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What I Just Finished Reading
Resistance – Tori Amos
I did not go into this book with high expectations.
It blew me away. In Resistance, Amos eschews the flighty “Delirium of the Endless” persona she adopted—or had foisted on her—in 90s interviews and media. (Reproductions of two early newspaper interviews that Amos includes in the volume are particularly enlightening in this regard.) The book is organized into chapters with lyrics to one of Amos’ songs and a discussion of the situations that inspired it or related current events. There’s a little bit of page count padding going on here, but in general, it’s an effective device that adds depth to both Amos’ lyrics and discussions of the chapter’s topic. The chapters on structural misogyny, authenticity in the music industry, and the artistic process are standouts; the latter obliterates the “true art is created through magical inspiration, not consistent practice” canard. And the final chapters, which form an extended meditation on grief, made me cry. I am very, very glad I chose to read this.
1789 – Marc Aronson, Susan Campbell Bartoletti et al.
This slim volume collects 11 short chapters on various historical events involving "rebellion, revolution, and change"—many of them in North America or France—that occurred around 1789. At 10 to 15 pages long, each chapter is more of a general overview than in-depth examination of its subject, although this is somewhat ameliorated by an end chapter with additional background on each topic. As with most such collections, the quality of individual chapters in 1789 varies: “The Choice” is a cringe-inducing apologia for Thomas Jefferson that adds little to the few, longer works it summarizes. On the opposite end of the spectrum, “Who Counted In America” is a phenomenal distillation of a complex subject—who are the “people” in “We the people”—especially for its small word count. A chapter on the Christianization of slave populations in the Caribbean is almost as good. Other chapters on Marie Antoinette’s portraitist and a Scottish geologist who questioned Biblical accounts of the earth’s age are simply enjoyable introductions to their subjects; remaining chapters are less memorable. Overall, 1789 is a pleasant read on its various topics.
The Grey King – Susan Cooper
Cooper’s authorial weaknesses are in full display: a dearth of female characters, a plot device whereby the protagonist acts like a wise old sage or the 12-year-old boy he is as the narrative demands, the fetch quest nature of the plot, which is a bit stale by this, the fourth volume in the series.
But so are her strengths: stunning scenic descriptions, lovely set pieces—such as the protagonist’s meeting with another boy his age that sees them go from warily feeling each other out to tearing through the countryside together, a grand ear for dialogue (and the wisdom to not transliterate accents ala J.K. Rowling), and a perfect evocation of the mood and mystery of earlier tales in the Arthurian tradition. The Grey King isn’t a perfect read, but it is fun to periodically return to.
The Drowned Country – Emily Tesh
In The Drowned Country, Tesh has penned a sequel that features all of the elements that made its predecessor so lovely: evocative, atmospheric settings, sly humor, and nuanced, memorable characters, all contained within a delightful supernatural yarn. The story picks up some time after the events of Silver In The Wood and ( cut for spoilers ) the new characters and their quest are so rollickingly good.
What I Am Currently Reading
The High King – Lloyd Alexander
It’s time for my August reread of this one.
Celtic Key Patterns – Iain Bain
My journals inform me that I last read this one in 1997.
The Midnight Queen – Sylvia Izzo Hunter
Still entertaining, although the frequent POV switches make it hard for me to dig in for a long, uninterrupted read.
Maze Patterns– Aidan Meehan
I don’t care what Meehan says; they’re key patterns.
Celtic Knotwork – Andy Sloss
There's a theme developing this week...
Rat Queens vol. 3 – Wiebe et al.
As fun so far as the preceding volumes.
What I'm Reading Next
This week I picked up a copy of Aidan Meehan’s Maze Patterns and Andy Sloss’s Celtic Knotwork.
これで以上です。
Resistance – Tori Amos
I did not go into this book with high expectations.
It blew me away. In Resistance, Amos eschews the flighty “Delirium of the Endless” persona she adopted—or had foisted on her—in 90s interviews and media. (Reproductions of two early newspaper interviews that Amos includes in the volume are particularly enlightening in this regard.) The book is organized into chapters with lyrics to one of Amos’ songs and a discussion of the situations that inspired it or related current events. There’s a little bit of page count padding going on here, but in general, it’s an effective device that adds depth to both Amos’ lyrics and discussions of the chapter’s topic. The chapters on structural misogyny, authenticity in the music industry, and the artistic process are standouts; the latter obliterates the “true art is created through magical inspiration, not consistent practice” canard. And the final chapters, which form an extended meditation on grief, made me cry. I am very, very glad I chose to read this.
1789 – Marc Aronson, Susan Campbell Bartoletti et al.
This slim volume collects 11 short chapters on various historical events involving "rebellion, revolution, and change"—many of them in North America or France—that occurred around 1789. At 10 to 15 pages long, each chapter is more of a general overview than in-depth examination of its subject, although this is somewhat ameliorated by an end chapter with additional background on each topic. As with most such collections, the quality of individual chapters in 1789 varies: “The Choice” is a cringe-inducing apologia for Thomas Jefferson that adds little to the few, longer works it summarizes. On the opposite end of the spectrum, “Who Counted In America” is a phenomenal distillation of a complex subject—who are the “people” in “We the people”—especially for its small word count. A chapter on the Christianization of slave populations in the Caribbean is almost as good. Other chapters on Marie Antoinette’s portraitist and a Scottish geologist who questioned Biblical accounts of the earth’s age are simply enjoyable introductions to their subjects; remaining chapters are less memorable. Overall, 1789 is a pleasant read on its various topics.
The Grey King – Susan Cooper
Cooper’s authorial weaknesses are in full display: a dearth of female characters, a plot device whereby the protagonist acts like a wise old sage or the 12-year-old boy he is as the narrative demands, the fetch quest nature of the plot, which is a bit stale by this, the fourth volume in the series.
But so are her strengths: stunning scenic descriptions, lovely set pieces—such as the protagonist’s meeting with another boy his age that sees them go from warily feeling each other out to tearing through the countryside together, a grand ear for dialogue (and the wisdom to not transliterate accents ala J.K. Rowling), and a perfect evocation of the mood and mystery of earlier tales in the Arthurian tradition. The Grey King isn’t a perfect read, but it is fun to periodically return to.
The Drowned Country – Emily Tesh
In The Drowned Country, Tesh has penned a sequel that features all of the elements that made its predecessor so lovely: evocative, atmospheric settings, sly humor, and nuanced, memorable characters, all contained within a delightful supernatural yarn. The story picks up some time after the events of Silver In The Wood and ( cut for spoilers ) the new characters and their quest are so rollickingly good.
What I Am Currently Reading
The High King – Lloyd Alexander
It’s time for my August reread of this one.
Celtic Key Patterns – Iain Bain
My journals inform me that I last read this one in 1997.
The Midnight Queen – Sylvia Izzo Hunter
Still entertaining, although the frequent POV switches make it hard for me to dig in for a long, uninterrupted read.
Maze Patterns– Aidan Meehan
I don’t care what Meehan says; they’re key patterns.
Celtic Knotwork – Andy Sloss
There's a theme developing this week...
Rat Queens vol. 3 – Wiebe et al.
As fun so far as the preceding volumes.
What I'm Reading Next
This week I picked up a copy of Aidan Meehan’s Maze Patterns and Andy Sloss’s Celtic Knotwork.
これで以上です。
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