Books

Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West

picks — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:05:55 +0000

In Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West Benazir Bhutto writes of her vision of what we need to know and do to bring harmony and understanding between our seemingly conflicting cultures. I highly recommend it.

The Death of Ivan Ilyich & Other Stories

reviews — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:05:44 +0000

Translators are cooks trying to follow recipes to the letter, but by necessity they have to use the ingredients and equipment they’ve got at home. They make do and hope the approximations taste good. The American/Russian husband/wife team Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky are known for their translations of the Russian classics, and we should at least be grateful that their productions remind us to read or reread some of the best literature in the world. Learn Russian if you can (it’s taken me four years of hard labor to be lousy at it), or accept with gratitude what Pevear and Volokhonsky serve you. (more…)

Free books used as tools to fight evolution

mkehe — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:18:45 +0000

Hundreds of college students were surprised on Wednesday when they were handed free copies of Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species” as they walked across campus. But they were perhaps even more surprised when they opened the book and discovered that it contained a 50-page foreword by a Christian minister who questions the validity of Darwin’s theories. (more…)

Guardians of Being

reviews — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:05:29 +0000

If you are one of those organized people interested in completing your holiday shopping as quickly and unerringly as possible, I have a suggestion for you: Pick up a copy of Guardians of Being by Eckhart Tolle with illustrations by Patrick McDonnell. In fact, while you’re at it, you might just as well grab a copy for everyone on your list, because this is a book likely to speak to dog lovers, cat lovers, art lovers, spiritual seekers, those who like to read, those who don’t like to read, and pretty much anyone interested in the art of life. (more…)

The Republic

picks — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:05:02 +0000

The Republic by Plato is simply an outstanding book that give one a grand perspective. I’m very happy to have engaged this work because it stimulates the mind and furthers my thinking processes.

Imperial

reviews — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:05:24 +0000

Warning: I know someone who curiously picked up William T. Vollmann’s hefty 1,300-page Imperial, took a minute to read a page at random, and then exhaled a whimper of incomprehension as he thunked it down in disbelief. Maybe it was the sheer weight (three pounds) that distressed, or maybe it was that random page, which probably contained a gonzo-conglomeration of bolded text, exclamation points, and 90-plus-word sentences. (more…)

2009 National Book Award winners

mkehe — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:04:40 +0000

There was a bit of gallows humor at the 60th annual National Book Awards ceremony in New York last night. Host Andy Borowitz said that when he was first invited to emcee the awards, he was so honored that he said he would have done it for free. As it turns out, he said, “The NBA had the same idea.” When it comes to the economics of the publishing world, Borowitz said, “We’re all in the same sinking ship.” (more…)

Guest blog: “Twilight” moves into “Nightlight”

mkehe — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:13:51 +0000

Cult-wise, now we know the Twilight books have really arrived. No, we’re not talking about author Stephenie Meyer’s appearance on Oprah, or about the “Twilight Series” coffee beans offered by one enterprising company in brews like “Bella’s Blend”. The news that caught us is hearing that Harvard Lampoon has issued a parody of the book, titled “Nightlight”. (more…)

Safe Passage

picks — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:46:40 +0000

Safe Passage by Ida Cook, was originally published in 1950 as “We Followed Our Stars”. It’s been republished in 2008 by Harlequin Book under the new title. A wonderful story of the Cook sisters. of Great Britain, who fell in love with opera and the stars of opera in the 1920s. During the 1930s, while following opera stars and their productions in Europe, the Cook sisters got recruited to help get Jewish families out of Germany, Austria, and several in Poland. An amazing story about music and courage during the 1930s and WWII.

The Original of Laura

reviews — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:28:24 +0000

When Vladimir Nabokov died in Switzerland in 1977, he left explicit instructions for his heirs to destroy the penciled index cards that made up his work to date on his unfinished 18th novel, The Original of Laura (Dying is Fun). Véra, his loyal wife and amanuensis, who died in 1991, couldn’t bring herself to do it. And, fortunately, after much debate, neither could their son, Dmitri. (more…)