Computer and a Review
Jan. 23rd, 2010 09:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wook77Poor ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
elanorofcastile has been stuck listening to me babble about this new system registry cleaner I downloaded. It worked like a charm. My computer now reboots instead of freezing up on the shutting down phase. It takes about 3 minutes to reboot including loading up firefox when it used to take 20. Word loads instantly instead of taking a couple of minutes. iTunes loads in about a minute instead of 10. I sort of love this registry cleaner. My system commitment is lower now, with multiple hog programs running, than it used to be upon start up with no programs running.
The Ebon Hawk - she's holding together.
I sort of want fic where Kirk and Bones are old men together. Like - either together or not together and regretting it. Any recs for me?
I've been reading some m/m novels with the older men protaganists cause, tbh, I'm tired of reading about teenagers falling in love. I can't get beyond the whole "dude, ain't gonna last" personal issues thing. So, here, have a review:
Sins of the Father: The book started with a very interesting premise. It had the potential to be omnomnom good. Older heroes, interesting dynamics, intriguing set-up. See, the set-up is - both characters had fathers that went to jail for murdering people and they meet through this. It's all about forgiveness and moving on in multiple aspects.
Main POV is Caleb. Caleb's dad went to jail for driving drunk and killing three people. He never wanted to see Caleb ever again so Caleb ended up volunteering for teaching the inmates because he was a teacher and his dad never wanted to see him (yeah, I don't get it either). Caleb had major hangups about his dad being so notorious in their town and, thus didn't date much until he met the man referred, in the book, as all of the following: husband, life partner and boyfriend. They lived together for 20 years which is actually not exactly right as the book references multiple different starting times for them dating. The prologue disagrees with the 20 years thing. Husband/life partner/boyfriend dies in a car accident and two years goes by.
POV's love interest is James. James has a dad currently alive and in jail for murdering his mum in front of him when he was 6. Which, yanno, would give anyone major issues about forgiving their father for the horrendous murder (he beats her to death while the 6 year old hides in the closet listening).
Caleb meets James's dad in the jail. Dad wants forgiveness and wants to write a letter that will garner him that. He's going through the 12 Steps thing and wants to complete this step. He's also dying of cancer. And can't write or read. And that's why he beat James's mother to death - he felt like his kid and his wife thought they were better than him because they could read. Plus he was drunk.
James is like 46. Caleb is 43. James is constantly referenced as "the older man" while Caleb is referenced as "the younger man". IDK about you but if I was only 3 years different in age, I wouldn't be thinking of someone as "the older one". It's only three years. Maybe if it was like 10 or 20 years or something similar.
And that's only the start of my problems with the book. In addition to "the younger/older man" thing - it's also "the bigger/smaller man" references. It's the way that the prologue disagrees with the rest of the book. It's 21 years, it's 20 years, it's 25 years, it's almost 25 years that Caleb was dating his husband/life partner/boyfriend. It's the way that the author references negative stereotypes about gay men. It's the stereotypical faghag neighbors who also happen to be lesbians. And more, oh so much more.
James has never had a serious relationship but acts the perfect boyfriend with Caleb. Instead of having a single serious relationship in 46 years, you, instead, get the cliche of gay men only being into other men for the sexx0rs. Wham, bam, thank you sir - that's all James has ever had so he knows, from the very beginning, how to treat Caleb. Personally, I can believe that he's never had a serious relationship because he keeps going back to the first man to show him any sort of affection even though Caleb is so fucking negative and controlling and manipulative. More about that later.
Caleb and James meet on a blind date set up by Caleb's lesbian neighbors who, by the way, have their own weird subplot going on about wanting to have a baby and wanting Caleb's husband/boyfriend/life partner to father the baby except they didn't really and it totally just distracted from the main story and was completely unnecessary to the overarching plot.
Then there are the coincidences. Caleb and James work/ed in the same bar in the same position with the same coworkers. Just, yanno, 20/21/25 years apart.
James writes these amazing touching books that are, of course, Caleb's favorite books ever. James is, unknowingly, Caleb's favorite author.
James is BFFs with one of the lesbian neighbors but they had never met in all the years (15!) that the lesbian neighbors had lived next to Caleb even though James rides a Harley that's so loud that the neighbors can hear it pulling up into Caleb's driveway. Also, never met even though Caleb is constantly over at the neighbors for bbqs and stuff that they host all the time with their friends and stuff.
Then, getting back to the main plot, Caleb pushes James to forgive his father. Constantly. Even after James says to back off. Even after James runs away from this whole issue only to get chased down by Caleb. Even immediately after they have sex. Sorry but if I'm laying in post-coital bliss, I sort of don't want my partner to bring up my murderous father and forgiving him. It takes the bliss outta the moment completely but maybe that's just me.
So, spoilers ahead but, James and Caleb reconcile, once more, after James runs away (once more) after Caleb presses the forgiveness issue (once more) and then they have sex just after Caleb promises not to press the forgiveness thing again. Then, just after they have sex, the prison calls Caleb to tell Caleb that James's dad is dying. James refuses to go see his dad for a deathbed confessional so Caleb runs off to James's dad to be there as he dies, thinking about how James needs to forgive his father immediately and how misguided he is. Which he also mentions to James before he runs off to the jail. Just as James enters the hospital room (because he is a sucker for Caleb's lectures and doing exactly what Caleb wants regardless of his own, justifiable feelings), James's dad dies, unforgiven by his son. James immediately pitches a temper tantrum better than any two year old and storms out, refusing to read the last version of the letter.
Of course, the ending is that James grows up, forgives his father post-humously and begs for Caleb's forgiveness about his immaturity towards his father. Then they proceed to move into the house that James watched his mother get murdered in. I shit you not. The HEA epilogue is in the same house that James watched his devoted, doting mother get murdered in. What. The. Fuck. Seriously?
My own issues, let me show you them. My dad beat the shit outta me, my sisters, my brother and my mother. He was a raging alcoholic. You couldn't pay me to actually LIVE in the house that this happened in. The last time I was there, I was 14 and the abuse was happening. The only reason I want to see that house again is so I can try to move on from my issues. No fucking way would I willingly live there again.
And that's just systemic, physical and mental abuse. That ain't watching my father murder my mother and then crouching in my mother's pool of blood and washing the blood off her beaten-to-death face before getting pulled away by the police only to watch my mother get covered by a sheet. At six. Before he was shuttled from foster home to foster home, completely unloved by anyone other than the waitress with the heart of gold but was too old to adopt him.
The entire book was about how Caleb was such an awesome human being, how he volunteered and forgave people and had worked through his issues miraculously while married/living with/dating another saint while James needed to stop being such a dick, grow up, forgive and move on and stop "nursing" his issues.
I would've liked this author's story better if it had stayed with the original love story. If it had been about Caleb meeting his husband/life partner/boyfriend. If it had been about their journey because they meet interesting in the prologue and I liked that part. Unfortunately, that was the only part of the book that I liked. Caleb turned into this uber!saintly!Gary Stu while James was cast as this immature asshole who couldn't forgive his dad because he was a meanie meanie poo poo head.
If I was in James's position, I would've said "fuck you" to Caleb and moved right the fuck on. By the end of the book, I wanted to beat the shit out of Caleb by grabbing his halo, his browbeating forgiveness stick and smacking him around with them.
I know what the author was attempting. The theme of forgiveness can be very powerful if done subtly and with a light brush. Unfortunately, the author was heavy-handed and crushed the reader with a rain of boulders cast down from the heavens by Saint Caleb. 1 out of 10
elanorofcastile has been stuck listening to me babble about this new system registry cleaner I downloaded. It worked like a charm. My computer now reboots instead of freezing up on the shutting down phase. It takes about 3 minutes to reboot including loading up firefox when it used to take 20. Word loads instantly instead of taking a couple of minutes. iTunes loads in about a minute instead of 10. I sort of love this registry cleaner. My system commitment is lower now, with multiple hog programs running, than it used to be upon start up with no programs running.The Ebon Hawk - she's holding together.
I sort of want fic where Kirk and Bones are old men together. Like - either together or not together and regretting it. Any recs for me?
I've been reading some m/m novels with the older men protaganists cause, tbh, I'm tired of reading about teenagers falling in love. I can't get beyond the whole "dude, ain't gonna last" personal issues thing. So, here, have a review:
Sins of the Father: The book started with a very interesting premise. It had the potential to be omnomnom good. Older heroes, interesting dynamics, intriguing set-up. See, the set-up is - both characters had fathers that went to jail for murdering people and they meet through this. It's all about forgiveness and moving on in multiple aspects.
Main POV is Caleb. Caleb's dad went to jail for driving drunk and killing three people. He never wanted to see Caleb ever again so Caleb ended up volunteering for teaching the inmates because he was a teacher and his dad never wanted to see him (yeah, I don't get it either). Caleb had major hangups about his dad being so notorious in their town and, thus didn't date much until he met the man referred, in the book, as all of the following: husband, life partner and boyfriend. They lived together for 20 years which is actually not exactly right as the book references multiple different starting times for them dating. The prologue disagrees with the 20 years thing. Husband/life partner/boyfriend dies in a car accident and two years goes by.
POV's love interest is James. James has a dad currently alive and in jail for murdering his mum in front of him when he was 6. Which, yanno, would give anyone major issues about forgiving their father for the horrendous murder (he beats her to death while the 6 year old hides in the closet listening).
Caleb meets James's dad in the jail. Dad wants forgiveness and wants to write a letter that will garner him that. He's going through the 12 Steps thing and wants to complete this step. He's also dying of cancer. And can't write or read. And that's why he beat James's mother to death - he felt like his kid and his wife thought they were better than him because they could read. Plus he was drunk.
James is like 46. Caleb is 43. James is constantly referenced as "the older man" while Caleb is referenced as "the younger man". IDK about you but if I was only 3 years different in age, I wouldn't be thinking of someone as "the older one". It's only three years. Maybe if it was like 10 or 20 years or something similar.
And that's only the start of my problems with the book. In addition to "the younger/older man" thing - it's also "the bigger/smaller man" references. It's the way that the prologue disagrees with the rest of the book. It's 21 years, it's 20 years, it's 25 years, it's almost 25 years that Caleb was dating his husband/life partner/boyfriend. It's the way that the author references negative stereotypes about gay men. It's the stereotypical faghag neighbors who also happen to be lesbians. And more, oh so much more.
James has never had a serious relationship but acts the perfect boyfriend with Caleb. Instead of having a single serious relationship in 46 years, you, instead, get the cliche of gay men only being into other men for the sexx0rs. Wham, bam, thank you sir - that's all James has ever had so he knows, from the very beginning, how to treat Caleb. Personally, I can believe that he's never had a serious relationship because he keeps going back to the first man to show him any sort of affection even though Caleb is so fucking negative and controlling and manipulative. More about that later.
Caleb and James meet on a blind date set up by Caleb's lesbian neighbors who, by the way, have their own weird subplot going on about wanting to have a baby and wanting Caleb's husband/boyfriend/life partner to father the baby except they didn't really and it totally just distracted from the main story and was completely unnecessary to the overarching plot.
Then there are the coincidences. Caleb and James work/ed in the same bar in the same position with the same coworkers. Just, yanno, 20/21/25 years apart.
James writes these amazing touching books that are, of course, Caleb's favorite books ever. James is, unknowingly, Caleb's favorite author.
James is BFFs with one of the lesbian neighbors but they had never met in all the years (15!) that the lesbian neighbors had lived next to Caleb even though James rides a Harley that's so loud that the neighbors can hear it pulling up into Caleb's driveway. Also, never met even though Caleb is constantly over at the neighbors for bbqs and stuff that they host all the time with their friends and stuff.
Then, getting back to the main plot, Caleb pushes James to forgive his father. Constantly. Even after James says to back off. Even after James runs away from this whole issue only to get chased down by Caleb. Even immediately after they have sex. Sorry but if I'm laying in post-coital bliss, I sort of don't want my partner to bring up my murderous father and forgiving him. It takes the bliss outta the moment completely but maybe that's just me.
So, spoilers ahead but, James and Caleb reconcile, once more, after James runs away (once more) after Caleb presses the forgiveness issue (once more) and then they have sex just after Caleb promises not to press the forgiveness thing again. Then, just after they have sex, the prison calls Caleb to tell Caleb that James's dad is dying. James refuses to go see his dad for a deathbed confessional so Caleb runs off to James's dad to be there as he dies, thinking about how James needs to forgive his father immediately and how misguided he is. Which he also mentions to James before he runs off to the jail. Just as James enters the hospital room (because he is a sucker for Caleb's lectures and doing exactly what Caleb wants regardless of his own, justifiable feelings), James's dad dies, unforgiven by his son. James immediately pitches a temper tantrum better than any two year old and storms out, refusing to read the last version of the letter.
Of course, the ending is that James grows up, forgives his father post-humously and begs for Caleb's forgiveness about his immaturity towards his father. Then they proceed to move into the house that James watched his mother get murdered in. I shit you not. The HEA epilogue is in the same house that James watched his devoted, doting mother get murdered in. What. The. Fuck. Seriously?
My own issues, let me show you them. My dad beat the shit outta me, my sisters, my brother and my mother. He was a raging alcoholic. You couldn't pay me to actually LIVE in the house that this happened in. The last time I was there, I was 14 and the abuse was happening. The only reason I want to see that house again is so I can try to move on from my issues. No fucking way would I willingly live there again.
And that's just systemic, physical and mental abuse. That ain't watching my father murder my mother and then crouching in my mother's pool of blood and washing the blood off her beaten-to-death face before getting pulled away by the police only to watch my mother get covered by a sheet. At six. Before he was shuttled from foster home to foster home, completely unloved by anyone other than the waitress with the heart of gold but was too old to adopt him.
The entire book was about how Caleb was such an awesome human being, how he volunteered and forgave people and had worked through his issues miraculously while married/living with/dating another saint while James needed to stop being such a dick, grow up, forgive and move on and stop "nursing" his issues.
I would've liked this author's story better if it had stayed with the original love story. If it had been about Caleb meeting his husband/life partner/boyfriend. If it had been about their journey because they meet interesting in the prologue and I liked that part. Unfortunately, that was the only part of the book that I liked. Caleb turned into this uber!saintly!Gary Stu while James was cast as this immature asshole who couldn't forgive his dad because he was a meanie meanie poo poo head.
If I was in James's position, I would've said "fuck you" to Caleb and moved right the fuck on. By the end of the book, I wanted to beat the shit out of Caleb by grabbing his halo, his browbeating forgiveness stick and smacking him around with them.
I know what the author was attempting. The theme of forgiveness can be very powerful if done subtly and with a light brush. Unfortunately, the author was heavy-handed and crushed the reader with a rain of boulders cast down from the heavens by Saint Caleb. 1 out of 10
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no subject
Date: 2010-01-24 05:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-24 05:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-24 10:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-24 12:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-24 05:04 am (UTC)A couple spring to mind, though you may have read them:
Across the Universe (Nothing's Gonna Change My World) by
Under the Same Sky by
no subject
Date: 2010-01-24 05:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-24 05:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-24 05:05 am (UTC)Also, I saw that book available on some site and am really glad I didn't buy it. Sounds horrible. I went through and got several ebooks a few weeks ago and I've read much better fanfic than at least half of the original ebooks.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-24 05:11 am (UTC)I wouldn't mind the crying thing. I do love me some angst but not everyone is as crazy as I am <3.
Yeah - same. That's what I'm really finding. The het is even worse than the slash, tbh. I've read some great ones, don't get me wrong, but omg, they're so hard to find :( I think part of it is that I keep expecting them to be better because they're supposedly "professionally edited" but, dude, couldn't someone have said "your guy is totally browbeating your other guy. it's not attractive"?!
Honestly, the more I think about the book, the more annoyed I am with it. If I could've scored it lower, I would've.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-24 03:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-27 04:30 am (UTC)