tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196485682024-03-09T20:46:26.349-06:00Rememorandomlogankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.comBlogger774125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-63397304790648549052013-11-13T21:08:00.004-06:002013-11-13T21:08:37.062-06:00The Time Before the Time Before NowOn June 21, the senior environmental engineer of the MLC* quit. Unexpectedly. I walked in to work on that Friday, my then manager caught me before I had a chance to start my day, and told me the news. He also gave me a promotion, a new job title (staff environmental engineer), and a pay raise. I was moving from the environmental field that I loved and had training in--water & waste--into a field that I had little relevant training and little love for--air. <br />
<br />
Air pollution is a beast. The rules and regulations are overly complex. The redundancy is ridiculous. I had no desire to enter air, but then I was there. Now, almost 5 months later, the senior position still has not been filled and the projects keep stacking up. I'm surprised to find that I actually enjoy some of the air side of things, though water is still my desired field.<br />
<br />
Additionally, launching <a href="http://www.encounterowensboro.org/">Encounter Community Church</a> back in August has equally added to my day-to-day. It's something I'm passionate about--making disciples who make disciples--enough so that I'm staking my claim on the words of the One who established The Church. Disciple making was Jesus' primary objective on earth. It was important to Him, obviously, or He wouldn't have brought it up in His last statements before He went back to Heaven. ECC is going strong and God is blessing us and I'm thankful to be a part of it.<br />
<br />
But what sucks is the timedrain that's been applied. My hour commute added with my long work days added with ECC work leaves me drained. Me being drained unfortunately results in my family being neglected. I treasure the time I get to spend with Keisha and Avonlea and Callum. I love my family so much and I miss them when I'm not home. I need to be a better husband, a better father. I need to efficiently spend my time with them when I'm home. I'm aware of the issue and I sincerely believe that it's a temporary thing, but I also realize that I have to stay on top of it or else I'll become yet another zombie enslaved to the consumer, self-serving culture. Godspeed to me, I say.<br />
<br />
That's where I'm at. That's where I've been. That's why my blog is sidelined, cause at the end of the day this thing is just an electronic archive of my life, a digital record for the future me to look back upon and read. Just like taking a picture or recording a video is great and all, but if
taking a picture comes at the expense of actually missing the event,
then what's the point? A picture is a memory. A picture for a
picture's sake is not a memory at all. There is the functional purpose of book reviews here on <i>Rememorandom</i>, but that's a mere corollary to the intent. <br />
<br />
And I'm all about living intentionally, living honestly, openly, sincerely, unashamed and unafraid. I hope you are, too. logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-55903288248500232972013-09-20T23:03:00.000-05:002013-09-20T23:03:20.726-05:00The Handmaid's Tale, a Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTQq4Ju14IeetZNqsgQCnouzLyUw4IzYZVOo34dOCirfJRqTsP9JJpYKy0P13-WCckSO5LsO2-xm-8kH04GsK4pAFZWX78EjzdTeTpYmSJr3F79rx_bfRYZbzWZJxtW1qvimhKA/s1600/handmaidstale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTQq4Ju14IeetZNqsgQCnouzLyUw4IzYZVOo34dOCirfJRqTsP9JJpYKy0P13-WCckSO5LsO2-xm-8kH04GsK4pAFZWX78EjzdTeTpYmSJr3F79rx_bfRYZbzWZJxtW1qvimhKA/s320/handmaidstale.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
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Even though it’s been a few weeks since I finished Margaret
Atwood’s <i>The Handmaid’s Tale</i>, I see
Offred’s story in my mind still, like a ripe tangerine split open and glossy in
the midsummer’s morning. I see her, in
her red burka like outfit, white wings as blinders on her face. She’s tragic.
Defeated. Her loss is
gut-wrenching. How she once had a life—a
Life—so normal, just like everybody else.
Married. A daughter. A job.
Happy. But all of that was in a
time before the overthrow, before the government was decimated, before the
regime took control and installed a patriarchal society. Women’s rights were gone.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Just like that.</div>
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Margaret Atwood’s <i>The Handmaid’s
Tale</i> is a classic dystopia that is devastating for its simplicity. As often is the case in this genre, specifics
aren’t exactly forthcoming, but there is enough worldbuilding put together to
discern what’s happened. The book is a
quasi-stream-of-consciousness novel chronicling the life of an unnamed Handmaid. The plot slowly reveals information about her
life before she became a Handmaid, and much of this book is melancholic in
recollection.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The way the sun would shine and cast a reflection on a man’s
hair and send her spiraling backwards, remembering the way he looked in his
mundane world. How he sounded. How he smelled. And pages and paragraphs disjointed but
connected, a weird juxtaposition that works well, especially as the frame
becomes more aware. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Interestingly enough, the Handmaid’s tale never grows stale,
and that’s largely due to Atwood’s superior skills as a writer and
storyteller. The language is
powerful. The imagery is rich. (I really liked what she did with colors in
this book.) The message is a touch
heavy-handed (it’s satirical) and required some strong suspension of disbelief
on my part (I’m a Realistic altruist to a certain degree), but her point was
well made. I was affronted by the male
portrayal throughout the book on many occasions, but her point is conceivably
possible.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So what exactly is <i>The
Handmaid’s Tale</i>? It’s a simple story
about a woman’s struggle to survive in the world. She wrestles with past mistakes, with guilt,
with a constant fear of death, with God, with many things most of us can relate
to. It’s a bleak picture of what America
could become if things went absolutely cat-whiskers crazy. It’s an absolutely makes-you-wanna-bawl kind
of book if you have a two year old daughter (like I do). It’s a funny kind of novel that elicits the
occasional chuckle.</div>
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Honestly, <a href="" name="_GoBack"></a><i>The Handmaid’s Tale</i> is novel that’s both striking and
entertaining. I believe Atwood was more
concerned about the moral of the story than the actual plot, but both were well
done. <i>The Handmaid’s Tale</i> is a modern classic that may seem uninspired in
this modern world of dystopias, but it’s a book that deserves its accolades
and, at least in my opinion, deserves a read.
<b>Boldly recommended.</b></div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-6182691337726206622013-09-06T08:47:00.002-05:002013-09-06T08:47:11.671-05:00No Subject<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
This is how I like dealing with spam. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Hello,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How are you doing?please I'm sorry
for taking a little of your time,please I have an important issue I will like
to share with you concerning my inheritance and character of my wicked Uncles
that wants to kill me to enrich themselves.On hearing from you on my email
address and i will give you more details.<br />
Have a nice day.Sincerely,alexa oko</span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dearest Alexa,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh my goodness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>I</b> can’t
believe you’ve finally found me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve
been searching for you for years, ever since our wicked Uncles initiated the
coup and seized control of our dearest city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However <b>did </b>you obtain my electronic mail address?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I lost many good men in <b>try</b>ing to maintain
its secrecy, and yet I see that the wretchedness of our Uncles is once again
superior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They quite simply must stop it
at once.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I no longer have the time or
energy <b>to</b> fight this struggle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
haggard and bedraggled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve not had a
warm meal in months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This gruel I
commandeer from a kindly but portly Middle Eastern baker down the street is all
that keeps me going, at least in terms of nutrition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At night I <b>lie </b>awake and devise schemes of
destruction, of sneaking into our Uncles compounds at night and setting free
the Fires of Heaven, of covering them in raw meats and releasing a pack of dogs
upon their wicked souls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh yes, <b>I</b> have
dreams and take mortal delight in them each and every night my dearest
Alexa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fear that my mind has been bent
beyond what is acceptable; no longer <b>am </b>I the innocent child I was when I
played upon the bloodred waters of my homeland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I am a scarred individual with ruthlessness <b>with</b>in<b> </b>my bones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is, I think, the most evil of all the
heinous crimes our wicked Uncles have done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For I’m sure you remember me when I was the embodiment of pure naiveté
and innocence, ever clothed in white, ever surrounded by butterflies and <b>the
</b>sweet aroma of the primrose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How they
have wronged me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How they have wronged
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And now they are seeking to kill
you and enrich thems<b>elves</b>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh the
humanity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thanks for the update.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Take care!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have a nice day yourself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sincerely, logankstewart </div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-55697893162423121432013-08-29T10:39:00.000-05:002013-08-29T10:39:03.748-05:00The Things They Carried, a Review<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHh-g2ru7ZzBfAk6VHU5Gf4qZXlNEogCI1hrwrQmKdPG9t3LU3ZW4VOWGZeYbHrdY3Q5TfVOQTldiYVg-DkRoBYJ_kzcZsUXxyVeejNF_SyWX96jivPSl6Idzk-C4Vl9Ervp2cCw/s1600/thethingstheycarried.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHh-g2ru7ZzBfAk6VHU5Gf4qZXlNEogCI1hrwrQmKdPG9t3LU3ZW4VOWGZeYbHrdY3Q5TfVOQTldiYVg-DkRoBYJ_kzcZsUXxyVeejNF_SyWX96jivPSl6Idzk-C4Vl9Ervp2cCw/s320/thethingstheycarried.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
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<i>The Things They Carried</i>, by Tim O’Brien, is one of those books that I found out about in college. It was a humanities class with an emphasis on cultural diversity and whatnot. We had to read several excerpts from all sorts of literature, and the excerpt (and idea) from <i>The Things They Carried</i> made enough of an impact with me that I decided that I’d like to read the entire book. The excerpt talked about the things that Vietnam soldiers carried with them, like drugs, letters, photographs, ammunition, lucky charms, and sundries. The exact weights and how this bore on the soldiers as they made their way across foreign lands. <br /><br />Now, five years later, I’ve finally read it. <br /><br />It was a whim. I was in the midst of five other books, kind of a lull, honestly, and I found myself in my den looking over my bookshelf. So many things on that shelf that I need to get to. Not sure why, but I pulled out the 250-page paperback and flipped through it. Why not? <br /><br />That night, as I was rocking Callum to tentative sleep, I started reading O’Brien’s novel/memoir. I was immediately pulled in, and a day or two later I was finished with the thing. I kept telling Keisha that I needed to look up some stuff afterwards, to see what was Real and what wasn’t. I kept re-reading the Title Page: <i>The Things They Carried</i>, a work of fiction by Tim O’Brien. <br /><br />That’s part of the beauty of <i>The Things They Carried</i>. O’Brien is writing this as a memoir, but it’s much more than that, too. The book is essentially a collection of war stories (lies? narrative essays?) about Vietnam. The lines between fiction and truth are blurry. This is intentional. O’Brien is blatant about this, giving the Reader an odd sort of feeling as to just how reliable the narrator is. <br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
O’Brien is concerned with Story. The book offers several asides on what defines a story, seamless and meta and over-the-top but perfect. “Forty-three years old, and the war occurred half a lifetime ago, and yet the remembering makes it now. And sometimes remembering will lead to a story, which makes it forever. That’s what stories are for. Stories are for joining the past to the future. Stories are for those late hours in the night when you can’t remember how you got from where you were to where you are. Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story.” (Page 38) </blockquote>
Anyone concerned with telling a story, let alone putting fingertips to keyboards and translating it, would do to read O’Brien’s book. <br /><br />Overall, Tim O’Brien’s <i>The Things They Carried</i> was a wonderful, unexpected book. Out of my normal distribution of genre/non-fic, I could barely put the thing down. I still find myself thinking about some of the stories O’Brien told. If you’ve never read this book, I definitely can recommend it to anyone. The topic is war, which may be offputting, but then again it’s not really about the war, either. Highly recommended.</div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-53083886306020835482013-08-02T15:02:00.001-05:002013-08-02T15:02:23.938-05:00Leaving Church<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I was asked earlier this year to pray about a decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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It was difficult and painful.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But I prayed and I saw what the Spirit was doing, if only a
glimpse.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Moreso, I saw what could be.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And I made my choice.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Keisha came to the same decision.</div>
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<br /></div>
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On Sunday, July 13, we left the church.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Well… we left the local church body we were part of, which
isn’t to say The Church.</div>
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No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God forbid.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Instead, we are joining a group of followers who are going
to plant a church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re all willing to
shuck norms and instead actively engage in the call to discipleship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We long to become fully devoted followers of </div>
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Christ, and we long for others to do likewise.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I miss the former body I partnered with, but Jesus said
following Him would require sacrifice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Me, I’m willing to sacrifice anything for the Murdered One
who died for me.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I’m willing to do whatever it takes.</div>
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For whoever will listen.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Wherever He leads me.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Forever.</div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-80558835232051315712013-07-03T13:08:00.002-05:002013-07-03T13:11:11.569-05:00The Riyria Revelations (Full Series Review)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Michael J. Sullivan was/is a self-published author who was so
successful at his craft that a traditional publishing house (Orbit) bought up
his books and re-issued them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These six
books were split into three omnibuses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Riyria Revelations</b> tells a
spectacular story that is instantly familiar and yet completely different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Crown Conspiracy,</i> the Reader is introduced to a duo of thieves—Royce
Melbourn and Hadrian Blackwater—who are hired to steal a sword from an
impenetrable fortress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little did they
know that this action would set off a series of events that would change the
course of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the way they
meet princesses, warlords, pirates, monks, magicians, and all sorts of colorful
characters.</div>
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Indeed, characterization is but one of the strengths of the
series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Royce and Hadrian are complex
characters, thieves of renown who are exceptional at what they do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They each have a rich history that slowly comes
to light over the course of the novels, and I can’t help but think that this is
part of the meaning behind the series’ title.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The two are simultaneously funny and lethal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their banter is a joy to read, and their
escapades are entertaining.</div>
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While character is vital to a good story, plot is
integral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sullivan tells a matter-of-fact
story, one that is not filled with flowery language nor is it devoid of
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each novel is a complete book in
itself, satisfying to read without leaving the Reader too dependent upon
cliffhangers, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is an
over-arching story, of course, and I can’t imagine anyone reading any single
book of this set without wanting to read the rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The books are quick reads and pacing is never
slow.</div>
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World-building is top notch here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like Royce and Hadrian, the history
of the world grows with each novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old empire
fell hundreds of years ago, and in its wake several independent kingdoms
arose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imperialists look to rebuild the
empire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nationalists seek
democracy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Royalists prefer a monarchy
to rule over them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These factions
provide plenty of room for conflict, as do the religions that accompany the various peoples.</div>
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I’m trying to think of shortcomings but am failing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Michael J. Sullivan’s books are tight stories
with intense action and wonderful characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Tropes appear and disappear, sometimes subverted, sometimes not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The conclusion is breathtaking and exciting.</div>
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Do I recommend <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The
Riyria Revelations</b>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let me put it
this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I let my brother borrow the
first volume.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He tore through it, and
then when he found out that I didn’t (yet) have the second volume (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rise of </i><i>Empire</i>) he went out to buy
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead he wound up with the third (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Heir of Novron</i>) because the bookstore
was sold out of the second book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
ordered <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rise of Empire</i> from Amazon
and proceeded to read it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile my
brother re-read <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Crown Conspiracy</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said he “liked it as much—or better—than
Patrick Rothfuss.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I gave him the second
book and he’s since read each one of them multiple times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s some rather high praise for Mr.
Sullivan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Praise that’s absolutely
worthy.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Riyria
Revelations</b> are safe novels that I can recommend to any person with a
passing interest in fantasy fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
would be a great place to start for a fledgling reader into genre fiction, but
they also are great for old salts, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
very much look forward to reading more of Michael J. Sullivan’s work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<br />logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-12065600430028224612013-06-28T15:20:00.001-05:002013-06-28T15:20:45.976-05:00Josh Ritter Concert (The Mercy Lounge 6/27/2013)I finally got around to seeing Josh Ritter in concert. The few times he's came close enough I've had other things going on and have never been able to make it. Last night, Mr. Ritter, along with the Royal City Band and the Milk Carton Kids, rolled in to Nashville. Fate aligned and I found myself there.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Venue: The Mercy Lounge</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Status: SRO, hot, front of the stage spot</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Opening Band: Milk Carton Kids</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Main Act: Josh Ritter</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Time: 8:00pm</div>
<br />
Having already witnessed the Americana sounds of the Milk Carton Kids twice before, I was very much looking forward to seeing the duo again last night. Their new album came out a few months back, so they played several new songs. Even more, they played plenty of tracks from their first two records. Additionally their stage presence was more refined. Witty banter. Audience interaction. The MCKs played just under an hour and quietly stepped aside for Josh Ritter to come up. (I would have loved for them to have played a little longer, but alas...)<br />
<br />
Josh sent out an email a few months ago giving some insight to his new album <i>The Beast in Its Tracks</i>. Josh was going through a messy divorce with plenty of pain and anguish. To anyone who's listened to it, it's obvious. So I was expecting Josh to be a bit somber last night. Instead, he burst onto the stage hopping around with one of the widest-most-genuine smiles I've ever seen on someone. He was like a subdued Thom Yorke. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQ7txFovH8NcImHP09NQCQiR_OkoghwyCVxdF6iWqvhY-RobXXcZn_geyzcNW4XJ8FMu4yjNvczVSKx3IRPOPe0etUpS0rrrnKo-_OjKYT5MWdN7QjY_1WBH1wNWksTPY9O_1-w/s1600/IMG-20130627-00082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQ7txFovH8NcImHP09NQCQiR_OkoghwyCVxdF6iWqvhY-RobXXcZn_geyzcNW4XJ8FMu4yjNvczVSKx3IRPOPe0etUpS0rrrnKo-_OjKYT5MWdN7QjY_1WBH1wNWksTPY9O_1-w/s320/IMG-20130627-00082.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of craziness. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This energy was felt in the crowd. Everyone on the stage looked like they were having a blast, dancing, singing, laughing. I heard Josh yell to the bassist between verses of one song, "This is awesome." And I think he meant it. Being right in front of the stage, his charisma was infectious. Despite the heat and packed-like-sardines crowd, I had a blast.<br />
<br />
Highlights? The whole thing. "Kathleen," one of my favorites, was played, and Josh let the crowd sing a chunk of it. That was fun. In "Wolves" Josh got down on the stage and howled, which was funny. "The Temptation of Adam" was in the encore, which was awesome, cause I didn't expect to hear that one. He sang "Galahad" and laughed through it. His setlist was long, about an hour-and-a-half. I got a pick from the stage (actually Leigha picked one up for me and one up for Dustin). <br />
<br />
Perhaps the best praise I can say is that of all the concerts I've been to (<a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/p/concerts.html">here</a>), this would rank as one of the most fun. I've been to some great shows, but being this close to the stage paired with the energy, wow. An awesome show.<br />
<br />
If you're not familiar with Josh Ritter (for shame), you can listen to some of his music <a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/2011/04/temptation-of-adam.html">here</a> and <a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-curse-cover.html">here</a>.logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-8647416031400443052013-05-22T09:09:00.000-05:002013-05-22T09:09:28.369-05:00Calico Joe, a Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDURvRpXvMyrNoHuPCxFwa-6PlK4pwQK9Mj3rKQSzozlfU7Ua5ubF5pgwBMy_E6BFx3ZaXJWtJoIZYo3DM3kI4wBiX6snt1XcVRdgA2cU8LjcJZWVVlEOmDbTh3SjoZ9_kdtx-w/s1600/calicojoe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiDURvRpXvMyrNoHuPCxFwa-6PlK4pwQK9Mj3rKQSzozlfU7Ua5ubF5pgwBMy_E6BFx3ZaXJWtJoIZYo3DM3kI4wBiX6snt1XcVRdgA2cU8LjcJZWVVlEOmDbTh3SjoZ9_kdtx-w/s320/calicojoe.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<i> Calico Joe</i> is a novel by John Grisham.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to keep flipping the book to the front
cover to remind myself of that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
matter how much truth is blended into the story, the fact remains that the book
is a novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book is probably one
that I never would have picked up on my own, but my buddy Jordan purchased me a
copy and gave it to me to read, lauding it as a good story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not wanting to put Jordan off for too long, I
picked up the short book and started as soon as I finished <a href="http://www.logankstewart.blogspot.com/2013/05/humble-orthodoxy-review.html">what I had been reading</a>.</div>
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<i>Calico Joe</i> is, on the surface, a story about baseball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joe Castle was an up-and-coming baseball
star, shattering records and making fans all across the nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul Tracey, at eleven years old, was
obsessed with the game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His dad, Warren
Tracey, was a pitcher for the New York Mets, and from an early age Paul loved
the game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But Warren was a lousy father,
often drunk and abusive and critical of everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul loved his dad but hated him, and this is
the true crux of the novel.</div>
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The book is formatted into a memoir style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One chapter is present day, with an odd
first-person-limited view being told in present tense action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paul is older now, married with
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next chapter is a
flashback to mid-century America, past tense jarringly obvious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This format works, though I did find its
methodology peculiar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless, the
presentation accomplishes the story Grisham is telling.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The action here is subdued, with a foreseeable climax and a
lengthy denouement that’s entirely appropriate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The mood is tragic—Paul’s childhood was terrible—but the Reader is never
all-out distraught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story is
remarkably simple, but it’s also very accessible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grisham tends to do this well, writing prose
that hooks the Reader on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Maybe that’s
why I read pretty much all of his novels in middle and high school?)</div>
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I enjoyed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Calico Joe</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I’ve already stated, it was a simple
story, but its simplicity made it effective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The book is especially recommended for folks with daddy issues, or also
for people that like reading “coming of age” books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Baseball fans will undoubtedly love <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Calico Joe</i>, although I suspect that
hardcore fanatics may jump at some of the liberties Grisham took.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Calico
Joe </i>is a quick read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book
handles the familiar themes of love, forgiveness, and death reasonably well,
making an impact as much as to be expected by a popular fiction author.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you want a summer read that’s appropriate
for all sorts of Americana, check out John Grisham’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Calico Joe</i>.</div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-89914112387290453942013-05-17T12:22:00.001-05:002013-05-17T12:22:45.617-05:00Humble Orthodoxy, a Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Humble Orthodoxy</i>,
by Joshua Harris, is a concise booklet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It has only four chapters, spanning just 60 pages*. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, with those 60 pages, Harris writes
about a message absolutely relevant to Christians today, and that’s one
concerning love.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Humble Orthodoxy</i>
is a follow-up book to Harris’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dug Down
Deep </i>(reviewed <a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/2011/12/dug-down-deep-review.html">here</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s practical
and to the point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Chapter One, “Your
Attitude Matters,” Harris lays the groundwork for why this book is important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too often, Christians are either too humble
or too orthodox, and each camp is plagued with problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harris writes,</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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“Christians need to have a strong commitment to sound
doctrine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need to be courageous in
our stand for biblical truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we
also need to be gracious in our words and interaction with other people.” (p.
3,4)</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
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Harris takes no credit for the term <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">humble orthodoxy</i>, but his teaching on the topic is nevertheless powerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s refreshing that’s he’s candid, for he,
too, has much room for improvement.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This book packs a punch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My copy is filled with underlines and stars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The message is humbling (intentional pun!)
and challenging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Harris makes his point,
and at least to me, it’s one that I am trying hard to infiltrate in my
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pride is insidious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s toxic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s detrimental to the gospel and it’s keeping millions of people in
sin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want my life ruled by pride
or by my own personal truths/agendas, and Joshua Harris’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Humble Orthodoxy</i> is an excellent resource to help combat that.</div>
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I highly recommend Harris’ little book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Humble Orthodoxy</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It offers
a message that each and every Christian needs to hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A message on humility is not a fun message,
nor is one on orthodoxy, but they are messages that are still important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pray that God works in my heart to make it
more aligned with His truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to
have genuine love and compassion for each person I encounter in my life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to also hold fast to the Truth that
God has revealed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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* There’s an additional study guide section in the back.</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
FTC Thingy: This book was delivered on the wings of a three-winged Pegasus, festooned with spring rolls and lucky Vegas dice. It also was delivered free of charge in exchange for my honest (to goodness) review. I was not obligated to review this book positively, nor was I obligated to feed the Pegasus my last Oreo cookie, either, though I did manage to do both. </div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-42294399718204029942013-05-06T15:27:00.000-05:002013-05-06T15:27:32.436-05:00Red Country, a Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Shy South is a foul-mouthed piece of barbed wire layered
thick over a sandpapered-yet-beating heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her
life consists mostly of tending her farm, along with her step-dad (Lamb), her
two siblings, and a ranch hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she
and Lamb return from a trip to town to find their farm burnt to the ground, the
ranch hand hanged, and the children missing, Shy’s life changes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Temple is a man of many professions, most recently employed
as a lawyer to a gang of ruthless mercenaries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Temple always takes the easy road in life, no matter the cost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the years of this taking the easy road
are catching up with Temple, and sooner or later something will have to give.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red Country</i> is Joe
Abercrombie’s sixth book in the world of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The
First Law</b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"></span>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Years have passed since
the original trilogy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Union is ever
growing, expanding to the prairies and empty lands of the Near Country and the
Far Country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dark skinned Ghosts attack
with the wind, quick and sneaky, eager to cut the ears off of trespassers on
their lands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through this wild and
untamed country Shy follows a trail, stopping at nothing to get back her
brother and sister.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I find it interesting that Abercrombie, a master of trope
subversion, falls back on a rather clichéd incident for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red Country</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A burning
farm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kidnapped children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is nothing original to the Western
genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nevertheless, taking these tropes
and placing them in the blurred fantasy world Abercrombie does yield some
entertaining reading, albeit flawed.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It seems like many people enjoy Abercrombie’s gritty Realism
feel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like that style to a degree, but
this is not the predominant reason I like his books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, this was what I rather disliked with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Best Served Cold</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Abercrombie writes characters who are amoral
and wretched, often portrayed with little-to-no redeeming qualities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Altruism does not exist in his world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of this, the reading is often heavy
and bleak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I like about
Abercombie’s world is his worldbuilding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The history is mysterious and deep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The magic is barely there, but enough to keep me intrigued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m okay with shady characters, but I really
connect with the worldbuilding.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red Country</i> is a
Western and it’s a Fantasy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been a
fan of Westerns for a good portion of my life (at least through film).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I like the slow pacing of a Western, the
simplicity of the plot, the landscapes and colors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red
Country </i>was slow (almost too slow, honestly) when it needed to be, but the
action was intense whenever presented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Abercrombie did a wonderful job of painting the untamed countryside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He even did a great job blending this genre
into his already developed universe.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So after all of this, I can’t help but feel a little
disappointed with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red Country</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some ways it was anticlimactic, as if
Abercrombie matter-of-factly orchestrates events for these characters with
little fanfare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also somewhat
underwhelmed with Shy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It felt like she
was reluctant to open up to even herself, and throughout her POV chapters I
often felt as a viewer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Temple, on the
other hand, was engaging and much more interesting.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Despite some disappointment, I still very much enjoyed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red Country</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It improved upon the bleak, violence that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Best Served Cold</i> (my review <a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/2010/03/best-served-cold-review-spoiler-free.html">here</a>) offered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also had a more interesting plot than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Heroes</i> (my review <a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/2011/07/heroes-review.html">here</a>), even if the action was less
intense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, Joe Abercrombie
knows how to craft an entertaining story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>More importantly, he knows how to keep me interested enough to read more
of his works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can only hope to get a little
more information about the Fantasy side of his universe with future books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give me some magic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just a little bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And stop making everything so bleak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Red
Country </i>probably isn’t for everyone (especially people that despise
Westerns), but it is a worthy addition to Abercrombie’s growing catalog.</div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-51637728454434185202013-04-26T15:09:00.000-05:002013-04-26T15:09:02.692-05:00Album Review: Love Has Come for You, Steve Martin & Edie BrickellThis review was written by request. A friend emailed me a link to John Scalzi's blog post about the album (<a href="http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/04/25/i-have-stuff-to-do-today-so-heres-steve-martin-and-edie-brickells-new-album/">here</a>) and demanded a review. I obliged, being a fan of bluegrass and a self-proclaimed reviewer of life. So here ya go, Bill!<br />
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Steve Martin is an adept banjo player. He's also acclaimed for several other things. Edie Breckell is, according to Google, Paul Simon's wife, and also a folk singer that I've never heard of. The two collaborated and released <i>Love Has Come for You</i>, a relatively tame but entertaining bluegrass album. I've reviewed this like an anthology, critiquing each track. Also, you can listen to the entire album on Youtube right now by clicking <a href="http://youtu.be/0aAy6YPCe-4">here</a>.</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<b>When You Get to Asheville</b> – A gentle opening track, perfect
for a sunrise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The banjo work is
reminiscent of the sounds I can hear when walking through the Appalachian
hills, accompanied by a voice made for country/bluegrass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The song stays mellow and begs for a
crescendo but we’re left wanting.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Get Along Stray Dog – A faster rag, almost Arabic sounding
in the middle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is what comes to
mind when thinking about Martin’s bluegrass songs, light-hearted and fun.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Love Has Come For You – Brickell’s voice really hits the
twang here, gushing on love for a newborn baby that was at first unwanted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Style is similar to the opening track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the title track, which definitely
sets the tone for the album up to this point.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Friend of Mine – Relatively unremarkable.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Siamese Cat </b>– Haha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Great opening line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This song
rises above the minimalist style that has been apparent so far, adding some
“ooh-la-las” and more background music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Still leaves me wanting to hear a more robust sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do like the story this song tells.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Yes She Did </b>– The darkest song that’s been on the album so
far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A mother, married to a drunk,
throws herself in the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s
pretty much it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no musing, just
matter-of-fact presentation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kind of how
a lot of old timey folk/bluegrass music does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A short lick that’s catchy.</div>
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<b>Sarah Jane and the Iron Mountain Baby </b>– More upbeat and fun,
with a chorus that has Martin (presumably?) lending a vocal harmony to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually heard this song first on the
Bluegrass Junction Sirius station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
twang shines here, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another fun
song.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Fighter </b>– I like the beat of this song, and the minor chords
really add to the mood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is one of
my favorite tracks on the record.</div>
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<br /></div>
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King of Boys – This is a bit on the ethereal side, just
slightly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some reverb might sound pretty
cool here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cello work in the
background is a nice addition, too.</div>
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<br /></div>
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She’s Gonna Shine – An optimistic song, which is
increasingly rare in the bluegrass genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A simple song, but nonetheless pleasant.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Who You Gonna Take? – No.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well… the opening is annoying, but the song improves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The music is perfectly fitting, but I just
don’t like this style of talk-repetitive stuff.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Shawnee</b> – The chorus has a line that says, “You know my
creepy cousin with the handlebar moustache?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He opened up a cold one and sat down on my lap.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great music work and fun lyrics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nice beat, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of my favorites on the album.</div>
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Remember Me This Way – A suitable ending to the record.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The song has a bit of finality to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing special here.</div>
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The focus of the album is obviously Martin’s banjo work and
Brickell’s vocals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Martin plays a
five-finger traditional style banjo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
work is tight and polished and completely traditional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brickell sings with a powerful voice, but not
explosive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her voice is heavy on the
twang, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Together the two create some great sounds.<br /><br /> Overall,<i> Love Has Come for You</i> is an easily accessible bluegrass album. It does a good job of hitting the traditional mountain music sounds, but it also does a pretty good job of telling some modern stories, too. There are a few notable highlights, but some songs that fall into obscurity, too. If you’re looking to try something different, <i>Love Has Come for You </i>is probably not it. But if you’re looking for some polished studio work and a solid bluegrass record, especially with a head nod to Appalachian music, look no further than this album.</div>
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See also the Rolling Stone review (3-star) <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/love-has-come-for-you-20130423">here</a>.</div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-63225969009404265072013-04-15T12:15:00.000-05:002013-04-15T12:15:02.372-05:00I Don't Want to Kill You, a Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6wtuM9L_iJ_fbD7EUQFQpNhtjBYVr_dRqq8or-ve-RbxpTz_8HQWSmBmKGpRWnBkZulKvTBYF62tO605bMpODgB9b3OdOANuCdYLQf-9F8DFpLhwIlFBLcAXIoIEneA5F3YKDWQ/s1600/9780765328441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6wtuM9L_iJ_fbD7EUQFQpNhtjBYVr_dRqq8or-ve-RbxpTz_8HQWSmBmKGpRWnBkZulKvTBYF62tO605bMpODgB9b3OdOANuCdYLQf-9F8DFpLhwIlFBLcAXIoIEneA5F3YKDWQ/s320/9780765328441.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
John Wayne Cleaver is a sixteen year old diagnosed
sociopath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His obsession with serial
killers and death make him a bit of an outcast, as does the fact that his mom
owns the county mortuary, but John is okay being an outcast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John lacks empathy, after all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And a man without empathy is a dangerous man,
especially one with a dark side like John.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Don’t Want to Kill
You</i>, the final book of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">John
Cleaver</b> series by Dan Wells, is a satisfying conclusion to the dark and
twisted story Wells has created.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clayton
County has experienced a fair deal of death recently, ever since the harrowing
Clayton Killer left a string of bodies two years back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John Cleaver, now a junior in high school, is
still struggling with his dark side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even more of a struggle is dealing with the terrible secret he knows
about the serial killers, a secret that some people want to keep hidden.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I can’t say much about this book without spoiling the
previous two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The short of it is that
Dan Wells has created a dark but remarkable protagonist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John is instantly accessible in that his
thoughts and feelings are things all teenagers experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dialogue is poignant rather than cringeworthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Action is tense rather than passive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>John is a flawed character that the Reader
cannot help but root for.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The structure of this novel is in the same vein as the other
two, but slightly different, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
are murders and John wants to try and get a step ahead of the killer, thus the
teenager once again begins playing whodunit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Don’t Want to Kill You</i>
continues to up the ante with John’s inner demons until a conclusion that was foreseeable-but-perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I say perfect because honestly I can’t think
of a better, more appropriate ending for the series.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
On a side note, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I
Don’t Want to Kill You</i> was my least favorite of this series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Am
Not A Serial Killer </i>[my review <a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/2011/05/i-am-not-serial-killer-review.html">here</a>], the story was fresh, the plot
intense, and the Great Reveal knocked my socks off (metaphorically).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mr.
Monster</i> [my review <a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/2012/10/mr-monster-review.html">here</a>] the pacing was at full-throttle and just macabre
enough to not utterly repulse me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Don’t Want to Kill You </i>is hard (nigh
impossible) to put down, but at the same time the story is also winding down,
too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dénouement is in the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story is still great and very entertaining,
but to me it is less fresh, less urgent than the previous books.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I very much enjoyed the story Dan Wells penned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s always a delight to form a connection
with a character, even one as creepy-weird as John Cleaver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can very much recommend the whole series to
anyone with a stomach for the murders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fans of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dexter</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">CSI</i> should like the stuff, just be
advised that the series is not for the faint of heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall, John Wayne Cleaver is a fascinating
character and I’m glad to have read about his story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a shame that the series is over, but I’m
thankful, too, that Wells was capable of writing a satisfying conclusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">boldly
recommend </b>the whole kit and caboodle.</div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-80914082379695929672013-04-12T06:00:00.000-05:002013-04-12T06:00:02.208-05:00Flash Fiction Friday: How Warren Got His Groove Back<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“All
you have to do is pull the sword from the sheath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not rocket science, Deeling.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Just
a purely physical observation, Warren, but I can’t pull the sword out of its
sheath if I can’t get to the sword in the first place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And while it’s not rocket science, there are some
logistics, are there not?”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Warren
smiled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Of course there are, but that’s
nothing for you to worry yourself over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I’ll kick open the door and man-handle any fool dumb enough to get in my
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I’m doing that, you simply
need to move yourself to where the sword is in your, how do you say it,
physical hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Easy.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Deeling
opened her mouth to protest, but was cut short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Literally. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She grunted as she
fell, the top three-quarters of her body hitting the stone floor with a
thud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her legs, she noticed, were still
standing erect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A knight stood just beyond
her, his broadsword gleaming.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Deeling
screamed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Warren had his weapons out in about
two-hundred milliseconds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was always
quick, like the brown fox that has been known to jump over lazy dogs from time
to time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Metal clashed on metal, but
Warren Deadlyblades didn’t flinch at the discordant noise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He moved with grace and precision, a lethal
weapon bloodthirsty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He leapt over his
fallen partner (“Sorry, Dee!”), forcing the knight’s retreat.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Thou
canst win,” said the knight, but to Warren’s berserker rage he misheard the man
and took it as a compliment.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I
know I can, fool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you will pay for
what you’ve done to my partner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve
harmed her…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
evil black knight laughed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Methinks I
have, knave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I shall smite thee,
too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hiyah!” Warren spun, catching the
knight’s sword on the tines of his sai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Worry crossed the knight’s visage; fury crossed it when Warren plunged
his dagger into the man’s chest; pain blossomed into view lastly, and the
knight collapsed in a heap.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“And
that’s why you don’t play with sharp things,” Warren said, though his catchphrase sounded forced this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps he’d
been using it for too long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sheathed
his dagger and sai and knelt to console his partner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deeling was still alive, but she didn’t look
like she could hang on for much longer.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Listen,”
she was saying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I never got to tell you
about the time my friend Lucy baked me the pecan pie with the raisins in
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She swore they were currants, but I
saw through her lies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it was Lucy that
told me about the prophecy and the sword.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Deeling coughed, winced, gasped, and resumed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I don’t think I’ll forgive her, Warren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe I’ll haunt her when I’m gone.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“There
there,” Warren said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You’re gonna be
just fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ll put some wheels on you
and you’ll be twice as fast as me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe
even hook up some motors or something, eh?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s not rocket science.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Deeling
grimaced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“But it is, Warren.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s what I’ve been trying to tell
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can’t you—oh.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Warren shook his head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A single tear fell from his left eye.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I
will avenge you, Deeling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will avenge
you.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And
he did just that.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Well,
he tried, anyway, and that’s what really matters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Results aren’t nearly as important as effort,
right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> He didn't get the sword, but that's unimportant. </span>And the world did end prematurely due to his failure, but prematurity matters little when dealing with geologic epochs. Had their mission succeeded the world might have survived another few thousand millenia, but who's to say? Certainly not Warren Deadlyblades.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
------</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Mostly an attempt at absurdity and humor. Written primarily because I haven't done any creative writing in far too long.</div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-72010176227255204082013-03-27T11:39:00.000-05:002013-03-27T11:39:39.316-05:00The Demon Cycle: The Daylight War, a review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3Xxir2rfcxoMTaNaGCFHGFLcerP4XxeprwIWRfyKcFmDKer5g9MzeLoyrOSVhJODfa0lU1-yrdZrr1EeDdp8O_L1R-CtGtyMJPdAWl9YSCtaikf-J4Qa8zpzhC8IMsiVlcP5Pw/s1600/daylightwar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3Xxir2rfcxoMTaNaGCFHGFLcerP4XxeprwIWRfyKcFmDKer5g9MzeLoyrOSVhJODfa0lU1-yrdZrr1EeDdp8O_L1R-CtGtyMJPdAWl9YSCtaikf-J4Qa8zpzhC8IMsiVlcP5Pw/s320/daylightwar.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Peter Brett’s <a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/2010/08/warded-man-review.html"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">TheWarded Man</i></a> was the kind of book that was filled with wonders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The world was rich with history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The magic was unique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The enemies were fascinating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the protagonist, Arlen Bales, was a man
to be reckoned with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sequel, <a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/2010/12/desert-spear-review.html"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Desert Spear</i></a>, took a side-step to
the series, switching primary POVs for several hundred pages, re-hashing events
from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Warded Man</i> only from a
different perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite some
hesitation, I still rather enjoyed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Desert Spear</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Daylight War</i>,
the third book in Brett’s <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Demon Cycle</b>,
again side-steps, though thankfully less robust this time around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book focuses a lot on Krasian culture
through Inevera’s POV, and the Reader gets to see the her life from childhood
to becoming the most powerful woman in Krasia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sporadically the POV switches to Leesha, Rojer, or Renna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Less frequently we get a scene from Arlen’s
or Ahmann’s POV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout all the
shifts we see how different people react to the rising demon threat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This threat is imminent. The book begins with a countdown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are 30 days until New Moon, when the
demon minds rise and cause substantial damage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The bulk of the book culminates to the night with a small epilogue to
the action that offered more enjoyment than the majority of things
beforehand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Please excuse any
ambiguity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m trying to remain as
spoiler-free as possible.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It’s difficult to say whether or not I liked <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Daylight War</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a Reader I felt both excitement and
boredom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book was hefty and I felt
like a lot of it could be trimmed down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I, for one, didn’t think Inevera needed such a detailed background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wanted more “present-day” action, and
instead I got a lot of transitional scenes and character musings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also felt like Arlen’s character arc took
a wompy loop, as his choices were either meticulously planned or
off-the-cuff.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
One major disappointment with this book (major enough to
deserve its own paragraph) was just how sexual it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I understand that Krasian society is
structured the way it is, but Brett seemingly turned a spotlight on the
stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was explicit for no reason
other than being explicit, and this just seems adolescent to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Despite my difficulties in assessing the book, the strong
points of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Daylight War</i> were
indeed strong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Brett’s world continues
to be unique and rich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His action scenes
continue to be entertaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
definitely interested in reading more of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The
Demon Cycle</b>, but I’m okay with waiting a few years, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hopefully with the next book we’ll actually
progress the plot a bit more, but who can say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you’ve read the first two books in this series and enjoyed them then
you’ll likely find things you like in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Daylight War</i> that you like, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you’re looking for the plot to take a giant step forward, steel yourself for
some minor disappointment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Daylight War</i> is readable and
entertaining in parts, but it’s easily the weakest installment of Brett’s
growing catalog.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
----- </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As a side note, I was mildly embarrassed to be seen in public with this book. The cover looks like it belongs on a Harlequin romance novel or something. It does fit the pattern established by cover art, but it's still rather weak, I think. Of course, I'm not a big fan of photo-realistic art for covers anyway.</div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-41161755692887833292013-03-25T19:50:00.002-05:002013-03-25T19:50:59.215-05:00The Dresden Files: Grave Peril, a Review<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigM_9GZ0MN0keM09dZUccCme-03T_mpWdZi_lz0seWu8qm_IxFYQhUd6MaSz4YkXGqPAwTIhGsYod3BrxMSts4I2V8jZpZhazS43HQgeO-7LW4kztYUl2eLGLrvu_PxfXo5O3cjA/s1600/graveperil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigM_9GZ0MN0keM09dZUccCme-03T_mpWdZi_lz0seWu8qm_IxFYQhUd6MaSz4YkXGqPAwTIhGsYod3BrxMSts4I2V8jZpZhazS43HQgeO-7LW4kztYUl2eLGLrvu_PxfXo5O3cjA/s320/graveperil.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Folks say that <b>The
Dresden Files</b> really picks up steam with the third book. Heck, even Jim Butcher himself said that at
the beginning of the audio version of the thing. <i>Grave
Peril</i>, as it turns out, does indeed amplify the series, throwing the Reader
into an even wider world than previously imagined.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only practicing wizard, has
survived some hairy situations. <i><a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/2010/07/storm-front-review.html">Storm Front</a></i> had a power-hungry psycho
using storms to murder people. <a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/2010/10/dresden-files-fool-moon-review.html"> <i>Fool Moon</i></a> introduced a gang of
werewolves and an ancient curse. In
addition to the supernatural disturbances, Dresden is forced to work around the
vampires of the city, the mafia, the police, deranged faeries, and many other
affiliates.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Grave Peril</i>
introduces a brand new character into the mix.
Michael is a Knight of the Cross, one of three legendary knights that
wield swords forged with a nail from the Cross of Jesus. Michael—happily married, loving father—is
helping Harry—happily dating, pet-owner—clean up the spiritual world of
Chicago. Ghosts are going berserk and
attacking. And after a mysterious girl
claiming to have visions of the future turns up in Harry’s office, things get
interesting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Part of the intrigue of <i>Grave
Peril</i> is the opening up of Dresden’s world.
The Reader finally gets a glimpse of the Nevernever. More about Harry’s background is
revealed. More magics and wonders crop
up. The world that Jim Butcher has
crafted is deep and wide, and where he’s going with the story is still
undecided. If the girl’s visions of the
future have anything to say on the matter, the remainder of the series could be
most interesting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Another large difference between this book and the previous
two is the formulaic is (relatively) tossed aside. Detective Murphy doesn’t come to Harry with a
crime for him to solve. No, Harry mostly
takes it upon himself to dive deeper into the spiritual chaos. This subtle change of motive offers a more
rewarding experience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Butcher’s writing continues to be smart. Humor comes natural and there were times when
I cackled like a loon. Butcher is also
adept at being serious when the need arises, making Dresden a rich character to
explore, as well as the other characters in the novel. No one seems to be flat. As for pacing, the book starts out <i>in medias res</i> and doesn’t let up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The first time I read <i>Fool
Moon</i> I shrugged my shoulders and thought it was okay. The second time had me more interested in
Harry, and I immediately picked up <i>Grave
Peril</i>. <i>Grave Peril</i> is an exciting and entertaining novel that absolutely
pushes <b>The Dresden Files</b> up a notch
or two. I have no doubt in my mind that
I will be reading more books in this series, if only for the chance to explore
the world Butcher’s created. I easily
recommend reading this book.<a href="" name="_GoBack"></a></div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-81796145637735115342013-03-15T13:48:00.000-05:002013-03-15T13:48:03.934-05:00A Son is Born<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoonzrqkLE5tmQAo_-N0MqTI5nJxdDK-FmvCpdZfV3ORCD5t_NbnEcntwUcv_8pOCZTtVJhpDmNTmstZ7szCEOA6vNA2lObqhlYRMYVK0O6qjkZsFecJsXu3LIIlacGmo-7GRww/s1600/DSC08471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMoonzrqkLE5tmQAo_-N0MqTI5nJxdDK-FmvCpdZfV3ORCD5t_NbnEcntwUcv_8pOCZTtVJhpDmNTmstZ7szCEOA6vNA2lObqhlYRMYVK0O6qjkZsFecJsXu3LIIlacGmo-7GRww/s320/DSC08471.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Callum Reid Stewart.<br />
<br />
His coming into this world was an adventure fraught with metric tonnes of ennui and kilo-hours of hospital lounging. Keisha developed really high blood pressure (like she did with Avonlea) and was admitted to the hospital for monitoring on February 22. She stayed there for 18 days or so. I stayed pretty much there with her every night, except on the weekends, when I picked up Avonlea from Mimi's and we went home.<br />
<br />
Then, on the morning of March 11, Keisha was taken over to surgery where they performed a natural C-section. The OR was sterile and cold. The blood and fluids were all around. The numbing agent dried on her stomach at 6:33am and surgery commenced. At 6:37am the sounds of a baby wailing were heard. He weighed 7lb1oz and measured 18.5" long. Huge to Avonlea's 4lb9oz weight. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0qgwlNg6ikF4OUspgUZx16Kzuy4TVWq_vDZnJ9sdGeTZV3qGmzSULcsJp5AWYuY1VWZcImkPC56qqt_UtYrY6gUanQZsis3iJ0oDbWfjca8qtx12TC20EFOK-wKUVfNh6jnJvw/s1600/DSC08385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0qgwlNg6ikF4OUspgUZx16Kzuy4TVWq_vDZnJ9sdGeTZV3qGmzSULcsJp5AWYuY1VWZcImkPC56qqt_UtYrY6gUanQZsis3iJ0oDbWfjca8qtx12TC20EFOK-wKUVfNh6jnJvw/s320/DSC08385.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Having a son is totally different than a daughter. Avonlea is 21 months old now. She's very interested in Callum. "That's a baby," she says. Indeed, that's a baby. That's my baby.<br />
<br />
And we're home, resting, tired, busy. The life God has blessed me with is wonderfully exciting. I look forward to the future of the Stewart Family.<br />
<br />
#jotmlogankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-41206585083267965302013-03-05T10:11:00.000-06:002013-03-05T10:12:50.626-06:00Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Promise, a Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b>Avatar: The Last Airbender </b>is probably one of the finest
cartoons ever created.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The show was
smart, beautifully illustrated, funny, and it told a heck of a story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aang, the fledgling avatar, is learning what
it means to be the Avatar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The world is
a harsh place and war is continual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<i>The Promise </i>begins shortly after the conclusion of Season 3
of <i>The Last Airbender</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zuko is Fire
Lord now, and he’s concerned about following down his father’s path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zuko and Aang meet and Zuko extracts a
promise from Aang, that if ever he does act like his exiled father then would
Aang kill him before he does something terrible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the crux of <i>The Promise</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the world is at relative peace, there
is conflict still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is the price of
harmony?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When a city is inhabited by
both Fire Nation citizens and Earth Nation citizens how can there be peace?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Aang and Co. wrestle with these questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The comic reads exactly like an episode of
the series, light-hearted but serious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Aang and Katara develop their relationship that was just budding in the
show; Sokka wise-cracks to a few literal laugh aloud moments; Toph teaches a
trio of inept students the art of metal-bending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Momo and Appa weren’t too visible throughout
the story, but other familiar characters returned.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>The Promise </i>offers everything an Avatar fan wants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have not watched <i>The Legend of Korra</i>, but I
imagine the plot and conclusion to <i>The Promise </i>plays nicely into the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ARC I received is a collection of all
three parts to <i>The Promise </i>combined in a single book with commentary on the
side panels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Various contributors
offered insight to why certain scenes look the way they do, going into Chinese
history and folklore, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
commentary was pretty interesting and definitely would be appealing for people
wanting to go deeper into the <b>Avatar </b>mythos.</div>
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Overall <i>The Promise </i>was a quick, fun, and intelligent
read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reading was a cinematic
experience, one that drew me back into Aang’s world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For fans of the television series, I
definitely recommend reading <i>The Promise</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I look forward to exploring these characters in future adventures. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">-----</span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><i>FTC Thingy: I received this book as a digital ARC through NetGalley's book reviewer program. They didn't give me anything other than the digital book and I was not obligated to review this. </i> </span></div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-22410646566228069152013-02-26T14:48:00.000-06:002013-02-26T14:48:46.992-06:00Earth X, a Diatribe<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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I first read <i>Earth X</i> a few years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was largely unimpressed and decided not to
read the sequels: <i>Universe X </i>and <i>Paradise X</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The whole series spans five large trade paper backs and I didn’t want to
invest in the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some reason I
decided to pick up <i>Earth X</i> again and give it a shot, and this time I was
quickly engrossed… or at least interested.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Earth X</i> places the Marvel universe in the unspecified future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Captain America is an old man fighting a war
against a large metaphor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reed Richards,
devastated over the deaths of his wife and the Human Torch, lives in seclusion
in the remains of Dr. Doom’s mostly abandoned fortress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wolverine is a fat, lazy slob who refuses to
get off the couch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peter Parker is much
the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this future, familiar
super-heroes are supplanted by a new breed of humanity: everyone has super
powers.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxB6i8DIN4MhKx8XBvp6YU-Q0UnFM1rNsvTsgZ8TDfICOqZMgT7LTnmD6KIlyhbzQBau6jM8YzRlxpJnF1c69VPmLZ49jCfdRaJAl0XHViLmFbs9nlL7k98aGDAYzLduVgXbuiVQ/s1600/universex.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxB6i8DIN4MhKx8XBvp6YU-Q0UnFM1rNsvTsgZ8TDfICOqZMgT7LTnmD6KIlyhbzQBau6jM8YzRlxpJnF1c69VPmLZ49jCfdRaJAl0XHViLmFbs9nlL7k98aGDAYzLduVgXbuiVQ/s320/universex.jpg" width="212" /></a>In the midst of this, the Watcher pulls the cyborg X-51 to
the moon and names him the new Watcher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The world is ending and the Watcher wants X-51 to tell him everything that’s
happening, as the Watcher has been blinded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s also a time machine and about a million side-plots. And dinosaurs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The bulk of <i>Earth X </i>is told in a somewhat passive voice
through conversation between X-51 and the Watcher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Reader sees different events happening on
earth, but immersion is mostly omitted, ironically forcing the Reader to take
part as a watcher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inserted throughout
the trade paperback is various info-dumps that basically serve to fill in the
Reader on more information about what exactly is going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These info-dumps are yawn-inducing at best,
largely unimportant and extremely uninteresting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re kind of like deleted scenes on a DVD.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This time around I still felt that <i>Earth X </i>was a bit heavy
handed and too philosophical for its own good, but the story was somewhat entertaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I finished the introductory issue I
happily picked up the first volume of <i>Universe X </i>to see where the story was
heading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not where I thought, which was
a good thing, but the story turned more ridiculous as the pages depleted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the conclusion of <i>Universe X Volume 2 </i>I
was ready to quit again, but I hung in there, hoping the concluding volumes
would be okay.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Halfway through Volume One of <i>Paradise X </i>I gave up the ghost
and quit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The groans were too loud for
me to continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I developed a tic and a
severe allergy to the Marvel Universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was no longer at all interested.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
flipped through the rest of Volume I and did the same for Volume II, skimming
over the artwork and totally ignoring the text.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were a few cool-looking scenes, and if I could somehow read the
comic without the words I might continue, but I could not, and I just didn’t have it
in me to start again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36J71ocMJb5teDyXIekErLygzEzqd-w0PNSON1D14zL95kwaRAl1y-EgsNO9SRgJihRWjXKhZWuFRKEX7Ufzu96cVjRn2FUj9g9S2f14ikQnfr49FhWLtWkOwD3pGCeLvBk1LvA/s1600/paradisex.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg36J71ocMJb5teDyXIekErLygzEzqd-w0PNSON1D14zL95kwaRAl1y-EgsNO9SRgJihRWjXKhZWuFRKEX7Ufzu96cVjRn2FUj9g9S2f14ikQnfr49FhWLtWkOwD3pGCeLvBk1LvA/s1600/paradisex.jpeg" /></a>Maybe I’m just the wrong audience for this kind of
mega-comic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been a lifelong comic
book reader, a lifelong fan of Marvel (albeit niched to really only just
Spider-Man and the X-Men for most of my growing years), and I’ve even been
known to enjoy an occasional philosophical tangent for no other reason than to
wander down different avenues of thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But the <b>Earth X </b>saga failed (twice) to live up to expectation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The writing was terrible and the plot was
such a mess that meaning was lost in untranslated psychobabble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joss Whedon wrote the introduction for <i>Earth
X</i>, praising the series as innovative and entertaining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I disagree with Mr. Whedon here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may have been innovative when it was
written, but I cannot imagine it ever being entertaining.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
All in all I really cannot recommend the five-volume
saga of <b>Earth X</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were
plenty of people who enjoyed it, but count me out on this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sorry.</div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-69695328050332115612013-02-19T12:28:00.003-06:002013-02-19T12:28:54.540-06:00The Magician King, a Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTjT964SWGoEaKNfdAyBYHYoAP9oou4etxzPOxqJ0wDASLOsRWO8EBFXehfi8-U7kGQfOA3cLgS6woHk7KVG-2E3ZNxvDXgWsV1x1WzQiEBOpJ1iY8M7rP8rdo-7U3iovXLngNg/s1600/COVER-Grossman_MagicianKing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTjT964SWGoEaKNfdAyBYHYoAP9oou4etxzPOxqJ0wDASLOsRWO8EBFXehfi8-U7kGQfOA3cLgS6woHk7KVG-2E3ZNxvDXgWsV1x1WzQiEBOpJ1iY8M7rP8rdo-7U3iovXLngNg/s320/COVER-Grossman_MagicianKing.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Can you read a book
and dislike the protagonist?</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That
was the question I pondered while reading Lev Grossman’s immensely successful book
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Magicians</i> (my review <a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/2012/03/magicians-review.html">here</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because I very much liked the book, at least
its worldbuilding and its plot, even if I did very much dislike its protagonist
Quentin Coldwater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was unsure at the
time whether or not I would read the sequel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Magician King</i>, and on a whim at the library last week I picked
it up and gave it a shot.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Magician King </i>begins
a few years after the events of the first book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the intermediate time Quentin has matured in his outlook on
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s less of a nihilist, less
pessimistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure, he’s still got a long
way to go, but his inner monologue was much more palatable from the
get-go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quentin is a king of Fillory
now, along with King Eliot and Queens Julia and Janet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They live in a magical world filled with
happiness, and through it all Quentin realizes that he’s bored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be that as it may, Quentin is relatively happy
and satisfied with his life, something new to him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
One of the problems with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Magician King</i> is that there is a lack of obvious conflict until very late
in the book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are conflicts for the
characters, but nothing seeming to unite them, at least not at first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quentin is bored and longs for more
excitement in life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the gist of
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Format-wise, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Magician King</i> spends about half of the book continuing the story of Quentin
Coldwater.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Concurrently, chapters
alternate with a “flashback” style story, developing Julia’s past and how she
came to be a magician.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reasoning for
this doesn’t become clear until over halfway through the book, and while it is
effective and works at toying with the Reader, it’s also jarring to the pace of
the novel at times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me, Julia’s
journey just wasn’t as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wonderful</i> as
Quentin’s.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Regardless of these two drawbacks, the sequel was an
enjoyable book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grossman continued to
pull me into the world(s) he’d created, making me somehow care about Quentin
this time around in the process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
latter half of the book was very exciting, with a climax rising up quickly for
Quentin’s plot, while Julia’s logically built to an unforgettable-yet-terrible
climax.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I have no doubts that there will be a sequel to this
book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Magician King</i> opens far too many boxes that it doesn’t
shut.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will I be along for the ride
whenever the book comes out?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without a
doubt, yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grossman’s universe is too
interesting for me to abandon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m drawn
to his pop-culture filled fantasy, curious as to how the whole thing will wind
up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Magician King</i> surpasses its predecessor in every way, but the biggest
improvement was the tone of this story compared with that of the first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quentin was a more mature protagonist, and
for that I was thankful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s still
developing as a character, and I look forward to watching Quentin grow.</div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-80670249071284368072013-02-01T15:38:00.000-06:002013-02-01T15:38:07.463-06:00A Monster Calls, a Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiep3pB0YHT0mQEfu_1680Uq4VmPe8N4owiqUZOWhuh65HK1LWOtnFbWeoPYSC0j_1fpTc4Js5Lwpjme28PUdAJS44r_dr2etJ3bix-43-floKwmcMcckWVhIAPLhPkyIZPcaUZA/s1600/AMonsterCalls1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiep3pB0YHT0mQEfu_1680Uq4VmPe8N4owiqUZOWhuh65HK1LWOtnFbWeoPYSC0j_1fpTc4Js5Lwpjme28PUdAJS44r_dr2etJ3bix-43-floKwmcMcckWVhIAPLhPkyIZPcaUZA/s1600/AMonsterCalls1.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal">
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stories are wild
creatures</i>, the monster said. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When you
let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?</i>”</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Conor is a young lad with far too many problems on his
plate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wakes nearly every night from
a recurring nightmare that is too horrible for him to think about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s picked on by a trio of bullies at
school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His home life—living with a
single mom whom he loves dearly—is fraught with A Big Problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And to make matters even more complicated, a
monster shows up outside his house one night at seven minutes after midnight,
calling for him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Patrick Ness’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Monster Calls</i> is definitely one of the most heart-wrenching books I’ve ever
read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book tackles a serious subject
matter—cancer—in a way unlike anything I’ve ever encountered before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conor’s monster, a wicked and spiny thing
straight from the Wilds, is a vivid beast with an attitude that dares not be
trifled with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A tentative deal is struck
between Conor and the monster: the monster will tell Conor three stories and
then Conor will tell the monster the truth about his nightmare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This is the basic premise of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Monster Calls</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book is
a short, gorgeous thing, filled with illustrations that pull the eyes in for
long moments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plot is simple, and
yet it is not shallow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stories from
the monster are great to think on, for both the Reader and for Conor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re fantastic cautionary tales worth the
read alone. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I confess that the artwork was enough to pull me into this read. The detail is wild, easily finding a home in the realm of dream. Jim Kay, the illustrator, has created several wonderful works of art for this book. They all fit the tone of the scenes for which they're drawn. The style reminds me of stuff from the <a href="http://logankstewart.blogspot.com/2011/09/scary-stories-to-tell-in-dark-review.html"><i>Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark</i></a> series, only more sketch like. And, perhaps because of the story, I'm also reminded of <i>Where the Wild Things Are</i>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2nYaEJ8NR6bljWMI4uW-ZpkWIR-f5fBQiUd72r1FTQUShuQR86F2PDBe9PkaBXnPATfv3vzEaugWRAMqzS9OadR2ohwTXxd2DH2KpDdOZwFxXL2t0g_gFd7qWNF2NZvyOmbzFQ/s1600/AMonsterCalls2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA2nYaEJ8NR6bljWMI4uW-ZpkWIR-f5fBQiUd72r1FTQUShuQR86F2PDBe9PkaBXnPATfv3vzEaugWRAMqzS9OadR2ohwTXxd2DH2KpDdOZwFxXL2t0g_gFd7qWNF2NZvyOmbzFQ/s320/AMonsterCalls2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
One cannot help but feel an overwhelming dread shortly after starting the book. With each page turned the dread grows thicker, the fate more and more certain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As I finished up the last several pages I read quickly, hoping to pass the deep punches to the gut unscathed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I did not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I closed the book and
sighed heavily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe I told Keisha
something like, “Oh my gosh I feel like bawling.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Why do
you want to read something like that</i>? she asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Because the emotions make me feel
alive.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> (Yes, I'm a dork.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
And they do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
that’s exactly why I recommend Patrick Ness’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A
Monster Calls</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> That's the whole reason to read, is it not? To feel <i>something? </i>Ness's words, along with Kay's illustrations, pierced me. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This book is a great
tool for anyone who is losing a loved one to cancer, but one's circumstances need not be so cursed to get something from the novel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I'm of the opinion that we all
need to read something from time to time that makes us appreciate life a little
more, that makes us pay attention to those that are hurting around us, that
makes us thankful for what we have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Monster Calls</i> does just that. It's not an easy book to
read, in terms of emotional impact, but it is a rewarding book.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is enjoyable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>It is beautiful. It is tragic.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
If you’ve got a few hours (probably around two-ish) to spare and
are itching for some quasi-Realism, then look no further than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Monster Calls</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow. That should do it.</div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-77255894079277143492013-01-25T10:49:00.000-06:002013-01-28T11:15:20.510-06:00Dark Faith: Invocations, a Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQG7G7oer7q9Zb3yyRWuFpwC2rAn2bm8LQ4yk_vsaNTudZja6tvZUPGbni1NTzWIGmXMPeM0OZ2QEkTYOuC2_IN982heAIFhgVpI3N7MtH3yD0NtHetK6ZbSX3HssslN4ILkqFw/s1600/Invocations.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQG7G7oer7q9Zb3yyRWuFpwC2rAn2bm8LQ4yk_vsaNTudZja6tvZUPGbni1NTzWIGmXMPeM0OZ2QEkTYOuC2_IN982heAIFhgVpI3N7MtH3yD0NtHetK6ZbSX3HssslN4ILkqFw/s320/Invocations.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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A few weeks ago I received a copy of <a href="http://www.apexbookcompany.com/">Apex Publications</a>
newest anthology, <a href="http://www.apexbookcompany.com/collections/all-books/products/dark-faith-invocations/"><i>Dark Faith: Invocations</i></a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This book, edited by Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon, is a follow-up
to the highly acclaimed DARK FAITH, a book that was nominated for multiple
awards within in the genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Invocations</i> sets out to “explore the
concept of faith in a fantastical setting” through various religious and
spiritual viewpoints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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As the title suggests, most of these viewpoints will stem
from the darker side of faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
imagined the stories to be heavy, but I had no idea how heavy they would be
until I started reading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s like
watching the most recent version of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Battlestar
Galactica</i>, in that each episode (story) is so dramatic and heavy that I can
only handle one or two at a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
that’s how I read this anthology, taking a story in with my lunch each
day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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My immediate reactions are recorded below for each
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve remained spoiler-free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boldfaced stories are the ones that I can
most recommend. The star ranking follows the GoodReads 5-point scale.</div>
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Subletting God’s Head (Tom Piccirilli) – Did not really like
at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A jaded and cynical guy rents an
apartment that’s located inside God’s head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Not a great way to start the collection, though it definitely sets the
tone for what’s to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*</div>
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The Cancer Catechism (Jay Lake) – Depressing, but well
written and thought-provoking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I imagine
the author is intimately aware of a life stricken with this terrible
disease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, very bleak and mostly
without a clear conflict (excepting the obvious).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>**</div>
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The Big Blue Peacock (Nick Mamatas) – I’m not sure I know
exactly what happened in this story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>**</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Kill the Buddha</b>
(Elizabeth Twist) – The first piece that I’ve really liked so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This hooked me from the get-go and didn’t let
up until the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Delightful to read and
a unique idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The world is infected and
attacked, at least according to some.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*****</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Robotnik</b> (Lavie
Tidhar) – Another delightful and thought-provoking story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d like to see this short turned into a
novella or something longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The world
created by Tidhar leaves me very curious about everything in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The melancholic tone was perfectly fitting,
too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>***** </div>
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Prometheus Possessed (Matt Cardin) – Eh… That would be my
immediate reaction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That would be my follow-up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one reminded me of a cyberpunkish noir
story, but told in a format that was very off-putting, kind of a second-person
omniscient voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sort of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some great imagery, but the overall impact of
the story left me scratching my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>** </div>
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Night Train (Alma Alexander) – Some nice prose and
interesting themes, but this didn’t speak too much to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A woman is losing her religion on a train… or
finding it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>***</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Sandfather </b>(Richard
Wright) – Oh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Absolutely tragic, but a wonderful little
tale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a bleak story that is all
too realistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The absence of a father
leads to an interesting life for a boy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*****</div>
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Sacrifice (Jennifer Pelland) – Wow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a short and entertaining little
piece that fans of a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What if…</i>
scenario should love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>****</div>
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Thou Art God (Tim Waggoner) – Hmm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A second person POV is always fickle, but
Waggoner did a pretty good job with this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It kept me engaged, though I felt the tale contrived and familiar. ***</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Wishflowers </b>(Tim
Pratt) – An engrossing little story with a rich world and an interesting
premise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a dandelion-like
flower that actually grants wishes when blown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What happens to that kind of world?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This story is the kind of thing I look for in an anthology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>*****</div>
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Coin Drop (Richard Dansky) – Now that was rather
original.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The office vending machine is
not exactly what it seems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a
pretty clever piece, with some familiar tropes but a unique perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fun to read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>****</div>
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Starter Kit (R.J. Sullivan) – Another fun little story that
provided some thoughts on a common cliché pertaining to Creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I liked this piece.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>**** </div>
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A Little Faith (Max Allan Collins & Matthew Clemens) –
Not really sure why this story is in this collection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The subject matter seems fitting, but the
overall feeling doesn’t jive well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
well-written piece that was basically a romp through a waterboarding
experience. ***</div>
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The Revealed Truth (Mike Resnick) – Started off promising
but quickly devolved into something less than I had hoped.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quasi-amusing but ultimately
unsatisfying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>** </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">God’s Dig</b> (Kelly
Eiro) – Oh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a speculative piece, and in few words,
too!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one left me pondering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A boy hears from God that there’s a present
for him buried in the back yard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>***** </div>
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Divinity Boutique (Brian J. Hatcher) – Hmm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reminds me of a Lovecraft bit, honestly, but
a little more interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A man is at a
curiosity shop in the market for a new, personal god. ***</div>
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The Birth of Pegasus (K. Tempest Bradford) – Not entirely
sure what just happened here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Certainly
readable, but the impact was lost on me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>***</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">All This Pure Light
Leaking In</b> (LaShawn M. Wanak) – A beautiful little poem filled with a few
biblical errors (or false perceptions of clear biblical facts), we have a story
of a few friends deciding to summon an angel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>****</div>
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Fin de Siecle (Gemma Files) – I couldn’t finish this piece. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I read a few pages and had no idea what in the
world was going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something about an
artist and an angel and not sure.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Angel Seems</b>
(Jeffrey Ford) – Hands down the best story in the collection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reads just like an Old English fairy tale
with a proclivity toward the macabre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An
angel offers a village its protection in exchange for a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">small</i> price.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was very
speculative and I enjoyed it very much.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Makes me want to as Mr. Ford how he came up with the tale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>***** </div>
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Magdala Amygdala (Lucy A. Snyder) – Not your typical
zombie/vampire SFF story. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a
post-plague world nearly all of humanity is infected with a peculiar disease
that progresses through four stages of severity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the populous is fine, but a select few
aren’t so lucky… or maybe they’re the lucky ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A fun, if not disgusting, short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>***</div>
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A Strange Form of Life (Laird Barron) – Has a noir feel to
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very dark and quite vulgar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also quite trippy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The formatting was a bit confusing on the
Kindle, but not too hard to get.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A story
about a guard and a lover at a prison with a very dark history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>***</div>
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In Blood and Song (Nisi Shawl & Michael Ehart) – An
Arabic infused short story about a fighting ring and the sorcery that goes on
around it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somewhat confusing at first,
but quickly attainable, and then again dropping into confusion for the
ending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was action aplenty,
though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>***</div>
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Little Lies, Dear Leader (Kyle S. Johnson) – This is a
fictional story set in a non-fictional place with a non-fictional message about
problems in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quite engrossing,
yes, but also terrible and ruthless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
tragedy is the non-fiction in the fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The concluding paragraphs were jarring and somewhat awkward, but
nevertheless appropriate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This piece
seems out of place with this anthology in terms of genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>**** </div>
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I Inhale the City, the City Exhales Me (Douglas F. Warrick) –
This is for the manga lover, Japanese culture lover, video game lover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story is both meta and not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An American man is being chased by a cowboy,
while the city of Osaka is quickly changing into something else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a weird piece and kind of misses the
“faith” side of the anthology’s purpose. Readable and confusing, but fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>***</div>
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So of the twenty-six stories, there were some real
treats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t decide if Jeffrey Ford’s
“The Angel Seems” or Kelly Eiro’s “God’s Digs” is my favorite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both were really great to read and wonderful
in their own way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I almost felt like
“Wishflowers” would fit nicely into the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dark
Tower </b>universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elizabeth Twist’s
“Kill the Buddha” had a great premise, one that would play out nicely on the
big screen.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark Faith:
Invocations</i> is an interesting anthology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It’s certainly not for the casual reader or the reader desiring
lollipops and roses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stories pack a
punch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are some forgettable works,
yes, and some confusing pieces, too, but I’m sure they would resonate with a
different reader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, I can
recommend this to a Reader who knows what they’re after.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Weird, dark, and twisted, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark Faith: Invocations</i> is a crazy
little read.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>FTC Thingy: </i>I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for a review. No monies or other goods were exchanged. No illegal cookie trading going on here. Move along. Move along.</div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-84086331462022588172013-01-22T15:30:00.000-06:002013-01-22T15:32:09.726-06:00The Radical Question & A Radical Idea, a Review<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<img height="255" id="il_fi" src="http://bigiufan29.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/the-radical-question-a-radical-idea.jpg?w=645" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="195" /> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This review is long overdue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I received David Platt’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Radical Question and A Radical Idea </i>back in November, right in the midst of
my selling my house and various other things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As such, the book disappeared from my mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really a shame when you consider the
importance of this little work.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Platt is best known for his challenging book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Radical</i>, a book which I’ve perused but
never fully read.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The book is
essentially a message to each and every person that calls themselves a
Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The message is simple to
hear, but incredibly difficult to follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The message?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Well that’s what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Radical Question*</i> addresses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
much is Jesus really worth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is he worth
everything?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Bible makes that a
mandate, quite clearly, and Platt expounds on this for the 21<sup>st</sup>
century Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> There are practical examples established, though following those examples takes true commitment. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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If you’ve never read any of Platt’s works (or listened to
the man preach) then you’re missing out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His heart is in his message, and the gospel of Jesus is nothing to shy
away from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Radical Question and A Radical Idea</i> is a great introduction to
David Platt’s writing, but only should be read for the uninitiated into his
catalog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those familiar you won’t
find anything new here. A quick little book definitely worth the message. <br />
<br />
FTC Thingy: Free book to me for review, even if late. No cookies still. Sorry. No coercion, either.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
-----</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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*Note: <i>The Radical Question</i> is essentially the first chapter
of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Radical</i> with some modifications,
making it a succinct little message book that’s the perfect size for a gift (especially graduates).</div>
logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-19900755592267118242013-01-15T15:07:00.002-06:002013-01-15T15:07:57.933-06:002013 in on Cat's FeetI find myself writing as a twenty-seven year old, stomping my feet to a Counting Crows' cover of Pure Prairie League's "Amie," reflecting on the hundreds of blue words I just had directed in my general direction, cold from below freezing temperatures and warmed from a rugged Carhartt. Life, it seems, is treating me better than I deserve.<br />
<br />
Heading off to HazMat training for the next few days. Gonna be holed up in a ultra fancy, sleek, swanky, modern hotel, learning about hazardous waste and how to correctly (i.e. safely) manage it. Ever a student, I really enjoy going to classes and workshops and things.<br />
<br />
Well, there's Matchbox Twenty on shuffle. They were a favorite back in high school, and I suppose I still can dig it. <br />
<br />
Settling into the new house (still unnamed). Furnace has finally been replaced. Only out four grand from the start. Quite disappointing to not have followed the inspector's suggestion at getting the furnace further examined. Nevertheless, I learn. <br />
<br />
On a creative writing note, I've done hardly a thing. A few ideas scribbled in haste, but nothing more than that. I've had a fundamental shift of focus on writing and it's kind of restrictive. <br />
<br />
And well, it's my birthday, so really I guess that's about it. Journaling's prominent flames are now reduced to embers. Poor, neglected <i>Rememorandom</i>. Looks like I may shift the blog to a more focused thing, too, using it only as a collection for reviews and little more. Makes sense, honestly. Makes me a bit sad, too. We'll see. logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-70930904157058351482013-01-04T21:57:00.000-06:002013-01-04T21:57:03.742-06:00My Reading List: 2012 EditionAh, 2012, what a most crazy year it was. My reading list was subject to the almighty 2012 Manifesto (see the tab above, or click <a href="http://www.logankstewart.blogspot.com/p/2012-book-manifesto.html">here</a>) and the rules established therein. Overall, it was a (surprising) success. Roughly 150 books were on the list as of December 31, 2011. By the end of 2012, I had the list down to 79 books. Not too shabby. Additionally, a goal was to utilize the library more and to decrease book spending, and the fact that I spent less than $10* last year on books is astounding. <br />
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My actual books read hit 67 for 2012, a 43% increase from the previous year. Page numbers were almost identical, with only a 4% increase for this year, although to be fair, my audio book consumption was more for 2012, too.<br />
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As always, the monster spreadsheet is available <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArlC5z5IFh8SdGN4Mjg4ZDNjQmczQnpzd3Z5bktUV2c">here </a>for your perusal if you're so inclined. I still very much enjoy the statistical analysis of my books, and I'm ever disappointed with the failures of the system. Still, I press on. Enjoy.<br />
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<b>Data</b><br />
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<b> Oldest book: </b><i>The Children of Odin</i>, by Padraic Colum, 1920<br />
<b> Audio books: </b>10<br />
<b> E-books: </b>15<br />
<b> Library books: </b>20<br />
<b> Books actually published in 2012: </b>6<br />
<b> Books forsaken: </b>2 (<i>The Brothers Karamazov </i>& <i>The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft</i>)<br />
<b> Books from publishers, et. al received: </b>11<br />
<b> Books from publishers, et. al reviewed: </b>8<br />
<b> Most popular author:</b> Brian Michael Bendis<br />
<b> Most popular publisher:</b> Marvel Comics<br />
<b> Busiest reading month:</b> January<br />
<b> Total Page Numbers:</b> 16172<br />
<b> Average Book Score:</b> 3.45<br />
<b> Weighted Average Book Score:</b> 3.44<br />
<b> Female/Male Ratio:</b> 2/33<br />
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Much of the early part of the year was spent reading through a giant stack of <b>Daredevil</b> comics that my buddy Adam let me borrow. Truly, it was the entire run of Volume 2, which took over 120 issues to complete. This was an excellent series to read and it showed me how wonderful Brian Michael Bendis is when he's behind a pen. Another point of interest is how close the average book score is to the weighted average, meaning that my (somewhat arbitrary) enjoyment was correlated with page count. And most staggering of all is the embarrassingly low F/M ratio. I really want this number to go up, but sadly my genres of choice are mostly dominated by male authors. Regardless, there are plenty of female authors on my radar (and my TBR), and I hope to get to some in 2013.<br />
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The sub-genre breakdown is much the same as previous years. Not much need for explanation here but to note the sub-genres that are missing from previous years. (It's also interesting to me to see how my mind seems to jump to classifying a genre and sub-genre, and I wonder if when I look at this list again if my opinions will change.)<br />
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<b>Favorites</b><br />
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This year had three standout fiction books that really were wonderful stories, one non-fiction work, and a run of comics. All of these earned 5 stars on my GoodReads scale. (Reviews are linked.)<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.logankstewart.blogspot.com/2012/04/lies-of-locke-lamora-review.html">The Lies of Locke Lamora</a></i>, by Scott Lynch<br />
<i><a href="http://www.logankstewart.blogspot.com/2012/09/stardust-review.html">Stardust</a></i>, by Neil Gaiman<br />
<i><a href="http://www.logankstewart.blogspot.com/2012/02/reapers-are-angels-review.html">The Reapers Are the Angels</a></i>, by Alden Bell<br />
<i><a href="http://www.logankstewart.blogspot.com/2012/06/hole-in-our-gospel-review.html">The Hole in Our Gospel</a></i>, by Richard Stearns<br />
<i>Daredevil Volume 2: </i>Assorted TPBs (from Volume 4 through Volume 13), by Bendis<br />
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To pick a favorite from this list would be based on mood and whim. <i>Lies</i> was twisted and insanely fun. <i>Stardust</i> brought a smile to my lips and I read is basically twice. <i>Reapers</i> blew me away and took a piece of my heart with it, giving me one of the best protagonists I've read in ages. <i>Hole</i> was matter-of-fact with the current situation in the world, of how many people die annually of stupid stuff, of how many children suffer needlessly, and this book helped shape me. And <i>Daredevil</i>, as I've already mentioned, was a fun (and merciless) set of comics, especially BMB's section.<br />
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<b>Other Things of Note</b><br />
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Since my new commute is longer I've been listening to a lot of audio books. I expect my numbers for next year to be even higher in this category, assuming my cd player keeps up. I'm really enjoying <b>The Wheel of Time </b>in this manner, whereas when I tried to read the physical books I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy looking at a dirty bowl. I may try Jim Butcher's <b>Dresden Files</b> this way, too.<br />
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A tragedy that my new house is in a new county with an impoverished library. How I miss my old one. <br />
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The 2012 manifesto was a fun thing to try. I like looking at that tab and seeing all the crossed off books. While I'm thankful to have done it (and stuck with it!), I'm glad to have more freedom now if I so desire.<br />
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*See the actual manifesto for a more thorough explanationlogankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19648568.post-50727838759851975562012-12-26T11:36:00.002-06:002012-12-26T11:36:40.971-06:00A Tragic Christmas Worth RememberingOn Friday, December 21, the Stewart family moved into our new residence. We were pretty sure that we wouldn't be in before Christmas, but through tireless efforts from our realtor and our lender, and through the providence of a caring Father, we did. The home is beautiful and far beyond what we hoped for. A ranch style spread sitting on 1.5 acres--with trees! Hardwood flooring throughout. An attached garage with an almost finished out attic. A plot for a garden. Lots of stuff, and we love it.<br />
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On Saturday, December 22, we spent the entire day unloading boxes and putting stuff up and together. A long day, but not unpleasant. Many thanks to all those who were able to help.<br />
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On Sunday, December 23, we heard a sermon on the birth of Jesus. How His birth, His life, His death, and His resurrection--the Gospel, His gift of grace--is the ultimate present to unwrap on Christmas. How so much God loves the world that He extends to us grace and redemption when we don't deserve it. And that night, as every year on December 23, the entire extended family gathered together in Bremen to enjoy one each other's company. This has always been so as long as I can remember. Coming together as a family. It's a unique experience, as I come from a family where love is apparent and obvious, where people honestly care about one another, where the backbiting and gossiping is relatively minuscule and non-existent. My family may not have much in the realm of materialism, but we're over-abundant when it comes to love. That's how we are. <br />
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After the get-together was over we stopped by Mamaw's house to pick up Stella and to check on her. She left the gathering early. She hadn't been feeling to good. So we stopped and spent a good hour-and-a-half there, just talking and chiding Mamaw's stubbornness. She didn't want to spend Christmas in the hospital, she said. She'd go after Christmas. So I took her trash outside for her and Keisha offered to take some of the food home with us and prepare it so she wouldn't have to. Mostly we just sat around and talked and watched Avonlea play with Mamaw's water bottle and eyeglasses. Hilarious stuff, really. <br />
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Mom spent the night with Mamaw and we left to go to our new home.<br />
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At 3:54am on December 24, Mom called and told me that Mamaw didn't have a pulse. She passed away not long after.<br />
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On Monday, December 24, we went to the funeral home and went through all the routine stuff. Questions, answers, coffin room. We were all stunned. Christmas at Keisha's grandmothers that night to try normalcy, but my heart and mind were elsewhere. All I can think about is how fulfilled my relationship was with Mamaw, how much I loved her and how much she loved me. I spent the formative years of my life living with Mamaw, and my relationship was incredibly deep. Many nights I spent down her house and she'd wake up early to take me and Jake home before going to work. How I always opened her fridge and freezer just to see what she had available or if the ice box needed seeing to. How I called her each week just to talk on the phone and see what was up. How funny Avonlea looked playing with Mamaw's glasses, how Mamaw laughed. <br />
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I think of the few unfinished things in my life that Mamaw missed: she won't get to see my new house, she won't get to meet the new baby when he comes around, and a few others. But mostly I think about how full her life was, how much love was there between us. All four of us grandkids loved her intensely, and her love was reciprocated. She was without a doubt the best grandmother I could have hoped for, and I miss her very much.<br />
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On Tuesday, Christmas Day, December 25, we all gathered at Mamaw's house that night as planned. We didn't get to eat her delicious cheese dip or sausage balls or barbecue, nor did anyone feel too much like eating, but we managed. We sat around the tree and looked through photo albums, each of us quietly reflecting in our own way. We passed out the gifts we had for one another. My heart lurched at opening the ones from Mamaw. Her absence was so noticed, and yet her presence was felt. Love never ends, even if this life is temporary.<br />
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So I grieve and miss my Mamaw, but I think only happy thoughts on her memory. I have the assurance that I will see her again, and until that day I'll go on living my life knowing that she has helped shape me into the person that I am today.<br />
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I love you, Mamaw.logankstewarthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12269634215857320344noreply@blogger.com5