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Archive for June, 2010

I bought this book just a week or so before Salinger died. I finished the book I was reading a few days after his passing and decided to finally read this alleged masterpiece — and masterpiece it is, indeed. I wish I would have read it when I was 17, but alas, I waited until age 31. Nevertheless, I remember what it was like to be 17, and honestly, I related to the character Holden Caulfield a lot today; even as a married father and professional “phony.” I can only imagine how utterly groundbreaking this book must have been when it was first published in 1951.

What I loved about the book: I could say “everything,” because I did, but I’ll give a few specifics. First, I loved the voice in which it was written. Holden is sarcastic, snotty, and just way too cool for almost everything — just like I was when I was 17. I loved the exaggerations and hyperbole. I identified with his descent into near-madness, being in that awkward stage between childhood and adulthood, not knowing what to do, not really understanding or not wanting to deal with the consequences of your actions, really just not being ready to grow up. As Holden wanders New York in a sleep-deprived stupor, he explores these issues within his mind; he jumps from one feeling to another, and breaks down and cries more than once. It truly is a powerful novel, and one of the three best I’ve ever read. Five stars all the way.

The book is just 214 pages and a breeze to read. If you haven’t read it, you should. I’ve been reading a lot of “classic” novels lately and this is the first one that I know for a fact I will be reading again in the future. I could see myself reading this every couple of years for the rest of my life — it was that good.
Power Rangers Stylized Ranger

Gave the Kindle as a birthday present…he was thrilled. Downloaded several books right away and continues to stock his library. And we share the Kindle so one of us is always reading. Highly recommend it.
Camouflage Kentucky Pistol Wood

This movie is an incredible masterpiece. It makes you really think about how much as a society, we value looks, and money. Basically it tells us that, we base just about everything on looks, and money, or what we own. We don’t really look for the real person, we don’t even care about people. We use them, for our gain. The movie has a lot of meanings that should be taken to heart. JUST SEE IT! YOU’LL KNOW WHAT I MEAN!
Vanilla Sky

Kata KT LT 1

I fell in love with Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl series a few years ago. Having always been a science fiction and fantasy reader, this series caught my eye during one of those periods life deals us from time to time where one needs a complete escape. Sometimes picking up a book targeted to children or young adults is the best salve for stress.

Colfer’s style is engaging and clever. The depth of detail is such that even during subsequent readings you will discover a new pun or play on words. I highly recommend this series to readers 12 and up. Though the title character is supposed to be an evil genius, readers will soon discover the truth behind his motives and will find themselves rooting for both the humans and the faries in this highly entertaining and fast paced series.
Eliminator Lighting 4 Head

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer is about a 12 year old boy who is a genius but the sad thing is, he is also a criminal. One day he and his butler go to a forest and find a drunken fairy. Then they take this fairy book from it and translate it to English and then they figure out there is some sort of fairy Gold.

This books theme is that you should never give up, never stop trying, and always keep your head up. For example, this fairy says Artemis can’t do a certain task, but he still believes he can do it.

I like this book because it always makes me wonder what’s going to happen in the next chapter. I think it would make you have the same feeling. So maybe you should read this book.

Pampers Kandoo BrightFoam Handsoap

My high school teacher forced my English class to read this book back in the late 1970’s but somehow I managed to avoid reading it – maybe I was visiting colleges or something at that time. In any case, about 6 years later I found myself alone and stranded in the Australian outback with absolutely nothing to do and nothing to read except a box of books that included most of the works by Mark Twain, John Steinbeck, Kurt Vonnegut and this one by Salinger. It was the first time in my life that I had ever delved into literature in any real way and I totally fell in love with Twain and Steinbeck and especially Vonnegut. But when it came to this Salinger thing, I couldn’t believe how boring it was, how irrelevant it seemed, how utterly phony its angsty rebelliousness seemed to be. I had grown up around tough kids who lived difficult lives when I was a kid and in Australia I had been working with roughnecks in the oil business, so this Salinger thing seemed pathetically trivial to me and its fame remained totally baffling to me. So about 8 years after that, I thought maybe I had missed something on the first read, so I read it again. And then I tried to re-read it for a third time about 5 years after that, but the effect was always the same. You call this angst? You’re telling me this is what rebellion feels like? I can only think that my English teacher and all those other teachers who think this is somehow profound really haven’t had much of a life, haven’t really plunged too far into the depths of human experience, haven’t really had to face difficult questions about existence and so forth. I’m sorry, but it’s just a boring book. And if you’re a teenager and your teachers are cramming this down your throat and you don’t get it no matter how hard you try, don’t sweat it: you’re not alone. Maybe this was mind-blowing stuff 60 years ago, but 25 years ago I thought it was just an over-hyped waste of time… and I still do. Maybe there’s a reason Salinger went i
Shipping lines reach space

This book keeps you up late at night because you keep telling yourself, maybe I’ll just read ONE more chapter…
Neoprene Zip Skin Comfort

This is much better than the windshield mount that comes standard with the Garmin GPS. Has not shifted on the dash.
Oakland Athletics Dinner Plates

This review is particularly of Nathaniel Parker’s narration, and not so much of the Artemis Fowl book itself, as there are already so many reviews on that.

If you want an auditory treat, get this audiobook – Nat Parker is a genius when it comes to bringing these characters to life. He does wonderful accents – there are multiple Irish accents for Artemis, Butler, Juliet and Angeline, but many others for the fairy people which are just amazing. In addition, his own, natural speaking /reading voice is so smooth , resonant and perfectly paced that is is a treat in itself. Unlike other audiobooks which I have listened to, you can’t hear him breathing – with some readers you hear every big breath they take and it gets irritating. He reads it perfectly and the great fun is in the rapid dialogue exchanges where he must manage different voices with different accents as well as the narrator’s voice.

The story itself, well, there are some boring and technical parts which I tried to read, and Artemis’s character is not terribly likeable, but the way Parker voices him makes you feel some affection for the character.

If you like the books, this is a worthwhile addition because of the way the characters are brought to life – and if you didn’t like the books, it’s a great listen just for Parker’s enormous vocal talent.
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