The Bibliophage Reviews

Future Minds

2012-01-14T13:48:00.002-07:00

How the Digital Age Is Changing Our Minds, Why This Matters and What We Can Do About It
Author: Richard Watson
Genre: nonfiction
Publication info: Nicholas Brealey, 2010
Pages: 213

I wish everybody would read this book, and I mean everybody. If I had the money to do it, I would buy a copy for everyone I know. Anyone who knows me is welcome to borrow this from me. This is a topic that I care deeply about, especially lately, and I wish everyone would give it some thought.

The subject of the book is clear enough from the subtitle: the omnipresence of digital devices and social media in today's society is fundamentally changing the way we think and interact with other people. I've talked about this before in my review of The Shallows by Nicholas Carr (which Watson references multiple times in this book). Basically, we are so constantly filling up our time with instant information and digital diversions that we leave no time for deep, reflective thinking.

And it is deep, reflective, original, creative thinking that sets us apart as humans. Here is the scary thing that Watson points out. We know that computers are getting smarter. Google and Facebook know who you are. They can identify you in photographs and can figure out where the pictures were taken. But they became that smart only because humans made them that way. As capable as computers are, they are only good at solving predefined problems and processing data that is given to them. But they have no ability for dreaming up new ideas or asking original questions. As Watson puts it, "In the future a computer might be able to recognize a picture and tell you that it was painted in 1643 by Jan Josephsz. van Goyen [actually, it probably already can], but even then, you are unlikely to get an emotional response and even less likely to find that the computer becomes inspired and rushes off to paint something itself." It's the humans' place to do that.

But we are forfeiting our own thinking. We are increasingly relying on computers to do all our thinking and remembering for us, and we are always frantically searching for the next new bit of information. We're pulling out our phones in the middle of conversations, at the dinner table, in every quiet moment that we have. With all this, there is no time for original thinking, and without original thinking, there is nothing to set us apart from machines. Our obsession with the digital world is destroying what makes us who we are.

The point is that we need to scale back our fanaticism with everything digital. That isn't to say, as Watson states, that everything electronic is intrinsically evil, but we shouldn't be so eager to let it replace analogue forms of media and real, physical interaction with people. There needs to be a balance. There is an important role for physical books. Say what you will about how much more convenient ebooks are, you simply will not do the same calm, reflective thinking with those as you will with print media. Your mind is just not in the same state. Call me crazy, but physical books are irreplaceable. Just because something is more convenient doesn't always mean that it's better.

The great thing about this book is that it gives us ideas for what we can do about this crisis. The most important, I think, is that we just give ourselves time and space to think. That means putting away the phone, turning off the computer, and just thinking. When was the last time you just looked out the window in the car (when you're not driving, of course)? When was the last time you went for a walk and did nothing but look at the world around you? When was the last time you just sat and daydreamed? We need more of this as humans, but the trend is that these activities are diminishing.

Watson expresses all this much better than I do (although he does seem to ramble a bit sometimes, and possibly contradict himself), so I will end with another quote from him: "Given the fact that we seem to be capable of inventing more or less anything these days, perhaps a question we should be asking ourselves more frequently in the future is not whether we can invent something but whether we should."

Please, please read this book. And even more important, after you've read it, think about it.

Buy Future Minds at Amazon.com.

Incidences

2011-12-29T16:05:00.001-07:00

Author: Daniil Kharms
Genre: fiction, short stories, drama, essays
Publication info: Serpent's Tail, 2006 (first published in 1993)
Pages: 240

I've fallen a little behind again. Three books, to be exact. I would like to blame it on school again, but if I did I would have to ask myself why I've been reading for fun anyway. The semester got pretty hectic toward the end, but still I found myself reading books just for fun. Perhaps it's not the wisest thing to do, but I guess I just can't help myself. And although I'm behind in my reviews for this blog, I intend to catch up with them. I've gotten to the point where I almost feel guilty if I finish a book but don't write about it here. I have my fan to please, after all!

So, Incidences. You've probably never heard of this book. I certainly hadn't until a good friend gave it to me for a wedding gift. He's a fan of Russian literature, and he told me this book blew his mind. Being somewhat of a fan of Russian literature myself (well, at least of Dostoevsky), I was interested. These short pieces by Daniil Kharms (whose real name was Daniil Ivanovich Iuvachov) were never published during his lifetime because such writing was illegal during the Soviet era. In fact, Kharms's writing got him thrown in jail. So you know it must be interesting. And since he uses the short-short story form, you know it must be weird.

And weird it is, much weirder even than I expected it to be. These are some of the most bizarre stories I have ever read. The first, and by far the longest, story of the book, "The Old Woman," tells of a young man struggling to find a way to dispose the body of an old woman that just came into his apartment and died. Most of the stories are much shorter, including the numbered sequence of thirty "incidents." "The Plummeting Old Women" is just what it sounds like—old women plummeting out of an open window one by one. And lest you think all the stories are about old women, consider "Pushkin and Gogol," a story in the form of a play that portrays Pushkin and Gogol repeatedly tripping over each other and expressing their astonishment about it. These are just a taste of the supreme strangeness of this book.

One theme that really stands out in this book is violence. Absurd violence. People suddenly get furious with each other and brutally beat each other up. An argument about whether 7 comes before 8 is interrupted by a boy falling off a bench and breaking both jaw-bones. I don't know what it all means, but Kharms certainly seemed to have a fascination with bizarre death and spontaneous violence. It got a little tiring after a while, to tell you the truth, but I kept reading because a part of me wanted to figure out what was going on in the author's head.

In the end, though, I had to give up on that. I have no idea what point the guy was trying to make, or if he was trying to make a point at all. Even the allegedly non-fictional essays toward the end of the book make Kharms seem like a caricature. I guess you can't fully appreciate what is going on here without some understanding of what life was like in Soviet Russia, of which I have very little.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes and no. Anyone that reads this blog knows that I have something of a penchant for weird literature. Sometimes I enjoy when a story is weird without any apparent reason. But I also wished I could appreciate the meaning better. And, as I mentioned earlier, I did get tired of the outrageous violence. Sometimes it was absurd enough to be funny, but sometimes it was just disgusting. And speaking of disgusting, there is a section of the book titled "Erotica" that I entirely skipped over.

I can't say that I would recommend this book to anyone, unless you also like really weird stuff, or you are really interested in Russia. That said, I'm thankful to my friend for giving me this book. I feel like, if anything, my eyes have been opened a little bit more.

Buy Incidences at Amazon.com.

The Lord of the Rings

2011-10-04T19:05:00.002-06:00

Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Publication info: Houghton Mifflin, 1993 (first published in three parts in 1954 and 1955)
Pages: 1137 (including extensive appendices)

It has been quite a while since my last post, and I'm sure that all three of you fans are wondering where the heck I've been all this time. My answer is one word: school. I'm barely keeping up with my required reading as it is, so my recreational reading has definitely taken a hit. But don't worry. I'm going to try to find a way to get back into it.

I actually finished reading The Lord of the Rings about two months ago, but it is still pretty fresh on my mind. This has been the Year of the Ring for my wife and me. In the spring we watched the extended films (in about five sessions). Then we started working through all the special features. In the summer we both read the books, watching the special features for the films along the way (there are a lot of them!). Then we finished the books and watched all the films again. And we still have several special features to go.

Even with all of this, we haven't gotten tired of it. The Lord of the Rings is worth being immersed in. I'm not usually interested in high fantasy, but since Tolkien pretty much defined the genre, I find his work fascinating. All along the way while reading the books, I wanted to look up and learn about different aspects of the history and peoples of Middle-earth. It's simply amazing how complete the world is, how dynamic and varied. It's an entire world, with many races and cultures and languages, and with thousands of years of history, all originating from one guy's head.

I'm sure that most of you (in other words, at least two of you) are familiar with the story of The Lord of the Rings, from the films if not from the book, so I'm not going to rehash it for you. But I will say this: the experience of The Lord of the Rings is not complete without the book.

The movies were wonderful. Obviously they were carefully and lovingly done. There were some things I thought the movies did better, such as the scene at the Cracks of Doom. But until you've read the book, you won't know how deeply thought out and intricate the world of the story is. I can't explain exactly why, but the book is just so satisfying to me. The movies are a lot of fun to watch, and some parts get me pretty emotional, but the book brings a satisfaction I can't get with the movies.

One prominent example is the penultimate chapter, "The Scouring of the Shire." I know it wouldn't have been realistic to put this part in the movie, especially since people already complain about how The Return of the King had about five endings before it actually ended. But I loved this story of the final conflict of the war. It shows how the happily-ever-after is hard won (not that the hobbits didn't have a hard enough time already). It shows that the effects of war follow you home, in Frodo's case literally into your home. And I think it makes Saruman's decline all the more tragic and pathetic. It was wise not to tack this chapter onto the end of the movie, but I think it would make a great short film.

I love The Lord of the Rings. It's not without its flaws, but its good qualities make up for them. It's one of the best stories of good triumphing over evil that I know of. And one thing I especially like is that every character makes an important contribution, even the "comic relief" characters.

Give this book a chance if you haven't already. If you have given it a chance, give it another one. It's long and sometimes slow, yes, but I think it's worth it. It's just so satisfying.

Buy The Lord of the Rings (single volume) at Amazon.com.

Buy The Lord of the Rings (three volumes plus The Hobbit) at Amazon.com.

Born to Run

2011-07-31T20:50:00.095-06:00

A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
Author: Christopher McDougall
Genre: nonfiction
Publication info: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010
Pages: 287

I've known about this book for a while, but I never thought I would get around to reading it. In fact, I may even have been avoiding it for a while. Being a runner myself (or at least having been one—my running hasn't been so great lately), books like this frequently catch my eye, but I was hesitant to pick this one up because of what I'd heard about its connection to the barefoot craze. This isn't to say I'm against barefoot running, but the fanaticism that I often see along with it is pretty off-putting.

Well, if just so happens that I came across this book on a vacation recently, so I decided to give it a shot. And guess what. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. Christopher McDougall, it turns out, is a very engaging storyteller. Yes, Born to Run is, more than anything else, a story. It's not just an extended piece of argumentation like I expected.

What is the story? It all starts with the author asking himself, "How come my foot hurts?" He's a casual runner who is really trying to enjoy the sport, but a surging pain in his foot has made that goal a tad difficult to achieve. So he goes to doctor after doctor who all tell him that running is bad for you. Of course, that answer isn't good enough for him.

With his connections as a magazine writer, McDougall finds out about the Tarahumara, a tribe of native Mexicans who live in a place called Copper Canyons, near the U.S. border. Apart from the extreme hostility of the place they live in, what sets these people apart is that they're runners. All of them—young and old, male and female. And they're not just runners; they're dang good ones, regularly going on 60-plus-mile trail races with each other. Above all, they like doing it.

McDougall wants to learn everything he can from them, but to do so, he needs to find a mysterious man known only as Caballo Blanco, an American living among the Tarahumara. Caballo seems to be the only person that really "gets" the Tarahumara. Unfortunately, he is also just as distrustful of outsiders as they are. But he has a plan. A plan to organize the greatest ultramarathon ever, right on the Tarahumara's own turf. And he needs McDougall's help to do it.

That's the basis of the story. Along the way McDougall tells the stories of famous ultrarunners who end up getting involved. And he delves into topics such as barefoot running and the apparent fact that we humans are built to run long distances. But what I enjoyed most about this book was the story. What's really cool about it is that it all really happened (although I'm sure there is some embellishment). If you search around you can find some photos of the first-ever Copper Canyons race.

The characters are quirky and endearing, the story is suspenseful and engaging, the writing style is funny and clever—this book would make a pretty good novel. But I learned some things too. For one, there are a lot of points worth considering when it comes to barefoot running (including the fact that nobody likes a barefoot fanatic). Apparently the classic running shoe has conditioned us to run improperly, and that is why we get injured so often. You can tell that running shoe companies are starting to take these ideas seriously by their more recent products. I also learned that running should, above all, be a joyful experience. That may sound strange to you, and sometimes it does to me, but I think it would be a worthy goal to shoot for: to run just for the pure enjoyment of running.

A quick warning to readers: This book has a fair share of foul language. It's a shame, really. Everything else about the book is a lot of fun. Normally I wouldn't keep reading a book with this much offensive language, but for some reason I did. I hesitate to recommend this book because of the language, but on every other count it's great. Just consider yourself warned.

Buy Born to Run at Amazon.com.

Everfound

2011-05-25T01:08:00.109-06:00

Book 3 of the Skinjacker Trilogy
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: fiction, fantasy, young adult
Publication info: Simon & Schuster, 2011
Pages: 500

Young adult fiction is a strange genre. I don't get why some mediocre or downright awful books, such as The Hunger Games or the Twilight saga (respectively), get all the attention, while well-written, gripping, stunningly creative books are forced to fly under the radar.

I am, of course, referring to Neal Shusterman's Skinjacker trilogy. It's no secret that I love these books. But I'd like to believe my love isn't misplaced. Maybe there's something out there that this trilogy resembles, but I haven't heard about it.

I was excited to see that Everfound, the final installment, was coming out much sooner than I expected. I ordered it pretty soon after it was released, and I'm glad it did. This book did not disappoint me, and if you have enjoyed both Everlost and Everwild, I'm sure you will enjoy this one too.

It picks up shortly after Everwild left off (if you haven't read that one, I wouldn't recommend reading my description here—it might spoil some things for you). Both of our heroes are in pretty bad situations. Nick "the Chocolate Ogre" has been turned entirely into chocolate and doesn't remember anything about who he really is. Allie "the Outcast" is a prisoner tied to the front of a train that carries the sleeping body of Mary Hightower. It is still months before Mary is supposed to wake up from her second death, and meanwhile her group is being led by the ruthless Milos, who is fiercely devoted to Mary and will do anything—to anyone—to win her love.

So the conflict begins right away, but there is also a new piece to the puzzle: Jix, a "furjacker" who can possess animals' bodies, has come from a mysterious kingdom in the south to find out what Mary is up to. Milos welcomes him aboard the train, but Jix has his own objectives and allegiances, so it's unclear whether he will be a help or a hindrance to Mary's (and Milos's) fanatical ambitions.

And the stakes have once again been upped. For one, the characters encounter a "scar wraith," a man who has some body parts that exist in Everlost. A single touch from a scar wraith will cause an Afterlight to vanish from existence. And Mary, of course, has become even crazier than ever (in her cool, collected way). Her goal is to bring the entire living world over into Everlost. The scary thing is, she might actually have the means to do it.

Everfound is an exciting and totally satisfying conclusion to the series. One thing I love about this book is how many obstacles and conflicts the author keeps throwing at the characters. Every time, it seems like they're not going to get out of it. Every time, it feels like a genuine danger. And the solutions sometimes come at a high price. I call that good writing.

If you've read the first two books of this trilogy, don't hesitate to pick up this concluding installment. You won't be disappointed.

Buy Everfound at Amazon.com.

The Hobbit

2011-05-12T11:20:00.054-06:00

or There and Back Again
Author: J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Publication info: Houghton Mifflin, 1997 (originally published in 1937)
Pages: 272

Once upon a time, when I was a young boy, my dad would read to me before I went to sleep. I don't know how many books he read to me in all, but one that really stood out was J. R. R. Tolkien's famous novel The Hobbit. I could tell that this book, along with The Lord of the Rings, was something my dad loved, and he instilled that same love in me.

The problem was that, as a kid, I often fell asleep while he read aloud, and even while I was awake I didn't always understand everything. So after recently watching Peter Jackson's excellent film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings, I decided to go back and read the books again, beginning with the book that started it all, The Hobbit (which, you've probably heard, Peter Jackson is making into a film to be released next year).

What a fun little fantasy! I say "little" because, as I understand it, Tolkien wrote this book before developing the massively complex world of Middle-earth, the setting for his novels. This isn't to say that the world of The Hobbit isn't well developed, but it definitely feels simpler in comparison to the subsequent saga.

The tone is also quite a bit different. The narrator of this story is almost a character himself, interjecting his own thoughts here and there. My dad tells me it's meant to sound as if a hobbit were telling this story to younger hobbits around the hearth. All in all, the book feels aimed more at children than its sibling does.

That said, The Hobbit should appeal to children and adults alike. If you've read or seen The Lord of the Rings but have never experienced this story, you really ought to give it a shot. If nothing else, it is an important setup for the grand story to follow.

Bilbo Baggins, a quiet hobbit living contentedly in his home in Hobbiton, is unexpectedly visited by the wizard Gandalf along with twelve dwarves. Before he knows it he is recruited for a daring adventure to recover the dwarves' treasure in the Lonely Mountain, guarded by the evil and selfish dragon Smaug. Bilbo isn't the traveling type (no hobbit is), but he comes to be as great an adventurer as anyone in the group.

The most important part of the story, though, is probably in the middle when Bilbo encounters a creature named Gollum and a magical ring that turns its wearer invisible. Sound familiar? It should.

Tolkien was the master of fantasy, I believe. And I also believe that no encounter with his masterful Lord of the Rings would be complete without a reading of this wonderful little story.

Buy The Hobbit at Amazon.com.

The Kite Runner

2011-05-03T10:23:00.071-06:00

Author: Khaled Hosseini
Genre: fiction
Publication info: Riverhead, 2003
Pages: 371

It's been said that you can tell the quality of a book by how long it stays with you, by how much you think about it well after you've turned the last page. The Kite Runner was recommended to me as such a book, and I have to say I agree with the judgment.

This is not your usual coming-of-age story. For one thing, it's set mostly in Afghanistan (apparently the first book by an Afghan author to be written in English). On top of the profound story, you get to learn about what life is like in this country far from the United States. You learn about kite fighting and kite running, Afghan codes of honor, and the devastation of war. For this reason alone it's an eye-opening book.

But what impressed me even more was that even though it is set in a different culture, many of the themes dealt with were quite familiar to me. They are themes that go deeper than our separate cultures and into our common humanity: friendship, the father-and-son relationship, betrayal, guilt, fear, love, redemption. If anything, this book shows that all across the world, we are more alike than we sometimes think.

The narrator of the story is Amir, the son of an affluent man known as Baba. His best friend, although he won't always admit it, is Hassan, the son of Baba's servant. The reason Amir doesn't always admit to being friends with Hassan is that Hassan is a Hazara, a member of an ethnic group considered lower-class in Afghanistan. Although they grow up basically as brothers, it becomes clear early on in the book that Hassan is much more devoted to Amir than vice versa.

Then one day, something happens that alters their relationship forever. In this terrible moment, Amir's brotherly love for Hassan is tested, and it fails. After that they drift apart, not because Hassan feels betrayed, but rather because Amir is overwhelmed with guilt. Although this pivotal moment in their friendship (I won't say exactly what happens) is painful enough by itself, it is really the guilt tearing them apart that is the most saddening.

But where there is guilt, there is also the possibility for redemption. Years later, Amir receives a phone call from an old friend who tells him what I believe is the main message of the story: "There is a way to be good again." Amir does find a way, but once again he will be tested, even more deeply than before.

It's a profound story, one that I definitely will be thinking about for a long time. I should warn you, though, that it is not exactly a pleasant story. Some of the central story elements (such as the pivotal moment I vaguely described above) are very disturbing, and at times they even caused me almost tangible pain to imagine. There is also a bit of offensive language that usually I would not tolerate, but for some reason I was able to get through it this time.

A lot of good stories have disturbing and painful aspects to them. What's important, I think, is what the story does with them. In The Kite Runner, it's not the pain that's the focus, but the redemption. There is a way to be good again. Even when you feel you've done something horrible, even when you feel beyond hope, there is a way to be good again. That message rings true with me. I hope it does with you too.

Buy The Kite Runner at Amazon.com.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass

2011-03-25T12:51:00.002-06:00

Author: Lewis Carroll
Genre: fiction, fantasy, nonsense
Publication info: Penguin, 1998 (originally published in 1865 and 1871, respectively)
Pages: 357 (including both novels and lots of supplementary material)

This is another one of those books that falls into the why-didn't-I-read-this-a-long-time-ago category. I guess I just assumed that, having seen the 1951 Disney movie and the more recent film directed by Tim Burton, I was familiar enough with Wonderland and its strangeness.

But let me tell you something: Those movies do not come close to how weird the Alice stories truly are. You think Tim Burton is weird? Lewis Carroll makes Burton's work look as imaginative as the tax code.

You'll just have to read these books to know what I'm talking about. But let me also warn you that I really mean what I say when I categorize them as nonsense literature. If you try to dig any meaning out of them, you're going to have a heck of a time. Lots of scholars have tried to do that, and I honestly think they were wasting their time.

I don't really know how to begin describing these books. In Wonderland, Alice chases a white rabbit down a hole and ends up in a bizarre dream world. You probably know that much already. But as I said before, it is unbelievably bizarre. So many things go unexplained, like the Duchess's cook who periodically hurls dishes at the Duchess's head, and the baby that Alice rescues from the Duchess's apparently cruel treatment but that eventually turns into a pig. Many of the more familiar elements are there: the Cheshire Cat, the croquet game with the Queen of Hearts, the mad tea party. It's funny how I continued to expect to find out why these characters were doing all the weird things they were doing. It took a long time for me to figure out that nothing is going to be explained.

In Through the Looking-Glass, much to my surprise, Alice travels to a completely different world with an entirely new cast of characters. In this story she finds herself participating in a giant (and barely recognizable) game of chess. She meets the Red and White Queens, Kings, and Knights, and all sorts of other interesting people. It is in this story that you see most of Carroll's famed wordplay (including that fantastic poem, "Jabberwocky"). But at the end, once again, you're left scratching your head with wonder.

You have to wonder what kind of mind could create such stories. I did, and that's why I appreciated the biographical introduction in this edition. After reading about Carroll's (or rather, C. L. Dodgson's) life, I'm convinced that if he were alive today, he would be in prison. His relationships with young girls, particularly the girl from whom he got the name of his main character, were more than a little disturbing.

Still, these books are well worth reading. It was nice to escape to such a strange world after being immersed in textbooks for so long. I also really liked the pictures, drawn by John Tenniel. I've never seen a story interact so well with the illustrations before. At some points the narrator even says something to the effect of "If you don't know what I'm talking about, just look at the illustration." These illustrations are anything but superfluous.

If you want to read something a little different—okay, really, really different—give the Alice books a try.

Buy Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass at Amazon.com.

The Writer's Journey

2011-03-24T16:42:00.001-06:00

Mythic Structure for Writers
Author: Christopher Vogler
Genre: nonfiction, writing instruction
Publication info: Michael Wiese Productions, 2007 (3rd edition)
Pages: 406

It's been a good long while since I last posted to this blog, but that doesn't mean I haven't been reading. Sometimes when life gets crazy, you just can't read as much, or at least as fast. I know that sounds like a contradiction to what I said at the beginning of this blog. I guess I just haven't always been good at following through with my intentions.

I've still been reading a bit, though. The Writer's Journey is one of those books I was always eyeing at the bookstore. I read about it online and always looked out for sales and other excuses to buy it. But I never did—until a dear friend made it possible by giving me a gift card to a bookstore (probably one of the best gifts someone could give me). So I felt like it was finally time to buy this book, and of course read it.

What this book basically does is take myths from many cultures and distill them into a pattern that writers can use for their stories. Referring frequently to the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell, the author describes several of the most important character archetypes—the hero, the mentor, the shadow, the threshold guardian and more. And then he describes the major segments of the Hero's Journey. All along the way he explains how a writer might apply these principles to a story, and he demonstrates them with examples from major films. Questions at the end of each chapter also help apply the principles that are explained.

I liked this book. It was fun to think about stories I've read or movies I've seen and see how they fit into the patterns described in the book (I couldn't help but think of Tron: Legacy most of the time). Now, I must confess I haven't been doing a lot of writing of my own lately. But I haven't completely given up on writing, and when I finally bring myself back to it, I think I will find this book quite useful. Now that I know the structure of the book, it will now be helpful as a handbook when I design and build my own stories.

I especially like the essays at the end of the book, which were added in the third edition. In them Vogler explores some new topics in light of the Hero's Journey: polarity, physicality, catharsis. It's pretty interesting stuff. And finally, he takes the journey, applies it to the life of the writer (whence we get the title of the book), and gives the encouraging advice: "Trust the journey."

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes to create stories. As Vogler says in the introduction, this isn't about formula but rather about structure and direction. The stories you want to create probably won't fit completely into these patterns, but you probably will find some helpful ideas in this book.

Buy The Writer's Journey at Amazon.com.

Good Omens

2011-01-08T13:51:00.001-07:00

The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Authors: Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Genre: fiction, fantasy, apocalyptic
Publication info: Workman Publishing, 1990
Pages: 296

Neil Gaiman is an incredibly creative writer. Terry Pratchett is an incredibly funny writer. Good Omens is what you get when you combine the writing powers of both of them. The creativity and hilarity is almost too much to take.

I may have mentioned before that it takes a lot for something that I read to make me laugh out loud. Well, I laughed quite a bit while reading this book. I think that's the book's greatest strength: its little moments of hilarity. The story as a whole is well put together, but it's not necessarily amazing. Individual scenes, though, are quite enjoyable.

Good Omens features an enormous cast of characters, making it hard to follow sometimes, but definitely never dull. Two of the main characters are Aziraphale the angel and Crowley the demon, who have somehow been friends through the millennia of Earth's existence. They both highly enjoy life on Earth and would hate to see it end, so when Crowley is tasked with placing the Antichrist into an English family, they are worried that the end is coming and decide to work together to keep that from happening.

As it turns out, the Antichrist (non-coincidentally named Adam) becomes a rather normal boy. At eleven years old, when most of the book takes place, he does the sorts of things that any boy his age would do. But when he starts to come into his demonic powers, things spin quickly out of control.

I recall one reviewer labeling this book as "irreverent," and I would have to agree. This is not a story for someone whose religious convictions are easily offended. If however, you are confident in your convictions and can see this book for what it is—a farce—I think you will heartily enjoy it, as I did. Don't put too much stock in the story or its philosophical implications (I think Terry Pratchett generally tries too hard in that respect). Just sit back and enjoy.

I should warn you that there is a bit of strong language and some innuendo. It's disappointing in that regard. Definitely not appropriate for children. Overall, though, Good Omens is a hilariously fun romp.

Buy Good Omens at Amazon.com.

A Christmas Carol

2011-01-04T22:58:00.001-07:00

Author: Charles Dickens
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Publication info: Scholastic, 1962 (originally published in 1843)
Pages: 122

You are familiar with this story. I'm sure of it. You've definitely seen an adaptation of it, probably more than one. And there's a good chance you imagine Bob Cratchit as a frog. Okay, maybe not that last one, but my point is that A Christmas Carol is deeply entrenched in our Christmas traditions.

I think that's a good thing. A Christmas Carol is a great story. But I never got around to reading the actual story until just now.

As I've said with many books before, I'd been missing out. Although the story held few surprises for me in written form, I learned that Charles Dickens is a very clever and funny writer. That might seem obvious, but this is the first Dickens work I have read, so it was a delightful introduction for me.

As an example, you are probably familiar with the opening line: "Marley was dead, to begin with." The narrator goes on to really drive the point home that Marley was dead (otherwise his appearance as a ghost would have no significance). A few paragraphs down, he says that Marley was "dead as a doornail." Have you ever wondered what is so dead about a doornail? Well, this narrator wonders that for a while. The tangent he goes on has very little to do with the story, but it made me chuckle. I can tell that Dickens really knew his language.

It was also nice to read the original story so I can know how accurate the many adaptations are. I found that the Hallmark version with Patrick Stewart is very, very close (they even work in the rambling about the doornail). But other versions that you wouldn't think to be very accurate are closer than I thought. Even Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol uses a lot of lines verbatim from the story. Who would have thought?

A Christmas Carol is a delightful story. It teaches some great lessons that are especially important around Christmastime. I'm glad it's so prevalent in our culture, and I recommend the story to anyone who enjoys the movie adaptations.

Buy A Christmas Carol at Amazon.com.

That Hideous Strength

2010-12-14T20:41:00.079-07:00

A Modern Fairy-Tale for Grown-Ups
Part Three of the Space Trilogy
Author: C. S. Lewis
Genre: fiction, Christian fiction (sort of), science fiction (sort of)
Publication info: Macmillan, 1990 (originally published in 1946)
Pages: 382

This book has a quality that usually bothers me, and yet I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot. The quality I speak of is a "message" that the author is trying to get across to the readers. In poorly written message stories, the message takes precedence over everything else—plot, character, general believability.

That Hideous Strength definitely has a message. But it is also definitely well written.

Although this book is labeled as the sequel to Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, it is quite different from those two novels in several ways. For one thing, it revolves around two entirely new characters. Jane and Mark Studdock are recently married, but they already seem to be drifting apart. (In fact, there's only one scene in the entire novel that includes both of them together.) Mark is a don at the fictional Bracton College in Edgestow. The college is finalizing a deal to sell some precious, historical land to a corporation called National Institute of Coordinated Experiments (N.I.C.E.). Before he knows it, he's swept up into the very highest levels of the N.I.C.E. and helping it to achieve its mysterious but definitely sinister aims.

Jane, meanwhile, is suffering from vivid and disturbing dreams that seem to be accurately predicting the future. In her effort to find out what's going on, she finds herself associated with a small group who call themselves the Company, with our old friend Dr. Ransom at its head. The Company is a stronghold for good in England, and it's preparing to fight against the quickly growing evil spearheaded by none other than the N.I.C.E. In other words, Jane and Mark are on opposite sides of a battle in which the stakes are unimaginably high.

It's a compelling story, I think, and the writing is very polished. I guess that's why I liked it even though the messages are rather overt. One such message is one Lewis considered very important, according to his biography that I read earlier. Humans are naturally inclined to be a part of the "inner circle," an elite group that by definition includes only a few and excludes all the others. It is Mark's desire to be a part of the inner circle that gets him involved in all the evil schemes of the N.I.C.E. Jane, on the other hand, is also part of a small group, but this group has no desire to exclude anyone.

I knew going into this book that it wouldn't involve any space travel, unlike its predecessors, and because of that I was worried it would be a little dull. To my surprise, I think it is possibly the most exciting installment of the whole trilogy. Part of that is due to its compelling depiction of genuine evil. Some parts of the book really gave me the creeps because of how dark they were and also because of how plausible they seemed.

If you enjoy and respect the writing of C. S. Lewis, I highly recommend this book. You can even read it without having read the other two parts of the trilogy (Lewis said so himself). I probably should warn you, though, that this isn't a children's book. The climactic finish is surprisingly violent, and the book deals with some topics that children wouldn't appreciate. But the book has many lessons that I hope many adults will appreciate.

Buy That Hideous Strength at Amazon.com.

Tron: Betrayal

2010-12-11T11:09:00.001-07:00

An Original Graphic Novel Prequel to Tron: Legacy
Author: Jai Nitz
Artists: Jeff Matsuda and Andie Tong
Genre: graphic novel, science fiction
Publication info: Disney Press, 2010
Pages: 127

Yes, I admit it: I went from a C. S. Lewis book to a graphic novel. But there is something you need to know about me. I am a total Tron geek. When my family got its first VCR years ago, for some reason the first thing we recorded from TV was Disney's original 1982 film. I grew up on that movie, watching it nearly every day as a kid (much to my parents' and sisters' chagrin).

I eventually grew out of that phase, but when I heard, about a year and a half ago, that Disney was making a sequel, all my Tron mania returned. Now I recognize how geeky (and sometimes even campy) the whole idea is, but I have never been more excited for a movie in my life, and I probably never will be again. I've learned to accept that. It's like being validated after all these years.

In just a few days, the wait will be over!

One unique aspect of this long-awaited sequel, Tron: Legacy, is the fact that it is so long-awaited. It has been 28 years. How do you connect two movies that are separated by so much time? Disney has found some creative ways to attack this problem. One is a set of video games that, rather than simply retelling the story of the movie (as so many film-based games do), take place in between the two movies and fill in the gaps. The other is this book, Tron: Betrayal.

The prologue of this book summarizes the events of the first movie, which shows Kevin Flynn's adventures in the computer world. The new story begins immediately afterwards. Flynn has become the CEO of tech giant Encom, Inc. He has also gotten married, and his wife is expecting a son (Sam, who will be the main character of the upcoming movie). And he has created a new computer system which he dubs Tron.

Always innovative, Flynn sets out to make it "the perfect system." He enlists the help of his old friend Tron to be in charge of security. And then he creates a program named Clu in his own likeness to keep things running smoothly. At first everything works great. Then the system starts spontaneously creating new programs, called isos, who choose their own names and run more or less independently. Flynn is excited about this development and its implication. Clu, on the other hand, has other ideas about how the system should be run.

I have to admit, it's actually a pretty interesting story. Now I want to make it clear that I have never been a fan of graphic novels. I probably would have preferred this prequel to be done in another form, but what could I do? Since I have no experience with this genre, I don't know if some of the things that bothered me were unique to this book or characteristic of graphic novels in general. Sometimes the story felt disjointed, with strangely abrupt scene changes. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was going on based on the pictures.

Overall, though, I enjoyed reading through this little book. The pictures are of very high quality. And most of all, I was glad to find out how the two movies are connected. I recommend this book to all Tron fans. I think it's a great preparation for the movie opening next week.

I can't tell you how excited I am for that.

Buy Tron: Betrayal at Amazon.com.

Learn more about Tron: Legacy.

Perelandra

2010-12-09T19:47:00.001-07:00

Part Two of the Space Trilogy
Author: C. S. Lewis
Genre: fiction, science fiction (sort of)
Publication info: Scribner Classics, 1996 (originally published in 1944)
Pages: 190

You probably know by now that I am a pretty big fan of C. S. Lewis. As such, I'm surprised it took me this long to get to this book. I read part one of the trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet, nearly ten years ago. I loved it, but when I tried to read this second installment, I had a hard time getting into it. With some prodding from my sister, I finally returned to this book.

The hero of this lesser-known series is Elwin Ransom, who in the first book traveled to Mars (Malacandra) and became acquainted with the eldila—mystical energy beings who are forces for good in the universe. Now that Ransom has returned home, the eldila have an assignment for him. He is to go to the young planet Perelandra, known to us as Venus.

Without knowing any details of his mission, Ransom travels to Perelandra, which he finds to be an utterly strange and beautiful place. Flexible islands float on a vast ocean, trees bear bubbles of water, and the night is totally dark. Soon he encounters a woman, the only woman in the world, much like Eve in our world. And, similar to what happened with Eve, a tempter arrives to disturb this paradisiacal world.

Like all of Lewis's fiction, Perelandra is heavily laden with Christian messages. I don't normally like when the message is more important than the story. But it turns out that this is also a pretty compelling story. He has excellent descriptions of a world totally foreign to our own. Some moments in the book are fairly intense and very fun to visualize.

As for the Christian teachings, once again Lewis gives you a lot to think about. It isn't always easy to understand, but much of it feels very true to life. For instance, his depiction of the devil is almost frighteningly realistic. Dr. Ransom also provides a great example of submitting to the will of God.

If you are a fan of C. S. Lewis, definitely don't miss this book. If you like Christian fiction and want something that will really make you think, you can't go wrong with this book. I understand that not everyone will like this type of book, but I for one am glad that I finally read it.

Buy Perelandra at Amazon.com.

The Good Earth

2010-11-18T21:05:00.003-07:00

Author: Pearl S. Buck
Genre: fiction
Publication info: Buccaneer Books (the one I read, anyway), 1931
Pages: 260

I'm lucky to have family and friends who love to read, and whose reading tastes are similar to mine. When I'm looking for a new book to read, I often rely on recommendations, and the books recommended to me turn out to be some of the books I enjoy the most.

Such was my experience with The Good Earth. I had heard of it, as I'm sure most people have, and I was vaguely aware that it is good, but it wasn't until it was specifically recommended to me that I finally got down to reading it. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect. I knew early on that this wasn't like most books I've read, and it was hard to get used to at first, but pretty soon I came to enjoy it.

The Good Earth is the story of a poor Chinese farmer named Wang Lung. His story begins when he marries a woman who was a slave in the great house of Hwang. Although their relationship seems nothing more than cordial, the presence of O-lan (the wife) improves things vastly. Although there is a brief period of destitution, Wang Lung's family quickly rises from being poor farmers to being wealthy land owners.

What Wang Lung discovers is that the problems of the rich possibly outweigh the problems of the poor. At least that's what I got out of it. After reading about this man's life, I think I'd much rather be poor than obscenely rich. Wang Lung makes stupid mistakes, his sons bring him grief, and his relatives beg from him. At the end, though, there's no real reason to believe that Wang Lung has become a better person from all his trials.

It's an interesting book, a difficult one to describe. I would like to say I wish I'd read it sooner, but I'm not sure I would have appreciated it had I read it when I was younger. What's really fascinating about this book is the picture it gives of Chinese culture. It's quite a bit different from the one I know, but there definitely are values I could learn from it, especially family loyalty.

So my judgment is that The Good Earth. It's skilfully, sometimes even beautifully written, and its story is one you'll be likely to think about for a long time.

Buy The Good Earth at Amazon.com.

Man's Search for Meaning

2010-10-08T19:28:00.002-06:00

Author: Viktor E. Frankl
Genre: nonfiction, psychology
Publication info: Washington Square Press, 1984 (first published in English in 1959, and it has gone through many editions)
Pages: 221 (including bibliography)

This book makes me want to shout for joy!

Undoubtedly you've heard of this book. I think I first heard about it when I was in fourth or fifth grade, and it wasn't until now that I finally read it. I can see now that I was missing out on something great. If you are one of those people, like I was, who says, "I've heard that's a good book. Maybe I should read it," I say, Yes, you definitely should!

Most people know this book as one man's harrowing account of his experiences in a Nazi concentration camp. It is certainly that, but it is also much more. It is not so much a story of what happened to him and his friends but an explanation of what he learned from those experiences—and how he took what he learned and created a revolutionary school of psychiatry called logotherapy.

Logotherapy is the therapy of meaning. The preface to the edition I read explains logotherapy as a sort of Freudian analysis turned on its head. Whereas Freud and his followers would have you search into your childhood for some kind of trauma—usually sexual in nature—and confront that to solve your problems, Frankl and his school asks you to dig deep for a meaning in your life—a purpose for living. Frankl himself, for example, often thought of his wife while in the camp. In fact, he talked with her, and doing so kept him going even while everything around him was so terrible.

Frankl's utterly realistic approach is refreshing. During my short-lived stint as an English major, I took a couple classes on literary theory, and I quickly grew frustrated with the psychoanalytical technique of finding sexual symbolism in everything. But instead of having us look at our frustrations in base, animal desires, logotherapy has us look at our existential crisis, our search for meaning. We are humans first, animals second.

I suppose one of the greatest lessons to learn from this book is that no matter what our circumstances are, we can choose how we respond to them. It's hard to imagine circumstances more appalling than what Frankl faced. He really had nothing but his own life, and that just barely. But he found a meaning in his life and chose to live for it. All of us can do the same.

The book has two major sections. The first is the story of his time in concentration camps. It is disturbing and heartbreaking, but the way he writes about it will surprisingly give you hope. The second part summarizes the practice of logotherapy. Since that part is more abstract than the first, I thought it would be harder to read, but I actually really enjoyed it. It's grounded in reality as I mentioned, and the way Frankl understands life and people is very reassuring. It was at the end of these more abstract parts that I wanted to shout for joy.

I think everyone would benefit from reading this book. Viktor Frankl was a brilliant man, but I think his real greatness was his warm, caring insight into the nature of human beings. Read this book. Isn't it about time you did?

Buy Man's Search for Meaning at Amazon.com.

Lincoln's Melancholy

2010-09-23T14:13:00.001-06:00

How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness
Author: Joshua Wolf Shenk
Genre: nonfiction, biography
Publication info: Houghton Mifflin, 2005
Pages: 350 (including notes, bibliography, and index)

Have you heard? Abraham Lincoln was an amazing man. And he was also seriously depressed.

I hesitate to call this book a biography, because it doesn't discuss the events of Lincoln's life as a biography normally would. You don't really get a complete picture of his life from this book alone. But you do get a close look at one aspect of his life that until recently has been either ignored or outright denied by other biographers: Lincoln's depression. It is Shenk's goal in this book to show that Lincoln was in fact depressed, to show how he responded to his "melancholy" and what he did with it.

The research behind this book is impressive. Shenk goes straight to primary sources, using letters from Lincoln and interviews with people who knew him personally. All this evidence makes clear that Lincoln dealt with serious depression long before the condition was a recognizable illness. Along the way, Shenk gives us a picture of what depression in general is like, and I appreciate his doing so. I believe he's had personal experience in that area, so he knows what he is talking about. And what he says rings true for me.

But the remarkable part about Lincoln in this book is not the extent to which he suffered but rather what he was able to make out of his agony, his melancholy. Shenk emphasizes that Lincoln didn't passively endure his depression; he drew power from it somehow and used it to achieve the great things he did. Many times Lincoln expressed the desire to commit suicide, but he didn't do it, because he felt that he had a calling in life, something great to do. We all know now what great things he did, but the fact that he didn't—the fact that he didn't know he would be remembered or even accomplish anything of value—and yet carried on through his agony is one reason (among many) that he was so amazing.

I would recommend this book to just about anybody. If you are interested in the life of Abraham Lincoln (and what American wouldn't be?), you will like this book. If you want an inspiring story about overcoming enormous obstacles, this could be the one you're looking for. And especially if you have had close experience with depression, you will appreciate the insights of this book. You will find a great example of how to live a meaningful life even when your own mind is working against you.

Buy Lincoln's Melancholy at Amazon.com.

The Historian

2010-08-26T11:59:00.003-06:00

Author: Elizabeth Kostova
Genre: fiction, mystery, horror
Publication info: Little, Brown, 2005
Pages: 642

Nerds have adventures too!

That's one thing I like about this book. When I was talking recently with a friend about The Historian, the best way I could describe it was as a "nerdy thriller." Unfortunately, I was only about halfway through at the time and had yet to discover that there really isn't much thrill after all. But nerds abound—all the major characters are serious academics who do some intense research. I guess I enjoy that because that's the way my career may take me, except I hope my research doesn't endanger my life as it does theirs.

The Historian centers on the legend of Dracula, who was a real person otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler, prince of Wallachia. When the unnamed narrator asks her father about a strange book she finds in his study, he reluctantly tells her of his quest to find Dracula's tomb and his missing dissertation adviser, Bartholomew Rossi. Professor Rossi, you see, had also been given a similar mysterious book, sending him on a quest to learn about Dracula and whether or not he is still alive—or better put, undead.

If you're confused by this description, that's because it's my best attempt to capture the multiple layers of the book. The bulk of the story is actually a story within a story, the narrator's father telling his tale. But included in that tale are other tales from other people, resulting in even more layers. I count all this as a fault in the book, because with all these stories within stories, the overall plot loses its immediacy. At times when I almost feel suspense, I remember that what I'm reading took place nearly twenty years before the time of the present story. I think the story could have been much more exciting if it was structured and presented in a different way.

The strengths of the book are its research and atmosphere. It's hard to tell where historical fact ends and fiction begins, and I enjoy that aspect. It has certainly motivated me to learn more about Vlad Dracula. I enjoy that the book treats Dracula and vampires in a way totally different from other literature and movies (including a currently popular series I won't name).

Atmosphere is a big part of the book. The author shows great skill in describing some breathtaking settings all across Europe. I especially enjoy the major segment of the story that takes place in Hungary, since I've been there myself. I love the visits to old libraries, archives, monasteries, and churches. They are fun places to be, and they are fun places to read about.

Overall, The Historian is pretty good, pretty interesting, but it falls short of being a really suspenseful, thrilling story. I feel bad for the publisher that bought the manuscript for two million dollars, thinking it had the next Da Vinci Code on its hands. I'm not saying Dan Brown is a great author, because he's not, but he's much better at suspense than Elizabeth Kostova is.

Still, you might want to give this book a try, especially if you're interested in Dracula and vampires (the dangerous kind, not the sparkly kind). You might enjoy it more than I did.

Buy The Historian at Amazon.com.

The Hunger Games

2010-08-03T17:23:00.002-06:00

Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: fiction, young adult, post-apocalyptic
Publication info: Scholastic Press, 2008
Pages: 374

Amazing. Profound. Moving. These are all words I would not use to describe The Hunger Games.

I realize I'm probably going against the majority opinion here, but I just can't understand why this book is so popular. The most I can say for this book is that it's a page-turner, and even then, it didn't have me wanting to turn pages until well after the first hundred. Until that point, I was mostly just annoyed.

Why was I annoyed? Because the book's premise is based on a situation so implausible and simplistic that it was next to impossible for me to care about what happens to any of the characters. (On a side note, I just learned that this book is apparently a direct rip-off of Battle Royale by Koushun Takami, but since I haven't read the other book, I'll confine my criticism to what I know personally.) In a near-future North America that has been ravaged by war and natural disaster, the cleverly named Capitol exercises control over the twelve districts of Panem by requiring each of them them every year to send one boy and one girl to participate in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death broadcast on television.

Okay. Why would they do something so disgusting and evil? Because apparently in this dystopian world, nobody has any sense of morality whatsoever. Yep, the Capitol is just that bad. No further explanation needed. And everyone in the districts just rolls with it. They grumble, they groan, but they send their children year after year. And the children? Well, as evil as they see the Games to be, they jump right in and try to kill as many others as they can. Does anybody else see how absurd this is?

Katniss, the protagonist (another requirement for dystopian societies: stupid names), volunteers to go to the games when her little sister is chosen. This is great because you see Katniss as a rebel right from the beginning; she regularly hunts outside the boundaries of her district, a crime punishable by death. So you expect to see her fight against this brutal system, right? She doesn't. Oh, she does a few things here and there to "stick it to them," but they really don't do anything productive. Ultimately, she just goes along with it like everyone else, leaving you wondering why we're supposed to like her.

My other major gripe about this book is that Katniss is always spared from making difficult moral decisions. A good story has good characters that develop throughout the story, and they do so by making tough decisions. We learn about them through the decisions they make. But Katniss has the convenience of being in an arena where people get killed off right and left. Let me explain. Without giving too much away, let's suppose she makes a friend or ally during the Games. Cool; now we wonder what she is going to do about having to kill that person eventually. It's going to be a real test of character for Katniss. But no worries—someone else kills off that friend, so Katniss is spared that difficulty. This happens multiple times during the story, and in the end, we still have no idea whether Katniss has any kind of moral fiber.

The Games themselves are pretty fun and exciting to read about. I'll admit I stayed up rather late one night reading it. But every time the kids fought with each other, I wanted to scream at them, "Does nobody see how wrong this is? Is anybody going to do something about it?" I think the author wants us to believe that the characters are powerless against the system, but if that's the case, she does a lousy job of showing it. I just don't buy it!

I have a few other complaints about the writing style that I'll mention only briefly. The speech tags ("he says," etc.) are done rather poorly. There is too much unneeded description and too little needed description (how big is the arena, anyway?). Events that are supposed to be surprises are easy to predict.

Finally, the ending of the book is really weak. The author couldn't have made it any clearer that there is a sequel if she pinned you down and screamed it in your face. I understand that it's the law (apparently) to write books in a series, but that doesn't mean that each installment shouldn't be able to stand on its own as a story. The flat ending of The Hunger Games makes it impossible for this book to stand on its own. But you can bet that I am never going to read the rest of the series.

Buy The Hunger Games, if you must, on Amazon.com.

Compare Battle Royale on Amazon.com.

Nine Stories

2010-07-28T11:40:00.001-06:00

Author: J. D. Salinger
Genre: fiction, short stories
Publication info: Bantam, 1964 (originally published in 1953)
Pages: 198

J. D. Salinger is probably best known for his novel Catcher in the Rye, but this small collection of short stories is my first exposure to his work. Now I can see why he is considered one of the best authors of the twentieth century. These stories present aspects of life that are bizarre yet authentic—something that few authors can accomplish very well. And although most of these stories are quite tragic, they are also quite enjoyable to read.

But probably the thing I noticed most, and the thing I most appreciated, was the dialogue. Most of the stories in this collection are dialogue-heavy, but I didn't mind that at all because this is probably the best dialogue I have ever read. The characters interrupt each other, leave thoughts incomplete, and refer to situations that don't get fully explained. Have you ever read a story in which one character explains something to another character for no other reason than to explain it to the reader because both characters already know it? It's bad practice, and you won't see any of that in Salinger's writing. One of my favorite examples is in "A Perfect Day for Bananafish." Muriel is talking on the phone with her mother, who is concerned about Muriel's husband after "that incident with the trees." We never find out what that incident was, but we learn all we need to know about the husband's character from that simple reference. Salinger is simply artful with dialogue.

The downside is that the dialogue in these stories often includes a great deal of profanity. It's believable, but not necessarily pleasant. Potential readers be warned!

And speaking of not pleasant, none of these stories really have happy endings, if that's an important thing to you. Some of them end quite tragically, in fact. I for one enjoy that sort of thing, but not everyone does. I'm really glad this book of stories was recommended to me. If you're looking for some good literature that will make you think, this book is a good idea. You'll laugh (yes, some of it is really funny), you'll hurt, you'll wonder—all good things in literature.

Buy Nine Stories at Amazon.com.

Everwild

2010-07-24T12:48:00.001-06:00

Book 2 of the Skinjacker Trilogy
Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: fiction, young adult, fantasy (sort of)
Publication info: Simon & Schuster, 2009
Pages: 424

For those of you keeping score at home, Everlost was the very first book I reviewed on this blog. I raved about it for its brilliance in depicting a world utterly bizarre and foreign and yet at the same time eerily familiar and believable.

A few months ago, I was surprised to come across Everwild, the sequel to Everlost, in the library. I didn't know there was gong to be a sequel. The ending to the first book certainly leaves open the possibility, but not the necessity, of a sequel. Being naturally wary of sequels, I was hesitant to check this book out, but since I loved the first one so much and wanted to return to the world of Everlost, the limbo world of dead children, I just couldn't help myself.

I loved this one too. Maybe this isn't the best-written book in the world or the most profound, but I just love being in the world these books describe.

Everwild begins a short time after the previous book ends. Nick, the newly dead kid from the first book, has embarked on a quest to help all Afterlights (inhabitants of Everlost) to "get where they are going"—in other words, to escape Everlost. But the power-hungry Mary Hightower is on a quest of her own to villify Nick and gain as many followers as she can. Nick soon realizes he will need to confront her, so he sets out to amass an army. And to do that, he'll need to go into the mysterious region of Everlost known as the Everwild.

Meanwhile, Allie, who died at the same time as Nick, is trying to find her family and see how they have been doing since her accident. She is developing her skills as a skinjacker, an Afterlight who can "borrow" the bodies of the living. But skinjacking soon becomes a dangerous obsession for her, leading her to discover a most surprising truth about herself.

I don't want to give too much away here, especially if you haven't read the first book. But I would just like to say that I enjoyed this book immensely, and I was actually pretty sad when it was over. I read it over a single weekend when I was sick, and at the end I thought maybe I had read it too fast. I just can't overemphasize how fun the whole idea is. Some parts had me laughing out loud. And yet while it's fun, it's also grim and eerie.

There are only two potential problems with this book that I can see. The first is that it features quite a bit of "teen angst"—love triangles and whatnot. You'd think Afterlights wouldn't be concerned about love, but they manage somehow. It's not terrible, though. I just wanted to point that out for people who might be bothered by it.

The other point is that whereas Everlost had a pretty satisfying conclusion, Everwild pretty much screams for a sequel. Now it's obvious on the cover that this is part two of a trilogy, so it should be no surprise, but still, it's going to be hard to wait for the third book to come out. It took three years for this one to come, so I might have to wait another couple years before I find out what happens to these Afterlights.

To anyone looking for an interesting and fun book to read, I recommend this series. Definitely read Everlost first, though. And if you have read Everlost and liked it, continue the adventure with Everwild. I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

Buy Everwild at Amazon.com.

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains

2010-07-12T20:58:00.001-06:00

Author: Nicholas Carr
Genre: nonfiction, popular science
Publication info: W. W. Norton, 2010
Pages: 276 (including notes and other supplemental material)

I feel like a hypocrite writing about this on a blog, but I need to get the word out. In The Shallows, author Nicholas Carr brings together the history of technology and neurology to explore how the World Wide Web is changing the way we read and write—and think. What he finds is not pretty.

Actually, it's more than not pretty. It's downright disturbing. If you're reading this blog, you're probably a frequent user of the Internet, so let me ask you: When you are reading a book, do you often get distracted and want to do something else after only two pages? Heck, do you even read books anymore? Do you find it difficult to go walking for any substantial length of time without pulling out your phone, even if nobody is calling or texting you? Your Internet use may be to blame. And it probably is.

You see, the Internet is changing the way our brains work. A few decades ago scientists began discovering that the human brain, even in adults, can be "rewired" to accommodate changing behaviors, both physical and mental. Basically, the brain gets better and faster at what it does the most. And since it's more than likely that most of us are using the Internet with increasing frequency, our brains are adjusting themselves to a style of thinking better suited to the Internet.

What style is that? It's fast. It's superficial. It's distracted. If you haven't noticed, Web pages are designed to distract you. They're full of snippets of information here, a navigation bar there, pictures and a video you can play over there. Not to mention your browser's multiple tabs and all the alerts it's set to give you for e-mails, blog posts, or Twitter updates. I'm not accusing Web designers of sinister motives, but the plain fact is that the Web is made for giving you an onslaught of information all at once.

And our brains are burdened with processing all that information. With every link we come across, our brains have to decide whether to follow it. We have to skim pages to get the information we need fast. (My guess is this blog post already looks too long for frequent blog readers.) And since our brains are "plastic," or adaptable, they rewire themselves to be more efficient at this kind of thinking.

What gets sacrificed as a result is our ability to think deeply and creatively. Yes, maybe our brains are faster at processing a lot of information fast, but only at a superficial level. By frequently taking advantage of what the Web has to offer, we are denying ourselves the ability to synthesize the information we receive and produce original thought. Doesn't that sound scary to you? I guess it all depends on what's important to you, but I certainly place a high value on deep and creative thinking.

Everybody please, please read this book. I hate to be an alarmist, but I feel this is very important. Carr does an excellent job describing relevant research and presenting a coherent argument, much better than I've done here. Plus, by reading a book like this, you're doing a brain a favor. Because the good news is that since our brains can adjust to more frequent Internet use, they can also be trained back. With a lot of discipline, we can become free thinkers again.

Buy The Shallows at Amazon.com.

Gone with the Wind

2010-07-07T22:36:00.002-06:00

Author: Margaret Mitchell
Genre: fiction, historical fiction
Publication info: Warner Books, 1993 (originally published in 1936)
Pages: 1024

If I were to pick one word that is terribly overused nowadays, it would probably be epic (especially in conjunction with that noun-that-isn't-a-noun, fail). I mean, really, there is more than one way to describe something that's great or terrific or awesome or splendid or amazing or incredible—such as by using one of those words. But no, everything is epic now, even when it's nothing more than dribbling toothpaste on your shirt. Do you people even know what the word means?

I'm getting sidetracked here. My point is that although epic is an abused word, it's really one of the best ones to describe this book. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is an epic tale. It, along with its 1939 film adaptation, is an American icon, and now that I've read it I can see why. It's a tale of life in the South during the Civil War and then during the Reconstruction, and it gives a perspective of those historical periods that we don't usually get.

But apart from giving an interesting historical viewpoint, Gone with the Wind is also an intimate story of fascinating characters. Scarlett O'Hara, the protagonist (but not necessarily the heroine), is a headstrong, calculating young woman who is determined to win the love of the dreamer Ashley Wilkes. When he marries someone else instead, Scarlett finds another man to marry simply out of spite. And thus begins her journey through several marriages, none of which make her truly happy.

And then there is Rhett Butler. He shows up early on and then periodically throughout the book—every hundred pages or so until the last part when he becomes more important. He's a mystery to Scarlett: she can't figure him out, whereas he seems to know her better than anyone. The conversations between Scarlett and Rhett were always really entertaining, and I was always eager for him to show up again and put Scarlett in her place.

Both of these characters are fascinating, especially because I couldn't really decide whether either of them were good. Both of them do some pretty rotten things for their own gain. But somehow I wanted to stick with them and see where they would go. They certainly change, both of them, but even at the end I wondered whether I could judge them as good people.

It's these characters, along with others, that primarily make Gone with the Wind a terrific novel. But I also loved the insight into the Civil War and Reconstruction. The situation wasn't nearly as clear-cut as we sometimes make it out to be. It wasn't necessarily "good guys versus bad guys" all the time, and good guys and bad guys weren't confined to one side of the conflict. If anything, this novel shows that those terrible periods in history involved real people, who had real convictions and desires and fears.

Gone with the Wind is a pretty lengthy novel, but it's worth the investment of time. I think every American should read it. If there is a Great American Novel, this novel is certainly a worthy candidate for that title.

Buy Gone with the Wind at Amazon.com.

The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain

2010-06-23T12:16:00.000-06:00

Author: Lloyd Alexander
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Publication info: Henry Holt, 2006 (originally published in 1970)
Pages: 98

Several years ago I enjoyed the marvelous fantasy series The Chronicles of Prydain. If you haven't yet discovered the series, which consists of five novels, I recommend them to you. They may remind you somewhat of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, but they have enough of their own unique elements—characters, story lines, and pieces of Welsh mythology—to make them a series worth reading.

If you have in fact read The Chronicles of Prydain, I recommend this book, The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain. I didn't even know this book existed until earlier this year when I found it at a bargain book sale. Apparently Lloyd Alexander had other characters and stories he wanted to explore and explain.

In this collection of short stories, you find the tale of how Dallben came to be the great enchanter that he is, a cautionary tale of how the great sword Dyrnwyn must be handled, the tale of how Eilonwy's mother found her husband, and more. There are eight stories in all, so in a 98-page book, each is pretty short, but each one manages to capture your imagination. At least they captured mine. They are told much like folk tales (with lines such as "This is the tale of . . . And this is how it begins."). Some of them are surprisingly deep for how short they are, especially the story of the sword.

It has been a while since I have read the novels of Prydain (which happens to be the Welsh word for Britain), so I don't remember a lot of the details, but I still very much enjoyed this book. Reading these stories brought me back to that fantasy world I loved. I've said before that I'm not much for fantasy most of the time, but The Chronicles of Prydain, including The Foundling, are a great exception to my rule. I hope you enjoy these books too.

Buy The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain at Amazon.com.

Write Is a Verb

2010-03-25T16:28:00.000-06:00

Sit Down, Start Writing, No Excuses
Author: Bill O'Hanlon
Genre: nonfiction, how-to
Publication info: F+W Publications, 2007
Pages: 212 (plus bonus DVD!)

The title says it all. Just get writing, because writing begets writing. The more you write, the more you write. And the better you get at it. So that's what I'm going to do.

But if you, like me, aspire to be a writer and, also like me, need a good kick in the pants, this book might be helpful to you.

Buy Write Is a Verb at Amazon.com.

The Prince

2010-03-25T16:23:00.000-06:00

Author: Niccolò Machiavelli, translated by Peter Bondanella
Genre: nonfiction, politics
Publication info: Oxford World's Classics, 2005 (originally published in 1532)
Pages: 130 (including notes)

Take it from me: The Prince is not exactly a beach read. Or an exercise-bike read, as the case may be. This book takes some serious thinking, which I wasn't always able to give. So I probably didn't get as much out of this book as I could have, but I definitely found it interesting.

You may have heard of The Prince, or maybe you've heard Machiavelli's name. Perhaps what comes to mind is the maxim "The end justifies the means." Well, as it turns out, Machiavelli never actually said that. Not in those exact words, anyway. But in this book he does put forth some principles that may be a little alarming to most decent people. For example, it is most important for a prince to be feared by his subjects. He should always keep his promises, unless he needs to break them in order to maintain his power.

For reasons like those, The Prince has been condemned by many people and organizations. Now I'm not necessarily supporting everything that is said in this book, but I think we should be careful not to take this book for something it isn't. Machiavelli wasn't trying to write a book on how to be a good person. His intention was to instruct princes on how to be effective princes (not good, but effective). And we also need to keep in mind Machiavelli's ultimate goal in writing this book, as he discusses in the final chapter: he wanted a strong leader to come forward that could unify Italy and fortify it against outside influences.

If you want a deeper understanding of The Prince, there are a bazillion scholars who have written about it. My purpose in reading it was actually a little different. I really did want to learn how to be a strong, effective, even ruthless prince, so I could put those abilities and traits into a character I have plans for in a future novel. And I was pretty pleased by the ideas this book gave me. I also simply enjoyed how much this book made me think.

So if you want a real thinker, give this book a try. But don't necessarily try to live by it.

Buy The Prince at Amazon.com.

Buy The Prince (Oxford World's Classics) at Amazon.com.

Flatland

2010-01-02T15:33:00.001-07:00

A Romance of Many Dimensions
Author: Edwin A. Abbott
Genre: science fiction?
Publication info: Oxford World's Classics, 2006 (originally published in 1884)
Pages: 124 (including notes)

I mentioned the Childcraft books in my last post. I don't know if those books are still around, but it is thanks to those books that I also heard about Flatland. I feel bad for people that grew up without Childcraft.

Anyway, I'd been meaning to read this book for a long time, having always been interested in math and especially in the theory of multiple dimensions. So I finally bought a copy of this book in Oxford during my trip to the British Isles last summer (I thought it would be fun to be able to say, "Yes, I bought that novel in Oxford. Would you like a digestive?"). And then, a few months after finally buying it, I finally read it.

As you might guess, Flatland is the story of a world of only two dimensions. How can a story about a two-dimensional world be "a romance of many dimensions," you ask? Good question. Basically it works by analogy. We are introduced to the narrator, A. Square, who gives us a detailed description of his world and how his society functions. This first part of the book is less of a math treatise and more of a social satire, but it's still pretty interesting.

But the second half of the book is where the good stuff starts. First A. Square has a vision of a place called Lineland, a world that exists entirely on—you guessed it—one line. A. Square wonders how anyone could live in such a world. But the one-dimensional people can't imagine anything better. Just as A. Square can't imagine anything beyond his two-dimensional world. Just as we three-dimensional beings can't imagine . . . See where this is going?

Well, after A. Square's vision of Lineland, he has an even more interesting experience: a visit from a sphere, a resident of Spaceland. This otherworldy being teaches our incredulous narrator about the nature of three dimensions. As this goes on, we begin to see what it might be like to live in four dimensions or more. It's really fun to think about, but it can also be pretty mind-blowing. Imagine the things we could do, the ways we could move and interact, the methods by which we could travel. It's great exercise for the mind.

But I also believe it's more than that. I think this vision of multi-dimensional worlds gives us a glimpse into the workings of God. If all things past, present, and future are before Him, then I think this is a sensible way to imagine that concept. Just as a three-dimensional being can survey a two-dimensional world all at once from above, I think God looks on our world in a very similar way. Just how many dimensions does God have? That's a matter of speculation. But I think this is one of the reasons God is incomprehensible to us. As it says in Isaiah, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways" (55:8).

Just something to think about. That's why I loved Flatland so much: it really got me thinking.

Buy Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (Oxford World's Classics) at Amazon.com.
Buy Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions (Dover Thrift Editions) at Amazon.com.

The Phantom Tollbooth

2009-12-31T12:03:00.000-07:00

Author: Norton Juster
Genre: children's fiction
Publication info: Random House, 1961
Pages: 256

My sister basically told me I had to read this book. Frankly, I'm surprised I had gone this long without reading it. I remember hearing my sisters talking about it when we were kids, I remember watching an animated adaptation of it, and I remember looking at pictures from excerpts in the Childcraft books we always enjoyed at home. But for one reason or another, I had never read the actual book. Well, now I have, thanks to my sister's prodding.

Why did I wait so long? This book is a blast. I may have mentioned before that I enjoy offbeat fantasies—the sort of stories like Coraline and Everlost that have fantastical elements but don't really fit into the mainstream. The Phantom Tollbooth is one of those (but because of the nature of the category, it is still unique).

It's the story of a boy named Milo. He's a sad kid, though not so much sad as uninterested in life. Then a mysterious package arrives containing a kit for building a tollbooth. This tollbooth is a gateway to a strange land, a land where abstract ideas are literal. Milo travels through two rival kingdoms: first Dictionopolis, where people sell words in the marketplace and feast on half-baked ideas; then Digitopolis, where numbers are the commodity people work in mines for. The only hope for this land in chaos is to rescue the sisters Rhyme and Reason, and Milo resolves to do just that. But it's not going to be easy.

It's a funny little book (the half-baked ideas were one of my favorite parts) that will probably make you laugh, or at least chuckle. It's aimed at kids, but I think adults could enjoy it just as much. It will make you think about the way you think. True, it is strongly driven by a moral message, which can be annoying sometimes in literature, but the uniqueness of the idea makes that less of a problem.

I can't believe I missed out on this book all these years.

Buy The Phantom Tollbooth at Amazon.com.

Selected Books

2009-12-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

The Pilgrim's Regress / Prayer: Letters to Malcolm / Reflections on the Psalms / The Abolition of Man / Till We Have Faces
Author: C. S. Lewis
Genre: all sorts
Publication info: HarperCollins, 2002
Pages: 623

This was one of the many books I bought during my stay in the British Isles. You know I can't resist a C. S. Lewis title, so five titles in one is impossible to resist. What attracted me mainly was Till We Have Faces, Lewis's final and favorite work of fiction. It helped also that four out of the five books included were ones I didn't own nor had read (The Abolition of Man being the exception).

I won't bother to summarize each book individually, but I will say that I enjoyed them all. They made me think; they made me feel; they made me wonder. The Pilgrim's Regress was Lewis's first work of fiction. It's an interesting allegory that documents a man's journey into Christianity. It's a pretty interesting story, but it does have its flaws (such as sexism, which Lewis is often accused of). I also had a hard time understanding what each allegorical element represents. If I had lived in Lewis's time, maybe I would have understood better.

Prayer and Reflections are both fascinating theological treatises. Although I would be lying if I said I always understood what Lewis means, I will say that he definitely makes me think about things. Even if I don't always agree with specific doctrines he believes in, I think he makes some excellent points. You'll just have to read the books to see for yourself.

But of all the books in this collection, Till We Have Faces is definitely my favorite. It's a retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche (you don't need to know the original myth—in fact, Lewis summarizes it in the introduction). Even so, it is actually the story of Orual, Psyche's half-sister. Orual is ugly and unloved, while Psyche is exactly the opposite, but still they enjoy the closest relationship sisters can have. All is well until Ungit, the goddess of the land, demands a human sacrifice, and Psyche is to be the victim. What happens as a result transforms both of them in ways they could not have imagined.

I remember reading The Chronicles of Narnia and finding The Last Battle to be particularly mind-blowing. Till We Have Faces had the same effect on me. At the end, I felt that I had come to the conclusion of a long journey and that I had changed as a person. I can see why this book was Lewis's favorite. His writing, I think, is much more masterful and well-crafted than in the Narnia books. It's a shame that this book is not as well known among his millions of fans. If you enjoy C. S. Lewis's work, I recommend this to you, and if you aren't familiar with him yet, perhaps this book would be a good introduction.

From what I can tell, this particular collection isn't available in the U.S. However, you can follow these links to buy the individual books at Amazon.com:

The Pilgrim's Regress: An Allegorical Apology for Christianity, Reason and Romanticism
Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer
Reflections on the Psalms
The Abolition of Man
Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

2009-11-21T14:37:00.000-07:00

Author: Susanna Clarke
Genre: fantasy, alternate history, historical fiction, social comedy—you name it
Publication info: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2004
Pages: 1006 (in paperback; the hardcover edition is less than 800)

Best book I have read in a long time. It's also the only book I have read in a long time, but never mind that. This is a really, really good book. It ranks easily among my favorites now. One of the critics called it the kind of book you live in for weeks. I think that accurately describes my experience.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell takes place mainly during the Napoleonic Wars (one of the most entertaining aspects of the book is the way Clarke imitates writing styles of the period). To be a magician is a reputable career in England, although the "practical" magicians have long since died out, and all that are left are the "theoretical" ones, the magical scholars. One society of such magicians in York, however, discover a man who claims to be a practical magician. This man is Mr Norrell. At the risk of giving up their status as magicians, the society invites Mr Norrell to prove himself.

So he does. Magic has returned to England.

Norrell then moves to London, where he hopes to get in favor with the government so he can help the country in the war against France. What follows is some hilarious social comedy reminiscent of Jane Austen's novels. The first part of the book moves pretty slowly, but I found it too dang funny to put down. And little by little, the plot does thicken.

Eventually there comes along a young man named Jonathan Strange, who discovers by accident that he is a very able magician himself. He becomes Norrell's pupil, and the two rise to fame in the country. However, certain philosophical differences threaten to drive them apart. Strange becomes increasingly interested in a historical figure called the Raven King, the founder of English magic, while Norrell prefers the man to be forgotten completely.

Meanwhile, another threat is on the horizon: a fairy has come to England and is starting to make trouble. Serious trouble. This is one of the most fascinating aspects of the book. Britain has a long folkloric tradition of a land called Faerie. These aren't your fairies from Disney movies; these are people with great powers and few morals. As I read this book, I discovered that Faerie can be a very frightening place. Some parts of the book that explore that magical land are downright creepy. I loved it. If you want to learn about the tradition of Faerie, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is a wonderful introduction.

I'd recommend this book to just about anyone. If you like fantasy, read this. If you like England, read this. Heck, if you like books, read this. I grant that it is a tad long, and some people complain that there is a lot of superfluous material in it, but I enjoyed it all too much to be bothered by that. I hope you will too. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell really is a book you can live in for weeks, and when it's done, you might not want to come back.

Buy Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell at Amazon.com.

Boxen

2009-08-29T09:11:00.000-06:00

Childhood Chronicles Before Narnia
Authors: C. S. Lewis and W. H. Lewis
Genre: fiction
Publication info: HarperCollins, 2008
Pages: 240

Do you remember what kinds of stories you wrote when you were eight years old? I remember one about staying overnight in a haunted house, and I thought it was pretty clever. Well, this book has put me in my place.

Boxen is a collection of stories that C. S. Lewis, better known as Jack, wrote with his older brother, Warnie. They began when Jack was eight and continued to develop their fictional world over the next several years. These are no ordinary childhood stories. They don't talk about a frog who is trying to get across the road. They tell of a frog who is prime minister of a joint kingdom who struggles with political factions in the country and deals with enemies outside the country. I still can't imagine how two children came up with all this.

As I said, Boxen (the kingdom) is actually made up of two separate kingdoms joined by an alliance. Animal Land is Jack's creation, and India (a fictional version, obviously) is Warnie's. Together the brothers developed a complex political history for this place, complete with opposing parties, significant monarchs, and warfare. I guess that's what happens when all you have for entertainment is listening to your dad talk politics with the neighbors.

The stories in this book come in several forms. There are histories, written in the style of a history textbook. There are actual stories, both short and long. There are even some plays, which I think might even be the most entertaining. Throughout this book also are illustrations produced by the Lewis brothers, including Warnie's very detailed cross-section of a ship. It just blows me away how creative and intelligent these guys were.

Of course, the stories are not without their flaws. They are preserved exactly how the boys wrote them, including all the misspellings. Some of the plots are very odd, and some never get resolved. But it's important to remember that the Lewis boys had no intention to publish this work. They did it for themselves only. And honestly, I find all the mistakes charming.

So if you're a fan of C. S. Lewis and want to know more about what kind of an imagination he and his brother had, definitely check out this book. Aside from the content, it is a beautiful printing, complete with a ribbon bookmark!

Buy Boxen: Childhood Chronicles Before Narnia at Amazon.com.

Advocate for the Dead

2009-08-17T21:12:00.000-06:00

The Story of Joel Brand
Author: Alex Weissberg
Genre: nonfiction, history
Publication info: Andre Deutsch, 1958
Pages: 255

The story of how I got my hands on this book is almost as interesting as the story this book contains.

I returned recently from the study abroad in Great Britain that I mentioned in an earlier post. During our time across the pond, we stayed in a fair share of hostels. If you've never stayed in a hostel or don't know what one is, let me tell you that it's quite an experience. A hostel is almost like a hotel, but it's usually cheaper, and it has a more communal feel. It's a nice option if you're trying to save money while traveling, but I'll just say that next time I go to Europe I'm going to find a decent hotel. But I digress.

One feature of most of the hostels we stayed in was a bookcase filled with a random assortment of books for you to borrow, trade, or maybe even buy. I made a point of scanning the collection of every hostel we visited, knowing full well that I had nothing to trade, having packed as light as I could (and still barely making the weight limit on the airliner).

At one particularly nice hostel in Conwy, Wales (if you ever get the chance to visit that town, I highly recommend it), I was checking out the books in the evening, when I came across a black, unassuming book. Advocate for the Dead was the faded title printed on the spine. Intrigued, I flipped it open, and what was one of the first words I saw? Budapest! If you don't know already, I have a special interest in all things related to Hungary, and I considered it a rare experience to come across a book that actually talks about that oft-forgotten country. But this one seemed to be all about Hungary. I didn't know much else about the book, but I knew that I wanted it.

The only problem was that I didn't have a book to trade for it. I almost decided to forget about it, but a friend from the study abroad group suggested that I go talk to the people at reception. So I did. I asked them what their policy on the books was. They asked me whether the book I wanted was a popular title. I showed it to them, and after one look they told me I could keep it, free of charge. That's the benefit of being interested in a fifty-year-old book.

Okay, so maybe that story isn't too interesting. But the book is good. Joel Brand, whose story this book tells, was a leader of a Jewish underground movement in Budapest. I've already rambled long enough, so I won't go into detail, but I will say that I learned about an aspect of World War II that I never knew before. I also learned that Nazi politics are confusing. Politics in general are confusing, really.

The moral of the story: Look for old books at hostels. And go to Wales.

Note: When I looked for this book on Amazon, all I could find were out-of-print editions that are being sold for a hefty price. Looks like I really struck gold.

The Adventure of English

2009-08-03T04:27:00.000-06:00

The Biography of a Language
Author: Melvyn Bragg
Genre: nonfiction
Publication info: Arcade Publishing, 2003
Pages: 322

Melvyn Bragg is a novelist as well as a nonfiction author who has written on a variety of topics. In The Adventure of English he writes not as a linguist but as someone who is keenly interested in the development of the language. So it was interesting to use this book as our history text during our study abroad in Great Britain.

As a linguistics student who has taken a couple classes on the history of English, I found it hard to get into this book. Most of the information wasn’t new to me. The approach, however, is unique. Bragg warns in the introduction that he writes about the English language as if it were a living entity with a mind and will of its own. And that’s exactly what he does. English settles down, gets attacked, fights back, becomes smothered, grows, expands, absorbs. It’s a different way of looking at things, but it can also get pretty tiring with how dramatic he sometimes makes it out to be.

Speaking of dramatic, Bragg does seem to enjoy using an epic style in this book. I wonder if it’s the novelist in him. And it’s not only English itself that gets this treatment. Major players in the development of the language—the Catholic Church, Tyndale, Shakespeare—also get some dramatic (and shamelessly opinionated) descriptions. Not very academic stuff, but I guess it is entertaining.

I do applaud him for taking a global approach to English. American English gets several chapters, including the language brought in by the slaves. Bragg also features Australian English, Caribbean English, and the varied forms that English has taken in Europe and Asia. Pretty ambitious for an amateur linguist, and he does a good job of it, too.

I have to say, though, that I was a little disappointed in Bragg’s emphasis on the vocabulary of English above everything else. Throughout the book he gives lists of words, phrases, and expressions that came from different sources and time periods. His research is impressive and interesting, but a language is much more than the individual words that make it up. A language is also how the words go together, when and why they are used, and many other things. Bragg pays less attention to these other things. I know I can’t expect him to give an in-depth study of every aspect of English throughout its history, but I definitely felt that his look at the language was imbalanced. Of course, there are plenty of other books to make up the difference.

I have been picky in my comments on this book. I blame that on my being a language nerd. That said, I would recommend this book to all of the language nerds out there. If you’re looking for a serious study of English, this probably isn’t the book for you, but if you want to learn more about how our beautiful, crazy, powerful language came to be what it is, give this book a try. Prepare for an adventure.

Buy The Adventure of English at Amazon.com.

The Meaning of Everything

2009-06-24T00:28:00.000-06:00

The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary
Author: Simon Winchester
Genre: nonfiction, history
Publication info: Oxford University Press, 2003
Pages: 260

In just a few days, I'll be leaving for England. I'm part of a study abroad program that will focus on the English language in its many varieties. As part of our sightseeing, we will visit Oxford, that old and prestigious university, home of the famous Oxford University Press as well as that monumental work, the Oxford English Dictionary.

I knew that the OED was cool, having used it a bit in my schoolwork, but I had no idea before reading this book of what a behemoth project it truly was (and is). Did you know that the first edition took almost seventy years to produce? It began in 1857 with a speech by a member of the Philological Society, in which he detailed the weaknesses of the dictionaries that had been made to that point. A few years later, work began on the dictionary to end all dictionaries—the one that could give the meaning of everything. Not until 1928 was the work of the first edition completed. That's a lot of lexicography!

The Meaning of Everything tells the story of the OED's development, dwelling particularly on the times when the project almost fell apart—an event that happened a surprising number of times. The OED saw several editors come and go, the most important of which was James Murray, the humble yet enthusiastic philologist who oversaw the project for something like forty years. But other, more interesting people factor in as well, such as Frederick Furnivall, the irresponsible ladies' man; Henry Sweet, the rude phonetician who was the inspiration for Henry Higgins in Pygmalion (or My Fair Lady, if you like); and W. C. Minor, the American ex-soldier turned murderer (about whom Winchester has written an entire book, The Professor and the Madman). All of this shows that more goes into the making of a dictionary than you might think.

Simon Winchester is a skilled storyteller with an academic style. He frequently seems to try to cram as much into one sentence as he can, using all the cool punctuation that he can. He also seems to have a special liking for the word "polymathic." If you know what that means (I didn't), then you probably won't have a problem with his style.

If you are interested at all in our fascinating and crazy language that is English, you ought to read this book that tells the story of the language's most authoritative dictionary. A dictionary may seem like a thing of the past to many people, but where would we be without one? I only hope I'll be able to see the third edition of the OED, which, last time I heard, is slated to come out in 2037. My hat goes off to dictionary-makers everywhere.

Buy The Meaning of Everything at Amazon.com.

Life of Pi

2009-06-12T14:15:00.000-06:00

Author: Yann Martel
Genre: fiction, adventure
Publication info: Harcourt, 2001
Pages: 326

And finally, novel #5.

What a transition from Angels & Demons. I'll bet the publishers of the two books would never have imagined the same person reading both of them, let alone consecutively. I did it, but it wasn't easy.

Whereas the Dan Brown novel is a fast-paced thriller, Life of Pi is a leisurely, thought-provoking novel. At half the length of the previous book, it took me about twice as long to read. I really had to get my brain warmed up after the numbing (and a bit of dumbing-down) of Angels & Demons. It was so hard at first that I complained vocally about the book for a while.

But enough comparison. Life of Pi is a finely written book. Very imaginative, very cleverly worded, and sometimes very funny. It tells the story of Pi Patel (his full name is Piscine Molitor Patel, which he explains at length), the son of a zookeeper in India. The first part of the book deals with Pi's experiences at the family zoo as well as his keen interest in religion. He ends up practicing three normally incompatible relgions at the same time (leading to a pretty funny standoff with the leaders of each). Life isn't necessarily easy for this boy, but it is rich.

Then circumstances in India lead the family to sell their zoo and move to Canada. Only a few of the animals join them on the journey by boat. Sadly, the boat sinks, with Pi as the only survivor. Well, him and a few of the animals, including an adult Bengal tiger. Now Pi must figure out how to survive on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with a tiger as a companion.

So it's a survival story with a clever twist. And with some deep philosophical implications, as it turns out. I had a hard time with the narrator's musings that took up most of the first part of the book, and the language seemed too clever to be enjoyable, but once the survival part started, I was really hooked. The details are very well done. Sometimes the detail gets to the point of nastiness, but I felt like a stronger person for having gotten through them, just as Pi certainly becomes.

When I reached the end of the book, I felt that I had taken a satisfying journey. Life of Pi raises some questions about religion that at first glance seem basic but are actually quite deep and are treated in a unique way here. Give this book a try if you haven't already. I know it was pretty popular when it came out in 2001, so I'm a little late in saying this, but it's not too late for you to experience the oceanic adventure that is Life of Pi.

Buy Life of Pi at Amazon.com.

Angels & Demons

2009-06-03T23:28:00.000-06:00

Author: Dan Brown
Genre: fiction, conspiracy thriller
Publication info: Pocket Books, 2009
Pages: 710

Novel #4.

Dan Brown sure knows how to write 'em, doesn't he? At least when it comes to thrills and suspense. It took me all of two days to read (quite nearly all—I took some time off work to be able to finish it for class). I don't think any Harry Potter book ever had that effect on me.

If you're looking for some thought-provoking fiction, you won't find it here, but if you want a book that will keep you turning pages, you need look no further than Angels & Demons. I know Dan Brown is more famous for his controversial The Da Vinci Code, but this is actually the book that started it all (although the movies have it differently).

Robert Langdon is a symbologist at Harvard (did you know such a profession existed?) who happens to have some expertise in ancient conspiracies. For this reason, he is summoned by the director of CERN, the famed Swiss center of scientific research, to investigate a murder. The murdered man's body has the name "Illuminati" burned into it, a name which turns out to be that of a secret society, long believed to be extinct, of scientists who rebel against the Catholic Church.

One thing leads to another, and soon Langdon and the young, attractive scientist Vittoria Vetra are rushing to Vatican City to stop an unimaginable threat: hidden somewhere in the city is an antimatter bomb that could vaporize everything within a half-mile. It's conclave, the time when the church elects a new pope, and Langdon and Vetra must uncover the secrets of the Illuminati in order to find the bomb before it explodes at midnight. Oh, and the four favorite candidates for the papacy have been kidnapped as well.

It's not exactly heady stuff, but it's pretty exciting. I'll have to admit I got into it. I even had a dream with a similar story just the other night. My dream also had The Beatles in it, who, I'm sorry to say, do not make an appearance in this book.

As you might expect, the book sacrifices some things in order to create suspense, such as character development or even believability. I wanted to laugh out loud at the numerous times Langdon narrowly escapes death. But hey, it's all in good fun, right?

Yes, it's fun, but it's not much more than that. Angels & Demons will give you a thrilling ride once, but it's not the sort of book you'd want to read over and over again. It's more the sort of book you'd buy as a cheap paperback (so you don't have to wait for years on the hold list at the library) and then trade it in at a used bookstore. But I have to hand it to Dan Brown—he's good at what he does.

Buy Angels & Demons at Amazon.com.

The Novel

2009-06-02T08:18:00.000-06:00

Author: James A. Michener
Genre: fiction
Publication info: Fawcett Crest, 1991
Pages: 435

This was one of the required "textbooks" for my class. If it was required, then why do I review it here? Because it's a novel, for one thing. And not just any novel, but The Novel. And anyway, I make the rules of this blog.

I think James Michener should get an award for the most creative titles in fiction. After all, he's the one that brought us Texas, Alaska, Hawaii, Space, Mexico, and many others. Probably his most creative title was also his first: "Tales of the South Pacific." And here we have The Novel. It sounds a little pretentious (I keep using that word; one of these days I ought to look it up to make sure I'm using it right) until you realize it's not claiming to be The Novel, as in The Great American Novel, but rather it's a story about what kind of work goes into creating and publishing a novel. That's why we had to read it for my class.

It's a story in four parts, each told from the point of view of a different character: Lukas Yoder, a successful author about to finish up his career; Yvonne Marmelle, his editor at Kinetic Press who becomes consumed by her work; Karl Streibert, a snobby critic who struggles to find his own success; and Jane Garland, devoted fan of Yoder's with plenty of money to throw around. Each story is unique, and although they are interconnected, it is sometimes difficult to see how they form a single, cohesive novel. It's not your typical plot structure. At some points I'm not even sure there is a plot structure.

I don't want to be harsh. Michener is obviously a skilled writer, and I think the point of this novel is to show what it takes to be an author (or editor, or critic, or wealthy person). In this respect I found The Novel enlightening. It clearly takes a lot of work and perseverance to be a successful author. Michener would know.

He does have the habit, though, of including a lot of detail about things that don't seem very important to the story. In Yoder's story, it is food, which I didn't mind too much. In Marmelle's, it is her struggling love life, which I was much less curious about than I was about her editing career. In Streibert's—well, I'd rather not remember those details.

Maybe it's just Michener's style, and I'm just not used to it. At any rate, I'll say that the novel is . . . interesting. Not the best I've ever read, but not the worst, either. From what I can tell from the reviews, if you like Michener's work, you'll like this novel. If you don't like him, or if you don't know him, you'll just have to see for yourself.

Buy The Novel at Amazon.com.

The Host

2009-05-29T15:03:00.001-06:00

Author: Stephenie Meyer
Genre: fiction, science fiction, romance
Publication info: Little, Brown and Company, 2008
Pages: 619

Novel #3. I'm very hesitant to write this review.

You may ask, Have I no integrity? Have I lost my taste? Does a grade mean so much to me that I'll stop at nothing? The only answer I can give is an awkward shrug and a shuffling of feet.

Before I am attacked by offended Stephenie Meyer fans, I will say that think this book isn't too bad. I even enjoyed it at times. I was told that people who can't stomach the romance-heavy Twilight novels may find this book more palatable. They may be right, but I'm not going to read Twilight to find out for sure.

The premise of The Host is actually pretty interesting. Earth has been taken over by an alien species, called souls, that live by inhabiting the bodies of other creatures. Meyer isn't the first one to try this idea, but she gives it an interesting twist by telling the story from the point of view not of a human, but of a soul. A soul called Wanderer. She has been on many different planets before this one and therefore has a lot of experience, but she has never come across a challenge such as her human host presents. Her name is Melanie Stryder, and she will just not go away. She keeps showing up in Wanderer's thoughts, to the point where she can influence the soul's feelings and behavior.

Interesting, right? But I have left out a key element that so far has been at the center of every one of Meyer's novels: romance. It is love for a man, it turns out, that is keeping Melanie alive. It is love for a human that leads Wanderer to go against all the norms of her alien society. It is love that Meyer assumes the reader is most interested in. Maybe most of them are, but I came to this book expecting to read a science fiction novel, for that is how the book is marketed. I've read a fair share of science fiction and more or less know what to expect. And while I appreciate Meyer's efforts at shaking things up—her novel is much more character-driven than most science fiction—let's not pretend that this is what it isn't. This is a romance. A science-fictiony romance, but still a romance.

If you like romance, great. You'll probably like this book. I hear it's more tasteful than the Twilight series (although it does have its moments of, shall we say, too much detail). I myself am not totally against romance, but I do have my limits, and The Host flirted with those limits. Although my experience was far from terrible, it's pretty safe to say I've read my last Stephenie Meyer novel.

Buy The Host at Amazon.com.

The Runaway Jury

2009-05-20T19:49:00.001-06:00

Author: John Grisham
Genre: fiction, legal thriller
Publication info: Doubleday, 1996
Pages: 401

This is novel #2. I forgot to mention that these all have to be written by authors whose work I've never read before. The Runaway Jury is my first foray into John Grisham fiction. And possibly my last. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I'd intended to read a Grisham novel for a while, I guess to see what all the fuss is about. I normally stay away from books where you can see the author's name from a mile away but you have to be holding the book to be able to read the title. Grisham's books usually fit that description, so I usually ignore them. But sometimes curiosity gets the best of me. And having a class assignment like the one I have definitely speeds up the process.

I also thought this would be an interesting way to learn about how the courtroom works, a subject I know virtually nothing about. I don't know whether I got an accurate depiction with this novel, but at least it held my interest. Most of the time, anyway.

The Runaway Jury is the story of a big lawsuit against a big tobacco company. If successful, the lawsuit could cripple Big Tobacco indefinitely. So both sides of the case gather all the legal weaponry they can.

It begins with the jury. I had no idea that the parties in the lawsuit could have any say in who is selected for the jury, but apparently getting the right jury is one of the surest ways to win the case. To this end, the defense hires consultant Rankin Fitch. I'm not sure what Fitch's actual job description is; he seems to control everything about the case outside of the courtroom. He oversees the careful examination of every potential juror, and throughout the trial he makes sure each member of the jury is leaning the way he wants. He'll do what it takes, even if it's illegal.

But there are a few problems. One is Nicholas Easter, a young man selected for the jury whose background remains a total mystery and who has a powerful influence over the rest of the jurors. The other is a young woman who frequently calls up Fitch with odd predictions about the jury's behavior, and the predictions always come true. She seems to know too much, and her motives are dubious.

It's an interesting story with enough questions to keep you turning pages. Unfortunately, the pacing is pretty slow at times. Just when it starts to get really interesting, the story slows down again—there's a lot of stop-and-go action. I've heard this is a common characteristic of Grisham's novels. It doesn't necessarily kill the story, but it does make it hard to get through.

The fun of the story, for me, came from all the opportunities to figure out what was going on. Sometimes I was right, and other times I was dead wrong. In either case, it was satisfying. I don't know if I'll ever read Grisham again, because of the pacing issue, but I'd still say this novel was pretty good. Maybe you'd like it.

Buy The Runaway Jury at Amazon.com

The Shack

2009-05-12T21:25:00.000-06:00

Author: William Paul Young
Genre: fiction, Christian
Publication info: Windblown Media, 2007
Pages: 248

The next several books I'll be reviewing will break away from my normal pattern a little bit, if I've been following a pattern at all. But don't panic—I'm doing this for a reason. For a class, no less. If you can believe it, a class I'm taking this term requires me to read some popular novels. Can you believe it? Me read popular novels? Okay, I admit that when I made my reading list, I became secretly excited for some of them. Everyone needs guilty pleasures, right?

Anyway, here's book #1: The Shack.

The title sounds like a horror story, doesn't it? And when you look at the cover from a distance, it looks like a horror story too. But it's not. Far from it, in fact. The Shack is a piece of Christian fiction. It happened to be a bestseller only recently. I first heard about it from a newspaper review. I was intrigued and thought that I might want to read this book when I could get around to it. Of course, I never thought I really would get around to it, but then I took this class, and now we see the result.

The Shack begins with a man named Mackenzie Allen Philips (most often referred to as Mac) receiving a strange note from someone that could possibly be God. The note invites him to come back to "the shack." After seeing Mac's incredulity, we are taken back a couple years to when his daughter Missy was abducted and apparently murdered. The most compelling evidence of murder was found in an isolated the shack—the same shack that someone claiming to be God invites Mac to come back to.

Mack is incredulous some more (and rightfully so), but he does end up going to the shack. And what he finds there surprises the heck out of him (excuse the pun). Without giving too much away, I'll say that at the shack he meets, well, God. That is to say he meets God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost—all three of them. Mac is going to have an unforgettable weekend.

Here Young gets pretty creative. If you are religious, particularly Christian, then prepare to see a very unorthodox depiction of God. It seems almost irreverent, but it's fascinating. I myself am a Christian, and I found it pretty interesting. Sometimes even funny. I particularly liked the idea that God has a sense of humor.

As for the more serious theology of the book, I have mixed feelings. The bulk of the novel is basically a framework for Mac to have discussions with one of the Godhead. Frankly, I'm amazed that one man could come up with so much material. I imagine he had a lot of help. Some of what he says is quite good, quite profound. But other points he makes I don't agree with. (I'm speaking this generally for two reasons: a thorough discussion would take too much space, and I'm way behind on this blog and I read the book too long ago to remember a lot of specifics.) In short, I don't consider this book scripture, and neither should you. But it may be a good vehicle to get you thinking about your relationship with God.

Young does make some good points about the meaning of human suffering. To find out what those points are, well, you know what to do.

Buy The Shack at Amazon.com.

Matchless

2009-05-06T15:49:00.001-06:00

Author: Jane Candia Coleman
Genre: historical fiction
Publication info: Five Star, 2003
Pages: 247

This is one of those books I probably wouldn't have picked out myself, but it was surprisingly enjoyable. My girlfriend came across it while we were at the library. She read it and loved it and recommended it to me. And I liked it too! Probably not as much as she did, but I still liked it.

Matchless is the story of Augusta Tabor, first wife of H. A. W. Tabor, who was Colorado's "silver king," according to the back cover. It is more or less a true story, based on Augusta Tabor's diaries and correspondence, although the author admits to some creative license.

It is interesting to see the adventures of settling the West through the eyes of a woman, a viewpoint we probably don't get enough of. Augusta's take on things is entirely different from that of Haw, as they call him. She is determined to make the most out of whatever situation she's in, while he is always looking for more, never satisfied. And therein lies the problem.

Ultimately, this novel is less a story about silver mining and taming the frontier of American civilization than it is a story about a failed marriage. And what a spectacular failure it is. The sad part about it is that the failure is largely one-sided. Augusta does all she can to keep the family together, but Haw persists in behaving like a thirteen-year-old in an adult body who ends up with enormous wealth and political sway (why do dumb jerks get so much power so often?). It's a sad story, but it's a rich one.

My one complaint about this book is the spare description. I think I've mentioned before that I am not a fan of extensive description, but I am also not a fan of not enough description. When I read a story or novel, I want a clear sense of where I am. I don't always get that sense in this book. Sometimes the characters go to a place and the narrator describes it as if I'd been there before (in other words, she hardly describes it at all). So it's easy to get disoriented.

But I want to end on a positive note. This book is quite interesting, and I found it easy to immerse myself in it. The novel provides an intriguing look at an interesting period in the country's history.

Buy Matchless at Amazon.com.

The Road Less Traveled

2009-04-24T15:15:00.000-06:00

A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
Author: M. Scott Peck, M.D.
Genre: nonfiction
Publication info: Touchstone, 2003 (first published in 1978)
Pages: 315

First one of my professors said this was the most important book he read besides the scriptures. Then a psychologist friend told me that every family should have this volume in their library. Now it's my turn to recommend this book to everyone I know and, by virtue of this blog, to people I don't know.

The Road Less Traveled is psychiatrist's views on life, garnered from years of giving therapy to a wide variety of patients. Dr. Peck treats the subjects of discipline, love, religion, and grace, all with the aim of helping us to achieve greater mental health. Few people, Peck believes, really have good mental health.

A lot of what he says are things you've probably heard before, or at least they should make sense. A disciplined person delays gratification to gain deeper happiness. Real love involves recognizing your beloved as a separate person. Stuff like that. But it's one thing to understand a principle and another to live by it. Our biggest problem, collectively and individually, is laziness, Says Peck. The resistance to change.

Of course, I'm not suggesting that you buy everything Peck says wholesale. I don't agree with all the points he makes. His views on religion may especially rub people the wrong way. But I recommend this book to all because it has important points that would be beneficial to anyone. The sections on discipline and love would probably be the most helpful, but I recommend reading the whole book. If you don't agree with it, fine, but at least you'll have thought about it.

Yes, I wouldn't put this book above actual scripture. But as a book that tries to make its reader a better person, it does a pretty dang good job. I think I've become at least a slightly better person from having read it. Now it's your turn. See if it can make a better person out of you.

Buy The Road Less Traveled at Amazon.com.

The Significance of Insignificant Things

2009-04-06T17:50:00.000-06:00

Author: G. David Hunt
Genre: memoir
Publication info: self-published
Pages: 93

I'm going to be a little mean here.

In the Pixar film Ratatouille, renowned chef Auguste Gusteau gives the maxim, "Anyone can cook." To this, Remy, the protagonist, replies, "Yeah, but that doesn't mean anyone should." The same applies to publishing. Anyone can publish, but not necessarily anyone should publish. The Significance of Insignificant Things is proof of that statement.

I know it's pretentious of me, a no-name blogger, to say something like this. You really have to read this book (even just one page of it) to see what I mean. Or maybe you've read a book like it—fraught with poor organization, riddled with mechanical and usage errors, and breaking virtually every principle of good design imaginable. You may say, perhaps, that I am being too picky here. It is a self-published book, after all. But the fact is that it is published, meaning that it is intended for the public to read. Publication just naturally carries with it some responsibilities.

To be truthful, I didn't expect much out of this book when I started reading it. I chose to read it because I thought there would be interesting life stories in it, and there were. The man had a pretty interesting life. He doesn't tell the stories very well, but I tried not to let that bother me. As poorly written as this book is, I look up to the man for recording his life so that others could learn from it. His family, I'm sure, is especially grateful for this book. I hope I can do the same one day for my descendants.

My only other problem with this book was the issue of significance. The author draws frequently on the theme of the title (and also the subtitle, No Event in Our Lives Is Insignificant to God) by telling about seemingly insignificant occurrences in his life. I get that much, but he usually fails to convince me of how they're actually significant. The "insignificant things" I understand, but their significance I don't always see. I suppose this problem arises from the fact that I don't know the man personally.

I don't exactly recommend this book to you, unless you're related to the author. However, he sets a good example by writing his life history. We all should follow that example. We all have significant things that happen in our life, and our families would benefit from our recording them.

But please, if you plan to publish your memoirs, make sure you get a good editor!

Relentless Pursuit

2009-03-02T18:15:00.001-07:00

A Year in the Trenches with Teach For America
Author: Donna Foote
Genre: nonfiction
Publication info: Knopf, 2008
Pages: 338

Teach For America began in 1990 with a mission to end "the nation's greatest injustice"—that is, the achievement gap in education between privileged and underprivileged children. It works by recruiting college graduates, putting them through intensive training over the summer, and then sending them to work for two years in underprivileged schools around the country.

Relentless Pursuit tells the story of four such recruits, or corps members, as they are called. Phillip Gedeon, Hrag Hamalian, Taylor Rifkin, and Rachelle Snyder recently fulfilled their two-year commitment to TFA at Locke High School in Watts, California. If you know anything about Watts (which I didn't until I read this book), you know that it's not exactly one of the top-ten best cities to live in the U.S. And Locke is definitely not the best place to go to school. But these four young college graduates took on the challenge to help the students improve, and this book shows their struggles and triumphs.

I read a review of Relentless Pursuit in the newspaper, right around the time it came out. Already I had been interested TFA and wanted to learn more about it. I thought that perhaps this book could tell me or even show me more than brochures and a Web site could. I was right.

Thanks to this book, I think I understand the TFA experience the best I could without actually doing it myself. And it scares me to death.

Those TFAers, as the author calls them, are some pretty tough cookies. First there is the rigorous selection process, which Foote depicts with intimidating detail. Then there is the summer institute, more commonly known as boot camp, at which the recruits receive their training. And then there is the teaching itself, which is probably the hardest part of all. These young teachers face challenges you wouldn't believe as they try to get their students to achieve more.

They're far from perfect and definitely don't do it without complaining (one of the chapters is titled "What the Hell Am I Doing?"), but I don't see myself doing any better than they did. Far from it, in fact. Now that I have become more familiar with TFA, I really don't know if I'm up to the challenge. But it's better to know that now than later, right?

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the condition of our nation's education. What TFA teachers do is heroic and inspiring. If you're considering joining the ranks of TFA to make a difference in the world, I'd definitely recommend this book, but I'd also warn you that it may frighten you. Teaching is a serious business. And Teach For America requires some really gutsy people.

Buy Relentless Pursuit at Amazon.com.

Bird by Bird

2009-02-02T18:38:00.001-07:00

Author: Anne Lamott
Genre: nonfiction, how-to, inspirational
Publication info: Anchor Books, 1994
Pages: 237

There are a lot of books on writing out there, and I know as well as anyone that you can get so wrapped up in reading such books that you never actually write. But some books on the craft of writing are just classics, and I think this is one of them. I judged that by how often other writers refer to it (for example, Gail Carson Levine highly recommended it when I went to her reading). One day my sister and I were Christmas shopping, and I pulled this book off the shelf and said I was interested in it. I didn't think much of it, but she did, apparently, because guess what I got for Christmas! My thanks go to her.

As it turns out, this book is fantastic.

Someone once said that books on writing can be divided into categories: how-to and inspirational. Notice that I used both terms to describe this book. I did so because, well, it fits into both categories. With the subtitle Some Instructions on Writing and Life, this book has plenty of advice for the learning writer—and it's terrific advice at that—but it doesn't have the rigid structure that how-to books tend to have. In the introduction, Anne Lamott says that the book is a collection of thoughts she gives to her writing classes. And it does feel as though she's just sitting down and having a conversation with you. Her style is highly enjoyable from beginning to end.

And yes, the book is hilarious. She uses some great images to illustrate her points (my favorite dealt with drop-kicking a puppy across the fence every time it piddles on the carpet). I have to warn you, though: as gentle-mannered as she is, Lamott uses some surprisingly coarse language sometimes. You can tell by just looking at the chapter titles. Normally I don't tolerate language like that, but the book was just so dang good that I couldn't help but keep reading. And I think I will be a better writer for having read it.

Buy Bird by Bird at Amazon.com.

The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip

2009-01-17T18:25:00.001-07:00

Author: George Saunders
Genre: fiction, young reader (?)
Publication info: Villard Books, 2000
Pages: 82

Sounds like a Dr. Seuss title, doesn't it? I wish it were. Not to say this is an awful book—it's actually fairly interesting and creative, but it doesn't quite have the magic of Dr. Seuss.

This is another book I just sort of came across. At 82 pages and with lots of illustrations (by the popular Lane Smith), it didn't take very long to read. Good thing, too. I'm not as angry as I sound, but the book just didn't turn out to be what I was hoping for.

It's the story of a seaside village named Frip, which consists of three families. The people of the village make their living by selling goat's milk. Once in a while, however, these little burr-like creatures called Gappers come out of the sea and latch onto the goats, frightening them and rendering them unable to provide any milk. It's the children's job to remove the Gappers from the goats. One of these children is a girl named Capable, and one day, the Gappers decide to focus exclusively on her goats. When they do so, she inexplicably loses the respect and sympathy of everyone else in the village.

This little book has its moments. Saunders's style is entertaining once in a while. And the illustrations are, of course, top notch. But the book's quality is overshadowed by an irritating didacticism. The whole thing feels allegorical (for example, the main character's name), although I couldn't tell you what each element represents, and it all seems geared toward teaching a moral to the reader. All of this is fine to some degree, but when you pick up a book expecting to be entertained, but instead the entertainment takes the backseat to teaching a lesson, it's hard not to be annoyed. If I thought the book was funnier, maybe I wouldn't be so bothered.

One more annoyance: Judging by the style of publication, I assume this to be a children's book. But the reason I put a question mark in the heading is I found some of the language a little shocking. I've read plenty of profanity in literature before, and sometimes I'm able to tolerate it or at least ignore it, but in a book of this nature I find it entirely inappropriate. Parents, take note.

Buy The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip at Amazon.com.

Gathering Blue

2009-01-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

Author: Lois Lowry
Genre: fiction, young adult
Publication info: Houghton Mifflin, 2000
Pages: 215

Remember The Giver, that Newberry-winner from the 90s? That book that everyone told you to read while you were growing up but you never got around to it until years later? Okay, maybe that's not how it happened for you, but the book somehow got past me until just recently. It's a young-adult book, but it wasn't until my young adulthood that I got around to reading it. (Makes you wonder why they use that label.)

Anyway, Gathering Blue is the sort-of sequel to that captivating book. I say "sort of" because it never refers specifically to anything or anyone in The Giver; only the mood is similar. Like The Giver, it depicts a society very different from our own (or is it?), but while the first book is a kind of dystopian story, this one is more of a post-apocalyptic tale. I hope Lowry doesn't mind that I pigeonhole her novels this way.

Kira, the protagonist of the book, has just bid farewell to her mother, who died of a mysterious illness. Now an orphan, and with a crippled leg that makes her essentially useless in her primitive society, Kira is in danger of being cast out and left for dead. But when she is put on trial before the Council of Guardians, she learns that they have other plans for her. Plans that make use of her remarkable talent for working with thread. Life seems secure from her now, but, as she soon learns, things aren't as good as they seem.

That's the basic idea, anyway. It's a pretty interesting book. Lowry has set up an intriguing, far-from-perfect society with a strange set of mannerisms. Children are routinely called "tykes," husbands "hubbies." And the only indication of a person's age is how many syllables there are in his or her name. Overall, it's perhaps not as interesting as the society in The Giver, but it's still pretty creative.

The ending, I have to say, leaves something to be desired. Many things are solved, many secrets revealed, but still the ending is somehow not completely satisfying. I suppose one reason for this is that at this point Lowry knew she would be writing a third book to tie the other two together. But the book should also be able to stand on its own. For the most part it does, I guess, but some things still leave me wondering. Is it just a trick to get me to read the third book?

The thing is that I probably will.

Buy Gathering Blue at Amazon.com.

The Narnian

2009-01-09T15:34:00.001-07:00

The Life and Imagination of C. S. Lewis
Author: Alan Jacobs
Genre: nonfiction, biography
Publication info: HarperCollins, 2006 (hardcover in 2005)
Pages: 342 (including notes and index)

C. S. Lewis has long been one of my literary heroes. As a child I enjoyed the Narnia series, a little later I read Out of the Silent Planet, and more recently I devoured some of his famous Christian writings such as The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, and The Great Divorce. Throughout all this reading, I've been fascinated by Lewis's deep thinking and vivid imagination.

But I didn't know very much about him as a person—his life. Enter The Narnian. I picked this book up from a bargain book sale (it ranks among the best five bucks I've ever spent). Finally, around Christmas I got around to reading it.

I have never found a biography so gripping.

True, I haven't read many biographies, but this one had me hooked as I had no idea a biography could. I suppose this is partly due to my already keen fascination with Lewis, but I also must give credit to Alan Jacobs for doing such a stunning job. He admits in the preface that the book is "almost a biography," leaving out "certain details that a responsible biographer would be obliged to include" (what modesty!). Instead, the purpose of this book is to record "the life a mind, the story of an imagination."

It turns out that Lewis's mind and imagination make quite a story. Before reading the book, I knew the guy was smart, but I didn't know that he was actually brilliant until reading it. I can't begin to recount some of the ideas I learned about in this book—they are too deep, and Lewis and Jacobs both put them much better than I could—but I will say that this book made me think. It made me think deeply, about a lot of things. It inspired me. It turned me to introspection. It changed me.

I can't promise that this book will have the same effect on everyone who reads it. But if you have an interest in the works of C. S. Lewis, particularly in the Narnia series, than you would do well to read this book. As the back cover invites, "enter the world of a creative genius."

Buy The Narnian at Amazon.com.

A Hat Full of Sky

2008-12-26T19:59:00.001-07:00

Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: fiction, fantasy
Publication info: HarperCollins, 2004
Pages: 278

Eat your heart out, J. K. Rowling. This is fantasy I can really enjoy. I'm not saying this book is perfect—there are a few aspects I really don't like—but, unlike my experience with the Harry Potter books, I was not utterly relieved when it was over. Terry Pratchett is a talented and enjoyable writer, plain and simple.

I read this book on recommendation from my mom, whose opinion I usually trust. The novel is actually the second in a series, sequel to The Wee Free Men, which I'd never read nor heard of before this. That may be part of the reason behind what I didn't like about the book. Pratchett makes many jumps in logic and imagination and seems to expect the reader to fill in the gaps. I was unable to do so a lot of the time, and I think the reason is that I haven't read the first book. I hope that's the reason.

A Hat Full of Sky continues the story of a young witch named Tiffany Aching, who is going to be an apprentice to a witch named Miss Level. (Forget all you've learned about witches from Harry Potter.) Tiffany has already shown a lot of promise as a witch—so much, in fact, that she has caught the attention of a formless, dangerous being called a hiver. And when the hiver strikes, there is little Tiffany can do to save herself.

To her aid come the Nac Mac Feegle, or the Wee Free Men who appear to be the subject of the previous book. They are the best part of the story. Six-inch-tall, blue-skinned fairies who love to drink and fight, who speak in thick Scottish accents and have names like Daft Wullie and Awf'ly Wee Billy Bigchin—you can't get much better than that. Although their part in the book is big, I wish it could have been bigger. They don't figure in so much at the end, but their hijinks in the rest of the story had me laughing out loud quite often.

The only other thing I didn't like about the novel is that at times, especially at the end, it tries too hard to be deeply philosophical. The thoughts about life and death and fear and all that are interesting, but I'm more interested in the story itself. But the philosophy doesn't take up too much of the story, so I don't mind it all that much.

After reading this, I'm excited to read The Wee Free Men one of these days. Maybe I'm just bitter with Rowling, but given a choice between the two of them, I'd go with Pratchett any day.

Buy A Hat Full of Sky at Amazon.com.

Crime and Punishment

2008-12-19T14:57:00.001-07:00

Author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Translators: Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Genre: fiction
Publication info: Everyman's Libary, 1993 (originally published in1866)
Pages: 564 (including notes)

It's more than a little daunting to write a review of a classic like this. I'm just happy that I've finally read it. I actually started it last year during the summer, but then school started, and I was forced to stop so I could keep up with an extraordinary amount of reading for school. One year and one change of major later, I was able to come back to this book and read it beginning to end.

And wow.

Now I can see why it's so famous. I find it interesting that it seems to break a lot of the "rules" modern fiction writers talk about. For example, I've heard that it's bad form to use more than one or two exclamation points in a story, but this novel has several on almost every page. It also uses ellipses (. . .) frequently. All this takes some getting used to, but if I've learned one thing about writing, it's that there are no absolute rules. All that matters is what works for the particular story. And these techniques work for this one.

Crime and Punishment is about, well, crime and punishment. It's the story of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, who, for reasons that are hard to figure out, plans and carries out a rather atrocious murder. This occurs very close to the beginning, so I don't feel bad about revealing it to you. The book concerns the punishment more than the crime. Raskolnikov's crime begins a tangle of plots involving many characters (the large amount of characters is one aspect that makes this book a little difficult). These plots expose many cruelties of life. Innocent people suffer, ill-meaning people succeed, and people in general struggle to get through life.

As with The Castle, I'm not going to attempt any deep, interpretive criticism here. Countless books have been done by people much smarter than I for the same purpose. I will say this, though: this book had a profound impact on me. There are many things I don't understand in it, but reading this book was a deep experience for me.

There are parts that seemed to make me stop breathing. Other parts made me want to cheer out loud. Still others made me want to cry. According to the introduction to the edition I read, Dostoevsky received a lot of criticism for being too melodramatic. I can see where the critics are coming from, but I really don't mind the melodrama. I think it works for the story.

This treasure of a novel is not easy to read. It did take me two tries to finish it. But the experience it gives you is definitely worth the trouble.

Buy Crime and Punishment (Everyman's Library) at Amazon.com.

The Outlaws of Medieval Legend

2008-12-03T16:59:00.001-07:00

Author: Maurice Keen
Genre: nonfiction, history
Publication info: Routledge, 2000 (originally published in 1961)
Pages: 235

I suppose this doesn't really count as pleasure reading because I read it for a class assignment. But I enjoyed it enough so that I feel like I ought to say something about it here. This book is fun and educational! There. Now this feels like a commercial.

Maurice Keen, a respected historian at Oxford, wrote this book in 1961, when he was fresh on the academic scene. Nearly forty years later, he came out with this edition, which is the same as the first but with a fair amount of introductory material. In one of the prefaces (I can't remember which), Keen states that much of what he said in 1961 about the historical significance of these outlaw stories was wrong. But because his historical interests have since gone in a different direction, he didn't feel like rewriting the book, so here it is, with all its errors.

So if you're looking to read something with accurate historical insights, this isn't the book for you. What I enjoyed about this book was the stories it told. The book summarizes medieval ballads that tell the tales of several English outlaws, many of whom I'd never heard of: Hereward the Wake, Eustace the Monk, Gamelyn, Fulk Fitzwarin. It also discusses the legends surrounding William Wallace. And, of course, what would a book about outlaws be without a discussion of Robin Hood? A fair amount of the book focuses on him.

The value of this book for me was the interesting stories about these characters, stories that proliferated during the Middle Ages. Many of these stories are strikingly similar. Many involve disguise. Many involve archery. Most have the outlaws living in the forest. Of course, these men who lived outside the law are portrayed as heroes, champions against injustice.

As a fiction writer, I found these stories very inspiring. I may one day take a couple of these stories and make something out of them. I'm sure it's been done before, especially with Robin Hood, but it would still be fun.

The point is that if you'd enjoy reading about some interesting medieval tales, I'd recommend this book.

Buy The Outlaws of Medieval Legend at Amazon.com.

The Pearl

2008-11-14T19:10:00.000-07:00

Author: John Steinbeck
Genre: fiction
Publication info: Penguin Books, 1992 (originally published in 1947)
Pages: 90

When you hear the name John Steinbeck, what comes to mind? I think of the Great Depression, dust bowls, poor farmers struggling to make a living, mice, men, grapes, and wrath. The Pearl has none of that, except for the poor people. Come to think of it, the book also has plenty of wrath.

The story reads like a fable or parable—because that's what it is. With a feeling altogether different from that of Steinbeck's normal gritty realism, this is a retelling of a Mexican folk tale. It is the story of Kino, a poor man who makes his living by diving for pearls in the sea. When his infant son, Coyotito, is stung by a scorpion, Kino and his wife, Juana, are desperate to have him cured, but the doctor won't even consider treating such poor people. Then, on what is supposed to be a routine dive for pearls, Kino finds the pearl, "the Pearl of the World." With this new treasure, the life of Kino's family changes abruptly. They soon discover that the pearl may be more trouble than it is worth.

I love this book primarily for its lyricism. Although the story quickly turns very dark, the narration is beautiful throughout. Usually I prefer a more straightforward story, but for some reason the style of this short novel gives me great pleasure.

I also have to say that the book ends in a less than pleasant way, but I like it. When a friend caught me reading this book, she warned me that the end is horrifying, but she didn't deter me. For one thing, I expect that from Steinbeck, and for another, the entire story is a setup for a horrifying ending. I'll say this: it doesn't let you down. Be prepared for a heartbreaker.

It had been a long time since I read Steinbeck last, and now I guess I like him more than I used to.

Buy The Pearl (Centennial Edition) at Amazon.com.

The Total Money Makeover

2008-11-10T18:26:00.000-07:00

Author: Dave Ramsey
Genre: nonfiction, self-help
Publication info: Thomas Nelson, 2007 (originally published in 2003)
Pages: 223

You know what they say: the only thing better than a book on finances is a free book on finances. My sister and her husband sent copies of this book as gifts to everyone in my family. It had changed their life, and they were excited to see it change ours too. I think it has changed mine. Anybody surprised?

I think everyone should read this book and live by it. Now, Dave Ramsey isn't exactly the best writer. He uses the same expressions over and over again (I suppose with the aim of pounding them into the reader's head. He loves to use exclamation points! And once in a while he has some interesting mixed metaphors, which I can't help noticing after the last book I read.

Nevertheless, the principles Dave (everyone calls him Dave) gives in this book are wonderful. They are profound. They are simple. They are brilliant. They will change your life, if you let them. I haven't yet been able to put these principles into action, but I'm glad my sister gave me this book while I'm still young so I have the chance to make the most of it.

So what is this book about? It comes down to some basic things: get out of debt, become financially secure, invest for retirement, and build wealth. For none of these things does Dave give some magical formula or special trick. It's all common sense, which, in Dave's words, isn't so common anymore. It's all about dispelling myths about debt and wealth. It's all about investing for the long term. It all makes perfect sense.

I'm excited to get going on the things Dave talks about. It's never been a serious goal of mine to be rich, but I want to provide for my future family and be able to have a good retirement. However, it looks like anyone that really applies Dave's principles will eventually come off with a fair amount of money (emphasis on eventually). Toward the end of the book, Dave lists three things you can do with your money when you're wealthy. You have fun. Most people wouldn't have a problem with that. You invest. It's a little more work than the first thing, but by that time it should be a habit. And you give. That's the one that excites me the most. To be able to help other people substantially and not have to worry about my own well-being---I can't think of many things better.

Read this book. Yes, even you. No matter what your financial status is, you can benefit from this book. My sister told me I could read it all in one afternoon. It took me a little bit longer than that, but not by much. And all that time was worth it.

Buy The Total Money Makeover at Amazon.com.

Metaphors We Live By

2008-10-30T15:14:00.000-06:00

Author: George Lakoff and Mark Johnson
Genre: nonfiction
Publication info: University of Chicago Press, 2003 (originally published in 1980)
Pages: 276

I'm a nerd. I admit it. Reading this book began as an assignment for an English semantics class I'm taking. My professor asked us just to skim it; she had it on course reserve for us at the library. But I live a fair distance from campus and knew I wouldn't have much time to spend at the library, plus I was interested in the book, so, well, I bought it. And then, after reading the first few chapters in preparation for the class discussion, I went ahead and read the whole thing. And I liked it. There you go. I'm a nerd.

But seriously, this book provides some fascinating insights into our language and ways of thinking. Lakoff is a professor of linguistics and Johnson a professor of philosophy, and when they published this book, apparently they shook up their fields quite a bit. They caused people to take metaphor more seriously---not just as a feature of lyrical language but also as concepts by which we view the world.

The first several chapters are the most interesting. They talk about metaphors that are pervasive in our language and that I had no idea were actually metaphors. For example, many of us might use expressions like the following, under the general metaphor argument is war (and I quote):

Your claims are indefensible.
He attacked every weak point in my argument.
Her criticisms were right on target.
I demolished his argument.
I've never won an argument with him.
You disagree? Okay, shoot!
If you use that strategy, he'll wipe you out.
He shot down all of my arguments.

Those are just a few of the examples they list, and if you're like me, you probably never thought of those as metaphorical before. But they are, because verbal argument is not the same as physical combat. However, the big point Lakoff and Johnson are making is that not only do we describe argument metaphorically as war, but we think about it and structure it like war. If that doesn't make sense, read the book; they explain it much better.

Later on in the book the authors depart from specific metaphors and go on to discuss the role of metaphors in our understanding of truth. It gets philosophical and rather abstract, and thus it's a little harder to get through. Philosophy isn't really my thing because it tends to get so abstract, but that doesn't mean I think it's never worthwhile. However, this book is pretty dense reading, and by the end I was eager to move on to other things. If I had been more willing to to give it more time, I'm sure I would have gained a lot more from reading it.

If you're interested in linguistics, philosophy, or cognitive psychology (I think that's what it's called), give this book a shot. If anything, it makes you look at things a little differently---things that are part of your everyday life.

If you don't believe me, go back and see how many metaphors I've used in this review. I used at least one in the last sentence.

Buy Metaphors We Live By at Amazon.com.

Tennis Shoes among the Nephites

2008-10-27T21:09:00.001-06:00

Author: Chris Heimerdinger
Genre: fiction, young adult, historical fiction
Publication info: Covenant Communications, 1989
Pages: 229

You know, now that I think about it, tennis shoes don't have very much to do with the story. That's a shame.

This was another book that was recommended to me to help me get back into the reading lifestyle I had fallen out of. I admit I was hesitant about this one; I feared it would be too cheesy and unfulfilling. But, heck, I've written about The Two Princesses of Bamarre on this blog, so what did I have to lose?

Turns out that Tennis Shoes is pretty cheesy, but it's also pretty fun when you don't expect too much out of it. The premise is that Jim Hawkins (who bears no apparent connection to the protagonist of Treasure Island), who is initially a jerk, finds an unlikely friend in the "nerd" Garth Plimpton (who is not a country music fan). One day, while they, along with Jim's younger sister, Jennifer, are exploring in a strange cave, they are suddenly taken to a place and a time very different from their own---that of the Nephites.

The Nephites were an ancient American civilization whose history is chronicled in the Book of Mormon. The three children (who, I suppose, are sporting tennis shoes), find themselves in the time of the so-called war chapters in the book of Alma. Before they know it, they are directly involved in a great war between the Nephites and the Lamanites. In the process, they mingle with famous figures who used to be just names on a page.

The fun thing about this book is that it provides a close-up look at some of the great Book of Mormon stories, along with plausible interpretations of certain characters. I admit that Heimerdinger's portrayal of Teancum is quite different from what I imagine, but it is still very interesting. I suppose this book is a good way to get kids more interested in the Book of Mormon. At the beginning, Jim knows virtually nothing about that book of scripture, but by the end he is vitally interested, and hopefully the reader is as well.

Still, the writing has many weaknesses. For one thing, Jim seems too witty for the type of guy he is. He always has a clever thing to say about a situation. Also, the plot is rather predictable, and not just because I am familiar with the Book of Mormon. You can see conflicts from a mile away. And then they are resolved too neatly. It seems that there is always a helpful person in the right place at the right time to keep problems from becoming too serious. I don't think I ever believed that any real harm could come to the main characters. A lot of tension is lost this way.

This is apparently the first book in a series. Each installment depicts a different part of the Book of Mormon. This is all well and good, but I don't think I'll be reading the next book any time soon. One book is a fun ride, and I recommend it to anyone who is curious. As I said before, it might be a good way of getting kids excited about the Book of Mormon. But it is not a replacement. If you want the real thing, read the Book of Mormon. That's where the good stuff is. That's the book that will really change your life. You don't have to go back in time for that.

Buy Tennis Shoes among the Nephites at Amazon.com.

Home to Harmony

2008-10-09T17:47:00.000-06:00

Author: Philip Gulley
Genre: fiction
Publication info: HarperCollins, 2002
Pages: 220

I'm back! Finally. Not that I expect anybody to have missed me or to have missed reading this blog, but I have certainly missed writing it. Actually, I've missed reading for a while. Thanks to some factors not at all related to this blog, I haven't been able to do any recreational reading for quite a long time until just recently. It got so bad that one day I went to the library and had no idea (at all) what to read. I owe a lot to some loved ones who gave me recommendations and got me back on track.

The first of these is Home to Harmony, recommended by my mother and my girlfriend. The latter was especially vocal about how much she liked it, and now I know why. The fact is that you can't not like this book. Unless something is wrong with you, you simply must enjoy this book. It's just a delight. I might as well throw out another cliche while I'm at it: It's guaranteed to raise a smile.

Philip Gulley is an actual Quaker minister, and the narrator of his book, Sam Gardner, is also one. The first chapter of the book tells of how he returns to Harmony, the small town of his youth, and becomes the minister there. All the other chapters are basically vignettes about different inhabitants of the town, sometimes mildly poking fun at them (and not exempting himself from that treatment), sometimes using them to teach a powerful lesson (he is a minister, after all). I came to love each of the quirky characters and smiled at the strange situations they found themselves in. I really felt at home in this lovely little town.

Gulley is a talented writer, especially with his tone that feels light and easy but I'm sure took an awful lot of work to perfect. Of course, the book isn't perfect. Sometimes I wondered how the minister could know so much about the personal lives of these people. Granted, ministers probably know more than anything about their congregation, but sometimes it was a real stretch. Also, there were times when his end-of-chapter lessons felt a little excessive. I already got a profound message through the story, so I didn't need the narrator to explain to me what I should learn from it. That said, some of the lessons were very touching, especially the one in the final chapter.

I recommend this book to anyone. It's a feel-good tale, but not in an unrealistic way. It is a great escape from the pressures of life, but it is also a good teacher for how to deal with those pressures. Just as a minister's words should be.

Buy Home to Harmony at Amazon.com.

No Contest: The Case Against Competition

2008-08-02T14:59:00.000-06:00

Why We Lose in Our Race to Win
Author: Alfie Kohn
Genre: nonfiction
Publication info: Houghton Mifflin, 1986
Pages: 257 (including notes, bibliography, and index)

I have a problem with some nonfiction books. They tend to change the way I look at everything. Sometimes I call it corruption, but really most of the time I feel like they give me a more educated outlook and a broader perspective.

No Contest is an example of this. (That's partly the reason why I've taken so long to write this review, even though I finished the book a couple weeks ago. I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to say about it.) A friend at work recommended it to me, I read it, and it permanently altered the way I view many aspects of life. So I guess the book did its job.

The premise of the book is neatly summed up in the tagline on the cover: "Why we lose in our race to win." In short, competition, which is a pervasive and supposedly vital part of our society, is actually inherently destructive and unnecessary. Sounds pretty crazy, doesn't it? Most of us, especially in America, take competition for granted or at least assume that it is a fundamental part of civilization. We need it in our economy, in our recreation, in our education. But do we?

In the first part of the book, Alfie Kohn systematically debunks four major myths surrounding competition: that it is an inevitable part of human nature, that it leads us to be more productive, that it makes things more enjoyable, and that it builds character. He does a pretty good job of it, citing results of actual experiments. Of course, things like this dealing with human behavior is difficult to prove, but his arguments are pretty dang convincing. I especially liked the chapter on sports and games. Once he described a few examples of cooperative games, I became convinced that cooperation is the way to go---it's much more fun!

The part I didn't like so much was his discussion on how to create a more cooperative society. I guess I can't expect one man to have all the answers, but I didn't like how he suddenly turns ironic in a section called "How to Prevent Social Change." As he says, "It is much easier to describe how change can be blocked than how it can be furthered" (189). But why not just be straightforward and tell us what you think we should do? If I were to give the steps he lists but without the ironic tone, they might run something like this:

Expand your vision.
Be firm.
Think about others.
Be optimistic.
Don't rationalize.

To get details on these steps (or their opposites, rather), you'll just have to read the book, but I hope you get the idea. We can create a cooperative society, but the changes have to come from the inside out. That's one thing I'd like to make clear. I'm sure many people would be afraid of the idea of a cooperative society because, on the surface, it sounds an awful lot like socialism. Capitalism, the competition-based market, is considered to be one of America's greatest strengths, and to turn that over to utter equality would be economic heresy. But I'm not talking about government control here. To have the government step in and force everyone to work together on the same level simply does not work, as we have seen many times. The kind of change we need works on an internal, individual basis. Each person should work to remove competitive tendencies from his or her mind and heart, to stop trying to one-up the other person, to lose the notion that our success depends on someone else's failure. Once people start getting into this mindset, then we'll be getting somewhere. We should cooperate with others not because the government or someone else forces us to but because we desire it.

I have many thoughts on this issue, and I hope the few I have described here make sense. Mostly I just think everyone should read this book. I don't take it as absolute truth---there are things I don't necessarily agree with---but the basic principles are good. As my friend told me, competition is not an eternal principle. Competing with others will not bring us the kind of success that really matters. Cooperation, on the other hand, will.

Buy No Contest: The Case Against Competition at Amazon.com.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

2008-07-01T08:18:00.000-06:00

Author: Roald Dahl
Genre: fiction, young adult, fantasy
Publication info: Bantam, 1977 (originally published in 1964)
Pages: 160

Here's another one to add to my "why didn't I read this earlier?" category. It was always there on our bookshelf at home. My mom read it, my sisters read it, but for some reason I never picked it up until now. I can see now that I was missing out.

What prompted me to read this treasure of a book was finally seeing the recent film of the same title, the one starring Johnny Depp. I grew up on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the older musical with Gene Wilder (which I love), so I found the differences between the two movies striking. They told me the newer movie is closer to the book. I wanted to find out for myself.

My verdict: The newer movie probably is truer to the original story, but I read some things that only the older movie contained. Little bits of dialogue, features of the factory---stuff like that. Really, though, I should take the novel as a separate thing. It was a fun little adventure, very creative and very enjoyable to read, even for someone my age. I think it could go down as one of those timeless classics.

I find it interesting to compare the different Willy Wonkas from the book and films. The one from the book seems to be the nicest of the three. He's crazy, but he's also the most approachable. He reassures the group whenever a child gets "lost," something I don't remember the character doing in either movie. Gene Wilder's Wonka is eccentric and rather blunt, and Johnny Depp's portrayal seems almost sinister at times, so the character from the book feels friendly by comparison. The children and their families (except Charlie and Grandpa Joe) are the mean ones in the book. And they get what's coming to them.

One thing I particularly liked about the book was the songs the Oompa-Loompas sing every time a child messes up. There are great lessons to be learned from those. My favorite was the one about television. Not being a fan of TV myself, I thought this was a song that people today could do well to learn:

The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, never, NEVER let
Them near your television set---
Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic thing at all.

Amen, I say!

Buy Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Amazon.com.

The Killer Angels

2008-06-22T15:44:00.000-06:00

Author: Michael Shaara
Genre: historical fiction
Publication info: The Modern Library, 2004 (originally published in 1974)
Pages: 337

I don't know why I didn't find this book earlier. I hadn't even heard of it until a few months ago when my mom read it for a book club. Now that I've read it, I think everyone should read it, at least in the United States, because this is important stuff to know about.

This winner of the Pulitzer Prize is a novelization of the Battle of Gettysburg (they later based a film on it, cleverly titled Gettysburg). It is a particularly courageous undertaking on Shaara's part because, rather than telling the story from the point of view of an invented character who is a minor soldier, he puts the reader inside the heads of some of the battle's major players: Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, John Buford, Joshua Chamberlain, and others. He tells the story from both sides of the battlefield. And what an amazing, gripping, and tragic story it is.

Hopefully we all know at least a little about what happened at Gettysburg (if not, it's all the more reason to read this book). The Killer Angels makes it much more personal. It's less about the fighting itself than it is about the people's values, their motives for fighting. Reading this, I learned that both sides had good, respectable people fighting for them. I also learned that in civil war there are no real winners. Yes, I am grateful that the North defeated the South, but it is terrible that victory came at such a high price: killing thousands their own countrymen.

Read this book. You'll do yourself a service by learning more about this terrible chapter in American history. This is not to say that the novel is purely didactic. It's also a great story. Some parts of it gave me chills. Other parts almost brought me to tears. Now I just wish I had read this before I visited Gettysburg several years ago. I knew next to nothing then. I still know very little now, but I'm glad for the enlightenment this great novel offered me.

One warning: The book contains quite a bit of rough language, as you might expect from a story about army men. Normally I can't stand that, and although I would have preferred less of it, for some reason this time it didn't seem excessive. It's nothing that would earn it an R rating (the movie is rated PG), but it could possibly be annoying to some readers.

Buy The Killer Angels at Amazon.com.

Coraline

2008-06-12T06:46:00.001-06:00

Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: fiction, young adult, fantasy
Publication info: HarperCollins, 2002
Pages: 162

Creeeeeeeeepy. That's the best way I know how to describe it. This is my first exposure to the work of Neil Gaiman (author of Stardust), and I must say, the man has a very twisted imagination. It's marketed as a young adult novel, and I suppose it would be a good book to give your children if you want them to come running to you late at night complaining of nightmares. Seriously, I'm glad I read this book in the middle of the day, and I'm a college student.

Coraline is the name of the story's protagonist, a young teenage girl who gets annoyed whenever someone mistakes her name for Caroline. She and her family have just moved into a home comprised of several flats (Gaiman is British, after all). It's summer vacation, and Coraline doesn't know what to do with herself, so she takes up exploring her new home and the grounds surrounding it.

Unfortunately, she finds nothing exciting until she comes across a locked door inside the house. Her mother assures her there is nothing to see behind the door---even shows her the wall that was put up there---but Coraline's tremendous curiosity leads her to look again when her parents are away. This time there is no wall, and beyond the door Coraline discovers a strange place indeed: a replica of the home she left behind, complete with "other parents"! At first it seems wonderful. Her other parents pay more attention to her, and she seems to have everything she wants. But Coralline quickly senses something sinister going on. And once she realizes that, her life is far from easy.

I liked this book because, for one thing, it engaged me. Young adult novels have a way of doing that. Once I got started, it was hard to put down. I've discovered that I usually enjoy unconventional fantasy. I'm not so much into the "sword and sorcery" stuff, but I like it when the author creates a truly unique world, such as in this book and also Everlost. My guess is this novel was based on a bad dream. The whole thing certainly feels like one.

My only complaint about the book is that there were a few places where Gaiman threw in things that seemed to serve no purpose other than to add to the creepiness of the story (I don't want to give too much away, but one example involved an abnormally large spider). They certainly did the trick---I shuddered several times---but I wonder how necessary they were. Maybe we can justify it by saying that the villain was deliberately trying to scare Coraline (again, I don't want to give too much away).

In all, though, I thought it was a heck of an enjoyable book. I'd recommend it to anybody. It's not just a kids' book. In fact, maybe I wouldn't recommend it to kids. If you'd like to give it a try, be warned: you may want to read it in broad daylight. And be sure to stay away from black buttons.

Buy Coraline at Amazon.com.

Egri csillagok (Eclipse of the Crescent Moon)

2008-05-27T14:27:00.000-06:00

Author: Gárdonyi Géza
Genre: historical fiction
Publication info: Puedlo Kiadó (my Hungarian edition; originally published in 1899)
Pages: 392

There's a reason why I haven't posted anything for over a month. You might gather why by taking a look at the title. I spent my reading efforts for the past few weeks on a Hungarian novel. I don't know if you have had any exposure to Hungarian, but it's not an easy language. I had thought I had it pretty well figured out, but this book proved me wrong. That's why it took me so long.

I bought this book while I was serving as a missionary in Hungary. I spent two years learning the language of that beautiful country, and by the end of those two years, I felt more or less fluent. I probably should have read this book right when I got home, but for one reason or another I waited until now. It proved to be a real challenge, especially with the vocabulary. I didn't learn a lot of sixteenth-century military terms while I was in Hungary.

The novel is a dramatization of the 1520 Siege of Eger, in which the Hungarians stave off an Ottoman invasion even when all the odds are against them. It mainly traces the life of Bornemissza Gergely, who ends up being a commander at Eger in the last part of the book. He seems at home in command of a portion of the castle's defense, but the Turks have a little surprise for him that makes him more involved than he would like to be.

Since I didn't really understand a good fraction of what I read, I can't give a good review of it, but I found it very interesting. It gave me a taste of the Hungarian spirit, which is something only a native Hungarian could fully understand. They were determined to defend that castle at all costs. And they did it for their country. I was amazed at how they kept at it. Although I didn't understand a lot of the battle, I did get the impression that the Turkish force was overwhelming and by all means should have won. But the Hungarians held out. It is a point of pride in Hungarian history.

I'm also in no position to criticize the book, but I will say that I found the first part of the story a little repetitive. Some people get captured by the Turks, they escape, they get captured again, they escape again . . . It wasn't as exciting the third time around. But maybe that's just how it happened. This is a historical novel, after all.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in Hungary and its history. It's especially good if you know the language, but if not, an English translation is available under the title Eclipse of the Crescent Moon. I think a literal translation of the title would have been better (Stars of Eger), but there's not much I can do about it. Maybe I could use that title when I do my own translation of the book. Someday.

The Two Princesses of Bamarre

2008-04-22T07:48:00.000-06:00

Author: Gail Carson Levine
Genre: fiction, young adult, fantasy
Publication info: HarperCollins, 2001
Pages: 241

This one may seem a little out of place among the other books I've reviewed so far, especially considering who I am: a twenty-something male college student. Throw into the mix the fact that I like to do much of my reading while I'm riding a stationary bike at the gym. Imagine, if you will, a tall young man striding into the weight room, dressed in gym clothes, a towel draped over his neck, with a water bottle in one hand and The Two Princesses of Bamarre in the other. Yeah. I had fun with this one.

In my defense, I picked this one up at my girlfriend's recommendation. I also had had some exposure to Levine's work before. In high school it seemed like all of my friends who were girls named Ella Enchanted as their favorite book, so I borrowed it from my sister and read it to see what the deal was. More recently, Levine came to my university for a science fiction and fantasy convention and read some of her latest work. I enjoyed both experiences, so I felt like I knew what I was getting into with this book.

And like Ella Enchanted, for the type of book that this is, it is pretty good. As you might guess, it tells the tale of two princesses in a place called Bamarre. Meryl, the older of the two, is the outgoing, adventurous type, always looking forward to the day when she can go on a quest and fight the monsters that constantly threaten their kingdom. Addie is her complete opposite---timid, introverted, and desiring only to live a safe and secure life. But when the mysterious and fatal illness called the Gray Death strikes, it's up to Addie to find the cure to save her sister and, incidentally, all of Bamarre.

It's a fun little story, but I have to admit it is rather predictable. From the first few pages I had a pretty good idea how the whole thing was going to play out. To Levine's credit, the author does a good job of preparing you so nothing seems to come out of nowhere, but maybe she's just a little too good at foreshadowing. On the other hand, the ending brings an unexpected twist.

I also had a problem with her sparseness of description. Now I myself am a fan of minimal description. The detail found in The Lord of the Rings is a little too much for me. Let the reader imagine as much as possible, I say. But in this book I didn't know how to imagine some things because the author doesn't describe them at all. As a reader not well versed in fantasy, I had only Shrek as an image of an ogre, which probably isn't what Levine had in mind. But she never really describes the monster. This isn't a huge hindrance to the story, but it might have been a little more alive to me had there been just a bit more description.

Still, I stand by what I said before: It's a fun little story. A nice escape from the humdrum of everyday life. And wouldn't some of those gifts Addie receives be nice? I would love to have a pair of those seven-league boots.

Buy The Two Princesses of Bamarre at Amazon.com.

Three Men in a Boat, to Say Nothing of the Dog

2008-04-10T09:22:00.000-06:00

Author: Jerome K. Jerome
Genre: nonfiction (?), travel
Publication info: Time Incorporated, 1964 (originally published in 1889)
Pages: 211

Well, now I know where Connie Willis got a lot of her ideas. I picked up this book because of the many references to it in her To Say Nothing of the Dog (not the least of which is the title). The two books have a very similar tone; I can tell that this was a great inspiration for Willis.

The premise is very simple: Three men with a severe case of hypochondria decide that a boating trip up the Thames would do them good. So they rent out a boat and take their fourteen-day journey, of course bringing their dog, Montmorency, with them. The narrator describes in wonderful ironic wit all the troubles they come across on their journey, and all along the way he inserts little anecdotes that somehow relate to the present action.

It's a silly book, all in all---and I loved it. There isn't much of a plot, but it was very entertaining. What I think I liked most about it was the voice of the narrator. He is a fine example of the unreliable narrator with his subtle sarcasm and hypocrisy. For instance, at one point he talks about the fun of getting in the way of steam launches that think they own the river; a few chapters later, he complains about the ignorant boats that are in the way of the steam launch that is towing them. And he loves work---watching it, that is.

I recommend this to anyone looking for some fun, light reading, or to anyone looking for an escape. What better way to escape than taking a trip up the Thames? And even though it was written well over a hundred years ago, its humor can still be appreciated today.

Buy Three Men in a Boat, To Say Nothing of the Dog (Dover Value Editions) at Amazon.com.

To Say Nothing of the Dog

2008-04-03T23:47:00.000-06:00

Author: Connie Willis
Genre: fiction, sf
Publication info: Bantam Books, 1998
Pages: 493

I loved this book. Connie Willis has not disappointed me yet. My first encounter with her work was several years ago when I read Doomsday Book. I don't know why it took me so long to come back to her because I loved that one as well. The two books actually take place in the same universe, so to speak, but whereas Doomsday Book has a more or less serious theme, To Say Nothing of the Dog is lighthearted most of the way through.

And not just lighthearted. It's downright hilarious. Imagine P. G. Wodehouse writing science fiction, and this book is what you get. Rarely does a book make me laugh out loud, but this one did many, many times. The narrator's dry and witty voice, the quirky characters, the very human-like animals---they all combined to make one heck of a funny story. I also really liked the "summaries" at the beginning of every chapter.

The premise is a little hard to explain, mainly because it is based on the most complex idea of time travel I have ever heard of in science fiction. Willis really has thought it through, which is nice, but it's also a little confusing because sometimes the plot turns on a concept I don't entirely understand (incongruities and slippage, for example). But I enjoyed the story so much that I trusted her and kept going.

Basically, a historian from 2057 named Ned Henry is on the hunt for something called the bishop's bird stump. He has to travel back to 1940 to find out what became of it. But trouble arises when another historian, Verity Kindle, brings through time a cat from 1888. Now Ned has to go back to Victorian England and together with Verity prevent history from changing---because it's amazing what difference a single cat can make.

Most of the action takes place in the Victorian Period, and Willis does a great job portraying that era, not to mention subtly making fun of it. Her style makes the book a lot of fun to read. She seems to know England very well, even though she herself is American.

What more can I say? I loved this book, and I highly recommend it anyone---even to those not terribly interested in science fiction. It's the story that makes it. The story makes it great.

Buy To Say Nothing of the Dog at Amazon.com.

Writing and Selling Fillers and Short Humor

2008-03-21T15:58:00.000-06:00

Editor: A. S. Burack
Genre: nonfiction, how-to
Publication info: The Writer, 1974
Pages: 115

This was the latest edition my library carries, which is a shame, but maybe it was the last one printed. I picked it up because I had heard that fillers can be a great way for a writer to break into the publishing industry, a way that is often overlooked. I thought it would be useful to learn a thing or two about it.

It's a collection of essays, which look like they were written expressly for this book, by a number of successful authors and editors in the wonderful field of fillers and short humor. Overall, it sounded like a lot of fun, and something very doable. It sounds like, basically, you need to be observant of everything around you; pay attention to things that make you laugh, or little things you know that might be useful to others. Write those things down as concisely as possible. Then send them in!

Of course, you have to have a talent for writing, and very compact writing too (a talent I obviously don't have yet), but I think it can be developed. The book was good in that it opened my eyes to a writing market I hadn't really considered before. I don't want magazine fillers to be my focus in writing, but it might be a good thing to do on the side if I ever come up with anything good.

The problem with a book this old, though, is that market preferences change, especially in magazines. If I were really serious about it I would have to look at what kinds of things magazines are publishing right now. The book includes a handy short market reference at the end, but I imagine it's next to worthless at this point. However, the book teaches some good basic principles of short writing that I think still hold true. I hope to try them out sometime.

The Castle

2008-03-21T15:36:00.000-06:00

Author: Franz Kafka
Genre: fiction
Publication info: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992 (the edition I read; it was originally published in 1930). Translated from German by Willa and Edwin Muir.
Pages: 378 (including additional material)

Some books pull you through them on their own, while others are the kind you have to push yourself through. The Castle is an example of the latter. I'm not saying it wasn't interesting, but the style in which it was written made it very difficult sometimes. This is definitely not light reading.

Most people are familiar with Kafka, if at all, through The Metamorphosis. I might be the only one I know who read it, liked it, and wanted to read more of Kafka's work because of it. I can't explain why. The dreamlike quality of the story, along with the matter-of-fact way the characters deal with it, somehow appealed to me.

The Castle has this same dreamlike quality, but in a different way. In it we find K. (that's the only name we get), who comes to a village to begin his supposed employment as a land surveyor. The only problem, K. soon discovers, is that he never actually was intended to be employed as such. And it all has something to do with the Castle, the mysterious, overpowering hub of authority that is ever-present in the lives of the villagers and yet somehow perpetually inaccessible to K.

Now I'm not a literary critic (thank goodness), so I don't intend to give an in-depth analysis of this novel. That's been done many times over already. But I did find the book interesting. The dreamlike quality I mentioned comes from the fact that the entire world seems to be working against K., and for no apparent reason. Most of the time he just wants to be able to talk to his employer face-to-face, but the harder he tries, the more the opposition forces him back. And it's not through any fault of his own. K. isn't necessarily the most virtuous man, but it certainly doesn't seem fair that everything he does ends up turning against him.

What does Kafka mean by all this? Many people have speculated. You might say it has a sort of religious (or anti-religious) meaning with the Castle that's respected and feared in the village but rarely seen. But I didn't get that feeling when I read it. Kafka expertly made the Castle into the most ridiculous bureaucracy ever imagined, and I don't think that can be compared to God.

No, I'm not going to guess at meanings. It's a fairly simple story, but it's too complex to be an allegory. I'll just take it for what it is---a work of fiction. It makes me think, but I have yet to figure out what it makes me think about.

Buy The Castle (new translation) at Amazon.com.

How to Win Every Argument: The Use and Abuse of Logic

2008-03-14T08:20:00.000-06:00

Author: Madsen Pirie
Genre: nonfiction
Publication info: Continuum, 2006
Pages: 182

This was one of those books where I hoped the circulation employee at the library wouldn't ask me any questions. The truth is I've been interested in logical fallacies for a while now, but especially in the past year. After a somewhat upsetting political conversation with a friend of mine, I decided I wanted to look into the topic more fully.

The title of the book is a little misleading. It's not really a how-to book as you would normally think of one. (I think the original title, The Book of Fallacy, fits better, although it probably doesn't grab your attention as well.) Don't look for step-by-step instructions or practice exercises in this book.

That said, I found this book very informative and also very entertaining. It's basically an extensive (sometimes so extensive that some entries are hard to tell apart), and very detailed, index of logical fallacies from several categories. In each entry, Madsen Pirie gives a clear, understandable definition. Then he gives a few examples (which he promptly makes fun of) and shows several ways the fallacy might appear. Last of all, he tells you how you can use the fallacy to your own advantage---to deceive people.

Because of that, I almost felt a little dirty when I started the book. He says right up front that one of the purposes of the book is to teach you to trick people. I wasn't interested in that. I just wanted to learn more about logical fallacies so I could recognize them in other people's arguments.

And I guess I did learn that. Instead of learning to create effective arguments, I learned how to pick apart others' arguments (I have an especially good time with letters to the editor). I became more of a critic than I already am. Ironically, the person I notice most often committing logical fallacies is me. But hopefully, now that I know more about them, I'll eventually learn to eliminate them from my arguments.

Or maybe I'll end up doing exactly what the book was supposed to teach me to do.

Buy How to Win Every Argument: The Use and Abuse of Logic at Amazon.com.

Everlost

2008-03-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

Author: Neal Shusterman
Genre: fiction, young adult, sf (?)
Publication info: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2006
Pages: 313

This book is brilliant. It had me hooked very quickly, so much so that as I read I became pretty oblivious to my surroundings. Shusterman here has expertly created a new world, one that is totally foreign to ours, but one that soon became very real to me as I got lost in this story.

It's the story about two kids, Allie and Nick, who get killed in a car crash. But instead of "getting to where they were going," they wind up in Everlost, a kind of in-between place inhabited only by kids. They get to know the quirks of this world before long. If you stay in one place to long (unless it's a dead-spot), you begin sinking to the center of the Earth. You never know whom to trust. And beware, of course, the lurking threat of the monster known as the McGill.

Everlost is, simply put, a very engaging story. It convinced me that there are things far worse than death. I also applaud the character development. At first Allie bothered me a little, but I figured she had room to grow, and indeed she did. Both she and Nick had the chance to become heroes in their own way, in ways I didn't expect at first. And it is interesting who ends up being the "villains."

If you're looking for a book that's fun to read, that's not challenging but still makes you think, I highly recommend this one. Let Everlost become your world for a while. And then be grateful you're still alive.

Buy Everlost at Amazon.com.

Introduction / On Recreational Reading

2008-02-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

This is my first foray into the blogging world. I actually never expected myself to do this. As an aspiring writer, I constantly get frustrated at how little time I spend actually writing, so why should I add another writing task to my list? My personal journal doesn't even get enough attention.

What drove me to do this was my passion for reading. To love writing, you have to love reading, and I definitely do both. Especially lately, I have found myself totally drawn into books and always looking for the next book to read. I love it. The problem is when I come to the end of a book. When I finish, do I just return it to the library (or put it back on the shelf if I'm lucky enough to own it), and that's it? I felt like I needed a way to express my thoughts about what I've read. Even if nobody else would hear about it, I wanted a place to keep my memories of how I felt during my reading experiences.

After a little thought, I decided on this blog. For one thing, it minimizes the amount of work for me---all I have to do is write. For another, if out of the billions of people on Earth there is one person who might be curious about one of the books I've written about, I can help that person out a little bit.

So there you go. This is my log of book reviews---or reading experiences, if you will. I hope you enjoy it. Even if you don't, thanks for coming.

~~~~

As a college student, almost every time I talk to somebody about a great book I'm reading, I hear something like "I wish I had time to read for fun" or "Once summer comes I'm going to read a lot" or "I can't remember the last book I read just for kicks." We students are busy people. There is so much on our plate, so many responsibilities, that to take the time to read a book just for the pleasure of it is practically a sin. Or at least that's how a lot of people feel about it.

But a lot of them also wish things could be different. Now granted, I am probably not as busy as a lot of people around me. My own roommate definitely has a much heavier workload than I do. But I'm a full-time student with a part-time job, and I have plenty of other responsibilities on top of that, so a moment seldom passes by in which I'm not reminded of something I should be doing. Yet I've somehow found time to read---for fun!

I guess it comes down to a decision I made. Once we decide that we really want something and that it's important to us, chances are we're going to find a way to get it. In my case, I was sitting in a church meeting in which we talked about the priorities of things we do. One person suggested that reading novels is a good thing but probably not one of the best uses of our time. A few minutes later, someone else argued that it all depends. If someone wants to be a fiction writer, he said, reading novels is very important. That really spoke to me, since I myself want to be a fiction writer, and that's when it hit me: I hadn't read fiction in quite a while.

That's when I made the decision to make fiction a part of my daily life. And somehow I've managed it, as busy as I've been. As silly as it sounds, I feel like it's improved my life in several ways. It's rekindled a passion that I'd almost forgotten about. It's given my mind a new world, a new outlet, when it was getting tired of itself. The best part is that it's inspired me to write.

But recreational reading isn't just for writers. I think everyone should do it. I know everybody is busy, but we all need a little escape now and then. As for those people who keep wishing they had the time, I'll bet they could manage once they tried to make the time rather than find it. If they really want it.

Of course, it's up to you. But I'm going to keep reading.