39. Derrida for Beginners by Jim Powell, Illustrated by Van Howell (5/3/11)

Derrida for Beginners by Jim Powell, Illustrated by Van Howell (5/3/11) Book

I read this as part of my thesis research to see if I needed Derrida to successfully articulate my project or not.   Derrida alone is challenging, and a beginner’s guide full of repetitive (and highly creepy) illustrations and bare-bones synopsis of his work, while pretty great in theory, didn’t do much to make him easier.  This book does, however, offer the basics of the theories going about at the same time, both those who Derrida was responding to and those responding to him, which was fascinating, if not further complicating.  All in all, for a very basic overview, this book is fine and it is a fast read.  For an actual understanding of the theories involved, you might consider going back to school.

38. Reread Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (4/26/11)

Reread Reliquary by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (4/26/11) Audio book

The first scene of this book has stayed with me for years, and will remain one of the dirtiest, most horrific settings I’ll ever have to imagine.  Scuba diving into the sludge at the bottom of the Harlem River, however, is just one of the incredible places this book leads. To top that off, we get to know even more of the characters that become staples of the series.  A great read, incredibly hard to put down, and filled with engaging characters and terrifying villans.

37. Reread The Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (4/22/11)

Reread The Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (4/22/11) Audio book

I figured it was about time to reread this series, well, some of it.  It’s interesting how the style has changed from this one to the newer books in the series.  Reading this was like reconnecting with old friends.  It was wonderful to be reintroduced to characters I’ve known for so long, and to relive the horrible experiences they go through in this book.  Interestingly, as attached as I am to the characters, I found that I’d forgotten a good deal of the plot, so this was a great revisit.  This may not be a piece of great literature, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun to read and so hard to put down.  Great book!

36. The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare (4/21/11)

The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare (4/21/11) Book, part of an anthology

Not my favorite of his plays, but certainly a piece that helped him on his way to Othello.  A dark story of a mad King and the perhaps disloyal yet valiant servants who refuse to do his evil bidding, which allows not only for the love story to ensue, but also for the mad King to seek to redeem himself.  For me, the play was a bit shallow and lacked answers to simple “how come?” questions.

35. The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke (4/20/11)

 

 

 

The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke (4/20/11) Audio book

What an interesting book!  Clarke has always excelled at making the new seem old, and combining the ancient with the futuristic, but I think this is the best example of that I’ve read.  I mean, come on, building a ladder to space by repurposing an ancient temple on top of a mountain.  A temple full of vast history and eerie prophecies: yes, please!  As always, his science is presented with seeming authority and appeals even to my less-than-science-savy mind.  All in all, a fun read, though perhaps boring for some.

34. The Sea Wolf by Jack London (4/11/11)

The Sea Wolf  by Jack London (4/11/11)

I know, I know, I should have read this years ago.  That said, perhaps I’ve heard too much of this book.  Don’t get me wrong, I love London, and the book was quite good with fascinating characters, but I was kind of ho-hum about it overall.  Certainly worth reading, and, really, one could do worse than be required to read this is high school.  A finely written, character-driven book if ever there was one, just not necessarily something to get my blood up.

33. Reread We the Living by Ayn Rand (4/3/11)

Reread We the Living by Ayn Rand (4/3/11)

This book is so good!  It’s almost Dr. Zhivago meets Atlas Shrugged, but really only in that the characters are driven by the same morality as those in Atlas while set in a more traditional Russian novel.  Regardless of that poorly articulated comparison, this book is incredibly good.  Set during the height of Communism in Russia and following the life of once bourgeois Kira, Rand places us right into the middle of one of the most desperate societies in recent history and painstakingly shows us what that culture did to strong, self-willed people.  This book is by no means hopeful or uplifting, it is true to the time and is meant to show its readers what it means to crush the soul of a people.   An absolute must read!

32. Othello by William Shakespeare (4/2/11)

Othello by William Shakespeare (4/2/11) Book for school

I’m still not sure what to think of Othello.  It’s the first of Shakespeare’s tragedies I’ve had to read cold in a long time, and well, I’m just not sure about it.  Like the other tragedies, there is the central character who declines throughout the play and, of course, most of the central characters die.  I think my frustration lies in the fact that I was not too attached to Othello as a character.  Certainly he was interesting, but I thought Iago, in his hatred and manipulative nature was much more alluring.  He’s not only brilliant, but evil, and that (regardless of what it may say about me) is way more appealing.  Either way, I think I need to reread this play several more times before I can appropriately articulate anything about it, which is the beauty of Shakespeare: it requires lots of study to figure it out.

31. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (3/27/11)

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (3/27/11) Book for school

Much Ado is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Shakespeare plays!  It is so smart and so funny!  For you who prefer watching to reading, check out Branagh’s version, which is quite good despite Keanu Reeves’ best efforts to ruin it.  The play, however, is absolutely worth reading, and almost necessary to be able to follow the quick interchanges between Beatrice and Benedick.

30. What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson (3/25/11)

What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson (3/25/11) Audio books

So much better than the movie, but still not great.  I only picked this up because Matheson’s novel I Am Legend was so good, and I was hopefully that the movie of What Dreams was just another terrible failure of Robin Williams to act in a drama.  It was a little of both.  The book is quite good, beautiful and ultimately hopeful, but it’s a little preachy.  While there is no specific religion being pushed, or pressures for faith, the story still boils down to an argument about the afterlife and what we’ll find there.  Really, the story is almost humanist in it belief in the power of the human mind and spirit.  All the same, I felt preached to.  Oh well, despite that, Matheson creates a vivid world with engaging characters.  Definitely worth a read.