There she goes, my beautiful world
Reviews of books
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.
I’ve written only one letter by hand this year, so I’m really not doing that well in this regard. My cynicism about the «purpose» of the book aside, it actually was full of practical tidbits, ways to get around the writer’s blocks that can come up … Read the rest
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.
In Every Second Counts, Lance weighs in on an old argument: whether success comes from individual talent or teamwork. According … Read the rest
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 … Read the rest
In contrast to Kenneth Pollack’s [*The Persian Puzzle*]([canonical-url:node/674]), 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.
*Taken Hostage* is the account of the 444-day Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979 – 1981. I had just turned eleven when the hostages were released, … Read the rest
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 … Read the rest
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 … Read the rest
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 … Read the rest
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 … Read the rest
Book #3 of my [50bookchallenge](http://50bookchallenge.livejournal.com/): 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.
I read *Dosadi Experiment*, the sequel to *Whipping Star* a while back, so some of the surprise revelations here were old news to me, but also I … Read the rest
I think this meandered a bit much. Certainly it was written for an audience that lived four or five generations ago. The relevance of this essay is lost on my modern sensibilities, except as an historical piece. My ignorance comes into play as well; I have not read most of the works that Ms Woolf referenced, and it was therefore occasionally difficult for me to follow.
Her thesis could have been made more plainly in a quarter the pages. No … Read the rest