Bookish Thoughts

This must be Thursday. I never could get the hang of Thursdays. So says Arthur Dent, moments before the Earth is destroyed to make way for a pan-galactic bypass. Normally that would happen at the end of a tragic drama, not the beginning of a comedy. Though I do remember one of my high school English teachers explaining that a tragedy starts with everyone happy and ends with everyone unhappy or dead. A comedy is the opposite story progression. So from that view, it makes sense to start a comedy with the destruction of the world. Things can only get better form here. At least they can't get any worse. Probably. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy  is hilarious, but everyone says that. This is my second time reading it, though I've seen the movie a few times. This time through, I was surprised by just how quick of a read it is. I think it took roughly the same time to read this book as it would have to watch the movie. Which means that I'll probably be re...

A Clash of Kings is the second book in George R R Martin's epic A Song of Ice and Fire series.  It opens with the appearance of a bright red comet in the sky that is visible even by day. The first several chapters deal with the reactions of various characters to the comet. Everyone has a different interpretation, but they all believe it to be directly related to them. We humans are pretty self-centered. I thought this was a nice way to check in with each character and remember who all the major players are. The book mostly deals with all the various wars going on. Robb kills a lesser Lannister by surprising him, but has yet to meet the main army in battle. Renly's battle with Stannis is aborted by Renly's untimely death. Stannis then takes Storm's End just as quickly and marches on Kings Landing. This battle is the climax of the book and pits Tyrion's wits against Stannis', with Tywin and Littlefinger ultimately saving the day. Sansa gets out of...

The Subtle Knife is the second book in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Instead of picking up where The Golden Compass left off, this book opens in an entirely different world and introduces the character of Will Parry, who will eventually be the Adam to Lyra's Eve. In all honesty, I don't like this book as much as The Golden Compass . Instead of an exhilarating adventure story, Pullman starts to delve into his philosophy. It comes off as a bit preachy. Lord Asriel's ultimate goal is revealed: he's going to kill God.  The problem is that most of the characters don't really question this. Mrs. Coulter, resident bad guy, is trying to stop Asriel and gain power for herself through the church/Magisterium. But nearly every other sympathetic character is in complete agreement that God needs to die. Pullman reveals that, in his world, it was Lucifer and his rebel angels who tempted Eve with the apple, and that this was a good thing. This ...