May 1, 2009 at 9:51 pm (podcast, review)
Tags: McKenna, philosophy, psychedelics, shamanism
Prepare to have your mind blown. This podcast plays recordings of past lectures by Terrence McKenna, Timothy Leary, and an astounding number of other fringe greats. I’m not a big fan of Leary, but McKenna was something special. If you haven’t had the pleasure of listening to him speak, I’d recommend giving him a try. Keep your mind open. There is no way to summarize his lectures. He was absolutely an amazing man.
I started off 6 months ago by first listening to Episode 12, Raeetsch: Witches Ointments and Aphrodisiacs. It remains one of my favorite lectures on this podcast. Right up there with the Valley of Novelty series, which I recommend that you listen to for a long and in depth overview of McKenna’s thoughts.
Common topics covered in this show: Psychedelics, culture and ideology, theology, mythology, and shamanism. Not necessarily in that order. Enjoy.
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April 30, 2009 at 11:40 pm (fiction, review, theology)
Tags: Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel, masochist
I originally picked up this series because there was a line on the front cover of Book 1 Kushiel’s Dart from Robert Jordan essentially complimenting the intricacies of the series. I mean, hey, if Jordan liked it, it MUST be good. He didn’t fail me either. Set in a world pretty darn close to our own, well, our own in the 1600’s maybe, this intricate fantasy piles on intrigue, politics, espionage, theology, and an extremely healthy dose of masochism. You weren’t expecting that last bit, were you?
While love (in ALL its forms) is a prominent theme in this series, it is not brimming with those flowery (and horrible) phrases that induce vomiting. i.e. throbbing, heaving, bosom… that’s about all I know. You get the picture. When sex is mentioned, its very much the whips and chains version…somehow this is done in a way that is neither offensive, too much, or even a highlight of the book. The main character just happened to be a masochist, that’s all, hell, she’s a gods chosen masochist. Nope, not something I’m in to, you don’t need to be either, that’s just a fair warning for all of you. While the main character may be a bit… different, she is also one of the best and most interesting spies I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about.
The characters in these books are intricate, involved, and extremely real. The conflicts are both involved and involving, and more then once I had no idea where it all was going to end up.The parallels to our world are fantastic, especially involving religion. Everything is so familiar, yet so blatantly different that it seems all the more real. This has become a near and dear series to me. I’ve only read through book 3, so far, and haven’t lost interest yet.
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April 29, 2009 at 11:41 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: Memoir, review, Stephen King, Writing
I’m nearly 10 years behind in the review of this book. If you haven’t yet read King’s On Writing, it’s past time to get to it. If you aren’t interested in writing but are interested in the life of the author (even a little bit) pick this one up.
The first half of this book cover’s the life of Stephen King. Guess what? It was interesting. Actually, it wasn’t just interesting, but laugh out loud funny in quite a few parts. I have always imagined that this man had come from some blue blood New England family, when it’s the complete opposite. King has worked his butt of to get where he is and that makes me appreciate him a great deal more then I did. The incite that he provides into his experiences is worth the read.
I’ve read quite a few How-To books on writing. Yes, I know, it doesn’t exactly show here. I try to keep things nice and casual. This book is one of the best. His explanations are the no holds barred advice that writers need to hear. He also includes examples of good editing and admits where he has his own problems. This is probably the only book on writing that I’ve come across where the other admits that he doesn’t poop (sorry, King, I try to keep the site PG) gold bricks on the first go around.
Again, even if you don’t give a damn about writing, the family stories in this book are priceless.
Mr. King, I doubt you’ll ever read this blog, but if you do, I need to say thanks for finishing this book!
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April 29, 2009 at 11:25 pm (Uncategorized)
After over 6 months of inaction, I am happy to say that I am back to continue this blog. Life has been a little bit crazy, but when it’s all said and done, that’s what makes it interesting.
I’ve kept up with my writing (and reading) and have a few things out being reviewed (and hopefully accepted) my magazines and such. Now… on to the reviews! If anyone has any suggested reading or would like an opinion on a book, feel free to ask. New books = happy me!
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September 3, 2008 at 2:01 am (Uncategorized)
For all those commuters out there, those long road trip drivers and people with boring desk jobs…get onto iTunes and look up Podiobooks, or go to podiobooks.com! I stumbled onto this completely by accident. Hell, I didnt even realize that I was already listening to one..I just thought, ’sigh…another ad on free download.” OK…its worth it. No more paying for hours of entertainment. There are some FANTASTIC stories out there!
There is the Heaven series by Mur Lafferty (already reviewed…see, I had no idea this was a podiobook!) which is bloody fantastic. I just finished the first two books of 7th Son (anyone interested in cloning) which is great…and then I also just finished up Ancestors…I’ll be reviewing both 7th Son and Ancestors in the days to come. Honest. I just had a short sabbatical. 
So pick up your MP3 player and plug in! These authors know there stuff and are pumping out some fantastic stuff for us!
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August 1, 2008 at 6:42 pm (Uncategorized)
There I was, library card in hand, with nothing to read before a weekend at the beach. Suddenly, I saw it. The Book of Joby. Wait…thats a lie. I saw a book with a dragon on the cover. Its been awhile since I have read a good fantasy book, the ‘fantasy fiction’ (as opposed to fantasy non-fiction??) library tag added to the draw and I figured…what the heck?
There are two major downfalls to this book. I ‘borrowed’ it from the library on Wednesday and didn’t actually go to the beach until Friday morning. By the time I actually got to the beach… I finished reading the book in less than two hours (having spent two days sneaking readings before hand)…I was already to the last hundred or so pages. So…BAD Mark Ferrari for writing a book that I couldn’t put down! Now I’m at the beach and all I have to do is blog! The second downfall? No dragons. But thats ok. Shapeshifters and demons make up for the lack of dragons.
This was a fabulous book and I have a really hard time grasping how this could possibly be ANYONES first novel. This is so well written, so gripping, and so involved that it could easily be a very good writers magnum opus. Which of course means, Mark Ferrari…that I am expecting many extraordinary novels to follow in the footsteps of this one!
The basic story premise? Mr Ferrari has thrown God and the Devil into battle..well, into a wager, in this novel. God had withdrawn, he will not interfer, while Lucifer can do whatever he wants to win…except, of course, for telling Gods champion that he is embroiled in a bet between Heaven and Hell…and failure will result in an Earth built in the imagine of Lucifer. Did I mention that God choses a 9 year old boy? Huh? What? No really, thats what happens!
As if thats not enough of a story, Ferrari throws in Arthurian legend into the mix. I mean honestly…wow.
Dont just borrow it from the library, add it to your shelf. This was the best read that I have had in quite some time!
Oh, and check out Mark Ferrari who also is a very talented artist. Enjoy.
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August 1, 2008 at 3:23 am (dark, fiction, flash fiction, insanity, paranormal, podcast, review, short story)
Do you have 3 minutes and 25 seconds to spare? Listen to this piece of flash fiction. Garbage Day by Russell Burt is about halfway down the page (currently the 6th piece). No download required.
This is one of the stories that has really turned me on to flash fiction. Russell Burts ‘Garbage Day’ macabre humor gives this piece its shine. There are at least half a dozen reasons that anyone could give a bit of a giggle over this story… the magic of garbage day, the line that states, “Did Kenneth ever really have a venereal disease? You certainly couldnt tell by looking through the house!”, or another favorite section of mine: “Look around! Is there any Shiela here? Nope.” Now…tell me you didn’t smile. Even if it was, perhaps, a puckish grin.
Come on. All you have to do is click the link at the top of the blog….and….go!
Just a little bit of dark humor to brighten your day.
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July 30, 2008 at 10:02 pm (ghosts, paranormal, podcast, review, theology, ufo, undead, underwater, vampires, weird news, zombie)
I was a huge fan of Mysterious Universe, which was a paranormal podcast based out of Australia. However, when Ben Grundy closed the doors of MU, I was already well on my way to being an EERIE fan. Based in Indiana, this podcast showcases the skills of radio personalities DK, Fizz, and Ollion. Ollion’s the shows techie, Fizz is the long winded answer guy, and DK is the …man of contagious laughter? Sorry, seriously, though, DK does his best to keep things on topic but once he cracks, his …giggling is completely infectious. I’m sorry, DK…but you do giggle. When I first listened to the show, I didn’t like it. It sounded too much like a bunch of rowdy guys sitting in a basement drinking Guinness and telling sophomoric jokes. Then, I realized something. This show sounds just like a bunch of rowdy guys sitting in a basement drinking Guinness and telling sophomoric jokes. I do have to say that to the best of my knowledge, these guys aren’t actually drinking while recording. Just to be fair.
If you have any interest at all in the paranormal, be it from the skeptical scientist to being an alien abductee, this is the podcast for you. Topics so far have covered everything from the Bermuda Triangle and the Pyramids of Giza to Roswell and Bigfoot. The hosts attempt to take all of their guests seriously (Note* I have to say attempt, because on occasion things do get a little weird) and It’s nice that they do not attack their interviewees. The people being interviewed generally get a good long 45 minutes to an hour to talk. Yes, on multiple occasions, both guest and hosts get stuck on some far out tangent…but for the most part, these digressions end up being both hilarious and enjoyable.
For extra variety, guest hosts are sometimes brought onto the show. On occasion, these guest hosts have become permanent members of the show …well, semi-permanent…well, one was on for a bunch of episodes and took the summer off. The Robfather is pretty new to the show still, but hopefully will stick around and will not take extended sabbaticals. Rob’s pointed questions have greatly enhanced the informative aspect of the show. And yes, the movie quotes being blasted back and forth do add to the shows relaxed atmosphere.
This is a fantastically fun podcast and I recommend the show to everyone. If you want to listen with your families, I’d suggest avoiding listening live online while the show is being recorded. The guys edit out most things to bring this safely back to a PG (if not G) rating for the final recording. However, if you want the added dose of madness, the live show can be pure chaos. Well… the show itself generally stays pretty organized, but the ability of the listeners to chat with each other while the show is going leads to some pretty …odd topics. I laugh out loud during every show, particularly while in the chat box. I also have to say that a good part of this shows entertainment value is in the audience. This podcast has the friendliest fan base and forum of any that I have ever encountered.
Check out EERIE Radio and see what all the fuss is. Shows are recorded live at roughly 7 pm every Sunday.
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July 30, 2008 at 3:08 am (Psuedopod, dark, fiction, obese, paranormal, podcast, review, short story)
Re: Votary by M.K. Hobson.
I first heard Votary on Pseudopod, which is a short horror fiction podcast, and I very nearly turned it off. Several times. But I have to admit that this has ended up being one of my favorite stories so far. Even though I think its disgusting. If you listen/read the story, you’ll see what I mean.
Hobson masterfully describes the adoration of a daughter for her unnaturally obese father. Yes, its all fine and dandy that a daughter loves her father, but the writing was so descriptive regarding the scent of the childs’ father and wrapping up in folds of fat. It was really hideously disgusting. Which is why I almost turned it off…then remembered, ‘oh wait, horror story, its supposed to be gross.’ So…mission accomplished. I was horrified.
This one really stuck with me. Thats what I like about it. I listened to it for the first time several weeks ago, and have had to hear it several times since. It’s not that I don’t like this story..its really just… GROSS. But I keep coming back to it. The writing is fantastic… I really think its all around fantastic…in a weird way. Does this make sense? I’m so completely.. gacked by the story that I have to say its great, not just good. I’m pretty sure Hobson achieved with me exactly what she was planning with this story. I don’t know what else to say except that I am left wide eyed and horrified. I give this 4 out of 4 barf bags. Which is a good thing for a horror story. ;-D
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July 28, 2008 at 11:25 pm (audiobook, fiction, heaven, legends, mur lafferty, paranormal, podcast, review, theology)
I admit it. Until recently, I’d never heard of Mur Lafferty. If you haven’t heard of Mur either, its time to get caught up on podcasting fiction. Mur Lafferty has become a big name in podcasting fiction. She is a trail blazer for free podcasting books. Her novella, Heaven, I found very recently. I’m definitely a bit behind, as this was released years ago, 2006 from what I can find. In fact, four Seasons have been released, Heaven Season 1, Heaven: Hell (Season 2), Heaven: Earth (Season 3) and the most recent Heaven: The Wasteland (Season 4).
Now, I am not going to do any spoilers on this. I am going to say, however, that if you are a Christian looking for an inspirational reading on Heaven…this is not the book for you. I do suggest that you should be open minded to religions and have a good sense of humor. There is swearing in this. I’d give it a PG rating. Most of it is perfectly easy to understand, but there is language and violence. As far as the violence factor goes…find me a god-story (I’m not talking only the Christian God, but gods of Rome and the Norse as well) that doesn’t involve something a bit nasty. There are a multitude of beliefs mentioned. (Hurrah for Odin!)
The basic concept of these stories is the exploration of the afterlife by two characters that died together. The title of each season explains what aspect of the afterlife is being explored (Heaven, Hell, Earth and the Wasteland).
My biggest complaint with this series is the really corny music that plays during the first audiobook. Even if the lyrics are true-sounding to me, its still really corny. They are singing something about ‘Heaven must be really boring and all the angels must be snoring’ or some such. But hey, it’s a free audiobook. The story is awesome. So what if the closing credit music is goofy? The music gets much better though during the most recent Season with music by the Beatnik Turtles. Hurray for the change of pace.
These podcasts can be found on iTunes, still, just type in Heaven and look under podcasts. Mur Laugherty also has a few other projects out there that I haven’t had a chance to listen to yet. Just follow the link, Mur Laugherty to her page.
PS
Dear Mur,
I saw your picture on Murverse and am horribly jealous of (and in love with) your purple hair. Before I die, I WILL have a job that allows fun hair.
Sincerely,
Lisa M Andrews
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