WI Book Blog
Wow, haven't updated this in a while. Where have I been?
Good readings...
Howl's Moving Castle, which is about to come out as a movie from Ghibli Studios. The book was a fun preview, and I can't wait to see what they do with it as an anime. Howl is a wizard that lives in a castle that moves, and inside the the castle, you can set the door to open in a variety of different worlds. Howl isn't the best wizard in the world, and needs to be kept in shape by a variety of helpful humans and creatures.
And for more in a magical theme....
Ariel,
Lireal, and
Abhorsen, by Garth Nix. I suspect there will be more to come in this series, as I feel Nix left it open to continue. The story of two worlds jammed together, with a wall that separates them. It's day on one side, night on the other, winter in one land, spring somewhere else. It's also magic-driven on one side, and mechanical on the other. Both sides must come together to defeat an ancient evil. You know, the defeating the ancient evil thing again, but actually, the world has depth and a backstory to it, and a logic. Read it just to get to the part where you look at the stars beyond the last gate. That's an amazing scene in the third book.
Also reads:
The Kite Runner -- good even if the ending is contrived. The story of a boyhood in Kabul before and after the horrors of war. Not a lightweight read, deals with a lot of hard issues. I wonder why the women aren't stronger in the book.
Collapse, by Jared Diamond. Let's get good and depressed over how mankind's communities have died in the past. It's a great read, good survey, covers the themes of how we build in our own destruction. The chapter on the Chacoan culture was a little light, and is covered better in
Anasazi America.
If I haven't mentioned it below, because I can't remember and can't see it,
Persepolis and
Persepolis II by Marjane Satrapi. Great comic-style personal histories by an Iranian woman. The format really works for her tale of coming of age. Gripping. Hard. Black and white.
Robert Sullivan
Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants
It's the cover that starts it off -- a rendition of a rat composed of New York's city streets. This is not for the squeamish, although the author is forthright about his own squeamishness regarding rats. Rat tails. Uck. A great natural history, combining the history of New York, of one alley in New York, and the history of rats' involvement with mankind, all woven together with personal observations, interviews with some of the leading figures in Ratdom's human pest control companies, and the tale of the fall of the World Trade Center's impact on Ratkind. If you like wandering natural histories, this one is for you.
A. S Byatt
The Little Black Book of Stories
There's two kinds of A. S. Byatt books -- ones in which she takes a semi-mythological tone and others that are very contemporary. The contemporary ones I have never gotten into, but "Angels and Insects" and "Possession" are both incredible books. Her short story collections are usually very good, and this recent collection contains 5 stories. Two of them are just haunting. "The Stone Woman" first appeared in the New Yorker, and was the kind of story that could induce either a fugue state or a trip to Iceland. On second reading, it's still that powerful.
Barron, Frank - Creators on Creating
This is a very varied collection of essays, excerpts, and pieces on the process of creating, covering people from DaVinci to Frank Zappa. One of the best essays in this collection is Michel Foucault's introduction to The Order of Things, which is a hoot if you are into lexicography, classification, or categorization. It brings the notion of creativity to ethnography and penetrating a world view. Zappa's essay is also a good read, speaking to what a frame does for a piece of art. Sorry, you'll have to read it to find out.
Marcel Pagnol -- Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring
Yes, they are movies, but the books came first. I highly recommend reading these in springtime, and making sure you have plenty of crusty french bread and olive oil to nibble on while you are reading. These books make me hungry for such things, but not to the point where I need to go out and trap birds to grill for supper, like the main characters. An involving story, one that gets you so involved that when you stop reading, you are surprised you aren't in the hills of France.
Kidd, Sue Monk - The Secret Life of Bees
I loved this -- it's a perfect book for night-time before bed reading. The characters catch you quickly, as Lily Owens tries to comprehend her memories of her mother's death. The setting is mesmerizing, and the bee lore is a wonderful buzzing background to the events.
Tepper, Sheri S. - The Fresco
I read this during the year 2000 election fiasco and it seemed written for that time period. There were so many places she had me laughing out loud, and so many great ideas. I can't give away the plot, but let's just say it starts in Albuquerque, aliens are involved, and her solutions to world peace are brilliant.
Stuart, David E. - Anasazi America
A fascinating book that compares Anasazi culture at Chaco Canyon with today's American society, and not favorably. My favorite quotes are from Rio Grande Pueblo Elders, who know what it takes to survive in the desert southwest. Theories of ritual ceremonialism taken to extremes, climate change, and desert survival are all discussed.
Barrett, Andrea - Ship Fever
I usually don't like short stories, but Andrea Barrett's are hypnotizing. All are interwoven, and all make you want to know more. And you are lucky, because she has a second set out, Servants of the Map, that pick up the characters in this first set. A great collection, especially if you like naturalists and history.
Hogan, Linda - Power
Linda Hogan is a powerful Native American writer, and I read every book she writes. Her language and her sentences seem to swallow you up. In this novel, she considers the death of a panther, and what it truly means, in terms of tradition and modernism in a Native American/American world.
