Update October 2017

I am going to be an uncle very soon. It's weird to think about. I assume that my parents always thought I'd be the first parent among their children. But dating continues to be a fruitless endeavor for me. I recently went on a couple dates with a girl that initially hit all the right spots for me. She was attractive, intelligent, outgoing, educated (she was in a PhD program), pursuing a meaningful career, and wasn't shy about sharing opinions. But she didn't seem, well, very fun. She hardly smiled, joked, or got excited about anything during our conversations. She also had an air of "I'm on this date because the church told me to date" attitude. In other words, it felt like she had a responsibility to be on the date rather than really having an interest in getting to know me. Maybe I'm being harsh, but most (really all) of my optimism in the realm of dating has been beaten out of me.

On to other topics, work. Work is going well for me right now. I enjoy the job and I feel like I am not only needed there but wanted as well. Things have been particularly stressful lately but nothing I can't handle. I am still technically still a temp scientist but I have been assured that things are moving well so that in January I will be hired full-time. I really hope that is true. More than anything at this point in my life I just want stability (a girlfriend would be nice too, but see above). I don't want to go back to the darkness that was the year and a half of unemployment and looking for a job that was part of 2015, all of 2016, and a chunk of 2017. *shivers*

In other things, I'm still reading and loving it. 2016 was a record year for me in terms of reading. I broke several personal records notably:

Most Books Read in a Year (43, previously the record was 32)
Most Pages Read in a Year (16,606, previously the record was 15313)

I wish I could say the same trend was continuing for 2017. Alas, that is not the case. It's been a slow year for reading. With the new job and average 50 hour work weeks I simply have not had the time to read I once did. However, I did spend most of 2016 (almost all of it actually) without a job. So all-in-all things are better despite not reading as much. I also haven't written in this blog much. I am considering, not very seriously, in taking this blog thing of reviewing things I like and why I like them and joining the ranks of Youtube. I know of some Booktubers (people who review books) and I have noticed that most of them lack any serious editing or video making skills. Most are just of people standing in front of their book cases talking. It get's the info across but misses on the entertainment portion that makes a lot of successful Youtube things. Now I have no skills, none, at doing videos but I am considering learning it along with python math coding (I know, two very different things) in my spare time. I think it could be fun. I believe that doing something akin to what CGP Grey does (at least in style) would be a way to go.

Anyways enough rambling. I'm going to bed now and I will be writing my Favorites of 2016 list along with short reviews of the books themselves. Then I'm going to get on a more regular schedule with this thing-a-ma-bob (is that how one spells that?)

Cameron Recommends: Top 8 Fiction books of 2015

As I said before, I am giving everyone some posts about some of my favorite things from last year. This post will be about my top 8 favorite fiction books from 2015. Why 8 do you ask? Well, this is a very, very hard post to write, because so many of the books I read last year were oh so good. I couldn't narrow down to 3, I couldn't narrow it down to 5. So I went with 8. Some of these are sequels or parts of series that I have very much enjoyed. Please let me know in the comments below if you have read any of these books or let me know what your favorite book from 2015 was. Without further ado, here is the list:

Number #8 - World War Z

I listened to the non-abridged 12 hour audio book, and it is amazing. The story of the Zombie war is told through personal interviews with survivors. For the audio book they got different voice actors to do each interview. This made the story so much more compelling and immersive. It's a well thought out, well written book. Brooks has seriously considered how a zombie infection could start and spread. He also does a fantastic job speculating on how different people, governments and cultures around the world would react to it. All-in-all this is a fascinating read (or listen). I would strongly suggest the audiobook. (one warning, some of the interviews do include strong language, I struggled a little bit with those sections but there aren't many of them)

Number #7 - The Devil's Only Friend 

This is the Fourth book in the John Cleaver series of books, also known as the I am Not a Serial Killer series. I love this series and I am so happy that Dan Wells has returned to the character of John Cleaver. This story was so engaging, though this story isn't as great as the original three books. Wells has said that this book is really the first book in a new trilogy set in this world. Guys, I can only really tell you to read these books. I can't write much about the plot of this book without spoiling the previous three because they do build on each other. This entire series will be getting their own post here soon. (though I may wait until next year when the final book is released). Also, look at the cover art, so pretty. Read all these books, I wouldn't start with this one, start with "I am not a Serial Killer".

Number #6 - The Autumn Republic

This is the third book in the Powder Mage Trilogy and it is great. If you read it, the series only gets better with each book, making this book the best one. I can't talk about a lot of things because it is the third book in a very exciting and twisting trilogy.  This is categorized as flintlock fantasy, so fantasy set in a time similar to the times around the revolutionary war. Fantasy with pistols and somewhat more modern type of warfare. It's simply fantastic. Read this trilogy. I hear that McClellan is writing another series set in the same world and I am so excited to read it.

Number #5 - Shadows of Self

Yeah, I know. Nobody is surprised to see a Brandon Sanderson book as part of this list. Sanderson is my favorite author. I love his books. This book is the second book in the Allow of Law series which is set in the Mistborn world, after the original Mistborn trilogy. So really, before you read this book, you should go read those books. This book delves into Wax and Wayne's past and, more importantly, into the consequences of those past events. I know that is a lot of homework but I have loved the Mistborn books, they might be my favorite books of all time. Go, go read Sanderson's books.


Number #4 - And Then There Were None

Wow was this good. So good. I was totally engrossed by this book. I listened to it on audiobook and listened to the whole thing in less than three days. I can see why many people consider this to be Agatha's opus. It is masterful. The whole time I was flipping back and forth as to whom I suspected and how events were going to unfold. I believe that this book was strong influence on the plot of the film Clue. It is a claustrophobic and thrilling book. Ten people with mysterious and possibly dark pasts are stranded on the island and it appears as though one of them might be a murderer. I wish I could discuss this further but I fear spoiling it. In short, go read this. As an interesting historical note, And Then There Were None is the third title that this book has had since its release in 1939. Originally, it was Ten Little N-words. Soon after it was changed to Ten Little Indians. And then to its current title. All of the titles are from the children's poem that is central to the story. It's obvious why the title was changed. It's a classic.

Number #3 - The Martian


I heard it said before I read this book that it is a mix of Castaway and Apollo 13. I kind of disagree with that statement, and mainly because I feel it's nothing like Castaway. That is a good movie, but my favorite character is a volleyball. Now, props to Tom Hanks for making me love his volleyball but overall the movie is kind of forgettable (please don't hate me, it's a fine movie but I'm in no rush to see it again). The Martain is nothing like that. Yes, it is a survivor story but this is one about a man that is compelling on his own, who is smart, humorous and caring. The Apollo 13 comparison, that I can understand as this is very much an astronaut story and getting to see science up close is great. But Apollo 13 takes place over a few days this takes place over a few years. The makeshift job that Apollo had to do to get home was great to see but this book is about a man having to that for a long time. It is thrilling, suspenseful and fun.

The best part about this book is it brings to the forefront two of mankind's most admirable traits: tenacity and compassion. First the tenacity (I think it's obvious but here we go), Mark Watney's courage, ingenuity and humor in the face of overwhelming trials and near-death experiences are amazing. He is such a likable character. Second is the compassion. When listening to the beginning of this book I wondered if it would be like castaway, where the main character is alive and nobody knows it. But the great part about this book is the view we get of NASA and, through them, the world's struggles and hopes that Mark will make it. The cost to save him was astronomical (see what I did there, tee hee hee), and everyone was willing to pay it, no questions asked. I love that! Also, THE SCIENCE IS FANTASTIC. Of course it is a sci-fi book but so much of the science was spot on. I loved it! People need to listen to this book, rather than just read it because some people might be tempted to skip over some of the science stuff. DON'T SKIP IT. It is great. Science is cool.

I warn some more sensitive readers that there is a bit of language here and there but not excessive and not without purpose. Please go read this book, and when you do let's talk about it.


Number #2 - A Monster Calls

I hesitate to write this review on this book. I hesitate because I feel it reveals more about me then I want a random person on the inter-webs to know. But here we go anyway. I don't believe I've ever had a more cathartic experience with a book. The Truth in it hit me so hard that I cried. This book isn't easy, it isn't happy, and it isn't scary. Simply put, it is beautiful, tragic, and sad. However, the sadness of it might help you. It might help you feel less like a monster.

Number #1 - The Aeronaut's Windlass


I started reading Jim Butcher's Dresden Files books in 2015 as well and have very much enjoyed what I've read so far (I actually just caught up and am now current with the series as of October). Butcher's writing in that series is neat, and engaging first person narrative. When I heard he would start on a steampunk-ish novel I got excited. Steampunk is a genre that I am fascinated by but have rarely found anything in it that I have really loved. I expected a similar structure to the Dresden Files. Not so. The Aeronaut's Windlass is written in 3rd person limited, which I quite enjoy. He skillfully makes the characters engaging, and the story is also quite exciting. But oh my, what really captivated me was the world Butcher has crafted. It's so interesting, well thought out, and clever. I loved it, especially the airships. I can't get over how much I enjoyed this book. Everyone, go read it. You won't be disappointed. (As a personal note, I listened to this one on Audible and the narrator did an excellent job)

My Beloved Dog, Kramer

Today, November 5th 2016, would have been Kramer's 15th birthday. I miss him so, so much. Earlier this year, on March 14, 2016, our family had to do one of, if not the hardest, thing we have ever done. We said goodbye to Kramer. Kramer was our first family pet, a black miniature schnauzer. Kramer had not been doing well. He was over 14 years old (the average age for a schnauzer is 11-14). He had already been deaf for about a year or longer. A few months back we noticed him behaving oddly. He wondered around, he didn't get excited when my mom, brothers or I came home. He started losing control of his bladder. So, back in January we took him in to see the vet. At that time we found out that Kramer was experiencing two things: Sundowners syndrome (basically dementia for dogs) and the onset of congestive heart failure. We were told at that time that Kramer might have six months, but more likely only a couple of weeks. We were told what symptoms to look out for. Over the past few weeks those symptoms started to show themselves. He lost even more control of his bladder, to the point where we had to put a diaper on him. He lost weight, 10% of his total body weight. His back legs would shake uncontrollably when he stood. His whole body started to bow. He became anxious and restless, signs that he was in pain. His breathing started to become more labored. He could still walk around, and at times acted normal, but he was declining so fast. As a family, we decided that he only had a few weeks left, and rather than wait until he was in total agony, we made the appointment to put him to sleep. He went peacefully, it took maybe a minute. The day of, I picked Chandler up from work around 1:30pm and got to the house around 2. My Mom came home soon afterwards. We all just hung out in my parents room and shared some stories about Kramer, talked about how much we loved him, took one-on-one pictures with him and said our goodbyes. For the last half hour or so we just all laid there in mournful silence. My Dad made the decision not to go to the Vet with us, he felt he would just get in the way. So my two brothers and mother and I went. After picking out the urn, paw print, and other things we took him back. He went peacefully. It was so hard to see, it felt like a piece of me was ripped away. 

To me, Kramer was the embodiment of devotion, loyalty, innocence, and unconditional love. Chandler said, and I agree with him, that in a lot of ways Kramer kept our family together. He loved us all so much, and so well. He kept our spirits up, especially during hard times. At times, when I had to be there to comfort and take care of my family he was the only on whom I could rely for comfort. Sometimes, when I was depressed I would go to my room and just lay in bed. After a few minutes, Kramer would scratch at my door until I opened it and then he'd jump on my bed and cuddle up with me. He was always so excited to see me whenever I went home. On many trips to my parent's house the highlight for me was just seeing and being with Kramer. Oh how I loved him and oh how I'm going to miss him. So much, so, so much.

I feel I should write down some of Kramer's history here. That way I'll have it, along with the many pictures my family and I have of him. Kramer entered our lives on December 25th, 2001. He was just 8 weeks old, having been born on November 5th of that same year. My mom had been against us getting a dog for years. However, her heart had been softened by the women she was visiting teaching, who got a puppy poodle. My dad saw this as an opportunity to finally get our family a dog. My dad had a miniature schnauzer growing up, and wanted another schnauzer. We found a lady who, if I remember right, lived in either Spanish Fork or Springville. Dad picked out Kramer, and a few weeks before Christmas let me in on the secret that we were getting a puppy for Christmas. I went with my dad to buy everything we'd need for a new puppy. We hid all of it in the shed that was outside our house. I got to see Kramer about a week before Christmas. Then on Christmas day, the woman who had Kramer delivered him to our door. It was in the afternoon, after we had already opened up all of our presents. I answered the door, I had been waiting by it all day, and took Kramer in my arms. He was so small, and just adorable. My mom was confused, who would come to the door on Christmas. Then she spotted Kramer in my arms and her heart melted. She let out a huge "Awww" and picked him up. She was hooked and Kramer was a mamma's boy from that day on. We had a family vote to decide on his name, I remember one of the names that was in the running was Buzz. The name Kramer (obviously) was chosen. One of my earliest memories of him was that day, we put him in a little kennel my Dad and I had gotten for him (trying to kennel train him lasted maybe a week). The kennel was in the kitchen, and at that time we had hardwood flooring in the kitchen. Kramer stepped out and slipped on the hardwood, let out a cute little yelp of surprise and fear and then ran back into the kennel. He was such an adorable puppy. I remember that day, on Christmas, it was my responsibility to take Kramer out to go potty. We went out into a small square of shoveled cement in the backyard and hung out for a little bit, waiting for him to go potty and when he finally did I praised him, as you are supposed to when the poop in the right place. He was so happy he jumped up and down. Eventually we got Kramer trained to the point where he would mostly go potty in the area outside that was the garden.

About 2 months after we got Kramer we decided that we would crop his ears. Cropping is where part of the skin of a dog's ear is removed to give it a triangular look. At the time, there was a possibility that we could show Kramer in dog show's, he had perfect proportions and several different people who knew a lot about schnauzers told us he was one of the best looking schnauzers they had ever seen. My dad's schnauzer had cropped ears as well and we decided we wanted to have the procedure done to Kramer as well. Sometime during the operation, we aren't sure when exactly, something happened to Kramer. He went into a comma and was in one for a while. After he woke up, we got him back with his poor little ears bandaged up. Something was most definitely wrong. Kramer could only walk around in circles, clockwise circles to be exact, and only after someone helped him onto his feet. His head bobbed a little up and down and he just turned his head from side to side constantly, in order to get him to eat or drink you had to follow his head movement with the bowl. After about a week Kramer was still in really bad shape. It was at this point that we had a family meeting and decided that we would fast for Kramer, but if after the fast he had not improved then we would put him to sleep. The next day we abstained from food and drink. On the morning after the fast Kramer was just as he had been before the surgery. We were all so relived. It was this experience that gave me a testimony of fasting and prayer.

Kramer was a really smart dog. We of course taught him sit and stay. But more than that, Kramer was sensitive to our needs and often sought us out. I remember my Dad and I teaching Kramer kisses. We took butter and put a thin film of it on the back of our hands and then called Kramer over and let him smell it. Then as he began licking our hands we said "kisses" then we took our hand away and the other person did the same thing. I taught Kramer to shake. I took some bread (Kramer loved bread) and would hold his paw with my had and shake it and then give him a treat. After just two or three times working on this he had it. He was also very good at the come command and stay command. I remember going to get our family photo taken at the mall. First we took Kramer on a walk (he loved walks, more on that later). Once we arrived at the mall we took him around the mall to where there were plants in the parking lot and surrounding area until he had run out of marking his territory ammo. Then we went inside. It was my job to hold Kramer during the photo. We wanted it to look natural, so I wasn't holding him much. The photographer kept calling Kramer's name to get him to look at her for the photo. Problem was, Kramer always went to the person who was calling his name. Finally, I had to tell the photographer to look at Kramer and say "Stay, stay" and after that we had a perfect family photograph.

As I said above Kramer loved going on walks. When he was younger he was so excited that he would pull against his leash, nearly choking himself, to get to the next mailbox, tree or shrub that he could sniff. I remember on one of the very, very few scary instances (I can only think of this happening twice actually) when Kramer got out of the yard and got lost, that I found Kramer just on the north side of the house. There was snow on the ground He was kind of laying down in the snow, whining. It looked to me that he had taken himself on a walk around the block and had gotten to the point where he didn't know where we were.

Kramer had a pretty good time with other dogs before we got his son Eight. We had some friends in our ward named the Bills. The Bills had a giant dog, which I believe was a husky. It was easily 4-6 times the size of Kramer. He and Kramer had a ton of fun playing with each other, Kramer would run for a bit to get speed and then jump at the much larger dog, which would just lick Kramer with his huge tongue. Kramer would come away from these play-dates soaking in slobber. One time we were dog sitting the Bill's giant husky and we went out for a little bit. Naturally we left the dogs outside to play. When we got home we found the husky 1/3 of the way through Kramer's tiny doggy door which led into the house. It was quite a lot of work to get him out. Kramer just played with the dog while we were working how to get him out.

Now for a few things that Kramer either loved or hated. 

Kramer loved walks. As I said he would get so excited while on the walk he would nearly choke himself on his leash. He loved walks so much that our family couldn't say the word "walk" around him without him yelping in excitement. If you had already said the word and put his leash on him you had better have had your shoes and jacket on already, Kramer would chew on his leash until you got out of the door (I don't know how many leashes he destroyed this way). 

Kramer hated water, especially baths. I'm not sure when it started. I do remember one of the first times that the sprinklers came on in the back yard when he was out there. He barked at them while trying to find a place where he wouldn't get wet.  I eventually went and picked him up and brought him to the patio. Kramer hated baths, after we would give him a bath and brush his hair he would go outside and sulk for a half hour or so. I remember that he grabbed his brush, took it outside and chewed it up, I think that he thought that would stop the baths and brushes. 

Speaking of baths and brushes, Kramer hated getting his haircut. Originally, the groomer that we used for Kramer lived in Spanish Fork. Most of the time, I would be the one that would take him there. Another thing Kramer loved, car rides. Oh he loved sticking his head out. Anyways, Kramer would be having the time of his life on the car ride. Then we would pull up to the groomer's house and about 10ft. from the door Kramer would realize where he was and pull at his leash. It was always so sad to leave him there. He always did look so good afterwards though. Luckily he was quick to forgive. Eventually, our vet prescribed a mild sedative to help Kramer relax while being groomed. 

Kramer loved looking out the window. He had his own spot on the couch where he would sit and look out the window. He'd occasionally bark but not often. There was a spot, just in front of Kramer's ears on his forehead, that Kramer loved to be petted, especially when he was younger. His eyes would roll back in pleasure and he'd lean into whomever was scratching him. 

Most of all Kramer loved us. He showed this all the time. He was so excited to see me whenever I came in the door. He would jump up on the couch and snuggle up next to me, while I scratched his ears, or just petted him. When he came upon me sleeping or taking a nap, he'd jump up on the bed and sometimes he'd just lay down next to me. Most of the time he'd lightly paw at your shoulder or face until you lifted up the covers and then he'd snuggle up right next to you. 

As I said above, Kramer was, is, the embodiment of pure love, devotion and loyalty. I hope, oh so dearly, to see him again on the other side. I love you Kramer, I'll always remember you. 

Cameron Recommends: Top 3 Non-Fiction Books of 2015

Everyone, hello! As promised here are some lists to cover some of my favorite things from 2015. I'll be beginning with non-fiction. I have in the last few years begun to read more non-fiction releases. So to begin with, here are my top 3 favorite non-fiction books I read from 2015:

Number 3 - How Star Wars Conquered the Universe by Chris Taylor

This was a very, very comprehensive look at George Lucas and Star Wars. The first 30% of the book is mainly about George Lucas' early life and the many sources that influenced the creation of the greatest science fiction franchise ever (sorry Star Trek fans). The next part of the book goes into the actual making of all the Star Wars films and cartoons. It goes into the selling of Lucasfilm to Disney and the beginning of production on The Force Awakens. Throughout the book, the author goes into the influences Star Wars has had on fans, culture and Hollywood. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially where the author summarizes early drafts of the scripts.

Number 2 - You're Never Weird on the Internet by Felicia Day

I absolutely loved this book, 5 stars. I listened to this one (Felicia Day narrates it herself and she is hilarious). Felicia Day has had an interesting and pretty remarkable life. From being home-schooled, to being accepted to a University on a full-ride violin performance scholarship at the age of 16, to being the mind behind one of the biggest youtube channels there is. What I loved most about this book (other than Felicia's charm and humor) was her honesty. She candidly talks about video game addictions and the harm it had on her. She talks about what got her out of that and how she accepted it. She then talks about the mental health issues she experienced and how she got help for those. Her candor on these topics, mixed with humor, is refreshing and encouraging. I recommend this to anyone and everyone. 
One content warning, there is a chapter in the book on Felicia's experience with gamergate. In it, she reads some of the messages that were sent to her during this time. They are disgusting, and consequently full of terrible language. I feel the chapter is important, as it shows one of the uglier sides of the internet, but more sensitive people may want to skip it. 
If you know anyone who is or who has struggled with video game addiction, or mental health/anxiety issues I would recommend you gift them this book. It is funny but I believe it could help. I was lucky enough to get a signed copy of this from Felicia Day herself at SLC Comic Con 2015 and couldn't be happier about it.

Number 1 - What If? by Randall Munroe

If you haven't been to XKCD the website you are missing out on some very funny and nerdy stuff. (Though I'd say only about 60% of his comics actually make me chuckle) This book, by the author of XKCD, is fantastic. Using his very popular website, Munroe has gathered several absurd, science-based questions, like "How much force power can Yoda produce?" or "What if a rainstorm dropped all of its water in a single giant drop?". Munroe answers these questions using his background as a physicist at NASA and the help of many different professional sources. A lot of the answers result in the end of human civilization, which is fun. But it makes for an interesting and awesome read. I would recommend this to anyone who has ever wondered "What if . . "

Have any of you read these books?

A quick update and plans for the future

Hello readers both old and new, how've you been?

I know it's been over a year, again. I'm just not very great st keeping up with this blog. It's not like I haven't been writing reviews, I have but I've been writing them over at Goodreads. I'll post a bunch of post a bunch of these kn here, I'll probably do a post here soon on my best/worst books, movies, and games of 2015. Hopefully, that'll make up for my absence.

I've also got a draft of an obituary for my beloved dog Kramer that I'm still working on (that's been emotional and difficult to write). The nostalgic, journal-ly side of me still wants to write a series of blogs on important people, places and events in my life. I want to be very candid in these, write about both the very good and bad. This has the potential to offend some people. But I want to be honest about these experiences. It's not like a ton of people are reading this blog anyways.

I want to keep the focus of his blog on things I am passionate about, so I'll keep doing Cameron Recommends and Cameron Doesn't Recommend posts. But I want to use this as a pseudojournal too. I know my writing isn't poetic or really all that great but I'd like to have a place to point loved ones too who want to learn more about me. Anyways, that's all for now. I'm going to start drafting some posts.

Cameron Recommends: The Lathe of Heaven

Wow, I'm back after a very long hiatus. I know, I know I promised that this wouldn't happen anymore. Well sorry, it did. Life got busy. Anyways, I'm back. I'll try to get on here more regularly, probably twice a month with new recommendations, and possibly a new segment entitled "Cameron's Cooking Recommendations".  Be excited. For now we'll go with the old standby, reviewing books.

I would probably give The Lathe of Heaven 3.5 stars. It did keep my attention really well. It is considered by many to be a classic science fiction story.

The main idea of the story is the ability of George Orr. He can change reality, retroactively, with his dreams. This idea is explored throughout the book. I would have liked to see more of the actual dreams, but we never got those really, just brief descriptions of them. I did enjoy the main story though and thought that it was well written. I have a few complaints though.

First and foremost, the book definitely shows it's age. The story is set in 2002, though it never states this specifically you can infer it from information in the book. The "future" (the book was written in 1971) is a bleak hippie's worst nightmare. From 1971, when the book was released, to 2002 the world has:
1) Become overpopulated (at 7 billion, our current population) making food scarce, urban populations out of control, and housing and basic utilities have become communal affairs. this also has caused temporary "trial marriages" to be the norm.
2) Been devastated by man. Greenhouse gases from cars have melted the polar ice caps, caused a permanent haze to envelop the earth and scoured the earth with barren patches. Also, San Francisco was buried in garbage before it was enveloped by the sea.
3) Been destroyed by nuclear war, before George stopped it 4 years before the story begins.
4) become drug dependent. People constantly need drugs to operate normally, there are even pharmacy vending machines in the future.
The over population thing is interesting as it has direct impacts on the story but the rest is political drivel of the early 70's. It took away from my enjoyment of the story somewhat. At times the ridiculousness of the situation the "future" is in made me laugh out loud.
George Orr's "revelation" at the end of the novel which allows him to submit to not dreaming and helps him stop Haber's nightmare doesn't really make any sense. He all of a sudden just feels right? And I guess you are supposed to infer that the aliens helped him because he learned some weird words to say just before sleeping after he got a Beatles record from one of the aliens? What? It really doesn't make much sense. Maybe I missed something and you guys can fill me in.

Cameron Recommends: Watership Down

Wait, what? Cameron is recommending something that is somewhat considered classic literature and not some weird fantasy? Yes, yes I am. 

So I read Watership Down by Richard Adams, all the way back in 7th grade. It was among the list of books I could read for my English class and this one looked like it had the least potential for becoming a headrest. 

( A sidenote here: I didn't really read much in middle school and high school I became a reader later in life. I mean I read a little bit, when I had to or when something really interested me. I wasn't against reading, it just wasn't a very high priority. I wish I had really gotten into it earlier in life. )

So I picked this one up and really ended up enjoying it. Watership Down is the story of a group of rabbits who leave their home warren, or community, when Fiver, one of the rabbits, has a vision of terrible things to come. His brother Hazel leads Fiver and their friends to leave, being unable to convince everyone else of the danger. They have a few adventures along the way before meeting up with another rabbit warren. This one has several weird customs and a twisted sense of community. I won't give away what happens but it is interesting. They leave and eventually find Watership Down and decide to settle down there. Although Watership Down is a peaceful habitat, Hazel realizes there are no does (female rabbits), thus making the future of the warren uncertain. With the help of a seagull named Kehaar, they locate a nearby warren, Efrafa, which is overcrowded and has many does. Hazel sends a small embassy to Efrafa to present their request for does. While waiting for the group to return, Hazel and Pipkin, another rabbit, scout the nearby Nuthanger Farm to find two pairs of hutch rabbits there; Hazel leads a raid on the farm the next day, returning with two does and a buck. When the emissary returns, Hazel and his rabbits learn Efrafa is a police state led by the despotic General Woundwort, and the four rabbits dispatched there manage to return with little more than their lives intact. While there they found a group of does who desperately want to be free of Efrafa and they decide on a daring rescue/escape plan. 

I know, I know, it sounds weird but it is really good. I highly recommend it! One thing though, don't watch the movie. It is creepy and weird. originally it was marketed as a 'family film' but it is actually somewhat bloody. Skip the movie, just read the book. 

Cameron Recommends: Coraline (The Book and Movie)

Wow guys, I was doing really well there for a while, posting every 2 weeks. Now this will be the first post in just over a month. I'm sorry, more to myself than to anyone else. I really do enjoy writing these posts.

So this time I am writing about a book I just read, Neil Gaiman's Coraline. Coraline is the story of a little girl that has recently moved into an old house that has been split up into several different apartments. Downstairs are two old ladies you used to work on the stage. Upstairs is a strange man that is training a mouse circus. And next door is an empty apartment. In Coraline's apartment there is a parlor that her parents use to put their late grandma's fancy (and uncomfortable) furniture in. In that parlor Coraline finds a door that used to go into the rest of the house, but now just opens to a brick door. Later, Coraline wanders out to find that the door opens up into a replica of her own home, well almost. The replica seems better, more fun, but there is something . . . off about it. There she meets her Other Mother, a more beautiful version of her mother but with buttons for eyes. After that she embarks on an adventure to save her real parents, the souls of three lost children, and herself.

This book is short, you can read it in a single sitting (I read it in two sittings). I really liked it. I had seen the movie that was based off the book years ago and could remember a little bit of it and that I kind of liked it. I ended up finding the movie for really cheap and bought it. I loved the movie this time around. It has a very different feel to it. Some people have criticized the book and the movie as being a little bit too scary for kids. I disagree. I watched an interesting interview with Neil Gaiman where he talked about the reception of the book and the movie. He said that in England it's been a huge success and people have loved it. In America, he receives a little more criticism about it being too scary. He attributed it to a fundamental difference in culture, stating that in England there is a tradition of scarier fairy tales and things for kids. In his opinion, kids like to be a little scared, because it gives them the opportunity to reach and grab their parents hand and know they are there for them. I like that reasoning. The image of holding my future child during a slightly scary movie or story is something I look forward to. This is definitely a book that I would read to my child and then let them watch the movie. I really liked it.

As for book versus movie. I actually think this is one of those rare occasions that the movie does it a little better. The book is rather short and if you translated everything from the book to the movie, it would only be 45 minutes long. So the movie adds a character, embellishes some of the scenes and adds a little to the story line. The one thing that the book does better is showing that Coraline is afraid, but decides to act anyway. That is the real moral of the book, that it's okay to be scared but don't let that stop you from acting. The movie still portrays this but since we don't have the internal thoughts of Coraline it isn't as apparent. My friend also made an interesting observation about the movie. In the movie, Coraline keeps going through the door, even though things don't seem quite right. My friend likened this to addiction, any kind of harmful addiction, how it seems to be good but it isn't and people keep going back despite the red flags. I thought that was interesting. One other thing that I love about the movie are the colors. They did an AMAZING job with the colors of the film. It is so vibrant and they use color to show emotion and other things. I loved it. Watch the movie, read the book. I don't think you'll regret it.

As always feel free to share your feelings with me. What do you think? Do you agree with me or disagree? Is this too scary a book for kids? Let me know in the comments!

Cameron Recommends: The Princess Bride (Book and Movie)

Mawaige . . . . I mean The Princess Bride is what bwings us togethew today. I am sure that many of you have seen the Princess Bride movie. It is a classic especially in Mormon culture (read this interesting article about why that may be). It is a great fantasy, romantic adventure story. I recently read the book for the book club that I manage online (which you can be a member of if you'd like, just let me know). For the book club we were to read the book and then watch the movie to look at the differences and promote some discussion.  It was a really fun experience and I would suggest everyone else do it. 

This really is an enjoyable read. The comedy was superb, the action was fun and the writing was great. . The movie follows the book VERY closely. Really, there are only three differences. 1) William Goldman's abridgement notes, which I liked. 2) The back story of several of the characters, especially of Inigo and Fezzick. And 3) the Zoo of Death. I loved all of these additions, especially the background information. For this reason alone I would say the book is better. But the movie is still a classic and an incredibly well done book - to - film adaptation. I know some people that didn't really love the book and prefer the movie, which is fine. I do believe that for the full experience the two should be experienced, if you do one and not the other I think you are cheating yourself out of joy. 
All-in-all I would recommend both The Princess Bride, the book and the movie.

Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!

Cameron Does NOT Recommend: Memoirs of a Geisha

Time to talk about a book that I absolutely hate, Memoirs of a Geisha. Now I am going to come right out and say that this review may be a bit biased, I'll go into why at the end. For now, I'll just tell you what I think of this book.

Memoirs of a Geisha is a book about a little Japanese girl whose father sells her to a geisha training house, essentially a training house for upper-class prostitutes. Now, many people will say that I am unfairly labeling geisha. Those people should go read the wikipedia article on geisha, yes the article mentions that there were many geisha who were simply entertainers, but many of them were still prostitutes. This is further illustrated by the fact that to become a geisha most women had to go through a mizuage, essentially a paid sex act, to become a geisha in first place. Enough with that tangent. Sayuri, the little girl, trains to become a geisha. Along the way she meets "The Councilman" who shows her some kindness. At this time she decides she wants to be his mistress. Later, she is freed by the geisha house's cruel ownership by manipulating a few men to bid very highly for her mizuage, the right to take away her virginity. She is then employed to be an entertainer to a high businessman, who has lost one of his arms. This man shows her much respect, and seems to care for her. During WWII, he is able to secure for her a job in a factory, so that she can keep from going to the streets. Afterwards he continues to show interest in her, but his friend is the Councilman. So Sayuri decides that in order to be with the Councilman she must disgust the businessman by being caught having sex with a man that everyone (including her) feels is a nasty pig. Somehow, this plan works, and she becomes the Councilman's mistress, even bearing him a son who she must take to the US to raise on her own so as not to bring the Councilman shame. The end.

Yep, that is the book. I really didn't like this book. For one, there are no good men in this story, they are all depicted as vile in one way or another. I know that some men are bad, but really all men? Even the love interest in the book, the Councilman, is a unfaithful man who sends his mistress away to raise his bastard son. Now many people will point out that in Japanese culture at the time this was the way of life. Be that as it may, I still don't think it's right. Just because another culture functioned that way doesn't make it right. I feel marriage is sacred, and I dislike it when it is portrayed as fleeting. Another thing is that our "hero" is a woman whose sole ambition is to be a mistress and she goes about accomplishing it in a terrible, terrible way. Now as to her getting out of her situation the way she did, I could sympathize with that a little, she was doing what she had to. But the plan of hers to get with the Councilman is terrible. How can I root for that?

Now for the bias explanation. To be fair I really didn't like this book and I would not suggest it. I read it because at the time I was dating Torrie, a girl I loved. She gave the book to me as a present. While I was reading it, she broke up with me claiming "Cameron, I know that I've told you I love you but I don't. And I don't think I ever did." It tore me to pieces. I finished the book, feeling that it was my penance. I could tell you all sorts of stories about how badly Torrie treated me and the painful things she did and said, but not here on this blog. Suffice it to say that I may be a little overly harsh on this book because of the person who gave it to me. It is well written, I'll give it that. It just has a morally negative story.

Let me know what you think in the comments below and be sure to FOLLOW my blog for more. Thanks

Cameron Mostly Recommends: The Golden Compass

I would actually give this one 3.5 stars out of 5 stars. I just reread The Golden Compass for first time in 7 years. I was a little disappointed. I remember this book being fantastic, amazing, a literary masterpiece. Reading it again, after being introduced to great literature, I realized it wasn't as well written as I had once believed. Don't get me wrong, it was still very good. The problem is that I have been reading books that are amazing at showing me characters. To be clear, the authors showed that a character was brave, wild, loyal etc. by showing me their actions and their thoughts. Pullman, in The Golden Compass, does more telling. "Lyra was a fierce and wild child." I know it's a small thing but I feel that it was less enthralling a read. I actually had to kind of force my way through it at times because it wasn't as engaging. 

On to the story. I still really like the world he built. The idea of daemons, people's conscience or soul, being a spirit animal always by their human's side was immensely intriguing. Pullman explored many aspects of the idea and did very well with it. The book follows Lyra and her daemon Pan, whose friend Roger gets kidnapped by a mysterious group known as the Gobblers. The Gobblers have been snatching children all over and taking them to the cold and wild North, where talking, ferocious bears and fierce human warriors make their home. Lyra joins forces with a group of gyptians and sets out to help find her father with the help of the Alethiometer, a magical compass that can give you answers to almost any question and which only Lyra can read. 

On to some of the issues with the this book. 
First: I have read other reviews criticizing Lyra as being an overly passive protagonist. While I do agree that she is not as active as other heroes, she is still doing things and being proactive. I liked her, and the rest of the cast for that matter. 

Second: Now on to the real controversy of this book, the religious one. Now it is my opinion that the trilogy is very anti-christian. However, this book isn't. It does bash a parallel universe's version of the Catholic Church, and let's be honest, only some of those jabs are being made at the real Catholic church. Most of the ones that do apply, apply to some of the acts the Catholic church made in the dark ages, some of which were kind of horrendous. Modern day Catholicism is a very different thing than it was during that time and I've known some very devout Catholics that I believe are some of the best people I've known (Looking at you Elder family). Really, the thing that I feel he openly bashes is the idea of original sin. Now, as a Mormon, I don't believe in the idea of original sin. I believe that man will be punished for his own sins and not for Adam's transgressions. As such, I didn't find this part to be offensive, but I can see how for some it might be for others. All-in-all, it does feel as though Pullman might have had a bit of an agenda here. However, it doesn't detract from the story.

Overall I'd suggest this book. I liked it. The concept of daemons, or spirit animals or whatever, is really cool and I kind of wish it was one that another, more skilled author would look into it as well.

Cameron Recommends: The Way of Kings

I know what you all are thinking, "another Brandon Sanderson book? Really?". Yes, really. He is just that good. 
The Way of Kings is a heavyweight, weighing in at just over 1000 pages. But man alive, is it good. I just finished it for the second time and it was even better the second time around. Sanderson is a master at putting little clues to twists in his book without you even realizing it. Not only that, he crafts his characters with such care that you really do care about them and their story. 

I guess I should give a brief summary of the book. The Way of Kings is the first book taking place on Roshar (for which their will be 10 books) and Sanderson does an amazing job with the worldbuilding. On Roshar, terrible tempests, known as highstorms, hit every few weeks. As such the vegetation and animal life has had to adapt, most animals have hard shells and most plants are able to creep back into the earth to avoid the storms. Most of society also has adapted to deal with the storms, cities are built deep into the sides of cliffs and buildings are all made of hardened stone. 

The story mainly follows 4 people, Szeth, Kaladin, Dalinar and Shallan. Shallan is a young girl, leaving her family's estates for the first time in order to become the apprentice to a well known scholar, the heretic sister to the king. 

The Assassin in White

Highprince Dalinar Kholin, the brother of the King who was murdered. Before he died, his brother directed Dalinar to an ancient tome called The Way of Kings, which leads Dalinar to start questioning the warlike and competitive Alethkar way of life. 
Szeth is a Shin man cast out by his people and condemned to do the bidding of his constantly changing masters. He becomes the Assassin in White, sent to murder the king. 
And then there is Kaladin, the MAN! Kaladin is the main focus of the book. His story is told in two ways, one his present story, where is a a slave sold into the army of a competitive HIghprince who values riches over human life. The other way is through flashbacks, showing how he got to that point in the first place. 

This book is so good. Oh man it is so good. I love it. The sequel is coming out next month, and as such I just re-read it. It was even BETTER the second time through. So get get it. Go read it!

Cameron Recommends: Avatar The Last Airbender

Hey everyone, I have another recommendation for you, it's Avatar: The Last Airbender. No, not the terrible, terrible, awful movie by M. Knight Shamylan (or however you spell that guys name). The horror of that movie makes me shudder, brrr, so bad. No, I'm talking about the original TV show.

Simply put, Avatar; The Last Airbender is one of the greatest television series of all time. It has everything a great series needs: humor, action, deep characterization, a touch of romance, an interesting setting, satire, the list goes on and on. The story is about a mythical world where some people are born with the ability to bend one of the elements, either earth, air, water or fire. People bend these elements by using martial arts. The writers and creators of the show enlisted the help of martial arts experts in order to create fighting that was realistic, despite the fact that they are flinging fire or water at each other. Each element is given a distinct type of martial arts fighting style that they felt encompassed the idea and feeling of each element. It's pretty interesting to see.

YES!

In order to keep balance in the world there is one person who can bend all four elements, the Avatar. In addition to being the person who can bend all the elements, he is the bridge between the spirit world and mankind. Upon his death, the Avatar is born into one of the four nations, always rotating fire, air, water, earth, fire and so on.

The world is split into four nations, one for each element. However, the fire nation invaded, wiping out the air nomads and all the airbenders in the hopes of killing the Avatar, who was a child in the air nation at the time. However he survived. One hundred years later, he wakes to find the world in chaos, the fire nation is close to conquering the water and earth kingdoms. Even though he still just a teenager, he must learn to master all four elements and bring balance to the world.

This show is incredible guys. Now, before you go judging a book by its cover I have a few things to say. I was very hesitant to watch this show. I was introduced to it by a friend of mine, Dave Loomis. It looked an awful lot like anime to me, which I do not enjoy (despite my younger brother's several attempts to convince me otherwise). Well I was wrong to be suspicious. While The Last Airbender may look like an anime series, it isn't. It is completely American made. The creators simply chose Chinese culture as a basis for the show. While the animation may look like anime, it is far from it. Also, the whole thing was originally done in English, so no weird lip syncing or subtitles. And though it may seem to be directed at kids, it covers several very adult themes and concepts.

I love this show, it is perfect. The first season it's a tad slow, but it gets better as the show goes on. This series also has one of the most interesting and compelling character development arcs I've ever seen or read, I literally cried. Just go watch it. If you live near me, I have the whole series on DVD and I'd love to watch it with you.

Have you seen Avatar? What do like about it? Let me know in the comments below.

Cameron Recommends: The Name of the Wind

Oh man, it's time for another blog post, and surprise, surprise it's another book review. So let's get down to it.

My little brother Chandler is great, he is a bookworm like me (though he doesn't read as much as me). He read this book (not sure who recommended it to him) and he loved it. He talked it up for a while and then two years back he got the paperback for me for my birthday. I was in the middle of another book so it took me a while to get to this one. The first 50 pages or so I was skeptical, I wasn't really sure what was going on. Then it took off and Oh how I LOVE this book.

One of the things that makes this book so fantastic is the writing style. There are essentially two stories going on, the present day and the past. In the present day an innkeeper is living with is assistant in a little town. Weird stuff is going down in the world but nobody really knows why. A biographer, known simply as "The Chronicler" shows up and reveals that he has figured out that this innocent innkeeper is actually Kvothe, hero, lover and kingkiller. He begs for the chance to tell his story and Kvothe agrees to tell it to him over the next three days. This section of the book is all told from 3rd person limited point of view.

Then we get Kvothe's story. Book one, The Name of the Wind, is the first day of Kvothe relating his tale. Man is it interesting. This section of the book is told from a first person point of view. He tells of his parents and how he grew up as essentially part of a mobile theater group that would pass from town to town and perform. Then tragedy hits and he spends time as a street vagabond in a large city, then he goes to "The University" where artisans and magicians learn their craft. This is NOT at all like Harry Potter though, this school is very different, not everyone can perform "magic" and magic is very limited in its abilities (essentially it's all about transfer of heat and energy, which appealed to my scientific mind).

The book is mostly this past story, but it is broken up a bit, with the third person limited point of view in the present being inserted here and there, like during the lunch rush at the inn or when a stranger comes knocking. The breaks make you excited to get back to the next section of the book, whether it be craving to know what is going on in the present or wanting to know what is going to happen to Kvothe in the past.

The book is beautiful, the writing is superb, and the story is compelling. I LOVED THIS BOOK. I would probably put it (along with its sequel, A Wise Man's Fear) in my top 5 favorites of all time. I'm eagerly (and yes impatiently) waiting for the third day to come out. So go pick this one up, it's well worth your time.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think in the comments. Are these recommendations useful? Have you read this book? If so, what did you think?

Lots o' Love

Cameron Recommends: Angels and Demons

With the Christmas break I have had a more time to myself than usual. This translates into more reading, more TV and, believe it or not, more blog writing. Today I'll be reviewing one of the books that I have read during the break; Angels and Demons.

My friend, Kyle Dority, is a Dan Brown fan. He is also a reader. A couple of weeks ago, he mentioned that he'd be spending a couple of weeks in Dubai during the break (lucky jerk) and that he wanted something good to read. Without hesitation I offered my paperback copies of the Mistborn Trilogy, one of my favorite series of all time (I did a Cameron Recommends about it a few months ago, check it out). He felt like he ought to return the favor, so he lent me 3 of his Dan Brown books. He told me to start with Angels and Demons. After school got out and at the tail end of a week with the flu, I decided to pick the book up.

I have recently read a lot of fantasy novels, which makes sense seeing as how that is what I normally read. The last fantasy book I read was somewhat hard for me to get into, even though I really liked. What I hadn't realized was I needed just a good piece of fiction to help freshen up fantasy again. This book satisfied that need, and man did I enjoy it. Now, I must confess that I saw the film and so certain plot twists of the book had already been revealed to me. I really wish that they hadn't, I feel it would have made the book so much better. However, I knew what to look for. Even knowing the basic plot the author had me second guessing myself. At a couple of points I thought to myself "Hmm, am I remembering the film right" or "Maybe they didn't follow the book that well, lots of movies don't". You know that is good, thrilling writing when that happens.

Time for a quick synopsis of the story. Robert Langdon is a professor of symbology and history at Harvard University. He is in his forties and is an active swimmer. Early in the morning he receives an urgent phone call and fax with an ancient, never before seen symbol, the Brand of an dead society whose purpose was to bring down Christianity.  Langdon has written books about this group and even theorized as to what their brands would look like, but nobody in living history has seen them. It appears that this dead society isn't as dead as the world was lead to believe. The ensuing adventure is one of hidden clues, dark purposes, and murder. (Pretty good setting huh? makes you want to go read it)

I really did enjoy this book and I recommend it. One other note on the film. I really didn't like the movie, the twist felt contrived and didn't make a whole lot of sense. The book, on the other hand, makes the twist make a TON more sense and gives the ending a lot more weight.

Thoughts, comments, jokes? Let me know in the comments. Also remember to follow.

Cameron Recommends: Popcorn at a Movie

Yep, that is right, I am writing about popcorn today. But first check out this awesome video I found of a popcorn kernel popping in super slow motion.

Cool, right? Anyways, now that we have that out of our way, down to business. Popcorn is a movie goers favorite snack. Everybody knows this. The question is, why? For most people, I don't know. I love it because it is so darn tasty. I mean, popcorn is by far my favorite snack of all time. However, I think it goes deeper than that, it goes back to my roots. 

My family has always been big into movies, especially ever since my dad was put in a wheelchair. It is something that we all love and can all talk about. Even at times when things are a little tense or awkward at home, we can talk about movies. As a kid, getting popcorn (generally the microwave stuff) was a treat. My parents would go out and I'd be babysitting and get permission to cook some and watch a film with my little brothers. Those are great memories I have, just chilling with my brothers, enjoying movies and popcorn. 

So go pop yourself some popcorn, or get some at the next movie you go out to see. Maybe it can compliment some fond memories of your own.