Getting Stoned With Savages

Getting Stoned With Savages by J. Maarten Troost is the second travelogue I've read by this funny author. While not quite as good as the first, Sex Lives of Cannibals, this one still has its moments and I happen to love the snarky way with words Troost uses. While I wished for more of the life adjustments Troost and his wife faced in the first book, I could appreciate the vast differences in life in the South Pacific and my own daily existence, and I am absolutely awed that Troost and his wife Sylvia chose to leave their cushy lives once again to live in such a remote area. I just completed my review on amazon and it can be found at http://tinyurl.com/24hkga. I enjoyed this one and hope that Troost finds another island paradise to write about soon!

~taminator40

American Classics With Meg Cabot

This has got to the funniest video I've seen in a while! Thanks to Gillian and the blog at http://litsoup.blogspot.com/2007/11/for-writers-in-all-of-us.html. Enjoy!

~taminator40

City of Dreams Review

I finished City of Dreams by Beverly Swerling recently, and at almost 600 pages, I feel pretty good about getting this one out of Mt. TBR (plus it was a tbr_challenge book, so that's a good feeling as well). While it's very well written, and extremely well researched, I'm afraid I'm not one of those people who is left gushing over it. I understood the need to show life as it was--brutal, unforgiving, deceptive--but the gore level was simply over the top. I began to get the feeling that Swerling was going out of her way to show how barberous conditions were, but it wasn't just about the medical conditions (which is central to the novel), but about the need to show just how filthy people can be. I also was left not feeling very sympathetic toward any of the characters because in the end, no one showed much integrity and everyone let everyone else down. Still, I can give it a 7/10 because I did keep turning the pages and I did feel I learned something from Swerling's meticulous research. I give more information as to why I felt like I did on my amazon review, found at http://tinyurl.com/2bqtt4.

~taminator40

Red Hill Mining Town Video

Ah, vintage U2 and a smokin' hot Bono...what more do I have to be thankful for?

~taminator40

The Accidental Mother Review

I read The Accidental Mother by Rowan Coleman as a review book for Simon & Schuster. Brit Chick Lit at its best, this is an engaging tale of Sophie Mills, thoroughly satisfied with her life, and the 180 degree turn that's made when she inherits her dead best friend's two young daughters. Sophie agrees to watch the girls until their absentee father can be found, but of course the sailing isn't smooth, and Sophie comes to realize that perhaps her "perfect" life is anything but. While there were moments I was a bit frustrated with Sophie and her choices, I found this book to be light reading at its best. My biggest complaint is that I won't know how things go with Sophie since the book leaves us with a bit of a cliffhanger, IMHO. But overall I can definitely recommend this one as brain candy that is above average. My review can be found at amazon at http://tinyurl.com/2xeteu.

~taminator40

At the Lake

We went to Mom's today to celebrate our birthdays (Jeff's was yesterday; mine's tomorrow) and to have our pictures made by a friend of my sister-in-law's. While we stood around waiting for the pictures to be made, I snapped a few of the lake I grew up on. It's so peaceful and pretty in the fall; the summertime boaters have returned home and the colors are beautiful. I stood on the edge of Mom's property and was once again glad I grew up where and when I did.

~taminator40

Bifocal Review

I received Bifocal from Amazon as part of its Vine program. The synopsis sounded promising, and since I enjoy young adult fiction, I chose it for this month's review. I am so pleased to be able to give it a five star rating; the story of Haroon and Jay after a terrorist plot is discovered in their small town is intriguing and could be taken from today's headlines. Told in alternating chapters from Jay's and Haroon's points of view, we see how prejudice grows once it's nurtured by those in charge. Excellent, thought-provoking, and timely, this one should be read by high school students everywhere. My amazon review can be found at http://tinyurl.com/yraeto. If you enjoy young adult fiction at all, pick up this book now. It's well written and well told.

~taminator40