Title: "We"
Author: Charles A Lindbergh
Recommended by: Jason Hall (roundabout)
My friend Jason Hall works for Google (on google reader, which is amazing), and he had shared an item about Charles Lindbergh, and his involvement in making the artificial heart pump. And that got me thinking about how I don't know much about Lindbergh, so I went out and got his autobiography, and a book that was a series of essays on his life, by other authors.
I didn't know much about Lindbergh before this, so I'll recap: He was the first person to fly from New York to Paris, which he did in the Spirit of Saint Louis, in something like 33 hours, in 1927. That is what he's most famous for, but he also pushed aviation to where it is today by promoting air mail, convincing cities to build airports, and innovation in a number of aviation techniques. He was a very impressive person.
The book was pretty good, and Lindbergh comes across as very humble, but with strong passions. I was most impressed with how Lindbergh follows what he believes wholeheartedly, but accepts any situation he's put into and adapts to that new situation without being slowed by his previous way of thinking.
Another thing that seems so impressive is that Lindbergh unites humanity (that's where the title "We" comes from). Europeans and Americans are connected by his flight, and I wonder if there are many things left that can unite people (or even just Americans) as Lindbergh's flight did. I think landing a man on the moon provided a similar experience, but the number of people involved in that was huge, and it's hard to point to one person there as America's favorite son.
Recommendation: Biographies are always enlightening, no matter how the writing is, and I feel I've actually learned something for myself from the character of Charles A. Lindbergh. 8/10
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Born Standing Up
Title: Born Standing Up - a comic's life
Author: Steve Martin
Recommened by: Lesley (my sister)
So, after recommending Steve Martin's short novels to my sister, she picked up this book, his autobiography, and read it. I'm not sure my sister ever read his other stories, or if she had to read this for class, or what happened, but I'll throw the credit to her for recommending it.
This book is Steve Martin's short (~200 pages) autobiography , going through his life, how he got into comedy, how he got famous, and how he walked away from it. It's really interesting, Steve Martin's style is very personal, but not contrived. It feels like he's talking to you, instead of trying to make it feel like he's talking to you. Subtle difference, huge effect.
My favorite thing about this book is how moving it is. People often think that just because it's funny, comedy isn't serious. But humour isn't just a defensive trait, and it's possible to be both funny and serious at the same time. Steve Martin does a great job tying in how comedy and his life go together.
Recommendation: I loved it. 9/10
Author: Steve Martin
Recommened by: Lesley (my sister)
So, after recommending Steve Martin's short novels to my sister, she picked up this book, his autobiography, and read it. I'm not sure my sister ever read his other stories, or if she had to read this for class, or what happened, but I'll throw the credit to her for recommending it.
This book is Steve Martin's short (~200 pages) autobiography , going through his life, how he got into comedy, how he got famous, and how he walked away from it. It's really interesting, Steve Martin's style is very personal, but not contrived. It feels like he's talking to you, instead of trying to make it feel like he's talking to you. Subtle difference, huge effect.
My favorite thing about this book is how moving it is. People often think that just because it's funny, comedy isn't serious. But humour isn't just a defensive trait, and it's possible to be both funny and serious at the same time. Steve Martin does a great job tying in how comedy and his life go together.
Recommendation: I loved it. 9/10
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Eunoia
Title: Eunoia
Author: Christian Bök
Recommened by: Ben Moss
Back to book reviews, right? Right!
It's a poetry book, but unlike anything I'd ever seen before. The first I heard about this book was from my friend Ben Moss, who has one of the poems as his instant messenger away message. I read it, and like it, but it took me a while to figure out what was odd about it, so here it is:
Pilgrims, digging in shifts, dig till midnight in the mining pits, chipping flint with picks, drilling schist with drills, striking it rich mining zinc. Irish firms, hiring micks whilst firing Brits, bring in smiths with mining skills: kilnwrights grilling brick in brickkilns, millwrights griding grist in gristmills. Irish tinsmiths, fiddling with widgits, fix this rig, driving its drills which spin whirring drillbits. I pitch in, fixing things. I rig this winch with its wiring; I fit this drill with its piping. I dig this ditch, filling bins with dirt, piling it hight, sifting it, till I find bright prisms twinkling with glitz.
The thing is, it only uses the vowel 'i'. And that's the idea behind this book. There are 5 different main sections, each devoted to a vowel. Each section contains entries like the above, but using the vowel for that section. It's really amazing how the author can have such freedom of expression while being limited to one vowel. Some of the sections are better than others, and my favorite is 'i' because everything seems more lyrical, and as you might imagine, the 'u' sections isn't very large, but it's all impressive.
Recommendation: 6/10, some of them are really good, but most of the time, it's just more impressive that someone was able to write this book.
Author: Christian Bök
Recommened by: Ben Moss
Back to book reviews, right? Right!
It's a poetry book, but unlike anything I'd ever seen before. The first I heard about this book was from my friend Ben Moss, who has one of the poems as his instant messenger away message. I read it, and like it, but it took me a while to figure out what was odd about it, so here it is:
Pilgrims, digging in shifts, dig till midnight in the mining pits, chipping flint with picks, drilling schist with drills, striking it rich mining zinc. Irish firms, hiring micks whilst firing Brits, bring in smiths with mining skills: kilnwrights grilling brick in brickkilns, millwrights griding grist in gristmills. Irish tinsmiths, fiddling with widgits, fix this rig, driving its drills which spin whirring drillbits. I pitch in, fixing things. I rig this winch with its wiring; I fit this drill with its piping. I dig this ditch, filling bins with dirt, piling it hight, sifting it, till I find bright prisms twinkling with glitz.
The thing is, it only uses the vowel 'i'. And that's the idea behind this book. There are 5 different main sections, each devoted to a vowel. Each section contains entries like the above, but using the vowel for that section. It's really amazing how the author can have such freedom of expression while being limited to one vowel. Some of the sections are better than others, and my favorite is 'i' because everything seems more lyrical, and as you might imagine, the 'u' sections isn't very large, but it's all impressive.
Recommendation: 6/10, some of them are really good, but most of the time, it's just more impressive that someone was able to write this book.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Children of Dune / God Emperor of Dune
Title: Children of Dune, and God Emperor of Dune
Author: Frank Herbert
Recommened by: Myself
Okay, I haven't been reading too much in 2008. And when I say "I haven't been reading much" I almost always mean, "I haven't been reading much besides SciFi". I finished books 3 and 4 of the Dune series last month, and I enjoyed them both a lot. Dune is shaping up to be one of the best series I've ever read, and I'll probably be at the library soon to pick up the next book.
This entry is going to be pretty unique though, first off, I'm covering 2 books, and secondly, I'm not even going to talk about them much. They fit very well in the Dune series, and both differ from the other books. It's enjoyable that the books are all so different, it lets you see a lot of sides to the author, and doesn't get old quickly.
But mainly, I want to talk about science fiction. I find that no matter what's going on, I'm always reading a scifi book on the side. I think that science fiction is really great in it's views of reality (this is also why Philip K Dick is my favorite sf writer). Science fiction can create a world that is so different from the one we're use to, it's guaranteed to make you think. A lot of people throw out science fiction, and don't give it much credit, but I find it to be one of the most challenging genres. In a society where imagination seems to take a backseat, scifi can be a great release. Reading in general will make you think, but I feel scifi makes you stretch your brain to the fantastic concepts it provides. In conclusion, pick up one of Philip K Dick's books of short stories, and when you're bored, read one. It'll be quick, and it'll make you think, what more would you want?!
Recommendation: Anyway, Dune's great. 9/10
Author: Frank Herbert
Recommened by: Myself
Okay, I haven't been reading too much in 2008. And when I say "I haven't been reading much" I almost always mean, "I haven't been reading much besides SciFi". I finished books 3 and 4 of the Dune series last month, and I enjoyed them both a lot. Dune is shaping up to be one of the best series I've ever read, and I'll probably be at the library soon to pick up the next book.
This entry is going to be pretty unique though, first off, I'm covering 2 books, and secondly, I'm not even going to talk about them much. They fit very well in the Dune series, and both differ from the other books. It's enjoyable that the books are all so different, it lets you see a lot of sides to the author, and doesn't get old quickly.
But mainly, I want to talk about science fiction. I find that no matter what's going on, I'm always reading a scifi book on the side. I think that science fiction is really great in it's views of reality (this is also why Philip K Dick is my favorite sf writer). Science fiction can create a world that is so different from the one we're use to, it's guaranteed to make you think. A lot of people throw out science fiction, and don't give it much credit, but I find it to be one of the most challenging genres. In a society where imagination seems to take a backseat, scifi can be a great release. Reading in general will make you think, but I feel scifi makes you stretch your brain to the fantastic concepts it provides. In conclusion, pick up one of Philip K Dick's books of short stories, and when you're bored, read one. It'll be quick, and it'll make you think, what more would you want?!
Recommendation: Anyway, Dune's great. 9/10
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The Interesting Narative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
Title: The Interesting Narative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
Author: Olaudah Equiano
Recommended by: Who knows?
I can't really remember how I got my hands on this book, but it was really interesting. Olaudah Equiano was an African who was taken into the slave trade in 1760. He was a slave in the area around the virgin islands, and worked as a sailor for his master until he earned his freedom, and took to being a freeman sailor, and finally moved to England where he wrote this book.
The book is about his life, and he wrote it to speak on some of the terrible things he'd seen in the course of it. He makes the point that slavery should be banned though he never makes a formal case against it, he lets his witness speak. It really made me think a lot about the condition of the world then, and that slavery wasn't only bad because it made people unequal, but it also poisoned the minds and actions of people. Olaudah talks about times when as a freeman he is almost taken back into slavery, or how people would cheat him and steal his goods, because a freeman didn't really have rights protected by law.
Other than that, there's a lot of talk about his time on different boats, and how the sailing life was. The author also explains his coming to the christian faith in steps throughout his life.
One of my goals this year is to read more biographies, and I feel that autobiographies usually have a feel to them like the author is making much of himself, but this account seems a exercise in humility, because Olaudah never makes much of his own actions, but seems a faithful observer of the things going on around him.
Recommendation: 9/10, It's pretty short, and turns the wheels.
Author: Olaudah Equiano
Recommended by: Who knows?
I can't really remember how I got my hands on this book, but it was really interesting. Olaudah Equiano was an African who was taken into the slave trade in 1760. He was a slave in the area around the virgin islands, and worked as a sailor for his master until he earned his freedom, and took to being a freeman sailor, and finally moved to England where he wrote this book.
The book is about his life, and he wrote it to speak on some of the terrible things he'd seen in the course of it. He makes the point that slavery should be banned though he never makes a formal case against it, he lets his witness speak. It really made me think a lot about the condition of the world then, and that slavery wasn't only bad because it made people unequal, but it also poisoned the minds and actions of people. Olaudah talks about times when as a freeman he is almost taken back into slavery, or how people would cheat him and steal his goods, because a freeman didn't really have rights protected by law.
Other than that, there's a lot of talk about his time on different boats, and how the sailing life was. The author also explains his coming to the christian faith in steps throughout his life.
One of my goals this year is to read more biographies, and I feel that autobiographies usually have a feel to them like the author is making much of himself, but this account seems a exercise in humility, because Olaudah never makes much of his own actions, but seems a faithful observer of the things going on around him.
Recommendation: 9/10, It's pretty short, and turns the wheels.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
2007 Finished Reading List
Alright, 2007, quite the year. I broke my own personal record by reading 39 books this year. I didn't write about all these books, but if there's anything you really want to hear about, you can comment, and I'll write a review of it, if you want.
Here's the list of Title - Author - Date Finished:
Busting Vegas - Ben Mezrich - 1/4
The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera - 1/7
Itching Parrot - Fernandez De Lizardi - 1/16
Life of Pi - Yann Martel - 2/2
Fight club - Chuck palahniuk - 2/6
The narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket - Edgar Allan Poe - 2/13
The starfish and the Spider - Ori Brafman & Rod Beckstrom - 2/22
Dune Messiah - Frank Herbert - 3/4
Eats, Shoots, & Leaves - Lynne Truss - 3/15
Battle Royale - Koushun Takami - 3/26
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig - 4/3
Shopgirl - a nolleva - Steve Martin - 4/7
Same kind of different as me - Ron Hall - 4/16
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas - 4/17
A man without a country - Kurt Vonnegut - 4/18
Ugly Americans - Ben Mezrich - 4/24
No one belongs here more than you - Miranda July - 5/30
The Golden Man - Phillip K. Dick - 6/1
Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe - 7/8
The alphabet of manliness - Maddox - 7/15
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -JK Rowling - 7/31
Amarillo Slim: In a world full of fat people - Amarillo Slim - 8/4
Make Love: the Bruce Campbell Way - Bruce Campbell - 8/16
Arabian Nights: 10 selected stories - 8/20
I am Legend - Richard Matheson - 8/22
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time - Mark Haddon - 8/28
If chins could kill: Confessions of a B movie actor - Bruce Campbell -8/31
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - 9/20
The Backwash squeeze & other improbable feats: a newcomer's journey into the world of bridge - Edward McPherson - 9/28
Velvet Elvis : repainting the christian faith - Rob Bell - 10/26
The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman - 11/7
License to steal - Dennis Marlock - 11/9
The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman - 11/19
The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman 12/4
Next - Michael Criton - 12/15
A hog on Ice and other curious expressions - Charles Earle Funk - 12/26
They speak with other tongues - John L. Sherrill - 12/26
Magic in Action - Richard Bandler - 12/26
Here's the list of Title - Author - Date Finished:
Busting Vegas - Ben Mezrich - 1/4
The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera - 1/7
Itching Parrot - Fernandez De Lizardi - 1/16
Life of Pi - Yann Martel - 2/2
Fight club - Chuck palahniuk - 2/6
The narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket - Edgar Allan Poe - 2/13
The starfish and the Spider - Ori Brafman & Rod Beckstrom - 2/22
Dune Messiah - Frank Herbert - 3/4
Eats, Shoots, & Leaves - Lynne Truss - 3/15
Battle Royale - Koushun Takami - 3/26
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig - 4/3
Shopgirl - a nolleva - Steve Martin - 4/7
Same kind of different as me - Ron Hall - 4/16
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas - 4/17
A man without a country - Kurt Vonnegut - 4/18
Ugly Americans - Ben Mezrich - 4/24
No one belongs here more than you - Miranda July - 5/30
The Golden Man - Phillip K. Dick - 6/1
Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe - 7/8
The alphabet of manliness - Maddox - 7/15
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -JK Rowling - 7/31
Amarillo Slim: In a world full of fat people - Amarillo Slim - 8/4
Make Love: the Bruce Campbell Way - Bruce Campbell - 8/16
Arabian Nights: 10 selected stories - 8/20
I am Legend - Richard Matheson - 8/22
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time - Mark Haddon - 8/28
If chins could kill: Confessions of a B movie actor - Bruce Campbell -8/31
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - 9/20
The Backwash squeeze & other improbable feats: a newcomer's journey into the world of bridge - Edward McPherson - 9/28
Velvet Elvis : repainting the christian faith - Rob Bell - 10/26
The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman - 11/7
License to steal - Dennis Marlock - 11/9
The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman - 11/19
The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman 12/4
Next - Michael Criton - 12/15
A hog on Ice and other curious expressions - Charles Earle Funk - 12/26
They speak with other tongues - John L. Sherrill - 12/26
Magic in Action - Richard Bandler - 12/26
Friday, September 21, 2007
The Kite Runner
Title: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Recommended by: Francine Ndaribamare, Aaron Kite, and my mother.
Well, a bunch of people have recommended this book to me, but I've been pretty hesitant to pick it up. It's about Afghanistan, and my last experience with Afghanistan was Rambo 3, and that movie was really boring for the first like 40 minutes. (sidenote: I hear that Rambo 3 picks up at the end, and he blows up a horizon, or something like that) Anyway, I finally decided to give this book a go.
The story is about the life of a boy who grew up in Afghanistan, and then flees the country with his father after the political structure of the country starts to fail. Also, the story involves the boy's best friend, who is his family's servant, and the events that bring them apart. The story also has some pretty dark spots.
I really liked all of the characters in this book, I thought they all had very strong presences in the story. The main thing I didn't like was that the main character never really seems to change. In the story of him growing up, and into his adult life, he pretty much always acts the same way. And I guess it's a type of character development to have the character always fall into the same traps, but I enjoy a more dynamic development, involving epiphany and change. I also really enjoyed the ending of this story, I thought it was very strong, building up from the whole story, without the need for any shock value.
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Recommended by: Francine Ndaribamare, Aaron Kite, and my mother.
Well, a bunch of people have recommended this book to me, but I've been pretty hesitant to pick it up. It's about Afghanistan, and my last experience with Afghanistan was Rambo 3, and that movie was really boring for the first like 40 minutes. (sidenote: I hear that Rambo 3 picks up at the end, and he blows up a horizon, or something like that) Anyway, I finally decided to give this book a go.
The story is about the life of a boy who grew up in Afghanistan, and then flees the country with his father after the political structure of the country starts to fail. Also, the story involves the boy's best friend, who is his family's servant, and the events that bring them apart. The story also has some pretty dark spots.
I really liked all of the characters in this book, I thought they all had very strong presences in the story. The main thing I didn't like was that the main character never really seems to change. In the story of him growing up, and into his adult life, he pretty much always acts the same way. And I guess it's a type of character development to have the character always fall into the same traps, but I enjoy a more dynamic development, involving epiphany and change. I also really enjoyed the ending of this story, I thought it was very strong, building up from the whole story, without the need for any shock value.
Recommendation: 7/10, If it's between reading this book, or watching Rambo 2, I'd watch Rambo 2. Because Rambo blows up a waterfall in it.
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