I'm always looking for a way to get more stuff done and this system comes recommended by everyone from the owner of the Samovar Tea Houses to Unclutte...moreI'm always looking for a way to get more stuff done and this system comes recommended by everyone from the owner of the Samovar Tea Houses to Unclutterer. After reading the book, I'm not sure I've bought into the cult, but it did underline some of the things I already do: keep a master to-do list, review it every week, keep a daily list of priorities.
I'm not sure I hold with the whole two-minutes rule, where you do all the things that you can finish in two minutes. That strikes me as a way to put off the things that need more time and attention -- and I don't need any more distractions from those. It's better for me to save the two-minute projects til last, so I can end the day feeling good about all I've accomplished, instead of stressed about the larger things I'm not getting to.
I found the book itself repetitious and stretched, which may be a product of having the system applied to its own writing. Rather than bringing up a topic and thinking it all the way through, topics recur. Detail is added each time that would have served me better if it had been covered completely the first time. It felt like padding to make an hour-long presentation book-length.
There's value to this system, but every reader is going to have to work hard to find out how to take out what she needs and how to adapt it to her own work. Unfortunately, this book is not a magic wand.(less)
The book jacket proclaims, Dalrymple "revisits its seven 'dead' cities and the eighth city -- today's Dehli -- where multiple ages commingle in a mela...moreThe book jacket proclaims, Dalrymple "revisits its seven 'dead' cities and the eighth city -- today's Dehli -- where multiple ages commingle in a melange of bygone and current cultures. Underlying his quest is the legend of the djinns, fire-formed spirits that are said to assure Delhi's regeneration..."
I'd still like to read *that* book. This book is much too concerned with the present (being 1993, when it was originally published), making it both out-of-date and not exploring the history I'm curious about.
The premise of the book sounded like fun. Nobody can sleep because evil wizards from the land on the other side of sleep are stealing energies from th...moreThe premise of the book sounded like fun. Nobody can sleep because evil wizards from the land on the other side of sleep are stealing energies from their dreams. Except that other than Grandma reading a newspaper and Zac having a nightmare, there isn't any evidence of this in the text. I was pretty much disappointed from the start. Besides, if you wanted to steal energies from nightmares, wouldn't you want people to sleep?
In addition to that, Zac himself disappears from the story for pages at a time. He's thrown into an adventure in the land of Nocturne, where he has so little to do that he ceases to be a viewpoint character. Elderly people with silly names spout gibberish and don't even expect him or the reader to understand.
I wanted this book to be like the backstage tour of the California Academy of Sciences. I wanted an understanding how how a natural history museum wor...moreI wanted this book to be like the backstage tour of the California Academy of Sciences. I wanted an understanding how how a natural history museum works, how exhibits are curated, how specimens are preserved and stored and used. That must be another book.
This is a memoir by the "trilobite" man at the Natural History Museum in London. I haven't yet visited that museum, but the book hasn't inspired me to go out of my way, unfortunately.(less)
I read really slowly, so for me to have finished a novel in under a month is remarkable. It's been a long time since I found myself carrying a book ar...moreI read really slowly, so for me to have finished a novel in under a month is remarkable. It's been a long time since I found myself carrying a book around, reading it on the bus and at the movie theater, even staying in bed late in the morning to read.
So why not give it 5 stars? It's a lovely book, full of imagination and lushly described. The characters, however... Celia's dad doesn't know she exists until she shows up in his dressing room, where he proceeds to torture her and turn her into a weapon against Alexander, who then picks up an orphan boy to be his own surrogate in a duel that will take place in a circus over the course of decades.
It's meant to be a love story between the dueling "magicians", but the strongest emotion in the book for me was the dislike the adults have for their "children." I expected that to be addressed at some point, especially after all the talk of binding Merlin in a tree and after the "parents" are bound to the circus in the end. Unfortunately, nothing comes of that.
An additional problem, for me, was too much focus on the younger characters. I never saw the appeal of the circus-besotted farm boy whose point of view spans the book. He has no imagination of his own and ends up responsible for overseeing the artistry and imagination of others.
I really wanted to love this book, but too much seemed to be missing. I look forward to her next, though.(less)
I love the Culbertson and Randall "Permanent" series books because they don't strive to be comprehensive. Other cemetery guides become tedious lists o...moreI love the Culbertson and Randall "Permanent" series books because they don't strive to be comprehensive. Other cemetery guides become tedious lists of all the famous people jammed into a cemetery, but these books go for depth instead, collecting up biographies of a few choice permanent residents. It's arguable you take more away from this series than the others, where either you recognize the famous names or you don't.
While Permanent Londoners spends a fair amount of time on the Magnificent Seven cemeteries (Brompton, Highgate, Kensal Green, etc.), it really shines for poking around inside landmarks that make up in history what they lack in acreage. Four chapters explore Westminster Abbey; one covers the Poets' Corner alone. Other chapters look into the Tower of London and St. Paul's crypt. That's worth the price of the book right there, as far as I'm concerned.
I also like that the book wanders as far as Windsor Castle, discussing the monarchs who chose to be buried at home, rather than in town.
My copy was published in 1996, but I see a more recent version came out in 2000. I hope someone allows them to update it for the current decade.(less)
I couldn't get through it. It reminded me of Tony Perrottet's travels in the same part of the world, but those books are much more enjoyable. This was...moreI couldn't get through it. It reminded me of Tony Perrottet's travels in the same part of the world, but those books are much more enjoyable. This was a jumble. It begins 12 stops into Huler's retracing of the Odyssey, with him glad that the two pretty stewardesses he meets aren't interested in having sex with him because his second wife is home alone, eight months pregnant, and anticipating his return. Ick. I'm more interested in the Odyssey -- and Mediterranean travel than this guy's midlife issues. The more he compares himself to Odysseus, the more he loses in comparison.
It did make me want to reread the Odyssey myself, though. And go back to Greece.(less)
I bought it for Marsden's luminous infrared photos, but the text is thoroughly enjoyable in itself. He traveled alone around France, seeking out haunt...moreI bought it for Marsden's luminous infrared photos, but the text is thoroughly enjoyable in itself. He traveled alone around France, seeking out haunted castles, woods, and graveyards, where he hoped to have spooky encounters in several places he got so creeped out that he had to pack up and leave without fully exploring. I loved those bits.
I felt like he could have gone into the travel memoir side of the book even more. I wanted to hear about his adventures and the people he met along the way, some of whom seemed to have been great storytellers. I wish he'd included more of his references, too, so that I could find more depth to some of the ghost stories he relates.
He's inspired me to want to visit Carcasonne and learn more about the Albigensian crusade, though.(less)
I read this aloud to my 9-year-old in advance of the movie. It was her second time through it this year, after her father read it to her earlier. I wo...moreI read this aloud to my 9-year-old in advance of the movie. It was her second time through it this year, after her father read it to her earlier. I wondered if it would be scary (Gollum or the spiders) or sad (the deaths of characters you like), but she has already figured out that the main character can't be seriously harmed or the story can't continue, so she was never really frightened for Bilbo.
The language, though, was absolutely perfect for her. She identified completely with Bilbo's love of home and growing sense of adventure.
I won't give it 5 stars for the flaw in Tolkien's storytelling. SPOILER ALERT: A character comes out of nowhere to solve the problem we have spent the entire book reaching. While that's entirely realistic, it's just not done that way in fiction. Completely unsatisfying. I wonder how Peter Jackson will get around that.
We did take our daughter to the movie, which she thought was the best movie she'd ever seen and I thought was needlessly long and more violent than I expected for PG-13, even though it wasn't gory. The battle scenes in the novel go into much less detail while being more exciting for their brevity.(less)
We listened to this during a long road trip, which was absolutely perfect. My 9-year-old was eager to get into the car after every stop, just so we co...moreWe listened to this during a long road trip, which was absolutely perfect. My 9-year-old was eager to get into the car after every stop, just so we could listen to more of the story. Sometimes we even sat in the car longer than necessary, just to finish a chapter.
Gaiman's performance of the story is wonderful. He makes the voices absolutely distinct and completely draws you in.
I worried that parts of it -- the beginning, the adventure with the ghouls -- might be too frightening, but my daughter absolutely loved it.
Best of all, since I was familiar with the story, I didn't have to listen to the final chapter, which I absolutely disagree with. In my mind, Bod is left with all his friends and abilities.
Very recommended, if you're just dipping into stories on CD. (less)
Giving this 3 stars makes me look like a Scrooge, but really the lack of 5 stars is for the other stories included in the book, not the one you're fam...moreGiving this 3 stars makes me look like a Scrooge, but really the lack of 5 stars is for the other stories included in the book, not the one you're familiar with. A Christmas Carol really does hold up on re-reading, even if you can quote parts of it aloud. I'd forgotten that Scrooge sees the housekeeper, the landlady, and the undertaker sell his stuff to the pawnbroker. One of them actually took his best shirt off his corpse in order to sell it. That's seriously harsh.
The book is filled out with other Christmas stories Dickens wrote after the success of A Christmas Carol. My favorite of those was "A Christmas Tree," which is a strange meditation on the ornaments Dickens loved (I think). He goes on at length about the strange toys he played with as a child before spinning into ghost stories. Was the Christmas ghost story a Victorian tradition? The ones he relates here are really fun.
I'm glad to have read more of Dickens' work, but I'm not sure I will reread these additional tales year after year. I'm looking forward, though, to reading A Christmas Carol aloud to my daughter next December, though. (less)
This is the best guide to the cemeteries of Los Angeles yet. Jammed with Douglas Keister's beautiful color photographs -- all exquisitely printed -- t...moreThis is the best guide to the cemeteries of Los Angeles yet. Jammed with Douglas Keister's beautiful color photographs -- all exquisitely printed -- the book weighs more than the other guides, which might make it prohibitive to drag around a graveyard with you, if you're juggling a camera and notebook, too. If you're just sightseeing, this is the book for you. All the color headstone photos make it easy to know exactly what you're looking for.
However, the book is short on history of the graveyards. Permanent Californians is better for that, as well as more fully developed biographies of the biggest stars. Forever L.A. also focuses on fewer celebrities; if you want a more comprehensive list, Laid to Rest in California is the book you want.
In addition, Forever L.A. suffers from puzzling organization. You can read the section on Westwood Village Memorial Park, but the text directs you elsewhere in the book to the listing for Don Knotts and somewhere else again to read about Marilyn Monroe. In fact, Marilyn's biography snuggles up against one for Joe DiMaggio, who isn't buried in L.A. at all. I guess this just proves my contention that any collection of gravestones is necessarily going to be idiosyncratic and reflect the predilections of the person compiling it.
I see what Keister was doing when he collected together all the stars of The Wizard of Oz or Bonanza or It's a Mad, Mad (etc.) World, but I found it frustrating not to have all the cemetery information gathered into the appropriate chapter when I was standing in the graveyard. Is this book meant for armchair travelers or people in the field?
And why is the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland included at all? While the photos are lovely, the section takes up valuable book real estate that could have been used by Angelus Rosedale, where Hattie McDaniel is buried and Buffy the Vampire Slayer was filmed.
Still, if you are traveling to L.A. and want to visit graveyards, I suggest you start with this book. It's the most recent and has by far the prettiest pictures. You just might want to dip into the other books for more depth after you get home.(less)
The book jacket describes this as the "first and only" guide to the cemeteries of New England. I'm curious to know if that's true. I know there were g...moreThe book jacket describes this as the "first and only" guide to the cemeteries of New England. I'm curious to know if that's true. I know there were guides to Mt. Auburn and the other garden cemeteries published in the 19th century (unfortunately, I don't have any of them in my collection), but I don't know if there was an overall guide to the region -- or if this is just a publisher's hype.
Either way, this is a really fun book. If you're making a road trip, as I've been lucky enough to do, throughout New England and wonder what lovely graveyards you might find along the way, this is the ideal guidebook. Andrew Kull seems to have actually visited these cemeteries and has opinionated, entertaining observations about them. I like that he directs H. P. Lovecraft "cultists" to ask directions to the author's grave when they visit Swan Point Cemetery in Providence. I like also his assertion: "Burial Hill in Plymouth enjoys, without question, the most magnificent site of any cemetery in New England." Doesn't that just make you want to see for yourself?
The primary flaw is a dearth of photographs, although there are a few. In addition, New England Cemeteries jams 260 cemeteries, graveyards, and burial grounds into a mere 240-some pages (plus index and an essay on how to make grave rubbings), so you're not getting in-depth information. In fact, you're not even getting cemetery addresses, though the book does include opening hours, which were current in 1975. Still, for company on a road trip, Kull's book is a useful and entertaining companion.(less)
There seem to be very few books about the graveyards of New Mexico. This one, which collects lovely black-and-white photographs taken in the early 194...moreThere seem to be very few books about the graveyards of New Mexico. This one, which collects lovely black-and-white photographs taken in the early 1940s, documents the camposantos that the photographer recognized would be going away. The wooden crosses and picket fences couldn't stand forever, even in the desert air. I wonder if these images could be recreated now, or if she was right, and all that's contained in this book has passed away.
The historical essay which opens the book raises an interesting point: During New Mexico's colonial period, "hostile Indians" desecrated graves, which led to burials inside churches. (I would have liked to see some images illustrating those burials.) By the 1880s, when things were more settled, every village had a camposanto surrounding its adobe church. Unlike the stark images in this book, some grave monuments were brightly painted, while others were white-washed. Crowns of thorns or roses were common decorations, but like the colors, these had vanished by the time these photos were taken.
The grave markers recorded here range from hand-lettered cement to rough wooden crosses to ornately shaped or pierced wooden planks. Offerings range from real cacti planted at the marker's foot to silk flowers or pine branches. Many of the monuments have lost their names, yet some still stand bolt upright against the dramatic sky.
Despite or because of the melancholy black-and-white photos, it's a really beautiful book. It makes me want to go back to New Mexico and seek some of these places out for myself. I wonder how much has survived. (less)
Updated Hollywood Babylon without the pictures. I found Petrucelli's snarky tone really off-putting, especially as he mocks people he just interviewed...moreUpdated Hollywood Babylon without the pictures. I found Petrucelli's snarky tone really off-putting, especially as he mocks people he just interviewed and got to know right before their deaths. His author's voice made me sad. I think it's possible to cover this same material in a respectful way, but basically I'm just not that interested in the deaths of celebrities. Give me a graveyard over a pop-cult obituary any day.(less)
I picked this up in a travel bookstore in NYC (remember travel bookstores?) because I read the chapter in which the author follows an exorcist around...moreI picked this up in a travel bookstore in NYC (remember travel bookstores?) because I read the chapter in which the author follows an exorcist around Clerkenwell. It made me remember how much I loved the Mike Carey novels with much the same protagonist -- except that this story is true. It's by far the most interesting story in this book and worth the price I paid for it.
The other pieces are of varying depths and therefore of varying appeal. The text is written in London slang, some of which I got from context and some of which I had to let pass. Even after reading the chapter on mini-cab drivers, I'm still not sure how they differ from black cab drivers. The chapters that shine are the ones where the author spends time with his subjects long enough to individualize them, like the barger on the Thames and the urban fox-hunter.
There are snide comments made repeatedly about the ravers and other partiers of the London night, but apparently our author couldn't find any to hang out with, because they remain shadowy shallow caricatures. There is also a serious lack of women in the book, for whatever reason. One would expect there are many working through the London night, even in legitimate jobs.
I don't know if this book is available electronically, but that might be a better way to read it, so that you don't have it taking up shelf-space afterward.(less)
I've been curious how many of the old Spanish missions still have their original graveyards. This book provided some guidance through its photographs...moreI've been curious how many of the old Spanish missions still have their original graveyards. This book provided some guidance through its photographs (because, let's face it, old graves are picturesque), but for the most part, the graveyards didn't rate much mention in the text. My search will have to continue.
That said, the photographs in this book are really lovely. They capture the interiors of the old churches and the details of their decorations. Sunlight paints the rooms. Outside, the skies are always the luminous Californian blue. Flowers nod and trees drowse and things seem very peaceful. Where appropriate, the museums or recreated cells of the padres are staged as carefully as a photo shoot. This book, whether a spur to exploring California's Spanish -- and Mexican -- history or as a souvenir after such a trip, is beautiful to page through.
It falls down in the text, unfortunately, The same details are repeated over and over: the fathers select the mission site. The natives help build a church. It floods. There's an earthquake or a fire. The soldiers molest the natives. There's an uprising. Spain hands the missions over to Mexico, who doesn't want the bother. The missions are sold, then mistreated, then almost destroyed. Rinse, repeat. There's really little point in reading the whole book cover to cover, as I did, because the story is the same every time.
I would have liked to know more about the native tribes and what they lost. I would have liked to know more about daily life in the missions. I would have liked to know more about those mission churchyards and who is buried there. Who marked their graves and why? How many forgotten Native Americans lie there and what's been done to perpetuate their memory?
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