Blog Post
A Fool for Shakespeare
by DavidQ
I have been a fan of Christopher Moore for a while now. He writes stories that contain the perfect balance of entertaining and thoughtful. His wonderfully demented story about death, A Dirty Job, is a book that I consistently recommend to people.
Now, he has taken on another of my favorite writers: William Shakespeare. In Fool, Moore retells King Lear from the perspective of the jester who stays by side of the banished King Lear. I expected to find Moore's regular satirical voice in action here, but I was surprised in a couple of other ways. First, I did not expect the book to be an overall needling of Shakespeare with references to plays other than Lear. Moore says that there are quotes from 12 of the Bard's plays. I caught a few, but I don't think I got them all.
Secondly, Moore says that he wanted the book to be an homage to British comedy and wit, and indeed, the book made me laugh in a way that only Monty Python or Saunders and French can. The scene of Pocket's trial is particularly wicked.
This is definitely good Summer reading.
Blog Post
Nebula Award Winner
by lucroe
The Nebula Award is an annual award given by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America for the best U.S. book of those genres. The winner for best scifi/fantasy novel this year is Powers by Ursula K. Le Guin. It is the 3rd in the Annals of the Western Shore series. If you have never read Le Guin, this and her Earthsea series may be a good starting point. Located in the Teen collection, these series are some of the best written & exciting fantasy adventure books. Adults will want to read them too! Le Guin is an extremely prolific writer. She writes for adults, teens, and children as well as writing non-fiction, poetry, & short stories. Other book awards she has received include a Hugo and Nebula for the Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed: an ambiguous Utopia; & the Locus SF Award for the Telling. She is also one of the finalists for the 2009 Locus SF Award for Lavinia.
Blog Post
Crossroads: Literature and Music
by Caser
In the late 19th century, the marriage of philosophical literature and modern music was epitomized by composer Richard Strauss. Consider Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra, a symphonic work based on Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical novel, Thus Spake Zarathustra, which was published a mere 10 years earlier. Nietzche's novel captures several central tenets of his philosophy, namely, the superman, the will to power, and the idea of eternal recurrence. Take the force of these ideas and allow the compositional genius of Strauss to capture them in music, and you usher in 20th century music. Director Stanley Kubrick was impressed enough with the piece to use the opening measures during key scenes of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Also check out Strauss' brilliant 1905 opera, Salome, based on Oscar Wilde's play of the same name, published approximately 10 years prior to the musical piece. The final scene of Salome continues to shock audiences and exalt sopranos in performances to this day.
Blog Post
Self-Portrait with Turtles: a Memoir by David M. Carroll
by Van
David Carroll likes to spend long stretches of time in ponds, wetlands, and forests. Turtles are his favorite but he is attentive to the other creatures and plants. He refers to his early nature learning as aboriginal, learning from submerging himself in the ponds he discovers and taking the time for patient observation. Though Carroll can, on occasion, be a little too taken with himself, his memoir is lyrical and lovely. His turtle explorations are mostly in the Northeast. School, home life, art instruction, wife, children, and teaching filter into the story but most is on the turtles and their surroundings.
I took a bike ride and walk from Gallup Park to Bandemer Park on the Border to Border Trail while I was reading this book. I felt more attentive because of the book. On a walk through Furstenberg Park, I saw two turtles swimming in the marsh, seven herons hunting fish, and two deer. Along the Huron River by Bandemer Park I saw two muskrats, a snake, and nineteen turtles sunning on logs.
David M. Carroll’s Swampwalker’s Journal was awarded the John Burroughs Medal, given annually to the author of a distinguished book of natural history.
Some recent winners are:
The Fragile Edge: Diving and Other Adventures in the South Pacific by Julia Whitty
Eating Stone: Imagination and the Loss of the Wild by Ellen Meloy
The Singing Life of Birds: the Art and Science of Listening to Birdsong by Donald E. Kroodsma
Gathering Moss: a Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Liquid Land: a Journey Through the Florida Everglades by Ted Levin
Eye of the Albatross: Visions of Hope and Survival by Carl Safina
Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds by Bernd Henrich
A complete list is available on the John Burroughs Association website.
Blog Post
Cormac McCarthy's Meditation on Evil: Blood Meridian
by Caser
The bloodline of malice that runs from Grendel's Mother to Iago to Moby Dick reaches its apocalyptic incarnation in Judge Holden of Cormac McCarthy's 1985 novel, Blood Meridian. Set on the Mexico-U.S. border in the late 1800s, the Judge, the Kid, and the rest of Glanton's historically-based gang are hired scalp hunters tracking down Apaches and Comanches for anyone willing to foot the bill.
Saying this story isn't for the faint of heart is a devastating understatement; the incessant and brutal violence begins on page four and only increases in severity until the epilogue, where a mysterious figure rises from the desert floor, presumably to take on -- if not replace -- the ageless Judge. This is McCarthy's unparalleled master work of fiction, dense in symbolism and as mercurial in style as a Schoenberg twelve-tone piece. Both difficult and complex, Blood Meridian is probably not the best introduction to McCarthy's work, but for those who found Anton Chigurh compelling in No Country for Old Men, introduce yourself to the Judge.
Blog Post
Fifty Years of Books and Authors
by annevm
Since about 1958, a lively local book group -- under the umbrella of the U-M Faculty Women's Club -- has been reading favorite books and meeting to discuss them. Several years ago members hosted Peter Ho Davies, and last night, Michael Byers, author of Long for this World, who even received a copy of the group's 1958-2009 reading list to take home with him. For an idea of this group's tastes, visit LibraryThing.
Blog Post
Bookishness: The New Fate of Reading in the Digital Age
by Stewart
Don't miss the University of Michigan symposium on Friday, May 15th: "Bookishness: The New Fate of Reading in the Digital Age", an event co-sponsored by the Michigan Quarterly Review and Rackham Graduate School.
Speakers:
Paul Courant / Alan Liu / Phil Pochada / Jessica Pressman / Leah Price / Sam Tanenhaus
This event is free and open to the public.
Location: 3222 Angell Hall
9:30 - 10:00: Coffee and Refreshments
10:00 - 12:00: Panel on New Reading Practices and Literacies in a Digital Age
2:00 - 4:00: Forum on New Institutions for the Digital Age
May 15th is also the first day of the Ann Arbor Book Festival.
Blog Post
"Dr. Watson, a fine collection!"
by Maxine
Are you a lover of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? Most know him as the author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries but he also wrote on the Boer War, true crime stories and historical fiction. On Monday, April 27, the University of Michigan libraries will open an exhibit from a special collection of works by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: “Clues Beyond Sherlock Holmes: The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection at Michigan.” UM will hold an opening reception on May 17 during the the Ann Arbor Book Festival. The collection, currently housed on the 7th floor of the Hatcher Library, is a donation from Dr. Phillip Parker of West Bloomfield, Michigan. The collection includes examples of all his work as well as some photographs and pewter statues.
Blog Post
First Woman to Row Alone Across an Ocean
by annevm
Tori Murden McClure has an AB from Smith College, a master’s in divinity from Harvard, a JD from the University of Louisville, and an MFA from Spalding University. Very impressive -- as is her new book, A Pearl in the Storm: How I Found My Heart in the Middle of the Ocean. Currently vice president at Spalding, McClure is the first woman to row alone across an ocean. This beautifully written memoir offers readers a spectacular blend of adventure, romance, and self discovery.
Blog Post
Jon Kabat-Zinn and the Science of Mindfulness
by DavidQ
On Sunday mornings, my clock radio awakens me to the NPR show Speaking of Faith: a weekly exploration of some aspect of human spirituality. I usually lay in bed for a bit and listen to whatever topic or interview Krista Tippett has scheduled for the week.
This morning, I was pleasantly surprised by her discussion with Jon Kabat-Zinn, a scientist and author who explores concepts of mindfulness and related practices. They spent some time talking about his book Coming to Our Senses. I was struck by his advice for how to live in the moment, unhindered by emotions and thoughts that distract us from being present.
We have a few of Kabat-Zinn's books including Wherever You Go, There You Are, Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting, and Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness.