Must read *****
Enjoyable ****
Vaguely interesting ***
If you have to **
Make it stop *
Speculative Fiction
***The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (on tape): This is fiction that's been around for quite some time, and it's fantasy geared towards younger readers, but it was still quite enjoyable. I found it interesting to hear his word choices and notice the flow, but there were some things I would have changed as an editor.
***The
Cat Who Walks Through Walls: A Comedy of Manners by Robert
A. Heinlein: “Writing is as solitary as
masturbation” is a typical quote from this book. While many of Heinlein's books focus on family and
teenage day-to-day interactions, just in futuristic environments,
this focuses more on romantic banter in a film noir style. I could
have done without the seemingly never ending, albeit witty,
discussion on penis size and sex, but that does show a difference in
his traditional target audience from young teenage boys for many of
his early works into that of adults.
This is one of the last books he wrote, although many were published later posthumously, but some of the verbiage, even from '85, may seem dated to some readers, although nowhere near the level of his writing from the '50s. The story is directly related to the concept of Schrödinger's Cat. Even a murder, extensive wit, and likable characters still make the massive focus on dialogue, either between the couple or the main character talking to himself, get a little overwhelming. There are several fun lines, however, such as “In the killing business, one should never kill first and ask questions afterwards. That tends to annoy people" and "Statutory rape is carnal knowledge of a statue, although why someone would anyone should care I have never understood. I don't think it's against regulations here."
****Charlie Bone / Children of the Red King series by Jenny Nimmo. This series has many similarities to Harry Potter (young boy, magic, haunted boarding school, quirky friends, unusual pets, lost parents, etc.), and it's a fun read. It's interesting, although more so in book one than later, and the books feel like episodes in a miniseries and don't stand alone or truly end until the final installment, but there is less wonder and page-turning quality than HP. That being said, waiting for the books on hold nearly drove me mad, so I can only imagine what those who had to wait for them to actually be written went through. Note that there are different titles, although I believe it is merely the title that's different, in Britain than America.This is one of the last books he wrote, although many were published later posthumously, but some of the verbiage, even from '85, may seem dated to some readers, although nowhere near the level of his writing from the '50s. The story is directly related to the concept of Schrödinger's Cat. Even a murder, extensive wit, and likable characters still make the massive focus on dialogue, either between the couple or the main character talking to himself, get a little overwhelming. There are several fun lines, however, such as “In the killing business, one should never kill first and ask questions afterwards. That tends to annoy people" and "Statutory rape is carnal knowledge of a statue, although why someone would anyone should care I have never understood. I don't think it's against regulations here."
***I, Robot by Isaac Asimov: This is so completely unlike the movie that I imagine the film made Asimov turn in his grave. The book described robots with flaws, yes, much like the humans had flaws, but they were not conspiring to kill everyone in any sort of uprising. They were slowly taking over power due to the logic that it was best for them to do so, but that's the only conspiracy foreseen in the novel. There was never a desire to exterminate humans as the lesser species, even when a robot considered humans inferior and clueless. We were a bit too pathetic to bother killing. This was the most enjoyable thing I read all Fall semester. It was given as an option for a group book report thanks to Dr. Charles Vogel respecting my interest in science fiction. (This was listened to twice as a book on CD.)
***The Memory of Earth by Orson
Scott Card: I could not get through this book for several reasons. First, the names are basically unpronounceable. Second, the
verbiage is a bit vulgar here and there. Third, the phrasing is
awkward. Fourth, the dialogue often makes the characters sound
primitive and a little brainless. Many years ago, The Seventh
Son was one of my favorite books, but this is different Card and
not especially worth reading in comparison.
**The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (translated from German): There is debate as to whether this is horror or just symbolic realism, but I choose to take it literally. I read this story, especially certain dramatic parts, more times than I can count due to the 11 papers I wrote about it. (One was not even required, but I mistakenly wrote it, anyway. I had so many papers assigned that I apparently had to add more!) I really hated this story at the first reading, but it did grow on me over the semester so that it's like family now. I may still not particularly like it, but it's been absorbed into my psyche and has been deemed acceptable for what it has to offer and for time spent with it.
**Rocket Ship Galileo by Robert A. Heinlein: This book was a painful read. It was written for teen boys, but, even accounting for the choice of wording, this book was just bizarre. I realize it was written before we landed on the moon, but there was little to no logic to the science. It included more science description and lingo than any book of fiction I've ever read, but it was nearly all incorrect. Granted, the average teen boy of the 1950s would likely not have realized as much. The idea that Nazis were out to get us from the moon was definitely a strange and (from today's standpoint) a stupid twist. This book has historical value due to when it was written, and it is readable, but not much else.
***The Rolling Stones by Robert A. Heinlein. Like much of Heinlein's work, this is a book about family dynamics in space, this one especially so. The Stone family is much like those Swiss folks named Robinson, just without being technically stranded. Starting on Luna (aka the Moon), two teenagers convince their dad to buy a ship and take the family, some bicycles, and a furry Tribble-like pet out to the stars. Considering this was written before space travel and with the 50s family dynamic, it has some historical perspective, and it WAS readable, but it's very Boxcar Children or Brady Bunch--complete with a grandma filling the Alice role, actually. Teen boys in the 50s surely loved it.
General Fiction
***Kill Switch by Neal Baer and Jonathan Greene: I was looking for a popular mystery novel, but the nature of this taking place in Riker's as a study on criminal mental patients put the vulgarity of the language too strong for my taste, so I did not get very far into the story.
****Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief by Dorothy Gilman: An elderly woman has become a spy, learned karate, married a man she met on a safari, and is on yet another wild adventure starting out as the simplest of jobs for the CIA. (Mrs. P and the Lion Killer and a few others in the series are better, however.)
**The Secret Agent by James Conrad: Not as intriguing as the title suggests. Think "24" without Jack Bauer, without a ticking clock, without action sequences...on the other hand, don't think of "24" or this book will be a big disappointment. Think "CSI"...no, that doesn't work, either. Think forensics before there were actually forensics and the empowerment of women when it could only crash and burn for them because they must realize they need a man, etc., etc. [Note my paper for the National Conferences on Undergraduate Research relating this book to autism.]
Drama
*Oleanna by David Mamet: This is a fairly stupid play by the same writer I transferred classes to avoid. He writes the rather disturbing play, "Sexual Perversity in Chicago." In an strange twist of irony, I was instrumental in encouraging the class to read Mamet due to hearing that he wrote the TV series, "The Unit." I didn't correlate the name until after we voted. However, this play was not disturbing in that sense, thankfully. It was very stupid the first watch through. (The version at UVU followed the play nearly exactly and was offered as an alternative to reading it. Those who read it were very confused as to what was going on because it seemed to be transcribed from the performance and with no stage directions.) The second watching, however, seemed like an entirely new play with more dimension to it. I was shocked by the difference the knowledge of the ending had on the second viewing. The play is about the possible sexual harassment of a student, but not in any graphic sense. He uses some bad language at the end, but that's about as bad as it gets.
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
by Anna Deavere Smith: This is about as far from the type of
“Twilight” of which most readers think as humanly possible. This is a documentary of
interviews after the Rodney King riots concerning the violent
mistreatment of African Americans in Los Angeles by caucasian police
officers and the public uproar the very public brutality created. I
both read and watched this “documentary theater” really only due
to a scholastic requirement. This was vaguely interesting for
historical and psychological purposes, and it brought on several
emotional responses, but it was never enjoyable. Being required to
read it, watch it multiple times, and analyze it got old very fast.
Educational
***Practicing New Historicism by Gallagher and Greenblatt: An intellectual sense of humor which reminds me of my father. More interesting for a left-brained person than Conrad (above).
The nonfiction narratives of 18 students to whom I wish great success.
These books were all read between the end of August and the beginning of December due to being required for my fall classes:
**The Norton Anthology of American Literature (vols C-E): This set totals 3,264 pages and, yes, I read nearly all of it. I highly disliked nearly every short story and poem in it. Those most tolerable tended to be those rare parts not required to read for class.
***The Longman Anthology of British Literature (vols 2A-2C): This set totals 2,871 pages which was also nearly all read (parts of it repeatedly to try to memorize aspects of each poem or line of prose for tests). There were added pages required online as well. Again, I disliked nearly everything in it. One exception was the part of "V for Vendetta" (a graphic novel) which was included. That section was one of the few NOT required to read for the class. Another exception was "Pygmalion" which I had read and seen before and nearly memorized as "My Fair Lady" due to my mother's interest in the musical when I was growing up. I gave a presentation on "Pygmalion" and wrote a research paper on it which, apparently, impressed the nearly unimpressable teacher.
*Beginning Theory by Peter Barry: Wow did I hate this textbook. Never has one been written in a more obnoxious format, in my opinion. His sentences included so much name dropping that trying to pull actual information out of the convoluted writing often seemed like pulling teeth. Did I learn from the class, yes. Would I have greatly appreciated a clearer textbook? Oh yeah! A few chapters and sections were skipped, but most of it required a second read to make much sense of it. The synopsis section of my papers was rather detailed with the important parts of the text, so I'd rather read my papers than the book. My copy of the book has so many notes in it due to needing the teacher's explanations and emphases to understand and focus my papers. My class next semester builds upon this one, so I hope post-structuralism makes some sort of sense next semester. Structuralism and post-structuralism are two theories that the text did not quite effectively explain to me, and class discussions helped but pretty much just made my head hurt due to the lack of logic involved in those two concepts.
**I'm an English Major--Now What? by Tim Limere was quite a harsh look at the world of careers not-so-open to an English major. Something pointed out in the book was that people buy mystery novels and fantasy these days--not true literature--so learning to write the next "Moby Dick" will not get you published or put food on your table. That's interesting considering universities teach how to write short stories or literature. The book was so negative, however, as to make the professor question whether another book would be more helpful.
****Rhetorical Grammar by Martha Kolln and Loretta Gray: This textbook was a fairly enjoyable look at grammar, although I disagree with two specific ideas. First, I still believe grammar is prescriptive and there is a right and wrong way to speak or write it. Second, I disagree with the obsession with never using he, him, or his to mean a general person. I understand the point, but I find the usage of "him/her", "one", or the questionable usage of "they" to be disorienting, distracting, and a little disturbing.
***Creative Writing: A useful beginning text for learning to write. However, it does lack much explanation of setting and uses some pretty hideous writing examples at times.
**Grant and Proposal Writing: I did not finish this book, but it appears to be an effective tool at understanding the grant proposal writing process. Why anyone calls it grant writing, though, when that is obviously done by those with the money to invest in a cause...well, that's just too much like saying Frankenstein was the monster not the doctor.
**Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East by Baird T. Spalding: This is a somewhat new age book which describes an odd sort of Christianity in nature and mystical powers like going without food and water or traveling outside of one's body. It is written by a researcher of this tribe of people making these claims, and the research time was beyond convinced. There are later books which detail how to do amazing things in your own life. I was frustrated that it seemed more to be selling it than explaining how they did it. I would suggest just reading the later books.
*****The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts This is a book everyone should read about being able to give love in the same way someone wants to receive it. If you like physical affection but your partner likes quality time, for example, using your finite spare time for sex will make YOU happy and feeling loved but not THEM. A quiz and advice on how to learn your own language, interpret those of your loved ones, and communicate your needs and the desire to fill others' needs are included. I read part of it when I bought it, but I read it again in my Psychology of Marriage class where the concept of loving someone how they feel loved was key.
****The How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky: This book was required for my positive psychology class. It recommends trying one concept project at a time for a few weeks, but we were required to do at least three projects all semester long. (I started with four due to knowing I'd end up wanting to stop doing one.) As was stated in the book, doing them for two long or too many of them will make them not only lose their ability to bring positive feelings or insight but will do the exact opposite as they become resented as further chores. This happened very quickly for me, and I have avoided the book ever since the class finished. It can be, however, a useful tool for creating a positive outlook when used as prescribed.
**Modern Ethics: This is an ethics textbook which we actually used very little due to so much philosophy available online from universities these days. It is not organized in what I consider a useful fashion, so I was constantly having to use the index to find anything in it. Despite being a recent edition, it seemed very lacking in various views of the world. This was especially true about understanding Buddhism and Islam.
***Psychology of Marriage and Relationships (or something like that) by Genova: This book was a required text for my psychology of marriage class where I learned about current statistics for marriage and divorce. I knew a lot of what was taught, but some things definitely did surprise me. The book was only so-so, but the teacher made a valiant effort in his first time teaching (after grad school, anyway). I have another of Genova's books, and it is also a fairly uninteresting read. We ended our reading before the last few chapters which detailed more about family and old age. The professor mentioned he used a different book when teaching the class again.
***The Secular Conscience by Austin Dacey: He's a famous atheist who works for the United Nations and speaks of morality not being based on a religious belief. Furthermore, he states that if you have to have a fear of God in order to have good character, how can you say you are better than someone who does it because it is the humane and better way to live. This book is a more interesting read than many of this philosophical type, but I could not get through it cover to cover. He made me laugh, made me almost cry, and made me think, though, which is sort of the point. But this is one of those books that you read a chapter and ponder it for a while because a lot of it in one sitting gets overwhelming.
**The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Dale Carnegie: This was required for my interpersonal psychology class and was somewhat obnoxious. We had to present or watch presentations on nearly all of it, so it was more than a casual read. Carnegie may have some gems of insight, but he mostly has a rather moronic view of things. You can read it for those gems, but realize Carnegie speaks like a salesman not a writer. I tend to hate salesmen that, well, act like salesmen in their interactions. Some of his views seem a bit naive, too. Overall, however, it is still a useful book. I just wouldn't suggest reading and studying it day in and day out as we did for that class. His graphics likely speak to the more visually-oriented readers, but I found them an irritating and bizarre distraction.
I looked through and read parts of several watercolor and painting books to improve in my watercolor class. It was nice to have a tangible step-by-step set of directions in front of me due to how much better I learn from written material I can study than a very brief demonstration I can quickly forget.
Books Not Yet Finished:
**Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder: She is a young girl who gets letters teaching her how the world is make up of philosophy. This is sometimes a required book for some philosophy classes.
***The Secret by Rhonda Byrne: How to get what you want out of life through positive thinking.
