I've wanted a saltwater aquarium for about 10 years now. I finally decided to take the plunge. While I was waiting until the right moment I continued to do research. Although I'm not a complete idiot this book was helpful in figuring out some of the jargon and steps to get into this hobby.
My biggest complaint about the book is that they refer to the appendix with examples of aquariums. This appendix does not exist. I looked for it everywhere and couldn't find it. The CD that comes with it wasn't that useful either. I could find all the information online with a much handier graph to let me know compatibilities. At least they didn't try to put all the information into the book. It would have been a much more intimidating read.
Showing posts with label non-fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label non-fiction. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2012
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
My Boring-Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith
The title kind of says it all. My Boring-Ass Life by Kevin Smith is boring. And, like the subtitle, is uncomfortably candid. He talks about everything: his love for his wife and family, how often he likes to have sex with his wife, how he likes to have sex with her, his morning bathroom ritual and how going on an all liquid diet changes that and basically every move he makes for about a year. Someone on his web site asked him what he did all day and he told them.
It did inspire me to go out and rend Catch and Release because he seemed to have such a fun time making it. It wasn't as good as he thought it was. In fact, alot of the movies and TV shows that Smith really likes (and he watches alot of TV) are not ones that I would recommend, or at least not recommend as glowingly as Smith. I made me wonder why I like his movies and why I was even reading his book.
Then I hit the middle section. He'd started making Clerks II, which gave him more to talk about and less time to talk so the blog entries had filler and space. This is where the book started picking up for me (although the anal fissure story was very funny) but the part that really made the book worth it in the end was the story of his relationship with Jason Mewes and Mewes relationship with drugs. The story of his friend's addiction and battle to beat that addiction was both toughing and funny and reminded me that I like Kevin Smith's work because he does know how to put words together.
This book is slow going because it's basically a blog on paper but the pay off happens in the second half. I'm giving it a 3.
It did inspire me to go out and rend Catch and Release because he seemed to have such a fun time making it. It wasn't as good as he thought it was. In fact, alot of the movies and TV shows that Smith really likes (and he watches alot of TV) are not ones that I would recommend, or at least not recommend as glowingly as Smith. I made me wonder why I like his movies and why I was even reading his book.
Then I hit the middle section. He'd started making Clerks II, which gave him more to talk about and less time to talk so the blog entries had filler and space. This is where the book started picking up for me (although the anal fissure story was very funny) but the part that really made the book worth it in the end was the story of his relationship with Jason Mewes and Mewes relationship with drugs. The story of his friend's addiction and battle to beat that addiction was both toughing and funny and reminded me that I like Kevin Smith's work because he does know how to put words together.
This book is slow going because it's basically a blog on paper but the pay off happens in the second half. I'm giving it a 3.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
What a fun read! The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World (gotta love the subtitle) by A.J. Jacobs is just a plain, funny read. It's about following the quest - the reading the the Encyclopaedia Britanica from A to Z.
The book is written sort of like an encyclopaedia itself, little ancedotes arranged in alphabetical order. Some are about the section he just read, some are about what people thought of him, his quest, or how he brought the section out into his life and some are just how that particular section related to his life. If the book had just been bon mots about what he had been reading then it would have been pretty boring but adding in the trials that he and his wife Julie were having trying to conceive thier first child and the relationship he had with his brother-in-law Jacobs makes a narrative out of reading the encyclopaedia.
I liked that he was trying to find outlets for the knowledge he was accumulating. He tried to get on Jeopardy but, because he'd interviewed Alex Trebeck, ended up on Who Wants to be a Millionaire instead. I liked that he often failed. There were points in the book that I wondered if things happened the way he wrote them or if he gave a spin on them to meet the characters he was trying to develop. I half expected that I'd get to the listing for pregnancy and find that his wife was expecting. I'm glad he wasn't that obvious if he shifted the events around to better follow his A to Z structure.
Being an admitted knowledge geek myself and having contemplated reading the entire encyclopaedia I really related to Jacobs. I found the book funny, entertaining and interesting. I really enjoyed it so I'm giving it a 5.
The book is written sort of like an encyclopaedia itself, little ancedotes arranged in alphabetical order. Some are about the section he just read, some are about what people thought of him, his quest, or how he brought the section out into his life and some are just how that particular section related to his life. If the book had just been bon mots about what he had been reading then it would have been pretty boring but adding in the trials that he and his wife Julie were having trying to conceive thier first child and the relationship he had with his brother-in-law Jacobs makes a narrative out of reading the encyclopaedia.
I liked that he was trying to find outlets for the knowledge he was accumulating. He tried to get on Jeopardy but, because he'd interviewed Alex Trebeck, ended up on Who Wants to be a Millionaire instead. I liked that he often failed. There were points in the book that I wondered if things happened the way he wrote them or if he gave a spin on them to meet the characters he was trying to develop. I half expected that I'd get to the listing for pregnancy and find that his wife was expecting. I'm glad he wasn't that obvious if he shifted the events around to better follow his A to Z structure.
Being an admitted knowledge geek myself and having contemplated reading the entire encyclopaedia I really related to Jacobs. I found the book funny, entertaining and interesting. I really enjoyed it so I'm giving it a 5.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)