Sylvar's Bookshelf |
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The reading log of Ben Ostrowsky, a librarian and geek with a taste for nonfiction and sf. See Also: Sylvar's Other Blog 
 
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Tuesday, August 07, 2001
Shrek! Steig, William Blessedly free of dumb "I gotta save my ass" jokes and merchandising in general, the original story of Shrek the ogre is short and sweet. There's no Lord Fuckwad (oops, I mean of course Farquaad, how could anyone *ever* make such a mistake?), but there is a warts-and-broomstick witch who sends Shrek off on a quest. Fun to read by yourself or with someone young. Saturday, August 04, 2001
Eat fat Klein, Richard A meditiation on fat, fashion, history, health, aesthetics, and food. (Powells.com keeps various copies in Sociology, American Studies, and Cooking, and they're all appropriately placed.) Distinguished from its fellow pro-fat books mainly by the inclusion of photographs of some very beautiful fat women. Hey, I'm shallow. %) No, seriously, this belongs in any collection including Wake Up! I'm Fat or Fat! So?. Wednesday, August 01, 2001
NOTE: I ordinarily blog a book soon after I've finished it, and sometimes blog two at a time. However, my computer was having problems, so I had more time to read and less time to blog about it. Tonight, I have blogged a double handful of books. This note is just to say that, no, I didn't read them all just now. :)
How to do things right: memoirs of a fussy man Hills, L. Rust Don't miss the first section, "How To Do Particular Things Particularly". L. Rust Hills reminds me of my grandfather, who genuinely cared whether the tools were put back in the right place and who had a system for doing everything the right way -- who, in fact, believed there was a right way and a wrong way to do things. You'll probably also enjoy the second part, "How to Retire at Forty-One" (the hard part, of course, is what to do with all that time). However, I couldn't slog through the third part, "How to Be Good", which seemed to be a rehash of the previous bits mixed in with anecdotes about having written those bits.
My war Rooney, Andy How any memoir of World War II can be so gosh-darned pleasant is beyond me. True, there were some gruesome moments here and there, but it didn't feel that much different from, say, A Year In Provence. Part of this is undoubtedly due to Rooney's service as a journalist; while he definitely risked his hide to bring home a story, most war memoirs necessarily have, oh, I don't know, a bit more combat in them. If only war were usually as much innocent excitement, there might be fewer pacifists.
Songs of the doomed Thompson, Hunter S. The audio quality on the tapes I listened to was muddled almost beyond comprehension, so I'm going to give it full marks for authenticity.
The culture vulture Dunlap, Carol I didn't know my Savonnerie from my Sèvres before I perused my way through this handy guide, one article at a time. (The former is carpeting, the latter porcelain.) Perfect bathroom reading, but you'll bring it with you when you leave. Learn about architecture, art, music, philosophy, and other great pursuits in articles of about one page. Useful as a reference, but as with many reference books, great fun to browse through. Oddly, this isn't available through most channels, but the publisher seems to be selling it on their site.
The language imperative: how learning languages can enrich your life and expand your mind Elgin, Suzette Haden, Ph.D. A thoughtful and passionate discussion of multilingualism and its benefits, with some material on how language and culture are related. I was an easy sell because I learned from a friend and colleague of Dr. Elgin, but anyone who has read her previous works in linguistics (The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense) or science fiction (Native Tongue) will find this an enjoyable and rewarding read.
The austere academy Snicket, Lemony Lemony Snicket strikes again with the fifth in his A Series of Unfortunate Events, this time featuring perhaps the most horrible thing that can ever happen to a child: a gym teacher. He seems to have cut back on his running gag of defining a fifty-cent word in very detailed terms relating to the situation at hand, but I hardly noticed because it's just so much fun reading these things.
Sizeable reflections: big women living full lives Bovey, Shelley, ed. A wonderful collection from UK publishing house The Women's Press, containing 23 essays by fat women of all shapes and sizes. Highly recommended for anyone who is, or loves, a fat person. Perhaps the most astonishing revelation was that Heinz (maker of Rosetto cheese-stuffed pasta, greasy Boston Market side dishes, and of course sugar-laden ketchup) owns Weight Watchers. I don't make these things up, folks, I just put them down for posterity. |
