“Prime numbers are divisible only by 1 and by themselves….among prime numbers, there are some that are even more special. Mathematicians call them twin primes: pairs of prime numbers that are close to each other…but between them…is always an even number that prevents them from truly touching…If you have the patience to go on counting, you discover that these pairs gradually become rarer. You encounter increasingly isolated primes, lost in that silent, measured space made only of ciphers, and you develop a distressing presentiment that the pairs encountered up until that point were accidental, that solitude is the true destiny. Then, just when you’re about to surrender…you come across another pair of twins, clutching each other tightly.”

Read it today because I felt like reading someone’s deliberate illustration of exactly what I feel. I’m not here to review it, but I thought it was lovely (though obviously translated). I am making a repository for some of the things I liked. I realize quoting things out of context is unwise, but *I* will remember the context and hopefully will feel the same connection to some of these quotes later.

Quotes:
“She knew that all the violence is contained in the precision of a detail.”

“How she longed for the uninhibitedness of kids her age, their vacuous sense of immortality. She yearned for all the lightness of her 15 years…”

“They weren’t smiling and were looking in opposite directions, but it was as if their bodies flowed smoothly into each other’s, through their arms and fingers.”

“The he realized it was the most natural thing in the world, which was precisely why he was incapable of it.”

“Every one of them had a love that had rotted alone in their heart, as his love for Mattia had done.”

“He had learned to respect the chasm that Mattia had dug around himself. Years previously he had tried to jump that chasm and had fallen into it. Now he contented himself with sitting on the edge, his legs dangling into the void.”

“That evening she had crossed the invisible boundary beyond which things start working by themselves.”

“…what she could find here was more like love than anything else she would ever have.”

“She smiled as she opened the back of the camera, took out the film, and unrolled it completely under the white light of the sun.”

“She had grown attached to it with the obstinacy with which people become attached only to things that hurt them.”

“Time was being consumed in a great hurry. It wasn’t just the time of that particular evening, it was the time of the possibilities of her many 35 years.”

“Mattia thought that if the ratio between the intervals of their breath was an irrational number, there was no way of combining them to find a regularity.”

“The love of those we don’t love in return settles on the surface and from there quickly evaporates.”

“A pleasant apprehension gripped her bones and made her smile, as if at that very moment time had begun again.”

“It happened every day, people…clutched at coincidences…and made a life from them.”

I liked several metaphors: the letter of acceptance sitting on the bed next to Mattia where Alice chose not to sit. The description of the motion of the planets and stars that creates a sunrise or sunset. “…nothing but a trajectory, which could not be anything other than what it was.” The surface tension of the water breaking above the rim of the glass when Alice and Mattias meet. Silly things like that were obvious, I guess, but lovely.

I love a reviewer on amazon stating there’s nothing you can do about being a prime number. Sometimes you get to be a twin, but don’t count on it. Word.

Diary by Chuck Palahniuk.

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy.

Rant: The Oral Biography of Buster Casey by Chuck Palahniuk.

Yep. That’s it. And even worse, that was my last month of reading! The new reading year has begun! ACK!

The Pleasure of My Company by Steve Martin.

Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan.

The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson.

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith.

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk.

Zombie by Joyce Carol Oates.

Sandman 1,2,3,4 by Neil Gaiman.

Thoreau at Walden by John Porcellino

What: The Problem with Murmur Lee by Connie May Fowler
Why I read it: One of those that someone brought in that looked good. Plus it was kind of short.
What I thought: Why did I pick another southern book!? Argh. The concept was good, the main character is dead and we see her friends dealing with that, and occasionally we get her perspective. Unlike Lovely Bones, Murmur rarely observes her friends. She is more a floating consciousness. Again, the characters were good, and I like books from various narrators. But it was too stereotypically southern, and I would have been more interested in Murmur’s journey. Also, this is sort of marketed as a mystery, when really I paid little to no attention to the “mystery” of how she died. It was really easy to figure out and no one really stressed about it too much.

What: Standing Still by Kelly Simmons
Why I read it: Looked interesting. A woman is kidnapped and we see the relationship developed between her and her kidnapper.
What I thought: First off, totally wrong title for this book. For some reason, I really felt like I related to some parts of this book at this time in my life. Maybe it was too simple, too easy for some people, but psychologically I totally got it. I’d recommend this one.

What: You’re Broke Because You Want to Be: How to Stop Getting By and Start Getting Ahead by Larry Winget
Why I read it: Cuz I’m broke.
What I thought: Really, this is the best book to read. It’s a series of punches to the gut. Reminders of things that you are already aware of, you just need someone to say it. Will I follow the very simple advice within? No. Because honestly, I kind of want to be broke. I’m just not comfortable when I have money.

What: The Economic Naturalist: In Search of Explanations for Everyday Enigmas by Robert Frank
Why I read it: I like economics still. For some reason. Especially as it applies to human behavior.
What I thought: Short, interesting book about why some things are the way they are. Mostly taken from essays written by students of the author. Basically, a question is asked (Why does x cost more than x2, when it costs more to produce x2?) with economically logical explanations for each. It was a little different than I thought it would be, but I actually retained information from it; I think I may have LEARNED something. What’s that about?

What: The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
Why I read it: Interesting summary on dust cover.
What I thought: Turns out, not that interesting. WAY more about the coach than the abstinence teacher. Promising idea (crazy culty church vs. secularist teacher) becomes pathetic semi-love story about former drug addict, current religion addict coach… actually I think the point was there’s a middle ground the two finished up on, but it totally didn’t succeed in making me give a crap. One annoying thing is that I’d be reading in the coach’s present then suddenly I’d realize I’d been reading about his past (which is supposed to be some sort of excuse/explanation for his behavior now) for 20 pages before he finishes doing what he was doing in the present.

What: A Shortcut in Time by Charles Dickinson
Why I read it: Hey, a time rift appears in these shortcuts in this town. Sounds cool.
What I thought: Most of it was cool. The brother storyline was good, although resolved too easily. Only real complaints: The dad accepted WAY too quickly that it was a hole in time. The dad accepted way too easily his daughter staying in the past. The daughter accepted way too easily the changed future without mom. The parts with the first traveler were terrific, but also were cut off too quickly. Again, a lot of promise…so close.

What: You Are What You Eat: The Plan That Will Change Your Life by Gillian McKeith
Why I read it: I needed a push to eat better.
What I thought: Great book. Although there’s nearly no way to actually live all her advice, there were many things that I do now (drink warm water when you get up, don’t eat fruit within 30 minutes of eating anything else) that have made a difference. It was a short, encouraging book from which you can easily pick and choose the things you are able to follow.

What: Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals by Karen Dawn
Why I read it: Cuz I’m all about the animal rights.
What I thought: Terrific terrific book. It doesn’t weight you down with pages and pages of proofs on just one subject. It gives an excellent summary, proof, and talking points for dozens of aspects of the animal rights movement. Quick answers are sometimes the best. It worked perfectly in this case.

What: Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
Why I read it: Graphic novel. Looked cute. A doggie and a robot are friends!
What I thought: Well, it really ticked me off that the doggie left the poor robot in the first place. So that tainted what was intended to be a precious, lovely commentary on friendship. Erasing that part, it was great. And the robot was very forgiving, even though he should have destroyed the dog with his laser eyes.

What: Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert
Why I read it: It’s about library patrons.
What I thought: Cute, but maybe not totally worth publishing without a few more weirdos and stories. We’ve had crazier.

What: The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Casares
Why I read it: Sawyer told me to.
What I thought: AWESOME. Read it. It’s short.

What: VALIS by Philip K. Dick
Why I read it: Locke told Ben to read it. Ben said he already had. Locke said, read it again, maybe you missed something.
What I thought: Honestly, I don’t even remember it now. Maybe I need to read it again, too.

What: God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question–Why We Suffer by Bart D. Ehrman
Why I read it: Cuz I’m totally into this kind of stuff.
What I thought: Excellent. Written well, quite concise. Uses examples. Point is that all the answers the Bible provides about the specific question of suffering are inadequate or even contradictory, proving that even the writers of the Bible didn’t agree on an answer. Of course, that makes the book seem dissatisfying: If there IS a god, there is no adequate answer for what the hell he’s doing. Really liked this one.

What: Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices by Frank Viola, George Barna
Why I read it: Thought it was going to be about where Christians got christmas trees, etc.
What I thought: It wasn’t really about that. It was directed at Christians, trying to show them what the Bible REALLY says about church and Christianity. It was actually pretty good. The version I read had additions (the authors answer reader questions) that weren’t in the previous release, so that was helpful. Only complaint is that it was a directive to open church meetings. But, well, if you believe that’s what god really wanted, you’re gonna preach it. So it was totally excusable as part of the nature of christianity.

What: Skim by Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki
Why I read it: New graphic novel.
What I thought: A quite good illustration of confusing teenage sexuality.

What: The Head Trip: Adventures on the Wheel of Consciousness by Jeff Warren
Why I read it: Felt like it.
What I thought: Loved it. FUNNY as hell and totally informative. There’s this part where Buddha talks to him, but he has a Jamaican accent…good stuff. Who knew a study in the stages of consciousness could be so fun and actually stick with me?

What: Survivor: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk
Why I read it: Because I’m becoming a big ol’ Palahniuk fan. What’s with that??
What I thought: Totally whacked out greatness.

What: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Why I read it: Wanted to read some kids classics, but honestly, most of them bore me. So I went for Newberys instead. Picked this one first cuz it’s so dang popular.
What I thought: Pretty great, actually. It’s really a commentary on racism, which I didn’t know, but still is fun and sad and pretty terrific without being too preachy.

What: Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson
Why I read it: Newbery.
What I thought: BORING. BORING.

What: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, Matt Phelan
Why I read it: Newbery.
What I thought: Cute and sweet. Not terrific.

What: The Giver by Lois Lowry.
Why I read it: Newbery. One of the most well-known.
What I thought: AMAZING. Loved everything about it. Read it. Crazy surreal world/future/village/utopian setting. Read it.

So anyhoo, here’s my pathetic list of books:

What I read: Blaze by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
Why I read it: Cuz I read all of Stephen King’s stuff and this one was short.
What I thought: This was a release of a book he had stuffed in some past dimension, originally written in the 70s. I liked it. It was an obvious homage to Of Mice and Men. It was devoid of the paranormal, which was an interesting turn for him. I didn’t LOVE it. But I really liked it.

What I read: Kitty and the Midnight Hour, Kitty Goes to Washington, Kitty Takes a Holiday, and Kitty and the Silver Bullet by Carrie Vaughn
Why I read it: This patron at the library said, “Dude, read these!” I said “Uh…I don’t care about werewolves and vampires.” She said, “It totally won’t matter! They are so good!” I said, “Oh…kay….” Then the next day I had four paperbacks in a freezer bag.
What I thought: Although I don’t care about werewolves and vampires, the author was a good writer, so I enjoyed the books in that sense. But the best part is that the lingo and attitude seeped into my head. Now I totally think in terms of “pack” and “alpha” and all that crap. Yes, I read books out of obligation. Four of them. And later, I think I’ll be happy I did as a librarian because I allowed myself to be exposed to something different.

What I read: Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile.
Why I read it: Friend wanted me to, so let me borrow it.
What I thought: Cool art, fun story. It’s always interesting to put a new perspective on old characters. The lands of Snow White, Bigby Wolf, Prince Charming, and all the other fables have been taken over, and they were all exiled into our world. Wolf is a detective, Snow is lt. mayor of the fables… they solve a murder. It was cute.

• Why I read it: Cuz I read just about everything by DK.

• What I thought: It was OK. There were dogs and psycho exes and a couple named Amy and Brian, and yet I still didn’t think it was that great.

Chariots of the Gods by Erich Von Daniken.

• Why I read it: It’s a classic of the alternative/conspiracy theory set, a set to which I often belong.

• What I thought: I read the actual 1972 version, so I don’t know if there’s something out there that argues the author’s points a bit better or proves his theories wrong (since it is so very dated). He made several great points, several bad arguments, and wrote a few sentences of questionable syntax. Overall, I’m glad I read it, but I’d love to see a modern book that tears it apart or bolsters it point by point.

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.

• Why I read it: I am apparently drawn to Kurt Vonnegut!

• What I thought: I LOVED this book. Experimental, hilarious, great characters, lots of meta…

I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert.

• Why I read it: Duh, who wouldn’t?

• What I thought: I hope it’s not cheating to have actually LISTENED to this one. Read by, of course, Stephen Colbert and company, it was hilarious, especially the religion sections. I do regret that I didn’t get to see a lot of visual gags I’m sure was in the hardcover (it was changed for audio), but at the time I didn’t have time.

Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne Duprau.

• Why I read it: I read the first two in the series. And I have the irresistible urge to complete the series I start.

• What I thought: The message was very freethinky, which I loved, but the tie to the other books was tenuous and didn’t have the “other world” feel the other books had. It wasn’t exactly a big reveal that the main girl would be who she turned out to be. I would totally recommend this book completely outside of the series though. The message about crazy nutjobs and having pure faith in false prophets was a bit shocking for a juvenile book. Bahaha! Confuse those kids with opinions differing from their parents! This book will so be banned in places.

Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude by Stephen King, Amy Tan, Dave Barry, Matt Groening, and everybody else!

• Why I read it: I knew about this band thru the millions of Dave Barry books Brian pleasantly giggles me to sleep with.

• What I thought: The book details the inception and touring of the band and allows everybody to tell their part. It’s fun and totally for fangirls/boys of the members.

Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person’s Answer to Christian Fundamentalism by David Mills.

• Why I read it: I think you know.

• What I thought: Best one I’ve read yet. Beats the more popular Dawkins and Hitchens books easily. Excellent book.

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.

• Why I read it: So I could watch a movie with a serious Kal Penn.

• What I thought: As usual, the book was better. The only real complaint was both book and movie seemed a little choppy. I don’t have a problem with vignettes (Big Fish, the book). But they way the story was told should have been more inclusive of even more moments. Anyhoo, I liked it a lot.

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health by T. Colin Campbell (Author), Thomas M. Campbell II.

• Why I read it: I like reading books about food. Especially ones that scratch my back.

• What I thought: It was quite technical at first, which will totally turn some people off. It is pretty much written like a technical paper, but I used to write those all the time, so no biggie. When he gets to the good stuff, it’s amazing. I knew this stuff was true. I have stop eating cheese and ice cream dammit! It must STOP!

Six Tales of the Jazz Age and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

• Why I read it: Cuz Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett are going to be in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

• What I thought: I really wasn’t a fan of The Great Gatsby. I don’t know why. Maybe I’d think different nowdays, since I quit enjoyed the book. Especially the short stories Benjamin Button, O Russet Witch, and Hot and Cold Blood. Oh, I liked em all!

The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth by E.O. Wilson.

• Why I read it: A girl at work liked it and I’ve heard interesting things about E.O. Wilson.

• What I thought: Written as a letter to a pastor, Wilson appeals to the common benefits religion and science gain from aiming for the same goal: saving earth. He is open about the differences between the groups involved in this fight, but is encouraging and positive about overcoming them and focusing on the commonalities. I don’t know how effective something like this might be, but the woman who recommended it to me is a fundamentalist christian, so maybe his angle works!

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips.

• Why I read it: I glanced at it and the woman who covers books thought I wanted it.

• What I thought: Fun fluff read that took just a few short hours to cram in. The Greek gods are living in a trashed London house working day jobs, and they are barely holding on to their powers. Aphrodite and Apollo squabble and pull in the cleaning lady and her man, and Artemis sets on a journey to solve the power-loss issue along with getting her cleaning lady back. The conclusion was a bit lame, but overall the story was cute and funny.

Lost’s Buried Treasures by Lynnette Porter, David Lavery, Hilary Robson.

• Why I read it: Duh, LOST!

• What I thought: Doesn’t really matter. It was about LOST! YAY!

I did pretty good this month. Of course, January is a long month…

So anyhoo, here’s what I read in December…

1. 9/11 and American Empire: Intellectuals Speak Out, Vol. 1, eds. David Ray Griffin and Peter Dale Scott. This book is a collection of essays by people who have the authority, education, and/or power to say something important about 9/11: what it was, how it happened, and how it affects the growth of the American Empire. Many excellent perspectives, especially if you don’t know a whole lot about the official story of 9/11 or what legislative and economic changes have occurred since that event.

2. The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan. A little outdated, being published in the late 90s, but still quite relevant to see what ol’ Carl had to say. The book was more or less a collection of essays put together in book form (with transitions) that discuss the past, present, and future of how science illuminates the dark corners of the world that humans tend to imagine are filled with demons, angels, and gods. Carl Sagan is generally very diplomatic and careful in this book to not offend the religious. But the point is simple: those things we have always attributed to gods are growing fewer in number as science steps forward and explains the whys and hows. And those explanations are just as beautiful and miraculous, if not more so, than magic or religion.
3. The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott. Yes I laughed my ass off that “Michael Scott” wrote this book. A good start to a new series about current adventures with a pair of twins who meet up and fight magical bad guys with Nicholas Flamel, who is a real guy from the past, but in the book discovered the secret of immortality. He and his wife are now hundreds of years old and are helping the twins fulfill a prophecy. As I read this book, I kept replaying some of the stuff in Carl Sagan’s book about how now days too much attention is given to astrology and stories about sorcery. That we raise our children on stories about magic instead of stories about science. In fact, more often than not, the bad guy is the scientist. What’s more, what appears to be science, often is just magic disguised (Nicholas Flamel, the ALCHEMIST…). Seems like science until they have to add flimflam or voodoo in an attempt to cross boundaries that can’t be crossed in science. Meaning, unreality. Still, I liked it and will probably try to read the next one.
4. Flavor of the Month: Why Smart People Fall for Fads by Joel Best. It wasn’t what I thought it was going to be, but I read it cuz it was short. Too specific to academic fads, too general once inside that category. Basically like someone put hard covers on their doctoral thesis.
5. Tell No One by Harlan Coban. Heard Harlan Coban is the next big thing. He has several books, but people are really just now reading them. Heard from several people that this one is one of his best and to start here. It was ok. I don’t know, it just didn’t live up to the hype. It was pretty good, and I could definitely see it as a movie or something, until the umpteenth twist at the end. That last twist really seemed contrived and I felt like the behavior of the main character would not have been quite what it was had this contrived ending been true. Meh. Oh well. Still a good fluff read.
6. The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein. READ THIS BOOK. LISTEN TO THIS BOOK. KNOW ABOUT THIS BOOK. Easily the best book I’ve read about economics and politics ever. Of course, I’ve not read that many. Also the most important book I’ve read about American empire (without ever saying it) since The Sorrows of Empire by Chalmers Johnson. I will be buying this book.
]]> http://www.dorkeriffic.org/2008/01/08/books-read-december-2007-edition/feed/ 0 http://www.dorkeriffic.org/2007/12/10/nov-2007-books-read/ http://www.dorkeriffic.org/2007/12/10/nov-2007-books-read/#comments Tue, 11 Dec 2007 01:49:59 +0000 potatobiker http://dorkeriffic.org/2007/12/10/nov-2007-books-read/ I didn’t get a whole lot read in November, plus I forgot to write a couple of these down, so who knows if this is actually all!
An Ocean of Air: Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere by Gabrielle Walker. Interesting stuff that of course I’ll never remember!
The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker. This one I’ve now purchased because I really think I’ll want to go back to it a lot. It gave me new perspectives on several things. Plus, there’s a chapter on cursing. Which I like.
Snowball Earth: The Story of a Maverick Scientist and His Theory of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life As We Know It by Gabrielle Walker. By the same author as Ocean of Air. Didn’t intend on reading it but Lynn ILL’d it for himself, so I partook. It was short, sweet, and neat. Another one that I won’t remember a lot about later, but cool at the time.
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. An experimental book that I couldn’t decide on… Is it ingenious and terrifying or just a vehicle for the author to publish his own pointless rantings? I can see why this book has a cult following either way. I think if this had been out before I saw Blair Witch Project and read The Third Policeman, I might have thought more of it. But after those, the basis for creativity here was lessened. This author is the brother of the artist Poe, by the way. She has an album that is apparently sort of a parallel to this book.
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. Obviously I had to read this before I saw the movie. It was short and sweet and I can see how it will make a very excellent movie (apparently it has been done several times already). There were layers of racism and sexism…which was kind of awkward and funny in a way…it really showed the times in which it was written. It really could have been twice as long and not been a bore.
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. I loved the movie and forgot about the book, which was totally just as romantic and magical and wonderful as the movie. Swooooon!
]]> http://www.dorkeriffic.org/2007/12/10/nov-2007-books-read/feed/ 0 http://www.dorkeriffic.org/2007/11/06/oct-2007-books-read/ http://www.dorkeriffic.org/2007/11/06/oct-2007-books-read/#comments Tue, 06 Nov 2007 16:08:13 +0000 potatobiker http://dorkeriffic.org/2007/11/06/oct-2007-books-read/ Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger’s by John Elder Robison. Read it cuz I’ve read all of Augusten Burroughs’s stuff. These boys led a crazy, interesting life. In both books I’ve read by guys with Asperger’s, both men decided not to let their “disability” ruin their lives, and they did everything they could to be “normal.” So really, in a way, these stories end up being not about living with the syndrome, but overcoming it.

Forever by Pete Hamill. OK, I tried. I really did. I heard there was going to be a mid-season show based on similar storylines to this book, but man I did not like this book. I actually did not finish it. I pretty much NEVER do that. Boring, rambling, repetitive, boring…maybe I just don’t like stories about the Irish…

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I LOVED this book. I guess I’m just going thru a time-travel phase, but it was terrific. Journeyman is certainly similar to this in some ways, but in the book, Henry’s travels seem basically inexplicable and he can’t take anything with him, including clothing or fillings. Honestly, this is a sweet tragic love story more than anything.

The Collector by John Fowles. I bet when this book came out it was very unique, and really it still is. You get the point of view of the captor and the captive up to and beyond the end, which of course, I like. Clearly I get tired of hearing the same narrator talk throughout a whole book, given what some of my favorite books are…

The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien. Obviously read it because of LOST. Sigh. I miss Lost. I can see what it was considered a totally confusing WTF of a book, but since I knew what the “twist” was, I followed it quite easily and found it hilarious.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain. Anthony Bourdain is hilarious. People way overreact to the secrets he reveals in this book. Just laugh it off and eat your damn brunch!

The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold. Hate to say it, but it wasn’t so great. I really loved Lucky and The Lovely Bones (Although I always felt the part where the girl inhabits her friend’s body to have sex with a boy was completely unnecessary and totally pulled me out of the book like it was a huge speed bump. Other than that, excellent book.) This one was just sad, and maybe if it had been written with more definition between memories, and more explanations for certain actions, and a bit more realism, I might have liked it.

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