It’s been quite a while since I did a Random Musings blog entry, but the blog has been sparse of late.
READER WARNING: The opinions, descriptions and accounts of media expressed below are the exclusive property of this blog and shall not be reproduced, republished or redistributed without my prior written consent, which I hereby provide.
I’m in the middle of or have recently completed a number of books. I briefly toyed with the idea of changing the names of the books and authors to protect the innocent, but that’s just stupid. I do not think that there is a fundamental problem with any of these books (i.e., none of them suck). Clearly, it’s not them, it’s me. I’m just not in a place right now in my life where I can commit fully to any book. Not sure why, but there you have it.
Here’s the rundown of recent reads and partial reads along with an explanation about where I am in the book, why I’m there and whether I’ll finish. Read on at your peril.
“Skippy Dies” by Paul Murray: So, I’m in Barnes and Noble with my 10-year old daughter picking up “Skippy Dies”. I had seen a couple of reviews of the novel, particularly this one from the New York Times. My daughter says to me, “Why do you want to read that? You already know what happens.” Kids say the darndest things, don’t they? Skippy does, indeed, die about three pages in to the novel. I was enjoying the novel for about 120 pages but it takes place in [Ireland], is written in [English from across the pond], it was just too much work for me at the time. [Corrected per actual comment from a reader of the blog. A READER OF THE BLOG!] It’s in the pile, and I plan to finish it when the spirit so moves me.
“Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett: I noted that Ken Follett is publishing a new novel, “Fall of Giants.” Sometimes I get all jonesed up about new novels, forgetting that I haven’t read the author’s other highly praised works. Before I get too excited about this new novel, I recall that I have an old copy of “Pillars of the Earth” lying around. (For those of you from Cincinnati, I found the book’s receipt still in it. The book was purchased in 1989 from Kenworthy’s bookstore in Montgomery. Do any of you even remember Kenworthy’s?). So, I start “Pillars of the Earth.” I’m actually enjoying it for about 75 pages until I remember that I don’t particularly like historical fiction. I don’t mind anything taking place after 1900, but Middle Ages historical fiction? I think not. This novel has been officially put down.
“Room: A Novel” by Emma Donoghue: Here’s another novel that I picked up after seeing a couple of reviews, most notably this one from the New York Times. The premise is interesting. From Amazon: “In many ways, Jack is a typical 5-year-old. He likes to read books, watch TV, and play games with his Ma. But Jack is different in a big way—he has lived his entire life in a single room, sharing the tiny space with only his mother and an unnerving nighttime visitor known as Old Nick.” Here’s my problem: the novel is written from Jack’s 5-year-old perspective. And it’s well written. Which means that I both have to dumb myself down to understand a 5-year-old’s perspective and also consider the broader implications of everything he relates and describes. Too much freaking work for me right now. I’m 60 pages in.
“Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life” by Mark Hyman: I read this whole book before I remembered that I don’t usually “do self help.” As stated before on this blog, I’m pretty set in my ways. The book interested me for various personal reasons that none of you would find in any way interesting, and therefore, the book is not worthy of a standalone blog post.
“The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English” by Roy Peter Clark: I’m kind of a grammar geek. Don’t come to my office and say that “Pete talked to Jim and I.” Don’t write a compound sentence omitting the comma before the conjunction. [Brief interlude. I am very well aware that my blog entries do not always follow the rules of grammar. Some of the sentences are, well, not sentences. The preceding examples are, however, equivalent to running your fingernails across a blackboard. Also, understand that many of your kids do not understand this analogy because blackboards are no longer often used in schools. End of interlude.] This book is okay, and I was heartened to learn that my frequent use of the dash is correct, but it’s a book of bite-sized pieces that doesn’t require a beginning-to-end read. I’m halfway through.
“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins: I know, I know, this is a kids book. I like to see what the young people are reading, you know? My 14-year old read it, and she raved. My son is reading it. And therein lies the problem: I tried to read our copy, but the kids keep taking it away. My wife even downloaded a copy via the Kindle app on to her Ipad. But seeing as SOMEBODY in the house is constantly using the Ipad, reading it there is just not practical. I will finish “The Hunger Games”—I’m about halfway through it just need an uninterrupted hour or two to finish. I will also read the other two novels in the trilogy. The reason that I have been able to put it down is because, well, it’s written like a book for young adults because, well, IT’S A BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS.
“The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams: Here’s another kids book. My 12-year old read this first novel in the five-book series as well as the second novel, “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.” Putting aside the “I like to see what the young people are reading, you know?” jokes, I think that reading and discussing books with your kids is not only enjoyable but also rewarding. This one is at the top of the list right now and will be completed when I can get 30-45 minutes to do so. “Guide” is not a long novel at all; the edition we have is about 175 pages. If I were selling the book as a screenplay, I’d say, “It’s kind of like Kurt Vonnegut meets Isaac Asimov.” Then, I’d sit back and see the other person squirm since I find it unlikely that anybody in the movie industry has read both Vonnegut and Asimov. The satire isn’t as biting as Vonnegut, but it is interesting nonetheless. My son’s interest in the series shows me that he will enjoy Vonnegut. [A brief Vonnegut interlude: My three favorite Vonnegut books, in no particular order, are “Cat's Cradle,” “Slaughterhouse Five” and “Breakfast of Champions.” One of my favorite quotes from Vonnegut is from “Breakfast of Champions”: “1492. As children we were taught to memorize this year with pride and joy as the year people began living full and imaginative lives on the continent of North America. Actually, people had been living full and imaginative lives on the continent of North America for hundreds of years before that. 1492 was simply the year sea pirates began to rob, cheat, and kill them.” End of interlude.]
I think that’s all of them. I’ll supplement this entry if I think of any other book I haven’t finished. I just ordered a novel entitled, “The Instructions” by Adam Levin. Why somebody having difficulty committing to a book would buy a 1,000 page novel is beyond me. However, I am going on a brief vacation in about 30 days and may save the novel. Of course, Stephen King is publishing a short story collection the week of this brief vacation, and I can’t lick my Stephen King addiction.
Live long, read and prosper. We’ll leave the lights on for you.
READER WARNING: The opinions, descriptions and accounts of media expressed below are the exclusive property of this blog and shall not be reproduced, republished or redistributed without my prior written consent, which I hereby provide.
I’m in the middle of or have recently completed a number of books. I briefly toyed with the idea of changing the names of the books and authors to protect the innocent, but that’s just stupid. I do not think that there is a fundamental problem with any of these books (i.e., none of them suck). Clearly, it’s not them, it’s me. I’m just not in a place right now in my life where I can commit fully to any book. Not sure why, but there you have it.
Here’s the rundown of recent reads and partial reads along with an explanation about where I am in the book, why I’m there and whether I’ll finish. Read on at your peril.
“Skippy Dies” by Paul Murray: So, I’m in Barnes and Noble with my 10-year old daughter picking up “Skippy Dies”. I had seen a couple of reviews of the novel, particularly this one from the New York Times. My daughter says to me, “Why do you want to read that? You already know what happens.” Kids say the darndest things, don’t they? Skippy does, indeed, die about three pages in to the novel. I was enjoying the novel for about 120 pages but it takes place in [Ireland], is written in [English from across the pond], it was just too much work for me at the time. [Corrected per actual comment from a reader of the blog. A READER OF THE BLOG!] It’s in the pile, and I plan to finish it when the spirit so moves me.
“Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett: I noted that Ken Follett is publishing a new novel, “Fall of Giants.” Sometimes I get all jonesed up about new novels, forgetting that I haven’t read the author’s other highly praised works. Before I get too excited about this new novel, I recall that I have an old copy of “Pillars of the Earth” lying around. (For those of you from Cincinnati, I found the book’s receipt still in it. The book was purchased in 1989 from Kenworthy’s bookstore in Montgomery. Do any of you even remember Kenworthy’s?). So, I start “Pillars of the Earth.” I’m actually enjoying it for about 75 pages until I remember that I don’t particularly like historical fiction. I don’t mind anything taking place after 1900, but Middle Ages historical fiction? I think not. This novel has been officially put down.
“Room: A Novel” by Emma Donoghue: Here’s another novel that I picked up after seeing a couple of reviews, most notably this one from the New York Times. The premise is interesting. From Amazon: “In many ways, Jack is a typical 5-year-old. He likes to read books, watch TV, and play games with his Ma. But Jack is different in a big way—he has lived his entire life in a single room, sharing the tiny space with only his mother and an unnerving nighttime visitor known as Old Nick.” Here’s my problem: the novel is written from Jack’s 5-year-old perspective. And it’s well written. Which means that I both have to dumb myself down to understand a 5-year-old’s perspective and also consider the broader implications of everything he relates and describes. Too much freaking work for me right now. I’m 60 pages in.
“Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life” by Mark Hyman: I read this whole book before I remembered that I don’t usually “do self help.” As stated before on this blog, I’m pretty set in my ways. The book interested me for various personal reasons that none of you would find in any way interesting, and therefore, the book is not worthy of a standalone blog post.
“The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English” by Roy Peter Clark: I’m kind of a grammar geek. Don’t come to my office and say that “Pete talked to Jim and I.” Don’t write a compound sentence omitting the comma before the conjunction. [Brief interlude. I am very well aware that my blog entries do not always follow the rules of grammar. Some of the sentences are, well, not sentences. The preceding examples are, however, equivalent to running your fingernails across a blackboard. Also, understand that many of your kids do not understand this analogy because blackboards are no longer often used in schools. End of interlude.] This book is okay, and I was heartened to learn that my frequent use of the dash is correct, but it’s a book of bite-sized pieces that doesn’t require a beginning-to-end read. I’m halfway through.
“The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins: I know, I know, this is a kids book. I like to see what the young people are reading, you know? My 14-year old read it, and she raved. My son is reading it. And therein lies the problem: I tried to read our copy, but the kids keep taking it away. My wife even downloaded a copy via the Kindle app on to her Ipad. But seeing as SOMEBODY in the house is constantly using the Ipad, reading it there is just not practical. I will finish “The Hunger Games”—I’m about halfway through it just need an uninterrupted hour or two to finish. I will also read the other two novels in the trilogy. The reason that I have been able to put it down is because, well, it’s written like a book for young adults because, well, IT’S A BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS.
“The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams: Here’s another kids book. My 12-year old read this first novel in the five-book series as well as the second novel, “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.” Putting aside the “I like to see what the young people are reading, you know?” jokes, I think that reading and discussing books with your kids is not only enjoyable but also rewarding. This one is at the top of the list right now and will be completed when I can get 30-45 minutes to do so. “Guide” is not a long novel at all; the edition we have is about 175 pages. If I were selling the book as a screenplay, I’d say, “It’s kind of like Kurt Vonnegut meets Isaac Asimov.” Then, I’d sit back and see the other person squirm since I find it unlikely that anybody in the movie industry has read both Vonnegut and Asimov. The satire isn’t as biting as Vonnegut, but it is interesting nonetheless. My son’s interest in the series shows me that he will enjoy Vonnegut. [A brief Vonnegut interlude: My three favorite Vonnegut books, in no particular order, are “Cat's Cradle,” “Slaughterhouse Five” and “Breakfast of Champions.” One of my favorite quotes from Vonnegut is from “Breakfast of Champions”: “1492. As children we were taught to memorize this year with pride and joy as the year people began living full and imaginative lives on the continent of North America. Actually, people had been living full and imaginative lives on the continent of North America for hundreds of years before that. 1492 was simply the year sea pirates began to rob, cheat, and kill them.” End of interlude.]
I think that’s all of them. I’ll supplement this entry if I think of any other book I haven’t finished. I just ordered a novel entitled, “The Instructions” by Adam Levin. Why somebody having difficulty committing to a book would buy a 1,000 page novel is beyond me. However, I am going on a brief vacation in about 30 days and may save the novel. Of course, Stephen King is publishing a short story collection the week of this brief vacation, and I can’t lick my Stephen King addiction.
Live long, read and prosper. We’ll leave the lights on for you.
Skippy Dies was written by an Irish author and is set in Dublin, Ireland. Sorry to be pedantic, just a completely separate country!
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