Must Read: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

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Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading review after review that spouted praise for Beautiful Ruins, I decided to find out for myself what the excitement is all about. Surely the dust jacket of this book didn't do justice to this story if so many people fell in love, yet I failed to stay interested enough in the synopsis to read its brief summary.

Only pages into Beautiful Ruins, I think I discovered the the reason my nights began to draw themselves out long after what is healthy for a human being to read. This book isn't incredible just because it's an incredible story. It's fantastic because it was written by Jess Walters. I don't think I have ever read a book that is so beautifully crafted and a story that is so perfectly executed as this one.

What makes reviewing this book frustrating is that it is hard to explain the story to someone without watching their eyes glaze over and drift off. While the story itself is also beautiful and romantic and fascinating, it truly took someone of greater talent than I to do it justice.

Those who are interested in reading this book will have to do as I did and have faith in the reviews of people like me who can't quite explain why this is such a wonderful novel. Just read it.

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Geeks are awesome.

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Book Review: The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

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The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I spent the first half of The Time Keeper trying to convince myself that I should continue on. That sounds like a statement that should hardly merit a 3-star review. The thing is, the second half felt like a completely different book. In fact, at times it was reminiscent of an Og Mandino book such as The Choice, which ranks on my top 10 books of all time. It never quite got there but Mitch Albom really, REALLY tried to pull it off in the second half of the book.

The Time Keeper is basically an inspirational self-help book packaged with an uplifting storyline. Books like this are always hit or miss. Like many others that play at this genre, the story often felt contrived but I'd be lying if I said that it didn't work to some degree. More than once I was teary-eyed and moved to the point of a lip-quiver. It was a story that most people could relate to so despite some corniness and over-indulgence by the author, the book was successful at communicating its message.

The message of the book is to be satisfied with the time you have and to live in the moment you are in right now. It's a good message and something that I desperately needed to hear - which is why I rewarded the book a star more than it probably actually deserved. This book is for those who enjoy reading self-help mixed with light stories. It's a spiritual message for those who need a short, uplifting read but aren't expecting too much in the way of literary depth.

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Book Review: Carrie by Stephen King

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Carrie by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Carrie is everything I like in horror novels - short in length, not too horror-y, and focuses on the story more than the scare factor. Carrie is a character-driven novel rather than just simply indulging in the bumps and screams. It is also very timely despite the fact that it was written in 1974 - making a literary commentary about bullying, an area of much social focus today.

I found Carrie to be a very enjoyable read, and while it is unlikely to be found on anyone's must-read list, it is a fantastic taste of Stephen King's brilliant mind. I've only read one book I didn't like by King (Lisey's Story) and Carrie fits in brilliantly with his library of literary work. It is not the masterpiece that The Stand is, but it is relevant in it's own right and definitely worth the read.

I think it took me all of 3 days to read, with only a couple hours invested each day, so no one really has a good excuse not to give it a try. You won't regret it.

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Must Read: Defending Jacob by William Landay

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Defending Jacob by William Landay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to start out by saying that Defending Jacob is in a genre that I generally dread reading. Crime fiction / legal thrillers is one of those spaces that I just steer clear of. I hate the repetitive, over-indulgent formulas that authors use in this space. Honestly, outside of The Girl With The Dragon tattoo, I don't think there is a single book that goes near this genre which I have enjoyed in, well, ever.

But boy, would avoiding Defending Jacob have been a terrible mistake! This book is, quite frankly, brilliant! As is common, I made the mistake of starting it when I had other big commitments on my plate, when I told myself that reading was supposed to stop at 11:00 pm, I'd look over at the clock to see it had drifted to 2:00 am. The book simply stole me away from real life. I don't know if it would be possible to be anything but totally engrossed in this story. William Landay is a wizard with story telling. He seems to never waste a word because every one he used in this book took you deeper and deeper into it.

By the end of Defending Jacob, I felt like it was me who was the story-teller, not Andy Barber. I felt emotionally invested in all of the characters. I literally experienced moments when I'd look down at my body and notice that I was about to fall out of my seat because my rear was right on the edge.

All I can say is that William Landay has saved the crime fiction genre for me! This was a brilliant story told my a master of fiction! I can't recommend this one enough!

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crazy weird photography by Julien Palast

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http://www.behance.net/palast

Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em: Zombie Art

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Art by JP Valderrama for the Zombie Art show at Bottleneck Gallery in NYC.

Robot Inside Me

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Despite the wild assumptions I can see some of you making based on the title of this post, no, I was not recently violated by a cyborg. That is, in fact, what Deviantart user Arisusandasu called this glorious body paint job.