February 4, 2011
Unreads Jan 2011
Nothing new to say in some time, mostly because instead of finishing a book so I could comment on it, I’ve returned three to the library unfinished right in a row. On consideration, it’s possible that thoughts on unfinished reading, as long as their clearly labeled such, have their own merit. So, present the three newest additions to the abandoned pile:
- Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis, Christos H. Papadimitriou, Alecos Papadatos, and Annie Di Donna. There was quite a bit to like about this graphic novel biography of logician Bertrand Russell. Starting with the fact that someone, somewhere, bothered to assemble a graphic novel biography of Bertrand Russell at all. Both the art and writing were good, and the transitions between eras, and thus between the authorial narration and Russell’s own words in the past, were particularly well crafted. However, I didn’t have the energy lately to grapple with the concepts presented, and the math was so far beyond what I’d ever learned that I thought my brain would melt and dribble out my ears.
- How Fiction Works by James Wood: This was a neat little adventure in narrative prose. It gives the reader the skills to look closely at the seams in a work (so to speak) and evaluate what they see. I love exploring the craft of writing, and I do want to get back to this one some day, but I haven’t read enough on the works that Wood references, and I was too often lost. More reading of Serious Novels and I’ll try this one again.
- Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake: I will go back and finish this odd gem, but it is massive. I couldn’t finish it in the time I was able to have it out of the library. Partly because Steerpike planning to set a library on fire made me so heartsick I starting avoiding this one in favor of the other two for the last bit before the due date. I will soldier on later, as the books merits should outweigh this horror when I’m in a more forgiving frame of mind.
Well, that’s the news from here. I should actually finish a book sometime in the near future, and ponderings upon a complete work shall thus follow.
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