I'm a lot bigger of a fan of Dickens in my head than I am in reality, it seems. While this novel is much shorter than the average Dickens tome, it stiI'm a lot bigger of a fan of Dickens in my head than I am in reality, it seems. While this novel is much shorter than the average Dickens tome, it still felt heavy and overly long. (This from the girl who pluckily trudged through Bleak House.) Apparently utilitarianism was a strong enough movement at the time that Dickens felt the need to address it...thoroughly. So many of Dickens' characters in this book feel like the written equivalent of nails on a blackboard. That didn't bother me a bit when I was younger, for some reason, but I suppose there's enough irritation in daily adult life now that I have less patience for it in fiction. Still, in the end I was glad I had read it; the Dickens spell may have been weakened of late, but it's still in effect. ...more
I love the story of Beowulf, and Tolkien's translation was lovely. But the real treasure in this book is the commentary, taken from Tolkien's lectureI love the story of Beowulf, and Tolkien's translation was lovely. But the real treasure in this book is the commentary, taken from Tolkien's lecture notes from when he was teaching Beowulf at Oxford. (English majors back then had it rough; I most definitely did NOT have to do my own translation of sections of Beowulf from Old English into modern English as part of my degree!) Tolkien's level of expertise in Old English is frankly amazing, and I savored learning about the intricacies of Old English translation and grammar. He is understandably confident in his abilities and has no problem contesting the commonly held translations already in existence if he feels it's justified. Fascinating stuff! Loved the additional manuscripts in the back as well....more
Reading Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, Jr. (originally published under the penname Don A. Stuart) was a phenomenal experience. This story is claReading Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell, Jr. (originally published under the penname Don A. Stuart) was a phenomenal experience. This story is classic scifi, written by the man who single-handedly shaped science fiction through the magazines he published. A whole slew of classic scifi writers got their start by selling their short stories to Campbell. Not only was Campbell a good judge of writing, though–the man was an exceptional writer himself. Who Goes There? grabs you by the throat from the very beginning and doesn’t let you go. It’s almost more horror than scifi; Campbell crafts the sense of panic so effectively. If you’re a fan of scifi at all, be sure to check this one out....more
Steinbeck, Steinbeck, Steinbeck. How I love you. You had me at the Shakespeare reference. I read that Steinbeck wrote this book to address the moral dSteinbeck, Steinbeck, Steinbeck. How I love you. You had me at the Shakespeare reference. I read that Steinbeck wrote this book to address the moral degeneration of American culture in the 50s/60s, and that makes sense, in retrospect. It's a morality tale, but oh, such a good one--no preachiness here. This was Steinbeck's last complete novel (his Arthurian book was unfinished and published posthumously), and a good note to end on. It's smaller in scope (necessarily) than Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden, but that works exceedingly well. The story is much more intimate, the characters less symbolic and more personal. I loved it....more
So say you like scifi and have a bit of a thing for dystopias. But say you also love medieval history with large doses of Latin thrown in for good meaSo say you like scifi and have a bit of a thing for dystopias. But say you also love medieval history with large doses of Latin thrown in for good measure. Then have I got the book for you (and me). A Canticle for Leibowitz manages to provide all of the above, all wrapped up in a dismally bleak, frequently heart-wrenching, but somehow hopeful and endearing package. The novel began its life as three shorter stories, inspired in part by Miller's experiences as part of a WWII bomber crew that helped to destroy the monastery at Monte Cassino in Italy (which happens to be where my grandfather fought during his WWII service). I get the feeling (one of my favorites) that there is so much more to be discovered in this book; subtle symbolism and intricate references abound, and a re-read will one day be required. ...more
I wasn’t sure about the idea. My beloved Beowulf as a comic book? I’m not keen on such blasphemy. But wow, this story is actually PERFECT as a comic bI wasn’t sure about the idea. My beloved Beowulf as a comic book? I’m not keen on such blasphemy. But wow, this story is actually PERFECT as a comic book, particularly when you think about how this story would have been the oral tradition’s version of an action movie. Very well-adapted, with some excellent artwork....more
If you've never seen The Hedgehog in the Fog, do yourself a favor and remedy that right now. Then go find this book and read it. While the translationIf you've never seen The Hedgehog in the Fog, do yourself a favor and remedy that right now. Then go find this book and read it. While the translation is a little different from the film, it's still perfectly delightful, and the artwork is comparable....more
I somehow made it through high school without having read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; I’ve finally filled in that particular gap in my reading. A coworkI somehow made it through high school without having read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; I’ve finally filled in that particular gap in my reading. A coworker loaned me a copy, well-loved with all the best parts highlighted. I fell in love instantly. I’d say it’s a shame I hadn’t read it sooner, but I think maybe I ran across this one at just the right time. The book is beautifully done, and I feel like I’ve met an old friend for the first time....more
I read Pudd’n'head Wilson on the plane to Indianapolis. I don’t know what I was expecting–nothing specifically, I guess, since I didn’t know anythingI read Pudd’n'head Wilson on the plane to Indianapolis. I don’t know what I was expecting–nothing specifically, I guess, since I didn’t know anything about the storyline–but I was surprised anyway. While funny in parts and a detective story in parts, in the main it’s just tragic. The novel paints racism in a negative light at the same time that it reinforces some aspects. I was left thoughtful and slightly uncomfortable, which was probably Twain’s intent....more
I always think I should like Twain more than I do. Roughing It came very highly recommended, and I realize my reading circumstances were less than ideI always think I should like Twain more than I do. Roughing It came very highly recommended, and I realize my reading circumstances were less than ideal which should probably excuse some of the things I disliked about the book. It should've been exciting! I should've been enthralled by Twain's pseudo-autobiographical tales! But alas, I was not. I came away feeling the book was overly long and dull. Particularly the end. Hawaii? What?...more
One Hundred Years of Solitude had been on my to-read shelf for months, so I finally dove in. I have to say, I was disappointed. I’d heard it held up aOne Hundred Years of Solitude had been on my to-read shelf for months, so I finally dove in. I have to say, I was disappointed. I’d heard it held up as this pinnacle of classic literature, worthy of being re-read every few years, and I just barely made it through once. I can’t even blame translation issues, since it wasn’t the wording or style that bothered me--that was admittedly good--it was the plot and characterization. I’m not a massive fan of magical realism anyway, so perhaps that colored my interpretation of the book, but that bias had nothing to do with the fatalistic view of life and morality that the book seems to endorse, as though the characters are doomed to commit certain sins, often repeated generationally. I find that theologically distasteful and inaccurate, but also literarily pretty dull. If you’re trying to shock me, Marquez, you would do well to mix it up a bit. By the time the novel meandered to its end (? I guess?), I was heartily ready to be done with the whole town and the Buendia family....more
I’ve been reading Absalom, Absalom by Faulkner for approximately an eternity. The book is good, one of the best works of his that I’ve read so far, buI’ve been reading Absalom, Absalom by Faulkner for approximately an eternity. The book is good, one of the best works of his that I’ve read so far, but I’ve just been too busy to make much headway. This reminds me much more of The Unvanquished (one of my favorite Faulkner books) and less of The Sound and the Fury or Go Down, Moses (both of which I disliked, partly due to their seemingly intentional obfuscation). Rampant overuse of the word “repudiate” aside (seriously—it’s Faulkner’s favorite word), I can see the value to this one, and the story line, while still a little confusing, is fairly coherent and easy to follow by comparison.
I finally finished up Absalom, Absalom after a short forever. Despite my exceedingly leisurely reading pace, in the end I have to confess that I actually really enjoyed the book. Faulkner did a masterful job of revealing information gradually, and each new revelation was an eye-widening, this-changes-everything realization, conveyed in a matter of fact tone that makes the reader question whether she interpreted the earth-shattering sentence correctly. Every time I thought I understood what was happening, there turned out to be another layer of the story yet to discover. Well done. Word of warning, though: my edition had a timeline at the end of the book that gave away everything in the dullest and most prosaic way possible. I glanced at the last page of the text to see how many pages I had left to go and accidentally saw a spoiler I wish I hadn't encountered at that stage. Don't look at the end!...more
I've been reading A Passage to India for what feels like my entire life. I blithely packed a slew of books for my Richmond trip, thinking that I wouldI've been reading A Passage to India for what feels like my entire life. I blithely packed a slew of books for my Richmond trip, thinking that I would have downtime to read, and then I didn’t even have a chance to crack a book open once during the whole week. What I’ve managed to read of Passage so far (which isn’t even half of it) has been intriguing. The book is a good look at India and British Imperialism during the 1920s, and I’m enjoying the perspective on Indian culture, so different from our own. I’ll attempt to come up with something more intelligent to say about the book after finishing it, if I ever manage to do so.
Update: I finished the book at last, and overall I did enjoy it…but I was plagued by the feeling that it could have been better. Forster’s characters are symbols, and as such their individual actions as characters don’t always make sense. He tackles very large themes and reduces them to relationships between individuals, which seems like it could work–but it seemed to fall a little flat. I’ll be seeing the movie soon, I think, and the trailer already makes Miss Quested look ten times more interesting than she was in the book. In the novel, there’s a line something to the effect that the issues Miss Quested brought to the fore were so much larger than she herself, people tended to forget about her as a person. Sums up the whole book, pretty much....more
Whew, this one was a slog. This was due in part to my schedule at the time that I was reading it, but even so, I don't think this warrants Fitzgerald'Whew, this one was a slog. This was due in part to my schedule at the time that I was reading it, but even so, I don't think this warrants Fitzgerald's comment, "I'd rather have written Nostromo than any other novel." The character of Nostromo is fascinating--but we get so, so little of him in the book. While I could recognize Conrad's talent in this work, I could not bring myself to rate it higher than three stars due to the laborious, dead-horse-beating nature of the book. I strongly preferred Lord Jim (or even Heart of Darkness)....more
I reread As You Like It in preparation for seeing the play, since it had been a quite a few years since I last sauntered through the forest of Arden.I reread As You Like It in preparation for seeing the play, since it had been a quite a few years since I last sauntered through the forest of Arden. What a fun comedy! I appreciate Shakes’ wit more and more all the time....more
My review of 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke should be prefaced by the statement that I did see the movie, but I was a little kid at the timMy review of 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke should be prefaced by the statement that I did see the movie, but I was a little kid at the time. My recollection is hazy, but I do recall tremendous amounts of nothing happening (albeit very beautifully) for long periods of time. I need to rewatch it now, I think. The book is very similar to the movie in that nothing persists in happening for long stretches. Before reading 2001, I felt rather ambivalently towards Clarke in general. The only other book I've read by him was Dolphin Island, which was rife with exclamation point overuse and abuse. 2001 didn't suffer from that, fortunately, though it was incredibly slow-moving to the point of being dull. At the same time, I can see why it stands as a scifi classic. A lot of the premises seem worn now, but only because 2001 was among the first to use them and everyone else since has copied the ideas. There was a lot of good stuff in 2001, and it's encouraging me to rethink my opinions of Clarke....more
I picked up a copy of Eight Cousins for free somewhere along the line in the past year, and since it’s been ages since I read any Alcott, I thought I’I picked up a copy of Eight Cousins for free somewhere along the line in the past year, and since it’s been ages since I read any Alcott, I thought I’d give it a whirl. I remember now why I both like and am annoyed by Alcott. Her stories are cute and whimsical and her characters get into fun adventures, which is all very enjoyable and reminds me somewhat of L.M. Montgomery. But her girls are entirely too sweet and timid to be believable. The heroine of this one is rotting my teeth, and I can almost guarantee no thirteen-year-old was ever this much of a shrinking violet, regardless of time period. As long as I don’t think about the character stereotypes too hard, though, the novel is a pleasant experience....more
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