[Conrad]

Now that I am out of school for the summer I can actually read some. This thread will be reviews of the books I read. So far I have a little catching up to do but I should be able to get them all in. If you are in the "Private" book club, please post your comments there since I want that to be a better discussion of the books.

Join along and fill out some reviews. Put the word Spoiler if there is any info that might wreck the book for none readers. Feel free to comment on a book in here and give what you thought.

Here is a list of books we review in this thread. If there is a sugnifficant review on a book I will list it here. There are other books in here but I only have time to list the ones I give a review and discuss. I hope to read books suggested on here so to give a voice to most books on here.

Revied and discussed:

-The Ominvore's Dilemma by Micheal Pollan
-Atlas By Teddy Atlas
-Demons and Angels By Dan Brown
-Hello, I'am Special by Hal Niedzviecki
-Velocity by Dean Koontz
-Hary Potter by J.K. Rowling

The Ominvore's Dilemma
By Micheal Pollan
Non-Fiction
March 2006

The Ominvore's Dilemma is a book that looks at what Western culture(Mainly americans) eat and how they come to that conclution. The book breaks into four major sections. The first section looks at the amount of corn that is consumed by americans. He talks about how the government subsidizes farmers so that the price of corn never goes up and farmers need to grow more just to make ends meet. Looks on how this effects the economics of food and how animals like cows and fish are being breed to eat corn becuase its cheap and easy to get. Looks into how this affects the animals and the food industry. The most sufnificant infromation from this section is just how much corn is used in almost everything that is mass produced.Over half of the menu at Mcdonals has some sort of corn. Uner a mass spectrometer %100 of pop carbons are from corn, 65% of the salad carbons are from corn, %56 of the chicken nugget comes from corn, and 52% of the carbons in a cheesburger from Mcdonalds, comes from corn.

The next section is about "Big" organic and how it is an oximoron. I am a vegitarian so I do shop organic from time to time so it was intersting to hear about the waste in patroluam industrial organic is. Industrial organic is things like Cascade Farms and other major labels you tend to find in Chain Co-ops and organic grocerystores. Went into how Free range chickens have a yard about 5 feet in diameter which they never use due to being killed a few weeks after they are born. Big organic stays organic but does so at a huge cost in gas and other resoures.

The third section went into a sustainable farm where the cycles of grass is depended apon and is the major thing that keeps the farm running. Very intersting to hear about all the work that goes into this farm and how farming, when done correctly, actaully adds to the land and does not strip it. Goes into how farms like this are always threatened by the USDA(For the animal killing) and what kind of profits and area the thing covers.


The last section is how the author hunts and gathers his own meal. He tells stories of getting mushrooms, minerals(salt), hunts for pig never being a hunter before, and how he makes a big dinner.




I found this book to be worth my time. I was getting bored near the end since I grow up doing what he was doing and I thought his observations on hunting and gathering were boring. But, the first half and problably 2/3s were really intersting. He has alot of good infromation and observations all backed up by pretty legit sources and experinces. The book follows clear paths depending on what section you are on. You know where he is going and he tells these intersting stories on the way. All the book info he does, is back up by his own experinces like going to a sluaghter house and what not. This book has appeared on ABC and I think on the Cobert Report. It is making alot of noise and I reccomend anyone that likes this sort of information finding process that he does and anyone that like "Information Hunting" type of nonfiction. Had a few times where I was bored but overall, a good read.

[Conrad]

Atlas From the Streets to the ring: A son's Stuggle to Become a man
By Teddy Atlas and Peter Alson
April 2006
Non-Fiction

A book about combat sports. Also about Atlas's struggle to understand his father. Atlas is ESPN's Friday NIght Fights commentor and a respected trainer. Atlas talks about his life in and out of training and tells alot of stories that boxing fans can really appreciate. Wasn't suprised to hear that teddy got into alot of trouble growing up and that ussualy means he was ignored at home, which he was. Talkes about his sort stay at Rikers and how he knew he had to get out.

Atlas talks about his early training days with Cus D'amato and what that did for his life. There is was Tyson's first trainer and coach. This will be intersting to alot of people since Atlas tells what he thinks was Tyson's dimise. How Cus let tyson get away with anything since it was clear Tyson was a once in a lifetime thing.

Of course it talks about him pulling a gun on a teenage tyson. Then Atlas talks about training Twyla Tharp, a famous dancer. He talkabout how he was very mad at Lalonda a fighter that was about to break through for some paydays that turned on Teddy right before that. was very suprised to hear that in the Late 80s Teddy was thinking about Killing LoLonda and was actually waiting outside the door for him one night. He has an intersting story about sammy the bull gravano and things he learned while training him.

My favorite part of the book is the Micheal Moorer sections where he shows insight into the training camps of Moorer and just how difficult Moorer could be. Yet they got through it and won titles. Talked about a fight he and Shannon Briggs faught togather over some race comments hicks gave before a fight.

Then talks about his fundation and commantating along with some other bits and pieces.

The book was pretty intersting. As a fan of boxing and combat sports, along with being a fan of Teddy's, this book is pretty amazing. He tells some great stories an in entertaining fashion. He has obviously been through alot in the boxing world so it is intersting to get some of the inside stories about big events like the Moorer Title run and how those training camps went. intersting to see how atlas got his start and he does have alot of good inspirational statments and attitudes in the book. Was very intersted and shocked to hear he stood outside LaLonda's door waiting to kill him.

Not everyone will enjoy it as Teddy comes off as very sanctimonious at times, his stories sometimes having the "Look at me I am so wise," feel to it but overall, any fan of the sport(All combat sports) hardcore or casual would find many parts of the book entertaining. The main way to judge it is if you have heard Atlas's commantry on FNF and thought he does a good job. If you do, you will like this book.

It was a shorter read, but only took me two days since I really did like it and didn't put it down. one might want to go to a libary to get it or get a used copy on ebay or something since $25 was alot for 270 pages of spacey print, but take a look at it.

[Conrad]

Angels and Demons
By Dan Brown
Fiction
2000

This is the first story of Robert Lagdon the character from the famed book and movie "Davinci Code." Tells the story of this symbologist trying to stop murders of 4 cardnials and hoping to stop a bomb that is planted in the Vaticain city. He is brought in becuase he knows about the history of a cult that is behind the killings.

The book uses a ton of hisorical facts and places to build a fictinaol story that keeps you on your toes. The main theme of the book is science vs religion and people on either side of the story can enjoy it since it covers both fairly well.



Spoiler*********************





















Not a true spoiler. I will try to keep this tame for now. I just can't post all my opinions without ruining some of the story

It took me awhile but I got around to this book. I have stayed away from the Dan brown books becuase of all the hype around them but decided since I watched the D. Code movie and had wished I read the book, that I was going to read this one since I heard many thought it was better.

It was pretty good. It kept you guessing and had a good amount of clues you could use to solve what was going on and some twists that where just really good and you didn't see them coming.

I tend to stay away from fiction. We I read more non fiction then fiction, since I often feel cheated becuase I hate most endings to novels. I always feel that they are a little to overdone and dramatic with unlikely evetns. Demons and Angels didn't fail me. I loved the book all the way up until the stupid ass ending. I know it is fiction but try to keep it real. I didn't like Landon's "Swim" in the river. Thought that was stupid. The story kept changing directions at the end which I thought kept it togather but over all some of the parts where a little much. I also don't like "life changing" stories to major institues like the vatican. I don't know why but..........I don't. Same with movies like independence day. I can enjoy some stories but it takes the right one. I thought the "Love story" was useless and was hoping he would leave out a kiss. Right!!!! The Science vs Religion thing was good but was a little much in the last chapters. It felt like it went on and on. But didn't subtract much.

That said, Angels and Demons was high pace and had a ton of smarts to it. I can see why dan brown is so famous. He is an excellent story teller. The whole chase was some of the best reading I have had. Very engaging and plain old fun to read.

[grind119]

do u like harry potter?

[Eidolon]

*sigh

[Conrad]

Originally Posted by grind119

do u like harry potter?

haven't read them

[grind119]

Originally Posted by Conrad

haven't read them

ur a ****

[Conrad]

hahaha. Maybe they will be next. That, like dan brown, are books I know are probalbly pretty good but thier popularity keeps me from reading them.

I will give them a serious thought.

[grind119]

Originally Posted by Conrad

hahaha. Maybe they will be next. That, like dan brown, are books I know a probalbly pretty good but thier popularity keeps me from reading them.

I will give them a serious thought.

i really enjoyed the davinci code, but u have to take it for fiction and not get rapped up in all the hoopla about it,

also stephen kings the gunslinger/darktower series is a great series

[WUchi]