Guns, Germs, and Steel Review

I rarely read non-fiction, but between seeing the PBS special and teaching World Cultures my interest was peeked. My main reason for avoiding non-fiction is that it tends to read like a textbook (very dry) or is over technical and excludes people that aren't already experts in the field. Though there are spots where the book can be a bit dry, it is not terribly so, and I think it has more to do with Mr. Diamond's unassuming manner than anything else. He avoids being overly technical, but also avoids talking down to his audience. The link in the title is to the PBS website, the closest thing I could find to an official website. It includes lesson plans for teachers to use in their classroom. I used the PBS special in my class, and I found it to be quite informative and engaging for most students.

 Mr. Diamond explores the reasons that various modern societies (and ancient ones) became wealthier and have more advanced technologies than other societies. Having visited many "primitive" societies around the world, he did not accept the old idea of racial/genetic superiority. He began looking for other explanations throughout history. He looks at geography, climate, natural resources, and population. He examines how these factors interact with each other to affect growth in number, food sources, and technological advancements.

Mr. Diamond provides many examples from each continent, and cites many works from various fields of study. He also provides visuals to help put things into context. Reading over his arguments, I wondered how someone did not reach these conclusions years ago. His points are logical, and seem so self-evident when looking at them as a whole. My reading list grew by over 100 books as a result of Guns, Germs, and Steel. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in culture, economics, technology, or history.

Thank you, Mr. Diamond, for your unique mind and ability to put disparate fields of study together into a cohesive whole.

Heat Wave Review

My husband and I have been watching Castle on ABC. It's a cop drama/comedy starring Nathan Fillion. (I love him, by the way.) The premise is that Richard Castle, a mystery author, is following around a police detective by the name of Kate Beckett. The interplay between Castle and Beckett is wonderful.

In one episode, we see the book that Rick based on Detective Beckett titled Heat Wave. We also hear segments of the book within the show. As a fan of the show, I had to see how the book matched to the parts mentioned on the show (Yes, I realize that was just what they were hoping for). I also wanted to see if the chemistry between the main characters was maintained in the novel.

The book is set up like it is completely real, much like the books published under the Richard Bachman alias. Richard Castle's author's biography and picture are included on the dust jacket. The dedication is to Detective Beckett and the imaginary Precinct 12. Its interesting to me to see the cross-media trend work in the "opposite" direction. Usually it works from print to film, not from film to print. There are novelizations of movie, but rarely are fictional pieces of literature mentioned in film or on a tv show transferred into print. 

The detective genre is not my normal genre. The interplay from the show did come across in the dialogue in the novel. The writer in the novel is Jameson Rook, and he's a reporter. I think it worked even better for me, since I kept hearing the lead character as Nathan Fillion. If you like cop/detective stories, like CSI, you will probably enjoy this. It's a very short and easy read. I'd qualify this as a vacation read.

Boneskaker Review

I had tried reading several books, but couldn't find one I was in the mood for. With all my work and studying, my mind needs some distracting but is having a hard time focusing. I'm a fan of zombie novels and steampunk, so Boneshaker by Cherie Priest seemed a logical choice.

This novel is set during the Civil War in California, in this timeline the Civil War has gone on much longer than the history that we know. The main character is Blair Wilkes, a single mother, and the widow of a scientist that caused a horrible disaster. He created a machine to drill for gold, when testing it out he dug too deeply into the earth and released a terrible gas that causes things to rot and sickens people, killing them or turning them into "rotters".

The other central character is her son, Zeke. They are both outcasts because they are related to Leviticus Blue, the scientist responsible. Blair has not told her son about his father, and he becomes curious. Added to the shame of being related to the man that release the gas, many people believe that Zeke's grandfather, Blair's father, took a bribe from prisoners he held to release them before the gas hit the prison they were in. Mr. Wilkes releasing the prisoners added to their outcast status with the "respectable people", but earned them protection and respect among those that work in the underbelly of the city. He knows the only place he can find answers about his father, and grandfather, is in the walled off section of the city, so he enters this very dangerous place. Blair feels compelled to go after him.

The book starts a bit slow for me, but once they enter the walled city the pace really picks up. There are several moments when Blair and the other characters are being chased by zombies that are quite intense. The villain is a ego-maniacal, mad scientist which is always a fun addition. It was enjoyable, but it will never be one of my favorites. Though it was not marketed as a young adult book, it felt like one. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, it would be a well written YA book. If you are looking for an easy, but enjoyable zombie/steampunk book give this a try.

Cookie Monster Cake

I made this for my fourth period class after they had earned a reward for good behavior. They requested marble, but on the first attempt I found out that doesn't work well for tall 3D shaped pans. So this time it was Swiss Chocolate with homemade buttercream icing.


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Christmas Ornament 2009, Part 2

These are the other ornaments I made for my coworkers, minus one that I forgot to snap a picture of before it was taken home. There is also one I did for a friend's daughter. Some didn't get completed before Christmas due to supplies not coming in time. I guess I need to start in the summer this year.

This one was created for a team member who recently discovered he is diabetic. This is candy that he can have anytime.

This ornament was done for one of my partners in 6th grade social studies, I had made her a very girly ornament before and wanted to do something more fun. This is something that her boys can enjoy as well.

This was created for the science teacher on my team. I'm glad she didn't mind it being a little late.

This one was created for our choir teacher, she is a world traveler. She speaks several languages, including French. She will also be putting up with my kid in choir next year.

This was for our dyslexia specialist. She's another team member, and does a lot for our students.

This one was created for our first year teacher on the team. She put it up in her classroom right away. I'm glad she liked it.

Happy belated holidays to all, I hope you have a great 2010!