Book fare.

When I was a wee lass, one of the best times of the year was when the Scholastic Book Fair would come to my school. I'm not sure why I've always loved books so much, but I used to go absolutely bat-shit when the Book Fair would roll into town. Thinking back on it, it wasn't anywhere near as good as going to the Friar Tuck Book store in the mall, but I guess it was just the novelty of having the books come to my school... for a limited time only! And we got to get out of class to go to the Book Fair! It was like... a field-trip to the bookstore! Nerdiness and Escapist Tendencies unite to form Wooooooooo!

Well, anyways, what I'm writing about today is that my bat-shittiness has in no way, shape or form over the past twenty plus years. I love going to the bookstore today more than going to just about any store in existence, except that one on Sunset that sells all the Gentlemen's Magazines on the cheap. But wait! That's a bookstore, too! See? Could you imagine if they had a book fair that came to my work? That would be like Christmas and Chanukah all at the same time!

The books I've been reading lately are pretty wicked and they are as follows:

The Mauritius Command and Desolation Island: Fourth and Fifth chapters in the continuing Aubrey-Maturin Series, penned by the great Patrick O'Brian. He never ceases to amaze me with the depth of his wit and the breadth of his knowledge. Subtleties abound in these novels and I relish every one like a juicy peach on a hot summer day.

100 Bullets: I'm back on board the train with a vengeance here. I read The Counterfifth Detective no less than FIVE times while I was in Mexico because it was that freakin good. As soon as I could, I got my mitts on Six Feet Under the Gun and Samurai. Can you see a pattern here? If you're thinking about reading this series, start with the first book, First Shot, Last Call. It may not seem it in the beginning ,but it's cumulative, kinda like a chemistry exam. But not sucky.

The Walking Dead: I wouldn't say that this book was really bad, it's just that it wasn't really good. There's a tremendous amount of promise in a book that chronicles life in a Walking Dead World, but somehow the art and writing in this book combine to not deliver. The Walking Dead makes a point of trying to focus on the interpersonal relationships of the surviving humans, but it turns out to be a bit contrived and, hm, trite. I write this with the utmost regret, because I know the author is really trying, but maybe they're trying too hard. Create your characters and let them interact naturally. Having said that, I'm not put off enough to pass on the second book, until then, I'll write off any lack to inexperience.

Continuing my train-wreckish fascination with the Living Dead:

The Zombie Survival Guide: Boy, oh boy. Go out and buy this book. You may think you know what you'd do if the zombies came for you, but I can most assuredly assert that you do not. I can't stress enough, this book is a must-read. If you don't, if you happen to, say... personally find out why it's not a good idea to bring a machine gun to a zombie fight, DON'T COME MOANING TO ME.

Uzumaki: Japanese horror manga. Spirals are the bad guys. Yes, spirals, as in: those curly lines. First-rate stuff here. I'm not joking.

There's more, but I'm supposed to be sleeping off my cold. Night!

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

Well, not a whole lot has changed since I last posted, but a lot has happened. I love bullet points, so that's how I'm going to lay it out for you:

- Shipped Spider-man 2 for PS2, XBOX and Gamecube. I'm happy to report that it was reviewed very well overall and is selling like crack hotcakes.

- Visited home. While there, I saw one of my best friends from back in high school, Jessica Spissinger, get married. She looked awesome and I got to catch up with a lot of old friends. I also came to realize that I really need to start looking into planning my high school reunion. Later. It was great seeing the whole family and I was happy that I got to be there for Father's Day and my Grandma's birthday. Lots of hanging out with my sister, who is turning into a really cool chick. Mostly because she is a lot like me. Uh, except for the chick part, that is.

- Visited Mexico. Went to a city called Aguascalientes, which is directly in the center of the country. I got to meet all of my girlfriend's extended family, which was very cool. I also got food poisoning, which was very suck. We also traveled to my girlfriend's grandfather's ranch. Upon finally meeting the tough old guy, he looked at me and said something to the effect of "Oh, I already know this guy. He came around selling Sabritas ( Mexican potato chips ) about a month ago." Which was patently not true, but I wasn't going to argue with the old fella, he's the most feared lawman south of the Rio Grande. We also got to visit Guanajuato, where they have mummies, mines, cool old haciendas and student-led musical groups that guide large groups of tourists through the streets of the city, singing and telling us about the history of that beautiful city. And... last, but not least, I got to ride a real horse for the very first time. I'm so freakin proud of myself.

- Got assigned to my next project. It's a SUPER-SECRET Spidey project that's not related to the movie. That's all you're going to get out of me for now. So don't even try. ( Unless you have lots of money. ) ( Or maybe even a little. ) ( I accept PayPal. ) Ok, ok. What I can say is that it's gorgeous. You'll have to wait for more info.