Still Reading
I haven't given up on this! Lots of things going on, including the publishing of an article through Amazon, with a novel in progress (currently being proofread by Cathy) but should be available in the next couple of days.
I have also obtained a Kindle Fire with my winnings from an Answers.com contest. I've gotten a host of books loaded on it and will be working many of them, a couple finished and I have to work up their reviews.
Currently being read:
Stars & Stripes - World War I - 71 Issues - February 8, 1918 to 19 April 1919 - Completed reading the through May 1918 edition.
The Ukulele A History - Jim Tranquada and John King
And Here's the Kicker - Mike Sacks - Page 117 of 337 - Bedroom
The Joyful Christian - 127 Readings - C.S. Lewis - Office
Statistics- David J. Hand
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Still Reading
I haven't given up on this! I've been busy. I spent a week in California and reading was mostly reserved for contracts.
Currently being read:
Stars & Stripes - World War I - 71 Issues - February 8, 1918 to 19 April 1919 - Completed reading the April 19, 1819 edition. Each one is 8 pages with a nice variety of sports, news, humor, photographs, ads and a cartoon strip. The thread appeared to be regarding hospitals and included the comic strip, an article about the paper's Art Department's visit to the hospital.
Number Crunchers - Ian Ayres - Page 104 of 307 - I'm really intrigued by this one! The discussion of statistics and application to real problems is fascinating!
And Here's the Kicker - Mike Sacks - Page 117 of 337 - Bedroom
The Joyful Christian - 127 Readings - C.S. Lewis - Office
Statistics- David J. Hand
Currently being read:
Stars & Stripes - World War I - 71 Issues - February 8, 1918 to 19 April 1919 - Completed reading the April 19, 1819 edition. Each one is 8 pages with a nice variety of sports, news, humor, photographs, ads and a cartoon strip. The thread appeared to be regarding hospitals and included the comic strip, an article about the paper's Art Department's visit to the hospital.
Number Crunchers - Ian Ayres - Page 104 of 307 - I'm really intrigued by this one! The discussion of statistics and application to real problems is fascinating!
And Here's the Kicker - Mike Sacks - Page 117 of 337 - Bedroom
The Joyful Christian - 127 Readings - C.S. Lewis - Office
Statistics- David J. Hand
Sunday, January 15, 2012
The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth
Norton Juster
Illustrated by Jules Feiffer
Annotated by Leonard S. Marcus
First of all the book is definitely a classic and one that should be carefully read by all. It contains a great deal of thought provoking material. And while the book was written in the 50's, there is a lot that can be related to today without much of a stretch.
Reading it for the first time in many decades, the first thing that struck me was the City of Reality. Which couldn't be seen at all. Because everyone was in such a hurry to get from one place to another that they didn't pay attention to what was around them, so it disappeared. And no one noticed. In today's society, people spend so much time talking on their cell phones, texting, tweeting and everything else while they move from place to place. They are oblivious to the world around them and it is amazing that things haven't started to disappear.
The annotations are interesting and deal with definitions and word origins, influences in existing literature and the history of the concepts, based largely on the author's original drafts. Even many of the illustrations are discussed with frames from the Feiffer strips and portions of other drawings from other artists.
The introduction was fascinating, tracing Juster's childhood and his career. The number of coincidences that played such a large part of his success, including his meeting of Jules Feiffer and his wife, is astounding. Placed in the historical context, it adds a depth to the story that makes it all the more interesting.
Knopf, 2011
284 pages
Gift from my sister.
This is a heavy book printed on glossy stock with very thick pages. I often tried to 'separate' the pages they were so thick. Glare was an issue. Annotations in a light blue, sometimes difficult to read.
Currently being read:
And Here's the Kicker - Mike Sacks - Page 117 of 337 - Bedroom
Stars & Stripes - World War I - 71 Issues - Living Room
The Joyful Christian - 127 Readings - C.S. Lewis - Office
Statistics- David J. Hand
On Deck:
Number Crunchers - Ian Ayres
Friday, January 13, 2012
Where I Read
There are two primary locations that I read from. And I don't typically carry a book between the two places.
The Bedroom - I have one book by the bed, to read a bit before going to sleep. There is also a Bible within reach.
My Chair - I have dozens of books by 'My' chair in the living room. I'll go through a chapter or two there in the evenings, and occasionally a bit in the morning. This is where I typically do my scholarly reading.
Other locations:
The Basement - I sometimes will read while in the basement, particularly if I'm cooling down from the recumbent bicycle and there nothing good on TV. There's a Bible here as well.
The Office - It takes quite a few minutes to get my machine up and running in the mornings. One thing I do is read a quick devotional or one magazine articles while waiting for the boot up to complete.
Currently Reading:
And Here's the Kicker - Mike Sacks - Page 117 of 337 - Bedroom
Stars & Stripes - World War I - 71 Issues - Living Room (Big book! You can't hold this in your lap!) Standard read is one issue of eight pages.
The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster - My Chair
The Joyful Christian - 127 Readings - C.S. Lewis - Office
On Deck:
Statistics
- David J. Hand
The Bedroom - I have one book by the bed, to read a bit before going to sleep. There is also a Bible within reach.
My Chair - I have dozens of books by 'My' chair in the living room. I'll go through a chapter or two there in the evenings, and occasionally a bit in the morning. This is where I typically do my scholarly reading.
Other locations:
The Basement - I sometimes will read while in the basement, particularly if I'm cooling down from the recumbent bicycle and there nothing good on TV. There's a Bible here as well.
The Office - It takes quite a few minutes to get my machine up and running in the mornings. One thing I do is read a quick devotional or one magazine articles while waiting for the boot up to complete.
Currently Reading:
And Here's the Kicker - Mike Sacks - Page 117 of 337 - Bedroom
Stars & Stripes - World War I - 71 Issues - Living Room (Big book! You can't hold this in your lap!) Standard read is one issue of eight pages.
The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster - My Chair
The Joyful Christian - 127 Readings - C.S. Lewis - Office
On Deck:
Statistics
- David J. Hand
Monday, January 9, 2012
The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived
Allan Lazar, Dan Karlan & Jeremy Salter
Bristol Park Books, 2011
Fast read with some interesting background. A number of side bar comments with tid bits of info. Well referenced with lots of suggested reading for more info on the individuals selected.
The book is a brief listing of what the authors decided, using a number of carefully explained criteria (the ones they wanted to!), were the 101 characters of fiction that have had the greatest affect on society. Lumped together in what they admit to be vague and arbitrary groupings, they are sometimes divided by brief humorous interludes.
I found it an enjoyable read and learned a great deal of miscellany. And I laughed at some of the lawyer jokes. The short snippets are informative and thought provoking.
Roughly paperback sized.
317 Pages
Purchased on sale - Barnes & Noble
This reprint edition is pretty good, though there is a notable paragraph repeat in the middle of the G.I. Joe essay.
Currently being read:
And Here's the Kicker - Mike Sacks - Page 117 of 337
Stars & Stripes - World War I - 71 Issues
On Deck:
The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster
Rating System
For no other reason than I want to, I'm going to rate books on a scale of 0 to 5.
No book images means that I wish I could get my money back. That or the Blogger image hosting is broken, so you'll have to read the review to find out which.
One book (red) would indicate that it was hardly worth reading, more of a time filler than anything else.
Two books (red and orange) means it was slightly below average. I would not recommend it to someone as a good read unless it was a specific topic of someone's interest.
Three books (red, orange and purple) means slightly above the average. I am likely to mention it in conversation if someone asks if I've read anything recently.
Four books (red, orange, purple and yellow) means pretty good. I would definitely mention it in conversation and might even bring it up without being asked.
Five books (red, orange, purple, yellow and blue) is going to indicate excellent! I'm going to gush about it. I'll recommend it to the appropriate individuals.
No book images means that I wish I could get my money back. That or the Blogger image hosting is broken, so you'll have to read the review to find out which.
One book (red) would indicate that it was hardly worth reading, more of a time filler than anything else.
Two books (red and orange) means it was slightly below average. I would not recommend it to someone as a good read unless it was a specific topic of someone's interest.
Three books (red, orange and purple) means slightly above the average. I am likely to mention it in conversation if someone asks if I've read anything recently.
Four books (red, orange, purple and yellow) means pretty good. I would definitely mention it in conversation and might even bring it up without being asked.
Five books (red, orange, purple, yellow and blue) is going to indicate excellent! I'm going to gush about it. I'll recommend it to the appropriate individuals.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
To Begin
It is the first week of 2012 and I have resolved to do more reading this year. I have so many books, dozens within reach of my primary chair, that I have yet to read, that I want to make my way through them. I have a dozen or so martial arts books, a handful of biographies and historical books and a variety of other genres represented.
The primary purpose of this blog as to serve as a place for tracking my reading, providing key points and items that I pulled out of the reading and a general review of the book. Others may find it helpful in selecting some reading material and deciding what they wish to purchase or borrow.
Please let me know what you think of my reviews!
Currently being read:
The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived - Lazar, Karlan and Salter
And Here's the Kicker - Mike Sacks - Page 117 of 337
Stars & Stripes - World War I - 71 Issues
On Deck:
The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster
The primary purpose of this blog as to serve as a place for tracking my reading, providing key points and items that I pulled out of the reading and a general review of the book. Others may find it helpful in selecting some reading material and deciding what they wish to purchase or borrow.
Please let me know what you think of my reviews!
Currently being read:
The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived - Lazar, Karlan and Salter
And Here's the Kicker - Mike Sacks - Page 117 of 337
Stars & Stripes - World War I - 71 Issues
On Deck:
The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)