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maribouToday was Gay Pride in the park across from my bookstore. I always make a point of going over there, even if only for a few minutes ... I find it profoundly soothing to watch all the pretty-and-not-so-pretty people walking around being openly sexual and/or affectionate toward their same sex partners. Makes me feel less alienated from the world. The open-air religious service they were having this morning had some wonderful music, too.
And now, on to the book reviews.
Blankets, by Craig Thompson
(122/200)
This is a graphic novel which is mostly the artist's remembrances of his childhood and adolescence, and the strains and sweetnesses of his early relationships with his family, his first love, and her family. Outright beautiful in some places, and completely captivating.
Ammonite, by Nicola Griffith
Now having to restrain myself from reading everything Ms. Griffith has ever written. Although the plot and themes are relatively unalike, this book reminds me more of LeGuin's The Dispossessed than anything has in a long while, which is high praise indeed. A xenolinguist is sent to a planet where a strange virus has killed all the male colonists and a fair proportion of the female colonists, in order to study the culture of the now-entrenched earlier colonial wave and help determine whether the company attempting current colonization will be able to successfully vaccinate its employees against the virus. Characterisations are particularly strong.
(123/200)
Blue Blood, by Edward Conlon
Eddie Conlon is an NYPD cop with a Harvard degree. His book is a mixture of daily procedures, funny anecdotes, family history, US history, political musings, and some other stuff. Some reviews have complained that it's too mixed up and jumps around too much from one thing to another, but I actually enjoyed his style - in a 512-page book, variety is a good thing. I loved this book. Loved, loved, loved this book. And I had 2 people stop me on the street while I was reading it to enthuse about how much they'd also enjoyed it.
(124/200)
Troll: A Love Story, by Johanna Sinisalo
Okay, I did like this book quite a lot. Somewhat shallow gay Finn nicknamed Angel finds troll cub after chasing off bullies, complications ensue. It was a bit creepy and a bit charming and a bit touching and a bit farcical, and all of the bits were very pleasant. I would not say that my record of always digging Scandinavian fiction has been broken. However, it's not all THAT good; I felt like it did not live up to its potential or something.
(125/200)
Practicing Resurrection, by Nora Gallagher
Gallagher's Things Seen and Unseen told the story of her ambiguous embrace of the Episcopalian Church as an adult, and Practicing Resurrection is in some sense a continuation of that story - she tells a few stories here, but the thread holding things together is that of her efforts in discerning her vocation - in what sense she has a religious calling and what she is supposed to do about it. I think she may just be my favorite contemporary spiritual memoirist, and the sections of this book discussing gay participation in the church and in religious sacraments (esp marriage) were particularly invigorating.
(126/200)
Our Own Devices, by Edward Tenner
Oh boy oh boy oh boy. This was a fun book. All about several different sorts of body technologies - keyboards and office chairs and helmets and glasses and recliners and and and... Tenner is SO smart and SO interesting and makes terribly witty asides that any geek cannot help but love.
(127/200)
And now, on to the book reviews.
Blankets, by Craig Thompson
(122/200)
This is a graphic novel which is mostly the artist's remembrances of his childhood and adolescence, and the strains and sweetnesses of his early relationships with his family, his first love, and her family. Outright beautiful in some places, and completely captivating.
Ammonite, by Nicola Griffith
Now having to restrain myself from reading everything Ms. Griffith has ever written. Although the plot and themes are relatively unalike, this book reminds me more of LeGuin's The Dispossessed than anything has in a long while, which is high praise indeed. A xenolinguist is sent to a planet where a strange virus has killed all the male colonists and a fair proportion of the female colonists, in order to study the culture of the now-entrenched earlier colonial wave and help determine whether the company attempting current colonization will be able to successfully vaccinate its employees against the virus. Characterisations are particularly strong.
(123/200)
Blue Blood, by Edward Conlon
Eddie Conlon is an NYPD cop with a Harvard degree. His book is a mixture of daily procedures, funny anecdotes, family history, US history, political musings, and some other stuff. Some reviews have complained that it's too mixed up and jumps around too much from one thing to another, but I actually enjoyed his style - in a 512-page book, variety is a good thing. I loved this book. Loved, loved, loved this book. And I had 2 people stop me on the street while I was reading it to enthuse about how much they'd also enjoyed it.
(124/200)
Troll: A Love Story, by Johanna Sinisalo
Okay, I did like this book quite a lot. Somewhat shallow gay Finn nicknamed Angel finds troll cub after chasing off bullies, complications ensue. It was a bit creepy and a bit charming and a bit touching and a bit farcical, and all of the bits were very pleasant. I would not say that my record of always digging Scandinavian fiction has been broken. However, it's not all THAT good; I felt like it did not live up to its potential or something.
(125/200)
Practicing Resurrection, by Nora Gallagher
Gallagher's Things Seen and Unseen told the story of her ambiguous embrace of the Episcopalian Church as an adult, and Practicing Resurrection is in some sense a continuation of that story - she tells a few stories here, but the thread holding things together is that of her efforts in discerning her vocation - in what sense she has a religious calling and what she is supposed to do about it. I think she may just be my favorite contemporary spiritual memoirist, and the sections of this book discussing gay participation in the church and in religious sacraments (esp marriage) were particularly invigorating.
(126/200)
Our Own Devices, by Edward Tenner
Oh boy oh boy oh boy. This was a fun book. All about several different sorts of body technologies - keyboards and office chairs and helmets and glasses and recliners and and and... Tenner is SO smart and SO interesting and makes terribly witty asides that any geek cannot help but love.
(127/200)
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no subject
Date: 2004-07-18 09:36 pm (UTC)At least they had the ~*~*GOOD SENSE*~*~ to hold their event on a Sunday rather than a Saturday.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 07:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-18 10:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 07:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-07-18 11:14 pm (UTC)I lent it to RandomJohn and he keeps going on about how sad it was. Which it was. But it was so TOUCHING, and relevant to some things in my life... I'm not overwhelmed by its sadness, but its beauty, and... oh, the strength of the emotion period, I suppose. Somehow, it makes me feel open to the possibilities in the world.
no subject
Date: 2004-07-19 07:21 am (UTC)