Tagged: book review

How to Read Literature Like a Professor

How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster, 2/5

Author E.B. White once said: “Humor can be dissected, as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind.”  Substitute “literature” for “humor” in that quote and you will understand the reason why I disliked this book.  I felt that Foster’s strained analytical style efficiently robbed the mystery, joy and suspension of disbelief from almost every literary example he gave.  If he was a theater or film critic, he would probably spend a lot of time analyzing the wallpaper on the fourth wall.  Knowing that “there’s only one story…every story you’ve ever read or heard or watched is part of it” (32) and then searching for traces from the “canon of literature” in every other work does not enrich my reading experience, but dampens it.  Yes, damp as if it was rained on and if you read page 75, you’ll learn that “It’s never just rain” and you’ll be able to read deeply into why I supposedly chose that particular word.  A lot of the book was spent in defining symbols and themes as “whatever you think they mean,” which is frustratingly unhelpful.  Also, from his comments, Foster seems to view Freud favorably, which I find revolting.

Update: I Stumbled on this perfect illustration of the book.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak, 3/5

It took me about 200 pages to get comfortable with Zusak’s style.  At first, I found it painfully and tediously artsy, like reading a never-ending poem in free-verse.  The multitude of clumsy kennings grated on my nerves, as did the overly-studied randomness.  However, there were some powerful parts and near the end, I admit, I cried.  I felt angry because I do not like sad stories, but I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that a story about a German orphan girl and a Jewish fugitive during WWII, narrated by Death, was more of a roller-coaster of emotions than a carousel of merriment.

101 Quantum Questions

101 Quantum Questions: What You Need to Know About the World You Can’t See by Kenneth W. Ford, 3/5

I’m not going to lie – this book lost me a few times (most notably, at “quantum numbers”).  However, there were still a few “AHA!” moments, where staggering truths about quantum physics created little explosions in my brain.  Overall, the book was moderately accessible, but not as entertaining or beginner friendly as other books about quantum physics, such as Marcus Chown’s “The Matchbox that Ate a Forty-Ton Truck.”

Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics

Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics by Stan Lee, 2/5

This is a good book for looking at pictures, but is not practically helpful at all.  The prose is written in an annoying style (lots of unfunny jokes and rabbit trails) and instruction is along the lines of “look, human bodies are made of cylinders and squares…now draw some of your own.”

The Parents’ Guide to Psychological First Aid

The Parents’ Guide to Psychological First Aid, eds. Gerald P. Koocher and Annette M. La Greca, 3/5

This book does a good job of appealing to a wide spectrum of parenting/life styles without alienating anyone.  Most of its contents are commonsense, but I guess commonsense isn’t that common, to judge from my observations of modern parenting.

Gringos

Gringos, by Charles Portis, 3/5

Gringos relates the random adventures and misadventures of American Jimmy Burns, a trucker, bounty hunter and expert in (and ex-looter of) Mayan artifacts, as his life in Mexico is complicated by a stalker, kidnapers, criminals, cult followers, archaeologists, and ufo theorists.  I would rate my enjoyment of this book between Portis’ The Dog of the South and Masters of Atlantis, though Jimmy is by far my favourite character from the three books.

Masters of Atlantis

Masters of Atlantis by Charles Portis, 5/5

Imagine a vast ocean of liquid sarcasm completely evaporating and leaving a shoebox worth of bone-dry, crumbly humour and you will get an idea of this book’s style.  Masters of Atlantis follows the rise and devolution of the fictional Gnomon Society (the last bastion of Atlantean wisdom), with its narcissistic leaders, shady sidekicks and delusional followers.  This book is a remarkably sophisticated and clear-eyed portrayal of humankind’s temptations, weaknesses and failings, presented with lots of sarcastic, dry, deadpan wit.

Bronte: poems

Bronte: Poems, Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets, 3/5

Bronte’s poetry aesthetic is perfectly demonstrated by these lines: “And as I gazed on the cheerless sky / Sad thoughts rose in my mind” (245).  There were a few that I absolutely loved, such as “What Use is it to Slumber Here?” and “No Coward Soul is Mine” and “Lines,” but the majority gave me a sense of unease, as if I was reading someone’s diary behind their back.  Lots of these poems did not seem of publishable quality, and indeed, I do not believe Bronte meant for most of them to be published.

The Dog of the South

The Dog of the South: A Novel by Charles Portis, 2/5

By all accounts, this book is hilarious, but I did not find it to be so.  Perhaps I did not take to it because it is in that rare category: dry American humour.  The main character is frighteningly unemotional (think Meursault from Camus’ The Stranger) and this, combined with the first person narrative and crazy cast of supporting characters, gives the book a depressingly surreal feel.  I lost interest halfway through and just skimmed through the rest.

Moonwalking with Einstein

Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer, 2/5

This book was not nearly as interesting as the title made me hope it would be.  There wasn’t much of practical use in it and it was written in a dry, unengaging, unlikable style.  It struck me as a nice magazine article that had been fleshed out with lots of predictable rabbit trails and speculation.  A little research revealed that this is exactly what it is; the author is a freelance journalist and this is his only book, for which he received $1.2 million in advance.  The book’s background really shows – it feels written for profit, not passion.