Kurt Vonnegut, I love you

I have written of my love of Kurt Vonnegut on previous posts but I started his next to last book today called Armageddon in Retrospect, and it has caused me to want to tell you all how much Vonnegut means to me.



I read my first Vonnegut about 5 years ago and that was by reading Slaughterhouse Five. We didn't read it in High School, which I now understand was a shame and that high schoolers who get the privilege are lucky. It prompted a post about the book and also a search for all the Vonnegut I could get my hands on. I now own about 85% of his works and have read quite a few, but not all. I like my Vonnegut in doses.

The thing I enjoy most about Kurt Vonnegut, and maybe this turns others off to his works, is the way he puts the words on paper. They enjoy the asides of writing that allow a simple conversation to be in progress and then have it deviate with a few marks to become a smart comment on how things don't make sense. Then right back to the story as if it weren't interrupted.

He also mixes realism with fantasy in a way that no one else I have ever read has been able to do. To have chapters set in a war and then find the main character has been transported to an alien planet where he and an actress are being studied, and then having him flash back was something I didn't expect or could have come up with myself. Chuck Palahniuk is the closest writer to come to this level of genius/madness, which is probably why I also own everything he has written.

I really wanted to share a quote from one of the stories in the book that is actually from a speech written for a commencement at Clowes Hall, Indianapolis. "...If anyone here should wind up on a gurney in a lethal injection facility, maybe the one at Terre Haute, here is what your last words should be: "This will certainly teach me a lesson."

You could always understand what Vonnegut meant or felt from such a small amount of words. They always say more that what is on the page.

The day he died I was sitting at my computer at work and it flashed across the screen and I cried. I don't get emotional about a lot of things but this was one of those times where if someone had come up to me I would have been proud to show this emotion as it was a loss that really did affect me. I can't say that about many other things.

That is all,

Newt

To the Mystery Machine

I've got a mystery and I need YOUR help to figure it out. I was reading "Exile" a week ago and got to page 100 or so and found something interesting. A receipt was in the book.

I thought to myself, "Now that is funny. Someone wanted some pastry while reading this book so they had to stop at the 7-11." I looked down at the receipt and at the bottom was the transaction date.

08/12/03

Thinking about this, the dates in the story were more in line with 2006-2007 so I decided to look at the publication date of the book and I found...dun dun duuuuunnnnnn....It was a first edition hardback that was published in 2007.

What does this mean? Why would someone hold on to a receipt for at least 4 years and then put it in a library book? Why this book specifically? Was it a bookmark? If so they didn't finish the novel or maybe they did and just left it in after. But again I am left wondering why?

I have a few theories. The first is that the 7-11 reciepts use a different date distiction and this is actually from 12-03-2008. If that is the case then the date is not as odd and the rest is pretty simple. I am going to go to this 7-11 since it isn't far from me and see if I can verify this.

Any other thoughts? Come on Velma! Grab Fred and Daphne and lets figure this out!

That is all,

Newt

Hidden Gem

A few weeks ago I made a pact with my wife. "Diana" I said, "will you make a deal with me? We have so many books that I would like to agree that until we have read all of them, each for their own books, we will not buy another book." And the surprising thing is, she agreed. I say surprising because, while I latch onto authors and buy all they have written, my wife will do that and pick up a random book after reading the jacket and deciding that, "It is only $4 so what the hey."

I love this about her but in the last year or so, her book buying habits have started to overwhelm our already bursting shelves. And she has a tendency to go for thicker novels which doesn't help things much.

The only problem with this agreement involves my book club. Once a month I have to have the book that we are reading, and as of late I have had luck picking books I already own but haven't read. Well, this month I wasn't so lucky and I need a copy of Richard North Patterson's Exile and Diana refused to let me buy it. Thus, I went somewhere I haven't been since I was a child...The Public Library.

Something snobby in me says, "Trinity, you don't need the library. You will just want to keep the book so just buy it." Well, I am now without that option and so I went to the public library today and opened an account to get my book and I must say, the Lewisville Library is nice. It was quite, had a wonderfully large area for children, and carried a decent supply of books. It isn't too large or overpowering and I was able to find Exile without any help which is more than I can say for some libraries I have been in.

And there were people there...at 11 a.m. on a Monday morning. I assumed it would just be me. So maybe I will give this library thing another try after I return the book I have. I mean, there is no way I will have all of my books read by next month and there is sure to be another book club meeting so I just may have to.

That is all,

Newt

TBWCYL Day 299 - Bookie Problems

It was a simple task today. The list of the top 100 masterpieces of American Literature were printed in the book and I was to go through and count how many I had read and figure out how long it would take me to read the ones I was missing. Below is my list.

Books with * are ones I have read. I am counting Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for the P&P copy.
Books with - are books I actually want to read.
Books highlighted are books I already own but haven't read yet.

This list doesn't appeal to me very much. Most of these books may be considered classics but that doesn't mean I am going to read them.

That is all,

Newt

TBWCYL Day 216 - Brain Food

I currently have over 8000 comic books in my collection, I have upwards of 20+ mini busts and statues, I have over $1000 dollars in original comic book art work and sketches, and I have a book collection that never gets smaller. Oh, and did I mention a few action figures, collectible knives and some plates and stamps are also in the mix? So, you can see why today's task might be a problematic thing for me to do. You see, today I was suppose to start...a collection.

Shit! Shit! Shit!

I didn't know what to do but I did know that I don't have room for any more collectible memorabilia, and then I went to the local Borders to spend a gift card I had. I found my new passion, the next thing I will throw myself into with wild abandon and roll around in like a stripper in a child's swimming pool filled with Jello. Zombie Literature.

That's right, Zombie Literature. I love zombies and this love has even helped me make a friend in the dear Girl Interrupted who has slowly worked her way into being one of my ten favorite peoples. I own no Zombie Literature at present, excluding the Walking Dead and Marvel Zombies trade paperbacks which don't count as they are comic based. So, as I walked around I discovered a sale. Whooooo!!! Sale. It was Buy One, Get One 50% Off. That's an average savings of 25% per book. CHA-CHING!

I immediately found one of the books I have been interested in reading.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

By reading this, I am probably going to have to sit down and read Pride and Prejudice just to really appreciate this book but ever since I heard about it I have wanted to read it. You're ordering it now aren't you?

The second book is one I have seen on the comic convention circuit and thought I should also pick up.

World War Z by Max Brooks

It involves an outbreak of Zombieitis and the aftermath that ensues after you have to fight a war against Zombies. I know I want to know the outcome.

So, I now have two new books to add to my new collection of Zombie Literature. I am pretty excited about this.

I will end this post with a story. One night about a year ago, I lay in bed thinking. My wife slept peacefully next to me but I couldn't go to sleep. I tossed and I turned but an eternal question gnawed at my grey matter and no matter what, I couldn't get to sleep until I had solved the problem.

I asked myself, "If a zombie attack were to happen right now, could we successfully defend our house and survive for a long period of time while waiting for them to starve?"

And the answer is, "Yes". I now have a plan of action on zombie attacks which involves moving all food, animals, and some reading material upstairs and then fortifying the staircase for protection. The single window we have on the second floor is not accessible without a latter, thus making it a safe access point and usable if necessary for quick escape. We would have running water from the bathroom and could fill the tub for extra if the fear of water loss was imminent. This would also allow us bathroom use. My wife has been briefed on these plans but I don't think she committed them to memory.

So, when it comes to zombies, this ain't my first rodeo.

That is all,

Newt

"An Awfully Big Adventure"

My fellow blogger, Thomas, who is also my best friend, was discussing with me that I seem to favor books aimed at the young adult market and after arguing my side of things, that being that I enjoy both literature and youth fiction, I gave the indictment some thought.

In my heart resides a child's want for imagination. I can look at something multiple ways and let my mind create different uses, worlds or personalities for everyday objects. I think constantly of being a boy who never grows up, of journeying through a wardrobe to have tea with a faun, or falling through a hole and having to chase a non-punctual hare.

In J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan Peter states, "To live would be an awfully big adventure" and truer words may never have been spoken. I just finished another foray into the enchanted world of Neverland by finishing Capt. Hook, in which the tale of the boy who became Captain Hook is told, and told very well I might add. It brought me back to the magical island that holds so much adventure and magic for me.

The same can be said for Oz. In case you were unaware, there are actually 14 separate Frank L. Baum Oz novels. Dorthy was the first but definitely not the last child to go to Oz and the stories got wilder with every book. Frank Baum was a man that understood imagination. In the prefaces of every book are letters written to the children who read the books, discussing how Mr. Baum had communication with Dorothy and that is how he came to know the story of how she landed in Oz. To him, and thus to his readers, Oz was real.

This can be said for all of the fictitious lands that exist. Narnia, Oz, Middle Earth, Alagaesia, and yes, Neverland are all real to some extent. If they only exist in the back yards of children carrying sticks and trashcan lids for the armaments, then that is enough to make me want to keep visiting my favorite places no matter how old I get. And I don't think there will ever be an age to stop me from making that journey.

Sure, there is a place for a Jasper Fford, Ray Bradbury, or Kurt Vonnegut every now and again but the places I want to read about, the ones I hope show up in my dreams, well they just don't exist in books aimed for people over the ages of 14.

"I do believe in faeries"(Clap, Clap),

Newt

Book It!

So, a few weeks ago my good buddy Thomas and I got into a discussion in which he stated that I have too many books. We went round and round and I told him I thought that I had read the majority of them but that I had probably read all but about 10 % of them. Well, I decided that I was going to figure out the exact number and in doing so, catalog the entire Vaughn Library for insurance purposes. So, what happened?

Well, first let me take you on a tour of the Vaughn Library. The Vaughn Library was established in 2008 when a young go getter by the name of Trinity Vaughn convinced his wife that it was time to get rid of the old book cases and move up to a larger set. After crunching some numbers it was decided that Billy the Bookcase, a staple of the retail giant Ikea, could be bought and in budget. Thus the Library was formed.

Notice in this recent photo the sculptures that adorn the shelves of the library. Characters such as The Thing, Spider-Man, and the Machine Man are littered throughout the shelves. But not to be trumped, Jack in the Boxes such as Popeye and Mother Goose keep a good balance to the shelves.



The Vaughn Library has expanded out into a curio cabinet/desk that is housing the classics library.

Also added was the Vaughn Children's Library. This small upstairs nook was established as an overflow library but was soon swapped to a Children's Library when it was too cumbersome for Diana to go up and down the stairs when Trinity needed a bedtime story.

So, now that you have seen the library maybe you agree with Thomas. So, lets get to the numbers. I broke down the 580 books we own into three categories. Books that are Diana's, books that I have read and are mine, and books that I haven't read and are considered mine. Here are the results.

On this pie graph we can see that of the 455 books that I own, I have read 369 of them. That would be a read rate of 81.09%. Now that is clearly not 10% so my estimate was slightly off but it is less than 20% which I think is acceptable.

But, the above graph counted my graphic novel collection which is a rather large amount and can be read rather easily. So, to make sure my numbers were accurate, I ran them minus the Graphic Novel counts. In that estimate out of the 307 books that fell in this category, I have read 225 which brings us to a read rate of 73.28%. So, I have read 3/4 of all the books on my shelf.

So, do I have too many books? Maybe. But at the same time I don't mind. Thomas' position on the subject was that I should just buy books and read them before I buy more. But I don't roll like that. Never have. I will say that with 25% of all my books still to read, I like the idea that I have a variety to choose from and don't have a limit to hit.

That is all,

Newt

Mole-y Toledo!!!!

I have been meaning to post this for a while but kept putting it off but since I can't sleep, I am taking the opportunity to get this up.

On our recent trip to Prague, I wanted to bring something specifically Czech back to the states for my Goddaughter Addison and my Nephew Luke. As we were shopping we learned of a Czech cartoon character called the Little Mole. It seems that this character is widely known throughout the Czech Republic and has stared in countless movies, cartoons and books for kids. As soon as I found this I knew that I had to find a book for the kids and bring it back.

So for the entire three days we were in Prague I searched for these books in English. I hit multiple gift shops, book stores and any other place that I thought might have them but had no luck. While the stuffed animals and toys were plentiful, I could find nothing in print. Finally, on our last day we were wandering around and found a three story toy store. Here they had exactly what I was looking for.

I bought three books: one for Addison, one for Luke and one for me. The titles were Little Mole and the Mother, Little Mole and the Rocket Ship, and Little Mole and his Toy Car. I chose to give Addison the one about the Mother and on a recent trip to Lubbock, I took it and a stuffed Mole and gave it to her.

I ran to get donuts one morning during my visit and when I came back Thomas asked if I had seen inside the book. They had originally come wrapped in plastic so I hadn't really looked in them and Thomas opened up a couple of pages and showed me the gift I had bought. Apparently Little Mole and the Mother isn't about Little Mole and his Mother but instead about a Hare who gives birth.

The story goes like this:

Initially Little Mole is told of a baby coming and is asked to help. All of a sudden the Hare and her husband are laying on the ground in a very unsanitary area as a Owl looks on. Little Mole gets very excited and goes to get a medical bag. When he gets back this is what he sees.

Holy Shit!!! Does that Rabbit have a Vag? And is that a face in there? OH MY GOD!!! What did I buy?

So, Little Mole seems perfectly OK with the idea of delivering this litter of hares and proceeds to get to it. He uses all the best Czech medical training and starts delivering the hares. Luckily this isn't medically factual or he might have wanted some gloves. So, if you are a mole delivering baby hares, how would you handle it? Well, by yanking them out Winnie the Pooh style.

That's right. He just reaches in and grabs their arms and gives a nice little tug. Last I checked, pediatricians didn't use this method but I haven't watched much Learning Channel so there may be some knew techniques I am unaware of. Little Mole better watch out though, his nose is sticking in some very sensitive areas. After the first couple of hares come out, this process really gets swinging. In total there are four hares born and I guess giving birth to a litter is like popping open a bottle of champagne. Once you pop the cork, they just shoot out.

Why, it looks like kids at the playground when they all came down the tube slide at the same time. Look at 'em go. Wheeeeeee!!!!

All in all I was quite surprised at my purchase. Now Addison will learn the Birds and the Bees, or in this case the Moles and the Hares, from a book and be completely confused when she realizes that babies aren't delivered by a cartoon mole.

I immediately came home and checked to make sure Little Mole and the Rocket Ship was, in fact, about an actual rocket ship.

That is all,

Newt

It's Magically Delicious

It was revealed over the weekend that the Harry Potter character, Albus Dumbledore was Gay. This revelation came as something of a shock to me until the supporting evidence was given. Now, not only do I see it but I am very excited by this turn of events.

This does lead down a few roads that will definitely cause issues.

1. There will be an outcry from the Christians and Family Rights organizations. Somehow this means that every kid who reads any of the Harry Potter series will automatically become a homosexual.

2. This will be another bullet in the arsenal of things that make Harry Potter the devil.

3. There will now be an outcry that Albus Dumbledore is a pedophile. He was a closet homosexual who has secret passwords into his office that are always a type of candy, he surrounds himself with little kids, and he is constantly showing off his talents with his magic "wand".

All in all, the news was surprising but I think this can be a real advancement in Gay rights. For the last few years, there has been a Gay man heavily focused on throughout one of the most popular and well known children's literature series of all time. He is instantly recognizable to children and adults, he is familiar, and he is popular.

I must say, "Good Show, J.K. Rowlings". And way to go on adding another layer to an already incredible character. An entire generation of kids have now been exposed to an alternative lifestyle and have accepted a gay figure without prejudice. George Michael, eat your heart out.

That is all,

Newt

Alas, Poor Harry. I knew him well.

Well, it's over. I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was great and sad. The ending was better than I imagined and I now truly believe that J.K. Rowling won't write anymore of the Harry Potter universe. I read the book for 13 hours strait and finished at 11 o'clock last night. She finished it brilliantly.


We went to the Midnight release party at the neighborhood Borders and I have to say, as a HP fan I am nothing compared to the people that turn out to these things. There were a couple of people that looked way to close to the characters. There was a costume contest that brought out a lot of cute kids and the Borders Cafe' changed there menu to serve some of the drinks that are mentioned in the book series.


I am sad to see Harry Potter leave. I admit to being a complainer when the books were so far apart. I sat around discussing how there was no possible way to wrap up the series and that Rowling was just trying to make a need for more books. But in the end she did it and now I am left with an amazing set of books that do seem to contain some of the very magic that the stories are about.


The series is magical in that it did something that I never considered entirely possible. It made children want to read. I mean really want to read. Diana and I were in line for our book and she asked me "Is there any other book that causes this kind of response?" And the answer is of course "No". All across the world, children lined up to get this book. I think the best example I have seen is on Friday night at 11:59 pm, when the manager of the book store told everyone to make way because the books were being brought out. The cheering and clapping that filled that store was the equivalent to Brad Pitt walking out at a movie premiere. Now that is the power of reading.


That is all,


Muggle Newt

God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut!

For those of you that haven't heard, Kurt Vonnegut passed away on Wednesday. I have posted quite a few times about Vonnegut's writings and how insightful they are. When I heard the news I almost cried, literally. It is not very often that I get affected by something like this. Sure, people say "I was at home when Kennedy was shot" or "I was watching TV at my grandmothers house when the news came in that Princess Diana died" but this is different to me.

I just finished his last novel a few weeks ago and it was amazing. Mr. Vonnegut had a unique way of opening peoples eyes to things. In a previous post, seen here, I printed an amazing piece of writing about war. After reading Slaughterhouse V I will not be able to look at it the same way again.


It is not often that a writer really has an impact on you. They way Kurt Vonnegut mixed off the wall scenarios with amazing wordplay cements him into the culture. His insanity was matched by his brilliance and I will miss him. Though his website is currently halted in mourning, I recommend checking it out. Also, you can read a report about him from MSN which is very good.


That is all,


Newt

The Princess Bride

Last night, I finished reading The Princess Bride and it was great. Lots of action, great adventure and it was very funny. The reason for this post is to declare that the writer, William Goldman, is a genius. Why? you ask. Because everything he wrote that talked about himself or his family, or S. Morgenstern was all B.S. and yet it sounds so real.

For those who haven't read it, Mr. Goldman wrote this book under the guise of it being an abridgment of S. Morgenstern. The "original" book, which he claims was read to him by his father when he was a boy, was said to be a history of the city of Florin and written by S. Morgenstern. Neither Florin nor Morgenstern exist. All made up.

The family that Goldman talks about in his preface, his wife and son, are also made up. All throughout the book, Goldman has break ins during the narrative where he goes into some minute details of what he cut out of the book and why. Except the original never existed.

He even goes into the legal details of the long lost sequel to the book, Buttercup' s Baby and why he is being stopped from abridging it. He claims that the Morgenstern family want Steven King to adapt it because he has family from Florin and visits there often. Luckily, Steven King was nice enough to give him a shot at abridging the first chapter, which is published in the books 25th Anniversary Edition. Again, all fake. None of it happened.

Were a just a tad bit more gullible, I would have bought it all hook, line and sinker. Luckily I researched it a bit and found out that William Goldman is a liar. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I have read books before that were done in this manner, but I have never fallen for this ploy until I started reading The Princess Bride. Plus, I may have found the passage I want read at my wedding.

That is all,

Newt

Island of the Sequined Love Nun

For anyone that checks here regularly, you probably saw that I had been reading Island of the Sequined Love Nun for the last couple of weeks. Well, last night I finished it and it was great. The author, Christopher Moore, is a weird dude and almost everything he has written that I have read has been good.

Island of the Sequined Love Nun is about a pilot, Tucker Case, who crashes a plane(owned by a Mary Kay knock off) and looses his license to fly. He gets an offer to go fly for a missionary on a remote island and has to take it because it is the only job he will be able to get. Instead of missionaries, he finds an island where the natives worship an image of a Bomber Girl from a war plane and their god is a WWII pilot named Vincent.

Throughout the book, Tucker uncovers a plot by by his employers to steal the kidneys of the islanders, as well as trying to stop himself from being killed and saving an entire island of natives.

The story was an interesting tale of redemption mixed with a Monty Python-esc humor. All in all, a very funny book, though I did feel funny caring it around with me as it is hot pink.

That is all,

Newt

What a Novel Idea!

I read a TIME article last week that posed the question "Who's the voice of this Generation?" It went into how throughout the years, authors have put out work that seemingly defines that generation, yet right now there is no real voice for people in the new millennium. It traces F. Scott Fitzgerald to Hemingway to Salinger to Kerouac to Heller to Vonnegut and mentions a few people I have never really heard of as the later generation comes along.

I never really thought about this before, but I guess its true. Most authors now days right drivel, and the few that don't are either underappreciated or way to specialized to be considered our "Voice". They did mention two awesome writers that I personally read as candidates for the voice, but their age sort of keeps them out of the running.

It is interesting to think that throughout the last 100 years we have looked at a generation by the novels they read. Books like The Sun Also Rises and On the Road helped define their perspective time periods. Yet now it seems that The DaVinci Code and The Atkins Diet sell more that introspective books. I linked the article below.

http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,1209947,00.html

I guess when it comes down to it, we really won't have our own "Voice". Certain people will connect with one writer, while others will discover someone completely different. Our world has evolved past having one "Voice". We are just too different. Instead, we have to carry on a "Conversation".

That is all,

Newt

Reading is Fun...demental

I have been rather lacking in this weeks blogs. Sorry about that. That stupid Holiday has made me all turned around. So, I wanted to post today about people who don't read. These people, and I term them "Stupid", are the people that "Just wait for the movie" or "Don't like to read."

I am going to stand on my soap box for this post. I know that it would be too much to ask that every person read a book. Hell, I would be happy if everyone set a goal that they read one book a year. But that doesn't happen. I wish I knew the statistics on how many people over the age of 18 have read one book in their adult lives. You would be surprised at how low that number probably is.

Why is it so difficult for someone to read a 300 page novel but the level of laziness is high enough that they can sit and watch four hours of whatever drivel is on TV? I firmly believe that there is a book out there for everyone. Now trying to find it poses the problem. I can pick up a novel and not be able to put it down. Why can't other people?

The level of stupidity in America is rising daily and I can, with great confidence, say that it is due to people having a negative attitude to read. Maybe we should reinstitute the Book It program, but for adults. For every book they read, they get a free bottle of beer...or something like that. Being an avid reader, it really pisses me off when I know without a shadow of a doubt, that if I asked a coworker if they had read so and so book, that their answer is no.

There, now I feel a little bit better. I think I will relax and finish the book I am reading.

That is all,

Newt

Chuck Palahniuk signing

Well, a couple weeks back I went to a book signing for Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. I waited to post about this because I got a picture taken by the girl behind me in line and was waiting on her to email it, but that hasn't happened so I will now recount the events.

I got to Borders for the signing about 6:15 and I am hella glad I got there when I did. The signing was to begin at 7 and since I hadn't heard any press about it, I assumed it would be slightly crowded but not too incredibly bad. I was wrong. When I walked in the door and purchased my copy of the book, Chuck was already signing. The line had snaked its way through the CDs, DVDs, gift books, and most of the smaller book sections and reached all the way to Childrens.

I got a white ticket to distinguish me from the pink tickets and stood in line. I can estimate that there were at least 200 people in line ahead of me and that is probably a lowball. At 7, Diana showed up and got to meet my new friends. Right behind me were three girls from Denton who had driven down to meet Chuck and as we had a long wait ahead of us, I struck up a conversation. I had hoped the line would zoom along, but Mr. Palahniuk decided to speak for 45 minutes so I had only moved about 50 feet in an hour and a half.

By the time we hit DVDs, it was time for dinner so I went to the cafe and got two teas and two chocolate chip cookies. This was the main course, as our appetizer consisted of a tin of Jelly Belly Jellybeans. My new friends and I started to get bored around 8 so we pulled out a piece of paper and started writing. That's right, we wrote. Each person would begin a short set of sentences and before they passed it on, they would hide what they wrote. The next author would then build off the last sentence written and at the end we would see what was produced. Interesting game if you ever need to kill some time.

All in all, I finally got my books signed at 10:50. You heard right folks. I was at Borders for 4 1/2 hours. The best part of the story. When I went to the bookstore a couple of days ago, I ran across almost all of the books I got signed on the shelf. All of them autographed.

Did I mention I stood next to Chuck Palahniuk?

Newt

Eragon & Eldest - A review

Last night, I completed the second book in the Inheritance Trilogy, ‘Eldest’. The first book is Eragon, which you may or may not have heard of, is a great read and given enough time, this book series will be as big as Harry Potter. The great thing about these books is that they have that addictive ability to make you both want the book to end, and at the same time hope it never does because you could keep reading forever.

Here is the synopsis for ‘Eragon’
When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands....

This is the synopsis for ‘Eldest’
Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have just saved the rebel state from destruction by the mighty forces of King Galbatorix, cruel ruler of the Empire. Now Eragon must travel to Ellesméra, land of the elves, for further training in magic and swordsmanship, the vital skills of the Dragon Rider. It is the journey of a lifetime, filled with awe-inspiring new places and people, each day a fresh adventure. But chaos and betrayal plague him at every turn, and Eragon isn't sure whom he can trust.Meanwhile, his cousin Roran must fight a new battle back home in Carvahall- one that puts Eragon in even graver danger.Will the king's dark hand strangle all resistance? Eragon may not escape with even his life. . . .

Anyone who liked ‘Harry Potter’ or ‘Lord of the Rings’ will find something to love about the characters in these books. I don’t make a lot of recommendations because I don’t like to waste peoples time, but you are doing yourself a disservice by not reading these.

That is all,

Newt

The DaVinci Code - A Review

So I finally did it. I read The DaVinci Code. After working in a book store for two years and having the book sit on my shelf for lord knows how many months, I finally sat down with it and read. My verdict? Freakin' Awesome. I read it in three days and that was light reading. The hype is correct with this novel.

There were so many things about this book that I loved. The code breaking that is involved throughout the story was extremely entertaining. I love a good mystery when it comes to a book. I always hope I can figure it out before any of the main characters do. With this, however, it was impossible due to the lack of knowledge on my part for biblical writings and the sybolism of Mary Magdalene and the Church. This book has all of the things you would want in a quick read. Intrigue, mystery, a slight hint of romance, and action. The chapters are short and it makes it so much harder to put the book down because "Just one more chapter" keeps getting muttered.

I can now recommend this book to people and say that I have read it(I was known for recommending it without having read it when I worked at the WaldenBooks). With the movie coming out, it just seemed like that was the fire lit under my ass that got me to pick it up.

That is all,

Newt

War, What is it good for?

I read this today and had to post it because I think, in general, it is an awesome commentary on war and the devastation it can cause.

…”He came slightly unstuck in time, saw the late movie backwards, then forwards again. It was a movie about American bombers in the Second World War and the gallant men who flew them. Seen backwards by Billy, the story went like this:
American planes, full of holes and wounded me and corpses took off backwards from an airfield in England. Over France, a few German fighter planes flew at them backwards, sucked bullets and shell fragments from some of the planes and crewmen. Then did the same for wrecked American bombers on the ground, and those planes flew up backwards to join the formation.
The formation flew backwards over a German city that was in flames. The bombers opened their bomb bay doors, exerted a miraculous magnetism which shrunk the fires, gathered them into cylindrical steel containers, and lifted the containers into the bellies of the planes. The containers were stored neatly in racks. The Germans below had miraculous devices of their own, which were long steel tubes. They used them to suck more fragments from the crewmen and planes. But there were still a few wounded Americans, though, and some of the bombers were in bad repair. Over France, though, German fighters came up again, made everything and everybody as good as new.
When the bombers got back to their base, the steel cylinders were taken from the racks and shipped to the United States of America, where factories were operating night and day, dismantling the cylinders, separating the dangerous contents into minerals. Touchingly, it was mainly women who did this work. The minerals were then shipped to specialists in remote areas. It was their business to put them into the ground, to hide them cleverly, so they would never hurt anybody ever again.
The American fliers turned in their uniforms and became high school kids. And Hitler turned into a baby.”
- Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse-Five

Review of Anansi Boys

Part of the reason I wanted to start this blog was to give people my opinion on what I like. So here is a review of a book I just finished that I'm fairly sure anyone would love.



Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

Fat Charlie has shit luck. He's engaged and trying to plan the wedding when he finds out his father died. Not only that, turns out his father is also Anansi, the spider god. If your not familiar with Anansi, just think of any old fable and its possible that it was told by him. Fat Charlie has to go to Florida to attend his dads funeral and while there, finds out his fathers origin and that he has a brother who hes never met.

So Fat Charlie, the down and out shmuck, meets his brother and his life gets turned upside down. His brother steals his fiance, causes general havok in his life, gets him investigated by the police, and causes Fat Charlie to get in touch with his godly side.

All throughout the story, Gaiman weaves detail after detail and gives one heck of a ride. This book is funny, heartfelt, annoyingly good, and I can definitely say that reading it was time well spent. Anyone who has a disfunctional family can relate to the characters and the storyline is so unique that it isn't like anything you have read before.

So do yourself a favor and give it a read. If your anything like me, you won't be able to put it down.

That is all,

Newt