We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

When I mentioned at the beginning of the month that I don’t like science fiction, someone reminded me that “dystopias” are a type of science fiction. Since I have enjoyed the few dystopias I’ve read, I thought I should continue to give the genre a try.

In response to my post about Anthem, Stewart suggested I try We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, which was written in the 1920s and was, essentially, the first dystopian novel. I enjoyed We and I can see how it was the first of many: all others that I’ve read do seem to echo it. I’m glad I read it. But I didn’t love reading We. To me it seemed overly “scientific” and political, and it was rather depressing overall. I suspect many books about dystopian societies are sad, but this one didn’t grasp me as others have. Continue reading »

Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dogs by Kitty Burns Florey + Giveaway

In Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dogs: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences, Kitty Burns Florey sets out to tell why diagramming sentences is so much fun and the brief history of the art of diagramming sentences. To some extent, I felt Florey’s book was more memoir and humor than it was history. Yet, I highly enjoyed the brief tribute to diagramming because I was one who was fascinated by the month I spent in seventh grade learning to diagram. Continue reading »

A Caldecott Celebration by Leonard Marcus

In A Caldecott Celebration: Six Artists and Their Paths to the Caldecott Medal, Leonard Marcus illustrates the long road six Caldecott illustrators followed to produce to an award-winning book. This book is a combination of biography and art history as it looks at how six artists approached children’s book illustration over the last six decades.

I love the children’s books Marcus highlights, and it was truly fascinating to learn the stories behind them. The books he highlights are these (one for each decade).

• Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (1942 Caldecott Medal winner)
• Cinderella by Marcia Brown (1955 winner)
• Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak (1964 winner)
• Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (1970 winner)
• Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (1982 winner)
• Tuesday by David Weisner (1992 winner) Continue reading »

Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau

How many times have you reread the same story?

Exercises in Style by Raymond Queneau is a collection of the same story, written 99 different ways.

Some of the stories are fascinating retellings in various styles. Some are stereotypes (feminine , cockney, Gallacism, exclamations), some are in different perspectives (past, present, blurb, ignorance), some are different styles (noble, comedy, cross-examination, notation, sonnet, ode), and some are rather odd (dog latin, permutations by groups of letters).

Exercises in Style is short and sweet. It sets out what it was trying to do: show how style can change a story, depending on either the narrator or the particular way of writing. Some of them were a perfect example of the impact of style, while others seemed odd to me. In the end, it was a quick read that gave me ideas for developing my own writing style – and it gave me ideas for fun practice in imitating others and changing voice. Continue reading »

Martel-Harper Challenge (2009 2nd Quarter)

It’s time to sign up for the second quarter 2009 Martel-Harper Challenge. This challenge is to read two books during the quarter from the list that Yann Martel sends Stephen Harper, a list that is always growing. The list has fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children’s books on it, not to mention classics old and new.

To join for second quarter 2009, commit to read and review two books from the Martel-Harper challenge list between April 1, 2009 and June 30, 2009 by letting us know in the comments. You can choose the books now (in a pool of a few possible choices or two specific books) or you can choose the two books as you go this quarter. Because the list is growing every two weeks, you are free to change your choices at a later point in the quarter if you want.

Continue reading »

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein

I loved reading The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkein (thoughts here), mostly for its beautiful and flowing language, so I thought I’d next pick up The Hobbit, which is a children’s story and takes place chronologically before The Lord of the Rings. Unfortunately, I didn’t like it. I found the story tedious and the writing stilted. Continue reading »

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov + Giveaway

I loved reading Vladimir Nabokov’s short stories a few months ago because his control of language is so powerful, although I did feel that some of his stories were rather odd. Nabokov’s novel Pale Fire is similar in that it is both odd and powerfully written. It is a masterwork of creation: who but Nabokov would have thought to write a book like this? In fact, Pale Fire is so odd, I have a hard time calling it a novel.

Pale Fire has two main parts. One part is a 999-line poem (about 30 pages) by the recently deceased (fictional) John Shade. The other part is (fictional) Professor Charles Kinbote’s commentary on the poem (about 185 pages). Nabokov has expertly woven a completely unrelated commentary in with a fairly coherent poem. Trust me: it is funny, in a subtle way. Continue reading »

Pat the Bunny and Other Interactive Books for Kids

When I handed Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt to my son after I read it to him in the library, he got a really big kid smile on his face and he held it close to him. It’s a small book, just right for little hands. But the pleasure comes from the interaction: my son can pet the fuzzy bunny, he can lift a cloth to play peek-a-boo with the main character, and he can scratch Daddy’s face. According to Wikipedia, Pat the Bunny is the number 6 all-time best-seller for children’s books, even 50 years after first publication. I’m not surprised, because the textures and the activities make this a book perfect for little kids. Continue reading »

The Odyssey by Homer, trans. Robert Fagles

I thought that The Odyssey by Homer (trans. by Robert Fagles) was much more readable than The Iliad (also trans. by Fagles) was. It was driven by far more action, and the ending was happy.  I found it a delight to read, as I did The Iliad. And yet, I was surprised by how much I didn’t love The Odyssey.  I liked it, but since I loved The Iliad, I was expecting The Odyssey to be similar for me.

I found myself comparing the two ancient epics as I read, and so this review will compare them throughout. I loved The Iliad so much I wrote three posts about it here (the story), here (what I loved), and here (thoughts on Fagles). There may be spoilers below, but I highly encourage you to read the epic poem anyway; I doubt “spoilers” would spoil it for you. Continue reading »

The Odyssey by Homer: The Story

I read The Odyssey when I was in high school, but I didn’t recall much about it. If you aren’t familiar with it, here are some basic facts of the story. Please note that I’m not an expert, and these are only preliminary thoughts after having read the poem twice in the course of my life.

Tomorrow morning, I will share my thoughts on reading the Robert Fagles translation of The Odyssey. Continue reading »