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!