February in books
Feb. 28th, 2007 09:02 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eveglassYesterday's breadcrumb was about the disposable culture of the ancient Israelites. Today's breadcrumb is about what they could -- and couldn't -- do with animal fat.
So, following up with last month's list, here are the books I read in February. (Note: numbering continues from last month.)
7. Don't Know Much About Mythology, Kenneth C. Davis
This book is a surprisingly useful overview of world mythology, divided by culture. I picked it up for the Celtic / Norse myths, but it also contains Egyptian, Babylonian, Sumerian, Greco-Roman, Indian, Japanese, Native American, and African myths. The mythologies of any given culture are obviously complex; this book does a great job of simplifying it for a first-time reader. Final verdict: a great read for people interested in mythology.
8. The Dracula Tape, Fred Saberhagen
One year, almost to the day, since I finished Dracula, I finished this book. The premise: Dracula, in the late 20th century, finds a tape recorder and relates the events from Dracula from his wn perspective, painting himself as a sympathetic, misunderstood protagonist. It's a fun read, and in fact I think it's more readable than the victorian original. It does a moderately good job at making Dracula a sympathetic character, though it does need to fudge some of the facts in the original novel. Final verdict: a fun book, but not a must-read.
9-15. Incarnations of Immortality, Piers Anthony
(9. On a Pale Horse, 10. Bearing an Hourglass, 11. With a Tangled Skein, 12. Wielding a Red Sword, 13. Being a Green Mother, 14. For Love of Evil, 15. And Eternity)
This was actually a re-read for me, and it went very quickly. I can read through one of these books in less than a day. The entire 7-book series took about a week. In typical Piers Anthony style, the writing was a bit simplistic and juvenile, but the plot was moderately compelling. In short: each of the 5 minor incarnations and 2 major incarnations is replaced, each in the book related to their name (respectively: Death, Time, Fate, War, Nature, Evil, and Good). As the books develop, we realize that most of the new incarnations are related to each other in various ways. Final verdict: fun, fluffy sci-fi, typical Piers Anthony.
16. The Velocity of Honey and More Science of Everyday Life, Jay Ingram
A surprisingly good book, which may require its own entry for a complete review. Jay Ingram looks at various mundane things and shows that, scientifically, they are not nearly as routine as we might think. In fact, they harbour all sorts of nifty scientific principles below the surface. Many times, the issues are not resolved, but the issues themselves, and the experiments involved in trying to find answers, make up for the lack of resolution. Final verdict: great read for anyone interested in science but with no scientific background.
So, following up with last month's list, here are the books I read in February. (Note: numbering continues from last month.)
7. Don't Know Much About Mythology, Kenneth C. Davis
This book is a surprisingly useful overview of world mythology, divided by culture. I picked it up for the Celtic / Norse myths, but it also contains Egyptian, Babylonian, Sumerian, Greco-Roman, Indian, Japanese, Native American, and African myths. The mythologies of any given culture are obviously complex; this book does a great job of simplifying it for a first-time reader. Final verdict: a great read for people interested in mythology.
8. The Dracula Tape, Fred Saberhagen
One year, almost to the day, since I finished Dracula, I finished this book. The premise: Dracula, in the late 20th century, finds a tape recorder and relates the events from Dracula from his wn perspective, painting himself as a sympathetic, misunderstood protagonist. It's a fun read, and in fact I think it's more readable than the victorian original. It does a moderately good job at making Dracula a sympathetic character, though it does need to fudge some of the facts in the original novel. Final verdict: a fun book, but not a must-read.
9-15. Incarnations of Immortality, Piers Anthony
(9. On a Pale Horse, 10. Bearing an Hourglass, 11. With a Tangled Skein, 12. Wielding a Red Sword, 13. Being a Green Mother, 14. For Love of Evil, 15. And Eternity)
This was actually a re-read for me, and it went very quickly. I can read through one of these books in less than a day. The entire 7-book series took about a week. In typical Piers Anthony style, the writing was a bit simplistic and juvenile, but the plot was moderately compelling. In short: each of the 5 minor incarnations and 2 major incarnations is replaced, each in the book related to their name (respectively: Death, Time, Fate, War, Nature, Evil, and Good). As the books develop, we realize that most of the new incarnations are related to each other in various ways. Final verdict: fun, fluffy sci-fi, typical Piers Anthony.
16. The Velocity of Honey and More Science of Everyday Life, Jay Ingram
A surprisingly good book, which may require its own entry for a complete review. Jay Ingram looks at various mundane things and shows that, scientifically, they are not nearly as routine as we might think. In fact, they harbour all sorts of nifty scientific principles below the surface. Many times, the issues are not resolved, but the issues themselves, and the experiments involved in trying to find answers, make up for the lack of resolution. Final verdict: great read for anyone interested in science but with no scientific background.
