Thursday, June 14, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Why Television Sucks and Books Rule
Let me start by saying, I'm not opposed to all television, but the more I watch it, the more I find myself hating it. The constant onslaught of reality programming is enough to make me want to take an ax to my television set. How do these scumbags and hos get their own programs? Or better yet, WHY do people actually give these dregs of humanity their valuable time? I just don't get it! What ever happened to smartly-written programs that leave you on the edge of your seat every week? Those programs that made you care about the characters and that you looked forward to all week to watch? Why are we getting fewer of those and more of the crappy reality garbage?
Oh, wait a minute... I think I DO get it after all.
The thing about reality television is that regardless of how mediocre it is, it at least has a fucking RESOLUTION! And that's what we all want, right? A resolution to the story. All too often, a well-written program (ok, it doesn't even have to be well-written; it could just be exciting!) finds a decent audience only to leave that dedicated audience stranded on the side of the road by ending the season on a cliffhanger and then CANCELING the fucking show! All that time, wasted. Those characters you started rooting for, gone. As much as I absolutely can't stand reality programming, there is a comfort knowing that some idiot is going to outwit, outplay and out-whatever everybody else, that some idiot is going to last all summer long in a house of games, that some idiot is going to become an executive chef of some fancy restaurant, that some degenerate may or may not get married, that somebody is going to lose a ton of weight and ultimately change their life. The list goes on and on. Is it any surprise that reality crap is taking over the airwaves?
I hate all reality shows with a dreaded passion, but it doesn't stop me from watching (some of them, at least) season after season. You know why? Because I like an ending... even when I'm praying for the ending halfway through episode one!
When studios broadcast scripted programs, they don't give a shit about the people who watch them. No other form of entertainment treats its fans the way television studios do. In movies, there's a resolution. In video games, there's a resolution. In books, there's a resolution (or, in the case of a trilogy, at least an eventual resolution). Never is the fan left hanging by a thread other than when it comes to television programming.
Case in point, the BBC hit drama, The Fades. That was such an outstanding show that it even won the BAFTA for best drama television program and guess what? It was canceled prior to taking home the gold, after it left us hanging by an unbelievably kick-ass cliffhanger! What the FUCK?! And The Fades is just one in a long, long line of great shows to be killed off all too soon in both America and Britian. So, I ask you, television head honchos, why should I invest my time in your tempting offerings when you're only going to pull them out from under me once they start getting really good? To you, I say, "Go fuck yourself. I'm happier with my books."
Oh, wait a minute... I think I DO get it after all.
The thing about reality television is that regardless of how mediocre it is, it at least has a fucking RESOLUTION! And that's what we all want, right? A resolution to the story. All too often, a well-written program (ok, it doesn't even have to be well-written; it could just be exciting!) finds a decent audience only to leave that dedicated audience stranded on the side of the road by ending the season on a cliffhanger and then CANCELING the fucking show! All that time, wasted. Those characters you started rooting for, gone. As much as I absolutely can't stand reality programming, there is a comfort knowing that some idiot is going to outwit, outplay and out-whatever everybody else, that some idiot is going to last all summer long in a house of games, that some idiot is going to become an executive chef of some fancy restaurant, that some degenerate may or may not get married, that somebody is going to lose a ton of weight and ultimately change their life. The list goes on and on. Is it any surprise that reality crap is taking over the airwaves?
I hate all reality shows with a dreaded passion, but it doesn't stop me from watching (some of them, at least) season after season. You know why? Because I like an ending... even when I'm praying for the ending halfway through episode one!
When studios broadcast scripted programs, they don't give a shit about the people who watch them. No other form of entertainment treats its fans the way television studios do. In movies, there's a resolution. In video games, there's a resolution. In books, there's a resolution (or, in the case of a trilogy, at least an eventual resolution). Never is the fan left hanging by a thread other than when it comes to television programming.
Case in point, the BBC hit drama, The Fades. That was such an outstanding show that it even won the BAFTA for best drama television program and guess what? It was canceled prior to taking home the gold, after it left us hanging by an unbelievably kick-ass cliffhanger! What the FUCK?! And The Fades is just one in a long, long line of great shows to be killed off all too soon in both America and Britian. So, I ask you, television head honchos, why should I invest my time in your tempting offerings when you're only going to pull them out from under me once they start getting really good? To you, I say, "Go fuck yourself. I'm happier with my books."
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Book Review: Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
Anyway, on to the review. I finally got a chance to read Rot & Ruin and I've got to tell you - in a genre that has been blasted with every kind of zombie story there is, Maberry has written what I might consider to be the best one yet and the funny thing is, it's a YA title. But, just because Rot & Ruin is a YA title, don't let that dispel you from reading it. This is hands-down one of the most realistic takes on how the world carries on after the zombie apocalypse. Maberry doesn't dumb things down for the teen audience and his world is dreary, gritty and filled with challenges both physical and emotional.
Rot & Ruin follows Benny Imura, who was just an infant when the zombie apocalypse occurred. Now a teen, Benny must find a job or else his food rations will be reduced. After trying and failing at several, he decides he wants to become a zombie killer like his older brother Tom. What Benny doesn't understand is that killing zombies isn't all its cracked up to be and his brother Tom isn't exactly the person Benny thought he was and that sometimes, the living can be more dangerous than the walking dead.
Rot & Ruin has been the recipient of too many awards to list here, but I can tell you this - it deserves every one of them. This is a beautifully told story that just leaps off the page. The characters and the environment feel real and the emotional aspect of life after the zombie apocalypse is equally as intense. I absolutely loved this book and look forward to discovering what happens next in Dust & Decay and thanks to Jonathan's smoking fingers, I can jump right in. Rot & Ruin gets ***** out of *****.
Order Rot & Ruin for your Kindle today. You won't be disappointed!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Revisiting Old Friends
Ahhh,Spring is in the air! It's that special time of year when the mornings are crisp but comfortable, the trees and plants are slowly sprouting back to life and the afternoons are rife with pollen particles that turn your red car yellow and your nose red with sneezing fits.
Yes, Spring is all about renewal and reawakening, so to that I say, what better time to catch up with some old friends? Now, I am usually not one to re-read books that I have already read. It's just not something I do. With so many new stories waiting to be discovered, why would I want to re-read a book that I already finished? It just never made sense to me. But, lately I have been in a reminiscing type of mood. I find myself wanting to re-read some of my all-time favorites.
Thus far, I have traveled back to Zephyr, Alabama, where a boy named Cory Mackenson had to deal with a wonderful array of problems, including solving a particularly nasty murder. Currently, I'm spending some time in a little town in Maine where a group of kids are about to be confronted by a sinister clown.
I'm also taking a cross-country trip through Armageddon with a huge wrestler named Black Frankenstein and a little girl with the nickname, Swan.
These three books, Boy's Life, IT and Swan Song, easily rank among my top three favorite novels of all time and it's been a while since I've read them. The interesting thing is that while reading them for a second time, it does feel like I am discovering them all over again. There are many scenes that fit comfortably within my memory, while other scenes seem bright and new, as if the authors somehow added new information since the last time I read them. It's funny how re-reading a story you've already read can be just as rewarding as it was your first time through.
Well, like I said, my time in Zephyr is already done and that was indeed quite a wonderful visit, and I'm finding Derry and Armageddon to be just as exciting as ever. These latter two books are hefty, so I'll probably be revisiting them for a while, but that's OK. Once these two tomes are complete, I think I'll pass by Oxrun Station and from there maybe pay a visit to Erl King Hill, who knows? Or, maybe by that time summer will be in full swing and it will be time to find some new friends.
What about you? Have you revisited any old friends lately? Tell me about them, maybe I know them too.
Yes, Spring is all about renewal and reawakening, so to that I say, what better time to catch up with some old friends? Now, I am usually not one to re-read books that I have already read. It's just not something I do. With so many new stories waiting to be discovered, why would I want to re-read a book that I already finished? It just never made sense to me. But, lately I have been in a reminiscing type of mood. I find myself wanting to re-read some of my all-time favorites.
Thus far, I have traveled back to Zephyr, Alabama, where a boy named Cory Mackenson had to deal with a wonderful array of problems, including solving a particularly nasty murder. Currently, I'm spending some time in a little town in Maine where a group of kids are about to be confronted by a sinister clown.
I'm also taking a cross-country trip through Armageddon with a huge wrestler named Black Frankenstein and a little girl with the nickname, Swan.
These three books, Boy's Life, IT and Swan Song, easily rank among my top three favorite novels of all time and it's been a while since I've read them. The interesting thing is that while reading them for a second time, it does feel like I am discovering them all over again. There are many scenes that fit comfortably within my memory, while other scenes seem bright and new, as if the authors somehow added new information since the last time I read them. It's funny how re-reading a story you've already read can be just as rewarding as it was your first time through.
Well, like I said, my time in Zephyr is already done and that was indeed quite a wonderful visit, and I'm finding Derry and Armageddon to be just as exciting as ever. These latter two books are hefty, so I'll probably be revisiting them for a while, but that's OK. Once these two tomes are complete, I think I'll pass by Oxrun Station and from there maybe pay a visit to Erl King Hill, who knows? Or, maybe by that time summer will be in full swing and it will be time to find some new friends.
What about you? Have you revisited any old friends lately? Tell me about them, maybe I know them too.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Today's Hot Read for Feb. 18: The Elements of Style (2011 Edition) by William Strunk
From Amazon:THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE (UPDATED 2011 EDITION)
The All-Time Bestselling Book on Writing English Newly Edited (Special Kindle Edition) BY WILLIAM STRUNK, JUNIOR
The Elements of Style OVER 10 MILLION COPIES SOLD! (Kindle Edition)
Revised and Updated for 2011 by
Chris Hong, Formerly of Harvard University
OVERVIEW
This book is intended for use in English courses in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature. It aims to give in brief space the principal requirements of plain English style. It aims to lighten the task of instructor and student by concentrating attention (in Chapters II and III) on a few essentials, the rules of usage and principles of composition most commonly violated. The numbers of the sections may be used as references in correcting manuscript.
The book covers only a small portion of the field of English style, but the experience of its writer has been that once past the essentials, students profit most by individual instruction based on the problems of their own work, and that each instructor has his own body of theory, which he prefers to that offered by any textbook.
It is an old observation that the best writers sometimes disregard the rules of rhetoric. When they do so, however, the reader will usually find in the sentence some compensating merit, attained at the cost of the violation. Unless he is certain of doing as well, he will probably do best to follow the rules. After he has learned, by their guidance, to write plain English adequate for everyday uses, let him look, for the secrets of style, to the study of the masters of literature.
This is the grandaddy of them all, The Elements of Style, newly revised for 2011 and now available for the Kindle. Pick up a copy of this indispensable book today!
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