[url=http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0553580302\/bujinkanmartia0b\/]House Harkonnen[\/url] – This is not the best of the Dune series – by a longshot! In fact, it’s a little predictable, a bit boring and the plot feels a little too well planned out. I think the authors suffered from the ‘George Lucas’ syndrome – you’ve got an end result that you need to fit the current situations and characters into in order to get them to that end result. As evidenced by SW: Eps I & II, that can lead to stilted storytelling. Anyway, I enjoyed the book, but it certainly does not stand toe to toe with the original Dune series!<\/p>\n
[url=http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0385722192\/bujinkanmartia0b\/]Lullaby[\/url] – This is the latest from Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club). I’ve never read any of his other stuff, but I really liked the movie version of Flight Club. Lullaby is a light read, but it’s very interesting. I’d highly recommend this book. You can read it in a day or two. <\/p>\n
[url=http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0553375407\/bujinkanmartia0b\/]Ishmael[\/url] – Subtitled “An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit”, Ishmael was recommended by a student of mine while involved in rather deep discussion about man’s place in the universe and in nature (we were camping). Since I’ve just begun reading it, I’ll tell you what I know – it’s the story of an intelligent gorilla and his discussions with the author. I can sense that there are some profound insights coming up. The reviews on Amazon lead me to believe that Ishmael may change one’s perspective on our world.<\/p>\n
[url=http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0671027360\/bujinkanmartia0b\/]Angels and Demons[\/url] – from Dan Brown, the author of the Davinci Code (which everyone seems to be raving about these days!) comes this prequel to that book. I found the story to be intriguing, but the author’s writing style was a bit too laid back and stilted for me. I actually became annoyed with his style after a while. The plot is a bit far fetched and certainly pushed the envelope of believability for me. But, overall this was an okay read. I’m looking forward to reading The Davinci Code which I’ve heard is a little more believable.<\/p>\n
[url=http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0385720920\/bujinkanmartia0b\/]Choke[\/url] – another Chuck Palahniuk novel. I’m not sure what to think about Choke. I actually decided to start this based on the fact that on of my students listed this as his favorite book. I was expecting something profound because this guy usually has some good insights. I feel like I missed something that was buried just below the surface of the prose in this book. The book is essentially about Victor, a medical school dropout who now makes his living through donations sent by good samaritans who’ve saved him from “choking” in the past. To ensure that his income is not terminated, Victor has to continue to fake his brushes with death. Oh, did I mention that our friend Victor is also a sex addict? Oh, and he works at an historical recreation of early settler life with a bunch of other losers who have a hard time sticking to the “rules” of their society. In between bouts of sex and fake choking, Victor visits his mother in the hospital and recounts to the reader tales of his fucked up childhood. Palahniuk is an evocative writer with the ability to pull the reader into his thoughts and paint unusual images through his writing. He’s clever and his use of repeated phrases really creates a sort of connection with his characters because you feel like you can finish their sentences. Overall, I was left a bit confused at the end of the story, though. <\/p>\n
[url=http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/042512911X\/bujinkanmartia0b\/]The Vision[\/url] – by Tom Brown, Jr. This book expands on The Tracker and provides some insight into why Tom Brown chose to make his knowledge available to those who wanted it. It’s a very interesting read with some rather far-out stories about Grandfather’s teachings and abilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[url=http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/exec\/obidos\/ASIN\/0553580302\/bujinkanmartia0b\/]House Harkonnen[\/url] – This is not the best of the Dune series – by a longshot! In fact, it’s a little predictable, a bit boring and the plot feels a little too well planned out. I think the authors suffered … Continue reading