I'd love to be a whole lot more like Ruth Reichl, walking into shops and becoming best friends with the people inside and accumulating all their favorI'd love to be a whole lot more like Ruth Reichl, walking into shops and becoming best friends with the people inside and accumulating all their favorite recipes. I think I'm off to a good start, since we basically have the same kind of insane mother--though, thankfully, my dad does the cooking....more
I can't believe I slogged through the whole thing.
Recently I heard Michael Cunningham talking about how authors often say they're not writing for the I can't believe I slogged through the whole thing.
Recently I heard Michael Cunningham talking about how authors often say they're not writing for the reader, but for themselves, and it's Cunningham's belief that they should be working for the reader instead. I thought a lot about that while reading Tree of Smoke, and I'm left wondering if Denis Johnson was writing for anyone at all.
As a reader, I'm certain he wasn't writing for me, not for my enjoyment or enlightenment. And what could he get out of such nonsense? At some points it felt like how I wrote essays in the third grade, when I didn't want to repeat myself and wanted to seem smart, so I looked to the thesaurus for grand and regal and sumptuous and opulent words. (See what I did there? That's annoying right?) At other points I couldn't even tell from whose perspective those ridiculous words were coming. The narration was distracting, the point of view muddy. Finally, what's the point? That war is hell? That the government is twisted? That there can be salvation? Thankfully all those ideas are available in better, and much less trying, books....more
Good golly. There was so much promise here: the ill-fated Franklin expedition, now with a monster! I finished reading the book at page 271, and I onlyGood golly. There was so much promise here: the ill-fated Franklin expedition, now with a monster! I finished reading the book at page 271, and I only wish the book had ended at that point as well. This review in The New York Times says everything I'm thinking, particularly:
"That persistence alone isn't enough to transform a bad idea into a good one is probably the chief lesson of the Franklin expedition in particular and the quest for the Northwest Passage in general. The attempt to produce a massive historical novel isn't, of course, a folly on that level. The quest for the Big Book is neither as heroic an endeavor nor, fortunately, as lethal. ('The Terror' won't kill you unless it falls on your head.)" ...more
**spoiler alert** Hm. I'm not sure what to say. At least the cat survived?
I don't love how this series wrapped up, exactly. It was just as murky and d**spoiler alert** Hm. I'm not sure what to say. At least the cat survived?
I don't love how this series wrapped up, exactly. It was just as murky and difficult morally and ethically as the other books, and Katniss of course had to be the one struggling with all that. But I kind of wish she could find a stance on something, in the end. She made a few decisions, yes: She decided to kill Coin instead of Snow. Does that represent what she feels about war and all the horrors that she's been through? Or was she just still confused about what Snow told her?
Another decision she made: She said yes to the new government putting on another Hunger Games. Nothing's going to ever change, she admits, so is that the real choice she's made--to give up? It seems completely out of character for Katniss, who has only had clear thoughts about how innocent people should not be casualties of war. Because the idea came from Coin, is that why she trained her arrow on her instead of Snow?
She doesn't choose between the clearly evil (though yes, it's still complicated) Gale or the now-insane-but-recovering lap-dog Peeta. She ends up with Peeta. Her actions got her there, but not by her choice. She admits that they work together better in an opposites attract kind of way, but it all seems a little too much like just giving in. She is, in the end, if she's making a choice at all, doing exactly what Gale said she'd do and picking the guy who'll help her survive.
Still, the series as a whole was so much fun to read.
I wonder if any of my friends who've finished it have an idea why she voted yes for the "Capitol's Kids" Hunger Games? ...more
What I like about The Hunger Games was how it tackled various ideas about love. Catching Fire sort of stinks at that, though: Gale or Peeta, I'm not sWhat I like about The Hunger Games was how it tackled various ideas about love. Catching Fire sort of stinks at that, though: Gale or Peeta, I'm not sure why she cares about either, except that they represent decent parts of her past. I appreciate the ambiguities and confusion she faces, reflecting what a normal teenager might experience, made worse by the deadly consequences of all of her actions. And that's what I liked most about the second book--the growing conflict within Katniss about who she's supposed to be, and what choices she should make. Growing up is all about decision making, but luckily for us, our choices aren't usually so life or death....more
Engaging, but just not emotional. The writing is perfect. The characters are perfectly crafted, too. The concept, however, seemed to distract from theEngaging, but just not emotional. The writing is perfect. The characters are perfectly crafted, too. The concept, however, seemed to distract from the whys of the story: why is this happening now, in this format, and why is it important that they're all connected? What is at stake for these characters? All the answers are too large and metaphysical. Cheekiness from the characters about theirs and each others' lots is a cop-out. Finally, being left with the enormous ideas that we're all here to eat or be eaten is an awful lot to chew on. But it was a fun meal while it lasted.
It was interesting to read this the same year as Ulysses. The various writing styles of each section is clever, but it doesn't do anything to further the characters like it does in Ulysses. Each section here is written in a different style because that's the time period and the situation of the character, not necessarily because it reveals something particular in that character.
The movie version is, mark my words, going to be awful. Good luck with that, Tom Hanks!...more
I'm sad that I've already forgotten all of the presidential trivia that I read in this. Damn you, Swiss cheese memory!I'm sad that I've already forgotten all of the presidential trivia that I read in this. Damn you, Swiss cheese memory!...more
A helpful chapter-by-chapter overview for a first-time reader of Ulysses. It doesn't get too deep, but neither will you the the first time you read thA helpful chapter-by-chapter overview for a first-time reader of Ulysses. It doesn't get too deep, but neither will you the the first time you read that book....more
It's hard to give a rating to this book. I liked a lot of the ideas and I respect the work that went into it, but reading it was a chore, not a pleasuIt's hard to give a rating to this book. I liked a lot of the ideas and I respect the work that went into it, but reading it was a chore, not a pleasure. I might read it again in the future, but next time I would prefer to listen to the recording.
If you are tackling Ulysses for the first time, I'd recommend taking a class (while reading the Blamires book simultaneously). If you're in NYC, NYU has one every semester, and it was extremely helpful to talk it out every week, and also to have some structure and deadlines (and a sense of wanting to get my money's worth), without which I'm sure I never would have finished the book....more
I was preparing for a trip to visit Seattle for the first time, and I wanted to read something about or based in the city. The Seattle Public Library'I was preparing for a trip to visit Seattle for the first time, and I wanted to read something about or based in the city. The Seattle Public Library's website has . The Cornelius Arms was exactly what I was looking for: a collection of stories based in the recent past about several tenants of a downtown Seattle apartment building. The stories examine all kinds of aspects of what living in that city has been like over time, and what it has and could become. Reading it was like sitting down to dinner every night for weeks with different locals, and learning about the place through their conversations.
Also, since it's based on a real building (at 3rd and Blanchard, it is now used as student housing for the Art Institute), it was a nice bonus to be able to see it and put it in context.
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