Wolf Hunt by Jeff Strand

I wasn't expecting to actually finish another book by the end of the year, but I guess I did. Jeff Strand's Wolf Hunt is, you've guessed it, a horror book. Or at least it tries to be. In a time where you have Team Jacob (you teenage girls and middle aged gay men know what I am talking about *wink*) and Underworld, werewolf stories don't manage to scary anyone anymore.

Leaving the fact that the title gives you a big clue what the book is about, the rest of the book was fun. You have two paid thugs - George and Lou- who are acting like an old married couple, their contact man - Ricky - who is just a contact man, an innocent woman caught in the mix - Michele - who apparently nobody mentions her boobs but I guess the author is "an ass-man", and a precious cargo in a cage - the psychopathic killer werewolf - Ivan. The entire action of this book is fast, dialogues are also witty and fast, the werewolf is fast but the cars are kind of slow in this one. Ironic, huh?!

OK, so we have a book about werewolves, that wants to be part of the horror genre. Theoretically, it is; but the scare factor is no more. The blood and the gore is there, but is anybody fazed by that anymore? Have you seen any of the SAW movies? Nothing is more scary after that experience. Though the book is highly entertaining, I believe that the scare factor is missing completely. 

Read this book for entertainment, the dialogues are insanely funny and sometimes completely out of the context, but what would you expect from a psychopathic werewolf? This one kept me up 2 nights in a row, not because it was scary, but because I wanted to find out how it ends. Usually a book that does that to someone, cannot be anything but good, right? 

Thank you for reading my posts and my New Year's Resolution is to come back in 2013 with more books and rants for my readers. Happy holidays!

Mistakes and Ladders by Pip McCormac

Oh man, where should I begin... Mistakes and Ladders was spot on what gay life is all about for most men: promiscuity, drugs, drinking until wasted, clubs, innumerable dates, discounted designer clothes, insecurity and lots of drama. Hell... Been there done that, apart from the drugs bit - it has never been my style. 

This book retells all the failed relationships and dates of the author. He even brings to the table his drug addiction and how his friends staged an intervention for his sorry ass. Always looking for "the one" he kept dating guys and making himself believing that each one is the one he'll marry and be his husband. He played the game and, in the gay world, very few people manage to actually find what they are looking for (reasoning that they know what they are looking for). It's a jungle out there and it's every man for himself.

This quote reminded me how shallow this world is and at some level I still am part of it: "In the morning he made me a cup of tea and we watched a bit of TV in bed. In gay terms, it felt like getting engaged." Yeah, we live fast and outside of the society's norms but deep down, everyone at least has thought about finding that special someone. To contradict myself here is another quote: "Anyone you take home will have slept with your old one at some point. There are only so many of us to go around - this is a fact of gay math." Sadly it is so, due to the fact that once you get into a scene and you're still looking to find a man, you probably end up shagging someone who shagged your ex or your ex's ex before you. Just imagine the complications and the drama.

This book is a gay version of Sex and the city, where the main character embodies all of those bitches' traits. Realizing that I had actually seen the series and the movie makes me cringe. Anyway, this is a book about gay life in UK and it's somewhat funny and thought provoking at times. I wouldn't call it "a must read", but it is OK enough to give a bit of insight of how gay men are besides Queer as Folk and Modern family.

Birthday Pie: A Novel by Arthur Wooten

Birthday Pie: A Novel is about family. This book reflects pretty well how most families are: dysfunctional. Yes, there is no such thing as a normal family but in the end blood is usually thicker than water. They might drive you crazy, you might want to run away screaming and break away as far as you can, but in the end they are yours and you belong to that odd group.

Families are crazy. We all have strange members who do crazy things and we sometimes hate their guts but deep down cannot help but love them. We think we know our family members, but there are different levels of knowledge and somehow we just scrape the surface and the core, leaving a whole lot of middle to be kept secret and personal. Sometimes that surfaces when everything starts to go terribly wrong in this life. This is what this book is about, finding out that middle by scraping the surface and it is always unexpected and quite surprising.

Lex is a children's books writer who comes back to visit his family for his birthday and see his dieing father. We get introduced to all of his messed up relatives and the past surfaces from time to time. Each of them has their own personal story that made them who they are today. Everybody had a personal drama and that reflected on their own personality and life; be it the death of a parent, love lost or just crazy a christian wife who doesn't like sex. 

This book just shows how complicated families really are. Each individual bringing his or her own thing in the mix and finally ending with a connection that is either strong or weak depending on affinities and how each member has influenced the other's life. I consider this a must read because it made me ponder on my relationship with my own blood. Maybe it's the holidays, maybe the book hit a nerve by itself, but I really enjoyed it. This book really has heart.

We survived, again

At first it was Y2K and Microsoft managed to patch the system. We were saved. Now the world went crazy because of the whole Mayan Calendar thing. Nothing happened. What could be next?! Let me guess... 11.12.13 ? What's with people's fascination with old calendars and dates? We all die eventually, most probably hit by a someone who is texting and driving, old age, cancer or something along those lines.

In a way I hoped for the world to end. Imagine all those morons in flames running and screaming. You know who they are. Don't deny it. I would have died happy. But I guess it was only hopeful wishing. People were stupid for expecting a major cataclysm just because some guy, more than 2000 years ago, made a calendar. Imagine, what would happen if 2000 years in the future someone finds a computer with Windows Vista. That might just be the end of the civilization after all.

This whole craze made some people very rich by exploiting the superstition: survival packs with vodka in Russia, 1000 bucks entry fee in a nuclear bunker and even themed parties in Romania. Since we are about 100 years in the past, we party like it's 1912. This is the longest night of the year so might as well party all night long. 

As an exercise of imagination I was expecting: meteorites, zombies, electricity being gone, floods, earthquakes, volcanoes, aliens invading, magnetic poles reversing, penguins attacking, politicians recognizing that they are crooked, Michael Jackson releasing another album and computers becoming conscious and showing grandma your entire porn collection.  I guess we're lucky that none of that happened. Tomorrow is a brand new day. Rejoice. We survived, again!

The secret race by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle

About a week ago I got a comment from a visitor that I should read The secret race by Tyler Hamilton, I am sorry that I hadn't reply to him/her comment but I was reading just that. Please excuse me for not replying so this review goes to you, my Anonymous commenter. I am glad that someone mentioned this book because after Lance Armstrong's, I was considering him a hero with or without the doping charges. Now I tend to veer my opinion towards a neutral stance. 

What's the deal with this book, you may ask. Yes, it is controversial. ...And yes, it gives you insight on the world of bike racers and doping. This is another cyclist's biography on the Tour de France events and how everybody did what they did. I believe that there are some major lessons to be learned from this book, especially if you like bikes and cycling. One of them is that winning a bike race means lots of work, determination, lots of pain and extremely low body fat. I am screwed on the last one though, I guess I don't have what it takes to be a pro racer. (Now pass me another beer). 

I have noticed a pattern here about the racing world: each sportsman was running from something: Armstrong started his career because he had a difficult family life, Hamilton was battling depression and he needed an outlet etc. etc. But then they went to professional races and their objectives changed. In a way I think that all that doping was a way to gain leverage in a world where it was common practice. This is what Hamilton is trying to say in his book: you gained a few seconds (maybe even minutes) through doping, but there is no denying the fact that behind their results was a lot of hard work.

I really liked this one. In a way, I liked it more than Armstrong's because it gave me another point of view of the guy. He was determined to win, at all costs. That made him a bully and an asshole, but I don't consider him a cheater. He did things better than the rest and beat them at their own game.  What, I think, sucked was how he defended his title and his attitude towards his friends and colleagues. Read the book if you want to know more about the whole scandal. It might not be objective, but no autobiography ever is.

It's not about the bike: My journey back to life by Lance Armstrong

It's not about the bike: My journey back to life is one of those books that you have to read while forgetting certain aspects of real life. I had to either be on Lance Armstrong side or consider him a phony and simply dismiss the book. Since I am crazy about bikes, I still think Lance is really awesome (with or without the EPO).

As the title says: it's not about the bike, well... it kind of is, but the author tries to explain his fight with testicular cancer and his wife's process of having a baby in vitro. If you manage to differentiate the entire controversy of doping, you'll find this book as a serious lecture from a man who managed to survive one of the most horrifying diseases of our modern lives.

Before arguing that he had the money to pay for his medical interventions, you should know that he begged his sponsors to cover part of his insurance and he had sold his car and other valuables in order to pay for his treatment. Yes, he had the money and the luck, but he also mentions that when he was down nobody wanted to support him ( as in certain sponsors).

It's a book about family; be it the actual blood family, the family from work or the family you try to make. I had seen another face of the biker. He might be a champion, or a cheater, but in the end he's just another man who is trying to survive in this world. This book just shows that life can be cut short and we still have to fight through all the crap in order to survive.

Other unusual stories by Ovid S. Crohmalniceanu

Another month has passed and I had only managed to read one book. I blame this on my workplace due to the fact that I have to work extra hours in order to finish some projects that were overdue; not because of me, thank you very much. So extra hours and fatigue have taken their toll on me and my ability to read a book. Without further ado, I bring to you "Other unusual stories" by a Romanian author. 

The book reminded me a bit of "The Twilight Zone". Short stories with a bit of an unexpected ending. Since the book was in Romanian, I shall try to translate the name of each story so that you might get a whiff of the action: Letters from Arcadia, The Hermeneuts, The 10 Lost Tribes, Too Much Intelligence is Bad, The Interview, In Cold Blood, The Crisis of Imagination, Why is the Sky Blue, The Loneliness of the Long Race Runner, The Alternative. 10 Sci-Fi stories about the future of man kind will keep you interested and longing for more. 

Since I am an engineer by profession, I must admit that some of the principles related in the book were familiar to me and I must admit that I had sensed the author's engineering background, given the fact that we come from the same polytechnics university. The stories are very well thought out and they show rigorous research for each of them, be it quantum physics, engineering research, religion or philosophy. 

Each of these stories starts a bit abruptly and after a few of them you'll find yourself avidly reading so that you can discover how each story ends. They are not your average and predictable literature and they do give you a bit of a chuckle if you're a nerd. All in all it was a good read. I recommend this book if you manage to find it in English or Romanian.

Castaways by Brian Keene

Castaways by Brian Keene is a horror book, or at least that's how it was meant to be. The book follows the lines of the TV show Survivor, where a group of people are put on a deserted island and they form a tribe and then try to win different challenges in order to get immunity so the don't get voted off the island. Technically "Castaways" might as well have been called "Survivor", but I guess the author didn't want to face any copyright law suits.

The book is predictable and since it is so predictable this review will contain spoilers. You were warned. The book begins with a group of people participating in a contest like Survivor, and they say that is reality TV. The whole action starts when Cyclone Ivan hits the island and all hell breaks loose. The contestants find out that the island is not deserted but inhabited by a pack of inbred pack of neanderthals (a missing link actually). So the hominids want to eat the men and rape the females so they can increase their gene pool and that's exactly what happens. 

The book was fun, but like I said before, very predictable. After the first 3 chapters you'll know how most of the action is going to take place. You'll keep reading it so that you find out who lives eventually, if any and who dies and how. The action is entertaining and simple enough to keep track and remember where you left it. What this book lacks is character development, some characters get more developed than others. I think that a horror book where people die, part of the horror is knowing the character and having a bit of connection with it. 

For my next book I shall try to find something with more substance. I feel that I need to get more from a book, than just entertainment. Hopefully something interesting shall drop in my hands.  I am tired of horror and sex books. We'll see what pops up next...

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter - the movie

Well... well... well... I had finally managed to see the cinematic adaptation of Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, a book I had written about  a while back. My expectations were low. I mean they were so low, that I had waited to see it online, than to actually pay and go to the cinema. During the movie I kinda wished I went to the cinema for this one, because a lot of the action scenes were created for 3D and the images were very well done. 

The movie takes about 3-4 main ideas from the book, but the overall feeling is that only the title keeps a constant similarity. Most characters are there, but instead of a historical book with some vampire action, the movie is a lot of vampire action with very little history. I guess the movie makers felt that the book was not as juicy as the public might have wanted. Not even the main ideas, that were borrowed from the book, were not kept close to the original. In percentages I can say that the movie has a 10% similarity with the book (title included).

If you want too see a vampire movie with lots of special effects, beautiful CGI and how Abe Lincoln is swinging his axe a la Blade with his sword, you should definitely watch this movie. If you happen to own a 3D screen, do yourself a favor and watch it in 3D. I did mention Blade because in a way this is the closest vampire action movie I could think of. Oh and the train action reminded me of Priest.  I am still waiting for the following movies: George Washington, cherry tree cutter; Theodore Roosevelt, butterfly catcher; Bill Clinton, assistant fucker and George Bush, pot smoker.

Only one question remains: would Honest Abe kick the shit out of Edward the sparkling vampire? I'd say: DEFFO. :)

50 ways to play: BDSM for nice people by Debra and Don Macleod

50 ways to play: BDSM for nice people is a book about kink. I would call this book a short introduction to the vanilla side of BDSM. It is a light book and an easy read and I think that the cover is a definite indicator of the target audience. Oh hell, I'll just say it, it's for those straight folks that have sex under the covers with the light turned off in the missionary position, who might need a bit of spicing up of their sex life.

I did mention vanilla BDSM because the authors are trying not to scare those "nice people". On the other hand this book kinda misses the entire point of BDSM as a subculture, by trying too hard to make it seem like a walk in the park, than a walk to the dungeon. Ok, maybe I am more hardcore than the authors. They manage to cover the basics, but I was hoping that they'd get into more detail about  the kinky stuff. They talk about the atmosphere, domination and submission, mind games, bondage, spanking, flogging, clamps, dirty talk, temperature play, pornography and a bit of the psychology of the entire thing.

While reading this book, you can have a feel what are the authors' favorite sex positions and plays (hint: spread eagle, face up on the bed or on an ottoman and glass toys). Since Don is not fond of anal play on himself, he doesn't even mention it for men, not even a finger up the ass, not even fisting. The book is ok as a whole, but the structure is kind of lacking because they tried to hit the 50 mark. They mention temperature play where they talk about glass toys, but ice and hot wax are 2 different subjects. Does this make sense? Not to me. Also, they state that a woman masturbating in front of a man can definitely get him crazy hot with desire, as if that is every man's fantasy. I can argue about that too.

I can honestly say that it seemed like a brochure for a spa vacation, than a book about BDSM and kink. This book is more innocent than today's high school kids and although it wants to be risque and sexy, it fails on both accounts. If you never tried BDSM and want some tame ideas for sex, get this book; otherwise hit a BDSM forum and talk to the real Masters and slaves and everybody in between. One word of advice: if your partner is bound and gagged, I don't think he/she will appreciate the idea of being gang-bangged by your other Master friends without a prior talk. Just saying...

Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid by Denis Leary

My oh my! Where do I find these books...? Looking back at what I had posted on this blog, I realize that I am going from underground, to mainstream and then back to the underground. The internet is a place of wonder where you can find all sorts of crazy shit. Since I am not an American I can definitely say that I do not consider myself connected to this book in most ways, but the American culture is starting to rub off on Europeans.

This book is hilarious. It was meant to be funny, but also thought-provoking and the author nailed it. Why we suck is in a way a comparison between generations. The author tries to compare his childhood to the kids today. He's trying to explain that the old ways, when kids were spanked for doing mischief or getting some early lessons on winning and losing (even on the playground), are a better upbringing than an overprotective society where "all kids are winners". This book is all about family and how the author had to deal with his brothers, bullies, girls, his own kids, a wife, work, God, you name it.

I do have to say that his arguments are valid and spot on, but his views can be quite misogynistic or homophobic at times. Let's just say that he doesn't give a rat's ass about political correctness and the book would have lost its humor without some stereotypes thrown in or without some over the top radical views. If you like stand-up comedy, this book is for you: it's funny, heartwarming at times and rude most of the time. 

I hate it when it takes so long to post something here, but work and everything else (read LIFE) have kept me from reading as much as I did before. I shall not forget this blog and I shall keep posting whenever I get to finish a book, or not (happened before, unfortunately). Keeping this blog going is a promise to myself and I intend to stick to it. 

It's called work for a reason by Larry Winget

This is a reread but I figured I might as well give it a review because I enjoy it every time. Yes, in a way it's a motivational book, but it has a twist. Larry goes for the no-bullshit approach and calls you on your own B.S. We all are lazy people and during a work day we keep idling and losing productivity, this reflects bad on us and in the end might prove fatal for our career path.

Yes, this book is about work - how to keep your job, how to get into the right frame of mind to do your job better and how to act at your job in order to satisfy your bosses and your clients. Read or listen the book and you will definitely find yourself in it. We all idle at work from time to time, we all do mistakes but getting good results and owning your mistakes makes you a good employee and, theoretically, a respected employee. 

I like the concept of "superstar employees" - they are the ones that get the job done and get some slack from bending the rules. They are the top dogs in a company and, as long as they are kept satisfied with their work place, they stay at that job. At the opposite side of the company, are the one who don't do much and cost the company money or image (we all know a few of these - the colleague who stays all day on facebook and always has a reason for not finishing the work on time). 

In a way, this book opened my eyes about certain things regarding my own career. I am one of the "superstar employees" in my company, because I work hard, I do whatever has to be done and I rarely complain. The greatest perk is the respect of the colleagues and not having my paycheck cut by 20% when the company hit some rough times. When things got rougher, it happened to me too but this happened to everybody in order to keep our jobs in this bad economy. I highly recommend this book, because it has balls to say the truth without wrapping things in shiny paper with ribbons and sparkles, like most motivational books or seminars. There is no higher power and no secret, it's just you, your choices and the results of your actions that guide your career and your money-making success.

Dies the fire by S.M. Stirling

It seems like the end of summer caught me really busy with work and school so I had less and less time to read. But I come with a review of a new book, actually half of a book. Yes kids, I had found another book I cannot finish. Why? Well... Read on.

Dies the fire has a good premise: electricity is gone due to a weird storm. Also gone are all batteries, generators and explosive devices ( read guns) from a chemical change. I am not going to go into the technical details of the entire implications of chemical changes but let's just say it is possible that only that thing happened. So I liked the idea and I had great expectations from the story because, after all, it's a trilogy and a highly rated one by modern survivalists. 

Ok, so the idea was good. It started fine, there was plenty of action in the first 100 or so pages. You has planes crashing, city fires, thugs fighting police, people escaping the cities, friends trying to reach each other, black people saved from slavery to white supremacists etc.  ...And then it jumped to boring descriptions on how they made weapons from car parts or how they milked cows, weeks after the incident. These details are probably appealing to survivalists but if you are into adventure books, this might be a bit of a let down. I think the writer had a time with lack of inspiration and started chapters without connecting much to the past. I stopped reading it when the action kinda faded. I assume that there will be plenty of actions further in the book but it kinda gotten on my nerves and I didn't feel any kind of connection with the characters. Apart from Havel - the pilot/ex military/leader of the pack, I couldn't remember any of their names and honestly I didn't really manage to care for any of them either.

Maybe it was the style of writing, maybe it was the story,  maybe I was not into the right mind frame or maybe the book simply sucked. It started good but then I realized I was wasting my time with a book I didn't care for. Give it a try, maybe it'll touch you, more than it did me.

The Hunger Games - Movie (lots of spoilers)

 Trailer and SPOILER ALERT!!!

Last night I had seen the movie and, as promised, I am going to state my views on it. Well... It was entertaining, but I was expecting more. I was expecting that they might move a bit from the book and I was surprised that the story of the brooch with the mockingjay was changed. Wasn't it the entire premise of the book after all? They did give it a meaning, but in the book it was about the entire community, not just about the family. Katniss was allowed to wear it in the book, Cinna gave it to Katniss as a secret. 

All the actors seemed out of place in the movie. Katniss was somewhat how I had imagined her to be, but Prim seems too much of a faded blonde and she doesn't inspire the affection you might feel in the book. Peeta seems too metrosexual as in well built stud-muffin, not the chunky and bulky kid portrayed in the book. Gale is too much of the boy next door, than the jock he should have been. Wasn't the Cornucopia to be golden? Weren't the mockingjays supposed to imitate the human speech? During the game scenes I didn't feel any sympathy for anybody, the movie lost the entire essence of the book: the rebellion against the Capitol, the love triangle and Katniss'  inner struggles.

Did I like the movie? Yes. Am I glad that I had read the book before the movie? Absofuckinglutely. Otherwise I wouldn't have read the books. Can't wait to see the Abe Lincoln movie...

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

I know what you'll say: "Oh hell no, another vampire book". Well... Yeah. But, this book does not resemble Twilight. You don't have shiny vampires that sparkle and you also do not have a teenage-romance novel. If you remember "Interview with the Vampire" you know what I am talking about. This is better writing than any of today's vampire books.

The Vampire Lestat has been on my reading list for a few years and I kept setting it aside because it felt like a long read. Actually it took me about 5 days to finish this book, and I had been on vacation with plenty of time for books. I am a fast reader and this book needed my entire attention to understand some parts. Overall it is a nice experience which leaves you wanting for more.

Ok, so in this book vampires are not afraid of crosses but they cannot walk in the light. You get beautiful descriptions of different eras and different places. You get hetero sex, you get incest and you get gay sex. To each his own, I guess. You get poverty and enormous wealth. You get a new version on how vampires came to be. You get lots of fights and plenty of violence. You get sensual love and complicated relationships. You get different views on religion etc. You get a well made cocktail of everything your heart desires. 

Children of the night, gather and suck the blood of mortals. Just kidding, but the book was pretty good. Even though it was quite long, it left me satisfied. I will have to find a chronological order of the series and maybe I will read another vampire book.

Blink: The power of thinking without thinking by Malcom Gladwell

 This book is utterly interesting if you ever wondered a bit about the human psyche. Blink is about first impressions and the fact that our subconscious works about 8 times faster than our conscious mind processes information and gives a logical decision to us. The book argues that we make snap decisions all the time and sometimes they are valid and quite valuable and other times they are not.

In case of extreme stressful situations our subconscious turns to pure instinct and we become temporary autistic relying on basic prejudices or simple actions that try to take us out of harm's way. On the other hand we use blink all the time when we relate to other people by understanding their emotions and  actions. I did refrain from adding "words" due to the fact that some might say something but are betrayed by their facial expressions, even tiny, milisecond-short muscle spasms.

Blink, apparently, can draw draw a line between life and death, but to use it at its true value it requires lots of practice and vast experience in the field ( eg. A doctor who has to make snap decisions in order to save someone's life, or a policeman who can either pull the trigger on a scared suspect or simply to approach him without the use of gratuitous violence).

This book was an eye opener and it gave me some insights on how my own mind works. After reading it I had been compelled to look at people's faces and to try to read their minds without actually hearing what they were conversing about. It is a gem for a layman in the field of psychology. I definitely recommend it.

Corrupted by Todd Young

Another easy read, a book that lasted a few hours. This is another gay-themed book about a high-school dropout - Bradley and how his life turned from bad to worse in a way due to his own fault and weakness.

Bradley dropped out of high-school because he got bullied by a stupid jock called Tom who shamed him in front of the entire school. Now Bradley is living from day to day with his friend Justin. Justin is taking advantage of Brad's crush for him and keeps hustling him for money, by playing a sexually ambiguous mind game.

From lack of money and lack of jobs Bradley turns to porn and a life of striptease and hustling. Being an orphan this was Brad's only chance of survival in New York and he keeps supporting his sexually confusing room mate. His life goes downhill with every bad choice he makes. This book is not a coming of age read, it is more of a story about compromise for a 19 year old in a harsh environment where sex and money play the main roles in his young life.

Though sexy at times and harsh from time to time, the book makes you feel glad that you do not have that life. The choices are somewhat immature and rushed, hence the title. It is a story about how people take advantage of the needy, corrupting them. This is definitely a good read though.

Maktub by Paulo Coelho

Maktub or "so it was written" is a book with lots of small stories, each with its own meaningful conclusion. Some are purely Christian and others very general. The book is easy to read, it took me 4 hours to read everything, but then again this is how long all of Coelho's books are.

Without further ado, I shall post the conclusions I liked from the book. "If you are still alive, it is because you haven't gotten to where you are supposed to be." "If you know how to say NO to temptations, they cannot hurt you." "If you have to make a decision, it is better to take it and act accordingly." "when a vice becomes habit, it is hard to control. But when we are required to develop new attitudes and take new decisions, we become aware that it is not worth it (the vice)."

"It is important in life to accept when the opportunity arises." "Lack of determination might be similar with the lack of interaction with strangers, which proves bad for the self." "You will die. It might be tomorrow or after 15 years, but sooner or later you will die. Even if you do not want to. Even if you have other plans. Think carefully what you will do today and tomorrow and for the rest of your life." "Have the courage to contradict yourself without feeling embarrassed. It is your right. It doesn't matter what others think - because they might see things differently. Be calm and let the universe move forward."

 To find out more, read the book yourself. You will surely find some words of wisdom that might apply to you either way.

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Sorry for such a late posting but I had been really busy and then went on vacation to a place with no internet. I started reading this book because of the movie, more like because of the movie's trailer on youtube.com. Well... I was expecting a different kind of book - something between Blade (action packed vampire slayer) and Twilight (sparkling teenage vampires).

I was pleasantly surprised to find it more along the lines of a historical read. The entire vampire premise seemed somewhat legit, especially because of the inserted pictures and also because the author managed to integrate it in the era's look and feel. Some parts seemed a bit far fetched and others seemed gratuitous with just a purpose to add up more pages to the book (eg. Elizabeth Battory part).

As I had mentioned before, the vampire premise was nicely inserted in the historical background and I didn't feel it to be over the top. The political part regarding the war between the North and the South from a vampiric point of view was also well thought out. What I didn't like was the end, due to the fact that the author forgot how the book started thus leaving me with a lot of questions, especially because the ending couldn't have been known to the reader of the diaries since Lincoln  had stopped writing them when he died. Read the book and you will know what I mean.

All in all was a decent book, I bet the movie will be more action than a "historical lesson". This one, and the Hunger Games movie are on top of my list of "movies to watch". I promise to update these articles with impressions from the movies.

Sucking Sherbet Lemons by Michael Carson

A coming-of-age novel, this is how I'd describe this book. This one has heart and if you are gay or bi, you will probably find yourself in some of the characters. As a chubby gay kid, I know what Benson was going through: the torment from the peers and the conflicting feelings about my sexuality. Lucky for me, I was never a believer in the Christian dogma, so I guess that my angst was not influenced by the Church.

 

Benson is a chubby kid who finds out that he's gay after playing with a couple of boys in the garage. He turns to religion, hoping that he'll be able to find help and a cure. You can probably guess what a Catholic school might be like, but the depiction seems genuine and you can relate to the main character in many levels. 

Would I call it "The Great British Novel"?  Probably not, but as a novel about growing up I can definitely compare it with "The Catcher in the Rye". I can honestly say that, I my opinion, "Sucking Sherbet Lemons" trumps the hell out of the latter. But, since it is a gay novel, it will never get its well deserved recognition. 

I am glad I found this little gem. I usually am weary about gay novels, because they turn lewd at one point or another. This book has some sexy moments, but leaves out the raunchy details. I think this is a serious book from which everyone can learn something about himself and about the world. Moral of the book: accept who you are and be happy with it.

Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne

This is a travel book. It depicts certain places that the author had visited. I guess I was expecting something... different. Instead of being a travel book, I was hoping it would be more adventurous.  Given the fact that I didn't know who David Byrne is, I started this book with different expectations. If I would have realized who he was, then maybe I would have expected some rock star adventures or something similar.

It is a decent book, with an air of nostalgia that you cannot really grasp why. Maybe it is the fact that he depicts derelict neighborhoods from the US or the wall of Berlin. From a New Yorker author and a former rock star, one might expect a certain dose of swearing and a bit of an attitude. The book is neither funny, nor very exciting but I believe that the depictions are quite accurate, given the fact that I had been to some of those places. 

Don't expect a work of art. Don't expect adventure and don't expect much action or talk about bikes. What you should expect is a book about travels, a tame story about cities with their ups and downs. The pictures help clarify the meaning behind the words and the language is neither pompous or harsh. Thing of it more like a photo album with a story for every picture.

It took me a while to finish this book because I had been busy with other things. Having a bike, the title caught my eye but I was hoping more of an adventure than a stroll in the city. This is the best way to describe the book " a stroll through the city".

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

3rd book... Man... What can I say?!... It is the worst one of the bunch. It was a pain to read, even though I was kinda racing to see it finished. It lacked substance and vision. I felt happy that it ended  since the entire finale was highly predictable. I am sorry to say this, but that shine of genius from the first book was completely lost on this one.

There is this whole alternation between paces: it is either too fast or too frigging boring. The whole Katniss - Peeta - Gale triangle gets boring after a while. You get to a pint where you think: "bitch make your damn mind already". Thankfully in the end she did it, but it was more of a choice of circumstance. Fuck it, I am going to spoil some of it and say that the revolution succeeds. Big whoop, like you didn't see that coming a mile away.

The entire book seems a bit like a video game: now they run down the street, now they dodge a trap, now they run into a building, not they find a tunnel... Your every shooter game, from Doom1 up to... whatever games there are nowadays.  The entire book lacks substance and feels shallow, there is no soul put into it. I think the book was written in order to publish something and give an ending to two bestsellers. Hopefully, turning this one into a bestseller too.

Will I watch the entire trilogy, if it ever comes out at the cinema? Definitely. Would I recommend the trilogy to others? You betcha. Am I glad that I didn't pay for these 3 books? Absolutely. 

Catching fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching fire by Suzanne Collins is the second book of the "hunger games" trilogy. Since I managed to get all three books for free, I figured I should read them one after the other without taking breaks for other novels. I was a bit worried that the second book would not live up to the first one and in a way it didn't. I felt that the action in the second half of the book was a bit... rushed. Maybe her publisher was urging her to pull out a second book.

Don't get me wrong, there is action galore and Katniss' angst and doubts are there too. In a way this book shifts from the pure animalistic and violent survival, to a more political kind of survival game. I am doubtful that, such a strong presence - the Capitol, was really threatened by a little girl with a bow and arrows. Maybe she really is just a tool of the resistance. The Capitol's shine seems faded in this sequel, though but its armed forces and the dictatorship over the districts begin to surface. 

What can I say? I enjoyed it, but I kind of missed the entire logic behind the survival in the arena, from book one. What I did like, was Katniss and Peeta's tour of the districts and the entire chemistry between the trio: Katniss, Peeta and Gale. As usual, she manages to get everybody in trouble. The title is meaningful, because Katniss' actions manage to set fire to the entire Panem, literally and figuratively.

Since I had started reading the trilogy I have barely had time for any work. I get engulfed in Panem's atmosphere and I tend to dismiss my other duties. I have started book three from the series and I am conflicted because  I want to do other things but I also want to find out how everything ends. I guess this is what a truly good book is: one that you cannot let go.

The hunger games by Suzanne Collins

It's cliche, I know, but everybody kept this book in high regard. It had been a battle inside me whether to read the book or watch the movie. Given the fact that the book was free, I had given it a try instead. I am definitely glad that I did. It is one of those books that you cannot let go and my family can confirm this, since I had spent an entire weekend reading The hunger games. 

Very short summary of the book: in a country called Panem, positioned in the place of North America, there are 13 districts: the Capitol and 12 others with distinct functions. After a rebellion the Capitol had won and as punishment it had implemented the Hunger Games, some kind of TV show that takes a boy and a girl from each district and makes them kill each other in a very elaborate arena. The only surviving kid is treated like a hero and given a chance to live better than the rest but with a mandatory job  to train the next contestants in the games.

The book is great, it felt like a breath of fresh air after my previous reads. It managed to get me out of my own reality and place me in the world of Panem. Ms Collins, i thank you for the wonderful time you had given me! I cannot wait to start the next book from the trilogy, so I can continue the adventures of Katniss Everdeen, Peeta and the rest. I know it is a bit mainstream nowadays and very trendy to read, but it doesn't disappoint.

After looking on imdb.com at the actors playing the characters from the book, I think that Peeta was probably not a good choice, since the book gave me a different image of him. I was thinking he'd be more massive and with a softer face. I will watch the movie and come with an update on differences. 

98.6 degrees: the art of keeping your ass alive by Cody Lundin

You hear "Cody Lundin" and you immediately think: "crazy survivalist with no shoes". You'd be right in a way, but he's making some valid points here. 98.6 degrees: the art of keeping your ass alive has a title that is a bit of an overstatement. This isn't art, it is just common sense. 

The author is hoping to write a book about survival that is different from the others. In my opinion, he falls short. I am not saying that his advice is bad or that he is making common mistakes, because this book is pretty valid, but the fact remains that it is neither funny and nor that different than its counterparts. 98.6 degrees is full of interesting facts about human anatomy, biological and psychological processes and I think it is good for knowing your own body. This information helps you assess a situation better and gives you the signal to react.

In this book you will find data on how to keep your ass alive until help comes. In a way it is more suited for the city slicker who wants to go out on a day trip in the woods, than for the hardcore survivalist that has an Every Day Carry survival kit in his bag and knows at least 3 different uses for each object. The book has a chapter about survival kits but I think it aims at the newbies who think Bear Grylls is the best survivalist since Jesus Christ. 

The graphics are kinda cute, funny and informative and they stick to your brain. Mission accomplished! As I had mentioned before, for start-ups the book is good and informative. If you had already read 2-3 survival books and seen the survival shows on the Discovery Channel, this book will simply remind you the stuff you already know and bore you with some of its chapters.

Before I go to sleep by S J Watson

What would you do if every day you wake up remembering nothing? This is a book about despair, confusion, trust and self reliance. When half of  your life is gone and you don't remember anything from your past, even from yesterday, what are you left with?

This is an interesting book to which I can relate up to a point, because I have a very poor memory and I have to rely on others for remembering things. This brought me to a place where I had to ask myself who do I trust, and are my instincts true or gone haywire? This is the story of Christine Lucas who wakes up every day not remembering the last 2 decades of her life, after a terrible incident that sent her to the hospital. She doesn't remember the man she wakes up with, she doesn't remember her son, her friends, her things, anything.Every night, after she goes to sleep she forgets everything and every morning starts with her trying to figure out who is the woman staring at her in the mirror and what has happened to her life.

"Before I go to sleep" is mostly structured like a journal, Christine's journal. You get some insight in the life of an amnesiac and how family reacts to this situation, while trying to take care of her. After reading the book you might get the brief sensation that your memories might not be real. You will try to remember what you had for lunch a week ago, just to see if you are still in your right mind. It kind of messes with your head a bit, making you wonder "what if?".

I would say that it is a good read. I wouldn't call it a thriller, even though in the last 50 pages or so your entire perception of the events gets turned upside down and gives you chills up your spine. Try to read the last chapter during the weekend,  because I guarantee you won't let it go until it's finished.

Happy Together: 500 Things to do for and with your sweetheart by Ken Shafer

If you are romantic and like lists, this is the book for you. This is a very easy to go through book and, given my experience with the former one, I had quite enjoyed myself. Out of the 500 pieces of advice 25% will not apply to you, maybe even more, but it's Saturday morning and I am feeling generous. "Why not?" you might ask. Maybe you don't have kids, or maybe you don't own a car, or maybe you have no musical talent whatsoever, or maybe you don't own a pet.

Besides the 500 suggestions the book has some cute and funny graphics, relating to some of the recommendations. To give you some idea of what this book is about, here are some quotes:

No.20 Openly recognize the fact that your sweetheart is intelligent.
No.30 Play a board game together.

No.158 Let your sweetheart spend time with his friends.
No.159 Make a list of plans for the future.

No.408 Take part in a festival together. 

If you are in a relationship and never thought of doing some of these things with your significant other,  you really have a problem as an individual and as a couple. The suggestions in this book are common sense and you should take this book more as a "to-do list" than as a study book. You don't have anything to learn from this book, but it might remind you of certain things you wanted to do and forgot because of your busy life (e.g. work and other problems that might make your relationship monotonous). 

My suggestion is: read it together and mark the things you want to do with and for your sweetheart. It will remind you that being a couple is not just about house chores and watching TV together. This was a pleasant read for me, so give it a go.

Decoding Love by Andrew Trees

This is one of the most boring books I had ever read. I simply could not bring myself to finishing it. I guess he brings some viable arguments about sexual attraction and relationships. To be honest, if you've dated more than 10 people in your life and had sex with half of them, you can definitely skip this book. Simply because it doesn't bring anything more than just some facts you might or might not know, but you do them by instinct.

He tries to be funny at times, but it just doesn't hit the spot. The advice done like this " if you are a squeamish woman skip the next chapter" can rub people the wrong way. Maybe men like having sex more than women, but from this statement and calling us "sexual predators" it goes a very long way. I don't get offended easily and I guess he makes some valid points when he writes about the sociological experiments, but I wouldn't take any of his advice into consideration.

If you want to find out a bit about the differences between the 2 sexes, read the book. But keep in mind that it is mostly about heterosexual people (or I didn't get to the good part) and I haven't found anything that might suggest a path towards more interesting relationships like (swingers, gays, bisexuals, lesbians, transgender, fetishes, orgies, BDSM, role play etc.). 

This book just feels like watching old, boring, straight, softcore porn: missionary position, under the covers with lights dimmed, but there is no music in the background and they don't even show a boob or some ass. I wish at least he had some kink, or something interesting to hook me up with, or something to at least to make me relate to it and want to read it 'till the end.

Down the road by Bowie V. Ibarra

This time I come up with an easy book. It is a horror novel about zombies. Yes, I admit: I am a zombie geek. I am more fascinated how people imagine the collapse of society due to an epidemic (this time zombies) than the actual gore-fest of the undead. I like the idea of survival in a world that had lost its rules and how people start relating to each-other in extreme situations.

Down the road by Bowie V. Ibarra is the classic zombie story: the hero finds himself at the beginning of the zombie-apocalypse and he's trying to get back to his family. This short novel is entertaining even though I think the sex scenes are gratuitous in details and so is the gore. I believe that the author had seen himself in the shoes of George (our hero) and he wanted him to be some sort of geeky playboy. He made George a chick magnet and, go figure, he's Latino.   I did like the fact that it has a beginning and it has an end and the plot is not that bad (believe me, I had read far worse than this).

If you like the genre, read it. You won't be disappointed. You get zombies, sex, violence, the evil government, rebels, survivors, rapists, drug lords and druggies, Texans with lots of guns and a sexy widowed professor who fucks the women he saves and who can drive stick. Did I mention zombies and gore? I guess I did.

Final words: entertaining, somewhat predictable, but definitely worth your while.

Believing Bullshit: How Not to Get Sucked into an Intellectual Black Hole by Stephen Law

Do you want to nail your theist friends to the cross? Read this book and start destroying their belief system, one argument after another. Everybody believes in something: from ghosts to aliens, from the almighty God to the Loch Ness monster; but this doesn't mean it's not complete and utter bullshit.

I am going to state from the beginning that in a way this book is very offensive because it attacks the belief in the supernatural. "Believing bullshit" is a hard book due to the fact that it does require a certain amount of intellect, education and open-mindedness to be understood at its true value. It is very entertaining and gives some pertinent arguments in the fight with the bullshitters.

Law seems to be an atheist and in this book you get the feeling that he preaches exactly that. At the beginning of the book he mentions the fact that he doesn't dismiss the existence of a higher power and that he only wants to make you aware of the theists' tactics of forcing their beliefs on you. The so-called "intellectual black holes" are ways of explaining something completely ludicrous by claiming it to be a mystery of the supernatural, hence no matter how many scientific arguments you throw at the believer, he will always find an counterargument.

The moral of this book? Keep an open mind, think for yourself and don't follow James 1:6 - "But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt." In my first review I had mentioned the next book that I was going to read simply because I had my mind set on it. Afterwards I had realized that I'd rather not mention the next title because I might change my mind  after the post.  Who knows what interesting book might drop into my clutches?!

Cocktails and Cockpics - A Grindr Love Story by Chris Tracey

This novel is gay. I mean it: this is a gay novel. The action happens nowadays and it is reminiscent of the show "Friends". It is the story of 4 flat mates: the gay rich closeted and shy man, the slutty and mean gay guy who knows the scene, the fag hag who is secretly in love with one of the gay guys and the  straight guy  pretending to be gay in order to live in a nice apartment with cheap rent. You can guess the implications of this.

The novel is quite predictable, once you start knowing the characters. From the first quarter you will know how it ends. On the other hand, I believe it to capture a lot of the phases of gay life, so it is not about the destination, but the journey. Amazingly enough I found out that the scene and all the problems a gay man has are the same everywhere: from coming out, to finding a boyfriend and even discussing about having an open relationship.

The novel brings something I haven't seen before in the genre: no explicit sex scenes and the perspective of the fag hag. You might think that a book about a shy man who wants a boyfriend might lack substance, but you'd be wrong.  "What's perfect isn't perfection, it's what's enough for you and for me." - Peter (the main character) discussing his relationship with Dave (the boyfriend).

As a gay man I had asked myself the question: "What happens to gays in the end?".  Read the book and find out.

I haven't decided what new book to start, so check my blog later for an update. :)

404 Self Improvement Tips by Bob Bastian

Since this is my first post, maybe I should introduce myself. I am Vlad and about 3 months ago I got my first eBook reader. Since then I had read more books than I had read in the last 2 years prior to the acquisition. So I figured this blog would be a good way of keeping track of the books I am reading. Without further ado I bring to you: 404 Self Improvement Tips  by Bob Bastian.

The book was good, considering it is a self improvement book. Out of those 404 tips I had realized that, let's say 25% of them, I have been doing already. The book is comprised into 4 categories, each with its 101 tips: 1 Money saving tips, 2 Success tips, 3 Health and fitness tips and 4 Romance tips.

Truth be told I had found some to be puerile, others to be inspirational and others simply not applicable to me. An example of silly tip is: "wrapping paper and bows" - create your own to save money. I would agree with this if I had my own wedding consulting company, thus cutting costs. As a simple gift giver I just buy a cheap gift bag and put in it whatever present I got. Easy and effective. An example of an inspirational tip is: "have balance in your life". I had realized that between work, school, family, love life, friends and time for myself, some part suffers because of the others. I know I should find some balance in this, but I am still working on this one. I will chat up my significant other after this review. The non applicable one would be: make women feel good. Since I am gay, I do not care about that, but I did take the advice about "make men feel good" and it worked.

As a conclusion: read it, I am sure you'll find it more useful and you'd think. I don't like self improvement books, either but this one will be worth your time. One thing I forgot to mention is that  the success tips are mainly for business owners or people who want to start a business, be warned that the chapter might get boring after the first tips.

Ok, so this was my first book review. The book I am currently reading is: "Cocktails and Cockpics - A Grinder Love Story" by Chris Tracey. So come back and check out the next post.