Something to Sink Your Teeth Into, (No Pun Intended)
357108
Jeffrey Dahmer certainly was a serial killer that will forever be etched in America's history--not the sort of notariety one might seek, but so goes it for the tragic life of Dahmer.

I have always been intrigued as to what made this man do the heinous acts in which he committed upon seventeen unsuspecting victims. Most of what is reported in this book was just a small fraction of what most of us heard or read about in the news, at the time Dahmer was arrested. In fact, I learned a great detail of the life of Jeffrey Dahmer. It gave me chills just reading the words knowing what was going to happen, and powerless to stop it.

If you have children, love them and nurture them so that this tragedy never occurs again in human kind! Outstanding read!
464181
Not mind blowingly tasteful or anything, but doesn't burn or stay in mouth forever, which is more than I can ask for when mouthwashes are concerned.
With cavity AND gingivitis protection, I know that I'm not missing out on anything either. Staying with this one as long as it's available and decently priced.
4741079
Great for an after dinner chew, especially if I've eaten something that might not agree with me. It helps sooths a sour stomach.
3408582
Tongue Lyre is a first book, so if it ends up not being your thing, go easy on it. My money says it will be very much your thing.

Restless, terse, obsessively patterned, it benefits from what must have been a long gestation period. There's plenty of Louise Gluck's repurposing of myth here and plenty of Stanley Plumly's narrative torque, but for those in search of a neat analogue, I'm afraid there isn't one. Which is all to the better.

The kind of book you could kiss on the mouth.
1532096
While not as satisfying as Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, or (to a lesser extent) Hannibal, Thomas Harris manages to cook up a decadent appetizer to an already loaded three-course meal. It's hard not to see Hannibal Rising as a last-ditch effort to revive an ailing franchise by further developing one of the most complex characters of modern fiction. By offering a traumatic origin story as explanation for how a human being could become Dr. Lecter, Harris walks a dangerous tightrope in making his magnificent creation a less-fascinating avatar of evil.

What this novel gives readers is a sumptuous look at Hannibal's youth, the plot of which is not much more than a thrilling story of grisly vengeance. A young Lithuanian aristocrat loses his parents and darling sister, Mischa, in the final desperate days of World War II. Hannibal is forced to watch as little Mischa is devoured by callous Nazi-sympathizing ruffians whom Hannibal later tracks down and gruesomely dispatches in the natural course of the novel. By the end of Hannibal Rising, the reader is left with a better understanding of the murderous epicurean psychiatrist, even if the book doesn't exactly conclude with the satisfaction one would wish from an examination of Lecter's tenebrous beginnings. The action is swift and often fleeting, and the chapters brief (often only four pages), and the sentences are, for the most part, simplistic and lacking the eloquence found in Harris's preceding works. The dialogue is occasionally stilted and the character of Lady Murasaki, who sensually introduces the impressionable teenage Hannibal to a rarified world of Japanese art and poetry, exists only to be beautiful.

Thankfully, Hannibal Lecter remains a preeminent literary icon, a dominant fictional boogeyman, and that's primarily due to Anthony Hopkins's unforgettable screen incarnation. Hannibal Rising reads like the novelization of a screenplay; not surprisingly Thomas Harris wrote the screenplay in the course of writing this novel. That isn't to say the book is a complete loss, for even after so many years since writing Red Dragon and Silence, Harris still possesses a keen aptitude for depicting the animal nature that lurks beneath mankind's veneer of civilization.
781634
Don't get me wrong, I love chocolate. I also have a great respect for wiccan, mother-centric religions, a deep mistrust of the organized church, a soft-spot for women trying to make it on their own against the odds, and I always cheer for the underdogs. Why then, did this book leave such a flat taste in my mouth?
Well, for one, and I know I'm not the first person to mention it, the characters are simply drawn and without more than a smidgen of complexity. In the same way that my son's cartoons feature really really bad guys, and really really good guys, Chocolat features heroines and villians, good versus evil, and pushes these characters so far into their assigned roles that all they can seem to do by the end of the book is repeat their initial gestures and thoughts. Again. And again. And again.
Not that Harris doesn't try to come up with some character development. With foreshadowing that was at first sort of interesting and then got tedious, we are made aware that the priest (A Bad Guy) has a mildly shocking, secret past that has made him the sad twisted individual he is. Vianne (A Heroine) is given over to moments of doubt, and in a really bizarre little paragraph towards the end of the book, it's suggested that her own mother perhaps abducted her as a youngster, a thread which is immediately dropped (perhaps because it would bring in too much complexity). Everybody else in the town is as predictable as a Disney movie, in fact it's such a simplistic story that it would be ideal for optioning--perfect Hollywood fare, and would probably be pretty popular for a while, as this book seems to be.
Chocolat has its moments--the descriptions of the chocolates themselves, the cooking techniques and the window displays were intruiging and mouth-watering enough to make me consider a trip to our local chocolatier. Vianne's daughter's imaginary friend Pantoufle kept me interested, the idea that a child's desire could create a reality that some could even see. The description of Armande's birthday feast was a moment of graciousness, a la Babette's Feast, and it was mildly interesting to see the roles of the vagrant gypsies (Good Guys, in case you were wondering) brought up to date complete with pierced eyebrows.
Listen. This is not a bad book, and you're not an idiot if you loved it. The Good Triumphs Over Evil (and Evil Gets its Just Desserts (no pun intended)) plotline satisfies a deep need in our souls for assurance that the good things we do will be rewarded, and people who do bad things will pay somehow. Stephen King's The Green Mile gives us a similar message. Unfortunately the end result of that kind of thinking is that it classifies people into Good and Bad categories, with no room for Grey, and that, my friends, is how all those witches ended up getting burned in the first place.
4126640
Nothing to love here for me, bit more blood and such than your typical paranormal flick. Personally I like when they don't need so much grotesque work to be scary but I guess it gets under your skin, just wasn't in the mood for it I guess. Felt more mainstream horror, rather than found footage or gritty stuff which I like better, but it was better than a lot of other junk that gets put out. Has a lot of cut the the past scenes which I hate, and starts off with the mom telling the story after she's made it through the ordeal which I also hate, now you know she lives, whatever. Put it this way, watch the movie RESOLUTION and to me that's good flowing acting. This is just more Hollywood typical scare flick with typical lines, it's got enough interesting things to keep it rolling, just don't expect too much. Leaves you kinda, eh.........but you could do worse. Keep in mind, if blood and cutting bother you don't watch it.
2136810
This nifty little mash-up of "Predator" and "The Creature From the Black Lagoon" and many other B-trope movies is imminently enjoyable if you can check your brain in at the door.  Never mind that a deep sea monster is amphibious, or that it should choose to hunt on land instead of the ocean's depths, the monster(s) in question look good and we see them often and in daylight/ well-lit situations.  The CGI is not overdone and, when it comes to the monsters, far better than your average sci-fi channel fare (I won't discuss the explosions).  The acting is also quite good.  Characters are consistent and believable (but you won't find any bikini-clad girl in peril a la the cover).  There are moments of gruesomeness as the monster attacks and eats people, often leaving disemboweled portions of bloody carcasses spread across the ground and for this reason only would I say that this is not appropriate for pre-teens and under; it would just be too scary.  Kudos to director Paul Ziller.

I would recommend this movie as a standalone at a cheap price but you can also get it, cheaply at that, in a three movie pack under the appropo "Maneater" series; that particular fest also includes "Croc" (decent fare) and "Shark Swarm" (ugh! almost 3 hours of maudlin melodrama suitable for an afternoon soap opera--avoid at all costs!).
1625570
One of the more original short works of fiction I've seen lately, Timbuktu will pull the heart-strings in all the right places.  The idea is traditional, dog and man, but the actual storyline is one thought not  traversed before.  Putting yourself in the place of Mr. Bones made you  think just a little bit more, and pay attention to little things you may  have never before.
The problem is, Auster stretches things out and  dwells a little too long on flashbacks and details instead of the story.  You don't actually get into the moving plot until the third-or-so chapter.  Also, he could cut back on the cussing, not that it offends me, normally I  don't mind, but it just stuck out like a sore thumb with all the other  beautiful writing and made you cringe a bit too often.
Overall, to say  personally, I enjoyed it; but, for some, it might not be exactly what  you're looking for, and it could be a lot more well-done.
2839020
This guy is the David Lynch of Asian cinema, a hack who strings together shocking sequences without a narrative, striving only to produce some visceral reaction without any deeper meaning. A woman carrying a swaddled log and talking about owls would not be out of place here, nor would any of the other curiosities Lynch has cobbled together. Just pick one and plug it in. Voila! You, too, can make movies!
3526811
I just had the fun of reading Devour by Kurt Anderson.

Now, those who know me know that I love books where giant chompy things decide that humans make the best snacks and this is a good one.  I try not to divulge the exact nature of our chompy things in my review.  Ill just say that this is big.  Very, very big.  And very, very hungry.

Anderson does a bit of a slow build up in this one.  While you get a bit of blood in the beginning of the book, Anderson spends a bit more time developing his characters.  You have to wait for the majority of the action.  But when it comes, it comes in spades.  The body count is high.  Bullets fly.  Teeth gnash.  And youll grab your popcorn and race through to the end of the book.

So, kind of a slow start, but once things get going, you're in for a wild and bloody ride.  I hope the author brings us more chompy things in the future!

 ARC Provided by Netgalley.
2360820
Grabbed a handful at a local pizza restaurant after having some lunch. Instinctively kept a wrapper to make sure i wouldn't forget this incredibly fruity little morsel. Ended up being the unexpected highlight of the meal. Admittedly my 1lb bag hasn't arrived yet, but I got enough of a sampling to know that I am instantly into these things. The price seems high for the weight, but a tiny piece is chewy enough where you can't just mow these down without losing a tooth filling, and I'm sure a whole pound of these will last me plenty long.
2023996
Good for a quick snack, but regretful later unless you snag a quick piece of gum or a mint. As others have mentioned, they are good in moderation. However, they are still packed full of fat.
3723769
It's pretty good - interesting, although there are times when the characters miss the obvious solution or reaction and instead dig themselves into more trouble. Feels a little like a horror movie: Don't go in there!  Stop shooting the werewolf with garlic bullets, those are for the vampires!  :-)  (Hopefully it's obvious that that's not a spoiler.)

It's a decent story, the main character is a good kid, and the writing is fine. Give it a try.

p.s. For the grammarians and folks with good vocabularies - I noticed only a few typos/poor word choices (maybe just 3 or 4). A very refreshing change from many of the freebies.
4378930
I like the fangs. They're not overly large and you custome fit them to your own teeth with their 2 part epoxy looking stuff. They fit snug (if you fit them right) and look real. fun for holloweene and you don't even get the slurred speach that you get from most fange(At least I didn't).
1127710
Into the second bite, one of my teeth broke off.  That was enough to turn me off.  Careful how you chew!
1197375
Featuring 50 stories, each with unique authors, and spanning anywhere from 4 to around 20 pages, the Touchstone Anthology of Contemporary Creative Fiction has a little something for everyone, all in bite sized, manageable chunks.

The authors within have styles across the spectrum, and not every single one will be to your taste. You can go from short, snappy lines, When does pain worth measuring begin? With poison icy? With a hang nail? With a stubbed toe? A sore throat? A needle prick? A razor cut? to longer, more fluid sections, Any exposure to the elements that lasts more than a few hours will remind us of the desirability of the basic human amenities: clothing, shelter, cooked food, the company of kinfolk and friends  perhaps even of hot baths and music and books, in the space of a few pages. The stories within are all true (or at least, considered to be true, with the minor embellishments that make a good story a good story), with topics ranging from the conception of pain from a woman with a chronic pain disorder, the reflection on a killing spree just barely avoided, the impact of kissing on ones life, and even the act of essay writing itself.

Despite the range of styles found within, the one thing that you can say about this book is that every piece is good. Not every piece will appeal to you specifically (some people may prefer the lighter, imagery heavy lines like, It involves ancient nights, the deep smells of summer turning fall, cars cruising the four lanes on Saturday evenings, and music vibrating in the air, while others may prefer the more frank, The womans face is grief made flesh, and I note its every tic and snag,) but every piece does have value to it. The authors featured within are professors, Poet Laureates, philosophers  with as much experience as they have, youd be hard pressed to find something that you didn't enjoy.