Sparkly Vampires

Oh yeah, I read all the books in the Twilight series - at least the four published ones. In all honestly, they weren't bad.

On one hand, I am not a big fan of such a major re-definition of Vampires. On the other hand, taking an existing concept and 'twisting' it is kind of the hallmark of innovation. I mean you can't really come up with something brand new anymore. You have sort of re-invent something in a new and interesting way. At least Stephanie Meyers tried to do that.

As to the love story - meh. I am not a real romance novel reader. I, personally, didn't see the instant connection between the two. Maybe I'm a cynic, but I don't know that I believe in love-at-first-sight. My wife and I are about as close as it gets, I think, and it took us a little while.

I don't get Jake. I think Bella treated him horribly, and any guy I know would have run pretty early in the 'relationship'. Maybe it's the higher power that kept him near her for what happens in the end, but I didn't see it as terribly realistic. Of course, using the term 'realistic' in a story about vampires and werewolves is probably not fair either.

How to Break a Terrorist

I know I read "How to Break a Terrorist" by...someone. The pen name used was "Matthew Alexander", but this is not his real name.

This was a very hard book to read. I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but found this one a page turner. It's about a "new school" interrogator in Iraq. Basically, there are two philosophies on how to question someone. There's the "old school", where you are a hard-ass, apply pressure, threaten, and intimidate.

Then, there is the new school, where you try and befriend them, even if you are lying your ass off. You try to gain their trust and sympathy, rather than scare them into talking.

It was fascinating, but hard to read about some of the things going on over there - both the things the 'bad guys' are doing AND the things our troops are doing. But I recommend EVERYONE read this book.

bad, bad fred

haven't posted in a long time. I've been reading, just not been keeping this up to date.

I read "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown, author of "The Davinci Code". This book only made me mildly upset. The science was beyond stupid. First, he spent way too much time lecturing us about anti-matter, as if it were some great new discovery. NOBODY in the book, except the scientists, have ever heard of it. Seriously?

He also implies that the ambigrams are something special, too. According to the wikipedia, there was software developed as far back as '96 that could generate them, albiet primitive ones.

And the final plot twist seems pretty far-fetched as well. I don't want to spoil it, but I saw it coming miles away, as stupid as it was.