"What a sad want I am in of libraries, of books to gather facts from! Why is there not a Majesty's library in every county town? There is a Majesty's jail and gallows in every one."--Thomas Carlyle
I heard a story on Morning Edition today about Donald Knuth and The Art of Computer Programming (which seems cool even for someone who doesn't know anything about computer programming), and the story ended with a Thomas Carlyle quote about life and books . . . of course I can't remember it and can't find it on-line. So now I need to get a book of quotations.
Anyway.
I threw aside the Cynthia Ozick and read The Doll's House Saturday night. I'm guessing Quenton Tarantino is a Neil Gaimon fan; The Sandman is fast and furious and violent and scary and funny and intense and silly in a way the reminds me of QT's movies.
I started The United States of Europe yesterday, and I'm pleased by how readable it is. I knew it would be interesting, but sometimes reading history/current events can be like eating vegetables--beneficial, but unpleasant. This is much more like fruit salad--it's good for you, sure, but it's tasty too. Reid is really at ease and confident with the subject matter, so you don't get the sense that he's out to prove himself. He's just talking about something he knows and cares a lot about, and it's a pleasure to read.
I have a ton of school work to do, so the reading will probably be pretty slow this week. Y: The Last Man is waiting for me at the library, but I'm not planning to allow myself to read it until I finish at least one paper/project.
In other news, now that Teddy has proven to me that he knows his way around a dictionary, I need to pick up one to keep in the car. He keeps coming up with spelling/usage questions while we're driving . . .
Also, Ayelet Waldron has an article up on Salon, and I'm guessing it's going to get a pretty big response. She references one of her later blog posts about suicide and people with bi-polar disorder, and confesses that she was indeed feeling suicidal herself. I'm pretty sure she (or Salon) is going to be inundated with angry letters. What do you think?
4 comments:
I remember that post. It was fairly recently. It ties in with the article I read recently, linked from bookslut, about writers/authors and how their children feel about being in their work or how it affects their lives. Interesting.
I tend to be somewhat more circumspect in my blogging than most people, it seems. I even hesitated to mention my pregnancy, and watch carefully what I say about my kids. All those crazies on the Internet, and all...
Books are a triviality; life alone is great. -Thomas Carlyle
I listened to the interview : )
Okay, if books are a triviality and life alone is great, am I doing something wrong? Am I not living my life, but reading about others' lives? If loving books is wrong, I don't want to be right. Really.
oh, what the hell does Thomas Carlyle know?
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