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Saturday, November 08, 2008

What I've Read - the "I need to post this and stop procrastinating" edition.

Haven't done one of these in a while... time to clear out Blogger Drafts folder... plus, in in the middle of something like 4 other books, so there's never gonna be a clean "break" to get this done the right way. And I've been procrastinating posting this up, so time to nip that in the bud, even if I end up making the reviews briefer than normal...

Life's a Bitch and Then You Change Careers: 9 Steps to Get Out of Your Funk and On to Your Future by Andrea Kay - Actually bought this for the Mrs, but in ruminating about my post-JET Programme future, I grabbed this off the bookshelf. From the intro it felt that it might be a more female-skewed text, but overall I found it really quite good. Well done and worth a read if you're trying to figure out your "future."

Re-read Patriot Acts by Greg Rucka. Because it was summer vacation, I had the time and it's an awesome suspense/action/thriller.

Rex Mundi Volume 4: Crown and Sword
by Arvid Nelson and Juan Ferreyra. In for the long haul on this one. Alternate history, religious conspiracy, magic and comics. Thumbs up. Great read.

Demo by Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan. I didn't dig this as much as some of Wood's other work, but it was still an entertaining read.

The Time Paradox (Artemis Fowl, Book 6) by Eoin Colfer. Yeah, it's a "kid's" book, but I still dig on 'em. Funny, smart, highly entertaining. "Die Hard with Fairies" remains the best, and the funniest, description of the series.

Legion of Super-Heroes: 1050 Years of the Future
by Various Authors. The Legion of Super-Heroes is a great comic book concept. This "best of" from the last 50 years was a fun read. Good summer airplane travel reading.

The Innocent Man
by John Grisham. Non-fiction by Grisham about the life and times of a pair individuals wrongly convicted, sentenced to death row and ultimately exonerated by DNA evidence. Well written, and you're left with the undeniable conclusion that our legal system is incredibly fucked up. Recommended.

Rules of the Game by Neil Strauss. The follow up to the the entertaining The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists. Less of a novel than the original, but some entertaining stories nevertheless. Most of it could be considered a basic "NLP for Dummies" intro. Which is pretty cool if you're into psychology/NLP.

Booster Gold, Volume One: 52 Pick-Up by Geoff Johns, Jeff Katz and Dan Jurgens. Easily some of the most entertaining, well-written and fun comic books being published today. Highly recommended.

Showcase Presents: Booster Gold, Vol. 1 by Dan Jurgens. Adventures of Booster Gold from his comic in the 1980s. Nostalgic fun and holds up well, appearances by President Reagan and Vice President Bush notwithstanding.

What Color Is Your Parachute? 2008: A Practical Manual for Job-hunters and Career-Changers by Richard Nelson Bolles. Another book picked up for the Mrs, snatched off the bookshelf during summer vacation's time off/future rumination. Deservedly the "go-to" book for what do for a career. Really good.

The Question: Five Books of Blood by Greg Rucka. Consistently, anything by Rucka is good. The new Question - Renee Montoya - in her first adventure since taking up the mantle from Vic Sage in 52, tracks down the cult of the Crime Bible. Which is as awesome as it sounds. Great comic, even if the ending was a little open ended.

Checkmate Vol. 3: Fall of the Wall by Greg Rucka and Outsiders/Checkmate: Checkout by Judd Winick and Greg Rucka. Superhero Espionage. Two thumbs way up.

God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens. Like it was written for me. Hitchens is hilarious, and on point 99% of the time. He gets a little lost in the trees on some of eastern philosophy, imho, and gets a little "fundamentalist materialist" [to quote Robert Anton Wilson] but overall, a book everybody should read. Even if just to wash your brain-palate of your western-judeo-christian upbringing.

The Art of True Healing: The Unlimited Power of Prayer and Visualization by Israel Regardie and Marc Allen. Not bad, but didn't really resonate with me. Kabbalah Tree of Life stuff doesn't click with me.

Re-read The Boys Volume 1: The Name of the Game by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson because sometimes you need to take the piss out of comic books and the superhero genre. And Ennis is hilarious. And Robertson's drawing I've loved since Transmetropolitan - one of my favorite series of all times, by him and Warren Ellis.

Read this year's JET Journal. The Journal is a collection of essays and photos from various folks on and involved in the JET Programme. As with any essay collection, some were good, some bad, some "eh." But overall, I didn't think this year's was as strong as the ones I've read the last couple years. Looks like you can download the Journals from the last couple years at the link. Interesting reading.

Re-read TSOG: The Thing That Ate the Constitution by Robert Anton Wilson. In this silly political season, it's worth reading and touching base with what America is supposed to be, how far we've drifted and what we can do about it. RAW is, as always, unreservedly recommended, and the best way I know to kick yourself in the brain. [And that's a good thing.]

Iron Man: Beneath the Armor by Andy Mangels. I was sucked into the movie hype. With this volume you can learn all about the history of the character and the comics. Entertaining.

The New Destroyer: Killer Ratings by Warren Murphy and James Mullaney. I usually really enjoy the satirical, pulp, action comedy of the Destroyer novels. This one, not really as much, though I can't put my finger on why. I think maybe the satire seemed less sharp and fun, and more broad and mean spirited. Maybe.

Champions Body-for-LIFE by Art Carey. Much need inspiration and motivation as I try to get kick my sorry butt back into shape.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Sandy's class is reading this, and she recommended it to me. I had never actually read it before. Though I knew every plot beat. I think I used to see a theatrical version that used to air on HBO during the summers when I was young. [That and Rocky III were on permanent rotation.] Though I couldn't peg down which version I'd seen, even using the mighty Google and IMDB. A literary classic. Great book.

The Genius of Flexibility: The Smart Way to Stretch and Strengthen Your Body
by Bob Cooley. I have got to start adding some flexibility and mobility training. This book's concept of resistance stretching is pretty interesting, and I'm definitely going to give it a shot.

The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer. When you can find a way to tie together the murder of Abel by Cain and the creation of Superman, plus Nazis, ancient conspiracies and mysteries, that's an automatic win. Meltzer writes a great thriller. A lot of fun. Recommended.

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