Feel the Burn of Midnight Sun: A Book Review

Oh boy. Here I am, coming out of semi-retirement of writing book reviews, to comment on the latest from the Twilight Series.

Long, soulful gazes + ANGST = Juicy immortal love triangle

At this point, you should make a choice on whether this type of thing is worth your reading time. I’m not here to slam the book, but neither am I here to gush over it. It’s more about conclusion of a book I knew I was going to read no matter how often the series is shamed for female fantasies as a cash cow. Although, if sales of this book are any indication, Meyer will likely give the Edward-ization to each paired book in the series. (Spoiler Alert: I’ll read them all)

I read Twilight when it first came out, and at peak age of 17, and I was Team Edward from day 1. I went and saw the midnight release of Breaking Dawn: Part II. Bella is 17 when the books begin if this is any help to place me in the timeline. Reading a book of the same nature, almost that many years later requires a suspension of belief to an extent.

I’ve got to forget that I’m in my 30’s. I’ve got to forget that this book was written for someone half my age. I have to forget that in present day I would slap the taste out of guy’s mouth for the teenage tomfoolery I happily didn’t bat an eye at that manifests in this book.

And when I forget…this is what I get. Cue the dreamy flashback music…

The first 200 pages were a slog. The ANGST, so teen and so sensitive, is strong in these pages. Edward dying to know what Bella is thinking while reiterating that he’s an immortal piece of trash are written about so much in these pages that the reader is begging for relief.

But then, whether I got used to the brow beating or my internal thoughts realized I was committed to this almost 600 page volume, things lightened up. Occasionally, there was a revelation from Edward’s perspective that we didn’t get in Bella’s version. There was some spicy scenes. (Well, spicy for a Mormon sexy time vampire fantasy) And I got to know the other vampires in the Cullen family a bit better through Edward’s thoughts.

The ending and scenes where Bella and Edward were totally separate were the most interesting because I didn’t have an idea of what was coming besides the ending. (Huh?) True fans know what I mean. And this led to me finding myself hoping Meyer gives the Edward-version treatment to the second novel in the Twilight series, because this is one where Bella and Edward are almost entirely separate the whole book. This would really offer a *new* story from the perspective of a character we already know (and love or whatever). Maybe we could get new characters or give dialogue that helps Edward not come off as such a controlling jerkboy.

Was this great literature or even good writing? Not really. Was it worth reading? I think so. Does it have value for the series as a whole? I’ll give them this one.

Goodreads Review: 4 stars

Bottom line: Yes, you will cringe as Meyer describes the feel of warm velvet. But you’ll also probably keep reading until the last word.

Before Mario and Beyond: A book review

Photo credit: Simply Nerdy Mom

Not to deal in stereotypes, but if you are someone who enjoys video games then there’s a likelihood that you also enjoy comics. Perhaps, not a standard that always rings true, but it’s definitely one that authors Jonathan Hennessey and artist Jack McGowan were betting on when they fused the two into their book “The Comic Book Story of Video Games: The Incredible History of the Electronic Gaming Revolution.”

To be fair though, that’s one of the only stereotypes they push to their advantage with this work. The authors are meticulous in the information they share, and take nothing for granted, not even the definition of said “video games.” A point of contention in some circles, the authors are quick to clear this up. For their purpose, they classify video games as “something that delivers a human experience through the phenomenon of play.” That opens things up a bit. And accordingly, it means that they will discuss the history of everything from arcade games, to consoles, to PC games to phone app games. These guys wanted to make sure they had all bases covered.

The content of this comic book story is unavoidably, historically dense in some places. The narrative of how video games as we know them today rose, winds slowly and almost without thread for many pages. The facts are interesting and they drive the reader forward though until about halfway in Chapter 4 when Atari comes on the scene. Everything speeds up and moves along quickly after this. Milestones familiar to me in my gaming life are met and described, and further I was offered the perspective of the statistics and motives behind these games that I was unaware of in just seeking them out for play purposes. The story takes the reader through all the console milestones up until the breakthrough of Minecraft. There’s even a nod given to last year’s Pokemon Go release. As far as current and thorough goes, this comic packs quite the hit.

The art is colorful, simple and clean and doesn’t distract from the story for readers just here for the facts. And as an added bonus, the writer also defines his terms, doesn’t rely on jargon, and throws in subtle hints for gamers with the language that don’t derail the story.

Example of art from inside cover

Historical comics often struggle to strike the balance between the story they tell, the pictures representing it, and not bogging down the reader. This comic does as good a job as any I’ve seen. A quick read, it should only take 3 or 4 sittings to finish depending on your pace of consumption.

Pair with a watching of the documentary on Atari, currently available on Netflix, for a nice emmersive experience that will have you itching to break out the old consoles that I know you’ve got stored away somewhere.

Four stars out of five.

This is an unbiased review on “The Comic Book Story of Video Games: The Incredible History of the Electronic Gaming Revolution.” A complementary copy of the work was provided by Blogging for Books.

What’s the deal with Keto? Book Review: The Keto Reset Diet

I want to start this “diet book review” in a different place for a moment and give you some brief background on me.

I’ve been a person that has always struggled with weight gain. No matter what I did, it seems, I would gain weight steadily and have a heck of a time getting rid of it. For a long time, I would get upset that seemingly even looking at a piece of cake would cause weight gain. My annual physical only ever came with the recommendation to lose weight…until this year.

I visited a new doctor who recommended blood work for the first time ever, and what she found was something that’s a bit complex to describe. I have something called hyperinsulinemia. It’s a genetic condition that means that there’s too much insulin in my blood. I causes weight gain, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, intense hunger and fatigue. More than that though is the inability to eat like a “normal person.” If I have a piece of bread or a cookie, my head is swimming, it’s likely going to go to fat no matter what I do to counter exercise, and I feel panicky usually a short time later. By no means does this even make sense to me yet. I’m learning day by day what this is like. I actually burst into tears yesterday when my sweet boyfriend suggested there would be pizza for dinner.

Pizza and the SAD (standard American diet) are a thing of the past for me. I can’t go back if I want to avoid Type II diabetes and maintain a healthy weight. Since I’ve been aware of the condition and changed my diet to almost completely cut out bread, grains, sugars, carbs of most kinds, alcohol, and processed foods, things have been improving for me physically. My mental state gets a little low sometimes as I pass up some of my favorite things, but I can’t say I’m upset about the 25 pounds I’ve lost already and the accompanying pains that have disappeared as a result.

Perhaps I’ll write more about this journey in dieting and health later, but let’s switch focus to the keto diet.

I requested “The Keto Reset Diet” from Blogging For Books mainly for curiosity sake. I’ve been on the hardest diet of my entire life for the past three months. I didn’t know what Keto could offer to this. Relief? Further punishment? Better success? I decided to look into it at any rate. The basic premise of keto  has to do with ketones. It’s a little bit of light science wherein ketones burn fat first. You eat a diet of high fat, moderate protein and ultra-low carb and lose weight, stabilize your body and feel great. (Says basically every diet ever).

The “Keto Reset Diet” by Mark Sisson sounded like an ideal place to learn more about this diet that’s picking up a lot of steam in the mainstream. The book was just published last month and is a thick manual of recipes, day-by-day diet planning, and lots and lots of reasons why keto will be beneficial to your life.

The Good: The book itself is a useful tool if you are committed to trying keto. The daily plan of what to eat on keto and the recipes are helpful. The recipes in the book look delicious and simple. Mark also goes into such detail of why keto is beneficial from cancer preventative measures, health benefits, and the science of how the diet can help you be at optimal health. It’s a very informative and helpful tool. Especially if you are already into exercise, the diet has a section specifically for you.

The Bad: Unfortunately, the book suffers from too much information and too little at the same time. The first 5 chapters are all about the benefits that keto can have for your body. The book primarily suffers from organization problems. Mark ends up saying the same things in multiple places in the book and describing them in detail again and again so that the reader is bored and confused. Once you actually get to the chapter of how keto works, it only takes about a chapter or two to explain the process. Just having that and a little of the other would have been more helpful.

Also, some of the details about keto seem a little screwy (to be honest). Mark recommends that you turn off the screens as soon as the sun goes down when you are on keto. That means no computer, TV or phones after 7pm and lighting candles as soon as it gets dark. This might work for some people, but as a young professional and type-A, this is a big reason I won’t be going keto.

He also pushes BIG TIME for fasting. He recommends that if you are doing keto right (“if you are ready for keto” in his words) you will be able to fast for 18 hours with no problem. You will skip meals and not be hungry. It sounds great, but for someone like me who gets physically sick when my protein levels are low (a hyperinsulinemia trait) it just won’t work.

There are other things he recommends with keto such as reducing stress, maintaining sleep and other items that are good in theory if not his recommended methods.

The Bottom Line: Overall, the biggest thing that turned me off of this diet was Mark’s tone and manner of delivery. I may read another book and try keto in my own way, but having an author tell me “you’re a glutton if you eat three meals a day” is very off-putting for someone who is trying so hard to be healthy. It may turn a lot of readers to throw out the baby with the bathwater on this one.

Keto may be great for some. It doesn’t work for my personal health and that’s ok. I will still put the book to use with some of those fantastic recipes in the back that are ultra-low carb and sugar-free. I got some tips and stats out of the book that I wouldn’t have had before. The book even helped me give name to my own health condition and so it was not a “bad read.”

Mark just needs to work on his presentation methods. Hire a strict editor and have a few beta readers give him feedback on the passages where he tends to lord his lifestyle over readers. I can at least offer him commendation for trying to share tips of health with others, and address the very real problems that come with the typical SAD diet that is now the new “normal.”

Hard History and Cold Facts are Backbone of “Hamilton.”

Let’s keep this brief. Unlike the graphic novel, “Alexander Hamilton: The History of an American Founding Father.”

If you are a history buff, and enjoy learning the intricate backstories of players in the building of our nation, then this book is for you. The artwork is clean and well-drawn and it accompanies lengthy discussion of who Hamilton was and all the major decisions and consequences of his life. It is a very informative work.The authors draw from several other founding fathers and sources of the day to put together this complete picture of Hamilton.

Unfortunately, I fall into none of these categories of interest as a reader and so this book was not enjoyable for me. To me, it read too much like a history book. The text seemed at home in a thick textbook, but was too cumbersome in a graphic novel. Even the title is more lengthy than necessary. There is no levity or humor in the book. It is dry and educational in nature.

If you are fortunate enough to have seen the Broadway smash “Hamilton” upon which this graphic novel tries to emulate, then perhaps you’ll be more receptive to the efforts of informing that this graphic novel aims for. If you are looking for a light-hearted look at a person of interest’s life, you’ll drown in the trivia bogging this slim volume down.

This is Your Brain On Sports: Book Review

It’s football season again. Only recently has that been of any resonance in my life. Usually this time of year, I’m too busy decorating my home in a haunted fashion and consuming everything pumpkin flavored to notice the arrival of the sports fanatic’s version of Christmas. Dating one of those said sports junkies, I have gamely tried to show interest in the world of worship around the pigskin. This has included joining a fantasy football league with him, devoting Saturdays/Sundays/Mondays to non-stop viewing, and reading material. The first book I picked up for research was “The Fantasy Life” by Matthew Berry, and more recently I finished “This is Your Brain on Sports,” by L Jon Wertheim and Sam Sommers.

This work, written by a Sports Illustrated executive editor and a Tufts University psychologist is surprisingly well-written. The organization is clear and engaging for even those with the weakest of grasps on the world of ESPN. The subtitle to “This is your brain…” proclaims it as “the science of underdogs, the value of rivalry and what we can learn from the t-shirt cannon.” All this is covered, and more as the authors take you through well-researched studies and stories that illustrate how strange our brains are and how strange they can get under the influence of competition, winner mentalities, and morality in regards to our favorite sports superstars. In a nice, yet uncommon, touch in a book that combines science with a single subject, the flaws and biases in the studies they discuss are also highlighted.

The book starts strong and is fun and engaging as well as informative. It slows down mid-book with chapters that tell us things that seem like common sense. One example being: when we are engaged in heated activities like a competitive sport or a fight, we don’t think clearly. Noted. “This is Your Brain…” picks back up its former pace in the last few chapters, and offers more noteworthy facts and stats. Several different sports are given spotlight in the book, not just football.

All in all, it was an interesting and engaging read. I learned more about the world of sports and feel more qualified to join in on the discussions around the big screen during these football weekends. Four stars.

Accidental Plot (A Book Review)

The book Accidental Saints: Finding God in All the Wrong People came across my radar several times in the past year. I first heard about it on NPR when they interviewed Nadia Bolz-Weber, the pastor of the House for All Sinners and Saints in Colorado and the author of this book. It came up a few more times before I found it on BloggingforBooks.com and decided to check it out in full.

Like starting a new relationship, when reading a book it doesn’t work in your favor to have too many expectations. These expectations overshadow what a book (or relationship) might have been trying to do instead and the beauty in that in itself.

From Accidental Saints, I expected to pick up a light and perhaps amusing account of Bolz-Weber’s parish and the people she has encountered here. Reading about different personalities and their quirks and wonder would have been reason enough to read. Instead, I got anecdotes from the author about her role as a pastor and interactions with members of her parish…but sans the personality and double the moral lessons.

Bolz-Weber’s key focus seemed to be on herself and making sure we knew that she did not see herself as what might be called a “perfect Christian.” At every opportunity she was ready to point out her flaws and explain how they and created lessons for her to realize she was just a tool for Christ. All the spice of letting her characters/people she encountered in her work speak for her and establish these lessons were missing. The dialogue is sparse, and so it ends up with Bolz-Weber over explaining her points and contriving the feel goods she wants us to have from them.

The good here is that the author knows her scripture. She’s quick to establish what parts of the bible have been stretched to cover interpretive meanings from different denominations, and she works in other pieces of scripture well. The book has merit in being a slice of life tale of accidental findings on the way to a search for grace, but that’s also the problem. It seems to be an accident that any meaning at all is found within these stories. The plot she wants to establish gets buried in between all the references and concessions she makes for herself.

Final review? A 2.5 stars out of 5.

Conscious Uncoupling Can Offer Healing in a Turbulent Time

Conscious Uncoupling is an active decision to control what we can in a time when everything seems beyond our control. This book by Katherine Woodward Thomas is a step by step process of her method of the same name, made famous by the celebrity couple Gwynith Paltrow and Chris Martin when they underwent their own “Conscious Uncoupling.” Throughout this work, Thomas is careful to detail all steps of the process and whom she intends this work to assist. From those ending a long term or even short term relationship to those getting a divorce after many years, the book guides each through the process of letting go of the relationship while maintaining ties for the sake of children and/or ourselves.

I was hesitant in ordering this book because I’m not much of a subscriber to self-help books or the idea that a book can assist through processes as difficult as severing ties in a relationship. Yet, I’m very glad I did. This book was able to illuminate several issues for me and help me in processing the relationships I have had and how I have chosen to view and carry them. After reading Thomas’ process for conscious uncoupling, I feel I know how to move forward in cauterizing the severed ties of my past romances, in making amends where I can, and moving forward with the intention to avoid my past mistakes where that fails.

Thomas’ 5 step process is as follows:
Step 1: Find Emotional Freedom
Step 2: Reclaim Your Power and Your Life
Step 3: Break the Pattern, Heal Your Heart
Step 4:Become a Love Alchemist
Step 5: Create Your Happily-Even-After Life

I moved through understanding this process in about a two week period. Thomas writes that it can be done in an intensive 72 hour period or can stretch out for a year. Thomas is a licensed marriage and family therapist with an MA and MFT and writes of her experiences in her field as well as her personal experience. The book leans more heavily toward situations where couples have been married and have children and need this type of healing, but for those suffering from a harsh ending on a relationship, Thomas also addresses your needs.

Conscious Uncoupling is not a read for pleasure, but there was pleasure in putting name to so many of the feelings that linger after a separation. This read was helpful and gentle for me, with suggestions of self-care at the end of each chapter, and examples that made the process extremely clear. If you feel you are caught in a cycle of unsatisfying relationships, carrying a heavy heart from breakups from long ago, or are seeking solace after the end of your relationship this book is a friendly source you can turn to that will help you find your footing for your next steps.

The Story of Growing Up with the World’s Funniest Mom: Joan Rivers

The Book of Joan has been on my shelf for awhile. I’ve wanted to read it for a long time, but life and school and work have all gotten between me and this one. In hindsight, it might have helped if I had picked it up sooner, because this is a light-hearted, entertaining and breezy read.

For a book that aims to help us remember Joan Rivers, it’s a little like a left-handed compliment. Written by Rivers daughter Melissa, there’s love there but also tension. She puts in asides and quips at her deceased mother’s expense frequently. Heck, she even subtitled the book “tales of mirth, mischief, and manipulation” and so the subtext of a complicated relationship between the two is not so much under the surface at all.

Indeed, Book of Joan focuses mainly on their relationship and Melissa’s experience in growing up under her mother and the world into which her mother revolved. This part is interesting and insightful. Yet, the other part of the book is comedy routine. While I was expecting this to be a humorous book, I was not expecting the jokes and one-liners to pile up one on another like they do. It’s actually exhausting to keep up with the pace Melissa sets here.

As a bedtime companion, this book would be tolerable in reading the short chapters (one or two per night), but the long form read of the book is unchallenging and smells of stand-up humor. True fans of Joan Rivers or those looking for a light and fluffy read will appreciate the work. Those looking for deep insight or dirt on Joan should dig elsewhere.

Three out of five stars.

Would You Draw on Cats? Please Do. (a book review)

The family cat puts up with a lot in the name of domestication. With a new baby in the mix, sometimes the house cat will be subjected to all forms of baby investigation, up to and including the day your child decides to see if they can color kitty’s fur. There’s an easier way to draw on cats and avoid the scratches. Look no further than, “I Draw On Cats.”

There’s not a whole lot to say about a puzzle book of connect the dots featuring pictures of cats except that it’s clever, fun and unique. As far as puzzle books go, you can’t ask for more.

“I Draw On Cats,” is a work by an Atlanta, Ga. artist named A.R. Coffelt. She has collected a nice sampling of cute kitties, and created puzzles where you connect the dots to add accessories like jet packs and judicial robes to the already great photography. Pretty standard comedy meets brain teasing puzzle book.

The design of the book is also unique. It is collected into a fold out, perforated page collection with a built in flap for marking your place in the book. It’s extremely user friendly, and allows you to tear out a page to share with friends if you so choose. Although, it’s more likely that you’ll keep all these cats in your possession. They are worth more than just one look.

This would be a great gift book for graduates or Father’s day. The age range for optimal amusement is probably at least middle school age and up. If this book is attempting to latch on to the phenomena of adult coloring, then it’s going about it in a smart and fun way. Now, go draw on some cats!

The Vegetarian: No Meat (a book review)

I’m celebrating the six-month mark of being a vegetarian this month. Just a half year into this lifestyle change, I’ve already encountered a variety of response from family, friends and suitors. The family has been mostly supportive with the occasional slip-up as they offer me a bite of whatever they may happen to be noshing on, and I gently remind them of my decision to give up meat.

The biggest negative response on my choice, however, has come from my potential dates. The dating pool has been drained somewhat by those who are willing to be open to the lifestyle, and those who are not. One guy tried earnestly to make sure I had something nice to eat while he tucked into a bleeding steak, but didn’t see the issue with my dinner of bread and cheese or why I was less amused than he was when he bragged there was no fresh vegetables in his house. Another guy, was made more and more incredulous each time we went out to eat by my no-meat doctrine. (Not even fish? What about bacon?)

And so the confusion and sometimes hostility that main character, Yeong-hye, of the novel “The Vegetarian” encounters by well-meaning family members who try and convince her to return to the land of meat and sinew is something I know first-hand. No matter how you explain your choice to those in that lifestyle, they take your actions as an affront to their own eating choices. While my choice to become a vegetarian was initially motivated by health reasons and later reinforced by ethical, humanitarian, and ecological reasons, Yeong-hye from “The Vegetarian” starts her quest based solely on a dream in which blood, meat and violence feature.

SKIP NEXT THREE PARAGRAPHS TO AVOID SPOILERS…

The Vegetarian is split into three acts. The first is told by Yeong-hye’s husband. This story is told in the voice of strong opposition to not only her arbitrary (to him) choice but also to her asserting any freedom over her own life; a first in this marriage. This scene climaxes with a family dinner in which Yeong-hye is physically forced into eating meat after which she responds in turn with violence in slicing her wrist with a fruit knife. She is soon committed to an asylum for a time, not because of her refusal to eat meat, but more for her symptomatic behavior that stems from this that is seen as irrational.

Act two is told by Yeong-hye’s brother in law, an artist. Brother in law sees Yeong-hye as a kind of novel, freak show in regards to her vegetarianism and what it has made of her. Act two become intense and graphic fairly quickly. Brother in law is obsessed with his wife’s sister (Yeonge-hye) and a blue, flower-shaped mark on her body called a “Mongolian Mark.” He engineers a performance piece in which he paints Yeong-hye’s body in painted flowers and asks her to have sex with his artist friend on camera, and then with himself. Yeong-hye is deep into the madness brought on by the dream that spurred the vegetarianism and the sleepless nights. She wants to become a tree, and so the flowers painted upon her seem a good and sane thing towards her transformation.

Act three is told by Yeong-hye’s sister, In-hye, who discovers her sister and husband in the act of sex while painted with flowers at the end of act two.  In-hye sees her sister as someone to be pitied and cared for in where she is now that she’s been fully committed to the asylum. In-hye is the only one who still visits Yeong-hye and tries to coax her back to the world of humans as Yeong-hye has fully embraced life as a tree in refusing to eat or speak at all. Yeong-hye is rapidly approaching death, and her sister is trying to make sense of this choice she has made to hasten the process as well as her own life she has made with her son from the failed marriage brought on by Yeong-hye’s decision.

RESUME READING HERE FOR NO SPOILERS…

The Vegetarian ends ambiguously. You don’t know what’s going to happen to Yeong-hye or her sister or any one in the story. The whole novel seems to be an exercise in poetic license, which makes sense because Han Kang is known for her poetry. The conclusions you draw from the actions of the book can go either way as an endorsement for making your own choice at the expense of alienation and hostile response or as a caution against these very things. The interesting thing about The Vegetarian is that we don’t get much of the vegetarian’s (Yeong-hye) actual thoughts on her choice and what it has meant to her. She’s not smug about being a vegetarian or prone to pushing it on anyone else. For her, it just is what it is. And that’s how it is for a lot of vegetarians, I think.

The Vegetarian is less a statement on “being vegetarian” than it is about choice, and how acceptable one choice is viewed over other choices. The story lacks fullness or profundity in a way that traditional storylines would deliver the “beef” in this regard. But as far as contemplation goes, The Vegetarian gives the reader much to chew on. I rate The Vegetarian between two-and-a-half and three stars.