Teaser Tuesday (31 May)

Last teaser of the month -- here we go.

"But for the most part I'm bound up in ideology the same as everyone else. Yet knowing that it's there grants us some small power over ideology, and if you squint you can see a little more clearly than most." 

p. 89, The Ethical Assassin. David Liss.

"Isn't it kind of beneath your dignity to let Columbia have you as sloppy seconds?"
"That's so far beyond stupid that I don't even know the word for it."
"If you had a better vocabulary, maybe Harvard would have let you in."

p. 110, The Ethical Assassin.

Top Ten Beach Reads

Road trip! Vacation! Quick, I need ten books to pass the time with.  (From the Broke and the Bookish.)

1. The Rainmaker, John Grisham.
A favorite hen I'm going anyplace, Rainmaker is thick yet small enough to fit easily in my jeans pocket. Its central story of a young lawyer taking on a great big evil insurance company, defended by soulless guns-for-hire attorneys, is always compelling.

2. Blood Memory, Greg Iles. I bought this for my sister on her birthday,  and after reading it she wanted me to try it out myself. Haven't gotten around to it, though she has my copy of Echo Park by Michael Connelly so we're kinda even on the lent/borrowed balance.

3. Any Black Widowers collection, Isaac Asimov. It doesn't matter which,  but I am fond of reading a story with lunch or supper from time to time -- useful when grabbing a bite to eat on the road.

4. Any Harry Potter novel, J.K. Rowling  They're all fantastically charming, though I think I'd go with one of the first four given their more lighthearted bent.

5. Most anything by Carl Sagan (because a book on nuclear winter doesn't make for good beach reading, unless of course it's On the Beach.)   Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors would work splendidly.

6 & 7: A couple of Star Trek novels, preferably ones I've not yet read. (The last titles in Vanguard and Titan would do nicely, as would Federation by the Reeves-Stevens.

8. The Complete Stories of Isaac Asimov, volume II.

9. Another entry in the Harry Bosch mysteries by Michael Connelly

10. Perhaps one of Alison Weir's English history works/.

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird
© 1960 Harper Lee
376 pages

Mark Twain once opined that a classic is a book which everyone praises and no one reads. That cannot be the case with To Kill a Mockingbird, a classic coming-of-age story set in the fictional county of Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. The story told by Jean-Louise "Scout" Finch is once of growing up -- not only in the literal sense of advancing in age, but in learning to grapple with adult questions of conscience and courage. Scout and her brother Jem are guided in this endeavor by their father, the remarkable Atticus Finch; a man of deep, quiet courage and unpracticed kindness.

Atticus is a lawyer in the noble sense of the word, who hopes to use his office to see that justice is done. When he takes a stand against the prejudices of his fellow citizens and defends a black man accused of rape, Atticus and his children must learn to persevere with dignity.  Though Atticus is regarded by everyone I know who's read the book as a pillar of moral strength,  the understated nature of that strength impresses me the most. Atticus is not a Puritan proclaiming morality from the pulpit, reveling in righteousness: he simply does what he thinks is best and is content to let that stand. His strength of character is not a pillar: it is a foundation,  deep, wide, and ever-steady. I think I would  go mad living in Maycomb during the trial, just as Jem nearly did -- but Atticus is possessed by the serenity of Martin Luther King, this faith that the moral arc of the universe is long but bends toward justice. Perhaps that peace comes from the deep affection he has for the community of Maycomb, which carried great appeal to me before the trial started. I live not far from the real-life inspiration for Maycomb, and I know what kind of city the Finches hail from. I delighted in meeting their neighbors,  felt their fear and wonder as Scout and Jem  explored the world around them.

While the story of Atticus Finch must have been dynamite in its time and continues to inspire today -- continues to earn the title 'classic' --  this book a fantastic novel despite the reputation classics have for being wise but unreadable. I did not read To Kill a Mockingbird as a classic. I began in that vein, but I soon became enraptured by the humor and gentle spirit of Atticus, the self-willed pugnacity of Scout, and the passion of her brother Jem. I was too busy soaking in this wonderful story to realize -- "Oh, yes, this is a Classic".   I've been remembering it with great affection for the past week and a half, reluctant to finish the review because then I knew part of me would move on. I will be revisiting this book in the future: it has become an instant favorite.

Absolutely wonderful If you've not read this, or if you're only experienced it as a classroom text,  it is well worth your while to visit it on your own.

The Ethical Assassin

The Ethical Assassin
© 2006 David Liss
336 pages

Lem's just a kid selling encyclopedias so he can go to college, that's all. He never meant to get involved in a criminal conspiracy, but circumstances spiraled out of his control. He went into a trailer to sell books to two suspicious rednecks, and then -- bang, bang -- he's witness to a double homicide and utterly confused when the assassin apologizes to him.  The killer -- Melford Kean -- is an altogether pleasant fellow, once you get past the assassination bit, but he's got a job to do, evil to fight,  and now Lem has become his unwitting ally.  Lem would like nothing more than to close his eyes and walk away, but circumstances continue to force him to rely upon this bizaarely compelling stranger. Thus, for a ltitle while at least, both Lem and Melford are destined to walk the same path.

So begins one of the most fascinating novels I've ever read. The criminal conspiracy itself is rather tame -- involving encyclopedias, drug labs, and hog farms -- but Melford makes for an irresistible story. Who is this affable stranger who shoots people and then treats people enveloped his actions with such kind regard? Why did he shoot two seemingly harmless rednecks?  As the story progresses, Melford emerges as a highly principled and motivated man who is interested in swaying Lem to his point of view -- engaging with him in conversations about ideology, the influence of culture, and the basis of ethics.  As Melford and Lem's mutual problem reaches crisis levels, the method behind Melford's madness becomes increasingly clear to both Lem and -- I assume the author hopes as much -- the reader.  While I don't know enough about the author's beliefs to speculate on his intent with The Ethical Assassin, it reads in parts like an author tract.  I delighted in the way Melford constantly teases Lem, engaging with him and drawing out a discussion.  While I don't agree with Melford ultimately,  the unfolding of his arguments complemented the story's pace smartly.

With intriguing characters, philosophical ideas to grapple with, and the kind of quirky humor I like in a novel, I'd say The Ethical Assassin is a solid hit.  While I chose to avoid mentioning Melford's cause in the review (possibly a spoiler),  it's strongly hinted at early on so I will link to two subjects of discussion. Your choice in hovering over them.

Angels and Demons

Angels and Demons
© 2000 Dan Brown
572 pages

There's a dead body bearing the mark of an ancient conspiracy lying in the halls of Europe's foremost scientific laboratory. Robert Langdon, who apparently makes a living commenting on corpses with symbolic importance, is whisked away by space-plane to CERN, where he descends into the bowels of the Earth and realizes there is something rotten in the state of Denmark Switzerland.  Someone has stolen enough antimatter to take out half a city, and that someone might be working for a secretive organization with powerful ambitions and a burning hatred for the Catholic church -- the Illuminati, the 'enlightened ones'.  Driven underground by the Catholic church centuries before, they intend to strike a killing blow at their enemy through the ages...by blowing them to Kingdom Come. If Langdon can't track the Illuminati down before midnight, the Catholic church's day in history may be at end.

Although that sounds like a great setup, this book was a labor to read. I groaned throughout the first one hundred pages, and near the climax I pondered giving it a good throw across the room. It's a library book, though, so I didn't. I just set it gently on the floor until my eyes had stopped rolling long enough for me to read it. I understand this to be Dan Brown's first novel, and that shows. The characters are insultingly simplistic, exposition utterly contrived. From the start Brown had his imbecilic characters blabbering on about the ancient war between science and religion, and I was very relieved when the chase began in full -- a chase through the Vatican City, with settings drawn from Rome's rich background of monuments from the Empire through more modern Baroque churches. Unfortunately, the science/religion discussion came back with a vengeance, and it was there that I wondered, ever so briefly, if seeing the book sail through the air might make me feel a bit better about subjecting myself to it.

The painfully forced discussions about the  respective worth of science and religion, and the relationship and tension between then  just wouldn't go away, because the Illuminati were supposedly a society formed to protect and advance science from the dogmatic Church. Maybe if you don't give a rip about science, the novel would be as benign to you as The DaVinci Code was to me -- but I  like science, I like history, I like comparative religion, and seeing all three subjects flayed alive throughout the book made my brain weep. The torture reaches its climax when one of the book's then-most sympathetic character denounces the God of Science for page after page,  simpering about his blessed Church's contributions to the human race and how awfully tired  the Church was of being constantly slighted.  Well! I'm sorry a millennium and a half of interrupted power over the entire western world wasn't enough for you!  Perhaps if you'd managed to do anything in those fifteen hundred years we'd be a little bit more impressed, but from where I sit all I can see is the palaces you built. I'd say science has earned bragging rights.

The book does have redeeming qualities -- the clue chase through Rome, for instance. Not only do the settings fascinate me, but I liked the little historical nuances that would send Langton on a false trail ever so briefly. The ending is also more interesting than I'd imagined after despairing over the Chamberlain's speech. Unfortunately, these are the only redeeming attributes --   the characters are simplistic, the dialogue and exposition fall flat (when they're not insulting), and a lot of the research...


(deep breath)

...is atrocious beyond words. I  now understand the phrase "Dan Browned".  I cannot fathom how this book managed to get past the editing process with historical and scientific mistakes so numerous. Robert Langdon may known a awful lot of art history, but otherwise he's a moron. That's a word I don't use often, and I hesitate to use it against a character Tom Hanks has portrayed -- but book-Langton is..terrible. Case in point: he tells one of his classes that the Catholic church borrowed Communion from...wait for it...

The Aztecs. The Aztecs! Whom the Church did not encounter for 1500 years!  For fifteen centuries, the people of Europe took Communion never knowing they'd artlessly stolen it from a people who lived an ocean away.  The fools!

I really don't know what to add to that. I don't write negative reviews often, so this is one for the books.  Angels and Demons is as bad a novel as I've ever read, rivaling only the Left Behind novels for their simplicity and unbelievable 'messages'.  Caveat lector.

...and I only say that because I don't know the Latin for "Run away really quickly".

Related:
The DaVinci Code, Dan Brown.

This Week at the Library (25 May)

I've yet to write my review of To Kill a Mockingbird (past the first paragraph, anyway), but I loved it. I'm still enjoying The Ethical Assassin: if what I've read so far is an indication of what is to come, I will be enjoying the author further.

Today at the library I picked up:

• Biology Made Simple, following up on last week's Physical Science Made Simple. Like it, I will probably devote an hour a night to reading Biology, as though I am in class. 
• Angels and Demons, Dan Brown. I'm in the mood for some historical silliness. 
• The Age of Faith, Will Durant. Yep, I am getting back on the horse. Let's do this, corrupt aristocrats, cruel churchmen, and fanatic holy warriors! 
• Walter Lord's The Miracle at Dunkirk is still on the table, or more accurately, 'on the couch'. 

Top Ten Books I May Have Or May Not Been Not Entirely Honest About

From the Broke and the Bookish:

May 24: Top Ten Books You Lied About (lied about reading, lied about NOT reading, lied about liking/disliking, etc....dish your dirty secrets!!)

1. Robinson Crusoe, Daniel DeFoe and 2. Journey to the Center of the Earth, Jules Verne.

Crusoe? Read it? Sure! You bet! I even got in trouble with my father because I read it while walking down the street. ..only it was a Great Illustrated Classics version, for children, with lots of pictures. I checked it out in high school to read it proper, but I never got around to it. I will, though.


3. Peasants, Rebels, Women, and Outcastes: the Underside of Modern Japan, Mikiso Hane;  4 The Peoples of the British Isles: from Prehistoric Times to 1688, Standford E. Lehmberg; 5. A Modern History of Japan; Andrew Gordon; and 6. Victorian America, Thomas J. Schlereth.


These were all books which I was supposed to have read in class, but didn't...mostly. That is, I'd do the assigned readings for the first few weeks of the semester, then start missing every other one, and by the end of the semester not realize how incredibly behind I am.  I never endured any penalties for this because I listened attentively in lectures. I passed my English History Since Elizabeth and Renaissance and Reformation classes without even buying the books, because I had to save costs those semesters.

7. The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Yes, I read it. And I made complimentary noises at it, because it's a Classic and it's hard to make hissy noises at Classics unless they really deserve it. But truth be told...


...I didn't really enjoy it. 

8. The Ascent of Science, Brian Silver
This is an excellent book. The first part of it changed the way I viewed the world. I've never finished it, but I think I've commented on it here twice.  I keep meaning to go back and finish climbing the mountain, but it hasn't quite happened yet.

9. Something by Faulker
My English composition instructor favored southern literature and relished the idea of springing Flannery O'Connor and William Faulkner on we naive youths fresh from high school. Faulker's stream-of-consciousness approach, and the general weirdness of southern gothic novels in general,  did not strike a chord with me -- and so I forgot or didn't bother to read one of his works for our final exam,  one which involved a creepy house and a dead person. I was excused from taking the exam, though, by my instructor: she said that based on the term's coursework, I was in excellent shape.

You'd better believe that was a gift horse I didn't look in the mouth!

10. Something Related to Martin Guerre
My favorite professor's approach to Historical Methodology involved class debates. Near the middle of term we were to watch a movie based on The Return of Martin Guerre over a course of two weeks, during which time we were to read articles defending or attacking the book's scholarship. We were sorted into teams and would debate the merits of the work following the movie. I thought he meant the class following the movie sessions. I didn't realize we were having the debate immediately after the movie,  so I came to class with nothing more than a bottle of water and some pretzels to enjoy during the movie. I hadn't even read the articles my side was supposed to cover,  and to this day I have no idea what position we were to have taken.  Normally active in class discussion, I retreated into the background like a snake, murmuring assent and nodding gravely during our discussion but contributing nothing.   I felt like such a creep!   At the end of term we did a similar project, a debate about the merits of the United States' decision to attack Japan with nuclear bombs,  and there I applied myself properly and even steered our group's discussion. I hope that makes up for my previous parasitism.

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Despite what this post may lead you to believe, I really am a serious student!