All Consuming : jsherry

Outstanding! (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 20:29:15 GMT

The Interrogators: Inside the Secret War Against al Qaeda

by Chris Mackey

Outstanding! A glimpse into Army Interrogators at the beginning of the war in Afghanistan.

Why I recommend "The Adventuress"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 19:51:53 GMT

The Adventuress

by Audrey Niffenegger

I say “Worth Consuming” with the caveat that this is a “Novel in Pictures” and not a traditional novel or a graphic novel. It reads, in a sense, like a children’s book with a paucity of text which describes the images on the opposite page.

It tells the story of a woman who was made rather than born and gives birth to a cat and transforms into a moth and there is a good deal of sadness to her.

Audrey Niffenegger is the author of The Time Traveler’s Wife (a novel in words!) and The Three Incestuous Sisters (a novel in pictures) and readers who loved The Time Traveler’s Wife may not find what they are looking for here. But, The Adventuress is very well put together and there are those readers who are looking for exactly what this book is.

in the strongest possible terms (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 01:34:34 GMT

City of Pearl

by Karen Traviss

This isn’t so much a review as it is a recommendation. As science fiction, I can only recommend this in the strongest possible terms. It’s that good.

it's like this...

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Sat, 20 May 2006 18:29:49 GMT

The Reality Dysfunction Part 2: Expansion

by Peter F. Hamilton

There is a whole lot going on in this book and while I enjoyed it and I like it, it isn’t nearly as good as the first half “Emergence”. I’m still not sure what all just happened.

better than his fantasy (rated 5 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 00:29:30 GMT

A Knight of the Word

by Terry Brooks

You know, as much as I have enjoyed the fantasy of Terry Brooks over the years I have been disillusioned as well because somewhere along the line the boat got missed and a story that used to be packed into a single volume is spread across 3. Imagine if Brooks wrote Elfstones today, it would be a trilogy itself.

Regardless, when I read “Running With the Demon” I was impressed. Now I’m sold. The Word/Void trilogy is easily the best thing Brooks has written and that includes Elfstones (sorry Elfstones). “A Knight of the Word” continues the fantastic urban fantasy and I can’t wait to read “Angel Fire East”. Why didn’t I read this a decade ago?

A story about "Junebug"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 15:21:24 GMT

Junebug

by Phil Morrison (II)

Amy Adams was fantastic in this movie. She takes a character who could easily have been irritating and unintelligent and instead gives her such heart and likeability. It’s easy to see why her performance has been so loved.

The movie itself, however, was not so good. What was up with those lingering shots on empty rooms and scenery? As the director isn’t Terrance Malick, they seemed quite unnecessary and could have turned a 100 minute movie into a pretty decent 80 minute movie.

Alas. It wasn’t to be.

But we love Amy Adams.

A story about "Brokeback Mountain"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 18:13:01 GMT

Brokeback Mountain

by Ang Lee

I say “worth consuming” because it was a decent movie, well made and well acted, but “just okay”. I’m not mad that I saw it and I know why it is getting all the buzz, but it’s not the best picture of 2005 by any means (and I’ve only seen 20 some movies from 05)

A story about "All Rivers Flow to the Sea"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 12:47:07 GMT

All Rivers Flow to the Sea

by Alison Mcghee

This is so good it stands with her adult fiction as being simply a great book.

A story about "Who We Are Instead"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 00:07:54 GMT

Who We Are Instead

by Jars of Clay

The music is actually decent enough and fans of Jars of Clay should still like it, but it is just missing that special something to really recommend it. I’d say that it is more “Much Afraid” than the self titled release or “The Eleventh Hour”.

A story about "Before the Storm (Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis, Book 1)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 12:58:46 GMT

Before the Storm (Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis, Book 1)

by Michael P. Kube-Mcdowell

By the end of this book I can say that it was worth consuming for the Star Wars reader. It had a decent ending with the promise of a greater war. The first half of the book was a bit rough and I was about ready to write off the entire Black Fleet Trilogy. It got better. Not great, not among the best of the Star Wars novels, but decent and with promise.

A story about "Hardy Boys 09: The Great Airport Mystery (Hardy Boys)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 23:27:10 GMT

Hardy Boys 09: The Great Airport Mystery (Hardy Boys)

by Franklin W. Dixon

Well…it’s worth consuming if you like the Hardy Boys or are a younger reader.

A story about "Firefly - The Complete Series"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 12:13:24 GMT

Firefly - The Complete Series

There isn’t enough good that I can say about Firefly. A Space Western with more heart than you can shake a stick at. Given three seasons this show could have been an all time favorite. Honestly, it already is and the first season was never completed.

A story about "Crystal Gorge (The Dreamers, Book 3)"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 12:07:03 GMT

Crystal Gorge (The Dreamers, Book 3)

by David Eddings

After somehow making it through the first two books of this series I read two chapters and nothing had improved and the prologue and first chapter were actually worse than I expected. Eddings takes everything that was good from his earlier work, strips it of quality and interest, and deposits it into The Dreamers.

A story about "The Painted Drum : A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (jsherry) — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 11:46:02 GMT

The Painted Drum : A Novel

by Louise Erdrich

The language of the novel really is beautiful, but it didn’t seem to be about characters. Like the people didn’t matter. I know, it’s about the drum and tracing the drum’s history and how it may have impacted people, but when the setting switched from the present day at the very beginning to the past it lost me. That’s a shame because Erdrich has long been my favorite author.