Movie and Book review

Star Trek : Into Darkness - Not as memorable as the first reboot but MUCH better than Iron man 3 and certainly worth the ticket. Might see it again just to catch all the cameos by characters/races etc from Star Trek mythology.  All the Star trek films suffer in my eyes from being written with one villain per movie in mind who the crew needs to defeat..and thats not really what I want in a sci fi movie. Into Darkness treats us to some detail depth and amazing visuals surrounding human/Star fleet society and I think future movies would be better to focus interesting place and large events that the crews are just a part of rather than single villains who garner great power then manage to lose it in the arc of the film. Go see it for sure at least once..but see the digital version (aka standard) not the 3D or IMax format...both are bad deceptive predatory behavior by the film industry we dont want to reward

Dan Brown : Inferno - Another strong and twisty story with a large social question at the heart of it. In this case Brown asks people to consider what the world will be like if humans dont start conserving resources, protecting the environment and limiting population growth. The good professor in this book seems to get by on a little too much dumb luck for my taste but Brown really knows how to explore important questions with the novel as a vehicle. Brown's formula includes taking at the reader on guided tours on some of history's most interesting place and this trip alone is worth the purchase price. Get it cheap at Costco for like 17 bucks instead of 30 at Barnes and Noble. 

Book report : Author James Corey aka Daniel Abraham

Ive been reading and really enjoying the collected works of an author who goes by multiple names:

Book review:Orson Scott Card is a closeted hypocrite

I've been reading the fantasy series "The Tales of Alvin Maker" by Orson Scott Card. Card is better known for his sci fi series Ender's Game, which has been made into a movie to be released in November. He is also known for membership on the National Organization for Marriage and his outspoken political efforts to ban gay marriage in his home state of North Carolina.

I didnt like Ender's game. I couldnt really connect with the main character, a child who takes over earth space military and saves the universe. I've only read the first 3 books of the Alvin series so far but that farther than I got with the Ender's series. In The Tales of Alvin Maker, each chapter is from a different characters point of view, much like George Martin has recently done with his now famous Game of Thrones. Its good writting, set in the colonial period in an alternate history US where the war for independence never happened and George Washington's was beheaded for treason. Colonial American History is a great setting for fantasy, full of unsettled wilds and superstition. And its relatively untapped. So I like them thus far..but...

Idaho bill requires Atlas Shrugged to graduate highschool

The bill sponsor claims its just a symbolic statement, but this strikes me as public officials promoting their own ideology. This book might promote his political views but what about the views of the other people he represents? And what happens when one of these symbolic statements "accidentally" passes? I'm the first guy to say people should have fun at their job. But our country isnt mature enough for symbols and statements yet.
 
When asked by state Sen. Bob Nonini why he chose that particular book, Goedde reportedly replied to laughter before the state’s Senate Education Committee: “That book made my son a Republican.”

Been to a Library recently?

Today I found myself waiting out a squall in the Jax public library...which is one of the fanciest buildings I've been in since the Alhambra palace in Spain or maybe the Scottsdale Hilton. 4 stories of polished marble, reflecting pools and vaulted ceiling been primarily used by homeless people to watch porn on the internet. Oh and you can rent movies there for free instead of paying 1 dollar at a Red Box. The internet now serves the role the public library system did and there are much more efficient ways of providing free internet access to the pubic. Yes..I get that government buildings are suppose to inspire a sense of grandiose majesty..but we cant afford majesty when schools are reducing the school year and the section 8 public housing waiting list has a 2 month waiting list of its own for homeless families.

R.I.P. Harry Harrison

Harry Harrison's book The Stainless Steel Rat was one of the books that got me into reading. My favorite quote from that book has graced the bottom of this blog since its inception. RIP Harry Harrison.

Oz

Hadnt heard about this..looks good..I remember absolutely loving the rest of the books after Wizard.

Sholem Aleichem

There was a biography about a famous Jewish author on NPR today. I guess I knew about Fiddler on the roof but didnt know anything about the guy who wrote it

Sholem Aleichem was often referred to as the "Jewish Mark Twain" because of the two authors' similar writing styles and use of pen names. Both authors wrote for both adults and children, and lectured extensively in Europe and the United States. When Twain heard the writer called "the Jewish Mark Twain," he replied "please tell him that I am the American Sholem Aleichem.

Its seems he felt strongly that Capitalism was killing family life and Jewish culture..which explains why my father never tried to introduce me to his works.