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July 16
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Nitya
gave
 
to:
The Inner Circle (Hardcover)
by T.C. Boyle
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in July, 2008, has a copy to sell/swap
Nitya said:
" This is essentially the story of Professor Kinsey, the famous sex researcher, as told by a young man, who in the late 1930's takes Professor Kinsey's class in college, gets interviewed by him for his now famous sex study, and ends up working alongs...more
This is essentially the story of Professor Kinsey, the famous sex researcher, as told by a young man, who in the late 1930's takes Professor Kinsey's class in college, gets interviewed by him for his now famous sex study, and ends up working alongside Kinsey in his research of human sexuality. The inner circle consists of Prok (Professor Kinsey), his wife, Mac, and the young men who join him in his research, as well as their wives.
I really want to know how much of this book is based on fact. Prok was way ahead of his time, with his beliefs that human sexuality is a natural instinct, and that nothing humans do together, consensually, is immoral or wrong.
Prok was highly sexed, and he practiced what he preached, sharing his wife with the men in his inner circle. He was obsessed with his work, and expected those who worked for him to be equally dedicated. I had never given much thought to Kinsey's work, before.I haven't seen the movie based on his life-yet. After reading this, I realized how backward and repressed our culture was, and of course, to some extent, still is. Kinsey looked at human sexuality like one would look at microbiology. That is to say,as a biological response to stimulation. He played an important part in taking sex out of the stiff Puritanical, for procreation, and better not enjoy it role, instead proclaiming to the masses that sex of all kinds is natural, healthy, and for our pleasure. What a concept!
The book is highly sexed, like Prok, and it raises the questions of non-monogamy, and stimulates the reader to examine her/his own beliefs about sexuality. ...less
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June 27
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New comment on Feral's review of
The Inner Circle
(see all 2 comments)
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New comment on Caleb's review of
Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates
(see all 2 comments)
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Nitya
read and liked
Caleb's
review of Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates:
"Tom Robbins pays a peculiar type of homage to American ideals and Christian philosophy throughout the hilariously verbose and seriously playful criticism that fill the pages of this adventure. Our story follows the ramblings of a wheel-chaired man na...more
Tom Robbins pays a peculiar type of homage to American ideals and Christian philosophy throughout the hilariously verbose and seriously playful criticism that fill the pages of this adventure. Our story follows the ramblings of a wheel-chaired man named Switters. Ex-CIA, brilliant linguist and, above all else, lover of innocence, Switters is a real to life, heroic non-believer. Rooted in Buddhist sentimental pragmatism, he transcends struggles with his wholesome and psychotic laughter, demonstrating the power of consciousness while skipping all the neurotic messes of the mind through a simple and passionate commitment to wine and women (life). Traveling the world in a wheelchair, Switters encounters all sorts of outrageous characters. It is fun to ride along, taking in all the different ideas. ...less
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June 23
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Nitya
gave
to:
The Master Butchers Singing Club (P.S.)
by Louise Erdrich
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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read in June, 2008, has a copy to sell/swap
Nitya said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
The story intertwines with a woman named Delphine, a farm girl with muscles on her abdomen that can support a table, six chairs, and her adroitly gymnastic love, Cyprian, as they go town to town making money with their show.
Delphine is one reason I kept reading the book... She's a strong woman, and I liked her immediately. There's a great scene where she discovers the man she loves having wild sex with another man. How she handles such disappointment slayed me.
That said, the book got a little blogged down with an unnessary side story that I thought would pan out but never did. Or maybe I just wanted to read about Delphone and when the story meandered away from her, I grew restless.
I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could, and would recommend it. But like many books, they fail to live up to their initial promise....less
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June 01
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Nitya
marked as to-read:
The Inheritance of Loss (Paperback)
by Kiran Desai
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Nitya
marked as to-read:
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time (Paperback)
by Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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May 29
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New comment on Nitya's review of
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
(see all 3 comments)
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May 27
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Nitya
gave
to:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Paperback)
by Michael Chabon
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Nitya said:
" Just finished this 600+pages long story about two cousins, one from Prague, who escapes the Nazis but leaves behind his family, and the other from Brooklyn. They develop an idea for a new comic book hero called The Escapist, who fights a Hitler-like...more
Just finished this 600+pages long story about two cousins, one from Prague, who escapes the Nazis but leaves behind his family, and the other from Brooklyn. They develop an idea for a new comic book hero called The Escapist, who fights a Hitler-like bad guy in every issue.
Joe, from Prague, went to art school, Sammy, the Brooklyn cousin, supplies the story lines. They become quite successful, and Joe saves money to bring his family over. Joe is also trained in Houdini like escapes and is an excellent magician.
Joe falls deeply in love with an artist, Rosa, who is mad about him. But he cannot get beyond his desire to do something to fight the Germans, cannot accept happiness while his family is still stuck in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia.
I like Chabon's writing, his imagination, his details of the times period of WWII. I loved the characters, and found this a wonderful weaving of story lines. There's a side story about being queer in the 1940's, which I rather enjoyed. I always like to see/read about life outside the hetero box.
I learned a bit about Houdini through reading this, and a lot about the beginnings of comic books and superheroes. Not exactly my areas of interest, but my second cousin, Gene Colan, is a legend in the comic book field. Perhaps because of him, I found myself intrigued by the whole comic book/superhero stuff.
I read this because Michael Chabon won the Pulitzer Prize for it, and I've read some of writings in The New Yorker. Not my favorite novel of late, but definitely good, and most enjoyed. ...less
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