7 posts tagged “books”
Or as I like to call it:
Eat Fiber! Or your colon could generate pustules that, if popped and enter your bloodstream, CAN KILL YOU. Seriously, can you imagine someone telling your family that you died of ASS PUS?
or
Did you know you could get neck and throat tumors from BLOW JOBS?! Everyone, get the HPV vaccine. Damn.
She does a very good job linking the advice from your doctor ("Eat more fiber! Don't drink so much! Stop smoking!) with the real life consequences of these actions. There are some points where it feels like she's reaching (the section on accidents come to mind since even she admits that there isn't a way to prevent accidents) but otherwise, it is a fun and fairly informative read.
She tends to be a little too "me me me" focused (I'm fairly certain we don't need to relate everything to her family) and I find her recommendation of fat-reducing pills to be a little on the unwise side (look at me! I'm being polite!). She also seems hellbent on proving that she is more compassionate and more dedicated to her work than others.
Of course, it's not a huge detriment to the book until nearer the end when I felt the need to roll my eyes while I was reading. That may have been when I started reading the "FAT WILL KILL YOU" section. Considering she outlined with the chapters previous how regular, "fit" people can still die from heart disease and whatnot, linking fatness only to the risk of heart disease is... well, I'm going to guess she's never heard of "Healthy At Every Size" which is unfortunate for those around her and those reading her book.
Overall though, I highly recommend this. It gives you a good outline how your lifestyle could be stealing years from you. And seriously, how would you like your family knowing you died of ass pus?
What never fails to make you laugh?
Submitted by BeautifullyBroken.
Maybe I'm mellowing but I rather like this question. I mean, it could mean so many things, like what kind of books make you laugh? What jokes make you laugh? What situations make you laugh? It's just a nice way of looking at things.
Of course, as a cynic and a possible pessimist, it could also be used as "What makes you laugh with cynicism? What causes you to give a mocking laugh?"
Though, I'm not typically a one who will give a mocking laugh or a poo-poo-ing laugh. I think it's passive aggressive. If I think something you're doing is stupid, I'll cut you a side-eye or make a "Who farted?" face. There will never be a question as to how I feel.
What makes me laugh? Let's start a list:
Movies:
Beerfest - yes, I know. No, seriously, I know. It's a movie about a beer competition. But it makes me happy, stop judging me)
Blazing Saddles - LOVE this movie. Absolutely love it. I lent it to a friend who's husband had fond memories of it from his youth and so she sat while he watched the movie, watching to see if he laughed. That's so much pressure! Would it surprise you to hear he wasn't able to laugh at any of it?)
Ghostbusters - I'm sorry but if you don't like Ghostbusters, we need to have a serious conversation. I'm not going to judge you for not liking Ghostbusters 2, though I thought it was quite good, but Ghostbusters! Come on! It's a work of genius!)
The Addams Family 1 & 2 - Whatever you think about the second one, Joan Cusack is genius and I love her. Plus her attempts to kill Fester make me laugh like a donkey.)
Team America - What can I say? Besides "Matt Damon!"?
I'm sure there are some I'm missing (though I mostly watch action movies) but those are off the top of my head.
Books:
Dave Berry's Guide to Guys - irreverent and it plays off of stereotypes but it's so good-humoured with this strain of cynicism, it's almost like me, distilled as a comedy book.
... okay, that seems to be it. I mostly read romances and suspense fiction. Some of those are laughs but it's mostly because the writing or situations are really bad.
TV
How I Met Your Mother - I just did a marathon of Season 1 and 2 and it is so funny, mixed with sweet, mixed with booze and topped with whipped cream and cherry. Love.
Big Bang Theory - I wasn't wild about this show when it first came out. I thought all the jokes would be grotesque stereotypes (Oh look! Nerds can't get laid!) but it's not. It's a lot sweeter than that. It feels like the writers like the characters and aren't willing to be vicious or cruel, just for an easy joke.
And... huh. I don't seem to watch a lot of comedy shows either. Mostly action or sci-fi which contain humour but aren't the "traditional" sitcom.
Is this the point where I have to assure you all that I am actually a girl?
And will I have to assure you again when I tell you I also like Family Guy?
As for jokes and things, I prefer jokes that aren't at someone's expense, in the sense that, while I may joke around, I don't like jokes where the heart of the joke is vicious.
How many times can I fit "joke" in a sentence? Damn, no wonder I never cut it as a writer.
I'm not a fan of practical jokes since it seems the basis of those are to make the person look ridiculous. I don't mind a crass joke if it's properly funny, that is, if it's funny in it's own right, regardless of crassness. Though I'll take the occasional poop joke. I like those.
I like word play jokes because it lets me use my brain sometimes.
But mostly, I just like to laugh. I like the weird witch's cackle I get when I'm feeling particularly evil, the weird deep throated laugh that I have no idea when I developed.
Mmm, funny things. I like funny things.
Clothing, dinners, make-up, or gadgets... We all have things we like to splurge on. What do you think you buy too much of?
DVDs and books. I don't buy a lot of clothes (the ones I really like are way too expensive to just randomly buy) and while I like gadgets, I don't like how quickly they become obsolete. Like how I bought my laptop and 3 months later, a newer model came out that was better, faster and about the same price.
But DVDs and books? I am STUPID about buying those. I'm doing my best to stop the flow, I go to the library first and I joined a Netflix-style dvd rental thing so I'm not spending money on items I'm not completely sure about or books I know I'll only read once.
It's hard though. I love to have things just around me so that they're within reach whenever I want them.
My first dual book review. I was going to do each book as I finished but... well, they're fairly linked in my mind and Valiant is... well, it's kind of the sequal to Tithe, though I've been told Ironside is the true sequel. The books are modern faerie tales and are meant for a young adult audience but, as a full-on adult who's heading towards middle age, I still loved them. So... let's get this part over with:
Recommendation: I loved them. I actually prefer Valiant over Tithe but... well, I'll explain why in a little bit. However, this is not for people who prefer lighter fare or are expecting the Disney-fied version of fairies. The tone of the books are dark, like the original faerie tales. And none of these fairies are looking to save your human ass; they'd rather put golden chains on you with a crown of thorns, strip you naked then set you in a pen for their amusement.
Tithe follows a young girl who finds out... and crap. I can't tell you any more than that without giving away the entire storyline.
And I can't remember her name. ::sigh::
But the thing is, you'll like her. Hell, *I* liked her and I'm not that fond of teenagers who are listless and just wandering. But she's not just that; she's rebellious and she's seeking and she's lost. She doesn't know a life outside of the nomadic one her mom has dragged her along in but she still holds on to old friends, keeping an identity in the one place she keeps returning.
For me, I found Tithe rather ... difficult to start. It's a little too... for me, it dragged until she meets Roiben (and yes, I remember his name because it's really unusual), hurt, on the verge of death and she risks her life to save him. At that point, the book just grabs you and starts you on a race to the end.
I didn't have that problem with Valiant. I couldn't stop reading it. I think it's because I loved the character from the very beginning. When we first meet her, she's in a locker room, talking to her friend, getting ready to go to hockey practice. Then some bitchy princess comes, calls her friend names and instead of sitting back, she (like me) couldn't think of what to say back and instead punches the princess in the nose.
Awesome.
As I kept reading, I fell more and more in love with her. Even with all the bad choices she makes, I loved her. Because she's me. She's me if I was raised now. She's lost and she's trying to find her place and she's a little more comfortable fighting with her fists than she is fighting with her words. She's not emo; she's directionless, partly because she's not sure what she's supposed to be aiming for, where she's supposed to go. She wants to be someone else because she's trying to hide from who she is and what's happened.
Okay, this is going to sound stupid but seeing her go through ... it feels so melodramatic to call it hell so I'll just call it "bad time", but seeing her go through it all and emerge more confident and more sure of herself... well, it gives me hope and I'm going to stop being so soppy now.
Read it. It's dark and it's violent and I hope that when they make a movie out of either book, they find a director and screenplay writer who has enough respect and love for the original story to not strip it of everything I love.
In books, when they describe a character as having no discernible accent. What the hell does that mean?! It happens in Agatha Christie books, Nora Roberts book, all fucking books. Someone needs to explain to me what no discernible accent sounds like. Is it mine? Is it that hear everywhere accent? Because I could swear, if you drop me in London, they would probably say I HAVE a discernible accent, a weird cross of Canadian and American with odd British sounding words (I'm a little pretentious at times).
And with all the various accents throughout the UK, which one is not discernible?
Someone. Explain this to me.
Wow, this may recur as another post. I seem to hate a lot of things. Perhaps I'll do separate ones of things I love.
And yes, I'm bastardizing the Love/Hate posts most of you are doing.
Where do you get recommendations for new books to read?
For books? I gotta go to my peeps! They're the smartest, funniest, well-read group of people I've ever met.
Will I like everything they like? Oh, HELL NO. I'm one of the pickiest readers in the world. I have problems with stories because they stay with me for so long and just live in my head, then occasionally, will jump out to the forefront of my brain so I'm careful with what I put in my brain. I don't need to be depressed by a story; I can be depressed all on my own.
Book: Show us a book everyone should read before they die.
Submitted by Rob.
Okay, so I had this post all ready to go the day this question came out. I did it all up and it was funny, there were tears, you all would have been moved.
Then I hit Post and it disappeared into the ether.
I then petulantly decided I wouldn't try to recreate it but then, walking through my house and thinking more about the books I've read and the ones I was going to recommend and I've changed my mind. Here's the one I'd really like to recommend:
This is a fictional account of the dreams Einstein had before his breakthrough on the Theory of Relativity. There are short stories based on the relation of time, using events or people and society to expand the understanding of time.
I received my copy from a friend and when I got it, the first thought in my mind was, "Oh hell. Science geek. What the hell am I going to do with THIS?!" Then I read it and... wow.
My favourite one is the one about how... well, you know how sometimes you're going through something and all you can think is, "Wow, if I could live in this time forever, I would be so happy." One of the stories puts you in that scene forever and it shows you that living in that time takes the shine and love and specialness out of it. It shows you that it's almost the fleeting quality of time that makes it so special.
I'm not explaining this properly but then I don't need to. You need to read this book. It's probably one of the few books I wouldn't add a caveat to. There's a dreamy quality so it's ideal for romantics. For those who enjoy the sense of sci-fi and the recreation of worlds, you'll love it. If you're a philosopher, you'll love the ideas presented. Hell, if you just like a good story, this is a book you'll like.
What books did I recommend before? Here you go:
All good, all should be read but not all that I would recommend for everybody.
