2013 reading list, March - June
Digby Maxwell was the next big thing, but now he’s just the
burnout to run a small philosophy journal into the ground. Except, stoned as he is when he’s hired,
people still buy his ideas. And
everything else around him goes wrong, too—so he eventually gets a happy ending
for everyone.
Unfortunately, Digby can’t seem to settle on a voice, so in
addition to a very readable, traditional third-person narrative, we get
italicized flashbacks, first-person asides, and other editorial comments that
do add to the story, but also detract from its readability. It’s a lot of fun with light philosophy, just
the same.
Sibley, along with Crossley and Audubon, is one of the big
names in birding, and has written many beautiful books about various aspects of
bird life and identification, including several easy to use identification
guides. This isn’t one of those books,
which describe individual species in great, illustrated, detail. Instead, this slim volume discusses the
techniques birders develop to recognize birds in the field—how to look for the
field marks or listen to birdsong, where to look first, what the correct terms
are for clear communication with other birders, and other bits of introduction
to a challenging, relaxing pastime that anyone can enjoy, almost anywhere,
making it an excellent resource for public libraries.
A collection of Wondermark comic strips, with other assorted
fun stuff, which does not comprise a coherent whole: it’s a singles collection,
not a concept album, but no less enjoyable for that.
Modeled on Chaucer’s CanterburyTales, this collection of closely-related tales, each told from its title
character’s point of view, weaves a fictionalized account of the machinations
placing Henry Bolingbrook on England’s thrown.
Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.
NY, Square Fish, 2011.
The first of a contemporary classic series, this is the
delightful story of a girl named September who rides the Green Wind to
Fairyland, where she must choose between losing her way, her heart, her mind,
or her life. She risks her heart, loses
her shadow, battles an Evil Queen, and ends up back home in bed before even
noticing that she has, in fact, lost her heart.
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