Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts

"Pick Me Up" by: zoe rice Book Review


With chapters named for bad pick-up lines, I knew after skimming through this book at the library, I had to give Zoë Rice a try. Pick Me Up was in the romance section, so I was a little hesitant. But my mind was quickly put to ease as a laughed out loud the first afternoon I picked it up, and had a hard time putting it back down.

Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?

Sex and the City let the rest of the world in on a little secret… being a confident, hard-working, harder playing socialite with tons of friends and tons of money is AWESOME! Given the right set of circumstances, and the right set of gene’s that would transform me into Sarah Jessica Parker, I would make an awesome socialite. Just not the Sex and the City variety.Would you like a raisin? How ‘bout a date?

Instead, I dream of being Izzy from Rice’s Pick Me Up. She’s a more practical character. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. She’s real.

If I told you that you had a great body, would you hold it against me?

Real friends that any woman would fantasize about. A wonderful best friend who just happens to be one of New York’s best celebrity “handler“. A funny and awkward newspaper journalist who writes a relationship advise column so popular it transforms his status in life overnight. A, somewhat cartoon-ish and over-the-top gay boss. I guess since the book rotates around the art world, Rice felt obligated to stay a little stereotypical when it came to the “fill-in” characters surrounding her gallery.


You look like a masterpiece - so how “bout I be the master and you give me a piece?

The dream job! Art director for a smaller gallery where she has a good amount of leg-room to go about business as she sees fit. That is until….

Would you like gin and platonic or do you prefer Scotch and sofa?



Nope. I won’t ruin it. It’s a pivotal part of the novel. But, whatever does happen that I’m not spoiling, causes two new men to come crashing into Izzy’s life. One, a laid back, rude, full of himself artist who immediately bumps heads with and constantly teases our hero. The other, a man who in the embodiment of everything Izzy thinks she wants in a man.

May I have this dance … horizontally?

The characters dance their way though life, each learning a little bit about each other and a lot about themselves. Pick Me Up isn’t a coming of age novel - per say - but there is definitely some growing up done as the chapters progress.

If I could rearrange the alphabet, I’d put U and I together.

Never boring and frequently laughable, Izzy’s life spirals up then down then up - you get my drift. Zoë Rice is an artist of discription, a master of sarcasm, and a new addition to my “must read” list of authors. And she has a great blog too!

You look like you’ve heard every line in the book. So what’s one more?

The God Delusion Book Review (Mini)

I got two really great, well thought out “Good Luck Getting a Job in the Economy!” presents - my Netfilx renewal subscription (so I can keep reviewing:) and “The God Delusion” by Richard Dawkins. I had seen Dawkins on “The Colbert Report” about a year back, and enjoyed the interview. Dawkins did a good job defending himself and staying out of Colbert’s traps. Silly me didn’t think to actually buy or go to the library and read his book - but thanks be to InShanee I can now sit back and devour this book. While I usually wait until I have finished reading a book before I pass any judgment, his thesis is just to good to deny. Plus, if I waited until the end, I’m sure I would forget to mention many an interesting idea. So lets begin….

I’ve had the balls to call myself an atheist for a very long time now. I might lie to my father and say I’m undecided, but that’s just because I’m afraid of completely breaking him (he’s still “getting over” the loss of my mom). This book points out what has always been obvious to me - in general, agnostics are just cowardly atheists or believers - depending on the way they tilt. I never considered a full spectrum of belief. In summary…

1. Strong theist.
2. De Facto theist. Belief is just shy of 100 %
3. Higher than 50%, technical agnostic, but leaning toward theism (coward, in my opinion)
4. Exactly 50% - can’t say, refusing to take position. (lazy person who refuses to really put any thought into it and or who is too stupid to actually debate the issue).
5. Inclined to be skeptical. Less than 50%, technically agnostic, leaning toward atheism (coward)
6. De Facto atheist. Just shy of 100% certain.
7. Strong atheist - knows there is no God.

Let that all sink in for a minute. You might be quick to jump into a category.

I know a few category 1’s. Their irrational faith allows them to just “know” that God exists. The whole idea behind atheism is that the evidence points to there being no God. There isn’t any flat out, undeniable truth that there is no God. Therefore, a level 7 atheist is just as much a fool as a level 1 theist. I place myself at a sound 6. While I do not believe there is a supreme being, without solid concrete proof - which given the very nature of belief and religion is pretty much never going to happen - I cannot be a fool and simply have faith in the fact that there is not a God. Which level would you place yourself on?

I’m not bashing people who need to believe in religion, or who still like to practice the ancient customs even though they have a hard time believing in all of them. Go ahead and think there is a God. But be a number 2 (that’s funny). Don’t allow yourself to be completely blinded by your faith. Allow yourself to question new information presented, pointing out the likelihood that the great religions will slowly fade as science brings answers to the many mysteries that once ruled our world.

I’m only on page 83 of this book - it’s a slow read, I really want to grasp all his ideas and have a full understand of his thoughts. I think that it’s helping me to define myself spiritually (or lack there of).

Can omniscient God, who
Knows the future, find
The omnipotence to
Change His future mind?
- Karen Owens

Want some humorous proof that there is no God? Check out….

http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm