Alphabet of Books You've Read, Part 10
This is a continuation of the topic Alphabet of Books You've Read, Part 9.
This topic was continued by Alphabet of Books You've Read, Part 11.
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1starbox
) Post the title of a book that you have read, beginning with the next letter of the alphabet after the initial letter of the previous post.
2) Articles "a", "an" and "the" and their other language counterparts should be ignored.
3) X, Y, and/or Z may be skipped, but please wait at least a few hours in case someone else has a title with one of those letters.
4) Try not to repeat the same title within a single thread.
Last play of the previous thread was:An Unmarried Lady by Anna Willman (read March 2013)
next: V
The Vet's Daughter by Barbara Comyns - read 2006
NEXT: W
2) Articles "a", "an" and "the" and their other language counterparts should be ignored.
3) X, Y, and/or Z may be skipped, but please wait at least a few hours in case someone else has a title with one of those letters.
4) Try not to repeat the same title within a single thread.
Last play of the previous thread was:An Unmarried Lady by Anna Willman (read March 2013)
next: V
The Vet's Daughter by Barbara Comyns - read 2006
NEXT: W
3Schmerguls
I have read two books the titles to which start with X but I have used them so often I refuse to use them again. So I follow the rule about waiting at least a few hours.
5Schmerguls
2199. The Year of Decision:1846, by Bernard DeVoto (read 23 Mar 1989)
NEXT: Z, or, after "a few hours," A
NEXT: Z, or, after "a few hours," A
6leslie.98
Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm (from my to-read this year list)
7Schmerguls
629. The Age of Roosevelt: The Crisis of the Old Order 1919-1933, by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. (read 12 Oct 1960) (Bancroft Prize in 1958)(Parkman Prize for 1958)
NEXT: B
NEXT: B
8starbox
Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann - read this year
10overlycriticalme
the da vinci code by dan brown; last book i read last year
15overlycriticalme
ishmael by daniel quinn; read a couple of months ago
18trishpaw
Look Homeward Angel-Thomas Wolfe
19starbox
The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann - currently reading
20Schmerguls
3073. No Highway: A Novel, by Nevil Shute (read 6 May 1998)
I read the book because I liked the movie. Surprisingly I liked the movie better than the book!
NEXT: O
I read the book because I liked the movie. Surprisingly I liked the movie better than the book!
NEXT: O
22Schmerguls
2373. Pinckney's Treaty A Study of America's Advantage From Europe's Distress 1783-1800, by Samuel Flagg Bemis, Ph.D. (read 27 Mar 1991) (Pulitzer history prize in 1927)
NEXT: Q
NEXT: Q
23overlycriticalme
quite a year for plums by bailey white; read sept 2010
25trishpaw
Edisto-Padgett Powell-read 2009
26starbox
playing off #24, as #25 doesn't start with consecutive letter S
Say you're one of them by Uwem Akpan - read last year
Say you're one of them by Uwem Akpan - read last year
30overlycriticalme
the world according to garp by john irving read a few weeks ago (and highly recommended)
next: x, y, or z
next: x, y, or z
32Schmerguls
3265. The Year 1000 What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millenium An Englishman's World, by Robert Lacey - Danny Danziger (read 7 Nov 1999)
NEXT: Z or A
NEXT: Z or A
33starbox
Arrowsmith by Sinclair lewis - just started
34overlycriticalme
burning bright by john steinbeck; read sept 2010
36leslie.98
Double Indemnity by James M. Cain (read June 2013)
41leslie.98
In the Blood by Steve Robinson (read March 2013)
42overlycriticalme
jazz by toni morrison; read before i kept track, probably around 1995 or 1996
45overlycriticalme
the man who cast two shadows by carol o'connell; read a few months ago at most
51leslie.98
Seven Suspects by Michael Innes (read March 2013)
54Jim53
Villette by Charlotte Bronte - read for a course at UNCW in 2004
55overlycriticalme
one of my most favorite books: what's eating gilbert grape? by peter hedges; read maybe around 2000, give or take 2 years.
next: x, y, or z
next: x, y, or z
56Jim53
You Lost Me There by Rosecrans Baldwin - sort of interesting novel about memory. Read last year.
66overlycriticalme
inside, outside by herman wouk; read june 2013
69overlycriticalme
like water for chocolate by laura esquivel; most recently read march 2013
72Schmerguls
2813. Operation Drumbeat: The Dramatic True Story of Germany's First U-Boat Attacks Along the American Coast in World War II, by Michael Gannon (read 26 Dec 1995)
NEXT: P
NEXT: P
75Jim53
Revenge of the Cootie Girls by Sparkle Hayter. Read it in 2006 and don't remember a thing except that it was a screwball mystery.
77overlycriticalme
tender is the night by f scott fitzgerald read in may 2013
81Gemma.
The Year of Living Dangerously by Christopher J. Koch
83Schmerguls
1282. Alfonzo XIII, by Vincente R. Pilapil (read 22 Aug 1974)
NEXT: B
NEXT: B
85overlycriticalme
chocolat by joanne harris; read june 2013
87Schmerguls
1212. Eleanor and Franklin: The story of their relationship based on Eleanor Roosevelt's private papers, by Joseph P. Lash (read 8 Apr 1973) (Pulitzer Biography prize for 1972) (National Book Award biography prize for 1973)(Parkman Prize for 1972)
NEXT: F
NEXT: F
88overlycriticalme
franny and zooey by jd salinger; read may 2013
91Schmerguls
633. If or History Rewritten, by Philip Guedalla, G.K. Chesterton, Hendrik Willem Van Loon, Andre Maurois, Hilaire Belloc, H. A. L. Fisher, Harold Nicolson, Winston Churchill, Milton Waldman, and Emil Ludwig - Edited by J. C. Squire (read 12 Nov 1960)
NEXT: J
NEXT: J
92fyrfly
Journal of an American Prisoner at Fort Malden and Quebec in the War of 1812 by G. M. Fairchild, Jr. - written by Surgeon's Mate James Reynolds
next: K
next: K
95Schmerguls
405. Maria Chapdelaine: A Tale of the Lake St. John Country, by Louis Hemon (read 5 Jan 1952)
NEXT: N
NEXT: N
97Schmerguls
3082. The Oxford History of the American People: Volume One, Prehistory to 1789, by Samuel Eliot Morison (read 6 Jun 1998)
NEXT: P
NEXT: P
102Schmerguls
741. Tragedy in Dedham: The Story of the Sacco-Vanzetti Case, by Francis Russell (read 30 June 1963)
NEXT: U
NEXT: U
107Schmerguls
2246. Zechariah Chafee, Jr. Defender of Liberty and Law, by Donald L. Smith (read 11 Nov 1989)
NEXT: A
NEXT: A
109Schmerguls
994. The Battle of Koniggratz: Prussia's Victory over Austria, 1866, by Gordon A. Craig (read 12 Jan 1969)
NEXT: C
NEXT: C
111Schmerguls
2104. Drama in the Modern World: Plays and Essays, by Samuel A. Weiss includes: The Wild Duck, by Henrik Ibsen; Miss Julie, by August Strindberg; The Cherry Orchard, by Anton Chekhov; Major Barbara, by George Bernard Shaw; The Playboy of the Western World, by John Millington Synge; Six Characters in Search of an Author, by Luigi Pirandello; Desire Under the Elms, by Eugene O'Neill; The House of Bernarda Alba, by Frederico Garcia Lorca; Ondine, by Jean Giraudoux; The Good Woman of Setzuan, by Bertoldt Brecht; The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams; The Bald Soprano, by Eugene Ionesco; All That Fall, by Samuel Beckett; and It Happened in Irkutsk, by Alexei Arbuzov (read 26 Oct 1987)
NEXT: E
NEXT: E
112rolandperkins
Episcopalians Contemplate Osama bin Laden's Death; Celebratory Mood viewed with Understanding, Concern
by Mary Frances Schonjerg
NEXT: F
by Mary Frances Schonjerg
NEXT: F
115rolandperkins
How Harvard Rules: Reason in the Service of Empire
by John Trumpbour
by John Trumpbour
116Merryann
In the Time of the Butterflies
by Julia Alvarez
(read by my daughter in 2012. She is playing this game with me.)
by Julia Alvarez
(read by my daughter in 2012. She is playing this game with me.)
118rolandperkins
(playing on 116; 117 was supposed to be initial J, not S)
// J //
Julius Caesar; Twelfth Night. . . Othello (and 3 others) by William Shakespeare; ed. by David Bevington
NEXT: K
// J //
Julius Caesar; Twelfth Night. . . Othello (and 3 others) by William Shakespeare; ed. by David Bevington
NEXT: K
119Merryann
King Arthur and His Knights
by Sir James Knowles K.C.V.O
by Sir James Knowles K.C.V.O
123Schmerguls
4977. Official and Confidential The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover, by Anthony Summers (read 20 Nov 2012)
NEXT: P
NEXT: P
125Merryann
I'm lucky enough to hit Q, my favorite letter, and my mind is blank and I can't think of a single Q book I've ever read! Serves me right for having barely started to get the books in my home organized, listed, and shelved properly. Enjoy the Q, next person up!
130rolandperkins
Under Western Eyes
by Joseph Conrad
by Joseph Conrad
131Merryann
The Velvet Room
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
(One of the top ten books I read as a young person that turned me into a lifelong reader.)
Next: W
by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
(One of the top ten books I read as a young person that turned me into a lifelong reader.)
Next: W
134Schmerguls
4549. The Years of Extermination Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939-1945, by Saul Friedlander (read 23 Mar 2009) (Pulitzer Nonfiction prize in 2008)
NEXT: Z or A
NEXT: Z or A
136Schmerguls
2381. Before Endeavours Fade A Guide to Battlefields of the First World War, by Rose E.B. Coombs, MBE (read 4 May 1991)
NEXT: C
NEXT: C
137leslie.98
The Calvin & Hobbs Lazy Sunday Book by Bill Watterson (read last 26 Aug 2012)
139Schmerguls
2255. The End of American Innocence: A Study of the First Years of Our Own Time 1912-1917, by Henry F. May (read 9 Dec 1989)
NEXT: F
NEXT: F
140starbox
The Fly on the Wheel by Katherine Cecil Thurston - just finished
144rolandperkins
This message has been deleted by its author.
156Schmerguls
2307. The Ungovernable Rock A History of the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom and its Role in Britain's Mediterranean Strategy During the Revolutionary War (1793-1797) by Desmond Gregory (read 16 July 1990)
NEXT: V
NEXT: V
158starbox
The Wild Cherry Tree by H E Bates - read earlier this year
162rolandperkins
Custer Died for your Sins: an Indian Manifesto
by Vine Deloria
by Vine Deloria
164Schmerguls
5044. Empty Mansions The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune, by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. (read 21 Jul 2013)
NEXT: F
NEXT: F
168Schmerguls
3672. The Illustrated Zuleika Dobson or An Oxford Love Story, by Max Beerbohm (read 29 Dec 2002)
NEXT: J
NEXT: J
169overlycriticalme
jitterbug perfume by tom robbins; read dec 2008
173Schmerguls
1729. North America: From Earliest Discovery to First Settlements The Norse Voyages to 1612, by David B. Quinn (read 14 Jul 1982)
NEXT: O
NEXT: O
174overlycriticalme
orlando by virginia woolf; read dec 2010
180Schmerguls
4585. Under A Flaming Sky The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894, by Daniel James Brown (read 19 Jun 2009)
NEXT: V
NEXT: V
188Diane-bpcb
The English Patient - by Michael Ondaatje
189Schmerguls
3937. Farewell to Manzanar A true story of Japanese American experience during and after the World War II internment, by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston (read 17 Sep 2004)
NEXT: G
NEXT: G
194Diane-bpcb
Keats, Shelley and Rome - an illustrated miscellany - Neville Rogers, ed.
195GingerCrinkle
Let Sleeping Vets Lie by James Herriot - part of a series based on his veterinary practise in 1930s Yorkshire.
199overlycriticalme
peaches for father francis by joanne harris; read july 2013
201Schmerguls
482. Remembrance of Things Past (Vol. Two) Cities of the Plain; The Captive; The Sweet Cheat Gone; The Past Recaptured, by Marcel Proust translated by C. K. Scott-Moncrief & Frederick A. Blossom (read 7 Aug 1955)
NEXT: S
NEXT: S
202rolandperkins
Seize the Day; with three short stories and a one-act play*
by Saul Bellow
NEXT: T
*play: The Last Analysis (?)
by Saul Bellow
NEXT: T
*play: The Last Analysis (?)
203Schmerguls
204. They Also Ran The Story of the Men Who Were Defeated for the Presidency, by Irving Stone (read __ Aug 1945)
NEXT: U
NEXT: U
208Schmerguls
5058. Across God's Frontiers Catholic Sisters in the American West, 1850-1920, by Anne M. Butler (read 27 Aug 2013)
NEXT: B
NEXT: B
210overlycriticalme
cup of gold by john steinbeck; read aug 2013
212Schmerguls
4686. The Ecumenical Councils of the Catholic Church A History, by Joseph F. Kelly (read 21 Mar 2010)
NEXT: F
NEXT: F
215overlycriticalme
harry potter and the sorcerer's stone by jk rowling read jan 2009
next: i
(why is there no obvious touchstone for this book?? the first to come up is a movie. what the???)
next: i
(why is there no obvious touchstone for this book?? the first to come up is a movie. what the???)
216fyrfly
Innocent Killers: A Fascinating Journey through the Worlds of the Hyena, the Jackal, and the Wild Dog
by Hugo van Lawick & Jane Goodall
next: J
by Hugo van Lawick & Jane Goodall
next: J
220Schmerguls
5027. Moment of Battle The Twenty Clashes That Changed the World, by James Lacey and Williamson Murray (read 25 May 2013)
NEXT: N
NEXT: N
224Schmerguls
483. The Portable Dante: The Divine Comedy translated by Laurence Binyon, La Vita Nuova translated by D. G. Rossetti, Excerpts from the Rhymes and the Latin Prose Works - Edited by Paolo Milano (read 11 Sept 1955)
NEXT: Q
NEXT: Q
229Schmerguls
4375. Very Strange Bedfellows The Short and Unhappy Marriage of Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew, by Jules Witcover (read 28 Oct 2007)
NEXT: W
NEXT: W
230starbox
The Woman's Way by Charles Garvice - just started
238Schmerguls
2555. Great River The Rio Grande in North American History Volume Two Mexico and the United States, by Paul Horgan (read 27 Nov 1993) (Pulitzer history prize in 1955)
NEXT: H
NEXT: H
240rolandperkins
The Informer
by Liam OʻFlaherty
by Liam OʻFlaherty
241Schmerguls
5006. John Spellman Politics Never Broke His Heart, by John C. Hughes (read 22 Mar 2013)
NEXT: Book you have actually read the title of which starts witth K
NEXT: Book you have actually read the title of which starts witth K
243tropics
Leaves Of Grass - Walt Whitman
244Schmerguls
2212. Mixed Blessings: An Almost Ordinary Life in Hitler's Germany, by Heinz R. Kuehn (read 28 May 1989)
NEXT: A book you have actually read the title of which begins with N
NEXT: A book you have actually read the title of which begins with N
246Schmerguls
208. Official Report of the Proceedings of the Democratic National Convention held in Baltimore, Maryland, June 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, and July 1 and 2, 1912, Compiled by Urey Woodson (read 5 Sept 1945)
NEXT: A book you have actually read the title of which begins with P
NEXT: A book you have actually read the title of which begins with P
247HatarakiMan
The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon read in English in 2009, stumbled through in Japanese in 2012.
NEXT: Q that you've read and why/if you liked it
NEXT: Q that you've read and why/if you liked it
248Schmerguls
993. The Quest for Timbuctoo, by Brian Gardner (read 8 Jan 1969)
My comment on the book: It has been some years since I have read an "explorer" book. This book is well put together, telling in detail of Robert Adams, an American sailor who was taken to Timbuctoo in February, 1811; Alexander Gordon Laing, a Scotsman, who reached Timbuctoo on Aug 13, 1826, but was killed 30 miles north of Timbuctoo on his way back to civilization; Rene Caille, a Frenchman, who in 1829 reached Timbuctoo, and then managed to get to Tangiers, and tell of his trip; and Heinrich Barth, a German who traveled for England, who reached Timbuctoo on Sept 7, 1853. I would like to go to Timbuctoo! (4 stars )
NEXT: A book you've actually read, the title of which starts with R--and what you thought of the book
My comment on the book: It has been some years since I have read an "explorer" book. This book is well put together, telling in detail of Robert Adams, an American sailor who was taken to Timbuctoo in February, 1811; Alexander Gordon Laing, a Scotsman, who reached Timbuctoo on Aug 13, 1826, but was killed 30 miles north of Timbuctoo on his way back to civilization; Rene Caille, a Frenchman, who in 1829 reached Timbuctoo, and then managed to get to Tangiers, and tell of his trip; and Heinrich Barth, a German who traveled for England, who reached Timbuctoo on Sept 7, 1853. I would like to go to Timbuctoo! (4 stars )
NEXT: A book you've actually read, the title of which starts with R--and what you thought of the book
249leslie.98
The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer (read multiple times, most recently in 2010)
A fun historical fiction with witty dialogue, Bonapartist spies, a poorly trained mongrel, and romance. The ultimate comfort read!
Next: S
A fun historical fiction with witty dialogue, Bonapartist spies, a poorly trained mongrel, and romance. The ultimate comfort read!
Next: S
250Diane-bpcb
Six Easy Pieces; Essentials of Physics Explained By It's Most Brilliant Teacher by Richard Feynman
Was fascinated by his lectures on physics, that is, down to the subatomic level. But this was another failed attempt of mine to begin to understand quantum mechanics or anything more advanced.
NEXT: A book you've actually read, the title of which starts with T--and what you thought of the book
Was fascinated by his lectures on physics, that is, down to the subatomic level. But this was another failed attempt of mine to begin to understand quantum mechanics or anything more advanced.
NEXT: A book you've actually read, the title of which starts with T--and what you thought of the book
251Schmerguls
1255. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, by Anne Bronte (read 22 Dec 1973)
I found this, on sober analysis, not nearly as well crafted as the more famous novels of Anne Bronte's sisters, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Yet I read it with avidity and tremendous enjoyment. I found its old-fashioned style greatly moving, to the extent I copied a sample into my journal: "...and then of long hours spent in bitter tears and lamentations, and melancholy musings in the lonely valley, with eternal music in my ears, of the west wind rushing through the over-shadowing trees, and the brook babbling and gurgling along its stony bed--my eyes, for the most part vacantly fixed in the deep, checkered shades restlessly playing over the bright sunny grass at my feet, where now and then a withered leaf or two would come dancing to share the revelry, but my heart was away up the hill in that dark room where she was weeping desolate and alone--she whom I was not to comfort, not to see again, till years or suffering had overcome us both, and torn our spirits from their perishing abodes of clay." Clearly, I said to myself, the writing is not genius, but it seems quintessentially Victorian.
NEXT: A book you have actually read the title of whcih starts with U, and what you thought of the book.
I found this, on sober analysis, not nearly as well crafted as the more famous novels of Anne Bronte's sisters, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Yet I read it with avidity and tremendous enjoyment. I found its old-fashioned style greatly moving, to the extent I copied a sample into my journal: "...and then of long hours spent in bitter tears and lamentations, and melancholy musings in the lonely valley, with eternal music in my ears, of the west wind rushing through the over-shadowing trees, and the brook babbling and gurgling along its stony bed--my eyes, for the most part vacantly fixed in the deep, checkered shades restlessly playing over the bright sunny grass at my feet, where now and then a withered leaf or two would come dancing to share the revelry, but my heart was away up the hill in that dark room where she was weeping desolate and alone--she whom I was not to comfort, not to see again, till years or suffering had overcome us both, and torn our spirits from their perishing abodes of clay." Clearly, I said to myself, the writing is not genius, but it seems quintessentially Victorian.
NEXT: A book you have actually read the title of whcih starts with U, and what you thought of the book.
252HatarakiMan
Underground by Haruki Murakami (read 2011)
I am a passionate reader of Murakami, and this was no exception. Though only his second foray into nonfiction, this fascinating account of the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo train system earned 4 stars from me. The narrative unfolds mostly through episodic interviews with victims and some of the criminals who perpetrated the attack.
NEXT: A book you have read that starts with V and whether or not you would recommend it to others.
I am a passionate reader of Murakami, and this was no exception. Though only his second foray into nonfiction, this fascinating account of the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo train system earned 4 stars from me. The narrative unfolds mostly through episodic interviews with victims and some of the criminals who perpetrated the attack.
NEXT: A book you have read that starts with V and whether or not you would recommend it to others.
253leslie.98
Voices by Arnaldur Indriðason (read 2013)
I would recommend this Icelandic mystery. This is not the now standard Scandinavian noir, although Inspector Erlendur does have his own inner demons.
Next: W
I would recommend this Icelandic mystery. This is not the now standard Scandinavian noir, although Inspector Erlendur does have his own inner demons.
Next: W
254rolandperkins
A Walk on the Wild Side
by Nelson Algren
Algren at his best. (Though I realize that
"at his best" won't attract anyone who
doesnt like N. A. to begin with.)
The anti-hero is named Linkhorn,
suggesting an affinity between
the most respected of presidents
and one of the least respectable
of literary picaros.
Anyway, the most American of
Algren's works. Almost everyone
in America will have met their own
"Linkhorn" -- which can't be said
about "Frankie Machine" the tragic
hero of The Man with the Golden
Arm* who lives in a very limited world.
*tMwtGA, b t w, has been considered by
many to be the worst film adaptation
ever made of a novel. Frank Sinatra
played "Frankie", but the film wasn't
his fault.
by Nelson Algren
Algren at his best. (Though I realize that
"at his best" won't attract anyone who
doesnt like N. A. to begin with.)
The anti-hero is named Linkhorn,
suggesting an affinity between
the most respected of presidents
and one of the least respectable
of literary picaros.
Anyway, the most American of
Algren's works. Almost everyone
in America will have met their own
"Linkhorn" -- which can't be said
about "Frankie Machine" the tragic
hero of The Man with the Golden
Arm* who lives in a very limited world.
*tMwtGA, b t w, has been considered by
many to be the worst film adaptation
ever made of a novel. Frank Sinatra
played "Frankie", but the film wasn't
his fault.
255Schmerguls
I would usually skip X but since this game has now turned into a better one (e.g., based on #252 I have found Underground in our library and will read it!) I will use X:
1386 Xingu and Other Stories, by Edith Wharton (read 18 Apr 1976) This book has eight short stories: Xingu, Coming Home, Autres Temps, Karfol, The Long Run, The Triumph of Night, The Choice, and Bunner Sisters. I thought the best of the lot was The Choice, about a woman who hates her husband who survives when her lover dies. As usual with a book of short stories, they are of uneven quality.
NEXT: A book you have actually read the title of which begins with Y, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
1386 Xingu and Other Stories, by Edith Wharton (read 18 Apr 1976) This book has eight short stories: Xingu, Coming Home, Autres Temps, Karfol, The Long Run, The Triumph of Night, The Choice, and Bunner Sisters. I thought the best of the lot was The Choice, about a woman who hates her husband who survives when her lover dies. As usual with a book of short stories, they are of uneven quality.
NEXT: A book you have actually read the title of which begins with Y, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
256overlycriticalme
yes means yes edited by jaclyn friedman and jessica valenti; read sept 2013
my review: as is true with most collections, there is a range of quality here. i wanted to like all these essays, but some of them just didn't work for me. a few really stood out but so many of them were either preaching to the choir (there is value in this because it can be affirming) without providing a new perspective or new information, or making incredible leaps of logic without connecting the dots for the reader, alienating (i can only assume) anyone not in the aforementioned choir.
the book unfortunately starts out with a number of the essays on this end of the spectrum, and i doubt if anyone who isn't already convinced of what this book is proposing (basically that healthy sex education should consist not just of what it looks like when someone says 'no,' but also what enthusiastic consent looks like, and how to promote a positive view of healthy sex, especially for girls, whose sexuality in particular has been demonized) could get past these essays to the much better ones further along in the book.
i consider myself a radical feminist but still had trouble with many of these essays. when someone (tiloma jayasinghe) writes, "Legislation proposed in several states would make pregnancy a crime," i really need there to be some citation. someone who is not already on board with feminism or understanding rape culture or who you should be focusing your energy on explaining/convincing is just going to walk away when they read something like that. and personally, that makes me kind of angry, because if you drive away the very people you need on your side, then how do things change?
if someone read that and put the book down, they would never have gotten to jaclyn friedman's great piece, or the really interesting ideas presented by hanne blank and cara kulwicki.
so that bothered me quite a bit.
that said, there were a few essays that spoke to the choir (and probably everyone) with a number of 'yes, of course!' moments. essays that didn't take for granted that the reader was already convinced, and so made some fantastic arguments for their feminist positions, often in ways that were new to me or that added something different to the conversation. i especially appreciated essays by brad perry and julia serano for this, and stacey may fowles for making me test (but ultimately mostly uphold) a long-held belief that i hadn't revisited in a while. (2.5 stars)
my review: as is true with most collections, there is a range of quality here. i wanted to like all these essays, but some of them just didn't work for me. a few really stood out but so many of them were either preaching to the choir (there is value in this because it can be affirming) without providing a new perspective or new information, or making incredible leaps of logic without connecting the dots for the reader, alienating (i can only assume) anyone not in the aforementioned choir.
the book unfortunately starts out with a number of the essays on this end of the spectrum, and i doubt if anyone who isn't already convinced of what this book is proposing (basically that healthy sex education should consist not just of what it looks like when someone says 'no,' but also what enthusiastic consent looks like, and how to promote a positive view of healthy sex, especially for girls, whose sexuality in particular has been demonized) could get past these essays to the much better ones further along in the book.
i consider myself a radical feminist but still had trouble with many of these essays. when someone (tiloma jayasinghe) writes, "Legislation proposed in several states would make pregnancy a crime," i really need there to be some citation. someone who is not already on board with feminism or understanding rape culture or who you should be focusing your energy on explaining/convincing is just going to walk away when they read something like that. and personally, that makes me kind of angry, because if you drive away the very people you need on your side, then how do things change?
if someone read that and put the book down, they would never have gotten to jaclyn friedman's great piece, or the really interesting ideas presented by hanne blank and cara kulwicki.
so that bothered me quite a bit.
that said, there were a few essays that spoke to the choir (and probably everyone) with a number of 'yes, of course!' moments. essays that didn't take for granted that the reader was already convinced, and so made some fantastic arguments for their feminist positions, often in ways that were new to me or that added something different to the conversation. i especially appreciated essays by brad perry and julia serano for this, and stacey may fowles for making me test (but ultimately mostly uphold) a long-held belief that i hadn't revisited in a while. (2.5 stars)
257Schmerguls
1980. Zachary Taylor: Soldier, Planter, Statesman of the Old Southwest, by K. Jack Bauer (read 23 Feb 1986)
This is a superb book--almost flawless. The part about his Army career before the Mexican War was dull because his career was dull. But the book is put together very well. The footnotes are where they belong--at the bottom of the page. This book is very even-handed, and shows Taylor was not much as a general. He did a little better as a President than one might have expected, but I say this simply because he acted as a northern Whig even though he was a Southern Whig. He was born Nov 14, 1784, and died July 9, 1850. His daughter married Jefferson Davis, but died as a bride. Taylor campaigned not at all. I really enjoyed this book--of course, it is a favorite time in American history for me. Very worthwhile book.
NEXT: A book you have actually read the title of which begins with A, and what you thought of the the book when you read it.
This is a superb book--almost flawless. The part about his Army career before the Mexican War was dull because his career was dull. But the book is put together very well. The footnotes are where they belong--at the bottom of the page. This book is very even-handed, and shows Taylor was not much as a general. He did a little better as a President than one might have expected, but I say this simply because he acted as a northern Whig even though he was a Southern Whig. He was born Nov 14, 1784, and died July 9, 1850. His daughter married Jefferson Davis, but died as a bride. Taylor campaigned not at all. I really enjoyed this book--of course, it is a favorite time in American history for me. Very worthwhile book.
NEXT: A book you have actually read the title of which begins with A, and what you thought of the the book when you read it.
258overlycriticalme
the accidental tourist by anne tyler last read and reviewed in july
on the surface, anne tyler's characters are so weird and quirky and hard to relate to. until you realize that she's talking about someone you know or someone you heard about. or suddenly, just someone you can imagine, conjured up in every idiosyncratic detail in front of you. her characters have such character and it's one of the things i love most about her writing. people who are so flawed and quirky, but absolutely real because of that. and maybe the quirks make her characters kind of unlikeable to a reader in theory, but she writes them with such compassion and softness that, in the end, they all resonate with you.
this is a book that had me - from paragraph to paragraph - laughing or crying. she packs the range of human emotions into her books in the same way that she packs true characters into her books.
this is a story that is obviously about grief, but that also ends up being about the choices we make for our lives and for ourselves. and in that, it is beautiful, sad, uplifting - all at the same time. understated but lovely, as tyler always is. ( 3.5 stars )
next: b
on the surface, anne tyler's characters are so weird and quirky and hard to relate to. until you realize that she's talking about someone you know or someone you heard about. or suddenly, just someone you can imagine, conjured up in every idiosyncratic detail in front of you. her characters have such character and it's one of the things i love most about her writing. people who are so flawed and quirky, but absolutely real because of that. and maybe the quirks make her characters kind of unlikeable to a reader in theory, but she writes them with such compassion and softness that, in the end, they all resonate with you.
this is a book that had me - from paragraph to paragraph - laughing or crying. she packs the range of human emotions into her books in the same way that she packs true characters into her books.
this is a story that is obviously about grief, but that also ends up being about the choices we make for our lives and for ourselves. and in that, it is beautiful, sad, uplifting - all at the same time. understated but lovely, as tyler always is. ( 3.5 stars )
next: b
259Schmerguls
2381. Before Endeavours Fade A Guide to Battlefields of the First World War by Rose E.B. Coombs, MBE (read 4 May 1991)
2381 Before Endeavours Fade: A Guide to Battlefields of the First World War, by Rose E. B. Coombs, MBE (read 4 May 1991) This book is filled with magnificent photographs of memorials in Belgium and France. I read the whole thing, even though one ordinarily wouldn't read a guidebook word-for-word. It concentrates on British battlefields, but does have pages on Verdun and American battlefields in France. Having read this I now can probably save the expense of a tour of the battlefields--though I'd still like to make such a tour. The book contains this eloquent poem by John McCrae:
O guns, fall silent till the dead men hear
Above their heads the legions pressing on:
(These fought their fight in time of bitter fear,
And died not knowing how the day had gone.)
O flashing muzzles, pause, and let them see
The coming dawn that streaks the sky afar;
Then let your mighty chorus witness be
To them, and Caesar, that we still make war.
Tell them, O guns, that we have heard their call,
That we have sworn, and will not turn aside,
That we will onward till we win or fall,
That we will keep the faith for which they died.
Bid them be patient, and some day, anon,
They shall feel earth enwrapt in silence deep;
Shall greet, in wonderment, the quiet dawn,
And in content may turn them to their sleep. ( 5 stars)
Next: The title of a book you have actually read, the title of which begins with C, and what you thought of the book
2381 Before Endeavours Fade: A Guide to Battlefields of the First World War, by Rose E. B. Coombs, MBE (read 4 May 1991) This book is filled with magnificent photographs of memorials in Belgium and France. I read the whole thing, even though one ordinarily wouldn't read a guidebook word-for-word. It concentrates on British battlefields, but does have pages on Verdun and American battlefields in France. Having read this I now can probably save the expense of a tour of the battlefields--though I'd still like to make such a tour. The book contains this eloquent poem by John McCrae:
O guns, fall silent till the dead men hear
Above their heads the legions pressing on:
(These fought their fight in time of bitter fear,
And died not knowing how the day had gone.)
O flashing muzzles, pause, and let them see
The coming dawn that streaks the sky afar;
Then let your mighty chorus witness be
To them, and Caesar, that we still make war.
Tell them, O guns, that we have heard their call,
That we have sworn, and will not turn aside,
That we will onward till we win or fall,
That we will keep the faith for which they died.
Bid them be patient, and some day, anon,
They shall feel earth enwrapt in silence deep;
Shall greet, in wonderment, the quiet dawn,
And in content may turn them to their sleep. ( 5 stars)
Next: The title of a book you have actually read, the title of which begins with C, and what you thought of the book
260overlycriticalme
claudius the god by robert graves finished this past sunday
there were parts of this book that dragged for me more than in the previous book (i, claudius) but overall it was still pretty interesting. it was a nice look into what power does to someone, how a person who (it seemed, anyway) is good can rationalize terrible behavior. makes me wonder if the truly evil people in the history described in the earlier book were doing the same thing or not. this book had a lot of quoting of documents, which sometimes detracted and sometimes added to the story. mostly it was an interesting history and it was nice that the reliability of the narrator was called into question, which throws not just this book but the earlier one in a different light. (3 stars)
there were parts of this book that dragged for me more than in the previous book (i, claudius) but overall it was still pretty interesting. it was a nice look into what power does to someone, how a person who (it seemed, anyway) is good can rationalize terrible behavior. makes me wonder if the truly evil people in the history described in the earlier book were doing the same thing or not. this book had a lot of quoting of documents, which sometimes detracted and sometimes added to the story. mostly it was an interesting history and it was nice that the reliability of the narrator was called into question, which throws not just this book but the earlier one in a different light. (3 stars)
261Schmerguls
2394. Dark Safari The Life Behind the Legend of Henry Morton Stanley by John Bierman (read 28 June 1991)
This is a 1990 biography. Stanley was born in Wales as a bastard on Jan. 28, 1841, and died May 10, 1904 at his home Furze Hill, in England. He became famous when he found Livingstone in 1871 and made two fearsome trips through darkest Africa thereafter, playing a large role in King Leopold II's acquisition of the Congo. He was quite a guy--and I'd never have done what he did, a glutton for punishment.
NEXT: the title of a book you have actually read, the title of which book begins with E, and what you thought of the book.
This is a 1990 biography. Stanley was born in Wales as a bastard on Jan. 28, 1841, and died May 10, 1904 at his home Furze Hill, in England. He became famous when he found Livingstone in 1871 and made two fearsome trips through darkest Africa thereafter, playing a large role in King Leopold II's acquisition of the Congo. He was quite a guy--and I'd never have done what he did, a glutton for punishment.
NEXT: the title of a book you have actually read, the title of which book begins with E, and what you thought of the book.
262rolandperkins
The Edge of Sadness
by Edwin O Connor
A follow-up (but not a sequel) to the author's once famous The Last Hurrah of the 1950s.
There is a surprise ending
which I'll omit in deference to
the "No Spoilers" rule. The main characters are a priest
and an aging woman in his parish, who are friends but not romantically involved.
More important are the woman's mixed feelings about
her father whose acumen for money-making is very sharp
and his sense of community
almost nil. The title brings out the character's peculiar state of mind.
O'Connor's setting is generally believed to be a composite of Boston and Providence.
I notice that, as to number of LT members who list it, O'Connor's Last Hurrah outscores this one by
267-2 ! Yet, Edge of Sadness is probably a more serious book
than the more flamboyant Last Hurrah.
NEXT: A book you have read, its title
beginning with F, and what you thought of it.
by Edwin O Connor
A follow-up (but not a sequel) to the author's once famous The Last Hurrah of the 1950s.
There is a surprise ending
which I'll omit in deference to
the "No Spoilers" rule. The main characters are a priest
and an aging woman in his parish, who are friends but not romantically involved.
More important are the woman's mixed feelings about
her father whose acumen for money-making is very sharp
and his sense of community
almost nil. The title brings out the character's peculiar state of mind.
O'Connor's setting is generally believed to be a composite of Boston and Providence.
I notice that, as to number of LT members who list it, O'Connor's Last Hurrah outscores this one by
267-2 ! Yet, Edge of Sadness is probably a more serious book
than the more flamboyant Last Hurrah.
NEXT: A book you have read, its title
beginning with F, and what you thought of it.
263HatarakiMan
Family Linen by Lee Smith
I loved this title as it was one of the funniest that Lee Smith has ever produced. I've spent time with Lee and I felt like more of her personality was in this novel than any of her others... Save perhaps for her new novel Guests on Earth which I started.
I loved this title as it was one of the funniest that Lee Smith has ever produced. I've spent time with Lee and I felt like more of her personality was in this novel than any of her others... Save perhaps for her new novel Guests on Earth which I started.
264Schmerguls
990. Good-Bye To All That An Autobiography, by Robert Graves (read 4 Jan 1969)
990 Good-Bye To All That An Autobiography, by Robert Graves (read 4 Jan 1969) Unfortunately I did no post-reading note on this great book, but I well remember that it is an absorbing and literate account of his time in the Great War. (5 stars )
Next: A book you have actually read the title of which begins with H, and what you thought of it when you read it.
990 Good-Bye To All That An Autobiography, by Robert Graves (read 4 Jan 1969) Unfortunately I did no post-reading note on this great book, but I well remember that it is an absorbing and literate account of his time in the Great War. (5 stars )
Next: A book you have actually read the title of which begins with H, and what you thought of it when you read it.
265HatarakiMan
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
One of my absolute favorite Murakami titles. I think the novel can be well represented by two quotes:
“Everyone may be ordinary, but they're not normal.”
"Only where there is disillusionment and depression and sorrow does happiness arise; without the despair of loss, there is no hope."
Next: a book that you have read that starts with "I" that maybe you didn't like so much.
One of my absolute favorite Murakami titles. I think the novel can be well represented by two quotes:
“Everyone may be ordinary, but they're not normal.”
"Only where there is disillusionment and depression and sorrow does happiness arise; without the despair of loss, there is no hope."
Next: a book that you have read that starts with "I" that maybe you didn't like so much.
266rolandperkins
The Informer by Liam O Flaherty
". . .that maybe you didn't like so much" (265)
(This may qualify, since I was closer to loving it than
just" liking" it.)
". . .that maybe you didn't like so much" (265)
(This may qualify, since I was closer to loving it than
just" liking" it.)
267Schmerguls
2473. July 1914 The Long Debate, 1918-1990, by John W. Langdon (read 14 Nov 1992)
This is an excellent, excellent book. It reviews all the work on the cause of the outbreak of World War One. It approaches the history with six keys: (1) Was the assassination the act of a group of independent fanatics, or was the Serbian government involved? (2) What were the actions and intentions of the German government when it gave Austria-Hungary its support in early July? (3) What did the French and Russians discuss between July 20 and 23, and what role did France play in the determination of Russian policy between July 24 and July 30? (4) What of Grey's reluctance to warn Germany of Britain's probable attitude in the event of war? (5) What of Germany's efforts on July 20 to try to restrict Austria-Hungary? (6) What of Russia's general mobilization on July 30? The author discusses the high tide of revisionism, including German historians, Harry Elmer Barnes, and Sidney Bradshaw Fay. The anti-revisionists responded--including Bernadotte Everly Schmidt and Luigi Albertini and A.J.P. Taylor. Then came Fritz Fischer's book in 1961 and the revisionists were knocked out. This was a memorable book which I greatly enjoyed.
NEXT: A book you have actually read the title of which begins with K, and what you thought of it when you read it.
This is an excellent, excellent book. It reviews all the work on the cause of the outbreak of World War One. It approaches the history with six keys: (1) Was the assassination the act of a group of independent fanatics, or was the Serbian government involved? (2) What were the actions and intentions of the German government when it gave Austria-Hungary its support in early July? (3) What did the French and Russians discuss between July 20 and 23, and what role did France play in the determination of Russian policy between July 24 and July 30? (4) What of Grey's reluctance to warn Germany of Britain's probable attitude in the event of war? (5) What of Germany's efforts on July 20 to try to restrict Austria-Hungary? (6) What of Russia's general mobilization on July 30? The author discusses the high tide of revisionism, including German historians, Harry Elmer Barnes, and Sidney Bradshaw Fay. The anti-revisionists responded--including Bernadotte Everly Schmidt and Luigi Albertini and A.J.P. Taylor. Then came Fritz Fischer's book in 1961 and the revisionists were knocked out. This was a memorable book which I greatly enjoyed.
NEXT: A book you have actually read the title of which begins with K, and what you thought of it when you read it.
268rolandperkins
King Richard II
by William Shakespeare
Basically the story of medieval civil war, long before the Wars of the Roses (which are the scene of Richard III).
Shakespeare's main interest is in the flawed character of the second Richard; but he does get bogged down at times
in the minutiae of the two
sides' alignments and war preparations, in which he also had a keen interest.
An abrupt decision to exile a member of a powerful noble family is at the root of the
challenge to his reign that Richard undergoes, But S. does not regard his troubles as entirely his own fault.
Defeated, Richard is finally assassinated by an "loose-cannon" aide of
his successor, (Bolingbroke, who became Henry IV, subject of two more plays). Bolingbroke wanted (or claims to have wanted) to spare Richard.
by William Shakespeare
Basically the story of medieval civil war, long before the Wars of the Roses (which are the scene of Richard III).
Shakespeare's main interest is in the flawed character of the second Richard; but he does get bogged down at times
in the minutiae of the two
sides' alignments and war preparations, in which he also had a keen interest.
An abrupt decision to exile a member of a powerful noble family is at the root of the
challenge to his reign that Richard undergoes, But S. does not regard his troubles as entirely his own fault.
Defeated, Richard is finally assassinated by an "loose-cannon" aide of
his successor, (Bolingbroke, who became Henry IV, subject of two more plays). Bolingbroke wanted (or claims to have wanted) to spare Richard.
269Schmerguls
I have never seen a book entitled "King Richard II" but there must be such a (little) book or Roland would not have used the play, which occupies 41 pages in "The Complete Signet Classic Shakespeare" in this game.
1759. Lawyer's Lawyer: The Life of John W. Davis, by William H. Harbaugh (read 4 Jan 1983) I greatly enjoyed this book. Davis was born 13 Apr 1873 at Clarksburg, W.V., the son of a lawyer and of a woman who was reading Gibbon's Decline and Fall when she went into labor with him. He went to Washington & Lee, and his education does not seem to have been too much. He was elected to the House in 1910, re-elected in 1912 by 145 votes, and was appointed Solicitor-Gerneral in 1913. He served till 1918, was ambassador to England till 1921, then went into practice on Wall Sttreet. He was nominated in 1924 for President on the 103rd ballot. Thereafter he practiced law till he died on March 24, 1955, in S.C. This book was published 18 years after he died, and is a much, much better work than the biography of Charles Evans Hughes I read in August and September 1966--that book was a mere paean of praise. Hughes, per that book, did nothing wrong. This book tells the story of its subject far better, frankly pointing out that Davis was often wrong. Davis argued 140 cases in the U.S. Supreme Court--only Walter Jones (317) and Daniel Webster (185 to 200) having argued more. Indeed he had momentous cases, culminating in the Steel Seizure cases and the School Segregation cases--his last two. This book, though not written by a lawyer, brought back to my mind many familiar things. (5 stars)
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with M, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
1759. Lawyer's Lawyer: The Life of John W. Davis, by William H. Harbaugh (read 4 Jan 1983) I greatly enjoyed this book. Davis was born 13 Apr 1873 at Clarksburg, W.V., the son of a lawyer and of a woman who was reading Gibbon's Decline and Fall when she went into labor with him. He went to Washington & Lee, and his education does not seem to have been too much. He was elected to the House in 1910, re-elected in 1912 by 145 votes, and was appointed Solicitor-Gerneral in 1913. He served till 1918, was ambassador to England till 1921, then went into practice on Wall Sttreet. He was nominated in 1924 for President on the 103rd ballot. Thereafter he practiced law till he died on March 24, 1955, in S.C. This book was published 18 years after he died, and is a much, much better work than the biography of Charles Evans Hughes I read in August and September 1966--that book was a mere paean of praise. Hughes, per that book, did nothing wrong. This book tells the story of its subject far better, frankly pointing out that Davis was often wrong. Davis argued 140 cases in the U.S. Supreme Court--only Walter Jones (317) and Daniel Webster (185 to 200) having argued more. Indeed he had momentous cases, culminating in the Steel Seizure cases and the School Segregation cases--his last two. This book, though not written by a lawyer, brought back to my mind many familiar things. (5 stars)
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with M, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
270rolandperkins
Men and Brethren
by James Gould Cozzens
A little-read title by Cozzens;
I think it is pre-WW II. There was perhaps some revival of
C.'s lifetime works during the era when he was a best-selling author on the strength* of By Love Possessed (ca. 1957).
The protagonist is a moderate, even conservative-leaning, Episcopal minister in
the N.E. of the U. S. Cozzens was criticized as "anti-Catholic" for his attitude in
By Love Possessed, even
by non-Catholic and not very religious critics. He seems to have thought the "mainstream" Protestant churches were a big improvement on Catholicism,
but still not an option that
an intelligent person would choose over agnosticism/atheism. Cozzens seems to - - not exactly hate - - but disdain organized religion, while loving the individual religionist
(those of them who are "mainsream Protestants, anyway).
In this one, his character acts to provide
a dying, originally Catholic, woman with the ministrations of an RC priest (much to the fury of her husband). The husband starts an anti-Catholic tirade, and the minister tells him, "Save it for the bar that you've been drinking in; see how it plays there!" (And, to his surprise, he doesn't find his efforts at retrieval of a "lost sheep" to be much appreciated by the local Catholic pastor).
With several strings to follow, the book will, at times, seem a string of anecdotes,
rather than a plotted novel. But he does bring out well that, in an everday life, such as the protagonist's, a lot
of things are happening all at once.
*on the strength of: Or, some critics would say:"despite the weaknesses of"
by James Gould Cozzens
A little-read title by Cozzens;
I think it is pre-WW II. There was perhaps some revival of
C.'s lifetime works during the era when he was a best-selling author on the strength* of By Love Possessed (ca. 1957).
The protagonist is a moderate, even conservative-leaning, Episcopal minister in
the N.E. of the U. S. Cozzens was criticized as "anti-Catholic" for his attitude in
By Love Possessed, even
by non-Catholic and not very religious critics. He seems to have thought the "mainstream" Protestant churches were a big improvement on Catholicism,
but still not an option that
an intelligent person would choose over agnosticism/atheism. Cozzens seems to - - not exactly hate - - but disdain organized religion, while loving the individual religionist
(those of them who are "mainsream Protestants, anyway).
In this one, his character acts to provide
a dying, originally Catholic, woman with the ministrations of an RC priest (much to the fury of her husband). The husband starts an anti-Catholic tirade, and the minister tells him, "Save it for the bar that you've been drinking in; see how it plays there!" (And, to his surprise, he doesn't find his efforts at retrieval of a "lost sheep" to be much appreciated by the local Catholic pastor).
With several strings to follow, the book will, at times, seem a string of anecdotes,
rather than a plotted novel. But he does bring out well that, in an everday life, such as the protagonist's, a lot
of things are happening all at once.
*on the strength of: Or, some critics would say:"despite the weaknesses of"
271Schmerguls
Amazing how much more interesting this game has become. Roland's discussion of Cozzens was extremely informative. And made me think I would like to read Men and Brethren!
1619. Nicholas I: Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias, by W. Bruce Lincoln (read 24 Feb 1981)This is a dry, unpopularized biography of Nicholas I, who succeeded his brother Alexander I as Czar upon Alexander's death on 19 Nov 1824 (Russian calendar) and reigned until his death on 18 Feb 1855. This is a scholar's work, and, indulged as I have been by popular history and biography, there were parts I did not enjoy. I am not a professional historian and I do not always find pure history most interesting. And yet this was a good book, and I think its interpretations sound. While it does not defend the repressive, narrow-minded autocracy of Nicholas I, it does not denigrate Nicholas as a man and one cannot but feel for the anguish expressed by Nicholas, who wrote in a letter: "How strange is my fate! They tell me that I am one of the mightiest Princes on earth. And, one must admit that anything--that is, anything which is permissible--ought to be possible for me, that I could, in fact, be anywhere and do anything that I desired. But, in fact, for myself in particular, however, just the reverse is true. And should I be asked the reason for this anomaly, there is only one possible reply: Duty! Yes, that is not a meaningless word for me who from childhood was taught to understand it as I was. This word has a sacred meaning before which every personal impulse must give way. All must fall silent in the face of this feeling and must yield to it until one vanishes into the grave. Such is my watchword. It is harsh, I tell you truly. Beneath its weight, it is more agonizing than I can possibly tell you." (3 and one-half stars )
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which starts with O, and what you thought of the book.
1619. Nicholas I: Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias, by W. Bruce Lincoln (read 24 Feb 1981)This is a dry, unpopularized biography of Nicholas I, who succeeded his brother Alexander I as Czar upon Alexander's death on 19 Nov 1824 (Russian calendar) and reigned until his death on 18 Feb 1855. This is a scholar's work, and, indulged as I have been by popular history and biography, there were parts I did not enjoy. I am not a professional historian and I do not always find pure history most interesting. And yet this was a good book, and I think its interpretations sound. While it does not defend the repressive, narrow-minded autocracy of Nicholas I, it does not denigrate Nicholas as a man and one cannot but feel for the anguish expressed by Nicholas, who wrote in a letter: "How strange is my fate! They tell me that I am one of the mightiest Princes on earth. And, one must admit that anything--that is, anything which is permissible--ought to be possible for me, that I could, in fact, be anywhere and do anything that I desired. But, in fact, for myself in particular, however, just the reverse is true. And should I be asked the reason for this anomaly, there is only one possible reply: Duty! Yes, that is not a meaningless word for me who from childhood was taught to understand it as I was. This word has a sacred meaning before which every personal impulse must give way. All must fall silent in the face of this feeling and must yield to it until one vanishes into the grave. Such is my watchword. It is harsh, I tell you truly. Beneath its weight, it is more agonizing than I can possibly tell you." (3 and one-half stars )
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which starts with O, and what you thought of the book.
272overlycriticalme
i can't find that we've continued this elsewhere so maybe this thread has really just been dormant for the few weeks that i've also been. (if not, ooops.)
orlando by virginia woolf, read dec 2010
this is far and away my favorite of the virginia woolf books i've read. there were parts of it that i really liked, parts that made me laugh. but i had to work to not drift or be driven to skim. i wish i could say that i liked her more, but she's just ok for me. but for me, this was definitely her best. quirky and odd at times, too, but the most entertaining. (2 stars)
orlando by virginia woolf, read dec 2010
this is far and away my favorite of the virginia woolf books i've read. there were parts of it that i really liked, parts that made me laugh. but i had to work to not drift or be driven to skim. i wish i could say that i liked her more, but she's just ok for me. but for me, this was definitely her best. quirky and odd at times, too, but the most entertaining. (2 stars)
273Schmerguls
1224. Power to Dissolve Lawyers and Marriages in the Courts of the Roman Curia, by John T. Noonan, Jr. (read 16 Jun 1973) (Book of the Year)
This is the most interesting and absorbing book I had read in 1973 and in fact it went on to be awarded the prestigious and coveted "Best Book Read by Me" award for 1973. It examines six marriage cases, ranging from the marriage of Charles of Lorraine to Nicole on Mat 22, 1621, to the marriage of Marie Reid to Frederick Parkhurst on Sept 21, 1887. I found each of the six cases fascinating and the book made me wish I was a canon lawyer!
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which starts with Q (or R, if you have no Q-starting title) and what you thought of the book.
Thanks, Elisa, for resuscitating this game. I have read a number (3, to be exact) of Virginia Woolf's books, but not Orlando, and now I will read it, based on what you say.
This is the most interesting and absorbing book I had read in 1973 and in fact it went on to be awarded the prestigious and coveted "Best Book Read by Me" award for 1973. It examines six marriage cases, ranging from the marriage of Charles of Lorraine to Nicole on Mat 22, 1621, to the marriage of Marie Reid to Frederick Parkhurst on Sept 21, 1887. I found each of the six cases fascinating and the book made me wish I was a canon lawyer!
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which starts with Q (or R, if you have no Q-starting title) and what you thought of the book.
Thanks, Elisa, for resuscitating this game. I have read a number (3, to be exact) of Virginia Woolf's books, but not Orlando, and now I will read it, based on what you say.
274overlycriticalme
the quiet american by graham greene read sept 2012
my review: morality and motive, and how the two get muddled (in general, but specifically during times of war - inner and otherwise). this took me a while (in a book this short i thought far too long) to get into, but did enjoy it once it got going. i thought the main point of it took a bit long to get to, and then went by rather quickly. but i really, really liked how he wrapped it up in the last two pages, in a way i didn't really expect.
"That was my first instinct - to protect him. It never occurred to me that there was greater need to protect myself. Innocence always calls mutely for protection when we would be so much wiser to guard ourselves against it: innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world, meaning no harm."
"Unlike them, I had reason for thankfulness, for wasn't Phuong alive? Hadn't Phuong been 'warned'? But what I remembered was the torso in the square, the baby on its mother's lap. They had not been warned: they had not been sufficiently important. And if the parade had taken place would they not have been there just the same, out of curiosity, to see the soldiers, and hear the speakers, and throw the flowers? A two-hundred-pound bomb does not discriminate. How many dead colonels justify a child's or trishaw driver's death when you are building a national democratic front?" (2 stars)
>schmerguls, please note that while i liked orlando better than any other woolf i've read so far (3, too, i think) i really still didn't like it all that much.
next: r
my review: morality and motive, and how the two get muddled (in general, but specifically during times of war - inner and otherwise). this took me a while (in a book this short i thought far too long) to get into, but did enjoy it once it got going. i thought the main point of it took a bit long to get to, and then went by rather quickly. but i really, really liked how he wrapped it up in the last two pages, in a way i didn't really expect.
"That was my first instinct - to protect him. It never occurred to me that there was greater need to protect myself. Innocence always calls mutely for protection when we would be so much wiser to guard ourselves against it: innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world, meaning no harm."
"Unlike them, I had reason for thankfulness, for wasn't Phuong alive? Hadn't Phuong been 'warned'? But what I remembered was the torso in the square, the baby on its mother's lap. They had not been warned: they had not been sufficiently important. And if the parade had taken place would they not have been there just the same, out of curiosity, to see the soldiers, and hear the speakers, and throw the flowers? A two-hundred-pound bomb does not discriminate. How many dead colonels justify a child's or trishaw driver's death when you are building a national democratic front?" (2 stars)
>schmerguls, please note that while i liked orlando better than any other woolf i've read so far (3, too, i think) i really still didn't like it all that much.
next: r
275Schmerguls
Yes, Eliza, I noted you gave Orlando only two stars but I still think I should read it.
4273. Rocket Boys A Memoir, by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. (read 14 Feb 2007)
This tells a true story of kids in a West Virginia mining town who became interested in 1957 in rockets. The book tells of the author's high school years, and his unusual family relationships. It also provides insight into coal mining which was new and insightful and recalled to me How Green Was My Valley, which I read 2 Feb 1997. I was tremendously impressed by this book, even though its setting was so different from my time in high school just a dozen years earlier. A great, great book. (five stars)
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which starts with S, and what you thought of it when you read it.
4273. Rocket Boys A Memoir, by Homer H. Hickam, Jr. (read 14 Feb 2007)
This tells a true story of kids in a West Virginia mining town who became interested in 1957 in rockets. The book tells of the author's high school years, and his unusual family relationships. It also provides insight into coal mining which was new and insightful and recalled to me How Green Was My Valley, which I read 2 Feb 1997. I was tremendously impressed by this book, even though its setting was so different from my time in high school just a dozen years earlier. A great, great book. (five stars)
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which starts with S, and what you thought of it when you read it.
276overlycriticalme
the stepford wives by ira levin, read oct 2013
my review:
i came into this book knowing what it meant to be a "stepford wife," but that's it. i think that if you know the rest of the story going in, this wouldn't have been nearly as fun a read. not knowing, though, i really enjoyed it. it's really both a great story and wonderful commentary that isn't much less powerful for the passing of time. (the book was written in 1972.) i can't say the same for the language, much of which didn't age well, but i'm not knocking the book for that. i also, as much as i like to read books by women, really liked that this was written by a man and deals with "women's" issues the way he does.
quick, engaging, and chilling. definitely recommended. would have gotten more stars if it was a longer book, giving a chance to flesh out the characters more. (3.5 stars)
next: t
my review:
i came into this book knowing what it meant to be a "stepford wife," but that's it. i think that if you know the rest of the story going in, this wouldn't have been nearly as fun a read. not knowing, though, i really enjoyed it. it's really both a great story and wonderful commentary that isn't much less powerful for the passing of time. (the book was written in 1972.) i can't say the same for the language, much of which didn't age well, but i'm not knocking the book for that. i also, as much as i like to read books by women, really liked that this was written by a man and deals with "women's" issues the way he does.
quick, engaging, and chilling. definitely recommended. would have gotten more stars if it was a longer book, giving a chance to flesh out the characters more. (3.5 stars)
next: t
277Schmerguls
4975.The Third Reich in Power 1933-1939, by Richard J. Evans (read 13 Nov 2012)
This is the second volume (published in 2005) of Evans' trilogy. I read the first volume, The Coming of the Third Reich, on 9 Oct 2009. This volume extends from the summer of 1933 to Sep 3, 1939, and traces how the Nazis took over Germany, body and soul, during that time. It is not pleasant nor easy reading, at least until the final chapters when the way Hitler drove to war is set out, which reading while not pleasant expounds the way Hitler sought to have war, even though his brain-washed people still did not want such, in contrast to the giddy German joy in July 1914. (4 stars )
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which starts with U, and what you thought of the book.
This is the second volume (published in 2005) of Evans' trilogy. I read the first volume, The Coming of the Third Reich, on 9 Oct 2009. This volume extends from the summer of 1933 to Sep 3, 1939, and traces how the Nazis took over Germany, body and soul, during that time. It is not pleasant nor easy reading, at least until the final chapters when the way Hitler drove to war is set out, which reading while not pleasant expounds the way Hitler sought to have war, even though his brain-washed people still did not want such, in contrast to the giddy German joy in July 1914. (4 stars )
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which starts with U, and what you thought of the book.
278overlycriticalme
the unlikely spy by daniel silva; read may 2013
my review:
i actually really enjoyed this book. i don't feel like i'm usually all that into spy stories, but this one, besides being really interesting, is quite well written. i generally think it's kind of impressive when an author takes a well known historical event (world war ii and who wins it) and still manages to create tension and suspense. the few details i looked up along the way (my world war ii knowledge is mostly holocaust centered; i had no idea about the story behind the d-day invasion at normandy) were all accurate, with his cast of fictitious characters (churchill, eisenhower, hitler, and himmler all play a small role as well). i'm not sure how this book ended up on my list, and i wasn't going in with high expectations, but this was a good read. i would definitely read him again, and maybe even change my mind about spy books in general if they're written as well as his. (3.5 stars)
next: a book you've read, title starting with "v," and your thoughts
my review:
i actually really enjoyed this book. i don't feel like i'm usually all that into spy stories, but this one, besides being really interesting, is quite well written. i generally think it's kind of impressive when an author takes a well known historical event (world war ii and who wins it) and still manages to create tension and suspense. the few details i looked up along the way (my world war ii knowledge is mostly holocaust centered; i had no idea about the story behind the d-day invasion at normandy) were all accurate, with his cast of fictitious characters (churchill, eisenhower, hitler, and himmler all play a small role as well). i'm not sure how this book ended up on my list, and i wasn't going in with high expectations, but this was a good read. i would definitely read him again, and maybe even change my mind about spy books in general if they're written as well as his. (3.5 stars)
next: a book you've read, title starting with "v," and your thoughts
279Schmerguls
4385. Voices From the Third Reich An Oral History, by Johannes Steinhoff; Peter Pechel; Dennis Showalter (read 21 Nov 2007)
I finished reading this on 21 Nov 2007. It is a compilation of oral statements by over 150 Germans about their experience in Hitler's Germany and in World War II. There are various viewpoints but it is disheartening to realize that opposiiton to Hitler and his evil was so limited and that many Germans even years later did not wholeheartedly condemn Nazidom. Let's face it--when a country is at war it takes a special kind of heroism to be against one's country no matter how evil the course that country is pursuing. Stephen Decatur is viewed as a great patriot because he siad "My country, in its intercourse with foreign countries may she always be right, but my country, right or wrong." I dare say that there are Americans who subscribe to that sentiment but who at the same time excoriate Germans for not rising up against Hitler. ( 3 stars )
NEXT: A book you've actually read, the title of which starts with W, and what you thought of it.
I finished reading this on 21 Nov 2007. It is a compilation of oral statements by over 150 Germans about their experience in Hitler's Germany and in World War II. There are various viewpoints but it is disheartening to realize that opposiiton to Hitler and his evil was so limited and that many Germans even years later did not wholeheartedly condemn Nazidom. Let's face it--when a country is at war it takes a special kind of heroism to be against one's country no matter how evil the course that country is pursuing. Stephen Decatur is viewed as a great patriot because he siad "My country, in its intercourse with foreign countries may she always be right, but my country, right or wrong." I dare say that there are Americans who subscribe to that sentiment but who at the same time excoriate Germans for not rising up against Hitler. ( 3 stars )
NEXT: A book you've actually read, the title of which starts with W, and what you thought of it.
280overlycriticalme
the women's room by marilyn french, first read april 2008, reread last month
my reviews:
from 11/2013:
last time around i didn't want to tackle so much in a review, because there is a lot that she covers in this book, and a lot to respond to, especially when i was new at writing reviews. i wish i had written more, though, because i feel so clearly differently about it this time than last.
i still won't write all that i could, because this review would be book length itself.
there is so much in this book. so much of it has stood the test of time and so much of it hasn't. so much of it is profound and so much of it is dead wrong. it's a hard book to read. it's dense and the main character isn't likable (for the most part). it's challenging (in a good way) but also off-putting.
i think this book, through it's group of women characters, has important conversations and realizations about feminism and gender bias and rape culture, exposing the reader to political issues, radical feminism, race issues, class issues, and lesbian issues. or it was intending to. she fell short on many of these (race and sexuality in particular) but it was a valiant attempt for its time. and realistic in that throughout their conversations, many of the women stumbled or slowly came to their convictions. but there was a lot of reinforcing of stereotypes that bothered me. and i'm not sure if she (french) meant it when she had so many of the women want (or think they want?) forcible sexual encounters. if she didn't mean for that to be true it wasn't as clear as it could be. her depiction of the token lesbian really irked me as well. iso sleeps with any of the women in their friend circle who is vulnerable basically. it's a very stereotypical (and unflattering, even as iso was one of the "better" characters) and not too typical (from my experience) representation. she used the "n word" all the time, and not always in a way that seemed to be intentionally political, but as if she was just using it. but she also manages to bring to the surface so many issues about gender that i would think reading this book when it was written would make your head explode. it's a testament to how far we've come that so much of it hasn't held up well, and a testament to how far we still need to go that much of it still reads like it could have been written yesterday.
i'm all over the place here. i think that is because, for me, this book tries to cover too much ground. it could have been hundreds of pages shorter and still gone more in depth about "women's issues" and been more accessible and more of a lightening rod.
at the same time, i know when i first read this, i really felt like this book spoke to me on a visceral level. i felt this book said things that i, and women i knew, were saying or thinking and that i wasn't reading elsewhere, even 30 years after it was written. so that's something. this time, though, while parts of it really spoke to me, other parts made me want to scream back, and i wanted the whole of it to be better, more true to life today, and more applicable. a lot has changed in the years that she wrote this, so this isn't a book that can be taken and seen as if it was written today. but at the same time, it's immediately clear that so much is still the same, so much is keeping women in many of the same or similar places we were in when french wrote this. so maybe this book has more staying power than i'm giving it credit for. and i will say that it very much makes me nostalgic for those college days of group friendship and long philosophical talks where you think you and/or your friends have just come up with the most original and profound stuff that could change the world.
lots of the quotes won't work out of context because there were pages and pages leading up to the point she makes but i'll include some of what i noted throughout:
"Wife or whore, women are the most scorned class in America. You may hate niggers and PRs and geeks, but you're a little frightened of them. Women don't even get the respect of fear."
"...everybody despised boys, everyone looked down on them, the teachers, her mother, even her father. 'Boys!' they would exclaim in disgust. But everyone admired men."
"I've often seen blushing young men with shining eyes behave the same way as titillating young women, but no one says of them that they want to be raped. ... no one accuses them of being cunt teases."
on abortion, and one of the religious problems on ending an unwanted pregnancy that had never occurred to me:
"'I'd love to get one! But if I did it, I'd have to go to confession and say I was sorry, but I wouldn't be sorry so I couldn't say it so I couldn't go to confession and I could never take communion again!' It poured out like a stream of rage."
"'It's as though there's more freedom, but all it means is more freedom for men.'"
"What I don't understand is where women suddenly get power. Because they do. The kids, who almost always turn out to be a pile of shit, are, we all know, Mommy's fault. Well, how did she manage that, this powerless creature? Where was all her power during the years she was doing five loads of laundry a week worrying about mixing the whites with the colors? How was she able to offset Daddy's positive influence? How come she never knows she has this power until afterward, when it gets called responsibility?"
"Men always seem to think power is more attractive to women than lovingness. I suppose they have some reason to think so."
(3 stars)
from 4/2008:
too much to discuss here, too much to think about. a feminist manifesto of sorts, with a not so feminist discussion of rape toward the end that only partially redeems itself...
2 quotes from the passage that challenges me the most (and which might not make sense out of context) :
"I've dropped out of that world. I belong to all women's groups now. I shop at a feminist market, bank in a women's bank. I've joined a militant feminist organization, and in the future I will work only in that. Fuck the dissertation, the degree, Harvard. They're all part of the male world. you can't compromise with it. It eats you alive, rapes you body and soul...."
"I don't look for pleasure any more in life. It's a luxury I can't afford. For forty-odd years I've been a member of an oppressed people consorting with the enemy, advancing the enemy's cause. In some places that's called slavery. I'm through with it."
(4 stars)
next (if you've gotten this far) is a book you've read that starts with x, y, or z (or a if you have to) and what you thought of it
my reviews:
from 11/2013:
last time around i didn't want to tackle so much in a review, because there is a lot that she covers in this book, and a lot to respond to, especially when i was new at writing reviews. i wish i had written more, though, because i feel so clearly differently about it this time than last.
i still won't write all that i could, because this review would be book length itself.
there is so much in this book. so much of it has stood the test of time and so much of it hasn't. so much of it is profound and so much of it is dead wrong. it's a hard book to read. it's dense and the main character isn't likable (for the most part). it's challenging (in a good way) but also off-putting.
i think this book, through it's group of women characters, has important conversations and realizations about feminism and gender bias and rape culture, exposing the reader to political issues, radical feminism, race issues, class issues, and lesbian issues. or it was intending to. she fell short on many of these (race and sexuality in particular) but it was a valiant attempt for its time. and realistic in that throughout their conversations, many of the women stumbled or slowly came to their convictions. but there was a lot of reinforcing of stereotypes that bothered me. and i'm not sure if she (french) meant it when she had so many of the women want (or think they want?) forcible sexual encounters. if she didn't mean for that to be true it wasn't as clear as it could be. her depiction of the token lesbian really irked me as well. iso sleeps with any of the women in their friend circle who is vulnerable basically. it's a very stereotypical (and unflattering, even as iso was one of the "better" characters) and not too typical (from my experience) representation. she used the "n word" all the time, and not always in a way that seemed to be intentionally political, but as if she was just using it. but she also manages to bring to the surface so many issues about gender that i would think reading this book when it was written would make your head explode. it's a testament to how far we've come that so much of it hasn't held up well, and a testament to how far we still need to go that much of it still reads like it could have been written yesterday.
i'm all over the place here. i think that is because, for me, this book tries to cover too much ground. it could have been hundreds of pages shorter and still gone more in depth about "women's issues" and been more accessible and more of a lightening rod.
at the same time, i know when i first read this, i really felt like this book spoke to me on a visceral level. i felt this book said things that i, and women i knew, were saying or thinking and that i wasn't reading elsewhere, even 30 years after it was written. so that's something. this time, though, while parts of it really spoke to me, other parts made me want to scream back, and i wanted the whole of it to be better, more true to life today, and more applicable. a lot has changed in the years that she wrote this, so this isn't a book that can be taken and seen as if it was written today. but at the same time, it's immediately clear that so much is still the same, so much is keeping women in many of the same or similar places we were in when french wrote this. so maybe this book has more staying power than i'm giving it credit for. and i will say that it very much makes me nostalgic for those college days of group friendship and long philosophical talks where you think you and/or your friends have just come up with the most original and profound stuff that could change the world.
lots of the quotes won't work out of context because there were pages and pages leading up to the point she makes but i'll include some of what i noted throughout:
"Wife or whore, women are the most scorned class in America. You may hate niggers and PRs and geeks, but you're a little frightened of them. Women don't even get the respect of fear."
"...everybody despised boys, everyone looked down on them, the teachers, her mother, even her father. 'Boys!' they would exclaim in disgust. But everyone admired men."
"I've often seen blushing young men with shining eyes behave the same way as titillating young women, but no one says of them that they want to be raped. ... no one accuses them of being cunt teases."
on abortion, and one of the religious problems on ending an unwanted pregnancy that had never occurred to me:
"'I'd love to get one! But if I did it, I'd have to go to confession and say I was sorry, but I wouldn't be sorry so I couldn't say it so I couldn't go to confession and I could never take communion again!' It poured out like a stream of rage."
"'It's as though there's more freedom, but all it means is more freedom for men.'"
"What I don't understand is where women suddenly get power. Because they do. The kids, who almost always turn out to be a pile of shit, are, we all know, Mommy's fault. Well, how did she manage that, this powerless creature? Where was all her power during the years she was doing five loads of laundry a week worrying about mixing the whites with the colors? How was she able to offset Daddy's positive influence? How come she never knows she has this power until afterward, when it gets called responsibility?"
"Men always seem to think power is more attractive to women than lovingness. I suppose they have some reason to think so."
(3 stars)
from 4/2008:
too much to discuss here, too much to think about. a feminist manifesto of sorts, with a not so feminist discussion of rape toward the end that only partially redeems itself...
2 quotes from the passage that challenges me the most (and which might not make sense out of context) :
"I've dropped out of that world. I belong to all women's groups now. I shop at a feminist market, bank in a women's bank. I've joined a militant feminist organization, and in the future I will work only in that. Fuck the dissertation, the degree, Harvard. They're all part of the male world. you can't compromise with it. It eats you alive, rapes you body and soul...."
"I don't look for pleasure any more in life. It's a luxury I can't afford. For forty-odd years I've been a member of an oppressed people consorting with the enemy, advancing the enemy's cause. In some places that's called slavery. I'm through with it."
(4 stars)
next (if you've gotten this far) is a book you've read that starts with x, y, or z (or a if you have to) and what you thought of it
281Schmerguls
2041. Xerxes at Salamis, by Peter Green (read 27 Dec 1986)
This is a 1970 book telling in detail of the great Greek victory in 480 B.C. over Xerxes, with suitable accounts of events leading thereto and following. Green is a scholar who writes readable history. This book is meticulous and fun to read. Its concluding paragraph so impressed me I copied it out. "Freedom, in the last resort, implies the privilege and right to abuse freedom, a privilege of which every Greek state availed itself liberally throughout its history. To follow that melancholy yet inspiring story further is not, at present, my concern. As Xenophon said at the end of his Hellenica, 'for me, then let it suffice to have written thus far, and what followed thereafter may be some other man's care.' Let us leave the Greeks in their brief and incandescent moment of triumph over the Barbarian, a timeless instant when--as at the apogee of a successful revolution--all values are simple and clear-cut, every human ideal achievable. Such fragile and perfect revolutions cannot long exist in time: for one day only, perhaps--and yet that one day, sub specie aeternitatius, continues to irradiate and quicken our whole Western heritage, now and for ever." I think one must periodically read int eh various periods of history, so as to not forget. (four stars)
NEXT : A book you've actually read, the title of which starst with Y, Z, or A, and what you thought of the book
This is a 1970 book telling in detail of the great Greek victory in 480 B.C. over Xerxes, with suitable accounts of events leading thereto and following. Green is a scholar who writes readable history. This book is meticulous and fun to read. Its concluding paragraph so impressed me I copied it out. "Freedom, in the last resort, implies the privilege and right to abuse freedom, a privilege of which every Greek state availed itself liberally throughout its history. To follow that melancholy yet inspiring story further is not, at present, my concern. As Xenophon said at the end of his Hellenica, 'for me, then let it suffice to have written thus far, and what followed thereafter may be some other man's care.' Let us leave the Greeks in their brief and incandescent moment of triumph over the Barbarian, a timeless instant when--as at the apogee of a successful revolution--all values are simple and clear-cut, every human ideal achievable. Such fragile and perfect revolutions cannot long exist in time: for one day only, perhaps--and yet that one day, sub specie aeternitatius, continues to irradiate and quicken our whole Western heritage, now and for ever." I think one must periodically read int eh various periods of history, so as to not forget. (four stars)
NEXT : A book you've actually read, the title of which starst with Y, Z, or A, and what you thought of the book
282overlycriticalme
the yellow birds by kevin powers; read oct 2013
my review:
it took this book a little while to get going for me. not entirely, and not that there weren't passages in the first half that resonated with me (or were beautifully written), but i wasn't feeling connected with the characters or the story and to some degree with the writing for half or almost 2/3 of the book. something he does well - he writes sometimes in short sentences, sometimes in run-ons, reflecting the main character's mind well. he has good and important things to say about war, about life after war, about how it changes you. and parts of it are so well written, in contrast to the ugliness of what he's talking about, which just draws more attention to both. for that i say this book is worth reading, and powers did a service.
spoilers in the paragraph to follow, and an assessment that probably won't make sense unless you've already read the book.
where the book falls short for me (other than not feeling a connection for a good chunk of it) is that i think that powers tries to bring in tension or intrigue or mystery where he doesn't need to. the point of the book, in the last third (which i admittedly found much more engaging) seems to be a slow reveal of how murphy died or if bartle had a hand in murphy's death, or how bartle contributed to not saving murphy. as readers we aren't sure what happened or what we'll learn, but it seems to me that the entire effect of the novel is weakened by this focus. bartle's reentrance into life after war is more than dealing with what happened with murphy, and if he's responsible. this seems to be a book about war, about what war does to you, about how those of us who haven't been to war can never understand (like good books about war i suppose always are). but it becomes something else with the ending, and to me, it lessens it, even as i wasn't entirely satisfied with the characterizations or the writing or even the story beforehand. and even as i liked the book more as it went along, because of the writing and because, i suppose, i finally felt more like i could connect with a character, even as i didn't like the direction the book was going.
"He looked left, then right, and the dust popped around him, and I wanted to tell everyone to stop shooting at him, to ask, 'What kind of men are we?' An odd sensation came over me, as if I had been saved, for I was not a man, but a boy, and that he may have been frightened, but I didn't mind that so much, because I was frightened too, and I realized with a great shock that I was shooting at him and that I wouldn't stop until I was sure that he was dead, and I felt better knowing we were killing him together and that it was just as well not to be sure you are the one who did it."
"I realized, as i stood there in the church, that there was a sharp distinction between what was remembered, what was told, and what was true. And I didn't think I'd ever figure out which was which."
"An egret flew just over my shoulder and skimmed the water so close and I thought there was no way a body could be so close to the edge of a thing and stay there and be in control." (3.5 stars)
next: a book you've read whose title begins with z or a and what you thought of it
my review:
it took this book a little while to get going for me. not entirely, and not that there weren't passages in the first half that resonated with me (or were beautifully written), but i wasn't feeling connected with the characters or the story and to some degree with the writing for half or almost 2/3 of the book. something he does well - he writes sometimes in short sentences, sometimes in run-ons, reflecting the main character's mind well. he has good and important things to say about war, about life after war, about how it changes you. and parts of it are so well written, in contrast to the ugliness of what he's talking about, which just draws more attention to both. for that i say this book is worth reading, and powers did a service.
spoilers in the paragraph to follow, and an assessment that probably won't make sense unless you've already read the book.
where the book falls short for me (other than not feeling a connection for a good chunk of it) is that i think that powers tries to bring in tension or intrigue or mystery where he doesn't need to. the point of the book, in the last third (which i admittedly found much more engaging) seems to be a slow reveal of how murphy died or if bartle had a hand in murphy's death, or how bartle contributed to not saving murphy. as readers we aren't sure what happened or what we'll learn, but it seems to me that the entire effect of the novel is weakened by this focus. bartle's reentrance into life after war is more than dealing with what happened with murphy, and if he's responsible. this seems to be a book about war, about what war does to you, about how those of us who haven't been to war can never understand (like good books about war i suppose always are). but it becomes something else with the ending, and to me, it lessens it, even as i wasn't entirely satisfied with the characterizations or the writing or even the story beforehand. and even as i liked the book more as it went along, because of the writing and because, i suppose, i finally felt more like i could connect with a character, even as i didn't like the direction the book was going.
"He looked left, then right, and the dust popped around him, and I wanted to tell everyone to stop shooting at him, to ask, 'What kind of men are we?' An odd sensation came over me, as if I had been saved, for I was not a man, but a boy, and that he may have been frightened, but I didn't mind that so much, because I was frightened too, and I realized with a great shock that I was shooting at him and that I wouldn't stop until I was sure that he was dead, and I felt better knowing we were killing him together and that it was just as well not to be sure you are the one who did it."
"I realized, as i stood there in the church, that there was a sharp distinction between what was remembered, what was told, and what was true. And I didn't think I'd ever figure out which was which."
"An egret flew just over my shoulder and skimmed the water so close and I thought there was no way a body could be so close to the edge of a thing and stay there and be in control." (3.5 stars)
next: a book you've read whose title begins with z or a and what you thought of it
283Schmerguls
1980. Zachary Taylor: Soldier, Planter, Statesman of the Old Southwest, by K. Jack Bauer (read 23 Feb 1986)
This is a superb book--almost flawless. The part about his Army career before the Mexican War was dull because his career was dull. But the book is put together very well. The footnotes are where they belong--at the bottom of the page. This book is very even-handed, and shows Taylor was not much as a general. He did a little better as a President than one might have expected, but I say this simply because he acted as a northern Whig even though he was a Southern Whig. He was born Nov 14, 1784, and died July 9, 1850. His daughter married Jefferson Davis, but died as a bride. Taylor campaigned not at all. I really enjoyed this book--of course, it is a favorite time in American history for me. Very worthwhile book. (4 and a half stars )
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with A (articles don't count) and what you thought of the book
This is a superb book--almost flawless. The part about his Army career before the Mexican War was dull because his career was dull. But the book is put together very well. The footnotes are where they belong--at the bottom of the page. This book is very even-handed, and shows Taylor was not much as a general. He did a little better as a President than one might have expected, but I say this simply because he acted as a northern Whig even though he was a Southern Whig. He was born Nov 14, 1784, and died July 9, 1850. His daughter married Jefferson Davis, but died as a bride. Taylor campaigned not at all. I really enjoyed this book--of course, it is a favorite time in American history for me. Very worthwhile book. (4 and a half stars )
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with A (articles don't count) and what you thought of the book
284overlycriticalme
the amateur marriage by anne tyler; read feb 2013
my review:
it's been a while since i've read anne tyler; i only wish i hadn't started reading her years ago, before i was ready. she's really wonderful, but completely understated, and so i didn't appreciate all the books of hers i read when i was much younger. this book is lovely. she (if i remember her others that i've read correctly) often writes about people who unintentionally discover themselves, through 'mundane' living. there's not a lot that this book is 'about' but it's this very real description of these two people's lives through the decades. The issues and feelings that are behind the scenes of everyday living. Communication, unhappiness and how people deal with that differently, self discovery. i liked this book quite a bit, and am very glad to be reacquainted with anne tyler.
"...So they'd gone to Aronson's Portrait Studio - Michael in his suit, Pauline in her gray silk - and the photographer had arranged them in front of a velvet curtain that puddled in artful folds around their feet. 'A little closer together,' he'd said. 'Mrs., lift your chin a bit...Mr., put your arm around Mrs....' Michael had obeyed, encircling Pauline's waist and clasping her elbow just inside the hem of her sleeve; and something or other - the new sponginess of her bare skin, perhaps, or the unfamiliar scent of the silk - had made him feel for just an instant that he was standing next to a stranger. Who was this woman? What did she have to do with him? How could the be expected to share a house, rear children together, combine their separate lives for all time? The knob of her shoulder pressing into his armpit had felt like an inanimate object.
"He wished he had inhabited more of his life, used it better, filled it fuller."
(3.5 stars)
next: a book you've read with the title starting with "b" and what you thought of it
my review:
it's been a while since i've read anne tyler; i only wish i hadn't started reading her years ago, before i was ready. she's really wonderful, but completely understated, and so i didn't appreciate all the books of hers i read when i was much younger. this book is lovely. she (if i remember her others that i've read correctly) often writes about people who unintentionally discover themselves, through 'mundane' living. there's not a lot that this book is 'about' but it's this very real description of these two people's lives through the decades. The issues and feelings that are behind the scenes of everyday living. Communication, unhappiness and how people deal with that differently, self discovery. i liked this book quite a bit, and am very glad to be reacquainted with anne tyler.
"...So they'd gone to Aronson's Portrait Studio - Michael in his suit, Pauline in her gray silk - and the photographer had arranged them in front of a velvet curtain that puddled in artful folds around their feet. 'A little closer together,' he'd said. 'Mrs., lift your chin a bit...Mr., put your arm around Mrs....' Michael had obeyed, encircling Pauline's waist and clasping her elbow just inside the hem of her sleeve; and something or other - the new sponginess of her bare skin, perhaps, or the unfamiliar scent of the silk - had made him feel for just an instant that he was standing next to a stranger. Who was this woman? What did she have to do with him? How could the be expected to share a house, rear children together, combine their separate lives for all time? The knob of her shoulder pressing into his armpit had felt like an inanimate object.
Yet the finished photo on Pauline's bureau showed an ordinary couple: Mr. and Mrs. Perfectly Fine, standing side by side and smiling the same stiff smile. A gilt-framed commercial. An advertisement for marriage."
"He wished he had inhabited more of his life, used it better, filled it fuller."
(3.5 stars)
next: a book you've read with the title starting with "b" and what you thought of it
285Schmerguls
Thank you, Eliza, for your informative comments and quotations from the Tyler book. I have read nine books by her (see below), but not that one, but now I believe I will .
2291. Breathing Lessons, by Anne Tyler (read 5 May 1990) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1989)
2358. If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler (read 13 Feb 1991)
2363. The Clock Winder by Anne Tyler (read 25 Feb 1991)
2372. The Tin Can Tree, by Anne Tyler (read 24 Mar 1991)
3310. Celestial Navigation, by Anne Tyler (read 10 May 2000)
3758. A Slipping-Down Life, by Anne Tyler (read 13 June 2003)
3868. Searching for Caleb, by Anne Tyler (read 19 Mar 2004)
4186. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, by Anne Tyler (read 7 July 2006)
5022. The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler (read 7 May 2013) (National Book Critics Circle fiction award for 1985)
3836. A Broken World 1919-1939, by Raymond J. Sontag (read 21 Dec 2003)
This 1971 book by a Berkeley history professor is a part of the series "The Rise of Modern Europe - A Survey of European History in its Political, Economic, and Cultural aspects from the End of the Middle Ages to the Present" overseen by William L. Langer. I have read three other volumes in the series (The Counter Reformation, 1559-1610, by Marvin R. O'Connell read 25 May 1974, The Dawn of a New Era 1250-1453, by Edward P. Cheyney read 24 Oct 1981, and From Despotism to Revolution 1763-1789, by Leo Gershoy read 31 May 1997). I found this volume thoroughly enjoyable, even though much related was familiar. The account of the Versailles Treaty and the 1920s in Europe certainly makes the 1930s more understandable: an understanding I lacked when I came to consciousness concerning European events about 1938 (I recall being highly interested in Hitler taking over Austria) but without knowing what this book tells so well, I could not be as wise as I then may have thought I was. (5 stars)
NEXT: A book you have truly read, the title of shich begins with C, and what you thought of the book,
2291. Breathing Lessons, by Anne Tyler (read 5 May 1990) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1989)
2358. If Morning Ever Comes by Anne Tyler (read 13 Feb 1991)
2363. The Clock Winder by Anne Tyler (read 25 Feb 1991)
2372. The Tin Can Tree, by Anne Tyler (read 24 Mar 1991)
3310. Celestial Navigation, by Anne Tyler (read 10 May 2000)
3758. A Slipping-Down Life, by Anne Tyler (read 13 June 2003)
3868. Searching for Caleb, by Anne Tyler (read 19 Mar 2004)
4186. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, by Anne Tyler (read 7 July 2006)
5022. The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler (read 7 May 2013) (National Book Critics Circle fiction award for 1985)
3836. A Broken World 1919-1939, by Raymond J. Sontag (read 21 Dec 2003)
This 1971 book by a Berkeley history professor is a part of the series "The Rise of Modern Europe - A Survey of European History in its Political, Economic, and Cultural aspects from the End of the Middle Ages to the Present" overseen by William L. Langer. I have read three other volumes in the series (The Counter Reformation, 1559-1610, by Marvin R. O'Connell read 25 May 1974, The Dawn of a New Era 1250-1453, by Edward P. Cheyney read 24 Oct 1981, and From Despotism to Revolution 1763-1789, by Leo Gershoy read 31 May 1997). I found this volume thoroughly enjoyable, even though much related was familiar. The account of the Versailles Treaty and the 1920s in Europe certainly makes the 1930s more understandable: an understanding I lacked when I came to consciousness concerning European events about 1938 (I recall being highly interested in Hitler taking over Austria) but without knowing what this book tells so well, I could not be as wise as I then may have thought I was. (5 stars)
NEXT: A book you have truly read, the title of shich begins with C, and what you thought of the book,
286overlycriticalme
you're welcome, schmerguls! glad to encourage just about anyone to read more anne tyler. =) i love putting one of her books in an unsuspecting customer's hands in my bookshop. =)
caravans by james michener, read this month
my review:
i am a much bigger fan of michener's longer, detailed histories/stories. this story (and the characters) didn't really grab me at all. but he has some amazing information and insight into mid-late1940's afghanistan (written in 1963), much of which seems pretty prescient today. he was writing at a time when most americans probably hadn't even registered afghanistan on the world map, and he writes of places whose names have now become so familiar, even if the place itself isn't. that alone makes this book interesting to read now. again, i wasn't really interested in the story at all, but i enjoyed reading about the land, terrain, the nomadic life and tribes, and the people (as caricatured as some of them seemed to be). (2.5 stars)
next, a book you've read, the title of which starts with d, and what you thought of it
caravans by james michener, read this month
my review:
i am a much bigger fan of michener's longer, detailed histories/stories. this story (and the characters) didn't really grab me at all. but he has some amazing information and insight into mid-late1940's afghanistan (written in 1963), much of which seems pretty prescient today. he was writing at a time when most americans probably hadn't even registered afghanistan on the world map, and he writes of places whose names have now become so familiar, even if the place itself isn't. that alone makes this book interesting to read now. again, i wasn't really interested in the story at all, but i enjoyed reading about the land, terrain, the nomadic life and tribes, and the people (as caricatured as some of them seemed to be). (2.5 stars)
next, a book you've read, the title of which starts with d, and what you thought of it
287Schmerguls
3104. Deliverance, by James Dickey (read 19 Aug 1998)
This is no. 42 on the Modern Library panel's list, and I found it eminently deserving of its rank. (I have now read 74 of the 100 books on that list.) Powerful, fantastic, and a satisfactory ending, I thought. Really a great book. (read Aug 19, 1998)(five stars)
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with E, and what you thought of it when you read it
This is no. 42 on the Modern Library panel's list, and I found it eminently deserving of its rank. (I have now read 74 of the 100 books on that list.) Powerful, fantastic, and a satisfactory ending, I thought. Really a great book. (read Aug 19, 1998)(five stars)
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with E, and what you thought of it when you read it
288overlycriticalme
even cowgirls get the blues by tom robbins; read may 2008
my review at the time:
this was my first tom robbins so i don't know if he always writes like this, but i have never read anyone like him before. what a quirky, unique way of writing. at times it was so weird that it was distracting, and overall i think it was just a little too over the top for me. but this book is funny at times, and has some really great themes, about freedom and happiness, about being yourself and embracing who you are, about time and how the world thinks about it...also i have to say it was amazing to be reading a book written by a male writer in the 70's who is articulate about patriarchy and gender issues. that was so refreshing and welcome. (3 stars)
i'd rate it a bit higher now, in retrospect, as i don't remember it over the top at all. tom robbins has become one of my favorite writers, in part because of this book!
next: a book you've read with the title that starts with f, and what you thought of it
my review at the time:
this was my first tom robbins so i don't know if he always writes like this, but i have never read anyone like him before. what a quirky, unique way of writing. at times it was so weird that it was distracting, and overall i think it was just a little too over the top for me. but this book is funny at times, and has some really great themes, about freedom and happiness, about being yourself and embracing who you are, about time and how the world thinks about it...also i have to say it was amazing to be reading a book written by a male writer in the 70's who is articulate about patriarchy and gender issues. that was so refreshing and welcome. (3 stars)
i'd rate it a bit higher now, in retrospect, as i don't remember it over the top at all. tom robbins has become one of my favorite writers, in part because of this book!
next: a book you've read with the title that starts with f, and what you thought of it
289Schmerguls
2577. Fortunate Son: The Autobiography of Lewis B. Puller, Jr. (read 6 Feb 1994) (Pulitzer Biography prize for 1992)
What a searing, worthwhile. poignant book! The author is the son of a famous Marine general, who became himself a Marine Lieutenant and went to Vietnam in 1968. He was horribly wounded--see ages 156-157--and he tells of his time in hospitals, his father's death, his campaign for Congress in 1978, his alcoholism, his recovery. The book eminently deserves the Pulitzer prize and is a major event in my reading. The book reduced me to tears many times and is surely unforgettable. (five stars )
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which starts with G, and what you thought of it.
What a searing, worthwhile. poignant book! The author is the son of a famous Marine general, who became himself a Marine Lieutenant and went to Vietnam in 1968. He was horribly wounded--see ages 156-157--and he tells of his time in hospitals, his father's death, his campaign for Congress in 1978, his alcoholism, his recovery. The book eminently deserves the Pulitzer prize and is a major event in my reading. The book reduced me to tears many times and is surely unforgettable. (five stars )
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which starts with G, and what you thought of it.
290overlycriticalme
a gift of wings by richard bach, read may 2013
my review:
there was a good bit that i liked in this little book, which was kind of a relief after how much i disliked the last one of his that i read (the bridge across forever). i thought that most of this was decently written and much of what he had to say i was more than willing to listen to. it's a book of short essays (some of them only a couple of pages) and there were a few that seemed repetitive or not on par with the rest; i think it would be an improved book if it was a little shorter. but overall it was alright. and i ended with a feeling of - well, i've never been remotely interested in flying, but maybe i should try it somehow. so he certainly managed to impart his love. (of planes and flying, he's still pretty much a jackass to women - or the only woman he mentioned in one of the essays.) (2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with h, and what you thought of it
my review:
there was a good bit that i liked in this little book, which was kind of a relief after how much i disliked the last one of his that i read (the bridge across forever). i thought that most of this was decently written and much of what he had to say i was more than willing to listen to. it's a book of short essays (some of them only a couple of pages) and there were a few that seemed repetitive or not on par with the rest; i think it would be an improved book if it was a little shorter. but overall it was alright. and i ended with a feeling of - well, i've never been remotely interested in flying, but maybe i should try it somehow. so he certainly managed to impart his love. (of planes and flying, he's still pretty much a jackass to women - or the only woman he mentioned in one of the essays.) (2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with h, and what you thought of it
291Schmerguls
2951. How Green Was My Valley, by Richard Llewellyn (read 2 Feb 1997)
This famed 1939 novel tells of a boy, Huw Morgan, and his family--his father is a coal miner in Wales in the late 1890's and the early 1900's--and the book has high drama at times, and its ending is tearjerkingly effective. So I was impressed with the ending, and some of the plot towards the end. I am glad I read it and I believe it is a memorable book, but there were times that I would have quit reading except that I finish what I start. I am glad I did read it to the end, since my impression of it is now favorable. (three stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with I, and what you thought of it
This famed 1939 novel tells of a boy, Huw Morgan, and his family--his father is a coal miner in Wales in the late 1890's and the early 1900's--and the book has high drama at times, and its ending is tearjerkingly effective. So I was impressed with the ending, and some of the plot towards the end. I am glad I read it and I believe it is a memorable book, but there were times that I would have quit reading except that I finish what I start. I am glad I did read it to the end, since my impression of it is now favorable. (three stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with I, and what you thought of it
292overlycriticalme
ishmael by daniel quinn, read may 2013
my review:
well. this isn't my only problem with this book but: so there's a point in this book where the teacher says to the student something to the effect of: 'you come here to learn from me but expect me to do all the work. you turn off your brain when you come to me and turn it on when you leave, so our work together is not together and it's only work for me.' that's how i feel reading this - i love a story that makes me think, that makes me view the world differently or with new ideas and eyes. it's almost the very reason that i read. this is a long lecture, broken up (as if it's dialogue) by the listener (the student) repeating things like, 'yes.' and 'true.' and 'i see.' taking all the work away from the reader, to me, takes the interest and excitement of discovery and thought away, and instead of coming to our own conclusions and being blown away, or at least being attached to the process, we're handed this treatise on the world on the proverbial silver platter. i happen to agree with a lot of the ideas in this book (and i imagine that his conclusion is one that many people have come to on their own, watching the way the world is headed) and i'm not opposed to being lectured about things when that is what i've signed up for. i strongly prefer to pick up a novel and read a story that gently leads me down this path, while requiring me to actually think about the issues. incidentally, while that may mean some people (and i'll include myself in that group, if i don't give enough thought or energy to work it all out) miss the point, it also means that those who do get it are left far more changed than after reading a lecture masquerading as a novel. (1.5 stars)
next: a book you have read whose title starts with j, and what you thought of it
my review:
well. this isn't my only problem with this book but: so there's a point in this book where the teacher says to the student something to the effect of: 'you come here to learn from me but expect me to do all the work. you turn off your brain when you come to me and turn it on when you leave, so our work together is not together and it's only work for me.' that's how i feel reading this - i love a story that makes me think, that makes me view the world differently or with new ideas and eyes. it's almost the very reason that i read. this is a long lecture, broken up (as if it's dialogue) by the listener (the student) repeating things like, 'yes.' and 'true.' and 'i see.' taking all the work away from the reader, to me, takes the interest and excitement of discovery and thought away, and instead of coming to our own conclusions and being blown away, or at least being attached to the process, we're handed this treatise on the world on the proverbial silver platter. i happen to agree with a lot of the ideas in this book (and i imagine that his conclusion is one that many people have come to on their own, watching the way the world is headed) and i'm not opposed to being lectured about things when that is what i've signed up for. i strongly prefer to pick up a novel and read a story that gently leads me down this path, while requiring me to actually think about the issues. incidentally, while that may mean some people (and i'll include myself in that group, if i don't give enough thought or energy to work it all out) miss the point, it also means that those who do get it are left far more changed than after reading a lecture masquerading as a novel. (1.5 stars)
next: a book you have read whose title starts with j, and what you thought of it
293Schmerguls
1776. The Johnstown Flood, by David G. McCullough (read 15 Apr 1983)
This McCullough book is good, though some of the account of what was going on right after the flood hit Johnstown (on 31 May 1889) was confusing and not too interesting. No one ever was held liable for a nickel on account of the flood. The owner of the dam was a corporation of limited capital, even though its shareholders were rich. This book tells well an interesting story. (3 and a half stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with K, and what you thought of it.
This McCullough book is good, though some of the account of what was going on right after the flood hit Johnstown (on 31 May 1889) was confusing and not too interesting. No one ever was held liable for a nickel on account of the flood. The owner of the dam was a corporation of limited capital, even though its shareholders were rich. This book tells well an interesting story. (3 and a half stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with K, and what you thought of it.
294rolandperkins
King Richard II
Shakespeare's tragedy of a
deposed monarch, a study of weaknesses in ruling; Richard is not your
typical Elizabethan hero, and yet in some ways admirable, too.
It occupies a high spot on my TBrR** list. I can see why some literary historians believe Shakespeare had a military career. This, as does RIchard III, and the Henry VI plays, has "more than you ever wanted to know"
about the workings, at the highest level, of
2 rival medieval* armies.
The fact that Shakespeare would have been a lower-ranking officer, possibly even an enlisted man makes his point of view in these plays
not a strong argument for the
"Shakespeare the Soldier"
hypothesis.
*about 200 years before WS's time, but I'm not sure he even regarded it as
that "long ago".
**TBrR to be RE-read, something I rarely do
Shakespeare's tragedy of a
deposed monarch, a study of weaknesses in ruling; Richard is not your
typical Elizabethan hero, and yet in some ways admirable, too.
It occupies a high spot on my TBrR** list. I can see why some literary historians believe Shakespeare had a military career. This, as does RIchard III, and the Henry VI plays, has "more than you ever wanted to know"
about the workings, at the highest level, of
2 rival medieval* armies.
The fact that Shakespeare would have been a lower-ranking officer, possibly even an enlisted man makes his point of view in these plays
not a strong argument for the
"Shakespeare the Soldier"
hypothesis.
*about 200 years before WS's time, but I'm not sure he even regarded it as
that "long ago".
**TBrR to be RE-read, something I rarely do
295Schmerguls
2698. Learned Hand: The Man and the Judge, by Gerald Gunther (read 22 Jan 1995)
This is a superlative biography of Hand (born Jan 27, 1872 in Albany, N. Y., appointed a Federal District Judge in 1909, elevated to the Second Circuit in 1924, died in New York City on Aug 18, 1961) by Gunther, who clerked for Hand in the earlier 1950's and was a Con Law professor at Stanford. I found this a fascinating book, even though I obviously have disagreement with Hand's agnosticism. He was not really a very successful lawyer, but he was sheerly brilliant in his mind and as a judge. This book would have been fun to read in a law library, since it gives lots of citations which if one had read them as one went along would have made the book even more enjoyable. I doubt I have ever read a better biography of a judge. (5 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with M, and what you thought of it when you read it.
This is a superlative biography of Hand (born Jan 27, 1872 in Albany, N. Y., appointed a Federal District Judge in 1909, elevated to the Second Circuit in 1924, died in New York City on Aug 18, 1961) by Gunther, who clerked for Hand in the earlier 1950's and was a Con Law professor at Stanford. I found this a fascinating book, even though I obviously have disagreement with Hand's agnosticism. He was not really a very successful lawyer, but he was sheerly brilliant in his mind and as a judge. This book would have been fun to read in a law library, since it gives lots of citations which if one had read them as one went along would have made the book even more enjoyable. I doubt I have ever read a better biography of a judge. (5 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with M, and what you thought of it when you read it.
296overlycriticalme
my invented country by isabel allende read nov 2013
my review:
i'm tempted to give this a higher rating, but i think that would reflect more how i felt coming in and leaving the book, and less how i felt through much of the middle. she really did start and end extremely well, though. and the rest was ok, just not great. she tells you in the beginning (really even in the title's byline) that she will be meandering through memories, and much of the book reads like a vague rambling or a mishmash of events that i wanted to be more cohesive, or more in depth. (in her defense, she not only warns that this is what the book will be, but reminds the reader about 2/3 of the way in: "But that's how nostalgia is: a slow dance in a large circle." i did love that quote, and the image it invokes of the time she spends with her memories and where it takes her.) reading this does lend a little more insight into her other books, and makes me very much want to visit the south of chile.
while i seem to not connect as much as i'd like to with much of her writing these days, i also find some of her language incomparably lovely. when talking about the spirits of her dead family, she says: "They are simply memories that come to me and that from being caressed so often gradually acquire flesh." (2.5 stars)
next: a book you've read whose title start with "n" and what you thought of it
my review:
i'm tempted to give this a higher rating, but i think that would reflect more how i felt coming in and leaving the book, and less how i felt through much of the middle. she really did start and end extremely well, though. and the rest was ok, just not great. she tells you in the beginning (really even in the title's byline) that she will be meandering through memories, and much of the book reads like a vague rambling or a mishmash of events that i wanted to be more cohesive, or more in depth. (in her defense, she not only warns that this is what the book will be, but reminds the reader about 2/3 of the way in: "But that's how nostalgia is: a slow dance in a large circle." i did love that quote, and the image it invokes of the time she spends with her memories and where it takes her.) reading this does lend a little more insight into her other books, and makes me very much want to visit the south of chile.
while i seem to not connect as much as i'd like to with much of her writing these days, i also find some of her language incomparably lovely. when talking about the spirits of her dead family, she says: "They are simply memories that come to me and that from being caressed so often gradually acquire flesh." (2.5 stars)
next: a book you've read whose title start with "n" and what you thought of it
297Schmerguls
4372. Never so few. by Tom T. Chamales (read 19 Oct 2007)
The author in World War II served as an American officer in Burma with OSS, working with Kachin guerillas. This novel was inspired by James Jones' From Here to Eternity, and I conclude that the novel draws heavily on the author's war experience. I would have preferred a non-fiction account of his war experience, which appears to have been very unusual, including a horrendous incident of Chinese connected with Chiang killing American soldiers and selling their equipment to the Japanese (which the author indicates he had first-hand knowledge of). The novel tells a lot about drinking and whoring of the men helping the Kachin, which is not very interesting or fun to read about. There is some philosophizing, which may be interesting to some, but I found boring. There is a romance between the central character in the novel, Con Reynolds, and Carla, an Austrian-born woman, which again was of little interest. The battle scenes are realistic-sounding and I presume based on fact. But as a novel, I thought this book a waste of a lot of time. (1.5 stars)
Thanks, Eliza, for keeping this game from going dormant. I always find your comments of interest. I am not surprised by what you say about Isabel Allende's memoir. I read The House of the Spirits and in contradistinction to most, was utterly bored by it. In fact, I seldom find modern Latin American novels appealing, I think because they tend to drift into fantasy which is a genre I normally dislike.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with O, and what you thought of it when you read it.
The author in World War II served as an American officer in Burma with OSS, working with Kachin guerillas. This novel was inspired by James Jones' From Here to Eternity, and I conclude that the novel draws heavily on the author's war experience. I would have preferred a non-fiction account of his war experience, which appears to have been very unusual, including a horrendous incident of Chinese connected with Chiang killing American soldiers and selling their equipment to the Japanese (which the author indicates he had first-hand knowledge of). The novel tells a lot about drinking and whoring of the men helping the Kachin, which is not very interesting or fun to read about. There is some philosophizing, which may be interesting to some, but I found boring. There is a romance between the central character in the novel, Con Reynolds, and Carla, an Austrian-born woman, which again was of little interest. The battle scenes are realistic-sounding and I presume based on fact. But as a novel, I thought this book a waste of a lot of time. (1.5 stars)
Thanks, Eliza, for keeping this game from going dormant. I always find your comments of interest. I am not surprised by what you say about Isabel Allende's memoir. I read The House of the Spirits and in contradistinction to most, was utterly bored by it. In fact, I seldom find modern Latin American novels appealing, I think because they tend to drift into fantasy which is a genre I normally dislike.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with O, and what you thought of it when you read it.
298overlycriticalme
oryx and crake by margaret atwood read in aug 2008, and the next book on my to read list when i finish the one i'm currently reading.
my very sparse review from before:
atwood has a real way with language and words, and i love how she incorporates that into her story (although this is not the only book in which she does this). there is a lot in this book that gave me pause, and i think it will take me a bit of time to really digest it all.
schmerguls: i *loved* the house of the spirits when i read it in high school english class (12th grade, i think, but maybe 11th - so 1993ish) and was therefore *sorely* disappointed upon a reread in jan 2009. i actually like the magical realism that you're calling fantasy in latin authors, but found a lot not to like in this reread. it was the start of my dissatisfied period (with allende) that sadly hasn't ended yet.
next: a book whose title starts with p that you've read and what you thought of it
(edited because i forgot to remind everyone what is next)
my very sparse review from before:
atwood has a real way with language and words, and i love how she incorporates that into her story (although this is not the only book in which she does this). there is a lot in this book that gave me pause, and i think it will take me a bit of time to really digest it all.
schmerguls: i *loved* the house of the spirits when i read it in high school english class (12th grade, i think, but maybe 11th - so 1993ish) and was therefore *sorely* disappointed upon a reread in jan 2009. i actually like the magical realism that you're calling fantasy in latin authors, but found a lot not to like in this reread. it was the start of my dissatisfied period (with allende) that sadly hasn't ended yet.
next: a book whose title starts with p that you've read and what you thought of it
(edited because i forgot to remind everyone what is next)
299Schmerguls
1668. Peter the Great: His Life and World, by Robert K. Massie (read 7 Nov 1981) (Pulitzer Biography prize for 1981)
Since I so much enjoyed Massie's book on Nicholas II and Alexandra (read by me 6 Sep 1969), as soon as I saw this book I knew I would have to read it. Massie is a popularizer, and I think he works little with primary sources, and his footnotes are not scholarly. But he tells the story with verve and holds one's interest. Peter the Great's story is a fantastic one, and while I cannot forgive him for torturing his son, nor all the other cruelties and atrocities he committed, he was a giant of a figure in history. The book is over 800 pages, and treats expansively all that involved Peter the Great, including a full treatment of Charles XII. And though I am no stranger to Russian history, there were things I never realized: Peter's campaign in the Caspian Sea area; the fact that the war between Russia and Sweden lasted from 1700 to 1721; that Peter was almost annihilated on the Pruth by the Turks--if they had not let him get away; etc. A very good book, easy and fun to read, and a good refresher for the years 1689 to 1725 in European history. Because of the generous treatment of all the matters covered, I have no present inclination to read further--now--in the area.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of whixh starts with Q, and what you thought about it when you read it.
Since I so much enjoyed Massie's book on Nicholas II and Alexandra (read by me 6 Sep 1969), as soon as I saw this book I knew I would have to read it. Massie is a popularizer, and I think he works little with primary sources, and his footnotes are not scholarly. But he tells the story with verve and holds one's interest. Peter the Great's story is a fantastic one, and while I cannot forgive him for torturing his son, nor all the other cruelties and atrocities he committed, he was a giant of a figure in history. The book is over 800 pages, and treats expansively all that involved Peter the Great, including a full treatment of Charles XII. And though I am no stranger to Russian history, there were things I never realized: Peter's campaign in the Caspian Sea area; the fact that the war between Russia and Sweden lasted from 1700 to 1721; that Peter was almost annihilated on the Pruth by the Turks--if they had not let him get away; etc. A very good book, easy and fun to read, and a good refresher for the years 1689 to 1725 in European history. Because of the generous treatment of all the matters covered, I have no present inclination to read further--now--in the area.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of whixh starts with Q, and what you thought about it when you read it.
300overlycriticalme
the quiet american by graham greene, read in sept 2012
my review: morality and motive, and how the two get muddled (in general, but specifically during times of war - inner and otherwise). this took me a while (in a book this short i thought far too long) to get into, but did enjoy it once it got going. i thought the main point of it took a bit long to get to, and then went by rather quickly. but i really, really liked how he wrapped it up in the last two pages, in a way i didn't really expect.
"That was my first instinct - to protect him. It never occurred to me that there was greater need to protect myself. Innocence always calls mutely for protection when we would be so much wiser to guard ourselves against it: innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world, meaning no harm."
"Unlike them, I had reason for thankfulness, for wasn't Phuong alive? Hadn't Phuong been 'warned'? But what I remembered was the torso in the square, the baby on its mother's lap. They had not been warned: they had not been sufficiently important. And if the parade had taken place would they not have been there just the same, out of curiosity, to see the soldiers, and hear the speakers, and throw the flowers? A two-hundred-pound bomb does not discriminate. How many dead colonels justify a child's or trishaw driver's death when you are building a national democratic front?" (2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title starting with r, and what you thought of it
my review: morality and motive, and how the two get muddled (in general, but specifically during times of war - inner and otherwise). this took me a while (in a book this short i thought far too long) to get into, but did enjoy it once it got going. i thought the main point of it took a bit long to get to, and then went by rather quickly. but i really, really liked how he wrapped it up in the last two pages, in a way i didn't really expect.
"That was my first instinct - to protect him. It never occurred to me that there was greater need to protect myself. Innocence always calls mutely for protection when we would be so much wiser to guard ourselves against it: innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world, meaning no harm."
"Unlike them, I had reason for thankfulness, for wasn't Phuong alive? Hadn't Phuong been 'warned'? But what I remembered was the torso in the square, the baby on its mother's lap. They had not been warned: they had not been sufficiently important. And if the parade had taken place would they not have been there just the same, out of curiosity, to see the soldiers, and hear the speakers, and throw the flowers? A two-hundred-pound bomb does not discriminate. How many dead colonels justify a child's or trishaw driver's death when you are building a national democratic front?" (2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title starting with r, and what you thought of it
301Schmerguls
3389. Riders of the Purple Sage, by Zane Grey (read 12 Jan 2001)
I read a couple of Zane Grey books when I was a child, and never expected to read another. But last year I saw a list of "the best 20th century fiction written by or about the West" selected by readers in a poll conducted by the San Francisco Chronicle, and no. 36 thereon was this 1912 book! So I read it. It has so many defects, and yet the end I was surprised to see was not without a certain power. So much incredible, such poor characterization, though. Tells of Utah in 1871 and how the bad guys get mostly killed. I will say it was not as bad as I expected it to be. But I have no plan to read anything else by him. (1.5 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with S. and what you thought of it when you read it
I read a couple of Zane Grey books when I was a child, and never expected to read another. But last year I saw a list of "the best 20th century fiction written by or about the West" selected by readers in a poll conducted by the San Francisco Chronicle, and no. 36 thereon was this 1912 book! So I read it. It has so many defects, and yet the end I was surprised to see was not without a certain power. So much incredible, such poor characterization, though. Tells of Utah in 1871 and how the bad guys get mostly killed. I will say it was not as bad as I expected it to be. But I have no plan to read anything else by him. (1.5 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with S. and what you thought of it when you read it
302overlycriticalme
'salem's lot by stephen king, reread earlier this month
my review:
i've never been a fan of the vampire, zombie, alien kind of book (and that was before all the awful new vampire stuff that's come up in the last few years). so the premise of this one isn't something that would ever appeal to me, and it didn't when i first read it probably 25 years ago. still, i always said if you had to read a vampire book, this is the one to read. with this reread, i'm pretty comfortable standing by that, if you want the traditional story, not the more modern version that takes liberties with "vampire rules and requirements."
on the whole i'm really impressed with the distance he managed to go in tightening his writing between carrie and this, his second book. there is improvement in virtually every possible area - characterization, flow, tension building, and is rounded out well. he didn't develop much plausibility in the love story, but otherwise this is a dramatic improvement in his writing already.
so i said i'm not into the vampire thing and i'm not. but he does a nice job building the story. i don't know if it's my lack of interest in the topic or the writing but it did take me some time to get involved in the book, far longer than i'm used to with his later books. that said, once i was involved, i stayed pretty hooked. it's nice (for me) to see that one of the things i love about stephen king he was already doing this early on - taking something unbelievable and working to convince not just the reader, but the characters in the book, that it was happening. not taking for granted that a reader suspends belief when they open the pages of his book. i have always appreciated this about him, and he addresses this disbelief over and over in this book.
while not excited about vampire stories, once i got into this book i enjoyed it. it's a horror story in the real sense - he works hard at (and succeeds, even as it's transparent that he's doing it) building the tension in the story. he alludes to other horror stories and works of literature (and music) that give the reader a little insight (and make him seem quite well read/educated) and foreshadowing. overall it's well put together and i really am pretty impressed that he came this far in his second book.
i also love the way he writes about children and their perspective and their strengths. he revisits this in an incredible way in it and i'm looking forward to seeing if this is a recurring theme (or at least subject) of his that i've missed in other books of his.
"{The terrors that consume adults} were pallid compared to the fears every child lies cheek and jowl with in his dark bed, with no one to confess to in hope of perfect understanding but another child. There is no group therapy or psychiatry or community social services for the child who must cope with the thing under the bed or in the cellar every night, the thing which leers and capers and threatens just beyond the point where vision will reach. The same lonely battle must be fought night after night and the only cure is the eventual ossification of the imaginary faculties, and this is called adulthood." (2.5 stars)
next: the title of book you've read and that starts with "t" and what you thought of it
(ETA - where is everyone?? I wasn't the only one taking a break, it seems!)
my review:
i've never been a fan of the vampire, zombie, alien kind of book (and that was before all the awful new vampire stuff that's come up in the last few years). so the premise of this one isn't something that would ever appeal to me, and it didn't when i first read it probably 25 years ago. still, i always said if you had to read a vampire book, this is the one to read. with this reread, i'm pretty comfortable standing by that, if you want the traditional story, not the more modern version that takes liberties with "vampire rules and requirements."
on the whole i'm really impressed with the distance he managed to go in tightening his writing between carrie and this, his second book. there is improvement in virtually every possible area - characterization, flow, tension building, and is rounded out well. he didn't develop much plausibility in the love story, but otherwise this is a dramatic improvement in his writing already.
so i said i'm not into the vampire thing and i'm not. but he does a nice job building the story. i don't know if it's my lack of interest in the topic or the writing but it did take me some time to get involved in the book, far longer than i'm used to with his later books. that said, once i was involved, i stayed pretty hooked. it's nice (for me) to see that one of the things i love about stephen king he was already doing this early on - taking something unbelievable and working to convince not just the reader, but the characters in the book, that it was happening. not taking for granted that a reader suspends belief when they open the pages of his book. i have always appreciated this about him, and he addresses this disbelief over and over in this book.
while not excited about vampire stories, once i got into this book i enjoyed it. it's a horror story in the real sense - he works hard at (and succeeds, even as it's transparent that he's doing it) building the tension in the story. he alludes to other horror stories and works of literature (and music) that give the reader a little insight (and make him seem quite well read/educated) and foreshadowing. overall it's well put together and i really am pretty impressed that he came this far in his second book.
i also love the way he writes about children and their perspective and their strengths. he revisits this in an incredible way in it and i'm looking forward to seeing if this is a recurring theme (or at least subject) of his that i've missed in other books of his.
"{The terrors that consume adults} were pallid compared to the fears every child lies cheek and jowl with in his dark bed, with no one to confess to in hope of perfect understanding but another child. There is no group therapy or psychiatry or community social services for the child who must cope with the thing under the bed or in the cellar every night, the thing which leers and capers and threatens just beyond the point where vision will reach. The same lonely battle must be fought night after night and the only cure is the eventual ossification of the imaginary faculties, and this is called adulthood." (2.5 stars)
next: the title of book you've read and that starts with "t" and what you thought of it
(ETA - where is everyone?? I wasn't the only one taking a break, it seems!)
303Schmerguls
Thank you, Elisa, for saving this thread from going into dormancy, and for your usual meaningful comment. I read Dracula many years ago, with some appreciation, but have stayed away from modern vampire books pretty much--and have only read one Stephen King book.
1520. The Tichborne Claimant: A Victorian Mystery, by Douglas Woodruff (read 11 June 1979) (Book of the Year)
This is a most intriguing book. It tells most thoroughly and interestingly of the effort to claim the Tichborne estates, and tells of the two fantastically long trials involved. The incongruities of the trial are surely bizarre. Thirty day opening statements, 30 days to give instructions, just unbelievable to a lawyer. I incline to feel that the plaintiff in the first trial was Roger Tichborne! I vacillated all through the book. Things against it: his complete forgetting of France, his utter lack of knowledge re his time at Stonyhurst, the contrast in literacy between the letters of the undoubted Roger and the letters of the early claimant, his odd visit to Wapping on Christmas Day 1866. Things for it: so much he knew, and the very fact that over a period of 17 years one forgets so selectively, the claim he seduced Lady Rodcliff, which he shouldn't have made and undoubtedly would not have made if it had not been true, and his attitude somehow consistent with what I feel the real Roger Tichborne was like. This has been a most readable and interesting book, and I have enjoyed it all. I am surprised by my conclusion, since I now understand that it is extremely unlikely that the claimant was not a fraud. ( five stars )
NEXT: The title of a book you have read, the title of which starts with U, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
I don't know where everybody is but I still think this is a far more meaninglul game than some others...
1520. The Tichborne Claimant: A Victorian Mystery, by Douglas Woodruff (read 11 June 1979) (Book of the Year)
This is a most intriguing book. It tells most thoroughly and interestingly of the effort to claim the Tichborne estates, and tells of the two fantastically long trials involved. The incongruities of the trial are surely bizarre. Thirty day opening statements, 30 days to give instructions, just unbelievable to a lawyer. I incline to feel that the plaintiff in the first trial was Roger Tichborne! I vacillated all through the book. Things against it: his complete forgetting of France, his utter lack of knowledge re his time at Stonyhurst, the contrast in literacy between the letters of the undoubted Roger and the letters of the early claimant, his odd visit to Wapping on Christmas Day 1866. Things for it: so much he knew, and the very fact that over a period of 17 years one forgets so selectively, the claim he seduced Lady Rodcliff, which he shouldn't have made and undoubtedly would not have made if it had not been true, and his attitude somehow consistent with what I feel the real Roger Tichborne was like. This has been a most readable and interesting book, and I have enjoyed it all. I am surprised by my conclusion, since I now understand that it is extremely unlikely that the claimant was not a fraud. ( five stars )
NEXT: The title of a book you have read, the title of which starts with U, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
I don't know where everybody is but I still think this is a far more meaninglul game than some others...
304overlycriticalme
unless by carol shields, read jan 2010, when i apparently wrote shorter reviews:
a really nice and subtly powerful tale of coming of age into feminism that reminds us of how painful the realization is that as women, our voices are never as loudly heard as male voices. that, as women, we are simply not afforded the same credit as our male counterparts.
i agree schmerguls! fyi - stephen king isn't afforded the respect as a writer than he really is due. he really is quite talented and has some of the best - consistently, anyway - character development in fiction. doesn't mean you'd like him if you gave him a second chance, but he might be worth it!
a really nice and subtly powerful tale of coming of age into feminism that reminds us of how painful the realization is that as women, our voices are never as loudly heard as male voices. that, as women, we are simply not afforded the same credit as our male counterparts.
i agree schmerguls! fyi - stephen king isn't afforded the respect as a writer than he really is due. he really is quite talented and has some of the best - consistently, anyway - character development in fiction. doesn't mean you'd like him if you gave him a second chance, but he might be worth it!
305Schmerguls
2732. Voices of Protest: Huey Long, Father Coughlin and the Great Depression, by Alan Brinkley (read 16 Apr 1995) (National Book Award history prize in 1983)
This is a carefully researched 1982 book. It is not unfair to Father Coughlin, but shows he was not a very logical man. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, on 25 Oct 1891. In 1926 he was assigned to Royal Oak, Mich. and there was no church there then. He began giving sermons on the radio and then got into political broadcasts. I can barely remember hearing the talks on the radio. He did not give too many after 1936. He only got anti-Semitic in 1938. He retired at age 72 and died at 88. The book also tells of Huey Long. This is a thoughtful and most worthwhile book. ( four stars )
NEXT: The title of a book you have read, the title of which begins with W, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This is a carefully researched 1982 book. It is not unfair to Father Coughlin, but shows he was not a very logical man. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, on 25 Oct 1891. In 1926 he was assigned to Royal Oak, Mich. and there was no church there then. He began giving sermons on the radio and then got into political broadcasts. I can barely remember hearing the talks on the radio. He did not give too many after 1936. He only got anti-Semitic in 1938. He retired at age 72 and died at 88. The book also tells of Huey Long. This is a thoughtful and most worthwhile book. ( four stars )
NEXT: The title of a book you have read, the title of which begins with W, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
306overlycriticalme
written on the body by jeanette winterson reread nov 2013
here is my review:
this book is simply and utterly gorgeous from the first word to virtually the last. it's a beautiful poem (but isn't poetry) that i read as slowly as i could to savor it. the parts that aren't lyrical are beautiful in their own and very different way, as she's talking about sickness and death, about the body decaying or functioning. this book, although even better in my memory of it (i remember swooning over it the first time) than in actuality, is truly wonderful.
but - it's not for everyone, as it's not a plot-heavy novel (although the plot isn't tenuous at all). it's simply the narrator's experience of love and loss, focusing on the most recent of the many loves in his/her life. (the gender of the narrator isn't clear, making this i guess theoretically more accessible to readers in general? although i found it distracting - because i was trying to label the narrator, not because she wrote it in a way that made it distracting. actually i thought she did a really incredible job making it totally plausible that the narrator could be either a man or a woman; it was written very naturally, she didn't seem to be trying to exclude language or detail.) the overwhelming love the narrator feels is so perfectly described. truly, just gorgeous all around.
this is a love letter to love (and sex) but also to language and words.
"I don't like to think of myself as an insincere person but if I say I love you and I don't mean it then what else am I? Will I cherish you, adore you, make way for you, make myself better for you, look at you and always see you, tell you the truth? And if love is not those things then what things?"
"Louise, in this single bed, between these garish sheets, I will find a map as likely as any treasure hunt. I will explore you and mine you and you will redraw me according to your will. We shall cross one another's boundaries and make ourselves one nation. Scoop me in your hands for I am good soil. Eat of me and let me be sweet."
"Written on the body is a secret code only visible in certain lights; the accumulations of a lifetime gather there. In places the palimpsest is so heavily worked that the letters feel like braille. I like to keep my body rolled up away from prying eyes. Never unfold too much, tell the whole story. I didn't know that Louise would have reading hands. She has translated me into her own book."
"I've hidden those words in the lining of my coat. I take them out like a jewel thief when no-one's watching. They haven't faded. Nothing about you has faded. You are still the colour of my blood. You are my blood. When I look in the mirror it's not my own face I see. Your body is twice. Once you once me. Can I be sure which is which?"
"My lover is an olive tree whose roots grow by the sea. Her fruit is pungent and green. It is my joy to get at the stone of her. The little stone of her hard by the tongue. Her thick-fleshed salt-veined swaddle stone.
Who eats an olive without first puncturing the swaddle? The waited moment when the teeth shoot a strong burst of clear juice that has in it the weight of the land, the vicissitudes of the weather, even the first name of the olive keeper.
The sun is in your mouth. The burst of an olive is breaking of a bright sky. The hot days when the rains come. Eat the day where the sand burned the soles of your feet before the thunderstorm brought up your skin in bubbles of rain.
Our private grove is heavy with fruit. I shall worm you to the stone, the rough swaddle stone."
and the last paragraph of the book, which has spoilers, sort of:
"This is where the story starts, in this threadbare room. The walls are exploding. The windows have turned into telescopes. Moon and stars are magnified in this room. The sun hangs over the mantelpiece. I stretch out my hand and reach the corners of the world. The world is bundled up in this room. Beyond the door, where the river is, where the roads are, we shall be. We can take the world with us when we go and sling the sun under your arm. Hurry now, it's getting late. I don't know if this is a happy ending but here we are let loose in open fields."
fucking gorgeous.
next: the title of a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter x, y, or z and what you thought of it
here is my review:
this book is simply and utterly gorgeous from the first word to virtually the last. it's a beautiful poem (but isn't poetry) that i read as slowly as i could to savor it. the parts that aren't lyrical are beautiful in their own and very different way, as she's talking about sickness and death, about the body decaying or functioning. this book, although even better in my memory of it (i remember swooning over it the first time) than in actuality, is truly wonderful.
but - it's not for everyone, as it's not a plot-heavy novel (although the plot isn't tenuous at all). it's simply the narrator's experience of love and loss, focusing on the most recent of the many loves in his/her life. (the gender of the narrator isn't clear, making this i guess theoretically more accessible to readers in general? although i found it distracting - because i was trying to label the narrator, not because she wrote it in a way that made it distracting. actually i thought she did a really incredible job making it totally plausible that the narrator could be either a man or a woman; it was written very naturally, she didn't seem to be trying to exclude language or detail.) the overwhelming love the narrator feels is so perfectly described. truly, just gorgeous all around.
this is a love letter to love (and sex) but also to language and words.
"I don't like to think of myself as an insincere person but if I say I love you and I don't mean it then what else am I? Will I cherish you, adore you, make way for you, make myself better for you, look at you and always see you, tell you the truth? And if love is not those things then what things?"
"Louise, in this single bed, between these garish sheets, I will find a map as likely as any treasure hunt. I will explore you and mine you and you will redraw me according to your will. We shall cross one another's boundaries and make ourselves one nation. Scoop me in your hands for I am good soil. Eat of me and let me be sweet."
"Written on the body is a secret code only visible in certain lights; the accumulations of a lifetime gather there. In places the palimpsest is so heavily worked that the letters feel like braille. I like to keep my body rolled up away from prying eyes. Never unfold too much, tell the whole story. I didn't know that Louise would have reading hands. She has translated me into her own book."
"I've hidden those words in the lining of my coat. I take them out like a jewel thief when no-one's watching. They haven't faded. Nothing about you has faded. You are still the colour of my blood. You are my blood. When I look in the mirror it's not my own face I see. Your body is twice. Once you once me. Can I be sure which is which?"
"My lover is an olive tree whose roots grow by the sea. Her fruit is pungent and green. It is my joy to get at the stone of her. The little stone of her hard by the tongue. Her thick-fleshed salt-veined swaddle stone.
Who eats an olive without first puncturing the swaddle? The waited moment when the teeth shoot a strong burst of clear juice that has in it the weight of the land, the vicissitudes of the weather, even the first name of the olive keeper.
The sun is in your mouth. The burst of an olive is breaking of a bright sky. The hot days when the rains come. Eat the day where the sand burned the soles of your feet before the thunderstorm brought up your skin in bubbles of rain.
Our private grove is heavy with fruit. I shall worm you to the stone, the rough swaddle stone."
and the last paragraph of the book, which has spoilers, sort of:
"This is where the story starts, in this threadbare room. The walls are exploding. The windows have turned into telescopes. Moon and stars are magnified in this room. The sun hangs over the mantelpiece. I stretch out my hand and reach the corners of the world. The world is bundled up in this room. Beyond the door, where the river is, where the roads are, we shall be. We can take the world with us when we go and sling the sun under your arm. Hurry now, it's getting late. I don't know if this is a happy ending but here we are let loose in open fields."
fucking gorgeous.
next: the title of a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter x, y, or z and what you thought of it
307Schmerguls
4700. You Know These Lines! A Bibliography of the Most Quoted Verses in American Poetry, by Merle Johnson (read 24 Apr 2010)
This 1935 book lists 100 poems and quotes from them famous parts. It also minutely describes the books in which these poems first appeared--valuable information for book collectors but of no interest to me. I don't know if in 1935 people would all know the verses he cites, but there were some I did not know. But there were many I did know, and quite a few were to poems I memorized, namely: Annabel Lee; Antony and Cleopatra; Ballad of the Tempest; Barbara Frietchie; The Chambered Nautilus; Concord Hymn; Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight; I Have a Rendezvous With Death. Little Boy Blue; O Captain! My Captain!; Old Ironsides; A Psalm of Life; The Raven; Rock Me to Sleep; Sheridan's Ride; Somebody's Mother; To a Waterfowl; Trees; and The Village Blacksmith. The book does not have these poems in full--only famed lines therefrom. But I think the full poems can be found online. Some of the poems did not appeal to me at all, such as James Whitcomb Riley's dialect poems, which I think are best forgotten, as is also true of some of Lowell's poems. This is a great book for all interested in famed American poetry. (3 a half )
NEXT: The title of a book, the title of which begins with the letter Z or A, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This 1935 book lists 100 poems and quotes from them famous parts. It also minutely describes the books in which these poems first appeared--valuable information for book collectors but of no interest to me. I don't know if in 1935 people would all know the verses he cites, but there were some I did not know. But there were many I did know, and quite a few were to poems I memorized, namely: Annabel Lee; Antony and Cleopatra; Ballad of the Tempest; Barbara Frietchie; The Chambered Nautilus; Concord Hymn; Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight; I Have a Rendezvous With Death. Little Boy Blue; O Captain! My Captain!; Old Ironsides; A Psalm of Life; The Raven; Rock Me to Sleep; Sheridan's Ride; Somebody's Mother; To a Waterfowl; Trees; and The Village Blacksmith. The book does not have these poems in full--only famed lines therefrom. But I think the full poems can be found online. Some of the poems did not appeal to me at all, such as James Whitcomb Riley's dialect poems, which I think are best forgotten, as is also true of some of Lowell's poems. This is a great book for all interested in famed American poetry. (3 a half )
NEXT: The title of a book, the title of which begins with the letter Z or A, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
308overlycriticalme
zazen by vanessa veselka, just finished maybe 30 min ago. or however long it took me to write the review that follows:
this is a seriously intense read. i feel like i've been hit with something big and heavy. i literally have no idea if i love this book or hate it, if it's brilliant or ridiculous, if i understand her point at all or a little or entirely.
this is different than anything i've ever read before, but in a way that i think is good; she's pushing the line very consciously and intentionally. i think i lean toward this book being brilliant, not ridiculous.
it's also a bit of a jumble, maybe purposefully. sometimes it's hard to follow, sometimes when the main character, della, jumps from memory to present it's hard to know when the jump happens. sometimes it feels messy but it's supposed to. della is confused and unsure and trying to figure herself out, and i'm left with the same feeling. it's exhausting. but i think that the further away i get from this book, the more i'm going to like it.
i suspect that this is going to go down as a very polarizing book - people will either love it or hate it. i waffled while reading it but however it settles, i'll definitely read her again because if nothing else, what she does here is interesting and i'm curious what she does next.
"Jules reminded me of Credence, so convinced he was smarter than everyone that whatever he said came out like he was teaching you how to tie your shoes. Watching that habit slip, I saw how similar he and I really were. Only I had stopped trying to communicate with anyone at all, patronizingly or otherwise. My attitude was fuck you and your myopic mental laziness, tie your own fucking shoes. Under examination it wasn't a more enlightened stance."
as an aside, i don't know where this book is supposed to take place, but it feels very portland (or maybe eugene) to me, which is where both the author and i live. if the revolution happens, it'll be here.
as another aside, there are a number of egregious typos in this edition. like the book or not, that's unfortunate for the author and for what i think is a newer press. (3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "a," and what you thought of it
this is a seriously intense read. i feel like i've been hit with something big and heavy. i literally have no idea if i love this book or hate it, if it's brilliant or ridiculous, if i understand her point at all or a little or entirely.
this is different than anything i've ever read before, but in a way that i think is good; she's pushing the line very consciously and intentionally. i think i lean toward this book being brilliant, not ridiculous.
it's also a bit of a jumble, maybe purposefully. sometimes it's hard to follow, sometimes when the main character, della, jumps from memory to present it's hard to know when the jump happens. sometimes it feels messy but it's supposed to. della is confused and unsure and trying to figure herself out, and i'm left with the same feeling. it's exhausting. but i think that the further away i get from this book, the more i'm going to like it.
i suspect that this is going to go down as a very polarizing book - people will either love it or hate it. i waffled while reading it but however it settles, i'll definitely read her again because if nothing else, what she does here is interesting and i'm curious what she does next.
"Jules reminded me of Credence, so convinced he was smarter than everyone that whatever he said came out like he was teaching you how to tie your shoes. Watching that habit slip, I saw how similar he and I really were. Only I had stopped trying to communicate with anyone at all, patronizingly or otherwise. My attitude was fuck you and your myopic mental laziness, tie your own fucking shoes. Under examination it wasn't a more enlightened stance."
as an aside, i don't know where this book is supposed to take place, but it feels very portland (or maybe eugene) to me, which is where both the author and i live. if the revolution happens, it'll be here.
as another aside, there are a number of egregious typos in this edition. like the book or not, that's unfortunate for the author and for what i think is a newer press. (3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "a," and what you thought of it
309Schmerguls
1254. Agnes Grey, by Anne Bronte (read 16 Dec 1973)
This is a simple tale and certainly has none of the fire of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. It reminded me of Pride and Prejudice, though less skillful. Agnes Grey is a minister's daughter, and the book tells of her position as a governess, and of her meeting a curate. I found the book artless but interest-holding.
Next: A book you have read, the title of which begins with B, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This is a simple tale and certainly has none of the fire of Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights. It reminded me of Pride and Prejudice, though less skillful. Agnes Grey is a minister's daughter, and the book tells of her position as a governess, and of her meeting a curate. I found the book artless but interest-holding.
Next: A book you have read, the title of which begins with B, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
310overlycriticalme
the book of salt by monique truing, read march 2013
my review:
this is a hard one for me to rate. for some reason i had *extremely* low expectations going in, and i'm sure that affected my reading of this book for at least the first 75 pages or so. i did think that this was not easy to get into, to care at all about, and i really had to work on focusing on actually reading the words. i haven't been this distracted while reading in a long while. at the beginning. once i got past my main issues with the book (the language and the story) i ended up quite liking it.
but the main issues: the language is so incredibly overblown. it's beautiful, don't get me wrong, but so incongruous to the subject. it ends up making no sense that she's writing the way she does about what she's writing about. which makes it hard to read if you're paying attention to both the language and what she's talking about. if you just want to read for the writing or because words can sound pretty on a page, then this is a great book for you to just pick up and open anywhere to appreciate a page or two at a time. and then the story, if you can even call it that. this isn't a book about anything in particular. i actually don't necessarily need lots of things to happen in a book to like it, but i'd like to be able to pinpoint that it was about something.
so i both liked and didn't like this book. the setting isn't something i know anything about (or am much interested in) but did, in the end, find myself enjoying the book for its language. i just wish it had a story worthy of it.
the passages below are examples of the overblown language that at first really annoyed me because they just didn't fit in at all, but that, by the end, i really enjoyed:
"I see there on my fingertips a landscape that would become as familiar to me as the way home."
"If I had your voice, I would never be so terse. I would never stop talking. Why would I if I had a voice like warm fire, not at the crackling and popping early stages but at the moment when all becomes quiet and the embers glow, when heat appears to melt the wood? If I had your voice, I would call out your name from the street, let it pound like a heartbeat at your door, offer it to you as a song. I would never cease." (2.5 stars)
next: a book you've read that starts with the letter "c" and what you thought of it
my review:
this is a hard one for me to rate. for some reason i had *extremely* low expectations going in, and i'm sure that affected my reading of this book for at least the first 75 pages or so. i did think that this was not easy to get into, to care at all about, and i really had to work on focusing on actually reading the words. i haven't been this distracted while reading in a long while. at the beginning. once i got past my main issues with the book (the language and the story) i ended up quite liking it.
but the main issues: the language is so incredibly overblown. it's beautiful, don't get me wrong, but so incongruous to the subject. it ends up making no sense that she's writing the way she does about what she's writing about. which makes it hard to read if you're paying attention to both the language and what she's talking about. if you just want to read for the writing or because words can sound pretty on a page, then this is a great book for you to just pick up and open anywhere to appreciate a page or two at a time. and then the story, if you can even call it that. this isn't a book about anything in particular. i actually don't necessarily need lots of things to happen in a book to like it, but i'd like to be able to pinpoint that it was about something.
so i both liked and didn't like this book. the setting isn't something i know anything about (or am much interested in) but did, in the end, find myself enjoying the book for its language. i just wish it had a story worthy of it.
the passages below are examples of the overblown language that at first really annoyed me because they just didn't fit in at all, but that, by the end, i really enjoyed:
"I see there on my fingertips a landscape that would become as familiar to me as the way home."
"If I had your voice, I would never be so terse. I would never stop talking. Why would I if I had a voice like warm fire, not at the crackling and popping early stages but at the moment when all becomes quiet and the embers glow, when heat appears to melt the wood? If I had your voice, I would call out your name from the street, let it pound like a heartbeat at your door, offer it to you as a song. I would never cease." (2.5 stars)
next: a book you've read that starts with the letter "c" and what you thought of it
311Schmerguls
2730. Company Commander, by Charles B. MacDonald (read 11 Apr 1995)
This begins when the author, a 21-year-old captain in the U.S. Army in October 1944 takes over a company in Belgium. He goes thru the Battle of the Bulge, fighting near the Rhine, and the drive to Czechoslovakia in 1945. It is very realistic, and gives the flavor of what the war was really like better than any book I've read. I should read the author's A Time for Trumpets: The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge. But I never have. (five stars)
P.S. But now I have: A Time for Trumpets The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge, by Charles B. McDonald read 9 Jul 2008
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with D, and what you thought of the book when you read it
This begins when the author, a 21-year-old captain in the U.S. Army in October 1944 takes over a company in Belgium. He goes thru the Battle of the Bulge, fighting near the Rhine, and the drive to Czechoslovakia in 1945. It is very realistic, and gives the flavor of what the war was really like better than any book I've read. I should read the author's A Time for Trumpets: The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge. But I never have. (five stars)
P.S. But now I have: A Time for Trumpets The Untold Story of the Battle of the Bulge, by Charles B. McDonald read 9 Jul 2008
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with D, and what you thought of the book when you read it
312overlycriticalme
doctor zhivago by boris pasternak, read feb 2012 over a period of weeks after my son was born. he got to hear most of the final quarter.
my review:
it's not the fault of this book that it took me so long to read. i actually quite liked most of it. it would help to know more russian history, but i think i got the important points. more than the story, though, i enjoyed the writing, especially early on. (3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with "e," and what you thought of the book when you read it
my review:
it's not the fault of this book that it took me so long to read. i actually quite liked most of it. it would help to know more russian history, but i think i got the important points. more than the story, though, i enjoyed the writing, especially early on. (3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with "e," and what you thought of the book when you read it
313Schmerguls
4101. The Endurance Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition, by Caroline Alexander (read 4 Dec 2005)
This is an account of the same South Pole expedition which is the subject of Alfred Lansing's book, Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, which I read March 1, 2003, and which won my Best Book Read in 2003 award. The trip was so extraordinary, the hardships endured so tremendous, that reading another book on the same subject was fully justified. This is a really good book, though Lansing's book had the advantage of telling me the story first. ( 4 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with F, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This is an account of the same South Pole expedition which is the subject of Alfred Lansing's book, Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, which I read March 1, 2003, and which won my Best Book Read in 2003 award. The trip was so extraordinary, the hardships endured so tremendous, that reading another book on the same subject was fully justified. This is a really good book, though Lansing's book had the advantage of telling me the story first. ( 4 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with F, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
314overlycriticalme
franny and zooey by jd salinger, read may 2013
my review:
i really, really enjoyed the first section of this book (franny) but had a much harder time with the second (zooey). i like what salinger does, in part, and i like how he writes, but i didn't really care for most of the dialogue (and this entire book is basically a dialogue). the characters are hard to like, or at least they are on the surface. but everything that franny spouts off about in that first section, i thought was so spot on, and felt so real. (does this mean i'm going crazy?) maybe the rest was more of a struggle for me because it turned philosophical and religious. i did also like how at least one central character (seymour) figured so prominently (really the entire family is centered around him) and we don't even meet him, except through the 3 people in the family we do meet. and i didn't like how very much every character used the word goddam in every sentence, it was distracting. as was how much they smoked - i could hardly visualize the scene and the characters the rooms were so smoke-filled. but it was pretty amazing he made an entire book basically out of 3 conversations, and a good chunk of it (maybe as much as half) takes place in a bathroom. up and downs for me in this one. (2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "g" and what you thought of it when you read it
my review:
i really, really enjoyed the first section of this book (franny) but had a much harder time with the second (zooey). i like what salinger does, in part, and i like how he writes, but i didn't really care for most of the dialogue (and this entire book is basically a dialogue). the characters are hard to like, or at least they are on the surface. but everything that franny spouts off about in that first section, i thought was so spot on, and felt so real. (does this mean i'm going crazy?) maybe the rest was more of a struggle for me because it turned philosophical and religious. i did also like how at least one central character (seymour) figured so prominently (really the entire family is centered around him) and we don't even meet him, except through the 3 people in the family we do meet. and i didn't like how very much every character used the word goddam in every sentence, it was distracting. as was how much they smoked - i could hardly visualize the scene and the characters the rooms were so smoke-filled. but it was pretty amazing he made an entire book basically out of 3 conversations, and a good chunk of it (maybe as much as half) takes place in a bathroom. up and downs for me in this one. (2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "g" and what you thought of it when you read it
315Schmerguls
1997. Growing Up, by Russell Baker (read 11 Apr 1986) (Pulitzer Biography prize for 1983)
I found this a superlative memoir. Baker was born Apr 14, 1926, and his father died when he was 5 and he was very poor. Poignant, funny--it is great reading. I really enjoyed it. It is just an ordinary story, and ends when he gets married in about 1949 or 1950. One of the best books I have read in ages, I said when I finihed it on April 11, 1986. (five stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with H, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
I found this a superlative memoir. Baker was born Apr 14, 1926, and his father died when he was 5 and he was very poor. Poignant, funny--it is great reading. I really enjoyed it. It is just an ordinary story, and ends when he gets married in about 1949 or 1950. One of the best books I have read in ages, I said when I finihed it on April 11, 1986. (five stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with H, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
316CarolKub
Hawkfall: and other stories by George MacKay Brown
I am a big fan of this Orkney writers work. This one, like all his work is full of poetic language and yet simple stories; the mysterious and unique air of Orkney is a character of its own in his novels. This book flits between different centuries; time in Orkney runs at a different pace and the layers of time are written in the landscape. Wonderful stuff
I am a big fan of this Orkney writers work. This one, like all his work is full of poetic language and yet simple stories; the mysterious and unique air of Orkney is a character of its own in his novels. This book flits between different centuries; time in Orkney runs at a different pace and the layers of time are written in the landscape. Wonderful stuff
317overlycriticalme
i, claudius by robert graves, read sept 2013
my review:
i guess it's a good time to have read this. just when i feel like our governmental leaders can't get much worse, i read about a pack of barbarians ruling rome and killing pretty much everyone willy-nilly for the purpose of taking their wealth, ensuring their own power, or just for the "fun" of it. so there's that.
this is an incredible history. it's literally chock full with historical details; i understand why it's called "the best fictional reconstruction of rome ever written." i'd read the masters of rome series by colleen mccullough about 9 years ago (and so missed the last in the series which came out since then) and was fascinated by this history and many of the people she wrote about. i found out basically that if you're interested in this period of time, and this history, the book to read is this book and it's sequel (claudius the god). it took me a while to get to it, and i'd forgotten most of the history and most of the people - this book takes a little while to get going if only because there are so many characters to keep straight. once you do, though, it's a fascinating romp through the inner sanctum of leadership in a crazy time in history, with some of the most treacherous people you can imagine (especially livia, tiberius, and caligula). he writes positively of augustus, and i remember colleen mccullough treating him unfavorably, but this history seems awfully well put together.
anyway, it's an enjoyable read and a pretty amazing historical account. i'm looking forward to the sequel, even if it's not quick reading. (3.5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with the letter j, and what you thought of it
my review:
i guess it's a good time to have read this. just when i feel like our governmental leaders can't get much worse, i read about a pack of barbarians ruling rome and killing pretty much everyone willy-nilly for the purpose of taking their wealth, ensuring their own power, or just for the "fun" of it. so there's that.
this is an incredible history. it's literally chock full with historical details; i understand why it's called "the best fictional reconstruction of rome ever written." i'd read the masters of rome series by colleen mccullough about 9 years ago (and so missed the last in the series which came out since then) and was fascinated by this history and many of the people she wrote about. i found out basically that if you're interested in this period of time, and this history, the book to read is this book and it's sequel (claudius the god). it took me a while to get to it, and i'd forgotten most of the history and most of the people - this book takes a little while to get going if only because there are so many characters to keep straight. once you do, though, it's a fascinating romp through the inner sanctum of leadership in a crazy time in history, with some of the most treacherous people you can imagine (especially livia, tiberius, and caligula). he writes positively of augustus, and i remember colleen mccullough treating him unfavorably, but this history seems awfully well put together.
anyway, it's an enjoyable read and a pretty amazing historical account. i'm looking forward to the sequel, even if it's not quick reading. (3.5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with the letter j, and what you thought of it
318Schmerguls
4493. Jane Austen A Life, by Claire Tomalin (read 5 Oct 2008)
Even though I read Valerie Grosvenor Myers' excellent biography of Jane Austen on 26 Apr 1998, I decided to read this one now since I so enjoyed Tomalin's biographies of Pepys and Hardy. This biography is perfectly constucted, and tells the actually very interesting life of Austen very well. She had two brothers who ended up admirals, and other of her siblings had interesting lives. Jane is buried in Winchester Cathedral, but her memorial there makes no mention of her literary work! One probably should re-read her novels before reading this, though the book conveniently summarizes the plots of them. Tomalin is a superlative biographer. (four stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with the letter K, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
Even though I read Valerie Grosvenor Myers' excellent biography of Jane Austen on 26 Apr 1998, I decided to read this one now since I so enjoyed Tomalin's biographies of Pepys and Hardy. This biography is perfectly constucted, and tells the actually very interesting life of Austen very well. She had two brothers who ended up admirals, and other of her siblings had interesting lives. Jane is buried in Winchester Cathedral, but her memorial there makes no mention of her literary work! One probably should re-read her novels before reading this, though the book conveniently summarizes the plots of them. Tomalin is a superlative biographer. (four stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with the letter K, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
319overlycriticalme
kaaterskill falls by allegra goodman read before i kept track
i'm afraid all i remember was that i liked the language and found it decent but i also think i was a little disappointed. i certainly didn't run out to add more of her books to my list of things to read, but also wasn't opposed to reading her again. probably an average book for me.
(been wracking my brain for 2 days for a book that starts with k that i've read, or i wouldn't have chosen this one...)
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with the letter "l" (not i) and what you thought of it
i'm afraid all i remember was that i liked the language and found it decent but i also think i was a little disappointed. i certainly didn't run out to add more of her books to my list of things to read, but also wasn't opposed to reading her again. probably an average book for me.
(been wracking my brain for 2 days for a book that starts with k that i've read, or i wouldn't have chosen this one...)
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with the letter "l" (not i) and what you thought of it
320Schmerguls
2052. The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, by Brian Moore (read 1 Feb 1987)
The author was born in Belfast, Ireland, but is a Canadian citizen. This is his first serious novel, published in 1955. It tells of a plain woman in Belfast, in her 40's, who is an alcoholic. She has a gloomy life, and more or less loses her Faith. I did not like the book--it is too cynical, and its re-creation of life in a dingy Belfast boardinghouse is strictly non-edifying. I doubt I will read anything else by Moore. (2 and a half stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with M, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
The author was born in Belfast, Ireland, but is a Canadian citizen. This is his first serious novel, published in 1955. It tells of a plain woman in Belfast, in her 40's, who is an alcoholic. She has a gloomy life, and more or less loses her Faith. I did not like the book--it is too cynical, and its re-creation of life in a dingy Belfast boardinghouse is strictly non-edifying. I doubt I will read anything else by Moore. (2 and a half stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with M, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
321overlycriticalme
man walks into a room by nicole krauss, read nov 2012
a book i was first drawn to purely because of its cover
my review:
this book is gorgeous. i absolutely loved the first third for both the writing and the story, then the story sort of fell off a bit for me. it picked up with the last third. but the writing. the writing never fell off at all. from beginning to end it is just superb. and as to the story - i was hoping she'd explore something she didn't, but she went a different way that was perfectly interesting and worth traveling, but it wasn't where i was hoping she'd go. not her fault. but it doesn't matter because the writing is just so good. (4 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with "n" and what you thought of it
a book i was first drawn to purely because of its cover
my review:
this book is gorgeous. i absolutely loved the first third for both the writing and the story, then the story sort of fell off a bit for me. it picked up with the last third. but the writing. the writing never fell off at all. from beginning to end it is just superb. and as to the story - i was hoping she'd explore something she didn't, but she went a different way that was perfectly interesting and worth traveling, but it wasn't where i was hoping she'd go. not her fault. but it doesn't matter because the writing is just so good. (4 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with "n" and what you thought of it
322Schmerguls
3073. No Highway: A Novel, by Nevil Shute (read 6 May 1998)
This is one of the three books published in 1948 which Anthony Burgess selected to include in his list of the 99 best works of fiction published from 1939 to 1984. I had never read a Shute book till I read this one, after seeing the memorable Jimmy Stewart movie based on this book. This is a "nice" book about nice people; not very profound, but very easy to read. It is kind of predictable and has a happy ending. (three stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with O, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This is one of the three books published in 1948 which Anthony Burgess selected to include in his list of the 99 best works of fiction published from 1939 to 1984. I had never read a Shute book till I read this one, after seeing the memorable Jimmy Stewart movie based on this book. This is a "nice" book about nice people; not very profound, but very easy to read. It is kind of predictable and has a happy ending. (three stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with O, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
323overlycriticalme
our kind by kate walbert read oct 2013
my review:
somewhere between 2.5 and 3 stars. i wanted to like this book more than i did overall, but at the same time there were parts that were just so beautifully written, and so astute.
it's called a "novel in stories" which basically means that each chapter stands alone but is related to all the others. they are not in chronological order and the main focus of each is not the same character, although the same characters are in all of the chapters. i would have liked a little more to tie the chapters all together, or to feel some more resolution. i'm left a bit unsatisfied. maybe that's the story or maybe it's the writing, which was at times so so so good, and at other times just a let down. she overused some phrasing ("Right at this moment cider simmers on her range, cinnamon sticks like so many tiny logjams." it's the "like so many" that at first sounds so lovely, but when repeated so often is kind of ruined.) in a book this short and this quick to read, i think it's important for a writer not to do that. but there were also so many really great parts and phrases and images. and one chapter/story in particular (sick chicks) that i loved.
the stories themselves are about relationship and divorce - the women all know each other from the country club they belong to, have all had children around the same time, are all divorced. they spend all of their time together but aren't friends. they are incredibly unlikeable for the most part, but you also know that they aren't who they really are because society hasn't let them be. they did what they were "supposed to do" - getting married, having kids, and for the most part are pretty empty shells of people. definitely some interesting things in this book.
a quote that i feel like kind of represents the dichotomy of the writing in the book: "It made us feel sophisticated and boorish at the same time." leaning more toward the sophisticated.
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with "p" and what you thought of it
my review:
somewhere between 2.5 and 3 stars. i wanted to like this book more than i did overall, but at the same time there were parts that were just so beautifully written, and so astute.
it's called a "novel in stories" which basically means that each chapter stands alone but is related to all the others. they are not in chronological order and the main focus of each is not the same character, although the same characters are in all of the chapters. i would have liked a little more to tie the chapters all together, or to feel some more resolution. i'm left a bit unsatisfied. maybe that's the story or maybe it's the writing, which was at times so so so good, and at other times just a let down. she overused some phrasing ("Right at this moment cider simmers on her range, cinnamon sticks like so many tiny logjams." it's the "like so many" that at first sounds so lovely, but when repeated so often is kind of ruined.) in a book this short and this quick to read, i think it's important for a writer not to do that. but there were also so many really great parts and phrases and images. and one chapter/story in particular (sick chicks) that i loved.
the stories themselves are about relationship and divorce - the women all know each other from the country club they belong to, have all had children around the same time, are all divorced. they spend all of their time together but aren't friends. they are incredibly unlikeable for the most part, but you also know that they aren't who they really are because society hasn't let them be. they did what they were "supposed to do" - getting married, having kids, and for the most part are pretty empty shells of people. definitely some interesting things in this book.
a quote that i feel like kind of represents the dichotomy of the writing in the book: "It made us feel sophisticated and boorish at the same time." leaning more toward the sophisticated.
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with "p" and what you thought of it
324Schmerguls
1224. Power to Dissolve Lawyers and Marriages in the Courts of the Roman Curia, by John T. Noonan, Jr. (read 16 Jun 1973) (Book of the Year)
This is the most interesting and absorbing book I had read in 1973 and in fact it went on to be awarded the prestigious and coveted "Best Book Read by Me" award for 1973. It examines six marriage cases, ranging from the marriage of Charles of Lorraine to Nicole on Mat 22, 1621, to the marriage of Marie Reid to Frederick Parkhurst on Sept 21, 1887. I found each of the six cases fascinating and the book made me wish I was a canon lawyer! (5 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with Q, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This is the most interesting and absorbing book I had read in 1973 and in fact it went on to be awarded the prestigious and coveted "Best Book Read by Me" award for 1973. It examines six marriage cases, ranging from the marriage of Charles of Lorraine to Nicole on Mat 22, 1621, to the marriage of Marie Reid to Frederick Parkhurst on Sept 21, 1887. I found each of the six cases fascinating and the book made me wish I was a canon lawyer! (5 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with Q, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
325overlycriticalme
qbvii by leon uris read in may 2013
my review:
i think that i don't really appreciate the way uris writes, but i do like the stories that he chooses to tell, generally. this book brings up some really interesting moral questions, and i like the ambiguous (to me, realistic) way he answers them. (this is a holocaust book so some of the moral questions aren't ambiguous at all, but there are a lot that are.)
i do think that he makes a few strange choices that distance the readers when it would have been more useful to him, enjoyable to me, and poignant for the story if he'd brought us in more. for instance, he could have made either of the two main characters at all even remotely likable. and i don't like the way he portrays women at all in this book, excepting the few courageous ones we meet at the end. but the story is interesting and a good reminder that many things aren't so black and white as we'd like to believe.
also it was interesting to see how differently things are done in a british courtroom (at least in the late 60's) from in the usa. (from what i understand, anyway.)
"After all, the only thing that is going to save mankind is if enough people live their lives for something or someone other than themselves." (in all small caps in the book) (2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with r, and what you thought of it
my review:
i think that i don't really appreciate the way uris writes, but i do like the stories that he chooses to tell, generally. this book brings up some really interesting moral questions, and i like the ambiguous (to me, realistic) way he answers them. (this is a holocaust book so some of the moral questions aren't ambiguous at all, but there are a lot that are.)
i do think that he makes a few strange choices that distance the readers when it would have been more useful to him, enjoyable to me, and poignant for the story if he'd brought us in more. for instance, he could have made either of the two main characters at all even remotely likable. and i don't like the way he portrays women at all in this book, excepting the few courageous ones we meet at the end. but the story is interesting and a good reminder that many things aren't so black and white as we'd like to believe.
also it was interesting to see how differently things are done in a british courtroom (at least in the late 60's) from in the usa. (from what i understand, anyway.)
"After all, the only thing that is going to save mankind is if enough people live their lives for something or someone other than themselves." (in all small caps in the book) (2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with r, and what you thought of it
326Schmerguls
3866. Replay, by Ken Grimwood (read 10 Mar 2004)
When I finished this book I said: "This is a 1986 novel concerning a guy, Ken Winston, who dies at age 42, then begins to live his life over again from his teen years on, with full knowledge of his prior life, and so he knows who wins the Kentucky Derby in 1963 and that the Dodgers beat the Yankees four straight games in the 1963 World Series, etc. So he bets and becomes fantastically rich, and so on. And he does this reliving over and over again! I found this so fantastic that one could not suspend belief, though it is fun to see the concept developed. But the events in the first life were real and the events in the replayed lives were known only to the replaying characters (he finds a couple others who are going thru the same experience). So the scenario really made no sense if one thought about it and often as I read I could not help saying to myself 'this is silly.' But I suppose my time could have been less well spent than it was in reading this." AND yet, now years later I have a pleasant memory of the book and the goofy concept! (three and a half stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with S, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
When I finished this book I said: "This is a 1986 novel concerning a guy, Ken Winston, who dies at age 42, then begins to live his life over again from his teen years on, with full knowledge of his prior life, and so he knows who wins the Kentucky Derby in 1963 and that the Dodgers beat the Yankees four straight games in the 1963 World Series, etc. So he bets and becomes fantastically rich, and so on. And he does this reliving over and over again! I found this so fantastic that one could not suspend belief, though it is fun to see the concept developed. But the events in the first life were real and the events in the replayed lives were known only to the replaying characters (he finds a couple others who are going thru the same experience). So the scenario really made no sense if one thought about it and often as I read I could not help saying to myself 'this is silly.' But I suppose my time could have been less well spent than it was in reading this." AND yet, now years later I have a pleasant memory of the book and the goofy concept! (three and a half stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with S, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
327overlycriticalme
the shining by stephen king most recently read last week
my review:
where to start with this review? there is so much to say - stephen king revisits a theme or two from carrie but improves drastically on them; both the ideas he tackles as well as the epistolary format (used far less in this one) that he continues to use in his career. his style is evident and considerably honed already in this third of his novels.
i'm loving revisiting his books to see his development. i'm really impressed at how quickly he became the writer he is today. this book is quintessential stephen king. the pacing, the character development, the interplay of reality with fantasy (or is it?) or horror, the great writing. the climax alone was about *200* pages - that's a lot of tension to build to and sustain. (i meant that for the writer but it's true for the reader, too, frankly.) and there's a part that builds and builds to what you know is this intense and scary moment (it's one of the two or three scariest parts of the book, for me) that never even comes. it's freaking brilliant to play with the reader (and the character's sanity) like that. i've long since said that he started out writing scary books and took a turn to more psychological thriller at some point - i'm gratified to see how much psychological stuff was in this one, so early on in his career.
yes, this is a creepy and scary book. (i'd read this before at least once maybe twice but still found myself clutching at the bedsheets when reading, even when i knew what was coming.) but it's also a book about the fears of failure and also of success, about loneliness and what that can drive you to or how it can force a change in you. it's about what it means to be an alcoholic or to be married to one or to be the child of one, it's about making excuses and unfulfilled potential. it's about what happens when you realize that maybe you aren't who you thought you are. or what happens in a stephen king novel, anyway, with other forces at play.
and it's worth repeating: there is literally a 200 page climax. (4 stars )
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with the letter "t" and what you thought of it
my review:
where to start with this review? there is so much to say - stephen king revisits a theme or two from carrie but improves drastically on them; both the ideas he tackles as well as the epistolary format (used far less in this one) that he continues to use in his career. his style is evident and considerably honed already in this third of his novels.
i'm loving revisiting his books to see his development. i'm really impressed at how quickly he became the writer he is today. this book is quintessential stephen king. the pacing, the character development, the interplay of reality with fantasy (or is it?) or horror, the great writing. the climax alone was about *200* pages - that's a lot of tension to build to and sustain. (i meant that for the writer but it's true for the reader, too, frankly.) and there's a part that builds and builds to what you know is this intense and scary moment (it's one of the two or three scariest parts of the book, for me) that never even comes. it's freaking brilliant to play with the reader (and the character's sanity) like that. i've long since said that he started out writing scary books and took a turn to more psychological thriller at some point - i'm gratified to see how much psychological stuff was in this one, so early on in his career.
yes, this is a creepy and scary book. (i'd read this before at least once maybe twice but still found myself clutching at the bedsheets when reading, even when i knew what was coming.) but it's also a book about the fears of failure and also of success, about loneliness and what that can drive you to or how it can force a change in you. it's about what it means to be an alcoholic or to be married to one or to be the child of one, it's about making excuses and unfulfilled potential. it's about what happens when you realize that maybe you aren't who you thought you are. or what happens in a stephen king novel, anyway, with other forces at play.
and it's worth repeating: there is literally a 200 page climax. (4 stars )
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with the letter "t" and what you thought of it
328Schmerguls
1229. The Trial of Queen Caroline, by Roger Fulford (read 14 Jul 1973)
1229. The Trial of Queen Caroline, by Roger Fulford (14 July 1973) This is an account of the trial in 1820 of a bill pertaining to King George IV's wife, seeking to deprive her of the title of queen and dissolve the marriage between her and the King. I thought the book superficial, simply recounting the trial and rather short on analysis. A better book on the trial itself is given in Flora Fraser's The Unruly Queen: The Life of Queen Caroline, which I read 11 May 1997. (two stars)
NEXT: a book you have read, the title of which starts with U, and what you thought of the book.
1229. The Trial of Queen Caroline, by Roger Fulford (14 July 1973) This is an account of the trial in 1820 of a bill pertaining to King George IV's wife, seeking to deprive her of the title of queen and dissolve the marriage between her and the King. I thought the book superficial, simply recounting the trial and rather short on analysis. A better book on the trial itself is given in Flora Fraser's The Unruly Queen: The Life of Queen Caroline, which I read 11 May 1997. (two stars)
NEXT: a book you have read, the title of which starts with U, and what you thought of the book.
329overlycriticalme
up country by nelson demille; read april 2009
my review:
here's the deal with demille: he's a very mediocre writer but he's more compelling when he writes about the vietnam war, as he does in this book (and others). the story here isn't all that interesting or intriguing, and it certainly could be told in fewer than 860 pages. but the story did hold some worthwhile points about war and about the long lasting effects it has, for the countries involved and also the individuals.
my real problem with demille is that he's a sexist and has no idea that he is. it seems to me that he'd probably be offended by my writing that, because he'd never identify that way, and because he doesn't think he's sexist, he thinks that that gives him the allowance to write sexist things for the sake of humor. (newsflash - racist and sexist things aren't funny, mr. demille.) it's so insidious because his sexism is most likely being read by millions of men (his books are often on the bestseller lists) who also don't think he's sexist. and his books are full of sexist, and sometimes racist, comments made by self-identified chivalrous men who somehow manage to consistently charm younger, attractive women.
two examples (notice the pristine writing):
at the end of a massage given at the hotel he was staying in:
"Finally she turned me over on my back and somehow I'd lost my towel. She was kneeling between my legs, and she pointed to a place she hadn't massaged yet. I had a feeling the shiatsu part of the massage was over.
She said, 'Ten dollar - okay?'
'Uhhh...'
She smiled and nodded encouragingly. 'Yes?'
Give this hotel another star."
(now, his character is a moral, non-sexist guy so he didn't take the lady up on this, but he still finds it acceptable to make that comment.)
and the other:
"Colonel Mang regarded Susan a moment, wondering, I'm sure, why a woman was answering for a man. This country was so sexist, I might like it here."
i'd love to sit down with this guy and explain a few things.
(2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter "v" and what you thought of said book
my review:
here's the deal with demille: he's a very mediocre writer but he's more compelling when he writes about the vietnam war, as he does in this book (and others). the story here isn't all that interesting or intriguing, and it certainly could be told in fewer than 860 pages. but the story did hold some worthwhile points about war and about the long lasting effects it has, for the countries involved and also the individuals.
my real problem with demille is that he's a sexist and has no idea that he is. it seems to me that he'd probably be offended by my writing that, because he'd never identify that way, and because he doesn't think he's sexist, he thinks that that gives him the allowance to write sexist things for the sake of humor. (newsflash - racist and sexist things aren't funny, mr. demille.) it's so insidious because his sexism is most likely being read by millions of men (his books are often on the bestseller lists) who also don't think he's sexist. and his books are full of sexist, and sometimes racist, comments made by self-identified chivalrous men who somehow manage to consistently charm younger, attractive women.
two examples (notice the pristine writing):
at the end of a massage given at the hotel he was staying in:
"Finally she turned me over on my back and somehow I'd lost my towel. She was kneeling between my legs, and she pointed to a place she hadn't massaged yet. I had a feeling the shiatsu part of the massage was over.
She said, 'Ten dollar - okay?'
'Uhhh...'
She smiled and nodded encouragingly. 'Yes?'
Give this hotel another star."
(now, his character is a moral, non-sexist guy so he didn't take the lady up on this, but he still finds it acceptable to make that comment.)
and the other:
"Colonel Mang regarded Susan a moment, wondering, I'm sure, why a woman was answering for a man. This country was so sexist, I might like it here."
i'd love to sit down with this guy and explain a few things.
(2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter "v" and what you thought of said book
330rainpebble
//V//
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
This is the 3rd of Gabaldon's Outlander time travel series. The heroine, Claire, travels back & forth in time from the 20th century to 1700 Scottish Highlands. These books are fun, riveting at times and I thought them very well researched. Each time a new one comes out, I go back to the beginning and start with Outlander again and read through to where the new one begins and each time it is a pleasure.
Next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter "W" and what you thought of the book.
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
This is the 3rd of Gabaldon's Outlander time travel series. The heroine, Claire, travels back & forth in time from the 20th century to 1700 Scottish Highlands. These books are fun, riveting at times and I thought them very well researched. Each time a new one comes out, I go back to the beginning and start with Outlander again and read through to where the new one begins and each time it is a pleasure.
Next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter "W" and what you thought of the book.
331Schmerguls
1459. Wilfred Owen, by Jon Stallworthy (read 4 Aug 1977) (Duff Cooper prize for 1974)
Wilfred Owen was born March 18, 1894, and was shot Nov 4, 1918. I was moved by the stark ending of the biography:
"He was at the water's edge, giving a hand with some duckboards, when he was hit and killed. "By midday the remnants of the 2nd Manchesters were on the other side of the Canal, having crossed south of Ors by means of a floating bridge supported on kerosene tins. And seven days later, as the guns fell silent on the Western Front, the survivors piled their rifles, took off their helmets, and went to sleep; the living like the dead.
"In Shrewsbury, the Armistice bells were ringing when the Owens' front-door bell sounded its small chime, heralding the telegram that Tom and Susan had dreaded for two years." (four and a half stars )
NEXT: a book you have read, the title of which starts with X, Y, Z, or A, and what you thought of it when you read it
Wilfred Owen was born March 18, 1894, and was shot Nov 4, 1918. I was moved by the stark ending of the biography:
"He was at the water's edge, giving a hand with some duckboards, when he was hit and killed. "By midday the remnants of the 2nd Manchesters were on the other side of the Canal, having crossed south of Ors by means of a floating bridge supported on kerosene tins. And seven days later, as the guns fell silent on the Western Front, the survivors piled their rifles, took off their helmets, and went to sleep; the living like the dead.
"In Shrewsbury, the Armistice bells were ringing when the Owens' front-door bell sounded its small chime, heralding the telegram that Tom and Susan had dreaded for two years." (four and a half stars )
NEXT: a book you have read, the title of which starts with X, Y, Z, or A, and what you thought of it when you read it
332rainpebble
Skipping X.
//Y//
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman; (read August 27th, 2013 for All Virago/All August)
My thoughts on the read:
"This little book is perfection. It is a stark & bare 36 pages & a beyond perfect 5 star read for me. It is the tale of a young woman, told from her POV, falling into the pit of madness. She is unknowingly helped along by her husband who is a doctor & others who should know better.
It begins as the husband takes an isolated house for them for the summer. He feels that his wife will get better if she doesn't have many distractions. His sister Jane comes along to help care for the woman.
She spends her days on the top floor of the house alone for the most part yearning to write but her husband doesn't think that writing is a good thing for her to be doing now. She needs to rest, not worry nor concern herself with anything and get well. He doesn't like her walking out for it may tire her and she needs to be resting.
The room upstairs is papered with ugly yellow wallpaper. Within the pattern of the wallpaper she sees changes occurring as the light changes. New shoots seem to grow within the pattern and forms appear to undulate in the paper. It changes day by day. The woman begins to see faces within the paper and as her madness deepens she thinks that the woman comes out and walks on the pathway outside the house.
Her husband thinks that she is getting better because as she gets deeper & deeper into the wallpaper she becomes happier, begins eating again. He doesn't know it is because she has found something with which to occupy her time and thoughts and that actually she is falling deeper & deeper into a world of madness.
This book is pure genius. I am so thankful that I picked it up. Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a brilliant author. I hope she has written a great many books for there is a hunger in the pit of my gut for more such as this."
~My review at the time of reading the book.
NEXT: a book you have read, the title of which starts with Z, or A, and what you thought of it when you read it
//Y//
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman; (read August 27th, 2013 for All Virago/All August)
My thoughts on the read:
"This little book is perfection. It is a stark & bare 36 pages & a beyond perfect 5 star read for me. It is the tale of a young woman, told from her POV, falling into the pit of madness. She is unknowingly helped along by her husband who is a doctor & others who should know better.
It begins as the husband takes an isolated house for them for the summer. He feels that his wife will get better if she doesn't have many distractions. His sister Jane comes along to help care for the woman.
She spends her days on the top floor of the house alone for the most part yearning to write but her husband doesn't think that writing is a good thing for her to be doing now. She needs to rest, not worry nor concern herself with anything and get well. He doesn't like her walking out for it may tire her and she needs to be resting.
The room upstairs is papered with ugly yellow wallpaper. Within the pattern of the wallpaper she sees changes occurring as the light changes. New shoots seem to grow within the pattern and forms appear to undulate in the paper. It changes day by day. The woman begins to see faces within the paper and as her madness deepens she thinks that the woman comes out and walks on the pathway outside the house.
Her husband thinks that she is getting better because as she gets deeper & deeper into the wallpaper she becomes happier, begins eating again. He doesn't know it is because she has found something with which to occupy her time and thoughts and that actually she is falling deeper & deeper into a world of madness.
This book is pure genius. I am so thankful that I picked it up. Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a brilliant author. I hope she has written a great many books for there is a hunger in the pit of my gut for more such as this."
~My review at the time of reading the book.
NEXT: a book you have read, the title of which starts with Z, or A, and what you thought of it when you read it
333overlycriticalme
zazen by vanessa veselka; read march 2014
my review: this is a seriously intense read. i feel like i've been hit with something big and heavy. i literally have no idea if i love this book or hate it, if it's brilliant or ridiculous, if i understand her point at all or a little or entirely.
this is different than anything i've ever read before, but in a way that i think is good; she's pushing the line very consciously and intentionally. i think i lean toward this book being brilliant, not ridiculous.
it's also a bit of a jumble, maybe purposefully. sometimes it's hard to follow, sometimes when the main character, della, jumps from memory to present it's hard to know when the jump happens. sometimes it feels messy but it's supposed to. della is confused and unsure and trying to figure herself out, and i'm left with the same feeling. it's exhausting. but i think that the further away i get from this book, the more i'm going to like it.
i suspect that this is going to go down as a very polarizing book - people will either love it or hate it. i waffled while reading it but however it settles, i'll definitely read her again because if nothing else, what she does here is interesting and i'm curious what she does next.
"Jules reminded me of Credence, so convinced he was smarter than everyone that whatever he said came out like he was teaching you how to tie your shoes. Watching that habit slip, I saw how similar he and I really were. Only I had stopped trying to communicate with anyone at all, patronizingly or otherwise. My attitude was fuck you and your myopic mental laziness, tie your own fucking shoes. Under examination it wasn't a more enlightened stance."
as an aside, i don't know where this book is supposed to take place, but it feels very portland (or maybe eugene) to me, which is where both the author and i live. if the revolution happens, it'll be here.
as another aside, there are a number of egregious typos in this edition. like the book or not, that's unfortunate for the author and for what i think is a newer press. ( 3 stars )
next: a book you've read whose title starts with "a" and what you thought of the book
eta: also, welcome rainpebble! schmerguls and i had gotten lonely. (not to speak for schmerguls.))
my review: this is a seriously intense read. i feel like i've been hit with something big and heavy. i literally have no idea if i love this book or hate it, if it's brilliant or ridiculous, if i understand her point at all or a little or entirely.
this is different than anything i've ever read before, but in a way that i think is good; she's pushing the line very consciously and intentionally. i think i lean toward this book being brilliant, not ridiculous.
it's also a bit of a jumble, maybe purposefully. sometimes it's hard to follow, sometimes when the main character, della, jumps from memory to present it's hard to know when the jump happens. sometimes it feels messy but it's supposed to. della is confused and unsure and trying to figure herself out, and i'm left with the same feeling. it's exhausting. but i think that the further away i get from this book, the more i'm going to like it.
i suspect that this is going to go down as a very polarizing book - people will either love it or hate it. i waffled while reading it but however it settles, i'll definitely read her again because if nothing else, what she does here is interesting and i'm curious what she does next.
"Jules reminded me of Credence, so convinced he was smarter than everyone that whatever he said came out like he was teaching you how to tie your shoes. Watching that habit slip, I saw how similar he and I really were. Only I had stopped trying to communicate with anyone at all, patronizingly or otherwise. My attitude was fuck you and your myopic mental laziness, tie your own fucking shoes. Under examination it wasn't a more enlightened stance."
as an aside, i don't know where this book is supposed to take place, but it feels very portland (or maybe eugene) to me, which is where both the author and i live. if the revolution happens, it'll be here.
as another aside, there are a number of egregious typos in this edition. like the book or not, that's unfortunate for the author and for what i think is a newer press. ( 3 stars )
next: a book you've read whose title starts with "a" and what you thought of the book
eta: also, welcome rainpebble! schmerguls and i had gotten lonely. (not to speak for schmerguls.))
334rainpebble
Thank you Elisa.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Tom Sawyer is one of the most endearing characters in American fiction. This exceptional book deals with all of the challenges that any young person faces and resolves them in exciting and unusual ways.
Like many youngsters Tom would rather be having fun than going to school and church. This is always getting him into trouble from which he finds unusual solutions. One of the great scenes in this book has Tom persuading his friends to help him whitewash a fence by making them think that nothing could be better than to do his punishment for playing hooky from school. When I first read this story it opened up my mind to the potential power of peer preassure.
Tom also is given up for dead and has the unusual experience of watching his own funeral and hearing what people really thought of him. Mark Twain has given us a powerful tool for self-examination in this wonderful sequence.
Tom and Huck Finn witness a murder and have to decide how to handle the fact that they were not supposed to be there and their fear of retribution from the murderer Injun Joe.
Girls are a part of Tom's life and Becky Thatcher and he have a remarkable adventure in a cave with Injun Joe.
Tom stands for the freedom that the American frontier offered to everyone. His Aunt Polly represents the civilizing influence of adults and towns. Twain sets up a rewarding novel that makes us rethink the advantages of both freedom and civilization. In this day of the Internet frontier, this story can still provide valuable lessons about listening to our inner selves and acting on what they have to say. This is a book in which to revel.
Next: a book you've read whose title starts with a //B// and what you thought of the book.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Tom Sawyer is one of the most endearing characters in American fiction. This exceptional book deals with all of the challenges that any young person faces and resolves them in exciting and unusual ways.
Like many youngsters Tom would rather be having fun than going to school and church. This is always getting him into trouble from which he finds unusual solutions. One of the great scenes in this book has Tom persuading his friends to help him whitewash a fence by making them think that nothing could be better than to do his punishment for playing hooky from school. When I first read this story it opened up my mind to the potential power of peer preassure.
Tom also is given up for dead and has the unusual experience of watching his own funeral and hearing what people really thought of him. Mark Twain has given us a powerful tool for self-examination in this wonderful sequence.
Tom and Huck Finn witness a murder and have to decide how to handle the fact that they were not supposed to be there and their fear of retribution from the murderer Injun Joe.
Girls are a part of Tom's life and Becky Thatcher and he have a remarkable adventure in a cave with Injun Joe.
Tom stands for the freedom that the American frontier offered to everyone. His Aunt Polly represents the civilizing influence of adults and towns. Twain sets up a rewarding novel that makes us rethink the advantages of both freedom and civilization. In this day of the Internet frontier, this story can still provide valuable lessons about listening to our inner selves and acting on what they have to say. This is a book in which to revel.
Next: a book you've read whose title starts with a //B// and what you thought of the book.
335Schmerguls
Indeed, Elisa, you speak my sentiments when you welcome Rainpebblea to this more meaningful game, where comments cause me to want to read the book commented on.
3140. Big Trouble: A Murder in a Small Western Town Sets Off a Struggle for the Soul of America, by J. Anthony Lukas (read 30 Dec 1998)
This is a whale of a book, and tells well a fascinating story. It has a lot of digressions and if you just want to get the story of the Steunenberg killing on Dec. 30, 1905, and its aftermath you can get that more efficiently other places, but this is an eminently worthwhile book. The fact that it is a big book simply
impresses one with the sweep of the astounding story it tells. (five stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with C, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
3140. Big Trouble: A Murder in a Small Western Town Sets Off a Struggle for the Soul of America, by J. Anthony Lukas (read 30 Dec 1998)
This is a whale of a book, and tells well a fascinating story. It has a lot of digressions and if you just want to get the story of the Steunenberg killing on Dec. 30, 1905, and its aftermath you can get that more efficiently other places, but this is an eminently worthwhile book. The fact that it is a big book simply
impresses one with the sweep of the astounding story it tells. (five stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with C, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
336rainpebble
//C//
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
I found Chocolat to be a short, light read that shows the face to face meetings of a diversity of persons and how they deal with one another. There is also the magical quality to the story which I enjoyed. I could have liked this book a lot more than I did but for ...... hmmm, what? I really don't know. I loved the character of the old lady and that of the gypsy man. I was fascinated with the character of the priest and his fight within himself. I still think the book could have been much better and I was a bit disappointed in it. (2 1/2*)
Loved the movie; the book, not so much.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with D, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
I found Chocolat to be a short, light read that shows the face to face meetings of a diversity of persons and how they deal with one another. There is also the magical quality to the story which I enjoyed. I could have liked this book a lot more than I did but for ...... hmmm, what? I really don't know. I loved the character of the old lady and that of the gypsy man. I was fascinated with the character of the priest and his fight within himself. I still think the book could have been much better and I was a bit disappointed in it. (2 1/2*)
Loved the movie; the book, not so much.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with D, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
337Schmerguls
3079. Daniel Deronda, by George Eliot (read 27 May 1998)
This is Eliot's last novel, published in 1876. I found this to be a powerful book, but not as overpowering as The Mill on the Floss, but definitely better than Romola or Felix Holt. Some of the effusions of Eyra were boring, but the plot continued to hold one's interest to the end. The Americana I have says "Daniel Deronda...in the opinion of at least one noted critic is the best of her novels and marks the culminating point in her career." I have the feeling that I have accomplished a worthwhile thing in reading this great book. The only other Eliot book I plan to read is Scenes of Clerical Life, her first book. But as of 2007 I have not yet done so. (four stars) But now I have: 4861. Scenes of Clerical Life I (The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton and; Mr. Gilfil's Love-Story) by George Eliot (read 14 Sep 2011)
4862. Scenes of Clerical Life II (Janet's Repentance) and The Lifted Veil, by George Eliot (read 17 Sep 2011)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with E, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This is Eliot's last novel, published in 1876. I found this to be a powerful book, but not as overpowering as The Mill on the Floss, but definitely better than Romola or Felix Holt. Some of the effusions of Eyra were boring, but the plot continued to hold one's interest to the end. The Americana I have says "Daniel Deronda...in the opinion of at least one noted critic is the best of her novels and marks the culminating point in her career." I have the feeling that I have accomplished a worthwhile thing in reading this great book. The only other Eliot book I plan to read is Scenes of Clerical Life, her first book. But as of 2007 I have not yet done so. (four stars) But now I have: 4861. Scenes of Clerical Life I (The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton and; Mr. Gilfil's Love-Story) by George Eliot (read 14 Sep 2011)
4862. Scenes of Clerical Life II (Janet's Repentance) and The Lifted Veil, by George Eliot (read 17 Sep 2011)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with E, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
338overlycriticalme
everything's eventual by stephen king, read july 2009
my review:
i love stephen king. people who don't read him or dismiss him as 'pop fiction' don't know what a good writer he is. my favorite thing about him is his character development, but in a group of short stories, he can't really do much of that. still, this collection of stories has a few fantastic reads; the title story (everything's eventual) is a great one, and is very stephen king (not as full of the horror you'd expect, he's much more pyschological). i find that as i'm getting older, i don't appreciate the gore and the blood like i used to, but he seems to use it less and less, so he and i are aging well together. (3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "f" and what you thought of it
my review:
i love stephen king. people who don't read him or dismiss him as 'pop fiction' don't know what a good writer he is. my favorite thing about him is his character development, but in a group of short stories, he can't really do much of that. still, this collection of stories has a few fantastic reads; the title story (everything's eventual) is a great one, and is very stephen king (not as full of the horror you'd expect, he's much more pyschological). i find that as i'm getting older, i don't appreciate the gore and the blood like i used to, but he seems to use it less and less, so he and i are aging well together. (3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "f" and what you thought of it
339rainpebble
//F//
Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
When Bathsheba Everdene, a beautiful young woman full of life inherits a farm and moves to the remote country she creates chaos in the hearts of the local men. She finds that her overseer has been stealing from the farm and fires him, determined to run the farm herself.
Gabriel, a local sheep farmer who is poor but rich in integrity soon proposes marriage to her but Bathsheba refuses him. She is not in love with him though she likes him very much.
Later she mischievously sends a valentine card to the wealthy farmer Boldwood. He too falls in love and becoming obsessed with her also proposes marriage. She refuses him as well for the same reason. She is not in love with him.
Then a handsome and charming young scoundrel of a
man, Sergeant Troy appears and Bathsheba falls madly
in love with him. They secretly wed but Bathsheba soon discovers that his one true love is one of her maids and that he is still in love with her.
Bathsheba eventually learns that Sergeant Troy is an unfaithful small minded husband who can be trusted neither with her heart nor her farm. When the young maid Fanny, who loved the Sergeant is discovered dying giving birth to his stillborn child he becomes terribly and inconsolably remorseful and leaves Bathsheba.
But this classic has much more to it than just the romantic interests. There is much about the farming and husbandry of those days that I found to be quite interesting. There are crops to be grown and harvested. There are also the interactions between all of the people in the novel.
My least favorite character was Bathsheba herself. She was a fairly flat character and even the peasant folk seemed to have more body to them.
I found this book to be lively & exciting which I know is quite the opposite of how some view Hardy's work. However I really enjoyed it and recommend it to those of you who enjoy the classics and to all Hardy lovers.
(4*)
NEXT: a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter "G" and what you thought of it.
Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
When Bathsheba Everdene, a beautiful young woman full of life inherits a farm and moves to the remote country she creates chaos in the hearts of the local men. She finds that her overseer has been stealing from the farm and fires him, determined to run the farm herself.
Gabriel, a local sheep farmer who is poor but rich in integrity soon proposes marriage to her but Bathsheba refuses him. She is not in love with him though she likes him very much.
Later she mischievously sends a valentine card to the wealthy farmer Boldwood. He too falls in love and becoming obsessed with her also proposes marriage. She refuses him as well for the same reason. She is not in love with him.
Then a handsome and charming young scoundrel of a
man, Sergeant Troy appears and Bathsheba falls madly
in love with him. They secretly wed but Bathsheba soon discovers that his one true love is one of her maids and that he is still in love with her.
Bathsheba eventually learns that Sergeant Troy is an unfaithful small minded husband who can be trusted neither with her heart nor her farm. When the young maid Fanny, who loved the Sergeant is discovered dying giving birth to his stillborn child he becomes terribly and inconsolably remorseful and leaves Bathsheba.
But this classic has much more to it than just the romantic interests. There is much about the farming and husbandry of those days that I found to be quite interesting. There are crops to be grown and harvested. There are also the interactions between all of the people in the novel.
My least favorite character was Bathsheba herself. She was a fairly flat character and even the peasant folk seemed to have more body to them.
I found this book to be lively & exciting which I know is quite the opposite of how some view Hardy's work. However I really enjoyed it and recommend it to those of you who enjoy the classics and to all Hardy lovers.
(4*)
NEXT: a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter "G" and what you thought of it.
340Schmerguls
Thanks, Rain, for your good review of Far From the Madding Crowd. I finished reading it on Dec 20, 1964, and at that time I was not on a regular basis doing post-reading notes on what I read so I found your review a good refresher. I have seen on TV a movie of it and I suspect my memory of the story is mainly based on the movie rather than the book
3458. Gotham a History of New York City to 1898, by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace (read 9 Jul 2001) (Pulitzer history prize in 1999)
This won the 1999 History Pulitzer Prize. If it had not I doubt I'd have read it, since I live over a thousand miles from New York. It is a sweeping and magisterial history, full of interesting and amazing things, many of which were new to me. It is a great book--1236 pages of text, 69 pages of a not user-friendly bibliography, and 69 pages of index. This is a really good book, except for its failure to have decent footnotes. I am looking forward to volume II. (4 and a half stars)
Today I am still waiting for volume 2 (to cover New York history from 1898 to now). Awhile back I emailed one of the authors to ask when Volume II would be able to be read, and got an answer--he said he was working on it!
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with H, and what you thought of it when you read it
3458. Gotham a History of New York City to 1898, by Edwin G. Burrows and Mike Wallace (read 9 Jul 2001) (Pulitzer history prize in 1999)
This won the 1999 History Pulitzer Prize. If it had not I doubt I'd have read it, since I live over a thousand miles from New York. It is a sweeping and magisterial history, full of interesting and amazing things, many of which were new to me. It is a great book--1236 pages of text, 69 pages of a not user-friendly bibliography, and 69 pages of index. This is a really good book, except for its failure to have decent footnotes. I am looking forward to volume II. (4 and a half stars)
Today I am still waiting for volume 2 (to cover New York history from 1898 to now). Awhile back I emailed one of the authors to ask when Volume II would be able to be read, and got an answer--he said he was working on it!
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with H, and what you thought of it when you read it
341rainpebble
Harriet Hume by Rebecca West; (read February 24, 2014 & gave 2*)
I thought I was going to like/love this book. I failed and failed miserably. Perhaps if the book had been a mere 150 pages rather than 300, perhaps if I had found the characters even somewhat believable as fantasies, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.........
The plot, if there is one, is that of a man with high expectations of his future drifting in and out of the life of an exquisite & mind reading sprite of a lovely but poor pianist.
He wishes to be rich and powerful at any cost and she seems content with her lot. He marries into money, compromising any ethics he may have in building his career and in the end finds himself a ruined man. Harriet remains the same.
The book is written in a sweet, flowery manner and I could have enjoyed it in a brief novella but was unable to in full book form.
I don't know that I can recommend this one and that makes me sad.
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with I, and what you thought of it when you read it.
I thought I was going to like/love this book. I failed and failed miserably. Perhaps if the book had been a mere 150 pages rather than 300, perhaps if I had found the characters even somewhat believable as fantasies, perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.........
The plot, if there is one, is that of a man with high expectations of his future drifting in and out of the life of an exquisite & mind reading sprite of a lovely but poor pianist.
He wishes to be rich and powerful at any cost and she seems content with her lot. He marries into money, compromising any ethics he may have in building his career and in the end finds himself a ruined man. Harriet remains the same.
The book is written in a sweet, flowery manner and I could have enjoyed it in a brief novella but was unable to in full book form.
I don't know that I can recommend this one and that makes me sad.
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with I, and what you thought of it when you read it.
342Schmerguls
1503. I Came Out of the Eighteenth Century, by John Andrew Rice (read 3 Feb 1979)
I cannot remember ever before reading a book I knew nothing about--a book whose title I had noted time and again at the Library--and finally read because of its title. This is an odd book--published in 1942 and 1942'ish! The author was born in 1888 in South Carolina, and much of his book is of life in South Carolina. Cotton Ed Smith long-time U.S. Senator from South Carolina was his uncle, and the author tells of his family: odd, odd folk. He was a Rhodes scholar, and taught at the University of Nebraska for a time--could not stand his Methodist upbringing--tried to found a college. Weird book, and with all the other things I want to read, 'tis a little odd I've read it. But 'tis certainly different from what I usually read. The book was a co-winner of Harper's 125th American Award. (four stars )
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with J, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
I cannot remember ever before reading a book I knew nothing about--a book whose title I had noted time and again at the Library--and finally read because of its title. This is an odd book--published in 1942 and 1942'ish! The author was born in 1888 in South Carolina, and much of his book is of life in South Carolina. Cotton Ed Smith long-time U.S. Senator from South Carolina was his uncle, and the author tells of his family: odd, odd folk. He was a Rhodes scholar, and taught at the University of Nebraska for a time--could not stand his Methodist upbringing--tried to found a college. Weird book, and with all the other things I want to read, 'tis a little odd I've read it. But 'tis certainly different from what I usually read. The book was a co-winner of Harper's 125th American Award. (four stars )
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with J, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
343rainpebble
//J//
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë; (5*); (read March 16th of this year)
One of THE best books I have ever read or in this case reread.
Jane is a poor orphan fobbed off at a very early age on a nice uncle & a bitchy aunt who have 3 abominable children. The uncle dies but makes his wife promise to always keep & care for Jane. That lasts a few miserable years until the aunt, through correspondence, finds a poorly run boarding school for Jane that will keep her holidays as well. She wants never to see her again.
So Jane goes to the boarding school where she works hard, learns well, is always hungry & often cold. She remains there studies hard & becomes a teacher there for an additional 2 years at which time she posts an advertisement for a position as governess.
She is hired by a Mrs Fairfax of Thornfield to become governess to a young girl, Adelle, who is a ward of the owner of Thornfield but the Master is rarely there. Jane is very happy in her new position but when the Master returns home she cannot help falling in love with him. She keeps this close to her vest. Little does she know that he has fallen in love with her as well.
In her room at night, Jane begins to hear strange cries, howls & noises from overhead. She knows that there is someone up on the 3rd floor but is told that it is a servant who keeps mainly to herself and indeed she does see Mrs. Poole occasionally going to & from that floor carrying items.
When Jane learns who is actually living in that upper abode she is heartbroken and feels she cannot remain. So the girl takes the poor things she arrived with and the few pennies she has and leaves, catching a coach that will take her as far away as her funds will allow. As she is let off the coach she forgets her little bundle and now all she has are the clothes on her back.
Jane walks & forages for food for about 3 days. She looks for work, finding only rejection. She begs food and is given bread crumbs. Finally one stormy night when she is so poorly she feels she can go no further she sees a light in the distance. She follows the light and comes upon a cottage in the wood where as she looks through the window she sees 2 young ladies that she is sure are sisters, for they look so much alike, and an elderly lady that she assumes is their mother, guardian or servant. She knocks on the door, is turned away & the door shut upon her. Jane is so ill, weak & weary that she collapses on the stoop.
The next thing she is aware of is a gentleman coming upon her, & helping her into the warm kitchen where now she is fed some warm milk & bread & is taken up to a warm bedroom, changed into dry sleeping clothes and put to bed where she remains ill & out of her head for several days. She is cared for by all of the inhabitants of the house. As she begins to get stronger she is allowed to sit up and eventually she feels well enough to get up, dressed & go downstairs where she joins the servant in the snug, warm kitchen.
She is accepted by this family and kept there for some time. The gentleman, who is a brother to the girls, finds work teaching for her along with a wee cottage of her own.
She lives thus for some time.
I will stop here, dear reader, for to go on would tell you more than you would wish to hear at this point.
I very highly recommend it to young and old alike.
____________________________________________________________
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with 'K', and what you thought of the book when you read it.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë; (5*); (read March 16th of this year)
One of THE best books I have ever read or in this case reread.
Jane is a poor orphan fobbed off at a very early age on a nice uncle & a bitchy aunt who have 3 abominable children. The uncle dies but makes his wife promise to always keep & care for Jane. That lasts a few miserable years until the aunt, through correspondence, finds a poorly run boarding school for Jane that will keep her holidays as well. She wants never to see her again.
So Jane goes to the boarding school where she works hard, learns well, is always hungry & often cold. She remains there studies hard & becomes a teacher there for an additional 2 years at which time she posts an advertisement for a position as governess.
She is hired by a Mrs Fairfax of Thornfield to become governess to a young girl, Adelle, who is a ward of the owner of Thornfield but the Master is rarely there. Jane is very happy in her new position but when the Master returns home she cannot help falling in love with him. She keeps this close to her vest. Little does she know that he has fallen in love with her as well.
In her room at night, Jane begins to hear strange cries, howls & noises from overhead. She knows that there is someone up on the 3rd floor but is told that it is a servant who keeps mainly to herself and indeed she does see Mrs. Poole occasionally going to & from that floor carrying items.
When Jane learns who is actually living in that upper abode she is heartbroken and feels she cannot remain. So the girl takes the poor things she arrived with and the few pennies she has and leaves, catching a coach that will take her as far away as her funds will allow. As she is let off the coach she forgets her little bundle and now all she has are the clothes on her back.
Jane walks & forages for food for about 3 days. She looks for work, finding only rejection. She begs food and is given bread crumbs. Finally one stormy night when she is so poorly she feels she can go no further she sees a light in the distance. She follows the light and comes upon a cottage in the wood where as she looks through the window she sees 2 young ladies that she is sure are sisters, for they look so much alike, and an elderly lady that she assumes is their mother, guardian or servant. She knocks on the door, is turned away & the door shut upon her. Jane is so ill, weak & weary that she collapses on the stoop.
The next thing she is aware of is a gentleman coming upon her, & helping her into the warm kitchen where now she is fed some warm milk & bread & is taken up to a warm bedroom, changed into dry sleeping clothes and put to bed where she remains ill & out of her head for several days. She is cared for by all of the inhabitants of the house. As she begins to get stronger she is allowed to sit up and eventually she feels well enough to get up, dressed & go downstairs where she joins the servant in the snug, warm kitchen.
She is accepted by this family and kept there for some time. The gentleman, who is a brother to the girls, finds work teaching for her along with a wee cottage of her own.
She lives thus for some time.
I will stop here, dear reader, for to go on would tell you more than you would wish to hear at this point.
I very highly recommend it to young and old alike.
____________________________________________________________
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with 'K', and what you thought of the book when you read it.
344Schmerguls
3747. Khrushchev The Man and His Era, by William Taubman (read 23 May 2003) (Pulitzer Biography prize in 2004) (National Book Critics Circle biography award for 2003)
This biography, to which Brian Lamb and Booknotes devoted two full hours, is well-researched, with 631 pages of text, 138 pages of footnotes, and 31 pages of bibliography. It is full of interest: the super-exciting Cuban missile crisis, the events after Stalin's death, the U-2 shooting down, the coup attempt against Khrushchev in 1957, the Stalin unmasking speech in 1956, etc. It is an excellent book. I never knew how crude Khrushchev was, shoe pounding notwithstanding. And after his deposing one cannot but feel sorry for him! An absorbing book. (five stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with L, and what you thought of th book when you read it.
This biography, to which Brian Lamb and Booknotes devoted two full hours, is well-researched, with 631 pages of text, 138 pages of footnotes, and 31 pages of bibliography. It is full of interest: the super-exciting Cuban missile crisis, the events after Stalin's death, the U-2 shooting down, the coup attempt against Khrushchev in 1957, the Stalin unmasking speech in 1956, etc. It is an excellent book. I never knew how crude Khrushchev was, shoe pounding notwithstanding. And after his deposing one cannot but feel sorry for him! An absorbing book. (five stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with L, and what you thought of th book when you read it.
345rainpebble
//L//
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold; (read March 5th, 2013)
"Inside the snow globe on my father's desk, there was a penguin wearing a red-and-white-striped scarf. When I was little my father would pull me into his lap and reach for the snow globe. He would turn it over, letting all the snow collect o the top, then quickly invert it. The two of us watched the snow fall gently around the penguin. The penguin was alone in there, I thought, and I worried for him. When I told my father this, he said, "Don't worry, Susie; he has a nice life. He's trapped in a perfect world.""
Thus begins The Lovely Bones. Susie is a young girl of just fourteen years when she is taken, raped, murdered and dismembered. Instincts tell her father who committed this crime against his child whose body is never found. He goes to the police with his suspicions and though they investigate the man they need evidence which they are unable to find.
One would think this a difficult book to read but this reader did not find it so. It is told from the perspective of Susie, the victim, who is in heaven. A heaven such as I, who believe in heaven and hell, have never envisioned. It is rather a casual place and Susie's enjoyments on earth are also her enjoyments in heaven. And Susie can see and hear what is happening on earth, within her families and others, even her murderer. But she doesn't spend all of her time in this way. There are times when those remaining on earth feel the presence of Susie near them.
As Susie tells her story the horror of it does not become negligible but she tells it in a way that one can accept and move around it and remain within the story. Not just the event.
This is the story of how a family deals with and yet cannot deal with the tragic loss of a beloved child. And Sebold tells this tale in a masterful way very different from those you have read on like subject matter.
The climax of the book may not be what you expect, need or desire. But it suits what comes before.
This is my second Sebold read. I am only saddened that there is only one more currently out there to read. I highly recommend The Lovely Bones and rated it 4 stars.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with M, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold; (read March 5th, 2013)
"Inside the snow globe on my father's desk, there was a penguin wearing a red-and-white-striped scarf. When I was little my father would pull me into his lap and reach for the snow globe. He would turn it over, letting all the snow collect o the top, then quickly invert it. The two of us watched the snow fall gently around the penguin. The penguin was alone in there, I thought, and I worried for him. When I told my father this, he said, "Don't worry, Susie; he has a nice life. He's trapped in a perfect world.""
Thus begins The Lovely Bones. Susie is a young girl of just fourteen years when she is taken, raped, murdered and dismembered. Instincts tell her father who committed this crime against his child whose body is never found. He goes to the police with his suspicions and though they investigate the man they need evidence which they are unable to find.
One would think this a difficult book to read but this reader did not find it so. It is told from the perspective of Susie, the victim, who is in heaven. A heaven such as I, who believe in heaven and hell, have never envisioned. It is rather a casual place and Susie's enjoyments on earth are also her enjoyments in heaven. And Susie can see and hear what is happening on earth, within her families and others, even her murderer. But she doesn't spend all of her time in this way. There are times when those remaining on earth feel the presence of Susie near them.
As Susie tells her story the horror of it does not become negligible but she tells it in a way that one can accept and move around it and remain within the story. Not just the event.
This is the story of how a family deals with and yet cannot deal with the tragic loss of a beloved child. And Sebold tells this tale in a masterful way very different from those you have read on like subject matter.
The climax of the book may not be what you expect, need or desire. But it suits what comes before.
This is my second Sebold read. I am only saddened that there is only one more currently out there to read. I highly recommend The Lovely Bones and rated it 4 stars.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with M, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
346Schmerguls
4996. My Beloved World, by Sonia Sotomayor (read 26 Jan 2013)
I found this autobiography consistently interesting, especially the account of her growing up in the Puerto Rican world of the Bronx, her attendance at Catholic grade and high school, Princeton, and Yale Law. Her account of her stint as a state prosecutor in Manhattan was also of sustained interest. She certainly had a very different childhood than have had most Supreme Court justices, and one cannot help but admire the determination and perseverance she has displayed all through her life. Some of the time spent discussing her philosophy was of less interest to me, but overall the book was a good experience and evocative of admiration for her aims and achievements. I also admired the forthright way she discussed her divorce, without rancor of any kind and with no potshot at her ex-husband. I found myself pleased that she is on the Supreme Court. (four stars )
NEXT : A book you have read, the title of which starts with N, and what you thought of the book when you read it
I found this autobiography consistently interesting, especially the account of her growing up in the Puerto Rican world of the Bronx, her attendance at Catholic grade and high school, Princeton, and Yale Law. Her account of her stint as a state prosecutor in Manhattan was also of sustained interest. She certainly had a very different childhood than have had most Supreme Court justices, and one cannot help but admire the determination and perseverance she has displayed all through her life. Some of the time spent discussing her philosophy was of less interest to me, but overall the book was a good experience and evocative of admiration for her aims and achievements. I also admired the forthright way she discussed her divorce, without rancor of any kind and with no potshot at her ex-husband. I found myself pleased that she is on the Supreme Court. (four stars )
NEXT : A book you have read, the title of which starts with N, and what you thought of the book when you read it
347Tess_W
Night by Elie Wiesel . The definitive read about Auschwitz survival. I have my 9th graders read this each year and each year it brings tears to my eyes.
Next: Letter M
Next: Letter M
348Schmerguls
No, O comes after N:
2028. One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez translated from the Spanish by Gregory Rabassa (read 6 Nov 1986)
Since the author won the Nobel Prize in 1982 I thought I should read something by him. This was an awfully boring book--all about stupid impossible people in a Latin American town in a country never identified. It was so stupid--all about the Buendia family. I hated the whole book. (one-half star)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with P, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
2028. One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez translated from the Spanish by Gregory Rabassa (read 6 Nov 1986)
Since the author won the Nobel Prize in 1982 I thought I should read something by him. This was an awfully boring book--all about stupid impossible people in a Latin American town in a country never identified. It was so stupid--all about the Buendia family. I hated the whole book. (one-half star)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with P, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
349rolandperkins
Paradise Lost by John Milton
A 17th century booklength* poem, of
the epic genre. (Unpublished?) writer
Bob Smith, back in the 1950s said that
Moby DIck has the greatest beginning
and the greatest ending, combined with
the worst middle of any long work in
Literature. Many readers have
found Paradise Lost to be the same
- - minus the great ending.
Many, perhaps a majority, have found
PL in Books I AND II to be
tremendous, and then to lapse into
a Melvillian muddled middle, without
resuming its tremendous quality
toward the end. I must admit that I'm
in the majority here, which doesn't happen
often, when I compare my literary
impressions with others'.
I've written elsewhere that anyone - -
AFTER 1675 - - who
couldn't write a better epic than PL should
give up narrative poetry. But anyone who
COULD write a better one BEFORE 1675
would have changed the whole history
of English Literature.
And after all, one can do worse than
compose 1/6 or 1/12 of a masterpiece.
*Samuel Johnson was politely
acknowleding that most readers
think a little Milton goes a long way,
in his classic remark that
"no one has ever wished (PL) were longer".
A 17th century booklength* poem, of
the epic genre. (Unpublished?) writer
Bob Smith, back in the 1950s said that
Moby DIck has the greatest beginning
and the greatest ending, combined with
the worst middle of any long work in
Literature. Many readers have
found Paradise Lost to be the same
- - minus the great ending.
Many, perhaps a majority, have found
PL in Books I AND II to be
tremendous, and then to lapse into
a Melvillian muddled middle, without
resuming its tremendous quality
toward the end. I must admit that I'm
in the majority here, which doesn't happen
often, when I compare my literary
impressions with others'.
I've written elsewhere that anyone - -
AFTER 1675 - - who
couldn't write a better epic than PL should
give up narrative poetry. But anyone who
COULD write a better one BEFORE 1675
would have changed the whole history
of English Literature.
And after all, one can do worse than
compose 1/6 or 1/12 of a masterpiece.
*Samuel Johnson was politely
acknowleding that most readers
think a little Milton goes a long way,
in his classic remark that
"no one has ever wished (PL) were longer".
350Schmerguls
3992. Queen of Scots The True Life of Mary Stuart, by John Guy (read 28 Feb 2005) (Whitbread Biography award for 2004)
This is the third biography I have read of its subject, having read on Feb 21, 1960 Maurice Baring's In My End Is My Beginning, and on Mar 7, 1970 Antonia Fraser's excellent Mary Queen of Scots. But those were read a long time ago, and this 2004 work is superbly researched and tells of an epic life. Guy points out that though Mary had her head cut off by Elizabeth, Mary is the ancestor of every British sovereign since, while of course Elizabeth is not. While the author is sympathetic to Mary (who can help but be?) he does not obscure her faults and mistakes. A very well done biography. (four and a half stars)
Next: A Book you have read, the title of which starts with R, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This is the third biography I have read of its subject, having read on Feb 21, 1960 Maurice Baring's In My End Is My Beginning, and on Mar 7, 1970 Antonia Fraser's excellent Mary Queen of Scots. But those were read a long time ago, and this 2004 work is superbly researched and tells of an epic life. Guy points out that though Mary had her head cut off by Elizabeth, Mary is the ancestor of every British sovereign since, while of course Elizabeth is not. While the author is sympathetic to Mary (who can help but be?) he does not obscure her faults and mistakes. A very well done biography. (four and a half stars)
Next: A Book you have read, the title of which starts with R, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
351Tess_W
R-Rats, Bulls & Flying Machines: A History of the Renaissance & Reformation by Debra Prum. This is a colorful, zany, book that was originally written to get the attention of 7th grade world history students; however, it will wow adults, too!
Next Letter: S
Next Letter: S
352Schmerguls
1178. The Song of Roland {Author unknown translated by Dorothy L. Sayers (read 3 Aug 1972)
I liked this very much and felt I should have read it long before but it was well worth waiting for. (five stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with a word that starts with T (other than "the"), and what you thought of the book when you read it.
I liked this very much and felt I should have read it long before but it was well worth waiting for. (five stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with a word that starts with T (other than "the"), and what you thought of the book when you read it.
353overlycriticalme
telling: a memoir of rape and recovery by patricia weaver francisco, read dec 2013
my review:
this is a book of strength, of trauma, of survival, of loss, and of hope. it is full of all of those things. it's a powerful, sometimes difficult read. i hesitate to say that i "enjoyed" or "loved" a book about this woman's rape and recovery, so i'll say: she writes with an incredible honesty and clarity that i love to find in whatever i'm reading, with beauty, and there is so much to take from this book, for survivors and non-survivors alike. (i suspect that there are parts in this book that could trigger a survivor.) this was a library book, but even though i'm trying to pare down my personal collection, i'll be purchasing this one as it's a keeper.
"Until this moment, I have been living in the narrow, deep space of personal drama. All at once, I understand that what has happened to me, so riveting in its details, so vital and absorbing, is common. The world is full of women who've been through it. Do the math. Not whether but which: which women on the bus, behind the counter selling perfume, singing in the choir, or in your circle of friends have spent mornings like this. I decide to tell."
(this might not make sense out of context, but):
"...simply to assert women's strength fails to account for the truth. There is a moose on the path, and when walking there we are wise to acknowledge its presence. Denying danger empowers danger."
"...hope is so hard to save, especially when it must coexist with knowledge. - Andrea Dworkin"
(5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "u" and what you thought of it
my review:
this is a book of strength, of trauma, of survival, of loss, and of hope. it is full of all of those things. it's a powerful, sometimes difficult read. i hesitate to say that i "enjoyed" or "loved" a book about this woman's rape and recovery, so i'll say: she writes with an incredible honesty and clarity that i love to find in whatever i'm reading, with beauty, and there is so much to take from this book, for survivors and non-survivors alike. (i suspect that there are parts in this book that could trigger a survivor.) this was a library book, but even though i'm trying to pare down my personal collection, i'll be purchasing this one as it's a keeper.
"Until this moment, I have been living in the narrow, deep space of personal drama. All at once, I understand that what has happened to me, so riveting in its details, so vital and absorbing, is common. The world is full of women who've been through it. Do the math. Not whether but which: which women on the bus, behind the counter selling perfume, singing in the choir, or in your circle of friends have spent mornings like this. I decide to tell."
(this might not make sense out of context, but):
"...simply to assert women's strength fails to account for the truth. There is a moose on the path, and when walking there we are wise to acknowledge its presence. Denying danger empowers danger."
"...hope is so hard to save, especially when it must coexist with knowledge. - Andrea Dworkin"
(5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "u" and what you thought of it
354Schmerguls
3705. Ulysses, by James Joyce (read 26 Feb 2003)
This was of course named no. 1 novel of the century by a Modern Library panel in 1998 and my reading of it brings to 99 the number read of those 100 books. (The 100th and unread book is Finnegan's Wake, which I will not read.) I used a 19-page commentary I found on the Internet, but I was not willing to spend a semester on this, so I know I did not get from it what I should have. The analogy to the Odyssey missed me and I did not think it worth figuring out. There are 18 chapters, but just to be sure one does not get too comprehensible they are not numbered. I rather enjoyed chapter 17 ("Ithaca"), maybe because it was so super-comprehensible. On the other hand chapter 15 ("Circe") was just gibberish as far as I was concerned. Reading this was an experience but I was not interested enough in what he has to say to spend a month in reading it.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with V, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This was of course named no. 1 novel of the century by a Modern Library panel in 1998 and my reading of it brings to 99 the number read of those 100 books. (The 100th and unread book is Finnegan's Wake, which I will not read.) I used a 19-page commentary I found on the Internet, but I was not willing to spend a semester on this, so I know I did not get from it what I should have. The analogy to the Odyssey missed me and I did not think it worth figuring out. There are 18 chapters, but just to be sure one does not get too comprehensible they are not numbered. I rather enjoyed chapter 17 ("Ithaca"), maybe because it was so super-comprehensible. On the other hand chapter 15 ("Circe") was just gibberish as far as I was concerned. Reading this was an experience but I was not interested enough in what he has to say to spend a month in reading it.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with V, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
355overlycriticalme
the valley of horses by jean auel, read oct 2012
my review, which is a bit out of context in that this is #2 of a 6 book series:
the first 2/3rds of the book were alternating chapters between ayla (main character in the clan of the cave bear) and a new major character, jondalar. i found all the chapters that focused on jondalar to be more or less extraneous (even though he was obviously a new major focus of the series) and didn't enjoy them. also they seemed less realistic (as if i know anything about this time period) both in terms of the language, banter, relationships between people, and even the advancements these people had over the people ayla was raised with. the ayla chapters were, to me, like the clan of the cave bear and i couldn't get enough. like before, the writing leans more toward poor than great, ayla is ridiculously perfect, the addition of sex that the publishers required is annoying, the dialogue is cheesy, and for some reason it's impossible to put down. strong female character, the origin story of all of us, and something so incredibly compelling. she manages to weave this fabulous story in spite of all the drawbacks. also a great lesson about racism, which i love. i'm still so excited about this series.
(3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "w" and what you thought of the book
my review, which is a bit out of context in that this is #2 of a 6 book series:
the first 2/3rds of the book were alternating chapters between ayla (main character in the clan of the cave bear) and a new major character, jondalar. i found all the chapters that focused on jondalar to be more or less extraneous (even though he was obviously a new major focus of the series) and didn't enjoy them. also they seemed less realistic (as if i know anything about this time period) both in terms of the language, banter, relationships between people, and even the advancements these people had over the people ayla was raised with. the ayla chapters were, to me, like the clan of the cave bear and i couldn't get enough. like before, the writing leans more toward poor than great, ayla is ridiculously perfect, the addition of sex that the publishers required is annoying, the dialogue is cheesy, and for some reason it's impossible to put down. strong female character, the origin story of all of us, and something so incredibly compelling. she manages to weave this fabulous story in spite of all the drawbacks. also a great lesson about racism, which i love. i'm still so excited about this series.
(3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "w" and what you thought of the book
356Schmerguls
2180. Witch Hunting in Southwestern Germany 1562-1684: The Social and Intellectual Foundations, by H. C. Erik Midelfort (read 19 Jan 1989)
This is a thorough study of witch trials in Baden and Wurttemburg from 1562 to 1684. It is not nearly as worthwhile a book as Servants of Satan: The Age of the Witch Hunts, by Joseph Klaits, which I read on 11 Oct 1986. My nine-times great grandmother was the defendant in a witch trial but she was not convicted, and her ordeal was minor compared to what is detailed in this book--but she was not in Baden or Wurttemberg. One wonders why the witch craze is scarcely mentioned in history survey books.
NEXT; A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with X, Y, Z, or A, and what you thought of the book when you read it
This is a thorough study of witch trials in Baden and Wurttemburg from 1562 to 1684. It is not nearly as worthwhile a book as Servants of Satan: The Age of the Witch Hunts, by Joseph Klaits, which I read on 11 Oct 1986. My nine-times great grandmother was the defendant in a witch trial but she was not convicted, and her ordeal was minor compared to what is detailed in this book--but she was not in Baden or Wurttemberg. One wonders why the witch craze is scarcely mentioned in history survey books.
NEXT; A book you have actually read, the title of which begins with X, Y, Z, or A, and what you thought of the book when you read it
357overlycriticalme
the year of the flood by margaret atwood, read jan 2014
my review:
between 3 and 3.5 stars. i am having a little trouble rating this series because on so many levels i really love the idea she presents, and i'm so impressed with her writing and language, but i'm just somehow not as engaged with the story as i'd like to be.
this takes place concurrently with the first book in the series, oryx and crake, and the story is from the point of view of the people i was least interested in from that book. from that standpoint i was disappointed from the outset with this book, but right away i enjoyed how things tied in and paralleled oryx and crake. the last quarter or third or so of this book really picked up and i was suddenly so invested in what was happening and i couldn't put it down. i hope the third in the trilogy picks up where this leaves off.
"It's daybreak. The break of day. Toby turns this word over: break, broke, broken. What breaks in daybreak? Is it the night? Is it the sun, cracked in two by the horizon like an egg, spilling out light?"
and something my activist self used to try to keep in mind when i was feeling overwhelmed by the battles needed to fight, but never expressed as nicely:
"...we must be a beacon of hope, because if you tell people there's nothing they can do, they will do worse than nothing."
next: a book, whose title starts with z (or a) and what you thought of it
my review:
between 3 and 3.5 stars. i am having a little trouble rating this series because on so many levels i really love the idea she presents, and i'm so impressed with her writing and language, but i'm just somehow not as engaged with the story as i'd like to be.
this takes place concurrently with the first book in the series, oryx and crake, and the story is from the point of view of the people i was least interested in from that book. from that standpoint i was disappointed from the outset with this book, but right away i enjoyed how things tied in and paralleled oryx and crake. the last quarter or third or so of this book really picked up and i was suddenly so invested in what was happening and i couldn't put it down. i hope the third in the trilogy picks up where this leaves off.
"It's daybreak. The break of day. Toby turns this word over: break, broke, broken. What breaks in daybreak? Is it the night? Is it the sun, cracked in two by the horizon like an egg, spilling out light?"
and something my activist self used to try to keep in mind when i was feeling overwhelmed by the battles needed to fight, but never expressed as nicely:
"...we must be a beacon of hope, because if you tell people there's nothing they can do, they will do worse than nothing."
next: a book, whose title starts with z (or a) and what you thought of it
358Schmerguls
I think I've used up my Z books so I will use A:
2314. Across China by Peter Jenkins (read 28 July 1990)
The author in 1984 went to China and Tibet and then wrote this book. He has some idiosyncrasies in his writing that bug me. but all in all his book is somewhat interesting. He went with a group who climbed Mount Everest, but he only stayed with them a little, then he, with a friend's Chinese wife as an interpreter, went to Inner Mongolia and a couple of other places in China.(3 stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the tittle of which starts with B, and your comment re the book after you read it.
2314. Across China by Peter Jenkins (read 28 July 1990)
The author in 1984 went to China and Tibet and then wrote this book. He has some idiosyncrasies in his writing that bug me. but all in all his book is somewhat interesting. He went with a group who climbed Mount Everest, but he only stayed with them a little, then he, with a friend's Chinese wife as an interpreter, went to Inner Mongolia and a couple of other places in China.(3 stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the tittle of which starts with B, and your comment re the book after you read it.
359overlycriticalme
bodies of water by t greenwood, read march 2014
my review:
i guess between 3.5 and 4.
the thing is - the first third of this book is a 5 for me. to continue all the water metaphors and imagery she uses (much better than i ever could), i dove into this book and let it buoy me along as i swam in it. i seriously loved the beginning of this book. the writing is gorgeous; all of the water references are perfectly appropriate and never overdone (unlike mine), even as they're everywhere.
about a third of the way in, things dropped off for me. the writing never wavered, but i was no longer so gripped by the story. and by the time i got to the ending, well, let's just say i really didn't like the climax of this book at all. at all. at all. that makes the denouement not particularly good for me either, although the very last bit is reminiscent of the beginning and so i feel it ends quite well (as long as you can ignore the awful climax).
i love her writing and will definitely read more of her. the story also started out great, the characters are well drawn. writing is more important to me than story, but it still bothers me that she took this where she did, and with no answering of any of the myriad questions that come up because of where she took it. i'll try to hold on to the beginning of this book when i think about it because i want to remember it so positively, and this gets this many stars because of how strong the beginning is, and because of how good her writing is throughout. also, to be fair, i didn't like the climax, but there is so very much that is great to take from the rest of this book.
eta: it's been a couple of days since i finished the book now, and while i still really don't like the choice she made for her twist or surprise ending and all the unanswered questions we're left with, i still really, really like this book. the writing is exquisite, her description of the beginning of a relationship is evocative, her characters are full and real, and her descriptions beautiful. i'll forgive her the story at some point.
"Every moment of the day felt somehow fraught with import. Time slowed. Every minute was imbued with the distinct possibility of something enormous. But somehow, the anticipation of whatever it was I hoped for, longed for, was almost enough. The suspense was exquisite. I could have lingered in these charged moments forever."
"Ashamed. I was ashamed that I hadn't stayed there, waiting for Ted to come home. I was ashamed at my own cowardice with Frankie, ashamed that I had bought into his dream to erase the last three years. I was ashamed that I hated my body for all the ways it had failed me: by its inability to carry a child. Its inability to want a man. Its inability to resist the pull toward Miss Mars and then Eva. I was ashamed of my shame."
next: a book, whose title starts with the letter c, and what you thought of it
my review:
i guess between 3.5 and 4.
the thing is - the first third of this book is a 5 for me. to continue all the water metaphors and imagery she uses (much better than i ever could), i dove into this book and let it buoy me along as i swam in it. i seriously loved the beginning of this book. the writing is gorgeous; all of the water references are perfectly appropriate and never overdone (unlike mine), even as they're everywhere.
about a third of the way in, things dropped off for me. the writing never wavered, but i was no longer so gripped by the story. and by the time i got to the ending, well, let's just say i really didn't like the climax of this book at all. at all. at all. that makes the denouement not particularly good for me either, although the very last bit is reminiscent of the beginning and so i feel it ends quite well (as long as you can ignore the awful climax).
i love her writing and will definitely read more of her. the story also started out great, the characters are well drawn. writing is more important to me than story, but it still bothers me that she took this where she did, and with no answering of any of the myriad questions that come up because of where she took it. i'll try to hold on to the beginning of this book when i think about it because i want to remember it so positively, and this gets this many stars because of how strong the beginning is, and because of how good her writing is throughout. also, to be fair, i didn't like the climax, but there is so very much that is great to take from the rest of this book.
eta: it's been a couple of days since i finished the book now, and while i still really don't like the choice she made for her twist or surprise ending and all the unanswered questions we're left with, i still really, really like this book. the writing is exquisite, her description of the beginning of a relationship is evocative, her characters are full and real, and her descriptions beautiful. i'll forgive her the story at some point.
"Every moment of the day felt somehow fraught with import. Time slowed. Every minute was imbued with the distinct possibility of something enormous. But somehow, the anticipation of whatever it was I hoped for, longed for, was almost enough. The suspense was exquisite. I could have lingered in these charged moments forever."
"Ashamed. I was ashamed that I hadn't stayed there, waiting for Ted to come home. I was ashamed at my own cowardice with Frankie, ashamed that I had bought into his dream to erase the last three years. I was ashamed that I hated my body for all the ways it had failed me: by its inability to carry a child. Its inability to want a man. Its inability to resist the pull toward Miss Mars and then Eva. I was ashamed of my shame."
next: a book, whose title starts with the letter c, and what you thought of it
360Schmerguls
2154. Chronicle of Youth: The War Diary 1913-1917, by Vera Brittain (read 14 Jul 1988) (Book of the Year)
This is one of the most moving, heart-wrenching, beautifully-written books I have ever read. It is a diary from the years 1913 to 1917. It opens when the author was under 21, on Jan 1, 1913, progresses thru the year and into the war. She falls in love with Roland Leighton, who died in France on Dec 23, 1915, and tells of her time as a nurse in 1916 and 1917. Her brother Edward died in action on June 15, 1918, but the diary does not extend to that date. This is a wrenching book, vivid, super-poignant--written with great beauty. She says much of The Story of an African Farm, by Olive Schreiner, which was the bestseller of 1883. The book is drenched in literary England, full of beautiful heart-rending quotes. The book is crammed with such moving things, it is impossible to convey how strongly it has affected me. This is certainly one of the most exceptional things I have read in ages. At the end of the year I selected it as the best book I read in 1988. (five stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts wih D, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This is one of the most moving, heart-wrenching, beautifully-written books I have ever read. It is a diary from the years 1913 to 1917. It opens when the author was under 21, on Jan 1, 1913, progresses thru the year and into the war. She falls in love with Roland Leighton, who died in France on Dec 23, 1915, and tells of her time as a nurse in 1916 and 1917. Her brother Edward died in action on June 15, 1918, but the diary does not extend to that date. This is a wrenching book, vivid, super-poignant--written with great beauty. She says much of The Story of an African Farm, by Olive Schreiner, which was the bestseller of 1883. The book is drenched in literary England, full of beautiful heart-rending quotes. The book is crammed with such moving things, it is impossible to convey how strongly it has affected me. This is certainly one of the most exceptional things I have read in ages. At the end of the year I selected it as the best book I read in 1988. (five stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts wih D, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
361overlycriticalme
>360 Schmerguls: well. i think i need to learn more about this book. thanks for that; it sounds impressive.
doctor sleep by stephen king read april 2014
my review:
between 3.5 and 4.
i was thinking, as i was most of the way through this book, that this didn't really need to be written as a sequel to the shining; all of the things that tied this book and these characters to that book could have very easily been described or understood as something else that was unrelated to the overlook hotel and that history. i figured that stephen king was just tired of wondering what ever happened to danny torrence and so he thought he'd find out. i say all that to point out that while this is a sequel, there really isn't a lot that a reader needed to remember or details that were important from that first book to read this one. and very little that king needed to remind us of, or explain to the new reader. i'm not sure this could be a stand-alone read with zero questions or confusion, but it'd be close.
also, all of that to say, as a stand-alone book, taken by itself, it's a 3.5 to 4. as a sequel to what probably goes down as one of his best - or at least one of his scariest - books, it's more disappointing. as he says in his afterword, where he also confirms my suspicion above, sequels rarely do justice to the original. i think this would have been stronger with new characters and old themes, with no tie to what is one of his most popular books. there was only one thing that popped up in this one that i'm not sure would have been true to the shining and i would forgive that but i'm also not sure why it needed to be included really anyway: (REMOVED BECAUSE SPOILER ALERT DOESN'T TRANSFER HERE). doesn't seem like king needed to do this, though.
i wasn't as interested at all in what happened to danny torrence, but i was interested in what happened to the spirit of the overlook (or however you want to phrase that) and so was interested in where he took this book. it drew me in quite well and pretty quickly, even as i didn't love the rotation of the 3 viewpoints style. i really think, though, that i would have liked this better if it wasn't a sequel.
as always - great writing, great characterizations, great movement of the plot. this is the most recent (by at least a decade) of his books that i've read and i loved his new take on sexuality. i've never thought he was a homophobe, just that many of his characters are and he writes them well, but to see the casualness of these characters with lesbianism or bisexuality is refreshing, and different than what i'm used to from him.
next: a book you've read, whose title starts with the letter e, and what you thought of it
doctor sleep by stephen king read april 2014
my review:
between 3.5 and 4.
i was thinking, as i was most of the way through this book, that this didn't really need to be written as a sequel to the shining; all of the things that tied this book and these characters to that book could have very easily been described or understood as something else that was unrelated to the overlook hotel and that history. i figured that stephen king was just tired of wondering what ever happened to danny torrence and so he thought he'd find out. i say all that to point out that while this is a sequel, there really isn't a lot that a reader needed to remember or details that were important from that first book to read this one. and very little that king needed to remind us of, or explain to the new reader. i'm not sure this could be a stand-alone read with zero questions or confusion, but it'd be close.
also, all of that to say, as a stand-alone book, taken by itself, it's a 3.5 to 4. as a sequel to what probably goes down as one of his best - or at least one of his scariest - books, it's more disappointing. as he says in his afterword, where he also confirms my suspicion above, sequels rarely do justice to the original. i think this would have been stronger with new characters and old themes, with no tie to what is one of his most popular books. there was only one thing that popped up in this one that i'm not sure would have been true to the shining and i would forgive that but i'm also not sure why it needed to be included really anyway: (REMOVED BECAUSE SPOILER ALERT DOESN'T TRANSFER HERE). doesn't seem like king needed to do this, though.
i wasn't as interested at all in what happened to danny torrence, but i was interested in what happened to the spirit of the overlook (or however you want to phrase that) and so was interested in where he took this book. it drew me in quite well and pretty quickly, even as i didn't love the rotation of the 3 viewpoints style. i really think, though, that i would have liked this better if it wasn't a sequel.
as always - great writing, great characterizations, great movement of the plot. this is the most recent (by at least a decade) of his books that i've read and i loved his new take on sexuality. i've never thought he was a homophobe, just that many of his characters are and he writes them well, but to see the casualness of these characters with lesbianism or bisexuality is refreshing, and different than what i'm used to from him.
next: a book you've read, whose title starts with the letter e, and what you thought of it
362Schmerguls
Eliza, I hope if you read Vera Brittain's book you will not be disappointed. It is a book I will never forget and with this being the centennial of the Grreat War it is a timely book to read, IMHO
3043. Europe: A History, by Norman Davies (read 7 Jan 1998)
This is a massive book, published in 1996. The text is 1136 pages, and then there are 200 pages of notes, graphs, lists, and maps. It is the first history of Europe as such I have read. Davies is a specialist on Poland and gives it adequate attention in this book, though I have no special interest in it. The book is well-done; especially interesting is the history of the last 50 years, since it is always interesting to see what one usually considers "news" treated as history. It is a pleasure to realize that for 50 years Europe has been mostly at peace, and since 1991 Communism is out of power in Europe. This has been a worthwhile book, even though I suppose my memory of it will be hazy, since so much it said I knew.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with F, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
3043. Europe: A History, by Norman Davies (read 7 Jan 1998)
This is a massive book, published in 1996. The text is 1136 pages, and then there are 200 pages of notes, graphs, lists, and maps. It is the first history of Europe as such I have read. Davies is a specialist on Poland and gives it adequate attention in this book, though I have no special interest in it. The book is well-done; especially interesting is the history of the last 50 years, since it is always interesting to see what one usually considers "news" treated as history. It is a pleasure to realize that for 50 years Europe has been mostly at peace, and since 1991 Communism is out of power in Europe. This has been a worthwhile book, even though I suppose my memory of it will be hazy, since so much it said I knew.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with F, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
363overlycriticalme
franny and zooey by jd sallinger read may 2013
my review:
i really, really enjoyed the first section of this book (franny) but had a much harder time with the second (zooey). i like what salinger does, in part, and i like how he writes, but i didn't really care for most of the dialogue (and this entire book is basically a dialogue). the characters are hard to like, or at least they are on the surface. but everything that franny spouts off about in that first section, i thought was so spot on, and felt so real. (does this mean i'm going crazy?) maybe the rest was more of a struggle for me because it turned philosophical and religious. i did also like how at least one central character (seymour) figured so prominently (really the entire family is centered around him) and we don't even meet him, except through the 3 people in the family we do meet. and i didn't like how very much every character used the word goddam in every sentence, it was distracting. as was how much they smoked - i could hardly visualize the scene and the characters the rooms were so smoke-filled. but it was pretty amazing he made an entire book basically out of 3 conversations, and a good chunk of it (maybe as much as half) takes place in a bathroom. up and downs for me in this one. (2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with "g" and what you thought of it
my review:
i really, really enjoyed the first section of this book (franny) but had a much harder time with the second (zooey). i like what salinger does, in part, and i like how he writes, but i didn't really care for most of the dialogue (and this entire book is basically a dialogue). the characters are hard to like, or at least they are on the surface. but everything that franny spouts off about in that first section, i thought was so spot on, and felt so real. (does this mean i'm going crazy?) maybe the rest was more of a struggle for me because it turned philosophical and religious. i did also like how at least one central character (seymour) figured so prominently (really the entire family is centered around him) and we don't even meet him, except through the 3 people in the family we do meet. and i didn't like how very much every character used the word goddam in every sentence, it was distracting. as was how much they smoked - i could hardly visualize the scene and the characters the rooms were so smoke-filled. but it was pretty amazing he made an entire book basically out of 3 conversations, and a good chunk of it (maybe as much as half) takes place in a bathroom. up and downs for me in this one. (2 stars)
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364Schmerguls
2602. The Great Tradition and other stories, by Katharine Fullerton Gerould (read 2 May 1994)
When browsing at random at the Briar Cliff College library I noted in the Nov. 25, 1938, issue of The Commonweal an article on Edith Wharton by Agnes Repplier containing this sentence: "Katharine Fullerton Gerould began her career with a short story called 'Vain Oblations' which was so relentlessly tragic that nobody wants to remember it, and nobody can possibly forget." This intrigued me and I found this book at the Morningside College library. It was published in 1915 and then sold for $1.35. It contains sight short stories (but not Vain Oblations--that story can be found on page 759 of The Bedside Book of Famous American Stories, edited by Angus Burrell and Bennett A. Cerf, and published in 1936 by Random House). Most of them are dire, but one, "The Miracle," ends happily with a stepmother becoming attached to her 5-year-old stepson after her own baby dies at birth. I don't think Gerould is a great writer, but I would read more by her if I had the chance. (4 stars)
This book is one of the rare ones which is listed only by me in LibraryThing.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with H, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
When browsing at random at the Briar Cliff College library I noted in the Nov. 25, 1938, issue of The Commonweal an article on Edith Wharton by Agnes Repplier containing this sentence: "Katharine Fullerton Gerould began her career with a short story called 'Vain Oblations' which was so relentlessly tragic that nobody wants to remember it, and nobody can possibly forget." This intrigued me and I found this book at the Morningside College library. It was published in 1915 and then sold for $1.35. It contains sight short stories (but not Vain Oblations--that story can be found on page 759 of The Bedside Book of Famous American Stories, edited by Angus Burrell and Bennett A. Cerf, and published in 1936 by Random House). Most of them are dire, but one, "The Miracle," ends happily with a stepmother becoming attached to her 5-year-old stepson after her own baby dies at birth. I don't think Gerould is a great writer, but I would read more by her if I had the chance. (4 stars)
This book is one of the rare ones which is listed only by me in LibraryThing.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with H, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
365overlycriticalme
harry potter and the sorcerer's stone by jk rowling; read jan 2009
(it's a little sad to me that on this site the first work to come up as a touchstone for this is the movie and not the book)
my review:
a fun, easy read. i did enjoy this, but i'm not quite sure as of yet (maybe throughout the series it'll be more clear) what the huge deal is about these books. ...
"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." (2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "i," and what you thought of it
(it's a little sad to me that on this site the first work to come up as a touchstone for this is the movie and not the book)
my review:
a fun, easy read. i did enjoy this, but i'm not quite sure as of yet (maybe throughout the series it'll be more clear) what the huge deal is about these books. ...
"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." (2 stars)
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366Schmerguls
4121. It Wasn't Funny at the Time, by William L. Hungate (read 26 Jan 2006)
This is a self-published book by the author, formerly a Congressman from Missouri (from 1964 to 1977) and a Federal judge (from 1979 to 1992). It is very unpretentious and not slickly edited, but it is very funny at times. Hungate was on the Judiciary Committee when Nixon was impeached. Many of the stories he tells are at his own expense. This is a spoofy kind of book but Hungate comes thru as a very likable man. Fun to read. (four stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with J, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This is a self-published book by the author, formerly a Congressman from Missouri (from 1964 to 1977) and a Federal judge (from 1979 to 1992). It is very unpretentious and not slickly edited, but it is very funny at times. Hungate was on the Judiciary Committee when Nixon was impeached. Many of the stories he tells are at his own expense. This is a spoofy kind of book but Hungate comes thru as a very likable man. Fun to read. (four stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with J, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
367overlycriticalme
jenny and the jaws of life by jincy willett; read feb 2014
my review:
there are a few in this collection that are outstanding, and a few that miss the mark for me. overall worth reading - touching, funny, sad; it's got a little bit of everything, often in the same story. the ones i'll remember are the good ones, not the bad, so it gets weighted on the positive side of average. (3 stars)
next: a book you've read whose title begins with "k" and what you thought of it
my review:
there are a few in this collection that are outstanding, and a few that miss the mark for me. overall worth reading - touching, funny, sad; it's got a little bit of everything, often in the same story. the ones i'll remember are the good ones, not the bad, so it gets weighted on the positive side of average. (3 stars)
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368Schmerguls
3768. Krakatoa The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883, by Simon Winchester (read 15 July 2003)
The subject was of great interest to me, and so even though Winchester's The Professor and the Madman (read 28 Feb 1999) was a disappointment, I read this book. It also disappointed. The account of the volcano's eruption is good, but there is so much other stuff--technical things on underlying causes of earthquakes and volcanoes that did not interest me. Nor was the account of the events of 1883 especially interest-holding; the history of the Dutch and Indonesia was pretty superficial, and Winchester's writing style does not entrance. So I thought this book not as good as I had hoped it would be. (2 stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with L, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
The subject was of great interest to me, and so even though Winchester's The Professor and the Madman (read 28 Feb 1999) was a disappointment, I read this book. It also disappointed. The account of the volcano's eruption is good, but there is so much other stuff--technical things on underlying causes of earthquakes and volcanoes that did not interest me. Nor was the account of the events of 1883 especially interest-holding; the history of the Dutch and Indonesia was pretty superficial, and Winchester's writing style does not entrance. So I thought this book not as good as I had hoped it would be. (2 stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with L, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
369overlycriticalme
letting loose the hounds by brady udall, read march 2014
my review:
i so very rarely find a collection of short stories, either by one person or many, where every single one included is powerful and well written and completely worth reading. this is that rare book.
there is a lot of humor in these pages, but most of these stories, at their base, are about how people cope with filling in the space that someone leaves when they die or are taken away (like through custody). there is at least a dull ache in all of the stories, and often the pain is much more present than that. it's never overdone or anything other than poignant, utterly realistic, and beautifully written.
i generally marvel at how an author can invest a reader so deeply in a short story that's, say, 15 or 20 pages long. in this collection udall has a story that made me both chuckle and cry (not just tear up) that was one page long.
i wish i was still in touch with the person who recommended me this book so i could thank her, and i wish that udall wrote faster because even though this first of his books is from 1997, he only has 2 others.
so good. (4.5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter m, and what you thought of it
my review:
i so very rarely find a collection of short stories, either by one person or many, where every single one included is powerful and well written and completely worth reading. this is that rare book.
there is a lot of humor in these pages, but most of these stories, at their base, are about how people cope with filling in the space that someone leaves when they die or are taken away (like through custody). there is at least a dull ache in all of the stories, and often the pain is much more present than that. it's never overdone or anything other than poignant, utterly realistic, and beautifully written.
i generally marvel at how an author can invest a reader so deeply in a short story that's, say, 15 or 20 pages long. in this collection udall has a story that made me both chuckle and cry (not just tear up) that was one page long.
i wish i was still in touch with the person who recommended me this book so i could thank her, and i wish that udall wrote faster because even though this first of his books is from 1997, he only has 2 others.
so good. (4.5 stars)
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370Schmerguls
Eliza. I've never heard of Brady Udall but your good words (especially the first sentence) will cause me to look him up.
2750. Memoirs, by Jean Monnet translated from the French by Richard Mayne (read 28 May 1995)
This book published in the U.S. in 1978 is the memoir of a man active in the League of Nations in the 1920's, helped DeGaulle and Giraud get together, worked on the modernization of France after World War II, and then worked at creating the coal and steel community and the Common Market, and at federating Europe. He died in 1979. This was an extremely moving book and one cannot but believe he is one of the very greatest men of the 20th century. His closing chapters brought tears to my eyes, and how one wishes he could have seen the tremendous things which have occurred since his death! ( 5 stars )
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371overlycriticalme
still trying to think of an "n" book, but just wanted to say - i've heard that his other two books are great, too. i so wish he had more than that...
372overlycriticalme
night shift by stephen king; finished my reread this morning
my over-long review:
between 2.5 and 3. like most collections, there's a bit of a range of quality although there weren't any that i thought were done badly. some weren't really up my alley, and i thought would have been stronger if they didn't feature any of the "spooks galore" that the back advertised. (the story of a family caught in a blizzard in a maine winter is scary and realistic and engrossing enough without the addition of vampires.) i thought the best stories were the ones where he relied on emotion and reality and natural occurrences and fear rather than the more ghoulish. but then i've never been much of a fan of the exorcism/zombie/vampire stuff.
these stories, on the whole, are well done and keep you reading. he hits a bunch of themes that he revisits throughout his writing (at least sometimes done better) - inanimate objects "coming to life," exorcising demons (figuratively and literally), and more vague things like motivation, bullying, religion. mostly he writes relationships and people and what things happen to them, some of which are a bit out of this world and meant to scare. and some of which don't need his supernatural hand to scare at all (like in my favorite of the stories - "the last rung on the ladder" - and the one i liked best last time i read this collection - "graveyard shift").
there is an almost embarrassingly gushing introduction by john d macdonald in which he predicts that king will write many things of different genres (not boxing himself into horror) that i found especially prescient. although after reading the stories in the collection it seemed an easy prediction because these really run the gamut. i only found myself really really liking a couple of these stories, but they're all solid, and they all play on the things that he does best - twisting your expectations, tense pacing, and perfectly reasonable craziness. the few that i remembered from my reading probably 20 years ago weren't all of the ones that stood out to me this time around, but there were a handful that stuck with me because he's awfully good at what he does, even when it's not his best.
only one more thing. in his foreword king says: "All my life as a writer I have been committed to the idea that in fiction the story value holds dominance over every other facet of the writer's craft; characterization, theme, mood, none of those things is anything if the story is dull. And if the story does hold you, all else can be forgiven." i was pretty taken aback to read this because i don't feel exactly opposite but pretty close to it. and i feel like he's a prime example of why i do. i can read and enjoy his stories and books about vampires and aliens and ghosts and demons precisely because of his writing and his characterization and his craft. not at all because of the story, although if a story is good enough he's right that i will forgive many other problems. still, for someone who believes this, he certainly has done an incredible job honing that craft and being a writer of characters and themes and feelings and not just of a story. it's what i love him most for and while i'll never stop reading him, no matter what his stories are about. and it's why i like this book in spite of many of the story topics.
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "o" and what you thought of it
my over-long review:
between 2.5 and 3. like most collections, there's a bit of a range of quality although there weren't any that i thought were done badly. some weren't really up my alley, and i thought would have been stronger if they didn't feature any of the "spooks galore" that the back advertised. (the story of a family caught in a blizzard in a maine winter is scary and realistic and engrossing enough without the addition of vampires.) i thought the best stories were the ones where he relied on emotion and reality and natural occurrences and fear rather than the more ghoulish. but then i've never been much of a fan of the exorcism/zombie/vampire stuff.
these stories, on the whole, are well done and keep you reading. he hits a bunch of themes that he revisits throughout his writing (at least sometimes done better) - inanimate objects "coming to life," exorcising demons (figuratively and literally), and more vague things like motivation, bullying, religion. mostly he writes relationships and people and what things happen to them, some of which are a bit out of this world and meant to scare. and some of which don't need his supernatural hand to scare at all (like in my favorite of the stories - "the last rung on the ladder" - and the one i liked best last time i read this collection - "graveyard shift").
there is an almost embarrassingly gushing introduction by john d macdonald in which he predicts that king will write many things of different genres (not boxing himself into horror) that i found especially prescient. although after reading the stories in the collection it seemed an easy prediction because these really run the gamut. i only found myself really really liking a couple of these stories, but they're all solid, and they all play on the things that he does best - twisting your expectations, tense pacing, and perfectly reasonable craziness. the few that i remembered from my reading probably 20 years ago weren't all of the ones that stood out to me this time around, but there were a handful that stuck with me because he's awfully good at what he does, even when it's not his best.
only one more thing. in his foreword king says: "All my life as a writer I have been committed to the idea that in fiction the story value holds dominance over every other facet of the writer's craft; characterization, theme, mood, none of those things is anything if the story is dull. And if the story does hold you, all else can be forgiven." i was pretty taken aback to read this because i don't feel exactly opposite but pretty close to it. and i feel like he's a prime example of why i do. i can read and enjoy his stories and books about vampires and aliens and ghosts and demons precisely because of his writing and his characterization and his craft. not at all because of the story, although if a story is good enough he's right that i will forgive many other problems. still, for someone who believes this, he certainly has done an incredible job honing that craft and being a writer of characters and themes and feelings and not just of a story. it's what i love him most for and while i'll never stop reading him, no matter what his stories are about. and it's why i like this book in spite of many of the story topics.
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373Schmerguls
1540. On the Other Side To My Children From Germany 1940-1945, by Mathilde Wolff-Monckeberg translated and edited by Ruth Evans (read 25 Nov 1979)
When I read this book I said to myself: "I have just finished reading an extremely moving and well-edited book of letters written but not sent by a German woman to her children from 1940 to 1945. I was tremendously caught up in this so personal glimpse into German life. Actually, things seemed to get worse as far as privation was concerned after the war ended--but at least the bombing was over. The author of the letters did not do anything particularly: she even had a maid-cook at all times. Her husband was a teacher, and after the war Rector of the Universtiy at Hamburg. This was an extremely engrossing book, and I am grateful that the daughter of the author caused it to be published.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with P, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
When I read this book I said to myself: "I have just finished reading an extremely moving and well-edited book of letters written but not sent by a German woman to her children from 1940 to 1945. I was tremendously caught up in this so personal glimpse into German life. Actually, things seemed to get worse as far as privation was concerned after the war ended--but at least the bombing was over. The author of the letters did not do anything particularly: she even had a maid-cook at all times. Her husband was a teacher, and after the war Rector of the Universtiy at Hamburg. This was an extremely engrossing book, and I am grateful that the daughter of the author caused it to be published.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with P, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
374overlycriticalme
praisesong for the widow by paulee marshall, read in feb 2014
my review:
this is really wonderful. i had to read it in snatches of paragraphs and pages over far, far too long for such a slim and layered volume, but couldn't stop myself because i was liking it so much.
the language and the story are both fantastic, although the motivation/feelings of the characters were sometimes inexplicable to me. could be a generational thing or a cultural thing, but it was never significant enough to get in the way of the story and the reading. in the midst of so many beautiful descriptions of so many things throughout this book, i think the short, page-long sex scene she writes may be the most beautiful description of making love that i've ever read.
this is about separation and loss, longing, discovery and recovery. it is really lovely and i'm looking forward to reading it again and giving it the focus it is due (and likely rating it higher).
(3.5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter q, and what you thought of the book
my review:
this is really wonderful. i had to read it in snatches of paragraphs and pages over far, far too long for such a slim and layered volume, but couldn't stop myself because i was liking it so much.
the language and the story are both fantastic, although the motivation/feelings of the characters were sometimes inexplicable to me. could be a generational thing or a cultural thing, but it was never significant enough to get in the way of the story and the reading. in the midst of so many beautiful descriptions of so many things throughout this book, i think the short, page-long sex scene she writes may be the most beautiful description of making love that i've ever read.
this is about separation and loss, longing, discovery and recovery. it is really lovely and i'm looking forward to reading it again and giving it the focus it is due (and likely rating it higher).
(3.5 stars)
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375Schmerguls
5009. Queen Victoria's Children, by John Van der Kiste (read 26 Mar 2013)
This is a non-pretentious book which does a good job telling ot Queen Victoria' s long life and of her nine children. There are adequate geneaolgical tables, and a listing of all Victoria's children and grandchildren. The account is not overly deferential and I found it a good book to read, even though I have read other books on Queen Victoria and her children. There were many instances of untimely sickness and death in the family. In fact, one gets the idea that the death of Prince Albert on Dec 14, 1861 ushered in lots of unhappiness for the family.. A good book to read if the subject interests you, as it does me. (3 and a half stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with R, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This is a non-pretentious book which does a good job telling ot Queen Victoria' s long life and of her nine children. There are adequate geneaolgical tables, and a listing of all Victoria's children and grandchildren. The account is not overly deferential and I found it a good book to read, even though I have read other books on Queen Victoria and her children. There were many instances of untimely sickness and death in the family. In fact, one gets the idea that the death of Prince Albert on Dec 14, 1861 ushered in lots of unhappiness for the family.. A good book to read if the subject interests you, as it does me. (3 and a half stars)
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376overlycriticalme
revolutionary road by richard yates; reread just a few months ago
my review:
from jan 2014:
oh my good lord. a page or two from the end of this book i had to put it down because i felt i was going to be physically sick it is so gut-wrenching.
i have hyped this book quite a bit in my remembrance of it - it immediately went into my top 10 of all time after reading it the first (and only other) time. and then the travesty of the movie came out and i loved the book even more in comparison and in protest. so rereading it now it was bound to disappoint, even a little.
it hardly did. through the middle it didn't have quite the oomph i remember it having, but overall it has the poignancy and the staying power and the depth and the truth - this books speaks such amazing truth - that i recall it having. the writing is incredible and subtle; the characters are unlikeable but you're somehow emotionally involved with them anyway - i love when even characters i don't like show up in my dreams. i didn't want to put this book down, except that i needed to digest some of what i was reading throughout.
i actually like this book so much that i'm finding it hard to review coherently. i'll say that the beginning was great, the middle dropped off only slightly, and the ending soared.
social commentary on suburban malaise. i think my favorite sub-genre to read. this is a near-perfect example. you can't really go wrong reading this book.
the same passages jumped out at me as last time, but also these:
this one, only a few pages in, more or less sums up not just the book but the entire tragic feeling of it all: "Nowhere in these plans had he foreseen the weight and shock of reality; nothing had warned him that he might be overwhelmed by the swaying, shining vision of a girl he hadn't seen in years, a girl whose every glance and gesture could make his throat fill up with longing ('Wouldn't you like to be loved by me?'), and that then before his very eyes she would dissolve and change into the graceless, suffering creature whose existence he tried every day of his life to deny but whom he knew as well and as painfully as he knew himself, a gaunt constricted woman whose red eyes flashed reproach, whose false smile in the curtain call was as homely as his own sore feet, his own damp climbing underwear and his own sour smell."
"'...certainly it's not going to be easy. Do you know anything worth doing that is?'"
"Oh, for a month or two, just for fun, it might be all right to play a game like that with a boy; but all these years! And all because, in a sentimentally lonely time long ago, she had found it easy and agreeable to believe whatever this one particular boy felt like saying, and to repay him for that pleasure by telling easy, agreeable lies of her own, until each was saying what the other most wanted to hear - until he was saying 'I love you' and she was saying 'Really, I mean it; you're the most interesting person I've ever met.'"
"...had filled her with a self-reproach so deep and pure it was almost pleasurable."
(4.75 to 5 stars)
from sept 2008:
this is the perfect time for all of you out there to read this book. pick it up, sit in a comfy chair in front of the fire with a blanket and a cup of tea or hot chocolate, and let yourself sink into his pages. this is a book that i wanted to really read in one sitting, in front of that fire i mentioned already, but enjoyed immensely even though i had to read it in spurts over a week or so. the writing is amazing and his societal commentary matches it. he is saying so much here, but one of my favorite aspects is that the institutionalized 'crazy' man is the most fundamentally honest and straightforward thinker and speaker of the entire bunch. (and how that honesty being actually spoken aloud changes everyone's world.) and of course this is what defines him as crazy in our society.
there's so much more. that's actually just a tiny part of this book. there is such depth and substance in this novel and i loved reading every sentence of it.
"They could lie drowsing now under the sound of kindly voices in the living room, a sound whose intricately rhythmic rise and fall would slowly turn into the shape of their dreams. And if they came awake later to turn over and reach with their toes for new cool places in the sheets, they knew the sound would still be there - one voice very deep and the other soft and pretty, talking and talking, as substantial and soothing as a blue range of mountains seen from far away."
"...if you wanted to do something absolutely honest, something true, it always turned out to be a thing that had to be done alone."
(5 stars)
next: a book you've read whose title starts with the letter s, and what you thought of it
my review:
from jan 2014:
oh my good lord. a page or two from the end of this book i had to put it down because i felt i was going to be physically sick it is so gut-wrenching.
i have hyped this book quite a bit in my remembrance of it - it immediately went into my top 10 of all time after reading it the first (and only other) time. and then the travesty of the movie came out and i loved the book even more in comparison and in protest. so rereading it now it was bound to disappoint, even a little.
it hardly did. through the middle it didn't have quite the oomph i remember it having, but overall it has the poignancy and the staying power and the depth and the truth - this books speaks such amazing truth - that i recall it having. the writing is incredible and subtle; the characters are unlikeable but you're somehow emotionally involved with them anyway - i love when even characters i don't like show up in my dreams. i didn't want to put this book down, except that i needed to digest some of what i was reading throughout.
i actually like this book so much that i'm finding it hard to review coherently. i'll say that the beginning was great, the middle dropped off only slightly, and the ending soared.
social commentary on suburban malaise. i think my favorite sub-genre to read. this is a near-perfect example. you can't really go wrong reading this book.
the same passages jumped out at me as last time, but also these:
this one, only a few pages in, more or less sums up not just the book but the entire tragic feeling of it all: "Nowhere in these plans had he foreseen the weight and shock of reality; nothing had warned him that he might be overwhelmed by the swaying, shining vision of a girl he hadn't seen in years, a girl whose every glance and gesture could make his throat fill up with longing ('Wouldn't you like to be loved by me?'), and that then before his very eyes she would dissolve and change into the graceless, suffering creature whose existence he tried every day of his life to deny but whom he knew as well and as painfully as he knew himself, a gaunt constricted woman whose red eyes flashed reproach, whose false smile in the curtain call was as homely as his own sore feet, his own damp climbing underwear and his own sour smell."
"'...certainly it's not going to be easy. Do you know anything worth doing that is?'"
"Oh, for a month or two, just for fun, it might be all right to play a game like that with a boy; but all these years! And all because, in a sentimentally lonely time long ago, she had found it easy and agreeable to believe whatever this one particular boy felt like saying, and to repay him for that pleasure by telling easy, agreeable lies of her own, until each was saying what the other most wanted to hear - until he was saying 'I love you' and she was saying 'Really, I mean it; you're the most interesting person I've ever met.'"
"...had filled her with a self-reproach so deep and pure it was almost pleasurable."
(4.75 to 5 stars)
from sept 2008:
this is the perfect time for all of you out there to read this book. pick it up, sit in a comfy chair in front of the fire with a blanket and a cup of tea or hot chocolate, and let yourself sink into his pages. this is a book that i wanted to really read in one sitting, in front of that fire i mentioned already, but enjoyed immensely even though i had to read it in spurts over a week or so. the writing is amazing and his societal commentary matches it. he is saying so much here, but one of my favorite aspects is that the institutionalized 'crazy' man is the most fundamentally honest and straightforward thinker and speaker of the entire bunch. (and how that honesty being actually spoken aloud changes everyone's world.) and of course this is what defines him as crazy in our society.
there's so much more. that's actually just a tiny part of this book. there is such depth and substance in this novel and i loved reading every sentence of it.
"They could lie drowsing now under the sound of kindly voices in the living room, a sound whose intricately rhythmic rise and fall would slowly turn into the shape of their dreams. And if they came awake later to turn over and reach with their toes for new cool places in the sheets, they knew the sound would still be there - one voice very deep and the other soft and pretty, talking and talking, as substantial and soothing as a blue range of mountains seen from far away."
"...if you wanted to do something absolutely honest, something true, it always turned out to be a thing that had to be done alone."
(5 stars)
next: a book you've read whose title starts with the letter s, and what you thought of it
377Schmerguls
Well, I have long thought I should read Revolutionary Road and now I know I must. Thanks, Eliza.
1441. Salammbo, by Gustave Flaubert translated by J. C. Chartres (read 29 Mar 1977)
I was not enthralled by this novel, which tells a story of the Carthaginian war with its mercenaries, wherein Hamilcar, Hannibal's father, was the chief Punic general. The book reeks in gore and realism--much more violence than I found I wanted to read about. In the finale Schahabarim scoops out Mathias' heart and Salammbo, Hannibal's sister, dies. At the end of the edition I read there is a criticism by Saint Beauve with a reply by Flaubert--both rather good. (3 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which (ignoring the article "the") starts with T, and what you thought of the book when you read it
1441. Salammbo, by Gustave Flaubert translated by J. C. Chartres (read 29 Mar 1977)
I was not enthralled by this novel, which tells a story of the Carthaginian war with its mercenaries, wherein Hamilcar, Hannibal's father, was the chief Punic general. The book reeks in gore and realism--much more violence than I found I wanted to read about. In the finale Schahabarim scoops out Mathias' heart and Salammbo, Hannibal's sister, dies. At the end of the edition I read there is a criticism by Saint Beauve with a reply by Flaubert--both rather good. (3 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which (ignoring the article "the") starts with T, and what you thought of the book when you read it
378overlycriticalme
schmerguls - i can't imagine not liking revolutionary road, so enjoy it! and let me know what you think.
the tommyknockers by stephen king; reread in feb 2013
my review:
somewhere around 2.5 stars or slightly above. so the thing is - i am really not into books about aliens and their spacecraft (this book), zombies (i think it was the mist and i haven't read it but i think also cell), vampires ('salem's lot), or werewolves (not a focus, but in the talisman). the fact that i liked this book as much as i did in spite of its alien content says quite a bit about how good stephen king is at his craft. how very, very good. he is truly a master storyteller and consistently writes characters more fully than just about anyone out there. i've long used this book (this was a reread for me; i first (and last) read it probably 20 years ago) as an example of how when the characters in a stephen king novel are faced with something unbelievable, stephen king goes about convincing them as he convinces the reader. i was less convinced during this reading than i was when i first read it, but that didn't detract for me (since i'm not into alien stories anyway, i guess) and was more interested in all the peripheral stuff he does. i loved how what he had to say here about nuclear power/war ended up being something so integral to the story. i also loved his subtle references to at least 3 of his other novels (it, the talisman (multiple times), the dead zone, and a totally overt reference to the jack nicholson movie the shining (it made me laugh out loud that he referenced the movie not the book). i loved his character development, as always. i just get sucked into his writing, which eventually gets me into the story, even when it's about aliens. i wanted to not really like this book, because of the alien thing, but just couldn't help myself from liking it, because of stephen king. and in the end, of course, because it's stephen king, while it's "about aliens," it's also really about people and relationships. and he just does that so well.
the tommyknockers by stephen king; reread in feb 2013
my review:
somewhere around 2.5 stars or slightly above. so the thing is - i am really not into books about aliens and their spacecraft (this book), zombies (i think it was the mist and i haven't read it but i think also cell), vampires ('salem's lot), or werewolves (not a focus, but in the talisman). the fact that i liked this book as much as i did in spite of its alien content says quite a bit about how good stephen king is at his craft. how very, very good. he is truly a master storyteller and consistently writes characters more fully than just about anyone out there. i've long used this book (this was a reread for me; i first (and last) read it probably 20 years ago) as an example of how when the characters in a stephen king novel are faced with something unbelievable, stephen king goes about convincing them as he convinces the reader. i was less convinced during this reading than i was when i first read it, but that didn't detract for me (since i'm not into alien stories anyway, i guess) and was more interested in all the peripheral stuff he does. i loved how what he had to say here about nuclear power/war ended up being something so integral to the story. i also loved his subtle references to at least 3 of his other novels (it, the talisman (multiple times), the dead zone, and a totally overt reference to the jack nicholson movie the shining (it made me laugh out loud that he referenced the movie not the book). i loved his character development, as always. i just get sucked into his writing, which eventually gets me into the story, even when it's about aliens. i wanted to not really like this book, because of the alien thing, but just couldn't help myself from liking it, because of stephen king. and in the end, of course, because it's stephen king, while it's "about aliens," it's also really about people and relationships. and he just does that so well.
379Schmerguls
4768. The United States and the Origins of the Cold War 1941-1947, by John Lewis Gaddis (read 18 Oct 2010) (Bancroft Prize in 1973)
This is a 1972 book which won the Bancroft Prize in 1973 so I read it. It does an excellent job reviewing the events which led to the Cold War, and demonstarated to me that the revisionists are wrong and that Harry Truman and Dean Acheson were right to pursue the course they did. Clearly Soviet Russia could have avoided the Cold War by foregoing its designs for taking over Europe. (4 stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of whichstarts with V, and what you thought of the book when you finished it.
This is a 1972 book which won the Bancroft Prize in 1973 so I read it. It does an excellent job reviewing the events which led to the Cold War, and demonstarated to me that the revisionists are wrong and that Harry Truman and Dean Acheson were right to pursue the course they did. Clearly Soviet Russia could have avoided the Cold War by foregoing its designs for taking over Europe. (4 stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of whichstarts with V, and what you thought of the book when you finished it.
380FHC
Victoria's Intimate Home: Creating a Private World by Victoria Magazine {completed Jan 6.2014}
My Thoughts:
I personally love a hardcover book - the added enjoyment of a photo book for this one is appreciated.
Artistic photos capture settings whilst commentary inspires creativity in establishing the intimacy of a warm, hospitable home .
Well enjoyed!
Imagining possibilities of incorporating many of the ideas that caught my fancy.
My Thoughts:
I personally love a hardcover book - the added enjoyment of a photo book for this one is appreciated.
Artistic photos capture settings whilst commentary inspires creativity in establishing the intimacy of a warm, hospitable home .
Well enjoyed!
Imagining possibilities of incorporating many of the ideas that caught my fancy.
381Schmerguls
2687. Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High, by Melba Pattillo Beals (read 22 Dec 1994)
This is the almost incredible account of a girl who was born Dec. 7, 1941 and was one of the nine little black kids who attended Little Rock's Central high school in 1957-1958. One wonders if this book exaggerates--it is incomprehensible there could be so many evil people at Central High. There is little but stark horror in this book, but it is indeed a searing book and certainly an event in my reading. (5 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with X, Y, Z, or A, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This is the almost incredible account of a girl who was born Dec. 7, 1941 and was one of the nine little black kids who attended Little Rock's Central high school in 1957-1958. One wonders if this book exaggerates--it is incomprehensible there could be so many evil people at Central High. There is little but stark horror in this book, but it is indeed a searing book and certainly an event in my reading. (5 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with X, Y, Z, or A, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
382overlycriticalme
couldn't find an x, y, or z that i've read "recently" that hasn't already been used in this thread and had to go back pretty far to find:
ya-yas in bloom by rebecca wells; read before i kept track. so maybe the early to mid 2000's.
since i wasn't keeping track i'm afraid i can't say much about it, other than that i don't remember being disappointed by it like i was with the divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood so probably was around 2 or 2.5 stars.
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with z or a, and what you thought of it.
ya-yas in bloom by rebecca wells; read before i kept track. so maybe the early to mid 2000's.
since i wasn't keeping track i'm afraid i can't say much about it, other than that i don't remember being disappointed by it like i was with the divine secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood so probably was around 2 or 2.5 stars.
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with z or a, and what you thought of it.
383rolandperkins
//A //
Almost President; the men who Lost the Race but Changed the Nation
by Scott Farris
The author believes that several defeated candidates for U. S. president exercised
a great influence over future politics in the U. S. He doesnʻt include former presidents like Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter who lost their bid for re-election, because heʻs limiting himself to candidates who never did get to be president.
I can remember most of his dozen or choices to write up,
because I was born when Hoover was president, and can remember defeated candidates as far back as Wendell Willkie (1940).
I didnʻt know, b t w, that
Tom Dewey (1944) was closer to beating FDR than Wilkie was. But neither was very close. Including the defeated one-termers might have made a more interesting book, but, other than that, I think his choice of whom to include was pretty good. He may be exaggerating the
post-campaign influence of
Walter Mondale, and also his overall estimate of Thomas E. Deweyʻs political career is
higher than mine.
NEXT: A book youʻve read whose title begins with Z or B and what you thought of it.
Almost President; the men who Lost the Race but Changed the Nation
by Scott Farris
The author believes that several defeated candidates for U. S. president exercised
a great influence over future politics in the U. S. He doesnʻt include former presidents like Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter who lost their bid for re-election, because heʻs limiting himself to candidates who never did get to be president.
I can remember most of his dozen or choices to write up,
because I was born when Hoover was president, and can remember defeated candidates as far back as Wendell Willkie (1940).
I didnʻt know, b t w, that
Tom Dewey (1944) was closer to beating FDR than Wilkie was. But neither was very close. Including the defeated one-termers might have made a more interesting book, but, other than that, I think his choice of whom to include was pretty good. He may be exaggerating the
post-campaign influence of
Walter Mondale, and also his overall estimate of Thomas E. Deweyʻs political career is
higher than mine.
NEXT: A book youʻve read whose title begins with Z or B and what you thought of it.
384overlycriticalme
brave new world by aldous huxley, read feb 2011
my entire review, unbelievably, was:
what does it say that there is nothing really surprising in here? (2 stars)
but i remember it more positively than that.
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with c, and what you thought of it.
my entire review, unbelievably, was:
what does it say that there is nothing really surprising in here? (2 stars)
but i remember it more positively than that.
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with c, and what you thought of it.
385Schmerguls
2259. The Climax of Populism: The Election of 1896, by Robert F. Durden (read 24 Dec 1989)
This is a 1965 study by a Duke professor on the role of the Populist party in the presidential election of 1896. It was of considerable interest in that it made me aware of the difficulty Thomas E. Watson made in the campaign. The Populists nominated him for vice-president, and then had to try to get electors on the ballot who would vote for him. This was tricky, and they usually had fusion slates. Watson ended up getting 27 electoral votes for vice-president. Not too significant a book. (2 and a half stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with D, and what you thought of it when you read it.
386rolandperkins
// D //
De Natura Deorum / "On the Nature of the Gods" by Cicero
Iʻve not only read it, but written an (unfortunately unpublished) translation of it.
Just as a reader, I found it a
little disappointing, in that it
wasnʻt quite the gold mine
of data about what might be called the "autumn of Roman paganism (1st century B. C., last years of the Roman Republic)." But it is interesting, taking the form of a debate between conventional believers and
an Epicurean philosopher who is an unbeliever in all but name. As between these two
seemingly irreconcilable positions, Cicero is fairly even-handed, letting them both speak for themselves without comment. HIs own philosophical school was the New Academy, by ancestry
a descendant of Platoʻs Academy of some 350 years earlier, but no longer very notably a Socratic/Platonic school. What Cicero himself even
seems to prefer to the Academy, is the Stoic philosophy,
which happened to be the philosophy of many of his
political allies.
NEXT: A book that you have read, with a title beginning
with E.
De Natura Deorum / "On the Nature of the Gods" by Cicero
Iʻve not only read it, but written an (unfortunately unpublished) translation of it.
Just as a reader, I found it a
little disappointing, in that it
wasnʻt quite the gold mine
of data about what might be called the "autumn of Roman paganism (1st century B. C., last years of the Roman Republic)." But it is interesting, taking the form of a debate between conventional believers and
an Epicurean philosopher who is an unbeliever in all but name. As between these two
seemingly irreconcilable positions, Cicero is fairly even-handed, letting them both speak for themselves without comment. HIs own philosophical school was the New Academy, by ancestry
a descendant of Platoʻs Academy of some 350 years earlier, but no longer very notably a Socratic/Platonic school. What Cicero himself even
seems to prefer to the Academy, is the Stoic philosophy,
which happened to be the philosophy of many of his
political allies.
NEXT: A book that you have read, with a title beginning
with E.
387Schmerguls
//E//
3051. Explicit and Authentic Acts: Amending the U. S. Constitution, 1776-1995, by David E. Kyvig (read 6 Feb 1998) (Bancroft Prize in 1997)
I found this an immensely satisfying book. It tells of the history related to all the amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and of all the efforts to amend it. Everything in this book was good reading, and I learned a lot I did not know of the history related to all 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. 33 amendments were passed by Congress by the required 2/3rds vote of each house, and 27 were passed by 3/4ths of the states. I thought fascinating the account of the events preceding the adoption of each amendment, such as the 16th through the 22nd, and the work the author did to gather the information in this book is awesome. The bibliography in this book is huge and there are many books listed I would like to read. (5 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with F, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
3051. Explicit and Authentic Acts: Amending the U. S. Constitution, 1776-1995, by David E. Kyvig (read 6 Feb 1998) (Bancroft Prize in 1997)
I found this an immensely satisfying book. It tells of the history related to all the amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and of all the efforts to amend it. Everything in this book was good reading, and I learned a lot I did not know of the history related to all 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. 33 amendments were passed by Congress by the required 2/3rds vote of each house, and 27 were passed by 3/4ths of the states. I thought fascinating the account of the events preceding the adoption of each amendment, such as the 16th through the 22nd, and the work the author did to gather the information in this book is awesome. The bibliography in this book is huge and there are many books listed I would like to read. (5 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with F, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
388overlycriticalme
french kids eat everything by karen le billon, read july 2014
my review:
sometimes i'm not sure it's fair to rate parenting books, because mostly doesn't that just mean "i agree with this" or "i don't agree with this" or "yes, this supports my parenting style" or etc. so certainly a good chunk of this rating reflects that i'm not sure how useful this is for me. not because i don't need it but because i'm pretty unable to implement it. luckily the end of the book has a little more handholding for the more trepidatious among us, which can also allow you (or me) to take what we can to make the changes we can, without requiring an entire shift in how we do things (even if we should entirely shift how we do things).
what a jumble that is. suffice it to say that there are a lot of great things in this book - good stories to back up theory, a pretty easy and engaging read that is decently written - but that i just don't care about food enough to make much of a change, even as i want to. i will try to make some changes, and there are ideas in here for small ones that perhaps will pave the way to bigger or real change. i'm not sure this book came to me at the right time; i'm a little too resistant to it right now, although i'll be taking what i can and will try to implement what seems to make sense. (2.5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "g" and what you thought of the book
my review:
sometimes i'm not sure it's fair to rate parenting books, because mostly doesn't that just mean "i agree with this" or "i don't agree with this" or "yes, this supports my parenting style" or etc. so certainly a good chunk of this rating reflects that i'm not sure how useful this is for me. not because i don't need it but because i'm pretty unable to implement it. luckily the end of the book has a little more handholding for the more trepidatious among us, which can also allow you (or me) to take what we can to make the changes we can, without requiring an entire shift in how we do things (even if we should entirely shift how we do things).
what a jumble that is. suffice it to say that there are a lot of great things in this book - good stories to back up theory, a pretty easy and engaging read that is decently written - but that i just don't care about food enough to make much of a change, even as i want to. i will try to make some changes, and there are ideas in here for small ones that perhaps will pave the way to bigger or real change. i'm not sure this book came to me at the right time; i'm a little too resistant to it right now, although i'll be taking what i can and will try to implement what seems to make sense. (2.5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "g" and what you thought of the book
389Schmerguls
3908. Ghost Ship The Mysterious True Story of the Mary Celeste and Her Missing Crew, by Brian Hicks (read 10 July 2004)
I read Hanson W. Baldwin's Sea Fights and Shipwrecks: True Tales of the Seven Seas on 17 Oct 1982, containing an account of the famed November 1872 disappearance which is the subject of this book, which is meticulously researched but rather amateurishly written. It spends a lot of time telling everything the author could find out about the people who were on the ship when they disappeared, leaving the ship totally unmanned but perfectly seaworthy. The author has a theory which seems plausible as to what happened. This book was not as good as I had hoped it would be, but the event discussed in it is of great interest. (two and a half stars )
Next: A book you have read, the title of which starts with H, and what you thought of the book when you read it
I read Hanson W. Baldwin's Sea Fights and Shipwrecks: True Tales of the Seven Seas on 17 Oct 1982, containing an account of the famed November 1872 disappearance which is the subject of this book, which is meticulously researched but rather amateurishly written. It spends a lot of time telling everything the author could find out about the people who were on the ship when they disappeared, leaving the ship totally unmanned but perfectly seaworthy. The author has a theory which seems plausible as to what happened. This book was not as good as I had hoped it would be, but the event discussed in it is of great interest. (two and a half stars )
Next: A book you have read, the title of which starts with H, and what you thought of the book when you read it
390overlycriticalme
hood by emma donoghue, read april 2014
my review:
i enjoyed much of this book, but something central to it also didn't quite work for me. a lot of the writing was stellar, with really nice turns of phrase or imagery. what i had trouble with, really, were many of the characters and their believability. i have thankfully never had to deal with the grief that the main character, pen, does in this book, and everyone handles grief differently and in their own way, but a lot of the conversations (especially with kate and mr wall - and his behavior as well) seemed to stretch the lines of plausibility. the emotion (of loss and confusion and changing identity and anger and lust) that underlay most everything was for me, a little too under the surface.
i didn't really like cara much at all, and wasn't too excited about pen either, although she seemed more relatable. (actually the only character i liked much at all was jo, and she wasn't really in most of the book.)
all that, and still, i was drawn back to the book every time i put it down. i found myself liking it and wanting to keep reading and keep reading. so even though i can say what i didn't like about it and i'm having more troubling saying what i did like in it, i am still left with a definite positive overall impression. and i'll certainly look to read more of her in the future.
"...their shoulders are peanut-red, scored with strapmarks. I have often wondered if the Irish consider it ungrateful to use sun block."
"This was a film so old and re-run I couldn't tell fact from fiction. It was a memory I saved for when I really needed it, in case I wore it out." (3 stars, although i remember it not quite as highly as this)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "i" and what you thought of it
my review:
i enjoyed much of this book, but something central to it also didn't quite work for me. a lot of the writing was stellar, with really nice turns of phrase or imagery. what i had trouble with, really, were many of the characters and their believability. i have thankfully never had to deal with the grief that the main character, pen, does in this book, and everyone handles grief differently and in their own way, but a lot of the conversations (especially with kate and mr wall - and his behavior as well) seemed to stretch the lines of plausibility. the emotion (of loss and confusion and changing identity and anger and lust) that underlay most everything was for me, a little too under the surface.
i didn't really like cara much at all, and wasn't too excited about pen either, although she seemed more relatable. (actually the only character i liked much at all was jo, and she wasn't really in most of the book.)
all that, and still, i was drawn back to the book every time i put it down. i found myself liking it and wanting to keep reading and keep reading. so even though i can say what i didn't like about it and i'm having more troubling saying what i did like in it, i am still left with a definite positive overall impression. and i'll certainly look to read more of her in the future.
"...their shoulders are peanut-red, scored with strapmarks. I have often wondered if the Irish consider it ungrateful to use sun block."
"This was a film so old and re-run I couldn't tell fact from fiction. It was a memory I saved for when I really needed it, in case I wore it out." (3 stars, although i remember it not quite as highly as this)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "i" and what you thought of it
391Schmerguls
4810. I Accuse The Story of the Dreyfus Case, by Irving Werstein (read 27 Mar 2011)
This is written for juveniles and is defective in that it does not pretend to be objective, whereas objectivity would overwhelmingly show Dreyfus was innocent and wronged. This book is very pro-Dreyfus--I just think it should have tried to show its position by a more factual presentation. The best book I have read on the case is The Affair, by Jean-Denis Bredin (read 19 Mar 1986). Also very good is Dreyfus A Family Affair, by Michael Burns, (read 6 Jun 1992). This book is OK for juveniles but the books I cite are far better reading. (2 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with J, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This is written for juveniles and is defective in that it does not pretend to be objective, whereas objectivity would overwhelmingly show Dreyfus was innocent and wronged. This book is very pro-Dreyfus--I just think it should have tried to show its position by a more factual presentation. The best book I have read on the case is The Affair, by Jean-Denis Bredin (read 19 Mar 1986). Also very good is Dreyfus A Family Affair, by Michael Burns, (read 6 Jun 1992). This book is OK for juveniles but the books I cite are far better reading. (2 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with J, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
392overlycriticalme
jenny and the jaws of life by jincy willett, read feb 2014
my review:
there are a few in this collection that are outstanding, and a few that miss the mark for me. overall worth reading - touching, funny, sad; it's got a little bit of everything, often in the same story. the ones i'll remember are the good ones, not the bad, so it gets weighted on the positive side of average. (3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "k" and what you thought of the book
my review:
there are a few in this collection that are outstanding, and a few that miss the mark for me. overall worth reading - touching, funny, sad; it's got a little bit of everything, often in the same story. the ones i'll remember are the good ones, not the bad, so it gets weighted on the positive side of average. (3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "k" and what you thought of the book
393Schmerguls
2237. The Kaiser's Daughter: Memories of H.R.H. Viktoria Luise, Duchess of Brunswick and Luneberg, Princess of Prussia translated and edited by Robert Vacha (read 15 Oct 1989)
This is a book drawn from three books published in Germany in 1965, 1967, and 1974. Since there are only 263 pages one can be sure great gobs of the German original are omitted. It is the Memoirs of the youngest of Kaiser William II's seven children (and the only girl), who was born 13 Sep 1892. She married Ernest August, son of the duke of Cumberland. They had four boys and a girl. Her granddaughter is (as of 1989) Queen of Spain. This is an artless book, written with a bias to be expected of the Kaiser's daughter. But I found it fun to read, especially the part dealing with her life after 1913. She was opposed to the Kaiser's second marriage, and has little good to say of Hermine, his second wife. I cannot help but find European royalty fun to read about. Viktoria Luise and her husband had 12 of their 16 great-grandparents in common! ( 3 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with L, and what you thought of the book when you read it
This is a book drawn from three books published in Germany in 1965, 1967, and 1974. Since there are only 263 pages one can be sure great gobs of the German original are omitted. It is the Memoirs of the youngest of Kaiser William II's seven children (and the only girl), who was born 13 Sep 1892. She married Ernest August, son of the duke of Cumberland. They had four boys and a girl. Her granddaughter is (as of 1989) Queen of Spain. This is an artless book, written with a bias to be expected of the Kaiser's daughter. But I found it fun to read, especially the part dealing with her life after 1913. She was opposed to the Kaiser's second marriage, and has little good to say of Hermine, his second wife. I cannot help but find European royalty fun to read about. Viktoria Luise and her husband had 12 of their 16 great-grandparents in common! ( 3 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with L, and what you thought of the book when you read it
394overlycriticalme
the lion's game by nelson demille; read nov 2013
my review:
2.75 stars. i am really not a fan of demille's macho posturing that he puts his main heroes through, and this book starts out with a lot of it. happily, our main hero isn't the focus of the entire book, and so we're spared this for enough of the book to get the reader involved and interested. (in fact, demille's focus on the bad guy for a while is what made me realize that he's actually not a bad writer, like i've been accusing him of for years. so he's choosing to write his characters so incredibly…awfully. i'm not sure if this is better or worse.) by the time we're back to focusing on john corey, his over the top machismo isn't as annoying - or maybe is more easily overlooked - because the story has grabbed you. of course, as per demille's usual, it's a story that could have (and should have) been written in half the pages he took, but this is still one of the better books of his that i've read. he still has no idea how to write about relationships between men and women (truly, it's laughable), and the macho stuff will always get my goat in his books, but the story is an interesting one, and the chase and the climax definitely kept me reading. i really wanted to know if and how they would capture the bad guy, how it would go down, and for whatever other reason i can't explain just found myself really wanting to keep reading. and it is interesting to note what's changed and what's stayed the same politically (and from the perspective of international terror) since he wrote this.
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter m, and what you thought of it
my review:
2.75 stars. i am really not a fan of demille's macho posturing that he puts his main heroes through, and this book starts out with a lot of it. happily, our main hero isn't the focus of the entire book, and so we're spared this for enough of the book to get the reader involved and interested. (in fact, demille's focus on the bad guy for a while is what made me realize that he's actually not a bad writer, like i've been accusing him of for years. so he's choosing to write his characters so incredibly…awfully. i'm not sure if this is better or worse.) by the time we're back to focusing on john corey, his over the top machismo isn't as annoying - or maybe is more easily overlooked - because the story has grabbed you. of course, as per demille's usual, it's a story that could have (and should have) been written in half the pages he took, but this is still one of the better books of his that i've read. he still has no idea how to write about relationships between men and women (truly, it's laughable), and the macho stuff will always get my goat in his books, but the story is an interesting one, and the chase and the climax definitely kept me reading. i really wanted to know if and how they would capture the bad guy, how it would go down, and for whatever other reason i can't explain just found myself really wanting to keep reading. and it is interesting to note what's changed and what's stayed the same politically (and from the perspective of international terror) since he wrote this.
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter m, and what you thought of it
395Schmerguls
2823. My War, by Andy Rooney (read 14 Jan 1996)
This was a most satisfying read. I have long enjoyed his five minutes on 60 Minutes, but never thought I would read a book by him. He was drafted in 1941 . His big break came when he was assigned to the Stars and Stripes, an Army newspaper. He actually went on a couple of bombing rids over Europe, and arrived in France a few days after D-Day. His story is unfailingly interesting. He has nothing good to say for General Patton. This is just a great book, moving, serious, funny, just exceptionally well-written. Though he had a safer war than many, he took risks and certainly is admirable. (4 stars )
I still miss him when I watch 60 Minutes.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with N, and what you thought of the book when you read it
This was a most satisfying read. I have long enjoyed his five minutes on 60 Minutes, but never thought I would read a book by him. He was drafted in 1941 . His big break came when he was assigned to the Stars and Stripes, an Army newspaper. He actually went on a couple of bombing rids over Europe, and arrived in France a few days after D-Day. His story is unfailingly interesting. He has nothing good to say for General Patton. This is just a great book, moving, serious, funny, just exceptionally well-written. Though he had a safer war than many, he took risks and certainly is admirable. (4 stars )
I still miss him when I watch 60 Minutes.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with N, and what you thought of the book when you read it
396overlycriticalme
night shift by stephen king, read 5/6 2014
my review:
like most collections, there's a bit of a range of quality although there weren't any that i thought were done badly. some weren't really up my alley, and i thought would have been stronger if they didn't feature any of the "spooks galore" that the back advertised. (the story of a family caught in a blizzard in a maine winter is scary and realistic and engrossing enough without the addition of vampires.) i thought the best stories were the ones where he relied on emotion and reality and natural occurrences and fear rather than the more ghoulish. but then i've never been much of a fan of the exorcism/zombie/vampire stuff.
these stories, on the whole, are well done and keep you reading. he hits a bunch of themes that he revisits throughout his writing (at least sometimes done better) - inanimate objects "coming to life," exorcising demons (figuratively and literally), and more vague things like motivation, bullying, religion. mostly he writes relationships and people and what things happen to them, some of which are a bit out of this world and meant to scare. and some of which don't need his supernatural hand to scare at all (like in my favorite of the stories - "the last rung on the ladder" - and the one i liked best last time i read this collection - "graveyard shift").
there is an almost embarrassingly gushing introduction by john d macdonald in which he predicts that king will write many things of different genres (not boxing himself into horror) that i found especially prescient. although after reading the stories in the collection it seemed an easy prediction because these really run the gamut. i only found myself really really liking a couple of these stories, but they're all solid, and they all play on the things that he does best - twisting your expectations, tense pacing, and perfectly reasonable craziness. the few that i remembered from my reading probably 20 years ago weren't all of the ones that stood out to me this time around, but there were a handful that stuck with me because he's awfully good at what he does, even when it's not his best.
only one more thing. in his foreword king says: "All my life as a writer I have been committed to the idea that in fiction the story value holds dominance over every other facet of the writer's craft; characterization, theme, mood, none of those things is anything if the story is dull. And if the story does hold you, all else can be forgiven." i was pretty taken aback to read this because i don't feel exactly opposite but pretty close to it. and i feel like he's a prime example of why i do. i can read and enjoy his stories and books about vampires and aliens and ghosts and demons precisely because of his writing and his characterization and his craft. not at all because of the story, although if a story is good enough he's right that i will forgive many other problems. still, for someone who believes this, he certainly has done an incredible job honing that craft and being a writer of characters and themes and feelings and not just of a story. it's what i love him most for and why i'll never stop reading him, no matter what his stories are about. and it's why i like this book in spite of many of the story topics.
(3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "o" and what you thought of it
my review:
like most collections, there's a bit of a range of quality although there weren't any that i thought were done badly. some weren't really up my alley, and i thought would have been stronger if they didn't feature any of the "spooks galore" that the back advertised. (the story of a family caught in a blizzard in a maine winter is scary and realistic and engrossing enough without the addition of vampires.) i thought the best stories were the ones where he relied on emotion and reality and natural occurrences and fear rather than the more ghoulish. but then i've never been much of a fan of the exorcism/zombie/vampire stuff.
these stories, on the whole, are well done and keep you reading. he hits a bunch of themes that he revisits throughout his writing (at least sometimes done better) - inanimate objects "coming to life," exorcising demons (figuratively and literally), and more vague things like motivation, bullying, religion. mostly he writes relationships and people and what things happen to them, some of which are a bit out of this world and meant to scare. and some of which don't need his supernatural hand to scare at all (like in my favorite of the stories - "the last rung on the ladder" - and the one i liked best last time i read this collection - "graveyard shift").
there is an almost embarrassingly gushing introduction by john d macdonald in which he predicts that king will write many things of different genres (not boxing himself into horror) that i found especially prescient. although after reading the stories in the collection it seemed an easy prediction because these really run the gamut. i only found myself really really liking a couple of these stories, but they're all solid, and they all play on the things that he does best - twisting your expectations, tense pacing, and perfectly reasonable craziness. the few that i remembered from my reading probably 20 years ago weren't all of the ones that stood out to me this time around, but there were a handful that stuck with me because he's awfully good at what he does, even when it's not his best.
only one more thing. in his foreword king says: "All my life as a writer I have been committed to the idea that in fiction the story value holds dominance over every other facet of the writer's craft; characterization, theme, mood, none of those things is anything if the story is dull. And if the story does hold you, all else can be forgiven." i was pretty taken aback to read this because i don't feel exactly opposite but pretty close to it. and i feel like he's a prime example of why i do. i can read and enjoy his stories and books about vampires and aliens and ghosts and demons precisely because of his writing and his characterization and his craft. not at all because of the story, although if a story is good enough he's right that i will forgive many other problems. still, for someone who believes this, he certainly has done an incredible job honing that craft and being a writer of characters and themes and feelings and not just of a story. it's what i love him most for and why i'll never stop reading him, no matter what his stories are about. and it's why i like this book in spite of many of the story topics.
(3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "o" and what you thought of it
397ahef1963
On Beyond Zebra by Dr. Seuss
I don't know what I thought of this book when I first read it. I would have been about three years old. My mother had joined some sort of book-by-mail club which sent me a new book from the Seuss library once a month; there were also books by other authors such as Stan and Ann Berenstain and Theo LeSieg. I have very little memory of it at all, which tells me that I didn't think much of it. Certainly I didn't read it to my own children, although most of that book series was still intact, and I passed the books on to them.
I don't know what I thought of this book when I first read it. I would have been about three years old. My mother had joined some sort of book-by-mail club which sent me a new book from the Seuss library once a month; there were also books by other authors such as Stan and Ann Berenstain and Theo LeSieg. I have very little memory of it at all, which tells me that I didn't think much of it. Certainly I didn't read it to my own children, although most of that book series was still intact, and I passed the books on to them.
398Schmerguls
Ahef1963, I hope you will edit your entry to tell us what you thought of the book when you first read it.
1676. Practicing History: Selected Essays, by Barbara W. Tuchman (read 29 Nov 1981)
This is a collection of pieces, which starts out great, and really is worth reading. I did not know Tuchman was Henry Morgenthau, Sr.'s granddaughter. She is a clear writer, but not quite a professional enough historian to suit me. The first item in this book is a talk she gave at Radcliffe College in April 1963 and is one of the best things in the book. She calls the single most formative experience in her career: "the stacks at Widener. They were my Archimedes' bathtub, my burning bush, my dish of mold where I found my personal penicillin. I was allowed to have as my own one of those little cubicles with a table...Mine was deep in among the 942's (British History, that is) and I could roam at liberty through the rich stacks, taking whatever I wanted. The experience was marvelous, a word I use in its exact sense meaning full of marvels. The happiest days of my intellectual life, until I began writing history again some ten years later, were spent in the stacks at Widener...I was blissful as a cow put to graze in a field of fresh clover..." That is a feeling I can empathize with entirely. (five stars)
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which starts with Q, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
1676. Practicing History: Selected Essays, by Barbara W. Tuchman (read 29 Nov 1981)
This is a collection of pieces, which starts out great, and really is worth reading. I did not know Tuchman was Henry Morgenthau, Sr.'s granddaughter. She is a clear writer, but not quite a professional enough historian to suit me. The first item in this book is a talk she gave at Radcliffe College in April 1963 and is one of the best things in the book. She calls the single most formative experience in her career: "the stacks at Widener. They were my Archimedes' bathtub, my burning bush, my dish of mold where I found my personal penicillin. I was allowed to have as my own one of those little cubicles with a table...Mine was deep in among the 942's (British History, that is) and I could roam at liberty through the rich stacks, taking whatever I wanted. The experience was marvelous, a word I use in its exact sense meaning full of marvels. The happiest days of my intellectual life, until I began writing history again some ten years later, were spent in the stacks at Widener...I was blissful as a cow put to graze in a field of fresh clover..." That is a feeling I can empathize with entirely. (five stars)
NEXT: A book you have actually read, the title of which starts with Q, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
399overlycriticalme
just bumping this, since i'm unable to think of a "q" title that hasn't already been used in this game...
400Tafadhali
1677. The Quotable Slayer by Steven Brezenoff
This is a collection of Buffy quotes, and it delivers pretty much what it promises on the tin. I went through a period of reading quotation compendia cover to cover in high school that I honestly can't fathom now, but if you enjoy Whedonesque wit and wisdom it is a fun book to flip through.
NEXT: A book you've read that starts with 'R' and what you thought of it!
This is a collection of Buffy quotes, and it delivers pretty much what it promises on the tin. I went through a period of reading quotation compendia cover to cover in high school that I honestly can't fathom now, but if you enjoy Whedonesque wit and wisdom it is a fun book to flip through.
NEXT: A book you've read that starts with 'R' and what you thought of it!
401Schmerguls
2935 Riding the Iron Rooster: by Train Through China, by Paul Theroux (read 15 Dec 1996)
This tells of the author's traveling in China in 1986 and 1987, mostly by train, though he also tells of his exciting trip by car in Tibet. This book convinced me not to go to China--not that I ever wanted to. This was before the 1989 massacre in Beijing, but there were student demonstrations going on. The book really told me more than I wanted to know about China: dirty, crowded, and I'd hate to eat their food.
NEXT: A book you have read the title of which starts with S, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This tells of the author's traveling in China in 1986 and 1987, mostly by train, though he also tells of his exciting trip by car in Tibet. This book convinced me not to go to China--not that I ever wanted to. This was before the 1989 massacre in Beijing, but there were student demonstrations going on. The book really told me more than I wanted to know about China: dirty, crowded, and I'd hate to eat their food.
NEXT: A book you have read the title of which starts with S, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
402ahef1963
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
I really disliked this book. Most of the dislike came from not understanding what on earth was going on, and needing to piece together the plot by looking it up on Wikipedia and trying to reconcile their summary of the action with what I was reading. To make matters worse, the bits that I did understand upset me greatly, as the book is rife with abuse and neglect. After I had finished it, I decided, on the basis of this one book, that I hated William Faulkner.
A year or so later, I decided that I shouldn't base my dislike of an author so well-reputed on one book, and read Light in August. When I say "read", I mean "once again pieced together by using computer summaries, and being upset by the brief glimpses of plot that I could figure out myself".
So I've given up Faulkner for Lent, but a permanent Lent, where I'm waiting for Easter forever. I am not going to resurrect him anytime in this life. I've rarely had to struggle with literature to the extent that I did with Faulkner, although Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is a permanent mystery to me and I gave up on it a couple of years ago. Lest readers think I am dense, I point out in my defense that I have read Finnegan's Wake and understood it as well as one can, James Joyce being rather mysterious in his writing.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with T, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
I really disliked this book. Most of the dislike came from not understanding what on earth was going on, and needing to piece together the plot by looking it up on Wikipedia and trying to reconcile their summary of the action with what I was reading. To make matters worse, the bits that I did understand upset me greatly, as the book is rife with abuse and neglect. After I had finished it, I decided, on the basis of this one book, that I hated William Faulkner.
A year or so later, I decided that I shouldn't base my dislike of an author so well-reputed on one book, and read Light in August. When I say "read", I mean "once again pieced together by using computer summaries, and being upset by the brief glimpses of plot that I could figure out myself".
So I've given up Faulkner for Lent, but a permanent Lent, where I'm waiting for Easter forever. I am not going to resurrect him anytime in this life. I've rarely had to struggle with literature to the extent that I did with Faulkner, although Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man is a permanent mystery to me and I gave up on it a couple of years ago. Lest readers think I am dense, I point out in my defense that I have read Finnegan's Wake and understood it as well as one can, James Joyce being rather mysterious in his writing.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which begins with T, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
403ahef1963
To Schmerguls ----->
I considered teaching in China a couple of years back, and did some preparatory reading while getting my ESL qualifications. Everything I read convinced me not to go to China. The food, the sanitation, the crowds, my complete and utter inability to learn to speak Mandarin (although good at languages generally) turned me from my plans, and I eventually stayed in Canada. It is the population density which scared me in particular, it made me feel claustrophobic while reading about the vast numbers of people in the big cities.
I considered teaching in China a couple of years back, and did some preparatory reading while getting my ESL qualifications. Everything I read convinced me not to go to China. The food, the sanitation, the crowds, my complete and utter inability to learn to speak Mandarin (although good at languages generally) turned me from my plans, and I eventually stayed in Canada. It is the population density which scared me in particular, it made me feel claustrophobic while reading about the vast numbers of people in the big cities.
404nrmay
Ties that Bind, Ties that Break by Lensey Namioka
Speaking of China . . . This novel is set in the early 1900s. A Chinese girl refuses to have her feet bound.
Speaking of China . . . This novel is set in the early 1900s. A Chinese girl refuses to have her feet bound.
405Schmerguls
Afef, thanks for telling us of your almost going to China. I suppose having been to China would be an experience but the trouble is that it requires that you be there and that's the rub. I guess.
#404 does not do what I think is supposed to be done, but the book intrigues and I am presuming that it tells what the reader thought of the book. So I am going to U:
1650. Unquiet Soul: A Biography of Charlotte Bronte, by Margot Peters (read 4 Aug 1981)
This is an excellent biography. I think it is one of that genre of biographies which are almost perfect. It was published in 1975. The life of Charlotte Bronte, as set out in this book, seems highly dramatic, even though it was short and superficially narrow. How I thrilled to the simple paragraph which ends Chapter 13:
"Exclamations swelled to a chorus that surged to a roar. Currer Bell's Jane Eyre had taken Victorian England by storm.'
And how satisfying to read a biography of an author which spends little time on money--how much or how little she had. Charlotte Bronte did not become an extravagant spender--in fact, her manner of living at Haworth changed very little after she became famous. And what a life--in some ways, the life was one of squalor. E.g. "Thus in eight months, Sept 14 to May 28, Branwell, Emily, and Anne were all swept away. Branwell was only 31, Emily 30, and Anne 29. Brief as their lives were, all three had bettered the 25.8 years average life expectancy of Haworth residents." A very well-written book.
(five stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of whichstarts with V, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
#404 does not do what I think is supposed to be done, but the book intrigues and I am presuming that it tells what the reader thought of the book. So I am going to U:
1650. Unquiet Soul: A Biography of Charlotte Bronte, by Margot Peters (read 4 Aug 1981)
This is an excellent biography. I think it is one of that genre of biographies which are almost perfect. It was published in 1975. The life of Charlotte Bronte, as set out in this book, seems highly dramatic, even though it was short and superficially narrow. How I thrilled to the simple paragraph which ends Chapter 13:
"Exclamations swelled to a chorus that surged to a roar. Currer Bell's Jane Eyre had taken Victorian England by storm.'
And how satisfying to read a biography of an author which spends little time on money--how much or how little she had. Charlotte Bronte did not become an extravagant spender--in fact, her manner of living at Haworth changed very little after she became famous. And what a life--in some ways, the life was one of squalor. E.g. "Thus in eight months, Sept 14 to May 28, Branwell, Emily, and Anne were all swept away. Branwell was only 31, Emily 30, and Anne 29. Brief as their lives were, all three had bettered the 25.8 years average life expectancy of Haworth residents." A very well-written book.
(five stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of whichstarts with V, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
407Schmerguls
1909. Wolves in the City: The Death of French Algeria, by Paul Henissart (read 18 Feb 1985)
This is a French journalist's account of the years 1961 and 1962--the death years for French Algeria. It was an awful time, just unbelievable that the pieds noirs and their fanatic OAS could do what they did. This book was unfailingly interesting, and was written in 1970--so there is some perspective. The last paragraph: "But even now, on wet evenings, over a glass of Ricard, around the hushed plazas of Alicante, nostalgia for the white coastal cities, the immense bluish mountain ranges, the spectacularly dawns, the freedom of Africa suddenly pierces one of the peids noirs who fought for the OAS. He is young and dirt poor, wears a torn shirt and filthy pants, and has fashioned a new life for himself where he disembarked in confusion and bitterness in 1962. Yet something of the rough past lingers, his views have not changed all that much. Clapping his hand to his heart with no trace of self-consciousness, before returning to his game of cards with his Spanish partners, he proclaims: 'La France est ma terra.'" (four stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with X, Y, Z, or A, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This is a French journalist's account of the years 1961 and 1962--the death years for French Algeria. It was an awful time, just unbelievable that the pieds noirs and their fanatic OAS could do what they did. This book was unfailingly interesting, and was written in 1970--so there is some perspective. The last paragraph: "But even now, on wet evenings, over a glass of Ricard, around the hushed plazas of Alicante, nostalgia for the white coastal cities, the immense bluish mountain ranges, the spectacularly dawns, the freedom of Africa suddenly pierces one of the peids noirs who fought for the OAS. He is young and dirt poor, wears a torn shirt and filthy pants, and has fashioned a new life for himself where he disembarked in confusion and bitterness in 1962. Yet something of the rough past lingers, his views have not changed all that much. Clapping his hand to his heart with no trace of self-consciousness, before returning to his game of cards with his Spanish partners, he proclaims: 'La France est ma terra.'" (four stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with X, Y, Z, or A, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
408nrmay
X-isle by Steve Augarde
Can't believe I had an X title I had read!
This was YA science fiction. Dystopian novel set in British Isles after extensive, widespread flooding has raised sea levels and killed lots of people.
409Schmerguls
3274. Young Thomas Hardy - Thomas Hardy's Later Years, by Robert Gittings (read 4 Dec 1999)(Thomas Hardy's Later Years: James Tait Black Memorial biography prize for 1978)
These two books were bound in one volume, so of course they only count as one book. I had back in October of 1982 read Michael Millgate's biography of Hardy, and was not sure why I was reading another one. But after a time this work caught me up, and I enjoyed the latter part of it thoroughly. Gittings' consideration of Hardy's poetry I found meaningful, and was struck by these two lines from Hardy's "Winter Words":
"Love is a terrible thing: sweet for a space,
And then all mourning, mourning."
Which I thought said something about Hardy's rather ego-centered life. (three and a half stars )
Next: A book you have read, the title of which starts with Z or A, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
These two books were bound in one volume, so of course they only count as one book. I had back in October of 1982 read Michael Millgate's biography of Hardy, and was not sure why I was reading another one. But after a time this work caught me up, and I enjoyed the latter part of it thoroughly. Gittings' consideration of Hardy's poetry I found meaningful, and was struck by these two lines from Hardy's "Winter Words":
"Love is a terrible thing: sweet for a space,
And then all mourning, mourning."
Which I thought said something about Hardy's rather ego-centered life. (three and a half stars )
Next: A book you have read, the title of which starts with Z or A, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
411Schmerguls
FNC: waiting for thoughts about the book.
412nrmay
Amanda / Miranda by Richard Peck.
Originally published for adults, this title was later edited and reissued for the YA audience. Historical fiction set at the time of the Titanic disaster. Switched identities, romance and intrigue.
Next: A book you have read, the title of which starts with B, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
Originally published for adults, this title was later edited and reissued for the YA audience. Historical fiction set at the time of the Titanic disaster. Switched identities, romance and intrigue.
Next: A book you have read, the title of which starts with B, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
413rolandperkins
"Baseballs Natural: the Story of Eddie Waitkus"
by John Theodore
When I was high school age,Eddie Waitkus of the Chicago Cubs, later of the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles was something less than a legend and something more than a "blast from the past". He had, in the previous decade, attended the same high school that I did.
There is a literary connection, in that "Natural" in its title is derived from Bernard Malamudʻs novel of that name, in one episode of which the ballplayer, "Roy" is
shot by a deranged fan. In real life, this happened to Waitkus, as a member of the visiting Philadelphia Phillies in the 1949 NL season. The real Waitkus was strictly an infielder. "Roy", based on him, is a brilliantly promising young pitcher, starting out late in the Babe Ruth era.
He recovers from the wound
enough to become an equally promising hitter - - but only in the next decade. The real Waitkusʻs comeback was
quite a bit sooner and less spectatcular.
As for Theodoreʻs non-fiction, it was interesting but not especially exciting.
by John Theodore
When I was high school age,Eddie Waitkus of the Chicago Cubs, later of the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles was something less than a legend and something more than a "blast from the past". He had, in the previous decade, attended the same high school that I did.
There is a literary connection, in that "Natural" in its title is derived from Bernard Malamudʻs novel of that name, in one episode of which the ballplayer, "Roy" is
shot by a deranged fan. In real life, this happened to Waitkus, as a member of the visiting Philadelphia Phillies in the 1949 NL season. The real Waitkus was strictly an infielder. "Roy", based on him, is a brilliantly promising young pitcher, starting out late in the Babe Ruth era.
He recovers from the wound
enough to become an equally promising hitter - - but only in the next decade. The real Waitkusʻs comeback was
quite a bit sooner and less spectatcular.
As for Theodoreʻs non-fiction, it was interesting but not especially exciting.
414Schmerguls
Roland, did you know Eddie Waitkus in high school or was he there before your time?
I see on Wikipedia that he was born Sept 4, 1919, so he was long gone from your high school when you got there. He was born exactly 31 years after my father.
1338. The Cardinal Protectors of England: Rome and the Tudors Before the Reformation, by William E. Wilkie (read 7 June 1975)
The author was in my class at college and I always liked him so I read his book. This book is a tour de force of historical research. Much isn't too interesting, but the footnotes shout how Father Wilkie grubbed through ancient correspondence. The book covers the period 1485 to 1539. Bill says the best of the more recent accounts of Henry VIII's divorce are The King's Great Matter by G. de C. Parmiter (London 1967) and J. J. Scarisbuck's Henry VIII (London 1968). I had forgotten he said this, yet nevertheless I had the good sense to read the latter book on 15 Feb 2003 and found it a good solid book full of good information. ( four stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with D, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
I see on Wikipedia that he was born Sept 4, 1919, so he was long gone from your high school when you got there. He was born exactly 31 years after my father.
1338. The Cardinal Protectors of England: Rome and the Tudors Before the Reformation, by William E. Wilkie (read 7 June 1975)
The author was in my class at college and I always liked him so I read his book. This book is a tour de force of historical research. Much isn't too interesting, but the footnotes shout how Father Wilkie grubbed through ancient correspondence. The book covers the period 1485 to 1539. Bill says the best of the more recent accounts of Henry VIII's divorce are The King's Great Matter by G. de C. Parmiter (London 1967) and J. J. Scarisbuck's Henry VIII (London 1968). I had forgotten he said this, yet nevertheless I had the good sense to read the latter book on 15 Feb 2003 and found it a good solid book full of good information. ( four stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with D, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
416Schmerguls
5169. The End The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-45, by Ian Kershaw (read 3 Jun 2014)
I read Kershaw's two-volume biography of Hitler in 2001 and his Fateful Choices on 23 Oct 2007. So I was eager to read this book. It is largely based on German material and records, and sets out in rather turgid detail all that went on in Germany from July 20, 1944 till into May 1945. Military events are set out only to show what the Nazis were reacting to during that time. The dominance of Hitler was pretty total as far as running things in Germany was concerned. This does not make for pleasant reading--only when we get to the very end of the book is the account lifted to exciting and rewarding reading. The total depravity of the Nazis before that time is painful to read about. But finally, as we come to the final chapters of the book the gloom lifts and the book becomes a good reading experience. The book spends little time on the course of what happened after the surrender in May 1945. One thinks of all those brainwashed Germans and wonders if before they died how many came to regret their adherence to the evil that was Hitler and his ideology. (four stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with F, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
I read Kershaw's two-volume biography of Hitler in 2001 and his Fateful Choices on 23 Oct 2007. So I was eager to read this book. It is largely based on German material and records, and sets out in rather turgid detail all that went on in Germany from July 20, 1944 till into May 1945. Military events are set out only to show what the Nazis were reacting to during that time. The dominance of Hitler was pretty total as far as running things in Germany was concerned. This does not make for pleasant reading--only when we get to the very end of the book is the account lifted to exciting and rewarding reading. The total depravity of the Nazis before that time is painful to read about. But finally, as we come to the final chapters of the book the gloom lifts and the book becomes a good reading experience. The book spends little time on the course of what happened after the surrender in May 1945. One thinks of all those brainwashed Germans and wonders if before they died how many came to regret their adherence to the evil that was Hitler and his ideology. (four stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with F, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
417nrmay
Fin & Lady by Cathleen Schine
NYC in the 60s. Adventures of a young boy and his older half-sister on their own.
Sort of a Auntie Mame theme. I liked it.
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with G, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
418overlycriticalme
the god delusion by richard dawkins, read sept 2014 (for an lt group read)
my (rather overly long) review:
this is an interesting one to rate because i agree with pretty much all of his points, but dislike either the examples he uses as proof or the tone he takes when discussing the people of the opposing viewpoint, or both, for basically every argument he makes.
i understand that he is doing quite a bit of simplifying for the sake of being able to summarize arguments that each have many books written about them. so i don't really fault him for not going into a lot of detail or for not taking apart arguments piece by piece. i think that causes some of his statements to be easier to misunderstand or disbelieve, though, because he isn't giving enough time to the details.
that said, i think that he brings up a lot of really interesting ideas in this book. for me, i especially enjoyed reading about morality and the roots of religion (the late middle chapters). partly this was just empirically the most interesting to me, and partly i felt his snarkiness was more toned down in these chapters. throughout the rest of the book, dawkins addresses religious believers with mockery, which isn't the best way to reach people with the intention of conversion (one of his stated purposes of this book). i'm sure he pushes far more people away than draws them in with this approach. it's especially bothersome because he claims to want to reach out to people of faith, but then is unable to resist poking caustic fun. his arguments are worth considering, but that can be hard to do if you have to work at not being offended by the man making them. (this is true for him in general, actually, not just for his attitude toward religious people, as he's made some pretty awful statements about many things lately.) to quote dawkins himself, late in the book, "I don't think the adversary format is well designed to get at the truth...." i only wish he'd remembered that throughout.
for this reason, this book would have benefited greatly from having been edited by someone unfamiliar with his arguments. it seems to me that his statements are, while his, also a conglomeration of the other accepted atheist and/or scientific points of view; i appreciate that they're all put together in this book. (perhaps they're commonly found all together in other books; this is the only book i've ever read - i'm embarrassed to admit - on either religion or philosophy, so i can't say either way.) but as someone who is not close to the subject at all, i found it easy to question the obviousness he assumes in his arguments. i think he's too close to the ideas and probably has used the same arguments for years, and perhaps they've gotten less precise as he's put them forth again and again. all i know, is for someone hearing them articulated for the first time, while in the end i agree with him (but i started from that position so it was easier), i found his examples to be not very good at all, and his explanations lacking.
the early chapters particularly galled me in the assumptions he made and then spun to his advantage. most notably that he claimed that many people who professed to be religious in history only did so because they felt they had to. could be true, but he assigns this "truth" to many, many people who can't deny or refute (or confirm) this, and moves on as if he's proved something. this from the man who claims that evidence is what he bases his decisions on. it felt disingenuous and seemed entirely unnecessary to prove his point. and later on, it's a minor part of the book but not so minor a thing, the way in which he discusses the sexual abuse scandal in the catholic church (in particular) and how he very strangely almost dismisses it. ("You might almost sympathize with them the Church...")
but i find, among other things, he gives a worthwhile answer to the question that i'd just started answering on my own - why be hostile toward religion, why not just let believers believe? again, in a bombastic kind of way, but the underlying points are solid. which can basically sum up the way i feel about the entire thing. and the entire book was worth reading, for me, to get at chapters 6 and 7 about morality. i found that part fascinating.
"Darwinism raises our consciousness in other ways. Evolved organs, elegant and efficient as they often are, also demonstrate revealing flaws - exactly as you'd expect if they have an evolutionary history, and exactly as you would not expect if they were designed." (3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with "h" and what you thought of it
my (rather overly long) review:
this is an interesting one to rate because i agree with pretty much all of his points, but dislike either the examples he uses as proof or the tone he takes when discussing the people of the opposing viewpoint, or both, for basically every argument he makes.
i understand that he is doing quite a bit of simplifying for the sake of being able to summarize arguments that each have many books written about them. so i don't really fault him for not going into a lot of detail or for not taking apart arguments piece by piece. i think that causes some of his statements to be easier to misunderstand or disbelieve, though, because he isn't giving enough time to the details.
that said, i think that he brings up a lot of really interesting ideas in this book. for me, i especially enjoyed reading about morality and the roots of religion (the late middle chapters). partly this was just empirically the most interesting to me, and partly i felt his snarkiness was more toned down in these chapters. throughout the rest of the book, dawkins addresses religious believers with mockery, which isn't the best way to reach people with the intention of conversion (one of his stated purposes of this book). i'm sure he pushes far more people away than draws them in with this approach. it's especially bothersome because he claims to want to reach out to people of faith, but then is unable to resist poking caustic fun. his arguments are worth considering, but that can be hard to do if you have to work at not being offended by the man making them. (this is true for him in general, actually, not just for his attitude toward religious people, as he's made some pretty awful statements about many things lately.) to quote dawkins himself, late in the book, "I don't think the adversary format is well designed to get at the truth...." i only wish he'd remembered that throughout.
for this reason, this book would have benefited greatly from having been edited by someone unfamiliar with his arguments. it seems to me that his statements are, while his, also a conglomeration of the other accepted atheist and/or scientific points of view; i appreciate that they're all put together in this book. (perhaps they're commonly found all together in other books; this is the only book i've ever read - i'm embarrassed to admit - on either religion or philosophy, so i can't say either way.) but as someone who is not close to the subject at all, i found it easy to question the obviousness he assumes in his arguments. i think he's too close to the ideas and probably has used the same arguments for years, and perhaps they've gotten less precise as he's put them forth again and again. all i know, is for someone hearing them articulated for the first time, while in the end i agree with him (but i started from that position so it was easier), i found his examples to be not very good at all, and his explanations lacking.
the early chapters particularly galled me in the assumptions he made and then spun to his advantage. most notably that he claimed that many people who professed to be religious in history only did so because they felt they had to. could be true, but he assigns this "truth" to many, many people who can't deny or refute (or confirm) this, and moves on as if he's proved something. this from the man who claims that evidence is what he bases his decisions on. it felt disingenuous and seemed entirely unnecessary to prove his point. and later on, it's a minor part of the book but not so minor a thing, the way in which he discusses the sexual abuse scandal in the catholic church (in particular) and how he very strangely almost dismisses it. ("You might almost sympathize with them the Church...")
but i find, among other things, he gives a worthwhile answer to the question that i'd just started answering on my own - why be hostile toward religion, why not just let believers believe? again, in a bombastic kind of way, but the underlying points are solid. which can basically sum up the way i feel about the entire thing. and the entire book was worth reading, for me, to get at chapters 6 and 7 about morality. i found that part fascinating.
"Darwinism raises our consciousness in other ways. Evolved organs, elegant and efficient as they often are, also demonstrate revealing flaws - exactly as you'd expect if they have an evolutionary history, and exactly as you would not expect if they were designed." (3 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which starts with "h" and what you thought of it
420overlycriticalme
iberia by james michener, read march 2014
my review (another longer one):
i'm not sure i can technically count this book as having been actually read because of all the skimming and even scanning that i did throughout.
i am an awfully big fan of michener but have rarely liked his nonfiction stuff nearly as well as his fiction. this nonfiction is billed as his recounting his travels through spain. i love spain. i have spent a decent amount of time there for someone who has never lived anywhere but america. i mostly love michener. i should have loved this book. but no.
i may have liked it better if it had been correctly labeled as history, because that changes my expectations going in. once i really and truly realized that this wasn't about his travels in spain but about spain and spanish history and spanish tradition/culture/art/food/folklore/architecture/music/what-have-you (which didn't really happen for me until around 600 pages in) i was able to find more value in it. still, there are large swaths of this book that i couldn't bear to even skim, and found myself scanning for things that might be of interest. (i think that's really a first for me.) there was way way way too much detail about so many things, and then brushing off of other things that could have been really interesting. i couldn't abide the part about bullfighting. i don't care that he believes it is and that he describes it as art not as sport, i just can't read such detail about that kind of senseless killing and stay sane. i couldn't read the more than 10 page description of the cathedral in santiago. i was really looking forward to the last chapter on santiago, hoping he would describe his pilgrimage along the way of st james as he took the walk for the last time 40 years before i did. it was a disappointing revisiting of something i normally love to read about. i wish this was more travel and less history but if you're looking for history, maybe this is the right book, i don't know.
still, i give 1 star instead of .5 because there were some interesting parts.
this made me laugh out loud, as this book itself is 960 pages, and many of his others are tomes around the same size:
"I went back to the cathedral plaza and spent most of one morning writing ten letters, a job I find difficult, for words do not come easily to me."
an example of what made me want to pull my hair out; i can't imagine why he would include something like this:
"The plaza isn't quite a perfect square. One afternoon when I had nothing better to do I stepped it off in all directions, but I forget the results."
there were some other things that i noted for their humor or their insight. this isn't worthless, but it's also not terribly worthwhile, or at least certainly not as a travelogue. and frankly it makes me rethink my excitement in eventually reading his memoir. there is really, really good michener out there but this is not it. (1 star)
(nrmay - his book hawaii is one of the good ones (one of the best of his i've read). if you liked honolulu you might really like michener's take on it.)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "j" and what you thought of it
my review (another longer one):
i'm not sure i can technically count this book as having been actually read because of all the skimming and even scanning that i did throughout.
i am an awfully big fan of michener but have rarely liked his nonfiction stuff nearly as well as his fiction. this nonfiction is billed as his recounting his travels through spain. i love spain. i have spent a decent amount of time there for someone who has never lived anywhere but america. i mostly love michener. i should have loved this book. but no.
i may have liked it better if it had been correctly labeled as history, because that changes my expectations going in. once i really and truly realized that this wasn't about his travels in spain but about spain and spanish history and spanish tradition/culture/art/food/folklore/architecture/music/what-have-you (which didn't really happen for me until around 600 pages in) i was able to find more value in it. still, there are large swaths of this book that i couldn't bear to even skim, and found myself scanning for things that might be of interest. (i think that's really a first for me.) there was way way way too much detail about so many things, and then brushing off of other things that could have been really interesting. i couldn't abide the part about bullfighting. i don't care that he believes it is and that he describes it as art not as sport, i just can't read such detail about that kind of senseless killing and stay sane. i couldn't read the more than 10 page description of the cathedral in santiago. i was really looking forward to the last chapter on santiago, hoping he would describe his pilgrimage along the way of st james as he took the walk for the last time 40 years before i did. it was a disappointing revisiting of something i normally love to read about. i wish this was more travel and less history but if you're looking for history, maybe this is the right book, i don't know.
still, i give 1 star instead of .5 because there were some interesting parts.
this made me laugh out loud, as this book itself is 960 pages, and many of his others are tomes around the same size:
"I went back to the cathedral plaza and spent most of one morning writing ten letters, a job I find difficult, for words do not come easily to me."
an example of what made me want to pull my hair out; i can't imagine why he would include something like this:
"The plaza isn't quite a perfect square. One afternoon when I had nothing better to do I stepped it off in all directions, but I forget the results."
there were some other things that i noted for their humor or their insight. this isn't worthless, but it's also not terribly worthwhile, or at least certainly not as a travelogue. and frankly it makes me rethink my excitement in eventually reading his memoir. there is really, really good michener out there but this is not it. (1 star)
(nrmay - his book hawaii is one of the good ones (one of the best of his i've read). if you liked honolulu you might really like michener's take on it.)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "j" and what you thought of it
421Schmerguls
Hey, Eliza, I believe I will want to read Iberia! That a book has too much history does not scare me off at all, but entices!
2473. July 1914 The Long Debate, 1918-1990, by John W. Langdon (read 14 Nov 1992)
This is an excellent, excellent book. It reviews all the work on the cause of the outbreak of World War One. It approaches the history with six keys: (1) Was the assassination the act of a group of independent fanatics, or was the Serbian government involved? (2) What were the actions and intentions of the German government when it gave Austria-Hungary its support in early July? (3) What did the French and Russians discuss between July 20 and 23, and what role did France play in the determination of Russian policy between July 24 and July 30? (4) What of Grey's reluctance to warn Germany of Britain's probable attitude in the event of war? (5) What of Germany's efforts on July 20 to try to restrict Austria-Hungary? (6) What of Russia's general mobilization on July 30? The author discusses the high tide of revisionism, including German historians, Harry Elmer Barnes, and Sidney Bradshaw Fay. The anti-revisionists responded--including Bernadotte, Everly, Schmidt, and Luigi Albertini and A.J.P. Taylor. Then came Fritz Fischer's book in 1961 and the revisionists were knocked out. This was a memorable book which I greatly enjoyed. (five stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, thtitle of which starts with K, and what you thought of it when you read it.
2473. July 1914 The Long Debate, 1918-1990, by John W. Langdon (read 14 Nov 1992)
This is an excellent, excellent book. It reviews all the work on the cause of the outbreak of World War One. It approaches the history with six keys: (1) Was the assassination the act of a group of independent fanatics, or was the Serbian government involved? (2) What were the actions and intentions of the German government when it gave Austria-Hungary its support in early July? (3) What did the French and Russians discuss between July 20 and 23, and what role did France play in the determination of Russian policy between July 24 and July 30? (4) What of Grey's reluctance to warn Germany of Britain's probable attitude in the event of war? (5) What of Germany's efforts on July 20 to try to restrict Austria-Hungary? (6) What of Russia's general mobilization on July 30? The author discusses the high tide of revisionism, including German historians, Harry Elmer Barnes, and Sidney Bradshaw Fay. The anti-revisionists responded--including Bernadotte, Everly, Schmidt, and Luigi Albertini and A.J.P. Taylor. Then came Fritz Fischer's book in 1961 and the revisionists were knocked out. This was a memorable book which I greatly enjoyed. (five stars)
NEXT: A book you have read, thtitle of which starts with K, and what you thought of it when you read it.
422nrmay
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Time travel and African American historical fiction by notable Sci Fi writer.
I liked this one and plan to read more of her books.
423Schmerguls
340. Look Homeward, Angel A Story of the Buried Life, by Thomas Wolfe (read 7 Jun 1948) (Book of the Year)
Started reading this book on June 2, 1948, on which date I said: "It is smashy and heavy." On June 3 I said: "Look Homeward, Angel is realistic, but more than realistic in its orgy of introspection, its detailed youngness." On June 5 I said: "Look Homeward is spotty--great in spots, although at times not good. The boy, Eugene, was surely quite a guy." When I finished the book I copied some of the stirring language therefrom since I did not own the book I read.
NEXT: A book you have read the title of which starts with M, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
Started reading this book on June 2, 1948, on which date I said: "It is smashy and heavy." On June 3 I said: "Look Homeward, Angel is realistic, but more than realistic in its orgy of introspection, its detailed youngness." On June 5 I said: "Look Homeward is spotty--great in spots, although at times not good. The boy, Eugene, was surely quite a guy." When I finished the book I copied some of the stirring language therefrom since I did not own the book I read.
NEXT: A book you have read the title of which starts with M, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
424overlycriticalme
schmerguls - if that quote about pacing off the plaza "square" didn't turn you off, then iberia is for you!
the manchurian candidate by richard condon; read june 2014
my review:
this is a great idea with pretty awful execution. i put this down and almost didn't pick it back up again and again. it didn't get going until about 180 pages in, and only really got good in the last 50 pages or so. it did end on a high note, and i did enjoy the last bit. i can't give it a better rating, though, because the beginning was so bad and because it just was so poorly done overall. (perhaps the only book i've ever read in my life where i thought - i bet the movie is better than the book. and it's an interesting enough concept that i might watch the movie, even now knowing the twists and spoilers.) (1.5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "n" and what you thought of it
the manchurian candidate by richard condon; read june 2014
my review:
this is a great idea with pretty awful execution. i put this down and almost didn't pick it back up again and again. it didn't get going until about 180 pages in, and only really got good in the last 50 pages or so. it did end on a high note, and i did enjoy the last bit. i can't give it a better rating, though, because the beginning was so bad and because it just was so poorly done overall. (perhaps the only book i've ever read in my life where i thought - i bet the movie is better than the book. and it's an interesting enough concept that i might watch the movie, even now knowing the twists and spoilers.) (1.5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "n" and what you thought of it
425rolandperkins
1901 (aka Nineteen-oh-One)
I like this novel (the authorʻs first published) so much that I wonʻt wait till the letter N comes up again, but will list it now, even though currently reading it.
It is an "Alternate Past" yarn.
The German Kaiser of that era
is jealous of the U. S. possessions which, as in real life, have been acquired in the Spanish-American War of 1898.
Wilhelm II makes a perfunctory offer to peacefully purchase the possessions - -
an "offer" that he KNOWS will be rejected, and is at the same time hastily mounting an invasion
of New York City and Southern
New England: all this some 14 years before, in real life, the Lusitania
and other ships embroiled the two nations. Stay tuned.
I like this novel (the authorʻs first published) so much that I wonʻt wait till the letter N comes up again, but will list it now, even though currently reading it.
It is an "Alternate Past" yarn.
The German Kaiser of that era
is jealous of the U. S. possessions which, as in real life, have been acquired in the Spanish-American War of 1898.
Wilhelm II makes a perfunctory offer to peacefully purchase the possessions - -
an "offer" that he KNOWS will be rejected, and is at the same time hastily mounting an invasion
of New York City and Southern
New England: all this some 14 years before, in real life, the Lusitania
and other ships embroiled the two nations. Stay tuned.
426Schmerguls
1716. One L, by Scott Turow (read 20 May 1982)
1716 One L, by Scott Turow (read 20 May 1982) This is a 1977 book about the author's first year at Harvard Law. It is very readable, but it does not accurately reflect my first year at Georgetown . I checked my diary for 1950, and found the law did not overpower me--Washington did. Politics seemed to have far more attention than law those first months. But this book does capture some of the overpowering tension of law school, though my stolid peasant attitude never drove me to pills or a psychiatrist--as the author here almost was driven. A very intense book--I only wish the professors were not disguised, though I am sure everybody at Harvard knows who each was. ( 4 and a half stars)
NEXT: A book you've read, the title of which starts with P, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
1716 One L, by Scott Turow (read 20 May 1982) This is a 1977 book about the author's first year at Harvard Law. It is very readable, but it does not accurately reflect my first year at Georgetown . I checked my diary for 1950, and found the law did not overpower me--Washington did. Politics seemed to have far more attention than law those first months. But this book does capture some of the overpowering tension of law school, though my stolid peasant attitude never drove me to pills or a psychiatrist--as the author here almost was driven. A very intense book--I only wish the professors were not disguised, though I am sure everybody at Harvard knows who each was. ( 4 and a half stars)
NEXT: A book you've read, the title of which starts with P, and what you thought of the book when you read it.
427overlycriticalme
praisesong for the widow by paule marshall read feb 2014
my review:
this is really wonderful. i had to read it in snatches of paragraphs and pages over far, far too long for such a slim and layered volume, but couldn't stop myself because i was liking it so much.
the language and the story are both fantastic, although the motivation/feelings of the characters were sometimes inexplicable to me. (notably i didn't understand at all why thomasina reacted with anger at all, or why avey even thought she would be disappointed with what she found the excursion to be.) could be a generational thing or a cultural thing, but it was never significant enough to get in the way of the story and the reading. in the midst of so many beautiful descriptions of so many things throughout this book, i think the short, page-long sex scene she writes may be the most beautiful description of making love that i've ever read.
this is about separation and loss, longing, discovery and recovery. it is really lovely and i'm looking forward to reading it again and giving it the focus it is due (and likely rating it higher).
(3.5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter q, and what you thought of it
my review:
this is really wonderful. i had to read it in snatches of paragraphs and pages over far, far too long for such a slim and layered volume, but couldn't stop myself because i was liking it so much.
the language and the story are both fantastic, although the motivation/feelings of the characters were sometimes inexplicable to me. (notably i didn't understand at all why thomasina reacted with anger at all, or why avey even thought she would be disappointed with what she found the excursion to be.) could be a generational thing or a cultural thing, but it was never significant enough to get in the way of the story and the reading. in the midst of so many beautiful descriptions of so many things throughout this book, i think the short, page-long sex scene she writes may be the most beautiful description of making love that i've ever read.
this is about separation and loss, longing, discovery and recovery. it is really lovely and i'm looking forward to reading it again and giving it the focus it is due (and likely rating it higher).
(3.5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with the letter q, and what you thought of it
428Schmerguls
2173. Queen Hortense, by Louise Muhlbach (read 16 Dec 1988)
2173 Queen Hortense, by Louise Muhlbach (read 16 Dec 1988) Queen Hortense, mother of Napoleon III, died in 1837. She never loved her husband, Napoleon's brother, but she had three children by him. This book is very favorable to Hortense and has nothing bad to say of Napoleon, though when the author was writing of German royalty she spoke most derogatorily of Napoleon. I have three other Muhlbach books which I have decided not to read--I figure reading eleven of her books is enough. ( 2 and a half stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with R, and what you thought of the book wen you read it.
2173 Queen Hortense, by Louise Muhlbach (read 16 Dec 1988) Queen Hortense, mother of Napoleon III, died in 1837. She never loved her husband, Napoleon's brother, but she had three children by him. This book is very favorable to Hortense and has nothing bad to say of Napoleon, though when the author was writing of German royalty she spoke most derogatorily of Napoleon. I have three other Muhlbach books which I have decided not to read--I figure reading eleven of her books is enough. ( 2 and a half stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with R, and what you thought of the book wen you read it.
429overlycriticalme
revolutionary road by richard yates reread in jan 2014
from jan 2014:
oh my good lord. a page or two from the end of this book i had to put it down because i felt i was going to be physically sick it is so gut-wrenching.
i have hyped this book quite a bit in my remembrance of it - it immediately went into my top 10 of all time after reading it the first (and only other) time. and then the travesty of the movie came out and i loved the book even more in comparison and in protest. so rereading it now it was bound to disappoint, even a little.
it hardly did. through the middle it didn't have quite the oomph i remember it having, but overall it has the poignancy and the staying power and the depth and the truth - this books speaks such amazing truth - that i recall it having. the writing is incredible and subtle; the characters are unlikeable but you're somehow emotionally involved with them anyway - i love when even characters i don't like show up in my dreams. i didn't want to put this book down, except that i needed to digest some of what i was reading throughout.
i actually like this book so much that i'm finding it hard to review coherently. i'll say that the beginning was great, the middle dropped off only slightly, and the ending soared.
social commentary on suburban malaise. i think my favorite sub-genre to read. this is a near-perfect example. you can't really go wrong reading this book.
the same passages jumped out at me as last time, but also these:
this one, only a few pages in, more or less sums up not just the book but the entire tragic feeling of it all: "Nowhere in these plans had he foreseen the weight and shock of reality; nothing had warned him that he might be overwhelmed by the swaying, shining vision of a girl he hadn't seen in years, a girl whose every glance and gesture could make his throat fill up with longing ('Wouldn't you like to be loved by me?'), and that then before his very eyes she would dissolve and change into the graceless, suffering creature whose existence he tried every day of his life to deny but whom he knew as well and as painfully as he knew himself, a gaunt constricted woman whose red eyes flashed reproach, whose false smile in the curtain call was as homely as his own sore feet, his own damp climbing underwear and his own sour smell."
"'...certainly it's not going to be easy. Do you know anything worth doing that is?'"
"Oh, for a month or two, just for fun, it might be all right to play a game like that with a boy; but all these years! And all because, in a sentimentally lonely time long ago, she had found it easy and agreeable to believe whatever this one particular boy felt like saying, and to repay him for that pleasure by telling easy, agreeable lies of her own, until each was saying what the other most wanted to hear - until he was saying 'I love you' and she was saying 'Really, I mean it; you're the most interesting person I've ever met.'"
"...had filled her with a self-reproach so deep and pure it was almost pleasurable."
(5 stars)
from sept 2008:
this is the perfect time for all of you out there to read this book. pick it up, sit in a comfy chair in front of the fire with a blanket and a cup of tea or hot chocolate, and let yourself sink into his pages. this is a book that i wanted to really read in one sitting, in front of that fire i mentioned already, but enjoyed immensely even though i had to read it in spurts over a week or so. the writing is amazing and his societal commentary matches it. he is saying so much here, but one of my favorite aspects is that the institutionalized 'crazy' man is the most fundamentally honest and straightforward thinker and speaker of the entire bunch. (and how that honesty being actually spoken aloud changes everyone's world.) and of course this is what defines him as crazy in our society.
there's so much more. that's actually just a tiny part of this book. there is such depth and substance in this novel and i loved reading every sentence of it.
"They could lie drowsing now under the sound of kindly voices in the living room, a sound whose intricately rhythmic rise and fall would slowly turn into the shape of their dreams. And if they came awake later to turn over and reach with their toes for new cool places in the sheets, they knew the sound would still be there - one voice very deep and the other soft and pretty, talking and talking, as substantial and soothing as a blue range of mountains seen from far away."
"...if you wanted to do something absolutely honest, something true, it always turned out to be a thing that had to be done alone."
(5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "s" and what you thought of it
from jan 2014:
oh my good lord. a page or two from the end of this book i had to put it down because i felt i was going to be physically sick it is so gut-wrenching.
i have hyped this book quite a bit in my remembrance of it - it immediately went into my top 10 of all time after reading it the first (and only other) time. and then the travesty of the movie came out and i loved the book even more in comparison and in protest. so rereading it now it was bound to disappoint, even a little.
it hardly did. through the middle it didn't have quite the oomph i remember it having, but overall it has the poignancy and the staying power and the depth and the truth - this books speaks such amazing truth - that i recall it having. the writing is incredible and subtle; the characters are unlikeable but you're somehow emotionally involved with them anyway - i love when even characters i don't like show up in my dreams. i didn't want to put this book down, except that i needed to digest some of what i was reading throughout.
i actually like this book so much that i'm finding it hard to review coherently. i'll say that the beginning was great, the middle dropped off only slightly, and the ending soared.
social commentary on suburban malaise. i think my favorite sub-genre to read. this is a near-perfect example. you can't really go wrong reading this book.
the same passages jumped out at me as last time, but also these:
this one, only a few pages in, more or less sums up not just the book but the entire tragic feeling of it all: "Nowhere in these plans had he foreseen the weight and shock of reality; nothing had warned him that he might be overwhelmed by the swaying, shining vision of a girl he hadn't seen in years, a girl whose every glance and gesture could make his throat fill up with longing ('Wouldn't you like to be loved by me?'), and that then before his very eyes she would dissolve and change into the graceless, suffering creature whose existence he tried every day of his life to deny but whom he knew as well and as painfully as he knew himself, a gaunt constricted woman whose red eyes flashed reproach, whose false smile in the curtain call was as homely as his own sore feet, his own damp climbing underwear and his own sour smell."
"'...certainly it's not going to be easy. Do you know anything worth doing that is?'"
"Oh, for a month or two, just for fun, it might be all right to play a game like that with a boy; but all these years! And all because, in a sentimentally lonely time long ago, she had found it easy and agreeable to believe whatever this one particular boy felt like saying, and to repay him for that pleasure by telling easy, agreeable lies of her own, until each was saying what the other most wanted to hear - until he was saying 'I love you' and she was saying 'Really, I mean it; you're the most interesting person I've ever met.'"
"...had filled her with a self-reproach so deep and pure it was almost pleasurable."
(5 stars)
from sept 2008:
this is the perfect time for all of you out there to read this book. pick it up, sit in a comfy chair in front of the fire with a blanket and a cup of tea or hot chocolate, and let yourself sink into his pages. this is a book that i wanted to really read in one sitting, in front of that fire i mentioned already, but enjoyed immensely even though i had to read it in spurts over a week or so. the writing is amazing and his societal commentary matches it. he is saying so much here, but one of my favorite aspects is that the institutionalized 'crazy' man is the most fundamentally honest and straightforward thinker and speaker of the entire bunch. (and how that honesty being actually spoken aloud changes everyone's world.) and of course this is what defines him as crazy in our society.
there's so much more. that's actually just a tiny part of this book. there is such depth and substance in this novel and i loved reading every sentence of it.
"They could lie drowsing now under the sound of kindly voices in the living room, a sound whose intricately rhythmic rise and fall would slowly turn into the shape of their dreams. And if they came awake later to turn over and reach with their toes for new cool places in the sheets, they knew the sound would still be there - one voice very deep and the other soft and pretty, talking and talking, as substantial and soothing as a blue range of mountains seen from far away."
"...if you wanted to do something absolutely honest, something true, it always turned out to be a thing that had to be done alone."
(5 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "s" and what you thought of it
430Schmerguls
2490. Soldat Reflections of a German Soldier 1936-1949 by Siegfried Knappe and Ted Brusaw
2490 Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier 1936-1949, by Siegfried Knappe and Ted Brusow (read 4 Feb 1993) This is the story of a German officer from 1936 to 1949. I fond it very interesting reading because it is so authentic. He was wounded in France, Russia, and Italy. and was in Berlin in April 1945. He spent five years as a Russian prisoner and studied in the US in 1952-1953 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1954. He lives in Ohio. He tells a story that shows him not very critical of Hitler till the Germans started to lose. I wonder what he really thinks. He is smart, though the book is not a literary masterpiece. But it was well worth reading. (four stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with T (but "The" does not qualify), and what you thought of the book when you read it.
2490 Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier 1936-1949, by Siegfried Knappe and Ted Brusow (read 4 Feb 1993) This is the story of a German officer from 1936 to 1949. I fond it very interesting reading because it is so authentic. He was wounded in France, Russia, and Italy. and was in Berlin in April 1945. He spent five years as a Russian prisoner and studied in the US in 1952-1953 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1954. He lives in Ohio. He tells a story that shows him not very critical of Hitler till the Germans started to lose. I wonder what he really thinks. He is smart, though the book is not a literary masterpiece. But it was well worth reading. (four stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with T (but "The" does not qualify), and what you thought of the book when you read it.
431overlycriticalme
the turn of the screw by henry james read may 2014
my review:
the first half of this book didn't hold my interest well and i am not generally a fan of the "let me tell you a story" kind of stories, but it picked up with the second half. still, it was full of awful stereotypes; the most repeated was how the beautiful child could only be good and once they started to maybe seem bad they were old and or ugly. over and over again about how beautiful and angelic and good all go together. it also bothered me that if he was going to do the telling a story thing at the beginning, that he told the story but never went back to the group of people listening to the story.
anyway, the story itself could have been better but did get more engaging, and does pose some fun questions about sanity and even what exactly happened at the end. (spoiler removed.)
(2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "u" and what you thought of it.
my review:
the first half of this book didn't hold my interest well and i am not generally a fan of the "let me tell you a story" kind of stories, but it picked up with the second half. still, it was full of awful stereotypes; the most repeated was how the beautiful child could only be good and once they started to maybe seem bad they were old and or ugly. over and over again about how beautiful and angelic and good all go together. it also bothered me that if he was going to do the telling a story thing at the beginning, that he told the story but never went back to the group of people listening to the story.
anyway, the story itself could have been better but did get more engaging, and does pose some fun questions about sanity and even what exactly happened at the end. (spoiler removed.)
(2 stars)
next: a book you've read, the title of which begins with "u" and what you thought of it.
432Schmerguls
3767. An Unfinished Life John F. Kennedy 1917-1963, by Robert Dallek (read 11 Jul 2003)
Having been well-pleased by Dallek's two-volume biography of LBJ, which I finished June 18, 1998, I wanted to read this--since I had not read a biography as such of JFK and since I have a project to read a bio of every US president--a project not far from completion (only Hoover, and some living ex-presidents (Carter, Ford) still to do, with Polk, TR, and FDR but partially done). Some of the account, telling of events thoroughly familiar to me, were not exciting, and the big events, such as the Cuban missile crisis, are much read about territory. One is astounded by all the health problems JFK had, and dismayed by his reckless and unpardonable sex life. But the book is well done, Dallek's view on Kennedy corresponding with my own. So this is a good good book. (4 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with V, and what you thought of it when you read it.
Having been well-pleased by Dallek's two-volume biography of LBJ, which I finished June 18, 1998, I wanted to read this--since I had not read a biography as such of JFK and since I have a project to read a bio of every US president--a project not far from completion (only Hoover, and some living ex-presidents (Carter, Ford) still to do, with Polk, TR, and FDR but partially done). Some of the account, telling of events thoroughly familiar to me, were not exciting, and the big events, such as the Cuban missile crisis, are much read about territory. One is astounded by all the health problems JFK had, and dismayed by his reckless and unpardonable sex life. But the book is well done, Dallek's view on Kennedy corresponding with my own. So this is a good good book. (4 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with V, and what you thought of it when you read it.
433rolandperkins
Victory by Joseph Conrad
A novel written by Conrad when in his 50s. Most would rate it as 2nd only to Lord Jim among Conradʻs dozen or so novels. I rate it above Lord Jim, but consider it great for much the same reasons as LJ: the insightful
attitude and the excellent mix of action and psychological
analysis. Conrad is focussed
on the Individual, and, for many readers this introduces a sort of austerity in his presentation. The reader doesnʻt get the feeling of "Hey, I know somebody just like this character!" More the feeling of how well CONRAD knows the character, knowing her/him as you, the reader never could. Paramount among the prose artists he admired was
Gustave Flaubert. He famously said that
above all, he, Conrad, wanted you to SEE (as opposed to just FEEL) the character and the situation.
A novel written by Conrad when in his 50s. Most would rate it as 2nd only to Lord Jim among Conradʻs dozen or so novels. I rate it above Lord Jim, but consider it great for much the same reasons as LJ: the insightful
attitude and the excellent mix of action and psychological
analysis. Conrad is focussed
on the Individual, and, for many readers this introduces a sort of austerity in his presentation. The reader doesnʻt get the feeling of "Hey, I know somebody just like this character!" More the feeling of how well CONRAD knows the character, knowing her/him as you, the reader never could. Paramount among the prose artists he admired was
Gustave Flaubert. He famously said that
above all, he, Conrad, wanted you to SEE (as opposed to just FEEL) the character and the situation.
434Schmerguls
4959. The War Walk A Journey Along the Western Front, by Nigel Jones (read 21 Sep 2012)
This book was published first in 1983 and is an account of the author's walk visiting World War I battle fields. The author was born in 1961 so he did his tour and wrote this book when he was in his early 20's. It may tell a bit more about the battles themselves than one familiar with the war needs to have recounted, but his account of his observations over 60 years after the war ended is well-done and full of interest. Especially full of interet is his account of Verdun--although I suppose nothing will be as poignant as an actual visit there would be. But if you can't tour the battle fields of France reading this account is probably the next best thing. ( 4 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with X, Y, Z, or A, and what you thought of the book when you ead it
This book was published first in 1983 and is an account of the author's walk visiting World War I battle fields. The author was born in 1961 so he did his tour and wrote this book when he was in his early 20's. It may tell a bit more about the battles themselves than one familiar with the war needs to have recounted, but his account of his observations over 60 years after the war ended is well-done and full of interest. Especially full of interet is his account of Verdun--although I suppose nothing will be as poignant as an actual visit there would be. But if you can't tour the battle fields of France reading this account is probably the next best thing. ( 4 stars )
NEXT: A book you have read, the title of which starts with X, Y, Z, or A, and what you thought of the book when you ead it
435overlycriticalme
the year of the flood by margaret atwood, read jan 2014
my review:
between 3 and 3.5 stars. i am having a little trouble rating this series because on so many levels i really love the idea she presents, and i'm so impressed with her writing and language, but i'm just somehow not as engaged with the story as i'd like to be.
this takes place concurrently with the first book in the series, oryx and crake, and the story is from the point of view of the people i was least interested in from that book. from that standpoint i was disappointed from the outset with this book, but right away i enjoyed how things tied in and paralleled oryx and crake. the last quarter or third or so of this book really picked up and i was suddenly so invested in what was happening and i couldn't put it down. i hope the third in the trilogy picks up where this leaves off.
"It's daybreak. The break of day. Toby turns this word over: break, broke, broken. What breaks in daybreak? Is it the night? Is it the sun, cracked in two by the horizon like an egg, spilling out light?"
and something my activist self used to try to keep in mind when i was feeling overwhelmed by the battles needed to fight, but never expressed as nicely:
"...we must be a beacon of hope, because if you tell people there's nothing they can do, they will do worse than nothing."
next: a book, the title of which begins with z (preferably) or a, and what you thought of it
my review:
between 3 and 3.5 stars. i am having a little trouble rating this series because on so many levels i really love the idea she presents, and i'm so impressed with her writing and language, but i'm just somehow not as engaged with the story as i'd like to be.
this takes place concurrently with the first book in the series, oryx and crake, and the story is from the point of view of the people i was least interested in from that book. from that standpoint i was disappointed from the outset with this book, but right away i enjoyed how things tied in and paralleled oryx and crake. the last quarter or third or so of this book really picked up and i was suddenly so invested in what was happening and i couldn't put it down. i hope the third in the trilogy picks up where this leaves off.
"It's daybreak. The break of day. Toby turns this word over: break, broke, broken. What breaks in daybreak? Is it the night? Is it the sun, cracked in two by the horizon like an egg, spilling out light?"
and something my activist self used to try to keep in mind when i was feeling overwhelmed by the battles needed to fight, but never expressed as nicely:
"...we must be a beacon of hope, because if you tell people there's nothing they can do, they will do worse than nothing."
next: a book, the title of which begins with z (preferably) or a, and what you thought of it
436Schmerguls
Well, all right, I'll use a Z title though I fear I've used it before, but maybe not in this thread:
2246. Zechariah Chafee, Jr. Defender of Liberty and Law, by Donald L. Smith (read 11 Nov 1989)
The subject of this biography was born Dec 7, 1885, and died Feb 8, 1957. I remember he was the author or compiler of the casebook we used for Equity in law school, and it was certainly one of the better casebooks . This was a good book. Chafee was big on free speech, and was viciously assailed during the McCarthy era. This book was additionally interesting because I attended a seminar at Harvard last July. The biography is not too well organized, but it did a good job making Chafee a known person for me. (3 and a half stars )
NEXT: A book you have read the title of which starts with A (other than the articles A and An ) and what you thought of the book when you read it.
2246. Zechariah Chafee, Jr. Defender of Liberty and Law, by Donald L. Smith (read 11 Nov 1989)
The subject of this biography was born Dec 7, 1885, and died Feb 8, 1957. I remember he was the author or compiler of the casebook we used for Equity in law school, and it was certainly one of the better casebooks . This was a good book. Chafee was big on free speech, and was viciously assailed during the McCarthy era. This book was additionally interesting because I attended a seminar at Harvard last July. The biography is not too well organized, but it did a good job making Chafee a known person for me. (3 and a half stars )
NEXT: A book you have read the title of which starts with A (other than the articles A and An ) and what you thought of the book when you read it.
This topic was continued by Alphabet of Books You've Read, Part 11.
