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Posts Tagged ‘series’

Like I said, at the beginning I hung in there. A really good book will have me page turning till the late hours of the night that wasn’t the case at first. As I approached midway through the book I was up late reading and I began taking the book to work to sneak it a few chapters. The author did a great job of researching the matter you can tell from the vivid writing and dialogue. Great read.
Cavalry Storage CACE Series

Water for Elephants is an interesting text because it is not especially well written, the story is pure soap opera, and yet it is an enjoyable read that at times evokes a long gone era. I think it suffers from overly effusive praise and so many readers are bitterly disappointed once they get through it.
First, let’s look at the strengths of the novel. I enjoyed the evocations of circus and train life. Gruen clearly spent some time working on these descriptions of circus life and there are little Depression era details that were nice historical jewels for the reader to mine. Also effective was her characterization of old Jacob. His voice was witty and biting and he provided the most pleasure of any character in the text. Chapter nineteen of the novel is the saddest depiction of rest home life I have read in literature. A man is forgotten by his family, and the scene is heartbreaking.
Now to examine the reasons why this book is unsatisfying. First off the characters from the 1930s parts of the novel are some of the weakest characterizations I have seen in a book in a long time. They are stock characters at best, and the villains are the mustache twirling men from melodrama. It is hard to care about any of the characters because they are so transparently fake. Even more distracting then the weak characterization is the incredibly insipid (and modern sounding) dialogue Gruen puts in their mouths. She has such nice historical details in the setting of the text, why couldn’t she also use it in the dialogue?
Many readers have found the ending unsatisfying, and although it is ridiculous, it fits the novel so I won’t argue with it. The cloying depiction of animals is also a little beyond the pale, but again, I simply had to come to terms with the novel for what it is. It is popular fiction. It is a melodrama you will get caught up in. And for those purposes it is adequate. Don’t go into it expecting more than what it is capable of giving and you will be satisfied.

Vivitar Series 1 High

So I live in off-campus housing for school, and my car is usually parked in a parking garage for a better part of the month. The problem with having the little suction cup is that if its still there even with out the GPS, there is a risk of it being stolen (theft is a very common occurrence on a college campus). Then taking it off becomes a hassle, since well A) there is a residue on the windshield and B) the hope that successive reapplications of the suction cup will actually hold after the suction cup has either collected dust or become brittle.

The solution? Well this friction mount works really well. At first I though perhaps it would slip off, but the rubber mount and the weight (little bean bag weights) hold it down firm. I don’t have to worry about the windshield residue or even taking something off my windshield anymore. All I do is park my car, take off my GPS and take it with me (I never leave it in my car) and then take the mount and stuff it just in front of the passenger’s seat. Works perfectly!

The only complaints I have is that its a little bulky but often times it is still possible to hide. Also, the constant removal from the dash to the floor does get some dust underneath so you have to brush it off every now and then.

All in all, very useful product. As long as you’re not making sudden turns (and I mean like practically drifting) then this thing will just stay in place. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to replace that annoying suction cup on the windshield.
Bower 52mm Pro Series

Most of the time when I reach for a book that is earning high praise from critics and professional book reviewers I flinch a little inside and begin with not a small amount of trepidation. Why? Because most of the time the books fail to live up to the hype.

And so I put off reading The Help. I put it off for quite some time and honestly, I still would be putting it off if I hadn’t, on a whim, decided, what the hell, I might as well give it a shot.

The first page had me hooked and I’ve carried this book around with me all day long today, inhaling it like it was a huge box of chocolates and I couldn’t eat them fast enough.

I’m sure by now you know what this is a story about. 1960’s Mississippi dealing with segregation and the struggle to define a love/hate relationship between women and their “help” during that time period. The main three characters in this book nearly pop off the pages with their personalities and boy, the “villains”, those selfish, horrible women who have types that are still around today, they personify the worst of what any of us could be.

I cried and laughed and grieved my way through this novel. I was, in turn, horrified by the injustice of the acts being described and uplifted by the attitudes displayed. There are no saints here, there’s no need to be. Just pure, human emotions. Mistakes made, happy moments shared and throughout the entire book there is this gripping feeling of suspense that has you racing toward the end to learn the fates of the women you began to fall in love with at the beginning.

This is a story that will not disappoint you. If you are hesitant, like I was, take the leap. I’m glad I did.
Vivitar Series 1 High

Great game system. It forces physical exercise and creates family interaction. No one waits for more than a minuter or two before he or she is brought into the game.
Pro Series Gadget Carrying