Hello, Good Reader . . .

Over the weekend I finished Clash of Kings. It was pitched battles and political intrigue to the very end. I guess I should rate it. Isn’t that what people are supposed to do when writing about other creative wo

In the spirit of Netflix reviews and Yelp reviews, I will base my very highly touted opinion on a numbering system of 1 to 5.rks? Give them some sort of numeric value so that when people go through and read their reviews, they don’t have to waste their time reading the whole thing. There’s just a number they can reference.

5: Awesome, amazing, life changing read that I will read over and over again. Very few books will or have reached this pinnacle of perfection. Some past reads that have garnered 5 coveted stars from me include the Harry Potter series (all 7 books I have read or listened to on audiobook format numerous times), Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, The Big Oyster by Mark Kurlansky, and Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon K

4: Awesome, amazing, exciting reads that I probably won’t bother reading again, but loved nonetheless.rakauer. If you haven’t read any of them, I highly recommend each and everyone.

3: Entertaining, had its moments, but all in all just an average book

2: Really, I wasted my time on this?

1: Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to print a piece of garbage like this.

There is will be no zero ratings, because there had to be some sort of redeeming value to the book that caught my attention enough to try and read it. If it was the cover that caught my eye, kudos to the designer. If the blurb on the back made it sound spectacular, kudos to the marketing department. If a friend recommended it, I need a new friend.

My first official grade for on this blog will be for Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin, the second book in

the “Song of Ice and Fire” series. Drum roll please . . .

4!

It was great, highly entertaining, one of a kind yarn. But whether it has to do with the length of the book (1040 pages!) or the fact its part of a long on going series, I don’t see myself reading it again in the future.

The unfortunate drawback in my life at the moment is that all my books are currently in boxes in the garages. A few have made their way inside, mostly mass market paperbacks and others that I have bought in the past few months since the move out of San Francisco. Monday morning, I was perusing my small shelf next to the front door and grabbed a copy of Carrie. I have seen the movie; I know the story, as do most of you. But I have never read the book. As we all know, books are always better than the movies. What I have discovered lately is that sometimes I find that watching a movie before reading the book makes the experience better. I know, it sounds a bit weird, but bear with me.

I recently read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series. I saw the Swedish versions and recently saw the David Fincher version. I found myself slightly disappointed with each version, because I started picking out things that they left out. Pivotal plot points just gone.

On the flip side, I remember not reading any of the Harry Potter series until the seventh book was released. Only then did I sit down and read each and every book back to back. I had seen the movies and found that I loved the books because the limited world I was introduced to in the movies opened up and seemed to become this living, breathing world. For those who had read the Harry Potter books before the movies, they always seemed to have the same complaints – they left this or that out. How could they leave that character out? How are they going to explain that in the later movies if they don’t at least touch on it now?

So Monday morning, I embarked on Carrie. I am nearly done with it already. It’s a short quick read, and the scary creepiness you see in the movie is multiplied ten fold because you actually see Carrie’s thought processes as she reacts to multiple events, including the infamous shower scene that starts the books.

So that’s it for now .

Have a lovely evening, good reader. I’ll see you next time

With the Smell of Burnt Apple Pie in the Air ...

... I begin anew. Yes, my attempt at apple pie (homemade, from scratch, including the crust) may or may not have been a success. Its still cooling as I write. But I overfilled the crust with apples, and all the fluid it released boiled out of the crust and onto the coils of the oven below.

At first, my home smelled of sweetness and cinnamon and yumminess, all the smells that would make Paula Deen proud. Then the sugar goodness began to seep out of holes in the crimped crust and drip down to the coils and the smell turned to burnt sugar - acrid smoke filled the kitchen when I retrieved the pie from doom.

Fingers crossed that it had enough time to bake through . . .

Since the first of the new year, I have been reading Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin, the second of his "A Song of Ice of Fire" series. You may be more familiar with the name Game of Thrones series, thanks to HBO. For those of you that may have read the books, or enjoyed the show, you'll know what I mean when I tell you that the Imp is not only the best character in the books, but one of the best characters in literature. And those of you that know the stories know that you should not get to attached to characters, because inevitably something terrible will happen to your favorite.

It's a densely written and highly detailed drama and action filled yarn. Without giving too much away, suffice to say that many people have sex, many people are killed, and some magic and sorcery is thrown in for good measure. Its a unique story, a medieval fantasy in a far away land - one part Once and Future King and one part Lord of the Rings.

Right now, 1040 pages of dark magic, horrific bloodshed, political intrique, and lustful testosterone driven kings and paupers are occupying my nightstand tonight. With a little over 200 pages left to go, I can't wait to see how this second chapter ends. I am eagerly awaiting the second season of Game of Thrones.

As to the apple pie, the crust was a bit burnt . . . the oven is going to be miserable to clean . . . but the filling was an orgasm to my tastebuds!

Let's Do This Again

About three years ago, I started a blog. I posted three blogs, and a grand total of 4 people read them. Well, now I am back at it again, only this time I am going to try and have a focus. Last time I tried this, I was all over the place. Writing about sports, politics . . . well, suffice to say, a little about a lot of stuff.

I'll still write a little about a lot, but it will be in context with a focus.

What is that focus going to be, you may be asking yourself. Let me explain. As an aspiring novelist, I was once told that in order to become good at something, you have to practice at it. In order to become a good novelist, you have to practice not only your writing, but you have to read as well. So this blog will be My Life, Through Books. Or, if you prefer, A Year in Books (though more than a year would be awesome, if people actually want to read this).

I know, I know, the written word is dead, books are dead -- why would you want jump into a medium that is no longer relevant? Well, quite to the contrary, I think more people are reading and writing now than ever before. They are just publishing their prose in different formats. And with the advent of the Kindle and the Nook, books are more accessible now than ever before.

The problem is not that people are reading and writing less -- the problem is how they are writing and how people are reading. In this technological age of Texties, where OMG and LOL and LMFAO have taken the place of phone conversations and face to face meetings, a new shorthand form of writing has arisen. What we are dealing with is a generation of youth who are growing up unable to write a proper sentence, but they can write HTML and binary code without thinking.

So my goal is a vain attempt to hone a skill, while writing about what I am reading. And I will be writing it all in complete, fluid sentences, with nary an LOL or OMIK here. (OMIK: Open Mouth, Insert Keyboard -- yes, I know. I just discovered that one today).

Some ground rules for myself in this adventure that I am about to undertake:

First - all books that I read will be in paper form. No electronic format for me. If its only available as an e-book, oh well. It must not have been very good to begin with.

Second - I am not ashamed to admit that I do, in fact, judge a book by its cover. This is an adventure in reading, not literary criticism. So if you're expecting me to read Dostoevsky and extol on the virtues of Existentialism, tough! I did not understand Existentialism in college, what makes you think I am going to understand it now?

The above statement does not mean that I won't read a classic here and there for pleasure. I have a couple of Steinbeck novels on my shelf calling out to me to read them at some point. There is also a copy of Anna Karenina that I always said I was going to read and never have. That might be an option at some point. You never know -- its an adventure.

Which leads me to my third, and most important rule for myself -- I am going to grab a book, and I am going to read it front cover to back cover and I will not pick up another book until that one is finished. And I will not make a list of books to read. When I finish with one, I will place it on my shelf, and browse until I find a new one. Whichever way the mood takes me is how I will conduct this adventure.

So sit back, relax, and I hope you enjoy taking this ride with me.