Books

What’s on the Bookshelf? Vol. 10

What's On the Bookshelf?

A week ago I downed the mammoth Dune by Frank Herbert. Despite being a lover of the sci-fi genre, I’d never read Dune. I’d heard of it, been recommended it by several people, but a still from the movie with Sting scarred me.

I decided to face my fears and just read it.

I flew through Dune. The storyline captivated me; the book is the story of Paul Atreides, a noble born teen who moves with his parents to the desert planet Arrakis. There was intrigue, backstabbing and double-crossing. My one complaint is that the reader sees all points of view; we see inside the minds of the bad guys as well as the good guys. The betrayals are not shocking enough.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamed/ / CC BY 2.0
CC//Hamed Sabert

CC//Hamed Sabert

Herbert does a fantastic job bringing Arrakis to life. His attention to detail is astounding; the way the different groups of people survive in the desert is varied and rings true.

All in all, Dune was an enjoyable read, but not one for the faint of heart. Those who don’t care much for sci fi should just stay away.

What’s On the Bookshelf? Vol. 9

What's On the Bookshelf?

Despite having finished roughly ten books since my last Bookshelf update, the books have all been ones I’ve read before, so I didn’t feel like I needed to review ’em.

CC//TCM Hitchhiker

CC//TCM Hitchhiker

Today, I just finished The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells.

I’ve decided that I’m going to read a lot of old school sci fi this summer. Wells is the number one author on the list.

I enjoyed The Invisible Man. One aspect that I felt was very intriguing was Wells’ decision to have Griffin be an albino. Here’s a man who goes from being incredibly noticeable to invisible.

Wells could be accused of “info dumping” when Griffin explains how he became invisible. As a writer (however amateur) I thought of how I would’ve have written it. I’m still mulling over the details.

It’s also one of those stories where you assume you know, but don’t until you read the story.

Up next: I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll finally finish Dracula or War of the Worlds.

What’s on the Bookshelf? Vol. 8

What's On the Bookshelf?

I should just change the name of this blog to “She Reads Too Much” because that might be a truer statement.

The most recent book is Blind Justice by Bruce Alexander. It’s about Sir John Fielding, the blind magistrate who founded the first organized police force, the Bow Street Runners.

In the book, narrator Jeremy Proctor (a fictitious character) is held on trial before Sir John, who takes pity on the boy and lets Jeremy live with him for a short period. A murder takes place, and the two investigate. Twists and turns abound.

I first read this book when I was in eighth grade. Despite my youth when I first discovered the series, it’s not for children (but teenagers can enjoy it).

Rereading this series and the wonderful Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian is like visiting old friends you haven’t seen in a while. You reminisce about what happened, and gladly.

I really need to get out more.

What’s on the Bookshelf? Vol. 7

What's On the Bookshelf?

What would you do if all of a sudden you were resurrected alongside history’s famous and infamous?

Why, explore and start new societies, of course.

I just finished reading Philip Jose Farmer’s To Your Scattered Bodies Go, the first book in the Riverworld series.

It’s an interesting concept. An advanced society nicknamed The Ethicals by protagonist  Sir Richard Burton cloned and transplanted most people who have ever lived to this planet, Riverworld (the River is about 10 million miles long). The reason? Well, Burton isn’t quite sure. He gets different reasons from different people.

It’s an intriguing idea, and I look forward to reading the other books in the series.

Destroying characters in one smack

General Geekiness

Ah, the pages of pulp fiction. A place to lose yourself in the fast paced world of fancy…or laugh hysterically at an author’s expense.

I’m currently reading Dan Brown’s Angels & Demons. It’s light and a quick read; thus far I have only one major beef.

How idiotic can the physicist Vittoria Vetra be?

Case in point:

“Is the Pantheon even a church?”

It is. Vittoria, you’re Italian. You’re apparently intelligent (you helped create an antimatter-creating particle accelerator for Chrissake) and your adopted father was a ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIEST. I imagine he must have taught you something about it amongst all the math and science.

I realize that not everyone knows the Pantheon is a church or that it is in Rome (no, it isn’t the Parthenon, that’s in Athens). But seriously.

What’s on the Bookshelf? Vol. 6

What's On the Bookshelf?

Proust was a Neuroscientist by Jonah Lehrer

CC/sea turtle

CC/sea turtle

I like reading science books on occasion. Not text books, but books on a subject, like Dava Sobel’s Longitude.

Proust… wasn’t of my chosing–it was assigned reading. But I’m glad that it was.

Lehrer examines eight different artists from turn of the century Paris and how their works preexamined (not the right word) ideas that neuroscientists are working on, such as how we taste (Escoffier), and how we process grammar (Gertrude Stein).

My favorite chapter was the one on Escoffier, the creator of the cookbook and (for all intents and purposes) what we think of as French cooking. Of course, I was also watching a Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations marathon before and after finishing this section!

If you want a good, entertaining and educating read, this is the book for you.