Tag: break down

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Books

Review: Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

I give this book a 5.

LoveIt

This is a really good book that still has me a little confused a month after listening to the audio presentation of it. I can’t image how Hollywood was able to pull this story off, but maybe one day I’ll bring myself to the point of watching the movie.

I’m not going to make any attempts to sound super profound here: I like this book because it was magical in a completely magic-free way. Themes that come to mind in this story of stories are: reincarnation, propaganda, racism, the power of knowledge and or education, and so much more…and of course there is a sense of love, but not really romance.  There is sex, violence, music, art, philosophy, and more all cosmically mingling from one story to another in this odd anthology.

I’ve probably already confused a few people, but that’s ok because I’m still a little confused myself. I mean, I get it. I understand what I heard and how it all works together, but just don’t know if I get the meaning of it all. What I do get is a warning about the human condition and the many great and scary things we are capable of. When advancements in technology, communication, and politics come together it’s powerful, but that’s only one part of it. Time and change is a variable humanity has no control over and it seems to be the ultimate mastermind of fate.

I seriously do not have the words to describe exactly what it is about this story I loved, I just know I was intrigued and compelled to complete it from the very start. I’m a lover a well told stories and this book tells amazing stories and in a very creative way. This book makes you think about things you never knew you neglected, at least I did. I can clearly see that this book would be too intense for a great majority of my friends, which is why most of them have seen the movie, and based on their responses to that, it’s a good thing they stayed away from the book.

In any case, I think this is a great adult read. Something to get your mind going to places you never thought to go. The pace fluctuates, the themes and stories can be confusing, but reaching the end is totally worth it.

This review has been posted to GoodReads. If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Books

Review: Year Zero

Year Zero by Rob Reid

I give this book a 4.

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This is a very entertaining read full of laughs and, oddly enough, a great deal of factual information I never knew. This story is so absurd that I’m not quite sure how to describe it.

Apparently advanced aliens, far across the galaxy, have been craving and downloading earth music because it’s the one thing the insufficient human race is actually good at (and the rest of the known universe is not). Then one day the superior aliens, through their mastery of legal principles, realize that they owe the people of earth an innumerous amount of royalties or something like that. While some aliens have decided to settle the matter in court, others have decided to just eliminate the problem all together. That’s where the intergalactic misadventures of lawyer Nick Carter (not to be confused with Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter) begin.

To say that the characters of this story are kooky would be an understatement. My favorite thing about the story isn’t technically apart of the story. I love the footnotes. The footnotes of this book are like a running commentary in a movie. They are informative, hilarious, and pleasantly distracting. Eventually I had to stop reading them to finish the story and then went back to read them in perspective. I guess if you’re not really a reader, this may not sound appealing.

All aliens aside, anyone who likes music will love this book. It’s also good for a laugh.

This review has been posted to GoodReads.

If you’d like to obtain a copy of this book, try this link.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords

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Guest Posts

Near Death Experience and Writing by Darlene Jones

physio
provided by D. Jones

Being a pedestrian hit by a car means multiple injuries and critical condition, but it’s not all doom and gloom. Well, okay, 99.9% of it is, but there are a few bright humorous moments.

I know I’m lying on the ground in the middle of the road. “Where are my kids? Where are my kids?” I open my eyes and see my son bending over me.

“It’s okay, Mom. We’re right here.”

“Where’s my purse? Where’s my purse.”

I can’t see my daughter, but I hear her say, “It’s okay, Mom. I have it right here.”

So, you see, I have my priorities in the right order.

In the emergency room, I say, “I wear contacts.”

A nice young intern hovers over me. “It’s okay, we took them out.” He holds a contact lens case a couple of inches from my eyes. “See, I have them right here.” Maybe he’s not so nice after all. Or, maybe I’ve been babbling a little too much?

Weeks later I’m transferred from the trauma unit to the rehabilitation hospital. I lie in bed with casts from the top of my legs to the tips of my toes. My right arm has been so badly dislocated that it’s useless.

A nurse comes in to tell me I’ll be going to physio and occupational therapy. Physio first. I’m taken to a room that looks like something out of the Spanish inquisition. Weird contraptions on the walls, with belts and straps and hooks that menace the helpless patient.

“Mrs. Jones, what are you doing here?” says a bright young thing I recognize as a former junior high student.

“Sandra, what are you doing here?”

“I’m your physiotherapist.”

I look again at the instruments of torture. “Oh, God, I hoped you liked me.” Turns out we get along just fine.

One evening the tall skinny nurse’s aide who is my favorite staff member offers to give me a shower.

“How can we do that?” I ask gesturing to my casts. Not a problem for her. She wraps both my legs in green garbage bags, wheels me on a gurney to the shower room, proceeds with a shampoo, and sprays the top half of my body. Never has a shower felt so good…

To see the rest of this article and learn more about Darlene Jones, visit the ECS blog.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords