Tagged: 3/5
In the Name of Love
In the Name of Love and Other True Cases by Ann Rule, 3/5
This book’s format may be a little unusual–the first three-quarters explore the life and 1987 murder of entrepreneur Jerry Harris, while the remaining quarter contains four unrelated short cases–but I appreciated that, unlike In the Still of the Night, the author did not unnecessarily expand the first story in order to make it stand alone.
This is only the second book by Ann Rule that I’ve read and I was previously unaware of the existence of true crime as a genre of literature. At first, I was tempted to dismiss it as exploitative and voyeuristic; I love a good true crime documentary, but what feels like a harmless guilty pleasure to watch takes on a bit more moral weight for me when it appears in black and white on a page. However, I felt differently after looking up the Jerry Harris murder online and finding very little about it beyond the disgusting update that his killer has made a name for himself over the last 30 years by relentlessly filing over 2500 lawsuits from death row, most (if not all) of which are frivolous.1 The case summary online was dry and impersonal, contrasting greatly with the care and research Rule invested to make Jerry and Susan Harris come alive as real, vibrant, complicated people. Did Ann Rule profit from others’ tragedy? Yes. But nobody wants to be forgotten after they are gone and I think that this book is a respectful tribute to a few of the many lives that end too soon.
Why I read it: a hand-me-down from a friend.
Finding Your Way in the Outdoors
Finding Your Way in the Outdoors by Robert L. Mooers, Jr., 3/5
Written in 1972, before the invention of the internet, GPS, and cell phones, this book provides a basic overview of compass navigation and map reading–skills which seem to require an impressive, but frankly off-putting combination of common sense, forethought, and tedious attention to detail. There is also a section on weather forecasting which makes me acutely aware of how addicted I am to the hourly and 10-day forecasts which are bookmarked on my phone. I guess this book could be a useful reference if civilization collapses, but the main thing I enjoyed about it was feeling like a time traveler into a future that is just 53 years removed from the author’s reality, but already filled with unimaginably cool technology.
Why I read it: a thrift store find. I only paid a couple dollars for it, I think, but was surprised to see that the original price in 1972 was $5.95. This sounded high to me, so I did a conversion to today’s dollars and it turns out to be the equivalent of around $47 nowadays! This is a small hardcover book with black and white illustrations, so I’m sure it wasn’t worth that much back in the day. Were books wildly more expensive in the ’70s than they are now? Please leave a comment if you know.
George Washington’s Expense Account
George Washington’s Expense Account by Gen. Geo.Washington and Marvin Kitman, 3/5
Any romantic notions about the American Revolution that still lingered in my mind after reading the eye-opening A Respectable Army were diffused by this cringe-inducing account of George Washington living like a literal king on the country’s dime–spending the equivalent of millions of dollars in today’s money–while his ragged soldiers were frequently hungry and unpaid. I eventually tired of Kitman’s tongue-in-cheek commentary and now-obscure political references, but perusing the included facsimile in George Washington’s tidy but inscrutably cursive handwriting helped me appreciate the accessibility of a modern transcription with context.
Why I read it: antiques expert Peter Combs mentioned it in one of his weekly YouTube videos.
Stalking the Wild Pendulum
Stalking the Wild Pendulum: On the Mechanics of Consciousness by Itzhak Bentov, 3/5
It would be too easy to dismiss this book, with all its talk of holograms, vibrations, and altered states of consciousness, as mere LSD-fueled, new-age nonsense. I think it deserves a closer look, if only to appreciate the author’s admirable accomplishment of developing a comprehensive theory of life, the universe and everything.
Using clear language, helpful chapter summaries, and a reasonable progression of thought, Bentov exploits the mysterious and seemingly unnatural uncertainty that exists at the extreme ends of a pendulum-like or oscillating movement in quantum mechanics to formulate a conception of reality as “a void filled with pulsating fields” (167) that form an “interference pattern or hologram of knowledge information we can call the ‘universal mind'” (157). Into this framework neatly slot the implausible yet persistently-reported human phenomena of telepathy, clairvoyance, out-of-body experience, enlightenment, reincarnation, etc.
Based on my own summary above, this seems the exact type of book that I would mercilessly flay as worthless woo-woo garbage. So why do I think it is actually something special? For one thing, I admire the author’s humble curiosity and undeniable intellect. While acknowledging the deeply unconventional nature of his own ideas and that “few scientists will read this book to the end” (2), he is not defensively anti-science or anti-anything (which is more than can be said for many people). Adding to its appeal, for me, is the fact that this book is the product of living-room discussions with friends and published with their encouragement, not in an attempt to sell something or gain prestige. How many people do you know with whom you could discuss the shape of the universe and the meaning of existence? I, for one, am envious. Any lingering doubts I might have had about this book and its author were dispelled by reading his Wikipedia page, which I refrained from doing earlier to avoid bias. He seems to have been a truly remarkable mind and a contributor of practical value, as well as theoretical, to humanity.
Why I read it: the title caught my eye in a used bookstore, but I didn’t want to spend money without knowing if it was utter nonsense, so I got it from the library later. Now, I wish I had bought it.
Thames Mudlarking
Thames Mudlarking: Searching for London’s Lost Treasures by Jason Sandy and Nick Stevens, 3/5
I appreciated the abundant, high-quality photographs in this slim book, but the text was dry and uninspiring.
Why I read it: Amazon threw this gift for my mother-in-law into a box of other purchases, completely devoid of any wrapping, to be tumbled around like a river rock on its journey to my door. It arrived predictably battered around the edges, but the silver lining was that I was able to take advantage of the exchange window to read it for myself.
Bertram
Bertram; or, The Castle of St. Aldobrand by Charles Robert Maturin, 3/5
Drama is my least favorite literary genre and via ebook is my least favorite method of literary consumption, but my curiosity was adequately rewarded by this obscure, yet affectingly tragic and well-written play from the early 19th century, made available online by the University of Virginia Library.
Why I read it: A dramatic quote from this play, used as a chapter epigraph in The Hidden Hand, piqued my curiosity:
“By hell and all its host, he shall not live.
This is no transient flash of fugitive passion—
His death hath been my life for years of misery—
Which else I had not lived—
Upon that thought, and not on food, I fed,
Upon that thought, and not on sleep, I rested—
I come to do the deed that must be done—
Nor thou, nor sheltering angels, could prevent me.”
The Hidden Hand
The Hidden Hand by Mrs. E.D.E.N. Southworth, 3/5
I was annoyed to realize, after finishing this novel, that I had already read and reviewed it fourteen years ago! Interestingly, I felt pretty much the same about it this time around as I did before. However, this vintage edition was more pleasant than the previous one and did not contain so many italics. There was still an unusual (one might say, excessive) amount of exclamation points, but they did not rankle like before. Perhaps I am mellowing grammatically as the years go by.
Why I read it: a recommendation and loan from my sister.
Adulthood is a Gift!
Adulthood is a Myth Gift! A Celebration of “Sarah’s Scribbles” by Sarah Andersen, 3/5
This fifth book in the “Sarah Scribbles” collection contains some fun comics and fifteen illustrated, short essays of varying interest. I enjoyed learning about the process behind Andersen’s trademark style, even if it did steal a bit of the “magic.”
Why I read it: I visit sarahcandersen.com once in a while to catch up and saw that I was behind a couple books.
Oddball
Oddball by Sarah Andersen, 3/5
The fact that this collection of comics made me lol instead of rofl is a testament to how much I’ve changed as a person over the last few years. What used to be extremely relatable to me as an anxious, single, bookish introvert, has become less so as my sense of identity has shifted more towards being a wife, mother, and active member of the local martial arts community. That said, Sarah Andersen is still hilarious and the amount she can communicate with a few squiggly lines is incredibly impressive.
Why I read it: I visit sarahcandersen.com once in a while to catch up and saw that I was behind a couple books.
Of Men and Mountains
Of Men and Mountains by William O. Douglas, 3/5
This simple, wholesome memoir is a love letter to Washington state’s Cascade mountains and the character-building, spirit-refreshing experiences while exploring them that had a profound effect on Supreme Court justice William O. Douglas throughout his life.
Why I read it: I snagged it from my mother-in-law’s donation pile and read it at night to combat pregnancy-induced insomnia.
OmniRambles 