Ape's 2013 Challenge (11)

Thread #1 (Book 1)
Thread #2 (Book 2)
Thread #3 (Books 3-4)
Thread #4 (Books 5-7)
Thread #5 (Books 8-9)
Thread #6 (Books 10-12)
Thread #7 (Books 13-13)
Thread #8 (Books 13-16)
Thread #9 (Books 17-17)
Thead #10 (Books 18-21)

Books read: 27
Pages read: 8,649

January:
1. Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
2. The Second Opinion by Michael Palmer
3. Plague by H.W. Bernard
4. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

February:
5. Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth by Trevor Norton
6. Psychlone by Greg Bear
7. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
8. Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
9. Being Written by William Conescu

March:
10. The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart
11. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
12. Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card
13. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

April:
14. The Four Fingers of Death by Rick Moody
15. The Best of the Rejection Collection by Matthew Diffee
16. Ancient Greece by Paul Cartledge

May:
17. The Lost World by Michael Crichton
18. The Black Country by Alex Grecian
19. Notes for a War Story by Gianni Pacinotti
20. Sciencia by Burkard Polster

June:
21. Congo by Michael Crichton
22. On the Beach by Nevil Shute
23. The Winter Road by Terry Hokenson
24. Things I Learned About My Dad (in Therapy) edited by Heather B. Armstrong
25. The Isle of Stone by Nicholas Nicastro

July:
26. On Desire by William B. Irvine
27. The Ascending by T. M. Wright

Hi again.

Here is a follow up message from your evil statistician checking in to gauge your reaction to kindness...
Yup...the kindness meter is off the charts. You now set a new standard on the bell curve and every other person I gauge will be marked by your standard.....

Factoring in that I have people in Ohio that I love dearly, you passed that test as well.

Bryony: Hiiiii!

Linda: Hmmmmmm, okay, now you're just messing with me. :P

Dear One

You truly are everything I said you are!!!!

I posted something fun on my thred early on. Oh kindest one.

I think I'm in some weird alternate universe right now. *Eats an onion* Oh, god, no, those are still terrible...

Even deep fried onions?

Just saving my spot right here so I don't miss anything.

Sara: Eh, those are SLIGHTLY edible, sometimes.

Hi Leah! :)

I wouldn't know, but I figured deep-fried anything was supposed to taste good. Even dog crap.

I think they are called "onion rings." :P

Smartass. :P

I'm confused about what's going on here...

Sara: Most steakhouses offer fried onions as an appetizer too, usually called "Blooming onions" or something like that, because they are arranged like a flower (or something) on your platter. I'm sure it's googleable.

Es: We are talking about the most despicable, god-awful thing on earth. Onions! *Shudders*

Or maybe they're just trying to be all British. Blooming = bloody = damned, etc. Yes, let's all eat some bloody onions, shall we? :P (runs away from the Canadian corner so Stephen'll get pegged with flying books instead)

I hate onions.

I love the things, but I'll keep that to myself, since I secretly know they're sooo very evil. :P

I love cooked onions. Especially caramelized. On a burger. *drooool*

I don't cook, so I had to google caramelizing onions. Um, I'll pass. Cooking + Sara = archenemies. And I'm not big into oils. Just raw or cooked (with spray) onions for me. (breaths heavily on Stephen) >:)

nah caramelizing onions is easy. (I'm a crap cook too.) You just heat up some butter in a pan and then heat up sliced onions until they are brown. You can't mess it up because if the onions aren't cooked all the way, who cares?

How about if they're black? That can't be too bad, right? ;) (Actually, I don't eat butter; vegan's are annoying like that.)

Caramelized onions aren't much better, they are like regular onions only squishier.

Oh, yum. Squishy. :P I won't go into my list of squishy foods.

>22 saraslibrary: You can use non-dairy, I guess. But it won't taste as yummy.

22. On the Beach by Nevil Shute



Pages: 312
Rating: 4/5

Fiction: Classic, Apocalypse, Dystopia
Owned

After a nuclear World War III, the northern hemisphere is left totally and entirely lifeless. You wouldn't know it looking at it, the cities are still standing, and there is little evidence of a war, but the radiation has eliminated every life form on the northern half of the planet. Those in the southern hemisphere, who played very little part in that utterly devastating war, are suffering the consequences of their short-sighted neighbors. Goods can no longer be imported from other countries, and there is no petrol. Worst of all, the radiation is slowly, inexorably moving south. Carried on changing, seasonal winds, the last people on earth are counting down the days to their own deaths, when the cloud of radiation finally reaches the last vestiges of humanity and totally wipes it out.

It's an incredibly bleak scenario, made all the more depressing by Shute's unfortunate ability to create likable characters! They are sweet, playful, despicably human and all incredibly endearing, and even though throughout the entire book they refer to their own inevitable deaths, Shute effectively ripped my heart out at the end. The bastard!

The book is a wonderful one though, it is as thought-provoking as a good novel should be, and there is no doubt it will stick with me for some time. Despite how horrible the book made me feel in the end, I suspect I will look back on this book with a tremendous sense of fondness.

I keep meaning to get to that one.

It's totally worth it! :)

#25: You're probably right. There is vegan margarine and such, but I've never tried it.

#26: What, a post-apocalyptic book without zombies? What kind of book is that? :P I probably won't read it, but it must be halfway good--it got made into a movie (if that proves anything).

Great review. I'll definitely need to get to that one sooner than later.

>26 Ape: Man, Canadians are forever getting screwed over in post-apocalyptic scenarios. ;)

Sorry I'm so late to the party. The servers at work have crashed which has lead to near apocalyptic conditions (i.e. no internet, no access to my files on the drive, I can't even log in to my network profiles, and the VOIP phones went down today). Which means no LT time on my lunch break.

>31 MickyFine:: You've been missed, Micky.

>31 MickyFine: Not true! In World War Z (and possibly some other zombie books?) Canada and Russia were completely habitable during the winter, when the zombies were frozen solid :-)

>32 Esquiress: Thanks, Es. I've fluffed up the pillows in the Canadian corner. Feel free to visit. :)

>33 norabelle414: One example. I feel there are far more where Canadians get screwed. My favourite being the scene in Day After Tomorrow, where Dennis Quaid draws a line across the map that determines who can be saved. Guess which country doesn't make it? ;)

Oh, Micky, you have no idea how I long to *reside* in the Canadian corner. My hubby and I have talked about emigrating several times.

Sara: Meh, everything is being over-saturated with zombies right now. I'll be seeing World War Z with my sister when it hits theaters, and I'll read a zombie book in October, but beyond that... *Shrug*

Es: Thanks! :)

Micky: That does sound apocalyptic. I hope things get resolved soon.

Nora: Yeah, but that comes with the cost of being swarmed by droves of Americans every winter. I'm not sure if that's any better.

Micky: Don't feel bad, it just shows how uneducated Americans are. Everyone knows that, since Canadian's live in igloos and don't have electricity, they would be the most suited to survive an apocalypse. :P

Es: Noooo! *Latches on to Es' ankles and doesn't let her go* Don't do it! Unless you live right on the shore of Lake Eerie. That would be okay I guess.

On the Beach is on Mount TBR. I'll have to move it to TBR Soon.

>35 Esquiress: Which part of Canada, Es?

>36 Ape: We have everything but email back as of right now, which is awesome. :) And I'm just going to ignore all those terrible stereotypes you just spewed. *glares over glasses*

I am not sure, Micky. We've been to Toronto, and I've been to parts of Quebec. We loved it everywhere to be honest!

Ah, Toronto: the centre of the universe. ;) Sorry. That would be some western Canadian humour. I'm very fond of my country. I will say that in terms of jobs (and not just because I live here) that Alberta is one of the better places to be.

Honestly, I've thought of moving to Canada, too, but moving = money, which I don't have too much of. So, American for now. Oh well. Could be worse.

What Canadian stereotypes? I didn't mention mooses or maple syrup once!

*snort* And together, they sound incredibly kinky.

I don't know, it sounds hairy...and sticky...

Oh, gross mental images...

Oh, ick, Es, stop picturing stuff like that, sheesh. :P

Your fault.

#44: Or possibly very yummy, if you're into eating dead things.

#45-47: Yeah, sheesh. So mature, Es. ;)

Es: Me? It was The Perviest's fault, for sure!

The Perviest: Oh yes, dead things are quite delicious, especially if they are made of meat.

23. The Winter Road by Terry Hokenson



Pages: 175
Rating: 3/5

Fiction: Young Adult, Wilderness Survival
Owned

Willa Raedl is a typical teenager, which is to say that she is totally and entirely obnoxious in every way imaginable. At least, she is for the first 2 chapters, anyway. The book opens with her taking a sledge hammer to her shop class project and then storming out of school for no apparent reason, then bemoaning her existence and whining about life in general. Fortunately she actually turns out to be an awesome character, it just seems that the author went overboard trying to convey to the reader that she is a teenager, and uses some heinous stereotypes that, fortunately, do not last after the 2nd chapter.

Willa, upon finding her uncle passed out drunk, decides to take his plane to fulfil the duties he has rendered himself incapable of doing, and subsequently crash lands in deep in the Canadian wilderness, potentially hundreds of miles from the nearest hovel of human habitation. What follows is a YA survivalist that brought back a truckload of childhood memories.

One of the earliest book-without-pictures I remember reading in elementary school is Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. I don't remember much of it now, though I remember being totally enraptured by it for several weeks somewhere between the age of 7 and 9. I would be terrified of reading it now, as an adult, for fear of marring my memory of it, which is why this was so perfect. The Winter Road was similar enough to incite that sense of nostalgia, and for that I am very glad I stumbled upon it!

The book itself is enjoyable enough. As previously stated, the first 2 chapters should have been revised a bit, and the chapter titles spoil everything that's about to happen, which is incredibly annoying. Beyond that, I think the author sufficiently captured that feeling of desolation and hopelessness that makes for a good survival story.

Interesting review!

Thanks, Es. :)

>42 Ape: *sigh*

>43 saraslibrary: Oh gross.

>50 Ape: Hmm, I'm not a big fan of survivalist novels but a good review. :)

Thanks Micky. :)

I read Hatchet for the first time just a few months ago and liked it very much - I think it would hold up for you.

Amber! *Hugs* I miss you! *Smooches*

#49: I like my new title! :)

Even zombie meat? Wouldn't you turn into a zombie then? Or do you just have to cook it til it's well-done? And even more importantly: could I eat it? :P 'Cause technically, zombie's aren't living... hmm. Ow, my brain hurts. Too much thinking.

#50: Hatchet was exactly what I thought of when I saw the cover and your "Young Adult, Wilderness Survival" tags. I think I read it around the same age you did, but, you know, back when we were reading books on the walls of our caves. :P

Sara The Perviest: It depends on which book you read, they ate zombie meat in The Reapers are the Angels. If the zombie virus is a blood-borne pathogen then it should die with all other pathogens through the process of cooking, so zombie meat should, theoretically, be edible so long as it was cooked thoroughly. You'll definitely want your zombie steak well-done, though! However, since the mythos of zombie-virus infection usually involves bites, that would mean it needs to be introduced directly to the bloodstream, meaning that it might be possible that the acid in your stomach could kill of the virus if ingested. Who knows, it may be possible to bite those suckers back! ;)

You had caves back then!?!? :P

Oooh, good, then it's settled. Zombies are officially on my ok to eat list. :) Yum, once-living protein.

Of course, I had caves. It was the generation before me who didn't, poor things. I think they slept in hollowed-out mammoth carcasses or something. Were trees invented back then? Because I would say they slept in those, but then I'm probably not being historically correct. :P

Speaking of trees, are you allowed to eat fruit that is harvested from an ent?

Like Micky, I tend to not read survivalist stories. Very nice review of The Winter Road, Stephen.

>60 Ape: Based on my viewings of the Wizard of Oz, my guess is no. Ents are likely to slap you. :)

Oh oo oo, I want to read On the Beach asap now. Thanks for the nudge on that one.
*added to list*

#60-62: It depends on how the ent feels about it. I'm guessing eating the fruit wouldn't hurt or kill the ent, but maybe they're moody like Micky implies. But if the ent wasn't looking, then yes, I would eat their fruit--and run away really fast. :P

Lori: Thanks!

Micky: Ohhhh, yes, I forgot about those ents. Good point!

Megan: Yes, definitely, and you are welcome. :)

Sara: Ah, yes. Can't you say the same about animal meat? I mean, if the pig wasn't looking, surely it won't miss a couple slices of bacon. ;)

Um, it might feel something when I took a few slices. And then it'd take a bite out of me. And that just wouldn't be fun for either one of us. So, I'll just stick with my zombie burger and stolen ent apples, thanks. :P

That's why you incapacitate it first, with a large rock.

The ent or the pig? I'm not sure ents would be incapacitated by a rock.

Are you sure? Have you ever tried?

24. Things I Learned About My Dad (in Therapy) edited by Heather B. Armstrong



Pages: 230
Rating: 3/5

Nonfiction: Essays
Owned

This is collection of essays about dads in general, written from various perspectives by a wide collection of popular (I assume) internet bloggers: Some of them speak about their dads or the dads they are married to, and others write about being dads themselves. It starts out awesomely, too! The first 2-3 essay are hilarious and heart-warming, and I was super excited to get to the rest of the book.

Unfortunately, it goes downhill about midway through the book. The humor disappears and the book becomes a clout of nauseating sentimentality. Oh, don't take that the wrong way, the stories were sweet and wonderful to read...for awhile. It just become very repetitive, as it felt like everyone was saying essentially the same thing and reading it over and over in 15-page durations quickly grew tedious for me.

Ironically, the author I liked the least is the editor of the book. Both of her stories were terribly uninteresting, the first of which was a thin guise for what comes off as a platform for her apparent narcissistic feminist agenda. She celebrates her husband's being a stay-at-home dad by saying that she does the job better and she's happy when he has a hard time of things. I believe, in my country at least, the stay-at-home dad is something that will become increasingly common as the job market continues to lean in favor women, and I think this is a pretty awesome thing. There are few things about my country that inspires pride in me, but this is one of them. It's unfortunate to see someone being vindictive and developing a superior attitude like this. It's just icky, horrible, and terribly discouraging.

Thumbs up number nine from me!!! Great review of On the Beach!

Thanks, Linda! :)

You are welcome! You are a very good writer!

Ha! Well, I don't know about that, but I appreciate the thought anyway. :)

#67-69: Hmm, good points. Maybe fire would be better than a rock, though.

#70: Um, I'll pass. Not big into dads. :P

I guess I'm glad I'm not a dad, then? :P

But you are to your dog, kind of, sort of....

Btw, I read part of your review too fast, the bit about "Some of them speak about their dads or the dads they are married to", and at first I thought you meant inbreeding. o_o Yick.

Haha, perhaps that sentence should have been phrased differently. :P

No, it's fine. It's just me; I misread it.

So you have sex on the brain when you read my thread? That's very troubling.

Oh, like you don't. Not nice to judge others for your own crime. :)

Stephen has sex on the brain all the time.

What? Me? Never! I barely even know what sex is. I'm pretty sure it's some archaic ritual that is used to summon some pagan diety of some kind. Stork, the Baby Bringer! Yes, that's it.

You are odd...

I see that you rated World War Z 5 stars. Do you think it's the kind of thing that would work well for someone who really doesn't give much of a crap about zombies? I didn't have any interest in it until a recent review of the movie described the novel in pretty nice terms so now I'm curious.

#80: Yes, I have sex with my brain all the time. Er, sex on the brain all the time. Well, not all the time. Just when I'm on LT.... hmm, that doesn't sound right.

#81: Exactly! Stephen's fault. Always.

#82: Yep, definite fact.

#83: I think multiple dieties are summoned, like the Almighty Herpe and Crab dieties. Those are fun. :)

Stephen dear, where have you run off to?

>85 leahbird: I don't much like zombies but I really liked World War Z but I like end of world stories, do you?

ETA: I gave it 9 out of 10 stars. So I *REALLY* liked it.

>85 leahbird: I thought World War Z was much more of a world politics type book than a typical zombie/horror/suspense thing. It was a very thorough examination of how different societies across the world would deal with a problem that was totally different from anything we had seen before. It's also different from most zombie books in that it takes place after the zombie war is (mostly) over. The author "interviews" various people who had different experiences during the war. And it's extremely well written.

Well, I'm now convinced that I should read World War Z, anyway. At some point.

Hehe.

The book World War Z is not my type of reading material (I don't read stories with zombies, at least not if I can help it), although having Nora mention that she thinks the book was a very thorough examination of how different societies across the world would deal with a problem that was totally different from anything we had seen before., makes me think I might find it quite interesting.

Based on the infographic above, I won't bother to see the movie..... thanks Nora for sparing me that! ;-)

Oh Stephen. I hope everything is okay.

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't been around, I just haven't been online much, I guess. No worries, I'm my usual brooding and obnoxious self. ;)

I think Nora covered the World War Z question wonderfully, and I'll be going to see the movie next week with my sister, so I'll let you know how terrible it is compared to the awesome book.

Yay! Stephen's alive (just so we can torture him some more ;).

Whew! I was getting a bit worried, too. Good to see you.

Sara: Hmmm, I'm somewhere in between terrified and excited. :P

It's good to see you too, Amber! Though I'm concerned that you would bother worrying about more important things, like your potato chips going stale. :P

That would *never* happen in this house.

#98: That's a good place to be, Stephen. ;)

Amber: Haha, that's comforting. :)

Sara: Since your an expert in this field I think I'm learning towards terrified a little.

Just a little? Aww. :(

I'm comforted by the fact that you reside on the completely opposite side of an oblong country than me. A little...

You've never heard of airplanes, have you? :P

They have airplanes in Ohio? ;)

>105 MickyFine: Of course they do! Airplanes were invented in Ohio!

However, Ohio airplanes look like this:

Ok, now I'm definitely not worried about Stephen managing to find my house. He'd never be able to cross the border with that. :P

I don't know. You can smuggle a lot between the Canadian/U.S. border....

I'll have you know that we have made huge progress in the aeronautical sciences in Ohio and our airplanes are MUCH more advanced than that today! Al the metal parts have been replaced with plastic, and they come in 3 different colors now.

Yes! Although the middle one is a bit off. I believe they come in Redneck Rouge, Burger King Blue, and Hindenburg Silver.

LOL!

>109 Ape:/110 Poor Canadian doesn't entirely understand joke...

Poor Canadian. (pats Micky on head and offers her a moose cookie) If it makes you feel better, I've completely forgotten why I laughed, other than maybe senility. It's a wonderful thing. :)

In addition to being 3 colors, the picture is humorous because it is making fun of my comment about the aeronautical progress by depicting nurf gun toys.

Sara laughed because she thought they looked like penises with wings.

*Nods*

Ah. Je comprende maintenant. :P

Hope you're having a good weekend, Ape man. :)

I'm having a very strange weekend. I had tuna salad with onions, and the onions were...tasty. This is VERY concerning.

WHAT?! Who are you and what have you done to Stephen?!

Yay for tasty tuna salad with onions! Now, if you had said something like you don't really enjoy reading books, then I will join Micky in asking: WHAT?! Who are you and what have you done to Stephen?!

;-)

You liked onions?!

#115: LOL! Again: senility. No, wait, you're right. They look like penises. :P Actually, more like tampons with points, but whatever. Same thing. Girls lose their virginity to one or the other.

#117: Are you sure they were onions and not just crunchy bits of Flipper?

Micky: I promise I am me and I haven't been replaced by anyone. However, I can't say the same for my tongue. Something horrible has happened with that.

Lori: You don't have to worry about that! In fact, I have a review to post! :)

Esquiress: Yes. Though to be honest, it may have been the first time I've ever eaten a fresh onion. -.-

Sara: No, they were onions. Flipper was juicy and succulent. ;)

You and other vegans should totally be able to eat fish, by the way. They hardly count as animals, they are practically plants!

*looks back at plastic airplanes*

*laughs*

They do look like penises!

There are penises everywhere, I tell ya! :P

25. The Isle of Stone by Nichola Nicastro



Pages: 365
Rating: 2/5

Fiction: Ancient History
Owned

The Battle at Sphacteria was a devastating one for Sparta. Not because they sustained big losses in soldiers or territory, but because it sullied the Spartan reputation for being an indomitable military force that never surrendered, regardless of the cost. It makes for a great story, of course, so I was quite enthusiastic going into The Isle of Stone.

The story follows two brothers; the oldest conceived during the rape of his mother by an escaped helot, and though no one knows it isn't her husbands she neglects the boy out of shame and humiliation. The other, her first true son sired by her husband, is coddled to the point of being spoiled by Spartan standards. It is an interesting duo and the most intriguing part about this book is seeing the comparison between these two characters.

Unfortunately, just about every other aspect of this book is dismal. The text is nauseatingly "male," with all the rapt fascination with sex, genitals, and feces you might expect from something that might be described that way. Though there are a couple strong female characters, it doesn't keep the book from feeling despicably phallic. I suppose the author is trying to put the reader into the mind of a male Spartan soldier, but man, it's all third-person, the narrator could really have been a bit more neutral. Much of the book just made my skin crawl, and I really could have done without the group masturbation among 7-year-old boys, thank you very much.

The battle scene, which makes up half the book, is quite a bit better, but I still didn't find overall book to be terribly enjoyable. It probably does a decent job of bringing the Spartan mentality to life though, so perhaps that is something...

>125 Ape: Hope the next read is better. :) I can never get into fiction set during ancient periods so props to you for picking it up in the first place.

I used to love ancient history military fiction, but I haven't been reading very much of it lately. I really like Michael Curtis Ford and Steven Pressfield though. :)

Also hoping the next book is better...

June Summary

Books: 5
Pages: 1,396

Fiction: 4
Nonfiction: 1

Owned: 5
Library checkout: 0

Not a bad month in all, then, eh?

#122: I'm so ignoring that comment. (goes back to gnawing on Stephen's Achilles tendon)

Looks like I can happily avoid The Isle of Stone. Some ancient history fiction works for me but more the family infighting and less of the battles - yes, I took a Greek mythology course back in my freshman University days and it was the highlight of my semester! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing this one Stephen so that I can ignore it 'guilt-free'. ;-)

Es: Not terrible, although I'm sad that the year is half over and I'm barely on pace to finish the 50 book challenge this year. :(

Sara: But by posting that you are acknowledging the comment, not ignoring it! And this tendon gnawing thing has got to stop. At least, in public, anyway.

Lori: Ah, I'm quite the opposite, I read them for the battle scenes. You may want to avoid the authors mentioned in post 127 too. :)

Two words for making it to 75 by December: graphic novels. You know you want to. :P

I agree! Graphic novels are where it's at.

Still ignoring you, Stephen. (continues chewing on his feet)

Graphic novels are exactly what helped my finish the challenge last year. I read the Sandman series (11 books) plus 2-4ish other in the second half of the year to boost my numbers!

In other news, I hope they allow us to continue using the old site design because this new one doesn't load well on my dial-up. :(

Uh oh. I haven't tried the new layout on my home computer yet. If you're having trouble on dial-up, then so will I. :( Bummer. Thanks for the heads-up!

As for graphic novels, do it! :) LT has a pretty good list of graphic novels here, if you weren't aware of it. (Maus is pretty good. I'd recommend Fun Home, too, but you actually recommended that one to me.)

It's hard to use LT to pick books to read, because my library rarely has them, but I can definitely start browsing the graphic section they have. I haven't been to the library in over a month though!

The site is running well now, Sara, I think it was mostly just loading up the new header and all that, but it's not terrible. :)

Seriously? A month?? Woah, you definitely need to get your library fix. Go. Now. :P

Good to hear. I might try logging on when I get home tonight, just to see how long it takes to load.

>135 Ape: Technically the new redesign should run *better* on dial-up, I think. So if you're still having trouble you need to check in on the "bugs" thread.

Sara: Haha, well it isn't exactly intentional, I haven't gone since they rejected me for the page job. Mostly I just have too many of my own books to read though, and I'm trying to get those out of the way.

Nora: Bigger, higher quality images will never run better on dial-up...even the "loading" bar is animated. There is nothing about this design that will run better on dial-up. It's not a bug, the new design is meant to look pretty, and I'm sticking to the old, plain, simple, fast-loading version. ...so long as they keep it...

I'm experimenting with the new design and I'm finding that pages I've already visited today load blazingly fast, almost instantly in fact, because I don't have to reload the top bar on every page. However, visiting a new pages takes FOREVER. So every time I clear my cookies LT is going to be unfun for a day or 2. The old design is universally mediocre.

>140 Ape:,141 There are two new aspects, the redesign and the home page. Both of them should take less time on dial up because the code is better written now. The home page will take longer for you to load at first, until you modify it to suit your needs (i.e. show titles, not covers). I'm not seeing bigger, higher quality images anywhere except the home page.

The sticky brown top-bar-thing is taking me a long time to load each page, which seemed to load instantly in the past. Thankfully, after I load it once, its fine. The home page is picture free, but it's actually loading slower because every single feature needs to load on-page, whereas before it was all just text. I'm just seeing lots of "loading..." bars for several minutes, just to be presented with a text list of deaths and birthdays, haha.

So far, I really like the redisign, although I do think the home page is really cluttered-looking. I wish I could shrink down the text on everything.

>143 Ape: You could take out modules you don't like/use? I took out all the modules that involve calculations, and now it's shorter and loads faster.

Also, Tim says here that the new design is slower than it should be and they're working on it.

Okay, I hope it gets faster! I know we both have a incessant desire to contradict each other no matter what the topic, but in this case you are just going to have to trust me, it's taking me significantly longer to load the website on my 56k connection right now. =/

I never said you weren't having trouble! I said you *shouldn't* be having trouble. If you are, you need to complain about it. (To someone who can actually help, I mean. Not just me :-) Don't just accept that it's going to be slower.

You did so say I wasn't having trouble, you didn't say I *shouldn't* be having trouble, I don't need to complain about it, you can too help, and maybe I want to accept it!

*Flits off laughing stupidly*

You're so difficult.

Nu uh! In fact, I'm probably ridiculously easy.

*whacks Stephen with frying pan* Problem solved.

*Eats Micky's frying pan*

I'm back from seeing World War Z! As Nora pointed out, it has absolute nothing to do with the book it shares a name with. I'm assuming the rights to make an adaptation to the books were bought, yet I wonder why they bothered when there is no similarity whatsoever. Perhaps they could only afford the title. :P

Anyway, for what it is, I really enjoyed the movie, except the beginning. The pacing was bad. Also, forget everything you know about physics going into the movie. Anyway, I liked it, it was a 2-hour movie and when it ended I had a "Wah! No! Don't end!" moment.

Also, as I've stated in the past, honey roasted peanuts are awesome.

I think they were hoping to have a trilogy for WWZ and stretch the "history" part out across the multiple movies. But I'm pretty sure that got nixed along the way and they ended up just making a zombie movie with whatever bits they could.

Zombie peanuts are better. :P Good to know about the LT loading thing on dial-up (I didn't log on @ home last night; too much to do) and the World War Z movie. I haven't read the book yet, so I can't imagine I'd have a problem with the movie (I still want to see it).

But I don't remember any of the bits in the movie ever being in the book. Granted it's been awhile since I read the book, but I didn't recognize a single thing in the movie as being from the book. Has anyone read it more recently?

Sara: You can watch the movie and still read the book later because they are completely unrelated. :)

Oh, good. And I'll probably do it in that order, too--movie first, then book.

That's as good an order as any! :)

Absolutely. It's the Lazy Sara Way. ;)

I have nothing to add to this conversation, with the exception of a *snicker* that Stephen is easy.

Sara: You're never going to read the book, are you? ;)

Es: That is my standard contribution to most conversations, so I understand. :)

What, a snicker, or a declaration that you're easy? :)

The one the requires the least amount of talking.

...I suppose that doesn't do a great job of clearing things up, does it?

>151 Ape: What kind of monster are you that eats cast iron?

One without an iron deficiency.

Good answer.

And I'll read World War Z once I find a cheap copy and have months of free time to read it in. So, you're right: probably never. :P

>165 saraslibrary: WWZ is a quick read! It took me about 1.5 days, mostly because I couldn't put it down.

>164 Ape: *eye roll*

Perhaps I should take down all the Canada Day decorations from our corner... It has been four days.

>167 MickyFine: But EVERYDAY should be Canada Day!

^ What she said.

Okay, but only if we get to eat maple-glazed Canadian bacon every morning. :)

#166: I've heard it's a really fast read, too. But I'm a super slow reader, so 1.5 days = 1.5 months for me.

#170: Or just maple-glazed Canadians would work for me. ;)

'Great books, Esteban!

If only I had the time!

Sara: I know Nora is going to do that and start drooling over the thought of studly Canadian men dripping in syrup. Lets hope she keeps the pictures to herself, yes?

Steve: Being an unemployed wastrel has its benefits, I suppose.

Yep.

*Sigh of relief*

Hi Stephen,
Loved your review of the dads book of essays. Interesting stuff. Might check it out, if I can find it.

World War Z .....saw the film shorts and completely forgot about it as knew Id never need to go see that. But then heard that the book was (a) totally different and (b) really good, so I think Ill get that instead. :)

Thanks, Megan!

I would definitely recommend the book, it's definitely a zombie book for the non-zombie reader. :)

>168 norabelle414: Well, I'd be for that as every day would be a stat. But if I've learned nothing from popular culture is that too much of a good thing is bad for you. So we'll just stick to celebrating Canada Day on July 1. :)

And if we're eating maple glazed things, I think I'll go for a maple glaze donut from Timmies. :)

I'm sorry, Micky, I guess I'm Americanizing Canada day by injecting it it with American excess and gluttony. Oops! :)

Seriously behind here Stephen, so I will just jump in and say you make a compelling argument for a non zombie genre reader to read World War Z.

As for Canada Day, how about we compromise and spend half of the year celebrating Canada Day and half celebrating American Independence Day? Obviously, we are now in the half of the year that would be set aside for the American celebrations since July 4th comes after July 1........ we could consider July 2nd, 3rd and 4th non-holiday days. Just a thought. ;-)

Lori: Well, if it's not your thing then it's not your thing, but if you ever do decide to read a zombie novel it should DEFINITELY be World War Z.

What's this talk of compromise? I refuse to hear of it! :P

I'm Switzerland on the blow-stuff-up holidays (my critters don't like the noise). I'll google maple-covered other things. >:)

But it's an American tradition! It's in our national anthem and everything! :(

>182 saraslibrary: We're not quite as crazy with the fireworks on this side of the border, Sara. The city will do some but people aren't quite as nuts about setting off their own here. At least in my experience. :)

taking a quick peek while at the library.... *waves*.... howdy partner!

#183: Yeah, I'm not much of a patriot. Or making my dogs pee and shake because people like to set fireworks on our street in the sake of "tradition".

#184: Sold. I'm border jumping.

Micky: Nonsense, I happen to know that Canadians regularly set fire to things as a demonstration of patriotism. ...or maybe they're just trying to keep warm. Which is still a demonstration of patriotism, really...

Jennifer: Hiiii! *Waves*

Sara's a terrorist! Get her! *Brandishes duct tape and pitch fork*

So, wait, pyromaniacs = patriots? (confused)

LOL! Dude, duct tape and pitch fork... Is this foreplay?

Well, I figured the duct tape and pitch fork would keep you here, one way or another. :P

:D Good point! Do I get bring a car battery and clamps then?

Oh, ummm, yes, sure...

*Makes plans to move to Canada in Sara's place*

I don't think Canada is going to take either of you. :P

Oh, maybe not individually, but I bet we could get in as a team. I'll send Sara over to distract the border guard, then I'll sneak in with the promise of getting her over...ummmm...later...sometime...y'know, after I come up with a plan. *ahem*

26. On Desire: Why We Want What We Want by William B. Irvine



Pages: 299
Rating: 4/5

Nonfiction: Philosophy/Psychology
Owned

Why do we want the things we want? It sounds like a simple question, but when a person really stops to ask why they want specific things they may find themselves at a loss for an answer. The motivating factors for almost everything we do is alarmingly consistent, yet no one every stops to think about it. William Irvine, a philosophy professor, has stopped to think about it, and his thoughts on the topic are incredibly enlightening.

The most notable aspect of On Desire is how readable it is. Whereas normally I am quickly satiated by nonfiction, this was one of those I found myself eagerly devouring. Though I'm a regular reader of nonfiction, I typically read a book simply because I'm interested in learning more about the topic, so it's refreshing to find an author who can take that interest and turn it into a craving. Because of this book, I not only want to read more of the author's books but I'm inspired to read more books on the topic. This speaks volumes for a reclusive, anti-social, slightly misanthropic young man who has a penchant for completely disregarding other people's opinions because he believes he knows all the answers already and everyone else is just wrong about everything.

Towards the end, the book also offers various methods of controlling desires. Though I do think this is an incredibly useful tool, I think Mr. Irvine forgets that not all desires are a bad thing and it's okay to indulge from time to time. Nevertheless, it would be nice if I could control my addiction to hyper-sweetened chai tea, and perhaps one day I'll use the techniques mentioned to drink less of it. Someday. Eventually. Maybe. Definitely not today, though. Besides, I think "because it is freaking delicious" is a perfectly good reason to want something!

Another wonderful review, Stephen, and on a topic I find interesting, too!

Please resume normal discussion. ;-)

#191-193: Canada would love me. Heck, I'm already half-Canadian. I say sorry on a daily basis and live among the hippies (and their bong smog) that've trickled down from B.C. I'm a total shoo-in!

And I have this sneaking hunch Stephen's gonna leave me at the border.... I'll sick Mo on you if you do. :/

Btw, Canadians, wth? Milk in a bag? Methinks you're just trying to hide your drugs. :P

#194: On why I desire stuff: I'm brainwashed. :) Completely and totally, and I'm ok with it. Thank you, TV.

And sugar addiction is totally understood. I think in a study with rats, they chose sugar over cocaine. Nice.

All milk comes in a bag. It's called an "udder".

LOL! Thanks for that image. :D

Lori: I would definitely recommend it!

Sara: Hey, I'm sorry all the time too! In fact, if they didn't accept me, I would apologize, and then they would immediately see the error in their ways! By the way, do you really think I would leave you at the border? With a hunky Canadian border guard? Never!

Oh yes, televisions are definitely brainwashing machines. At least, when the commercials are on, anyway.

Nora: *Head smack*

The bagged milk is...interesting, though. I see by the label on that bag that the milk is of the '2 percent Bisphenol A' variety. Yum...

Bags of milk go in milk dispensers. We had those in the dining halls in college and they were amazing.

I thought the bags of milk WERE milk dispensers...

Could be. But the bags of milk that I have seen before went into the dispensers.

ETA: this video I found: http://www.noob.us/miscellaneous/how-canadians-drink-milk/ explains how to drink milk from a bag. There are actually smaller bags of milk inside the larger bag Sara posted, which answers a lot of the questions I had. (Like, "why isn't that bag falling over?"). Also, you're supposed to pour all of the milk from one of the smaller bags into a pitcher and serve from the pitcher. That makes a lot of sense too. I know many of my older, north-midwestern relatives always serve their food by putting it into different containers before they put it on the table.

Let me point out that milk in a bag isn't super common over here. Most grocery stores only have it in cartons or jugs but yes, occasionally, you could purchase it in a bag if you want.

Milk in a bag is actually super common here (Toronto). At our regular grocery store, if you want to buy more than 2L (roughly 0.5 gallons) at once, you have to buy bags. I've seen jugs at some convenience stores, though.

But I've never seen the milk from the smaller bag poured into a pitcher, unless maybe it's a tiny pitcher used with tea. The whole smaller bag goes into the pitcher, as shown in the video.

#199: Stuck at the border with a hunky Canadian border guard? You sure know how to torture someone. :P

#202: I couldn't watch the video. Our work blocks everything. :( I think I'll just imagine that Canadians nurse from cows while the world isn't watching. Yep, makes sense to me.

What about soy/almond/etc milk? Do you guys carry that in bags, too, or containers? Y'know, for when I border jump and visit Micky when she least expects it. ;)

I don't think I've ever seen soy/almond milk sold in quantities that large, so as far as I know it's just regular cartons. Not that I ever look at soy/almond milk at all.

Almond milk sounds delicious in theory, but I'm very doubtful it tastes as good as it sounds.

>207 Ape: It sounds like it should be almond-flavored milk (like chocolate milk) but it is not :-(

Agreed! I thought that's what it was when I first heard about it, but alas, that is sadly not the case. The same is true about coconut milk as well, I assume. :(

Actually coconut milk is delicious, because it's pretty much straight fat.

Awesome!

But I still want coconut-flavored dairy milk.

just add coconut milk to your regular milk!

The Wisconsin state fair has a booth where you can get cups of flavored milk for 25 cents. I don't think they have coconut but they do have chocolate, strawberry, raspberry, root beer, coffee, etc.

Root beer milk? Root beer floats are a favorite of mine, but, hmmmmm...

>204 _Zoe_: I was discussing this with my friend who grew up in Ontario and she said the same thing. Out here in Alberta, I've rarely seen milk in a bag.

>205 saraslibrary: Almond and soy milk definitely come just in cartons.

I'm not a fan of coconut milk myself. But if you want coconut flavoured milk you could do what Nora suggest or adding coconut extract is the alternative option. :)

>213 Ape: Root beer flavored milk tastes just like a root beer float, but a little less sweet. Very delicious.

Micky: That's a great idea, but I'll only do it if you tell me not to. :P

Nora: Sounds delicious!

I finished another book already! It was terrible. I'll post a review tomorrow. Probably.

To muddy the waters more, coconut milk isn't what comes out of a coconut when you crack it. That's coconut water. You only get coconut milk from grating and squeezing the coconut meat.

>216 Ape: *rolls eyes* Contrarian.

204/214 when I was growing up in Ontario we always had milk in bags. Three bags came in one big bag for like $5. In Nova Scotia I don't think it's very common at all. Mostly we get the 1 litre and 2 litre cartons.
Almond milk IMO is pretty icky. My husband drinks it in his morning shake. I usually buy either 1% milk or soy milk to drink in my tea as I just can't drink his gross almond milk in tea.

PS Hi Stephen!

Leah: Oooh, okay, coconut milk sounds quite delicious, then!

Micky: I disagree with the notion that I am a contrarian. :P

Hi Chelle!

27. The Ascending by T. M. Wright



Pages: 222
Rating: 2/5

Fiction: Mystery, Urban Fantasy...ish.
Owned

Normally I would spend this first paragraph of a review giving a brief overview of the plot of the novel in question, however in this case I feel it is entirely unnecessary. It's about a man with psychic abilities trying to solve a murder mystery. Do I really need to say any more? No, I think not.

The problems with this novel are numerous, but the biggest issue is undoubtedly how under-developed it feels. The main character's psychic abilities, despite playing a major role in the 'conclusion' (so to speak) of the novel, feel lacking in depth. The plot is really jumbled in the beginning and it just feels incomplete and unsatisfying in the end. The whole book feels like it needed more work. It was very readable, in that I read through it at a fairly quick pace, so it wasn't painful to read at least, but that's about the only positive thing I can say about it.

It almost seems like, if you took decent author, sat them down at a computer, and told them to write a full novel page-by-page in a single sitting without leaving their seat, this is what they would write. It's shallow, disjointed, and comes off as being rushed and written haphazardly.

Ultimately, The Ascending is a bland, forgettable novel from the early 90's, which is probably why you have never heard of it until now.

Mmmm, coconut milk!

I made a coconut pound cake yesterday and it was delicious. Just sayin'.

Oooooh! It certainly sounds delicious! :)

>220 Ape: :P

*ahem* You should wander over to my profile. Just sayin'.

Oh wow! *Faints*

Super beautiful picture you have there, Micky. :)

*blushes* Thanks. I think the gardens at Hampton Court Palace go a long way to making that picture beautiful. :)

Nonsense! The background, while very pretty, is mostly just an empty enhancement. Like a colorful garnish on tasty lasagna.

I'm lasagna? ;)

Not just lasagna, tasty lasagna. :D

#210: Good to know. I've never tried cocunut milk, but I have tried coconut yogurt (pretty good, but not as good as soy, imho) and coconut water (bland; not really my thing).

#214: Yay, I'm saved! I won't starve in Canada. But what about rice milk? And hemp milk? :P

#217: Thanks for clearing that up. :)

#219: I honestly don't remember what almond milk tastes like. I drank it before because it was on sale, but I usually stick with soymilk.

#221: I hate to say this, but I think I might still read The Ascending, if I find a super cheap copy. I have two of his books already (Sleepeasy and The Last Vampire) and might try reading one this year (if/when I can find them).

#228: (sniffs Micky) Don't worry; you don't smell like lasagna. ;) Cool pic, btw. I'm guessing Hampton Court Palace is somewhere across the pond.

Coconut yogurt sounds interesting, though I'm concerned about the texture. Now, if it had crushed nuts of some kind it might have potential!

The Ascending is terrible, but since you like subjecting yourself to painful things you may very well find it orgasmic. :)

Outshine bars are ( I think) made of coconut water and pineapple. At least, the pineapple ones. They are nice :) I do enjoy coconut in any incarnation.

My mom made a pineapple cake recently. It was horrible. :P

There must be some coconut no-bake cookies out there. I should investigate.

I am making a pineapple cake right now. Angel food cake mix and crushed pineapple only. mix, bake.
It's a weight watchers recipe... and very yummy!

Yep, that's the exact cake she made! I'm guess it's popular right now with Facebookers. Though fruits are super awesome, I'm not a big fan of fruity cakes. Save the fruit for the smoothies, I say! :)

How could you not like it! it is yummy.. add some redi whip ( addicted to that ) and it is yummylicious

Yeah, there was some whip cream involved. Like I said, I'm not a fan of fruits in cake. There isn't a fuity cake that I like, that I know of. I do love banana bread though, does that count? :D

Coconut no-bakes. :)

Do NOT like banana bread. Ick. *off to check out recipe*

>229 Ape: This conversation is getting weird and I'm concerned it's going to end with you gnawing on my ankle...

>230 saraslibrary: Glad to know I still smell like a human. :) And yes, Hampton Court Palace is in Ye Olde England. It's one of Henry VIII's palaces.

Kath: What!? Please tell me you at least love cinnamon and baked pumpkin goods or something. *Shocked silence*

Micky: You don't gnaw on lasagna, silly. *Shakes head*

Mmmm, pumpkin! I'm been craving pumpkin pie lately. The kind I make has a bit of apple butter mixed in, too...

Did I mention that Charlie and I made Oreo Mint Ice Cream the other day?

Mmmmmm, pumpkin pie. *Drools* I'm game for ANYTHING pumpkin. Pumpking cupcakes are particularly delicious.

Sounds delicious! I also love cookies and cream ice cream. *Drools* Gah, so hungry now, and just before bed!

I do love love love love cinnamon and baked pumpkin goods for sure! I put a tbl of cinnamon in my yogurt :) I even like pumpkin soup.

I've never had pumpkin soup, but I can't imagine it would be anything other than totally awesome. :)

Pumpkin soup *is* good.

>243 mckait:: I keep a jar of cinnamon-sugar made up in my cupboard at all times, for morning toast, or if I have leftover pie-dough scraps, I spread some butter on them, sprinkle with the cinnamon-sugar, and stick them in the oven with the pie. Yum. And cinnamon *always* goes in my applesauce. Always.

#231: The coconut yogurts I've eatten were kind of watery vs. the soy yogurts I've eatten. And it's been too long since I ate "real" yogurt, so I can't compare. Like you mentioned, you might want to add granola or seeds/nuts for consistency. I like sprinkling cereal on mine sometimes.

The Ascending = orgasms. You said, I didn't. Somewhat appropriate title, too. :P

#237: Banana bread's yummy, though, again, I haven't eaten any in forever. I'm lazy, so I just smash a banana between two slices of Ezekiel raisin bread and call it good. ;)

#239: I'm terrible at history, but wasn't Henry VIII the guy who liked trading his wives in for newer models (and not in a fun "let's get a separation and/or divorce" way)? Either way, I'm glad you had a good time on your trip! :) It'd be awesome to visit England.

#242: So, if cupcakes are basically mini cakes, then you're ok with vegetables in your cake, just not fruit? What about strawberry cake? Or any kind of berries on angel food cake?

Amber: You are my hero. :)

Sara: The Ascending is named because the murders take place in skyscrapers. Yeah seriously. Your version of banana bread is a banana sandwich and desperately needs peanut butter added! :)

Noooooooo! No strawberries in my cake, please, or berries either! No no no. And you are right, I do like veggies in cake better. Carrot cake is one of my favorite cakes of all time, in fact! I'm not a big fan of fruit pies either. It's possible that I just don't like very many cooked fruits, in the same way that I don't like raw tomatoes. Peach and apple pies are okay, but I'd much rather just eat a peach or an apple. I do like key lime and lemon pies though, if they count! :P

>246 saraslibrary: That's the guy, Sara. I loved England a lot. :)

>240 Ape: Un-huh...

Stopping by to see how life is in Stephenland and was sidetracked by the Coconut no-bake recipe. Now you have me craving those.... bad Stephen!

I love pumpkin - Just when did your thread become so big on food items? I bought a pumpkin cheesecake yesterday that we will be trying out this evening with whipping cream (the real stuff). I do like their no sugar plain cheesecakes, and they do make a lovely decadent chocolate one so curious to see how this one holds up.

Going back to the coconut yogurts, I buy a greek coconut yogurt that is almost like a pudding in texture with shredded coconut in it. Yumm! Mind you, as a kid I used to make my own coconut ice cream by taking a bowl of vanilla ice cream and pouring half a bag of my mom's fancy shredded baking coconut into it. ;-p

Damn it, now I am hungry, and I just ate lunch!

Micky: *Brandishes fork and wiggles eyebrows*

Lori: Hmmmm, pumpkin cheesecake? Well, I'm certainly curious, you'll have to tell me how it is! I think your ice cream sounds pretty delicious, hehe. And don't worry, what about second lunch? :)

New thread is up, everyone! :)

But I like this one .....