I Didn't See That Coming: Who Really Killed Judas and Other Surprises in Lamb by Christopher Moore

WARNING: The following post contains a review for Lamb: The Gospel According To Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. I read and reviewed this book as a participant of the C.S. Lewis Society at Rutgers University's Canterbury House. I am not now, nor have I ever been, a Christian; nor have I read the entirety of the New Testament from start to finish. My previous knowledge of Christ's life, both as told in the Bible and historically, was limited to random passages, things I have heard friends say, movies and television miniseries. So, if you think you might be offended by this post, which is a review of a book that takes a satirical look at the possible life of Jesus from ages 0-30, I suggest you move on. If you decide to read on, I apologize for my lack of Jesus knowledge and my utter bewilderment at most of his life, factual or imagined. Spoilers to follow.

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I want to break down this review, which should be a quick one, to cover the six parts of Lamb, because I think that's the best way to do it.

What Will Winter Bring? - Shortform and Lengthy Reviews of A Feast for Crows & A Dance with Dragons

WARNING: The following post contains spoilers for A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons from the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. If you would like to remain unspoiled, you should recuse yourself immediately. If however, you've read the series, are familiar with the endings of both AFFC & ADWD, or don't fancy reading it at some point in your life (a true mistake IMHO) you may read on. 

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THE SHORT VERSION
It's not too complicated: A Feast for Crows, while shorter, definitely reads slower but is not less enjoyable. You'll appreciate the storylines of Cersei, Arya, and Brienne, but get a bit angry/annoyed at Samwell, Jaime and the massive cast of Greyjoys. Not my favorite in the series, but I wouldn't call it the worst in the series (if there even is a worst) which is apparently the popular opinion.

As for A Dance with Dragons, it's by far my favorite book in the series. I couldn't put it down - it was a rollercoaster of emotions! A bit slow to start, but holy moly once it gets going it's hard to stop reading. I cheered for all of my favorite characters and changed my mind about a few others. It also provides A LOT of much needed backstory and explains/confirms more than I think all of the other books. If A Game of Thrones is your gateway drug, this confirms you're an A Song of Ice and Fire addict.

For the much lengthier, much more passionate review of the final two books in ASOIAF, I'll see you after the jump.

Eat Something You've Never Heard Of, and Other Reasons to Become a Foodspotter - A Review

I've been a Foodspotter since 2010, but I was probably a Foodspotter way before that.

What's a Foodspotter? On the one hand, they take pictures of their food. They did this everywhere, without warning, and at any mealtime. They are amateur food photographers and food stylists, addicts, foodies, food-lovers, and adventurers. On the other hand, they are users of the social network Foodspotting, which also them to do all of the above and save their progress, sharing with their friends their finds and cravings.

I hadn't logged on to my Foodspotting account in a little over two years, but that didn't mean I had stopped taking pictures of my food. With my phone, with my Google Glass, and with my camera - I had a backlog of photos numbering in the hundreds. So, like an idiot, I started to accumulate them in a folder on my desktop. Why am I an idiot? Because it wasn't until weeks later (and many computer screen induced headaches to boot) I would realize I could never let this pile up again.

After starting this compilation, I decided to log into the site, just to see if I had notifications (I did, over 100 to be exact), but that wasn't what struck me. I saw a flag that said "Get the book!" My reaction: "FOODSPOTTING PUT OUT A BOOK?!" Yes, they did. And it's awesome and here's why.

Not Long Now, but A Long Time Coming - An Update

The Short Version

Shortly after starting my RTR book challenge in November, which for the most part was progressing nicely as of mid-November, I was hired to work an event that demanded at least 75% of my time for about 10 days. It didn't help that once that was concluded I was hired to work a multi-week promotion contract. That left me in mid-late December, with The Virgin Suicides unfinished.

Once again, I tried something and didn't stick to it. But I resolved to keep reading, keep working, and find time when I could in the new year. And I have.

You can look forward to a few new reviews coming out soon: The Foodspotting Field Guide, A Feast for Crows and more among them. Stay tuned.

The Long Version

Quickly, and Always Expressively

Just wanted to write a quick note, especially since the daily entries thing has pretty much gone out the window.

I'm more than halfway through The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. Again, the weekend is prime TV-watching time. Now that Doctor Who and Downton Abbey are both done until their Christmas specials next month, I've subbed in The Newsroom which just came back tonight. Of course, The Walking Dead and The X Factor remain for the rest of the month.

I'm still on only 5 or 6 shows a week, but unfortunately I still rely on the sound of TV to fall asleep at night -- which is something I plan to rectify as a New Year's Resolution. I'm usually pretty good with resolutions when they are reasonable; I'm more likely to be successful at "read more, watch TV less" than "give up carbs" or something. More on that in December.

So far, I like Eugenides' writing style. He's a bit sarcastic and very on-point with all the mendacity of suburban life. I'll say this too: I've never seen the movie, but I keep picturing Kirsten Dunst as Lux. Don't tell me if that's who she played. I don't even know anyone else who was in it; I just remember knowing she did it with Sofia Coppola directing and that's how they met before doing Marie Antoinette. 

I'm hoping to be done in the next day but tomorrow is jam-packed. I hope I can get it done and have a review up by Tuesday night. Happy reading!