Sunday, January 3, 2010
My Reading List From 2009
Alex and Me – Irene Pepperberg (N.F.)
The Given Day – Dennis Lehane
Anansi Boys – Neil Gaiman
Leisureville – Andrew D. Blechman
Too Close to Home – Linwood Barclay
The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls – John R. King
Walking Through Walls – Philip Smith
After Sunset – Stephen King
Resurrection Men – Ian Rankin
Bones – Jonathan Kellerman
Diablerie – Walter Mosley
The Brass Verdict – Michael Connelly
Blonde Faith – Walter Mosley
Them – Nathan McCall
The Brief History of the Dead – Kevin Brockmeir
Be the Change – Lisa Endlich
Shakespeare – The World as Stage – Bill Bryson
Feelers – Brian Wiprud
Three Cups of Tea – Greg Mortenson and David Relin
Why Your World is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller- Jeff Rubin
The Evil That Men Do – Dave White
The Way Home – George Pelecanos
Outliers – The Story of Success – Malcolm Gladwell
Relentless – Dean Koontz
Lush Life – Richard Price
Road Dogs – Elmore Leonard
A Fraction of the Whole – Steve Tolz
The Scarecrow – Michael Connelly
Chasing Smoke – Bill Cameron
Wake – Robert Sawyer
Body Copy – Michael Craven
American Fascists – The Christian Right and the War on America – Chris Hedges
Fear the Worst – Linwood Barclay
The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein – Peter Ackroyd
9 Dragons – Michael Connelly
Rain Gods – James Lee Burke
The Highest Tide – Jim Lynch
I Don’t Believe in Atheists – Chris Hedges
The English Major - Jim Harrison
Total Books Read for 2009: 39
My Reading List From 2009
It has been some time since I made a posting here, one of the reasons being that I have been too busy reading! Nonetheless, what follows is a list of exactly what I read throughout 2009, and the perceptive reader will notice that outside of my favorites (Michael Connelly, James Lee Burke, Walter Mosley and Jonathon Kellerman) my reading has been eclectic, following no [particular theme or interest. In the near future I hope to provide some capsule commentary of several of the titles.
Alex and Me – Irene Pepperberg (N.F.)
The Given Day – Dennis Lehane
Anansi Boys – Neil Gaiman
Leisureville – Andrew D. Blechman
Too Close to Home – Linwood Barclay
The Shadow of Reichenbach Falls – John R. King
Walking Through Walls – Philip Smith
After Sunset – Stephen King
Resurrection Men – Ian Rankin
Bones – Jonathan Kellerman
Diablerie – Walter Mosley
The Brass Verdict – Michael Connelly
Blonde Faith – Walter Mosley
Them – Nathan McCall
The Brief History of the Dead – Kevin Brockmeir
Be the Change – Lisa Endlich
Shakespeare – The World as Stage – Bill Bryson
Feelers – Brian Wiprud
Three Cups of Tea – Greg Mortenson and David Relin
Why Your World is About to Get a Whole
The Evil That Men Do – Dave White
The Way Home – George Pelecanos
Outliers – The Story of Success – Malcolm Gladwell
Relentless – Dean Koontz
Lush Life – Richard Price
Road Dogs – Elmore Leonard
A Fraction of the Whole – Steve Tolz
The Scarecrow – Michael Connelly
Chasing Smoke – Bill Cameron
Wake – Robert Sawyer
Body Copy – Michael Craven
American Fascists – The Christian Right and the War on
Fear the Worst – Linwood Barclay
The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein – Peter Ackroyd
9 Dragons – Michael Connelly
Rain Gods – James Lee Burke
The Highest Tide – Jim Lynch
I Don’t Believe in Atheists – Chris Hedges
The English Major - Jim Harrison
Total Books Read for 2009: 39
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Leisureville – Andrew D. Blechman
Macbeth: Act 3, Scene 2:
… 23
After life's fitful fever he sleeps well; 24
Treason has done his worst: nor steel, nor poison, 25
Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing, 26
Can touch him further.
These words, uttered by Macbeth to his wife as he describes the hell that his life has become since his murder of
While always treating his subject with respect, after living for a month in such a community at the invitation of former neighbours who moved to “The Villages,” the foremost age-segregated community in central
Blechman makes a pretty strong case for community engagement and involvement throughout one’s life, not just up to retirement, arguing that inter-generational co-existence is what gives true meaning and vitality to communities. While acknowledging that North American society as a whole doesn’t do a particularly good job of either encouraging or looking after its retired people, he clearly doesn’t see secession as the answer.
In addition to the societal implications of seniors’ self-removal from the larger world, Blechman also examines the environmental and political implications of such movements. For example, owing to their mild climates, two of the most popular states for age-restricted communities are
All of us need and deserve regular hiatuses from the hurly-burly of life. In my view, Andrew Blechman makes a compelling argument through Leisureville that none of us deserves a life-long commutation from it.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Alex and Me
Anyone who has ever owned and had a close relationship with a pet other than perhaps a turtle or a hamster will likely attest to the belief, much resisted by the majority of the scientific community, that animals do in fact have some capacity for thought. That has certainly been true of our last two pets, now deceased, a
PBS - Scientific American Frontiers:Pet Tech:Watch Online
Monday, November 17, 2008
What is America? A Short History of the New World Order – Ronald Wright
Beginning with a short history of the Spanish subjugation of Mesoamerica (
Once the frontiers of America were closed, the U.S government looked abroad to expand its influence and will until we have the situation the world confronts today – a country that subscribes to the notions of exceptionalism and manifest destiny, beliefs that have made it guilty of a hubris worthy of Greek tragedy. Perhaps the best way to view the book is as an examination of a pattern of behaviour that, while hardly unique to the
While those who subscribe to the American mythology of benevolence betrayed will be deeply offended by this work, those who are able to rise above blind patriotic fervour will see the truth and validity of Wright’s observation which, as always, are backed by solid research and historical data. He ends the book by looking at one model of co-operation that suggests human beings can rise above their selfish and violent history to work together toward common goals. That model is the European Union which, as the author readily admits, is far from perfect but seems to be succeeding where past structures have failed. One needs only consider their progressive legislation on climate control or medical care for its citizenry to appreciate the accuracy of his observations.
In closing, it seems that all of the goodwill and excitement generated worldwide over the election of Barack Obama suggests that there is still a tremendous hunger in countless countries for the United States to succeed as a nation among nations; without question it still has much to contribute, and its tremendous power to influence the direction of world affairs, for both good and evil, is undeniable. But some important questions remain to be answered: Can the
Only time will answer those questions. I wish them well.