Here, we will tell you about the things that we have found entertaining or educational in our studies.
Please tell us if you find them useful.
This book is refreshing, both in its style and content. It deals with the life of Christ with an unapologetically blasphemous story that includes Jesus' seven year apprenticeship under Satan as a shepherd, his loss of virginity to Mary of Magdalene, the death of Joseph, the rape of Jesus' sister (during sleep) by an angel, and the miracles and sermons, as seen by the Messiah himself. Fans of "The Last Temptation of Christ" will love the ideas in this book. The format, though confusing at first, is also enough reason to check this book out. Traditional paragraph breaks are absent, most notably during conversations. Not only are there no paragraph breaks between the dialog, there are no quotation marks and almost no "he said" sort of things. This sounds like a hard read, but after a few pages, it seems to zip by smoother and faster than what we are used to. Saramago manages to give each speaker a tone that differentiates them from each other.
This treasure presented itself to us for the measly sum of $1 (new, hardback) at a discount bookstore. If you find it at a chain, please email us or leave a note in our guestbook so that we can spread the word.
A jumbled collection of shorts from the author of Less Than Zero and American Psycho, the informers is like a sampling of thoughts from the hedonists that make up its 'characters'. Each story is a few scenes from someone's life that loosely revolves around Southern California, Sex, Drugs, and even Vampires. The events are usually not remarkable in any way, and some are pointless, but that is probably the point: experience without meaning. Stumbling through another day in a fog of drugs, desire, and/or habit, these people could be any of us that bow at the foot of the alter of pleasure. This may be a cautionary tale, this may be a documenatary, or this may just be entertainment.
This is one of the best movies ever made, and whenever people compile a list of "the best movies ever", Blade Runner is always on it. A cold science fiction movie that manages to have warmth and heart, it is both an action movie and a mood piece. Blade Runner is a success in every area: cinematography, storyline, special effects, soundtrack, etc. It is smart, it is sexy. It entertaining as it passes, yet leaves seeds that in your mind that often grow into conversations for weeks, months, or years to come. We could go on forever here, but so much has been said about this movie, it would be a waste of space for me to repeat it. There are many websites corncerning themselves primarily with Blade Runner; the one on our links page has a detailed index of most of the best ones.
