Metaphors We Live By

Metaphors We Live By

George Lakoff & Mark Johnson. University of Chicago: 1980.

A fascinating study on metaphors. This is the kind of linguistics I like because by studying the language, you can get to philosophical 'truths.'

The authors use many examples of metaphors, such as LOVE IS WAR or IDEAS ARE FOOD, giving specific instances of each over-arching metaphor. But they are primarily concerned with our use of metaphors as concepts - if we use the LOVE IS WAR metaphor, our reality is different than someone who uses the LOVE IS A JOURNEY metaphor.

The most interesting thing (a tangent, really) about their theory is the realization that within these conceptual metaphors, such as ARGUMENT IS A BUILDING, are unused specific metaphors, such as "his argument had many small rooms", that can still be understood. Attention, all poets!

The book, although not very interestingly written, contains some great content. A definite keeper to re-read if I ever find myself becoming too settled in my thoughts.

The Exploration of Space

The Exploration of Space

Arthur C. Clarke. Harper: 1951.

A non-fiction book by Clarke endowed with the same optimism inherent in most science fiction. He is not only sure that space exploration is possible with current technology (true), but that it will be a Great Endeavour that all humankind will rally behind (not yet true).

Imagine being a SF writer on the cusp of space exploration, though! It's amazing how much we knew about space travel in 1951 -- as if we just lacked the money, courage, or inspiration to do it.

Many of Clarke's predictions have come true - and although they may be obvious to us today, they may not have been half a century ago. The International Space Station is in orbit, though it is behind Clarke's time table. Just for fun (probably), he brings up some interesting points about alien life-forms at the end.

John MacNab

John MacNab

John Buchan. Wordsworth Classics: 1986.

A fairly short but entertaining adventure/mystery about three men, bored with respectable life, who go to the country and challenge their neighbors that "John MacNab" will poach an animal from their estate during a given time period of three days.

Of course, there are minor subplots, and some fun characters, but the bulk of the story is the planning and execution of the stunts. It has the same intellectual stratagem of a mystery, the excitement of a suspense novel, and a LOT of Scottish colloquialisms.

Yes, this is fun, but the former English major in me cannot resist seeing the Christian Trinity in the MacNab three-in-one persona: father (loss of innocence plot), son (fish miracle plot), and Holy Ghost (power of love plot.)

Bully for Brontosaurus

Bully for Brontosaurus

Steven Jay Gould. Norton: 1991.

A collection of essays for the popular/ist scientist. One reason for his success as a popular writer is that he is a great storyteller. He can also truly explain complex ideas in an accessible manner. However, his success has created a noticeable ego, his Harvard professorship a certain supercilliousness, and his absolute faith in his ideas a little too-zealous evangelism.

His essays, however, which usually stay on the topic of the history of science, can be quite interesting (though occasionally not). He is always sure to bring out the moral of the story (and rest assured they always do have a moral - a sort of Aesop for undergrads.) The moral is usually: never belive in something too much because the inexorable progress of science may eventually disprove it. Yet, Gould is no more able to follow this advice than the rest of us. He does, however, readily admit to mistakes he has made in the past (better than most of the rest of us, perhaps?)

June 4, 2005

Cat's Eye

Margaret Atwood. Doubleday: 1989.

A dry and witty novel about a 50-ish artist looking back on her life. Atwood is at her best when describing the early childhood of Elaine: the innocence of the child clearly comes through. Abused by a childhood "best friend", the adult Elaine keeps thinking she'll run into her former tormenter Cordelia while she's back in Toronto for an art show.

Good enough to be a "modern classic": it is very good, and Atwood packs in the thematic subtext. Yet she pokes fun at all of this: Elaine's artwork, when seen from her perspective is largely autobiographical. However, when the art critics dissect her artwork -- lots of long words, high-falutin' stuff -- they do so much to Elaine's amusement. Just goes to show that 90% of criticism comes from the critic, not the work.

June 4, 2005

A Tale of Two Cities: The Mormons, The Catholics

William Taylor. Little Red Hen, 1980.

Written by a post-Vatican II Catholic with many Mormon relatives, this book compares and contrasts some of the beliefs and viewpoints of both religions. One of the main differences, according to the author, is that Mormons view the Bible and other texts as literally true, whereas Catholics view the Bible contextually. What this boils down to is that you can shoot holes in the Mormon claims, but the Catholic viewpoint is never nailed down because they can always hide behind the "mystery" of Catholicism.

The main LDS work cited is Mormon Doctrine which, of course, is not approved-by-the-church-doctrine. The entire two thousand year history of the Catholic church is ignored (unlike the 150-year history of the Mormon church), saying only that the Church has sinned, but that now they're a bunch of believers. A bit lopsided, I'd say.

June 4, 2005

A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies

Bartolome de las Casas. Penguin: 1992/1552.

Written by the "Friend of the Indians", Las Casas was the first & perhaps fiercest critic of the Conquest and Spanish colonization of America (though, I was later to find out, this opinion only developed later in his life. He was always, however, all for Spanish presence in America, for the purpose of instructing the natives in the Christian faith.)

His account rarely gives names of the conquistadors and usually stays away from gruesome details. His estimates of casualties are notoriously & grossly exaggerated in his favor. Overally, an interesting read in conjunction with other narratives. The book was widely read at the time and has greatly influenced Europeans' view of this period of history.

May 28, 2005

Fanny Hill

John Cleland. Wordsworth Classics: 1993/1748.

One of the early works of Western erotic literature, this novel, in two parts, follows the adventures of a country maid who goes to London and becomes a prostitute. Heavily idealized: she is always well paid, well treated, gets no diseases, never becomes pregnant. At the end, when she catches her man, she spouts off for a while about how much better it is with someone you love, and how much more pleasure is derived from Virtue rather than Vice: a questionable conclusion coming from someone (this applies to the author as well as the character) who so clearly relishes giving full detail to her life's erotic adventures.

Great line "me, whose natural philosophy all resided in the favourite centre of sense." Reminiscent of de Sade: reliance on the sense to develop a philosophy. Indeed, and perhaps some interesting conclusions may be drawn, this is the same groundwork of empirical science, which was blossoming roughly at this time; and both empiricism and eroticism were both heavily attacked by the Church.

May 28, 2005

Divine Rest for Human Restlessness

Samuele Bacchiocci. Biblical Perspectives: 1994.

Written by the first Seventh Day Adventist to graduate from some Catholic university in Italy, this is a poorly-written combination of historical research, SDA apologetics, and popular writing. He would have been better off (and the best parts of the book are) writing just the history of the Sabbath and Sunday worship. As it is, his clear slant and the odd philosophical questions he pops in the text weaken the strength of the research. I'd much rather see history written from as detached a perspective as possible. Or, if that is too hard to manage, I'd like to see some of the contrary viewpoints considered thoughtfully.

Overall, it is best to read the first chapter, and the last section "From Sabbath to Sunday" both of which are very interesting.

May 28, 2005

Vanity Fair

William Makepeace Thackeray.

A contemporary of Dickens, and Vanity Fair being his masterpiece, Thackeray displays an equal though not as subtle wit to Dickens, with similar social commentary running through both authors' works.

This is the tale of two women -- one is pure & good, the typical timid & meek woman, the other (the more engaging Becky) is poor and struggles constantly toward fame and fortune by lying and Machiavellian schemes. A very long novel, but reads quickly due to the interesting characters. Even though Becky is rarely portrayed doing anything good - and when she does, it is almost always for selfish reasons - the author clearly enjoys her character as much as the reader does. I am always rooting for her to achieve the success she longs for.

Well, eventually, she does in a way, and even makes a generous gesture towards Amelia, whom she had much abused in the past. Happy ending, fun reading with some truly great moments along the way.

2005 update (this was originally written in 2000): Glad this classic has been made into a popular movie & created a new generation of readers for the book!

May 23, 2005

Fanfan

Alexandre Jardin. St. Martin's Press.

A very amusing story which pokes fun at erotic literature and love stories a la "Romeo and Juliet. "

A young man finds himself vacillating wildly between his steady, down-to-earth fiancee, and the luscious Fanfan whom he has just met and mentally declared to be his one true love.

Instead of trying to get together with Fanfan, though, he wants to make their courtship last a lifetime and indefinitely postpone the first kiss, believing that once a relationship is established, it will inevitably grow stale.

Jardin makes use of multiple layers of fantasy on various characters' parts to expand the ever-growing absurdity of the plot.

The story has a happy ending when Alexandre's grandfather-figure tells him: "grow up."

May 23, 2005

Song of the Black Witch

Elizabeth Barr. Playboy: 1981.

Although surprising well-written for a gothic romance, this novel does not rise above its genre. Orphan girl, mysterious powers, young love, frigid wife, big house, every sex act gets someone pregnant, obstacles die, and couple are united.

It always frustrates me to see the characters in "historical" fiction judged by today's standards. The good guy is a sensitive liberal, and the bad guys are greedy conservatives. Why not acknowledge that people did have different values 150 years ago? This is what Angle of Repose did so well.

Nevertheless, Barr has drawn some very good minor characters, who do fit into the setting better, and who are of some interest.

May 23, 2005

Toxin

Robin Cook. Berkley: 1999.

Called by the AP a "heavyweight of a book" and the "most socially significant work" of Cook's, and recommended by my father as making him want to stop eating meat, this fluff of a novel centers around a jerk surgeon whose daughter dies from e coli. We're supposed to feel for him because he doesn't have the money to fix his 10-year old Mercedes, and the poor guy can't sell his Tudor house in the city.

This book must be loved by the meat industry. Instead of the plot line being created by a run-of-the-mill health hazard violation, this thing starts by two greedy backwards hicks and an evil corporation with a secret committee that kills people who ask too many questions. Thus, the story takes place in fantasy-land instead of the heart-land. We're left with the feeling of relief that any danger to/from our meat can only come from psychos, not from the way things really are.

The writing is atrocious, plot inane, characters flat. The only saving grace is the nice medical descriptions of the dying girl, as bad as that sounds.

May 5, 2005

Halo

Tom Maddox. Tor: 1991.

What in the world is this? Some strange mix of cyberpunk, pseudo-Eastern mysticism, and 60's hallucinogenic utopia. Plot revolves around an orbiting computer which controls a biosphere-opia. It wants to absorb the soul of a dying man so it can evolve to the next step of machine intelligence. Questions such as what does it mean to be intelligent or to have a soul are dealt with only in superficial ways - or buried in so much mumbo-jumbo as to be meaningless.

May 2, 2005

Mastodonia

Clifford D. Simak. Del Rey: 1978.

An alien possessing innate powers of time travel crash-lands (guess he's not as good at space-travel) on Earth one million years ago, only to be discovered by an archaeology professor who is then visited by his ex-girlfriend of 20 years ago who immediately sleeps with him. Fortunately for Asa, Rila has "business sense" and they work out schemes to make big money - all of which collapse when the alien Catface "evolves" into a higher life-form, but he fortunately leaves Asa with the time travel ability.

Simak may never be known for the quality of his writing or coherence of his plots, but at least he has been prolific.

I am always disappointed with time travel books that don't consider the consequences of, say, shooting a bunch of dinosaurs, but this did have an interesting little subplot about Christians not wanting them to travel to Christ's era. Which reminds me, this whole business of someone being transformed into what is described as "a god" and being the only one of its kind on a planet smacks of one of the more far-fetched tenets of some Mormons, and I wonder if there's any connection?

May 2, 2005

Angle of Repose

Wallace Stegner. Penguin: 1971.

A sad, hopeful, and beautiful book about a paralyzed man writing a 'biographical novel' about his grandparents - discovering the truth about them & himself along the way.

As corny as it sounds, this is actually a powerful book. Most of it are chapters from the narrator's book-in-progress about how his parents tried to conquer & tame the West, but are eventually defeated - and only survive because of his grandmother's art and stories that she sells to the East Coast.

Even though Lyman (the narrator) pokes fun at Susan's (grandma) over-developed sense of "local color", this book oozes it, and it is for the most part exquisitively written.

Much of the action occurs along romance-novel lines (such as one Susan writes and Lyman belittles), yes the significance of Susan's, Lyman's, and Lyman's young assistance's reactions and interpretations give the book a hearty substance.

May 2, 2005

They Speak with Other Tongues

John Sherill.

Ostensibly an unbiased report on the charismatic/Pentecostal movement, the book is actually an apologetic work for it.

The history of the Pentecostals was quite interesting, although romanticized. One neat little tidbit that the author freely admits is that the charismatic revivals didn't really start until the turn of the century. Since then, they have spread and are becoming more accept by the "establishment" as genuine supernatural experiences.

The author tries to establish a scientific basis for the phenomena, but all he is able to come up with is hearsay and speaking in tongues that sounds like a language even though no linguist can identify it. However, the author has a break-through one day and overcomes his self-consciousness by yelling "Praise the Lord!" and letting "words" come out of his mouth - and voila, he's converted.

His wife never is.

April 9, 2005

The Russian Revolution 1917-1932

Sheila Fitzpatrick. Oxford: 1987.

A small book that is written so succinctly that it packs in enough information to boggle the mind. This is, however, a very readable history of the Russian Revolution & Civil War. Fitzpatrick clearly shows the underlying social, economic, and political issues during this turbulent time. This Russian culture is very foreign to a modern American, yet the book allows us insight into the minds of the various social groups within Russia.

Truly the Revolution seems to have been a great idea gone horribly wrong, although the author is careful to avoid much moralizing, and tries to point out Western interpretations vs. Russian interpretations.

April 9, 2005

The Onion Field

Joseph Wambaugh. Delacorte, 1973

The "true crime novel" of the first execution-style killing of an L.A. Police officer.

Starts off very slowly with background information on the four major players. The night of the actual crime is interesting, but the book doesn't really get good until the aftermath of the crime (about halfway through the book.)

The two killers, unfortunately for the author, are so well and extensively dealt with in the book, that we almost feel sorry for them - it's not their fault they're sociopaths and lack the ability to feel sympathy or remorse, is it? The author makes a few tear-jerking attempts to keep our sympathies with the two cops, but ultimately, it is the killers whom we will remember.

March 26, 2005

The Screwtape Letters

C. S. Lewis.

A series of letters from "Uncle" Screwtape to his dear Wormwood reveal the thought-processes behind the tempting of humans to sin. The junior demon Wormwood gets in trouble as his "patient" becomes a Christian, falls in love, and dies suddenly, going to Heaven.

Very cleverly done, it is a bit difficult to read, since we are so used to the opposite perspective. However, Lewis makes some very astute remarks and insights into human nature and the challenge of Christian living.

Lewis probably didn't want to develop too much a vision of this beaurocratic Hell, but the few off-hand comments about Hell and the personalities involved (i.e., Wormwood trying to turn his uncle in for heresy) are vastly entertaining.

(p.s. don't you love how I read this right after de Sade?) :)

March 26, 2005

Justine: A Philosophical Romance, or "The Misfortunes of Virtue"

Marquis de Sade. 1791/1963.

This is supposedly "for the first time translated from the original French" version. Hilarious book. De Sade loves to tack a seemingly good moral at the end of various episodes, but he clearly revels in the debauchery and libertinism of his scenes, and he devotes so much time to the development of logical rationalizations for the villains' actions. Justine/Therese's 'virtues' and the conclusion of the story are tongue-in-cheek attempts to placate the good Christian reader more than anything else.

The villains' underlying philosophy is two-fold: first, that we are of nature and therefore everything we do is natural, and second, that good and evil must always be balanced, and since society is always urging people to be good, the villains take it upon themselves to do bad, which feels better anyway.

March 19, 2005

The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico

Miguel Leon-Portilla. Beacon Press: 1962.

Leon-Portilla draws from numerous indigenous accounts of the Conquest of Mexico. He introduces briefly each chapter, then lets the natives speak for themselves.

It is interesting how much the Aztec life was dominated by omens, prophecies, magic. Everything that happened had been "foretold", yet the mixed signs (and his advisors' advice) clearly were confusing to Moctezuma and may help explain his actions. The Aztec account shows none of the fight or cunning of Montezuma that the Spanish accounts do.

Also of interest were the accounts by the allies of the Aztecs and the Spanish.

The book ends with some Aztec poetry that is truly moving, and reminds one of the unimaginable suffering caused by the complete destruction of their city, history, gods, and culture.

March 19, 2005

Mystery of the Ages

Herbert Armstrong. Worldwide Church of God: 1985.

Armstrong is one of these people who developed his own religion after reading the Bible and interpreting it himself. The result - The Worldwide Church of God - is a mix of sound theology and far-out hypotheses.

The main difference from standard Protestantism is that he believes in God's Law and that Jesus did not "update" it. The Church of God is a training ground for people who, because they are true Christians following God's Mosaic Laws, will be the governing class when Jesus returns for the Millenial Reign. After this, they become God-beings: part of God's family. They can then go "fix" other worlds that were mishandled/ravaged by the angels, as Earth was before God created Man. (Sounds like a fun mix of Jehovah's Witness plus Mormonism.)

Lots of good information on the history of various sects is in here. A good interesting read, but I'm not sold.

March 12, 2005

The Case of the Borrowed Brunette

Erle Stanley Gardner. Walter J. Black: 1946.

This is the first Perry Mason novel I've read and I was reasonably impressed with the writing style and the story itself.

It seems to be more of a "story" than some mysteries, but less of a drama (read: soap opera) than others - a happy medium, perhaps. No real interesting stylistic manoeuvering or symbolism, but at least the story is clear and concise.

The case involves impersonation, murder, theft, adultery, blackmail, gambling. The whole gamut, I suppose. The plot line, however, pulls you through a lot of the miscellanea, and it is interesting to see Perry Mason's guesswork and hypotheses (not always accurate) develop along the way.

(Also of note is Mason's age and description being not at all similar to the TV program!)

March 12, 2005

Wieland & Memoirs of Carwin

Charles Brockden Brown. Kent State University Press: 1977.

Brown is touted as the first American professional novelist. Wieland was first published in 1798, and by the early 1800's, Brown started writing more articles and essays, since his novels weren't doing too well.

Although Wieland is a gothic novel, it differs from the norm in a few ways. The woman's romantic attachment is not the cause of all these horrors (nor her saviour from them), and although there is a special building, it is a garden pagoda, not a haunted house. There is a villain, of course, who creates seemingly supernatural events (through biloquism), but he is neither the murderer nor the sole cause of evil, as her brother turns out to have gone insane - or religiously inspired - and kills his family.

I liked the book, but was dissapointed in the epilogue which seems tacked on to an otherwise brilliant ending, just to give closure to a few points better left open

March 5, 2005

The Bible Unmasked

Joseph Lewis. Freethought Press: 1926/1957.

Lewis is a devout Thomas Paine disciple (and wrote a book proclaiming Paine to be the author of the Declaration of Independence) who puts his faith absolutely in Science, and who has quaintly conservative morals (perhaps exaggerated for this book) about sex and sexual situations.

In this book, he goes through the Bible and re-tells some of the stories that involve rape, incest, prostitution, adultery, etc. In most instances, the incidents are indeed as written, but in a few stories -- such as the dirty deeds of the Virgin Mary -- he reads between the lines to draw his conclusions.

His whole point is that the Bible is a lewd book which should not be read to children. He follows the pattern of Twain in which his form of persuasion is often in the form of humor to make the point.

Whatever one may think of the conclusions, the book is highly entertaining, not only because of the scandalous Bible stories themselves, but also because of Lewis' running sarcastic commentary.

March 5, 2005

Ancient Mexico: An Introduction to the Pre-Hispanic Cultures

Frederick Peterson. Capricorn Books: 1962.

This book is essentially a lengthy encyclopedia entry: a bit dry to read, but filled with the most amount of general information in the least amount of space.

Peterson clearly has passion and appreciation of the art and artifacts of the precolumbian cultures, and is therefore most interesting to read when he discusses these items. His book is so fact-filled, however, that any page will be of interest.

March 5, 2005

The Maze of Mormonism

Walter Martin. Vision House: 1978.

Although I find the Mormon religion quite fascinating as a curiosity, I am by no means a Latter-day Saint apologist. However, Dr. Martin's attack on Mormonism and the LDS church is illogical in many places, overly biased throughout (a little bias is okay, if not healthy, but Martin goes overboard), and just plain dull in several chapters. With the wealth of weird, contradictory, secret, can-be-made-to-seem-Satanic beliefs, theology and history of the LDS church, one would hope that a much better book could be written.

An ex-Mormon himself, Martin is too close to the issue to write a very powerful book: he gets lost in little details about history, rather than exploring either the significance of the history or the big theological issues and their implications. His insistence to rely upon the Bible as a foundation from which to attack is the wrong stand to take, since Mormons accept it only as far as it has been "translated correctly." The LDS church makes no claim to believe the Bible is 100% accurate, so why bother? Martin should step out of his new Christian shoes and jump into the Mormon framework to expose its weaknesses.

One of the appendices is quite interesting, though.

February 26, 2005

My Name is Izzy

Izzy Covalt. Strawberry Hill Press: 1999.

Izzy Covalt is the founder of Izzy's Pizza, a local & Northwest chain. Her autobiography has a straightforward and personal style.

Born during the Depression on a North Washington farm, her life as a child was tough. Although her life gradually improved, largely through her own determination, she still had to deal with a bad marriage decision, the death of her second husband, and a long fight with alcoholism.
Having met Izzy in 2000, I was struck by her shyness and apparent insecurity - her book concentrates more on her toughness.

February 25, 2005

The Library of Congress

Charles A. Goodrum. Praeger: 1974.

Although one might expect a very dry text -- this is, after all, a history and explanation of the Library of Congress -- this book is actually quite fascinating and full of good information. The sheer size of the LC, the enormity of their tasks from cataloging to writing speeches for members of Congress to research to preservation, is truly awe-inspiring.

When this book was written, the LC was disappointed with what computers were able to do; or, rather, with what they were not able to do. So, the reliance on an incredibly complex card catalog continued. I would love to see how the LC operates now that it is most assuredly computerized.

It is also interesting to realize that the LC is really meant for the Congress -- and that although it by defaul fulfills the role of a National Library, it is not meant to be one.

February 18, 2005

Pearl of Great Price Commentary

Milton Hunter. Stevens & Wallis: 1948.

Although a logician might find fault with the circular reasoning used throughout the text, this book is truly fascinating for the non-Mormon, as it describes many of the unusual beliefs of the religion, as well as providing some historical information on the religion, its texts, and of course, Joseph Smith.

After reading about mummies, ghosts, other planets, and spiritual beings, one can't help but wonder if this was all meant as a great joke; is Eden really in Missouri? was South America really settled twice by Europeans and Mid-Easterners? But Joseph Smith's autobiographical writings seem quite sincere, so who knows if he really thought he was (or if he actually was!) visited by angels, and was actually translating "reformed" Egyptian.

One can also understand why non-Mormon Christians might view the Latter-Day Saints as deceived by Satan -- joy at the Fall of Man, ascendency to Godhead, etc., are not exactly traditional Christian concepts...

February 18, 2005

The Midwich Cuckoos

John Wyndham. Michael Joseph Ltd: 1957/1977.

Short sci-fi novel concerning the implantation of aliens into the wombs of the entire female population of a small town. The town and government conspire to keep this a secret from the rest of the world. The babies are born and raised, and after a period of time, the townspeople discover the children have extraordinary powers of persuasion and ESP. Finally, the children admit to being a superior species, and, yes, they plan to take over the world. Fortunately, they are blown up by the kamikaze action of the man whom they had viewed as somewhat a father figure.

I realize the British are a bit more reserved than we Americans, but the very non-chalant attitude toward these creatures that have shiny golden eyes, that grow and develop much faster than humans, and that control people's actions is a bit too much to accept.

February 10, 2005

Bleak House

Charles Dickens. Houghton Mifflin: 1956.

Truly a masterpiece, and one of the best books I've read. It has the usual Dickensian coincidence, humor, outrageous characters, social commentary, and pre-detective novel plot twists galore, but it is all presented in such excellent form as to surpass the other works of his I've read.

The story revolves around an orphaned girl (told in first person at times) who becomes connected with Mr. Jarndyce, whose surname is best known for Jarndyce & Jarndyce - a suit in Chancery which has gone on for two decades and destroys anyone who becomes involved.

In spite of the fact that it has taken me a long, long time to read, I hope to have the pleasure of re-reading it someday.

February 10, 2005

This Present Darkness

Frank Peretti. Crossway Books: 1988.

A Christian fiction, spritual warfare novel. Revolves around a small town being taken over by an evil rich man who is into Eastern religion/witchcraft/devil worship/pagan rituals (no distinction is ever made - anything not along the narrow path is lumped together in one evil structure.) Angels are called by prayer and protect the humans and kick some demonic butt.

Overall, a very good novel with ordinary by somewhat dynamic characters. I think the author fails on two points: first, the demons, with their 'human' flaws and weaknesses are more sympathetic to the reader than are the perfect - and perfectly boring - angles; second, the angels' ultimate victory in the end is not due to "prayer cover" as the book states, but due to these same imperfections and vices in the demons! Although still a good Christian message, it is not at all what the author intended...

February 3, 2005

Beyond Greed: The Hunt Family's Bold Attempt to Corner the Silver Market

Stephen Fay. Penguin: 1983.

"Silver Thursday" was the first day since "Black Monday" to earn a special designation by the financial world. This book gives a very detailed historical analysis of the events leading up to it.

Fay does an excellent job of explaining some of the inner workings of a confusing and complex issue. This history reads like a thriller, a similarity which is supported throughout by some incredible personalities. Although Fay is careful to state when he is speculating (no pun intended) on certain issues, and although he has to use a little poetic license, the real people and real events are shocking! Some of the best parts of this book involve transcriptions of dialogues between various government agencies. Also, when he shows the reader how very different the billionaire Hunt family's reality is than ours, Fay is able to paint a magical world.

February 3, 2005

The Girl in a Swing

Richard Adams. Signet: 1981.

The New York Times quote on the front cover declares it to be of "beautiful, haunting, erotic love and an absolutely terrifying ghost story." Although these are certainly elements of the novel, this quote seems to be cheap American sensationalism on a story that truly deals with some of the larger issues in life - the extents to which we go for love, the ability of religion to express true spirituality, and forgiveness of our own and others' sins.

There is definitely a New Agey, humanistic approach to some of these ideas. There were several instances where Kathe is described in very similar terms as Rima of "Green Mansions" and one can't help but wonder if the "Green Mansions" era was similar to "Girl in a Swing"'s era.

January 27th, 2005

Father's Arcane Daughter

E. L. Konigsburg. Atheneum: 1976.

Teenage novel about a woman who claims to be the long-lost & kidnapped daughter, and the effects of this claim on the family. The teenage son and handicapped pre-teen daughter have a very close relationship which is interesting to watch change, complete with realistic conflicting emotions in the boy.

The book is, in the end, perhaps too simplistic: the stepmother has kept the handicapped child secreted away, thus making her more socially & emotionally handicapped, and therefore making it more important to keep her separate from society. However, in the context of the novel, especially as it is written for teens, it works well enough.

A curious side-show is whether or not the father really believes the returned daughter is his - and the semi-incestuous feelings he has. Not really sure what the author is driving at with this.

January 19th, 2005

Atticus

Ron Hansen. HarperCollins: 1997.

Well-written novel that keeps you guessing. Suicide? Murder? Suicide? Although the main sequence of events is fairly easy to determine, this is a mystery that is not meant to be a mystery. Rather, it is the relationship between conservative, rural, meticulous Atticus and is youngest son, Scott, an artist frequently drunk. Scott's mother died in a car accident: he was responsible and has never gotten over it. A move to Mexico ends with his death . . . or does it?

Atticus - the only truly compelling character - meanwhile is able to forgive, albeit quite stoicly (is that a word?), and only wants his son to know that he loves him.

Hansen is at his best when describing Atticus when he is along and going through his daily routines. He is portrayed with a touch of loneliness, but also with comfort in the familiar.

January 13th, 2005

The Forest and the Sea

Marston Bates. Time, Inc.: 1964.

Bates' catch-phrase for his book is "the economy of nature and the ecology of Man." A biologist whose specialty is mosquitoes, Bates has written a refreshingly accessible, philosophical survey of biology. His humble confusion as to certain basic principles is most illuminating (i.e., where does one draw the line between organism and environment?)

The book follows a linear progression of comparing forest to sea, to studying organisms in their environment, their relation to the environment and other organisms, and finally to humans - our environment and culture. Bates wrote at a time when a certain awareness of the damage humans do to their environment was just coming to light in popular culture.

An ardent evolutionist, he sees human culture as natural, yet also as un-natural. His honest attempts to reconcile this difference end with the idea (not his own, he admits) that man must extend ethics and morality beyond our dealings with each other: we must be ethical and moral towards our environment.

January 7th, 2005

Bedelia

Vera Caspary. Dell, 1960.

Although the cover calls this a mystery, it is more accurately labeled a gothic novel, for all of the elements are here, with a modern twist: the man is the one who must figure out the mystery. Everything else is standard: the old mansion, a dark and stormy night, the protagonist questions his sanity and thinks the worst of his mate.

Written in 1945, this novel has some interesting thoughts on Ellen, a career woman, and Charlie, an upper-class man who nevertheless must work as an architect to earn a living. Other characters display hostility or subltle derision towards these two, but the author is sympathetic, and in the end (after Charlie forces his wife to commit suicide), they get together.

The author at one point laughs at her genre - Bedelia makes up ehr past and her name based on the ridiculous plot lines and absurd names of the romance and gothic novels she reads! Perhaps a silent plea for a bit of normalcy to the genre - yet she is betrayed by her own plot!

January 4th, 2005

The Thousand and One Nights

Translated by Edward William Lane, rev. by Stanley Lane-Poole.

Harvard Classics: P.F. Collier & Sons.

The basis of the story is a newly-wed queen must tell her king a wonderful story each night or he will kill her. This becomes quite complex, as the characters in her stories tell stories in which people tell stories, etc., so that one winds up with an intriguing hierarchy of tales. The importance of the story is paramount - which makes sense not only in the framework of the story itself, but also when the stories were written (13th century) - a largely pre-literate time when oral story-telling was an art.

The tales are pure fantasy, often involving great wealth, fair damsels (always compared to the full moon), strange creatures including the Jinn, and always a Sultan or two. God is repeatedly praised and invoked, and the characters verbally exhibit a fatalism and resignment to God's will; yet, their actions frequently reveal a strong desire to change their rueful destiny.
One note of interest is the differences between these versions of Aladdin and Ali-Baba and the modern understanding of them.

December 20th, 2004

Our new year's resolution will be: to post a book review at least once a week!! Many of these reviews will be my (Scott's) own. My interests lean towards nonfiction, but most of my favorite books are novels. I have two ways of selecting a novel to read: I either read a very popular or very well-recommended author/title, or I will read something that has an unusually high value - I figure it MUST be good! Just because I've reviewed a book doesn't mean I have in stock, would recommend it, or even like it - in fact, there are plenty of reviews you'll see that involve serious book-bashing. Enjoy!