Last year was a great year, and I had lots of fun. I marked a person best for books read, and I upped my participation here by starting the database. I don’t know if I’ll read as many books as I did last year, but I plan on continuing being the resident stat guru. And we’ve had an incredibly prolific month! It was hard keeping pace with your reviews. Anyway, on with the stats! January stats: 502 reviews (a record! The previous record was January […]
I lure you in with pictures of Paul Newman, then meander through conflicted feelings about straight white male protagonists.
Let’s get one thing out of the way before we review this book. This novel was adapted into a perfect movie. A perfect movie staring the inimitable Paul Newman. No, not that Paul Newman. He’s a few years older. Nope, keep going. Pretty close. But less huggable. More irascible. A Paul Newman who’s been through the ringer a few times. A Paul Newman who’s going through a stupid streak, and knows it won’t end until he’s messed things up completely. A Paul Newman who, while […]
Learned all the wrong lessons from George RR Martin
This, the second book in the Night Angel trilogy, picks up where The Way of Shadows left off. If you haven’t read the first book, and don’t want spoilers, read no further. I loved the first book. I loved it to the point that my excitement to read the next book in the series, and my obsession with telling everyone about it, became so hyperbolic that I knew my feelings didn’t actually correspond to what I actually read. It was good, in other words, but […]
Vignettes of inequity
One of the difficulties of studying history lies in the inherent tendency of people to not see themselves as playing a small role in a larger story. We are all the center of our own universe, after all, so it’s hard to remember that everything isn’t actually revolving around our own brilliance. Our actions are our own, but they make up a part of the larger trajectory of human progress. In studying history, the goal is to compose these fine details into a larger picture […]