be entertained

I’m always a sucker for a good time travel story and this is a great one. It’s quite violent, but elegantly written. The direction is precise and doesn’t waste a scene. Joseph Gordon-Levitt does a wickedly good Bruce Willis. The ending actually surprised me a bit at the time, but does seems artfully inevitable. As a scifi fan, I’m always delighted when a film’s story and characters aren’t crushed under the weight of it’s CGI. Great flick!

I’m always a little amazed by modern authors who indulge in 19th century verbosity. Conroy seems to be a master of extensive lists, tired clichés, and a lifetime supply of metaphors and similes, all of which he squeezes into this slim volume. It’s rare that I don’t happily gooble up any book on books, but I may have to abandon this one.

There’s a fair bit of autobiography wrapped up in the literary theme, as the title clearly states. Although, it’s a rare author who doesn’t have me on his side just by writing a book, I’m starting to actively dislike Mr. Conroy as much as his writing style. There’s an entire chapter devoted to Gone With the Wind. his mother seems to have built a family cult around it. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of that story, but recognize that tastes vary. However, I draw the line when Convoy insists that even black Americans will mourn the passing of the Plantation society it idealizes when reading it. I think that crosses the line from hyperbole into delusion. Why would anyone want to be a literal slave, so a few upperclass want to be aristocrats can live some artificial fantasy?

Part of me thinks that it’s good for me to be exposed to viewpoints that are radically different from my own. But a larger part of me is turned off by the idea of defining the south and southerns by a war fought a hundred years before any of us were even born. I grew up in California, but don’t define myself or my region by the Hacienda or Gold Rush cultures. And don’t even get me started on slavery. How can anyone idealize a society built on that?

(Just in case you’re about to bring up Ancient Rome, you have a point. However, the more I learn about the ancient Romans, the less I admire them.)

Surprisingly little information about ancient Egypt, instead lots of comments on archealogical techniques, popular culture, and modern views on ancient Egypt. I don’t have a problem with an essay on one, or even all of these subjects, but I do feel a bit mislead.

This “Very Short Intro” series is either very poorly edited or perhaps the author selection process is a bit lax. The quality just seems to be all over the place!

On the other hand, it did introduce me to the term, “Pyramidiot.” so, there’s that.

This sequel to the excellent, “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” is a decent horror story with the usual Lovecraft xenophobia replaced a touch of misogyny. Despite that, it’s a decent horror story, though not quite as brilliant as the first. It’s a hard act to follow, as “The shadow Over Innsmouth” has such a strong ending. I love horror stories in which there’s a thin line between supernatural horror and madness!

I’ve wanted to read this since it was recommended to me by my college medieval English history professor years ago. At over 24 hours in length (700+ pages), it’s impressive simply for its massive scale. However, the depth and detail Tuchman manages to convey is equally compelling.

I’m not quite done with it (just a few hours left on the iPod), but I am totally convinced that there really is no such thing as The Good Old Days.

This sounded like it was read by Stephen Hawking’s voicebox, which had inexplicably developed a lisp. I tried listening to it twice, but I’m still not sure WTF the story is supposed to be about.

I was entertained for all the wrong reasons.

More of Lovecraft’s obsessive fear of ‘miscegenation.’ I don’t know how this worked in his time, but it hasn’t aged well.

A forerunner of The Amityville Horror, but over a painfully long, excruciatingly drawn out history. Reminded me of reading the begats from the bible, lots of facts that don’t advance the story. No big, scary, original, or memorable moments either. Pretty much left me Feeling ‘meh.’

Still, I do like how Lovecraft, against all of odds and with little or no encouragement, cranks out story after story. I’m glad he managed some gems, even if this one didn’t do it for me.

By far the best Lovecraft story I have read thus far. Excellent and satisfying ending!

Again a good idea, two creepy friends’ hobby of collecting trophies while grave robbing, but leaving the bodies apparently undisturbed goes wrong when they steal a cursed object from the wrong grave. Unfortunately, I felt like the story was buried in cumbersome prose and never really satisfied with a solid ending. Plus, if you promise me a hound, I want to see as goddamned hound, not a vague flying thing!

I’m not very easy to please, am I?