As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

261 pages -Trade Paperback (Fiction)

My wife suggested I read this book. Faulkner is considered one of the greatest American authors. I had never read anything by Faulkner before and I gave it a try. I really don’t know how to qualify this book. I found it repulsive and engrossing simultaneously like watching a car crash in slow motion.

The book starts with Addie Bundren dying in her bed. Outside her window her oldest son works on making her coffin. Each chapter is told from a new point of view and is titled as such. We are deep in the south and the language was particularly difficult for me to comprehend at first, but as the book went on I found it easier to grasp. The reader finds themselves in the heads of the different members of the family. For awhile it was hard to understand what is going on. The combination of the language and being “inside the head” of the “author” really took getting used to. There also seems to be time shifts from chapter to chapter. Sometimes we jump forward an hour and other times we jump back. Soon after the beginning of the book Addie dies. This is where the car crash really begins. Addie requested that she be buried with her family in another county. As the family attempts to fulfill Addie’s wishes every manner of problem crops up. It continually declines to the point of disturbing the reader.

So far as the story goes a fair comparison can be made to John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. In both books a family from the south is traveling together, both families endure hardships, both are written by authors considered the best in American Literature. Where they differ is The Grapes of Wrath seems to be a testament to the unfailing endurance of the human spirit. As I Lay Dying seems to be a look at the failings of humans and the selfishness that seems to be a part of all of us.

I can’t say I enjoyed the book. I can say that it affected me emotionally. Being inside the heads of the Bundren family forces the reader to care about them, but the trauma they go through is real and disturbed me as I read. I was disgusted, hopeful, dismayed and eventually just angry at the book. This is a rare occurrence and I assume this is why the book is so highly regarded. It had an impact on me and though it wasn’t a good one, I have to give it respect for that alone.

5 Emotional/Intellectual – Only a few books have had such a emotional impact as this. I was upset by the book, but I was unable to stop reading. Even now a week past reading the book I find myself getting upset about it.

3 Style/Readability – Faulkner is known for his “stream of consciousness” writing style. This book is in no way easily read. This was intentional and it was a part of what makes the book great, but that didn’t make it any easier to digest.

4 Long Term Impact – As I Lay Dying is already considered among the best books ever written.

12 out of 13. I am rating a book that I didn’t like a 12. It certainly deserves it. I can’t think of many books that have had such an impact on me, but at the same time I don’t know if I can recommend it to someone else. If you are looking for something that will get to you and are willing to get upset at a book I suggest you give this a read. If you are looking for entertainment you may want to look at another book.

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Guards! Guards! By Terry Pratchett

355 Pages – Paperback (Fantasy Fiction)

The only thing that can be good about me not discovering Terry Pratchett earlier in life is that I can now enjoy his books for the first time. Before this I had read two books by Pratchett, The Colour of Magic, his first book and Good Omens written with Neil Giaman. It has been suggested by other readers that it took a few books to reach his stride. I enjoyed The Colour of Magic I wasn’t super excited about Pratchett as a writer. This has now changed. Guards! Guards! is a fantastic book.

Vimes is the head of the Night Watch; it consists of himself and three other men. The whole of their job is to walk about crying “Tis one o’ clock and all is well”. If things aren’t well on that street then they should move to another where it is. Unfortunately, murders have been happening that seem to be caused by a dragon. Since dragons haven’t been around for a 1000 years it makes a difficult time for Vimes and his fellow guards. Add an orangutan Librarian, a group of misguided cultists, a conniving leader of the city and large woman who cares for small dragons and you have for an adventure that can only lead to hilarity.

In Guards! Guards! Terry Pratchett is at the top of his game. His writing is funny and well done. His ability to take mundane situations and turn them into hilarious conversations rivals some of the best writers. Not only is his work funny, but it very well written. His ability to use metaphor as a tool for description and humor is unique and entertaining.

I am now a Terry Pratchett fan. I am excited to read other books by him and look forward to find myself back on Discworld.

3 Emotional/Intellectual – Although I didn’t find any one character to fall in love with I was drawn into the story.

5 Style/Readability – Prachett’s ability to combine story, humor and good writing gives him standing that few authors have achieved.

4 Long Term Impact – Whether or not Prachett goes down in history as a great writer, he deserves to. This is considered among the best of his books.

12 out of 13. Please, do yourself a favor, go out and get this book. It is well worth your time and I think most anyone with a sense of humor would find this book to be well worth your time.
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Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

286 pages -Trade paperback (Non-Fiction)


A few months ago I read Blink by Gladwell and got sucked right into the book. I used some of the info in the book as evidence to support my Masters Research Project. My wife had suggested reading his other book The Tipping Point. This Christmas I saw Outliers at the bookstore and bought it for her. A teacher in my Masters Cohort suggested that I read this as well. So I took the book from my wife before she had a chance to read it and quickly tore through it in 5 days.

Gladwell focuses on the belief in America that talent, hard work and intelligence will allow you to be successful. The book takes that view and says that it isn’t as important as we might think. Where a person comes from, when they are born and what their cultural past is may have more to do with it than anything else. He looks at how birthdates of hockey players in Canada seem to lend success to those born closest to the Jan 1st cutoff date. He shows how many of the greatest entrepreneurs of the industrial age were all born within a few years of each other. Many of the most influential people in the computer revolution were born in the mid 1950s. Planes crashes were more predictable based on the ethnicity of the flight crew.

Gladwell’s writing is very easy to read. Even though it is filled with dates, facts and numbers he writes in a way that keeps me interested. I actually started reading this at 10 pm and read 70 pages before I knew it. I read every chance I had until I finished just a few days later. I have another well read friend that enjoys Gladwell’s books but did caution me. Apparently, he is known for only telling one side of the story. While reading this book I did notice that the evidence really supports the point he is trying to get across, but there isn’t much information regarding things that does not support his main point.

If I were to compare it to Blink I found it lacking a bit, but it had more to do with subject matter. The main premise of this book is that no person is a success on their own. Hard work, intelligence and talent are important to any success story, but their upbringing, social standing, parenting, culture and luck all play an important role as well. I think that I already held this belief already so it wasn’t as eye-opening as Blink. It does do a great job of supporting things that I already believed.

4 Emotional/Intellectual – Outliers really shows how success is made through a variety of factors, not necessarily what we assume to be needed.

4 Style/Readability – Gladwell has a way of taking seemingly boring things like dates, facts and numbers and makes it engaging and easy to digest.

3 Long Term Impact – Gladwell is making a name for himself with books that challenge traditional thinking. Although Outliers may not get as much attention as his other books his popularity will keep interest in his books for years to come.

11 out of 13. I found this book to be really worthwhile. It may or may not interest you, but I think this and other books by Gladwell may be best summed up by paraphrasing this old adage: Don’t judge a book by its subject.
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Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

391 pages –Trade paperback (Fiction)

Catching Fire is the second book in the Hunger Games series. I am reading the books with a group of high level 5th graders. I think most readers could eat through this in a few days.

In the first book Katniss is put into The Hunger Games. In this dystopian future the overbearing Capitol, run by President Snow, pits children from each of the twelve districts in a fight to the death for the entertainment of the masses. Katniss manages to survive and at then amazingly save Peeta, also from her district.

Catching Fire soon has Katniss and Peeta traveling through the districts to show off the winners to all of the people of Panem. While traveling Katniss sees that everyone is controlled even more so than in her humble far off district. She also comes to realize that there is unrest. Signs show there is resistance against the Capitol that she never suspected. A visit from the president convinces Katniss that she must prove that her love for Peeta is the real thing no matter what her real feelings are. Everything, even who she can love seems to be controlled by the government.

Collins’ writing is as readable as in the first book. I wasn’t as drawn into this story as much as the last book and it felt to me as if there were trying to set up a lot of the story for the 3rd book rather than tell a story of its own.

**SPOILER ALERT** Peeta and Katniss are once again sent into the Hunger Games. I honestly felt like this was wrong. There is a lot of build up about a potential uprising and rumors of the former district 13 still in operation. The government seems to want Peeta and Katniss to prove that they are following the rules set down by them. It seems to me realistically a totalitarian regime that is willing to have young children slaughter each other for entertainment wouldn’t have any trouble killing people that have publically defied the government.

Even with that flaw the book is entertaining. I was limited in my reading because I was waiting for the students but I always wanted to keep reading. I feel that even though this book didn’t stand up to the first book the series as a whole is worth reading and I am excited to finish the last book.

3 Intellectual/Emotional – It is easy to get drawn into the book, but Katniss isn’t a really loveable character. She has a lot of anger in her and can be irrational at times.

3 Style/Readability - Easy enough to read. Since it is intended for young readers I would say it is very successful.

3 Long Term Impact – This series is already pretty huge and soon will have a movie series to go with it. The first book alone will keep people reading this for years to come.

9 out of 13. Although I didn’t like it as much as the first book, I did enjoy it. I think most readers would find this worthwhile.
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Brunelleschi’s Dome by Ross King

194 pages Trade paperback (Historical Non-Fiction)

Last summer I took an Early Renaissance Art History class near Florence, Italy. One of the thousands of works of art there was The Opera del Duomo of Florence. The Santa Maria del Fiore as it is also known has the largest dome ever produced without modern materials. The fantastic feat of engineering would not have happened if it wasn’t for one man, Filippo Brunelleschi.I had read Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling also by King so I figured I would enjoy this book.

On August, 19th 1418 a competition was announced to make a dome in the style of the original plans for the 100 year old cathedral. Brunelleschi and his rival Lorenzo Ghiberti were given the dual role of constructing the dome. The book covers the trials that Brunelleschi went through to make the dome possible. Almost 18 years later the dome would be consecrated. Not only would Brunelleschi help create one of the greatest architectural achievements of all time, he would invent many of the tools needed to make it happen. He designed new lifts, building methods and even a failed shipping boat.

King’s writing makes this an easy read. Since I have actually been to the Duomo and climbed to the top it had personal significance to me. I found it was a bit slow at first, but I was quickly got into the story and read the whole thing in just a few days.

5 Intellectual/Emotional – It gives the reader a look into the time as well as all of the inner workings of creating a cathedral without getting boring.

3 Style/Readability – Ross does a good job of describing the troubles that went into making the dome without being so focused on the details to make it read like a textbook.

3 Long Term Impact. – Ross has established himself as a historical writer and since his subjects tend to be about some of the most famous works of art his popularity will probably stand the test of time.

11 out of 13. Anyone that has an interest in historic architecture, Renaissance history, or Florence would be rewarded by reading this book.

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Reaper’s Gale by Steven Erickson

Fantasy Fiction - 1,200 pages (Paperback)

Reaper’s Gale is the 7th book in the Tale of the Malazan series. With this book we see a lot of the stories start to converge into one. We have seen a lot of the Malazan Empire and their spread across the continents. We spent time in Letheras and have seen its undying leader, Rhulad, rise to power. We saw the humble beginnings of Karsa Orlong as he explored and found out what the world was really like. We met Tehol Beddict and Bugg and their maneuverings in the city of Letheras. We also have been following the mysterious creature Icarium. All of these stories now come together in Letheras.

Rhulad has sent out his ships in an attempt to find all the greatest warriors. So far he has challenged and killed all comers. Both Karsa and Icarium are set up to be his greatest challenge yet. Tehol and Bugg are working to undermine the economy of Letheras. Not every detail is revealed, but they are starting to gather up all of the money are doing what they can to make things unstable. Bugg is also involved in the unearthing of enormous metal objects buried for thousands of years. The Marines of the Malazan Empire have landed and are moving in on Letheras. We spend a lot of time with them as they attempt set up on this new continent. On top of all of this there is an additional story of Redmask and the Awl. Apparently, Redmask was a great war leader of the Awl. He has been gone for a long time, but has now returned to bring the fallen Awl back to a position of glory.

As always Erickson’s writing is top notch. He has great skill and I am still enthralled with his ability to take small parts of a story and make it them stand out independent of the overarching story. This book, more than any of the rest, starts to resolve a lot of loose ends. We are starting to see how the stories interconnect and it gives a feeling of resolve more than any of the previous books. Some of the main characters are still not involved, but at least we can see how things are related even if through a couple of degrees of separation.

I haven’t found any of these books to be quick reads. Reaper’s Gale more than others was not an easy read. I found the interactions of Tehol and Bugg, Icarium, Karsa and Rhulad to be entertaining. The Marine storyline dragged for me. Many new characters were introduced and over all I liked what happens with them, but it took a lot to get involved.

4 Emotional/Intellectual – Karsa and Icarium are two of my favorite characters and extended their story was great. Although I don’t care for Rhulad I think his story is really intriguing. Tehol and Bugg have to be towards the top of everyone’s favorites list.

2 Readability/Style – Erickson’s style is great, but compared to the other books in the series, I found this to be lacking in some areas.

3 Long Term Impact – This score his hard to qualify. Although, he may not have a huge impact in the years to come he deserves to. His work is more unique than most anything I have read.

9 out of 13. This seems about right. Erickson’s niche is really small. Fantasy as a whole has grown a lot in recent years, but even in fantasy Erickson holds a small place. You have to be willing to work more than in a traditional fantasy story to enjoy these books. The series as a whole is fantastic. I just felt this book fell short a bit. I will certainly continue with the series, but I am going to read a few others in between.

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