A Dirty Job

At the Semi-Annual Used Book Sale at the Main Library Downtown, I picked up this title for .50 cents. I'd read Christopher Moore's "You Suck" and while it was entertaining I wasn't expecting a whole lot from "A Dirty Job." Holy twisted cheese doodle, was I wrong!!

Charlie Asher is an average "Beta-Male" who has the unlucky fortune of receiving the calling of "Death Merchant." He's basically a soul-reclaiming Repo Man. As people die their souls are stored into one of their treasured possessions and it's Charlie's job to reclaim these soul items from the family of the deceased .

This book was memorable because I laughed out loud the whole way through. Whether it was the Gothic employee Lily, with her charitable sexing; the squirrel people creatures in complete time-period costumes; or Sophie and her set of 400 lb. Hell Hounds; there were laughs to be had through all 384 pages.

There was a fair amount of sex, a lot of swearing and copious amounts of violence. Like I said, fun for the whole family!!

Book Club

In July I started to become an avid reader. Our work had attempted to start a Book Club the year before, but it had fizzled out, and so I began the process of starting it anew.

I've taken the job of selecting books very seriously. I have a rigorous screening process before a book is selected for our Book Club.

1. I find the New York Times Best Seller Lists. I pick a couple of the more popular books.

2. I then go to amazon.com, and see how many reviews the book has received from customers. I try not to pick books that have under a couple hundred reviews.

3. I make sure that the majority of the reviews given for the book are 4 or 5 stars. If the reviews are pretty spread out in terms of 1 to 5 stars, I don't pick it. I need to find a book that will appeal to a large group of people.

4. I make sure that the book isn't sexist, meaning that I want a book that will appeal to both men and women.

5. I check the price of the book and the release date. I try not to pick things that came out too recently, because then they will be harder to get from the library. I also try to pick a book that is available in paperback so that it will be a cheaper price, although this doesn't always happen. Some books haven't been released in paperback yet.

If a book meets all these criteria and I have a strong feeling that it will be a good fit for the Book Club, I try to get it from the library and read it before I suggest it. Sometimes I like to read the book for the first time with my group, so I won't read it in advance on purpose.

After reading it, if I feel that the majority of the members will like it, then I put it on my Monthly Book List.

One of the best parts of this Book Club is the feeling when someone tells you that they absolutely loved the book that you recommended. It's become something that I cherish and it makes all the work worth it. This has actually become the highlight of my job.

You don't have to be a employee of Marriott to participate. You are more than welcome to read along with us. We have a discussion each month, and I am going to post the Discussion Questions, so that any of you can participate. Here is the link to the blog and

Happy Reading!!

http://mvcibookclub.blogspot.com/

The Dresden Files

At work I volunteered to run the Book Club. I spend a lot of time each month looking over the bestseller lists, Barnes and Noble, the Library websites and Amazon, trying to find a great book. I do a lot of research, a lot of mulling and then select a book that's different that I think most everyone will like. For October I wanted to try a different genre, so I looked into the Fantasy category and stumbled across the Dresden Files.

The best way I can describe the Dresden Files is that it's a Harry Potter series for adults. The main character is a wizard named Harry Dresden, who advertises himself as such in the phonebook and occasionally helps out the Chicago PD with "Special" cases. Everyone lists it as a Sci-fi genre, but it's really more Fantasy. Its a veritable shopping list that includes pretty much every aspect of anything fantasy, faeries, demons, vampires, werewolves, angels, exorcisms, magic, sorcerers and so much more. Of course, since it's Harry Potter for adults, there is swearing, sex, violence and gore; all things that make a book good.

The first book was just ok, the dialogue was rather cliche, but it was interesting enough for me to read the second and third books. I just finished the third today, Grave Peril, and they just keep getting better and better. I've made a little (DF) next to the Dresden File books in my book review section. Harry keeps developing as a character and you slowly find out more and more about his past. The plots gets so much more interesting and complex, and I loved the third one so much that I finished it in two days! There are 10 books in the series so far, and the 11st is slated to come out April next year.

They made a TV series following the books, but I don't know how good it is. They also came out with some graphic novels, if that's more your thing.

If I had to compare them to something already out there; I would say it's a cross between Harry Potter, the Dark Tower series by Stephen King and a really suspenseful Dean Koontz book. I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a good series to start, and I can't wait to keep reading them!

My Twilight Attempt

The time has come for me to put in my two cents about "Twilight."

The reason that I haven't read the Twilight series is because there's just too much hype. Whenever that happens, it seems like they never live up to the impossible "best book ever" ideal that people set them up to be.

However, I remembered that I had felt the same way about the Harry Potter series, and they ended up being some of my favorite books.

It was with a lot of trepidation and reservations that I began "Twilight" this weekend. I got about half way though and I'm done. I didn't finish reading, I'm just done with the book.

My brother in law, Cam, read "Twilight" and I completely agree with his assessment of it. The writing was mediocre, spastic and this girl who is supposed to be so intelligent, is completely ruled by the will of this "gorgeous" vampire, and has no will or thoughts of her own. I made it half way through the book and am tired by all the "velvety voice" and "perfect body" quotes describing the main vampire. It was just much too hokey and cheesy for me.

If you want a good vampire read, one that's actually interesting and doesn't hold you in the mind of a 17 year old lemming, here are some much better alternatives.

Interview with the Vampire: Anne Rice
Bloodsucking Fiends: A love Story: Christopher Moore
Bitten: Kelly Armstrong (Werewolf)

Vampires are supposed to be mean, vicious, malicious, evil and the devil incarnate. Take all of that away, and what do you have, Edward Cullen. Come on, a vampire who sparkles, doesn't eat humans, and is so gorgeous that you can't think in his presence. That's like taking a werewolf and saying he doesn't turn into a wolf, but a cute little puppy, the cutest puppy ever. Oh and he doesn't hunt animals, he only finds ones that are already dead. Makes me want to hurl, personally.

Now, I'm not putting down any of the millions of women that love this book, and want to marry Edward and bear his vampire children, but it was just not my cup of tea. You want some real vampires, try these bad men on for size. This is what a real vampire looks like!

Needless to say, I won't be reading any of the other books in the "Twilight" series.

http://corneralacameron.blogspot.com/2008/08/twilight-male-perspective.html

Water for Elephants

I've recently become an avid reader, and I've been averaging 1-2 books per week. There have been some good, some bad, some ugly. There have been some page turners, plot flops, and some words that just went plain over my head. I've come to love reading again, a past time that I had abandoned awhile back. When you find a great book, it reiterates the possibilities of life, the heartbreak of failure and it creates a new world for you. I found that book in Water for Elephants.

Through 331 pages I was drawn in from the beginning. The basic plot is it's about a man who joined the circus during the depression, and all the strange and amazing things that transpired. I was so completely drawn in by the story, that I didn't want to put it down. At the end of the book, the author says that most of the oddities told in her story were actually taken from real events at other circuses.

I laughed, I cried, I told Nick that I would watch TV with him later. I didn't really neglect my child, he was completely content to play by himself while Mom read, promise. It went with me to work, to the backyard, and even the car, but the story will stay with me much longer than an hour read-a-thon in the bathroom stall at work.

Once in a blue moon, you come across a work that speaks to you. When I saw Amelie, and Finding Neverland in the theatre, they grabbed a piece of me. As I read White Oleander and Water for Elephants I was given a fresh outlook on life and a definite appreciation and disappointment for the normal life that I lead.

Asher's First Trip to the Library

So today was Asher's very first trip to the Library. I've been a reading fiend lately, and so it seemed fitting. They completely remodeled the Library a couple years ago, and it is absolutely amazing! It's very artistic and everyone should definitely go when you get the chance. The kids area is especially cool, all the pictures I've posted are from the children's library area.

Asher loved this toy. I remember that my dentist used to have one of these and even though all it is, is beads and wire, I remember it being SO fun. He played with this for awhile, and then got bored and was about to start chewing on the wheels of the stroller.

This is called the Crystal Room, and you can't tell, but all the surfaces are all glittery like crystals. There's also a little staircase that you can climb where a skylight shows you the bottom of the pond outside. All the walls are very angular and it really seems like your in an ice cave. Especially when the reflection of the water above the skylight reflects on the walls.

This is The Attic Room and Asher is perched up on one of the levels. They have rocking chairs and pillows all over.

Here's a better shot of the Attic Room. There are wood beams everywhere and tons of nooks and crannies where kids can curl up with the pillows they have and read. It really does feel like you're up in the attic of Grandma's house. If Grandma was a new age artist, and a little high.

This is a little secluded area where waterfalls are all around you in a little half circle. You can walk right up to the wall and get wet if you want to. We sat here for a little while and ate lunch and just looked around. Asher loved to people watch.

We were there for about 1 1/2 hours and it was so much fun. I even went to Night Flight Comics, and purchased some little kid superhero comics for him. I think they'll be perfect for when he starts reading, that and they were just so damn cute!