As you may know, I enjoy a wide variety of reading material. Though I generally buy fiction, when I branch into non-fiction I tend towards the academic world. That mainly means sociology, since that’s my personal area of study, but I occasionally sample related fields, as well.
When you combine “related fields” with “collectible”, you get something like the two old books I picked up at my favourite used-book store:
The Positive School of Criminology, by Enrico Ferri, was published in 1906, and the version I have was printed in 1913. It’s based on some lectures the author gave at an Italian university in 1901. Criminology is an offshoot of sociology which deals with crime and law, and I’m really excited to see how an early criminologist thought.
The Collapse of Capitalism, by Herman Cahn, was printed in 1918 and deals with capitalism and American socialism, from what I can tell so far. Old-timey social theory is always interesting. It’ll be fun to see how many of the author’s references to Marx and Engels I recognize; I’ve read a decent amount of Marx in my own studies.
Along with these two academic/theory collectibles, I grabbed a couple of spy action novels (a Clancy book I didn’t have yet, along with The Janson Directive by Robert Ludlum), so we’ll see if and when I get to those.
Which of these two old books should I read first?
Loading ...I personally read a wide variety of books, but I’m curious what other people read. I have a few hunches about which categories in this poll are going to get the most answers, based on the demographics of who follows me on Twitter and, therefore, is likely to see this poll in the first place, but I figured it might be a fun exercise anyways.
Loading ...I watched Inception last night, and I really liked it. It has a lot in common with The Matrix in it’s underlying concepts and some of its themes, but it’s more subtle and worries less about establishing its internal logic in direct ways. Basically it doesn’t want to be sci-fi in the way that The Matrix is.
The last shot is really good, and it does something I really love thematically, which is open up interpretation to the viewers and let them decide something important for themselves.
As I think about the movie more, a few things start to come up that don’t entirely make sense, or that seem a bit contrived. The movie isn’t perfect, but it’s still very good.
I can’t say too much more without spoiling things, and this is a movie that doesn’t deserve to be spoiled, so I’ll just leave it at that.
I highly recommend seeing it!
Holland lost.
I don’t really want to talk about it. : (
It’s been really hot in Victoria for the last several days. The high today was around 30 degrees Celsius (which is in the high 80s Fahrenheit, for you silly Imperial holdovers).
It’s nice to have warm weather so I can break out my shorts and get a tan and whatnot, but to be honest, I prefer temperatures in the high teens or low twenties. Give me overcast with a light wind, jeans-and-t-shirt weather.
What I should really do is take advantage of the heat and go swimming somewhere or something. Who’s interested?
P.S. I saw a Tom Clancy novel I didn’t have yet at a thrift store today for twenty-five cents, so that pretty much made my day.
I was at the mall running some errands today and entered a bookstore, with predictable, yet bittersweet, results:
That’s two Discworld novels (I’m still missing a few from my set) and one of the Enderverse novellas from Orson Scott Card.
Terry Pratchett and OSC are two of the few authors whose works I actually collect and whose books I tend to buy new instead of used. I’ve been collecting Tom Clancy lately, but buying used on that front. Used books are the way to go, in general, I find, but there’s something about having a long row of shiny, colour-coordinated covers spanning a shelf that makes my heart warm.
Plus there’s that new-book smell.
I showed you a picture of Linus the duckling, who lives with my parents (and most of my siblings) in Nanaimo, the last of his (or her, actually; I don’t know if that’s been determined yet) gaggle.
What I didn’t share was the little bit of video I took of Linus when I was there. So here it is!
Aaaaaaww…
I finished reading Of Mice and Men last night, and I have to say, the ending was not what I expected. The only other Steinbeck book I’ve read is Grapes of Wrath, and I was anticipating a similar ending. I won’t go into too many details on that front, for the sake of avoiding spoilers, but I will say that Grapes of Wrath ends in a much more… ecclesiastical way, so to speak, while Of Mice and Men is somewhat more definitive.
In general, I think I’ve come to the opinion that Steinbeck writes pretty much the best endings of any author I’ve read. Both of the books I’ve mentioned end with an incredible mix of emotion and contemplation: I was led to feel many different things, and I had to sit and think about what I had read so that I could assimilate the whole scenario and really come to grips with it.
This is, to me, the definition of meaningful fiction. The role of art is not to send a message to the reader or the viewer. The point is not to make a thematic statement. Rather, the point is to ask a thematic question, and lead the reader or viewer to answer the question for themselves. In a sense, good art says more about the viewer than it does about the artist.
The central question in Of Mice and Men, the way I read it, has to do with the role of intent in moral actions. Essentially, Steinbeck seems to be asking, What is wrong? Why is it wrong? Steinbeck had his own opinions, I’m sure, and you may have your own answers to those questions. You should. It doesn’t ultimately matter what Steinbeck thought: the point is to think about the question.
But an even more beautiful thing about this piece of art is that when you read it (and you absolutely should), you may very well ask yourself different questions, questions about delayed gratification, simple pleasures, the purpose of life, the meaning of friendship… And just as no answer to any one of these questions is a “wrong” interpretation of the book, neither is the asking of any of these questions a wrong interpretation of the author’s intent.
The last work of art to lead me to this line of honking was Pan’s Labyrinth, which is possibly my favorite movie of all time. Where Of Mice and Men is largely related to criminality and morality, Pan’s Labyrinth deals with religion and spirituality. I highly recommend that you read/watch both. I’d love to talk about them with you!
What do you consider to be some notable works of art? What questions do they lead you to ponder?
Happy Canada Day!
Here are some pictures and a short video from the fireworks in the Victoria harbour. I promised, didn’t I?
So far today, on the first day of free agency, the Vancouver Canucks have signed Dan Hamhuis, Manny Malhotra, Jeff Tambellini, and Joel Perrault.
Hamhuis is the big one. He gets 6 years at $4.5 million per year. He’ll be replacing Willie Mitchell, basically. The hope is for him to play a top-two role. He’s more defensive than offensive, but he has some offensive ability and he can skate and move the puck.
With Hamhuis, the Canucks’ current defensive line-up is Hamhuis, Ballard, Edler, Ehrhoff, Salo, Bieksa, Rome, O’Brien (pending a new contract), and then various prospects. That’s 8 proven NHL-ready defensemen, 6 of whom are earning $3 million or more. It’s likely one guy will be traded – the most likely is Bieksa – to save some cap space and make room for signing Mason Raymond, Tanner Glass, and Shane O’Brien. Look for Mike Gillis to pursue another third-line checking forward and a second- or third-round draft pick with that trade.
Manny Malhotra will likely be our new third-line center. He’s great at faceoffs and responsible defensively, which is exactly what’s needed for this team. That means Cody Hodgson, if he makes the team, will probably be playing the wing.
Tambellini and Perrault are depth signings to encourage competition for third- and fourth-line spots. The more players there are fighting for those spots, the better they’ll all have to play to stay there. Also, this gives the Canucks more insurance in case of injury.
Overall, I’m thrilled with the moves the Canucks have made. With a bit more cap management and continued development from our young players, we’re going to have a real shot at winning it all over the next few years, and our long-term future looks pretty bright, too.
I forgot to take a picture or video, but last night there was a fireworks show at the end of the Victoria Seals baseball game, so a few friends and I went there at the end of the game so we could get in without a ticket. The fireworks were simple, but there were a lot of them. It was a pretty good show, overall.
As a bonus, it was a promo night for Subway, and they were handing out coupons for free subs on the way out. I managed to score two coupons, so hooray for free food!
I’ll get some pictures of the big-time fireworks tonight, hopefully. If it stops raining.
Yesterday I went with a couple of friends to watch part of a cricket match. It was a rec league, and my friend knew some of the players, so I had the chance to learn the rules from a couple of people who actually knew what they were talking about.
I’m proud to say that I think I finally understand how cricket works. Mostly. It has to do with wearing white clothing and yelling “Howzat!?” every now and then. And hugging, apparently. Sometimes people run back and forth.
A curious people, the English.
It’s almost July 1!
Now, Canada Day is cool and all, but I have to confess that I get more excited about NHL free agency. Player movement is always interesting, especially for someone like me: I’m a fan of just about every team in the NHL, and I love to see teams get better and try out new roster situations. In general, I think the offseason is a really optimistic time, and I love being optimistic about sports.
Keith Ballard, the newest Vancouver Canuck.
I’m primarily a Canucks fan, and my team has a lot to look forward to, with an offensive core in their prime and a handful of young forwards ready to prove themselves. The Sedins get better every single year; Kesler and Burrows are really coming into their own as Top 6 guys; Mason Raymond had a breakout year and, I think, has the ability to be even better; Mikael Samuelsson showed what he can do in an offensive system last year. Cody Hodgson should make the team this year, and Jordan Schroeder has an opportunity as well, though if we go for a more checking-oriented third line there may be less room for young playmakers.
We also have, essentially, five Top 4 defensemen going into next season. The addition of Keith Ballard, along with Sami Salo, Alex Edler, Christian Ehrhoff, and Kevin Bieksa, makes a really strong, deep blue line crew, backed up by Aaron Rome and Shane O’Brien. I still think we need a high-level shutdown guy to play with Edler or Ballard against the opposing top line, but we have lots of cap space for that if we can attract Volchenkov or maybe Hamhuis. It may be necessary to move out Bieksa to really get a Number 1 d-man, but even with the players we have now, I think we’re in solid shape.
In general free agency, Kovalchuk is the biggest question, I think. I hope he doesn’t go to the KHL: the Russian league is overpaying its players and suffering for it, and I don’t think adding a Kovalchuk-level salary to one of their teams would help that situation. I’ve heard that LA is a possibility for Kovalchuk, which I’d be really interested in. The Kings have a pretty good young core that should continue to get better; Kopitar and Kovalchuk would make a lethal combo, and Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson should continue to improve. (The question, of course, is whether they’ll improve enough to make up for the Kings’ weak goaltending… But maybe the Kings will sign Nabokov or Turco!)
Tampa Bay is another team that I think has a lot to look forward to. They keep loading up on good young players, and with Yzerman in charge, maybe they’ll start supporting those players properly and build a positive atmosphere and culture around their team again. Whether they decide to ship out Lecavalier’s massive salary or not, Stamkos, Downie, and Hedman give them an attractive future.
I can’t wait to see what Brian Burke does to get himself more media attention this summer. He’s going to end up with a first-line center, one way or another, I think, but the Maple Leafs will miss the playoffs next season and make them in 2012.
Edmonton is going to suck for two more years, but Steve Tambellini is a good GM. They’ll be a better franchise three years from now.
All in all, I’m really looking forward to July 1 and the week or so afterwards, and beyond that, October can’t come soon enough!
My dad’s ducks had babies.
The mother rejected one, so it became a house duck. And now it’s named Linus and it’s on my shoulder! Aw… Cute.
I’m giving blood. Like right now. Seriously. As this gets posted, blood is running out of my arm and into a bag.
And I’m not even crying.
This is my second time. I should do it more, but a combination of laziness and irrationality generally conspire to keep my hemoglobin safe at home. I’m only here this time because my sister is starting a new running clinic to train for a half-marathon or some other form of craziness, and she asked me if I wanted to take her time slot.
But I’m glad I’m here.
Have you ever given blood? Do you do it often?
P.S. Lookit my arm!
