|
Saturday, December 19th, 2009
(comment on this) Friday, December 18th, 2009
books
[ make_meabird ]
|
7:50p
Betrayed
Betrayed
P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
YA fiction; fantasy
310 pages
Betrayed, the second installment in the bestselling House of Night series, is dark and sexy, and as thrilling as it is utterly shocking.
Fledgling vampyre Zoey Redbird has managed to settle in at the House of Night. She’s come to terms with the vast powers the vampyre goddess, Nyx, has given her, and is getting a handle on being the new Leader of the Dark Daughters, the school’s most elite group. Best of all, Zoey’s made some new friends and she finally feels like she belongs--like she really fits in. She actually has a boyfriend…or two. And despite the best efforts of her mother and step-loser John to humiliate her publically during parent visitation, she’s earned the respect of her professors and High Priestess, Neferet.
Then the unthinkable happens: human teenagers are being killed, and all the evidence points to the House of Night, straining human-vamp tensions in Tulsa to a breaking point. While danger stalks the humans from Zoey’s old life, she finds herself drawn into an intoxicating forbidden flirtation that threatens to distract her from the growing crisis. Then, when she needs her new friends the most, death strikes the House of Night. Too late, Zoey begins to realize that the very powers that make her so unique might also threaten those she loves, and she must find the courage to face a betrayal that could break her heart, her soul, and jeopardize the very fabric of her world.
I am officially addicted to this series! It is a different take on vampires and I really am enjoying it! I actually love that it takes place in a school setting and the twist at the end of the book makes me excited to read the rest of the books in this series! I can't wait to see what others think of this series so far.
Books read this year: 48/50.
|
(comment on this)
anthropologist
[ omdreads ]
|
4:03p
countercultural ethnographies
hey folks,
at the college I attend, we spend junior and senior year researching and writing a thesis (we call it "plan"). I am writing an ethnography of contemporary punk counterculture in the U.S., taking photographs of punks, writing a fictional ethnography of a group in the future, and situating it all historically with a paper about bohemians in the early 1900's and hippies in the 1960's and 70's.
So, I'm interested in: ficitonal ethnographies, ethnographies of countercultures (particularly bohemians, hippies, and punks), and any other thing you think might be relevant. I have, of course, read Dick Hebdige, but for the most part what I have is original research I've conducted, and it would be great to have inspiration and/or footnotes from some other ethnographers or theorists.
thanks,
Georgios
|
(4 comments | comment on this)
occult
[ matt_m_mcelroy ]
|
7:28a
Occult titles at DriveThruHorror.com
I'm the publisher relations manager at DriveThruHorror.com and we've just recently started carrying a few non-fiction books on magic and related topics (for example The Way of the Hedge Witch by F+W Media).
I'd really like to expand our selection of books on the occult and related topic. So, I'm looking for recommendations for small press publishers and independent authors to contact about listing their work on our sites. We currently offer titles in eBook format and we have a new print on demand service launching early next year so customer will be able to get their titles in print or pdf.
If you've got publishers or authors you think might be a good fit for the site or that could use an additional outlet to sell their books to interested customers, I'd love to hear about them.
|
(1 comment | comment on this) Thursday, December 17th, 2009
books
[ logically ]
|
10:57p
Review: Malinda Lo
Title: Ash
Editor: Malinda Lo
Format: ARC
Available Formats: TC, Kindle, Barnes and Noble eBook
Page Count: 264
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pub. Date: September 1, 2009
ISBN-13: 9780316040099
Series: Stand Alone
Rating: 6 of 10 |
Summary:
Ash is a re-imagining of Cinderella's story. Only in this story, the prince isn't nearly as important. And in this story, instead of a kindly old fairy godmother, there's a fairy with darker intentions. Ash is the story of a girl's loss, coming of age, the dangerous temptations of the fairy world, fairy tales, finding yourself, and falling in love. The story revolves around Aisling, called Ash. Like the familiar fairy tale, her parents die and she is left in the care of a cruel stepmother. However, Ash's story focuses on overcoming her grief and learning to live again more than finding her fairy tale "prince".
TL;DR Version:
Another take on Cinderella, only with darker fairies and a female love interest. The book offers many unique and interesting ideas with competent writing, but appears to rely on the fairy tale it didn't need.
( Read the rest at BLA? )
current music: Blue October - Two A.M. Lovesick [Explicit] | Powered by Last.fm
|
(comment on this) Friday, December 18th, 2009
anthropologist
[ gwinna ]
|
12:52a
Link of Interest
EurekAlert! is an online, global news service operated by AAAS, the science society.
EurekAlert! provides a central place through which universities, medical centers, journals, government agencies, corporations and other organizations engaged in research can bring their news to the media and the public. EurekAlert! features news and resources focused on all areas of science, medicine and technology.
|
(1 comment | comment on this) Thursday, December 17th, 2009
books
[ jawastew ]
|
3:53p
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
 Oryx and Crake opens to find “Snowman,” alone and malnourished in a tree. Believing himself (and convincing us) he’s the last remaining human on the planet, he watches over a curious group of multi-colored beings known to us only as the “Children of Crake” and the “Children of Oryx.” Their odd behavior and impressionable nature has both entertained and exasperated Snowman up to this point. While he’s relished the power he’s had helping them navigate what remains of the world around them, he’s also found the lack of normal conversation frustrating. In his lingering despair, he traces his steps in time as he narrates through memory the events leading up to the mysterious plague that’s wiped out humanity. He walks through the broken city, avoiding wolvogs and pigoons--weird genetic amalgamations bred for specific traits and features--and finds in the wasteland the memories of a better time when the deserted streets he now walks flourished with people, activity, and promise.
One of the first things we learn is Snowman’s name isn’t really Snowman--it’s Jimmy. Before he reduced himself to walking around on a beach wrapped in a bed sheet, he lived on a compound with his parents, two OrganInc Farms scientists churning out the latest ideas for growing human-tissue organs and implementing their strategy on things like pigoons--a pig genetically altered to grow several organs at once that would then be harvested for human use. The genius of the project isn’t just the end product, it’s the guilt-free sustainability of the pigs as continued organ hosts. Once a product is reaped for use, the pig isn’t rendered useless--it continues to live and grow more organs like a tomato plant. The perpetua of the Pigoon project served to satiate concerns over waste and humane treatment. After all, who would want an organ harvested from an abused or poorly treated animal?
What drives Oryx and Crake forward is the desire to find out who Oryx and Crake are, what caused the plague that killed so many people, what Jimmy’s past has to do with his present, who are the weird, child-like beings Snowman surrounds himself with and why. What begins as a tale backward in time to Jimmy’s childhood unravels into a long demonstration of the tortuous back and forth game Snowman plays with himself: what if he had seen the clues earlier? What if he had said or done something? Could he have actually done anything? This recollection of events that turns into our narrative is a type of self-flagellation as Snowman tries once more to rid himself of the guilt of hindsight.
( Read the rest! )
|
(comment on this)
anthropologist
[ gwinna ]
|
6:01p
Star Trek Stops Women From Becoming Computer Scientists
The gender gap in computer science may have been widened by Star Trek, a new study suggests — but it could be bridged with a less geeky image.
New research published in the December Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that the stereotype of computer scientists as unwashed nerds may be partially responsible for the dearth of women in the field, as shown by National Science Foundation statistics.
“What this research shows is that the image of computer science — this geeky, masculine image — can make women feel like they don’t belong,” says lead author Sapna Cheryan of the University of Washington.
Original Article or ( Read more... )
|
(62 comments | comment on this)
(comment on this)
occult
[ lucy_chronicles ]
|
11:38a
Cleopatra's temple to Isis; rediscovered
Apparently it has been unearthed from the massive earthquakes that destroyed it years ago. I find the timing very interesting - believe in 2012 lore or not - one of 'the' godesses w/ temple of all time has re-surfaced. A museum of all the underwater discoveries is in the works. It has been well preserved due to the saltwater. The learnings/discoveries from this will be quite interesting. I hope an anthropologist & archaeologist beyond the strictly academic veins are consulted as the museum comes together.
Enjoy... just in time for winter solstice!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ml_egypt_sunken_treasures
|
(3 comments | comment on this)
babylon5
[ lisa_marli ]
|
2:04a
Signal Boost: B5 Pin Artist Seeks Help
http://file770.com/?p=2490  Jumpgate pin by Elana Kestrel “If you or anyone you know would be interested in Babylon 5 ‘jumpgate’ pins,” writes faned Linda Bushyager, “A friend of mine, Elana Kestrel, has Stage 4 cancer and is selling these high quality pins to raise funds. She really can use the money.” When Babylon 5 was in first run Kestrel used B5 fans’ ASCII “jumpgate” symbol to create a great collector’s item. The show’s creator, J. Michael Straczynski, praised the pin design: JMS liked my handiwork, saying in email on October 29, 1995 that, “…it’s quite nice. By all means, good luck, looks terrific.” It is great to know that this Pin had passed THE most difficult quality test possible within the B5 fan world. Now the artist needs financial help to keep fighting cancer: In June 2007, your pin artist was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was treated in Portland, Oregon just before I moved to Southern Nevada. Now, two years later, the cancer is back and has spread to the liver. I am at Stage 4. There is no Stage 5. The tumor is showing signs of being under control, and with your help, it can stay that way… Times are tough. I am having trouble affording proper food, medicine, basic living expenses and get the car’s brakes fixed so that I can safely go to chemotherapy. I have decided to turn to the B5 community for help. My goal: sell out the rest of my pin inventory before Christmas so that I can have funds to just heal without worrying about covering the basics of life, even for just a few months. You can see the pins online and order them today via email at Kestrel’s website — http://www.jumpgatepins.com/index.html. An online shopping cart is coming. [Thanks to Linda Bushyager for the story.]
PS. I have several of her pins and they are Gorgeous - Auntie M <*>
|
(5 comments | comment on this) Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
books
[ mak_eroni ]
|
4:05p
Poll #1499896 the Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 48How did you feel about the Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold?
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
books
[ expresionist ]
|
2:16p
Book Title: One Child
Author: Torey Hayden
Category: Abuse, special needs
# of pages: 318
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A [best].: A
Short description/summary of the book: From the back cover: Six-year-old Sheila had been abandoned by her mother on a highway when she was four. A survivor of horrific abuse, she never spoke, never cried, and was placed in a class for severely retarded children after committing an atrocious act of violence against another child. Everyone thought Sheila was beyond salvation - except her teacher, Torey Hayden. With patience, skill, and abiding love, she fought long and hard to release a haunted little girl from her secret nightmare - and nurture the spark of genius she recognized trapped within Sheila's silence. This is the remarkable story of their journey together - an odyssey of hope, courage, and inspiring devotion that opened the heart and mind of one lost child to a new world of discovery and joy.
My Thoughts: This was a book that was nearly impossible to put down. Sheila's experiences aren't as bad as David's in A Child Called It but I certainly wouldn't have been able to deal with the things she had to go through for the first few years of her life.
This book made me feel angry, sad and empathetic. No one should be brutally molested, especially a child, no one should be dropped off on a highway like they're nothing but a piece of trash and every alcoholic should be able to get help that doesn't involve jail.
A lot happens in One Child and I'm looking forward to reading The Tiger's Child.
Books read this year: 49\50
Next read: The Tiger's Child by Torey Hayden
|
(comment on this)
babylon5
[ prophet_marcus ]
|
1:40p
Musical Question
I'm sure everyone remembers that little song the telepaths sang through the fifth season. What I want to know is, does that song exist outside of Babylon 5? If so, does anyone know the title?
|
(8 comments | comment on this)
xenites
[ sorakaji ]
|
8:23a
I made some icons. They're mostly from Who's Ghurkan and Old Ares Had a Farm, but there are a couple from Hooves and Harlots in there too. There aren't all that many of them, but I figured I'd post them anyway. Enjoy.
  
( Read more... )
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
artefax's Friends Page
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
10 (20.8%)
