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This list is (mostly) in reverse order of reading. The end of the year got a little weird for me (it often does), and I've started several books but finished none since Brillat-Savarin. My main read at the moment is Fielding's Johnathan Wild.
The Philosopher in the Kitchen/La Physiologie du gout, Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
It's a book all the culinary writers quote, so of course, I've only just gotten around to reading it. And is it ever clear now why they quote it. Brillat-Savarin can at times be annoying (as in that little story about Herminie where he all but states that women should be intelligent but generally speaking should not give evidence of it), but he is a great pleasure to read, even in translation.
Struwwelpeter or Merry Stories and Funny Pictures, Heinrich Hoffman
This book gets talked up in r.a.b. periodically. Yes, they're funny, altho I might argue about the merry bit. Lots of naughty children getting their comeuppance. Play with matches? You'll burn to death. Torment the dog? He'll bite you and you'll get very sick. Suck your thumbs? A nasty bogey man will cut them off.
The Talisman Ring, Georgette Heyer, (reread).
I just now noticed that I read it earlier this year. I suppose that means it's a real fun read.
Critical Masses, David Moffett
One wouldn't expect a book about demographics to be this enjoyable, but Moffett's descriptions of non-governmental organizations and their continuing efforts to improve the status of women, their access to birth control and generally improve global prospects are concise, yet detailed and evocative. The sheer number of them becomes encouraging after a while.
Telling Lies: Clues to Deceit in the Marketplace, Politics, and Marriage, Paul Ekman
This is the 2nd and revised edition. I first heard of Ekman in the late '80s, when his research on micro-expressions was getting a lot of play in newsmagazines and, for that matter, talk shows. His book is chatty (helps explain the talk show bookings, anyway), but informative. His agenda is stated up front: he doesn't want his findings mis-used or abused, so he doesn't just give you techniques and numbers, he supplies a framework in which to apply (or, in many cases, not apply) his techniques.
Month: 5
The Brighter Side of Human Nature, Alfie Kohn
I read two books by Kohn this year, and while I'm not going to stop reading Kohn, I am increasingly of the opinion that No Contest was his best work. Where Punished By Rewards has methodological problems, this one just has problems. I like the thesis -- human nature isn't strictly dark, and believing that it is tends to be self-fulfilling. I liked the sidelights on gender differences (very few. Differences, that is.). What I didn't care for were the references to studies covered in greater depth by Kohn himself in his later books. He's clearly greatly refined his notions of extrinsic vs. intrinsic rewards, and his understanding of cooperative vs. competitive structures and strategies. There's a lot of fuzzy thinking in this book. Still worth reading, tho.
What Entropy Means to Me, Geo. Alec Effinger
I finally found a copy after hearing about it all these years. Quite funny, in a dry and indirect sort of way; lots of obscure partial literary references. I'm sure I'll reread it, since I'm sure I missed a lot of them. I get the feeling this is the Sartor Resartus of the science fiction genre, but maybe that's just because I read both books the same year. This book introduces Glorian.
The Small House at Allington, Anthony Trollope
I didn't like this one so well, I'm afraid, largely because I really couldn't stand Lucy and her ludicrous ideas of love. I'm apparently an insensitive cynic; guess I'll just have to live with it.
The Paladin, C.J. Cherryh
I looked at this went it first came out and the cover turned me away. Don't make the same mistake. I was talked into reading it by Jeffrey. Like Hughart's books, it's a tale of China that never was. Unusual for Cherryh, this book works in part because of the slow development of a non-dysfunctional relationship (I realize that construction is awkward, but if you've read Cherryh, you know exactly what I mean).
Chicks in Chainmail, ed. Esther Friesner
Friesner books are not often to my tastes, but this collection's title was not resistable. And while many of the stories are extremely surreal, they are also very entertaining. Effinger's recurring character Glorian makes an appearance in a MUD.
The Coming Plague, Laurie Garrett
I've been talking about this more or less non-stop since I read it. I didn't buy it hardback because I tend to dislike books by journalists; this book, however, is by a journalist with solid scientific training, and it shows. Her citations are many. Her descriptions are lucid. Each chapter works as a complete, narrative unit, describing the initial outbreak of a disease, how its cause was isolated, and how it is or was treated. The book as a whole works as a narrative, developing over-arching and pervasive themes such as disease amplification and human culture as an ecology for diseases. I cannot overrate this book.
Cetaganda, Lois McMaster Bujold
This one reminded me most of Brothers in Arms. Technically superior to Mirror Dance, it is not so ambitious. Ivan's character is further developed, as we get a look at how a fool who is not stupid manages to make his way through a hazardous universe. This one's about change and stasis, status and ambition, men and women.
I really wanted to dislike it so I could skip reading the rest of this currently open-ended and already quite long series. But it was too good.
Amphigorey Also, Edward Gorey
It's Obvious You Won't Survive By Your Wits Alone, Scott Adams
The World of Biblical Literature, Robert Alter
This is a collection of essays, and so does not hold together as nicely as Alter's The Art of Biblical Narrative. Some of the points are repeated, both between essays, and between books. Still, it's a worthwhile read; Alter's analysis is insightful, and the essay on The Book of J made the whole book worthwhile.
Hellflower, Eluki bes Shahar
Scott borrowed this from Katrina Case. Highly readable, lots of movie and music in-jokes, fast-paced sf novel with cyberpunk overtones. First in a trilogy; I haven't read the others yet but expect I shall.
92 Stories, James Thurber
Theseus and Lycurgus from Lives of the Noble Greeks, Plutarch
I somehow never read these before (I'm slowly working my way through the Edmund Fuller translation). I can't really take more than a score of pages of Plutarch at a time. I find his morals appalling.
Month: 13
Saints Preserve Us!, Rosemary Rogers and Sean Kelly
Unabashed hagiography with an eye to explaining the historical basis of Catholic doctrines (e.g. no birth control). It may have been intended as a reference, but if you read it straight through, it's like reading a collection of folk tales told with a sense of humor. I borrowed this one from my boss.
She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head!, Kathryn Lasky
This improbably titled children's book about the origins of the Audubon Society has a great take on the women's suffrage movement. The pictures are wonderful.
The Fifties, David Halberstam
This was loaned by Jon Konrath, beat fan and author in the making. A history of the titular decade, Halberstam traces the growth of the suburbs and the mega-businesses which serve them: Holiday Inn, discount stores, McDonald's and General Motors.
Legacy, James Schmitz (reread)
Flag in Exile, David Weber
Field of Dishonor, David Weber
I stalled on reading one of the Honor Harrington novels to wait for a second, having heard of a cliff-hanger and generally depressing mood. Boy was that silly. OTOH, it did give me two to read in a row, which was nice.
Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (reread)
Computer Related Risks, Peter G Neumann
The moderator of comp.risks has produced a paper book. It's worth a read, even if you are familiar with the material. Neumann's done a good job of tracking down all the details, and created an excellent organizational scheme.
I'm not sure if I ever read this before -- I think so. At any rate, Steadman's illos in this lovely U.K. edition contribute greatly to the feeling of a children's tale, and aspect that nicely complements the allegory and which prevents the allegory from becoming top-heavy.
The Worm Ourobouros, E.R. Eddison
Many people prefer this to the Memison trilogy; I don't understand why. Which isn't to say I didn't like it; I just prefer the more overt philosophizing of the other books.
Why yes, I actually read it, fully meaning to follow up with Fielding's Shamela and Joseph Andrews but do you know? I haven't got 'round to it (I'm one book into Johnathan Wild even as I type, which is breathtakingly cynical, even for Fielding). This is one of those books that is more entertaining that one would want it to be -- almost a page-turner, despite the characters being uniformly despicable.
Month: 11
The Art of Biblical Narrative, Robert Alter
Alter's analysis of narrative technique and structure in the OT/Hebrew Bible is insightful and a pleasure to read. I spent a while on it, looking up most of the stories in the New English and New World xlations for purposes of comparison, and found remarkably little to quibble about. Alter has also written a collection of essays on related topics.
There's No Such Thing as Free Speech, chapter 1 only, Stanley Fish
I only read the first chapter, because Fish attacks Alter's The Pleasure of Reading in an Ideological Age, or, at any rate, a bad review thereof. And he gets his facts drastically wrong, which caused me to put the book back on the shelf in favor of reading more Alter, instead. On the whole, it was an excellent decision.
Zodiac: an Eco-Thriller, Neal Stephenson
This tale of tracking down corporate polluters in the Boston area is highly entertaining. The bicycle ride through the storm is Stephenson at his finest. Grand fun.
Sartor Resartus, Thomas Carlyle
No one would admit to recommending it to me, altho I could have sworn several rabsters mentioned it with praise a year or so ago. When I finally slogged through it, I wound up with very mixed feelings. I can't say it was bad, but I will say that it wasn't particularly funny, and that I didn't agree with Carlyle's variation on mysticism.
Month: 4
A Gentle Madness, Nicholas Basbanes
Far superior to Raabe's Biblioholism, in terms of scholarship and readability. This history of book lovers, book collectors, libraries, and bibliography also touches upon the process by which canons are developed, and delves periodically into the psychology of collecting. Sidelights on the history of various books, famous and infamous, and some highly entertaining stories about books and their travel from owner to owner make for a great read. Must-have, must-read, highly recommended.
Unwillingly to Earth, Pauline Ashwell (reread)
SF with a young female protagonist whose background is largely masculine. Manipulative by nature, but opposed to such in principle, she is recruited to do it in a more informed and responsible fashion, under the rubric of studying Cultural Engineering. The prose style reflects her development and increasing sophistication and the ideas are explored in the context of a series of minor adventures, terminating in a slight romance.
Second Pirandello for play reading. A man playing Henry IV is bonked on the head and believes he really is. As he is rich, he is humored. Coming out of it, he decides to continue without revealing his lucidity. The audience discovers all this as his acquaintance finally decide to make him snap out of it. Henry's speeches include the usual commentary of the nature of disguise and play-acting and its reflection on "real life". Great stuff. Surreal.
Trumps of Doom, Roger Zelazny
First of the second series of Amber novels. Merlin is much more likeable than his father Corwin, but a lot more naive. Someone's been trying to kill him for a while now, and he's only just recently started to look in on it. Unraveling the mystery extends through the entire series.
Blood of Amber, Roger Zelazny
Sign of Chaos, Roger Zelazny
Knight of Shadows, Roger Zelazny
Nice sidelights on the Courts of Chaos in this and the last novel.
Prince of Chaos, Roger Zelazny
Last Amber novel. Corwin is found and rescued. Julia reappears in person. Lots of loose ends, including Frakir never being recovered from book four.
Devil's Cub, Georgette Heyer (Reread)
One of the most abusive of Heyers novels. Vidal abducts Mary Challoner, who then shoots him. And his parents are downright appalling.
Romance of the Rose, de Meun/Lorris
This took forever to finish, largely because the second portion of it was so amazingly offensive.
The Mind of the Maker, Dorothy L. Sayers
Sayers' explication of the trinity as being a (relatively) straightforward description of the creative mind at work: father as initial idea, son as that which mediates between the idea and reality and the spirit as actual implementation. Bogs down in drawing parallels between heresies in the Church and bad art. Picks up again in discussing whether one works to live or lives to work (extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation) and the notion of a vocation. The last two chapters in particular are worthwhile.
Robert Heinlein, Leon Stover
Described as "boot-licking" by James Gifford -- accurately. The book itself is not accurate. It leaves out Heinleins first wife entirely. The author is overly enamored of his idea that Heinlein is preaching a secularized version of Calvinism.
Literary Swordsmen and Sorcerers: the Makers of Heroic Fantasy, L. Sprague de Camp
de Camp's urbanity makes this a much more enjoyable overview of the workers in this brand of fantasy than Lin Carter's. de Camp treads a fine line between not mentioning exterior, psychological explanations for authorial focus on the weird, and over-doing the psycho-analysis of the dead.
Month: 13
Winning Colors, Elizabeth Moon
Third in the sf series by Moon with the dual protagonists Serrano and Lady Cecilia. Cecilia is rejuved and Serrano is Forgiven, and they save a jump point for the Familias. Ensemble casting as usual; very successful. The three little old ladies at the end are wonderful capable.
The Sign of the Unicorn, Roger Zelazny
The Hand of Oberon, Roger Zelazny
The Courts of Chaos, Roger Zelazny
Fifth Amber -- end of first series. A not quite final battle between Amber and Chaos. The pattern is repaired and a new one drawn. All loose ends neatly tied up.
The Guns of Avalon, Roger Zelazny
Second Amber novel. Our hero finds a way to make gunpowder work in Amber, and leads an assault thereon. His success is unexpected and a mixed blessing.
Nine Princes in Amber, Roger Zelazny
First of the Amber novels. Starts out hard-boiled, continues as a tightly plotted conspiracy with fantastic elements. Circular plot -- revelations result in further questions; hero escapes only to be captured and is captured only to escape. Very unlikeable characters.
The Fran Leibowitz Reader, Fran Leibowitz (only read part of this, actually)
A Sorceror and a Gentleman, Elizabeth Willey
Prequel to Willey's excellent first novel, we finally get to find out why everyone hates Otto so much (and rightly so, I might add; I'd've killed him). More developed magic, and we find out where the griffin came from. Gaston shows up late, and Freya meets him later, and it is all something of a not quite what I had hoped for. Presumably we'll see the romance in the next book.
False Colors, Georgette Heyer
A Heyer twins novel; I'd previously only encountered twins in her short stories. Both have fortunes, altho the elder has more. Mom, however, is a spendthrift, if considered adorable by many. Son one doesn't properly inherit for a while yet, and his guardian won't give him enough cash to get her out of dun territory. An attempt to set up a marriage to fix the interim problem goes awry when son one disappears. I find the spendthrift yet adorable thread profoundly disturbing. Presumably I'll get over this.
Greatest Hits, Dave Barry
The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer
Pre-Regency, post-Restoration. Sis is a big girl; buddy is small. To evade accusations, they trade places, and the usual Shakespearean falling in love and not being able to do much about it while disguised ensues.
A History of Western Furniture, Phyllis Bennett Oates
Nice overview of the subject. The line drawings are more useful than one might think -- they draw attention to key details in a way that photographs cannot (or at any rate typically don't).
Amphigorey: 15 books by Edward Gorey
The man who brought us the Gashleycrumb Tinies has even stranger stuff to offer.
My Elected Representative went to Washington and all I lost was my shirt, Tom Toles
At Least Our Bombs are Getting Smarter, Tom Toles
The Taxpayers New Clothes, Tom Toles
Political humor at its finest.
Curious Avenue, Tom Toles
Non-political cartoons from my favorite political cartoonist. Less successful, altho there are inspired bits. Part of the problem is the great number of Peanuts' equivalents. They've been both done to death and done better.
Death in the Dining Room and other tales of Victorian Culture, Kenneth L. Ames
Ames approach to analyzing the culture is through material objects: parlour furniture including the organ; hall furniture, notable the hall- tree; mottos; diningroom furniture, notably sideboards and buffets and the popularity of dead animals as decoration of same in the mid 19th century, etc. He avoids literary sources, arguing that too many people start to talk about the words and stop noticing the underlying reality. The results are occasionally good, but often somewhat superficial. It makes for entertaining reading, and he supplies a lot of period photographs, which gives the reader an opportunity to notice details fluffed over in written treatments (what and how pictures were display, for example -- mechanically and aesthetically).
Black Sheep, Georgette Heyer (Reread)
The Talisman Ring, Georgette Heyer
Just barely pre-French Revolution. A noble family with roots in England and the U.S. ships a granddaughter over to keep her safe. She resents this, altho is charmed to hook up with a disreputable cousin when she runs away from her all too reputable cousin she is not amused to marry. The resulting confusion and intriguing, associated with clearing one cousins name and incriminating another, involves a brother and sister traveling through town, and invoking a second romance.
The Reluctant Widow, Georgette Heyer
Laurel (unpublished ms.), Peter Theodore
A gentleman on Usenet sent me this, a tale of a young teacher's encounter with a woman from another world, and a young student who needs to be drawn back into this one from the shell he has retreated into, partly due to an over-protective mother. There's a bit of a mystery revolving around the death of a young woman at a point in the not-too-distant past which the protagonist feels responsible for. The feeling of the novel is that of searching; the vaguely mystical overtones might appeal to a teenage audience, which I suggested to the author.
Home-Psych, Joan Kron (Reread)
Kron's exploration of how and why people modify their environment begins in shelter magazines and draws from diverse sources in sociology, psychology and anthropology. The tone is consistently light, without being excessively superficial. Her observations are interesting and her supporting data convincing. And she spots the ludicrousness of some of our behavior and skewers it without failing in affection.
Don't Know Much About History, Kenneth C. Davis
This is a surprisingly good one-volume look at American History. Extremely readable, Davis slides past Watergate, so we get some explanations (like why Bork got hit so hard) that our elders took for granted and we never got to in school.
Dave Barry Turns 40, Dave Barry
Dave Barry's Guide to Life: Guide to Marriage and/or Sex; Babies and other hazards of sex; Stay fit and healthy until you're dead; Claw your way to the top, Dave Barry
Month: 25
When did Wild Poodles Roam the Earth, David Feldman
An Imponderables book. Feldman's approach is to find the living expert and ask her/him/it/them. The result is vastly superior to Panati's. Prose style is humorous, altho stylistically different than Uncle Cece, of similar quality.
The Way we Never Were, Stephanie Coontz
Buckaroo Bonzai, Earl Mac Rauch
Looking Into Philosophy, Donald Palmer
If you're familiar with Gonick's Cartoon Guides to ..., you have a reasonably good idea of what this is like. A bit denser as to text, and the pictures aren't as cool, but still. A good overview, very accessible.
Our Lady of Darkness, Fritz Leiber
Apparently lightly autobiographical, at least in setup of main character. A spirit with a tendency to encourage suicide flirts with Our Hero, who is only slowly recovering from the death of his wife. Nice batch of references to Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft, and others. Didnt catch them all the first time.
A political cartoonist I like! I wish he didnt slam the space program so often, but I do like his lambasting of suburbia and the American addiction to gasoline.
Deadline Poet, Calvin Trillin
The best (paid) doggerel around.
The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jane Jacobs
How to over-rate this book? I can't imagine. Among other less obvious benefits to having read it, I now have some glimmering of an understanding of why my favorite spots in the city are, some insight into why I hated the suburbs so, and a cogent argument against projects like the Seattle Commons.
Complete Guide to Guys, Dave Barry
The Self-Healing Personality, Howard S. Friedman
Friedman presents an overview of a bunch of studies relating emotional state to physical health and likelihood of coming down with anything from cancer to heart attack to infectious disease. His conclusion is that emotional state and personality are as important a risk factor for disease in general as diet and exercise.
Women Pay More, Marcia Carroll and Frances Cerra Whittelsey, book misplaced
But it was really good, and had some great listings of resources, so if you spot a copy, take a look at it.
The Design of Everyday Things, Donald A. Norman
I was hoping for something a bit less superficial.
Nightlife of the Gods, Thorne Smith
Month: 13
Bring me the head of Willy the mail boy, Scott Adams
Culture and Crime: It's all the rage, Wendy Kaminer
I've raved in the past about Kaminer's I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional, her book about 12-step programs. This one, about criminal (in)justice, capital punishment, and the current rhetorical emphasis on values (which she identifies as fundamentally private, with a conspicuous absence of emphasis on civic or public virtue) is just as good and even more timely.
One of my favorite science writers, Regis manages to be funny without losing focus. His portrayal of Drexler is priceless. Like Great Mambo Chicken, this is another book about science on the edge, which provides the most scope for Regis' affectionate skewering of the truly brilliant.
The Book of Vices, ed. Robert Hutchison
One of at least three knock-offs of William Bennet's Book of Virtues. Scott prefers Book of Bad Vices, and the Book of Cat Virtues is a clear winner for silliest. This is the one I would have written (and described before I encountered it): real quotes from real classics seriously (but with humor) extolling actual vices (greed, pride, gluttony, lust, etc.) with two points to make: moderation is what is important and immoderate virtue is as bad as immoderate vice and much less fun; and if one is to encourage the love of reading, sex and violence is the way to go, not ponderous pedantry.
Once Upon a More Enlightened Time, James Finn Garner
Second to Politically Correct Bedtime Stories and only slightly less entertaining. The anti-competitive moral to the take on the tortoise and the hare is excellent. The alternative family in little red riding hood is also good.
History of War, John Keegan (partial)
Part One of this book utterly annoyed me, by dint of appearing to me to be laborious restatements of the obvious, and no motion towards what I was interested in (i.e. Creveld's ideas about how war is changing). I think I should probably read the original to both before I continue. Stevi Clark very much prefers Keegan to van Creveld, so I think it's worth a try.
The Lemon, Mohammed Mrabet, trans by Paul Bowles
Loaned to me by Rick Bohrer, this tale of more or less contemporary North Africa is unpleasant and disturbing, but well-executed. A young man can't stand his teacher and refuses to return to school, only to be disowned by his family. He is briefly taken in by another Moslem family, but he wants independence, and gets a job at a bar and a roommate, who wishes he wouldn't pay rent so he could trade sex for it instead. All of his friends in the second half want to use him for sex -- none are trustworthy. Worst of all is the protagonists fatalistic sense of being damned. The notion that increasing violence is necessary to preserve innocence is a distasteful one, and the paradox of its destruction of what is seeks to preserve strikes me as more exploitative than insightful.
Never Deal with a Dragon, Robert N. Charrette
First (or one of the first) of the Shadowrun novels, loaned to me by John Burroughs. The description of cyberspace is as well-developed and not dissimilar to that of Stephenson's Snow Crash.
Month: 7
Punished by Rewards, Alfie Kohn
Kohns investigation of extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivators in education, relationships and business is marred only by the imprecision of the definitions of extrinsic and intrinsic, which is explored in an appendix. The extensive data otherwise thoroughly support his conclusions. I read another book by Kohn this year also.
Conjure, Wife, Fritz Leiber
The Well-Favored Man, Elizabeth Willey
Willey's first novel is an excellent homage to and ripoff of the Amber cosmology. The elements are the same; the arrangement is entirely different. The characters are nicer. The plotting is slower. Characterization is through dialogue mental and external, and through fine points of etiquette, rather than through brutal action, as in Zelazny. The result may not appeal to those who very much liked the original Amber -- but is otherwise infinitely preferable. There is a prequel.
Beauvallet, Georgette Heyer
One of Heyer's historicals, and this one more appealing than some. An English pirate, er, whatever, decides to wed a Spanish noblewomen he either captures or rescues depending on how you pick your definitions. Lots of fun.
Frederica, Georgette Heyer
Possibly Heyer's best. The eldest sister decide to bring her family to London for the season, in hopes of snagging a catch for her lovely younger sibling. She isn't all that interested. They collectively get the attention of a noble and distant relative or less than sterling reputation, who nevertheless is rich enough to have good ton. The results are highly entertaining.
Cuisines of Southeast Asia: A culinary journey through Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, Gwenda L. Hyman
An interesting read, the recipes have been heavily modified for the American kitchen.
Shave the Whales, Scott Adams
Henry von Ofterdingen, Novalis
Another book read for the mysticism in fantasy project. This one breaks off as it really gets going, which is unfortunate.
Biblioholism, Tom Raabe
The form of the disease diagnosed here is as much focussed on purchasing as on reading -- perhaps more so. And I dont have a favorite reading chair. Ergo, I'm not a biblioholic. I swear. See also Basbanes' book.
A Cartoon History of the Universe II, Larry Gonick
Jackie O. was the editor of this and its excellent predecessor. Gonick's wandering into other cultures is well-handled, altho I could wish his sources were better. Such is life. Highly recommended.
Month: 10
Schooling in Renaissance Italy: Literacy and Learning 1300-1600, Paul? Grendler
Grendler investigates who was taught and how, by looking through accounts, student lists, curricular materials, diaries and journals of the time. His research is impeccable. He makes a point of determining how females were taught, as well as males, and exploring what opportunities the poor and lower class had to learn. Readable prose for such a detailed and (arguably) inherently dry topic.
A Wizard Abroad, Diane Duane
Wizards from computers -- and the Eden story replayed without the betrayal.
The Haunted Bookshop, Christopher Morley
In which Our Hero and Heroine are settled in a stationary shop (a bookshop), and become embroiled in a Plot.
Parnassus on Wheels, Christopher Morley
A genre a bibliophile cannot help but love: books about bookstores. This is a horse-drawn peddler's cart, and the woman who buys it from the man who sells it and their travels and travails together.
Six Characters in Search of an Author, Luigi Pirandello
How to tell your friends from the apes, Will Cuppy
The man who brought the greats to a level we can sympathize with and understand now does the same for the birds and the bees. He doesn't think much of birds, I should say. Not as funny, but plenty funny enough.
The Lady or the Tiger, Frank Stockton
Purchased as part of the mysticism in fantasy project, it was of no use. Stockton's stories are funny, tho, and worthwhile.
On Stories, C.S. Lewis
An Experiment in Criticism, C.S. Lewis
Intended as background on one of the authors in the mysticism project, Lewis' mysticism turns out to be placed in the act of reading itself, and this will therefore be one of the central texts in the paper.
The Culture of Food, Massimo Montanari
The other books on culinary history which I have heretofore read have been American and 19th century in focus -- this one is European and medieval. It is interesting to note that European pellagra had similar economic causes despite different political and class structures. It is further interesting to note the antecedents of the American sweet tooth so noted by others. It isn't very American.
Clues for the Clueless, Scott Adams
Build a Better Life by Stealing Office Supplies: Dogbert's big book of business, Scott Adams
The Bum's Rush, Don Trent Jacobs
An entire publishing niche appears to be devoted to exposing errors and fallacies of Rush Limbaugh. Not all are inherently anti-conservative. This is the only one I read all the way through; small press, borrowed from Dennis Doherty. It is intended as an intro to logic, using Rush's errors as examples.
At the Back of the North Wind, George MacDonald
North Wind is a divine being -- I suspect The Divine Being. Female conceptions of the Christian deity being somewhat hard to find, this excellent juvenile would be worth recommending for that reason alone. In its backgrounds, it also depicts a part of the 19th century all too often forgotten: traffic jams with horse-drawn vehicles.
Whale, dolphin and shark wizards. Possibly the best of a good series.
Culture Made Stupid: a misguided tour of illitureature, fine and dandy arts and the subhumanities, Tom Weller (Reread)
Science made Stupid: the discomprehension of everyday things, Tom Weller (Reread)
The Princess and the Goblin, George MacDonald
The Princess and Curdie, George MacDonald
The Golden Key and other fantasy stories, George MacDonald
Month: 21
Pre-Raphaelite Writings, Derek Stamford (Partial)
Revolution at the Table, Harvey Levenstein
This look at changing food distribution and preparation, and the resulting impact on culinary mores and manners precedes Paradox of Plenty.
The Wise Woman and other fantasy stories, George MacDonald
This isn't quite a sequel to Slow Freight, because the first half overlaps the previous novel. An excellent coming-of-age tale on a ship which at least isn't so wacky as those of Busby's other novels. The wackos are mostly planet-bound in this one. A nice look at generation gaps and culture clashes resulting from extensive use of the tunnels.
The Wood Beyond the World, William Morris
The Draft Standard C++ Library, P.J. Plauger
In the hand of the Goddess, Tamora Pierce
Imaginary Worlds, Lin Carter
Lin Carter does everything but drool over some of the early practitioners of fantasy. One cannot, however, underrate his contribution by getting a lot of them back into print. His analysis is better when he likes an author than when he dislikes (the text devoted to E.R. Eddison is extremely weak), but that is not unexpected. de Camp's book is preferable, altho the two are largely complementary, covering slightly different ground.
To Make a House a Home, Jane and Lesley Davison
Bleah. I didn't care for it, altho it does have a fair amount of interesting information and commentary on the changing role of the middle-class housewife. The book ends on a note of how being so devoted to the physical home detracts from devotion to one's husband, however, so it left a bad taste.
Framley Parsonage, Anthony Trollope
The Lawn: a history of an American Obsession, Virginia Scott Jenkins
I like this book, altho I can see where the person who first mentioned it to me would think that the entire book was a recapitulation of the introduction. The intro clearly states the thesis -- the book itself is a huge chunk of fascinating data. Some of the comments on gender roles struck me the wrong way, but when I said so on r.a.b., I was none too gently told that Jenkins has a Real Good Point.
Alanna: the first adventure, Tamora Pierce
Phantastes, George MacDonald
This is one of MacDonald's novels for adults, the one that so affected Lewis. The imagery is at times very, very good. Like a lot of MacDonald's work, however, it is more often heavy handed.
Waiting for the Weekend, Witold Rybczynski
Like nearly everything I've laid hands on by this guy, I leave it really wishing he'd actually picked up a reference or three hundred. Maybe I just don't like long essays.
C++: How to Program, H.M. Deitel/P.J. Deitel
DECwest hosted classes taught by one of the authors using this as a textbook. The students were uniformally very enthusiastic. The book is intended to teach programming and does not assume a background in C, unusual in a C++ text. Multiple threads focus on various issues: software engineering, common errors, design issues.
Month: 14
Lud-in-the-Mist, Hope Mirlees
Another Ballantine Adult Fantasy, also for the mysticism in fantasy. This doesnt work as well as some, in that there is no touching upon demi-urgy as in many of the others. Mirlees book appears to be anti-Prohibition, but functions well as an argument for legalizing mind-altering substances in general, and guiding rather than controlling their use. The focus is on inspiration and rising above banal commercialism and the ennui of the bougeouis by exploring other means of perception. A positive good, rather than a focus on abuse, evil, etc. The second half gets somewhat bogged down in a murder; the book as a whole is somewhat problematic.
A Short History of Economic Euphoria, John Kenneth Galbraith
Insightful, forthright, entertaining and enlightening -- those best qualities of books pervade this long essay/short book on the subject of a/the inherent flaw in capitalism: the periodic insanity to which its participants unerringly subject themselves and their fellow citizens to. Galbraith starts with Tulipomania, proceeds through the Banque Royale and the South Sea Bubble, touches upon 1929 and 1987. He notes that legislation cannot fix the problem. He ably catalogues its symptoms.
The End of Laissez-Faire, Robert Kuttner
Also borrowed from Dennis Doherty, Kuttner analyzes international currency relations in terms of political hegemony, with some enlightening results on why a strong dollar was so bad for us for so long, and how much of Japan's success has been attributable to its intentional undervaluing of the yen.
A Field Guide to American Houses, (Partial)
The Design and Evolution of C++, Bjarne Stroustrup
Stroustrup is remarkably self-serving, but the book is an interesting read for the perspective on the development of C++, its original intentions, and its explanations of why certain things went so very wrong (e.g. no implementation of templates or exceptions).
How to buy a house,condo, or co-op, (Reread)
Home Ideas
A College of Magics, Caroline Stevermer
I read Serpent's Egg last year, which disappointed largely due to the lack of any perspective deriving from even the slightest touch of humor. Stevermer apparently corrected the problem between then and now (rumor has it her collaboration with Wrede was the turning point). This novel is excellent.
A Fish Dinner in Memison, E.R. Eddison
I prefer the Memison trilogy to the more action-packed Worm Ourobouros, because I enjoy the Spinozan mysticism and philosophizing. YMMV.
The Well at the World's End, William Morris
The Way of the World, William Congreve
Restoration comedy at its wittiest.
Month: 10 Year Cumulative: 146
Slightly more than a quarter of the books I read this year were written by women.
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This file recreated from The Internet Wayback Machine in January 2002. Copyright Rebecca Allen, 2002.
Created: December 29, 1995 Updated: March 13, 2009