Monday, February 27, 2017
Callahan's Secret
by Spider Robinson
This is the third collection of tales from Callahan's Place--a bar which tends to attract the most unusual of patrons. It's an enjoyable bit of waiting room material. I think I enjoyed the classic 1970s liberal flavor as much as the plots--it made me feel nostalgic.
LibraryThing link
This is the third collection of tales from Callahan's Place--a bar which tends to attract the most unusual of patrons. It's an enjoyable bit of waiting room material. I think I enjoyed the classic 1970s liberal flavor as much as the plots--it made me feel nostalgic.
LibraryThing link
Labels: Callahan'sPlace, SpiderRobinson, WaitingRoomMaterial
Sunday, February 26, 2017
The Holiday Wars
by Pete Abrams
In Book 11 of Sluggy Freelance, Riff moves to Alaska, Torg returns to the Hoggelrynth School of Magic, Zoë dates a human cannonball, Gwynn makes a tofurkey for Thanksgiving and Bun-Bun wages the War on Christmas. Meanwhile, in the Dimension of Pain, an angel has infiltrated and is attempting to transform it into a place of good. Can Lord Horribus prevail in the battle between good and evil?
One more collection on my shelf. Nifty!
LibraryThing link
In Book 11 of Sluggy Freelance, Riff moves to Alaska, Torg returns to the Hoggelrynth School of Magic, Zoë dates a human cannonball, Gwynn makes a tofurkey for Thanksgiving and Bun-Bun wages the War on Christmas. Meanwhile, in the Dimension of Pain, an angel has infiltrated and is attempting to transform it into a place of good. Can Lord Horribus prevail in the battle between good and evil?
One more collection on my shelf. Nifty!
LibraryThing link
Labels: OnMyShelf, PeteAbrams, SluggyFreelance
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Yiddish Folk Tales
edited by Beatrice Silverman Weinrieich
This one's an entertaining collection of folk tales from the Jewish folks of Eastern Europe. They're pretty short and straightforward, mostly collected in the early decades of the 20th Century. I can only imagine that they were much more entertaining when told by a storyteller. Still, it's a nice collection to keep handy for a brief entertaining read.
Go ahead and check it out.
LibraryThing link
This one's an entertaining collection of folk tales from the Jewish folks of Eastern Europe. They're pretty short and straightforward, mostly collected in the early decades of the 20th Century. I can only imagine that they were much more entertaining when told by a storyteller. Still, it's a nice collection to keep handy for a brief entertaining read.
Go ahead and check it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut
Tuesday, February 07, 2017
Understanding Jim Crow
by David Pilgrim
I wasn't willing to take this book to work to read over lunch, but I would recommend it to just about anyone. Dr. David Pilgrim was a collector of memorabilia--racist memorabilia. He spent about three decades collecting cultural artifacts of the Jim Crow era, and then in 1996, he donated the collection to Ferris State University to create the Jim Crow Museum. This book explains what the museum is and what it tries to teach. It's profusely illustrated with photographs of museum artifacts, including the racist caricature on the front cover that prompted me to leave the book at home. It's a disgusting read, in one sense. The crap that was part of our grandparents' and multi-great grandparents' lives is shameful. But it's important to face it. It's important to understand our history in America, to realize, as Dr. Pilgrim puts it, that "Jim Crow was more than a series of 'Whites Only' signs. It was a way of life that approximated a racial caste system." It's especially important as the tropes and stereotypes of Jim Crow linger on in our culture today.'
Check it out!
LibraryThing link
I wasn't willing to take this book to work to read over lunch, but I would recommend it to just about anyone. Dr. David Pilgrim was a collector of memorabilia--racist memorabilia. He spent about three decades collecting cultural artifacts of the Jim Crow era, and then in 1996, he donated the collection to Ferris State University to create the Jim Crow Museum. This book explains what the museum is and what it tries to teach. It's profusely illustrated with photographs of museum artifacts, including the racist caricature on the front cover that prompted me to leave the book at home. It's a disgusting read, in one sense. The crap that was part of our grandparents' and multi-great grandparents' lives is shameful. But it's important to face it. It's important to understand our history in America, to realize, as Dr. Pilgrim puts it, that "Jim Crow was more than a series of 'Whites Only' signs. It was a way of life that approximated a racial caste system." It's especially important as the tropes and stereotypes of Jim Crow linger on in our culture today.'
Check it out!
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut, UnshelvedBookClub
Saturday, February 04, 2017
Flying Colours
by C. S. Forester
(Okay, I almost lasted a week before running to the store to buy this one.) This book follows up on the heels of Ship of the Line. As far as naval adventures go, it's an odd one. Captain Hornblower doesn't sail on the sea until page 175. Instead he gets a taste of imprisonment--the fallout from the disaster he faced at the end of the last volume--and faces his own mortality. Rather than worrying for himself, however, he thinks of his loved ones, his crew and his reputation. Of course, when danger and opportunity arises, Hornblower plunges in and comes through with... (nah, too easy) Like the rest of the series, it was a very enjoyable read. I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending of this, the original Hornblower trilogy, however. It tied up the loose ends a little too nicely. Still, it's a small flaw in a remarkable series.
Another one on my shelf.
LibraryThing link
(Okay, I almost lasted a week before running to the store to buy this one.) This book follows up on the heels of Ship of the Line. As far as naval adventures go, it's an odd one. Captain Hornblower doesn't sail on the sea until page 175. Instead he gets a taste of imprisonment--the fallout from the disaster he faced at the end of the last volume--and faces his own mortality. Rather than worrying for himself, however, he thinks of his loved ones, his crew and his reputation. Of course, when danger and opportunity arises, Hornblower plunges in and comes through with... (nah, too easy) Like the rest of the series, it was a very enjoyable read. I wasn't entirely satisfied with the ending of this, the original Hornblower trilogy, however. It tied up the loose ends a little too nicely. Still, it's a small flaw in a remarkable series.
Another one on my shelf.
LibraryThing link
Labels: CSForester, HornblowerSaga, OnMyShelf
Wednesday, February 01, 2017
Dalit Freedom
by Joseph D'Souza
This books a bit of propaganda I got for free at some church or missions gathering. Dr. D'Souza tells of the plight of the Dalit, or "untouchables", in India and ties to rally support for their rights and the elimination of caste in Indian culture. (Both in India and among the diaspora.) He sold me. But then as an American, I was raised to believe we're all created equal. Anyway, it's a depressing read, with accounts of the injustices suffered by the Dalit people, and a smidgeon of hope for their efforts to claim their rights and dignity. Check it out.
LibraryThing link
This books a bit of propaganda I got for free at some church or missions gathering. Dr. D'Souza tells of the plight of the Dalit, or "untouchables", in India and ties to rally support for their rights and the elimination of caste in Indian culture. (Both in India and among the diaspora.) He sold me. But then as an American, I was raised to believe we're all created equal. Anyway, it's a depressing read, with accounts of the injustices suffered by the Dalit people, and a smidgeon of hope for their efforts to claim their rights and dignity. Check it out.
LibraryThing link
Labels: CheckItOut
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