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May 08
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Joshua
read and liked
Bostian's
review of The Green Futures of Tycho (Starscape):
"A childhood favorite. I'm now reading it together with my fiancee. We both have noticed several words in the text which seem to be of a vocabulary level well above 3rd/4th grade. It's still compelling, after all these years, for me to read.
We ...more
A childhood favorite. I'm now reading it together with my fiancee. We both have noticed several words in the text which seem to be of a vocabulary level well above 3rd/4th grade. It's still compelling, after all these years, for me to read.
We actually have a copy of the first edition hardcover from the Peoria Public Library. Still in great shape after more than two decades (stamped 1982 as a new library purchase), so I supose it hasn't seen much circulation. I love those books which have been sitting on the shelves for so many years, waiting to be rediscovered.
Ended up reading most of this book out loud....less
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May 04
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Joshua
gave
to:
Meditations (Penguin Classics)
by Marcus Aurelius
bookshelves:
spirituality
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in January, 2007
Joshua said:
"The original self-help guide from 1900 years ago. This is really dealing with the basics of living a spiritual life. He doesn't sugar-coat anything, he tells you to have fun and prepare yourself to die tomorrow. I read about one paragraph a week -- t...more
The original self-help guide from 1900 years ago. This is really dealing with the basics of living a spiritual life. He doesn't sugar-coat anything, he tells you to have fun and prepare yourself to die tomorrow. I read about one paragraph a week -- that's about all I can absorb. You'd never know this guy was a general in the Roman army, you'd think this was published last year.
Do check out the awesome Penguin Great Ideas edition with the letterpress printing! This whole series is great. I hope to post about the John Ruskin book I have from the series, soon....less
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May 03
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Joshua
gave
to:
Geometry of Design: Studies in Proportion and Composition (Paperback)
by Kimberly Elam
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Joshua said:
"Another great from Princeton Architectural Press. Makes proportion in design dead simple, and doesn't expect visual people to learn via math equations. Just show me, and I'll get it. And I did.
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Joshua
gave
to:
Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students (Design Briefs)
by Ellen Lupton
bookshelves:
graphic-design
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in January, 2005
Joshua said:
"My go-to book when I need to brush up on the basics of typography. Period.
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Joshua
gave
to:
Beowulf: A New Verse Translation (Paperback)
by Anonymous, Seamus Heaney
bookshelves:
poetry
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in May, 2003
Joshua said:
" Can't really say enough about this one. This short epic is too big for it's pages. The way the narrative folds, twists, and forks, it just can't be described, it has to be read. Well, I've re-read it 8 or 10 times now, and it just keeps getting bet...more
Can't really say enough about this one. This short epic is too big for it's pages. The way the narrative folds, twists, and forks, it just can't be described, it has to be read. Well, I've re-read it 8 or 10 times now, and it just keeps getting better and better. There's a reason this is one of the foundation works of Western literature. And Seamus Heaney was uniquely positioned to retranslate it, as he demonstrates in the short, pithy introduction.
This book can be described with those two words: Short, pithy.
Heaney's word choices are utterly precise and perfectly rhythmic. Much has already been written about this translation, and I doubt I can add much.
I enjoy my British Faber and Faber edition of the book, whose cover was done by the great design house, Pentagram. In the cover painting a bloody red light shines out from black field. Here's a link to the edition.
...less
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Joshua
gave
to:
Don't Shoot the Dog! (Paperback)
by Karen Pryor
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in May, 2008
Joshua said:
" Received a copy of this as a gift from a biologist friend to help me deal with my rabbit problems, but it's a great read. She believes in using positive reinforcement in every area of life, whether with a pet or a difficult roommate.
A year or...more
Received a copy of this as a gift from a biologist friend to help me deal with my rabbit problems, but it's a great read. She believes in using positive reinforcement in every area of life, whether with a pet or a difficult roommate.
A year or two ago when surfing the net I found a conservative excoriation of an article in the New York Times in which the author used positive reinforcement to train her husband. These bloggers seemed to be afraid their wives would learn something. Really, it involves training oneself as much as the dog or the other person.
Here's the NY Times article: What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage
Actually, turns out that this book isn't mentioned anywhere in the article. Still, I love this behavioral stuff.
Whenever I add a book to my shelf here at Goodreads, it says "You've now got three books!" or something like that. Nice positive reinforcement. I noticed I tend to want to post here, when I'm allergic to posting nearly anywhere else....less
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Joshua
gave
to:
The Art of Arts: Rediscovering Painting (Hardcover)
by Anita Albus
bookshelves:
art
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Joshua said:
" A dense slow read, this precisely written book brings together two of my favorite subjects: science and art, at a very basic level. A devotee of Erwin Panofsky, whom I'm not familiar with but would like to be, she gives a strong argument that art,...more
A dense slow read, this precisely written book brings together two of my favorite subjects: science and art, at a very basic level. A devotee of Erwin Panofsky, whom I'm not familiar with but would like to be, she gives a strong argument that art, separated from symbol, and, actually representation, is empty. Unfortunately, she has the problem we face in modern times: the ultimate relativity of the symbol in a world in which a work of art can be seen in Portland, Oregon today and in Japan tomorrow. How can these symbols ultimately signify anything universally?
Still, I liked the way she discussed symbols, and it made me take another look at the symbols that are important to me.
This review doesn't really do the book justice, there's a great deal of sharp insight here, and it was worth the patience it took to draw it out....less
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April 23
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Joshua
gave
to:
The Emperor of Ocean Park (Paperback)
by Stephen L. Carter
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended for: Chess players
read in January, 2008
Joshua said:
"I found this book abandoned at a villa in Mexico. It was a great read in the beginning. Being a lower-middle-class caucasian, it was a fascinating look into another world. But really it was the main character I enjoyed the most. Enjoyed isn't the rig...more
I found this book abandoned at a villa in Mexico. It was a great read in the beginning. Being a lower-middle-class caucasian, it was a fascinating look into another world. But really it was the main character I enjoyed the most. Enjoyed isn't the right word. I guess I could say I recognized him.
The family dynamics and the protagonist's faults were well-observed. When the author turned to plot machinations in the end instead of a character-based resolution, I lost most of my interest. I finished it, but was disappointed in the standard conspiracy-theory ending.
...less
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