goodby

I no longer have the time i once had to indulge in the deep pleasures of good books, and the fun of review.
It's sad, but.......... well goodby one day i will have the time for pleasure again.

If only it where true - Marc Levy

My husband is a complete garage sale addict, he's the guy they put those "don't come before 8am" notices in the newspaper adds. He got this one free with a cheese server, he doesn't even like cheese....Anyway This is the book in which they roughly based the film "Just like heaven" with Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo. Loved the film, light romantic comedy with a coma victim whats not to like. As a book though...it could be better. I HATE giving negative criticism  but it was a very shallow book, and with only 283 pages it still manages to have some seriously boring bits.It's not all bad, it managed too keep me mostly attentive for four hours which, coincidentally is exactly how long it took me to read it, as i did not want to put it down fearing i would put it back on the shelf unfinished. I do hate having unfinished books on my shelf, they stare at me all day long and nag at my subconscious. For those who haven't seen the film we follow an emergency doctor/ghost "Lauren" and her "Postmortem tenant" they guy renting her apartment "Arther" while shes brain dead in a coma in a hospital across town. They start a strange quest to reunite Lauren with her body and inadvertently ever so obviously fall in love. There is the expected comedic sanity jokes with Arther talking to himself and his dedicated best bud/business partner trying to get him a brain scan. And a well written body snatching sequence. But Arther also has some strangely profound issues with his mother that detract largely from the story. The story also feels rushed, it seams to jump from one bit to the next without much go between and many conversation summaries that ruin the flow. Would i read it again?...no, not if don't have to: it was a nice story but i really don't feel I've gained anything from it. Who would i recommend it to? Perhaps film buffs or script students who want to learn how to arrange a book into a script.

Dracular - Bram Stoker

I read this book in High-school and loved it (they should make it part of the curriculum, when i went to high school The Hobbit was deemed too difficult for year 10 students?! So naturally it was up to me to stop my brain rotting from lack of use). Having become a complete Stephenie Mayer addict, I thought I'd have a look back at where it all began.
Fantastic book, I found so much more in the re-reading than i remember. Absolutely nothing like any of the movies, a completely different story. The characters are wonderfully written, the story full of plot twists, chases, and dark mystery. You can almost hear the wolfs howling and feel the dark night fogs, you can taste the fear, and smell the dirt. The story is tolled through different characters perspectives, you get a really detailed look at everyone involved, but the story still runs smoothly and is relatively easy to follow.
Truly The stuff of nightmares, Count Dracula is everything you ever feared. The shadow in a lonely park at night, a mysterious stranger, a bat tapping at your window, a walking demon. Jonathan Harker, Lucy, Mina, Dr Seward, Quincy Morris, Arther Holmwood, and of course you can't have Dracula without Van Helsing, all have their lives thrown together by an unexpected twist of fate, when The Count decides he wants to move to London. Jonathan is called to Transylvania to aid The Count with his paper work, where he barely escapes with his life. He returns to England a ruined man, and is brought back to life, on the quest, to eradicate the world of Dracula. I'd recommend it to all adults with a taste for fear, and adventure. Also a MUST for all vampire fans.

Last Chance to Eat - Gina Mallet

LOVED this book. Gina gives us a deliciously insightful look into the world of food. From hanging your meat, to the brilliant work of the egg. She shares many fascinating stories about her life and travels, as well as some fabulous recipes. I can't rave enough about how mouth wateringly brilliant a read this book is. Ever wondered how families managed during the war, or perhaps at the origins of your morning scrambled eggs. Maybe you have detected the fact that all soft cheeses are beginning to taste so similar it's become to difficult to tell one from another without the advertising on the wrapper? Or perhaps your grandmothers intimate fear of pressure cookers has always left you miffed. She gets us eye deep in the world of fish farming, and the history of the digression of apples. What would happen if McDonalds or Woolworths took over the world? I would recommend this book to all Chef's, cooks and kitchen slaves. To anyone who loves to eat, and lives for finding that mysteriously wonderful ingredient that will bring true food bliss. It's also an intriguing look into the human food psyche, what will we be digesting 50years from now?

Fong and the Indians - Paul Theroux

I used to work at a Backpackers in Darwin and picked up a very raggedy copy of this from the free book exchange. Thank you to whomever left it there. It has to be said; Brilliant book! Absolutely hilarious.

We Follow Sam Fong a dimwitted Chinese immigrant living in East Africa during a time of civil unrest. He gets mistaken for a Chinese communist, and is dragged off on a small adventure. Fong is a shy corner store owner, with a wife and children of his own, all living off his almost non-existent income. Fong's greatest dream in life is that the milk train will suffer an accident, so he can finally sell his large supply of tinned condensed milk. The story is wonderfully written, rich in detail. You really feel sorry for poor Fong and his family's dire poverty stricken existence. I won't give much more away. Really excellent book I recommend it to any adult with an interest in communism, or a sense of humor. Really I think anyone would enjoy Fong's strange detour in his little sad life. Brilliant book, very funny and interesting. Thank you Paul Theroux.

The Sacred Romance - Brent Curtis & John Eldredge

Drawing closer to the heart of God. My Farther went to all the effort of buying this book and casually leaving it at my house just to get me to read it. So I did my best. I don't usually read religious books. I find they tend to prattle on and take forever to get to the point. Or they get to the point real quick then spend the rest of the book telling you the same thing in different ways.... My Farther found this book excellent. He was in raptures telling me about how much he learned from it, and how it helped him work through some of the things in his life. Its wonderful that it helped him so much, he's had allot to deal with in his time on the planet.

I am not going to comment on this book for several reasons. Firstly i couldn't finish it as it disagreed with me somewhat. Secondly it's not a story, more a Christian "how to deal with your life" book, so any notes on the characters or plot line would be pointless. Third and last of all, I do not have an open mind when it comes to anyone explaining and over analyzing life. So my bias opinion would ruin it for others who might find it useful.

So you ask, why do i even bother to put it in my blog?
After reading the few chapters of this book that I could, I had something eating at me to say to the world. It doesn't matter what religion you follow, where you come from, or how you choose to live your life. There are going to be bad times, there are going to be times when you feel the world cutting through you with rusty knives. There are also going to be times that feel so good you could be dreaming, and lots of different times in between. It's mostly due to our own choices, but sometimes life can be totally out of our control. That is life. The point is to live it! and when shit gets you down, you need to work through it, see a councilor, or a psychiatrist whomever, just talk about it. Then own your mistakes, get up and get on with it. We all want to think our life has a higher purpose, that we are part of some grand plan. Maybe we are, maybe we aren't, that's for you to decide. Just be true to yourself, don't try to fit into a label, or someone else's expectations. And most of all love yourself. Because if you don't love yourself, who is going to? And without loving and respecting yourself you can never truly love or respect others. This I have learnt the hard way. Well that's my 2cents, take it or leave it I've had my little rant, thanks for reading.

The Neverending story - Michael Ende

Fantastic book. I watched the films as a child, and never had the chance to read the book until now. For those who don't know: we follow a young slightly dumpy unhappy but very imaginative boy called Bastian Balthazar Bux (with three B's) on an adventure through the story that is Fantasia. He begins to change and so does his heart, with the help of his friends Atreyu and Falkor he escapes Fantasia and returns to the human world a brave boy who will change his world for the better. It's full of adventure brave feats and fantasy. I hope i didn't give too much of the story away, i don't want to spoil it for you. I recommend this book to all children, and anyone who was once a child themselves. The writing is very fluid, easy for a child to follow. The text is very rich and imaginative, the characters are original, fantastic and complete. Even after so many years of reading I was surprised by unexpected twists in the plot. The ending is complete, and very well done. I don't think I've had the pleasure of such a surprising read in a long long time. Don't re-watch the films before you read it, you'll ruin if for yourself. Read it to your kids, read it to your grand-kids, the kids next door, and read it to yourself. Wonderful wonderful book!