**spoiler alert** I was given a copy of this 8 or 9 years back and finally got around to it. This is the story of Rachel, the Jewish girl with the con**spoiler alert** I was given a copy of this 8 or 9 years back and finally got around to it. This is the story of Rachel, the Jewish girl with the congenital heart defect, and Andy, the biracial boy with the absent father, neglectful mother, and love of running. It's sweet when they meet at age 8; it's cute when they meet again as teenagers. But then, for the narrative to keep its just-missed-it alternating timeskips - for there to *be* a story - something has to tug them apart, just as they are growing old enough to have autonomy. That something boils down to their own choices and preferences: Rachel is image-obsessed and shallow, Andy is single-minded and in need of therapy, and despite them saying how much they love each other, they don't *choose* each other. They don't seem to understand each other.
You can tell me it's a love story, but love knows how to make sacrifices for the beloved. This book ends right where they might actually make a real commitment and stick to it. ...more
**spoiler alert** In high school, we picked books to analyze from a list, and I skipped this one because it was so short that I figured the plot would**spoiler alert** In high school, we picked books to analyze from a list, and I skipped this one because it was so short that I figured the plot would be lacking. 20 years later, I wanted to see what I'd missed.
My high school self would have missed the point, saying that not a lot happens (besides a lot of slurs). In a sense, little does: George and Lennie find a place to work (on the run)(saving money)(working toward a place of their own, a dream Lennie keeps having George recite for him). The owner's son is spoiling for a fight, and his wife (unnamed throughout) is (so bored and neglected that she's) eager for interaction with anyone (any of these men)(Crooks tells us exactly how bad it is, when no one will interact with you, how the loneliness locks you in your head)(bitterer yet when considering the shadow of what might have been: being in the pitchers, the glory of stardom). Lennie does not know his own strength; he can crush Curley's hand, and he can break Curley's wife's neck, without even trying. In the end, George puts Lennie down like Candy's dog.
Folded in between the layers of the events, there's the pieces to extrapolate: what happened in Weed; why exactly George and Lennie stick together; how the various men ended up here and why they're unlikely to leave.
George and Lennie's vision ("to live on the fatta the land") of having their own land, where they'll sustain themselves and not ask anyone else for permission, draws Carlson and Crooks in: a terrestrial paradise of milk, honey, and rabbits. Shows or games when they want to. Labor on their own behalf, a harvest to show for their efforts.
What a tragedy it is: that all these people will act in a certain way, such that Curley's wife's death is all but inevitable, and no one will enter paradise....more
NB: Gaiman's introduction asserts that Miyazaki based The Boy and the Heron on this book. It would be more accurate to say that the Japanese title of NB: Gaiman's introduction asserts that Miyazaki based The Boy and the Heron on this book. It would be more accurate to say that the Japanese title of the film alludes to the title of this book. Do not go in expecting an abandoned tower, a Parakeet King, or warawara spirits.
The translator's note afterward would have been much more helpful as a foreword: in the 1930s, Yoshino was writing an ethics textbook for children, and decided that a less-dry way to do that was to write a narrative.
As a story, it wanders a bit too much, leaving some focus to be desired; as a way to help children consider their lives, standing up for others, and thinking for themselves - taking into consideration the arts, philosophy, science, and history - it is more effective. Certainly I must concur that the story, such as it is, must be more digestible than a textbook per se.
Jun'ichi Honda, called Copper by his uncle (and subsequently, everyone else), spends some enjoyable afternoons with his friends; has many a conversation wherein his uncle shares historical information and related thoughts at some length (including a Lot about Napoleon. More Napoleon than I expected or wanted); and spends time deep in thought himself. A moment of betraying his friends, his subsequent regret, apology, and their forgiveness takes a good portion of the book....more
Grain of salt: every decluttering book illustrates the law of diminishing returns for me, so this might be more useful to other people than it is to mGrain of salt: every decluttering book illustrates the law of diminishing returns for me, so this might be more useful to other people than it is to me.
McCubbin's thesis, based on her experience helping others regain control of their stuff (thus, their lives), is that 7 main clutter blocks prevent people from parting with items they do not need, and that the guilt and shame of these mental blocks must be understood and addressed for progress to happen. The 7 are, broadly: trapped in the past; shopping as therapy/identity; avoidance; fantasy self; unworthiness; other people's stuff; and wasted potential. Sometimes two or more clutter blocks apply. Avoidance and Other People's Stuff are, I think, my besetting blocks; based on the past three weeks, the ultimate solution appears to be confronting items repeatedly until I perceive them losing staying power.
Because this book is from 2019, it has somewhat more up-to-date advice re: different organizations for getting stuff off one's hands than older volumes. How quickly that advice will become outdated remains to be seen....more
There are ways in which a cyberpunk book from 1992 can feel prophetic, and ways in which it feels generic, by virtue of inspiring other work (or widesThere are ways in which a cyberpunk book from 1992 can feel prophetic, and ways in which it feels generic, by virtue of inspiring other work (or widespread use of, say, "avatar" or "Metaverse").
More compelling than the sad vision of society or the large-scale gang violence is Stephenson managing to combine the concept of computer viruses with the linguistic divergence endemic since Babel. "Is it a virus, a drug, or a religion?" "What's the difference?" Very intriguing! I love it and also hate it.
I remain a little surprised, after finishing the book, that Hiro and Y.T. opted to join forces in such a cooperative way, but then, the communities drawn (such as they are) did seem to be the one hope in the face of brainwashing cults and glass-spear-wielding Aleuts; witness the importance of love to a Rat Thing once known as Fido. I was even rooting for Uncle Enzo by the end. ...more
A very quick little reread. This year I compared his quoted texts from the Amplified Bible to my ESV and NIV, and found a stark difference (ie: his anA very quick little reread. This year I compared his quoted texts from the Amplified Bible to my ESV and NIV, and found a stark difference (ie: his analysis arises from the amplification rather than the text per se; makes a person want to read Hebrew/Greek just for a greater depth of understanding).
Simplicity, silence, solitude, and surrender to God's will: always worthwhile pursuits. This was a good reminder to start out the year....more
Charlie Brown Christmas has it beat out for The Real Meaning of Christmas, but: it was good to revisit this book anyway, and see the Whos rejoicing evCharlie Brown Christmas has it beat out for The Real Meaning of Christmas, but: it was good to revisit this book anyway, and see the Whos rejoicing even without their decorations, presents, and roast beast....more
Barrows and Macy spoiled me, I think, with Book of Hours; I approach Rilke needing that facing-page translation, just for a sense of how the original Barrows and Macy spoiled me, I think, with Book of Hours; I approach Rilke needing that facing-page translation, just for a sense of how the original poem was shaped.
Possibly, given that these poems were written at the same time as the Duino Elegies, I need to be more familiar with those, as a different sort of facing-page understanding.
At any rate: either Stone's translation is weak, or these poems are weaker than Rilke's others....more
The mix of Norse ideas, southern backdrop, and visions (sometimes 'pretty,' sometimes horrible, generally not at all Norse- or Southern-looking) makesThe mix of Norse ideas, southern backdrop, and visions (sometimes 'pretty,' sometimes horrible, generally not at all Norse- or Southern-looking) makes for a more interesting mix than the southern backdrop would on its own.
The ambiguities involved in the story (what, specifically, happened to Pearl; Joe's role throughout) don't trouble me overmuch, but they don't compel me either....more
What a sweet book. The end notes show what care went into its composition and, most of all, its illustration. It's very gratifying to have visited theWhat a sweet book. The end notes show what care went into its composition and, most of all, its illustration. It's very gratifying to have visited the Wade Center and recognize how faithfully the wardrobe has been depicted....more
On one hand: this collection is valuable for learning the shape of a very different life, for appreciating overlaps of identity I wasn't aware of befoOn one hand: this collection is valuable for learning the shape of a very different life, for appreciating overlaps of identity I wasn't aware of before, for highlighting how safe, how calm my life has been in comparison.
On the other hand: the nature of poetry being what it is, I was left wishing for more notes; did I miss the overarching history, or Asghar's personal history, or a Punjab term? Probably all three, but the heaviness and grief involved keep me from wanting to flip back and reread more deeply....more
This is one of those books that some children read at age 8-10, but which I read just now, because a co-worker brought it up for some reason (possiblyThis is one of those books that some children read at age 8-10, but which I read just now, because a co-worker brought it up for some reason (possibly because my name brought the NIMH doctor to mind).
It's a cozy little story: Mrs. Frisby, mouse widow, needs to move her family before a farmer's plow destroys their home; she consults such potentially-threatening characters as a crow, an owl, and rats; the rats remember her late husband with gratitude, tell her their history, and come to her aid; she, in turn, gives them warning of impending danger to their own home. A balanced and sweet story, though one could easily end in the weeds discussing whether increased intelligence necessarily begets a sense of morality....more
This sweet little story seems a kind of time capsule; it makes me wonder what posadas look like today, if anyone still does them. Ceci, her gabina, anThis sweet little story seems a kind of time capsule; it makes me wonder what posadas look like today, if anyone still does them. Ceci, her gabina, and her star are quite sweet....more
Insofar as I consider a poem to be a way to convey the otherwise unconveyable, I did not find the individual poems tremendously effective; they were pInsofar as I consider a poem to be a way to convey the otherwise unconveyable, I did not find the individual poems tremendously effective; they were prose-arranged-in-rows. The main exception was in "The First Time I Saw My Grandfather Cry":
His face became a lake after an oil spill silent empty waiting for someone to clean up the mess and see if anything beneath the surface had survived
The collection as a whole, however, resonates more than any particular poem in it; Smith's juxtaposition of fatherhood observations and quotidian experiences with memories of Katrina, with news reports, with George Floyd, with estimates that his wife can never have children (obviously since proved false) heightens the joys and causes even the prose to strike a blow....more
**spoiler alert** Must admit that my money was on Miss Milray rather than her employer, though having someone Too Old For The Girl surely should have **spoiler alert** Must admit that my money was on Miss Milray rather than her employer, though having someone Too Old For The Girl surely should have been suggestive. What a weak motive for killing one's friend, though. ...more
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