Category: Book Reviews
Ornithology: An Introduction
Ornithology: An Introduction by Austin L. Rand, 2/5
On the surface, this 1960s paperback about bird science meets every criteria for Most Boring Book Ever Written. Despite finding it to be surprisingly readable (no doubt because birds are intrinsically bizarre), it is difficult for me to imagine that anyone else in the entire world has read this book in the last twenty years.
Why I read it: The comically boring title caught my eye in the thrift store and I bought it specifically to send me off to sleep on difficult nights. It worked perfectly.
Flatland
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott, 4/5
This bizarre little story is told from the perspective of a two-dimensional “Flatland” dweller, whose visits to one-dimensional “Lineland” and three-dimensional “Spaceland” encourage the reader to consider how very plausible it is that there exist in reality unlimited additional dimensions, of which humankind is arrogantly ignorant.
Why I read it: my dad lent it to me and I had heard of it before (I can’t remember where).
How to Win Friends & Influence People
How to Win Friends & Influence People: The Only Book You Need to Lead You to Success by Dale Carnegie, 3/5
In today’s saturated self-help market, it takes a little imagination to understand just how novel and influential this first-of-its-kind work must have been, back in 1936. Carnegie’s “principles” are practical and based on a commonsense understanding of psychology that, though now well-worn, have stood the test of time. Charming anecdotes illustrate the following principles:
Three Fundamental Techniques in Handling People
Principle 1: Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.
Principle 2: Give honest and sincere appreciation.
Principle 3: Arouse in the other person an eager want.
Six Ways to Make People Like You
Principle 1: Become genuinely interested in other people.
Principle 2: Smile
Principle 3: Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
Principle 4: Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
Principle 5: Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.
Principle 6: Make the other person feel important–and do it sincerely.
Win People to Your Way of Thinking
Principle 1: The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
Principle 2: Show respect for the other person’s opinions. Never say, “You’re wrong.”
Principle 3: If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
Principle 4: Begin in a friendly way.
Principle 5: Get the other person saying “yes, yes” immediately.
Principle 6: Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
Principle 7: Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
Principle 8: Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view.
Principle 9: Be sympathetic with the other person’s ideas and desires.
Principle 10: Appeal to the nobler motives.
Principle 11: Dramatize your ideas.
Principle 12: Throw down a challenge.
Be a Leader
Principle 1: Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
Principle 2: Call attention to people’s mistakes indirectly.
Principle 3: Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person.
Principle 4: Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
Principle 5: Let the other person save face.
Principle 6: Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be “hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.”
Principle 7: Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
Principle 8: Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
Principle 9: Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.
Why I read it: a recommendation from my sister.
A Penny Saved is Impossible
A Penny Saved is Impossible by Ogden Nash, 3/5
This collection of poems on the topics of work and finances is still surprisingly relevant and features the linguistic inventiveness and charm that fans of Ogden Nash will expect.
Why I read it: a thrift store find to add to my collection.
Education for Absolute Pitch
Education for Absolute Pitch: A New Way to Learn Piano by Naoyuki and Ruth Taneda, translated by Christopher Aruffo, 5/5
For several years, I sang in a choir with a tenor who had perfect pitch and, while I might have mentally referred to him by the not-awe-inspiring moniker “the human pitch pipe,” there was something undeniably god-like and enviable about his ability to pull any note out of thin air. I was very surprised to learn, many years later, that children between the ages of 3 and 4.5 years old can actually be taught this magical ability! What at first sounds “too good to be true” is soon clarified by this handbook, which lays out the intense, consistent, and long-term practice required in the pursuit of absolute pitch.
The German We Hear and Play method that this book outlines combines ear training (via “games” played with stuffed animals and colored balls) and rhythmic training with a meticulous piano curriculum. As a piano teacher with more than 20 years of experience, I do not find this method’s highly structured, color coordinated and extremely slow-moving approach to be very appealing. However, I am used to starting students at 6 years old and without focusing on ear training, so it makes sense that some concessions must be made for much younger children acquiring the skill of perfect pitch in conjunction with piano skills. I am cautiously optimistic about trying this method with my own toddler!
Why I read it: I believe I encountered the We Hear and Play method on translator Christopher Aruffo’s website, while looking for software that would teach perfect pitch to adults. The We Hear and Play website does not appear to have been updated recently, but I did reach out to Aruffo, who assured me immediately that it is still very much functional, while kindly offering additional help and resources.
Shadow Divers
Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II by Robert Kurson, 5/5
When a group of shipwreck divers discover a German WWII U-boat sunken just 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey, it sparks a 6-year saga of danger, drama, research, speculation and discovery. Kurson’s prose is beautifully written and guides the reader effortlessly through the biographical backstories, technical diving information, and historical events that combine to form the context for a real-life adventure story so intriguing that I stayed up until 2am to finish it in one day. Though less mythical in topic than the author’s other diving book, Pirate Hunters, this one is equally interesting, has a more satisfying conclusion, and contains more photos.
Why I read it: I enjoyed Pirate Hunters and wanted to check out more by this author.
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan: Lost Chords and Discords by Caryl Brahms, 3/5
Even if the introduction did not acknowledge that the lives and careers of famous musical duo Gilbert and Sullivan was already a well-covered subject, the fact would be pretty obvious from the author’s incessant quotations and references to previously existing research. This college-research-paper approach is never the most appealing, and I was additionally put-off by the author’s many personal opinions throughout, grating self-references to “the present writer,” and comments that were difficult to understand (whether due to the passage of almost 50 years since the time of writing, or incorrect assumptions about the readers’ preexisting knowledge, is unclear).
Shortcomings aside, the book is generously illustrated and it was fascinating to read about the tumultuous, on-again-off-again relationship between an irascible lyricist and sickly composer, whose serious, classical works, though critically-acclaimed at the time, were soon eclipsed by the comic operas he considered beneath him.
Why I read it: a library reject that I bought from a book sale many years ago.
Pirate Hunters
Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship by Robert Kurson, 5/5
This is one of those rare real-life stories that is crazier than fiction. The author does a great job of weaving in historical and biographical information about all the main characters, without losing momentum. I read the whole book in one day and stayed up until 2am to find out how it ended. Ultimately, I thought the ending was a bit anti-climactic, due in part to the photo insert (which felt inadequate, while also providing spoilers), but also due to the interventions of human nature and bureaucracy in an otherwise fantastical tale. However, I had no hesitation recommending the audio book to my husband and have ordered Kurson’s Shadow Divers, which is referenced in this book, from the library.
Why I read it: I salvaged it from my mother-in-law’s thrift store donation pile.
How Do I Do That In Lightroom Classic?
How Do I Do That In Lightroom Classic?: The Quickest Ways to Do the Things You Want to Do, Right Now! by Scott Kelby, 5/5
This slim reference book for Adobe Lightroom Classic is surprisingly readable and, though I’ve used Lightroom for many years, I did still pick up on a few interesting hints for further exploration.
Why I read it: While getting rid of a couple outdated Lightroom books I owned, it crossed my mind to check the library for some more recent offerings (not realizing this second edition was already a few years old).
Shogun
Shogun by James Clavell, 3/5
This 1300-page monster of a hardback novel weighs almost 4lbs, and anyone who thinks it’s weird to dwell on a book’s physical dimensions in a book review has clearly not been been physically traumatized, as I have, by attempting to read it in bed every night! I am only partially joking; the book’s unwieldiness gives a palpable presence to the author’s leisurely writing style, which often makes it seem as if scenes were occurring in real time and not in the pages of a novel. As far as plot, well it’s got a lot. A lot of politics, religion, drama, and unacknowledged historical inspiration. There were a few chapters that dragged, but overall, I felt surprisingly engaged by the story, despite its obscene length and last-minute reliance on a deus ex machina of sorts. The detailed portrayal of 17th-century Japanese culture, written by a European making no claims to historical accuracy, seems problematic to me (I doubt something like this could be written nowadays without causing controversy), but surprisingly, there seem to be no complaints. While I am impressed by the author’s confidence and stamina, I found the length of the book to be a bit self-indulgent and would prefer to read a true account of the historical events portrayed in this novel.
Why I read it: When the first season of the 2024 TV show based on this book ended, I was left wanting more.
OmniRambles 