Chris
read and liked
Kerry's
review of Generation Kill:
"Dear Penthouse,
I never thought I'd actually read (or like) a book by one of your former writers. However, I found Generation Kill to be both alarming and humorous at the same time... "
"Dear Penthouse,
I never thought I'd actually read (or like) a book by one of your former writers. However, I found Generation Kill to be both alarming and humorous at the same time... "
As an avid reader of Neal Stepheson's oeuvre, I nonetheless approached his latest work, Anathem with some trepidation. I blame the cover artwork for this, with the imagery of the hooded monastic and annalemma. My anxiety was misplaced. Stephenson has given us a work of spectacular breadth. Anathem is an action-packed speculative treatise that deftly weaves a wide-ranging discourse on human philosophy into an action story about a world turned upside-down by unpredictable events.
I found Anathem impossible to put down until I finished it. It is a complete novel, and for once, Stephenson has given us a proper ending. Perhaps his editor leaned on him to give the reader some proper closure, but I was surprised at how satisfying it was. This is Stephenson's finest work to date. If you enjoyed ANY of his previous novels, Anathem will not disappoint you. ]]>
by Neal Stephenson
This was the first Stephenson book I read, and while I really enjoyed it, his later works are far superior. Heartily recommend the Diamond Age (again, future-dystopic, but even more imaginative and thought-provoking.) But for my money the Cryptonomicon/Baroque Cycle are the superior novels. ]]>
This book was so engaging that I read it in one sitting. The writing style and vernacular were very much in the postwar mien... and hilarious! The only reason I gave it four stars instead of five was that the book synopsis led me to believe there would be more tales of an operational nature, whereas the book was largely the story of the O.S.S. training/waiting regimen of the author. Still, I highly enjoyed the book. ]]>
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by John Kennedy Toole
I've put this book down for over a month, and I'm not sure I'm going to bother finishing it. For a book that comes so highly recommended, I'm not really enjoying it on the basis of recommendation: the hilarity is not ensuing. Perhaps I need to go back and finish it and see if it ends funny, at least. ]]>
I heartily enjoyed this book, but I think it has limited appeal to the general public.
First, I'm a raving Monty Python fan. I have a rough knowledge of the order of events in the Python history, and the members of the troupe.
Second, I'm a big fan of Michael Palin in general. I've seen many of his travelogues and I'm generally not disappointed by his output.
Third, I generally enjoy reading diaries.
Here are some items I found to be engaging reading in the book (in no particular order):
-English Celebrities of the 70's (George Harrison and Keith Moon appear in many entries.)
-The state of England in the 70's. (IRA bombings, electricity rationing, extraordinarily high taxes.)
-The goings-on of the various Monty Python members, families and hangers-on.
-The decline and death of Palin's father. I didn't so much enjoy this part, as much as I was touched by Palin's treatment of the events in diary form.
So, I enjoyed this book based mostly on the above criteria. But, I think that the people who are not huge Monty Python fans won't probably enjoy it as much, therefore -1 star on my rating.
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bookshelves: to-read
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bookshelves: currently-reading
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