Populating a world with men, with male heroes, male people, and their “women cattle and slaves” is a political act. You are making a conscious choice to erase half the world.
As storytellers, there are more interesting choices we can make.
Great Article by Kameron Hurley
Here's the link.
Reading Roundup
Yep, I do still read (even without Michael to prompt me:) but anyone would be hard pressed to know it these days. 2012 was a weird year for me, 2013 has encompassed the big move and I haven't felt overly expressive for quite a while but maybe I'm ready to get back to it. Or maybe not... we'll see how it goes and start it off with a little roundup...
Currently reading s l o w l y:
Title: The Count of Monte Cristo
Author: Alexandre Dumas
Publisher: Century eBooks (2012); this is a 0.99 Kindle book that includes three of Dumas' works. The Count of Monte Cristo was originally published serially in the 1800s. I haven't bothered to look at which translation this is.
I read this title over a decade ago and was inspired to pick it up again after reading The Black Count (which I highly recommend) and I'm enjoying the re-read. I skip over parts of it but most of it can still keep my attention. What I find myself doing quite a lot is trying to figure out which modern day book is the equivalent of this. Might it be Twilight? I haven't read Twilight but it's a hugely successful bestseller which is panned as often as it's praised. I've heard the dialogue is terrible, some of the writing excerpts I've seen would certainly get skipped by a reader like me and the characters are, I'm told, melodramatic and tend to not want to go on living without certain life partners... Many of these attributes are to be found in The Count of Monte Cristo....
Title: Cricket Explained
Author: Robert Eastaway
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (1993)
The New Zealand cricket team keeps getting described to me as rubbish but I'm still prepared to become a fan of the sport and watch some local games (matches? tests? I'm still not clear on the lingo) when the season comes round again. This book is a great introduction to the sport and pretty funny to read besides. The author has a sense of humor that I quite enjoy.
Recently read:
Title: A Conspiracy of Kings
Author: Megan Whalen Turner
Publisher: Greenwillow (2010)
I've often said "any Kinsale is better than no Kinsale (and quite often better than almost all the other books:)" and I feel the same for Megan Whalen Turner. Turner has published fewer books so her A/B/C teams would be smaller but now she does have at least one on each team. This is my third read of ACoK and I haven't changed my opinion from the first read. That's an unusual thing with a MWT book as they are treasures for those who like to re-read (it's why I so often think of her and Kinsale together because they both write the kind of books that get better with more reading; that and my passionateobsession enthusiasm for their books). My opinion the first, second, and third time around on this one is, "Huh, it doesn't have the zing of the others. What a shame." It's still a solid read. It adds some interesting information to the canon but it's not one that made me want to immediately turn back to page one. So here's how I would outline the teams:
The A Team: The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia
The B Team: The Thief, Instead of Three Wishes (short stories)
The C Team: A Conspiracy of Kings
But, don't forget, any Turner is better than no Turner so you should read all of these!
rating: 3 of 5 stars
Title: The Archivist's Story
Author: Travis Holland
Publisher: The Dial Press (2007)
This story is set in 1939 Moscow and covers about a year in the life of a man who was forced out of his University position and now works as an "archivist" for Fourth Section at the Lubyanka (this is from memory so please forgive misspellings/misnomers if they exist). Being the Russophile that I am, I gobbled up the atmosphere and history but I kept being nagged by the fact that it was so perfectly what I, an American who does not excel at history, thought it would be like to live in Soviet Russia. Is it unfair of me to think negatively of the book because of that? I just felt so much of my own American sentiments in the book that it started to make me critical of the authenticity of the experiences of the characters. I'm sure it's unfair of me but I couldn't lose that nagging feeling while reading. My doubts aside, it's still worth a read for its portrayal of professional and family dynamics in a constrained atmosphere.
rating: 3 of 5 stars
Title: Greywalker
Author: Kat Richardson
Publisher: Roc (2009)
Urban paranormal with a Seattle PI as its protag. Nothing to dislike in the characters, though nothing to particularly recommend either, but it's heavy heavy heavy on the world instruction which becomes tedious. I would say world building but it was just straight up tell tell tell and that's not much building to me. Bleh, give this one a pass.
rating: 2 of 5 stars
I think we all remember Dead Spy Running...
Title: Surfacing
Author: Margaret Atwood
Publisher: Anchor (1998)
Hard to know what to say on this one.... A woman with a complicated family past takes her boyfriend and a couple on a weekend trip to her home town. Her dad is missing (possibly deceased) and she wants to check things out. After reading about half of the book this is still all I know about the book. I was mildly curious as to what was going to happen with the protag but it was so easy to put down, and I eventually moved, so I had to give it back to the library. So, um, not recommended?
rating: dnf
Title: Kingdom of Strangers
Author: Zoe Ferraris
Publisher: Little, Brown and Co. (2012)
This is, I think, the third book in a crime series set in Saudi Arabia. It has a few of the series' traits that drive me nuts (repetitious relationship arcs, too much character review, etc) but I keep getting sucked in by the intriguing setting and characters. Katya works at the police station and is constantly required to navigate the strict gender roles imposed by the state and by custom to realize her ambitions and to solve cases. Nayir is a desert guide for, for lack of a better word, the gentry but also a sometimes investigator who is constantly challenged by Katya to re-analyze his notions of gender essentialism and faith. This book opens with the discovery of 19 corpses, all undocumented women, buried in the desert. Strip away the setting and these are all solid crime fiction books but they are written in such a way that the setting can't be stripped away and that is what keeps me coming back even though I have some complaints about the series.
rating: 3 of 5 stars
Title: Don't Shoot: One Man, A Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America
Author: David M. Kennedy
Publisher: Bloomsbury (2011)
This book went immediately to my must-read list and I can't recommend it highly enough. If you have any interest in the cycle of violence that plagues many city neighborhoods and, more importantly, how it can be stopped then this is a book you can't miss. Kennedy describes a decades long struggle to implement a proven system to decrease gun violence in neighborhoods. That's my emphasis on proven because self-auditing and stats back up the system and results are seen. It's a frustrating and encouraging look at a problem that can be solved as long as people are willing to put aside their differences and their preconceived notions and work in reality. Malcolm Gladwell and the Freakonomics authors probably love this book as it has no time to waste on conventional wisdom and is only interested in what works. The writing style takes a bit of getting used to (grammarians beware!) but it doesn't get in the way of the message.
rating: 4 of 5 stars
Currently reading s l o w l y:
Title: The Count of Monte Cristo
Author: Alexandre Dumas
Publisher: Century eBooks (2012); this is a 0.99 Kindle book that includes three of Dumas' works. The Count of Monte Cristo was originally published serially in the 1800s. I haven't bothered to look at which translation this is.
I read this title over a decade ago and was inspired to pick it up again after reading The Black Count (which I highly recommend) and I'm enjoying the re-read. I skip over parts of it but most of it can still keep my attention. What I find myself doing quite a lot is trying to figure out which modern day book is the equivalent of this. Might it be Twilight? I haven't read Twilight but it's a hugely successful bestseller which is panned as often as it's praised. I've heard the dialogue is terrible, some of the writing excerpts I've seen would certainly get skipped by a reader like me and the characters are, I'm told, melodramatic and tend to not want to go on living without certain life partners... Many of these attributes are to be found in The Count of Monte Cristo....
Title: Cricket Explained
Author: Robert Eastaway
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (1993)
The New Zealand cricket team keeps getting described to me as rubbish but I'm still prepared to become a fan of the sport and watch some local games (matches? tests? I'm still not clear on the lingo) when the season comes round again. This book is a great introduction to the sport and pretty funny to read besides. The author has a sense of humor that I quite enjoy.
Recently read:
Title: A Conspiracy of Kings
Author: Megan Whalen Turner
Publisher: Greenwillow (2010)
I've often said "any Kinsale is better than no Kinsale (and quite often better than almost all the other books:)" and I feel the same for Megan Whalen Turner. Turner has published fewer books so her A/B/C teams would be smaller but now she does have at least one on each team. This is my third read of ACoK and I haven't changed my opinion from the first read. That's an unusual thing with a MWT book as they are treasures for those who like to re-read (it's why I so often think of her and Kinsale together because they both write the kind of books that get better with more reading; that and my passionate
The A Team: The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia
The B Team: The Thief, Instead of Three Wishes (short stories)
The C Team: A Conspiracy of Kings
But, don't forget, any Turner is better than no Turner so you should read all of these!
rating: 3 of 5 stars
Title: The Archivist's Story
Author: Travis Holland
Publisher: The Dial Press (2007)
This story is set in 1939 Moscow and covers about a year in the life of a man who was forced out of his University position and now works as an "archivist" for Fourth Section at the Lubyanka (this is from memory so please forgive misspellings/misnomers if they exist). Being the Russophile that I am, I gobbled up the atmosphere and history but I kept being nagged by the fact that it was so perfectly what I, an American who does not excel at history, thought it would be like to live in Soviet Russia. Is it unfair of me to think negatively of the book because of that? I just felt so much of my own American sentiments in the book that it started to make me critical of the authenticity of the experiences of the characters. I'm sure it's unfair of me but I couldn't lose that nagging feeling while reading. My doubts aside, it's still worth a read for its portrayal of professional and family dynamics in a constrained atmosphere.
rating: 3 of 5 stars
Title: Greywalker
Author: Kat Richardson
Publisher: Roc (2009)
Urban paranormal with a Seattle PI as its protag. Nothing to dislike in the characters, though nothing to particularly recommend either, but it's heavy heavy heavy on the world instruction which becomes tedious. I would say world building but it was just straight up tell tell tell and that's not much building to me. Bleh, give this one a pass.
rating: 2 of 5 stars
I think we all remember Dead Spy Running...
Title: Surfacing
Author: Margaret Atwood
Publisher: Anchor (1998)
Hard to know what to say on this one.... A woman with a complicated family past takes her boyfriend and a couple on a weekend trip to her home town. Her dad is missing (possibly deceased) and she wants to check things out. After reading about half of the book this is still all I know about the book. I was mildly curious as to what was going to happen with the protag but it was so easy to put down, and I eventually moved, so I had to give it back to the library. So, um, not recommended?
rating: dnf
Title: Kingdom of Strangers
Author: Zoe Ferraris
Publisher: Little, Brown and Co. (2012)
This is, I think, the third book in a crime series set in Saudi Arabia. It has a few of the series' traits that drive me nuts (repetitious relationship arcs, too much character review, etc) but I keep getting sucked in by the intriguing setting and characters. Katya works at the police station and is constantly required to navigate the strict gender roles imposed by the state and by custom to realize her ambitions and to solve cases. Nayir is a desert guide for, for lack of a better word, the gentry but also a sometimes investigator who is constantly challenged by Katya to re-analyze his notions of gender essentialism and faith. This book opens with the discovery of 19 corpses, all undocumented women, buried in the desert. Strip away the setting and these are all solid crime fiction books but they are written in such a way that the setting can't be stripped away and that is what keeps me coming back even though I have some complaints about the series.
rating: 3 of 5 stars
Title: Don't Shoot: One Man, A Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America
Author: David M. Kennedy
Publisher: Bloomsbury (2011)
This book went immediately to my must-read list and I can't recommend it highly enough. If you have any interest in the cycle of violence that plagues many city neighborhoods and, more importantly, how it can be stopped then this is a book you can't miss. Kennedy describes a decades long struggle to implement a proven system to decrease gun violence in neighborhoods. That's my emphasis on proven because self-auditing and stats back up the system and results are seen. It's a frustrating and encouraging look at a problem that can be solved as long as people are willing to put aside their differences and their preconceived notions and work in reality. Malcolm Gladwell and the Freakonomics authors probably love this book as it has no time to waste on conventional wisdom and is only interested in what works. The writing style takes a bit of getting used to (grammarians beware!) but it doesn't get in the way of the message.
rating: 4 of 5 stars
Have I Mentioned Lately That Science is Cool?
Hadfield said he delights in the world being able to see and maybe better understand the work and collaboration on board the ISS, "by seeing our star in the sky."
"I was a Cold Warrior, intercepting Soviet bombers in the 80s, and now look where we are. This space station is a wonderful example of how people do things right," he said.
"The experience of leaving Earth is still very new for humanity and the ability to explain it and to share it is growing leaps and bounds due to the technology that's available."
The experience of flying in space is something that should be shared with everyone, he added.
"It is just too good an experience to keep to yourself and the more people that see it and understand... the more the benefits of space exploration will roll back into daily life for all of us."
Article link.
A Thought
Good friends are never lost to each other, only waiting for the next opportunity to share experiences.
Let's Be Careful, USA
It's bad enough that we in the US have decided we don't value education and science enough to pay for it but now, in addition to decreasing scientific research budgets, our policy makers want to decide what is good science rather than letting scientists decide what is good science? That is fucking scary!
That excerpt makes me want to shake Johnson's hand.
The essence of scientific research and progress is peer review. It's the basis for the entire process. From the first science report you submit in grade school to the top tier grants you apply for as a full professor, it's all about peer review. Research doesn't happen in a vacuum (even privately funded, patent protected research findings go through regulation testing/departments before they can be used in an open market) and it shouldn't happen in a vacuum.* Rigorous peer review improves the quality and the impact of research that is funded and performed.
And it's called PEER review for a reason. I wouldn't send a scientific paper to a lawyer for feedback just as I wouldn't expect to be asked to edit a law brief. If we take trained scientists out of the equation of reviewing science and place it into the hands of politicians we would be taking expertise out of the equation and that's complete nonsense.
Let's be careful!
* obviously research studying the effects of vacuum environments (like this for example) should happen in a vacuum. :-)
"In the history of this committee, no chairman has ever put themselves forward as an expert in the science that underlies specific grant proposals funded by NSF," Johnson wrote in a letter obtained by ScienceInsider. "I have never seen a chairman decide to go after specific grants simply because the chairman does not believe them to be of high value."
In her letter, Johnson warns Smith that "the moment you compromise both the merit review process and the basic research mission of NSF is the moment you undo everything that has enabled NSF to contribute so profoundly to our national health, prosperity, and welfare." She asks him to "withdraw" his letter and offers to work with him "to identify a less destructive, but more effective, effort" to make sure NSF is meeting that mission.
That excerpt makes me want to shake Johnson's hand.
The essence of scientific research and progress is peer review. It's the basis for the entire process. From the first science report you submit in grade school to the top tier grants you apply for as a full professor, it's all about peer review. Research doesn't happen in a vacuum (even privately funded, patent protected research findings go through regulation testing/departments before they can be used in an open market) and it shouldn't happen in a vacuum.* Rigorous peer review improves the quality and the impact of research that is funded and performed.
And it's called PEER review for a reason. I wouldn't send a scientific paper to a lawyer for feedback just as I wouldn't expect to be asked to edit a law brief. If we take trained scientists out of the equation of reviewing science and place it into the hands of politicians we would be taking expertise out of the equation and that's complete nonsense.
Let's be careful!
* obviously research studying the effects of vacuum environments (like this for example) should happen in a vacuum. :-)
Hostage by Robert Crais
Author: Robert Crais
Publisher: Doubleday (2001)
No stranger to Crais' back list, I was happy to delve in for this month's pick... but then saddened to see that it's the last of his back list that I hadn't read. So hats off to Michael for getting us back to one of our favorite authors (and, if memory serves, the author that drew us together in the first place oh so many moons ago). Now I join the rest of his fans in having no choice but to wait for each year's new release. One other sad note in an otherwise very positive month is that I was unable to attend this year's Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. I missed the books but I missed the comradery most of all and I hope all my book buddies had a wonderful time.
For those that are new to our monthly series, this is when Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here.
Click here for Michael's film review of Hostage
From the author's website: "Jeff Talley was a good husband, a fine father, and a front line negotiator with LAPD's SWAT unit. But the high-stress, unforgiving job took an irreparable toll on his psyche. Unable to talk down a despondent father before he murders his wife and son and takes his own life, Talley plummets into a downward spiral. His marriage ends, he resigns from SWAT, and he struggles to escape from his former life by taking the chief-of-police job in a sleepy, affluent bedroom community far from the chaos and crime of Los Angeles."
Escape turns out to be impossible when a trio trying to flee a crime scene end up invading a local home and taking the family hostage.
The set-up seems straight-forward but becomes more complicated with each chapter. I find the complications enjoyable and so don't want to spoil them here. I only mention them because RC never allows the reader to get lost in the tangles. His signature snappy pace is also on display here which results in an involved plot with lots of characters reading like his usual page turners.
The POV shifts throughout the novel but predominately remains with Talley. He's a good character to spend the novel with but not great. He has a lot of depth but not many layers making it difficult to become really attached to him. As in, I was never really that worried about him or his outcome (or the outcome of his family). It's probably a weird thing to complain about but he was just too good and in this type of book Good rarely gets punished. It's not that I want good people to be punished but when, as a reader, you're not even concerned it sets a distance between you and the character. (I realize this view probably has a nonsensical component to it when I'm talking about a book in which multiple people get taken hostage but I hope my perspective makes sense in a narrative way.)
As I mentioned above, this book has a large cast of characters and they are handled deftly as the action proceeds but I found it heavy-handed in the back story department. Around 3/4 of the way through I really didn't care anymore whose mom/dad/guardian had done what resulting in weird behavior. And [MILD SPOILER] I continue to assert that RC does not like our courts muddled up with trials for Bad People. Has anyone else noticed his downright Shakespearean endings?
[MILD SPOILER END]
Despite not being particularly worried about our main character the dramatic tension was held throughout. Even though I was 99.9% sure who would survive and who wouldn't the pace of the novel kept me extremely interested in how it would all unfold. I'll take that in a thriller any day.
So about the movie... well, let's leave that for Michael's post.
rating: 3 of 5 stars
Coming up next:
Contact by Carl Sagan
Links to previous joint posts:
Atonement
Dead Spy Running by Jon Stock
Author: Jon Stock
Narrator: Paul Panting
Audiobook Publisher: W.F. Howes Ltd. (2009)
This review is really more in the light of forewarned is forearmed so, if this is a title you like, here's my polite heads up that I don't have anything good to say about this book. I'm going to keep this short because I don't like to spend a lot of time on books I don't like and I couldn't even make it through the second (of nine) CDs.
Dr Musacha and I had a bit of a drive over the weekend so I browsed the audiobook section at the library for some entertainment. We both like spy thrillers which is how I ended up with this title. Suspended MI6 agent, Daniel Marchant is running the London Marathon with his girlfriend (Leyla, a current MI6 agent). He encounters and thwarts a suicide bomber also running the marathon. Shortly thereafter he's taken into MI5 custody and aggressively questioned. MI6 finally gets him into a safe house but pretty quickly gives him to the CIA for questioning which immediately becomes torture porn. It was at this point that Dr M was so disgusted he asked me to turn it off.
A few comments made by us whilst listening:
This dialogue is terrible.
This guy [author] is obviously not a physiologist. There's no way [insert character here] would respond in this way to the physical stress.
Are there any characters in this book that aren't cliches?
Why is it that whenever Daniel talks about why he loves Leyla he's always referring to her body and when she talks about why she loves him she's always listing his qualities as a capable human/agent?
Did he just imply that every human with a vagina is suspect?
Seriously! Is Leyla nothing more than a pair of legs with tits or what? Can any character see her as an agent and not as a sexual object?
Actually, it's hard to see Leyla as an agent because she never gets to do anything agent-y. I mean, she's a fucking secret agent and yet she can't figure out if her mom is being mistreated in a full-care home?
Is this a flashback within a flashback?
Have you noticed that nothing has happened since the opening action sequence? Almost all the subsequent scenes have been flashbacks and meetings.
More derogatory comments were made but I think you get the point: bad dialogue, bad characters, nonsensical plot, offensive and boring. Not exactly a spy thriller if you ask me.
rating: 1 of 5 stars
Link
Previous visitors might have noticed that I link to Shannon Hale's blog periodically. If you don't already follow her blog, she's doing great series of posts (with wonderful links contained within) about rape culture. Here's the first one. We need more conversations like this.
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Author: Ian McEwan
Publisher: Anchor (2003)
Due to the beginning of this year being quite filled with the excitement of emigration, Michael was kind enough to take lead on choosing the first few book/movie pairs for the year. I was pretty excited to see Atonement on that list because I'd been wanting to read it again. It's a book that I responded to in a completely emotional way when I first read it. I've been looking for an excuse to pick it up and try for a more rational response. For those that are new to our monthly series, this is when Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here.
Click here for Michael's film review of Atonement
From the publisher: "On a hot summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a moment’s flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant and Cecilia’s childhood friend. But Briony’s incomplete grasp of adult motives–together with her precocious literary gifts–brings about a crime that will change all their lives. As it follows that crime’s repercussions through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century, Atonement engages the reader on every conceivable level, with an ease and authority that mark it as a genuine masterpiece."
In a nod to efficiency I often like to pull the publisher's synopses rather than try to do my own but in this case it was probably a necessity. Even with my second, hopefully more rational, reading of the book I doubt I could say what it was about in only a few sentences. But what the above synopsis doesn't impart is anything about the structure of the novel and that might be my favorite thing about it. Yeah, I should admit right out that what I love most in this novel is McEwan's craft. The story literally makes my blood boil but its structure and exquisite craft give me little thrills because good writing is such a pleasure.
The book is separated into three parts, the first of which comprises that "hot summer day." That day ends with a crime that defines the rest of the protagonists' lives. The second part is several years later and occurs during WWII. The final part is essentially Briony putting the bow on the story. Except the bow is not a cheery thing but a thing that might make a reader want to grab its mangled fucking ends and rip everything to shreds... that's purely a supposition you understand. I bring up the structure because it's part of the story, too. Briony wants to be a writer and discovers the novel in 1935. She grows up to write novels and Atonement so wonderfully embraces a novelist's mind and methods that you feel Briony the Novelist's touch in every part. It's easy to read the story and not notice this but I find it just delicious and can't imagine this story without this telling.
So about this story... it's a heartbreaker. It's not just that uncheery bow at the end either. It's all of it. Briony's mistake, Lola's victimization, Robbie's lost chance at a normal life, Cecilia's break from her family. And, my gosh, it's so hard to not be angry the whole time you're reading it. The little moments of nothings that lead to such a disastrous outcome break your heart and make you so mad. And that has to be another testament to McEwan's craft here. A book you wish you could throw at the wall but you can't because you don't want to put it down. A book with a protagonist whose neck you want to ring but you can't because without her there is no story. It's an absolutely fascinating experience.
So about this telling... it can be a slog. That may come as a surprise since I spent a whole paragraph gushing about exquisite craft but it's true. Admittedly, I am a reader who regularly skims but if I'm reading a book I really like or am really impressed with then I usually attend to every word. I just couldn't do it here. No matter how impressed I was, or how interested, I simply could not manage to stay in a character's head as long as McEwan wanted me to. (This is probably the reason I avoid memoirs.) There are endless chances to spend time on tangential trains of thought and those are trains in which I have no interest. If I get lucky, one day I will find someone who likes them and is willing to share with me what s/he likes about them. I need some educatin'.
But back to this experience... it really is an experience. Even though the story gets me so emotional I can't say I'm ever lost in it. I can't ever stop seeing the Novelist's touch, I can't ever stop analyzing all the decisions that lead to the story's end, I can't ever stop wondering what I would have said, had I been Robbie or Cecilia, when Briony came to me with the truth. It's the kind of book I wish I had read with a book club because it's hard to not want to discuss it. And, unfortunately, the pieces of the story I want to discuss most are huge spoilers so I am going to avoid them here. In case any visitor's have read the book and want to discuss I am going to list two questions:
Did Briony actually give anything back to Cecilia and Robbie with this story?
Was this a successful atonement?
My answers are no and no which is why I think Part III of the book infuriates me.
What I've written here seems to me a rather unconventional review and lacking in what I think is most essential in a review: can you tell if this is the kind of book you'd be interested in? I'm pretty sure I can't pull it together because I still struggle with what I think about the book. And that, I must say, means it's something extraordinary. Whether or not I like it, I can't stop thinking about it. In a world with endless options for entertainment, a story that a reader can't get out of her mind is certainly an accomplishment.
I can't say I recommend it without reservations but I can definitely say that I want to discuss it with anyone who has read it.
So about the movie... well, let's leave that for Michael's post.
rating: 3 or 4 of 5 stars *
*depends on the day :-)
Coming up next:
Hostage by Robert Crais
Links to previous joint posts:
The Hot Rock
Sexual Objectication is Yucky
Clear reasons why and suggestions for change.
My favorite quote:
We raise our little boys to view their bodies as tools to master their environments. We raise our little girls to view their bodies as projects to constantly be improved. What if women started to view their bodies as tools to master their environment?
My favorite quote:
We raise our little boys to view their bodies as tools to master their environments. We raise our little girls to view their bodies as projects to constantly be improved. What if women started to view their bodies as tools to master their environment?
Marlins baseball - catch the excitement!
You all have Dr M to thank for this one!
Even though my premium mlb.tv subscription has been renewed and I'm seeing baseball stuff around I'm so distracted by impending emigration that I feel like I'm living in a bubble slightly misaligned from the rest of the world. I suppose I'll eventually pop my head up again and join the rest of the world... If not before, at least for Opening Day! Yay, baseball!
Even though my premium mlb.tv subscription has been renewed and I'm seeing baseball stuff around I'm so distracted by impending emigration that I feel like I'm living in a bubble slightly misaligned from the rest of the world. I suppose I'll eventually pop my head up again and join the rest of the world... If not before, at least for Opening Day! Yay, baseball!
Skip
Unforeseen circumstances have Michael and me skipping our usual end of month post this month. We'll be back next month though.
As for me, another injury has me laid up and convinced that 2013 hates me. Thanks to Magam for sending me this fun photo.
As for me, another injury has me laid up and convinced that 2013 hates me. Thanks to Magam for sending me this fun photo.
The Hot Rock by Donald E. Westlake
Author: Donald E. Westlake
Publisher: Simon and Schuster (1970)
Ah, the New Year.
What's that you say?
In internet time folks are already predicting the hottest trends for 2014?
Yes, I admit, in internet time I have missed the New Year (and my end of the year reading roundup *sigh*). But despite the fact that I'm doing a fair imitation of having quit the internet I am still around. Concussions, injured horses, personal events and planning a move to New Zealand have all come between me and my digital world but I certainly would not miss out on inaugurating a new year of reviews with Michael. We've already got the first few months mapped out (I may be negligent of the internet when I get busy but I'm never negligent of books:) and Michael picked a great way to open up the new year. For those that are new to this series, this is where Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here. Happy New Year and enjoy!
Click here for Michael's film review of The Hot Rock
This is the first Donald E. Westlake I have read (including all the pseudonyms under which he published) and in the time honored tradition of not being aware of something and then suddenly seeing it everywhere once it comes to your attention (is there a name for this phenomenon?) I came by this article. Newbies like me can learn a lot about the career of Westlake and old fans will probably enjoy the recap of his writings. Now, on to The Hot Rock...
Dortmunder is a criminal mastermind who, fresh out of jail, is ready to get to work for his new employer, Major Patrick Iko. Iko would like Dortmunder and his crew to steal an important artifact his country lost in a reshuffling of borders. The artifact, an emerald with religious significance, is on display in New York as part of an Exhibition that will soon hit the road. The crew decide they want to take the rock (soon to be hot) before it's on the move. Thus begins the first of many capers. Criminal mastermind he may be but Dortmunder is also singularly unlucky. He can pull off the perfect caper, all except for the part where you leave with the item of interest.
The patrolman on the switchboard...said, "Sir, the phone's gone dead."
"Oh? We'd better call the phone company to fix it pronto," the lieutenant said.
There's a lot of fun in this book and it's not just the clever capers. Plays on words, puns, misunderstandings, and a healthy sense of the ridiculous keep this story entertaining. The dialogue will make you laugh and the subtle humor of the writing will keep a smile on your face. My favorite moment has to have been when Dortmunder and his parole officer are speaking at cross purposes which results in the parole officer thinking he's actually rehabilitated a criminal.
He gazed around the bleak battered office with its grimy furniture and the faded inspirational posters on the walls, and his eyes were shining with an unaccustomed glow. He could be seen to think, It does work! The whole probation system, the paperwork, the irritation, the crummy offices, the surly parolees, by God it works!
It's a testament to the writing that I wasn't just laughing but also genuinely feeling for the poor schmuck. Of course, at that point I was feeling so bad for Dortmunder's failed capers that I was probably in a vulnerable place. You end up feeling so bad because these are beautiful capers; so elegant and stylish that it breaks the heart when they fail.
I've got to give this locomotive back," he [Iko] said. "Don't lose it, don't hurt it. I have to give it back, it's only borrowed."
How can you not love the hell out of a caper that includes a borrowed locomotive? And it's only one of them. The one with the helicopter is just as awesome. Toot toot.
If you're even mildly entertained by a good caper than this title is definitely for you. The humor and fun characters are just icing on the cake. And the characters are tons of fun. Each crewman brings a unique skill and personality to the group and watching these traits unfold is quite a treat. By the end I could imagine even the way they each walked much less how they talked and dressed. And don't worry, it wasn't due to laborious descriptions, it just comes quietly across as you make your way from page one to the end.
I'm off to check out the film review (won't you join me?) but how about my favorite quote to enjoy before you go?
"We can still get it," he said. "We've still got a shot at it."
"Take me back to the dog," Dortmunder said.
rating: 4 of 5 stars
Coming up next:
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Comment if You Want 'Em
ETA: Most everything is cleared out now (including what is in the box) so you can keep commenting but the offer is now even less guaranteed. :) Thanks to everyone who has helped me find good homes for my books.
They will go in the order requested with first dibs to those who come via SBD/email. The list below comprises the titles that my sketchy memory tells me some of you I have alerted to this might be interested in. Bonus picks in the photo below.
PLEASE NOTE: I'm doing this for fun and I have the best intentions of following through with getting these to requesters but there is no guarantee! My dogs might eat these, my house might burn down or something more mundane like laziness might engulf me in its tempting, peaceful arms* so, again, this is NOT a guaranteed offer.
*or my gutters might clog in the middle of the night resulting in waves of water washing down the window above this box until finally that window's seals are overwhelmed and water begins leaking off the sill and into the box... sigh... but that's ok, some titles will just be a little rippled and I like climbing around on my roof at 7:30am on a Sunday.
Romance -
Edith Layton (6 titles)
Joanna Bourne (3 titles)
Loretta Chase (2 titles)
Montana Royalty by BJ Daniels
Born in Ice by Nora Roberts
Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney
Faking It by Crusie
Almost Heaven by McNaught
Beyond Heaving Bosoms by Wendell/Tan
White Cat by Holly Black (HC)
Fantasy -
Michael Moorcock (6 titles one of which is HC)
Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
Historical -
The White Mare by Jules Watson
The Russian Concubine by Kate Frunivall
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Wench by Doeln Perkins-Valdez (HC)
The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani (HC)
They will go in the order requested with first dibs to those who come via SBD/email. The list below comprises the titles that my sketchy memory tells me some of you I have alerted to this might be interested in. Bonus picks in the photo below.
PLEASE NOTE: I'm doing this for fun and I have the best intentions of following through with getting these to requesters but there is no guarantee! My dogs might eat these, my house might burn down or something more mundane like laziness might engulf me in its tempting, peaceful arms* so, again, this is NOT a guaranteed offer.
*or my gutters might clog in the middle of the night resulting in waves of water washing down the window above this box until finally that window's seals are overwhelmed and water begins leaking off the sill and into the box... sigh... but that's ok, some titles will just be a little rippled and I like climbing around on my roof at 7:30am on a Sunday.
Romance -
Montana Royalty by BJ Daniels
Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney
Fantasy -
Michael Moorcock (6 titles one of which is HC)
Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings
Historical -
99 Problems and The New Jim Crow
I recently picked The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness for my book club (and it's very interesting - you should read it) and then I came by this: JAY-Z’S 99 PROBLEMS, VERSE 2: A CLOSE READING WITH FOURTH AMENDMENT GUIDANCE FOR COPS AND PERPS by Caleb Mason (which is also interesting [plus entertaining] - you should read it).
They both reference similar and key Supreme Court decisions which have led to exactly what cops can and can't do regarding the 4th Amendment.
They both reference similar and key Supreme Court decisions which have led to exactly what cops can and can't do regarding the 4th Amendment.
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