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What I'm Reading Now
Besides the usual assortment of
comic books and case law that
occupies my reading time, I also
enjoy a novel or two.
Right now I am deeply into Michael
Chabon's, "The Amazing Adventures
of Kavalier and Clay." Based on the
fact that it won a Pulitzer and it is
about two cousins who come together
to write a golden-age comic book, you
would think I would have gotten to
this one sooner. Mr. Chabon's use of
history as a tool to show
characterization is amazing. I am
now two-thirds of the way through
and continue to be amazed by his
portrayal of historical New York
through the 1940s and into the 1950s.
I have to admit that I was
disappointed with Neal Stephenson's
"Anathem." I am a big fan of his work
and deeply enjoyed both the
"Cryptonomicon" and his "Baroque
Cycle (a trilogy)." Both of these are
must reads. In both of these works,
Mr. Stephenson applies his unique
ability to portray the technical details
of such varied fields as
code-breaking, liquid dynamics and
computer science to advance his
stories in a highly-entertaining
manner without talking down to his
audience. Because of these works, I
had such high hopes for the concept
of "Anathem." In this one, Mr.
Stephenson attempted to bring his
technical writing to the arena of
science-fiction by describing an
alternate world and its native
philosophy. Unfortunately, he spent
far too much time beating the
audience over the head with the
philosophy that the story suffered as a
result. He made the mistake of
attempting to mix Heinlein with Ayn
Rand. The result was similar to the
mind-numbing "A is A" lecture
toward the end of "Atlas Shrugged."
I picked up the most recent offering
from Douglas Coupland, author of
"Microserfs," the story of
20-somethings working for the
mega-conglomerate Microsoft in the
1990's. His most recent book, "The
Gum Thief" looks at the lives of some
perpetually depressed employees of
Staples. Coupland's
characterizations are as accurate as
ever and the dialogue is just as witty
and timely as I have come to expect
from him. His biggest downfall
however is his inability to put
together a satisfying culmination to
most of his stories. They seem to
build and build quite famously, then
fizzle out at the end. "The Gum
Thief" is no exception.
I completely enjoyed Chuck
Palahniuk's "Rant: An Oral
Biography of Buster Casey." The
style of this near-future fiction was
fresh and enjoyable because Mr.
Palahniuk uses snippets of fictitious
interviews from fifteen or so different
witnesses to the life of Buster Casey.
The protagonist Buster is (in)famous
for his role as subject zero in a rabies
epidemic that affects the entire
United States and plays a role in
contributing to the segregation of
Americans into night-dwellers and
day-dwellers. The use of the
fictitious oral interviews gives the
book the feel of a satirical true-crime
docu-drama.
I also enjoyed Mark Haddon's "the
curious incident of the dog in the
night-time," and can recommend it
as an entertaining read about a
fifteen-year old autistic sleuth who is
set on overcoming his fear of people
in order to find out who killed a
neighborhood dog. Mark Haddon has
experience in dealing with and
caring for autistic children and it
comes through in his brilliant
characterization of a teenager who
idolizes the purely logical Sherlock
Holmes but irrationally fears the
colors yellow and brown.
Besides the usual assortment of
comic books and case law that
occupies my reading time, I also
enjoy a novel or two.
Right now I am deeply into Michael
Chabon's, "The Amazing Adventures
of Kavalier and Clay." Based on the
fact that it won a Pulitzer and it is
about two cousins who come together
to write a golden-age comic book, you
would think I would have gotten to
this one sooner. Mr. Chabon's use of
history as a tool to show
characterization is amazing. I am
now two-thirds of the way through
and continue to be amazed by his
portrayal of historical New York
through the 1940s and into the 1950s.
I have to admit that I was
disappointed with Neal Stephenson's
"Anathem." I am a big fan of his work
and deeply enjoyed both the
"Cryptonomicon" and his "Baroque
Cycle (a trilogy)." Both of these are
must reads. In both of these works,
Mr. Stephenson applies his unique
ability to portray the technical details
of such varied fields as
code-breaking, liquid dynamics and
computer science to advance his
stories in a highly-entertaining
manner without talking down to his
audience. Because of these works, I
had such high hopes for the concept
of "Anathem." In this one, Mr.
Stephenson attempted to bring his
technical writing to the arena of
science-fiction by describing an
alternate world and its native
philosophy. Unfortunately, he spent
far too much time beating the
audience over the head with the
philosophy that the story suffered as a
result. He made the mistake of
attempting to mix Heinlein with Ayn
Rand. The result was similar to the
mind-numbing "A is A" lecture
toward the end of "Atlas Shrugged."
I picked up the most recent offering
from Douglas Coupland, author of
"Microserfs," the story of
20-somethings working for the
mega-conglomerate Microsoft in the
1990's. His most recent book, "The
Gum Thief" looks at the lives of some
perpetually depressed employees of
Staples. Coupland's
characterizations are as accurate as
ever and the dialogue is just as witty
and timely as I have come to expect
from him. His biggest downfall
however is his inability to put
together a satisfying culmination to
most of his stories. They seem to
build and build quite famously, then
fizzle out at the end. "The Gum
Thief" is no exception.
I completely enjoyed Chuck
Palahniuk's "Rant: An Oral
Biography of Buster Casey." The
style of this near-future fiction was
fresh and enjoyable because Mr.
Palahniuk uses snippets of fictitious
interviews from fifteen or so different
witnesses to the life of Buster Casey.
The protagonist Buster is (in)famous
for his role as subject zero in a rabies
epidemic that affects the entire
United States and plays a role in
contributing to the segregation of
Americans into night-dwellers and
day-dwellers. The use of the
fictitious oral interviews gives the
book the feel of a satirical true-crime
docu-drama.
I also enjoyed Mark Haddon's "the
curious incident of the dog in the
night-time," and can recommend it
as an entertaining read about a
fifteen-year old autistic sleuth who is
set on overcoming his fear of people
in order to find out who killed a
neighborhood dog. Mark Haddon has
experience in dealing with and
caring for autistic children and it
comes through in his brilliant
characterization of a teenager who
idolizes the purely logical Sherlock
Holmes but irrationally fears the
colors yellow and brown.
Travels
Chicago
I just got back from a visit to Chicago for business. While there I
felt obligated to make the pilgimage to Wrigley Field. While not a
Cubs fan, the side-trip is really required when in Chicago. Not
going to Wrigley would be like not visiting the Capitol in DC, or
the Vatican in Rome. Anyway, while there I was fortunate
enough to visit Sheffield's of Chicago near Wrigley. This place
joins two of my loves, Barbecue and craft beers. There are over
250 beers on tap. And not just the watered-down traditional
American stuff. We're talking real, full-bodied American-brewed
craft beers. Try the Surly Furious IPA if you can handle hops.
Syracuse
Just before that, we went to Syracuse, New York to visit relatives.
While there, we had the opportunity to visit a local landmark, the
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. For barbecue fans, this is the real deal.
While the tri-tip is good, it is the pulled-pork that sets this place
apart. The pork is slow-cooked for what seems like forever and
served with sauces on the side. There are now locations in
Harlem and New York City, but Syracuse has the original.
Chicago
I just got back from a visit to Chicago for business. While there I
felt obligated to make the pilgimage to Wrigley Field. While not a
Cubs fan, the side-trip is really required when in Chicago. Not
going to Wrigley would be like not visiting the Capitol in DC, or
the Vatican in Rome. Anyway, while there I was fortunate
enough to visit Sheffield's of Chicago near Wrigley. This place
joins two of my loves, Barbecue and craft beers. There are over
250 beers on tap. And not just the watered-down traditional
American stuff. We're talking real, full-bodied American-brewed
craft beers. Try the Surly Furious IPA if you can handle hops.
Syracuse
Just before that, we went to Syracuse, New York to visit relatives.
While there, we had the opportunity to visit a local landmark, the
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. For barbecue fans, this is the real deal.
While the tri-tip is good, it is the pulled-pork that sets this place
apart. The pork is slow-cooked for what seems like forever and
served with sauces on the side. There are now locations in
Harlem and New York City, but Syracuse has the original.
On our third day in Ireland, we drove north of Dublin to visit
pre-Christian and early Christian sites, including the cemetery
at Mainistir Bhuithe (Monasterboice). This location is famous
for their 11th and 12th century high crosses that were
commissioned by the wealthy abbots and gentry of the age.
Probably the best example of the art form is Muiredach's Cross,
named after an abbot who presided over the abbey until 923.
The sides of the cross depict biblical scenes, such as the
close-up of the Resurrection in the center of the cross.
pre-Christian and early Christian sites, including the cemetery
at Mainistir Bhuithe (Monasterboice). This location is famous
for their 11th and 12th century high crosses that were
commissioned by the wealthy abbots and gentry of the age.
Probably the best example of the art form is Muiredach's Cross,
named after an abbot who presided over the abbey until 923.
The sides of the cross depict biblical scenes, such as the
close-up of the Resurrection in the center of the cross.
Prior to that, and in what seems like a different life pre-Chloe,
Donna and I visited Ireland.
The picture below is one of my favorites from our trip. It is a shot
of the Poulnabrone Dolmen, which I thought looked very
striking in black and white. A dolmen is a neolithic burial cairn
made up of upright standing stones with a 2 ton capstone placed
on top.
This particular dolmen is located in the heart of the Burren, an
expanse of limestone that used to be buried under the sea that
now supports only the hardiest of flowers and vegetation.
Donna and I visited Ireland.
The picture below is one of my favorites from our trip. It is a shot
of the Poulnabrone Dolmen, which I thought looked very
striking in black and white. A dolmen is a neolithic burial cairn
made up of upright standing stones with a 2 ton capstone placed
on top.
This particular dolmen is located in the heart of the Burren, an
expanse of limestone that used to be buried under the sea that
now supports only the hardiest of flowers and vegetation.
