The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

I just finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. This is the third and final book in the series and it was much, much better then the second.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest wraps up the story that started delightfully in the Dragon Tattoo and dragged on in Fire. I would certainly recommend the series to anyone looking for a great read.

Bear in mind that all three of the books are quite violent and graphic. They deal with women's issues and the abuse of women's issues by men in society. All three read as enjoyable fiction but at certain points in the story you can't help but reflect on the reality of the situation. The books touch on the topic of abuse, mental illness, rape, men's superiority complex, illegal computer hacking, but mostly the issue of right and wrong.

Some of the interesting broad strokes of the story were: sometimes the law doesn't allow for the right thing to be done in a situation or for the wrong thing to be prevented. Sometimes the context really does matter. Sometimes we, ordinary citizens, deal with 'situations' better than any authority could. And last but not least, what does it mean to be sane?

Enjoy! They're all available for the kindle and they'll keep you busy for at least 3 weekends when you've got no money!

MULUB,

Taylor

3 Bean Pumpkin Chili

So I've been on a fall foods kick and what says fall more than chili. I saw this recipe on Meet Me In The Kitchen for Black Bean Pumpkin Chili and thought, hmmm pumpkin + chili = totally fall. So I figured I'd give in a try but between looking at the recipe and making my way to the kitchen, it took on a life of its own.Now, if you're like me you like your chili thick, chunky and spicy. My dad makes the best chili I have EVER had. Every fall, for as long as I can remember, my dad would get out this HUGE pot (So big a small child can fit in it. In fact there have been many children pulled around the house in this pot, predominately I remember Brianna hiding in the pot.) And in would go cans and cans of whole, peeled tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, and who knows what else. And after what seemed like days of simmering on the stove, we'd have chili... for a year. The chili would go into the freezer and we'd take some out to eat or to take people's houses to eat. It was delicious! It still is delicious and I hope there's a bag ready to be pulled out of the freezer when I'm home in December (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

There's More...

Home Cooking

I haven't really blogged about home cooking for Chuki yet. So here goes -

When we first got the pup we were feeding him Purina Puppy Chow because, well, because it was a brand we knew from home and it was moderately priced. It wasn't the cheapest but it wasn't the most expensive. We had taken him to the vet for his first round of shots but at about 6 weeks I found a worm in his poop (gross, I know) and we took him back to the vet for a more detailed exam.

There's More...

The question is...

.... how much blacker could it get. The answer is none, none more black.

-Ryan

The Girl Who Played with Fire

I just finished The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. This is the second book in the series that began with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I'm still recommending the series, although I certainly thought that the Dragon Tattoo was much better that Fire This book moved very slowly in the beginning, actually in the first half. It wasn't until nearly 60% (when reading on the Kindle) that I was really, really interested. The first book moved quickly from beginning to end but not this one.

The Girl Who Played with Fire actually reminded me of one of the middle episodes of a season of 24. You have to watch it in order to understand how the season ends, but it's like come on already. That's how I felt about this book. I had to read it but it was like let's get going!

I'm excited about the third and final book. I hope that it's more action packed like the first and ties up some loose ends. Most of all, I hope Lisbeth and Blomkist end up together!

Definitely gets a READ recommendation but beware it's a tad slow.

MULUB,

Taylor

New Name

Temporary name change. Please leave yeas or neas in the comments section.

-Ryan

Things to do in Quito when you're dead....

Well, not dead exactly, but just marginally unemployed. July and August are the months in which your students decide that instead of having classes, it would be better if they went to the beach, or the jungle, or Las Vegas to buy a new iPad. Their justifications are unimportant, I had nothing to do. Since, for the time being, I was an ersatz ward of the state, and since my SNES had not yet to arrive, I read. In the following paragraphs I will recount a small review of the books I read.

Lies INC. - Phillip K. Dick

Well, what can you say that hasn't already been said about a book that places a 100 page,non-sequitur acid trip smack dab in the middle? Skip it. Apparently, the book was originally published without the middle section. Read that book.

Player Piano - Kurt Vonnegut

One man's revolt against a glittering tomorrow, so says the cover. In this story machines have taken over all industry, save for the managers and the engineers. It's kinda like in the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when Charlie's father, who screws in toothpaste caps, is replaced by a robot that does the same task. I suppose that's where the similarities end as, much to the chagrin of me and everyone else, Player Piano does not, in fact, have a chocolate factory. Very different from Vonnegut's later works, but a good read nonetheless.

Slapstick - Kurt Vonnegut

The protagonist of Slapstick is a two meter tall, neanderthal ex-president. The book is written as his memoirs. It's a non-linear non-plot. But, it's thoughtful and funny and interesting. When you can't sufficiently explain what a book is about yet you can't stop reading it, that's a good indication that the writer knows what he's doing.

Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut

Jury's out on this one. I certainly liked it, but I'm not sure what he was trying to say with this novel. Every character in this novel has been used by a force greater than themselves for a purpose to which they were wholly indifferent or adversarial. Beyond that.....? Read it, it's good.

Anthem - Ayn Rand

I'll admit, I went into reading this book with preconceived notions. I have a cursory understanding of Ayn Rand and her "philosophy", and that possibly tainted my experience. That said, this book was the most self-important pile of drivel I have ever read. The protagonist is homo superior, or something, I've only ventured to guess, who lives in the ideal of a communal society. Everyone is forced to be equal, but he's not equal, you see, he can't be, get it? The word 'I' is forbidden and people refer to themselves as 'WE'. How can I possibly express how facile this book was. The protagonist might as well have been a 14-year-old kid, "I'm so great and nobody understands me." Anyway, the protagonist escapes, with the greatest of ease, along with his mate who "gets him" and they run away through the woods and live in a derelict cabin. He discovers 'I' and decides he's going to return to society and bring back those who agreed with him, even though he's a self-involved tool, and no previous motive is expressed for why he would want to do such a thing. Nevertheless.... When I read Kurt Vonnegut's books I can tell he had an insight into something and he's thinking about the issues that were concerning him. Evidently the only thing Ayn Rand thought about was Ayn Rand. Alas, I have promised myself I would read her works, and I am currently 30 pages into her (rather long) novel We The Living. Pray. For. Mojo.

Dracula - Bram Stoker

This book gets an honorable mention as I haven't actually finished it, though Lord knows I've tried. To whom it may concern, this book is about a vampire. His name is Count Dracula. He lives in Transylvania. He's rather pale. The first chapter of the book is very exciting, the rest is, well, not that exciting. Dracula would be, by my estimation, 26 pages long if you were to remove the endless paragraphs of Victorian genuflecting. Look, I understand that so-and-so is a goodly woman, honest and noble, and that what-his-face is truly a steadfast friend....... so, if it's not too much to ask, can we please talk about vampires now? The ending is going to have to involve a lightsaber battle for me not to be disappointed. I don't think it will.

That's all for the moment,

-Ryan