|
July 22
|
|
Benjamin
gave
 
to:
The Nine Tailors (Paperback)
by Dorothy L. Sayers
bookshelves:
fiction
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
recommended for: People interested in English churches
read in July, 2008
Benjamin said:
" I picked this one up because the adult education group at my Church read it before its June meeting. I could not make the meeting, but decided that I would read it anyway. This is a classic English detective novel; it takes place in a small town i...more
I picked this one up because the adult education group at my Church read it before its June meeting. I could not make the meeting, but decided that I would read it anyway. This is a classic English detective novel; it takes place in a small town in the country, the detective comes to town by chance and a dead body shows up (sort of), and we discover the dark secrets that are kept by the villagers. However, given that it was written by Sayers, I would say that there is more to this book than just the mystery. The reader is asked to determine if solving a mystery is really worth it, if it causes more pain and strife than the murder itself. Overall, an entertaining read, and I wish I had been able to make the meeting.
As I am sure some other reviewers have noted, change ringing plays a role in the book. It is more of an underlying setting, so knowledge of change ringing is not necessary to enjoy the book. I have none, and I was able to move past it. I suggest reading the first chapter or two, and then reading the change ringing article on Wikipedia, and watching some videos of people change ringing on YouTube. That will give you all the background you need to understand what is going on.
...less
"
|
|
July 01
|
|
Benjamin
gave
to:
Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin (Paperback)
by Maurice LeBlanc
bookshelves:
fiction
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
recommended for: People who like a good heist story
read in July, 2008
Benjamin said:
" I am sure that I had to read an Arsene Lupin story at some point in my 9 years of French classes. I do know that we read a good number of short stories. I also know that it was a very rare instance when I actually caught the surprise by the end of...more
I am sure that I had to read an Arsene Lupin story at some point in my 9 years of French classes. I do know that we read a good number of short stories. I also know that it was a very rare instance when I actually caught the surprise by the end of the story. The French seem to have a particular talent for throwing in a twist in the end of a story that is so bizarre and funny that if you are unsure of your vocabulary, you can never catch, because what you are reading just doesn’t fit with what you thought was happening.
That is exactly the type of stories contained in this volume, except this time, they are translated into English, so a reader will be able to catch what is going on. The stories are about Arsene Lupin, a psychologically calculating burglar who lives in turn of the century Paris, and terrorizes the rich for his own sport and financial gain. Each of these stories has a twist. Usually, it is based on the fact that the speaker does not tell us who Arsene Lupin is (he is usually in disguise) until well into the story. In a few instances, you are most of the way through the story before you discover that the speaker is Arsene Lupin, rather than the usual narrator. The stories always had at least one surprise that made me laugh out loud, and they never seem contrived.
The back of the volume says that Lupin is often called “the French counterpart to Conan Doyle’s creation Sherlock Holmes.” I would agree with that, with a significant qualifier. Lupin is the Holmes of “A Scandal in Bohemia,” rather than the Holmes of some of the other stories. He depends less on observation than playing on the psychology of his victims. Lupin uses the mind and imagination of others to pull off his stunts. Thus, he is more like Holmes trying to get into the safe with the scandalous information than Holmes trying to solve an impossible murder case. Given that “A Scandal in Bohemia” is the best of the Holmes short stories (and in my opinion the second best of the entire Holmes cannon, after “The Sign of the Four,”) I would say that my qualification is a complement to Leblanc.
The stories are short enough to make for good bedtime reading when you are tired need to unwind for about a half an hour. I highly recommend this story to anyone who likes a good heist story.
...less
"
|
|
May 26
|
|
Benjamin
gave
to:
Saint Thomas Aquinas: The Dumb Ox (Paperback)
by G.K. Chesterton
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
read in May, 2008
Benjamin said:
"This was one of those books that sat on my shelf for two years before I finally picked it up. Once I actually started it, I could not put it down. This is a fantastic introduction to the philosophy of St. Thomas. If you never got around to taking ...more
This was one of those books that sat on my shelf for two years before I finally picked it up. Once I actually started it, I could not put it down. This is a fantastic introduction to the philosophy of St. Thomas. If you never got around to taking a medieval philosophy class in undergrad, or if (like me) everything you know about St. Thomas' philosophy comes from reading Dante, here is your chance to catch up. Chesterton was writing for his era, but based on all of the science v. religion talk we see in the media today, the book is still very relevant. While it may be a little dense for beach reading, I managed to get through it on the bus to and from a week-long bar exam prep class, so the fact that you do not have infinite intellectual energy to dedicate to the book should not dissuade you from reading it....less
"
|
|
April 15
|
|
Benjamin
gave
to:
Flashman (The Flashman Papers)
by George MacDonald Fraser
bookshelves:
fiction
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
recommended for: History Fans
read in April, 2008
Benjamin said:
"For some reason, I read the last Flashman first, and then got to the first one (it had to do with the order that I found the books at the bookstore). It was an interesting mistake, because as I read the first book in the series, I gained a greater a...more
For some reason, I read the last Flashman first, and then got to the first one (it had to do with the order that I found the books at the bookstore). It was an interesting mistake, because as I read the first book in the series, I gained a greater appreciation of what these books were like when the idea was fresh. “Flashman on the March,” I now realize, was kind of formulaic. In the first Flashman, Frasier was not depending on an old formula (Flashman finds himself in new Imperial front, makes it with a native, gets captured and is almost killed through some hideous torture, escapes and makes it with some more natives, gets caught again, escapes again, shows up just at the right time for everyone to think that he is a hero). Sure, that all happens in this book, but it hasn’t happened ten times before, so there is some real tension. Plus, we get to see Flashman for what he really is, which is a rotten but honest (to us) person, and see him develop. By the time he reaches Abyssinia at the end of the series, he is nothing more than a stock character that has the same terrible things happen to him over and over again, without any further development. I suggest you start with this one, and then move on, but I suspect that they will not be as good as the series goes on. ...less
"
|
|
March 24
|
|
Benjamin
added a quote:
"I like to eat crawfish and drink beer. That's despair?"
— Walker Percy
|
|
March 23
|
|
Benjamin
gave
to:
The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life (Paperback)
by Tom Reiss
bookshelves:
nonfiction
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
recommended for: History buffs
read in September, 2006
Benjamin said:
"I have fond memories of sitting on my front porch on warm August and September evenings in Denver, reading this book and sipping vodka tonics. This book was absolutely fantastic. If you are interested in 20th century history or the Caucasus at all,...more
I have fond memories of sitting on my front porch on warm August and September evenings in Denver, reading this book and sipping vodka tonics. This book was absolutely fantastic. If you are interested in 20th century history or the Caucasus at all, you must read this book. It was a fascinating look at one of the many "nationless" people of the 20th century, people that got run out of Russia (or here, Azerbaijan) after the martyrdom of the Czar, and had no place to go. This is one of those non-fiction books that you have a hard time believing can be non-fiction, because the plot is just too good to be true. Worth reading....less
"
|
|
March 21
|
|
Benjamin
gave
to:
Allen & Mike's Really Cool Telemark Tips (Paperback)
by Allen O'Bannon
bookshelves:
how-to
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
recommended for: Free-Heelers of any level
read in December, 2003
Benjamin said:
"I had an instructor at a one-day tele clinic recommend this book, and I have to say that it is worth the purchase price. It is especially helpful if you are a visual learner. Anyone trying to learn how to telemark should own a copy. The cartoons a...more
I had an instructor at a one-day tele clinic recommend this book, and I have to say that it is worth the purchase price. It is especially helpful if you are a visual learner. Anyone trying to learn how to telemark should own a copy. The cartoons and the flip book are very helpful, and the visuals that they give you for the hill are easy to remember. This book is valuable enough that you will bring it with you in the car every time you hit the slopes, and go over a lesson with your sandwich at lunch....less
"
|
|
March 20
|
|
Benjamin
is currently reading:
Hamlet in Purgatory (Paperback)
by Stephen Greenblatt
bookshelves:
currently-reading
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
|
|
Benjamin
gave
to:
English Passengers: A Novel (Paperback)
by Matthew Kneale
bookshelves:
fiction
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
recommended to Benjamin by:
Matthew
read in February, 2008
Benjamin said:
"I really enjoyed this book. Then, any book about 19th century Manx smugglers sailing to Tasmania would be right up my alley. Highly recommended to folks who enjoy Victorian-era adventure stories.
"
|
|
February 16
|
|
Benjamin
gave
to:
The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World (Paperback)
by A.J. Jacobs
bookshelves:
nonfiction
|
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
|
| |
read in August, 2007
Benjamin said:
"I really enjoyed reading this book. First, I am a fact hound, and I could identify with the author. Jacobs does a good job of mixing bizarre facts and stories about his life, which make the book flow. You actually care about the guy by the end. J...more
I really enjoyed reading this book. First, I am a fact hound, and I could identify with the author. Jacobs does a good job of mixing bizarre facts and stories about his life, which make the book flow. You actually care about the guy by the end. Jacobs also uses the book to look into what constitutes intelligence, which is quite interesting. I did have to role my eyes when Jacobs made fun of people who write “gimmick” books, specifically the guy who drove across the United States with Albert Einstein’s brain. If writing about reading the entire encyclopedia isn’t a gimmick, I don’t know what is. I guess it was a better one than the guy who wrote about hitchhiking across Ireland with a refrigerator, but really, you have no room to make fun of gimmick books in your own gimmick book. ...less
"
|
