Currently reading
Sir Thomas Malory's Morte Darthur: A New Modern English Translation Based on the Winchester Manuscript (Renaissance and Medieval Studies)
Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction
The Human Comedy: Selected Stories
Breaking the Maya Code
The Conquest of New Spain
Jungle of Stone: The True Story of Two Men, Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
We
Frankenstein
Beauty Is a Wound
Ramayana: Divine Loophole
I have had several encounters with the Ramayana over the years, first in a Hindu mythology course in college, later through its Thai incarnation--The Ramakhien. And then, through visits with its various characters at several museums with Asian collections. It has, for a long time, been one of my favorite adventure stories.
I think it's fair to say that Sanjay Patel's rendition of the Ramayana is my absolute favorite. Admittedly, Patel has produced an abridged version (3,000 pages down to 120+), that is the perfect size to read to one's children--as I have done. It is complete enough to cover all the main events, yet not so detailed that a young reader would get bogged down in the minutiae. As the subject matter involves some rather scary demons, it might not be right for the youngest kids however.
Reminiscent of one of my son's favorite cartoons--Samurai Jack--Patel's artwork continually draws me back to the book. His use of shapes creates a kind of dynamism, that combined with the compelling story-telling, generates the best kind of storybook.
Besides being the perfect story to read to kids of a certain age, The Ramayana has become a favorite of my coffee table books. I find that guests are often entranced by the vibrant colors, complex geometrical shapes, and fierce beauty of the work.
If that were all, it would be enough. But Patel includes a glossary/cast of characters including the famous gods, warriors and demons. He also has included a narrative map which points out the various story locations. He concludes the book with several pages of his sketches, and a description of how he put the story together (my favorite of the "extras").
I have been so pleased with this book that I look forward to future projects of Sanjay Patel with great anticipation.
Mockingjay
I was hoping for a little redemption in this book. Apparently Collins felt it necessary to unleash a holocaust--it certainly felt like it. Having read much history, and many troubling books, I have to say that Mockingjay is one of the darkest books I've ever read. Is this really meant to be read by youths? Rather, it takes the form of a study in post-traumatic stress disorder.
Aside from the appalling, unrelenting violence and death (it makes the Hunger Games look like the Olympics by comparison), I found it difficult to accept the casual death, often in aside, of fairly major characters. Some of them deserved better.
Additionally, the playing out of the romance, built up over hundreds of pages, was mostly unsatisfying: One of the principal conflicts of the series (Gale vs Peeta), that was very close to the surface throughout recedes to the background via its resolution in the epilogue.
Those complaints aside, Mockingjay did an effective job completing the series: Most conflicts were resolved--one way or another. I would say it was certainly not predictable. Collins continues to shine in many passages. Now, where are my anti-depressants?
The Surrender
I wanted to like Toni Bentley's book: She's clearly a talented writer and her subject is rather enthralling. With that said, I really struggled with her incredible pretentiousness: It's really just sex. It is rather juvenile to build one's entire life around a single act. To turn every encounter into some sort of ritualized tantric nirvana-near-approach was laughable.
Bentley's tendency to typecast men was both ridiculous and sexist. Her penchant for puns often petered out into mediocrity :) Where was the editor to tell her "puns are effective if used sparingly..."
Overall, I have to say I was disappointed. Like the author, I could not wait to get to the end.
The Last Opium Den
I've read several of Nick Tosches' longish pieces in various magazine. He is a very good writer. There are passages in this book that are incredibly lyrical. His descriptions of his opiated high are often fabulous.And yet, the book is just too short. We barely scratch the surface of what is actually a very deep subject. Tosches skirted around the edges of his subject, but didn't really take the time to engage with it.
I would've much preferred it if he had interspersed his personal vignettes with a more in depth cultural history of opium.
This book is what some would call a non-book, i.e., it is an article in book form.
I will keep reading Nick Tosches pieces--because he really is quite a good writer--but won't be recommending this one to friends.
The Terror
As usual, Dan Simmons proves that he is a master of whichever form, and whatever subject, he chooses. "The Terror" would be a terrifying read without any supernatural reference. Simmons' detailed description of the progressive effects of scurvy was nothing less than chilling. A great craftsman, Simmons' descriptions of life on ship are on par with those of Patrick O'Brian. The reader will have to decide for him or herself whether it was worthwhile including "the Beast." I started out thinking it was completely unnecessary, and that the story of the Franklin Expedition could quite readily stand on its own. By the end, however, I thought he had found a much more interesting role for "the Beast" than he had originally. I ended being quite content with the outcome.
"The Terror" is quite a long book, and can, at times, become the slog that was the lot of the crew, attempting to drag their boats across the ice. But generally, this was not the case: The story moved at a good pace, and kept my interest throughout.
Surprisingly, I quite enjoyed the bits and pieces of eskimo mythology and clan history that Simmons threw in so liberally at the end. They helped lighten a story that was inexorably grinding the reader down as Simmons had so thoroughly ground down his crew.
All in all, "The Terror" was a very good book. Simmons was able to transform an excellent--if tragic--adventure story into something more. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as one his best works to date.
Great Teas of China
This is an excellent short introduction to Chinese tea. It is not comprehensive, as it does not provide much about the history of tea or the international tea trade for example. I would consider it an appetizer rather than a main course.Still, I learned a great deal from this little book. It made me want to try some varieties of tea in which I'd not previously had an interest. In that sense, I think it achieved its real purpose.