Thursday, February 8, 2024

Better not turn your eyes away, my friend

"Seated up in the boat's bows, as you

Notice the leak down at the other end

Better not turn your eyes away, my friend

For you are not outside Death's field of view

- From Motto, by Berthold Brecht

Saturday, January 27, 2024

First Lines of Richard Powers "The Overstory"

 "First, there was nothing. Then there was everything.

Then, in a park above a western city after dark, the air is training messages. A woman sits on the ground, leaning against a pine. Its bark presses hard against her back, as hard as life. its needles scent the air and a force hums in the heart of the wood. Her ears tune down to the lowest frequencies. The tree is saying things, in words before words."

- Richard Powers, The Overstory.

The beginning section (Roots) of this Pulitzer Prize winning novel is so entertaining, powerful, and full of universal truths that it might just be the best thing I've ever read. Powers introduces eight different narratives, each one in its own short story and it's one hell of a ride - filled with love and disillusionment and betrayal and random acts of cruel fate. It feels real. The later sections of the book weave the characters together in different ways and so far (I've been reading the rest of the book in slow sips, saving and savoring its taste like a rare scotch) it's still excellent but does pale, just a bit, in comparison with that tour de force of an overture. Pick it up - you wont be disappointed.

Monday, January 15, 2024

First Lines of Stephen King's "Holly"

 "It's an old city, and no longer in very good shape, nor is the lake beside which it has been built, but there are parts of it that are still pretty nice. Longtime residents would probably agree that the nicest section is Sugar Heights, and the nicest street running though it is Ridge Road, which makes a gentle downhill curve from Bell College of Arts and Sciences to Deerfield Park, two miles below. On its way, Ridge Road passes many find houses, some of which belong to college faculty and some to the city's more successful businesspeople--doctors, lawyers, bankers, and top-of-the-pyramid business executives. Most of these homes are Victorians, with impeccable paintjobs, bow windows, and lots of gingerbread trim."

- Stephen King, Holly

Another speedy read by the prolific King. This one contains some nasty scenes, but also has a lot of that folksy King observational prose which can be so addicting. Not the best of his novels I've ever read - I found the choice to reveal the who behind the whodunit to take the edge off of the suspense - but still a fun read to start off the new year.

Also: was surprised to wake up in the middle of the night to find that the writing and windows on the cover are glow-in-the-dark! Surprisingly creepy.

Monday, November 27, 2023

First Lines of Max Brooks "World War Z"

 "It goes by many names: 'The Crisis,' 'The Dark Years,' 'The Walking Plague,' as well as newer and more 'hip' titles such as 'World War Z' or 'Z War One.' I personally dislike this last moniker as it implies an inevitable 'Z War Two.' For me, it will always be 'The Zombie War,' and while many may protest the scientific accuracy of the word zombie, they will be hard-pressed to discover a more globally accepted term for the creatures that almost caused our extinction. Zombie remains a devastating word, unrivaled in its power to conjure up so many memories or emotions, and it is these memories, and emotions, that are the subject of this book." 

- Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

Nothing like the Brad Pitt movie, Brooks' excellent novel is essentially a collection of short stories detailing the contours of a zombie outbreak. Relentlessly inventive and covering all sorts of details, I particularly appreciated its global approach - while there is a huge focus on the US, large chunks of the book take place in all areas of the globe, each contributing to the narrative with their unique local color. My only quibble is that the nature of the book - each "short story" is told via an interview - sometimes can feel static: you experience the action at a remove, though a story, rather than by being immersed in it. Regardless I finished the book in a matter of days and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates a good adventure story.

Friday, November 10, 2023

It's the hardest thing to feel

"Love is the only thing that matters, Love is the only thing that's real. I know we hear this every day, It's still the hardest thing to feel."

- Suzanne Vega, Ludlow Street off of her excellent Beauty & Crime album.

Monday, October 30, 2023

First Lines of Arthur Brooks "Strength to Strength"

 "Who are the five greatest scientists who have ever lived? This is the kind of question people like to debate in nerdy corners of the internet that you probably don't visit, and I don't intend to take you there. But no matter how much or little you know about science, your list is sure to include Charles Darwin. He is remembered today as a man who changed our understanding of biology completely and permanently. So profound was his influence that his celebrity has never wavered since his death in 1882.

And yet Darwin died considering his career to be a disappointment."

- Arthur Brooks, Strength to Strength  

As I get older, I have an obvious interest in what success looks like as as an aging person in a society obsessed with youth. Brooks examines middle-aged and elderly satisfaction though many different lenses, and perhaps the most interesting to me was the idea of Fluid vs. Crystalized Intelligence. Put simply, Fluid Intelligence is reasoning and problem solving while Crystallized Intelligence is the combined use of past knowledge. Or as Brooks puts it: "When you are young, you have raw smarts; when you are old, you have wisdom."

Strength to Strength is essentially a survey of ideas. While not all of them resonated with me, I enjoyed the journey. The book certainly helped me (as someone who just turned 50) reframe my tendencies towards synthesis and common sense as a benefit, not a bug. 

Friday, October 27, 2023

Quote of the day

 "The last clear definite function of man - muscles aching to work, mind aching to create beyond the single need - this is man... For man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments."

- John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath