July and August in books
Sep. 1st, 2007 02:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eveglassI didn't get a chance to do a grand book post before I went to Pennsic, so today you get two months for the price of one. As always, numbering picks off where I left off last time, and you can click the "books" tag to see the rest of the year's updates.
42. Beyond the Horizon, Colin Angus
Colin recounts his experiences as the first man to circumnavigate the Earth under only human power (namely: biking and rowing). The book contains not only the physical challenges, but lots of information on the emotional strains, interpersonal relationships between Angus and his travel partner, and financial difficulties. Written in the first person, it really gives a sense of what Angus was experiencing over the course of his two-year trip. Final verdict: if you're interested in adventure travel, this is a great book.
43. Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny, Suze Orman
Suze wrote this book despite an earlier vow that she would never write a money book solely for women. It deals in part with women's psychological issues towards money and partly with practical ideas for how to get their financial lives in order. It concludes with a six-month step-by-step guide to establishing and securing your life, not only in terms of finances but also insurance and end-of-life documents. The advice is simple, basic level stuff, but well presented. Suze knows her audience and writes for them. Final verdict: perhaps a bit patronizing, but a good book for those women (and men) who need help getting their financial lives under control.
44. Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
I mostly took this out of the library because I'd heard so much about it but never actually read it. It's a series of short, anecdotal stories on various feel-good themes, such as overcoming obstacles, gratitude, and love. I found that I couldn't read more than four or five stories without the need to put the book down for reflection. Possibly my brain isn't designed for so much enlightened thought at a time. The stories are inspirational, but for me, it's not light, everyday reading. Final verdict: it's like dark chocolate for the brain: lots of endorphins, feels good at the time, but you can't have too in one sitting or you'll feel sick.
45. The Better World Handbook, Ellis Jones, Ross Haenfler, and Brett Johnson
The title says it all, really: this book is designed as a practical workbook towards how to make the world a better place, whether in an individual, small scale, or a larger, global one. The authors aren't afraid to give grades and name names; their shopping section tells you exactly which companies are doing a good job and which aren't. The book is divided up into sections based on the area of "better world" you want to focus on: everything from transport to home life, shopping to volunteer organizations. Final verdict: useful as a reference book, but difficult to read through cover-to-cover. Very informative.
46. Last Rights: Rescuing the End of Life from the Medical System, Stephen P. Kiernan
In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't actually finish this book, but stopped about 4/5 of the way through. It was very, very odd reading this book as I was spending increasing amounts of time in the palliative care unit of the Jewish General Hospital with Ian's mom. The book's main premise is that over the past 30 years, the major causes of death have shifted from sudden (heart attacks, strokes, accidents) to slow and chronic (cancer, long-term medical conditions, heart disease). However, while the causes of death have shifted, the medical establishment have not shifted with them, and consequently treat people with long-term, chronic diseases as though they had short-term, accute ones. The book's main argument is that medicine and society should shift to reflect the change in types of dying, such as by increasing emphasis on palliative and hospice care. Final verdict: thought provoking and informative, but definitely not light reading.
47. The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano
A re-read for me (obviously), this is a retelling of a traditional Japanese folk tale, "The Fox, The Monk, and the Mikado of All Nights' Dreaming." Though Gaiman does incorporate some elements of his Sandman universe, he notes that he tried to stick as close to the original tale as possible, only incorporating those elements that seem to already exist in the Japanese story. The breathtaking part of the book is, of course, Amano's artwork, and it's worth reading just for the stunning illustrations. Final verdict: if you like Neil Gaiman, you'll like this. Heck, even if you don't like Neil Gaiman, you'll probably like this.
48. A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy, Sara Bongiorni
Another social commentary, Bongiorni recounts her family's experiences trying to live for a full year without buying anything made in China. Some of her revelations are surprising: nearly all childrens' toys are made in China, and it's practically impossible to find decent-priced shoes (or sunglasses) from other countries. The book is full of funny anecdotes as she, her husband, and her two young children struggle through the year. Bongiorni doesn't undertake this quest from a moral high ground, but from an experimental, "can it be done?" standpoint. Final verdict: funny, but only worth reading by those who are interested in social commentary.
49. American Gods, Neil Gaiman
This is the third time I've read American Gods since its release, and I catch new things in it every time. The more I learn about mythology, the more I catch in the book. Especially interesting to me are the ties between this book and White Wolf's Werewolf and especially Mage systems: the world-behind-the-world is very similar to the umbra; the gods' plight in the modern world is similar to the struggle over paradigm. Final verdict: less overtly strange than much of Gaiman's other works, this might be a useful starting-point for people who want to experience Gaiman's writings without carting around comic books.
50-56. Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling (all books)
I'm combining the entire series into one entry, since many of my thoughts will be the same. For a more in-depth review of my thoughts on the books, click here. I had read up until book 5 before, and read through the whole series this time around. In short, I found the books enjoyable but not necessarily worth the huge amounts of hype they have generated. I especially appreciate Rowling's scaling-up the books with her audiences, and the sense of ambiguity she is able to maintain (around the character of Professor Snape, for example). I found the epilogue to the seventh book a bit saccharine and extravagant, but otherwise the books were good for some fast, easy reading. My only problem is that once I picked them up, I couldn't put them down until I was finished. Final verdict: a fun book for teens or adults, but not worth the hype.
And that's it for this month. Come back next month for more reviews and ratings.
42. Beyond the Horizon, Colin Angus
Colin recounts his experiences as the first man to circumnavigate the Earth under only human power (namely: biking and rowing). The book contains not only the physical challenges, but lots of information on the emotional strains, interpersonal relationships between Angus and his travel partner, and financial difficulties. Written in the first person, it really gives a sense of what Angus was experiencing over the course of his two-year trip. Final verdict: if you're interested in adventure travel, this is a great book.
43. Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny, Suze Orman
Suze wrote this book despite an earlier vow that she would never write a money book solely for women. It deals in part with women's psychological issues towards money and partly with practical ideas for how to get their financial lives in order. It concludes with a six-month step-by-step guide to establishing and securing your life, not only in terms of finances but also insurance and end-of-life documents. The advice is simple, basic level stuff, but well presented. Suze knows her audience and writes for them. Final verdict: perhaps a bit patronizing, but a good book for those women (and men) who need help getting their financial lives under control.
44. Chicken Soup for the Soul, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
I mostly took this out of the library because I'd heard so much about it but never actually read it. It's a series of short, anecdotal stories on various feel-good themes, such as overcoming obstacles, gratitude, and love. I found that I couldn't read more than four or five stories without the need to put the book down for reflection. Possibly my brain isn't designed for so much enlightened thought at a time. The stories are inspirational, but for me, it's not light, everyday reading. Final verdict: it's like dark chocolate for the brain: lots of endorphins, feels good at the time, but you can't have too in one sitting or you'll feel sick.
45. The Better World Handbook, Ellis Jones, Ross Haenfler, and Brett Johnson
The title says it all, really: this book is designed as a practical workbook towards how to make the world a better place, whether in an individual, small scale, or a larger, global one. The authors aren't afraid to give grades and name names; their shopping section tells you exactly which companies are doing a good job and which aren't. The book is divided up into sections based on the area of "better world" you want to focus on: everything from transport to home life, shopping to volunteer organizations. Final verdict: useful as a reference book, but difficult to read through cover-to-cover. Very informative.
46. Last Rights: Rescuing the End of Life from the Medical System, Stephen P. Kiernan
In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't actually finish this book, but stopped about 4/5 of the way through. It was very, very odd reading this book as I was spending increasing amounts of time in the palliative care unit of the Jewish General Hospital with Ian's mom. The book's main premise is that over the past 30 years, the major causes of death have shifted from sudden (heart attacks, strokes, accidents) to slow and chronic (cancer, long-term medical conditions, heart disease). However, while the causes of death have shifted, the medical establishment have not shifted with them, and consequently treat people with long-term, chronic diseases as though they had short-term, accute ones. The book's main argument is that medicine and society should shift to reflect the change in types of dying, such as by increasing emphasis on palliative and hospice care. Final verdict: thought provoking and informative, but definitely not light reading.
47. The Sandman: The Dream Hunters, Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano
A re-read for me (obviously), this is a retelling of a traditional Japanese folk tale, "The Fox, The Monk, and the Mikado of All Nights' Dreaming." Though Gaiman does incorporate some elements of his Sandman universe, he notes that he tried to stick as close to the original tale as possible, only incorporating those elements that seem to already exist in the Japanese story. The breathtaking part of the book is, of course, Amano's artwork, and it's worth reading just for the stunning illustrations. Final verdict: if you like Neil Gaiman, you'll like this. Heck, even if you don't like Neil Gaiman, you'll probably like this.
48. A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy, Sara Bongiorni
Another social commentary, Bongiorni recounts her family's experiences trying to live for a full year without buying anything made in China. Some of her revelations are surprising: nearly all childrens' toys are made in China, and it's practically impossible to find decent-priced shoes (or sunglasses) from other countries. The book is full of funny anecdotes as she, her husband, and her two young children struggle through the year. Bongiorni doesn't undertake this quest from a moral high ground, but from an experimental, "can it be done?" standpoint. Final verdict: funny, but only worth reading by those who are interested in social commentary.
49. American Gods, Neil Gaiman
This is the third time I've read American Gods since its release, and I catch new things in it every time. The more I learn about mythology, the more I catch in the book. Especially interesting to me are the ties between this book and White Wolf's Werewolf and especially Mage systems: the world-behind-the-world is very similar to the umbra; the gods' plight in the modern world is similar to the struggle over paradigm. Final verdict: less overtly strange than much of Gaiman's other works, this might be a useful starting-point for people who want to experience Gaiman's writings without carting around comic books.
50-56. Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling (all books)
I'm combining the entire series into one entry, since many of my thoughts will be the same. For a more in-depth review of my thoughts on the books, click here. I had read up until book 5 before, and read through the whole series this time around. In short, I found the books enjoyable but not necessarily worth the huge amounts of hype they have generated. I especially appreciate Rowling's scaling-up the books with her audiences, and the sense of ambiguity she is able to maintain (around the character of Professor Snape, for example). I found the epilogue to the seventh book a bit saccharine and extravagant, but otherwise the books were good for some fast, easy reading. My only problem is that once I picked them up, I couldn't put them down until I was finished. Final verdict: a fun book for teens or adults, but not worth the hype.
And that's it for this month. Come back next month for more reviews and ratings.
