I'm Tired and Cranky. This Is What You Get

I had a couple of book reviews I wanted to write up tonight.

And I wanted to talk about my love of the new show GCB (totally my guilty pleasure).

And how I'm five episodes in to rewatching the entire Star Trek: The Next Generation because that show was such a huge part of my childhood so I've decided to watch an episode a night for the next, oh, eight months or so until I'm done. (Eight months is longer than it should take me at an episode a night, but I'm allowing for nights of going out.)

And how Game of Thrones comes back on Sunday but I won't be able to watch it because I'll be in Seattle ::sadface:: for the Emerald City Comicon ::happyface::

And that if I don't end the weekend with Wil Wheaton phoning security to remove me from his room, I've totally failed in my objectives.

I'm kidding!

I just plan to hang around his table until he gets creeped out and asks security to remove me from the entire convention.

Again, just kidding!

Kinda.

Obviously, I had a lot I wanted to write about, but my computer is being a total twat and just ate my last post before crashing... twice. So instead, you get this:

On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
Been on my too-read for a long time. Really glad I did. Found it fascinating. Recommend it if you have an interest in science... otherwise it can be a bit dense and dull. I highly recommend getting an annotated edition because he often references other scientists/science papers from that era.

They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children by Romeo Dallaire
Started reading this last year. Got a little emotional so I put it down... for 11 months. So, so good (but I will always recommend Shake Hands with the Devil first). I tip my hat because the man can also craft some good fiction in amongst his fabulous non-fiction.

Malachy McCourt's History of Ireland by Malachy McCourt
Loved it. It was written very much like an oral history. I felt like I was sitting down with Mr. McCourt at a table in a bar as he told me the stories. My dad, who is no big fan of the McCourt brothers (and I'll talk about that in another post with another book review), even loves it. There's a line in the book which sums it up nicely (and I'm paraphrasing because my dad has the book at the moment): You should know by now that in Irish history, whether or not something is true is not as important as whether or not it makes a good story.

Playing With Fire by Theoren Fluery
If you like hockey, read this book. If you are curious of the thought process of someone dealing with being sexual abused as a child, read this book. If you want to better understand the mind frame of an addict, read this book. I'm not going to talk about him being some great writer (because he's not, although he is good), but his honesty and openness about what he went through is incredible. He lays his entire life out for everyone to view and he doesn't sugar coat any of it. Loved this book.

There are more books but these are the only ones I feel like mentioning now that I'm tired, cranky, and hating my computer so why write about the books I wasn't enamoured with? And, because no one wants to end on a downer, I found another craft project online that I want the pattern for:

They even put a bumb on Worf's forehead! *squee!*

Februarch

My calendar tells me it's March. I think it's lying to me but my phone tells me the same thing.

*sigh*

Another month down. Granted, it was a short month but it still seemed to fly by. I made the mistake of starting choice to begin a couple of projects in January which, coupled with returning to work, made February a busy, busy month. My fun time was one episode of The Walking Dead a night until I caught up with the series.

My willingness to get over my natural tendency to avoid anything graphic

might have something to do with these two guys.

Love me some Daryl and Rick!

I enjoy zombie movies but I usually enjoy them for the camp-factor. The Walking Dead is anything but camp. In fact, it's disturbingly realistic in its portrayal of decomposing dead (yet ambulatory) bodies. Just debating whether or not to watch the show gave me a horrible nightmare. I woke up three times, once I was crying, and every time I fell right back into the nightmare. I was sweaty by the time I woke up and emotionally distraught over having to shoot a few of my friends in the head. Since I actually started watching the show, I haven't had a single bad dream. Note to self: it's never as bad as you imagine it to be.

February was also the month that I committed to attending the Emerald City Comicon in Seattle at the end of March. Why yes, it is just as nerdy as you think it is. Nerdy and dorky and awesome. I can't wait. Finally, my dream of stalking awkwardly-staring-at-while-waiting-for-his-autograph-because-I-can't-think-of-anything-to-say-meeting Wil Wheaton will come true!

I've read a lot of books lately which I may or may not talk about at a later date, but most recently I started reading Playing with Fire by Theo Fleury. By recently, I mean Sunday. It's good. I can't put it down. For those who are not familiar with Theo Fleury, he's a Canadian hockey player who struggled with various addictions throughout his career. After cleaning up in the mid-2000's, he came forward and spoke out about the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his junior hockey coach. While I've never been a huge fan of Theo's (um hello, he played for Calgary! Automatic 37 strikes against him!), I fell a little in love with him when he posted this on his blog during the Penn State abuse scandal back in November 2011. I made a decision then and there to read his book. So glad I did.

I caught a travel show on Switzerland a few days ago. Suddenly, I find myself looking at flights and googling gondola trips up various mountains. You may find a couple of Swiss photos sneaking into future posts along with trips down memory lane about the proper way to prepare a cheese fondue or what it's like to experience an Alpabzug (bringing the cows down from the mountain pastures for winter). Oh Switzerland, I miss you.

I'm hoping to get back to writing on here more often, but I make no promises. Game of Thrones was just released on DVD today...

GBC Book Review: A Dance With Dragons

The fifth book in George R.R. Martin’s epic A Song of Fire and Ice fantasy series begins by running parallel to the fourth book, A Feast For Crows, for roughly 2/3rds of the story before characters from AFFC begin to have narration in ADWD.

After all my raving about the first three books in this series and my excitement about the fifth book coming out despite a so-so fourth book, I was very disappointed with A Dance With Dragons. I found, as I did with AFFC, that it felt like much of the book was moving players around the chess board with no clear idea of how to get them where Martin wanted them to end up.

While the story telling was, as it always is, fantastic (and Martin has created such a believable fantasy world for his characters to inhabit) I found myself pleading with the story to do something. I was waiting for it to start. As the book moved further and further along, it became very apparent that many of the story lines weren’t actually going anywhere worth getting excited about.

I did feel, however, that ADWD ended with a much bigger promise of a pay off in the next book than AFFC did (although I will concede that this may be because ADWD is leading into the next part of the story, not leading to a book which runs parallel). Many of the principle characters are now set up to make their move. The chess pieces, so to speak, are ready for their final moves of the endgame.

I don’t require that every book be packed with action, but it’s possible to move the story along while you set up the upcoming plot lines (which Martin did excellently in A Game of Thrones so we know he is capable of doing it) but what I read here felt more like floundering in many parts.

On the positive side, I really enjoyed the chapters told from Reek’s perspective (if you’re reading the series and have reached book five: I always wanted him to have a chance to redeem himself after some of his previous actions and I really enjoyed watching him turn back into the man he could be.) And despite all my criticisms with ADWD, it’s still leaps and bounds ahead of almost any chick lit book I’ve ever read.

GBC Book Review: Death From the Skies!

I originally found Phil Plait, Ph. D. through the magic of twitter and have been an avid reader of his blog, Bad Astronomy, ever since. Through the science blogging world that I like to pretend I pay attention to, I heard wonderful things about his book ‘Death From the Skies!’ which deals with the science behind the end of the world so I bought the paperback version in January.

Then it sat on my side table for six months. (I like to think that it was collecting lots of protons and electrons which arranged themselves in the form of dust.)

When I finally did get around to reading it (mainly because I still had a month to go before book five of The Song of Ice and Fire series was released *cough*) I loved it. From the very first sentence in which he asserts that the universe is trying to kill you (but don’t take it personally, it’s trying to kill everybody) to his final summation regarding the odds of these events occurring in our lifetime, the book was a complete joy to read.

Trust him, he's a Doctor. Well, he has a Ph. D. He's not that type of Doctor.

[Source]

While it is very science-y (yes, that is totally a word) and Plait doesn’t shy away from going into a couple of head scratcher theories, the book is clearly written for the layman who has little to no knowledge of astronomy or astrophysics. The theories are laid out in relatively simple English and there is no assumption that you will remember the theory two chapters later (which I really appreciated when I put the book down for two weeks to work on a couple of projects).

The book, while about a very serious subject, is peppered with Plait’s sense of humour. It is not often that I can say a science book made me laugh out loud but this one definitely did. And despite its serious topic, I found the book oddly reassuring regarding the likelihood of meteor impacts and gamma-ray bursts.  (I still feel threatened by the zombie apocalypse but that’s why I’ve taken up running as a pastime.)

I can’t stress how much I enjoyed this book. The only downside is that I now I have questions regarding some of the theories which means that maybe it’s time I finally gave “A Brief History of Time” a go.

Or maybe I’ll warm up with a few simpler science books first.

GBC Book Review: A Song of Ice and Fire Series

Oh right! I'm supposed to be reviewing the books I'm reading, not just moving on to the next one...

This review is actually for books two, three and four in A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin (book one is reviewed here). The books, in order, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, and A Feast for Crows. I'm writing them all up as one because honestly can't remember where the divisions in the stories occurred. Plus, they're all part of the same series and I loved them so...

In short: if you have any interest in fantasy as a genre, then you need to read these books. If you're not a fantasy fan but you enjoy historical fictions, then you should also need to read these books.

The books continues the three stories laid out in A Game of Thrones: the struggle for power in the kingdom of Westeros after the death of King Robert (I'm not really giving anything away. It becomes apparent very quickly that Robert needs to die for the story to take off so even if you haven't read book one, I'm not ruining anything), the coming of winter which is bringing Others and white walkers from beyond 'the Wall' in the North, and the 'coming of age' of the youngest Targaryen across the sea in the Free Cities who is determined to win back her father's throne.

The book chapters are broken up into characters so instead of getting one over arching voice through the narrative, you see those events through the eyes of that character. The result is I found myself feeling a lot more sympathy for characters I would have otherwise despised and I wanted to scream at characters I thought should have known better. It also went a long way to helping stop people from being black and white which is one of my biggest issues with the fantasy genre.

I sped through A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords, (almost too quickly, I'd like to go back and re-read so I can enjoy the story more) and found myself reading well past my bed time; however, I found A Feast of Crows faltered a bit and it's taken me a bit longer to finish it.

Originally A Feast of Crows was supposed to be one book but it grew too large and got chopped up into two books with the second half (A Dance of Dragons) due out in July (well after the 'year or two', Martin originally promised). I felt as though Martin realised he wouldn't have enough material for two full books and so a couple of unnecessary side stories were introduced in the fourth book. The side stories either could have been skipped or could have been dealt with much quicker than they were.

Still, it was a heck of a lot more enjoyable than some of the crap I've suffered through in the past and I can't wait for book five (to come out in paperback in a year).

GBC Book Review: A Game of Thrones

This book was recommended to me by Ross with whom I share a common love of Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, ROME, and Sherlock. We had been chatting about books we both enjoyed when he asked if I enjoyed fantasy novels. I was honest; once upon a time I loved fantasy novels but I hadn't read any in about eight years. He raved about A Game of Thrones and then sent me the link to 'Inside' for the HBO mini-series which was about to be released.

Given that Ross has never steered me wrong with movie, TV or book recommendations in the past, I picked up a copy of the book that afternoon. It then promptly sat around my apartment waiting for me to finish two other books. Once I started reading it, however, I couldn't put it down.

In the first book of A Song of Ice and Fire series, George R. R. Martin introduces us to the world of Westeros where summer and winter are not annual seasons but events that can last years, even decades, and after a long summer, winter is coming. The story moves between three main stories: the happenings at the court at King's Landing where intrigue and backstabbing rule the day; the struggle at the Wall, a giant structure at the far north of Westeros built to keep out wildings and the Others, where signs of trouble are brewing; and the plotings of the Targaryen's, offspring of the former king who was murdered, who have taken refugee in the free cities across the sea in the east.

Unlike many fantasy novels which have either good or bad characters, Martin creates a cast of characters with lots of grey and not every bad deed is done for bad reason. I constantly found my opinions of characters shifting, and was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected twists the plot took.

Written in such a way that it doesn't feel like a fantasy novel but more a historical fiction, I found A Game of Thrones to be a fantastic read, one I'm sure I'll come back to again, and would definitely recommend to anyone who just enjoys a well written book, fantasy or otherwise.

Also, the HBO series is proving to be a very good adaptation of the book so far (although I do have issues with a few changes) and if you're interested in watching it, watch it first before you start the book. Please keep in mind that these are definitely adult books and the series is staying true to that. Oh, what the heck, while I'm going on about the TV series, I might as well link to my favourite trailer.

Dribs and Drabs

It's been over a week since I last posted and the list of items I want to talk about just grows longer and longer. There is no smooth way to segue from item to item so I'm going with ye olde list option. And because the list is a little on the long (and boring) side, I'm throwing in some random pictures BECAUSE I CAN!

Spring is finally here! Sorta... still a bit cooler than normal but hey! Flowers!

1. I didn't read a single book in March. Not one. It was just not a good month for getting anything done that wasn't 'essential' (eating is essential, bathing is essential, reading is not essential). That puts me at roughly three books behind for my two a month goal, but I know I can make it up because I'm halfway through three books as we speak. I never really was one for reading on book at a time.

That's me getting arrested for not reading.Mounties totally do that right?

Arrest children for not reading enough?

Because they probably should.

2. My Aunt Joan who reads this (Hi Joan!) put me in touch with her friend who is going to Ghana to volunteer. Her friend was looking for information about volunteering. I was hesitant at first because I really didn't think I could be that helpful having volunteered in Tanzania (it's like asking for information about Vancouver from someone who's only been to Toronto). Through our email exchanges, however, I realised that there's a lot of information that I have about volunteering in Tanzania that can be applied to volunteering overseas in general (and especially in developing countries).

As a result of this, I'm going to work on a volunteer page for this blog which will contain this information. It is currently a work in progress and it may be a good month before I actually get it up, but if you have volunteered overseas and have any tips, tricks, secrets, hints, suggestions, or warnings, please share.

This was before I realised his diaper was leaking and he had peed all down my back.

True story.

3. In the same vein, a huge, HUGE thank you to everyone who has supported Matoto in our Ten Days event. We are still collecting all the money before we confirm out total (it's a chicks hatching thing), but we are eternally grateful for all the support we have received. I nu wali.

Education helps level the playing field.

(I really need a drummer to just follow me around.)

(BUT IT'S TRUE!)

4. Shannon started doing OrgJunkie's 52 week organize challenge. I had a few too many things on my plate to start the challenge at the time but kept it in the back of my mind for later. Well, it's later. On Friday, I had to conduct a search under the bathroom sink for *ahem* feminine hygiene products. I'm sure the cupboard under my bathroom sink is like many other such cupboards: plenty of items go in but toilet paper, the aforementioned FHP, and cheap bulk purchase toothpaste are the only items that come out. After five minutes, I finally found some FHP. They weren't mine. I can only assume they were my roommates. She moved out three years ago this June. Note taken; 52 week Org Challenge will start shortly (although I will not be doing the weekly blogging questions, I will occasionally talk about it on here).

Important question: do I organise these alphabetically or by amount of geek-cred they give me?

5. Last year, my old high school started an Alumni Band. We practiced for about six weeks and then opened for the current senior and jazz bands at the annual Mother's Day concert. Well, they decided to do it again and I decided to rejoin. Let this be a lesson for you children: once a geek, always a geek.

I miss band trips. Why couldn't we redo that part of high school band?

Who wouldn't want to be stuck on a bus for 10 hours with

people you barely talked to 15 years ago?

6. Playoffs are in full swing. For those who are not Canadian, I'm referring to ice hockey playoffs. (Seriously? Do the Americans really need to specify ice hockey on their broadcasts? When was the last time they televised a field hockey game on national television?) My boys were doing really well until last night (when they got trounced 7-2 by Chicago but when you obviously forget to show up to a game, that's what happens). Assuming they don't completely choke tomorrow night, expect a few hockey-related, beer-fueled posts on here. Just a warning.

The Canucks' skill level on Tuesday was somewhat akin to these guys.

Still, love my boys. My dad told me to cheer for the underdogs because when they win, it's a sweeter victory.

I have suffered through a lot of bad years and it really has made this year so rewarding.

M dad also told me not to be a damn fool about it which is why I don't cheer for the Leafs.

7. I have to speak German in three weeks. Granted, this lady speaks English but where would the fun be in that? Ich muss Deutsch sprechen!

YAY GERMANY!

Wait, this is the flag of the Swiss Canton Wallis. My bad.

I can't wait until she starts laughing at my Canadian-Swiss accent in German.

Grueesächt! Chuchichäschtli! Chässchuechli!

8. There's more but I haven't been in bed before midnight once in the last week. I might have been able to pull of working on five hours sleep when I was twenty but now it just makes me moody and short-tempered. Actually, it did that to me in my twenty's as well but we were all so sleep-deprived and hopped up on caffeine that we didn't notice each other's foul moods.

8.a. I'm a little obsessed with the mini-series on HBO called Game of Thrones (of which I am currently reading the book--almost done--and am also obsessed with) plus Doctor Who starts up this weekend... I'm just saying that my writing might be a little distracted and/or very sci-fi/fantasy/hockey heavy for the next few weeks/months. I'm sorry but I'm a dork. You all knew this when you started reading this... unless you're new here in which case: hello!

I got chills when I first saw this and not just because Winter Is Coming!

GBC Book Review: Stardust

Stardust begins in the village of Wall. A young Tristran Thorn, consumed by love, sets off on an adventure through the mythical land of Faerie (located on the other side of the rock wall which runs along the village) to find the falling star for the young lady. Little does he know that when a star falls in Faerie, it appears in its human form and Tristran is not the only person who wants to find it.

Six out of seven ghost brother's agree: Stardust is fabulous!

I saw the movie for Stardust shortly after it first came out on DVD. My roommate at the time and myself watched the movie and when it ended at roughly 9:00pm, we agreed that we had enough time before bed (it was a work night) to watch it again. Since that time I've read some of Neil Gaiman's writing but never any of his full novels. I've always enjoyed his writing so I don't know why it took me so long to read this book but I'm so happy that I finally did. Mr. Gaiman creates a beautiful fantasy world and weaves its existence into every day life with ease. The descriptions of both places and characters are detailed and in depth without being laborious and plot-delaying.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone. It's sure to delight teenagers and adults alike which is not easy to do. I also recommend the movie, but approach it as a separate body of work.

GBC Book Review: A Study in Scarlet

I recently watched the BBC version of Sherlock and was inspired to go back and read the original works by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A Study in Scarlet is the first book in the series so it seemed like a good place to start. After the small formality of learning how Dr. Watson and Holmes meet, the reader is taken along on the journey of Dr. Watson’s first foray into being Holmes’ sidekick when a man is found to have ingested poison in an abandoned house.

This novel serves as the basis for the first episode of the updated Sherlock, so I knew who the killer was before I had even started the novel. In that sense, it didn’t grip me trying to figure out who the culprit was (although it did in the TV episode so I’m sure if I had read the novel first, it would have as well). What I really enjoyed about the novel (and all the Sherlock mysteries) is that it’s told from the point of view of Dr. Watson and so Holmes is slowly unveiled to you as if you were also meeting him for the first time. It’s a great way to introduce a character as dynamic and yet socially inept as Sherlock Holmes.

I’m part way through the third book in the series (I don’t have the second book) and I can honestly say that I’m really enjoying them. Doyle has created some really memorable characters and some very interesting mysteries of which I’ve had varying degrees of success in solving. It has also given me a great appreciation for the amazing effort that went into updating the stories for their use in Sherlock. The series is incredibly true to the original stories in tone and pacing and suspense with lots of little running gags that pay homage to Doyle’s work (much more so than the recent movie version).

GBC Book Review: A Holiday for Murder

I found this Agatha Christie novella in my laundry room almost a year ago. I’m a big fan of whodunits and it’s a quick read. It centres around the murder of an old disliked patriarch who has assembled his family for Christmas after years apart. In true Christie style, there’s a huge cast of characters who almost all have motive and opportunity and the book abounds with red herrings. Written in a way that makes me want to beat Stephanie Meyer about the ears with the book screaming “this is how you write a plot driven novel while filling in back story”, I was guessing the whole way through changing my mind every few pages.

It wasn't an earth-shattering book, but it was quick and enjoyable. Like many of her works, it's a great option if you want something just a little more involved when you're on a plane or sitting on a beach. I don't want to give away the ending but I will tell you that the butler didn't do it.

GBC Book Review: The Girl Who Kicked at the Hornets' Nest

I’m well behind in my novel reviews because I finished this one on Christmas Day! It also means that I don’t really remember a lot of the details I wanted to talk about except that I enjoyed it. Most of the things I do remember would give away plot points for those who haven’t read it yet and that’s just a cruel thing to do. Stieg Larsson had created some really interesting and unique characters without turning them into clichés; I would really have enjoyed seeing where the series would have gone had he been able to finish it.

Things I Learned This Week

I wish I could get paid for the work I do for Matoto. It's not that I feel I deserve compensation for it, but because I love it and if I got paid, I could quit 'the rat race' and actually love, not tolerate-and-sometimes-even-enjoy, my job.

Even if I'm not working Monday to Friday, my body finds Fridays exhausting.

I miss being on the phones at work. Due to a shortage of staff on Friday, I had to handle the phones. It's something I hadn't done in 17 months. I never realised how much I missed the direct contact with the clients, and how I get my satisfaction in life from knowing that I've helped someone.

I need to help people. It's who I am.

My body loves to dance.

A conversation with an old friend can turn a stressful Thursday into one that ends in laughter.

Coffee with a new friend can make a great Wednesday an awesome Wednesday.

No matter how many times I watch it, I always giggle when the captain yells "sheiße" in Das Boot and the subtitle says "oh no!".

I wish I knew enough about computers to take the scene I mentioned above from my DVD of the movie and upload it to YouTube so I could link to it and make all of you laugh too.

Sitting in a coffee shop for an hour with a large coffee and a good book is the most satisfying way I know to waste my time.

Fake dating website questionnaires and planning retreats go together better than I could have anticipated.

The Victoria Symphony has Bach's Brandenburg Concerto 4 and Beethoven's Symphony 6 coming up on February 27th and March 7th respectively. Is it every socially acceptable to roll the blue rinse set for their symphony tickets?

If you decide to go for an epic walk because it's bright and clear and you want to play with your camera, make sure your batteries aren't on the brink of dying.

Sometimes Saturday nights are best spent with a bottle of wine, a chick-flick and two cuddly cats.

Introductions and Resolutions

First, a very important announcement: I have named my Venetian Cat Marionette. Ladies and, well, probably just ladies, let me introduce Sir Mountcatten von Pussenberg GBE.

Part of me wishes I had been this creative when naming my actual cats instead of just naming them after hockey players, but how often am I going to have to shout at Sir Mountcatten von Pussenberg to get off the counters? Point taken, self.

I actually took the time to set a few resolutions this year. More importantly, I actually sat down and thought about how to achieve them. That's usually been my problem in the past, I come up with these goals but I don't actually think about what is needed to reach them. I assume I'll figure it out as I go about living life. Well, my German is only a smidgen better than it was this time last year so obviously the idea of just bumbling along and letting it sort itself out isn't working. Shocking, I know!

There are a couple of fitness goals but they're going on the other blog because that's where they belong, but for the non-fitness ones:

1. Get German back to a fluent level - I said at one point that if I wasn't done this by the end of last year, I'd walk away from this goal but I let this goal get pushed to the side for French (long story). Once the urgent need for French passed, I dropped them both. I will spend at least four hours a week on German, whether that be going over my old textbooks, reading, conversations in German, or watching German movies/TV shows. Using the CEFR guide, I am aiming to successfully pass a B2 German practice test before the end of the year.

2. Read 20 books for fun - Thanks to the Great Book Challenge, my goal for this year should actually be 24 (2 a month) and although that would be doable if I stuck to a normal sized book, there's one book I want to read which is 1979 pages and another one that's almost as long. Although I'm still going to aim for 24 overall, I'm setting the goal at 20 so I don't feel too much pressure to skip the big books.

3. Cross 20 items off my 101 in 1001 list

Anyone else have some resolutions/goals they've set for 2011 they'd like to share? No? How about a pint of ice cream you'd like to share?

GBC Book Review: The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

First off, multiple people recommended this book to me because I've lived in Africa. Little geography lesson: this book is set in Botswana, I lived in Tanzania. Not the same place. Botswana is in southern Africa, Tanzania is in east Africa. Although they share more in common than they do with many west or north African countries, it's like telling someone who lived in BC that they should read Anne of Green Gables because they spent time in Canada.

Having said all that, one of things I did really like about The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency was its imagery of Africa. Without going overboard on the sentimentality, Alexander McCall Smith did a good job on creating a vivid image of Botswana. There was a balance of both the good and bad aspects of living there which I appreciate. It is so common for books, both fiction and non-fiction, to sway to either end of the spectrum when it comes to life in Africa. Smith does tend to look more at the good, but he doesn't shy away from talking about the bad.

Given all the talk and praise I had heard for this series, I actually wasn't that blown away by the first book. A series of unconnected mysteries which are often solved with very little fuss are held together by the overarching story of Mma Ramotswe, who has opened Botswana's first detective agency run by a woman. I love a good detective novel. I love trying to solve the crime before the protagonist but this book didn't really allow for that and that stopped me from really getting into it.

I have the second book in the series and I'm sure I'll get around to reading it, but it has moved down my list in order of importance. Overall, if you're looking for a light read for the beach or your daily bus commute into work, this is a good mindless diversion. If you're looking for a gripping whodunnit that you can sink your teeth into, stick with Agatha Christie.

GBC Book Review: The Universe in a Mirror

Robert Zimmerman's The Universe in a Mirror: The Saga of the Hubble Space Telescope and Visionaries Who Built It is a look at the minds and politics behind the Hubble Space Telescope written for those of use who are not rocket scientists. It begins with a quick look at how the atmosphere has always been a hindrance in the study of astronomy before moving into how the Hubble came to be.

Again, all photos are property of NASA and their "you can use it as long as you give credit" awesomeness.

I picked this book up as after seeing the Imax: Hubble and hoping to learn some more about the impact that Hubble has had on our understanding of the universe. On that front, I was sorely disappointed as the book skims over Hubble's contributions to our understanding. Truthfully, it's my own fault because the book very clearly states what it's about, I just didn't read it that closely. I did, however, garner a greater understanding of exactly how difficult it was to even get Hubble made in the first place.

I posted this picture before but an explanation is in order. To test the Deep Field Infrared, it was

decided to point Hubble at an 'empty' part of space, one that had no readings on any system ever used.

This is what Hubble was able to show us.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. There were parts I felt like I had to slog through usually when three new people were introduced within a paragraph of each other and I found I had to go back to try and remember who worked where on what with whom. I occasionally found that I was learning more about people's personal lives than I felt I need to for the purpose of the story, but it was also the intent of the author to show how pursuing the dream that would become Hubble destroyed more marriages, careers and lives than we will ever fully understand.

The book takes an incredible amount of data and condenses it into an easy 240 pages (with the afterword which was added to the paperback) and it was clear that the author had the support of pretty much everyone he was writing about as the majority of the non-universe pictures are listed as 'from the personal collection of...'. Zimmerman does a great job of showing the number of people who were instrumental but also at showing their own flaws and limitations. These were ordinary humans after all trying to do what many in their own field of study thought was impossible. He was also very good at showing all the errors which led up to the wonky lens being given the okay. It was fascinating to see how it all played out and when it came time for 'second light', I found myself feeling giddy knowing how well it was all going to turn out.

This picture of the Eta Carinae was taken at 'second light', the moment when the scientists would learn

if their plan to correct the flawed lens worked. Astronomers had know for hundreds of years that

Eta Carinae was dying. What they didn't know was why it didn't appear to respond like a regular Supernova.

This picture answered what 300 years of study could not.

If you have an interest in astronomy or the Hubble, this is a great book to read. In the end, it made me both laugh and cry which is not an easy feat for a science book. In the words of John Bahcall, one of the lead scientists, "[w]e all have a deep desire to know what exists out there. A desire so basic, so beautiful, so much fun, that it unites all mankind." This book is a fantastic 'thank you' to everyone who made it possible.

I'm Not In Denial, I Just Refuse to Believe It

Apparently today is November 1st. I say 'apparently' because I'm pretty sure I've gotten sucked into some kind of time vortex which has created a slingshot effect landing me in a future time line while in my own time line, it's really October 15th.

In this alternate time line in which today is November 1st, I have failed to finish my October book but I'm so close. If I was in my correct time line I would not only finish it, I would perhaps even have time to finish a second book.

In this alternate time line in which today is November 1st, I didn't get all the prep work done for Nanowrimo done that I was aiming for and I've also taken on a few too many tasks for November to truly give it the go that I want to give it. If I was in my correct time line, the prep work would have been done and I'm sure I would have remembered Nanowrimo and therefore would have declined a few current obligations.

In this alternate time line in which today is November 1st, I haven't cooked any of the meals I planned to cook because I'd get invited out or ended up just opting for something less involved. If I was in my correct time line, I'd totally get a chance to crank out a few of those meals, blog about them and even post a few pictures.

In this alternative time line in which today is November 1st, I'm still working on part two of my Alberta post which I started almost a month ago. If I was in my correct time line, I'd still be working on it, but I'd take a little over a week, not a little less than a month to finish it.

As it stands, I will have to read two books in November to keep on track for the book challenge. I am doing the right thing and foregoing Nanowrimo this year as I have some writing I have to do (for money) and can't afford the time needed for Nanowrimo. I'm making myself cook in November by setting up a couple of dinner dates at my place. I will have the second Alberta post done by this weekend or I will leave it on my computer forever as a 'draft'.

Obviously, I need to find the Doctor so he can fix this time vortex issue that I'm having because I really need those additional 16 days back.

GBC Question #22

Question #22: Favourite Series

Emily of New Moon. I liked Anne of Green Gables but it never spoke to me the way the Emily series did. Anne always felt like a character in a novel to me while Emily felt like a dear friend who just happened to exist in a book.

A close second but not chosen because I already talked about it was Lord of the Rings. What can I say? I'm a big dork.

GBC Question #21

Question #21: A guilty pleasure book.

I have stared at this blank post for over an hour and I'm still coming up empty handed. I enjoy the odd chick lit book (usually when I'm sitting on a beach and don't want to think too hard) so I guess that would be my guilty pleasure, but I honestly can't think of a specific book that I would give this title to.

Oh, unless I can count The Hockey Sweater. There's not much guilty about it per se except that I like to read it out loud to myself in a French accent. I've never done that with someone else in the room so I guess that makes it a guilty pleasure.

GBC Question #20

Remember these? While I'm working on my epic post about the joy that is southern Alberta, I figured I should get back to these and may be finish off the last ten of them. So, without further ado...

Question #20: A book you would recommend to an ignorant/racist/closed minded person.

While I can think of a few people in these categories who would be better off just being hit with a book, for the rest of them I'd recommend Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer. In this day and age of heightened mistrust of Muslims, this book is a fabulous reminder that fundamentalism is not confined to one religion.

Every religion has its skeletons hiding in the closest (or in Bountiful, BC) and what religion doesn't have a bloody past? But to paint everyone of that faith with the same brush does a huge disservice to furthering understanding between people of different backgrounds. Just because I think the Blackmores are dirty men with an insatiable thirst for power over 'their' women doesn't mean that Mormons as a whole are a bad people. It would be like basing your opinion on Baptists in general on the actions of the Westboro Baptist Church. (Speaking of which, it makes me sick that the hatred spread by the WBC is protected under Freedom of Speech. Doesn't the US constitution have something like the Canadian Criminal Code Section 319 to deal with people like this?)

GBC Question #19

Question #19 is another head scratcher for me: A book that changed your mind about a particular subject (non-fiction). What? Fiction can't also be used to educate?

WARNING: This turned out to be very long. Go grab a cup of tea before you start reading it.

I read a lot of non-fiction but I usually read it because I don't know much (or anything) about the subject and therefore want to be educated about it. I learn from it and possibly form opinions based on it, but if I haven't already made up my mind, how can it change my mind? I decided, instead, to look at the non-fiction books which have had a great impact on my life.

Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by Lt.-Gen (Ret.) The Honourable Roméo Dallaire.
Race Against Time by Stephen Lewis
I wrote about Shake Hands earlier in these questions as a book that was difficult to read, but for me it was also a book which was life changing. It also lead me to reading Race Against Time. I lumped these two together because they are books that impacted me in the same way.

When I was growing up, my dad used to have a huge map of the world on the wall (some times in the dinning room, sometimes in the hallway) and once a week, he'd get me to stick flags in it, five news stories which I had heard on CBC (the only radio station acknowledged in my parent's houses) in five different countries. I'd tell him what they were as I'd stick in the pins and we'd talk about them. I stuck a pin in Rwanda once. There was a genocide going on. I was 14 and didn't quite understand what 'genocide' meant. I knew a lot of people were dying, I didn't realise it meant the systematic mass murder of a ethnic or religious people. A week later, I moved the pin to another country and that was that.

Skip forward ten years to a rainy Friday night and my impulse purchase while waiting for the bus. I read that book and faint memories of hearing about Rwanda came back to me. I was struck with the simple question Dallaire asked, are some humans more important than others? The book moved me, pressing me to learn more about what had happened. I read more books, trolled the Internet and, eventually, decided I was strong enough to see the documentary Shake Hands with the Devil. While watching the film, they play an audio clip of Michael Enright interviewing Dallaire and as the clip played, I snapped back to being fourteen, sitting at the dinning room table with my mom and stepdad, listening to As It Happens. It was like a door opened and I remembered everything that I had heard back then. I remembered the pin, but this time I knew what genocide meant.

Stephen Lewis was interviewed for the documentary and I instantly liked him. He was honest, straight forward and truthful yet the strongest word he ever used was 'poppycock'. I decided I had to read his book and found a copy a few days later. The book begins with the observation "I have spent the last four years watching people die." Yet the book is incredibly hopeful and by the end, I felt there was a possible solution to the end of, or at least the stemming of the tide that is, HIV/AIDS.

Through these two men--in print, in the movie, and in speeches I attended--I learned so much and it inspired me to do more. In Tanzania, I learned even more. I can not stress how important education is to stopping HIV/AIDS. Not just because it teaches the children how to prevent it, but because education is a way to break the cycle of poverty. It is a way to help women make an income which doesn't involve selling their body. Education also makes it harder to teach people to hate, to devalue human lives. It caused a shift in how I donate my money, both at home and abroad.

While I was in Tanzania, I spent a day at the Arusha ICTR (or as everyone else calls it, the War Crimes Tribunal). Arusha was picked as the location as it was the location of the failed Peace Accord which lead to the Rwandan genocide. As I sat in the room with my headphones on, listening to a gentleman give evidence regarding the actions taken in a school, I found my mind wandering through all of the events which had brought me to this moment. I thought of the horrors that I had read about, that other people had experienced, and yet they still came through the other side (with help and perhaps a few prescriptions) to think that the world can be a better place. I will never have the opportunity to thank Dallaire for writing his book, for causing me to care more about the world I inhabit, and for being the encouragement I needed to get involved, but I hope that he knows that his actions have paid it forward in a million little ways.

[photo by Kara]

The is Junior. He was the sweetest, gentlest child I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He never clamoured for attention like the other children, he was just happy when you remember he was there. He rarely spoke and he waited patiently for his food to be brought to him while the other children made a fuss. He was the perfect child except that his body has slowly been killing him since the day he was born. Junior is HIV+. Every day, it killed me a little bit inside to know that this adorable boy who wanted nothing more than to be hugged didn't have a future. Yet every story I tell of him now makes me smile and laugh, and I wouldn't trade my memories of him, both good and bad, for the world. For that, I thank you.