A couple of book reviews

In the past week, I have finished three books. I posted their reviews to an email list I'm on, but figured I would crosspost them here, since I haven't put anything up here as of late.

 

Book 1: Dayworld

Library of Congress Annotation:

Dayworld

Farmer, Philip Jose. Read by Roy Avers. .

Science Fiction

 

It is 3414 A.D. The world has become so crowded that the New
Era government has decreed a vertical calendar during which each person is
allowed to live

one day each week. The rest of the time the person is in a
state of suspended animation. Jeff Caird is a "daybreaker," a
criminal; he lives every day of

the week. Caird is pursuing the mad genius Chang Castor, and
is being pursued by government investigators. Some strong language.

 

I think I discovered this book when looking on the Bard site
at the Recently-added Books I forget how long ago - not recently. Anyway, I
hadn’t ever read anything like this before, and so figured I would try it. I
very much enjoyed the read. It was interesting to me how Farmer crafted the main
character in that he had seven different identities--even multiple wives--to try
and keep straight. The plot was very easy to follow, and not overly complicated,
in my opinion. Not reading anything similar to this, I can’t really compare it
to anything else I’ve read as of yet. If you like suspense and good guys
chasing bad guys, I would recommend reading it.

 

Book 2: The Time Traveler’s Wife

Library of Congress Annotation:

The Time Traveler's Wife

Niffenegger, Audrey. Read by Annie Wauters. Reading time 17
hours 31 minutes.

Romance

 

Librarian Henry DeTamble first meets his future wife, Clare,
when he is twenty-eight and Clare is twenty--but Clare has actually known Henry
since she was

six. Henry suffers from Chrono-Impairment, a disorder that
catapults him sporadically through time, complicating the couple's enduring
love. Some explicit

descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2003.

 

I’m not usually one for romance, but I very much enjoyed
this book. It wasn’t all mushy and sappy, which is probably why I liked it; I’m
not really into that kind of thing. I don’t think there was one character in
that book that I didn’t like. There were times when one in particular, (Gomez),
really irked me, but overall, Niffenegger makes the characters out to be nice
guys. The plot in this book is very simple; Henry, Clare’s boyfriend and then
husband, time travels at random, and she is left to deal with the present, wondering
when he will again reappear. If you’re looking for a easy, light read, I would
recommend this book.

 

Book 3: Dear Valued Customer: You are a Loser

Library of Congress Annotation:

Dear Valued Customer, You Are a Loser: And Over One Hundred
Other Embarrassing and Funny Stories of Technology Gone Mad

Broadhead, Rick. Read by Roy Avers. Reading time 6 hours 37
minutes.

Science

 

Author, literary agent, and entrepreneur presents a
selection of more than one hundred anecdotes documenting humorous, bizarre, or
unfortunate incidents

enabled by technology. He recounts e-mail gags and gaffes,
banking blunders, high-tech hoaxes, telecom snafus, media mistakes, and
government glitches.

2004.

 

The title of this book is self-explanatory. It’s another
very light and funny read. The fact that all of the anecdotes are true makes it
even more humorous. The book covers everything from customer service glitches
to media mistakes to computer errors. I recommend this book to anyone looking
for some comic relief.

I am in the middle of Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. I'm finding it pretty predictable, and not really original. I recognize certain aspects of the book from other books/authors. I still intend to finish it, however. I'm not sure I'll read anything else from her, at least for awhile.

SEPTA, (Philly's public transit system), is on strike, and so goalball practice was canceled today. As such, I've been pretty lazy for all of it, but that's okay with me. I finished book 3, (listed above), and drifted in and out of sleep for an hour or so this afternoon. I'm not sure what else to write about, so this is when I call it an entry and post. Moore soon.