#873
Title: Matilda
Author: Roald Dahl
Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Puffin
Year: 1988/1998
240 pages
It's a
revenge fantasy. At least there's one non-horrible adult, always a
pleasure. I'm calling this "young adult," or perhaps "middle reader,"
because like much of Dahl's work it's got a lot of moral ambiguity. I'm
all for it, and find it refreshing. I probably wouldn't give it to a kid
under 10 or so, at least without discussing some of Matilda's actions
(in the same way I'd want to discuss Harry Potter's use of an unforgivable curse).
Saturday, August 18, 2012
The Sagan Diary (Old Man's War #2.5)
#872
Title: The Sagan Diary (Old Man's War #2.5)
Author: John Scalzi
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Year: 2007
100 pages
Title: The Sagan Diary (Old Man's War #2.5)
Author: John Scalzi
Publisher: Subterranean Press
Year: 2007
100 pages
As a short story, the language is more literary than the series it derives from and the character is much more philosophical. It was pleasant to read, but doesn't fit well with the series for both of these reasons. It can't stand alone, but will be fun for those already familiar with the Old Man's War series. | |
Boy: Tales of Childhood
#871
[Title: Boy: Tales of Childhood]
Author: Roald Dahl
Publisher: Puffin
Year: 1984/2001
176 pages
Reread in 2012 (review posted in 2008) as a prelude to reading Matilda. Previous review:
Roald Dahl's memoir of his childhood is deceptively simple and pastoral. As is also often the case in Dahl's fiction, a darker substrate is present as well. These include almost losing his nose in a motoring accident, stuffing his sister's fiance's pipe with goat droppings, and an incident with a dead mouse. Dahl tells his story with understatement and affection. For those unfamiliar with the English boarding school experience or narrative, this would be an informative book to read along with the first Harry Potter books. It captures the horrible and ridiculous aspects of that experience without being overly graphic (as some boarding school memoirs are), providing a social and institutional context for understanding the Harry Potter books as well as another example of the English school boy genre.
[Title: Boy: Tales of Childhood]
Author: Roald Dahl
Publisher: Puffin
Year: 1984/2001
176 pages
Reread in 2012 (review posted in 2008) as a prelude to reading Matilda. Previous review:
Roald Dahl's memoir of his childhood is deceptively simple and pastoral. As is also often the case in Dahl's fiction, a darker substrate is present as well. These include almost losing his nose in a motoring accident, stuffing his sister's fiance's pipe with goat droppings, and an incident with a dead mouse. Dahl tells his story with understatement and affection. For those unfamiliar with the English boarding school experience or narrative, this would be an informative book to read along with the first Harry Potter books. It captures the horrible and ridiculous aspects of that experience without being overly graphic (as some boarding school memoirs are), providing a social and institutional context for understanding the Harry Potter books as well as another example of the English school boy genre.
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
#870
Title: Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
Author: Tim Weiner
Publisher: Doubleday
Year: 2007
702 pages
Title: Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
Author: Tim Weiner
Publisher: Doubleday
Year: 2007
702 pages
I don't really know how to evaluate the veracity of this history. On the one hand, it appears to be very well researched and referenced; on the other, the CIA has made arguments to refute it in its book review. To the extent that I've read about the CIA, this appears to coordinate generally with other accounts. | |
Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West
#869
Title: Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West
Author: Blaine Harden
Publisher: Viking
Year: 2012
221 pages
I started by listening on BBC 4, but quickly discovered that it was a highly truncated version and switched to the book.
Written in a style that will please readers who like a personal story told journalistically, with sections providing information, collateral reports, and related news stories. If you liked Demick's Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea but wanted a more extended story from one of her participants, you may like Escape from Camp 14. If you want to lose yourself in a memoir, without external intrusions, try The Aquariums of Pyongyang: Ten Years in the North Korean Gulag. I appreciated the blend, especially because Shin Dong-hyuk is, depending on your perspective, either an unreliable narrator or a person with a great deal of shame and good reasons to mistrust authorities. Compare to many of Elie Wiesel's Holocaust narratives, where disclosures about one's behavior depend on many factors, or any account of a conflict (such as the war in Vietnam) where people did things that shame them and are shocking or disgusting outside that context.
The Last Colony (Old Man's War #3)
#868
Title: The Last Colony (Old Man's War #3)
Author: John Scalzi
Publisher: Tor
Year: 2007
320 pages
This third (or third.5, depending on how you count The Sagan Diary) installment of the Old Man's War series is in some ways less emotional and more action-packed. John Perry, wife Jane Sagan, adopted daughter Zoe, a dog who has no particular plot function and Zoe's two Obin escorts move to a new colony. Interstellar intrigue erupts for a variety of reasons and with a cascade of consequences. Some make more sense at the tie; some are elucidated later; a few still leave me puzzled; for example, (view spoiler) Ah, well. It moves right along and makes more sense than a lot of brain candy.
Scalzi can over-rely a little on the device of having his characters know something the reader doesn't, a la the sitcom technique of Lucy leaning in to Ethel and saying, mad gleam in her eye, "So what we'll do is... [whisper, whisper, whisper].
I appreciate that Scalzi and his characters wrestle with questions about governments' intentions. John's conversation with General Gau were useful in this regard.
It's a little rushed at the end; another 25 pages would have been welcome.
Zoe's Tale approaches these events from Zoe's perspective. Since the last retelling I read was probably Midnight Sun's plodding recounting of Twilight from a dull and listless perspective, I'm looking forward to having Scalzi save the subgenre.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Fifty Shades Darker (Fifty Shades, #2) (Fifty Shades #2)
#867
Title: Fifty Shades Darker (Fifty Shades, #2)
Author: E. L. James
Publisher: Vintage
Year: 2011/2012
532 pages
Seriously empty writing about ill-drawn characters with boring sex scenes and laughable dialogue. Really, if I wanted to read this for free, I'd just confiscate some high school student's cell phone and read the texts. I cannot believe in a multi-multi-million dollar CEO who plays "No, you hang up first." What is sadly believable is that many readers of this series as well as Twilight think a little love is all it takes to fix your man. Fortunately for Ana, Christian doesn't seem to be an actual sociopath, just a romance novel sociopath. I'm sort of finding the Twilight books more engaging in retrospect. I'd rather be reading for religious allegory than reading for fanfic allegory. "Oh, he's just like Edward" is not even as interesting as "Oh, he's just like Joseph Smith."
If you liked this, by all means, enjoy. I found it flat and vapid.
Title: Fifty Shades Darker (Fifty Shades, #2)
Author: E. L. James
Publisher: Vintage
Year: 2011/2012
532 pages
Seriously empty writing about ill-drawn characters with boring sex scenes and laughable dialogue. Really, if I wanted to read this for free, I'd just confiscate some high school student's cell phone and read the texts. I cannot believe in a multi-multi-million dollar CEO who plays "No, you hang up first." What is sadly believable is that many readers of this series as well as Twilight think a little love is all it takes to fix your man. Fortunately for Ana, Christian doesn't seem to be an actual sociopath, just a romance novel sociopath. I'm sort of finding the Twilight books more engaging in retrospect. I'd rather be reading for religious allegory than reading for fanfic allegory. "Oh, he's just like Edward" is not even as interesting as "Oh, he's just like Joseph Smith."
If you liked this, by all means, enjoy. I found it flat and vapid.
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