Tag Archives: books

The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron

Posted by melydia on April 1, 2009 None comments

The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron: With the exception of Mary Stewart’s novels, almost none of the Arthurian canon documents Merlin’s life prior to advising King Vortigern as an adult. This novel attempts to fill that gap. Our story begins with Emrys and a woman who claims to be his mother washing onto the shores of Wales. Emrys remembers absolutely nothing before this event, though it is clear that he is very different from the other boys of the village. Slowly he discovers magical powers that both tantalize and terrify him. It’s a pleasant, fairly light read, with interesting characters and legends. There isn’t much in the way of unexpected plot twists, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

Posted by melydia on March 31, 2009 None comments

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins: I imagine this book rankles a lot of people. The mere title is sure to raise hackles, calling their cherished lifelong faith a delusion. But it’s not nearly as mean-spirited as the title may suggest. The book begins with an explanation of the difference between supernatural religion and Einsteinian religion. Einstein, though he often mentioned “God” did not actually believe in a personal, supernatural god. He was talking about the universe as a whole. Though not something to be worshipped, the same awe and reverence usually associated with religion is unquestionably felt by atheists.

Dawkins then proceeds to address large numbers of arguments for the existence of a personal creator-god. Most of his rebuttals against the creator-god boil down to this: if the universe is so complex that it must have been designed, then the designer must have been even more complex, and using that same logic, must therefore also have been designed. He also responds to famous arguments such as those from Thomas Aquinas and Pascal’s Wager.

The chapter “why there almost certainly is no God” goes through various probability-based arguments, most of which return to the fact that natural selection is not random chance but rather a series of tiny changes over thousands or even billions of years. With the exception of the very first spark of life, nothing just spontaneously appeared over the course of evolution. That initial spark is then argued for using the anthropic principle. This idea, when applied to the origin of life, is that we know that though the odds of all the conditions being just right for life are infinitesimal, we know that they are non-zero because we are alive to ask the question. I can’t refute it, but it’s a terribly unsatisfying argument.

Dawkins then moves on to address the roots of religion and morality in Darwinian terms. That is, if there is no god, why does religion pop up in all cultures? If there is no god, what’s the point in being good? Dawkins discusses both of these questions thoroughly and concisely.

After a chapter about why he is so hostile to religion and one equating childhood religious upbringing with child abuse (though he does believe that religious books should be taught as part of literature, just as the Greek myths are currently), Dawkins closes with a discussion of why we as human beings don’t actually need religion to be happy. Though religion has traditionally been expected to fill our needs for consolation and inspiration (among other things already addressed), there are plenty of other sources for these. The book ends with a revisit to the Einsteinian religion with various descriptions of the amazing, the mind-boggling, and the inspiring in our universe. The more we know, the more we yearn to know. Life is beautiful even without the supernatural.

This book has given me quite a lot to think about, some of it rather uncomfortable. I’m not going to get into my own personal beliefs in this review. I don’t agree 100% with everything Dawkins has to say, but I do believe this is an extremely important book and something people should read. It’s not that reading this will necessarily turn you into an atheist (though I suppose it might), but I do believe that one cannot really hold convictions without having considered thoughtful and concise arguments to the contrary. Otherwise it’s not a conviction at all, just mindless parroting of whatever you’ve been told. Even if this book doesn’t change your mind about anything, it should help you focus on why you believe what you do.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt

Posted by melydia on March 20, 2009 None comments

The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt: I suspect most people who read this book do so for the same reason I did: they liked Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Instead of Savannah, we are now in Venice. The story opens a few days after the fire that destroyed the Fenice Theater and continues through its first performance after reopening almost ten years later. Most of the book is in some way related to this: a glassblower who makes vases to commemorate the event, the intracharity squabbles of an American group trying to fund restorations, and of course the investigation into the cause of the fire. In the middle are anecdotes about various other Venicians, including a rather long tale about Ezra Pound’s mistress, Olga Ruge. Berendt’s prose style reads very much like a novel, and I found myself very much wanting to see Venice. I also discovered that I don’t particularly want to visit Venice. The characters, while interesting and often eccentric, also struck me as particularly unfriendly and oversensitive. Gossip and bribery rule the day against the backdrop of gorgeous canals and palaces. Still, it’s an interesting book and very different from most travelogues. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for Berendt’s next work.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

Posted by melydia on March 14, 2009 None comments

The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells: Edward Prendick’s ship sinks and he is picked up by Montgomery, a passenger on another ship. When they reach Montgomery’s destination – an island in the middle of the Pacific – the ship’s captain refuses to take Prendick any further. Luckily, Montgomery eventually relents and brings Prendick onto the island as his guest. There he meets Dr. Moreau and a slew of unusual creatures. Unlike most 19th century literature, I find Wells exceedingly readable and fun. His characters are realistic and memorable, as are his scientific ideas. Perhaps still not my favorite of Wells’s (I’m not sure you can beat The Time Machine) but an excellent story nonetheless. Highly recommended.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Everything’s Eventual by Stephen King

Posted by melydia on March 11, 2009 None comments

Everything’s Eventual by Stephen King: When reading King novels, I’ve often felt that the idea was good but the execution was too long and drawn out, and that in general his works would be better as short stories. So I picked up this collection of short stories and was less impressed than I’d hoped. Some of the tales were good, such as the title story, the first-person account of a man about to be autopsied alive, and the man who had been captured by terrorists, but I found most of the rest fairly forgettable. I guess I expected to be scared, at least a little bit. However, I’m not giving up just yet. I’ve been told by many King fans that his earlier stuff is best, so I’ll be on the look-out for a copy of Night Shift.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

Posted by melydia on March 4, 2009 None comments

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (unabridged audiobook read by George Guidall): I’d heard good things about the tale of Wang Lung’s life in preindustrial China and his rise from poor farmer to wealthy family man, but for one reason or another I’d never picked up a copy. Now I have, and though the plot was a touch slow at first, I must say it’s well worth the read. You learn quite a bit about the culture and lifestyle of the times without feeling like you’re reading a history book. And with Buck’s tender narration, even the most heinously primitive ideas – such as “woman” being synonymous with “slave” – came across more as The Way Things Were than something that stirred much righteous anger in me. Wang Lung and his wife O-Lan are very sympathetic, and there were times when I almost cried. Very moving, very educational, very memorable.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Naked by David Sedaris

Posted by melydia on February 27, 2009 None comments

Naked by David Sedaris: As with all of Sedaris’s books, this is a collection of autobiographical essays, mostly humorous. To be honest, this wasn’t one of his better books. A lot of the stories felt simply too long and drawn out, as if they could have been split into two stories about two different things. I should also note that the stories are more sequential, so that things make the most sense when read in the order they are presented in the book. This wasn’t a bad book, to be sure; I laughed in quite a few places. It just isn’t as strong a set of tales as those found in his other books. Recommended for Sedaris fans, but if you’re new to this author, you’d probably be better off trying out something else.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Singh

Posted by melydia on February 19, 2009 1 comments

Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Singh: Most people are familiar with the Pythagorean Theorem which describes a right triangle: a^2 + b^2 = c^2. However, what you may not know is that Pierre Fermat claimed back in the 1600s to be able to prove that a^n + b^n = c^n has no whole number solutions for n > 2. Trial and error suggests this to be true, but for over 350 years, no one could prove it. This is the story of the equation and those who worked towards the eventual solution in the early 1990s, from Pythagoras through Andrew Wiles, who published the final proof. His proof is complicated enough that I suspect Fermat’s proof was flawed, but it makes for a surprisingly engrossing read all the same. There are tons of names and personal stories in this book, and though they often feel tangential, every single person discussed has great bearing in one way or another on the solving of Fermat’s Last Theorem. One doesn’t usually equate mathematics with drama or suspense, but both are present here. Definitely recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in math or history.

Note: The UK version of this book, which I have, is titled Fermat’s Last Theorem. The American version is called Fermat’s Enigma. There is also another book called Fermat’s Last Theorem which was written by Amir D. Aczel. Confusion abounds.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Posted by melydia on February 18, 2009 None comments

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison: Maybe this is one of those books that really is better to be gone over in literature class, or maybe I’m just slow, but I sure didn’t understand much. The prologue was sheer brilliance; after that things just got weird. A nameless African-American narrator describes his journey from ambitious college student to disillusioned hermit, encountering a series of bizarre characters along the way. From reading other reviews I understand that most of these characters are meant to represent certain groups or archetypes, but aside from the communist Brotherhood I missed the references. I’m not sure that mattered, though, after reading the epilogue, which just rehashed the points I did grasp. I tried to just go with the flow but far too often my response to this book was, “Wait, what?”

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Tickled Pink by Rita Rudner

Posted by melydia on February 12, 2009 None comments

Tickled Pink by Rita Rudner: The subtitle, “A Comic Novel,” should have been left off the cover. I was expecting a laugh-a-minute romp, which this is not. It’s the story of two girls who run away to New York to make a better life for themselves: Mindy the dancer-turned-comedian (more or less Rudner in disguise) and Ursula the ubergorgeous model. There is quite a bit of humor, mainly in the form of one-liners, most of which are likely far funnier on stage than in print. Most of the drama comes from misunderstandings and people not talking to each other, which is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to plot devices. The final few chapters felt forced, as if Rudner got stuck and decided she needed a disaster or two in order to wrap things up. It’s not a bad book, just not a very good one. I suppose die-hard fans of Rudner’s stand-up comedy may enjoy this (and indeed, her routines are pretty funny), but readers unfamiliar with her will probably want to pass this one by.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

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