Books I've Read So Far This Year

Hello, faithful readers. I was perusing an old post of mine that mentioned books I had read in the year 2011. Well, since I know you're all just dying to know, here's a post with the books that I've read so far in 2012:

The Girl Who Played with Fire
Bossypants
11/22/63
Under the Dome
Mile 81 (short story)
The Deadline
Ender's Game
The Road
Pandora's Star - * currently reading

I read the first two books of Stieg Larsson's Millenium Series through our local library's e-book collection. I had reserved the third, but when it became available to me, I decided I wasn't really in the mood to find out what kind of pickled fish Lisbeth Salander or Mikael Blomkvist would have on their sandwiches or which convenience store Lisbeth would frequent to pick up her Billy's Pan Pizza. So I didn't check it out. Really, it's not that bad, but there are lots of occurrences of  this minutiae; not to mention the descriptions of all of the (now out-dated) APPLE computers that various characters use. Oh, did I mention that Blomkvist sits naked in bed with his APPLE computer (I can't remember if he actually does this, but it sounds like something he'd do)? That he smokes while accessing a folder on his APPLE computer? Or that Lisbeth hacks into everything with an APPLE computer? APPLE APPLE APPLE.

Stieg, baby. We get it. They use cool computers.

Anyway, I really don't have any hate for these books. Just some things I noticed. I do really want to finish the series so I again reserved the final book. I'll check it out this time, promise!

Bossypants was quite good. I love Tina Fey.

I then went on a Stephen King tear, reading two of his more recent novels and then a short story. I liked 11/22/63 better than Under the Dome. Under the Dome was pretty darn good throughout until the end. After I finished I felt pretty blah towards the book overall. Mile 81 is a little slice of horror where nothing but bad happens. Depressing? Of course. But well-done.

The Deadline was a "novel" (a very loose categorization) I read for my project management class that I took last semester. I count it only because it wasn't a textbook and I actually read the whole thing. That said, it was not very good as a novel. Don't read it unless you're a budding project manager (which I am not).

I read Ender's Game on a recommendation from a friend. It struck me as just okay. I'm sure that will incite rage in a lot of folks, but, to me, it was just okay. I wouldn't read it again.

Now, The Road, that was an awesome book. I loved it. As I was reading it, I kept drawing comparisons between it and one of my favorite video games, Fallout 3. Well, it turns out that the developers of Fallout 3 were inspired by the book and made it "required reading" while working on the game. Very cool.

Finally, I've been working on Pandora's Star for over a month. It's a ginormous epic space book that I picked up on another friend's recommendation. It's very interesting but it also has a LOT of extraneous details and descriptions. I can appreciate that, especially when you're talking about space travel and different planets and galaxies and all of the different lifeforms and environments that one would encounter within the book's universe. But it can be tough to slog through. I've been neglecting the book for a while so I need to put in some solid reading sessions.

And, before you ask, yes! I'm planning on finishing The Lord of the Rings! I promise! Shoot, I probably only have a hundred pages or so left! It's just criminal to not finish it. So I will. Don't worry.

Wii Fit

Wanda and I bought a Wii Fit this past weekend after experiencing one at my aunt and uncle's house this past weekend. So far it's pretty fun and can be quite the workout. The balance games can be challenging but it really gets hard with the yoga, strength, and aerobic exercises. Wanda's been in constant pain since her first night of lunges. If you have a Wii I'd highly recommend getting the Fit. It's been a good way for us to dust off our rarely-used Wii. This is really starting to sound like a shameless plug for Nintendo, but I haven't blogged in a while other than my crappy music list. Get the Fit!

You Sure Aren't Madden Nation Material

I love football. I've been a fan as long as I can remember. I recall, back in elementary school as a wee towhead, spacing out during social studies, I'd be drawing helmets and coming up with clever mascots and logos (à la the USFL) such as the Chicago Great Danes (after my best friend Dane Johnson). Of course, as most of my friends and family know, I've been a Miami Dolphins fan throughout my football life. That affinity sprang to life after my Mom bought me a Starting Lineup figurine of Dan Marino. A love of the Nebraska Cornhuskers has naturally followed as I'm a citizen of the great state of Nebraska. So, throughout the years I've cultivated a healthy, non-fanatical love of the game of football. Although, I do thoroughly enjoy spending countless hours reading about the history of teams and players and viewing career statistics and records.

Anyway, I've lost track of my original point (which I don't think I've even made previous to now), which is that although I love football, I'm pretty terrible at football video games. You would think that a love of football and of video games I would be pretty good at football video games. Not so. Madden Nation material I am not. I can't even beat the computer! I can't imagine how paltry I would be against human competition. Usually, I'll get really excited after a watching a good game and I'll decide to try my hand on Madden 08 or NCAA 07. I may win a game or two, but usually I'll be getting beat and decide to turn the game off. Sigh. Did I forget to mention that I'm a poor sport, too? Oh well, sometimes you just have to admit that some things you're good at, and some things you're not.