Saturday, January 29, 2011

I can't seem to settle on a design template that I like.



So I've tried out several.  We'll see how long this one lasts.

I finally finished listening to The Eye of the World.  Here's my review:

The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time, #1)The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'm sure if I'd read this twenty years ago I would have enjoyed it a lot more.  I found it hard to relate to the characters - mostly teenagers who don't appear to be very bright.  It kind of reminded me of those horror movies where the stupid girl goes into a dark house and never turns on the lights and you know the monster is waiting for her.  There were many monsters, evil ones, strange and enchanted landscapes, mysterious powers, etc.  The three young men 'chosen' to follow the journey were obtuse to a point beyond belief.  Sometimes I thought their denial to be the most powerful 'force' of all.  There were things I liked about the book, the ending being a notable one.  It was very nice.  Jordan seems better at creating positive scenes than scary ones - most of which had me rolling my eyes.  The women were not very interesting to me except for the main one, Moraine.  The culture is very sexist and also superstitious in annoying ways.

I hope my reading of Lord of the Rings is a happier experience.  And, no, I've never read it, so have put it on my list so I will be educated in the ultimate of fantasy lore.  Somehow I think Tolkien probably did a better job of it than Jordan.



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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Sunday, January 23, 2011

It's colder than you know what today!



I'm way behind on my reading as I've been rereading the famous Lymond Chronicles (just can't get enough of that Francis Crawford), and The Wars of Light and Shadow!  (Also can't get enough of that series' complexity.)  Oh well, life is short, I am old, I may as well do what makes me happy, right?

My eldest child got me a new Dyson vacuum cleaner for my birthday and I have been having a blast cleaning everything.  It's so nice to have the right tools.  It's lightweight, slick as a whistle, covered with Scandinavian design, and it sucks up everything in its path.  Bliss.  My other child got me a new 27" HP monitor for Christmas/birthday and it's a joy and a half.  So nice to have great kids, isn't it?  Mostly makes up for other disappointments/sadness.

In spite of the fact that it's so cold (has warmed up from 7 to 16 degrees) life is good today.

I must go to the grocery store - ugh- to get something fit to eat. 

Thursday, January 13, 2011

I listened to this the other day.

Indulgence in Death (In Death, #31) Indulgence in Death (In Death, #31) by J.D. Robb

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Candy listen and typical Eve Dallas.  The formula is getting just a bit tired.  I think Eve needs to have a baby.  At least she's not freaking out every time Roarke mentions it and allows it as a possibility.



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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Welcome to 2011!



Huge blizzard last night!  A few pictures.  Fortunately a nice young man helped me dig it out!  Well, actually, he dug, I sat in car.  Pretty nice.  I told him he was today's Angel of Mercy.

I intended to read all day as the office was closed, but spent most of the day messing around on the internet, as usual.  Huge furor at Fantasy Book Club Series group seems to have died down, thank the Good Lord!  Jon Moss helping me moderate the barbarians!

Have been mostly rereading the Lymond Chronicles as I'm not ready to give Francis Crawford up quite yet.  Joined Yahoo Group DDANZ for a group read of King Hereafter, but the discussion leader had a death in the family so we've postponed it a week.

Ah books!  Love 'em.