The Naked Civil Servent and How to Become a Virgin by Quinten Crisp

Quinten Crisp is an extroidinary character. And The Naked Civil Servent was a great introduction to him. To live openly gay during any time prior to the 1970s is amazing. To do so in the UK--where it was illegal until the 90s--starting in the 1930s is astounding.

A few images from this book still stick with me, even nine months after reading it. The first is when he recieved his draft notice for WWII, and showed up to the draft station ready to serve his country. And, in one of many lucky breaks, despite being recognized as a homosecual, he wasn't arrested, was given a deferral and told never to come back.

Another was his matra regarding cleaning his apartment: after four years the dust doesn't get any worse. Speaking of his apartment, Crisp lived in the same place for something like 40 years, paying rent every month, not cleaning and often sitting around naked or in his dressing gown from when he awoke until he went to bed.

His adventures are interesting at the least.

His second book How to Become a Virgin is more uneven. It tells stories that are less compelling, focusing on the effects that his first book had on his life. While still interesting, it holds no where near the captivation as his first. We do get his impressions of the US, but the stories are not of a man looking back on the most interesting moments of his life, but more of a condesed diary of his life after The Naked Civil Servant was published. There were no stories that still stand out ot me after so much time.

The Naked Civil Servant  9/10
How to Become a Virgin         4/10

Anathem by Neal Stephenson

I am very far behind on posting with this coming some nine months after I originally finished this book. It ends up, in some respects, counteracting the entire point of writing books up in the first place. I suppose, though, better late than never.

Like, I'm sure, many others who often feel out of place or uncomfortable in every day life, the idea of a separate portion of society deadicated to intellectual pursuits is extremely attractive. Like life-long college, with equally committed people around you. For that element of this book, reading this served as pure escapism. And, once the story moved outside of the math, I was actually wanting to read an entire book just about the daily life inside of it. If Stephenson wrote just a long, detailed description of the math, I'd read the whole thing.

One of the projects that I really like from inside the math was the modeling of a battle with plants, using different plants to represent various portions of the armies and their interactions. Maybe later in my life, when I want to stay put, I'll do that in my back yard.

Once the story moved outside the math, a few things struck me: (1) Stephenson does an okay job writing female characters, but he always has one awesome female who is really hardcore and cool, but isn't the main character or even central to the action (the only exception being in <i>Snow Crash</i> where the plot is carried quite evenly between Hiro and Y.T.). Here, the hardcore female characters (Erasmas's sister) does get an important role, but it isn't central and is much lie America Shaftoe from <i>Cryptonomican</i>.

(2)I loved the idea of a distibuted launching methodology for space destined materials. I suppose the ISS was similarly constructed, but here the distributed materials were simulteously launched and the payloads (and human carrying ships) were much smaller. Maybe not practical in this day with our launching technology, but a fscinating idea nonetheless.

It was a good book. Very emersive and well paced.

8/10

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I read this book on my mother's recommendation. I knew that it was making the rounds in pop culture; a movie based on the book came out recently.

To my surprise, I really enjoyed this book. It tells the story of a community of women in Jackson, Mississippi in the early to mid 1960s. The focus is on the interaction between the white women and the black maids and nannies who made their households run. One white woman, who wants to be a writer, decides to try and interview 'the help' to see how the relationships looked from their perspective. The book is told from the point of view of a number of different characters, and it's really interesting to see how the stories intertwine.

I laughed out loud a few times while reading this book, one quote that totally cracked me up (and made me think about teaching): "'What you learn today?' I ask even though she ain't in real school, just the pretend kind. Other day, when I ask her, she say, 'Pilgrims. They came over and nothing would grow so they ate the Indians.'
Now I know them Pilgrims didn't eat no Indians. But that ain't the point. Point is, we got to watch what get up in these kids' heads."

The story is frustrating in many ways, and you can predict a lot of what happens, but it is well told, and definitely makes you think.

8/10

Thorn in My Side (Kindle Single) by Karin Slaughter

This is a really short book, or perhaps a long novella (I can't say I know the difference) that is narrated by a conjoined twin. The twins are in their late 30s or early 40s, and really don't like each other. The narrator is the smarter twin, he goes to church, he gardens. The narrator's twin is more deviant, picking up sketchy chicks at dance clubs and treating them poorly. The story picks up when one of the women that is picked up in a dance club is killed by the brother(s), and they're dealing with the fall-out.

It's a really bizarre and disturbing story. If it were any longer I don't think I would have read the whole thing; I didn't enjoy it at all.

2/10

My Exile Lifestyle by Colin Wright

This book is about Colin Wright's unplugging from traditional society. He whittled his stuff down to a double-digit number of items, and then packed up and went traveling. He moves to a different part of the world every four months, and the new location is picked by people on his website.

The writing in this book was not especially good, it seemed like a mix of content written for the book and journal entries, and was often (very) redundant. The idea of minimalism and untethering is an interesting one, but I think there must be people who are better at talking about it than this guy. Also, there seems to be a big emphasis in this book on all of the girls he's dated, which really didn't interest me very much.

I liked the idea, but really didn't like the execution of this book.

3/10

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse: Book 1)

This is the first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series, the series that the HBO show True Blood is based on. I read it for the first time ages ago, well before the show came out, and then again earlier this summer. Wanting a comfort book, I picked it up again this week. No, it's not that great of a book, but gosh it's entertaining enough for me.

Sookie, the main character, is a waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana, a small town. Vampires 'came out' recently after the invention of synthetic blood, and are now working to integrate into society. Sookie has her own quirks - she's a telepath who has trouble blocking out others' thoughts. One day the first vampire she's met, Bill, comes into the bar she works at. She saves him from some 'drainers' (people who sell vampire blood, the new drug of choice), and is thrilled to discover that she can't hear his thoughts. Sookie and Bill begin dating, and small-town vampire and other supernatural drama ensues.

Of course the mystery is solved by the end, and you're interested enough in the characters to read the next book to see what they'll manage to turn up next. If you like not-too-challenging mysteries, like a good beach read, and don't mind vampires, this is a very entertaining book (and series).

8/10

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

I guess the first thing you'd want to know about this book is that is chronicles a conversation between a guy (a writer) and a gorilla. The guy meets the gorilla after answering a newspaper ad: "TEACHER seeks pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person."

The book offers an alternative history (or creation story) for humanity, and how we got to where we are today. It explains why we are ruining the world, and what needs to change in order to prevent us from completely destroying it.

Really, this was one of the strangest books I've read, but I think I really enjoyed it. I'm not sure I completely understand the 'next steps' that I was supposed to glean from the book, but the ideas have definitely been percolating in the back of my mind. Reading the book definitely gives you an interesting alternative to human history (and certain Bible stories).

I recommend it, if you can get past the silent human-baboon conversation idea.

7/10

Naked Heat by "Richard Castle"

This is the second book in the Nikki Heat series, which is an offshoot of the TV show "Castle". Basically, if you like the TV show, you'll like reading these books. This particular book could have used a little bit more editing (at least in the Kindle edition), but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Some of the twists were predictable (for me, which is saying something), but, again, if you like the show, you'll like the books just as much.

I'm excited for the third book to come out later this year - it lets me imagine the TV series shows without actually watching TV. And it's always fun to imagine Nathan Fillion!

7/10

A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 4 by George R. R. Martin

Oy. It was no joke that this book is just bonkers hard to get through. There's a note from the author at the end of the book, explaining that he had written a book twice as long, and "To tell the story that I wanted to tell, I was going to have to cut the book in two. ... The more I thought about that, however, the more I felt that the readers would be better served by a gook that told all the story for half the characters, rather than half the story for all the characters."

The story was interesting, but much too long, and followed all of the minor characters. Seven hundred pages of reading about the minor characters was a major slog to get through. I hope reading this to get to the fifth book was worth it!

3/10

Heat Wave by Richard Castle (sorta)

So, after the TV show Castle became such a hit (Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle, a mystery writer), a book was released by Richard Castle, Heat Wave. It is the book that Castle is supposed to be writing during the first season of the show, based on his time spent 'researching' detective work in the NYPD.

If you like the show, the book is a hoot. It reads almost as another episode of the show, but with more detail and more racy (since it's Castle's writing, and not his 'real life'). It's a great summer murder mystery read.

I (briefly) tried to figure out who really wrote this book, but the Amazon page is true to the game and lists Richard Castle as the author, complete with a bio that fits with the show. Interesting to see TV spawning books!

Two more books have come out since this one - I'll be reading the second one soon!

(7/10)

A Storm of Swords: A song of Ice and Fire: Book 3 by George R. R. Martin

I just finished the third book in the Game of Thrones series, reading inspired by the new HBO show. After watching the pilot episode, I decided to read the first book before watching the rest of season 1 (each season follows one of the books) to help me understand what was happening and keep track of the characters. After finishing the first book (7/10) and watching the first season, I continued on to the second (6/10) and now the third books. What Tao told me about this series before I began to read it is that the author tends to kill of characters just as you start to like them, and I'd say it's a fair assessment. There are lots of different plots to follow - each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character (thankfully you know which character it is, it doesn't make you figure it out as you read). I almost wish I were reading hard copies of the books rather than on the Kindle so that I could look at the maps more easily from time to time, but it's not a big deal.

Basic premise: Seven Kingdoms are united under one ruler, and this is about the fight to be in control. There are various families contending for the throne, lots of interesting subplots, and some really interesting and cool characters. I'm really enjoying the series so far (though I've been warned that the fourth book focuses on minor characters), and am happy to be reading a series where the end is in sight (the author needs to finish the series so that the TV series can also be completed). The fifth book was just released this month.

I strongly recommend watching the series after (or as) you read the first book, especially if you have difficulty keeping characters straight. I found that after watching the series I was much more successful at knowing who was who while reading the second book because I had mental images of most of the main characters and that made it easier for me to keep track. Also the series is just plain fun (if racy - it IS HBO). One other thing I love about this series - I have *no idea* who's going to win in the end, totally opposite of most fantasy books/series. There's always an unexpected twist.

To sum up - enjoyable series so far, I definitely recommend it if it's your kind of story (fantasy). Book 3: 7/10

Reluctant Disciplinarian by Gary Rubinstein

This is really a book aimed at beginning or early teachers, about how to be more successful at classroom management. The author was a Teach for America fellow, and apparently has an awful first year, complete with kids punching him and trash cans set on fire. Once he got his act together, he wrote this book in hopes of helping other new teachers avoid some of his mistakes.

I can't say I agree with all of his advice - the whole 'no smiling until Christmas' thing always felt wrong to me - but it was an interesting (and quick) read that helped me to think about how I manage my own classes, and how I might tweak some of my methods. I also like that the author acknowledges (some of) the (many) failings of teacher education, especially when it comes to teaching new teachers how to control a classroom.

I'd recommend reading this book to relatively new teachers, or any teacher having trouble controlling classes.

6/10

All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost, by Lan Samantha Chang

Rodin gave me this book about a week ago, and I set out to read it today (it is short, only 208 pages).

The story is about a man in his late 20's who is attending graduate school to work on becoming a poet at the beginning of the book. It begins in his second year there (of a two year program), as he sits in the seminar class of a professor who is known around the school for her brilliant poetry and tough criticism of students' work. The main character, Roman, eventually falls into a relationship with the professor, which ends when he leaves the school. The echoes of that relationship are felt throughout the rest of the book as we follow him into adulthood and (some measure of) maturity.

The book seems to be about the perils of working only toward an unlikely profession with no backup plan, the pain of realizing that who you are/were to someone is not necessarily who you think you are/were to them, and regret upon looking back and seeing moments that you missed. Many of the main characters are incredibly lonely people, some without realizing it.

It was strange to me to read a book with such a small cast of characters - many of the ones I've been reading lately I need to keep notes to keep track. Even though the story spanned perhaps 40 years, it felt small and intimate. My main complaint is that the writing didn't make me particularly care about the characters, I was interested to read what happened next, but not pulled to. The lessons of the book resonated with me, but I don't seem to be able to articulate how or why. It's a quick read, and I imagine it will keep me thinking for a number of days.

6/10

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading by Nina Sankovitch

I really liked the idea behind this book, but think that it went on for much much longer than it needed to. The author's eldest sister died from cancer at 46, and after four years the author found that she was still grieving. Having shared a love of books with her sister (and the rest of her family), she sets out to read one book per day for an entire year - the year that she is 46 - and write a review of each of those books.

Each chapter mentions some of the books that she read, loosely tied together chronologically and by some theme. Quotes are sprinkled throughout the book. Unfortunately, you can tell that while the author is an avid reader, she's not a great writer. Lots of ideas are mentioned repeatedly, and the structure of the book feels forced sometimes.

I'd suggest skipping reading the book, and instead going to the website where the author wrote all of her reviews to see her booklist: www.ReadAllDay.org

Great idea, but I wish the writing were better. At least now I have a source of books to pick from.

4/10