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Still not the long posts
Nov. 24th, 2010 09:11 pmWhich are in progress. Technically, the dog is recuperating from his operation (neutered yesterday) and is a delicate flower who needs to be coddled and fed a light diet, according to the info sheet from the vet; in reality, he is massively hungry and keeps charging down two flights of stairs to see if there are any unattended shoes that need chewing (I have gotten much better at concealing socks, so he's branching out).
Gordon Korman, Son of the Mob. Vince is a high school student whose father is a mob boss (I know, massive surprise after the title); his attempts to avoid getting sucked into the lifestyle himself are complicated by his own generous impulses (attempting to save a couple of low-lifes who owe his dad money) and the fact that the girl he is currently dating is the daughter of the FBI agent who runs the wire tap on his family’s house. I liked this about as much as I’d expect to like anything where organised crime figures are sympathetic (my “no mafia, no yakuza, no pirates rule”), mainly because I like Korman’s stuff, but although the plot is fair, it’s still a sanitised version of things – the body in the car boot is unconscious, not dead.
Seth Stevenson, Grounded. American couple travel around the world without using planes – trains, cargo ships, bike, etc. I liked bits of this, but an awful lot of it is logistics rather than actual experiences. In particular, it’s unclear to me why they have to go so fast – there’s a bit where they have, basically, two hours to do all of Sydney – when there isn’t a specific deadline (he’s a travel writer and sometime Slate journalist, she does law but has quit her job for the trip), or at least not one that’s apparent from the book. I also found it irritating that obviously at least part of the reason for doing the trip is to do this book, and yet this is never acknowledged. Having said that, I liked the train bits, the bike tour of Vietnam, and the occasional observation. I am, however, still startled at how few books he appears to have taken with him.
Nigel Smith, I think there’s something wrong with me. British comedian gets near fatal weird brain illness, spends considerable time in ICU and then undergoes a slow rehab process, with the aim of getting home before the birth of his child. Bitter and sharp and funny, possibly unfair at times (his mother does, however, come across as giving as good as she gets, visiting him faithfully everyday only to retell in excruciating detail the latest plot of her favourite soap opera), and a good sample of just how difficult it is to be sick. Nice tribute to the NHS, as well.
Gordon Korman, Son of the Mob. Vince is a high school student whose father is a mob boss (I know, massive surprise after the title); his attempts to avoid getting sucked into the lifestyle himself are complicated by his own generous impulses (attempting to save a couple of low-lifes who owe his dad money) and the fact that the girl he is currently dating is the daughter of the FBI agent who runs the wire tap on his family’s house. I liked this about as much as I’d expect to like anything where organised crime figures are sympathetic (my “no mafia, no yakuza, no pirates rule”), mainly because I like Korman’s stuff, but although the plot is fair, it’s still a sanitised version of things – the body in the car boot is unconscious, not dead.
Seth Stevenson, Grounded. American couple travel around the world without using planes – trains, cargo ships, bike, etc. I liked bits of this, but an awful lot of it is logistics rather than actual experiences. In particular, it’s unclear to me why they have to go so fast – there’s a bit where they have, basically, two hours to do all of Sydney – when there isn’t a specific deadline (he’s a travel writer and sometime Slate journalist, she does law but has quit her job for the trip), or at least not one that’s apparent from the book. I also found it irritating that obviously at least part of the reason for doing the trip is to do this book, and yet this is never acknowledged. Having said that, I liked the train bits, the bike tour of Vietnam, and the occasional observation. I am, however, still startled at how few books he appears to have taken with him.
Nigel Smith, I think there’s something wrong with me. British comedian gets near fatal weird brain illness, spends considerable time in ICU and then undergoes a slow rehab process, with the aim of getting home before the birth of his child. Bitter and sharp and funny, possibly unfair at times (his mother does, however, come across as giving as good as she gets, visiting him faithfully everyday only to retell in excruciating detail the latest plot of her favourite soap opera), and a good sample of just how difficult it is to be sick. Nice tribute to the NHS, as well.
