Archive for June, 2010

Think of a juvenile James Bond with an IQ beyond Einstein’s. Then throw him in a world of technologically superior fairies, and the fun can begin.

And this is really what Artemis Fowl is about, first and foremost: FUN.

Some might say it reverts too easily to stereotypes, but I am not sure whether this is actually a bad thing. Too much depth, too much complexity in character development, might have taken the umpf out of the sheer fun ride I’ve had in reading Artemis.

The basic idea of the book–for those new to Fowl’s world–is that there is an underground world of fairies who go to great pains to keep their existence a secret from the human upper world. Until Artemis, a young criminal master mind, tracks down the fairies and upsets the whole balance of the worlds above and below ground.

In summary: Don’t expect the symbolism of Narnia, the metaphysics of His Dark Materials, or the detail of Harry Potter. Artemis Fowl doesn’t have any of those. Instead, expect to be blasted away by the explosive energy of a fun novel.

- Jacob Schriftman, Author of The Crack Beneath the Worlds and Other Books

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I picked “The Help” up while browsing the bookstore at Berlin’s Tegel Airport. There wasn’t much of a choice in English books but I had a while to wait for my flight and this book looked slightly more interesting than the other romances, horror novels and potboilers it was on the shelf with.

It is a beautifully written book, moving effortlessly in narrative style between the white employers and their maids. The characters are well-developed and multi-dimensional and, although there is the temptation to intensely dislike “Miz Hilly” and her ilk, flashes of another part of her character sometimes come through, making one realise how just as imprisoned she was the narrow confines of her society as “the help” were in theirs. The cage was perhaps more gilded but a cage it was all the same.

A wonderful book – I agree with another reviewer who said, you can’t stop reading but wish the book would never end!
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Conversations with God : An Uncommon Dialogue (Book 1)
I found this book interesting. Contrary to the teachings of The Holy Bible, the author claims that satan is a “myth,” that Jesus was only a great person (no mention of “Savior”), and seemed to imply that the “things written down 2000 years ago” are open to debate. My questions is this: If all these things written 2000 years ago about God and Jesus were true, WHY would God, in “speaking with Mr. Neale Donald Walsch (as he claims)”, suddenly reverse his previous statements about satan, the validity of the Bible, and the absolute sovereignty of Christ?
I am a skeptic, and I like to think I have an open mind. This book was recommended to me by a colleague. However, I could not help but thinking that Mr. Walsch definitely has a “profit motive” in his writings. “If the item sells, continue to write.” Never mind it may be misinformation. Mr. Walsh, I hope you get this “God thing” right- your eternity may depend on it.
Please reference “Evidence that Demands a Verdict,” by Josh McDowell. A professed athiest that became a Christian because of his research. Go figure.
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It is everything and more. I had no idea you can go on the internet, get news and weather and more. Go get one yourself. It’s great!
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I’m sure there are fancier, more expensive, Pedometers available….but the Omron HJ-112 was perfect for my needs. Easy to use, inexpensive, and accurate.
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I bought this scale and have had it almost a month. It is easy to use, the screne is easy to read and has a nice light on it so that you can use the scale in low lighting. It seems to be fairly accurate, though sometimes it varies a few ounces which for me is irrelevant. Overall it is a good buy.
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I just read the book, now I am 47 and this is what I got out of it: All the adults are not dealing with a troubled youth in a constructive way. I have read some of the reviews and I think they are giving Salenger way to much credit. This is a book where the adults are dumb and the only smart one is the kid sister. My guess is Salinger had a issue with authority figures all his life and let it all out in this book. I can say that I have read it so I can at least discuss it with others but I got no insite into my life from it and neither did Holden by the way. There is lots of cussing for no really good reason in the book. If you took all that out, the story would be the same but it would be much more readable to a larger audiance.

Holden has some real mental issues going but I don’t think society is the cause as my guess Salinger would like us to think. I do think society will be shown as the cause if they ever make a movie or Holden will be shown as some misguided saint. Kind of reminds me of the teenage boy shooters that we have seen over the last few years. I wonder if any one of them have read this book?
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Book: Artemis Fowl #1
Author: Eoin Colfer
By Alexander Hall

12-year-old Artemis Fowl is a criminal mastermind. It is his job to get his family fortune back. It all started when Russians sank his dad’s ship. Artemis Fowl Sr. had bought a cargo ship with 250 thousand cans of Coca Cola on it. He was going to sell it for money for years. Russians didn’t like the idea of an Irish tycoon selling all of it in their market. They sank his ship. No one has seen him since, so they all think he’s dead. Artemis Fowl Jr. has an idea. If he gets money from fairies, he can sell it and make millions. All he has to do is get an ancient rulebook for fairies, translate it, and capture a fairy. This would be easy for Artemis, considering that he is a kid prodigy. But this small kidnap will turn into a war.
This funny book for all ages will get you thinking. You will not know whose side to take because Eoin makes you feel like one of the fairy officers or one of Artemis’ butlers in every chapter. Will Artemis win? Or will the fairies wipe them out of existence?

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I bought the Kindle as a “gadget” since I like having gadgets. Since I’ve had it (3 weeks), I’ve read three books! I didn’t read three books all of last year! This book is so much fun and I find that I read so much faster than the traditional way. It may cost me a fortune especially since I didn’t have a line item in the budget for BOOKS before this. My only complaint is that the screen isn’t backlit. It would be nice to read in bed or outside at night without having a separate light, but… oh well. I’ll get over it…. after I read about 30 more books!
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