Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
Against Love by Laura Kipnis: Despite its tedious reading at times and over-the-top generalizations, Ms. Kipnis has achieved her goal which she states at the beginning: “it’s just supposed to shake things up and rattle a few convictions.” Reading this book will force you to think about the relationships in your life. You may not agree with her arguments or assertions, but you can’t deny that she’s engendered new thoughts about beliefs you probably hold dear. As a polemic, Against Love succeeds in providing a conviction-rattling read.
Angels & Demons by Dan Brown: While some judicious editing might have made it a tighter and more focused novel, Angels & Demons is still a highly enjoyable read. For those who love plot-driven novels, and for those who love thrillers and mysteries full of strange bits of information that tie everything together, grab a copy of Angels & Demons and find a comfortable chair. It’s time well spent.
Arthur & George by Julian Barnes: Arthur & George succeeds on many levels. Besides the unfolding of the lives of these two men and the depiction of England a century ago, Julian Barnes touches on timeless themes. George’s conviction based on circumstantial evidence is chilling when it is shown how any behavioral trait can be used to explain criminal intent or guilt. George was convicted more for who he was than any evidence that pointed to his guilt. Arthur struggles with love and responsibility. Julian Barnes ties it all together, weaving their stories within the confines of the era and the universal challenges of life, love, and family. It’s an engrossing story, expertly told, and enthused with the idea that with men like Arthur Conan Doyle, some of the miscarriages of life can be undone.
The Athenian Murders by Jose Carlos Somoza: Jose Carlos Somoza does a wonderful job weaving all of this together, keeping all the mysteries beguiling as they begin to wrap themselves around each other. The reader hopes that Heracles finds the key to his murder investigation as well as hoping the translator finds the key within the story. The philosophical arguments between Heracles and Diagoras (as well as others at Plato’s Academy) become tiresome at points, yet within in them Somoza hides the key that brings everything together. The story, or stories actually, come to a surprising and satisfying conclusion, leaving no doubt as to the mastery of Somoza’s storytelling. As with all good mysteries, all the pieces fall into place in hindsight once the book comes to an end. Unpredictable, intelligent, and a tour guide through ancient Greece, The Athenian Murders is different from anything else you might read, and in the end, you’ll be glad it is.
Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs: While the story line in Bones to Ashes can be a bit disturbing, it moved along quickly with enough mystery and plot twists to keep the mind engaged. This is a good book to pick up on a rainy weekend or take to the beach to lose oneself for a while.
The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber: The Book of Air and Shadows never seems to take itself too seriously, which adds to its enjoyment. Michael Gruber has delivered a novel where he hides universal truths among the treasure hunt. The result is much more fun than the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Perhaps that’s his next novel.
The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster: This is not a “feel good” book and it’s not a story that will keep you turning pages to see what happens next. If you want a book to challenge your thoughts and emotions and perspective on life, then I can recommend it highly. Just don’t think you’ll put it down with a satisfied smile on your face.
A Box of Matches by Nicholson Baker: For those readers who can enjoy a novel without much plot but filled with these “aha” moments, then A Box of Matches will satisfy them. Personally, I need more structure and character development in the novels I enjoy, so a lot of this book was like being stuck next to Emmett at a party. I kept needing my drink refilled.
Annette Lybacki hopes that you found this piece helpful and invites you to read her articles on The 411 on Annuity Loans for some Hints and Tips on Annuity Loans.
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Tuesday, April 13th, 2010
The Fall by Simon Mawer: Simon Mawer has given us a good novel, just not a great one. It can be electrifying and dizzying at one point and then detached and mired in its characters’ own lack of inertia the next. A more even novel would have been received better, but The Fall is still an enjoyable read that will leave you guessing the truth until the very end.
December 6 by Martin Cruz Smith: December 6 is a novel that succeeds on many levels. It’s an education into the mindset and culture of pre-war Japan. It’s an indictment of those beating the drums of war behind their own self-righteousness. Best of all, it’s a great story, and the description of Harry’s predicament is peeled back layer by layer, and by the end we’ve come to understand and sympathize with him completely. There’s a bit of Harry in all of us, trying to do the right thing while taking advantage of the situation at the same time.
The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch: The Highest Tide is a short book, less than 250 pages, and can be read in one afternoon. Jim Lynch’s debut novel spends a wonderful summer with Miles O’Malley and the interesting and peculiar life that abounds in Puget Sound. Take an afternoon and enjoy it for yourself.
Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje: This is Michael Ondaatje’s gift to the rest of us, his net for holding everything dear to us, even if it eventually leads to heartache and the divisions in our lives. There is nothing predictable in Divisadero and each thread leads to another story that mirrors each other, turning back on itself, so that even its divisions are blurred. This is the poetry of this novel, and the poetry of our lives, that has been expertly captured here.
The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh: For the most part, The Hungry Tide is a compelling book about ordinary people bound together in an exotic place that can consume them all. It’s the basest of human emotions, love, jealousy, pride, and trust, that will make the difference. That’s a lesson we all can learn, again, as we follow Piya, Kanai, and Fokir into the heart of tide country.
Easter Island by Jennifer Vanderbes: Easter Island is a satisfying read that explores the mysteries of the human soul in the most isolated place in the world, the navel of the earth. Both Elsa and Greer find that searching for oneself can be fraught with peril, since no man, or woman, is an island.
The Echo Maker by Richard Powers: The Echo Maker never loses its emotional power. As Richard Powers navigates the landmarks of his characters’ lives, his artful prose keeps the novel moving forward in the year that follows Mark’s accident, a year that will redefine all of their lives. It’s a moving tribute to the human condition, that search for the emotional truths of our lives and how that defines our sense of self.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer: If you only read perfect novels, then there would be very few books to read at all. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close can be uplifting and soul searing at different times. With the horrors and wounds of the 9/11 attacks still fresh, this novel may hit too close to home for some people. By the end of this book, how that awful day happened for all members of Oskar’s family is known, and beyond the pain lies hope, and Oskar is not as alone as he thinks he is. Oskar Schell’s story is one to cherish, and perhaps that metaphor for the lost innocence of the world is one we all ought to acknowledge and embrace.
Annette Lybacki hopes that you found this piece helpful and invites you to read her articles on Do You Need a DUI Lawyer? for some Hints and Tips on DUI Lawyers.
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Sunday, April 11th, 2010
If you are the kind of person that needs to see a movie that is plausible, and based on real life events, then you probably shouldn’t see “Crank: High Voltage,” starring Jason Statham. However, if you like movies that are completely over the top when it comes to action, dialogue, story lines, and an occasional porn star thrown in for good measure, then this flick is not to be missed.
Our fabulous account commences with the hero being thrown out of a helicopter. The enormous thump he makes on the soil makes the evening news, of course, but not before his body is scooped up and taken away in a van filled with questionable characters. Next thing we know, our central character is lying in a make shift hospice, and being operated on by a doctor with a cigarette hanging out of his lips.
He wakes up, and finds that his heart has been replaced by a mechanical heart. We find out that our character has an exceptionally brawny heart, and it has been stolen to be rooted into the leader of a famous criminal crowd somewhere in Southern California. So our protagonist has to not only unearth his original heart, but he also has to discover someone to substitute it out with the electrical one that has been implanted into him.
There’s only one problem. His electrical, short-lived heart runs off of an outside battery that gets smashed somehow. So he must continuously give himself electrical shocks to keep his short-lived heart from giving out on him. This makes for an appealing hunt across the badlands of southern California, as he battles gangsters from all walks of life.
Throughout the whole adventure to find his original heart, he is in unvarying contact with a pal of his, who happens to be a capable open heart doctor, although we learn he has had his medicinal license taken away due to some inopportune mishap that unfolded with an ex girlfriend of his. But nonetheless, we trust that once our hero locates his initial heart, his buddy will be able to swap it out with the bogus one.
We have the definitive struggle, which includes our central character, two opponent gangs, and a gangster’s head that is being kept energetic in jar. In a last ditch effort to charge his heart one last time, our hero climbs up an electrical pole and zaps himself one last time. But the electrical shock proves to be a bit too solid, and he is engulfed in flames. Meanwhile, his co-conspirator fruitfully finds his unique heart, and his acquaintance, the dishonored heart surgeon, attempts to restore him to health. Will he be successful? The only way to find out is to rent this tremendous DVD, before it’s too late.
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Tuesday, April 6th, 2010
If you are a fan of Japanese monster movies, then you’ll love “Voyage Into Space.” This movie has everything you need from your thrilling adventure films, and then some. It not only has a robot fighting to protect the earth from a horrible alien monster, but also has a great story of friendship and sacrifice. You can’t go wrong with this movie.
Our allegory starts out with a secret government group creating a colossal robot that will protect the earth against any and all alien invaders. The machine is constructed to be controlled by a simple looking timepiece that doubles as an advanced communiqu device. The only warning is that the first creature who communicates to the colossal robot through the timepiece transmission device will be the one who it will forever be subservient too.
And the character who speaks firstly to the colossal android is of course a young, simple boy. He is only playing when he first picks up the watch, unintentionally of course, and speaks to the automaton. But picture his admiration when the android obeys his every demand, and obediently protects the boy from all manner of harm that comes his way during this ambitious quantity of film making.
At first, it would seem that the boy has uncovered a devoted buddy, skilled of shooting missiles from his fingertips, and picking the boy up and taking him on sudden trips around the globe. But this, of course, can’t last very long as the globe is rapidly invaded by unspeakable distorted aliens from the far reaches of space. This is when the genuine test of their comradeship is determined. Will the boy and his new found robot companion risk all to protect the earth? Will they even be victorious?
At first it comes across as as if the automaton will be triumphant and safeguard the world from the invading monsters, but all is not well. The invading creature is made from a highly explosive substance, and if he is shot, the complete earth will be damaged. So shooting the alien dead is not an option for our powerful automaton hero. He must react to the global hazard with severe actions indeed.
And in a gloomy allegory of self sacrifice, the robot grabs the monster, and carries him deep into the pits of space, where he will pose no risk to the simple populace of the planet. This, of course, leaves the youngster without his buddy, but he learns a precious moral. Sometimes you must go to extreme sacrifices to save your associates, even to the point of sacrificing your own life. If you would like to watch a exciting show with a overpowering moral message, look no further than “Voyage Into Space.
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Monday, March 29th, 2010
Science fiction movies are a treat for many people. For those that like a good science fiction movie, there’s nothing better than a believable story with good writing and decent actors, along with a story that has a powerful metaphor that can be understood in terms of current events. The remake of “The Day The Earth Stood Still,” is such a movie.
It’s acceptably recognized that a lot of of the science fiction, extraterrestrial incursion type cinema in the fifties and sixties were similes for the ever increasing and overhanging risk of sheer demolition due to nuclear war. The initial movie addressed this straightforwardly, as the invading aliens came to give Earthlings a forewarning to either end fighting or face the rage of the aliens. Genuine to the original, the aliens came as council of a planetary coalition of sorts. But the Earthlings were in danger of not being integrated owing to their wicked habits. In the initial movie, the iniquitous habits were conflict and nuclear stockpiling. In the remake, the nefarious habits are biological mistreatment of our own planet.
Our parable starts out with several scientists being rounded up by some armed forces or management persons, we’re not sure which. They aren’t told the exact purpose, only that there is an looming danger, and the management officials aren’t sure what to make of it. The scientists are amazed to find out that there is some entity hurtling towards Earth, and if it isn’t blocked, it will readily obliterate everything.
They all brace for bang, and of course nothing happens. The article turns out to be a huge space craft. And as the representative exits the space craft, (and is customarily shot by some trigger happy soldier) we meet the notorious Gort. The giant robot who is the emissary’s guardian. They take the envoy to a management hospital, where he is to be interrogated.
They get a few answers out of him, but he isn’t here to satisfy questions. He is here on a truth discovering task. Is the Earth worth saving, or not? This is his mission, and based on how he is treated when he initially arrives, his inborn answer is that the Earth should be given a fresh start. And by giving the Earth a fresh start, he means to slaughter all the people, and let the Earth slowly repopulate itself. Not good news for the current Earthlings, to be sure.
But a surprising thing happens to this seemingly solely logical creature from outer space from who knows where. The a range of people that he meets on his run from the establishment convinces him that Earth folks are pretty decent, on an individual level. He concludes that because people are good, we deserve a second chance. But unluckily, events have been set into action which he may be powerless to stop. He tries for a settlement, one that may be inconvenient, to say the least, but is much better than sheer annihilation. This remake stays fairly true to the real thing, yet introduces a few novel elements. All in all, it’s worth seeing, but not worthy of a spot in your own individual library. This one is categorically a rental.
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