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Now to the book list, the pause is long enough! This time it's the books I read from about mid-February.
The first book was Food Rules of Michael Pollan.
The theme is food and the book is trying to find the "rules" to help ordinary mortals to clarify one's ideas about the "problem" of the daily diet.
One might wonder if it is necessary, given that humans eat since Adam and Eve appeared on earth. In the last century, however, our world has undergone radical changes and substantially more than any other time in the past and these changes have inevitably affected the food industry. And they hit hard. Also ever present as it is now about correct diet, because the proportion of deaths due to cancer or heart attack in "western" world gets more and more and these deaths are attributable in large part to food.
This book does not aim to find a definitive solution to begin with because the writer is a journalist, not a dietician or a nutritionist. It is based on simple observations and solutions proposals are as simple and everyday to everyone.
Divided into three parts (Part 1: What should I eat? "Eat food, Part 2: What kind of food should I eat? Especially plants, Part 3: How should I eat? Not too much) and in 64" rules ", offers some points that can and should accompany the life of every day on food and nutrition.
While are what you eat, you had better look good on the back of the pack of our cookies, and consider the endless list of ingredients written in small letters - half of which we do not even know how they are made or if come from vegetable or animal kingdom. After reading
this book, I peeked out of curiosity what carried the box of Corn Flakes that I eat every morning. I read: Ingredients: corn, sugar and malt sciropppo . At least there were no preservatives, but when I went to the grocery store the next time I bought a box of corn flakes in the list of ingredients stops at: corn.
The more our power is simple and natural, the better we are.
The "rule" proposed by this book is to stay away from packaged foods and very large by any packaged food that contains more than five ingredients, as well as anything on the label names of substances that a child's third grade not be able to spell. These kinds of foods are edible , of \u200b\u200bcourse, but are not considered food .
Hence the golden rule takes its full meaning: Eat food. Not too much. Especially plants.
After giving a system to the shopping list I read The Stars My Destination of Alfred Bester.
This is a very recent non-fiction novel, based on a huge "What if ...?"
We assume a world in which man has learned how to teleport and the atmosphere has definitely intrigued me.
The first to be able to teleport himself was a man who, predictably, there is successful case. After careful studies and experiments, it was possible to understand how to teach this skill to all the world has undergone a radical transformation: the transport and communications were completely disrupted.
In this world, where you go regularly in space and flourishing colonies and civilizations on other planets, there is the story of Gully Foyle, who finds himself unwillingly in the middle of intrigue and rebellion of interplanetary scale. The story is a thriller, conducted between attacks and leaps into space, amazing escapes and threats, people who project their thoughts about him scream as if blind and receiving infrared.
Exciting enough, style is a bit ' dated but well made and unusual setting.
Then I read The Girl Who Played With Fire The , the second book in the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larrson .
Another thriller, only at the first beginning on page 200, when the author finally gets tired of describing preferences / sexual perversion of a character after another and begins to tell the story.
Salander is the real star of this chapter of the trilogy. Always very shy and suspicious of all, always determined to be sufficient in itself, not to be economically dependent, emotionally or in any way by anyone; adamant in his desire to never have anything to do with the journalist Blomkvist, finally finds himself in mortal danger, threatened, chased, and then nearly killed by his own father, a dangerous criminal without scruples. And beyond all hope your Blomkvist runs to his aid.
was then the turn of a classic delayed for some time: Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's .
Fahrenheit 451 1984 belongs to the same kind of science fiction-but-not-too. There is talk of a future world (ours) in which there is ruthless censorship and a total of OGN type of literature. The books are banned, FORBIDDEN. You can not read, let alone possess. When signaled a house with library, involved firefighters, who are responsible for flood it with kerosene and set fire intended to burn everything to the last page.
is widely recognized (by the government) that the books are damaged, that will give those who read them the illusion of knowledge and make people question the decisions of those governments to keep this state of affairs "for the sake of all ".
The protagonist, Montag, a fireman, who does his work proud and serene, and then come home where a "family" virtual shake, and continues to chat projected on three walls of his living room welcomes him always cheerful. The constant chatter serves no purpose other than to fill the silence, it is impossible to slightest thought. Montag is not even remotely dream of suffering from this situation until he meets a new neighbor who does very strange things: walks looking at the sky, appreciate the silence, he experiences the sensation of rain on my face and think. He wonders if the world has always been that way, you can doubt it, considering how it would be if it were different, does not believe it is true that the books are evil. And
Montag is shocked when he found himself helpless to witness the death of a woman who chooses to burn himself with his books without saying that no longer makes sense for her to continue living.
Guilty of enthusiasm and a curioistà childhood, Montag ends up getting into trouble and is forced to flee from a world that no longer recognizes as his own. All the questions that had never made the head and exploding in the absence of answers is the most deafening of all that happens around him.
Definitely a very interesting insight into a world where ignorance and blind loyalty reign supreme in the government.
probably the dream of many great men of today and the nightmare of many (more, but less powerful) other Big Men. Another very interesting reading
was Eating Animals , Jonathan Safran Foer's .
The only negative is that, having been written by an American, is clearly focuses on the vicissitudes and the American legislature. We need someone to do the same job in Europe!
The book's purpose is not to convert to vegetarianism, the reader, even if the title and some advertising tends to mislead. The book's purpose is simply to expose the facts. Safran Foer has been well documented for years. He went in person to visit farms and slaughterhouses. It was informed in detail on the current legislature and triggering events of the past.
The view that emerges in the U.S. pet food industry is horror movie (and in Europe is very similar, anyway). Between genetic mutations, suffering inflicted on animals, conditions of life of these to the edge of survival, exploitation exacerbated the "raw material", hormones, genetically modified feed, antibiotics and other medicines given a priori, additives added to the taste of meat cuts from the endless chain of manipulations altered so as to have no longer has a relationship with the animal from which ... you can not help but wonder: what do we eat?
There are several reasons why a person decides to become a vegan. A vegan is someone who makes no animal products: no meat, no milk or eggs.
Many consider the vegan lifestyle a real religion. The following considerations take a moral one, which lead them to regard every living being deserves to be left alive. There is ample evidence that animals are suffering from stress, fear, are clearly aware about to die and show clearly did not want. You just eat them? After all humans have always eaten animals, why should not we do it?
My answer is that once there were few alternatives, it was often a matter of survival. In some places in the world still is, there is the luxury of choosing a food according to conscience, or eat what you find, it has legs or not, or die of hunger.
In the privileged world in which we have all kinds of supermarkets, with a huge choice food at any time of day and night, eating meat is optional. It is not a necessity, is a matter of taste.
The question then becomes: Is it right to sacrifice a living being at the altar of my taste buds?
For some, the answer is YES. No vegans. For those whose answer is NO, the only choice is to become vegans.
But there are other reasons that may push someone to that decision may seem drastic.
Eating meat is no longer sustainable in a situation where the world is. Industrialized countries have also developed working with meat, have made it more efficient in terms of yield and gain, have focused to a very abundant amount than quality. The meat we eat is not a healthy food, but cheap and satisfies the palate and so we continue to buy it.
If we were the light of the overall costs a steak, maybe we would think twice before grilling. I spend a few euro to take home that are not nothing. If we were to pay for everything behind that same steak (cut down forests, land and water polluted, the hole in the ozone layer ...) or to the same sushi (90% of the fish that end up in the nets in search of shrimp is thrown back overboard dead or dying: casualties heavily altering the balance of life in the oceans), then the price is so steep that none of us would pay with confidence! Only two
billion people can live with a diet of animal products, the planet can not sustain more. Yet we seven billion, more than three times as much. It goes without saying that the consumption of animal products is not environmentally sustainable . It makes sense to consume and spoil the planet for the amusement of my taste buds?
Again, for some, the answer is YES. No vegans. For those whose answer is NO, the only choice is to become vegans.
But there are still other reasons. The meat just as we are accustomed to eating it is not meat. It is something vaguely edible, which hurts us .
fills the body of toxins, which force the immune system a super job. It is something that is poisoning us slowly. We are often victims of gastro-intestinal virus that make us feel bad and we have ingested through infected meat. Sometimes cholesterol rises so much that there is a heart attack. Sometimes the meat remains to rot in our intestines for months and there is colon cancer. Sometimes we are lucky and there are simply annoying headaches (this happened to me: I do not eat products animals for about five months and I have had a decrease in headaches that plagued me close to 100%). It makes sense to sacrifice our physical well-being for the pleasure of our taste buds?
If there are still people who answered YES, at this point I can only say: your business!
Finally, I read ten books in the series Southern Vampire Mysteries of Charlaine Harris.
First I will say that I accidentally stumbled into the third book in the series, Club Dead. I had half an hour to fill and I slipped into the library, where they had the first three (Dead Until Dark, Living Dead In Dallas Club Dead). I was pretty skeptical, but then I saw the face of the author and I was immediately sympathetic. I decided to give it a chance, buying the book, of the three cost less, after I got the idea (correct result) that it was not necessary to read the saga in the exact order of publication of these volumes. Club Dead
I found funny and entertaining, although certainly not be able to define a literary masterpiece.
I decided to read the others and each has left me the same impression, until I started reading the first and second book. I was disappointed and shocked when I first read the first book I would never, ever go right ahead. And if by accident I found myself in your hands the second, of course I would have stopped after that.
not alone! My shock was twice when I heard that was the saga is a series of TV films, entitled True Blood. I have seen a few episodes and I was shocked. The only word that comes to mind is to define the series: horrible. The actors perform with dogs, especially the protagonist. Vampires have retractable fangs that click the button as a ballpoint pen when they are excited and are instead of the upper lateral incisors . Now, even the book it is said that vampires have fangs that stretch (implying a slow and gradual descent of the above) when excited (lust, danger, fear, aggression ...). But because the vampires are dead come to life there is no reason to believe that the proceedings lose two incisors and canines takes its place. Or not? In addition, the few episodes that I had the stomach to watch can be summarized as follows: sex-sex-sex-sex-sang ... not go well, do a little 'about sex. There was need to build on a nice vampire saga, to make a series semi-porn? Obviously yes, I do not understand.
In any case it must be said that the first book is actually inconclusive in terms of plot but in return the libido of the protagonist is a topic that is detailed in depth. In the second things go a little better in the third and then you start to think. If you want my advice, skip the first two and start from the third: history is not affected and not worry that sex will not disappear, they'll still a bit '. Comment
a book at a time is redundant, it is possible to review the cumulative (and then I have already given an opinion on the first two specifically).
The scenario is as follows: a Japanese company has discovered how to synthesize in the laboratory an artificial blood substitute that perfectly from the nutritional point of view of the blood that vampires need to feed. At this point the international community of vampires, well organized both locally and globally, he decides to come out with an announcement broadcast worldwide. Each country reacts differently: in some vampires are banned, persecuted and killed, in others there is more tolerance, even if nowhere get the same rights of human beings. The United States is one of the countries in the world that are more tolerant, although it is also the cradle of seven anti-dangerous vampires.
Our story takes place mostly in Louisiana and follows the adventures of Sookie Stackhouse, a girl of twenty-five years as a special feature: it is a telepath. For this reason, hard to live among the people: to you the constant flow of thoughts to rein you badly, and people who know / suspect that she can read minds of others not like his company. When he discovers that the minds vampires are completely silent in its sixth sense, Sookie is beside himself with joy and finally manages to get her first boyfriend: the vampire Bill.
The vampires in this story are generally beautiful, have the ability to hypnotize humans (but not those who, like Sookie, and she has a brain that responds differently - they meet two others), are formidable amateurs, are as dead in all hours of sunshine, are very strong and fast, some of them can fly, normally do not have scruples - especially when it comes to human beings - have a rigid internal political organization of their communities and their condition requires them to abide by certain rules peremptory: they must be invited to enter and the invitation can be revoked at the discretion of the landlord, and if their creator calls them or order them something they are obliged to follow him and obey. Oh, yes: the sun do not shine , but burn.
But besides the vampires are in the setting Werewolf, Changeling, fairies, witches, and Naiad. These creatures do not always agree among themselves, and prefer to remain secret. Only Mannari Doppelganger and decide to publish it in book number eight or nine, I can not remember.
Sookie learns to recognize and deal with all these creatures, because of its relationship with the vampire Bill.
The story is told in first person from Sookie, who lives each of his adventures and misadventures with fear, anger, passion, uncertainty, generosity, humor. It's a beautiful girl on average and the average nice, make mistakes, and has second thoughts gnaw, rebels, suffering, languishing ... tend to be good and do not want to hurt the people around her. Nevertheless even want to be happy, try a human desire for justice when abused or when someone he loves is hurt. It is capable of dragging their feet and reacts pretty well to adversity. By the end of the series, with the complicity of the many mishaps that have happened, he realizes to be changed: it is more ruthless towards others, less compliant and has definitely stopped always think good of all. I like it because it did not paranoia on my mind, is able to make sense of what happens, is willing to offer second chances but evaluates each case is a girl with her head on his shoulders, however, that the solitude weighs a lot.
ATR thing that I think is successful is the relationship between different species: the vampires do not like werewolves, who returns and in turn despise the simple shape-shifter. Irresistibly attract the fairies and the other vampires do not care basically nothing, except in some rare cases. The only Naiad you meet is selfish and ruthless. Appreciated is the fact that there are good creatures and nasty creatures: good and bad are variously distributed between good and bad times, humans and vampires, werewolves and shapeshifters, fairies and witches.
There are also some gems: the presence of Elvis, for example, being a vampire funny and nice. Or the fact that Pam, a very ancient and deadly vampire, you love to dress in full pastel and knit during free time.
One drawback of the entire series is the style often sloppy, not very nice and stupid mistakes as the age of 19 years from a character in a chapter becomes a little further ahead 15-16, or names that are reported differently from one book to another, or the fact that the passage of time is stated in an imprecise way. Some steps are unclear and I suspect that closer examination would lead to light some contradictions.
Overall, however, is readable, and often tasty and fun as mentioned above is not essential to follow closely the output order of individual novels (though the story follows a chronological order), because each book is placed a little summary of the current situation (vampires out into the open thanks to the Japanese drink) as well as brief summaries or references to what has happened in previous books to which reference is made for the sake of plot. Typically, these summaries are well integrated, do not bother.
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