sister Latisha, who owns a restaurant that bilks thrill-seeking tourists by purporting to serve them dog meat; Uncle Eli Stands Alone, a former university professor who is determined to prevent the operation of a dam on Indian land; and Charlie Looking Bear, a smarmy lawyer who works for the company opposing Eli’s cause. Wavering emotionally between Lionel and Charlie is Alberta Frank, who dates both of them and wants a baby but knows that neither man is husband material. King, a professor of Native American studies at the University of Minnesota, skillfully interweaves Native American and EuroAmerican literatures, exploring the truths of each. He mixes satire, myth and magic into a complex story line that moves smartly from Canada to Wounded Knee to Hollywood, and to a place beyond time where God and the native trickster, Coyote, converse. With this clever, vastly entertaining novel, he establishes himself firmly as one of the first rank of contemporary Native American writers—and as a gifted storyteller of universal relevance.”

Made my way up to page 78. It has been sitting on my shelf with the bookmark sticking out for several months. Let’s face it, I will not pick it up again. It feels like a great book, it just did not work for me at the time.

No Logo (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 21:29:55 GMT

No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs

by Naomi Klein

Amazon.co.uk Review:
“In No Logo, Klein patiently demonstrates, step by step, how brands have become ubiquitous, not just in media and on the street but increasingly in the schools as well. The global companies claim to support diversity but their version of “corporate multiculturalism” is merely intended to create more buying options for consumers. When Klein talks about how easy it is for retailers like Wal-Mart and Blockbuster to “censor” the contents of videotapes and albums, she also considers the role corporate conglomeration plays in the process. How much would one expect Paramount Pictures, for example, to protest against Blockbuster’s policies, given that they are both divisions of Viacom?
But resistance is growing and the backlash against the brands has set in. Street-level education programmes have taught kids in the inner cities, for example, not only about Nike’s abusive labour practices but about the astronomical mark-up in their prices. Boycotts have commenced: as one urban teen put it, “Nike, we made you. We can break you”.
No Logo is a comprehensive account of what the global economy has wrought and the actions taking place to thwart it.”

Present from my mother. I work in the garment industry, so she probably thought it would interest me. I read about a third of the book, before I put it back on the shelf, where it has been sitting for ages. Not for me.

48 laws of power (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 21:28:36 GMT

The 48 Laws of Power

by Robert Greene

From Amazon:
“Greene and Elffers have created an heir to Machiavelli’s Prince, espousing principles such as, everyone wants more power; emotions, including love, are detrimental; deceit and manipulation are life’s paramount tools. Anyone striving for psychological health will be put off at the start, but the authors counter, saying “honesty is indeed a power strategy,” and “genuinely innocent people may still be playing for power.” Amoral or immoral, this compendium aims to guide those who embrace power as a ruthless game, and will entertain the rest. Elffers’s layout (he is identified as the co-conceiver and designer in the press release) is stylish, with short epigrams set in red at the margins. Each law, with such allusive titles as “Pose as a Friend, Work as a Spy,” “Get Others to Do the Work for You, But Always Take the Credit,” “Conceal Your Intentions,” is demonstrated in four ways – using it correctly, failing to use it, key aspects of the law and when not to use it. Devious strategies are culled from well-known personae: Machiavelli, Talleyrand, Bismarck, Catherine the Great, Mao, Kissinger, Haile Selassie, Lola Montes and various con artists of our century. These historical escapades make enjoyable reading, yet by the book’s conclusion, some protagonists have appeared too many times and seem drained. Although gentler souls will find this book frightening, those whose moral compass is oriented solely to power will have a perfect vade mecum.”

Beautifully made book with the main text in black type and side comments in red. Cream coloured pages. And it smells good, too. Nice on the eyes. But I have read only 38 pages since I bought it 7 months, so I am giving up!

Master of Wolves by Angela Knight (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 11:40:23 GMT

Master of Wolves (Mageverse, Book 5) (Berkley Sensation)

by Angela Knight

Book Description:
“Jim London is outraged over the death of his friend, a fellow cop and werewolf – and wants to get to the bottom of what he thinks was murder. The only way to find out is to go undercover – and, in his wolf form, Jim can do that better than anybody. There’s one complication: the new K9 handler, Faith Weston, is sexy enough to bring out the animal in any man.”

Paranormal romance with werewolves, for those low-brainpower moments…. I thought the beginning was very funny, with Jim going undercover as a German shepherd. Lots of situational comedy moments there. Although it probably wasn’t intended to be funny. Then King Arthur and his 12 Knights of the Round Table appeared and I thought “Oh no, good plotline ruined with extreme silliness!” But it actually worked out ok. Very hot sex scenes, although they got a bit repetitive. Entertaining, suspenseful, I would read more by the author.

Irsud by Jo Clayton (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 18:08:06 GMT

Irsud (Diadem Novels, Book 3)

by Jo Clayton

From the back flap:
“Sold into slavery to an insectoid race, Aleytys had been chosen as proxy-mother to the old queen’s successor. In short, like an Earth wasp’s prey, she would be both bearer and food for that which was to come.
Had Aleytys been any other human, this would have been the end. But she was the wearer of the Diadem, that creation of galactic science that linked her nervous system to powers of strange potency. And for Aleytys and the queen the fateful conflict was about to begin!”

I started skimming half way through the book. I was bored by the writing style and by the story. This is the third book of the Diadem series. I realised today, that I read another one of the series as a teenager. I remember that I liked it. Tastes change.

Don of the Dead by Casey Daniels

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 09:24:04 GMT

Don of the Dead: A Pepper Martin Mystery

by Casey Daniels

From the back cover:
SHE SEES DEAD PEOPLE
“Beautiful, smart, and chic, Pepper Martin never had to work a day in her life—until her surgeon daddy was convicted of fraud, her wealthy fiancé took a powder, and the family fortune ran bone dry. Suddenly desperate, the inexperienced ex-rich girl was forced to take the only job she could get: as a tour guide in a cemetery. But a grave situation took a turn for the worse when a head-on collision with a headstone left her with an unwatned ability to communicate with the disgruntled deceased…and now Pepper has a whacked Mafia don demanding that she hunt down his killers—and threatening to haunt her until she does.”

Cute book. I wasn’t too impressed at first, but it grew on me. Quite refreshing not to have a gun-wielding, sword-carrying heroine. No vampires or werewolves, just your nice neigbourhood ghost. Well, as whacked Mafia dons go, Gus is a nice guy. I have to start watching the Sopranos! By the time we reached the end and Pepper had figured out, who offed Gus and why, I was ready for more. Book number 2 went straight onto my wishlist.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 19:54:36 GMT

The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini

Amazon.co.uk Review and back cover of the book:
“Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the approval of his father and resolves to win the local kite-fighting tournament, to prove that he has the makings of a man. His loyal friend Hassan promises to help him – for he always helps Amir – but this is 1970s Afghanistan and Hassan is merely a low-caste servant who is jeered at in the street, although Amir still feels jealous of his natural courage and the place he holds in his father’s heart. But neither of the boys could foresee what would happen to Hassan on the afternoon of the tournament, which was to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return, to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption. .
The first Afghan novel to be written in English, The Kite Runner begins in the final days of King Zahir Shah’s 40-year reign and traces the country’s fall from a secluded oasis to a tank-strewn battlefield controlled by the Russians and then the trigger-happy Taliban.”

Do not read the review on Amazon, it gives too much away of the storyline.

A beautiful book! Just the ending gets a bit too frantic for its own good, I don’t think it quite fits with the rest of the book. But still, well worth reading and a lot more gripping than I expected.
The beginning is a fairly typical coming of age story and just when it all slowed down and I started to loose interest, something unexpected happened and we were off again to a new development in the storyline. That happened several times.
The beginning of the story is definitely the most poetic part, but I also loved the part with the weekly market and Amir meeting Soraya. When Amir eventually goes back to Kabul, what happens is not a great surprise, I predicted it almost down to the details, but it still kept me up until 3am this morning. I just had to finish the last 100 or so pages in one sitting.
Very good! Oh, just in case you are wondering, I was crying on page 299….

A story about "Stretching"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 19:47:25 GMT

Stretching

by Suzanne Martin

I decided that I want to learn how to stretch properly. Did not want to ask the guys at the gym, so I finally picked this book at my local bookstore today (any excuse to go into a bookshop and spend money), looks really nice. It says I should do it 15 minutes a day, so I will try! There is a 21-day posture programme in it that sounds like a good thing to begin with…
Will update, how it’s going.

No great surprises. (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 11:50:59 GMT

Circles of Silence: An Indian Love Story

by Preeti Singh

Circles of Silence by Preeti Singh

Book Description:
“A birth mark on the right shoulder! And one as big and as dark as that! Arre baap re! This is of some terrible significance. . .

Despite his grandmother’s gloomy prophecy, Rattan grows up leading a charmed life – first in Delhi, then at Boston University. When he returns to Delhi, and the family business, Rattan his happy to fall in with his parents’ plans for an arranged marriage: his young bride is somewhat dazzled by the splendour of her new home but her husband is handsome and the prospects look good. Then tragedy strikes at the heart of his affluent family. Rattan takes a job in Cairo to put the past behind him. Here he meets Nalini, daughter of the Indian Ambassador to Egypt. Chafing under the lack of freedom while accepting diplomatic duties since the death of her mother, she is drawn towards Rattan. But Rattan’s past lies in a circle of silence and when that silence is broken, Nalini must decide where her heart lies.”

I liked it. It did not sweep me off my feet, but the characters were likeable. The story was sweet and interesting enough, although there were no great surprises.

I tried uploading a picture of the cover art, but the website kept dying on me, so I eventually gave up.

A story about "The Map of Love: A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 17:34:49 GMT

The Map of Love: A Novel

by Ahdaf Soueif

I have actually not read this, I just can not figure out how to delete it from my list. I decided to release it, as I am not really interested.

From the back cover:
“In 1900 Lady Anna Winterbourne travels to Egypt where she falls in love with Sharif, an Egyptian Nationalist utterly committed to his country’s cause.
A hundred years later, Isabel Parkman, an American divorcee and a descendant of Anna and Sharif, goes to Egypt, taking with her an old family trunk, inside which are found notebooks and journals which reveal Anna and Sharif’s secret.”

A story about the last time I consumed "Gnocchi al Pesto"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 22:57:19 GMT

Gnocchi al Pesto

by Italy

It’s a favourite dish of mine. But the one I had tonight was greasy, with too much sauce and the gnocchi were very soft. Hm. Take-out, that probably didn’t help!

Woof! (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 22:09:37 GMT

Moon Called (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 1)

by Patricia Briggs

Synopsis:
“Mercy Thompson’s life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she’s fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn’t exactly normal herself…. and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.”

Mercy is a shapeshifter, by the way. Coyote… What a refreshing read! I really liked it. Yet again a new look at werewolves. And fae, vampires and the whole other shebang. Good fun. I have to check if there are more Mercy Thompson books around – to find out, if there is more to come with her and that nice, good looking werewolf. Not telling you, which one! You have to find out yourself. No, but this is not the usual hot steamy paranormal sex thing, there is a good deal of old fashioned sleuthing going on and hunting and firearms and karate…. I have to go to Amazon now and stick everything by Patricia Briggs on my wishlist, excuse me for a moment…

Room for improvement! (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 18:57:51 GMT

A Kiss of Shadows

by Laurell K. Hamilton

From Amazon.com:
“My name is Meredith Gentry, but of course it’s not my real name. I dare not even whisper my true name after dark for fear that one hushed word will travel over the night winds to the soft ear of my aunt, the Queen of Air and Darkness. She wants me dead. I don’t even know why… I fled the high court of Faerie three years ago and have been in hiding ever since. As Merry Gentry, I am a private investigator for the Grey Detective Agency: Supernatural Problems, Magical Solutions. My magical skills, scorned at the courts of Faerie, are valued in the human world. Even by human standards, my magic isn’t flashy, which is fine by me. Flashy attracts attention and I can’t afford that. Rumour has it that I am dead. Not quite. I am Princess Meredith NicEssus. To speak that name after dark is to call down a knock upon your door from a hand that can kill you with a touch. I have been careful, but not careful enough. The shadows have found me, and they are going to take me back home, one way or another. So the running is over. But the fighting has just begun… “

It started very promising. The usual humour and an interesting storyline, although not quite a gritty as Anita Blake. Up until the point, when she goes home. From the onwards it just seemed to be Merry Gentry considering who looks the most stunning, what their clothes look like and how good they might be in bed. Hm. It wasn’t actually bad, but a bit disappointing. More sleuthing would have been nice. Well, let’s see how #2 turns out, there is room for improvement!

"Office Feng Shui in a Week" by Graham Gunn (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 11:35:33 GMT

Office Feng Shui in a Week (Successful Business in a Week S.)

by Graham Gunn

Synopsis from Amazon:
“This handbook explores basic feng shui methods to turn office space into a positive environment. It covers: analysing the influences that the office environment has over you; defining what you want; clearing obstructions and blockages; reducing environment stress and energy drains; getting value for money; and harmonizing your workspace with your goals, and keeping it working for you.”

A little to esoterical for me towards the end, but otherwise a lot of very good ideas and suggestions. Made me realise, what I subconsciously knew already: My office space is wrong in every imaginable aspect. Now I have to figure out how to get my boss to improve the Feng Shui of the place. As the book suggest, I will start small with my own space and take it from there…. Good little book to get a first glimpse at Feng Shui.

I was bored! (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 11:07:58 GMT

The Historian

by Elizabeth Kostova

From Amazon.com:
“If your pulse flutters at the thought of castle ruins and descents into crypts by moonlight, you will savor every creepy page of Elizabeth Kostova’s long but beautifully structured thriller The Historian. The story opens in Amsterdam in 1972, when a teenage girl discovers a medieval book and a cache of yellowed letters in her diplomat father’s library. The pages of the book are empty except for a woodcut of a dragon. The letters are addressed to: “My dear and unfortunate successor.” When the girl confronts her father, he reluctantly confesses an unsettling story: his involvement, twenty years earlier, in a search for his graduate school mentor, who disappeared from his office only moments after confiding to Paul his certainty that Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, an inventively cruel ruler of Wallachia in the mid-15th century, was still alive. The story turns out to concern our narrator directly because Paul’s collaborator in the search was a fellow student named Helen Rossi (the unacknowledged daughter of his mentor) and our narrator’s long-dead mother, about whom she knows almost nothing. And then her father, leaving just a note, disappears also.
As well as numerous settings, both in and out of the East Bloc, Kostova has three basic story lines to keep straight, one from 1930, when Professor Bartolomew Rossi begins his dangerous research into Dracula, one from 1950, when Professor Rossi’s student Paul takes up the scent, and the main narrative from 1972. The criss-crossing story lines mirror the political advances, retreats, triumphs, and losses that shaped Dracula’s beleaguered homeland, sometimes with the Byzantines on top, sometimes the Ottomans, sometimes the rag-tag local tribes, or the Orthodox church, and sometimes a fresh conqueror like the Soviet Union.
Although the book is appropriately suspenseful and a delight to read, even the minor characters are distinctive and vividly seen, its most powerful moments are those that describe real horrors. Our narrator recalls that after reading descriptions of Vlad burning young boys or impaling “a large family,” she tried to forget the words: “For all his attention to my historical education, my father had neglected to tell me this: history’s terrible moments were real. I understand now, decades later, that he could never have told me. Only history itself can convince you of such a truth.” The reader, although given a satisfying ending, gets a strong enough dose of European history to temper the usual comforts of the closing words.”

If you think the synopsis from Amazon is long, complicated and tedious, try reading the book! My mother loved the book and passed it on to some of her friends, who also liked it a lot. I just thought it was a huge drag. It just rambled on and on and on. The changes from one storyline to the next happened often in the beginning of the book – I kept putting it down a lot to read something else, because I was bored. By the time I picked it up again, I wouldn’t have a clue, whose story I was reading – the characters all sounded the same. About half way through the book I considered tossing it, but sheer stubbornness kept me reading. I finally finished it this morning, thank god! It finished on quite a bitter sweet note. Well, and it tried to leave you with a cliffhanger, of course. Sorry, not scary.
It’s a bestseller, obviously many people liked it. So don’t let me put you off, give it a try!

The Amulet of Samarkand (rated 4 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 22:07:49 GMT

The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1)

by Jonathan Stroud

Synopsis from Amazon:
“Author Jonathan Stroud delivers such a potent and unforgettable mix of magic, history and intrigue with The Amulet of Samarkand, the first part of his compelling Bartimaeus Trilogy, that it is difficult not to want to read the next novel immediately. Undoubtedly the shortest 480 pages you’ll ever read, The Amulet of Samarkand is a superb novel of revenge and adventure with the most original central character for years.
Bartimaeus is a wisecracking Djinni (pronounced “Jinnee” we’re reliably informed) unlike no other. Summoned from some otherworldly place to do the bidding of a pipsqueak trainee magician called Nathanial, he sets about his given task reluctantly but with aplomb. Nathanial is after revenge and that makes him dangerous. Previously humiliated by a powerful magician called Simon Lovelace in front of his impotent master, Nathanial has spent every waking hour for years cramming knowledge of the highest magic into his head so that he can exact his own special kind of vengeance.
Bartimaeus is charged to steal a precious and powerful object, the Amulet of Samarkand, from Lovelace’s residence, which the Djinni achieves but not without angering a few old mates on the same astral plane and having to spend the night annoyingly disguised as a bird. Bartimaeus, despite being bound to Nathaniel, discovers the boy’s real name—a tool he can use to his own advantage. But he is constantly outwitted. Then an overriding danger becomes apparent that threatens the whole fabric of society and they must work together to combat it.
Stroud’s fantasy world is familiar, yet fascinatingly different. It’s almost Victorian London, yet Magicians hold overall power and inhabit parliament. The writing is captivating, the story intelligent and mesmerising. It’s difficult to imagine a more scintillating collection of characters and situations. Unmissable. (Recommended for ages 10 and over.) “

Darker than Harry Potter, in a grimmer Britain with an alternative history where magicians rule. The characters are less lovable, the djinnis seem to be the ones with the real emotions. The idea that magical powers come from the djinnis that are enslaved by magicians summoning them is quite an interesting one. I liked Bartimaeus, I found it a bit depressing though and didn’t like Nathaniel very much. Still, I am tempted to get books 2 and 3, especially after reading the synopsis of book number 3, “Ptolemy’s Gate”.

A story about "Reese's Peanut Butter Cups"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 18:13:13 GMT

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

by Hershey's

Absolutely love them! I keep them in the freezer, that way they taste even better….

A story about "The Secret History"

nobody@allconsuming.net (Cathy) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 18:08:45 GMT

The Secret History

by Donna Tartt

I read this a long time ago and do not remember any details anymore. But I remember that I really liked it. Very good story, suspense until the end.