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.