Well...

I don't know what happened with October! I actually cannot believe that October is, well, over... *cough* I don't even want to count how many times I have posted this month because the numbers would be depressing! And, reading, well, let's just say that 2008 is probably the worst reading year I have ever had! I just cannot seem to get in the mood for either reading or blogging lately. I open a book, read a few pages, get bored, and then start all over again! Blogging is along the same line. I open up the screen to review one of the few books I have actually managed to read, and I am lucky to get two lines typed before interest leaves me and I want to do something else! I don't know if there is too much else going on in my life this year or I am just unsettled, but this was just a depressing year reading and blogging-wise! I have Saturday and Sunday off work and I am hoping for a reading weekend, but no promises. If I could just find a book that would suck me in, I would be all set, but it just is not happening! If you saw the pile of books that I have started and not finished... Hopefully November is better, that's all I can say!

I don't know folks. Do you have any recommendations? I just need a really good book, that's all I need.... What have people read recently and loved? It's not like I don't have lots of choices, but I apparently need some help here. Well, if anyone actually still reads this blog, anyway. I need something to interest me in reading again!

Man, I hope 2009 is a better reading year... If you could just see the unread books in my house... Even the Charming Comedian hasn't really given me much inspiration to post lately....

Seven Random Things About Me Meme

It figures, I reappear to do a meme! My life is too busy lately. My poor computer is feeling neglected!

So, seven random things about me:

1. When people first meet me they think I am shy and very quiet! Like the charming comedian, he always thought I was quiet until we went out together the first time and I chatted his head off. He talks more than I do, but I am a close second!

2. I hate being the centre of attention. I would rather blend in than have all the attention focused in my direction!

3. I am too easy-going at times. I try to be really nice to people and I think sometimes I come across as a doormat... It takes a lot to get me going enough that it will stick with me. Normally I get mad and I am fine a few minutes later. I don't really believe in holding grudges, so I try not to!

4. I can be pretty competitive. For example, I think I am inadvertently having a competition with the charming comedian to see who can get the most friends on facebook. Weird, huh? We both think so, but at the same time we are always comparing numbers! (Anyone want to add me to facebook?)

5. I only like one kind of coffee. Just Us! Mexican Morning. Since drinking that, any and all other coffees taste like crap! (I am drinking some right now, actually). I live in Canada and hardly ever go to Tims anymore. Which is weird. I used to be there regularly.

6. I can be so stubborn. I hate admitting that I am wrong and I love arguing my point. I was on the debate team a few times in school. I met my match with the charming comedian, though, he says he will admit when he is wrong, but he won't, so eventually one of us has to get bored and change the subject!

7. I am really easy-going about what I read, when you really think about it, but when it comes to music I can be very picky! I have a fun time with my friends trying to find a CD that they will listen to that I can handle. Normally in my car I just listen to the oldies radio station... back when music was music and not whatever we listen to now! And, my mood changes. I will say I love a band and then five minutes later will listen again and not know what I liked about them.

Bonus since I have probably been tagged for this before and never completed it.

8. I don't dance. I am a very very bad dancer, actually.

9. I hate shopping of pretty much any type. Grocery stores put me in a bad mood and I hate trying on clothes. I only shop when I need something.

10.The only two television shows currently on television that I will watch are CSI and House, and I normally just wait until they come out on DVD and buy them. That being said, one of these days I am going to watch Heroes, NCIS, and Rome because what I have seen of those shows interests me, but I hate starting a show already in process! I used to really like ER too, but there have been so many cast changes I can't keep things straight anymore. Everything else I like has been cancelled or ended.

Lords of the Bow by Conn Iggulden

Conn Iggulden’s novels are grand historical tales of conquest and vengeance, cruelty and greatness. Now the acclaimed author of Genghis: Birth of an Empire delivers a masterful new novel of the mighty Mongol conqueror—as Genghis Khan sets out to unify an entire continent under his rule.…

He came from over the horizon, a single Mongol warrior surrounded by his brothers, sons, and fellow tribesmen. With each battle his legend grew and the ranks of his horsemen swelled, as did his ambition. For centuries, primitive tribes had warred with one another. Now, under Genghis Khan, they have united as one nation, setting their sights on a common enemy: the great, slumbering walled empire of the Chin.

A man who lived for battle and blood, Genghis leads his warriors across the Gobi Desert and into a realm his people had never seen before—with gleaming cities, soaring walls, and canals. Laying siege to one fortress after another, Genghis called upon his cunning and imagination to crush each enemy in a different way, to overcome moats, barriers, deceptions, and superior firepower—until his army faced the ultimate test of all.

In the city of Yenking—modern-day Beijing—the Chin will make their final stand, setting a trap for the Mongol raiders, confident behind their towering walls. But Genghis will strike with breathtaking audacity, never ceasing until the Emperor himself is forced to kneel.

I read the first book in this trilogy last year and I was very excited when book two came out earlier this year, but we all know how slow I am with reading trilogies! So, I am only now getting around to reading it, and even slower about the whole reviewing it thing. Let me first point out that I know next to nothing about the non-fiction version of Genghis Khan. I am sure that these books are not accurate, but I enjoy reading them and you don't read fiction for accuracy, so don't castrate me for liking them! I know a lot of people expect historical fiction to be the whole truth, but I have never been one for that idea. All I know is that I love the trilogy! I have book three sitting around, waiting to be read, but it will probably take me a while to get to it.

This book was really very engaging. I didn't get wrapped up in it quite the same as book one, but then it is book two in a trilogy and that is something that very commonly happens. That is not to say there was not a lot happening in it. The main character of this trilogy is Genghis, but in this book we also got to spend some time with his three brothers. The focus of the novel would shift and tell their story for a while, so it wasn't always falling Genghis around. This made the book more interesting, I have to admit. There were times when Genghis was just sitting around waiting for something to happen, and if we had to listen to his story we would probably get bored. Even if his brothers came back and retold their adventures, I don't think we would have enjoyed it all that much. Then it would really have suffered from second book-syndrome. This way, we were right in the heat of the action and were watching the story unfold as it happened. I liked that a lot more. Genghis has some interesting brothers! I look forward to seeing what happens to them in the last book.

Unfortunately, it has been a while since I read this book, so the storyline is not fresh in my head! I kept starting this review, but never seemed to find the time to actually get very far with it. In essence, Genghis has encountered the enemy and is determined to take them down. In order to do so, though, he has to battle against things that he has never even seen before. One of the big problems is the walls that surround the cities and how he is to go about breaking them down. The first time he does not succeed, but he doesn't let this get to him. He sends two of his brothers out to borrow a man capable of showing them the secrets of the walls and then it is quite some time before he meets a force that he is incapable of destroying him! He is a great war leader and Iggulden writes in a way that we can really see what he could have been thinking as he planned these great wars. It was very interesting to get inside his head and see the world from his eyes.

All in all, I love this trilogy. I look forward to the last book, and seeing how things play out, but at the same time I will be disappointed to see the story end. Every so often I need a good battle, and this trilogy allows that for me. I prefer books with lots of action, even though it seems I only read books that lack action lately!

I also decided to count this book as a R.I.P. challenge book because there are supernatural things included in their belief system...

My Neck of the Woods Humour....

Listen up City Slickers & out of province Tourists

1. Pull your droopy pants up. You look like an idiot.

2. Turn your cap right, your head isn't crooked.

3. Let's get this straight; it's called a 'dirt road.' I drive a pickup truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive, you're going to get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way.

4. They are cattle. They're live steaks. That's why they smell funny to you. But they smell like money to us. Get over it.

5. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $250,000 tractors.

6. So every person in Rural NS waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept.

7. If that cell phone rings while an 8-point buck and 3 does are coming in, we WILL shoot it out of your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time.

8. Yeah we eat beans & brown bread. You really want sushi & caviar? It's available at the corner bait shop.

9. The 'Opener' refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November.

10. We open doors for women. That is applied to all women, regardless of age.

11. No, there's no 'vegetarian special' on the menu. Order steak. Or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham & turkey.

12. When we set a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup.

13. You bring 'coke' into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over ice.

14. You bring 'Mary Jane' into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair.

15. NHL and Minor Hockey is as important here as the Leafs and Habs, and more fun to watch.

16. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards -- it spooks the fish.

17. Colleges? We have them all over. We have Universities and Community Colleges. They come outta there with an education plus a love for country, and they still wave at everybody when they come for the holidays.

18. We have a whole ton of folks in the Canadian Forces. So don't mess with us. If you do, you will get whipped by the best.

19. Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump crap ain't music, anyway. We don't want to hear it anymore than we want to see your boxers. Refer back to #1.

20. 2 inches of snow isn't a blizzard - it's a vacation. Drive like you got some sense in it, and DON'T take all our bread, milk, from the grocery stores. This ain't Alaska, worst case you may have to live a whole day without croissants. The pickups with snow blades and Tractors with Snow Blowers will have you out the next day.

Book Haul

I thought people might be wondering what I got for my birthday book-wise... I haven't bought a lot of books this year, so I decided to take some of my birthday money and go on a bit of a splurge. With that, I got:

Reader and Raelynx by Sharon Shinn
Once Upon a Dreadful Day by Dennis McKiernan
Acacia by David Anthony Durham
Confessor by Terry Goodkind
The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz
The Secret Life of Josephine by Carolly Erickson
Magic Island: The Fictions of L.M. Montgomery by Elizabet Waterston
What They Wanted by Donna Morrissey
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden

That's a lot of books... I think I destroyed my year in two days!

I also got a gift card and ordered some Star Trek books online...

That's 18 books. Well... Maybe I shouldn't have admitted what I bought...

Star Trek: Destiny: Gods of Night by David Mack

Half a decade after the Dominion War and more than a year after the rise and fall of Praetor Shinzon, the galaxy's greatest scourge returns to wreak
havoc upon the Federation -- and this time its goal is nothing less than total annihilation.

Elsewhere, deep in the Gamma Quadrant, an ancient mystery is solved. One of Earth's first generation of starships, lost for centuries, has been found dead and empty on a desolate planet. But its discovery so far from home has raised disturbing questions, and the answers harken back to a struggle for survival that once tested a captain and her crew to the limits of their humanity.

From that terrifying flashpoint begins an apocalyptic odyssey that will reach across time and space to reveal the past, define the future, and show three captains -- Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise, TM William Riker of the U.S.S. Titan, and Ezri Dax of the U.S.S Aventine -- that some destinies are inescapable.

Well, I have not read a Star Trek novel in forever! This new trilogy caught my attention, though, and I decided to give it a read. I am very glad that I did because now I really want to get through all the other books on my TBR pile of a Star Trek nature! I also am really looking forward to the next book in this trilogy coming out.

One good thing about books based on television shows is that people generally know what you are talking about, so it is easy to find people to mention all the happenings in this series to. For me, it was the charming comedian. He will never read the book, so I knew it was safe to reveal all the spoilers and he would not really be missing out! I missed a few books in-between, though, so there are a few things that I did not know that I sort of do now! Oh, well. Now I have to find the books that bring things up in the first place!

This trilogy follows three ships: the Enterprise, the Titan, and the Aventine. The Enterprise is still captained by Jean-Luc Picard and Geordi La Forge and Worf are still members of the crew. Worf is 'Number One' now, while Geordi is still the chief engineer. The rest of the crew, though, is new. Doctor Crusher has also returned. She is living out her life with Picard the way that any fan of the show would have expected, I think. I was happy to see her relationship with Picard played out a bit more. They were only just getting back together in the last book that I read.

The Titan is captained by former Enterprise first officer, Will Riker. Counselor Troi followed him over there to head the counselling team and be his wife. You also find Tuvok, who was the security officer from Voyager. I was really surprised by the storyline happening between Troi and Riker... I will be interested to see how it plays out! I knew Tuvok was on the Titan (I own the books in that series, just have not read them...), but I was still surprised to see him again! There is also a couple cameos from other Voyager crew members. Be interested to see if their stories will be brough into future books in the trilogy.

Then, there is the Avenger. Dax was made captain after her former captain was killed. I was surprised she was captain to be honest. She doesn't really strike me as a captain, but she is doing a pretty good job. I think some of her crew are people that were on DS9 with her, but I could not put faces to the names. I will be interested to see what happens with the characters in this book and whether this introduction will lead to a series about the ship.

So, we have the three ships all in separate places, but the stories are all interconnected and related to a return of Borg ships to the sector. They are not there to add to the collection this time, though. This time they are here bent on the destruction of the Federation and its allies. This makes for quite an interesting story. Picard is haunting by voices from his past experiences as a drone and a very special borg expert makes an appearance that could lead to good things in the next book in the trilogy! The past also plays a role in the shape of a ship that went missing generations before. The secrets of the past might play an important role on the future! I just have to wait until book two to see what those might be...

Me and the charming comedian have decided that instead of going back in the past and looking for story ideas, they should make a movie about these books! I think we are in for a great trilogy, so now, I am of course impatient for book two which doesn't come out until the end of the month!

On another note, thanks for the birthday wishes folks! The charming comedian undercoated my car for me today, a very important thing when you live in my neck of the woods, saving me a bit of money, so I am very grateful to him for that present! My car stinks right now, though...

Today is the Day....

Last year I sang... This year I think I will pass. I am just sitting here waiting for my coffee to perk, so I figured I should stop in and update my blog since I have been so quiet this week. Even though today is actually my birthday, it will probably be a pretty basic day. I went out last night with the charming comedian, so that was my birthday treat. It was actually really fun! We went to the city, which is an hour away, and pretty much just wandered around. He is trying to get my car to run better, so he was messing around with my gas and stuff. I actually think it was driving better last night, so that was a good gift, I think.

Really, though, while the city was fun, my favourite moment from the night was when we were driving home in the car. I was driving and an Alice Cooper song came on. So, he cranked the stereo and sang one of my favourite Alice Cooper songs (actually the one I get him to sing at karaoke). He was worried he was hurting my ears, but I was quite enjoying it. The highway was quiet, we only met a couple cars, and I was eating some type of cracker. That was my favourite moment from the whole night. I think he does Alice Cooper better than Alice Cooper does it himself, but I might be a bit biased!

So, now, he is still sleeping and I am writing a pointless post and waiting for my coffee! My brother just called to say happy birthday, which really shocked me! Actually, it shocked me so much that I had to call my mother and tell her! She was even surprised, she didn't believe me at first!

Oh, and what did he get me for my birthday? I am sure you are wondering... BAILEY'S! The Carmel flavoured kind. I still haven't had any, though. He also took me out for supper. So, now to see what today brings. I had funny stories, but I haven't had coffee yet, so my mind is still sleeping. Maybe I will add some later! I also might review a book... Shocking, I know!