Okay, this looks decent, but only time will tell. The cast is incredible though! Keep your fingers crossed!

OMG! I Won....

Remy over at The Fantasy Review just e-mailed me to let me know that I had been the lucky winner of books 1 and 2 of The Lady Penitant series by Lisa Smedman. These are the first books I have won - ever. I feel like I won the lottery or something. Woo Hoo!

So, get your backsides on over to The Fantasy Review and read up on what's new and exciting in fantasy books. While you're there, you might sign up for a giveaway and - HEY - you might win.

Thanks Remy!

Star Wars vs. LOTR in Real Time

Okay - This is pure laziness, but it Saturday; I should be mowing the lawn; and I have to go to work later and probably work until the wee hours of tomorrow morning. Besides, these are funny. I'm definitely in for watching at least a couple of episodes of "Chuck".

A Word On My Ratings System

At the bottom of all my reviews, I give each book a "Star" rating. The more stars, the better the book, in my opinion anyway. The reason you need to know this is that I am now simultaneously posting my reviews on my website, and on my blog. That way, when you see a 5-star review you know I think you should hack your way through the Amazonian jungle to get a copy to read (pun intended). And if you see a 1-star rating, that I think you should donate your money to a political candidate prior to spending it on this book. At least your money will have some entertainment value that way.

Here they are:
No Stars: Run - Do Not Walk - away from this title. I'd say it sucked, but that would be too much praise.

It'll do until something good to read comes in the mail. This is excellent bathroom reading so that you don't have to read soap and shampoo bottle labels for entertainment.

Enjoyable or fun...or maybe both. Not mind-boggling but its mildly entertaining.

This is a good book. While you might not wanna shell out the moolah for the hard cover, if you find a paperback you won't be throwing your money away. Worth planning to read and then reading.

Now we're talking! This is a very good book. If you belong to a reading group or book club, this is one you could recommend to the group. Read this one!

OMG! You haven't read this yet? Get on-line and order it with expeditied shipping, or get to the nearest bookstore and get this one. NOW!

Enjoy! And comments are always welcome....

The Golden Compass

The movie looked so good that I had to read the book before I went to see the movie. I'm really glad I did. The modern classic is one that I had missed, until now.

Lyra is a castoff child growing up surrounded by Scholars in an Oxford-like setting on a world that is similiar, yet different, than the one you and I live in. She's a healthy, inquisitive tomboy who has a wealthy uncle that she seldom sees and a great city-wide collection of friends. Then one of her friends disappears - a victim of the Gobblers. Lyra, being headstrong, decides to travel to where all the knowledge she can get her fairly devious hands on points to where all of the taken children are being transported to. They are in the Artic and terrible things are being done to them. She gets help from every unexpected point one can imagine. Her don gives her an aleithiometer, a truth machine that, when used properly can divulge the absolute truth about anyone or anything. Through her friends and the aliethiomter, she discovers that the 2 most powerful people of her world - her uncle and Mrs. Coulter - are her parents. And they are each following dangerous and incredibly destructive plans that each may destroy the Worlds. Through the Church, children are being experimented on in order to protect them from Dust. The Church has decided that these particles are the remnants of original sin, since children are immune to it, but adults absorb it constantly. Lyra's travels involve the Gyptians (a kind of sea-going gypsies), a Texan aeronaut, the witches and an armored bear. What can possibly be more adventuresome than that?

This is a good book. Its a little slow getting started, but once it gets going it races to the finish. Be warned - This is the first of a series of three books and it will hook you. Don't start it until you're ready to read all three (I'm almost finished with the second). But, whatever you do, read it. The heroes will surprise you, the villains are quite despicable but understandable - which makes it worse, really. While it falls just short of my Top Ten, its right up there.

Wow! Talk about a plug.....

You can't read this genre for long without becoming aware of the works of George R. R. Martin. And, he actually reads and plugs blogs. He threw in a huge kudo for Pat's Fantasy Hotlist. Pat is a blogger from Canada that has earned his reputation. If you've never read his blog, there's a link just to the right ------>

Congrats, Pat, and I hope you do win that Hugo.

Heroes....Again! And with Veronica!

New Fall Shows - Good Thing I Have a DVR

What Do I Blog About Now?

I've reached blogger's catharsis. The bright has worn off the penny, nobody reads this stuff, so what the heck -let's roll off a few opinions and see if I piss anybody off. Sounds like fun, no?

Opinion the first-

Why is everybody so upset about having an awful president? He is the pinnacle of the American political system, having survived the primaries, the actual nomination process, and actually becoming creative with the Electoral college. Who can ever forget the first President duly elected by the Supreme Court (although we must deduct points because his party did seat most of it). This guy is nothing if not inventive! And, I admit it, I voted for him and I still think he's better than the other guy, What's-his-name. Think how awful if I'm right and he actually is better. Phew! Did we dodge a bullet or what. Fortunately, the American system allows us to be manipulated all over again every 4 years, Thank God for small miracles. I think I'm voting for Obama as the only (relatively) sane candidate on the ballot. When is a woman going to run? Hillary doesn't count. She's a Democrat and is taking full advantage of the machine she and B-b-bill actually built in their basement in Arkansas, that is when Bill wasn't getting his cigar smoked by the secretarial pool.

Angry yet? Well, if not, there's always:

Opinion the Second-

Profit is good! But CEO's that suck the profit out of a company when it can least handle it should suffer the fate of The James Gang and be ridden down and shot like dogs. And the Boards of Directors that offer these contracts should be held personally liable to the share holders for being such magnanimous idiots. CEO: "Sure, I'll run your company. But if I screw up and the stock plummets like a cannonball dropped in the ocean on a sunny day, you have to pay me millions of dollars just to go away. OK?" Board: "Oh yes! And We'll double your salary if, while walking away, you mention that we tried to warn you not to piss off the retirement funds. Think you can do that?" Pfaw! Gelatinous spinal columns on them all! But profit is what drives men to risk everything on the chance that they will someday be on some Board of Directors! That's a good thing! Actually, profit is what provides jobs, a tax base for community services to be provided and teacher's salaries to be paid. No profit, no company, no consumtion or production, no pay, no money. Unemployment ensues and Recession eats everyone's children. This is bad. Just so you know.

Enough opinions for today. If you're still not pissed off, come back tomorrow.