I'm about 10% finished my most recent read, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. While there have been many books I didn't know anything about or had never heard of or had never heard of the author, this book has an extra air of...forgetability. When I try to go through the list in my head, I usually miss about five books that I can't think of and they're always the same five. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is one of those books. So not only am I not familiar with it at all, I always forget about it too.
I have taken a bunch of books out from the library, again with the strategy of always having a variety of books to choose from when I finish my current read. However this time I vow not to incur any fines on them. Or at least not on the bulk of them. My previous six loans, five of which I didn't read, I incurred fines of $0.70 on each, after having forgot to renew them for a couple of days. Sure, it isn't much, but it's stupid to pay $3.50 when it takes two minutes to renew on-line.
I currently have out on loan, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, The French Lieutenant's Woman, The Painted Bird, The Sheltering Sky, Slaughterhouse Five, All the King's Men, The Day of the Locust and Red Harvest. I also have two books I've previously borrowed and returned without reading; Gravity's Rainbow and Gone with the Wind. I picked those two up because I happen to pass them on the shelves and figured, what the hell. I'd like to read them at before I hit 50, so I think I'll try to squeeze one in next month.
Other than the one I'm currently reading of course, I have no plans to read any particular one next. I guess it'll be whatever happens to tickle my fancy that day.
Showing posts with label fines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fines. Show all posts
Monday, March 21, 2011
Saturday, November 13, 2010
#23 - "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson
With only two days left until the unofficial one year anniversary of my starting this list, it doesn't look like I'm going to reach my goal of 25 books in the first year. But, I have finished Snow Crash, my 23rd novel. I've learned a few things, and I'm confident I can read 27 books in the next year, to make up for this year's short comings.
Snow Crash is the first Sci-Fi book from The List I've read, and one of only a couple on The List. While I enjoy the odd Sci-Fi movie, I'd be lying if I said I was a fan of the books. For that reason, I was a little nervous going into this one; worried that I'd become disinterested like I did with Neuromancer, and that it would take me forever to read. I'll be the first to admit it, that wasn't the case, and I actually enjoyed reading this book quite a bit.
The protagonist, or hero, is aptly named Hiro Protagonist (I'm not making that up). He's a computer hacker who delivers pizza to make ends meet, and is known as the greatest sword fighter in the world. He spend his time in the Metaverse; a virtual-reality world that people hang out in, socialize on, run businesses, own homes, travel, communicate and learn. After meeting a young female kourier (there is no post office in the not-too-distant future) named Y.T., they become entangled in a plot to spread a deadly virus known as Snow Crash. This virus not only disables the computer it's opened on, but also the mind of the person who opens it. Hiro and Y.T. must find the source of the virus and help destroy it, before it destroys them and their world.
The world they live in, in this not-too-distant future, does contain many of the elements that tend to drive me crazy about Sci-Fi novels. Why does the future have to be so bleak all the time!? Why can't it just be like today, with more technology? But despite the world Hiro and Y.T. live in not having countries (they've been replaced by privately run 'burbclaves') or laws, or seemingly any order, it doesn't come off as bleak as other books I've read or movies I've seen.
While the time period is never specified, I get that feeling that since the book was written in 1992, the story takes place sometime in the early 21st century, or to put it another way, what is currently referred to as "the past." And it is this I found so interesting about the book. Many of Stephenson's descriptions are very accurate for his future, our past.
The Metaverse, the virtual-reality world so many spend their time in, isn't much different from the Internet today. While there isn't any real reference to a similar type of social networking, the Metaverse is a place where people meet from anywhere in the world, not unlike Facebook. Relationships tend to be less personal, like Facebook, but often more informative, also like Facebook. One of Hiro's ex-girlfriends hates using the Metaverse for relationships, complaining they "...distort the way people talk to each other, and she wants no such distortion in her relationships." It fits Facebook and Twitter friendships to a tee if you ask me.
Another program frequently used throughout the book is the Librarian, which I have equated to Wikipedia or even just Google. The Librarian is simply a computer program in the Metaverse that is there to answer questions. From anywhere in the world, one can access the Librarian to find out the information they need. When Hiro needs to learn something about ancient societies or if he needs the blueprints of a famous cargo ship, he heads to the Librarian to find the answer. Like most answers found on-line, the Librarian's information is merely a compilation of information entered by various different people, from all over the world. But, unlike Wikipedia, it seems it doesn't need to be taken with a grain of salt.
And perhaps the most similar program Hiro uses to today's actual programs is called 'Earth.' Basically, it's Google Earth, providing satellite imagery of the entire planet and directions on how to get anywhere from anywhere. It even provides street views to the more prominent locations and lists businesses and attractions; exactly like the program so many people use everyday now. The only difference between the Metaverse version and the Google version might be that in the Metaverse the images are only a few minutes old, where as on Google Earth they can sometimes be a few years old. (The horrors!)
For all his accurate descriptions of future technologies, there were a few misses. While everybody in this future records video of nearly everything, they do it on 'videotape.' And while people in the future listen to music everywhere they go, they still use Walkmans. Ironically, these were officially discontinued by Sony last week, where I would have thought they had been discontinued ten years ago. Who has been buying Walkmans the past ten years to warrant their continued production? Lastly, not really a technological miss, but I found it funny; Hiro describes how it is possible to stop a viral idea, then says, "...as happened with Nazism, bell bottoms and Bart Simpson t-shirts." I guess Stepheson could never have imagined that a show only two or three years old at the time this book was written, would still be on 18 years later, so I'll cut him a little slack.
When trying to decide what to read next, I picked On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I currently have 18 books from The List, sitting on my desk; 13 from the library, and two that I own. As a result, I recently incurred three fines, $0.70 each for On the Road, Gravity's Rainbow and Herzog. Since I've had these books for over a month, I figured I should start reading one of them instead of going to one of my more recent checkouts.
Snow Crash is the first Sci-Fi book from The List I've read, and one of only a couple on The List. While I enjoy the odd Sci-Fi movie, I'd be lying if I said I was a fan of the books. For that reason, I was a little nervous going into this one; worried that I'd become disinterested like I did with Neuromancer, and that it would take me forever to read. I'll be the first to admit it, that wasn't the case, and I actually enjoyed reading this book quite a bit.
The protagonist, or hero, is aptly named Hiro Protagonist (I'm not making that up). He's a computer hacker who delivers pizza to make ends meet, and is known as the greatest sword fighter in the world. He spend his time in the Metaverse; a virtual-reality world that people hang out in, socialize on, run businesses, own homes, travel, communicate and learn. After meeting a young female kourier (there is no post office in the not-too-distant future) named Y.T., they become entangled in a plot to spread a deadly virus known as Snow Crash. This virus not only disables the computer it's opened on, but also the mind of the person who opens it. Hiro and Y.T. must find the source of the virus and help destroy it, before it destroys them and their world.
The world they live in, in this not-too-distant future, does contain many of the elements that tend to drive me crazy about Sci-Fi novels. Why does the future have to be so bleak all the time!? Why can't it just be like today, with more technology? But despite the world Hiro and Y.T. live in not having countries (they've been replaced by privately run 'burbclaves') or laws, or seemingly any order, it doesn't come off as bleak as other books I've read or movies I've seen.
While the time period is never specified, I get that feeling that since the book was written in 1992, the story takes place sometime in the early 21st century, or to put it another way, what is currently referred to as "the past." And it is this I found so interesting about the book. Many of Stephenson's descriptions are very accurate for his future, our past.
The Metaverse, the virtual-reality world so many spend their time in, isn't much different from the Internet today. While there isn't any real reference to a similar type of social networking, the Metaverse is a place where people meet from anywhere in the world, not unlike Facebook. Relationships tend to be less personal, like Facebook, but often more informative, also like Facebook. One of Hiro's ex-girlfriends hates using the Metaverse for relationships, complaining they "...distort the way people talk to each other, and she wants no such distortion in her relationships." It fits Facebook and Twitter friendships to a tee if you ask me.
Another program frequently used throughout the book is the Librarian, which I have equated to Wikipedia or even just Google. The Librarian is simply a computer program in the Metaverse that is there to answer questions. From anywhere in the world, one can access the Librarian to find out the information they need. When Hiro needs to learn something about ancient societies or if he needs the blueprints of a famous cargo ship, he heads to the Librarian to find the answer. Like most answers found on-line, the Librarian's information is merely a compilation of information entered by various different people, from all over the world. But, unlike Wikipedia, it seems it doesn't need to be taken with a grain of salt.
And perhaps the most similar program Hiro uses to today's actual programs is called 'Earth.' Basically, it's Google Earth, providing satellite imagery of the entire planet and directions on how to get anywhere from anywhere. It even provides street views to the more prominent locations and lists businesses and attractions; exactly like the program so many people use everyday now. The only difference between the Metaverse version and the Google version might be that in the Metaverse the images are only a few minutes old, where as on Google Earth they can sometimes be a few years old. (The horrors!)
For all his accurate descriptions of future technologies, there were a few misses. While everybody in this future records video of nearly everything, they do it on 'videotape.' And while people in the future listen to music everywhere they go, they still use Walkmans. Ironically, these were officially discontinued by Sony last week, where I would have thought they had been discontinued ten years ago. Who has been buying Walkmans the past ten years to warrant their continued production? Lastly, not really a technological miss, but I found it funny; Hiro describes how it is possible to stop a viral idea, then says, "...as happened with Nazism, bell bottoms and Bart Simpson t-shirts." I guess Stepheson could never have imagined that a show only two or three years old at the time this book was written, would still be on 18 years later, so I'll cut him a little slack.
When trying to decide what to read next, I picked On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I currently have 18 books from The List, sitting on my desk; 13 from the library, and two that I own. As a result, I recently incurred three fines, $0.70 each for On the Road, Gravity's Rainbow and Herzog. Since I've had these books for over a month, I figured I should start reading one of them instead of going to one of my more recent checkouts.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Might have found easy fines: but there to end
I had to go to the library today to return a book. Yesterday, I had gone on-line to renew all the books I currently had out, but ran into two problems. Firstly, Portney's Complaint had been put on hold, so I couldn't renew it. That makes it the second book I've borrowed from the library and not read, after All the King's Men, which was also put on hold before I could read it. My second problem was I missed renewing one of the books on time. It's no mystery how this happened either, as I've been borrowing so many books at one time, and until today had six checked out, it was only a matter of time that I'd forget to renew one on time. If you recall, on October 1st, I had written about this very problem:
While returnning Portney's Complaint and Ragtime, I grabbed a few more books; Infinte Jest, Gone with the Wind, Lolita and Animal Farm. As it stand right now, save the books I have already read, I have every single book on The List from my local library branch and a total of 8 books right now. The only question now is, which one will I incur fines on next!?
"As an aside, while at the Central library, I picked up a bunch of books, as my local branch doesn't have near the selection. I already had Housekeeping (which I'm reading), Deliverance (which I had delivered to my local branch), and Gravity's Rainbow (which I'm delaying, because I'm intimidated by its' 750 pages). I've now added Portnoy's Complaint, Herzog, Ragtime, Snow Crash, and On the Road to my loan collection. My thought was they can be renewed several times and they can be returned to any branch, so while I'm downtown, why not grab a bunch...just in case. Only time will tell if this is a move so shrewd it's worthy of an Arab spice trader, or if this is a quick path to increasing my fine total."Apparently I'm no Arab spice trader, as I had forgotten to renew Gravity's Rainbow, which has now incurred $2.10 in fines for being seven days overdue, bringing my fine total to $10.15 This was the first time I've incurred a fine on a book I have not read or even started to read. To be honest, I had a feeling this would happen at some point, and I'm sure it will happen again as well.
While returnning Portney's Complaint and Ragtime, I grabbed a few more books; Infinte Jest, Gone with the Wind, Lolita and Animal Farm. As it stand right now, save the books I have already read, I have every single book on The List from my local library branch and a total of 8 books right now. The only question now is, which one will I incur fines on next!?
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
#15 - "To the Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf
I finished To the Lighthouse today. It's the third shortest book I've read so far, but took almost twice as long as any other. I blame summer weather, golf courses, the Stampede and beer on patios. The real reason it took so long however, was a combination of the aformentioned things and that I really didn't like it.
The problem I had with this novel is the style in which it was written. Instead of describing actions or using dialogue, most of the book consists of describing different characters' thoughts and emotions. The book also jumps from one character to another, making it very difficult to follow. One review I found even said that plot was secondary to philosophical introspection. I don't even know what that means, other than I'm not going to like it. How am I supposed to follow a book that doesn't really have a plot, or even any descriptions for that matter.
Throughout the entire novel, I never really had a feel for any of the characters or settings and was unable to picture them in my mind. I guess the good thing is, if I ever see the movie, I won't be dissapointed with the casting. "That actor filled the blank face I had in my mind perfectly!" I'll exclaim leaving the theatre, or more likely from the couch.
The plot, a term I use very loosely, centered around a family's desire to visit a lighthouse in Scotland in 1910, and then their actual visit to the same lighthouse in 1920; after half the family had died. I don't know if lighthouses were a lot bigger attraction a hundred years ago, but I don't see myself itching to visit one for ten years. Anyway, a bunch of stuff happens in the middle, or rather nothing happens, but all the characters think about how nothing happened. They all seem to wonder why they couldn't have visited the lighthouse ten years earlier. Of course, they could hvae, as the trip only involves a thirty minute boat ride, but they didn't because the father thought it might rain. That's really the reason they didn't go. I'm not kidding. But after ten years, the remaining family members were able to risk rain, and visit the lighthouse. The book however ends just as they arrive, so we never even find out what's so great about the goddamn thing.
I have to wonder what's wrong with me. This book received high praise from Time Magazine when it was first released in 1927, and again when The List was put together. Perhaps I'll mature, with regards to literature, as I continue reading the list, but again, I didn't like this book. Only Naked Lunch surpassed it in...un-readability.
I visited the library today, and picked up two more books, I, Claudius and Lucky Jim. Both continue my trend of not knowing anything about the book before I read it. I, Claudius was mentioned in a episode of "Cheers" I saw recently though, as Frasier exclaimed "We can go upstairs, I have all twelve episodes of I, Claudius on tape!", much to Sam's chagrin. I like to think that I have more sophisticated reading tastes than Sam Malone, but only time will tell.
As for fines, it turns out I incurred $1.05 on both To the Lighthouse and The Power and the Glory. That brings my fine total to $5.90. And if you were wondering, I returned both those books today, which means I've been renewing Power all this time, even though I finished reading it almost two months ago. It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I wanted to conserve fuel, and not drive to the library twice. Let's go with that.
You can read the original Time Magazine review from May 30, 1927 right here.
The problem I had with this novel is the style in which it was written. Instead of describing actions or using dialogue, most of the book consists of describing different characters' thoughts and emotions. The book also jumps from one character to another, making it very difficult to follow. One review I found even said that plot was secondary to philosophical introspection. I don't even know what that means, other than I'm not going to like it. How am I supposed to follow a book that doesn't really have a plot, or even any descriptions for that matter.
Throughout the entire novel, I never really had a feel for any of the characters or settings and was unable to picture them in my mind. I guess the good thing is, if I ever see the movie, I won't be dissapointed with the casting. "That actor filled the blank face I had in my mind perfectly!" I'll exclaim leaving the theatre, or more likely from the couch.
The plot, a term I use very loosely, centered around a family's desire to visit a lighthouse in Scotland in 1910, and then their actual visit to the same lighthouse in 1920; after half the family had died. I don't know if lighthouses were a lot bigger attraction a hundred years ago, but I don't see myself itching to visit one for ten years. Anyway, a bunch of stuff happens in the middle, or rather nothing happens, but all the characters think about how nothing happened. They all seem to wonder why they couldn't have visited the lighthouse ten years earlier. Of course, they could hvae, as the trip only involves a thirty minute boat ride, but they didn't because the father thought it might rain. That's really the reason they didn't go. I'm not kidding. But after ten years, the remaining family members were able to risk rain, and visit the lighthouse. The book however ends just as they arrive, so we never even find out what's so great about the goddamn thing.
I have to wonder what's wrong with me. This book received high praise from Time Magazine when it was first released in 1927, and again when The List was put together. Perhaps I'll mature, with regards to literature, as I continue reading the list, but again, I didn't like this book. Only Naked Lunch surpassed it in...un-readability.
I visited the library today, and picked up two more books, I, Claudius and Lucky Jim. Both continue my trend of not knowing anything about the book before I read it. I, Claudius was mentioned in a episode of "Cheers" I saw recently though, as Frasier exclaimed "We can go upstairs, I have all twelve episodes of I, Claudius on tape!", much to Sam's chagrin. I like to think that I have more sophisticated reading tastes than Sam Malone, but only time will tell.
As for fines, it turns out I incurred $1.05 on both To the Lighthouse and The Power and the Glory. That brings my fine total to $5.90. And if you were wondering, I returned both those books today, which means I've been renewing Power all this time, even though I finished reading it almost two months ago. It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I wanted to conserve fuel, and not drive to the library twice. Let's go with that.
You can read the original Time Magazine review from May 30, 1927 right here.
Monday, June 21, 2010
His recognizances, his fines, his double vouchers,
I hit the library yesterday and picked up what will end up being numbers 14 and 15 on The List. First off is The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. (The British author, not the Canadian actor). It was written in 1939, which meets my requirements of reading an older book (after my last two were from this decade), but I don't know anything else about it. It looks pretty short, so maybe I'll be able to finish it in a couple of days, which would be amazing considering it took me a month to read some of these books, and I could finish four books in June alone.
The other book I picked up was To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, also an 'older' book, having been published in 1927. Again, I don't know anything about it, other than I've heard of the movie "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", starring Elizabeth Taylor.
As an aside, I did return Atonement a couple of days late, making it the second book I've incurred fines on. However, it was only seventy cents, bringing my total to $3.85.
The other book I picked up was To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, also an 'older' book, having been published in 1927. Again, I don't know anything about it, other than I've heard of the movie "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf", starring Elizabeth Taylor.
As an aside, I did return Atonement a couple of days late, making it the second book I've incurred fines on. However, it was only seventy cents, bringing my total to $3.85.
Friday, June 4, 2010
#11 - "Midnight's Children" by Salman Rushdie
Today is Friday, June 4th, 2010. Midnight's Children was due back to the Calgary Public Library on Tuesday, May 25th. I now owe them $3.15. Sure, it isn't much, but it is the first fine I've incurred on The List; a milestone of sorts. Apparently I should also be feeling a little guilty. It was suggested to me that since someone had put the book on hold, I should feel bad for depriving them of reading it for the past two weeks. I'd be lying if I said it was eating me up inside.
Midnight's Children is another excellent book from this list of great books; what a surprise. Written almost as an autobiography, Saleem Sinai serves as the story's narrator and main character, telling the tale of the 1,001 children who were born between midnight and one in the morning on August 15, 1947; the day India became an independent nation. Sharing a birth date, and birth time for that matter, with an entire nation, the children of the midnight hour are endowed with special powers. The closer to midnight they are born, the more powerful their powers. Saleem Sinai was born at the stroke of midnight, and serves as a quasi-leader for the group of Midnight's Children. The book follows Saleem from two generations before his birth to 'present' day, (the book was written in 1980) where Saleem has changed as much as, and alongside, India.
It's difficult not to sympathize with Saleem Sinai. His appearance leaves a lot to be desired. If he was being described to a friend, "has a great personality" would likely be used. Although endowed with telepathy, able to read pretty much anbody's mind at will, he is also cursed with a cucumber nose, sinus troubles, forceps scars, patchy hair, a missing finger, knock kneed legs, a bad ear, and less than average intelligence. A true walking disaster area. But despite his foibles, Saleem manages to survive different tragedies, both for his family and the nation, while he attempts to figure out why himself and all of the midnight children have been endowed with these special powers. It is it for their glory or for India's, will they serve as saviours for the new nation, or will they be patsies in it's demise?
I find it almost difficult to classify this novel, wanting to put it into so many different categories. I could argue it is a fantasy novel, talking of magical powers, magicians, charmers, telepathy, and time travel; things I would expect to see in Harry Potter perhaps. At the same time, I could classify it as 'historical fiction', with every major plot development coinciding with important events in India's young history, from independence, elections, war with Pakistan, nuclear development, to the Emergency.
But then again, maybe it isn't historical fiction, maybe it is a political commentary. When tackling many of the major issues India has faced in the past, Rushdie is often quite critical of the path the country took, and critical of its' leaders who guided it in these directions. Of course maybe it's a satire, filled with interesting characters, locations and situations, mocking the trials and tribulations that have plagued India since independence.
One thing is for certain, it is an excellent book. Normally, I would not be a fan of a book with such "magical" plot lines. I'm the type who would read about telepathy and think, 'RIGHT,' with a roll of my eyes, searching for the nearest World War II documentary. But in Midnight's Children it did not seem out of place, nor did it seem unbelievable. Set against the backdrop of real events, everything seemed to fit. I found myself not only engrossed in this story, but also engrossed in the history of India; the nation winning nearly as much sympathy as the cucumber-nosed, snot-faced, Saleem Sinai.
My twelfth book from the list will be The Corrections by Johnathan Franzen.
Midnight's Children is another excellent book from this list of great books; what a surprise. Written almost as an autobiography, Saleem Sinai serves as the story's narrator and main character, telling the tale of the 1,001 children who were born between midnight and one in the morning on August 15, 1947; the day India became an independent nation. Sharing a birth date, and birth time for that matter, with an entire nation, the children of the midnight hour are endowed with special powers. The closer to midnight they are born, the more powerful their powers. Saleem Sinai was born at the stroke of midnight, and serves as a quasi-leader for the group of Midnight's Children. The book follows Saleem from two generations before his birth to 'present' day, (the book was written in 1980) where Saleem has changed as much as, and alongside, India.
It's difficult not to sympathize with Saleem Sinai. His appearance leaves a lot to be desired. If he was being described to a friend, "has a great personality" would likely be used. Although endowed with telepathy, able to read pretty much anbody's mind at will, he is also cursed with a cucumber nose, sinus troubles, forceps scars, patchy hair, a missing finger, knock kneed legs, a bad ear, and less than average intelligence. A true walking disaster area. But despite his foibles, Saleem manages to survive different tragedies, both for his family and the nation, while he attempts to figure out why himself and all of the midnight children have been endowed with these special powers. It is it for their glory or for India's, will they serve as saviours for the new nation, or will they be patsies in it's demise?
I find it almost difficult to classify this novel, wanting to put it into so many different categories. I could argue it is a fantasy novel, talking of magical powers, magicians, charmers, telepathy, and time travel; things I would expect to see in Harry Potter perhaps. At the same time, I could classify it as 'historical fiction', with every major plot development coinciding with important events in India's young history, from independence, elections, war with Pakistan, nuclear development, to the Emergency.
But then again, maybe it isn't historical fiction, maybe it is a political commentary. When tackling many of the major issues India has faced in the past, Rushdie is often quite critical of the path the country took, and critical of its' leaders who guided it in these directions. Of course maybe it's a satire, filled with interesting characters, locations and situations, mocking the trials and tribulations that have plagued India since independence.
One thing is for certain, it is an excellent book. Normally, I would not be a fan of a book with such "magical" plot lines. I'm the type who would read about telepathy and think, 'RIGHT,' with a roll of my eyes, searching for the nearest World War II documentary. But in Midnight's Children it did not seem out of place, nor did it seem unbelievable. Set against the backdrop of real events, everything seemed to fit. I found myself not only engrossed in this story, but also engrossed in the history of India; the nation winning nearly as much sympathy as the cucumber-nosed, snot-faced, Saleem Sinai.
My twelfth book from the list will be The Corrections by Johnathan Franzen.
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