The acidly accurate textbook tale.

"The Social Significance of Sport: An Introduction to the Sociology of Sport" by Barry D. McPherson, James E. Curtis and John W. Loy.

You are about to embark on a reading journey that is both stimulating and frustrating.

If one were to encounter this statement as the opening sentence of a book, it could realistically be assumed that the subject of said book would be an enthralling issue such as flower arranging, stamp collecting or African weaving.

The authors of this book seem to have an incredibly optimistic view of the limits of human tolerance, because, in most cases, a reasonably normal human being would be at least slightly reluctant to read a book that has the potential to cause frustration.

The preface states that the book, or more specifically textbook, would be useful for those studying physical education, sociology, sport studies and kinesiology.

I will here admit that I have not read the entire book, for I am a reasonably normal human being and have little patience for frustration, especially my own. However, judging by my few glances at the contents page and chapters excitingly titled 'Sport, Socialisation and the Family', 'Social Class, Socioeconomic Status, and Sport', 'Sport, Collective Behaviour, and Social Movements' and other similarly captivating names, I can fairly assume that the book would indeed be useful for those studying the aforementioned disciplines - but only those.
Otherwise, the book would most likely bore a reader to tears. That would almost be preferable, in most circumstances, because crying would render the reader unable to see the words.

To be fair, however, if one reads this book, one can expect to learn interesting new phrases such as BIRG Phenomenon, frustration-aggression hypothesis and melting pot theory.

Successfully using these in everyday situations, though, could prove difficult ...

Good luck with this; and good luck reading the book, because you'll need it.

Jatta

Jatta is a Princess.

She lives in a land of undeath, werewolves and the demi-godlike sorcerers.

She is cursed to be a werewolf, she must save her kingdom and she must marry the dorkish and half mad Prince Riz.

She is beset on all sides and struggling even with the illusionist's orb and help from Sorcerer Redd.

Its Good!!

One at a time.

Reaper man, a discworld novel by Terry Pratchett

What happens when Death goes on holiday?

Windle Poons is 130 and like all good wizards he knows when he will die, it just happens to be tomorrow and he's been looking forward to it for a very long time.

After a bit of a party Windle Poons dies and his spirit leaves his body only to find that there is.... nowhere to go. Being a pragmatic sort of person Mr Poons goes back. He finds that as a dead person he is more alive, more in control and certainly more mobile than he has been in years.

Windle Poons begins to have fun...

A new zombie on the loose isn't the only odd thing happening on the Discworld, clothing is getting up and walking away, furniture is putting down roots and things are starting to float around. The cause of all this, it seems, is an excess of life. You see Death does not kill you, he just takes away your life and without him the life just floats around wondering what to do with itself.

The problem is that Death is having a holiday as a human pending his permanent and enforced retirement. The Auditors of Reality have decided that Death is too slow and nice and are bringing in a new model. So Death gets to find out what it means to be human and he likes it....

There are also strange snow globes appearing in the nooks and crannys of Anka-Morpork......

Classic Terry Pratchett book, not one of his better works in my opinion but as original and good as usual, worth a read anytime.

A balancing act

Making Money, a discworld novel by Terry Pratchett.

The post office is running smoothly on mountains of paperwork. Moist von Lipwig is tipped to become chairman of the merchants guild complete with goldish chain and he has a beautiful chain-smoking golem-hunting girlfriend Adora.

Moist von Lipwig is trapped in chains of goldish.....

When the old crook is offered a post as chairman of the Royal Mint and the Bank, his heart leaps at the chance to escape the boring bureaucracy, stifling security and the chains of goldish. He is warded off by the inbred insane and rich lavish family, the gold loving semi-vampiric Chief Cashier and the giant glowing gurgling glass Glooper lurking in the cellar.

Fearing death or worse Moist sadly declines the offer.

Then Mrs Lavish steps into his life. Current manager and chairman of the bank, a Mk1 feisty old lady with an embarrassing sense of humour and a gleeful pleasure in mild cruelty. As fast as she enters his life; she sadly exits hers. She inflicts a final cruel prod in her will, she leaves 50% of the banks shares to a small dog named Mr Fusspot who already owns one percent.

She then leaves the dog to one Moist Von Lipwig........

This leaves poor old Moist in exactly the same position he was trying to avoid. He is now the owner of, one Royal Mint that runs at a loss, one bank currently in dispute by the insane and rather murderous Lavishes and finally one very rich dog named Mr Fusspot who needs to go for walkies at least once per day.

This is a good yarn with a well put across message as well as being very very funny and insane................ Completely insanee Ha Hah Hah Hahahahahaha!! Ahahahahahahahahahah!!!!

just kidding lol, this book is thoroughly recommended by me.

Selling the Sizzle.

Going Postal, a discworld novel by Terry Pratchett.

Moist Von Lipwig is a face in the crowd, even when he is by himself.

He uses his natural gifts of a unremarkable face, irresistible showmanship and a silver tongue to defraud, trick, pass false cheques and generally relieve fools of their money.

As fools like to keep hold of their various monies, some less than foolish persons have tracked him down, caught him and thrown him into an Ankh-Morpork jail cell for the six weeks he has before he is to be hanged. For six weeks Moist has been chipping away with a spoon at the crumbling mortar around the large stone in the wall to which he is chained. His spoon is now a stub, his mattress is full of mortar and the rock is almost free. One last tug and it is free and behind it he finds.......

.......... Another spoon, another rock and some suspiciously new mortar. He whimpers. The guards walk and see that the rock is free, one of them grumbles and hands the other some money.

After a short explanation of why he was led to believe he could win his freedom involving "occupational therapy", "keeps you from moping" and "the greatest gift of all, hope" he is taken to the gallows and hung. CRACK! The lights go out.

"Mr Lipwig, Have you ever heard of Angels?"

After being hung to within an inch of his life Moist von Lipwig is offered a choice, be hung for real or aid the ailing Ankh-Morpork postal service.

It is a tough decision.

I am a bit of a diehard Terry Pratchett fan but this is one of the prime examples of his work, just real enough to be believable but the situations and people are quite literally out of this world, a lively and likeable contrast to the normal and ploding plot lines of most other books, have fun reading it =)

The soul of a dragon.

Brisinger by Christopher Paolini, third in the Inheritance series.

Eragon and Roran are hunting.

During the thrilling finale's of the last book, Eldest, Eragon battles against the new evil dragon rider, Murtage and Thorn (his dragon) and loses but is spared. Roran's epic trek across his world with his home village ends with Roran killing the twins with his hammer and turning the tide of battle as a consequence.

Eragon is now torn between oaths. He has made commitments to the Varden, the Dwarves, Natasha, the Elves and to his cousin Roran and he is having trouble keeping them all. In the last book Katrina, Roran's beloved is kidnapped by Sloan and the Ra'zac and are currently housed in Hellgrind, home of the Ra'zac.

This is the purpose of Eragon and Roran's hunting deep within the empire, to find and kill the Ra'zac and their mounts and rescue Katrina from her prison. At first everything seems to work out fine, a Ra'zac is dead and so are both its mounts, Katrina has been found, but then Eragon finds Sloan. Sloan is a murderer, a traitor and Katrina's father, Roran would kill him if he found him and Sloan would return the favour if his eyes hadn't been pecked out and he wasn't half starved.

Eragon cannot find it in himself to end Sloan's miserable existence and instead sends away Roran, Katrina and Sapphire so Roran will not learn that Sloan is still alive. Eragon begins a long arduous trek through the heart of the empire in an effort to bring himself and Sloan to safety.

Good book, necessary reading if you have read the first and second installments, getting deeper moralistically at points but the characters are 3D and the setting is amazing as usual, hop to it.

Red and gold scales...

Eldest by Christopher Paolini, second in the Inheritance series

Eragon is now a cripple. During the epic battle at the end of the first book Eragon fought against Durza, the shade, and won turning the tide of battle but only with the help of Ayra and Sapphire. The victory came at a cost, the star Sapphire is broken and Eragon has an enormous scar across his back that sends him into seizures when he does anything physical rendering him effectively useless as a rider.

Directly at the start of the book, the twins , the leader of the Varden and Murtarg are killed by a group of Kull and Eragon is in time to hear the last words of the Varden's leader, compelling him to make sure the Varden is not thrown into turmoil. These deaths as well as the thousands from the battlefield throw Eragon into emotional and political turmoil.

Eragon now has many problems, his love for Ayra is causing problems, his back is rendering him ineffective, he must delve in politics, he is emotionally fraught and his magic is weak. Eragon is not the only one with problems and in this text a parallel story emerges telling the story of Roran and what happens when the Ra'zac come to Carvahall and threaten Katrina, Roran's beloved.

Both Eragon and Roran set out on a journey, Eragon to the elves and Roran to the Varden, both get more than they bargained for.

A worthy second installment of the inheritance series perhaps not as imaginative as the first but a good read nevertheless with a good assortment of new information to digest. Go forth and read!

Eragon and his Dragon.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini, part one of the Inheritance series.

Eragon, the hero of the story, is an orphan who was placed in the hands of his uncle Garrow when he was a baby. He has grown up with his cousin Roran and learned to farm, hunt and work under the tutelage of his uncle.

While out hunting for deer in the treacherous range of mountains called The Spine, he is witness to an explosion of fire and noise. When he investigates the source, he finds a polished blue stone.

Coming home in a failed attempt to sell the thing, he places it on the shelf and sleeps. The blue "stone" hatches. It is in fact an egg, a dragon egg to be precise. Over the next few months he both feeds and hides his growing dragon, until the day the Ra'zac (evil servants of a mad tyrant) destroy Eragon's uncle's farm and his uncle.

With the help of the village storyteller Brom, he sets out with his dragon Sapphire to exact a heavy revenge upon the Ra'zac, growing and learning on the way all the skills he will need and the rich history that it is a part of.

A good and lively tale full of twists, turns and realistic settings. characters, A little cliched but never the less a a good story.