Category: Books
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Literacy 2008: Book 2: Old Man’s War
Book Old Man’s War by John Scalzi Recommended by Wil Wheaton, plus dozens of commenters on half the blogs I read (including John Scalzi’s own blog). Disclaimer I have read very little science fiction (Douglas Adams and Star Wars novelizations don’t count). I’ve read none of Robert Heinlein, who is mentioned in almost every review…
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Literacy 2008: Book 1: The Road
Book The Road by Cormac McCarthy Selling Points Oprah liked it! (And it won a Pulitzer Prize, too.) But look! Oprah! Disclaimer I tried to be open-minded and objective while I was reading this book, but I was definitely prejudiced against it from the start, because of all the hype and because of how much…
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Literacy 2008: Exhibition Round 1: Fox Bunny Funny
I’m not including comic books in my meager 26-book challenge for the year — not because they’re not art or they’re not as worthy, but simply because I already read 26 comic books a year. But I still like spouting off my opinions about things, so they’ll go into the exhibition rounds. Book Fox Bunny…
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Literacy 2008: Preliminaries: Lost Horizon
(I read this book over the Christmas break, so it doesn’t count towards the 26 books I’ve resolved to read in 2008. But I have a corollary resolution to post something on this blog every day this year, no matter how short or irrelevant, so I’m cheating and rolling back the date.) (I’m also cheating…
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Unliterate no more
Since I failed miserably at every single resolution I made last year, I’m going to take it simpler in 2008, and only choose one. Someone on a message board announced he’s challenging himself to read a book a week this year; I read too slowly and am too easily distracted for that, so I’m aiming…
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The Ending of the New Harry Potter Book
must be really important to a lot of people, if the parking lot of the Borders in Marin County is any indication! I had figured that since I was working late anyway, I could drop by at midnight tonight and gawk at all the kids. When I drove by at around 11:30, the parking lot…
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Me gusta los libros cómicos
I thought I had more to say about comic books, but once you get past the fact that I’m 35 years old and I still read them, there’s not a whole lot more left to say. I’ve gotten several collections recently that I’ve enjoyed the hell out of, so they go into the list of…
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The Supremely Satisfying Tittybong
I realize you’re supposed to finish a book before you write a book report on it, but 1) I’m really enjoying this one, and 2) I’m bored and want to virtual-talk to somebody, and c) who knows, I could die tomorrow, and everyone would be at the wake lamenting, “If only there’d been more time.…
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Making Comics
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud has gotten a lot of praise over the years, and it’s justified. It’s well presented, and it has some genuine insight into how art works (not just comics) and how people communicate. And even when you don’t agree with the points he makes, the book itself is an excellent example…
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Walt Disney’s Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass
I must be all kinds of dense, because I’m having a hell of a time making it through The Odyssey. I was meaning to be reading it for pleasure but I can’t tell one name from the next and it just feels like homework. So I switched to The Once and Future King. And it…
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I Have Opinions About Things
One of the advantages to spending so much time in waiting rooms and on planes (all right, the only advantage) is that it gives me a chance to get caught up on my readin’ and watchin’. And now, bloggin’. Nacho Libre I’m baffled as to why this one is getting walloped in the reviews. It’s…
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That Awkward Phase
One day of WonderCon down, and the magic hasn’t really taken hold of my soul yet. I’m hoping that that’s just because it’s a weekday, and most people didn’t have the luxury of working in the morning (I actually got stuff done this morning; I couldn’t be more proud) and then finishing up later that…