On My "To Be Read" Pile

I've finished the excellent Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher, which were recommended to me by John Sherck (thanks, John). I've finally started Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, which had sat on my "to be read" pile of books for an extended period of time after I'd read a positive review of it on John's blog. I have to say that this one is more of a slow read, largely because of the old fashioned writing style. I'm only a short ways into the book, however, and I'm willing to give it a chance to pick up.

I've not posted any booklists in quite some time, so what follows is a list of books on my current "to be read" list.

The first two books, unsurprisingly, come from reviews on John Sherck's blog. I've done well with books he's recommended to me in the past, so I consider him a good source of reading ideas.

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Click on the links to go to John's blog to read more about these books.

Another source of reading ideas for me is Alternet. The books below were featured in articles on that site. The descriptions of each book come from Good Reads

Sex in Crisis: The New Sexual Revolution and the Future of American Politicsby Dagmar Herzog

There is a war on sex in America—and conservative evangelicals are winning. Only three decades after the legalization of abortion, the broad gains of the feminist movement, and the emergence of the gay rights movement, America has gone frigid.

Republicans—and even many Democrats—insist that abstinence is the only acceptable form of birth control, and fully 50 percent of American high schools teach a “sex education” curriculum that includes deceptive information about the prevalence of STDs and the failure rate of condoms. Students are taught that homosexuality is curable, and that pornography is addictive.

Americans are not anti-sex, but they’re increasingly anxious about sex—largely due to the tactics of the Religious Right. Afraid of sounding unelectable, American liberals have failed to challenge its retrograde orthodoxy. We are all evangelicals now.

How has the Religious Right achieved this ascendancy? Surprisingly, argues Dagmar Herzog in Sex in Crisis, Evangelicals have appropriated the lessons of the first sexual revolution far more effectively than liberals. With the support of a billion-dollar Christian sex industry, evangelicals have crafted an astonishingly graphic and effective pitch for the pleasures of “hot monogamy”—for married, heterosexual couples only, of course. This potent message has enabled them to win elections and seduce souls, with disastrous political consequences.

Fierce, witty, and brilliant, Sex in Crisis will force America to confront its national sexual dysfunction—and rally all but the most pious hot monogamists to demand a more sophisticated national conversation about the facts of life.

Shock Jocks: Hate Speech and Talk Radio: America's Ten Worst Hate Talkers and the Progressive Alternatives
by Rory O'Connor

The highly politicized and often factually challenged world of talk radio dominates a sizable portion of America’s airwaves. But the dirty secret of talk radio’s success is the use of hate speech masquerading as free speech. In this book, Rory O’Connor tackles the “hate talk establishment” and shows how huge media conglomerates not only make hate talk possible but make it enormously profitable.

He profiles the country’s ten worst shock jocks, including Don Imus, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Michael Savage, and describes how they use the guise of “not being politically correct” to ratchet up their anti-gay, anti-woman, and overtly racist language. He then shows how their celebrity leads to a climate that not only tolerates but actually perpetuates racist, sexist, homophobic, and xenophobic attitudes — making America a coarser, more dangerous place. A survey of the small but growing universe of progressive talk radio offers a respite from the verbal violence.

Considering how much I monitor right-wing talk show host, Neal Boortz, I thought this book might be interesting.

I Don't: A Contrarian History of Marriage by Susan Squire

A provocative survey of marriage and what it has meant for society, politics, religion, and the home.

For ten thousand years, marriage—and the idea of marriage—has been at the very foundation of human society. In this provocative and ambitious book, Susan Squire unravels the turbulent history and many implications of our most basic institution. Starting with the discovery, long before recorded time, that sex leads to paternity (and hence to couplehood), and leading up to the dawn of the modern “love marriage,” Squire delves into the many ways men and women have come together and what the state of their unions has meant for history, society, and politics – especially the politics of the home.

This book is the product of thirteen years of intense research, but even more than the intellectual scope, what sets it apart is Squire’s voice and contrarian boldness. Learned, acerbic, opinionated, and funny, she draws on everything from Sumerian mythology to Renaissance theater to Victorian housewives’ manuals (sometimes all at the same time) to create a vivid, kaleidoscopic view of the many things marriage has been and meant. The result is a book to provoke and fascinate readers of all ideological stripes: feminists, traditionalists, conservatives, and progressives alike.

I didn't find the last book on Alternet, but rather on Amazon when I lookd up the previous book on marriage:

The Samaritan's Dilemma: Should Government Help Your Neighbor?
by Deborah Stone

For at least a generation, experts have warned us not to reach out to others. Too much help makes people passive and dependent, we are told, and self interest is the only motive that spurs people to work and contribute to society. Liberals and conservatives alike have endorsed this new moral code for government. The Samaritan’s Dilemma challenges this conventional wisdom. We are born needing help, we die needing help, and we live out our days getting and giving help. We live by everyday altruism. So when leaders define the ideal citizen as someone who pursues his self interest and withholds help from others, good people are repelled by politics.

New Books For Deep Space Nine Fans

Fans of Deep Space Nine have four new books to look forward to this spring. Three of the books are a trilogy all bearing the subtitle, Star Trek: Terok Nor. These books are a prequel to Deep Space Nine and tell the story of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor before the Federation took over in 2369 and cover the years 2318 to 2369.

The first in the trilogy, Day of the Vipers, 2318-2328, was published last week and I'm reading it now. The other two, Night of the Wolves, 2345-2357 and Dawn of the Eagles, 2360-2369, will follow in monthly intervals. This is a story I'd long wished that would be told and from what I've read of the first book so far, they're doing an excellent job of it.

The fourth book, Fearful Symmetry, picks up the threads of unanswered questions from the third season episode, Second Skin, where Kira discovers that there was a Cardassian spy who had been surgically altered to look like her. The episode ends without revealing what had happened to this Cardassian spy. This book will answer that question. As this was one of my favorite DS9 episodes, I especially look forward to this novel.

What I'm Reading Now

I made a run to the library the other day and stocked up on some books I'd been looking to read:

Bastard Out of Carolina
by Dorothy Allison

This book, what I call "bookclub fiction", had been recommended to me by a friend, because it takes place in a town near to where I live now.

The Castle in the Forest: A Novel
by Norman Mailer

This is a fictionalized account of Hitler's childhood, with psychological speculations as to why Hitler turned out the way he did.

11 Days in December: Christmas at the Bulge, 1944
by Stanley Weintraub

This book is about the Battle of Bastogne.

Night
by Elie Wiesel

A classic I'd never gotten around to reading.

Following below are some books that I want to read that I have yet to find either at the library or the bookstore. All of these books are about politics.

The Conscience of a Liberal
by Paul Krugman

The Conservatives Have No Clothes: Why Right-Wing Ideas Keep Failing
by Greg Anrig.

Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and other Boneheaded Bureaucrats are Turning America into a Nation of Children
by David Harsanyi
____________________________

What have you been reading lately?

Predictable Fiction

Quite some time ago, I wrote about reading some of the romance novels one lover had lying around. I criticized their predictability; that they always ended, without exception, in a monogamous marriage, no matter how unlikely a candidate for marriage the main male character seemed in the beginning.

Now, I'll elaborate a bit -- romance novels are most definitely not the only culprit here. In mystery/crime/thriller novels, you know from the very beginning that the good guys will always win in the end and that the main character will not die, no matter how dire their circumstances become during the course of the novel. This also holds true for movies in both genres.

You also know that if they do something really stupid while looking for clues to solve the mystery, they'll nearly always get caught and temporarily captured by the bad guys, though they'll be rescued in the end. And they WILL do something foolhardy, never choosing to take the safer paths. Said bad guys will usually take the time to gloat, to confess to the good guy what they've done bad so far and what mayhem they have planned for the good guy, in order to waste time so that the cavalry can come save the day just in the nick of time.

As romances are always told from the female point of view, mysteries/thrillers are always told from the good guys' point of view, in the same way that history is nearly always recounted by the winners.

Where's the "thrill" in thriller if you know how it's going to end before you even read the first page? Why must the good guys always win? Mystery/thriller fiction is supposed to be just that; fiction, a make-believe tale of "what if". There shouldn't always be a morality, "crime doesn't pay" lesson in fiction, as fiction is mainly about entertainment, not a prescription of what "should" be.

I'd like to see some fiction told from atypical points of view -- romance from a male perspective that doesn't always end in a monogamous marriage and mystery/thrillers told from the "bad guy's" point of view. Indeed, I'd like to see more novels where the dividing line between good guys and bad guys is blurred; where the characters on both sides of an issue are multifaceted and each have points of views and agendas that make sense to them.

What would you like to see different in the types of fiction you read that you currently see very little of? And if you know of any authors who write less predictable plots, feel free to list them in the comment box.

Exercise Your Mind

I'm a bibliophile. I've loved to read pretty much since I've been able to pick up a book. Able to read for myself since age four, I've always had a book in progress ever since. As a kid, I brought a book to the dinner table and it didn't matter what it was. I can remember going through our family's set of encyclopedias, volume by volume, at around age ten.

As an adult, I read about 75 percent non-fiction and 25 percent fiction. What I'm interesting in reading goes in spells -- I'll read lots of one type of book for months, then I'll get a taste for something else and the first type will go on the backburner until my interest is piqued for that type of book again. In non-fiction, just one or two books about a particular topic isn't enough -- I have to read everything I can get my hands on about it. For example, I own over 25 biographies of Harry Truman. The way I see it, every author takes a slightly different slant on the topic and includes some information another author missed.

As a libertine bibliophile, I'm in good company, as the most well-known libertine of all time, Casanova, was even a librarian in his last years.

I know there are many people who don't like to read; that they consider reading to be a chore or even work. This baffles me, as reading is as easy as breathing to me and it has provided hours of enjoyment over the years. It's stimulated my imagination and allowed me to "travel" to different times and places I could never go to in real life. I also credit my avid reading with my ability to write -- after so many books, writing simply rubbed off on me by osmosis.

I even know people who actively scorn reading. I once worked with a young man who bragged he'd not read a book since leaving school. I looked at him and said I'd never brag about being a dumbass in public like that.

So, I was not surprised when I recently read that one in four Americans had read no books at all last year. And even among those who had read something last year, the typical person claimed to have read four books — half read more and half read fewer. Excluding those who hadn't read at all, the usual number read was only seven. A measly amount, compared to the dozens of books I read each year.

It makes me wonder what these people do to exercise their minds -- if they do at all. If they don't, it explains a lot of things wrong with this country.

At a time when everyone is jumping on the bandwagon about physical fitness, few are alarmed about the erosion of mental fitness in our society. Though many harp on the dangers of being physically unfit, I'm guessing a nation of physically fit intellectual lightweights isn't going to do the country a whole lot of good, either.

Pick up a book and read something today.

What I'm Reading Now

After finishing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I felt a bit let down because there won't be any more, except in fan fiction. I've been looking around to find other books that are "readalikes" or at least bear some similarity to the Potter books. Another blogger had recommended Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series about a wizard private detective. I got the first one in that series and, while an engaging enough read to make me want to read more, it doesn't really have the same feel as the HP books.

I've scoured several sites where recommendations are given to Harry Potter fans looking for something new, but similar to read. As one who had not read much fantasy previous to the Potter books, I found these lists quite useful. After reading several such lists, I went to Amazon to read plot descriptions and made a list of the ones that seemed most promising.

One newer series that sounded interesting involves modern day Americans who are "half bloods"; the children of Greek gods and mortals. While the books are intended for teen readers, what I read of the plot descriptions indicate they might be worth reading for adults, as the Potter books were. I ordered the first in that series at the bookstore and if it proves to be as interesting as it looks, I'll read the other two currently available.

I also took the list I'd made to the used bookstore, and found a copy of "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke in new condition. This is a one-off novel for adults about two wizards at the beginning of the 19th century. It's a thick book with small print, so it should keep me busy for awhile. If anyone has read this one, I'd be curious to hear what you think.

On the non-fiction front, I was reading an essay at Alternet that was an interview with Mike Jones, the male escort who outed the antigay evangelist Ted Haggard. Jones mentioned his new book, "I Had to Say Something", which tells about his relationship with Haggard and why he outed him. It sounds interesting, so I'll see if my library has it the next time I'm up there. To read the Jones Alternet interview, click here.

Later this month, I'm going to attend the "Really Good, Really Big, Really Cheap Book Sale", which is an annual mega book sale of used books of all types, put on by a group that promotes adult literacy in order to raise money for its efforts. I'd first heard about it last summer after the fact and made plans then not to miss it this year. The sale is held in a closed-down mall and will have over a hundred thousand books available at yard sale prices. I intend to make a list of books to look for so I can stock up on books properly.

I'm not much of a bookworm, am I?

If you have any book recommendations, feel free to list them in the comment section.

The Pleasure of Books

An ordinary man can surround himself with two thousand books and thenceforward have at least one place in the world in which it is possible to be happy.
--Augustine Birrell

Quite some time ago, I read a biography of Giacomo Casanova, who is probably the most famous libertine of all time. As with me, the two greatest passions of his life were the pursuit of sex and books. Casanova spent the last part of life, after his virility had faded and he could no longer pursue new lovers, as the librarian to Count Joseph Karl von Waldstein in the Castle of Dux in Bohemia (now Czech Republic). This was also where he wrote his autobiography, which is still in print.

The above quote reminded me of this, and I thought it was quite a fitting retirement for a bibliophile libertine. When the time comes for me that I'll no longer be able to catch the lovers I pursue (and not do them any good if I did!), the prospect of spending my last years surrounded by books and learning is not a bad one. Though my primary pleasure will then be just many happy memories, there will still be much pleasure to be had by reading. Nevertheless, I sincerely hope my "retirement" is still many years in the future.

Random Thoughts

What do the two following things have in common?

Answer in tomorrow's entry for those who didn't already guess.
_______________________

Name something you wish had never been invented.

The first thing that comes to my mind is "alarm clock".

What's the first thing that comes to yours?
_______________________

Ever notice that when you trip over a shoe in the dark while in bare feet, that you keep on tripping over it? That is, the shoe rolls over and over in front of your foot, instead of being pushed to the side.

Aggravating.
_______________________

Sometimes when another person speaks to us they are referring to one thing, when we think they mean another. Confusion ensues, but at the end, they make it clear what they actually meant.

In such cases, I'll frequently tell them what it was I thought they meant, simply as a way of explaining what confused me.

Invariably, however, the other person thinks that you still don't understand and they don't get that you are simply explaining the initial source of your confusion. And they explain it again! And don't understand when you simply say you were clarifying the original reason for confusion. Grrrrr.

Ever have this happen to you?
________________________

Reading Roundup

Fairly recently, I read the latest installment of Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series. When I mentioned to someone else that I thought it was a good story, but not racy enough, she recommended the Anita Blake series.

So I went to the used bookstore, where I found the first of this multi-volume set. After reading Guilty Pleasures, I thought it was OK, but not particularly sexy. I was then told that the books become more explicit as the series moves on. I went back to the bookstore and found Narcissus in Chains, which was indeed more explicit, both in sex and violence. But still kind of ho-hum plotwise. Now I'm on Cerulean Sins, which is beginning verrrrrrrry slowwwwwwly.

I've also been reading Eric Flint's time travel/alternate history series. I read 1632 ages ago, and I've made a start on 1633. The third volume, 1634 just came out in paperback, so I bought that and put it in the stack. I'm hoping these will move faster than the Anita Blake series.

Bibliophile

Next to sex, my favorite activity is reading. My parents read to my regularly as a child, and I began to read at age four, probably by osmosis. At least, I don't remember actually being taught to read. At four, I was reading my own Dr Seuss books...I now can read it in a box, I now can read it with a fox. Let me read it on a train, let me read it in the rain...

At that time, The Flintstones was my favorite TV show, and I can remember checking the TV section in the newspaper to see what time it came on. I had to lay the paper on the kitchen table, as I was too little to sit in a chair and hold all of it up.

By the time I started first grade, I was already reading Hardy Boy mysteries. For every B and A I got on my report card, my parents would buy me a new book. For most meals, I brought a book with me to the table. My siblings had the 1959 version of the Funk and Wagnalls encyclopedia and I remember going through these volumes one by one, randomly reading articles that interested me.

There were also several older books in the house: a book of bedtime stories from 1918 that had several Art Nouveau illustrations and a school reader from 1939, with corresponding Art Deco ones.

As an adult, I have a fairly respectable vocabulary, which I attribute directly to my reading habits. I can remember when encountering an unfamiliar word as a child, I usually could figure out the meaning from context. I didn't always figure out the proper pronunciation that way, though! For the longest time, I thought the pronunciation of the word "misled", was "mizzled"!

My love of writing came fairly early on as well, no doubt triggered by all the reading I'd done. As with reading, my ability to write, came seemingly by osmosis -- I'd absorbed writing techniques by the sheer volume of reading matter I'd consumed. I can remember being about ten years old and writing my own little newspaper, which was a lot of fun.

As an adult, I rarely can go into the library or a bookstore without helping other people find books. Just last week, I was in the used bookstore looking for some light reading when I heard a woman ask the clerk if he knew of any novels that took place in our state. The clerk didn't, but I jumped in and gave her several suggestions. The woman was also searching for books for her husband, mentioning some authors he liked. I was able to recommend a similar author and she ended up leaving with an armload of books, after telling me that I ought to do this for a living. That would be nice, if such jobs did not insist upon paying the minimum wage.