2013/05/27

Feed (Newsflesh Trilogy, #1)Feed by Mira Grant

Feed (Newsflesh Trilogy, #1)
Title: Feed
Author: Mira Grant
Length: 571 pages
Genre-ish: Sci-Fi, Zombie
Rating: 2/5
I wanted to like this book. I am not sure what it is but, I found it it was not for me. I picked up this book and expected a zombie book. It was disappointing.

The book begins post-zombie apocalypse with two young bloggers looking to move up to the top tier of the news world, which is now dominated by bloggers. We're never told, though, whether print and broadcast journalism are dead or just irrelevant. In fact, we're not told much of anything not directly related to these two main characters. Their ticket to fame and fortune comes in the form of exclusive rights to cover a presidential nominee's campaign, but we never find out how the government is structured post-apocalypse, or even whether Washington exists as a "safe" zone in this new world. In fact, we're really told nothing about the entire eastern seaboard. That creates a lot of gaps when the story essentially morphs into a political thriller.

I am a fan of political thrillers, but this is my type of a book.

Strengths: It gives you a good look at what the world could look like with the infectede and non-infected living among each other. It is interesting to see what precautions that gavornemt has in place....like the constant blood testing.

Weakness: Dull. I have mixed feelings about zombie novels; zombies themselves don't interest or scare me so there has to be something more to the story - this wasn't a problem. In fact, the book wasn't largely dedicated to flesh-eating and zombie moans, it was dedicated to something which I am very interested in and should have been what sold the book to me: politics.


2013/05/13

Giving It A Try

I will be honest, I have not read a zombie type of a book......since hmmm high school . Well I believe that it has been that long at least. It was not that long ago a friend of mine at the cheese mine said that he likes the series The Walking Dead. So I gave that a try.

To be honest, I loved it I watched the Season 1 in I was a little addicted. I think that I am going to try to get Season 2 from the library. I will say this I like the zombie genre MUCH more than the wave of vampires that has been all over the place.  Twilight...ugghh.


The book that I chose in the zombie genre is Feed. I have heard good things about this one from GoodReads. Well besides World War Z, do you guys have any recommendation?


2013/05/11

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
My rating: Back It Up
Publish Date: 2011
Ready Player One


This book appealed to right away. I have and always will be a geek and it was one before it was cool. Cline is now one of my favorite authors..yes after ONE book under his belt.

In a not too distant future, the economy has crumbled, energy is hard to come by and earth's population is living on top of each other in the cities. Literally. Wade lives in a trailer park where the homes are stacked on top of each other and you run the constant risk of being mugged. It's no surprise that for many the escape of the virtual world inside OASIS virtual facebook is such a draw. When the creator of the system, Halliday, dies he leaves in his will a clause; his fortune and control of OASIS goes to whoever finds the "easter egg" he has hidden in the code.

He leaves a riddle as the starting point in a video montage of 80s films. Wade spends years delving into all of the interests and nerdisms of Halliday hoping that the knowledge he gains from this overload of trivia will lend him an insight into Halliday’s mind and possibly to the easter egg. This book does show you how smart the nerd/geek class really is.

I fell in love with book and it took me back to my childhood playing countless hours of Atari.This is a book based in the future, but it did show history in it. It did show some of the loopholes programmers had in the earlier games. Kids now days do not understand. 

This was on of the best books that I have read in quite some time. I recommend this book to anyone that played video games on an Atari system of has watched sci-fi movies from that time period as well. 

2013/05/02

Game of Thrones Season 2

I finally did it...I watch Season 2 of Game of Thrones. I am not able to view it on TV due to a non-HBO household. I use to go ole library services for my viewing pleasure.

In the season whome have not seen it yet:

The Seven Kingdoms are at war, with the King in the North, Robb Stark, fighting to win independence for his people and those of the Riverlands. Robb decides that he must win the allegiance of the fiercely independent ironborn to his cause, and sends his best friend Theon Greyjoy to treat with his father, who is hatching plans of his own. Meanwhile, Joffrey Baratheon holds the Iron Throne with the backing of the powerful House Lannister, but his uncle Renly has also claimed the throne with the support of House Tyrell, whose armies are much larger. As they struggle for the throne, Tyrion Lannister arrives in King's Landing to take matters in hand, only to face opposition from his scheming sister, Cersei, now the Queen Regent.

However, there is another faction entering the picture. Stannis Baratheon, Robert's younger brother and Renly's older, has also claimed the Iron Throne. A proven battle commander and veteran of several wars, Stannis is known to be utterly without mercy to his enemies and will do what is right even if it destroys him. Advising him is Melisandre, an enigmatic priestess from the east, who believes Stannis is meant for a greater destiny, and Ser Davos Seaworth, an honest and honorable man uneasy with the shifts in power at Stannis' court.

Far to the east, Daenerys Targaryen has hatched the only three dragons in the world. Eventually they will grow into terrifying monsters capable of destroying cities at her command, but for now they are still hatchlings and vulnerable. With her khalasar gone, Daenerys and her small band of followers must find a way across a forbidding wasteland and find new allies to support her claim to the Iron Throne.

In the distant north, the Night's Watch has mounted an expedition beyond the Wall, searching for missing rangers and investigating rumours of wildlings gathering in the mountains. For Jon Snow this will be a rite of passage as he is asked to make difficult choices, for the realm and for himself. 

I just cannot believe the incredible job that the producers of the show have done so far. They are doing a great job followinf the MASSIVE book.  The war on continues throughout this series for the rite of the throne is surreal. After the series faille there sure quite a bit of questions that is going to happen with each character. The one that drives me crazy in Sansa she is such an airhead....she just makes me shack my head.

2013/04/05

AudioFiles: Stone Cold by David Baldacci

Stone Cold (Camel Club, #3)Title: Stone Cold
Author:David Baldacci
Genre: Political Thriller
My rating: Save It




Oliver Stone, the leader of the mysterious group that calls itself the Camel Club, is both feared and respected by those who've crossed his path. Keeping a vigilant watch over our leaders in Washington D.C., the Camel Club has won over some allies,
but it has also earned formidable enemies-including those in power who will do
anything to prevent Stone and his friends from uncovering the hidden, secret
work of the government.


One by one, men from Stone's shadowy past are turning up dead. Behind this slaughter stands one man: Harry Finn. To almost all who know him, Finn is a doting father and loving husband who uses his skills behind the scenes to keep our nation safe. But the other face of Harry Finn is that of an unstoppable killer who inevitably sets his lethal bull's-eye on Oliver Stone. And with Finn, Stone may well have met his match
.

Summary

The more I read or listen to Baldacci to more I cannot stop. Just think the only read that I picked up the first book in the series was because of the presidential election. I was in a mood for a political thriller. After that book was roped in. So anyways about the book.

In one plot we find Oliver Stone, who went by the name of, John Carr, as a former CIA assassin, comes to grips with a terrible mistake that he made years ago.It was due to the good 'ole US government that he was taking order from. He had terminated an innocent man who was falsely identified as a traitor. While Stone uncovers the mystery behind this mistake, he finds himself entangled in the lives of the dead man's family. Once he finds out that this family is to be terminated by the same man who ordered the execution of the father years ago, he must act quickly to prevent another injustice from being performed.

There are other plots, other characters that if covered it would only spoil the book for you. There were some disappointments in book as well as parts think that certain characters had it coming to them. Good old karma.



2013/03/24

Dutch and German..OH MY

A couple of month after my little girl turned 2...she had been headed down THAT road. Many parents out there know what I am talking about the TERRIBLE 2's. It seems that somedays, she is in timeout or has toys taken away more than anything. UGGGH. Fun times. We are trying  NOT to raise a spoiled brats.

Aquagirl's stubbornness sure does test our patience at times. My wife and I think that it has to do that she has so much German and Dutch flowing in her bloodline. Or maybe it is the female gene as well..lol. There are days when she wakes up with a mode good luck trying to get her in a decent one for that day.

We wonder on those days where did our sweet little girl went off to? I love that girl, but  sometimes...SOMETIMES..:) 

So to the parents out there. Do you any stories?

2013/03/07

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Before I FallBefore I Fall by Lauren Oliver
My rating: Save It

Summary:
What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.

The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing


My Thoughts:
 Well... I didn't love this book, I am glad that I picked it up. This book is similar to groundhog's day (the movie)and the movie Mean Girls. We follow Sam as she lives over each day after dying in a car crash caused by a drunk driver. Each day she does something different and does become a better person, which I do think gives young adults ideas on how to be a better person. So I think the lessons in the book are great, but reading about the same day over and over was starting to get on my nervous in the end.

I could not connect with Sam in this book book she was one of those girls that I could not tolerate in high school and she seemed nice, but her actions while she was alive was a different story.I was interested to see how she was doing to change each time that she live the same day. 

You can learn enough from this debut novel from Lauren Oliver.  I treat everyday like it maybe the last day I see my wife and daughter...I try ....boy I try to make sure the last words I say to tell is I love You.

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2004 Lena Girls State Trip

  This past weekend was something new for us. We decided to go to HS Girls State Basketball this year. It made it extra special that an area...