Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever by John McWhorter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Hot damn!
31 July 2021
So cool. I appreciate how great McWhorter is at explaining shit. Which is a much more niche skill than many people realize. Well, maybe not now after all the parents have spent an involuntary year homeschooling. Seriously, he's great at making a case, taking you through the evidence, showing why other theories are crap. Plus dad jokes, which make everyone else seem so cool by comparison, even me. Opera camp!?! He slays.
(view spoiler) A paraphrase from Inherit the Wind in which Lawrence and Lee wrote something like: There are damn few words that everybody understands, it would be a shame not to use all of them.
Library copy
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Saturday, July 31, 2021
Review: Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever
Review: Dealing with Dragons
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
2004 or 2005
October 6, 2007
Currently reading aloud to the Possum - She's decided to carry on on her own in favor of me reading The Mysterious Howling. Well, I can't blame her. That's also a good one.
July 20, 2014
I originally read this series out loud to the girls when they were wee. Going back, I didn't recall much except that we had all enjoyed them. Some of the things I had forgotten: that Cimorene had studied fencing and Latin and that she was unusually tall, all now true of the eldest daughter. So I loved them then in a mild sort of way, but now that my girls are growing up into This kind of princess, I love them in a whole new way.
Personal copy.
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Review: Bloodlust & Bonnets
Bloodlust & Bonnets by Emily McGovern
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Finished 20 July. Need to review
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Thursday, July 22, 2021
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Saturday, July 17, 2021
Review: A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
23 May 2021
Any comments I might have made upon first reading are probably lost in the Access debacle. Quel sigh.
But, since I have it right here as I take an occasional break from reading other things to enjoy an essay, might as well capture some thoughts now.
Derivative Sport in Tornado Alley Way more intriguing that I would have guessed, because generally I am not terribly interested in reading about sports, although I make an exception for horse racing and baseball. And although I have never lived in Tornado Alley, I understand enough to be awestruck. Also, I had never before considered the implications of being so familiar with and able to profit from the vagaries of venues.
Why the hell isn't the table of contents considered "product details" on a book? That seems wrong to me. If Bezos were a reader book pages at Amazon would make sense. Thank heavens for Wiki!
E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction: Rarely do I read any real literary theory or criticism. It has its own vernacular and style and types of content, most of which I don't care for. I specialized in creative writing to keep away from it, in fact. But Wallace is erudite and emphatic. He's good at putting together an argument, but the delight is how much he enjoys messing about with words. That is, even when he's writing on a topic that bores me, discussing contemporary literature of the day that never appealed to me then or since I will happily follow along to see what words he uses in unexpected ways, and what lengths his sentences will stretch to. And his footnotes fill me with delight in general, although most of these are practical citations. Look I'm literally tone deaf, but I can understand the glory of watching Yoyo Ma play at a vaccine center. It's something so multilayered and moving, there is so much clear artistry that I can't help sitting here, mouth agape. It doesn't matter that I neither know nor care, really, what he's on about, it's just a beautiful thing to watch.
6 June 2021
E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction: Originally published in 1993 in The Review of Contemporary Fiction, Wallace quotes George Gilder from Life After Television: The Coming Transformation of Media and American Life on a future in which he whole family could "give a birthday party for Grandma in her nursing home in Florida, bringing her descendants from all over the country to the foot of her bed in living color." Having just been through a year when those were the only birthday parties we could have, thank goodness. Foster seems to have imagined a future in which everyone stayed at home watching really good fantasies in even greater isolation from one another, rather than a world with YouTube and TikTok.
He closes with an examination of My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist which I didn't like and haven't thought of since. Wallace couldn't seem to imagine a less ironic generation of writers who could succeed. Although I suppose he has explained why the tremendous popularity of Harry Potter: books for a younger audience could be naïve.
19 June 2021
Getting Away from Already Being Pretty Much Away from It All: The observation of the state fair is extensive and detailed. Wallace spends a lot of time just passing along his observations in prose that is unique and clear and stands right the hell away from anything that evens hints at trite or cliched. There is as well a great deal of observing himself as the observer: a guy who grew up there as the child of academics, not of the farm, who got the hell out after high school to become the sort of East Coast media elite that doesn't really exist and who is acutely conscious of the prejudices and assumptions he brings to the task of explaining a midwestern state fair to an audience of exactly the same kind of East Coast media elite that no one is.
It doesn't seem to occur to him that a high percentage of the readers are probably more like he and his parents than some kind of metropolitan-limited species. Every state doesn't have a tremendous or proportional profusion of colleges and universities, but every state does have them and many of those on the student/student instructor/graduate-degree-holding tenured faculty track are far away from wherever they started and living in college towns and environs bringing a sort of metropolitan element to what ever anomalous characteristics they show in their current communities. [It's like speaking to someone from where ever one learned to talk after decades elsewhere, after reading him I just slip into a wordy and meandering sort of style that isn't specifically trying to be him, nor is it trying to make fun of him, it's more like the code switching of being among others of one's ilk, or just, a little bit drunk, too.]
So, yes, his observations are richly detailed and capture a state fair like no one else would do, and it will probably be useful in two hundred years when all of the stuff we take for granted about American society in the 1990s has changed utterly or just shifted a little but enough to be confusing to anyone who wasn't there. Because most of us don't ever describe what the people look like or how they seem unless they're weird in some way, but never just "here's what a crowd of teenagers look like on an insanely hot summer day at the fair." The descriptions preserving his observations of groups and sub-groups, and even more sub- classifications are fascinating. But his point about the point of a state fair to a bunch of isolated farmers in Illinois probably applies equally well to the point of a state fair to a bunch of isolated farmers in Hawaii or Rhode Island, or anywhere now that agriculture has become industrialized and to a large extent, monopolized. Likewise, the other cultures accreting to specific other locations within the vast entity that is a state fair. That's really the point of a state fair to attract the broadest possible swathe of a state's population with lures specific to their demographic particulars. I just think he's wrong about this somehow being a uniquely midwestern state quality. Nor do i think it is so entirely clear cut as he perceives it. The Zipper is not expected to be pulling the same fans as the pygmy goat tent or the dance competitors or the motor sports or the cow-judging, but the farmer who comes for the cow-judging is accompanied by other members of the family, none of whom were present for the conversation because of course they are all off doing other things which appeal to their hobbies and social roles and age groups. [I seriously doubt if the preceding contained a clearly articulated thesis supported by any sort of facts, but today I just have too many things to be doing to actually take the time to read back over what I've written and try to fix it into something consistent and pointed]
Greatly Exaggerated:
David Lynch Keeps His Head:
Tennis Player Michael Joyce's Professional Artistry as a Paradigm of Certain Stuff about Choice, Freedom, Discipline, Joy, Grotesquerie, and Human Completeness:
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again:
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Thursday, July 15, 2021
Review: Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema
Shit, Actually: The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema by Lindy West
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Despite having been told by reliable sources that there are many fine and funny or uplifting or otherwise pleasing longer and shorter works available for my viewing pleasure, I have watched almost nothing during the pandemic. Perhaps the desire will return. Certainly "go and see any movie jammed into a theater full of human beings enjoying a shared experience" is high on my list of things to do in the aftertimes. I will stand in line and pay for the privilege of watching The Care Bears Movie with an audience of toddler babies, and I will love it, as I absolutely did not do working in a theater when that film was originally released.
Nonetheless, even while not watching I have continued to think about movies, recent conversations have included how awful many of the 80s films are upon reviewing, and how hard it is to find something that the whole family will watch as children grow up.
Anyway, West's reviews are very funny and highly recommended. I enjoyed the distraction when I was in pain and I insisted upon reading hilarious passages aloud when I was too loopy on pain meds to do anything else. I shall be eternally grateful to this book and this author for getting me through a bad patch, which gratitude I will immediately repay by purchasing the author’s prior works.
Terribly funny, actually.
Library copy
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Review: Art & Max
Art & Max by David Wiesner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wiesner does the most amazing things with the picture book format. I'm dazzled by his virtuosity in so many styles. I'm awed by the humor he manages to imbue every picture with. If you haven't checked out any of his work, it's probably because you're an adult who doesn't read picture books, because they're for kids. Pish, tosh. There is a narrative here, but like the best cartoons, it's going to sail right over the heads of children. Go, get a stack of his books and just wallow in the artistry. And laugh. And shake your head, and then you'll grab someone and say, "you've got to see this."
Library copy
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Review: Mr. Wuffles!
Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wiesner is astounding. Mr. Wuffles is hyper-realistic, just amazing to look at, so vivid on the page. Wow. And also, it's an amusing little story. But that cat! We have an enormous jellicle cat that resembles Wiesner's and I am in awe of every picture. Even if you hate picture books, even if cats give you hives, you should take ten minutes out of your life to look at these pictures.
Library copy
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Review: Sector 7
Sector 7 by David Wiesner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I must not have had a "trippy" shelf when I logged this one. Wiesner is amazing, and probably the first author I'd suggest when telling people that picture books aren't just for kids.
Library copy.
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Review: June 29, 1999
June 29, 1999 by David Wiesner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
29 September 2007
Vegetables. Big ones.
***
2009 March 31
Oh, how this book amuses us. I want a broccoli tree house.
***
29 May 2017
Even though I know what's coming, I'm still surprised and delighted each time.
***
16 June 2021
This is part of my 365 Kids Books challenge. For an explanation see my review for 101 Amazing Facts about Australia You can see all the books on their own shelf.
This is why Wiesner is so awesome: "enormous vegetables gently drifting down to earth" seems like a cool idea. Full stop.
He is generally enamored of flying things which should not fly. They're surreal in a non-threatening, amusing sort of way. Whimsical AF.
Library copy
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Review: June 29, 1999
June 29, 1999 by David Wiesner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
June 29, 1999 - David Wiesner
Vegetables. Big ones.<br/><br/>***<br/><br/>2009 March 31<br/><br/>Oh, how this book amuses us. I want a broccoli tree house.***Even though I know what's coming, I'm still surprised and delighted each time.
Library copy
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Review: A Dance in Moonlight
A Dance in Moonlight by Sherry Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
While reading Not Quite a Husband I was thinking how sad it was. And unlike the books of Jasmine Guillory which I have enjoyed so much, there wasn't any of the main characters hanging out with their good friends and beloved relations. This, too, is very sad, and not just in one section near the end when the lovers encounter the barrier that keeps them apart.
Now that I think about it I recall that Rosamunde Pilcher is quite often very sad. So I guess that is a thing that I can appreciate in a book. Huh.
***
Well that shows me. The mood wasn't even a tiny bit sad after I stopped to write that. There were friends and relations and snacks. All manner of things are well.
Library copy
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Wednesday, July 14, 2021
Monday, July 12, 2021
Friday, July 09, 2021
Review: The Penderwicks at Last
The Penderwicks at Last by Jeanne Birdsall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Aaaahhhhh. Very drawn-out sigh of satisfaction. I have just finished the fifth and final Penderwick novel. Previously I had noted how very old-fashioned the books felt: a sort of 20th-century nevertime with cars and phones and computers, but in which plot rarely if ever includes them. I mention this because it was less true in Penderwicks in Spring, and not true at all in Penderwicks at Last. No one watches tv still, but camera phones are integral.
One of the most satisfying conclusions I’ve ever read. Birdsall doesn’t try to tie up every last end, but she does suggest how the future might go. The reader is free to pick the path they like best.
A note on characterization: I like the adults Birdsall creates. She manages to keep them offstage in order for the kids to have freedom, but she does it without ever suggesting that they are neglectful. The emphasis, and the attention, and the really painstaking work goes into making the children vibrant and real and plausible. Well, okay, some of the attention goes to the critters, and oh! for fans of the dogs, this is a rich book indeed.
Heretofore I have reserved the Beloved shelf for books I have read and adored at least twice. There is no question that I will be reading the entire set again, probably many times, and that this final volume will be at least as beloved as the first, and maybe even more.
Library copy
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Review: The Penderwicks in Spring
The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
2 May 2015
Neither of the girls wanted to read this because they can't bear to think of their beloved Penderwicks growing up and moving on. They want Batty to remain four forever, in her wings, with Hound. I understand the inclination, although I don't share it. That children grow up and face new situations is a good thing. We experience loss, we grieve, we move on; this is what it is to be human. Or maybe I'm just heartless. Well, not entirely. I did in fact laugh aloud at points, and I cried a little, very quietly. Growing up is hard for kids and parents, but sometimes it is lovely, and marvelous new things come out of it. Soon to join the others on my Beloved shelf.
Library copy
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Thursday, July 08, 2021
Review: The Penderwicks at Point Mouette
The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
28 May 2011
It's vacation time and the Penderwicks are splitting up. The parents and baby Ben are out of the way in the UK. Rosalind is having a vacation off in New Jersey at the shore with her best friend. That leaves Skye to be the Oldest Available Penderwick, in charge of herself, Jane, Batty, Jeffrey, and Hound at the coast in Maine with Aunt Claire who is quickly disabled to give the kids both a responsible adult around and the freedom to take action.It's marvelous. Each child is free to pursue his or her own interests and to meet new people and have new adventures. Birdsall's great strength is showing how important relatively small adventures are to kids, and the book is charmingly old-fashioned without being fake old-timey.
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Tuesday, July 06, 2021
Review: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I like the retro feel of the Penderwicks books, the idyllic life they lead. Plus, there are endless book references, especially in this one.
***
I think the Penderwicks will be classics when the Offspring are grown. Both girls and I get so caught up in their adventures, which aren't all that adventurous, by comparison with most of the fantasy we've read. Somehow Birdsall manages to make the little things like baking a cake, practicing soccer, or picking out a Halloween costume, every bit as important to the reader as they are to children.
***
We carry on loving this. Birdsall does an excellent job balancing the thoughts and goals of her different characters from age four to forty-four or so (I'm guessing). The Possum is thrilled with the Latin, and the echoes of words, the PandaBat loves Batty and her way with animals. I love Mr. Pen, his sister, Aunt Claire, and the new neighbor.
Also, Asimov the cat is a really interesting minor character.
***
Continued loving. The PandaBat protested against my reading this aloud last night, because she really likes it and she wanted to read her new Fly Guy books to herself, which she wouldn't be able to do while I was reading the Penderwicks.
The mysteries are all deepening.
***
2008 October 25
Ahh. Contentment all around.
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Sunday, July 04, 2021
Review: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
An old-fashioned summer adventure story
Last night we read the dramatic bunny scene. Just typing "dramatic bunny scene" makes me giggle.
I'm very admiring of Birdsall's structure. Real old children's books tend to consist of chapter-length adventures without an overall story arc. Birdsall manages the little adventures and an arc that holds the book together as a novel. Plus, the Offspring are fascinated by the family traditions of the Penderwicks.
We're almost there. The girls are really loving this, in part because they each have someone to identify with, and because there's a lot to make them laugh. The interactions between Hound and Batty almost always elicit guffaws.
I hope Jeanne Birdsall manages to publish a great many books. A great read-aloud, with a most satisfying ending.
1 Jan 2004
4 Jan 2006
28 Jul 2008
13 Aug 2016
daughter's copy
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