Yes Man - Danny Wallace

Yes Man - Danny Wallace

Author: 

Danny Wallace

Publication Date: 

July 2005

Blurb on the Back:

'I, Danny Wallace, being of sound mind and body, do hereby write this manifesto for my life. I swear I will be more open to opportunity. I swear I will live my life taking every available chance. I will say Yes to every favour, request, suggestion and invitation. I WILL SWEAR TO SAY YES WHERE ONCE I WOULD SAY NO.'

Danny Wallace had been saying No. Far too much. No to his friends, no to his colleagues, no to the pub and no to himself. And his life was dull, dumped by his girlfriend and on a road to nowhere. It was only when a mystery man on a late-night bus uttered three magical words that his whole world started to change...

... 'SAY YES MORE'.

And Danny did.

In the months that followed, he won £25,000, he met Buddhist monks, alien obsessives and the world's only hypnotic dog. He became a minister, an inventor, a minor television personality and an accidental peace activist. He ended up in Singapore, In Amsterdam and in a small mining town in South Wales, he lost £25,000.

Yes Man is the story of what can happen when you decide to say YES to absolutely everything, but how do you do it without anyone noticing? And what happens when someone finds out? As Danny discovered, life can become a whole lot more interesting... And will never be the same again.

Review: 

(note this is a repost from 11 April 2013)

Yup ladies and gentlemen, two reviews for the same author in one night but that's just how they came out of my cupboard. I'm going to leave books for a night or so after this and do a couple of Cd's and Podcasts.

Anyway on with the review. Technically can be seen as the "Sequel" to Join Me as it finds Danny on a low ebb after the events of Join Me. He's no longer with Hanne, ignoring family and friends and worst of all not even heading to the pub for a pint. He's gotten used to the word No, and as a result he is going nowhere.

That all changes when he meets a random person on the bus who has three words of advice "Say Yes More" And Danny does for the next year he tries to say yes to everything (with the occasional tweak so he does give all his money to Nigerian kings.) It leads him on a journey that sees him go all around the globe. However there is an evil nemesis in the background... Someone who knows that Danny just can't say no to anything.

The story is at time frantic but never the less it is laugh out loud funny in some parts, touching in others and most of all it makes you think what opportunities you are missing out on just by saying no to something.

say Yes to this book and as a result I said yes to go and see the movie that was made based on it even though it had Jim Carrey in it who is an actor I just don't enjoy watching. Sure the movie wasn't that great but at least i tried something I normally wouldn't have done.

A positive thinking book that is up there with Lucky man by Michael J Fox.

10 out of 10.

Vibrator - Mari Akasaka

Vibrator - Mari Akasaka

Author: 

Mari Akasaka

Publish Date: 

1998 in Japan English translation was published 2005.

Blurb on the Back:

Following a chance encounter with a truck driver later one night, Rei Hayakawa, a troubled young journalist, embarks on a journey through the snowy wastelands of Northern Japan. Together the unlikely pair explore there sexuality and their demons, and the memories that compel them to keep moving. Powerful and highly original, Vibrator is a novel that drives at the broken heart of a lost generation.

Review: 

(Note this is a repost from 13 April 2013) 

Now first thing to say, this is much of what it looks like. It's not some sordid fifty shades of grey thing going on here... well maybe a wee bit but that's not what it is about. The name of the book doesn't even refer to the friendly lady appliance, but rather to the vibrations of a truck cab that is kept running day and night, in which much of the story is set.

The focus of the book is dark as it explores topics such as Alcoholism, Bulimia, Consumerism, Depression, women’s magazines, consumer culture, high school prostitution, gangs, and drugs. It is set in the head of the journalist Rei Hayakawa and her often intense narrative which is a fight between all the voices in her head sets the pace for the book which is often frantic and disturbing. Her intense self loathing makes it hard to spend 130 pages in her head. She feels unable to connect with the outside world and appears to be drowning in her depression.

Late one night she wanders the aisle of her local convenience store, picking up the night’s supply of alcohol (white wine and gin). Yet when she turns the corner and sees Okabe, a 26-year-old trucker and ex-thug in overalls and yellow boots, she follows him out to his long-haul truck, thus starting their eventual journey up and down a snowy Japan.

The voices in Rei's head don't seem to allow her to operate with any form of coherent thought and often leave her struggling to move let alone rational thought.

“when I attempted to make my feet move, my fingers might start twitching or something—the commands and the actions were getting muddled.”

These voices are constantly at war with Rei and as a result anything that she thinks gets over played in her mind, over thought and as a result analyzed by her to the nth degree. This makes the few times where there is actual dialogue spoke by the two characters a refreshing and sometimes necessary break from Rei's over active brain.

The book is about two random people connecting and this is shown throughout the book in the metaphor of the CB radio, something that is constantly receiving messages from random people regardless of distance apart but based on the strength of their signal.

Rei and Okabe are two such signals joined together. There's no reason for them to be together but they have formed this bond in this time and place. people who have caught each others signals and vibrations for a sort time.

What starts as a critique of Modern Consumerism ends as much more personal saga or as much as you can get of one through the medium of Rei's addled thoughts.

A very good but dark book. Well worth a read and yes there is even a wee bit of hanky panky.

Now this goes and the hungry Caterpillar replaces.

7.5 out of 10

America Unchained - Dave Gorman

America Unchained - Dave Gorman

Author: 

Dave Gorman

Publish Date: 

April 2008

Blurb on the Cover:

The plan was simple. Go to America. Buy a second-hand car. Drive coast-to-coast without giving any money to The Man TM. What Could Possibly go wrong?

Dismayed by the onslaught of faceless American chains muscling  in where local businesses had once thrived, Dave Gorman set off in search of the true, independent heart of the U S of A. He would re-fuel at dusty gas stations and stock up on supplies from Mom and Pop's grocery store. At least that was the idea. But when did you last see an independent gas station?

Gamely, Dave beds down in a Colorado trailer park, sleeps in an Oregon forest treehouse and even spends thanksgiving with a Mexican family in Kansas. But when his classic coast-to-coast trip mutates into an odyssey of near epic proportions and he finds himself  threatened at gun point in Mississippi, Dave starts to worry about whats going to break down next. The Car... Or him?

Note: this review is a repost from the 6 April 2013.

Well we bought an activity mat and some fuzzy touch cubes today so that means I need to oust something else from my back catalog. So next in line is Comedian, TV and radio presenter Dave Gorman's Book America Unchained. Now I have followed Dave Gorman's ever since I seen him and his friend and fellow writer/presenter/comic Danny Wallace on the  BBC 2 show "Are you Dave Gorman?" (Since turned into a book which will be reviewed at a later date!) I find his writing style very amicable and easy to pick up and the diary like nature of the journey makes it very easy to get involved in the story.

Discarding the first few chapters which basically give the explanation that you find in the Blurb, Dave heads to LA to find an old style US Car (A Ford Torino)and to embark on his Journey east armed with his director/camera person Steph.

It's impossible to outline the story without ruining the book so I won't bother but suffice to say there is comedy moments, moments that will make you shudder and even some that will move you. it really is hard not to be moved as the style of the book is just one long chat by Dave. it feels that he could be telling you the story in the pub over a pint.

The thing is it reaches a point where you absolutely want him to succeed in his quest and the times when things are flagging or his resolve is waning, you want to urge him on to complete his task.

The reread value is where the book is let down, not quality as such but because it is a true story with a beginning a middle and an end. once you know how it ends there is little point going back to it, but reading it for the first time the trip through the book is totally worth it.

4 outta 5 on this one.

Peace

Deejay

Colony- Rob Grant.

Colony - Rob Grant 

Author: 

Rob Grant

Published: 

November 2000

Blurb on the cover:

The human race is facing extinction. Global warming and overpopulation have rendered the earth virtually uninhabitable. The only hope for the survival of the species is to find a new planet. Crewed by the cream of humanity, the gigantic ship Willflower sets off for the stars on a voyage that will take many lifetimes to complete.

But by the tenth generation, things have gone wrong. Badly wrong. The captain is a spotty adolescent who names planets after disgusting bodily functions, the security team have the mental agility of pond life, and the science officer is a religious nutball, who responds to danger by beating herself, naked with a whip.

And the only man who can save them, the last hope for humankind is made up of the bits even the most ravenous cannibal would leave on the side of a plate.

And worse yet, someone is trying to kill what's left of him.

Note This review is a repost from the 5 April 2013.
  

Rob Grant, one half of the famous Doug Naylor team that wrote Red Dwarf, went solo and in 2000 produced this nice wee number. It follows the story of the hapless Eddie O'Haire, who due to a computer error finds himself 2.2 million in debt to the local gang lords and scheduled to be killed at their earliest convenience.

In a desperate attempt to get back the money he sells everything and heads to the casino to place everything on the spin of the roulette wheel. There he meets someone who he is able to trade places with and from that leads to a fast paced tale involving Identity fraud, murder and genetic breeding.

Eddie winds up millions of years in the future and his body reduced to just his head in a jar and his spine inside a robot with someone out to get him, someone who knows his true identity.

The crew who at the start of the mission where the creme de la creme  of humanity have through a caste based system and a limited breeding pool been reduced to idiots and self centred nut jobs. The prime example is the immoral Father Lewis a man who was literally born into the cloth, however is a atheist who gets his kicks from filming the women of the ship. the captain is a teenager after his father died.

These characters while they are given legs by Grant could have come straight out of a darker episode of Red Dwarf. The premise is very familiar; ie. Unlucky man wakes up on spaceship millions of miles away from home and millions of years in the future. You can compare Eddie to Lister, the captain to the Cat and Father Lewis to Rimmer.

That being said the plot is kept going and the unrelenting pace of the narrative allows you to become completely engrossed in the read. I started it and was like a tramp eating chips until it was done.

It's not the hardest of reads but worthwhile especially if you like Grants cynical and bitter brand of humor.

If you a a Red Dwarf fan it is a must read. If your not then its still worth a gander as a 

wonderfully written Sci-Fi/Humor novel.

Now to the balcony window to turf the book out into the cold and bitter night and replace it with some teddy bear wall stickers. I hope "Wee Beanie" thinks this is worth it, I have got rid of two things now and am almost on the brink of a meltdown.

Thank you all for your time (if you took the time to read this if not then scroll back up before accepting the false adulation you so seek)

Drop me a line @dwjjones1 I would love to make your acquaintance.

Peace

Deejay

Incompetence - Rob Grant

Incompetence - Rob Grant

Author: 

Rob Grant

Publication Date:

 2003

Blurb On the back:

Article 13199 of the Pan-European Constitution:

'No person shall be prejudiced from employment in any capacity, at any level, by reason of age, race, creed or incompetence.'

In a united Europe of the near future, incompetence is not an option, it's compulsory. You can't be fired for being bad at your job. But the rules don't apply to the psychopath who's leaving a trail of corspes across the continent. He's very competent indeed.

And so, down these mean, increadably badly sign posted streets, one dectective must thread his way through a maze of blind nightclub bouncers, octogenarian male bunny girls and airline pilots with vertigo.

In search of a killer. in search of the truth. In search of a decent plumber.

INCOMPETENCE

A novel of the far too near future.

Note: This review was published originally on 22 April 2013.

Harry is an deep cover agent for Europol dealing with security issues and possible international incidents. These occur almost on a minute by minute basis  Europe is now one entity (The United states of Europe,) and is now tolerant of incompetence, and where everyday farce is almost mandatory.

Harry uses a number of different identities, including Harry Salt, Cardow Vasuler and  Harry Tequila  and communicates with other Europol agents via the medium of the personal ads section of various magazines. One of his contacts, Klingferm, has summoned him to Rome, however, before they can meet Klingferm is murdered.

As Harry starts to investigate it’s clear that someone is committing a series of high profile murders designed to look like accidents. Following the trail, Harry travels to Paris and then onto Vienna, moving from one mishap to another, trailed by an Italian cop with anger management issues and hampered by a society that basks in incompetence, on the trail of a killer who seems anything but incompetent.

This is a weird novel, It's an old school Noir novel wrapped in a futuristic comedy setting. To be honest the book is ropy in most places as it seems to be very shallow and just lumbers from one gag to another. These gags while funny are not held closely enough together by the plot and the character development leaves alot to be desired, especially from a writer that gave us Lister, Rimmer, The Cat and Kryten. The characters are too two dimensional and almost like a characterful of themselves. From the angry Italian police officer to the overly sexual French girl it plays on stereotypes and the good bits of the novel are outweighed by the bad for the most part.

It's an ok read if you like that sort of thing but personally if your looking  for a humor filled Noir style book I would recommend Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith over this.

4.5 out of 10

I might hold on to this book though as the way the EU is going it might become a guideline for the future.

Peace

Deejay

Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks- Mick Foley

Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks- Mick Foley

Author: 

Mick Foley

Publication Date: 

October 1999

Blurb on the Back:

(Yes Yes i know its not actually a blurb but a picture makes more sense than me writing just a list of random injuries.)

Note: This is a repost of a blog I did on May 10th 2013. It is on a blog I no longer use.

This is probably the most famous 30 seconds of Mick Foleys career

It's testament to this book that it is currently in two bits held together by electrical tape on my lap. I am a self confessed wrestling fan, it's my soap. It's Eastenders only not as violent and one of my all time favourite wrestlers is none other than Mick Foley AKA Cactus Jack AKA Mankind AKA Dude Love.

Now when I first picked up this book I expected it to be another ghostwritten half arsed attempt at describing a career in professional wrestling like some of the books before it, however Mick not only wrote this book, but he wrote about wrestling in an extremely open and honest way which hadn't been done up until that point.

His stories will make you laugh, make you cry and make you grimace in pain as he recounts stories from the road, of injuries, of death and of family. his devotion to his family stands out while his passion for entertaining people in any way possible shines through on each page.

It is very surprising how vivid Mick’s memory is, especially given how many chair shots to the head he has had over the years, and when reading this book, you can imagine yourself with him in the past, watching the events unfold.

The events from losing his ear to "that match" (see above), to his first title win which turned the tide in the Monday Night Wars. It's all here and for a fan who grew up in the Attitude Era its a must read. His sequel Foley is good will be reviewed at some point once I have managed to stick the pages back together and in order.

Rereading the book it brings back fond memories of when I discovered wrestling and the reasons (such as Mankind and The Undertaker) why I enjoy it so much.

10 out of 10 a faultless journey into the life of a funny and intelligent writer, performer and now Hall of Famer.

OOOOWWWW HAVE MERCY.

Peace

Deejay.

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell.

Fangirl – Rainbow Rowell.

Published - September 2013.

Blurb On the back.

From the author the New York Times best-seller Eleanor & Park

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie première.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be room-mates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly room-mate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Review.

Welcome to the obsessive world of fan fiction, College and Family.

Rainbow Rowell takes us into the life of Cath, her twin sister Wren and her awkward obsession with writing slash fan fiction on Simon Snow. (Note for the uninformed Simon Snow is a blatant if often loving rip-off of the Harry potter series, and Slash fan fiction refers to the rather murky world of same sex pairings. To relate it back to Harry Potter it would be Harry getting it on with Draco.)

It follows Cath as she starts her freshman year at college without her twin who has dumped her to branch out on her own. Throughout the book she has to deal with her classes, her wild twins problems, her unstable dad who is unravelling without anyone at home, her runaway mother trying to get back into her life and her room-mates overly cheerful boyfriend.

This book is written for the young adult market. For the nerdy 13-16 year old girl who loves fan fiction. As a 30 year old male I probably should not have enjoyed the book, however, the writing is solid and the story so enthralling I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Don't get me wrong its not Crime and punishment and I had it done in 3 hours, but they where a thoroughly enjoyable 3 hours, filled with fluff and quite an interesting family dynamic.

The only thing that detracts is the Simon Snow extracts. You can see the similarities to Harry Potter however it hasn't replaced Harry in the universe as he is mentioned in the book, which detracts slightly.

8 out of 10 for an enjoyable bit of rainbows and teenage angst.