Breaking Down Cryptonomicon

Image via WikipediaGlad I have until January 6, 2012 to complete this 1152-page book Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson! The copy I have from Reading Area Community College is a paperback and the type is SMALL so this edition is definitely not for those with vision problems. I've been tempted to get out the 3.0 reading glasses I use while knitting intricate items. There are four hardcovers currently in the Berks County Public Libraries holdings, but no large print or audio copies.

Stephenson writes with wonderfully dry wit and I often laugh out loud by how delightfully he's written a particular turn of phrase. The book's chapters alternate between three characters in two eras: Marine Bobby Shaftoe who discovers his aptitude for codebreaking following the attack on Pearl Harbor (he previously played glockenspiel in the band since he wouldn't be able to play the pipe organ on deck); American Lawrence Waterhouse recruited into the WWII Ultra Mega security class in Britain, where everyone on the committee seems to be a personal friend of Winston Churchill; and Randy Waterhouse, co-founder of the contemporary communications firm Epiphyte currently working in Manila.

I've likened the style to a much-more-easy-to-follow Gravity's Rainbow, perhaps mostly because of the time period, a subdued Douglas Adams and Kraken author China Mieville.

I can't imagine that I'll grow to dislike this book, though perhaps I will develop tendinitis from holding and squinting at its thick format!

12/13/2011 Have just been led to this link about an upcoming movie about Alan Turing, who is a secondary character in the book: http://www.turingfilm.com/about/overview

Wishing for Wilderness

Image via WikipediaI was very sorry to finish Richard Proenneke's book One Man's Wilderness: an Alaskan Odyssey. His determination to live alone in the Twin Lakes region and fashion the majority of his furniture, housing and tools is inspirational. What time he had remaining after the physical effort required by self sufficiency he spent following the wildlife of the area, soaking up the geography of the region, and writing his observations. This book is sadly only a short 222 pages but can be followed up with books by Michael Pollan, Farley Mowat and Bernd Heinrich.

American Steampunk

Image via WikipediaThe Falling Machine by Andrew Mayer. Gears. Backpack rockets. Corsets. Impending romance. Unlike the majority of the steampunk books I've read, this book takes place in a steam-powered 1800 New York. NYC is protected by a talent endowed group of individuals a la The Incredibles, but without the Lycra and Spandex. Enjoyed it very much, and will be looking for the sequel.

Space, Mythology, and Metallic Monsters

Cover via AmazonThe Secrets of The Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
Book 4: The Necromancer
Somehow I missed the publication of Book 4 and jumped straight to Book 5: The Warlock. The gap was not as much as a problem as it could be for some series. I'm still in the midst of reading The Necromancer and admit I'm not enjoying it as much as the previous or following offerings. Not certain why, though it may just pale in comparison to some of the other books I've recently finished or am reading now. Production value for the copy I have from Reading Public Library is still excellent - hardcover, embossed and metallic cover. I'd like to see the sigils reproduced as bookmarks.

Back to the Moon by Travis S. Taylor and Les Johnson
I like this book since a) I'm a space buff, b) we need a shuttle substitute NOW even though the last Russian touchdown survived the Steppes, and c) for crying out loud, there's still SPACE out there NASA and the moon's right in front of us. So, how is the book? It's fine. I'm not glowing about it since I think that Greg Bear, Ben Bova, and Arthur C. Clarke and the like are hard to overshadow. The characters so far are interesting, the technical aspects aren't so hard wired that only a, ahem, rocket scientist, can understand, and I'm enjoying the sheer chutzpah of the antagonists. It all seems somewhat flat, however. Keep it in the scope though, for when I've finished. To this point, it's a go for young adults as well as adults.

The Immorality Engine by George Mann
This is another book in a series that is a fine stand-alone introduction to the author/characters. Imagine Anne Perry's characters Charlotte and Thomas Pitt trapped in steampunk Victorian England and you have the right atmosphere for the series. In this case Victoria and Sir Maurice are agents to the Queen/Scotland Yard and, in this particular volume, are investigating a secret society with plans to overthrow the government as well as a sinister medical institution with designs to harness visions of the future. Going back to read the previous novels should be fun. These books can definitely be part of a YA steampunk reading list. In fact, I missed the illustrations found in many other steampunk books! The cover art is excellent. Other similar books: Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series (YA approved) and a book for which I cannot remember title or author but I can say it's a steampunk romance set in Victorian London about war, time travel, impressarios and actors who take their characters offstage...ah ha! The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma (not YA approved).

No posts means I've been reading, and reading...

Image via WikipediaOver a year gone by!

Well! At this point I can say I can't remember a thing about my style sheet for this blog.

I quit the library while I try to improve the function of the multiple herniated disks in lumbar and cervical spine and undergoing a treatment plan for my TMJ. It was also just time to LEAVE, though I must say I really miss finding incredible programs to book. I'm still designing programs though, and am trying to figure out if a degree in Library Science or Interpretative Education is the way to go if I can afford a Masters degree. (The problem is being well enough to be able to present them!)

I've been reading and listening to tons of books. The list can be found at my LibraryThing account. I've also discovered GetGlue - you can find me under Lk Stimeling. Get Glue is nice in that I don't need to chase down an image of the book. I'm also a convert to Google Plus (G+) though I'm still on Facebook. I also discovered Pinterest.com where instead of fantastic web sites I've found, I can also highlight great images from the web to share.

Will be more blog diligent with book reviews soon!

Looong time ago...

Must say how much I'm enjoying Kim Harrison's young adult series that began with Once Dead, Twice Shy. Madison Avery is such a natural teenager for one in an undead predicament. She's better adjusted than Isabella Swan and she actually has goals to be more than immeasurably beautiful and live forever with her sweetheart. Let's face it, if you buy designer clothes, wear them once (even if you do donate them to Goodwill), have scads of money, an unlimited free time, shouldn't you be giving back to your community in some fashion?!

Off to natural history land - Waiting for Aphrodite by Sue Hubbell. Once I would rave passionately about Annie Dillard. Now I find most of her writing overblown, overwritten. Hubbell's book is is taking you out by the hand to visit her favorite tidepool and you gaze into it together and think "I have to learn more about this fascinating animal" and she shares her research sources at the end of each chapter so you, too, can read all the great secrets of the natural world. I also find the reader of the audiobook to make the book a springboard for your next nature hike, in real time or in dreams.

Proteus

Image via Wikipedia

I had a lovely blog post completely written...and then internet service went down before it was saved, sigh.

I've always stopped to look at the books with artwork by Ernst Haeckel in Dover Publications' catalog. I bought the book Art Forms in Nature and then eventually the copy with the CD. Dover has recently started publishing books of vector art and other clip art with great sources. A price check led me to purchase a book on microscopic botanicals an Amazon and while there I discovered a more complete book of paintings and a movie. A DVD I was sure would never be in the county holdings, but it was and it's an amazing film.

Twenty-two years ago, long before computer graphic software could have cut down on production time, David Lebrun began an investigation into Haeckel's art and life. The film cuts across so many disciplines: art, science, taxonomy, religion, evolution, creationism and literature that there's something for every naturalist, artist or scientist to appreciate. I give the film way above five stars!

Next to explore: some of Haeckel's own writings, the museum created in his house in Germany, Gustave Dore's etchings and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.