When I saw the actual lecture, I was at work. Though I told myself I would let it play in the background as I worked, that idea was quickly thrown out and I watched the 76 minute video without pause. Actually there was one pause when I went to the washroom. You get the idea.

When I found out he had a book, the only reason I didn’t buy it was because my girlfriend wanted it. So I got it for her and borrowed it when she was finished.

It’s not about how you achieve your dreams. It’s about how you lead your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. The dreams will come to you.

Randy Pausch was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. Anyone who knows anything about this cancer (which is surprisingly little, as it turns out) knows that being diagnosed with this type of cancer is basically being handed a death warrant. Randy had three children – 6, 4, and 2 if I recall correctly – and the thing that ripped him apart the most was that he wouldn’t be able to be there as they grew up. His youngest children would probably have no memory of him whatsoever.

As luck would have it, the university he worked at – Carnegie Mellon University – had a series of lectures called “The Last Lecture” and asked him to do one. He realized that this would be a way to immortalize himself a bit for his children. He delivered the lecture, explaining how to achieve one’s childhood dreams, how to help others achieve theirs, and how to live one’s life.

The Last Lecture, the book that is, is not a verbatim transcript of the lecture, though that would have been rather good in and of itself. No, the book has everything the delivered lecture had, but it also had stories that took place before and after said lecture. The book reveals even more about what an extraordinary person Randy actually was. I know it sounds corny, but as it turns out he really was a fantastic individual.

I’m not trying to gush over the late Randy Pausch, far from it in fact. What I’m trying to say is that everything he says in his book is a direct extension of him; his past, his present, and the future he never has. His words of wisdom will most likely be quoted for years to come by parents to their children, and they may not even remember where they got it from.

My only complaint with the book is that it is too short. The reason I say this is because he shouldn’t of had to write a book, but because he was put into this position by things beyond his control, he did what he could. If and when his children read The Last Lecture, I hope that they can take away from it as much as the rest of the world has. The book is a perfect blend of sorrow and schadenfreude. You’re damned happy you’re not him, but your devastated that this man is dead. I can honestly say that reading through this book brought me to tears more than once. It moved me very, very deeply.

It’s just as fantastic as the lecture, but delivers even more personal stories and feelings to the reader. It’s as tragic as it is magnificent, and I mean it when I say that everyone should read this book.

Everyone.

11/10 – Just cause I friggin’ can.

Also, if you’re interested in researching Pancreatic Cancer, here are some resources:

• Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Reasearch
• Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
• and if you have some spare change: http://www.firstgiving.com/randypausch

1984 paints a future (well alright, past technically) where there is no law, and yet everyone fears to break it. A land so poor, yet constantly boasting it’s over-manufacturing. A world so controlled, that the past literally changes to suit the need of the ruling class. It depicts such a cultural and societal wasteland that nothing else really quite compares.

1984 is terrifying.

Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was alright, everything was alright, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself.

Within this bleak landscape, those with rebellious thoughts walk amongst the privileged, and even find love in the most unlikely of places. Big Brother frowns upon these thoughts and actions and actively works to eliminate all possible threads of rebellion from the populace. The story revolves around Winston Smith, a member of the Outer Party, who still remembers the past. Ironically his job revolves around the elimination, alteration, and utter fabrication of that very concept. Against all odds, Winston finds love in Julia, a model citizen by observation. They hide their affair from all, taking great pains to ensure that their secret remains theirs alone.

But in a world of utter observation and control, can anything really be secret?

First off, I have to give props to Shepard Fairey for designing the cover to my edition of 1984 (as of June of 2008, talk about fresh). It’s a fantastic retro-throwback that uses minimal colours – black, red, and gold – retro font, and a real scrapbook feel that just makes the book that much creepier. I am utterly in love with the design. If I find Animal Farm with the Shepard Fairey design, I’ll have to pick it up too, if only for the cover art. It feels old, even though my copy is brand new.

Second, 1984 blew my mind to little itty-bitty pieces, stomped on them, and then left them out in the elements to rot away. This book is utterly and impressively depressing. It does probably the greatest job of building you up, and then ripping you down and leaving you there, clutching at the tatters of your soul saying “what the hell just happened?” Joss Whedon has absolutely nothing on this story.

What’s truly unnerving about the entire thing is that even though it’s almost 50 years now, and wrote about a future 25 years in the future, 1984 still manages to stay current. Technology is referenced and doesn’t feel dated because the evolution of society stagnated and so technology did not evolve unless expressly focused on by The Party. It’s a future that is bleak and terrifying, and yet still manages to feel that that future is always on the fringe, like humanity is only one wrong decision from going that way. Hidden microphones, Telescreens that constantly broadcast to and monitor the populace, and the dreaded Thought Police, who spirit you away in the night and erase you from history, or return you later on a broken person.

My biggest issue with 1984 is that it is amazingly self-indulgent. If Guitarists can be described as “masturbating with their guitars” on stage, then 1984 was George Orwell’s self-sin masterpiece. There are 30 page stretches of this book without any sort of dialogue, where the Narrator (Winston) basically talks about how he feels and what he thinks has happened to the world. Even the portions of Golstein’s book are incredibly dense. The end result is that there are long stretches of the book that are exceptionally hard to read, and if you don’t focus you can easily find yourself losing your spot very quickly.

The whole book is an obvious stab at the idea of totalitarian regimes. The book ends on a horrifying end, and that only re-enforces the ideal Orwell was trying to impress. There is even a good portion of the book dedicated to the explanation of how to create and maintain just such a society. That shouldn’t be possible, and yet he does it with eloquence and well-explained thoughts.

Everyone should read this book, if only to understand What Eric Blair was trying to get across. It’s poignant, it’s moving, and it’s horrific. Like watching the end of the world in slow-motion.

8.5/10

When a dad beats up his daughter, he does not necessarily go to jail. But when a guy beats up a dad for beating up his daughter, they both go to jail. It is very confusing.

Perry’s Gram used to say that the L in his name stood for ‘Lucky’, and he is just that. While playing the lottery, which he did every week, Perry finds himself 12 million dollars richer. Now everyone wants to be his friend, his family, who never talked to him otherwise, wants him to hand it over to a family trust.

Perry, with the guidance (of a sort) of Gram, his friend Keith, his boss Gary, and Cherry the Convenience store clerk, Perry slowly works to improve his life. He starts working through his lottery list which includes a big tv, a trip to Hawaii, Fixing up Yo (Keiths beaten up Toyota Truck), and so on.

He starts moving up at his job (a local fishing store) by giving good advice to the owner, and helping the sales grow. He gains respect from those he works with, as well as the locals. As his family applies more and more pressure on Perry, he decides what to do with the money.

I didn’t like the writing style of this book. I tried and I tried, and even now the writing still bugs me. I know it’s supposed to be written as a narrative from Perry, but it’s just so … simple. Things are repeated multiple times, the sentences are short and mundane, and there are no less than a bajillion references to “they would not like that.” I refuse to explain that further. If you read the book, you’ll know what I’m talking about. The chapters are short and much of the story is … boring. There’s a lot of filler in which the nuggets have to shine through in order to be recognized.

Having said all that, I enjoyed Lottery. It’s not ground-breaking, nor will it win any awards in my book. It isn’t going on my favorites list by any means, but I liked it all the same. It’s a real underdog feel-good everyone gets theirs sort of story that you just want to read sometimes. It made me laugh, it made my sad, and it made me smile. It hooked me by the end, and that’s the important part. Once I got past the fluff, there was a really good story beneath it all.

If you’re in the mood for an underdog book, this is the one to read. Everyone gets what they deserve, it makes you warm and fuzzy on the inside, and it comes with one of the best hedgestone message ever: “Don’t be smart”

6/10

P.S. please if you get a chanse put some flowrs on Algernons grave in the bak yard.

Flowers for Algernon is a heart-aching story about a Charlie, a mentally-handicapped 32 year-old man who wants to be smart. He can read and write, and works hard to learn so that he can become smart so people will like him. He works are Donners bakery where Mr. Donner gives him 11 dollars a week plus all the food he wants. When approached with the opportunity of a lifetime – the chance to be made smart intelligent – he feels that his ship has come in. He takes the opportunity and is given a second chance at life, becoming smarter by the day.

His intelligence eventually surpasses that of the scientists that granted him the chance, and he starts to understand the world in a way no one else can. He is eventually ostracized due to his high intelligence, and he finds that he is now more lonely than he was before the operation. Sadly, when Alergnon, a lab mouse that had the same operation done to him, suddenly deteriorates, George is struck with the fact that the same could very well happen to him.

I didn’t know what to make of this book at the beginning. The writing was childish and hard to read, riddled with typos and horrible spelling. In many cases it reminded me of the recent LOLCats Internet meme. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t worry about it, you don’t want to know. I was drawn in though, and the transition between sub-standard intelligence to brilliance happened so naturally that I didn’t even notice.

The novel then follows Charlie as his intellect explodes, and his emotional self tries to catch up. In many ways it reads like someone who’s growing up at an exceptional rate. Daniel Keyes does a fantastic job of getting across the pain and trails that Charlie has to go through. The only thing that really irritated me was the involvement of alcohol, and the weird side-effects that is left in its wake. I know that it was a required plot-device, but he could have just left the one incident.

Reading about Charlie’s eventual mental demise and knowing that he can do nothing to stop it is heart-breaking. You watch as he tries desperately to continue reading in hopes that he can retain some of his knowledge. You see how the woman he loves is pushed away for her own good, despite the obvious pain on both parts. Charlie starts to lash out at the world for reasons he doesn’t understand, because he has no other outlet. He becomes frustrated and angry at himself, and it only becomes worse as the deterioration continues.

The novel really makes you take a hard look at your own life and take stock of what you really have. We see a man who had so little given the entire world, only to watch as it is slowly taken away from him. It also points out that though mentally-handicapped people may not have the intelligence of the average person, that are still people that should be treated with love and respect. A lot of important questions and observations are made in this book, and considering it was written in 1959 (the original short story) I’m impressed with how many social norms were brought into question. It isn’t shocking to know that this book has been and is continually banned in places across the world. The truth can be a harsh light, and not everyone wants to look right at it.

I’m glad I had the chance to read this, and I’d read it again in a heartbeat. I’m 42 years past it’s original release date, but it’s still topical.

8.5/10

Chapters in books are usually given the cardnial numbers 1,2,3,4,5,6 and so on. But I have decided to give my chapters prime numbers 2,3,5,7,11,13 and so on because I like prime numbers.
Excerpt from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

The novel (the title is far too long to write for me) revolves around the near-normal life of Christopher John Francic Boone, who goes to a special school because he is different. One day he wakes up to find out that the neighbors dog has been killed with a pitchfork. Since he likes detectives like Sherlock Holmes, he decides to investigate into the murder. This is just one of the many facets that are explored throughout the book, and it really helps explore the world from a very different point of view.

The main character and psudo-author Christopher is, as far as my non-medical mind can tell, autistic. He can knows every prime number to 7,057, cannot stand being touched, register peoples facial expressions, or tell jokes. He has special needs and suffers from a certain level of Obsessive Compulsive Order as well if I could make the call. I’ve never read anything like it, and I’m glad that I have. Christopher has a way of taking ordinary things such as taking the train, and turns them into adventures full of strife and personal accomplishment. Things that are totally ordinary to us are giant stone walls that he has to overcome in order to figure things out.

Mark Haddon really seems to be channeling Douglas Coupland in this book. I know I shouldn’t compare the two because they are indeed different writers with different styles. What I am getting at is that there is a creativity in this book that I’d usually reserve for Coupland. It’s a refreshing change from the standard fare in the market, and I’m glad someone is stepping into the ring. I’m certain Mr. Haddon will go on to become a favorite to many, myself included.

The only real complaints I have about the book are:

It seems to end pretty suddenly, with the last chapters acting more like a montage than a proper ending. It pains me when authors rush endings of their books.

Sometimes the fact that Christopher doesn’t really have much in the ways of a writing prowess, the book can deviate and get somewhat drawn out with facts that have been established. Yes the train is loud and hurts your head. you don’t need paragraphs about it.

Other than those two points, it’s a solid book that I would recommend to anyone.

P.S. I love his website; I am sad that he hasn’t updated his blog in almost a year though.

7/10

Apollo opened his eyes. And the sun came out.
Excerpt from Gods Behaving Badly

As I somewhat gave away in my opener, the story revolves around two parties. The first is the Greek Pantheon. The main pantheon live in a crummy townhouse in London that is utterly run-down and otherwise falling apart. They hate each other, though that’s never been a secret. The second part is the small and simple lives of Alice and Neil. They’re simple cuteness and obvious affection for each other (though hiding it from each other) makes reading any interaction with them impossible without smiling.

Did I mention that Aphrodite is a phone-sex operator, and Artemis walks dogs? I’ll admit that these were the selling points for me. That and the cover art which is pretty much fantastic in every way.

As I stated earlier, the book is somewhat of a light look at the crisis facing the Greek Gods. This can be annoying if what you were looking for was something with a bit more depth. Gods Behaving Badly is about as deep as the shallow-end of a pool. It’s loads of fun to read with great writing and fantastic dialog. I have to give high praise to the Ares-induced fight in the book, because that just blew my mind. The novel also deals out enough detail for you to put it all together, but does leave much of it to the readers imagination which I’m sure can be taken as either a pro or a con.

My main issue with the book is two-fold, though their related so I don’t know what sort of fold that would make. The first is that it is too shallow. Sure it’s a fun read, but there is a distinct lack of character to the Gods that really should be there. I mean they are gods, after all. Neil and Alice deserved a bit more development as well because they were fantastic characters, but never quite make it for me. My second problem is that it wasn’t long enough. I say this because had there been an extra hundred pages, the story could have been that much better. The ending felt a tad rushed, and like I said, the character development just isn’t all there.

Pick it up and give it a read, you’ll be glad you did. It’s pretty short, it’s entertaining the entire way through, and it’ll leave you feeling warm and tingly inside. Like having a fever but without the sweating, hallucinations, or accompanied sickness.

8.5/10

“Because you’re not all the same. And because I know you’ve lost just about everything.” The Doctor looked towards Martha and the others, back in the valley, and sighed. “I hope none of them ever find out what that feels like.”
Excerpt from Sting of the Zygons

The Doctor and Martha find themselves in 1909 in the Lake District, and find that a local village has been trashed by a monster found dead on the shore that the doctor quickly recognizes as a Skarasen, a creature of the Zygons. The Doctor goes on the hunt for them without realizing that they are all around him. Many of the townspeople (and then some) are actually Zygons in disguise. The rest of the book operates on a sort of ‘The Thing’ angle, where characters don’t know who to trust, etc.

The book starts off fairly solid by getting to the point quickly. They are Zygons about, and one of their creatures has a giant hole in its head, which is apparently a difficult feat to achieve. The plot thickens when The Doctor realizes that the Zygons could be masking themselves as the townspeople. That’s about where the good ends, and he meh begins. Any supporting characters – anyone other than Martha and The Doctor – are exceptionally 2-dimensional. typical do-gooder 1910 male, The French Guy, The Hunting Lord, The Mischievous Child, The Nanny, The Innkeep. None of these characters (or others) stand out as even remotely memorable, and only serve to be a means to an end. As a result, much of the dialog is very stereo-typical (why do french characters always end statements with “, no?”) and lacks the personality to make it engaging.

I will give credit where it’s due, as Stephen Cole did manage to through a couple unexpected quirks into the story that caught me off guard, though I figured most of them out before they were really brought to light. The Doctors dialog is exceptionally David Tennant-y as well, which I’m sure is no easy task.

I’m really starting to wonder why I keep reading the new novels. I mean I can read through one in an afternoon if i dedicate myself, because they’re about half of the size (in word count) of the originals. On top of that, the language is toned down for a younger reader population. I’m not saying that these are bad traits, they’re fine attributes to have when appealing to younger readers. The problem I have is that I am not a young reader, and if they’re going to produce new Doctor Who books, why are there none that slot into the ‘adult’ category? Kill some people, swear a little, let The Doctor lose something in order to save the day. Show me the struggle that the older books were so great at.

An alright story, nothing to write home about, but I’m not upset that I spent my time on it. Very typical and straight-forward.

5.5/10

“My Darling,” he began. His voice broke, and the words that he had rehearsed so carefully were gone. He closed his eyes, and when he could speak again more words came, unplanned. “Oh, my love” he said. “I’m so sorry. Our little daughter died as she was born.”
Excerpt from The Memory Keeper’s Daughter

The Memory Keeper’s Daughter spans over 40 years of the Henrys family history. When David Henrys wife gives birth to twins, he is overjoyed, until he realizes that one, a girl, has Down Syndrome. In a split-second decision, he hands his new-born daughter to his Nurse and tells her to take her to an institution for those with Downs. He does so thinking that what he is doing for the best, but the decision will go on to haunt him for the rest of his life. The nurse, Caroline, also makes a split-second decision and takes the child to Philadelphia and starts a new life. As the years go by, David and his wife grow more and more distant as the secret slowly tears at the fabric of their family life. As they unravel, unable to stop what has been set in motion, everyone must find their own way in life.

The first couple chapters were a bore. I’ll admit that it took me nearly a month to get through the first 100 or so pages. After that point (somewhere around there anyways) the book hooked me, and I finished the rest in record timing. The story is fluid and interesting, but also quietly sad. It’s an interesting point of view to take; watching as a father who meant to only do good, cause so much sadness and separation. The time-line is easy to follow, for the most part. I had a bit of trouble picturing the characters at their correct age, though that is partially my own fault for not noting the dates in the book.

What really got me about this book is the silent controversy that it inspires. To give away ones child seems utterly barbaric, and yet he was honestly doing what he thought was best. Children with Downs Syndrome did not have a very good survival rate in 1964, and he was trying to spare his wife the pain that would ensue from raising a child with Downs. On the flip side, he did give their daughter away, and then lie (and continue to lie) about that action through the entire novel. Was he right to do it? I won’t answer that, because I feel that our past actions dictate who we are now. He did what he did, and he lived with it. I personally respect that, regardless of the consequences.

I must also sing praises to Ms. Edwards for bringing to light how hard it was for those raising Down Syndrome children. Parents had to fight for every right that they felt their child should have. Proper health care, public education, employment, and the list goes on. The struggle that Caroline goes through to raise Phoebe is an impressive read in and of itself. Package that with the fact that there was an uneasy, yet deep connection between Caroline and David because of their daughter, and you get a true understanding of just how hard their lives really were.

The novel also shows that though mentally slower than normal people, those who have Down Syndrome are no less entitled to things in life. Their achievements, though possibly smaller-seeming to ‘normal’ people, are in fact no more or less significant than any other persons achievements.

I wasn’t expecting this book to be nearly as good as it was, and I’m thankful for that. It’s not a book for everyone because it can drag on at times, and the chapter sizes are epic to say the least. Either way it’s a proud addition to my shelf, and I’m a little sad to see the end of it.

7.5/10

“This is the President of the Righteous Fist of Rassilon,” he barked. And then he gave the order that he had prayed he would never have to issue. “Break open the Slaughterhouse.”
Excerpt from The Quantum Archangel

I wish I could summarize this book properly, but it seems to be many stories unfolding in one. There are even stories within stories that are nothing less than vivid and unnerving. The Doctor goes to investigate temporal disturbances going on in modern-day Earth only to find The Master trying to exact revenge upon the Chronovores as well as become a God by taking control of the same power that sustains those same Chronovores. The plan goes to hell and a new creature is born: The Quantum Archangel. Que the epic end-of-everything multi-verse-cluster-fuck that is the second half of this book.

To be honest, I thought that the book was going to be over when there were still about 150 pages left. I honestly couldn’t see how they could drag it out any further then it had already been dragged. Mr. Hinton did a damned fine job of throwing me through a loop and creating a story so epic, that to render it on TV would require technology not currently in production, and a budget to match. The alternate realities provided throughout portions of the book really help to complete the mind-blowing that starts at that 150 page mark. It’s one of the few Doctor Who books that provide a view of the Doctor as totally at the mercy of something far greater than himself.

The writing is sold from start to finish, and Craig Hinton does a superb job of nailing the Doctors third and sixth incarnations, as well as The Masters. The supporting characters are strong, three-dimensional people who (in some cases) are good recreations of their former corporeal selves. There’s a strong sense of wit and direction in regards to the back and forth between the differing characters and I found myself smirking more than once

This book is the reason that I read and love Doctor Who. The ridiculous epicness that the Doctor generates is worth it all. The depth of character that is displayed in these books is what the new series lacks, and which is why time and time again I am brought back to the older series. To hell with the youth that they are trying to capture with the new series; give me the depth I crave!

Worth reading, especially if you like epic stories and even more so if you’ve seen The Time Monster and enjoyed it.

8/10

“Coming to” and “sobering up” are two distinctly different states of being. Each has its own independent schedule, and each comes with its own shocking revelations.
Excerpt from I Am Not Myself These Days

The story as I stated revolves around Josh/Aqua and his time in New York City. I refuse to say much about the book because revealing anything truly feels like a spoiler. Josh meets a man by the name of Jack during one of his club nights as Aqua, and the two hit it off in the most insane ways. Did I mention that Jack was a call boy who’s clients mostly want him to beat them up and call them scum? No? Well there you go. I’ll let that pique your curiosity.

The writing style is very much in the first person, though it does switch between tenses rather quickly, which forces you to pay attention. The transitions can be jarring at time, but for the most part the story flows well. It’s not often that a book can spur real emotion in me; sure I can feel for the characters in the book, but few can actually make me feel happy or sad based simply on the words in a paragraph. This novel manages to do just that which sets the mark way higher than normal. The book is a laugh pretty much the entire way through, and even provides many an insight as to the live of a professional drag queen.

Some of the ending seemed a little drawn out, and I found myself skimming through a bit of it. On top of that the book does get a little repetitive, though I think that was partially the intention. Repetition and spiraling seemed to be a major theme throughout the book… so maybe this memoir is also a cautionary tale? Maybe it’s more of a guidebook for those in the scene. I have no idea really and I refuse to read more into the book than what is probably there. I will say that you have to get the P.S version of the book if only for the added part about Jack.

I can safely say that Josh Kilmer-Purcell has lived an interesting life, if only in small, explosive bursts. I am eternally thankful that he decided to write this memoir to share with the world. It’s actually one of the few books that I can say that I read straight through without getting bored. Hell I sat in a luke-warm bath just to finish the last 30 pages of the damned book, just because I was so eager to finish it! Suffice it to say it’s high on my list of good books.

To think I found it in a book overflow store while waiting for a venues doors to open. I mean it’s right there on Amazon.

Read this book people, seriously.

9/10