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Blank Spaces
“Now when I was a little chap I had a passion for maps. I would look for hours at South America, or Africa, or Australia, and lose myself in all the glories of exploration. At that time there were many blank spaces on the earth, and when I saw one that looked particularly inviting on a map (but they all look that) I would put my finger on it and say, `When I grow up I will go there.’ The North Pole was one of these places, I remember. Well, I haven’t been there yet, and shall not try now. The glamour’s off. Other places were scattered about the Equator,…
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On a Pale Horse
On A Pale Horse by Piers Anthony Published: 1983 This is my first Piers Anthony novel. My dad was a big fan of him when I was growing up, and I always saw his books lying around the house. Curiosity got the best of me, and I thought I’d start with his most famous. Zane is a would-be photographer who has fallen on rough times. The story begins with him in an enchantments store looking for something that will change his life for the better, even though he can barely afford food. It’s an interesting scene, and does a good job of introducing the world. On A Pale Horse is…
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The Classics Club
I’ve decided to join The Classics Club. I’ve been reading more classics lately, and I’d like to continue that trend. And I can’t resist a good list. The goal is to read 50+ classic novels in five years. Will I be blogging in five years? Will I be alive in five years? Will society as we know it still exist in five years? I can answer none of these questions for you, but this will be fun up until any of that happens. This is really just my current classic literature wishlist. If I read a classic that’s not on the list, I’ll swap one out. I haven’t really read…
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Your Brain on Fiction
The New York Times posted an interesting article on the neuroscience behind reading, how the brain reacts to the metaphors and descriptions in the same way it might react to the actual physical experience. The brain, it seems, does not make much of a distinction between reading about an experience and encountering it in real life; in each case, the same neurological regions are stimulated. Keith Oatley, an emeritus professor of cognitive psychology at the University of Toronto (and a published novelist), has proposed that reading produces a vivid simulation of reality, one that “runs on minds of readers just as computer simulations run on computers.” — Annie Murphy Paul,…
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Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (audio) by Mary Roach Published: 2003 Narrated by: Shelly Frasier What uses are there for cadavers? How have they been acquired over the years? What eventually happens to them? These are the questions that Mary Roach sets out to answer in this surprisingly funny, and often disgusting, book. We begin with an introduction into how they’re used medically. From anatomy students to a plastic surgery workshop, the cadavers help train our medical professionals so they don’t screw up on the living. I couldn’t help but imagine accidentally walking in on that plastic surgery workshop just before it had started – a large conference…
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The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare Published: ~1590 This play is a little fucked up. Lets just make that clear. I’m not sure how it might have been received at the end of the fourteenth century, but I imagine it would raise the eyebrow of any modern reader. It’s politically incorrect in such a hilariously unapologetic way that you almost have to laugh in mild horror. I’m going to spoil the plot now. I figure anything over five hundred years old is free game. The play begins with an induction. A drunk named Christopher Sly is found unconscious in the street, and a lord orders his servants to…
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Stephen Fry on Language – Kinetic Typography
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A Long Way Down
A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby Published: 2005 Years ago I read How to be Good and really enjoyed it. I wasn’t enamoured enough to run out and immediately to buy his entire bibliography, but I did mean to eventually get back to him. Better late than never, I figure. I’m extremely glad I finally did, because I ended up loving this. The premise is simple but genius: four strangers climb to the top of an apartment building in London on New Years Eve with the intention of jumping to their deaths, but when they find each other up there it just kills the whole mood. After some discussion,…
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Moab is My Washpot
Moab is My Washpot (audio) by Stephen Fry Published: 1997 Narrated by: Stephen Fry I’ve read a few articles here and there of Stephen Fry’s, but this is the first of his actual books, fiction or non-fiction, that I’ve read. Even so, I knew I was going to love it going in, as I’m already a huge fan of his. I’ve spent countless hours watching his comedy, documentaries, and interviews, and I can easily spend an evening listening to him give his opinions on any topic. He uses language in a way that can elevate fart jokes to fine art. This is his autobiography, covering the first twenty years of…