Admiral Richard Byrd: Alone In the Antarctic

Books praising historical figures generally make me skeptical, especially when it’s a situation like this where a whole team of people are put in a hazardous situation, and it just so happens that the team leader is THE one who was brave and wise and got everyone (who survived) through.

I’m even more skeptical since I’m reading this right after The Admirable Crichton, where upon coming back to England, the official reports are doctored to make it look like the noblemen were great and everyone else was inconsequential.

I have nothing against Admiral Byrd. I just felt the need to admit my bias. The book didn't really get interesting until the last 60 pages, where Paul Rink describes Byrd's spending 5 month in solitary and attempting to survive. The rest of the book is poorly written.

Rating - 1

The Admirable Crichton

The Admirable Crichton is a comedic play by J. M. Barrie, who you may remember from Peter Pan. Although I've never really considered Peter Pan to be a children's play, I must say that this one is even less so. That's not to say that there is anything inappropriate in it, but the themes would be quite difficult for a child to grasp.

The show begins in the home of a peer of the realm. After forcing experiments in "equality" with the servants, the master, his three daughters, a handful of servants and a couple guests take a yachting trip which ends in their being stranded on an island. On the island, Nature is in charge. After two years and no hope of rescue, class roles are cast aside and new hierarchies have arisen, placing the butler, Crichton as the new master and the former upper class family as servants. When a rescue ship finally comes and they return to England, they are all forced to cope with the changes that took place on the island and decide which persona to maintain when back in "civilization".

There are a lot of script notes that are worth reading and would be missed if the only exposure to the play were a production thereof. While posting this blog, I've discovered that a movie version was made in 1957 under the title Paradise Lagoon. Well...technically it's been filmed twice. The original version was in 1918 and was obviously silent.

I would watch this play if it were being performed, but I don't think I'd bother reading the script twice.

Rating - 3

Adland conclusion

Ok. The ending got pretty boring. Advertising is creative and fun most of the time, but the book fell short of my expectations. I made it through and it didn't hurt, but it's easily forgettable.

Rating - 2

----------------
Now playing: Original Broadway Cast - Popular
via FoxyTunes

Adland pt. 2

The fact that Othmer has been successful in both advertising and writing, makes this book more enjoyable to read. There are bits of this book that are quite hilarious. His story-telling skills are very good, but I'm still having a hard time catching his purpose behind this book. The anecdotes are clever, but it seems to lack cohesion. Pressing on...

----------------
Now playing: The Pogues - The Rocky Road To Dublin
via FoxyTunes

Adland pt. 1

I thought that this book was going to be about advertisement, which it is in a small sense. But at first glance, it’s just another cleverly disguised memoir. I don’t know who this guy is. Why do I care? I’m not sure if anyone in the advertising world would read it because, well they’re all busy trying to pitch ideas and the book doesn’t exactly offer a formula for success.

Like I said...at first glance. Now that I've read quite a bit of it, it's actually entertaining. I still don't really know who James Othmer's intended audience is, but that's ok. I'll give it my best read before dropping too much judgment.

Best quote so far: “Sometimes the brain does the conscience a favor and builds a wall around moments that can potentially destroy the soul.”

The Adirondack Cabin

I'm not sure if this book is trying to advertise the Adirondack mountains or serve as a guide to architects who want to build Adirondack cabins. It's mostly photos with a sprinkling of info on how the cabins are designed. It doesn't really serve as a photo book and I doubt people would consult it if they're designing homes. I feel nothing.

Rating - 2

Adlai Stevenson conclusion

All in all, this was a good book. Much longer than I would have liked, but it's hard to summarize someone's life, especially if you knew them well. No book about Adlai Stevenson would be complete without his most famous speech given at the UN during the Cuban Missile Crisis, calling out the Soviet Union to answer "yes" or "no" to whether they had sent missiles to Cuba.

If you're interested in US or world history, check it out.

Rating - 3

Adlai Stevenson pt.2

Just over halfway done with the book now. I've had no internet the last few days, so no posting for me.

So MUCH has happened in the book. I don't even know where to begin. I've read through his term as governor of Illinois, during which his wife divorced him. It was discovered later that she was suffering from mental illness. I'm curious how this compares to the mental illness his own mother went through.

I forgot to mention in my previous post that he accidentally shot and killed a girl when he was younger. Despite that fact, it didn't seem to come up during his presidential campaign in 1952. Stevenson was one of 3 people (including Lincoln) to have ever been drafted into running for president. He had refused the nomination to Truman and many others before the convention, but it happened anyway, so he put as much energy into those 100 days as possible. During most of the campaign, he had no problems with his opponent, Eisenhower, but loathed his running-mate Richard Nixon.

After losing the election, he went on to a world tour, beginning in Asia. When asked by a group of Japanese Marxist students, "Just what is democracy, anyway?" he responded,

Democracy, is honest disagreement. It is the right to hold the opinion you believe in, and to fight for it with self-respect and determination. The virtue of democracy is not cold order. It is the heat of men’s minds rubbing against each other, sending out sparks. It is liberty with responsibility. It is a struggle that never ends and is always worth the fight...The trouble with intellectuals is that they see so much they do not always see things very clearly and, as a result, the intellectual is apt to be wobbly.

LOVE IT!

And here's a bit of trivia for you. Adlai Stevenson is the original recipient of the term "egghead". It was used by a journalist during his presidential campaign, and went on to refer to all his supporters as well. To be honest, his head DID look a bit like an egg.

Adlai Stevenson

What a great day to stay inside and read! And what a book I have! 500+ pages of biography about none other than Adlai Stevenson, as written by his friend Porter McKeever. Biographical books are some of my least favorite because they tend to read like a chronological chart. Birth-schooling-marriage-children-career-more career-still more career-death. My motivation to read alphabetically, does help me stay on track, though and this is turning out to be an ok book.

So far, I've only made it through a hundred pages, but Adlai is well into his political career already. Having made it as a journalist and a lawyer, his attentions are now fully turned toward politics. He's served in the forming of the U.N., ran for governor of Illinois (although he really preferred to be a senator). Most importantly, he really seems to be the kind of guy even his enemies can trust to be fair.

And hopefully, I'll learn more U.S. history by osmosis!!

----------------
Now playing: The Tallis Scholars - Miss Papae Marcelli: Sanctus & Benediction
via FoxyTunes

Adios, Hemingway

I was hoping this would be a good one. A skeleton is found in the back garden of Hemingway's old home in Cuba, and the detective must find out if Ernest Hemingway was the killer. But....there was just too much smut for my tastes.

Rate - 0

Year In Review: 2010

Ok, time to sit back and see what sort of progress I made this year. This are in order of rating.

0
The Absorbent Mind by Maria Montessori
Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart
The Abyssinian Proof by Jenny White
Acacia: The War with the Mein by David Anthony Durham
Accidents In the Home by Tessa Hadley
Accordian Crimes by Annie Proulx
The Adderall Diaries by Stephen Elliott
Addition by Toni Jordan


1
Absolute Trust In the Goodness of the Earth by Alice Walker
Abu Ghraib by David Ebony
The Accidental Fundraiser by Stephanie Roth
Adam Fuss by Eugenia Parry


2
Absolutely Beautiful Containers by Sue Ametangelo
The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
Abstract Colour Techniques In Painting by Claire Harrigan
The Abundant Garden by Barbara J. Denk
Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Abyss by Troy Denning
The Abyssinian by Jean Christophe Rufin
AC Cobra: The Complete Story by Brian Laban
Acadia National Park by Hilary Nangle
Academy Award Winners Bruce Hershenson
Acapulco by Bruce Whipperman
Acceptance World by Anthony Powell
Access: Seattle
Access to Justice by Deborah L. Rhode
The Accessible Home by Nancy Baldrica
101 Accessible Vacations by Candy Harrington
The Art of Accessorizing by Christi Carter
An Accidental American by Alex Carr
The Accidental Bride by Janice Harayda
The Accidental Connoisseur Lawrence Osborne
The Accidental Housewife by Julie Edelman
The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman
The Accidental Vegan by Devra Gartenstein
Accidentally On Purpose by Mary F. Pols
Accompany Them With Singing by Thomas Long
Ad Infinitvm by Nicholas Ostler
Ada Byron Lovelace by Nicholas Ostler
Adam Sandler by Bill Crawford
Adam Spencer's Book of Numbers by Adam Spencer
Adam the King by Jeffrey Lewis
The Adaptable House by Avi Friedman
Addicted To War by Joel Andreas
Addictive Personality from Teen Mental Health
Adele by Emma Tennant
Adiamante L. Modesitt Jr.


3
Absolute Sandman by Neil Gaiman
Abram's Daughters by Beverly Lewis
Abuse and Neglect by Sarah Medina
AC/DC: Maximum Rock and Roll by Murray Engleheart
AC/DC: The Savage Tale of the First Standards War by Tom McNichol
The Accidental by Ali Smith
The Accidental Asian by Eric Liu
The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich
Accents: A Manual for Actors by Robert Blumenfeld
An Accidental Cowboy by Jameson Parker
An Accidental Family by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Accidental Guerrilla by Dr. David Kilcullen
Accompaniment Method for Guitar from Mel Bay
The Accusers by Lindsey Davis
Adam and Evil by Lindsey Davis
Adam Bede by George Eliot
Adam's Curse: A Future Without Men by Bryan Sykes
Adams vs. Jefferson by John Ferling
Adaptation: The Shooting Script by Charlie Kaufman
Ada's House Series by Cindy Woodsmall
The ADD and ADHD Diet by Rachel Bell and Howard Peiper
Adder's Fang by Takeshi Konomi
Addiction by G.H. Ephron
Adding Character with Architectural Details from Better Homes and Gardens


4
Absolute Rage by Robert K. Tanenbaum
Absolutely American: Four Years At West Point by David Lipsky
Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund
ABZ: A Primer for Adults Onlyby Shel Silverstein
The Accidental Empire by Gershom Gorenberg
The Accidental Gourmet by Sally Sondheim and Suzanna Sloan
The Accidental Masterpiece by Michael Kimmelman
The Accomplice by Elizabeth Ironside
Accomplice To Evil by Michael A. Ledeen
The Accountant's Story by Roberto Escobar
Ad Hoc At Home by Thomas Keller
Ad Nauseum by Carrie McLaren
Ada Blackjack by Jennifer Niven
Adaptations: From Short Story to Big Screen by Stephanie Harrison
The Addict by Michael Stein
Adelaide Piper by Beth Webb Hart


5
Absolutely Organized by Debbie Lillard
Abundantly Wild by Teresa Marrone
Academie du Vin Wine Course by Stephen Spurrier

Adios, Barbie

If you hate your body and you want someone to tell you you're better than everyone else, this is the book for you. Pardon me if this post seems a bit like sporadic word vomit. That's kind of how it inspired me.

So first of all, this is a book of essays written by different women about body image and identity. Mistake number 1. You see, body image and identity get discussed so much these days that it’s easy to compare them too closely and say, “My Jewish nose is my identity,” or “My weight is my identity.” I think India Arie puts it well in her song: I am not my hair. I am not this skin. I am a soul that lives within.

Susan Jane Gilman. I only hope she’s joking about half the Barbie’s she wants to see (I suspect she’s not). While trying to praise the “average” woman, she’s condescending against whites and Germans specifically. An all-out assault on men.

These authors are drawing strange conclusions about how they’re viewed and then trying desperately to hold onto those views. It’s books like these that attempt to make “body” synonymous with “sex”. This idea that “real women have curves.” Real women are lopsided, have stretchmarks, etc. This is the downfall of feminism. Attempting to fight oppression with oppression, hatred, etc. There’s no grace, beauty, poise, forgiveness; characteristics that don’t mark us at “feminine”, but rather mark us as human. If this book is about body image, why are there no essays by women who fit the “perfect” body type? Is it to be assumed that they never think about their bodies, or is it that they’re busy being bimbos and sluts and morons to be able to form coherent thoughts?

It’s a growing sentiment that we see in pop culture icons like George Lopez, who say that the world is becoming a more beautiful place because all the pasty white redheads are dying out. Am I gonna go around feeling all oppressed about it? No. Disrespected at the very least. Some people call it counter-racism. I just call it racism.

Much of the book seems crass; an attempt of the post-modern feminist world to out-shock the male dominant world with rude talk before they can oppress us with the same vile thoughts.

Is there an up-side to the book? I didn't find one.
Score = 1

Adios Amigos

Sometimes I wish I had the literary capability to share my experiences in an entertaining fashion. Page Stegner is one of those authors who can express himself well about a topic other than writing.
Adios Amigos will either inspire its reader to get out and explore the "Wild West" or satisfy those of us who never will with its vivid imagery. Stegner is not a romantic. He is sometimes afraid, sometimes cynical, sometimes in awe. He is always honest about his times on the rivers. I especially liked his chapter about guiding a group of Californian teens along a river expedition. A lot of comic exchanges.
This book is a moderately short read. If you have particular interest in nature and ecology, I recommend it.

3

----------------
Now playing: David Crowder - Deliver Me
via FoxyTunes

Adieux: A Farewell To Sartre conclusion

As Tyler would say, my care meter is running low. This final section of the book dealt with women, food, money, politics, and God.
Though Beauvoir was his closest female companion and occasional lover, there were no holds barred in his description of other women.
There were few foods Sartre even liked. He disliked all fruits and vegetables, crustaceans, and meat. The only meat he liked were eggs and sausages. Combined with his affinity for cigarettes and liquor, it's no surprise he was in such poor health toward the end.
As far as money is concerned, he never really understood it. He never budgeted for anything, carried his cash with him, and never counted it.
It's interesting that Beauvoir spends a great portion of the book discussing why Sartre was an atheist, when he changed his mind and believed in God before he died. Not surprising...just interesting.

----------------
Now playing: Burl Ives - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
via FoxyTunes

Adieux: A Farewell To Sartre Pt 3

In this section of Sartre’s conversations with Beauvoir, they talk about various forms of culture -- art, music, theatre, travel -- and how they have influenced Sartre’s view of the world. There are no chapters, per se, but rather breaks in the conversation.

He refused a Nobel prize because he didn’t want to be seen as equal to others such as Hemmingway, and he disagreed with the concept of a prize being seen as designation of greatness, as if to imply that he wasn’t as great the year before.

Beauvoir also spends a great deal asking Sartre about his male friendships and why, one by one, they were broken. Sartre always seemed to prefer the company of women, but did have some genuine male companions along the way, Camus perhaps being among the most well-known. Sartre himself states, “There has always been a strong reason behind my breaks, but in the end it was always I who made the decision to part.”