This Week In Books: #22
Mar. 13th, 2007 10:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akujunkanI may not get them posted on time, but I do read them fast enough. Anyway, I polished off eight books last week.
1) Inanna - Diane Wolkstein
Inanna is a decent book but one that ultimately suffers from not knowing what it wants to be, wavering between history text and Z. Budapest-ish women's spirituality book. The bulk of the book is comprised of Wolkstein's "retelling" of her Sumerologist friend's translations of the ancient hymns and texts of the goddess Inanna. She states that she's rewritten these texts to be more listener- and reader-friendly; this apparently mainly consisted of removing the repetitive passages. Unfortunately, this also has the unintended consequence of removing the ambiance of the stories, which feel rather stripped due to this treatment so that I found myself wishing that the repetitious passages had been left intact. The second half of Inanna contains a brief history of Sumerian civilization and an academic history of the Inanna texts. It's well-written, but teasingly brief. The saving grace of the volume is its copious black and white photographs of Sumerian votive tablets, seal scripts, and texts. They've all been carefully selected to match scenes from the hymns and stories, and are provided with detailed explanations as to their provenance and what they are meant to depict. My end verdict is that while this book will not wholly satisfy someone looking for a retelling of Inanna's story or offer much new material to a hardcore historian, it's a good general introduction to both.
2) Nero - Richard Holland
Holland states in his introduction that he intends to offer a much-needed reassessment of the maligned emporer, and he delivers. The text is informative but still very engaging. Holland gives a good overview of the times; Nero's ascension to power, reign, and fall from grace; the personalities that surrounded the emporer, and his chroniclers; the rumors and stories that grew up in the wake of Nero's rule, and whether or not any of those stories likely reflect what actually happened. The author scores major points for lack of bias: he doesn't attempt to excuse or blame away Nero's actions, but neither does he bend over backwards trying to prove that Nero committed every nefarious deed attributed to him. My end verdict is that this book would be well worth the read for anyone interested in Nero or classical Rome.
3) Song Of The Gargoyle - Zylphia Keatley Snyder
This is the most charming book I've read in quite some time. I loved Snyder's The Egypt Game and Libby On Wednesdays as a kid and enjoyed this book as an adult. Set in an anonymous (though rather European) medieval world, it features endearing characters, tense escape and action scenes, and a very adult portrayal of politics and social commentary for anyone willing to look for such. I'm not going to say anything else about it, because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might one day read it.
4) The 9to5 Guide To Combating Sexual Harassment - Ellen Cassidy & Ellen Bravo
This was the textbook to a one-credit-hour class I took through my university's labor department, which I took off the shelf because I always finish any book I've begun reading. The 9to5 Guide... was published in 1992 and revised in '99; the majority of its content reflects the earlier date and is somewhat dated as a result. The authors spend a good amount of time and energy arguing that sexual harassment is real and that it is a real problem--positions few would likely debate today. The book was written before the advent of email and text messaging, which automatically decreases its applicability today. Furthermore, the authors have a tendency to descend into rather touchy-feely psychology speak; I think most victims of sexual harassment these days would be more inclined to rack truly odious offenders than they would be to "form a support group" to "validate one another's feelings" and "begin the healing process." Still, the book is very useful for its legal explanations and lists of legal recourses for victims, which is probably why it's still in print.
5) The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis
I'll say it again: C.S. Lewis just doesn't do much for me now that I'm an adult. His books are too bare-bones in comparison to Tolkien, or even more recent authors such as Nix or Pullman. I still enjoyed the imagery in this volume--the crawl space and forest between the worlds are quite atmospheric. But even as a child I wished Lewis had left Narnia alone, as it was more magical to me sans creation story, as if it had always been.
6) The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis
I felt rather cheated by this book as a child, as well. I'd read Tolkien first and had envisioned something much grander in scale for Lewis' last battle. Narnia's final demise was and is my favorite passage in the series; its imagery is beautifully realized. Unfortunately, my enjoyment is overshadowed these days by the moralizing and the ultimate paradox that Aslan-Christianity saves everyone except for those it doesn't. (Or perhaps doesn't deem worth saving, at least as Lewis sees it.) And I always thought Emeth deserved his own book; he was my favorite character in the series.
7) Ecstasia - Francesca Lia Block
I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I do Block's Weetzie Bat series, and was pleasantly surprised to find myself sucked in. It's much more lucid than her other stories, and I enjoyed the many references to, and plays on, Greek mythology. The "lyrics" that preceed each chapter suffer from the fate of most "lyrics" unaccompanied by melody--they seem rather amateur and overwrought, but there are surprising bits of true poetry every now and then nevertheless. I had come to care about all of the main characters by the Ecstasia's end, although I wish more (read: any) time had been devoted to explaining how the three worlds (Elysia, Under, and the Desert) were maintained, given the circumstances surrounding their respective inhabitants. Perhaps this will be touched on in the sequel, Primavera. At any rate, Ecstasia is worth a read for anyone who's a fan of the author, especially since it's finally back in print making my several copies of the first edition worthless.
8) The Four Buddhist Books In Mahayana Buddhism - Upasika Chihmann
This book is comprised of translations of various Pure Land sutras which are not the Lotus Sutra, a fact in and of itself that makes the book worth reading. The translations are much more down-to-earth than other contemporary efforts and are very carefully footnoted, which will help to greatly increase the reader's comprehension. The author also includes a few personal anecdotes, as well as a supplementary section on the various sects of Chinese Buddhism. My main complaint is that the volume suffers from very spotty editing. Still, it's a good read for anyone interested in Buddhism, although it might be a little dry, if not difficult, for complete beginner.
That will be all.
1) Inanna - Diane Wolkstein
Inanna is a decent book but one that ultimately suffers from not knowing what it wants to be, wavering between history text and Z. Budapest-ish women's spirituality book. The bulk of the book is comprised of Wolkstein's "retelling" of her Sumerologist friend's translations of the ancient hymns and texts of the goddess Inanna. She states that she's rewritten these texts to be more listener- and reader-friendly; this apparently mainly consisted of removing the repetitive passages. Unfortunately, this also has the unintended consequence of removing the ambiance of the stories, which feel rather stripped due to this treatment so that I found myself wishing that the repetitious passages had been left intact. The second half of Inanna contains a brief history of Sumerian civilization and an academic history of the Inanna texts. It's well-written, but teasingly brief. The saving grace of the volume is its copious black and white photographs of Sumerian votive tablets, seal scripts, and texts. They've all been carefully selected to match scenes from the hymns and stories, and are provided with detailed explanations as to their provenance and what they are meant to depict. My end verdict is that while this book will not wholly satisfy someone looking for a retelling of Inanna's story or offer much new material to a hardcore historian, it's a good general introduction to both.
2) Nero - Richard Holland
Holland states in his introduction that he intends to offer a much-needed reassessment of the maligned emporer, and he delivers. The text is informative but still very engaging. Holland gives a good overview of the times; Nero's ascension to power, reign, and fall from grace; the personalities that surrounded the emporer, and his chroniclers; the rumors and stories that grew up in the wake of Nero's rule, and whether or not any of those stories likely reflect what actually happened. The author scores major points for lack of bias: he doesn't attempt to excuse or blame away Nero's actions, but neither does he bend over backwards trying to prove that Nero committed every nefarious deed attributed to him. My end verdict is that this book would be well worth the read for anyone interested in Nero or classical Rome.
3) Song Of The Gargoyle - Zylphia Keatley Snyder
This is the most charming book I've read in quite some time. I loved Snyder's The Egypt Game and Libby On Wednesdays as a kid and enjoyed this book as an adult. Set in an anonymous (though rather European) medieval world, it features endearing characters, tense escape and action scenes, and a very adult portrayal of politics and social commentary for anyone willing to look for such. I'm not going to say anything else about it, because I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might one day read it.
4) The 9to5 Guide To Combating Sexual Harassment - Ellen Cassidy & Ellen Bravo
This was the textbook to a one-credit-hour class I took through my university's labor department, which I took off the shelf because I always finish any book I've begun reading. The 9to5 Guide... was published in 1992 and revised in '99; the majority of its content reflects the earlier date and is somewhat dated as a result. The authors spend a good amount of time and energy arguing that sexual harassment is real and that it is a real problem--positions few would likely debate today. The book was written before the advent of email and text messaging, which automatically decreases its applicability today. Furthermore, the authors have a tendency to descend into rather touchy-feely psychology speak; I think most victims of sexual harassment these days would be more inclined to rack truly odious offenders than they would be to "form a support group" to "validate one another's feelings" and "begin the healing process." Still, the book is very useful for its legal explanations and lists of legal recourses for victims, which is probably why it's still in print.
5) The Magician's Nephew - C.S. Lewis
I'll say it again: C.S. Lewis just doesn't do much for me now that I'm an adult. His books are too bare-bones in comparison to Tolkien, or even more recent authors such as Nix or Pullman. I still enjoyed the imagery in this volume--the crawl space and forest between the worlds are quite atmospheric. But even as a child I wished Lewis had left Narnia alone, as it was more magical to me sans creation story, as if it had always been.
6) The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis
I felt rather cheated by this book as a child, as well. I'd read Tolkien first and had envisioned something much grander in scale for Lewis' last battle. Narnia's final demise was and is my favorite passage in the series; its imagery is beautifully realized. Unfortunately, my enjoyment is overshadowed these days by the moralizing and the ultimate paradox that Aslan-Christianity saves everyone except for those it doesn't. (Or perhaps doesn't deem worth saving, at least as Lewis sees it.) And I always thought Emeth deserved his own book; he was my favorite character in the series.
7) Ecstasia - Francesca Lia Block
I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I do Block's Weetzie Bat series, and was pleasantly surprised to find myself sucked in. It's much more lucid than her other stories, and I enjoyed the many references to, and plays on, Greek mythology. The "lyrics" that preceed each chapter suffer from the fate of most "lyrics" unaccompanied by melody--they seem rather amateur and overwrought, but there are surprising bits of true poetry every now and then nevertheless. I had come to care about all of the main characters by the Ecstasia's end, although I wish more (read: any) time had been devoted to explaining how the three worlds (Elysia, Under, and the Desert) were maintained, given the circumstances surrounding their respective inhabitants. Perhaps this will be touched on in the sequel, Primavera. At any rate, Ecstasia is worth a read for anyone who's a fan of the author, especially since it's finally back in print making my several copies of the first edition worthless.
8) The Four Buddhist Books In Mahayana Buddhism - Upasika Chihmann
This book is comprised of translations of various Pure Land sutras which are not the Lotus Sutra, a fact in and of itself that makes the book worth reading. The translations are much more down-to-earth than other contemporary efforts and are very carefully footnoted, which will help to greatly increase the reader's comprehension. The author also includes a few personal anecdotes, as well as a supplementary section on the various sects of Chinese Buddhism. My main complaint is that the volume suffers from very spotty editing. Still, it's a good read for anyone interested in Buddhism, although it might be a little dry, if not difficult, for complete beginner.
That will be all.