Category: Books & Learning

I can’t believe how much I wanted to read this book. I coveted it when it was in hardback, read reviews of it obsessively, and finally allowed myself to buy it in paperback. Then it sat on my shelves for a few months because of all the high-priority stuff that had stacked up in front of it. But, strangely, I didn’t really enjoy the book.

Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics) by Charlotte Brontë Funny how a book written 160 years ago can be this eyebrow-raising. I actually found myself saying to myself (almost out loud): “Oh no she didn’t” and “She slept where?!” and “He said what?!” Compared to Austen (who, granted, wrote 40 years earlier), which I’ve been reading lots [...]

After a few years of scouring the internets for the ultimate, lifelong reading list toward which I could strive, I have failed. Every book list is missing something: the 1001 Books to Read Before you Die is only novels, other lists are weighted toward philosophy, Greek classics, science fiction novels. And what about those award [...]

Just in from the National Endowment for the Arts (via the Boston Globe): The average person between ages 15 and 24 spends 2 to 2 1/2 hours a day watching TV and 7 minutes reading. and The report found that the more books there are in a young person’s home, the higher the average scores [...]

I am all wrought up today over Amazon’s new Kindle device. As you probably know, I take my reading pretty seriously. But I also take my technology seriously. That’s why I’m all clenched about this. Amazon’s $400 device is specifically for reading stuff: books, newspapers, magazines. It has an e-ink display, which mimics the look [...]

I’m kind of bowled over by this: A multi-day festival of books and authors right down the street, a few dozen very literate friends–and yet I cannot find anyone to go to Wordstock with me today. I find this kind of depressing. I’ve asked Mr. Pencil to go with me, at least for an hour, [...]

lyzadanger’s review: “Until just moments ago, I was going to rate this four-and-a-half stars, but I’ve downgraded it to four. The reason? Not even 24 hours after I finished this book, I’m not really thinking about it anymore. It didn’t stick with me.

It was absolutely readable. Wedged somewhere in the comfort space between beach read and Joyce Carol Oates-ish familial angst, it never gave me a moment’s regret for choosing it to read.

The characters are strong and individualistic.The epic nature of the breadth of the geography and history that this novel covers is captivating.

There are a few things that are hard to swallow, though. The character of Sheriff Hock? I can’t believe any human being would think and behave in that matter. The passages of his dialog seemed to stand in stark, unpleasant contrast to the rest of the novel. It’s almost as if someone else wrote his part. Someone with far less talent.

I’m stalling here because I can’t think what else to mention. Something about this book softened my brain a bit; I do have clear visions of what I’ve just read and experienced, but nothing seems to have come of it. But still: enjoyable.”
HarperCollins (2003), Hardcover, 400 pages
tags: fiction, novel, wwi, north dakota, germany, the depression, read, readin2007, 50 book challenge

Hi everybody. I really want to go to Wordstock this weekend, on Saturday. Is there anyone else out there who is thinking of going? I especially want to see Molly Gloss, who speaks in the afternoon. I just read a novel by her and I quite loved it–even during this long stripe of me being [...]

I see people here and there talking about all of Amazon’s Web services and how spiffy they are and A9 Search and OMG Seattle rocks and books and Web 2.0 and and, but, really, as a boring old end user all I want WANT WANT is a bloody RSS feed of my Wish List. If [...]

It’s been a great weekend for my book obsession. I started out Friday with the Friends of Multnomah County Library massive annual used book sale (Oregon’s largest–and Oregon is a readin’ state). To be allowed into the pre-sale, I had to pony up for the $30 yearly membership, which didn’t bother me at all. Good [...]