When you get married in Vegas, you're only married in Vegas!

I took way too long to finally get to Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich... I liked the movie version, 21, but mostly because of the BU references, and Vegas is just cool. The book not only lacks Jim Sturgess playing Kevin, an MIT math genius who joins a card counting team to spice up his monotonous life at the bio lab, but it also wasn't very different from any other Vegas story. I guess if I had read this before the movie, I would have liked it a lot more, and I wouldn't have gotten so sick of the reappearing threatening men in suits in every chapter. Plus all I kept thinking about while reading this was the stupid trailer for The Social Network, the next based-on-real-life story of Boston brainiacs getting over their heads while trying to be cool and make some quick cash.

5.5/10
445 points

Bert and I Have The Same Problem Reading Books.

Ernie just won't stop laughing.

Socrates meets Dr. Dolittle

I just finished the book Ishmael written by Daniel Quinn. Being a biology major, with a strong inclination for ecology and anthropology, I loved this novel. Quinn, through a Socratic style of teacher-pupil dialogue discusses ultimately the history the world and life and their fates. To give away Ishmael's points, or to touch upon his messages here briefly would be a disservice to the novel and to any of its future readers. Just as the pupil had to be led through the discussion so too must the reader, if the message is to have any lasting effect.

Initially I find the material discussed slightly haunting. The anonymous protagonist is left with a daunting task that resonates with the reader's own sense of burden. There is, at least for me, an urge to change for the better after finishing this book. In the back of my mind, however, remains doubt to the feasibility (or meaningful impact for that matter) of such a task.

I consider this book one of the best I have read in a very long time, and will suggest it to anyone. There is no one type of person that should read this novel, rather, everyone should.

9.4/10
463 points

I READ THIS BLOG.

That will be 409 points for me.

And 600 points from Gryffindor.

JULIA CHILD

Bon Appétit!

My Life in France, by Julia Child, is a book I've been meaning to read for about a year now. When I re-discovered it while cleaning my room, I finally gave it the attention it deserved. This book isn't for everyone; only the true foodies at heart can really appreciate her many detailed accounts of preparing poached fish in yet another type of butter sauce. But even though poached fish may not be my meal of choice, I was hooked. Her bursting passion and love for food and cooking was so relatable to me, I read some passages and felt like I could have written them myself. I was so inspired after finishing the book that I kind of got a little stressed out because I didn't know where to begin. Buy all of her cookbooks and immediately begin to master the art of French cooking myself? Re-watch Julie and Julia? Go to the market and get a freshly killed goose and learn how to stuff it with lemon and herbs??? Um. Well, no.

But I will continue to push myself in the kitchen, trying new recipes and practicing for my TV show (it could happen, ok?). Shopping at the market and eating fresh, yummy food. And who knows, maybe one of these days I will get around to that goose. Maybe.

96/100

502 points.

Into the Beautiful North

I've been obsessed with Weeds lately, so when I opened a package at work and found Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea, I was really excited. Basically, the book is about a girl living in Mexico whose father has left to live in the United States, and the rest of the men in her town follow until the only men left are old or, in the case of this one character Tacho, gay. She decides to cross the border and find some new Mexican men to procreate with and who are strong enough to come back and protect the town from bandidos- the drug dealers and such.

I really loved the characters of this book, and the story was interesting, especially considering the issue of illegal immigration and all that. It was cool to read from the point of view of the immigrants, even though it was fiction. It had random funny moments too, although they were hard to catch because not all the Spanish was translated (although I did learn some good swear words). I give it 4/5 (or 80/100 for Matt).

538 points.

And why am I no longer an admin?

The New Man In Charge

http://www.totaleclips.com/player/Splash.aspx?custid=907&clipid=e71656&playerid=69&affiliateid=-1&bitrateid=378&formatid=10

3.14159265

I read Life of Pi, by Yann Martel, yesterday, a good way to spend 1o hours on a bus to New York City and back in one day. The beginning of this book is all about animals and zoos. For those of you who know me well.... you know that I hate zoos. Life of Pi made me question that hatred. I'm not about to skip downtown to start visiting the lions and tigers and bears oh my, but maybe in the future I'll be more open to going... especially if it's for Brew at the Zoo.

Anyways, I really related well to this book because as Pi was suffering on his lifeboat, starving, wet, and at the brink of death, I was sitting on a bus with an air conditioner so cold that I could hardly move my hand to turn the page. When we stopped on the way home to get food, I was shivering from head to toe, teeth chattering, and holding a cup of soup in my hand, feeling like I just survived a storm in the Pacific Ocean myself. This really brought the reading experience to a personal level. [Side note: I don't like air conditioning. It's summer. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE HOT.]

Overall, I liked this book a lot and if we are going to start a rating system, I'll give this book a 4/5.

526 points.

Happy birthday Matt Roosa

Also, can we have a rating system for the books?

Mark It Zero

I just read a restaurant menu. 202 POINTS.

First Book

I just finished my first book of the challenge, Screwjack by Hunter S. Thompson. It is an collection of short stories (3 in total) that build in intensity as you progress. I haven't read anything by Thompson before but this collection makes me want to try some of his other works... 259 points.