STAR WARS: SCOUNDRELS

STAR WARS : SCOUNDRELS

- Tim Zahn -

This book has confirmed it : Han Solo is the white hat wearing cowboy of the future!?

Actually, maybe more like a grey hat.

I've been reading a lot of western books lately and as I listened to this book, I quickly came to the conclusion that Han's character was like a replicated cowboy of the past. In old westerns the protagonist never goes looking for trouble, but, trouble always seems to find him. He lives on a code of ethics higher than the criminals around him, as in he never shoots first and does not shoot to kill - unless needed. He has a crusty exterior, but, a generous heart. And, is the fastest draw this side of Tatooine! A smaller similarity is that he has a non-english speaking sidekick that shows up just at the right moment to save his hide.

Wow, I sound like a literary genius...comparing old westerns to Star Wars books...um...back to Scoundrels.

Scoundrels is one of those feel good crime novels. Yes, I said 'feel good'. One of those stories where you get a bunch of sarcastic criminal buddies in a room all planning on breaking into an impregnable vault to steal millions of dollars (or space credits in this case). However, this simple break and enter soon turns into a much bigger and complicated ordeal. With a few plot twists the gang finds itself not only dealing with a locked vault, but with a powerful intergalactic criminal organization...and the Imperial forces as well (damn that Vader, can't leave anything alone!) Against all the odds they manage to get away free and clear with the money, leaving a wake of angry vengeful evil aliens (and Lando) lost in a cloud of dust. But, with a deceptive plot twist their fate and the value of their treasure is not all that certain.

Overall, I found the book riveting. It was full of unexpected plot twists and exciting edge of your seat (or fingertips in this case) action. All of the 'scoundrels' (Han and the gang) were all lovable, both in their sarcastic wit and their individual expertise in one certain criminal aspect. They were the kind of people I'd want to hang out with, especially if I were marooned on a far off planet. They all seemed to be having a great time working their game and solving the complex problems of getting in to this giant vault. Even with the constant feeling that they were going to be nabbed at any moment by a smart security guard, or just by bad luck. But, everything seemed to be going their way. The force was with them. 

I also liked how the story progressed. It started out simple. Then there was a small twist. Then another layer was added. Then another plot twist. Then a mystery character. Then a hint at something larger. It got very complex right at the end. Then it all exploded and the pieces fell into place. Wonderful writing by Zahn.

I listened to the audiobook version, which I was surprised at. It was more than just a reading. There was Star Wars music added in, and sounds of ships blasting off in the background, the chatter of alien crowds. The action scenes were brought up a notch when you could not only picture the blasting, but, hear it at well. Very well done.

My only critique of this book, which is something that is almost expected, is the almost unbelievable ways the gang can escape trouble. It starts with the crime bosses and their complete lack of common sense. Many times throughout the book one of the gang is captured and interrogated by the 'boss'. You'd think most high level crime bosses would not shy away from using violence and/or murder, but, in this case they did. On numerous occasions when Han or Lando were caught they either let their hostage go free with a only a warning or they let their hostage go free with a non binding naive feeling deal of some sort (ie meet me next week with the star credits...or else!). Realistically they should beat them to a pulp and keep them locked away, or simply shoot a blaster hole in their head. But, I guess that would stop the story right then and there. So, we have to make some concessions. Further to this, the ease of breaking in and escaping was pretty high on the scale of unbelievable. Even with Zahn's attempt at explaining the highly detailed plan and how everything (conveniently) came together. But, then again this is a Star Wars book. Remember the movies? Episode 4 - A New Hope, when Han and Luke managed to trot around the death star for hours on end without anyone noticing them? At the time it seemed believable, right?

If you are one of the ten people who have never seen Star Wars you might as well skip this book. There is a lot of backstory and history left out, under the assumption that it is common knowledge. Things about Princess Leia and Alderaan, Luke and the Force, Darth Vader and the Death Star, etc. The ending will also be a mystery to you, not an earth shattering shocker like it was for me!

RATING : READ

FALL OF GIANTS

FALL OF GIANTS

- Ken Follett -

I listed to this as an audiobook - all 24 discs! Over 24 hours worth of epic novel. It took weeks...and I still wanted more!

Follett put together a masterpiece here. The size and scale of this story was immense. It could easily have been broken down into five books and still made for lengthy indepth reading. But, his skill at putting them all together made for a much more rewarding read. He weaved the stories of five different families together to give us a fictional account of the huge changes that were going on at the beginning of the twentieth century and how they effected the entire globe. A welsh coal mining family, a British Earl, an American diplomat, a cosmopolitan German family, and a lowly Russian factory labourer are the pieces Follett uses to assemble his puzzle.

World War one is an event that is hard to decipher; why did it start, why did it last so long, why was it so bloody? Taking a look through all the different pieces, Ken gave us a glimpse of the varied interpretations of how the war began, how it was fought, and how desperate things became after years and years of destruction.

It was very interesting to read about the rigid social structure of the early 1900's and see how quickly it changed. I kept picturing Downton Abbey while reading, mostly because of the Earl and the maids. The storyline in this book and the storylines in Downton Abbey were strangely very similar.

The book took us right through to the 1920's where it just kind of ended. Typically series books end with a cliffhanger of some sort, but, there was nothing like that here. Just a kind of, uh, I don't know...like Follett went for a bathroom break and never came back to the ol' typewriter? You know the stories are not done, you know there is going to be a World War II...it was just unexpected when the book ended - just like that!

I do have one small criticism of the story. All of the characters rose to a level of importance that seemed a bit unrealistic, seeing as the story took place in the real world. For eg, at many points during the book characters were advising Prime Ministers, Presidents, and Kaisers. They were in positions that, in the real world, would have made a giant impact on how things really worked out. It  felt a bit too far fetched, but, just a bit. It was easy to overlook until you finished the book and took out your critical pair or eye glasses (from that special radioactive-proof case you keep in the cabinet under the sink in the downstairs bathroom) and looked the book over again.

I'm looking forward to book two - Winter of the World - which I will mostly likely listen to. To save time. I can do it while I'm inputting data, mindlessly, into the computer system at work. It would take me months to read the entire 900 and some odd pages...I have other big books to read. Plus, the reader of these books does a great Cockney accent, and a fair Russian one as well...his American accent is a bit too 'Texan' for my liking though.

RATING : READ

I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER

I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER

(Chic-lit secret read #8)

- Sophie Kinsella -

Again my theory on Kinsella proves true. This book sat on satire and now has to run home and change! It's that bad...er, good. It is a powerful look at how deep cell phones (mobile phones for you English Englanders) have invaded our lives, how much control they have over people's behaviours, and even how they effect love lives!

There are many lines in the book that really drive home how personal cell phones are to some people. When Poppy loses her phone she says something along the lines of, "I feel like I've lost my life". Later on in the novel when she has the phone, with all her contacts and messages, she says the feeling of it in her hand is 'comforting'. Another example is when a computer tech realizes two people have been 'sharing' a phone he is shocked and calls them 'sick'. Wow, for a person such as myself that does not even own a cell phone I feel like I am missing out on a whole new world. I bet it is the same for those who are blogless, and do not know the rush of seeing your hit count rise or the ultimate enjoyment of seeing comments!

Back to the book now. The story really begins when Poppy loses her cell phone. She is so desperate to remain in contact with the world, for a variety of reasons mostly to do with her upcoming wedding and a missing engagement ring, that she ends up using a phone she finds in a garbage can. Yes, I realize this sounds outrageous and a too far fetched even for chick-lit, but, Kinsella's writing (and slightly crazed characters) make this seem believable. 

It turns out this phone is from the personal assistant of a rich, extremely successful, slightly handsome, emotionally fraught, guy named Sam. Sam is one of those people who is so busy, from all his success, that he leaves most of his life with his personal assistant. Therefore, the phone is chock-full-o-info on this guys life.

Poppy ends up making a deal with Sam that allows her to use this phone for just a couple of days and in exchange she is to forward all messages and emails onto Sam. After a day or two Poppy becomes deeply involved in Sam's life, both his personal life and professional life, thanks to all of the messages on this phone...which she was not supposed to read, but, did to burn time while riding the Tube. Since she doesn't know the entire story, or Sam on any sort of real life level, she starts to make assumptions and acts on them - replying to messages, setting up appointments...trying in her own way to be helpful. Of course these all backfire and make for some good laughs.

As you may well predict, one of those unspoken lovey dovey relationships starts to build. One that can't work because Sam is emotionless and Poppy is engaged. The difference with this one is that it climaxes over text messages. How modern eh?

I will not ruin the ending, but, will only say there are a few twists that make it interesting. 

I really enjoyed the use of text messages in this book - Short. Right to the point. Smiley Face :) conversations gave the book a unique feeling. Near the end of the book the phone needed to be wiped clean, and the tech guys managed to print up all the messages that were sent. When a novel sized stack of paper showing all of the messages Poppy and Sam exchanged it was as if their own personal love story were made into a paperback. Neat idea...and in a satirical way, showed the extreme overuse of text messaging by heavy users.

I listened to the audiobook of this and was very happy with the reader - Jayne Entwistle. Her voice matched the character of Poppy perfectly. Her voice was very chipper and you could just see her reading into a microphone with a great big smile plastered across her face. I was surprised to find out she was Canadian (or at least lived in Canada for a good chunk of her life) because, she narrated the book with a heavy British accent.

RATING: READ

WORLD WAR Z

WORLD WAR Z

An Oral History of the Zombie War

- Max Brooks -

Now I get the whole zombie craze. Now I get the questions posted in forums and on facebook status updates asking how you'd fight off a zombie? Or your preferred weapon to decap a zombie? You know the questions I'm referring to?

Part end of the world story and part zombie horror flick, this book is hard to label. It is structured like a historical textbook, looking back at WWZ or the world war against the zombies. There are facts and timelines, but mostly interviews with survivors. It was so well done I almost felt like I was reading (or in my case listening to) a true, researched, fact checked, non-fiction. Maybe even as additional reading for a history 408 class at a local college, or something. It was so good it gave me the creeps...and a slightly restless night.

What made me think it was real was the beginning. The zombies start appearing like a sickness or plague. Nobody seems to take it that seriously. Which makes sense. What government or news media is going to take stories of the undead walking around infecting people in rural China seriously? But, then when they finally do, it's too late. The plague spreads too fast to control and before you know it there are cases around the entire world.

Through the interviews we get an idea of how different places dealt with the zombies, how zombies behaved, how they could be killed, why they moaned...you get an almost scientific look into zombies. We also get many views of how the plague spread, what the world was like when it peaked, and how the survivors banned together to eventually win the war against them.

If you enjoy apocalypse books like The Postman or The Road you'll like this one. There was gruesome accounts of zombies eating guts and sick stuff like that, but, mostly the writing was about how the world changed and how the survivors were dealing with this new world.

I listened to the audiobook and have to say I think it could be better than the written one. Since the set up of the book is mostly interviews the audiobook has different voices for the different characters. That bumped it up a notch making it feel genuine and real. It felt like I was listening to the audio of a documentary.

Before hearing this book I had no knowledge of zombies, other than they make a good halloween costume, but now I feel educated. Yes, educated. One should know a bit about zombies...just in case.

Rating: READ

MINI SHOPAHOLIC

MINI SHOPAHOLIC

(#6 in the Shopaholic Series)

- Sophie Kinsella -

I believe this book, and the series, is being marketed under the wrong genre. If you go looking for this book in the bookstore you need look no further than the 'Chic-Lit' table at the front of the store, overflowing with books of similar cover. Usually with witty names and pictures of legs clad with fashionable boots. Books with little substance. Unlike its cousins, whom are full of fluffy relationship stories taking place at say, an ad agency full of houte couture fashionistas drinking Starbucks capp....oh, right, this book does contain similar things. But, there is much more! Really there is.

In reality this book is surprisingly deep. If you change your perspective a bit, it appears to be taking a harsh look at society, with a needle sharp criticism of consumerism. Which is why I believe it is worthy of another label. Kinsella, although she may not have intended for this, is a satirical genius!

Seriously, along with the outrage she elicits through her character's shopping problems she brings out a good laugh. Two things associated with good satire. The ridiculous situations brought up in these books show us, sadly, just how far consumerism / materialism have penetrated some people's lives. And, did I mention they are laugh out loud funny situations?

No part of the book highlights my theory more than the new shopping mall incident. Your typical Becky Bloomwood story, she will soon be telling at a shopaholics anonymous meeting, brought to a new level - she brings in her two year old daughter! First, she makes a deal with Luke not to shop. Then on a trip out she sees that a new shopping mall has been built and there is a grand opening; discounts, gifts, sales sales sales! She cannot resist and makes an excuse to stop. She 'needs' to buy socks for Mini. As soon as they get in the door the purchases start. They are not Becky's buys. No, they are Mini's. Becky has given her an allowance, and let her borrow on her future earnings (to teach her about budgeting). She is apparently in hock for the next twenty two years, but, it was worth it...some real bargains. Then Becky attempts to get Mini to agree to purchase a designer dress that will fit her in twenty years (but, Becky might borrow it for right now, seeing as it would be in her size). It all ends in a tantrum that bans Becky (and Mini) from a store.

Imagine, using your two year old to justify buying a dress - that is how down and out Becky has become in this book. Doesn't that just remind you of some desperate drug addicts worst story? See, change your perspective a bit and this book is deep!

Compared to the other Shopaholic books in the series this seemed funnier and more exciting...same unbelievable ending, but, that's ok sometimes. It had a great mixture of hilarious moments and character building emotional storylines. The majority of the hilarity comes from Becky's justifications for shopping and buying ungodly expensive designer things and from all the white lies she tells to solve problems she runs across. Mini, a typical two year old, has some good moments as well, involving such things as honey sandwiches and accidental e-purchases when she bangs on the laptop (as any two year old is bound to do).

The book was full of all the old characters from previous books in the series, but, there was one storyline that focused on Luke and his Mother. Giving us a bit more depth into both of their characters. Not much development with Becky, but, that's fine with me because I think she is one of the most hilarious characters on paper and I wouldn't want her to change.

RATING: READ

*I listened to this on audiobook. I have to say, it was strange to hear a Brit attempting an American accent.

DUDE, WHERE'S MY COUNTRY?

DUDE, WHERE'S MY COUNTRY?

- Michael Moore -

If even a drop of the claims Michael makes in this book are true, then my farthest flung cynical thoughts on the US are also true. Furthest flung thoughts I will stress. These are the unbelievable conspiracy theories you hear about every once in a blue moon from distant left field that sound too awful to be true. The best one: that George W. started the war in Iraq and Afghanistan to make some money on an oil pipeline or two. Imagine, one guy having that power and motivation to start a war or two for a few all mighty bucks? From the way Moore tells it, that is more or less what happened. He backs up his claim with fact after fact, and by bringing forth all of the questionable relationships Bush and his companies had with say, the Osamas? He is a master at highlighting all the hypocracy that comes up with Bush or the US government. I have to say, I would not want to be the opponent of Moore on any level of a debate. He makes a case, and he makes it sound so convincing.

This book is more or less a critical look at how George W. Bush and his government reacted after the September 11th attacks. For me, it was an eye opener. From my vantage point, being a Canadian University student, I was from another country and at a point in my life where I was so self consumed I barely recognized the scale of the events that took place. All I really remember was thinking, 'oh crud, this tighter security means I'm going to have to get a passport to get into the US to do some shopping'. This book quickly gave me a rundown of the patriot act and how the laws and rights of people were dramatically changed from a free open democracy to a secretive big brother type deal.

From there the conspiracy theories start racking up. They range from Bush starting a war for his oil pipeline deal, the news media being highjacked by right wing money, international bribery and coersion, big corporations continuing to feed citizens fear to keep the money rolling in...and on and on.

Michael brings outstanding arguments to prove his theories and after hearing them all I wholeheartedly believed him. But, then, realizing if I did believe him, the entire world would be so f*&4 up that there would really no point in believing in anything anymore; from any politician and any mainstream news company. This book is scarier than anything in the horror section.
Then to top it off, he continued for a few more chapters, drilling home how terrible the 'right' / repulican's ideas are for the country and how they get away with it all.
By the time he was through I was thinking, 'Dude, where is your country?' From Moore's perspective the US has been hijacked by a small minority of fear mongering fat cats who are brainwashing the proles into following their every word...there was an eerie moment when he quoted 1984 and every word sounded like a fact. Scary.
Luckily, I'm a border away, with universal health care, a decent minimum wage, and...a similar right leaning leader (uh, oh).
  

I have to say the writing style was grade A. Very easy to read and get into. It was set up nicely, asking question after question to really bring home the hypocracey points. I could feel my blood pressure spiking with each question posed, as I'm sure Moore intended. I also loved the humour he laced throughout the book - that sarcastic witty, sometimes absurd comedy, that I personally think is hilarious.

I want him to look into our country next. See what he can dig up on Harper?

RATING : READ

I listed to this on audiobook. I kind of wished Michael had voiced this one himself. I think it would have made the book a bit more enjoyable if you could hear Michael getting worked up.

IN A SUNBURNED COUNTRY

IN A SUNBURNED COUNTRY

- Bill Bryson -

Bill takes a trip down under and decides to share it with us. 

Guess I'd better write back.

Bill,

So, you finally made it 'down under', to the place where the toilets swirl the 'wrong' way? 
I really enjoyed your picturesque descriptions of the landscape, the water, the parks, and all of the cities and towns you visited in Australia. I thought your attempts at humour were pretty good, for the most part. I didn't actually laugh out loud, but, I would smile sometimes. I was getting worried near the end, it sounded like you were getting a bit worn out and grumpy. If fact, you sounded pretty rude - bordering on jackass - on that day in Darwin! Usually, you are pretty upbeat and positive. Did something happen, something you are not telling us about? Did you just long for the good ol' USA?

I noticed many of your comparisons were American references. Luckily, I knew who Lewis & Clark were. Sorry, you didn't understand the whole parliamentary political system. Or, the whole colonial thing. But, I really don't think there is anything wrong with Australians still wanting to be connected to Great Britain. You don't have to berate them for not wanting to be a 'real' country. Us Canadian's are like that. We like having a Queen. It's just for traditional sake anyway.

Along with that, just wondering why you commented on the Australians being 'self consumed' just for having a section in the used bookstore called Australiana. Oh Bill, I've been to your country, and let me tell you, if one country is self consumed it's you guys.

I'm sure you were just having a bad day. Or were you lonely? It didn't sound like you made any new friends, or even talked to more than half a dozen people. Before you left, I thought you said you were going to get a real feel for the country and the people...what happened to the people part? I told you, you've gotta take me next time. I'll talk to people and get the real scoop on the country. I bet your head was probably just stuck in one your books again. All that reading sure paid off eh? I know more about Australian history and geography than one needs to know in a lifetime thanks to you. You do a good job of explaining it too. Perhaps you'd consider a teaching job at the local college instead of this writing thing. You'd be great at it! Trust me.

Oh, I heard you baseball team is doing good this year. Didn't take up cricket yet (haha)? I'm going to have to have a debate with you next time we get together about that; you really think baseball is more exciting than cricket? They are almost the same pace when compared to hockey!

Hey, what was up with your lack of writing on the Aborigines? You snuck in a few teasers about how they have a long long long and rich history, and how there were tons of modern day problems. Now, I'm no editor but, those sounded like they'd make for some great reading.
Um, not meaning to sound too frank (or rude in any way), and I'm hoping this comes across as constructive criticism for your next international travel book. The whole tone of this book made you sound like the stereotypical 'American' tourist. You know what I mean? Where anything not like America is somehow inferior. You just made way too many comments about Australia being backwards or outdated 'like 1950's America'. I found the only genuine sounding comment you made about the people was when you said something along the lines of how they walk in a casual, yet confident way, like Americans. Anyway, you know being Canadian I have an inferiority complex with you guys, so I'm probably blowing this thing out of proportion. Sorry.
I would enjoy hearing more of your travels. I understand you have another account of your trip through the Appalachian mountains. Sounds like a blast.
Well, the wife and kids are good. Planning a trip to Disney next winter, I'll send you my review of it, let you criticize the heck out of it ;)

Sincerely, Bookworm Smith

**I listened to this audiobook. It was read by Bill Bryson himself.

WIKILEAKS

WIKILEAKS

- David Leigh and Luke Harding -

Ok, I didn't actually 'read' this book. I listened to it. Yep, my first audiobook experience, and I'm am still amazed at the guy who read me the book. He rambled on for 11 hours without once making a mistake, taking a sip of water, coughing, clearing his throat, falling asleep, sneezing...nothing. I barely make it through a chapter of Easy Read Level 1 while reading to my daughter at night without a couple of mistakes, a dry cough or two, and on some nights a thirty second nap.

Back to my audio experience: I've been listening to 'talk' radio for years now. I've flipped and flopped between bbcworldservice (for international news with a British twist) and cbcradio (for that Canadian experience). I'm accustomed to listening to informative documentaries while I type away doing 'work'. Listening to WikiLeaks was similar, just on a much bigger scale. Typical radio documentaries are only ten minutes, maybe fifteen at the most. WikiLeaks, by comparison, was 11 hours long! And, it was so good I was disappointed when it ended. Not only because it was interesting, but, because I was not expecting the end to come on disc 8. There are 10 discs in the container. The last two are readings of the appendix! Some appendix eh?!

The story was part Assange biography, part hacker handbook, and part open source manifesto.

If you have not paid any attention to international media in the past few years you may not have heard about all the drama surrounding WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. Quick summary: Assange was a computer hacker who wanted to bring more openness to the world. His heroic idea would bring about public information actually being public. No more hidden government memos showing corruptions scandals. No more covered up human rights violations..stuff like that. He ended up creating the 'whistleblowing' website WikiLeaks. Some notable highlights include a trove of reports and videos from both the (second) Iraq war and the Afghanistan war, confirming torture and civilian killings...stuff like that. The peak is when the site gains access to a million US diplomatic memos, letters, reports, etc from all of the US embassies across the world. Most of the reports are just embarrassing stuff, like Diplomats making unflattering remarks about some dictator or some country's president. But, there were also more serious things on security, economies, China...stuff like that.
The book takes a look at everything with a microscope. Right from the beginning we are bombarded with wide ranging fact. Facts about Assange, his childhood, his Mother, his Father, the communities he lived in...it was obvious the writers were very in depth reporters...but, this kind of all encompassing fact gathering mission worked well as the story progressed. Everything about Wikileaks was very complicated. You needed to know a bit about computer hacking culture, how encryption worked, how the US military stored information, a bit about international law, how internet servers worked, the politics of the Iraq war...a huge hodgepodge of things. That is why 11 hours did not seem to be enough time to leave me feeling satisfied that I knew the entire story.
I thought I had a general idea of the Wikileaks scandal from random news reports I'd heard over the past year or two. I knew that Assange was, right now, holed up in the Guatemalan or Ecuadorian embassy in the UK, still fighting extradition charges from the accused rape charges. But, as it turns out, I did not know 1/100th of the story. This book really brought it all together, made the whole Assange and Wikileaks connection make sense. Made the conspiracy theories about the US wanting to extradite Assange and lock him up in Cuba actually believable. After reading this book I feel like an educated world citizen, with a valid opinion on this headlining news story. What a great feeling.

I did really enjoy listening to this book, however, I think it might have been a little easier to follow all the technical explanations and short form codes if I were reading the book. There is a lot of jargon; a lot of explanations on how hackers can use FTP portals and PFP encryption. There were a lot of shortforms used for people, places, file names. It got a bit overwhelming, especially since I was multitasking.

Rating: READ/LISTEN TO