Monday, April 24, 2006

"Kingdom Come"

WORTH CONSUMING! Beautiful Art by Alex Ross. Story was very good, a little confusing as many characters is never named in the book. Though a Rogue’s gallery in the back of the book ID’s characters and their powers. Excellent last 4th act. A masterpiece of graphic novels.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

"What's Michael? Vol. 10: Sleepless Nights"

WORTH CONSUMING!

Normally not a fan of Manga, but this was really good. As a cat lover, this book was very realistic.
A short read though. I got this at the library. I will check out more when available, but a $10.95 cover price is too much to pay.

"The Hostile Hospital (A Series of Unfortunate Events #8)"

WORTH CONSUMING!

So far my ranking is (read so far…) goes like this:

Book Eight, Book Two, Book Five, Book Seven, Book Six, Book Four, Book One, Book Three.

It’s very rare for a series book to not follow the established pattern, tempo, and flow of the previous books in the series.

Book Eight is to Lemony Snicket as Empire Strikes Back is to Star Wars.

No new guardian, no Mister Poe, and (even better) no Count Olaf (in person) until the final chapter.

Olaf: I really hate that guy, give some credit to Snicket as a writer, but most of Olaf’s ick-factor is due to Jim Carrey’s portrayal in the movie.

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Tuesday, April 4, 2006

"Uncommon Knowledge: Hundreds of How-To Tips from Your Favorite Celebs!"

NOT WORTH CONSUMING

This book cannot be for real, can it? Hugh Hefner’s advice on how to choose the best melons (produce), Cheech Marin on How to Roll a Joint (bandaging knees, ankles, etc.), or Evander Hollyfield on how to take a punch (making punch for a gala event).

This book, based on an advice column in Men’s Health Magazine, was a book I found at my Mother’s when we were cleaning out her house. I thought it would be a hoot. But it really takes itself very seriously that actual male celebrities actually wrote these articles. Yet, I have trouble believing that William Shatner really wrote an article entitled “How to Boldly Go” (Take a potty break in the wild).

I think Men’s Health first wrote the articles as a joke and then it became popular and began to really be written by the person the Magazine claims to have written it. For example, Harry Anderson’s essay on how to win 3 cards Monte or Chuck Yeager’s tips on winning a dog-fight during aerial combat is probably true, because those are actual subjects that the writers have experience in.
How Dick Clark makes preservatives from fruit- doubtful.
The book is not devoid of helpful hints. Mickey Spillane’s advice on how to case a joint (buy a house) had helpful tips and the use of personal information made this essay one you could believe he really wrote (though, I thought he had been dead years before this book was published). And if it’s truly authored, I now know why it matters that Ray Charles wears different pairs of shades.

The artwork is quite humorous and helpful, like on how to dig a ditch (Vidal Sassoon) and how to fill a 10 gallon hat (Hank Willaims, Jr.).

While this is an interesting book, and was enjoyable and insightful, I would not pay full price for this book. Try Amazon, or a used book store.