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Book Report
What sci-fi oughtta be
Sunday, 27 March 2005
I tried to describe what I liked about this book by telling my father, «it's confusing.» I'm not sure that I made any sense then, but this is what scifi should be. Vinge presents us with alien races and theories of galactic organization almost entirely without exposition. There's no «The Kzinti were a razor-toothed warrior race resembling eight-foot tall cats» or anything like that. One alien race the reader is introduced to entirely through first-person accounts from the aliens' perspective. Each detail is taken for granted and the reader gets to piece together what's going on without much help from the omniscient narrator.…Go ahead, keep reading
Reclaiming Civilzation, One Letter at a Time
Tuesday, 22 February 2005
This was an impulse purchase in an art supply store, and its value is primarily to convince the reader to purchase more paper, ink, and pens. Basically, I'm a choir waiting for the sermon.…Go ahead, keep reading
Go Lance, Go!
Tuesday, 22 February 2005
As much as I try to stay cool about the guy, Lance Armstrong inspires me. There's a lot about him that rubs me the wrong way, some of which I can't even identify or articulate. But then, beneath anything else, he's a winner with a winning attitude. No matter what else gets piled on, I just can't resist the story.…Go ahead, keep reading
The Writing of Royalty
Saturday, 19 February 2005
I'd been curious to read this for a short while. I considered buying a copy to read on the flight when I went to Vermont last week, but picked the book about the Iran hostage crisis instead. Then, at my grandmother's house as I got ready for bed, what should I see on the shelf?
The next day I asked her about it. She said she had loved it. When I asked if I could borrow and read it, she recommended it enthusiastically. …Go ahead, keep reading
This Book Didn't Take Me Hostage
Thursday, 10 February 2005
In contrast to Kenneth Pollack's The Persian Puzzle, which took me weeks to finish, I read Taken Hostage on a flight from California to New Hampshire. I bought it yesterday to keep me occupied on the flight and it fit the bill almost exactly. I finished about 20 minutes before landing.…Go ahead, keep reading
Mmmmm... Boogers!
Thursday, 10 February 2005
This was a gift from my mother, and I didn't realize until I picked it up a few days ago that it was inscribed to me by the author. Reminder to self: thank Mom for this again.
Dave Barry is a strange writer. He alternates being tremendously funny with being really unfunny (but trying to be funny). The net effect is that when he's tremendously funny it takes me off guard, and I end up in uncontrollable laughter. I can't tell whether he's being sneaky or if he just writes what he can as fast as he can to make deadline and misses the mark more often than he hits it.…Go ahead, keep reading
Opinions, Shockingly Based In Facts and Analysis
Saturday, 5 February 2005
I first became exposed to Kenneth Pollack's writing with The Threatening Storm: The Case for Invading Iraq. Pollack is a former CIA analyst and director for Gulf affairs at the NSC, and I found Threatening Storm to be surprisingly well-thought out and informative. I'm a bit fascinated by Iran; as some of you know, I have a tattoo in Farsi. The Bush administration has dropped hints that Tehran would be the next target for regime change, so being informed about the history of conflict should, I think, be a priority for all Americans.…Go ahead, keep reading
This Is Feminism?
Tuesday, 1 February 2005
I'm realizing more and more that reading at all is an act of defiance. Having an opinion and expressing it even more so. I want to comply, to blend, to fit. Yet, when I read books of substance, I'm confronted with actual ideas and must take responsibility for first having exposed myself to them and second for my reaction to them. To someone who still holds on to caring what others think, this is a dangerous endeavor.
To this I must acknowledge that caring what other people think is a defect of my character, a flaw worthy only of extraction.…Go ahead, keep reading
Not Really Lighter Than Air
Thursday, 27 January 2005
This passed the time on the bus. I don't really have much of an opinion. Crichton is an intelligent and skilled writer, so even this very flat, lifeless story never fell into any wretched traps. The characters were pretty lifeless, but not so much that it made me sick. The archetypal baddies were predictable, but there was enough going on that I wasn't certain I was right in my prediction until it was finally revealed. Crichton handled some technical material in a way that seemed thoroughly possible and accurate, even though it probably wasn't.
If Airframe is disappointing, it's because it's entirely forgettable. Certainly not because it was either unpleasant or insulting to read, because it's neither.
So four down, forty-six to go in my 50bookchallenge.
Experimenting With The Predecessor To Dosadi
Saturday, 22 January 2005
Book #3 of my 50bookchallenge: Frank Herbert's Whipping Star. I'm a fan of Frank Herbert's writing and have been for as long as I can remember. Even when he hasn't written «high-concept» sci-fi, he's still usually succeeded in writing smart, highly readable pulp. Whipping Star is one of these.…Go ahead, keep reading
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