All Consuming : bibliomane

Consumed "Slings and Arrows, Season 1"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:54:29 GMT

Slings and Arrows, Season 1

by Peter Wellington

WORTH IT!

poor Rufus Sewell (rated 2 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 23:39:46 GMT

Dark City (New Line Platinum Series)

by Alex Proyas

Honestly, I couldn’t make it through this, and I have a pretty high tolerance for bad movies and tv. I also have a little crush on Rufus Sewell, but even that couldn’t keep me awake. A complete and total snooze – literally.

Why I want to consume "The Hiawatha: A Novel"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 03:07:27 GMT

The Hiawatha: A Novel

by David Treuer

I’m excited to be reading this. David Treuer is an amazing talent, a true storyteller, with wonderful language on every page.

A story about "Mara and Dann: An Adventure"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 23:47:18 GMT

Mara and Dann: An Adventure

by Doris Lessing

Well, I’m glad I read this, not because I loved it, but I liked it, and it helped me understand the Story of General Dann and Mara’s Daughter, Griot and the Snow Dog much better. It is clear to me now that one of the major themes Lessing explores in these books is what it takes for human beings to survive under extremely dystopian conditions in the distant future. There is physical survival – food, water, shelter, etc. – but more interesting to Lessing is the knowledge necessary for survival. More important than the knowledge necessary for subsistence is the knowledge necessary for understanding and identity. She also explores the ties that bind us, even to people who hurt and betray us and how having such connections is essential to our survival as people.

Really comments, not a review (rated 3 stars)

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 14:15:17 GMT

Story of General Dann and Mara's Daughter, Griot and the Snow Dog: A Novel

by Doris Lessing

I got this book from the library and just finished reading this today and was feeling quite unsatisfied with it. You know, I like a good futuristic, grim, dystopia as much as the next person, and I’ll read anything with a dog in it, but, somehow, this book just wasn’t doing it for me. The characters keep alluding to past events that sound much more interesting and compelling to me than anything is this novel, so all along I kept thinking “I’d much rather be reading about all the stuff in the past than this boring stuff about the characters’ reflecting on and angsting over the past.” So, after finishing the book, I looked it up on Amazon and found out that, low and behold, The Story of General Dann etc. is a SEQUEL to an earlier novel. Aha! An explanation for my frustration. I read the wrong book first. I’m going to read the 1st book now and then rethink my opinion regarding this one.

Why I gave up consuming "Robin of Sherwood - Set 1"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 17:08:48 GMT

Robin of Sherwood - Set 1

by Alex Kirby

After watching several discs, it pains me to admit that this series really isn’t very good. The writing is terrible, the story lines predictable, the fights are boring – and then there’s the very unfortunate mullet and the soundtrack by Clannad which makes me want to beat my head on the wall. Too bad. I was looking for something to fill the place of Highlander in my life (which tells you something about the level of my expectations) and I really wanted to enjoy this series.

Why I recommend "The Traveler"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 16:53:30 GMT

The Traveler

by John Twelve Hawks

Just finished reading the Traveler today and I do recommend it. I don’t normally read thrillers, but my book club is reading this. It is less formulaic than many thrillers. Also, the author weaves together a complex set of ideas from history, science, religion, politics and current events. Throw in some Alias-like action scenes with gun fights, martial arts and sword fights and you’ve got an entertaining read.

We live in a society where we willingly give up our privacy in exchange for a sense of connectedness, where we voluntarily restrict our own actions in exchange for a sense of safety, where we trade convenience and lifestyle for the health of the planet and where we sacrifice the lives of millions of people to assuage our fears. We assume that some other people will pay the consequences, that we will be safe so long as we do nothing “wrong”. John Twelve Hawks reminds us that wrongness is a slippery, transitory concept defined by the people in power. They need us to feel afraid. They need us to consider ourselves better than and separate from those we perceive as different. What do I gain from this system? And what am I willing to lose?

Why I recommend "The Hero and the Crown"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Sun, 06 May 2007 14:04:10 GMT

The Hero and the Crown

by Robin McKinley

Confession: I’ve been quietly avoiding reading Robin McKinley books for decades because I feared they would be lightweight, derivative fantasy for girls. After reading Deerskin and Hero and the Crown, I have learned that McKinley actually writes substantive, original fantasy with strong female protagonists who challenge the status quo. While Deerskin is the superior novel, I enjoyed Hero and the Crown very much. All of the standard elements of the hero quest are included: the hero must leave her home, face danger, go to the underworld to bring back treasure, return home a changed person, etc., but McKinley manages to make this fresh and compelling by exploring how this story is different with a female hero (not a heroine, mind you) and by creating a sympathetic, well-rounded character in Airen. McKinley also writes very well about the relationships between humans and animals, avoiding the anthromorphism trap. Hero and the Crown won a Newbery Award in 1985.

Why I recommend "Deerskin"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:38:55 GMT

Deerskin

by Robin McKinley

Just finished reading this last night and it far exceeded my expectations. I started reading it because I’ve been working on this bibliography of literary books about dogs. It turned out to be one of the best fantasy novels I have read in years. I am reminded of the first time I read the Forgotten Bests of Eld by Patricia McKillip, many, many years ago.

McKinley somehow takes a bunch of standard fairy tale tropes (beautiful kingdom with a beautiful king and queen who have a beautiful daughter who needs to marry, but who resists the arranged marriage, etc.) and makes it all new and original. This is a dark, psychological novel about a young woman who grows up neglected and alone, except for her dog Ash. After a brutal attack, she and Ash escape to heal their physical and psychic wounds in the wilderness. Eventually, they return to civilization and try to learn how to trust and interact with humans again.

While they are aided by magic, this by no means makes their recoveries any less difficult or harrowing. I think that must be one of the things I like so much about this book, is that McKinley doesn’t condescend to her characters. Also, McKinley honors the dog-human bond and without totally anthropomorphizing the dogs.

A story about "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 04:02:25 GMT

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

by David Sedaris

David Sedaris is pee-in-your-pants funny. Not to be read on an airplane, at work, or where anyone is trying to sleep.

Why I recommend "Dogsbody"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 14:21:25 GMT

Dogsbody

by Diana Wynne Jones

What a great, doggy book! In this YA, fantasy novel, Sirius (the dog star) is punished by his fellow luminaries by being sent to Earth to live (or die) as a dog, unless he can accomplish a seemingly impossible mission. The author does a fabulous job of portraying a character who is simultaneously canine and celestial. A wonderful book for all of us who already know that our dogs are mysterious, luminous, powerful beings beneath their furry exteriors.

A story about "Stickeen"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 14:34:38 GMT

Stickeen

by John Muir

What a fascinating, odd little book. I’m compiling a bibliography on dogs in literature and thus came across this book by John Muir about an expedition to Alaska and the funny, little dog named Stickeen who accompanied him on his adventures. After a particularly perilous situation in which they were trapped on a glacier and had to negotiate a dangerous crevasse, Muir pays homage to Stickeen in wonderfully florid language:

“I have known many dogs, and many a story I could tell of their wisdom and devotion; but to none do I owe so much as to Stickeen. At first the leat promising and least known of my dog-friends, he suddenly became the best known of them all. Our storm-battle for life brought him to light and through him as a window I have ever since been looking with deeper sympathy into all my fellow mortals.”

Well, sure, dogs bring me into deeper sympathy with my fellow mortals all the time. So, rock on, John Muir!

Why I want to consume "Explorer's Guide to the Semantic Web"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 03:59:08 GMT

Explorer's Guide to the Semantic Web

by Thomas B. Passin

This just arrived today via ILL and, as it turns out, it is exactly what I needed for the paper I finished and turned in last Tuesday. It is clear, accessible, complete, quite readable overall, for those of us who are not geeks. Ah, the blessing and the curse of interlibrary loan. If only I had started my research earlier and requested this earlier. Drat and doubledrat.

Why I want to consume "The Librarian's Career Guidebook"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 19:35:47 GMT

The Librarian's Career Guidebook

by Priscilla K. Shontz

I recently asked a professional librarian to be my mentor at work. Now, she has assigned me this book to read. Funny how whenever I ask one of the librarians for help or advice, they always give me something to read ;-) Go figure.

A story about "Over Sea, Under Stone"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 22:34:20 GMT

Over Sea, Under Stone

by Susan Cooper

It has probably been at least 20 years since I read Over Sea, Under Stone. When I was a child, the Dark is Rising series was one of my very favorites. It had everything: time travel, magic, quests, striking English scenery, etc. What I notice now is how much agency the child protagonists have. They go on this quest through the Cornish countryside completely unsupervised and their parents hardly even keep track of where they are going. The kids get to do important things (e.g., saving the world from darkness). They are actual people, even though they are young. My life as a child was so incredibly constrained, I think this must be part of what drew me to these books and others, such as the Narnia books, the Wrinkle in Time series, even Dickens.

I’m looking forward to rereading the rest of the series.

A story about "Bleak House"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 04:16:12 GMT

Bleak House

Oh, we absolutely loved this series! I thought Gillian Anderson was at her best being all creepy and gloomy. I’m also a big fan of Mastepiece Theater back from when the series seemingly went on for years. Upstairs Downstairs, anyone? So, my only complaint is that it wasn’t longer.

A question I have about "Children of Men"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 15:12:57 GMT

Children of Men

by Alfonso Cuarón

Have any of you read the book? How do the book and movie compare? Does the book go into more detail?

I ask because my partner and I agree that it feels like the movie was missing some important pieces of the story that perhaps were included in the book? For example, if humanity can’t have any children, then why the xenophobia? Why the complete disregard for life? Why all the killing? One would assume that a catastrophic event such as humanity not being able to procreate would make people (and governments) value life more. So, perhaps I am missing the point. I get that the movie explores the current actions of the U. S. and British governments taken to dystopian extremes. I get the message that all of us should be willing to sacrifice everything for the life of a child. I get that all of the parties in the film – the government, the activists, the proletariat, the work-a-day drones – continue to do what they do without question because, well, that is what they do. I just don’t get why human life isn’t valued more by all of the aforementioned parties. So, does anyone have any thoughts about this?

By the way, I think one of the most effective little scenes in the movie is in the abandoned train station (or whatever it is) when the Julianne Moore character mentions the high frequency sound and says something along the lines of, “Hear that sound? Well, enjoy it while you can because eventually you will become deaf to it and then you won’t be able to hear that frequency at all anymore.” Theo is one of the few who can still perceive that something is terribly wrong with the status quo. He hasn’t been totally assimilated yet and so Julian is able to pull him out of the greyness of his life, to convince him to risk everything, to try to make a difference.

A story about "Ender's Game"

nobody@allconsuming.net (bibliomane) — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 22:30:55 GMT

Ender's Game

by Orson Scott Card

I have such a love/hate relationship with Orson Scott Card. I happily read everything he published, starting with Songmaster many years ago. I loved the Ender books and the Alvin Maker books especially for their originality, their ideas & intelligence. I loved how Card makes us think about the big issues.

Then, I read Folk of the Fringe, which is basically a Mormon tract. And I read some of Card’s essays and interviews. It turns out that Card is a very public and vehement homophobe. He uses the platform afforded by his success and celebrity to broadcast his ideas about how we (queer people) are going to burn in hell for our sins. So, I no longer read all of his books and I absolutely do not purchase any. Do I still think he is a good novelist, worth reading? Yes. Do I now read his books with a much more skeptical eye? Yes.

For more information on Card, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Scott_Card