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My Life in France
My Life in France by Julia Child Published: 2006 Narrated by: Kimberly Farr I grew up watching Julia Child with my parents. I had no interest in actually cooking at that age, but I loved how easy and fun she made it seem. She even used a sword to cut up a chicken that time. I want to cut up a chicken with a sword. Many of my culinary ambitions can probably be traced back to her in some way. I have yet to cut up anything with a sword, but it will happen. Julia Child led a more interesting life than many realize. She doesn’t go into World War…
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Audiobook Humble Bundle
If you’re a fan of video games, you’ve probably heard of the Humble Bundle. They are collections of games made available to purchase at the price of your choosing, in which the proceeds are split between the creators and charity. Altruistic shopping, what more do you want? This time they’re offering a bundle of DRM-free audiobooks. Here’s the pickings: The Satanic Verses – Salman Rushdie Stolen – Lucy Christopher Abandon – Meg Cabot Junky – William S. Burroughs Found – Margaret Peterson Haddix And if you pay more than the average (currently $5.62), you get these as well: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius – Dave Eggers Blood Meridian –…
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Fuzzy Nation
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi Published: 2011 Narrated by: Wil Wheaton This is the third novel I’ve listened to Wil Wheaton narrate, the second written by John Scalzi, and he always does a great job. I don’t know why I seem to go into these books thinking I’d rather have someone else reading, but by the end of the first chapter I’m always enthralled. Scalzi is officially in my good books after this one as well. Things were a bit patchy after RedShirts, and I was happy to find I loved Old Man’s War, but I was still a bit wary going into this one. In a way this book…
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Gun Machine
Gun Machine by Warren Ellis Published: 2013 I really did not like Crooked Little Vein, Warren Ellis’ first novel, but I love his comics, so I decided to give his second novel a try. I’m happy to say he improved enormously this time around. My main complaint with Crooked Little Vein was that it had virtually no plot. It was just a series of bizarre fetishes he found on the Internet, strung together with a silly secret government treasure hunt. This novel actually had distinct characters, a story, conflict – you know, all those things that novels need. Gun Machine is a hard-boiled detective novel set in New York City,…
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The Kraken Wakes
The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham Published: 1953 Narrated by: Alex Jennings A lot of stories take place in a world after an apocalypse, but The Kraken Wakes follows a couple who witness the first warning signs and live through the worst of it. In The Day of the Triffids, Wyndham used the societal breakdown as a backdrop to a more personal story, but in The Kraken Wakes he really focused on how the world was reacting. The personal story was still there, but it felt like its purpose was to give a viewpoint for this larger problem rather than to really explore the relationship. This is the first-hand account…
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No Plot? No Problem!
No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty Published: 2004 If there was ever a year I was going to participate in NaNoWriMo, this wasn’t it, but I’ve had this sitting half-finished on my shelf for a few years now and decided just to give it a read anyway. This is meant to be a companion book to read while you’re attempting to write a novel in a month, so after the introduction it’s split up into four main sections, one for each week. Each of these contain anecdotes from previous winners, inspirational essays, and some advice for tackling common…
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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller Illustrated By: Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Published: 1986 Publisher: DC Comics This has been on my shelf for years. The Dark Knight Returns is hailed as a major turning point in comic writing, and is generally at the top of any must-read list, but for whatever reason I kept putting it off. I’m surprised to say that it largely lives up the the hype. Bruce Wayne is in his 50s now and hasn’t made an appearance as Batman in a decade. Crime has run rampant in Gotham City, and this miniseries chronicles his return to the mask. The story is quite…
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Have Space Suit—Will Travel
Have Space Suit—Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein Published: 1958 Wow, have I fallen behind. Not since I started this weblog has the backlog of pending posts grown this large. I guess I just needed a bit of time to get my mind in order again, and maybe time away is healthy. I’ll go with that. Anyway, I’m excited to get back into it again. This is my second Heinlein, after Starship Troopers. I did enjoy this a lot but I still think Troopers is my favourite of the two. I’ve really gotten into classic science fiction and adventure stories this year, and this is a good mix of the…
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The Sleeping Dragon (Guardians of the Flame #1) – Abandoned
The Sleeping Dragon by Joel Rosenberg Published: 1983 This is the first book I’ve abandoned midway through in as long as I can remember. It’s something I have an incredibly hard time doing, but I should do it more. If I’m not enjoying a book, I’ll usually just let it ruin reading for me completely for a month while I struggle through it. There’s really no point in that. Nick Hornby abandons books he’s not enjoying, so I’m using that to justify this. This is the story of a group of university students who find themselves transported into a fantasy world while playing a game of Dungeons & Dragons. They…
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The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service
This was a favourite of my dad’s, and you can’t go wrong with Johnny Cash reciting it. The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service There are strange things done in the midnight sun By the men who moil for gold; The Arctic trails have their secret tales That would make your blood run cold; The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, But the queerest they ever did see Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge I cremated Sam McGee. Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows. Why he left his home in the South to roam ’round the Pole, God only…