Lazy days

As HBO's Game of Thrones cuts through the competition tomorrow, I've turned back to young adult literature for the time being. After Cormac McCarthy's The Road and Ian McEwan's Atonement, sometimes I need a light escape.

Newest find? Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Ten pages in, the promising start gives me hope that it won't repeat my disappointment after reading The Discovery of Witches. A rather nauseating tale of a beautiful (oblivious to her allure... of course), intelligent, talented, heroine and her vampire lover. I have officially OD'd on vampires. The only thing I've "discovered" is that a perfect protagonist produces little empathy and even less charm. Another reason for George R.R. Martin's appeal to the masses, imperfection is human nature.

New & old

Historical fantasy is often plagued with melodramatic story lines, two dimensional characters, and horrible dialogue... fortunately there are a few exceptions.

Although I look forward to seeing HBO's Game of Thrones, I must admit I wish Guy Gavriel Kay's novels were adapted to the silver screen, perhaps more so. Partially because he doesn't leave you starving for years on end, delivering a juicy tale of intrigue and romance with one healthy serving. Like many authors, usually their sophomore years prove to be the most successful. Quite a few of my friends agree, it wasn't until after Tigana that Kay hit his stride. Looking for something to tide you over while you wait for Game of Thrones? There are plenty of options...

Best of the best:

The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay

Sailing for Sarantium & Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay

Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

White, yellow, red, brown..

Canucks certainly know how to piss around. Lately I've revisited the "politically incorrect" hilarious site Stuff White People Like and other satirical blogs aimed at ethnic groups.

Stuff White People Like, created by Christian Lander and co-authored by Myles Valentin is a hilarious poke at the "typical white educated yuppie". With their list covering such topics as:

#58 Japan

"But it goes beyond just food, all white people either have/will/or wished they had taught English in Japan. It is a dream for them to go over seas and actually live in Japan. This helps them not only because it fills their need to travel, it will enable them to gain important leverage over other white people at Sushi restaurants where they can say “this place is pretty good, but living in Japan really spoiled me. I’ve had such a hard time finding a really authentic place."

#40 Apple Products

"When you ask white people about Mac’s they will say “oh, it’s so much better than Windows,” “it’s just easier to use,” “they are so cutting edge,” and so forth. What’s amazing is that white people NEED to meet people who use Windows to justify themselves spending an extra $500 for a pretty looking machine."

#15 Yoga

"Yoga is also an expensive activity. It gives white people the chance to showcase their $80 pants. The cost of four yoga classes is equal to the amount of money it would take to pay for uniforms and travel costs of an AAU Basketball team in the inner city. "

#2 Religions that their parents don't belong to

"opular choices include Buddhism, Hinduism, Kabbalah and, to a lesser extent, Scientology. A few even dip into Islam, but it’s much more rare since you have to give stuff up and actually go to Mosque.

Mostly they are into religion that fits really well into their homes or wardrobe and doesn’t require them to do very much."

Need a laugh? Check out the full list.

Does that sound like anyone you know?? I couldn't stop laughing because I fit into at least half of the selection, I'm certainly no organic/vegetarian, yoga lovin', non-tv watching, pot smokin junkie... but I do love my tea and Apple products! The most popular, and hilarious posts were #11 Asian Girls and of course #116 Black Music that Black People don't listen to anymore.

Before anyone gets really offended, there are other fun sites such as The Angry Black Woman, Ask a Korean!, Ask a Jew, Ask a Mexican (The Original conception), the Unapologetic Mexican, and the Angry Asian Man.

Travel Journals

Although I'm not an avid comic book reader, this book was recommended to me when it was first published by a friend of the author. It proved to be a funny and surprisingly informative purchase that I've lent out a number of times with happy results.

Guy Delisle's PYONGYANG A Journey in North Korea chronicles his stay in Pyongyang for a French animation studio that subcontracts its work to cheaper countries. Without the brittle, cynical view of a full fledged capitalist, his observational humour stems from his isolated situation and ability to laugh at his predicaments.

Drawn with an easy on the eyes graphic style, the pages are composed beautifully, showing a great eye for detail. In a country that's shrouded in so much mystery, the book provides a quick peek into the rabbit hole that eludes to so much more. Even google earth doesn't reveal much, now that's impressive.

Practice makes perfect

Right now thousands of people are out of work, wondering what to do with their time as they mull over their life choices. Go back to school? Apply for another one hundred jobs?

I recently finished a non fiction book written by Malcolm Gladwell entitled "Outliers", an examination of the factors that contribute to great success. He repeatedly proves his theory of the "10,000 hour rule" as a way to achieve high level success in any particular field, also highlighting factors such as opportunity and cultural environmental factors.

Climbing up the charts onto the New York Times bestseller list it has been well received by critics, and considered a more personal piece than his previous bestseller, The Tipping Point.

Doesn't talent factor in? Of course it does, but perhaps the definitive point is that achievement is won by perseverance rather than anything else. Many of the most acclaimed successes have tasted the bitterness of defeat during their most formative years, Beethoven, Thomas Edison, Steven Spielberg, Henry Ford, Soichiro Honda, and Winston Churchill to name a few.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6hz_s2XIAU

Best Fantasy novels for YA and kids

TOP 10 FANTASY/ADVENTURE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

1. The Keys to the Kingdom, Garth Nix

2. Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis

3. Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling

4. The Princess Bride, William Goldman

5. James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl

6. Dark Materials Trilogy, Phillip Pullman

(The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass)

7. City of Embers, Jeanne DuPrau

8. Un Lun Dun, China Mieville

9. Percy Jackson Series, Rick Riordan

10. Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster

Honorable Mentions

The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman

Magyk, Angie Sage

Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones

Inkheart, Cornelia Funke

TOP 10 FANTASY/ADVENTURE BOOKS FOR YOUNG ADULTS

1. The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien

2. Daughter of the Clayr Series, Garth Nix

(Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen) A stand out trilogy that doesn't follow the norm but will leave a nice aftertaste.

3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

4. The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Jonathan Stroud

(Amulet of Samarkand, Golem's Eye, Ptolemy's Gate) Many categorize this as a children's book but I found that when recommended, the language flew over the heads of many kids under eleven.

5. The Earthsea Quartet, Ursula Le Guin

6. The Chrysalids, John Wyndham

7. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

8. Watership Down, Richard Adams

9. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke

10. Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman

It's all about mass appeal...

Twilight Series, Stephenie Meyer

Heard of it? I think I wanted to poke out my eyes a few times when I had to skim over the sickeningly saccharine dialogue, however I can understand the mass appeal to the female population.

The Mortal Instruments, Cassandra Clare

A more action packed book series than Twilight, it also retains a great deal of the romantic tension (or should I say frustration?) of youth.

It definitely ain't Potter

A few of my friends have children (about 10 yrs old) who never caught onto the Harry Potter craze but were anxious to spark their interest in reading. Warming them up with a few choice flicks (Avatar the Last Airbender, Spirited Away, Princess Bride), they were willing to take the plunge and try a few books that I recommended. The funny result was that the parents enjoyed the novels as much as their kids did.

Here's a few that caught their attention that stray from the Harry Potter route:

The Abhorsen Series by Garth Nix

(Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen)

The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

(The Amulet of Samarkand, The Golem's Eye, and Ptolemy's Gate)

I was depressed to discover that talks and progress of a film adaptation of The Amulet of Samarkand has sputtered to a resounding halt after the early passing of acclaimed filmmakers Sidney Pollack and Anthony Minghella. I still wonder if this film will be picked up again, or if any studio will attempt The Abhorsen series.