Lunchtime geocaching
Went out on lunch today and snagged a cache. Cool location. Too bad it was too cold to create a beaded word or two.
Lunchtime Caching.
I will follow my brother’s advice and not drink the wrong one!
Jan 5th 10
Jan 4th 10
Book Review: Genesis by Bernard Beckett
Genesis by Bernard Beckett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genesis is a quick read, both in length and pace, that asks the reader to think as well as read , but entertains very nicely
The story unfolds as Anax is starting a day long exam. It is a presentation in front of three Examiners. If she passes she will enter a unique academy that is an elite and some what mystical institution. The questions posed fill in the holes in this post-apocalyptic world. The society that they live in is a Utopian like society on an island that is guarded by a sea-fence. The question roll out a history that is compelling but focused. The pace is fast. And the book is short. Its 160 pages is a generous count.
The ending is stunning and quick. I like that he left no loose ends in my opinion. It really closes. I thought the whole book was very very interesting. It would be interesting to read a second time because of the way it ended. Like the Sixth Sense, it only works once on that level.
Bernard Beckett
The writing was fine if not utilitarian. The prose did not jump off the page, but was very competent for the story. The mechanics were there to push and pull the reader as the intensity moved around. This would be a good book for discussion. Not a lot to get bogged down in and would allow a lot of lively discussions.
Jan 1st 10
Geocaching
For a Christmas present to myself I downloaded the geocaching app for iPhone. $10 seemed like a fair price. I have tried going geocaching one time before and did not do so well. Figure I would give it another shot .
Not sure what geocaching is? Check out the official site. Tons of info, tons of users, tons of content.
We were total successes!! After picking a few local favorites I picked a geocache within an easy drive and brought along my 11 year old. He was interested but not excited.
Following the coordinates got us close but we were wandering back and forth looking. L thought of looking in one spot but i thought it was not the spot. The app let’s you check hints, logs, anything listed on that geocache’s page. We grabbed the hint . And guess what— L was right all along.
Score!
We scored our first geocache!! Total blast entering a log with the date 1/1/10 .
As far as excitement, well after we were done we grabbed a snack and instantly were off for another. It was getting dark and we were not as lucky this time . There are about 6 within 5 miles of home, so we already have some fun adventures planned. Have to do some group outings with my brother.
Geocaching is dirty work
Now with video:
Geocache in action
Oct 28th 09
After finishing it, I went online and ordered the second book (The Osiris Ritual) and pre-ordered the third (The Immortality Engine). Only book 1 is available in the US but book 2 is available in the UK. My edition was the UK edition so I will have a matching set.
Book Review: The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Welcome to London!! Beware of the “plague” and the dirigibles.
The Affinity Bridge has sat on my shelf for sometime and I decided that I was ready for some steampunk adventure fun. Mann’s book was part Sherlock Holmes, part Jules Verne, part zombie and part Indiana Jones. All of which were balanced. The book was thrilling.
The book follows the adventures of Newburry and Hobbes, a team that consists of an academic adventurer (ala Indiana Jones) and in intelligent forward thinking woman. Neither of them were earth shattering characters or reinventions of the “dynamic duo” and yet I found my myself more and more cheering them on and wanting to read the book. I would look for any spare moment to read it.
Was the book revolutionary? No. Was it written in a way that was exemplary? Not at all. But the characters, the era, the plot and the pace all added up to one very very fun read. I really enjoyed reading this. The book combines a lot of what has been recently published, which I find myself buying and enjoying.
George Mann
After finishing it, I went online and ordered the second book (The Osiris Ritual) and pre-ordered the third (The Immortality Engine). Only book 1 is available in the US but book 2 is available in the UK. My edition was the UK edition so I will have a matching set.
Oct 16th 09
Book Review: Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician by Daniel Wallace
Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician: A Novel by Daniel Wallace
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I have wanted to read something by Daniel Wallace for sometime and decided on Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician as my first go.
The story follows a man named Henry Walker. The story opens at the end as Henry is confronted by three teens and disappears. We have his story recounted by the family of the circus sideshow that Henry has become part of.
I love stories that have a retell factor and produce a sense that the perspective is as important. A sense of “that’s not what I heard” or “Actually it really went like this” and each tale is a variation and expansion of the previous. The family of circus folk in this story are a warm, weird group of people that have a relationship with Henry that is unique to each and everyone of them.
The book is both very endearing and very creepy all at once. I am taken by Henry and compassionate to his past – and each version is emotionally distinct – and his story. And yet every time a new tale is told, you have a revision and your own expectation put in check. As it progresses you become more aware of this and the impact does wear thinner. But the book is a good length because as that starts to happen, you get a “truth” revealed and the conclusion is complete.
The emotional ride is also creepy as the horrid people and prejudices are revealed and manipulated through the discoveries of people and the history. The horrible things that are revealed are at times hard to swallow but make for a tragic figure.
Daniel Wallace
Wallace writing is light and fanciful and even hopeful. The story counters this and is heavy and emotionally dark and convoluted at times. But I found the book as a whole rewarding.
