If one more gay vegan (no specific hate against the gay peoples but more or less the vegan community, it just so happens gay guys tend to strike up conversations with me) looks up at me as I’m pouring sweet n’ low into my coffee and says, “You know that causes cancer,” I’m going to freak out.

So to put this baby to rest I decided to do 2 minutes worth of research to verify my knowledge that, NO SWEET N’ LOW DOES NOT CAUSE CANCER.

Some time in the 70’s a researcher fed saccharine to some lab rats.  Subsequently they got bladder cancer.  In 2000 scientists realized that rodents produced a protein that interacted with saccharine to cause bladder damage.  Humans do not produce this protein.  Neither the FDA or EPA believe that the consumption of saccharine cause any negative effects.

Similarly aspartame (nutrasweet) does not cause any harm and has gone through an abnormally lengthy and numerous testing process.

Sucralose (splenda) is currently being scrutinized as some research suggests the body can’t process large amounts of the chemicals.  As well as a study that says sucralose can’t be filtered out of our water supply and warns about possible rising levels.

While I dislike splenda I have to be a bit rational and assume like its sugar substitute predecessors it’s getting the pitch fork and torches treatment from the villagers.

Check this out on the all holy wikipedia if you don’t believe me.

Sky Coyote by Kage Baker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second in the series.
This time around the story is told from the perspective of a male character (far better than a teenage girl). The main character, is sardonic, logical and jaded; just my kind of man.
With a brief cameo from Mendoza (the girl from the first book) Sky Coyote take place further along in time filling in the space that the author intends this series to go. While there is not traditional plot, intrigue or suspense, the novel tells a tale. This tale takes a good poke at religion, science and philosophy.
This could have made a good stand alone book, but it was nice to know some of the back story. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone who needs a fast pace intensity or anyone who is easily offended.
One of the gripes I have about the author is that she often writes long pieces of dialog that can be easily skipped without loosing any story or development. However I do enjoy making fun of people through wit an irony.

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In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I grabbed this book randomly and was excited to see the premise: Teenage cyborg, time traveler. Weird right? And at least worth trying out. So that’s what drove me through all hundred and three pages (plus I like history)
The first quarter of this book is interesting, with great ideas and a humor that reminded me of Kurt Vonnegut.
The other three quarters were well… a 17 year old cyborg in 16th England who falls in love. Sound more like a sci-fi romance? It was.
I really wanted to like this book, I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it. I would certainly recommend to an young geeky girl. But as a guy reading about this girl’s teenage angst, hormones and delusions was annoying.
This however was the author’s first book (i could tell in the writing) of an eight book series so I’m going to give it a chance.

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iheartchaos:

As Marvel begins to explore the weirder corners of their comics universe, we’ve already seen how they’re talking about a Doctor Strange movie, and now comes rumors that they’re possibly going to be going stranger than Strange with a film adaptation of Guardians of the Galaxy.

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Seriously. I’ve barely read them so I can’t imagine how the general population will react.

The Harsh Cry of the Heron by Lian Hearn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From beginning, formation and end this book and the series are everything you’d expect in a Japanese story (that’s kind of a hint if you read or watch Japanese stuff).
From an American mind set so much of this seems like lunacy. I read through this book hating so many of the characters. I cringed at their actions scowled at their selfishness, cursing them for narrow minded ideas. And while it got me riled up I love that at got me involved.
I did feel that the book was too long, 200 pages longer than the others. Or maybe it was too short, as the conclusion wrapped up a handful of loose ends in the last 20 pages.
Thankfully I wasn’t disappointed, annoyed or angry as I can be with some series books. But again I warn you that to feel comfortable with this series you should understand Asian culture.

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iheartchaos:

Not but a couple weeks after Rowan Atkinson appeared on Top Gear to set the lap time for a Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, he wrecked his precious McLaren F1 that was his favorite automobile and one that Top Gear had borrowed at one point.

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Brilliance of the Moon by Lian Hearn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is and excellent climatic rap up for the events that occurred over the previous 2 novels. There’s nothing I can say that won’t give away what happens. We all know that things will end in war but what we care about is how the characters survive. Or don’t.
The best thing (and this is one of my favorite things to happen in books)is that the afterword tells us that the next book is 15 years later. I always enjoy reading the, where are they now, stories.

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Grass for His Pillow by Lian Hearn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The second book of the series and it’s better that way.
If this were a stand alone book it would be a flop. However, if you’re reading the series it’s not that painful. The entirety of the novel is character, world and plot development. There are now amazing fights or unexpected developments.
What we see happen is the characters grow and the reasons for acting become more clear.
The best thing about this book is that you now when it ends that the next book will be full of conflict.

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Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book may be simplistically written with a almost obvious plot, I found it charming. It was a refreshing break from stumbling through story full of excessive words, pointless twists and political rants.
From the beginning to the end I felt like I was reading a Chinese/Japanese period movie. You know the ones where highly trained warriors seem to have developed superhero like abilities. A fun story filled with fighting, damsels in distress and ancient codes of conduct.

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The Sunless Countries by Karl Schroeder
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

The four book in the series and the one that made me hate the last three books.
This is a story mainly told from the perspective of a history teacher. Sound exciting? Yeah, it’s not. The book uses the same plot devices as the other three. The characters live with a corrupt government and that is their major nemesis. There is only one character from any of the other books and it’s basically a cameo.
There is nothing interesting, intriguing or interesting. The only reason to read this through to try to figure out what the author was thinking.
Not to mention how the book ended with a anti-climatic thud.
I feel sorry for the half a dozen characters that were shallow plot devices.

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