Review: A Song of Ice and Fire 4-copy bundle

A Song of Ice and Fire 4-copy bundle by George R.R. Martin

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Brilliant!
Only four books into the series of seven, but they are the best I have read in the fantasy genre. I do hope he finishes the series in the next few years(he does not look too healthy). Really looking forward to reading A Dance With Dragons in 2013.



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Posts

Not the type that holds fences vertical.

I will unfortunately be unable to make any posts for a few weeks as I lack Internet(just moved house), but I will be sure to have a bunch ready for when I am in digital connection with the world again.

Until then you can wait in expectation, or not.

Craig

#95

Home cooked food.

I am referring to the food that your mom cooked when you were a child. One of my favourite foods as a child was homemade mac'n'cheese, and have found myself making it at least once a month. I make it similar to how my mom did most of the time, but sometimes I feel adventurous and add other ingredients like broccoli, tomatoes, different cheeses(strong/old cheddar, need to try other types though) or mushrooms. Each ingredient adds its own dimension to the mac'n'cheese and gives it a warming, comforting feeling. Another favourite homemade meal is beef stew with dumplings, and now that winter has arrived I have been making this for myself a couple times a month.

What are some of your favourite comforting home cooked foods from childhood?

#96

Cold beer on a hot day.

A rather nice way to reward yourself after a hard days work, especially if you work outside during the summer, is coming home and enjoying a cold beer on a patio or deck.

#97

Warm towels.

I do believe that one of the greatest feelings, is having a warm towel available when you finish bathing. It can get its warmth from being on a radiator or just come from the dryer, no matter how it's warm, it's a fantastic feeling drying yourself with it.

#98

First listen of a new album from one of your favourite bands.

What I love about this is when you buy the album new, and have the artwork and lyrics. I enjoy listening and following the songs lyrics throughout the progression of the album.

#99

Fresh bedsheets.

I love the first nights sleep on freshly fitted bedsheets. I think everyone knows the feeling of getting into bed and not feeling any bunched up fitted sheet against your back, and the smell from the laundry detergent. I believe I have my best nights sleep when there are fresh sheets on the bed.

#100 - 100 Comforting Things

When dressing myself I like to put jeans on before socks, and keep the socks of for as long as possible. There is a feeling of freedom, and the cool air feels good on the toes and tops of my feet. I have felt comfort from this for a long time, and hope I still do in the future.

100 Comforting Things

I know I am taking a page from the 1000 awesome things website by doing this but hopefully I won't double up too much.
My list of stuff is what I find comforting to me, or enjoyable, and will be posting one a week as long as I remember. Also they will not be in order of how comforting or enjoyable they may be, so 100 will not be less enjoyable than number 1, but rather its equal.

Review: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Definitely my favourite of the Millennium trilogy. It was a little slow starting, but once the story picked up momentum I couldn't put it down until it was finished. It is unfortunate that the author is no longer around as I am sure he had other ideas for more books starring Mikael and Lisbeth



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Review: Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

My rating: 0 of 5 stars



I feel that I can't even rate this book 1 star as it is the second worst book I have read to date.

This was my second attempt at reading it, and I only finished out sheer stubbornness, because the first time I gave up after 20 pages, and nearly quit twice this time round. I disliked Winston as a character, hated Big Brother and The party. If I had lived in the 50's and read this book I still don't believe that I would have found it disturbing or thought provoking, simply because I believe that humans will always have compassion towards one another, even if there is war happening in many places around the world. When it came to the parts with Winston reading 'the book', I had to skip those pages as what I did read was a repeat of what had already been written in the novel 1984, and I had had enough of the repetitive descriptions and dialogue. My first real joy came when Winston was locked in the Ministry of Love(what fucked up kind of name is that for a prison, seriously Orwell this is what you came up with?), and he was thinking of the bullet entering his brain through the back of his skull. I was hoping in the next chapter that it would happen and I would not need to read anymore, but no alas he survives and miraculously loves Big Brother. Perhaps in many years time I will re-read it, but for now it will stay hidden on the bookshelf as I don't want to see its title.



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Review: The Thirty-Nine Steps

The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



If I had been alive in the era this book was published I think it would have been a great starter for crime drama novels. As it stand I did enjoy it, but with writing styles and stories now I think it is dated, but still worth a read to see where current authors have been inspired. I was able to picture the scenery quite well as it takes place across England and Scotland, and enjoyed that it did not take place entirely in a cityscape.



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Review: The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



A good read, but not nearly as thrilling and exciting as The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. In my opinion it reached the climax too early and stagnated about halfway through. I will have to see if the third book can redeem itself.



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Review: Nightmares And Dreamscapes

Nightmares And Dreamscapes by Stephen King

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



As is expected with a collection of short stories not all of them can be good. I would say that less than half were of a quality that I wanted to keep reading. There were a few that I had no idea what was going on until the last 2-3 pages, but it all made sense when the story was concluded. Others I wish I had never read as it was a story that made no sense, and felt like incoherent ramblings from a psych ward patient.



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Printed Book vs e-Book vs Audio Book

What is it that interests people in reading books, be it fiction or non-fiction?

For me the answer is another reality that I can escape to. I enjoy creating the world in my head like a director, and watching the events take place, either as a character with narrative or from a distance depending on the scene. 

I have owned an iPad for a year now and was excited about the opportunity to have hundreds of books(known as e-Books in the tech world) at my fingertips, literally, and the portability of said books. After reading a few novels I came to the realization that it doesn't live up to the hype that has made it into the tech media, but I do believe it does have its qualities. Some of the pros are portability, many books available without occupying physical space, some features built in, for example a dictionary, ability to take notes, quote passages that you like and keeping track of your progress. As the iPad also has the ability to play music, I can then purchase Audio Books and listen to them while working away at other things. Saying this though I have never tried an Audio Book, and am unsure if I ever will. Usually when I am doing other things, for instance cycling or cooking diner, I have mp3's playing with me and listen to music, but never really focus on it, I only have it there for noise in the background. If i had a novel being read to me I'm not sure I would ever really know what is going on, and with another person reading it they may vocalize the story differently then myself, and therefor I would have difficulty perceiving the world and characters. My other negative towards Audio Books is the cost vs e-Books or Printed Books, they cost anywhere from 2-4x the retail price, but I do understand that the person reading the novel needs to be paid as with the author and publishing company. Lastly comes the tried and true Printed Book that has been going for hundreds of years, and has only slowed down recently due to e-Books. My preference is still with this type of book as it gives you a sense of accomplishment once you finish it. There is something about picking up a thousand page novel, and I'm not sure if it's that you may find it daunting, or you simply want the challenge and satisfaction once you finish it. There are so many pros and very few cons with a Printed Book. The smell, breaking the binding for the first time, the way a bookshelf looks with hundreds of books on it, even though that could be viewed as an egotistical status symbol, the variety of hardback, paperback, first printing, different covers, forewords by other authors, and having them signed. The only cons I can think of are physical space that they occupy, especially if you travel a lot, and reading a book so many times that it starts to fall apart.

There is my view on the formats of books currently available, what is your opinion, and do you recommend I try an Audio Book at least once?

History + Time = Future?

While at work I listen to BBC Radio 2, as I have no choice, but I've come to rather enjoy it. My reasons for enjoying it is because there is a great variety or music, radio personalities, and talk radio involved in the programming, but most of all no advertising, apart from a few about upcoming programs on a BBC channel or a promotion that they are doing on the radio itself.

Anyways, while listening today to the Jeremy Vine show after lunch, they were discussing Communism, and if it has ever worked or could work. As with most topical discussion they bring in experts to give their opinions regarding each side, and allow callers to voice their opinions, emails, and twitter comments. Well when people start giving their thoughts/views on these subjects it can become rather heated, as most people should know from seeing the American Presidential Election campaign debates, and because of this is is rather difficult to voice ones opinion over another as they are shouting into the microphone, or handset of their phone. As I strained to listen I caught tidbits of history unfolding when one of the experts was speaking of current countries that are Communist, and for how long they have been. This then triggered another thought in my head, the past and the future. Once the discussion was over and everyone gave their views I carried on with my work, and thought of the past, and what time I would have liked to have lived in, and I concluded that it would be the 14th century, but only as an observer. I suppose I have read too many, or not enough, fantasy novels, but there is something I love about that era. The idea of fighting your enemies in close combat, tending to your farm, being a blacksmith, a tailor or a fisherman, such simpler times, even though life expectancy is shorter due to poor health and living conditions.

After a while my mind moved on to the future, and what triggered these thoughts is when I was looking at the HMRC(Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs) website to find out about my tax bracket, and on the same page it gave info for retirement, one of the dates it gave was 2046(really?). Well after thinking of the past while at work, this year of 2046 popped into my head, and it made me wonder how I would envision the future to be, we all know there have been many novels written, but how many have come true? I found it difficult to picture a future, but the best I could come up with was something along the lines of a dystopian/nihilistic/totalitarian future, but nothing with crazy robots or electronics(I think we already have some of those things in our daily lives). I realize this may come across as pessimistic but you need to look through history to see that the human race is headed in this direction. An example of it is happening right now in America, the Presidential Race. The candidates speak to the citizens, the ones that elect them, as if they are children by using simple phrases, avoiding valid questions regarding policies, and belittling their opponents. Now this could come down to lack of funding in the education system(all over the world) which has lead to a dumber population, or just that humans understand and comprehend simple answers easier than complex ones so we accept it. I choose to believe the latter, as I don't want us to destroy ourselves too soon.

Now to come full circle and finish my train of thought with a message, just try to live your life and don't over-think anything, instead enjoy the journey, and do what you can to make the world a better place in any way you can. I want the future generations to enjoy this planet for a bit longer before we mess it up too much. I have chosen to grow my own vegetables, compost and volunteer at Stonebridge City farm in Nottingham, and this brings me joy as I know that others get satisfaction from visiting it.

Well there you have it, you now know how my mind works and how I stay sane in a menial task job, and somehow have the ability to keep a conversation with myself, also it's quite interesting to view how thoughts flow from one topic to another.

Review: Dracula

Dracula by Bram Stoker

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I feel that the first 60% of the book is the best when they are discovering who Dracula is, but it fizzles out like a lame firework in the last 40%. Having been to Whitby myself and seeing Bram Stoker's inspiration for this novel it was like I was there in the 19th century reading the papers and reports of mysterious events, and that gave me a real connection to the antagonist and protagonists. I think it will be a novel I will re-read in a few years time to see if I feel differently about it.



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