A Song of Ice and Fire, a book review.

Why would a seemingly sane person read fantasy you might ask? Yes I wonder that same question as I plow through the George RR Martin series A Song of Ice and Fire.  It is a monster of it's own at 4,200 pages of super dense, vastly complicated, absolute crap.  Unfortunately I feel compelled to finish what I started.  This entire misadventure in reading is the fault of my friend MJ.  I wound up trapped in my tent for a stormy weekend during a bike tour and all I had was the first novel of the series.  You might think, ohh.. that sounds grim and you would be right.  What a miserable couple of days.  
Here is what this series boils down to; Ye old medieval place, aristocracy soap opera with a bunch of ridiculous names and silly outfits.  Anyway I am writing this to plead with everyone to NOT start this series.


Winter is coming... you bet it is!

An example of how one dimensional and utterly boring this series is.  One of the main families, the Starks live in the far north a "winter-land."  Get it?, a Stark landscape.  Ah ha ha... I'm warning you!


A review that mirrors my sentiments exactly here. 

One and only one concession to this brain drain. 
Eddard Stark you are missed.  RIP brother...

The Lost City of Z a book review

The explorer Percy Fawcett is most likely the toughest man to ever live.  His powers of suffering  in the darkest jungles of the Amazon reach epic proportions.  Lost, starving with half his party dead from disease, wild animals, and angry natives is only the beginning. 

Fawcett explored parts of the Amazon for the Royal Geographical Society in an age where many parts of the globe were still unknown.  Indeed after reading The Lost City of Z I felt as if our own age had somehow shrunk compared to the larger than life exploits of Fawcett.  


The author David Grann describes Fawcett as “the last of the great Victorian explorers who ventured into uncharted realms with little more than a machete, a compass and an almost divine sense of purpose.”


Fawcett chases vapors from native indian and early Spanish exploreers stories of a lost civilization deep within the jungle.  His obsession leads to one of todays most curious mysteries, Fawcett's disappearance during an in-fated "last push" to find the Lost City of Z.  One of the most fascinating parts of the book comes at the end where Gramm visits with the archaeologist Michael Heckenberger.  Heckenberger has uncovered evidence of a large, well organized city buried beneath the jungle near where Fawcett disappeared.  It seems that Fawcett in the end was on to something and it is even possible had found his lost city before he died.  Oh... it just kills me!  I would love to know what really happened and we never will.  Maybe that's what makes it such a good read.  A fantastic story, decently written and I say read it you won't be disappointed. 


Much more in-depth review by the NYT's Michiko Kakutani here. 


Percy Fawcett... a bad ass to the core.

The Author David Grann info here. 

Cover shot for help while exploring the shelves of your local used book store.

Gossip attack: Word is the actor Brad Pitt bought the movie rights to the book and plans to play Percy Fawcett in an upcoming production.  Ugghh...

How to Check Out and Read a Library Book on the iPad

No shit!  You can finally check out and read library books on your iPad.  This is just a fantastic development for readers everywhere.  **Note to everyone reading this**  I'm sure there is a sinister plot by Amazon but as far as I can tell (so far!) you don't have to spend any money to use the service.  You need a library card from your local library, and an iPad running the Kindle app.  Coolness.

A short video explaining the service.  A text version with instructions here.





Oh... you do need a valid Amazon account to use this service as well.  Maybe that's the evil empire way they auger in.  I'll report back once I get the hang of it.  If you have used this service please post a comment with your experience so far.  Thx!

The Big Short, a book review

THE BIG SHORT Inside The Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis.  You could alternately call it The 2008 Recession Explained.  Remember how everything kind of fell apart in 2008?  Lewis tells us how the subprime morgatge crisis was created, the players in that giant house of cards, and the handful of people who saw it coming.  A brave (and brilliant) few saw the mess for what it is and shorted the entire market to the tune of billions.  

Michiko Kakutani when reviewing Lewis' books says,  

"No one writes with more narrative panache about money and finance than Mr. Lewis.  His entertaining new book does not attempt a macro view of the financial crisis, but instead proposes to open a small window on the calamities by recounting the stories of some savvy renegades who cashed in on their conviction that the system was rotten."

I had fun reading this book.  A few times I even yelled out at a particularly incredulous portion of the story.  I really wish Obama and his entire cabinet would read this and then take the criminals who cheated us all to task!  Like how about putting a few of them behind bars and changing the way we regulate these crooks so it won't happen again.  We got burned folks... 

Michiko Kakutani review for the New York Times here. 

Steven Pearlstein review for the Washington Post here. 

The author Michael Lewis

More about Michael Lewis at Wikipeida. 

Edit:  This is the first book I have read on my new Kindle.  Loving it!

The Wave, a book review

Recently I read "The Wave" by Susan Casey.  I liked it, being a surfer helps but this is a good read.  Casey easily weaves the story of big wave riders and their search for huge ridable waves into a larger picture of what makes gigantic waves.  Interesting science, dudes doing really crazy shit and surviving, a compelling story for sure.  I loved the part about this sketchy spot in Alaska that gets pounded by 300 foot waves.  I say read it.

Dropping in to this?  WOW!

The main big wave rider Casey writes about is Laird Hamilton.  Watch the wave he catch's it is INSANE!

Holly Morris review for NYT 

Author Photo + Website

E-BOOK DRM DILEMMA

I EXPECT PEOPLE TO USE THESE TOOLS ONLY TO GAIN FULL ACCESS TO E-BOOKS THEY HAVE BOUGHT THEMSELVES.  PLEASE ONLY USE THIS INFORMATION FOR ACCESS TO YOUR OWN EBOOKS FOR ARCHIVING/CONVERSION/CONVENIENCE.

I hope all users of these de-drm tools will be sensible enough to realise that de-drmed ebooks should not be uploaded to open servers, torrents, or other methods of mass distribution. It is illegal and phony.
Authors, bookshops and publishers all need to make a living, so that they can continue to produce books for us to read. Don’t be a parasite.

I trust the the above message is clear enough.  Lets proceed... 

Is this the feeling you got when you downloaded your first e-book on to your new Kindle?

I think when you buy an e-book you should have control over it.  If you buy something it's yours, right?  Not so in the shady world of e-book publishing.  Now that I have a Kindle this bullshit concerns me.  Below are a few tips in how you can free your e-books of publishers Digital Rights Management software (DRM).

1. Go and get the amazing program called Calibre.  This program can take any format of e-book and convert it to any other format with just a mouse click.  It is also a fantastic way to organize your e-books on your computer and integrates seamlessly with your e-reader of choice.  Oh... did I mention it is FREE, yes thats right the program doesn't cost anything.  Of course if you like it and use it please throw some bucks towards the developer he is a very generous fellow. 

Calibre is available here

This is the introduction video you watch when first going to their website.  

2. Most books are DRM protected so you'll have to remove the DRM before converting with Calibre.  Apprentice Alf was kind enough to explain what DRM is and provide the instructions on how to get rid of it. 

DRM and how to strip it, instructions here.

For MAC users who are not using Calibre go here.

3. Once you have done the two steps above your ready to go!  I suggest checking out MobileRead Forums for info and questions that might pop up.  

MobileRead Forum home page here

Edit: A comprehensive article by a man named John Schember, a member of the Calibre team, on e-book DRM and how to deal with it here.  Don't forget all the free books available over at the totally awesome Project Gutenberg. 

Reading! 

   

Kindle Time!

I am the happy owner of a new Kindle, so far I'm enjoying using an E-reader.  This picture is silly but the Sunday NYT's, coffee, and a new book is my idea of perfect.

My mom got a Kindle not to long ago and I had a chance to check it out during our Xmas visit.  I was impressed with how light it was and the e-ink is really crisp, no backlighting is easy on the eyes as well.  But the single most important thing was the enthusiastic endorsement from my mom.  She is a lifetime reader and a recently retired librarian (way to go mom!).  If someone who has spent their life around books likes it, I had to take notice.  I'll do a more in depth review once I have a chance to really get a feel for it.


A few obvious CONS to owning and using a Kindle:

1. No sharing allowed.  I think DRM is phony and completely unnecessary.  Concurrent with my new Kindle ownership is research into how to strip DRM from e-books. I'll keep you posted.

2. Kindle's are made of plastic, tons of other nasty chemicals, and use a battery/electricity therefore this little gadget is not PC.

3. It is yet another expensive piece of stuff you lug around and stress out about.  If your book gets stolen, oh well.  If your kindle gets stolen, freak out!  And don't drop it in the tub...

4.  No page numbers?  WTF!

I'm sure I could go on and on but the fact still remains that I love this thing.  Reading!

Winter Break Reading Continued

I always look forward to school breaks because I can read for pleasure instead of stressing with my head buried in a textbook.  My goal was to read as much as possible during the frenzied activity of winter break.  Here are the latest two books I have read.

"The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11" written by Lawrence Wright.  Wright tells the story of how we came to the tragic events of 911.  The author is able to condense the information in a readable and informative way that is easy to connect with.  Be warned you will finish this book frustrated and angry due to the knowledge that our leaders really screwed up.  We don't need to be fighting in Afghanistan and 9/11 was preventable.  Wright received a Pulitzer Prize for "The Looming Tower" and I think you'll find it a valuable book to read. 

Michiko Kakutani reviews The Looming Tower

"Where Men Win Glory" Written by John Krakauer.  It's hard to say this because I have enjoyed so many of Krakauer's other books but.... I thought Where Men Win Glory kind of sucked.  The most alarming response while I was reading this was how I struggled to like the character Pat Tillman.  I just couldn't figure it out.  Tillman is smart and caring with strong moral character, all are quality's I admire in someone.  It is only in the short excerpts from Tillman's journal that I got a good sense of who he was.  It wasn't until reading Melinda's review that I got it.  Krakauer just didn't have enough depth in his material to really pull this one off.  His adoration for the "myth" of Tillman makes for a frustrating read.  Maybe because I had just finished reading "The Looming Tower" and am so pissed off by the lies and deciet from the Bush administration that caused the war in Afghanistan.  Tillman's death was just so useless and everything about the war could have been avoided with first class leadership instead of the bullshit the American people received.  I say skip it you not missing anything.  

New York Times Book Review by Dexter Filkins

Winter break reading update.

It's winter break and I'm looking for a new book to read.  No more textbooks and studying for tests just pure reading bliss.  My buddy Mike Johnson, recommend "Columbine" by Dave Cullen (NYT review here).  I tried but unfortunately I couldn't get into it.  Cullen writes well and the story of how the two boys came to attempt a domestic terrorist attack is compelling but... depressing as all get out.  When my attention starts to drift I follow the great Nancy Pearl's advice.  She says, "if your not liking what your reading by 50-100 pages, PUT IT DOWN."  Her point it that with so many good books to read, don't waste your time on something you not enjoying.

Did you know she has a action figure.  How many librarians do you know with their own action figure?  Crazy right..  It sits at my desk on a shelf and reminds me to read!

Nancy Pearl

Well, I'm off to my local book store to find something else to read, I'll keep you posted.  

Green Apple Books

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

I finished "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell and am enthralled with this author.  In June I read a review of his new book in the NYT Magazine and having never heard of him but curious from the postive review purchased and read "Cloud Atlas."  Boy am I glad I did!  And you should to, here is what my mom (a career librarian) said after taking my advice and reading "Cloud Atlas."
          
"What an amazing tour-de-force!  Mitchell is a really talented writer to be able to write so                    convincingly in different voices and in different genres.  I was pretty confused initially, since I couldn't figure out how everything was related (and I don't think I know that yet), but I got swept away by his storytelling.  I think the overriding theme is the cruelty and power-hungriness of individuals and the soul-numbing effects of corporations.  Even so, the actions of brave individuals can have a positive effect on those around them, even if the world as a whole is still an awful place.  I think it's sort of a call to action, even in the face of overwhelming odds."


Still not convinced?  How about reading what Michiko Kakutani thinks of his latest book, "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet." 

David Mitchell

In case you need help recognizing "Cloud Atlas" when perusing the used section at your local bookstore.

Trust me on this one, your going to love it... Just in case your still on the fence here are a few more reviews.