So I seem to suck at trying to do long form reviews of anything, because I continually put it off until I think I have enough puffed up crap to fill a long and rambling post. Well here comes a new idea, describe why I’d want to even write about the book in a paragraph or less, and then jam all those paragraphs into one post. TA-DA! And thankfully none of my work is being graded or evaluated for any practical purpose, so my lack of proper structure and so forth in my writing doesn’t matter.

Insomnia by Stephen King

I love Stephen King books, really I do, you can ask anyone, but something about this one was just plain weird. Maybe it was the senior citizen hero, maybe it was the weird inter dimensional beings pulling the strings, maybe it was the heavy handed Pro-Choice message of the early 90s, or maybe it was the extreme length of the book. I’m not sure what it was, but I didn’t enjoy it was much as I’ve enjoyed nearly every single other book King has written. That’s not to say its a bad book, its jut nowhere near as good as his other work. If you’re a fan of his Dark Tower series, this one is definitely required reading, but other than that if you’re just a casual fan, don’t fret if you put it off, you’re missing anything too important. Though it does take place in Derry, the setting for his famous IT, which may be enough of a draw for some people.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

If you have any love of computer, movies, tv shows, video games, pop culture, or nearly anything for that matter that happened in the 1980s, you will love this book. It is one big love letter to the 80s as viewed through 40 years in the future. People in the OASIS, an online virtual reality environment you can see and feel are all hunting for a several hundred billion dollar easter egg hidden in the game, and to get it they need to know Everything about the 80s. The references are flying by every other line, but Cline doesn’t pull any punches, nor does he pander to newbies. There’s room for everyone, but you have to be interested to start with. The geeky will likely only take a serious look. Do Enjoy!

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin & Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

I’m going to write about both Game of Thrones and Clash of Kings together, as they’re both part of the larger Song of Ice and Fire series by Martin, which is now on its fifth book I believe. These books are like an alcoholic drink where you can’t taste the alcohol. The effect just sneaks up on you and knocks you on your ass. Technically you could classify them as fantasy novels, but most of the fantasy elements aren’t quite there, yet. In the setting of Westeros there was magic and dragons and whatnot in the past, but they’re gone. During the course of these books the magic begins to return, in lots of sneaky ways that you don’t really notice until they’ve passed. These novels could also be more easily classified under suspense, as you really never know who’s going to die next. Martin is one of few authors who is not afraid of spending an entire book making you fall in love with a carefully developed character only to kill them. He kills characters without mercy, anytime, anywhere for any reason. You sit on the edge of your seating reading each page carefully, hoping against hope that the characters you like will make it to the end of the chapter. I think to an extent I’m becoming a cold hearted bastard reading these books, trying to maintain some distance and not get too attached to any one character. It’s hard, but such an enjoyable read. So if you like knights and dragons and castles, but like it on the lighter side with the fantasy stuff, definitely  check out this series. Be forewarned, these are some very very long books.

Parker Series Part 1 by Richard Stark

I recently finished reading the first portion of Richard Stark’s (aka Donald Westlake) Parker series. These books follow Parker, the professional criminal, through a series of robberies, heists, foul ups, and huge payoffs. His series is really split into two parts due to a 20 year hiatus he put the character on. The end of the first series was the book Butcher’s Moon, a fitting book to end the character on at that time. Tying up loose ends in a very violent and satisfying way. I’ve recently let my old boss borrow this set of books, and judging by the speed he is flying through them they’re as good as I thought they were. For those in the book industry, Butcher’s Moon was until recently an extremely hard book to come by, having slipped out of print, and running up huge sums at auctions. Now thanks to University of Chicago Press, the entire Parker series is available in very affordable and handsome paperbacks. If you have any love for mystery or crime writing and you’ve not read Stark, pick one up as soon as you can, you won’t regret it.

Inside Steve’s Brain by Leander Khaney

This book was something I came upon in a care package from home. Not surprising really when all my mail is routed through the book store I used to work at, and they just drop in titles they think I might like. This one was very cool, taking an unauthorized look at how Steve runs is life and his business, and how that impacts those around him and how they do their work. Some people seem to think Steve Jobs is megalomaniacal tyrant, who gets results through fear. Or that he’s a perfectionist jerk who demands too much of those around him, and gets results only through their slave like love of him and Apple. Turns out he’s a little bit of both, but really just a ridiculously smart business man who does things that the public doesn’t know they’re going to really like in the near future. A fun read, but really only a good recommendation for someone who’s an Apple fanatic.

The Essential Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Waterson

The Essential Calvin and Hobbes is easily one of the best things I’ve read this year. I think I’ve owned this book once or twice in the past, but honestly didn’t really appreciate what it was that Watterson was really doing with this strip. Reading it now I see that he’s created a way at looking at the world around you through Calvin and Hobbes’ eyes. When you look at things that way, the concepts get turned on their head, and you really stop and think for a minute wondering, why didn’t I think of that. Much of the strips are really just downright hilarious, some of them tear jerkers, but all of them are honest and accessible, and never pull a punch. If you’ve never read Calvin and Hobbes, you are really missing out on something special.

What I’m Reading Now:

Comeback by Richard Stark (Parker returns, 20 years later)

Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King

Mile 81 by Stephen King

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

The Authoritative  Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Waterson

- See Mom, I can still write blog posts, two in one day

I found this reading Boing Boing one morning, and realized what a wonderful collision of people and ideas this really is.

Richard Dawkins explains the 3 kinds of magic – Boing Boing

Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion) and Dave McKean (Sandman, and various Neil Gaiman books) making a book for children explaining how amazing the world around us really is even without fairy tales and myths to explain it. Showing people that the reality of our surroundings, and the science behind them can be extremely cool.

I really want to read this book myself, but I also want to find eager young minds to share this with, and show them how cool science and reality really are.

I just finished reading a great book called Paranormality, written by Professor Richard Wiseman. I can’t remember where exactly I came across recommendation for the book, but I’m glad that I found it. The book isn’t a particularly deep examination of the Paranormal, but it is a very good introduction. Wiseman takes many common Paranormal concepts, and presents the very grounded in reality view as to why we see things that aren’t there, and more importantly why some people may want to see these things.
A very interesting feature of this book was the direct links to Wiseman’s website for the book. They include both a regular text based URL, and a QR code for easy smart phone access. These links generally go to video clips related to the content of that part of the book. I didn’t use a lot of them, mostly as I wasn’t worried about seeing the content, but it was very cool when I did use them.
This book very nicely compliments some recent reads, mostly those by Richard Dawkins examining why God doesn’t exist, and why the world from a scientific view is pretty damn exciting to begin with. This just takes and swipes away any other non-God things from the table, leaving my worldview completely reality based.
For the skeptical out there, or those who are interested in what has got some people so twisted up into believing in psychics, ghosts and such, read this book.
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From this book I’ve made a complete 180 degree turn and dove back into the epic Vertigo series Sandman, by Neil Gaiman. Of all people you’d think I’d have read the complete series of Sandman several times through by now. You’d be surprised to learn then that I’ve yet to finish it even once, which I am now attempting to fix.
Over the past few years DC Comics has been rereleasing Sandman in a series of Absolute Volumes, which provide updated colours, oversized pages, beautiful cover design, and supplemental features in each volume. I’ve so far collected Absolute Sandman volumes 1-4, and am still planning on getting Absolute Death, and Sandman Volume 5.
If you’re not familiar, this series is focussed on the Sandman, Lord of Dreaming, one of the Endless siblings who also include Death, Destiny, Destruction, Despair, Desire, Delirium and of course Dream. They were here when the Universe began, and will be around to lock up when it ends.
Obviously this series flies in the opposite direction from some recent reading, and I’m glad for it. This doesn’t mean I think there are pale siblings bickering in some unseen dimension of the universe controlling portions of my life. Though the concept makes for great fiction, and I’m thrilled to read it.
So far I’m through the introductory story from Volume 1 detailing how Dream was captured and bound on Earth, as well as the repercussions of this happening, and the hardships endure to correct it. I’ve read this portion before, but I’m finding I appreciate Gaiman’s work more and more each time I revisit some of it. Which is why I’m excited to go back and read Neverwhere, American Gods and Anansi Boys soon.
As I said I was reading the Absolute edition, and I must say this edition is BIG. I mean really big, like 612 pages, $99 retail, hardcover with slipcase, 8 x 12 inches, weighing 3.5Kg kind of big. Big enough that I only read it at home while the book is sitting on the kitchen table. This may seem cumbersome and annoying, but it is oh so worth it to see this story played out on a grand scale.
If you’re interested and these $100 volumes aren’t quite your style, make sure to check your local library or book store for the smaller paperback volumes, or the currently being released individual digital issues on the iPad via the Comixology app. However you read it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

So for those of you that actually read this blog it has been over a month since my last post. I do apologize for this but things get to be busy occasionally when you’re living outside of your original hometown for an extended period of time, when you’re planning for a wedding, when you’re enjoying your first full time job in retail, and when you just get distracted easily like I do.

Living in Calgary has been quite fun and I’m still enjoying it which is a really good thing and Ryan and I are both quite happy with everything that’s happened here so far. So this post really is just nothing more than a fun update of what’s been going on here and some stupid things that I may have done.

My favorite stupid thing that I’ve done this managing to not be aware of the geekiest thing I could possibly be aware of which is the Calgary Comic Expo that’s happening this weekend. For some reason I thought it took place next month but apparently it doesn’t, it takes place this weekend which is unfortunate because I wasn’t able to book off any time from work. Although I tried earlier this week to swap some ships around the only people that I could take it or going to be spent mtime in Canmore, which doesn’t help me any. Instead so I get to enjoy my day off today having gone to library to pick up some DVDs and CDs, picked up some groceries that I needed as well, cleaned up around the house, and watched as a police car sat outside the entrance to my building. I’m not sure why the cop was there but make me a little nervous considering I could see him directly from my balcony, not that I’ve done anything illegal but still cops can make you nervous nonetheless. So now that I’ve got all that running around stunning out of the way it’s just a case of me getting to relax at home call Brian works until 530 and I get to kick back and watch in this case today Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I’ve never seen this movie before but I’ve heard decent things and bad things and sometimes really good things so I’m excited to find out exactly how it turns out. Also picked up the second season of Boston Legal which should be quite enjoyable. I’m hoping to start watching tonight with Ryan. This will give me a substitue dose of Shatner as I don’t get to see him at the Expo this weekend.

Being the geek that I am you may not have realized it at this point but everything you’ve read in the above text I dictated instead of typed, which seems to be actually kind of fun. I’ve been doing this through the Dragon dictation app for the iPhone which has made it’s easier for me to just sit here on the couch and hold my phone up and talk and not have to type anything because apparently the word press application on iPhone will only let you type in portrait mode. This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Then what I’ll be up to do is just select all of this text which obviously have if you’re reading it online and just copy and paste it into my blog and publish it.

To end this seemingly endless rambling post I’ve also included a picture of the bunny rabbit that was by my car the other day. It seem to be terrified with it’s ears back for no apparent reason but he did let me walk up within 2 feet of it on the sidewalk. There’s actually tons of these rabbits found in Calgary although most my family doesn’t seem to believe me as I haven’t really had any good pictures of them although I see usually one or two anytime I go outside anywhere around this building or in the neighborhood. So enjoy the picture of the frightened and terrified looking bunny rabbit and go back about your lives and maybe in about another month I might have a post or actually keep up with some of the running posts or movie posts or anything like that but I had originally planned on posting regularly on this blog.
Until then enjoy reading the many other blogs that seem to be abundant on the Internet.

After a pleasant, but very long month, Ryan and I are now without any houseguests whatsoever. It is a very weird feeling, but very nice to have our space back to normal.
Today I was able to catch up on all the cleaning and sorting that needed to get done here. Putting away bedding, and cleaning rooms that were recently occupied, as well I did a whole bunch of running around, and was done that by noon. Might be in part because I was up at 6am with Ryan as he was getting ready for an early start at work today.
Managed to get some fun stuff, at least from a home owner perspective today, namely some wooden clothes hangers to replace the crappy plastic ones we used to have, a summer weight duvet so I don’t roast to death at night, and some bamboo and a container to put it in so we now have something alive in the condo.
Also managed to get the condo scrubbed and cleaned from top to bottom, returned some recyclables, hit the library, complete my census, and now I’ve time to settled in a watch a movie and read for the rest of the day.

In non domestic news, our most recent set of visitors was Ryan’s Mom and Sister who came up to visit for five days. They most excitingly got to be here for the opening of the new Tiffany & Co. store at the Chinook Centre, where after some careful prodding they tried on some extremely expensive jewelry, and I tried one of my top candidates for a wedding band. While they were here I also go to play super spy and sneakily purchase an iPad 2 for his mom, while out shopping with her. I succeeded and kept the surprise concealed until we sprung it on her as an early Mother’s Day gift
My mom also got her Mother’s Day gift slightly early too, Saturday night and into Sunday Morning, while on iChat talking with her, my dad and brother. My Brother and I put in together to give her a beautiful Tiffany & Co. necklace, specifically the Elsa Peretti Open Heart Charms and Chain. Two stylized hearts, one in Yellow Gold, the other in Sterling Silver.

That’s about all to report for now. Ryan and I are both relaxed and happy at work, and eagerly awaiting our wedding this August. Our RSVPs have been steadily arriving, and it looks like its going to be a lot of fun.