3-25-10 Club Dead by Charlaine Harris - Fiction

5 - Nope, not a typo; I read this in one day. I absolutely love Harris' Southern Vampire books. Sookie gets a little more involved in the Were community in this one when Bill is abducted in Mississippi and Eric asks her to help find him. Sookie's relationships with Eric and with Alcide, the werewolf that is her guide through the supernatural community in Jackson, become confused and add to the stress of her search for Bill. And Bubba returns as Sookie's bodyguard. I love Bubba; he's funny. Another wild and fun read from Harris.

3-25-10 Thinner Than Thou by Kit Reed - Fiction

3 - You think negative body image is a problem now? Read this book as find out just how bad it can get. Body perfection is the religion the Thinner Than Thou creating a multi-billion dollar industry that makes today's industry look like a start up. Face lifts, tummy tucks, liposuction, and stringent dieting are practically required to survive in this world not to mention having a constant fear of being cited by the Fashion Police. Eating disorders are dealt with by a group of psuedo-nuns called the Dedicated Sisters and, ruling over the thin empire, is Reverend Earl. Porn is no longer about women and men of bodily perfection having sex, it's about obese men and women eating. I kept having awful flashbacks to the movie "Feed" which, while very good, is gag inducing in the way food and weight are viewed as erotica. This book hits quite close to home in that it doesn't take a huge stretch of the imagination to see our society heading down this road.

3-24-10 The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly - Fiction

5 - What a wonderful story about a boy's growth into manhood. The Book of Lost Things contains twisted versions of common fairy tales come to life when David travels to a hidden world after he climbs through a crack in the wall of the sunken garden at his home. Connolly writes a dark tale full of moral conflict and physical danger as well as death. David has help from a variety of people who are almost familiar characters from fairy tales and is pursued by the Crooked Man as he makes his way to see the reclusive king in hopes that he can help him get home again. A wonderful fairy tale for adults.

3-21-10 Practical Demonkeeping by Christopher Moore - Fiction

4 - For a debut novel, this is pretty good. The first Pine Cove story, Practical Demonkeeping introduces the reader to a few of the mainstay characters that will be found in the subsequent Pine Cove books by having a demon come to town. Yeah, this town's not quite as sleepy as it appears. Full of his quirky humor, Moore's book will keep you laughing at the absurdity of the situations and the strangeness of the characters.

3-19-10 The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown - Fiction

5- This is the reason I love Dan Brown. Better than Angels & Demons, better than The DaVinci Code, Brown presents a great puzzler of an action novel full of facts about our country, our capital, and the sciences. The Freemasons are a vital component of the story with Brown filling the reader in on a lot of their beliefs. Robert Langdon is his clever if awkward self and has to solve the puzzle presented to save two of his friends. The entire book takes place over the course of one night so the story just picks up and moves. A wonderful addition to the Robert Langdon novels.

Unemployment sucks

Well readers, I am now unemployed. It is unfortunate and, although this does give me more free time to read, I'll probably be reading a few more educational books (languages, computers) than normal. I doubt I will wirte those up unless I find something that is really well suited for the topic. And, since I am now a little depressed, as anyone who has followed this blog for a little while knows, I will be re-reading a few of my favorite comfort reads. I'll note those, but probably won't review them again. I'll try to keep a good mix of new titles coming though so you don't get bored. I do have two more to write up now, but I haven't done my rough drafts yet. Hopefully I'll get them posted tomorrow. So if anyone knows of a job where I can read all day or that involves food or wine (not waitressing please) in the Scottsdale, AZ area, feel free to drop me a line.

3-17-10 Roasting in Hell's Kitchen by Gordon Ramsey - Non-Fiction

3 - In general, Gordon Ramsey is a pretty simple personality. Not simple as in low I.Q., but simple in that there's not much going on that you don't see out in the open. Yes, he's known as that bastard who swears at the top of his lungs at everyone, but he does seem to have a mellower and slightly more compassionate side that is occasionally seen on "Hell's Kitchen." It was interesting to discover how torn he became when he really had a chance to become a professional football player (that's soccer for us Americans) but he was already studying cooking. His relationship with his family is also interesting. Overall, he is a little full of himself but he has become very successful even outside of the TV career and has helped other chefs become successful as well. Probably a read for die hard foodies only.