A Passage to India

I have to say, this book is really going slowly for me.  Not much happening so far.  On the other hand...the writing has moments of pure beauty and brilliance...this passage is out of context but oh my...

"The two flames approach and strive to unite, but cannot, because one of them breathes air, the other stone. A mirror inlaid with lovely colours divides the lovers, delicate stars of pink and grey interpose, exquisite nebulae, shadings fainter than the tail of a comet or the midday moon, all the evanescent life of the granite, only here visible.  Fists and fingers thrust above the advancing soil-here at last is their skin, finer than any covering acquired by the animals, smoother than windless water, more voluptuous than love.  The radiance increases, the flames touch one another, kiss, expire.  The cave is dark again, like all the caves."

Sounds a bit better than a match was lit and it reflected off the wall and then it was dark again.... :)

Tim

Moby Dick is done.

I was quite surprised by this book.  I expected something much different.  If you have read it perhaps you understand what I mean.  

The book covers quite a few themes exploring the existence of God, exploration of social and class status and struggles, good against evil and other topics.  Most all of the characters are interesting and sometimes introspective. 

What surprised me the most was all of the history and information put forth in the book.  We learn about the people of the time, the whaling industry, and a ton about different types of whales.  I expected more story and less information.

That being said, the story did not disappoint.  Melville himself had trouble writing the book and it is thought that he set out to create somewhat of a history book with a tale wrapped around it.  As I stated in my little precursor to the book, Melville had first hand knowledge of this topic and weaves it in to a very believable story.  You really feel like this is a tale delivered by a survivor.  

Up next:  A Passage to India

Tim

 

Going to be my motto for the day. 

The Baptism of Pocahontas

This picture was painted by John Gadsby Champman.  I love the symbology and nuances in it. The portayal says so many things....Pocohontas herself looks so forlorn.  This was a turning back of everything she knew and the need to embrace a new God.  I assume she knew what she was doing.  I also love her brother...huddled in the shadows. 

Totally Random

Someone used a variant of the work stoic today and it got me questioning...you know how sometimes you her a word and it just strikes you?  So I thought, hey Mr. word, I really want to play with you.

So...stoic showed up a couple of times in a Greek Lexicon.

First was the word stoicheion.  Now, this word means many things...the letters of the alphabet used as spoken elements, but not written.  It also means the material causes of the universe.  Where it all began...where stars were born.  It also means elements.  Primary and principal fundamental building blocks of art, science or discipline.

So...foundations....ok...

The second I found was stoicus.  This means, literally from the portico.  A portico is supported porch like structure leading into a building.  The first part of the building and supported by large columns or stone walls with sturdy foundations.

Hmmm....the definition of stoic is "not affected by, or showing passion or feeling."  Seems to me that someone who can be stoic must have strong foundations.  Wonder if I could repeat all this with a stoic look on my face.

Well, Mr. Stoic, you were fun to play with...thank you for entertaining me....

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Wow, what an amazing movie...

Book Two

Moby Dick was published in 1851.  It was written by Herman Melville and is considered one of the Great American Novels and a treasure.

Herman Melville started off strong.  His first three books were well received and he became very popular.  After this he declined and was almost forgotten at the time of his death.  In the early 20th century, however, there was a revival of his works and that was when Moby Dick came into its place.

Melville had an interesting life.  One of his earliest jobs was as a green hand on a ship sailing for Liverpool.  After that he signed up on a whaling ship.  He had firsthand knowledge of the things he wrote about.

He eventually deserted from that ship and spent three weeks living in the Marquesas Islands among Typee natives.  He had many more adventures on ships before he settled down to marriage, writing, and managing his farm.

He had some success as a writer before falling out of grace.  He then spent some time on the lecture circuit and finished off working 19 years as a customs inspector in New York city.  He died in his home in 1891 at the age of 72.

One Down

So, I finished Middlemarch a while ago but only blogging about it now.

The book was excellent.  I have read most all of Jane Austin's works and to contrast it, Jane Austin writes about the nobles of the time.  The people she writes on are mostly wealthy property owners and people of "society."  Middlemarch is more about a country town and the people who inhabit it.  These are mostly working class people and their perspective is quite different.

The book touches on politics in the time and also on class struggles.  For example, one family, made comfortable in trade, managed to send their son to college.  After college he could have become clergy.  As a clergy person he would have been at the entry level of "society."  There is a chance that his offspring could marry up.

The book dealt more deeply with motivations and the feelings of the characters.  I would have to say it felt like a blending of Pride and Prejudice and Anna Karenina.  Great love stories inside, but more depth and complexity.

Next Up:  Moby Dick

Book Number One

So, book one to read is Middlemarch by George Eliot.  I first set out to find out a bit about the man who wrote the book.  Tidbit one, he is not a he....he was a she.  Mary Anne Evans, Nov 22 1819 - Dec 22 1880, wrote under a male pen name to lend credence to her writing.

Mary Anne Evans

Since she was not considered beautiful, and demonstrated a lively intelligence at an early age, her father saw to it that she got a full education, something usually reserved for males at this time.

She was quite the outspoken person and wrote in the Westminster Review about the frivolity of female author's novels in the day.  She formed a relationship with George Lewes, a married man living in an open relationship.  This was not uncommon during the period, but was usually kept under wraps.  Later on in life she again broke convention and married a man 20 years her junior.

Well, off to read!

Tim

100 Books to Read

A while back I had decided to read a few classics.  I really enjoyed the experience.  Not only were they entertaining, they were books that were important to read.  I had fun, and felt uplifted.  Lulu had suggested that I look up a list of 100 books that you must read.  I found a bunch of these types of lists and after dismissing the ones containing Harry Potter (great books but I wanted classics) I settled on a list published by The Daily Telegraph.

The Telegraph has been writing stories since 1855.  I felt they would have a good idea of what a classic is.  Here is a link to their list:  Books to Read

Tim

Nook vs. Kindle

I read this article and I have got to say, I really don't like it when tech reviewers point to one device being better than another for silly reasons....

It's matte. A nice matte finish is the easiest way to make a pretty gadget.

And the Kindle has horrible silver paint. The Kindle 3 was a nice rugged plastic. The Kindle 4 and Kindle Touch are painted silver, and it chips and scuffs way faster than the old finish, let alone the Nook's.

It's better for extended reading. The Nook has the benefit of a wider bezel and an indentation on its back that makes it a hundred times more ergonomic than the flat-backed Kindle.

It's got buttons. It's nice having the option, and they require a firm enough press that you won't press them by accident.

I actually want to use it. The Kindle is a really nice device, but a lot of its advantages melt away when you get into actual, prolonged, and daily use. It's been months since I've even bothered to charge any of the Kindles, but the Nook is constantly in my bag or my jacket pocket, even though I have the same library on both.

Go use your nook and leave me alone...heheh  I love my Kindle and I think one of the biggest reasons I am satisfied with it is that I think 10 years from now there won't be a Barnes and Noble any longer. 

Tim

Focault's Pendulum

I loved the Name of the Rose.  Such a great movie and a really interesting book.  Based on that I decided I had to read Focault's Pendulum.  I tried about 17 years ago and gave up.  The book just would not engage me.

I finally picked it up again and decided to read the bloody thing.  The book is about all things exciting, Templars, Illuminati, Secrets, Hitler.  I don't know how Eco can make it so boring.  About half way through the book I got really kind of upset that three men could stand around in an office all day talking about bullshit and get paid for it.

Oh well, off to something better.

Anna Karenina - Spoilers Ahead

So the second to last book I read was Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.  The book was actually a bit of a struggle to read and took me quite a while.  I chalk this up to the fact that it is quite long and written in a bit of a dry style.

I won't go into the book a huge amount but a couple of things struck me.  I read that the book contrasted the unfaithfulness of Anna with the unwavering devotion of Levin.  Truthfully, I just didn't see that.  Levin was devoted to Kitty, to be sure, and he did not give in to the favors of Anna like Vronsky did, however, I saw Levin as more of an intellectual who prized and learned to respect his wife, and Anna as a creature of romance and passion.

I was also quite amazed at Tolstoy's ability to craft the realism that he did at the end.  Anna's increasing fits and lunacy started to really have an effect on me.