Goodreads Book Review - Snuff

Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As I said in my review of the last Palahniuk book I read, Haunted, I really hope this guy spends the bulk of his money on therapy, because my man is clearly out of his gourd. That being said, his kind of insanity produces some really, really good books. Like anything you'd expect from him, this book is twisted and compelling (in the way watching trainwrecks are compelling; I was so drawn in by the insanity displayed here that I read the whole book in a day) and, of course, there are twists that keep you guessing everywhere. I thought I had the main twist figured out ahead of time... and I was right, by the way... but then the twists kept coming as the narrative raced to one of the most messed-up conclusions I have ever seen. Seriously, just read the book and see for yourself. I know I've said that about all of Palahniuk's books I've read thus far, but, yeah, do it.



View all my reviews

The friend who gave me this twenty-seventh recommendation in my year-long challenge predicted I'd knock this out in a day, and she was absolutely right' it's a great read. Now, I need something else. Come on, folks, don't be shy!

The 10 Best Geek TV Shows of 2012

Yesterday, my friend Gio (you can find his blog, Words from the Master, here; you should check it out, it's pretty great) posted a link to Topless Robot's Ten Best Geek Shows of 2012. I read the list, and while some of it is okay, I disagreed with most of the shows and pretty much all of the rankings. SO, I decided the only thing to do was post my own version of the list!

10. The Big Bang Theory

Topless Robot not only saw fit to leave this off the list, but they even took a shot at it while talking about Community. I'm sorry, but no show on television embraces geek culture the way this show does while simultaneously giving us enjoyable characters, fun stories, and a whole bunch of laughs every week. Most of the shows on either list are talked about on this show, and when they talk about Doctor Who, they talk about Doctor Who... Inspector Spacetime, my ass.

9. Merlin

Here's a show that gets very little love in the States as it comes from across the pond and isn't its more famous cousin, but it's a high quality show that I've already written about. The fifth and final season is only just starting on SyFy now, but having already seen it all... well, it's a hell of a ride.

8. Arrow

Here's another show I've already written about. In my initial review, I said it had some problems, but if it could fix them, it would be a great show. It's fixed them, and it's pretty great. In fact, it's shaping up to be a much better show than Smallville was; not saying much now, I grant you, but looking back at Smallville's first few seasons, that show was on point... and much like that, Arrow is right on target.

7. Spartacus: Vengeance

Topless Robot completely forgot about this gem of an action series. Maybe their memory doesn't stretch back to Winter 2012? Whatever the reason, leaving off this well-acted, well-plotted, and action-packed period piece pretty much shredded the credibility of their list completely.

6. Doctor Who

My list and Topless Robot's list have had nothing in common so far, and nowhere is that a more glaring error on their part than in their list's lack of the Doctor. Yes, the six episodes we had so far in Series 7 have been uneven... for my money, three were great and three were just alright... but, in the case of those good episodes, when Doctor Who is on top of its game, nothing can touch it.

5. True Blood

I'm the first to admit True Blood felt like it hit it's prime right out of the gate has declined lately, but season 5 really was a return to greatness for the show, especially once it cleared out a few of the weaker side story lines and left the last few episodes to focus on the biggest vampire arc its had in years, the Cult of Lilith, and its big surprise ending that was easily one of the best cliffhangers of the year.

4. The Vampire Diaries

For the first time, the two lists have a show in common. The Vampire Diaries gets a bad rap, I think being compared to Twilight all the time. But honestly, it is much more True Blood than Twilight, except with much more consistent quality. This show never disappoints, and it proved very early on that no character is safe. People die on this show all the time... and nothing says entertainment like never knowing when your favorite character might drop.

3. Fringe

Talk about the little show that could. Fringe escaped cancellation not once but twice, managing to come back for this final season that, like every other season, is only the same in that it's totally different from what came before. Episodes in this mini-season have been truly heart-breaking, edge-of-your-seat stuff. They've been describing this final season as a love letter to the fans, and, if that's the case, well, this is definitely a two-way love affair.

2. The Walking Dead

Everyone's favorite zombie show pulled in at #1 on Topless Robot's list, and yes, season 3 has been that damn good so far, with Michonne, Merle, and The Governor and enough deaths to shake a sword at. But, 2012 also includes the second half of season 2, which, with the exception of the last episode or two, wasn't very good. With that in mind, I couldn't justify giving it the top spot, especially when you consider the show that's left...

1. Game of Thrones

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister. Do I really need to say anymore? Okay, fine. Arya Stark. Daenerys Targaryen. Dragons. Blackwater. Fucking Joffrey. The defense rests, Your Honor.

Goodreads Book Review - The Fuck-Up

The Fuck Up by Arthur Nersesian

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Have you ever spent an entire book wishing with each turn of the page that the next page would bring about a surprise plot twist in which the protagonist you've been reading about the whole time suddenly dies and the book is now about someone else entirely? No? Then you have no idea of the misery in which I sat while reading this book. I will never understand why someone would choose to write about such a reprehensible character like the nameless star of this book, or why they would think an audience would want to read about the odyssey of horrible things that happen to him through every fault of his own until, in one of the most laughing bad and abrupt endings I've ever read, he's rewarded with a better life than he ever had before. I will admit to laughing out loud once or twice, but not in joy; no, it was just masochistic schadenfreude.



View all my reviews

The twenty-sixth book in the RRC was easily the worst book of the bunch so far, and that's saying something. Someone recommend something really good to help me cleanse my palette? Please? After this abomination, I'm literally begging you.

Goodreads Book Review - I Know This Much Is True

I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I have to admit, for the most of the time I spent reading this book, I hated it. I wasn't thrilled with the writing style or the way the plot jumps from time frame to time frame to time frame. I felt like I couldn't connect with any of the characters and because of that, I couldn't care about them, and if I couldn't care about the characters, why bother reading the thing at all? And while I still stand by some of that, a funny thing happened in the last 250 pages or so. Lamb pulled everything together and wrapped it up in a way that made me say, "Okay, this actually wasn't that bad now that I see it all in front of me." I was actually rooting for the main character, Dominick, and was happy to see the way he changed and the way his life wound up, even if I do think one or two aspects were a little too neat of a wrap-up. I also saw a few things that mirrored some of the trends in my life (nothing quite so dramatic as the events of this novel, but, parallels can be drawn, at least) and it gave me a lot to think about... and in the end, isn't that and a bit of entertainment the best we can ask for from a good book?



View all my reviews

Kicking off the new year with this, the twenty-fifth book I've read in my Recommended Reading Challenge. I've got a handful of books left on the list at the moment and still have about three-and-a-half months to go before the Challenge is over, so I could use some more. Share, people!

The Best (and Worst) Movies of 2012

Here it is: the year-end blog I've been busting my ass watching movies the last few days to be able to write, the list of the best movies (in my opinion, of course) of the year. Seriously, in the last 72 hours I've watched like 12 movies... that doesn't sound like a lot, but, you know, I also slept. And drank. I won't really be writing about them, just a few words here and there maybe, and a link to a previous post if I covered them during the year already. Anyway, I admit, I haven't seen everything that came out this year, so the list might be missing a few things here and there, but whatever. At the end of the post I'll be revealing my favorite movie of the year, something I've been tracking since 2008 (here's the recap: 08: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, 09: 500 Days of Summer, 10: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, 11: Warrior). Quick aside, all this wouldn't be possible without the Flickster app on Facebook, on which I rate movies all year long.

Before I get to the best, though, here's a list of the worst movies of the year... seriously, I rated these movies 1/2 star each, and that's only because Flickster won't let you give a 0-star rating.

The Worst
Killer Joe
Silent Hill Revelation 3D
For a Good Time, Call...
The Watch
House at the End of the Street (seriously, this movie was so bad not even Jennifer Lawrence could save it.)
The Apparition
Chernobyl Diaries
Intruders
Hick
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Gone
Jeff, Who Lives at Home
Lockout
Wrath of the Titans
The Innkeepers
And, the movie I'm still calling the worst movie ever: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Now that those monstrosities are out of the way...

The Best (4 stars)
Ted - This shit was so funny I paid to see it twice. And the second time I paid for two tickets. And if you disagree, well, I hope you fucking get Lou Gehrig's Disease.
The Amazing Spider-Man
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World - A very heartfelt, funny apocalypse dramedy.
Liberal Arts
End of Watch - This surprised the hell out of me with how good it is. Seriously.
Zero Dark Thirty - Tense, gripping, well-acted... just fantastic.
Les Miserables - Yeah, I like musicals. Especially great musicals. Live with it.

The Best of the Best (5 stars)
The Cabin in the Woods
Marvel's the Avengers
The Dark Knight Rises

And now, that just leaves my favorite movie of the year, obviously in the 5 star category:
Silver Linings Playbook

There you go, there's my list of the best and worst movies of the year. Here's the part where I ask you what you think of these flicks and what your favorites of the year were and, if I'm lucky, maybe one person answers. Let's go, I'm psyched.

Looking Back at 2012

New Year's Eve might not be until tomorrow, but tomorrow I'm doing my big "Best Movies of 2012" post because I still have a few movies to burn through tonight. So tonight, instead of that blog you get a brief look back at my roller coaster 2012, and a look ahead at what I'd like out of 2013.

2012 started with me and my family still dealing with the death of my grandfather, which, you know, sucked. January wasn't all bad, though, as it also saw the celebration of two of my favorite people getting married, with me performing the ceremony. And then there was my birthday, which, you know, is always an awesome party.  But the beginning of the year saw me still unemployed and broke, a trend that sadly continued throughout the year. There was some more good in the beginning of the year, though, as my grandmother and I moved to a better apartment in a better area, an apartment above family who could help take care of her and ease the burden off me a bit, which is very, very nice. That was literally the extend of the excitement in my life through Winter and Spring.

The Summer saw me become employed again... but don't get excited. It was only a one day temp job. But money is money, and I took it happily. The start of Summer also apparently saw me lose a friend, which, all I can say about that is that people do what they want to do, and only so much of it is in your control. Aside from that inauspicious beginning, the rest of the Summer was actually a very good one. I spent those months excited and walking around with a smile on my face. I saw a lot of movies, too, which you know I really enjoyed, but even without that, it was a great Summer.

Of course, the Fall came and everything else fell like a house of cards, and with the exception of another fun wedding for another close friend, October and November sucked mightily. You know, hurricanes and the like. December, though... things seem to have started to turn around as I got a job that'll last until at least February, and prospects of it becoming permanent are there. Even if that doesn't happen, though, it let me do some things for Christmas, and it'll make sure I have a fun New Year's Eve tomorrow night and a fun birthday next month as well.

And that's 2012 in a nutshell. Brief highlights that eventually got tarnished... one or two even outright regretted as I look back... amongst some crap. Which is why I can't wait for this year to end and 2012 to begin. But what do I want out of 2013? I'm setting my sights low so as not to be disappointed: I want this job to last, I want to enjoy fun times with my friends, and I want to drink in peace. In fact, my resolution is to not do anything to jeopardize that. So, you know... no women.

Leverage: The Final Con

The other day I posted a little look back at Merlin, a show I enjoyed that just aired it's final episode. The day after that final episode aired, another show I love, Leverage, aired its final episode as well. Both shows started in 2008 and in a connection that isn't immediately clear, both shows are based on a classic British legend. Merlin's is obvious, but what about Leverage?

The Leverage, Inc. team, l. to r.: Sophie, Eliot, Nate, Hardison, and Parker.

Leverage is the story of Nate Ford, a former insurance investigator who gathers a team of the people he used to investigate: Sophie, a grifter; Eliot, a former soldier, now a hired hitter; Hardison, a super hacker; and Parker, a thief. He brings them together to start helping the little guys of the world get back at the rich and powerful who have unscrupulously screwed them out of money or property or whatever else. Sound familiar?

It's a modern day Robin Hood. They're Robin and his merry man for the current age, fighting against the rich using cons and computers instead of swords and arrows.

The show is pretty brilliantly done. There's a different con every week, but the kick is that it operates on two different levels. There's the steps the audience sees as the show unfolds... and then there's the con within the con that the audience sees in flashback after the fact, seeing it as the mark sees it, experiencing just how badly they were screwed.

That's not the true joy of the show, though. The true joy is watching the four people he gathered, people who dislike and distrust each other ad all dislike him, joining together as time unfolds, learning that helping people feels better than hurting people and building real bonds of friendship and more by the time the show eventually ends. The show is all about character, as each con becomes personal to at least one of them, and there are cons that involve their families at one point in time or another... or their enemies, as in the case of an evil super hacker played by Wil Wheaton, or the team's ultimate nemesis, Interpol agent Sterling, played by Mark Sheppard, an incredibly famous "that guy."

Trust me, you've seen him in something: Leverage, Supernatural, Doctor Who, Warehouse 13, Chuck, Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica, 24, Firefly...

The show's run is full of guest stars and great plots and even better acting, and there's even a two-part con in which they overthrow the dictator of a small African government. In short, i can't recommend this show enough. So, you know, if I've interested you, find it and watch it. You won't regret it.