![]() I may have mentioned it in posts before, but I really love that British-style of humour – clever, dry and understated – and this book delivers. I’d never read any Bill Bryson before, but had heard many good things, and it seemed an appropriate souvenir (well that was the reason I gave myself for buying yet another book). I had picked up the second-hand copy from a small book market in Southbank in London, the last stop of my trip. Instead, I chose to nurse my post-holiday blues and selected Bill Bryson’s Notes From A Small Island. ![]() ![]() I had several contenders on my shelf ready to go, from the classic The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to Icelandic-author Halldór Laxness’ The Fish Can Sing. ![]() On my return from Europe a few weeks back, I was faced with one of life’s frequent and most difficult questions – what to read next? ![]()
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![]() Not daring to glance right or left lest her stomach spew forth its dubious contents, Tatiana Octavia Linnet Rocheneau, crown princess of Sedonia, kept her eyes strictly on the balding head of the passenger ahead of her. Ain’t that the biggest ass you ever seen?” Ralph asked, and pointed gleefully over the heads of his shipmates. The Fat Molly pitched sweetly beneath Cairn’s feet. ![]() ![]() Tatiana walked slowly back to the carriage, Carval at her… “You’ve returned.” Burroun’s voice rumbled as he entered the… Loneliness hung…ĭesire burned through Cairn, hot as torched pitch. Tatiana’s heart seemed to beat in slow motion. Tatiana sidestepped quickly, avoiding the man at the corner table. Tatiana paced the bedchamber and glanced out the window now… “It’s what the girl said.” Burr’s voice seemed to echo… “Wheaton!” Tatiana hissed and scrambled wildly from his arms. Tatiana waited to the count of five, then slid across the… The smell of blood permeated the air, blown in on… Tatiana grabbed the stick and screamed in terror or rage… She was burning, boiling, cooking slowly… “Make-” She couldn’t seem to quite force the words past… He took a carriage to Pikeshead, gritting his teeth against… ![]() “Forgive me, my lord.” The voice was quiet but fraught… Ain’t that the biggest ass you ever seen?”… The most elegant woman I have ever known. ![]() ![]() ![]() One that may well be connected to a fatal car crash nearly three decades previously. Hes searching for that metnal balm - order within chaos - as he follows the steps of a theorem. But what is he trying to signal? Why the symbols? What mathematical equation must be solved? Our hero, thrilled to be working with the complex Seldom, is also intrigued by the aesthetic of simplicity. And that hes an intellectual megalomaniac. ![]() And the second murder, of an elderly hospital patient, confirms that his methods of killing are deliberately designed to appeal to mathematicians. His most famous work of philosophy contains a chapter on serial killers. Its not much to go on, but its enough to appeal to Arthur Seldom, one of the leading minds in logic. The only clue to the crime is a cryptic symbol and the words the first in the series. Mrs Eagleton is murdered in her wheelchair. Yet barely has he greeted his elderly landlady - and her rather luscious granddaughter - when he is bidding her a posthumous farewell. The only clue to the crime is a cryptic symbol and Gödels Theorem of Incompleteness is familiar territory to the young South American mathematician who arrives in Oxford. But then renowned logician Arthur Seldom, author of a book on the mathematics of serial killers, tells of a strange note left in his mailbox. Gödels Theorem of Incompleteness is familiar territory to the young South American mathematician who arrives in Oxford. When an Argentine math student discovers the smothered body of his landlady, conventional wisdom points to a family member with the most prosaic of motives. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() According to Chomsky 'propaganda is to democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state, ' and the mass media is the primary vehicle for delivering propaganda in the United States. The new edition of Media Control also includes 'The Journalist from Mars, ' Chomsky's 2002 talk on the media coverage of America's 'new war on terrorism.' Chomsky begins by asserting two models of democracy - one in which the public actively participates, and one in which the public is manipulated and controlled. Summary: "Chomsky's backpocket classic on wartime propaganda and opinion control has been updated and expanded into a two-section book, and redesigned following the acclaimed format of his Open Media anti-war bestseller, 9-11. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The result is an incredibly raw and honest memoir, in which Wil opens up about his life, about falling in love, about coming to grips with his past work, choices, and family, and finding fulfillment in the new phases of his career. In Still Just a Geek, Wil revisits his 2004 collection of blog posts, Just a Geek, filled with insightful and often laugh-out-loud annotated comments, additional later writings, and all new material written for this publication. He still blogs, and now has an enormous following on social media with well over 3 million followers. Yet, much to his surprise, people were reading. Believing himself to have fallen victim to the curse of the child actor, Wil felt relegated to the convention circuit, and didn’t expect many would want to read about his random experiences and personal philosophies. ![]() A New York Times bestseller! Celebrated actor, personality, and all-around nerd, Wil Wheaton updates his memoir of collected blog posts with all new material and annotations as he reexamines one of the most interesting lives in Hollywood and fandom-and now for the first time in audio, narrated by Wil himself! From starring in Stand by Me to playing Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation to playing himself, in his second (third?) iconic role of Evil Wil Wheaton in The Big Bang Theory, to becoming a social media supernova, Wil Wheaton has charted a career course unlike anyone else, and has emerged as one of the most popular and well respected names in science fiction, fantasy and pop culture. ![]() ![]() They can't be together, yet can't live without each other Then comes the part which tears them apartĪnd it really does suck and breaks your heart :( He takes her to a slam and boy does she get slammed They go on a date playing "would you rather" along the way So let me tell you a story of a boy and a girl Words are trying to spew forth out of me in short bursts "Can I have a 'Pre-Proposal' too?" īut I guess a person run over by a freight train of emotions can't be expected to say everything at once Right now I'm thinking I so wish this story was real.Įddie was like the fourth of july That's the sound of my lips trying to form words enough to express what I feel. That's the sound of my heart chanting "I wish this would never end". ![]() That's the sound of my heart beating as I finish the book. ![]() ![]() ![]() The first half of the book is focused on the “adult” hurdle of moving out of your family home, but also reconnecting with or making new friends. It’s extremely pivotal for Nagata that she’s able to move away from her parents’ house and get out from under that dynamic as her family reads and experiences her work. Anyone who’s ever written autobiographical content has struggled with this. ![]() This book expands on the career component when it comes to her being out of the closet with her parents and honest about the sexually explicit nature of her work, how she speaks about her family, and in general, being a lesbian. My Solo Exchange Diary continues to cover loneliness and depression, plus Nagata’s struggles to move from her parents’ home and the changes in her career. Perhaps I read My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness during a down moment in my own life and could better identify with the loneliness and depression throughout the book. And no, this doesn’t have to do with the lower amount of content about sex and sex work. This is a sequel to My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness, which off the top, I liked the first one better. My Solo Exchange Diary Vol 2 by Nagata Kabi ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Slowly but surely, without even realizing it, you get intimate with the prose and the characters, despite, nay because of, their flaws. You trudge through the necessary but tedious paragraphs with honesty. Soon you even feel empathy – not just a basic understanding of predicaments, but a vital imposition of your self on actions and intentions and finally you are in awe of the writer for opening your mind to existential dimensions that you somehow never considered before. You fall in love.īut like most things, it has to end. And you are left with an undeniable sense of loss. But also satisfaction, for having gained something precious and impossible to replicate. This is simply the power of good fiction and Haruki Murakami delivers it in spades. Speaking of love affairs, this is a major theme in Murakami’s Dance Dance Dance. The middle-aged-35-year-old protagonist, extremely jaded and cynical, explains to an unnaturally beautiful, clairvoyant, and damaged 13-year-old girl (Yuki) that “ I was a kid. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In the end you might wish she decided some things differently, but her decisions were true to her character. Gwen’s confidence grows quickly, but naturally. She’s exactly the sort of woman Sabin should avoid. Being captured and forced to watch other women tortured didn’t do much to make her feel better about herself. It undermined her confidence and turned her into a meek, scared woman. Gwen, on the other hand, grew up confused by the conflict of her violent harpy nature with her softer, angelic side. It doesn’t help that he’s totally focused on the leader of the Hunters, Galen, and willing to use anybody if it means reaching his goal. His girlfriends have a tendency to kill themselves, which puts a real damper on his love life. His is Doubt, constantly needling at the psyches of those around him. Sabin, like all the Lords of the Underworld, contains a demon. That’s the kind of badass beginning an immortal warrior and his harpy love deserve.Īnd if you like your romantic leads best when they’re overcoming large obstacles, you’ll love Sabin and Gwen. Heck, The Darkest Whisper begins mid-battle. She pulls you into the story and gets things moving immediately. Now, she’s no Kresley Cole, but I definitely enjoy her writing. This was my second Lords of the Underworld novel and third Gena Showalter overall. Paranormal romance released by HQN 25 Aug 09 Liviania’s review of The Darkest Whisper (Lords of the Underworld, Book 4) by Gena Showalter ![]() ![]() ![]() Those who only know Jemisin for her groundbreaking novels will be impressed all over again by her short fiction, and it serves as an excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with her work. Though not every story will resonate with every reader, there’s something in this collection for just about everyone, and many of the works are memorable gems. Jemisin challenges and delights readers with thought-provoking narratives of destruction, rebirth, and redemption that sharply examine modern society in her first collection of short fiction, which includes never-before-seen stories. Throughout these stories, Jemisin’s versatility is on full display, giving her diverse protagonists numerous chances to shine. Heinlein’s The Puppet Masters, a woman enslaved by parasitic aliens is given a chance to both avenge and free humankind. In “Walking Awake,” a tale inspired by Robert A. A gifted chef is challenged to test new recipes by a mysterious benefactor in “L’Alchimista.” In “The Effluent Engine,” a Haitian spy meets her match in an American inventor. A king devours a dragon’s heart to restore his virility in “The Storyteller’s Replacement,” only to experience unexpected consequences. While her tales span science fiction and fantasy, certain themes of defiance, feminism, and self-acceptance shine through no matter what the setting or premise. ![]() ![]() In 22 powerful and mind-expanding stories, several of which appear for the first time here, Hugo winner Jemisin ( The Stone Sky) pushes boundaries, experiments with format and theme, and challenges expectations. ![]() |