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What I Just Finished Reading
Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot – Lon Milo DuQuette
There are some good nuggets of information here, although DuQuette’s jovially pompous voice is best taken in small doses. This is one of the best volumes available on its subject, but did little if anything to dispel my judgment that Crowley did little to improve on existing Golden Dawn tarot doctrine.
A Companion to Wolves – Sarah Monette & Elizabeth Bear
With this novel, Monette and Bear have written a fantasy that strips the wish fulfillment from several foundational genre elements. It’s a testament to the authors’ skill that they’ve written such an engaging book, when part of the point is to illustrate how unpleasant these much-loved tropes, realistically handled, are. (And it’s fascinating to see Monette revisit many of the same plot elements in The Goblin Emperor while giving them the typical wish fulfillment resolutions.)
Outrages – Naomi Wolf
This book was by no means the train wreck some critics have suggested it is, but it’s also far from perfect. There’s certainly something to Wolf’s hypothesis that changing social mores—including nascent women’s movements—helped feed a conservative backlash and moral panics that targeted homosexuals. But Wolf misses the “among others” addendum to that sentence, as well as other factors—imperialism, urbanization, mechanization, mass media—that also played roles in shaping modern homophobia.
What I Am Currently Reading
All The Birds in the Sky – Charlie Jane Anders
Alas, this book is hitting more wrong notes for me than right ones.
Intermediate Korean – Andrew Sangpil Byon
I have progressed through causative and passive constructions (thankfully much more limited in variety and scope than their Japanese counterparts) and on to the chapters on noun modifiers, which I’m already good with and thus find somewhat boring.
The Widows of Malabar Hill – Sujata Massey
Massey’s characters descend into “As you know, Bob” exchanges more than I’d prefer, but these are less intrusive and belabored than other authors have made them, and so far I’m very much enjoying the read.
What I'm Reading Next
Hard to believe, but I didn’t acquire any new books this week. Nor do I know what I’ll feel like reading next...
これで以上です。
Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot – Lon Milo DuQuette
There are some good nuggets of information here, although DuQuette’s jovially pompous voice is best taken in small doses. This is one of the best volumes available on its subject, but did little if anything to dispel my judgment that Crowley did little to improve on existing Golden Dawn tarot doctrine.
A Companion to Wolves – Sarah Monette & Elizabeth Bear
With this novel, Monette and Bear have written a fantasy that strips the wish fulfillment from several foundational genre elements. It’s a testament to the authors’ skill that they’ve written such an engaging book, when part of the point is to illustrate how unpleasant these much-loved tropes, realistically handled, are. (And it’s fascinating to see Monette revisit many of the same plot elements in The Goblin Emperor while giving them the typical wish fulfillment resolutions.)
Outrages – Naomi Wolf
This book was by no means the train wreck some critics have suggested it is, but it’s also far from perfect. There’s certainly something to Wolf’s hypothesis that changing social mores—including nascent women’s movements—helped feed a conservative backlash and moral panics that targeted homosexuals. But Wolf misses the “among others” addendum to that sentence, as well as other factors—imperialism, urbanization, mechanization, mass media—that also played roles in shaping modern homophobia.
What I Am Currently Reading
All The Birds in the Sky – Charlie Jane Anders
Alas, this book is hitting more wrong notes for me than right ones.
Intermediate Korean – Andrew Sangpil Byon
I have progressed through causative and passive constructions (thankfully much more limited in variety and scope than their Japanese counterparts) and on to the chapters on noun modifiers, which I’m already good with and thus find somewhat boring.
The Widows of Malabar Hill – Sujata Massey
Massey’s characters descend into “As you know, Bob” exchanges more than I’d prefer, but these are less intrusive and belabored than other authors have made them, and so far I’m very much enjoying the read.
What I'm Reading Next
Hard to believe, but I didn’t acquire any new books this week. Nor do I know what I’ll feel like reading next...
これで以上です。