Review
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I spent five hours on a bus today. During that time, I watched two movies, one on my Creative Zen Vision M 30 gig player, and one on my Nokia N810. Here are my impressions:
Creative Zen Vision M 30 gigabyte
I watched A River Runs Through It on the Creative device. I expected to have difficulty watching a movie on such a small screen, and was pleasantly surprised with the experience. The colors are clear and vibrant, and I had no difficulty keeping up with the action. I turned the brightness up to 100%, but probably could have been comfortable with less.
After I got home, I turned the movie back on and left the player running to see how far it would get before the battery died. Including the time on the bus, it played for just over 3 hours before switching off.
Tags: creative zen vision m, movie, n810, nokia, Review, viewer
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This is a Guest Review by Mrs. Sneakyreader
Subtitle: The First in an Unfoogettable Series
Author: Obert Skye
Genre: Young Reader Fantasy (9+)
Rating: **** (4 Stars)
Summary:
Leven Thumps is a fourteen year old orphan living in a trailer home with his aunt and uncle, who don’t really want him around but feel obligated. Unknown to Leven, he lives near a gateway to a magical world called Foo. Foo is threatened by the malevolent Sabine, who, if victorious, will destroy not only Foo, but our world as well.
By Fate, Leven meets three messengers from Foo, who tell Leven about Food, and explain that Leven alone has power to save it from the forces of Sabine.
This is the first of a series of books describing Leven’s efforts to save Foo.
Tags: Brandon Mull, gateway to foo, leven thumps, Novel, Review, Young Reader Fantasy
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This is a guest review by Mrs. Sneakyreader
Author: Brandon Mull
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating: ****(4 Stars – as rated by Mrs. Sneakyreader)
Summary:
Seth and Kendra are spending time at their grandparents farm, Fablehaven. While there, they are given a set of strict rules. Seth becomes curious, and ventures into the nearby forest without permission, where he begins to learn about the magical creatures that inhabit the forest.
The children find out that their grandfather is the caretaker of the magical forest and is tasked with maintaining the balance of good and evil among the creatures who live there.
As Kendra and Seth explore, they accidentally break a protective spell, and their grandfather is abducted by mysterious creatures. Seth and Kendra must rescue him and restore the balance of power at Fablehaven.
Tags: book reviews, Brandon Mull, Review, summary Genre, young adult fantasy
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This is a Guest Review by Mrs. Sneakyreader.
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Rating: *** (3 Stars)
Summary:
Isabella (“Bella”) Swan is a high school student who moves Arizona to Washington State to live with her father, Charlie. On her first day at her new school, Bella catches a fellow student, Edward Cullen, staring at her. He is in one of her classes, but gives her the cold shoulder and tries unsuccessfully to transfer out of the class, causing Bella to think she has offended him somehow.
Later, Edward pulls Bella out of the path of a speeding car, then saves her from a group of men who are harassing her. They become aware of their mutual attraction and begin spending lots of time together.
Tags: Novel, Review, stephenie meyer, twilight, vampire
What is VOIP?
“VOIP” stands for “Voice Over Internet Protocol.” Simply put, with VOIP, your phone conversations go over the internet rather than through landlines.
Okay, why does that matter?
The advantage to VOIP is that it is far less expensive. For example, the first phone service I ever had was absolute bare bones. No Call Waiting, no Caller ID, no Voice Mail – just plain old telephone service. Including taxes, I paid about $28 per month. The cost only goes up from there. I just did a quick internet search and discovered that in my area, Verizon charges $40 per month before taxes for unlimited calling to the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. If I want voicemail, caller ID and call waiting, I would pay $45 per month before taxes.
I have all that and more for about $17 per month through VOIP.com.
Tags: Canada, Germany, internet tablet, phone service, Review, skype, US, verizon, voice over internet, VOIP, voip.com
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Author: Michael Connelly
Genre: Detective Fiction
Rating: ***** (5 stars)
Summary:
Terry McCaleb is a former FBI agent, forced to retire by heart disease. While recovering from his heart transplant he is restoring and living on his deceased father’s boat in Long Beach, California.
One day, Terry is visited by a woman who introduces herself as the sister of the woman whose heart now beats in Terry’s chest. Her sister was shot in a convenience store robbery that was never solved, and the surviving sister asks Terry to look into it. Although he is ill, retired, and has no official standing, Terry agrees over his doctor’s objections.
Tags: blood work, michael connelly, Novel, Review
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Author: Jonathan Kellerman
Genre: Mystery (Detective Fiction)
Rating: **** (4 Stars)
Summary:
Jonathan Kellerman is a child psychologist who has written a series of novels featuring the partnership Milo Sturgis, a Los Angeles police detective, and Alex Delaware, a psychologist who consults for the LAPD. The psychologist, Alex Delaware, often goes well beyond mere consulting, and occasionally endangers his own life in pursuit of the bad guys.
Flesh and Blood begins ten years in the past, with Dr. Delaware’s treatment of Lauren Teague, a teenage girl with behavior problems. The skeptical father ends treatment after just two visits, and Alex remembers the case as one of his professional failures. Six years later, while making a token appearance at a colleague’s bachelor party, Alex sees Lauren, who is now a stripper. He leaves feeling ashamed of himself.
Tags: alex delaware, child psychologist, flesh and blood, jonathan kellerman, Milo Sturgis, Murder, Review
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Author: Stephen King
Genre: Science Fiction/ Horror
Rating: *** (3 Stars)
Summary:
Dreamcatcher reads very much like King’s earlier novel, It, published in 1986. Both books use flashbacks to simultaneously tell two stories involving the same characters. The story begins as a hunting party of four men, friends since childhood, meet a man lost in the Maine woods and suffering from exposure. They take him back to their cabin, where, instead of recovering, the man dies painfully, and gives birth to a large and vicious parasite that has been growing inside him.
At the same time, the Army is responding to reports of UFO sightings, missing hunters, and strange animal behavior. They attack and destroy a crashed alien spacecraft, and quarantine everyone who comes out of the woods.
Tags: dreamcatcher, Novel, Review, Stephen King
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Author: Iain Carson and Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran
Genre: Nonfiction
Subject: Alternative Fuel Technologies
Rating: ***** (5 Stars)
Summary:
Zoom, written by two correspondents for The Economist, is a discussion of the problems that result from our dependence on oil, and some of the solutions that are taking shape. It discusses how the oil and auto industries grew together to become the giants they now are; why the Detroit automakers are suffering while Toyota experiences runaway success; and why the world’s dependence on oil is unsustainable for political, economic, and environmental reasons. Zoom then explains some of the possible solutions and where they are being developed. It’s hard to put this book in a nutshell, but here are some snippets to give you a picture of what it’s all about:
Tags: alternative fuel, car of the future, Iain Carson, Review, Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran, Zoom
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Author: Lawrence Block
Genre: Mystery
Rating: *** (3 Stars)
Summary:
About the Series
In the Midst of Death is one of Lawrence Block’s many Matthew Scudder novels. They tell the story of an ex-police officer turned private investigator, who retired from the police force after the accidental death of a little girl during a shoot-out with two armed robbers. He is also a heavy drinker, although he doesn’t admit that to himself until much later in the series. Although the novels follow a rough chronological progression, they don’t have to be read in order. Each story stands alone, and backstories are briefly described for the benefit of readers who may not be familiar with them.
Tags: in the midst of death, lawrence block, Murder, Novel, Review
