It feels nice to finally read and review a Smashwords book for Book a Week. Hope some of you get a chance to poke around that site a bit.
November 11-17: Kindred Spirits by Ashanti Luke
Science Fiction (2010 - 220 pp.)
As a Smashwords author (https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MatthewGordonBooks), I wanted to make sure one of my books I read this year was published there. After some digging, I found one that I thought would be a good fit. If you're interested in reading this book, the author's made it available for free here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/25311
Kindred Spirits is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller about a man who goes back in time to save a woman and to get her to kill a deranged evangelist. He also possesses an anti-matter shotgun. There's tons of action, with the narration working well - I could really envision the characters struggling through each shootout. There are plenty, for those interested. The combination of science-fiction and urban/low fantasy works well, with the backdrop of Richmond, Virginia being an atypical setting that Luke makes work. My lone qualms are that the end feels drawn out, although I won't say why for spoiler concerns, and that the characters seem predictable at times. Luke knows the tropes and uses them well, which mitigates the second point.
A couple disclaimers are in order. Firstly, like many self-published books, there are a few typographical and formatting errors. These are thankfully relatively minimal. The other is there is coarse language, violence and graphic sex. Compared to the blood and guts strewn all over White Fang(see my June entry on that very book), this is nothing. Goes to show societal attitudes toward violence versus sex, and toward classic versus modern literature, I suppose. That discussion could be hundreds of pages, though.
Regardless, Kindred Spirits a quick read and a page-turner. For those of us accustomed to heavier reads, it's a nice break.
Ease of Reading: 10
Educational Content: 1
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Last Week's Book: On the Genealogy of Morals
Very opposed to some of the other writings I've read this year, which keeps things interesting.
November 4-10: On the Genealogy of Morals by Friedrich Nietzsche
Philosophy (1887 - 90 pp.)
On the Genealogy of Morals consists of a prologue and then three essays: "Good and Evil, Good and Bad", "Guilt, Bad Conscience and Related Manners", and "What Do Ascetic Ideals Mean?" Within them, he develops a brand of scepticism and atheism that is visible to this day. The editorial style of his polemic means there are few citations, which has the dual effect of making the essay collection a quicker read while making his points feel easier to refute. A simple "that's not the way I understood Christianity..." pervaded my reading, although I found many of his arguments persuasive regardless. To others more inclined to agree with Nietzsche in broader ways, this may not be such an obstacle.
Nietzsche brings up interesting points about the overly restrictive nature of the categorical imperative (with which I agree), the problem of people who claim to perceive events objectively (agree), the concept of the badge of suffering an ascetic wears as a form of desire (which I can concede partially), the opposition of priestly with knightly or aristocratic ideals (disagree), and the use of conscience as self-excoriation (strongly disagree). Other points, like the presence of religion among the oppressed signifying their weakness, are less compelling. In the prologue, he makes a statement that appears in some ways Christian: "For between chastity and sensuality there is no essential opposition. Every good marriage, every genuine affair of the heart transcends them both." This type of thinking has been found in Protestantism dating back to at least the Puritans of the sixteenth century, making it a curious claim of Nietzsche's. Generally, the claims he makes are ones the reader knows if he or she will agree or disagree with going in, although surprises like the one above add to the depth of the treatise.
It is difficult to appraise how educational a work like On the Genealogy of Morals is. Much like A Tale of a Tub, it conveys a sense of learnedness and research without sharing all of those with the reader. A work like On the Genealogy of Morals forces the reader to consider important issues within morality with sporadic splashes of insight regarding the development of religious traditions over time. It will not act as an authoritative work of religious history or moral philosophy, yet such a work would be unable to properly present the perspective Nietzsche gets across, nor would it be readable within a week.
Ease of Reading: 3
Educational Content: 6
November 4-10: On the Genealogy of Morals by Friedrich Nietzsche
Philosophy (1887 - 90 pp.)
On the Genealogy of Morals consists of a prologue and then three essays: "Good and Evil, Good and Bad", "Guilt, Bad Conscience and Related Manners", and "What Do Ascetic Ideals Mean?" Within them, he develops a brand of scepticism and atheism that is visible to this day. The editorial style of his polemic means there are few citations, which has the dual effect of making the essay collection a quicker read while making his points feel easier to refute. A simple "that's not the way I understood Christianity..." pervaded my reading, although I found many of his arguments persuasive regardless. To others more inclined to agree with Nietzsche in broader ways, this may not be such an obstacle.
Nietzsche brings up interesting points about the overly restrictive nature of the categorical imperative (with which I agree), the problem of people who claim to perceive events objectively (agree), the concept of the badge of suffering an ascetic wears as a form of desire (which I can concede partially), the opposition of priestly with knightly or aristocratic ideals (disagree), and the use of conscience as self-excoriation (strongly disagree). Other points, like the presence of religion among the oppressed signifying their weakness, are less compelling. In the prologue, he makes a statement that appears in some ways Christian: "For between chastity and sensuality there is no essential opposition. Every good marriage, every genuine affair of the heart transcends them both." This type of thinking has been found in Protestantism dating back to at least the Puritans of the sixteenth century, making it a curious claim of Nietzsche's. Generally, the claims he makes are ones the reader knows if he or she will agree or disagree with going in, although surprises like the one above add to the depth of the treatise.
It is difficult to appraise how educational a work like On the Genealogy of Morals is. Much like A Tale of a Tub, it conveys a sense of learnedness and research without sharing all of those with the reader. A work like On the Genealogy of Morals forces the reader to consider important issues within morality with sporadic splashes of insight regarding the development of religious traditions over time. It will not act as an authoritative work of religious history or moral philosophy, yet such a work would be unable to properly present the perspective Nietzsche gets across, nor would it be readable within a week.
Ease of Reading: 3
Educational Content: 6
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Reader's Digest: 10 Places in Canada Every Canadian Needs to Visit
Proud to say I've been to six of them.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
This Week's Book: Moneyball
Another sports book. They're too much fun, really.
October 28-November 3: Moneyball by Michael Lewis
Non-Fiction (2003 - 208 pp.)
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game is a very fun, very quick read. For those who have missed out on it, it tracks Billy Beane's rise to stardom as general manager of the Oakland Athletics. In the late '90s and early '00s, he assembled a team capable of competing with any in the major leagues, usually beating them (they won 102 and 103 games in 2001 and 2002 respectively), with one of the lowest payrolls in the league. Doing this required new ways of thinking about baseball, from valuing draft picks more highly relative to veterans all the way to the use of sabermetrics. The statistics-based approach to baseball was understandably upsetting to old-style scouts, just as mercilessly flipping proven stars for compensation draft picks must have been to the fans.
Two things struck me about Moneyball, aside from the great storytelling and interesting asides into individual players. (Recalling how fresh-from-injury Scott Hatteberg was made to play first base is up there in the latter category.) The first is how Beane's Athletics teams had not won a playoff series even when they had won 100+ games in a season. Since then, they have only won one playoff series (2006 ALDS), after which they were promptly smoked 4-0 in the ALCS. A little more explanation for their lack of success in the playoffs, and intermittent sub-.500 years between those appearances, would be interesting nine years later. Beane explains the playoffs away as luck in Moneyball - would he still do so now? The other one is how statistically driven baseball can be. Similar attempts have been made since the early days of SABR to turn basketball and football, the sports I know far better than baseball, into statistical test trials. That they've worked to only a limited extent in those sports despite their massive success in baseball speaks to baseball's uniquely stat-driven nature.
Moneyball is an approach I know only somewhat well to a game I know only somewhat well. It may be a little difficult for those unfamiliar with baseball, but at least of the North Americans reading this, hopefully that won't be an issue. It's educational about baseball, and perhaps a little about statistics.
Ease of Reading: 8
Educational Content: 6
October 28-November 3: Moneyball by Michael Lewis
Non-Fiction (2003 - 208 pp.)
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game is a very fun, very quick read. For those who have missed out on it, it tracks Billy Beane's rise to stardom as general manager of the Oakland Athletics. In the late '90s and early '00s, he assembled a team capable of competing with any in the major leagues, usually beating them (they won 102 and 103 games in 2001 and 2002 respectively), with one of the lowest payrolls in the league. Doing this required new ways of thinking about baseball, from valuing draft picks more highly relative to veterans all the way to the use of sabermetrics. The statistics-based approach to baseball was understandably upsetting to old-style scouts, just as mercilessly flipping proven stars for compensation draft picks must have been to the fans.
Two things struck me about Moneyball, aside from the great storytelling and interesting asides into individual players. (Recalling how fresh-from-injury Scott Hatteberg was made to play first base is up there in the latter category.) The first is how Beane's Athletics teams had not won a playoff series even when they had won 100+ games in a season. Since then, they have only won one playoff series (2006 ALDS), after which they were promptly smoked 4-0 in the ALCS. A little more explanation for their lack of success in the playoffs, and intermittent sub-.500 years between those appearances, would be interesting nine years later. Beane explains the playoffs away as luck in Moneyball - would he still do so now? The other one is how statistically driven baseball can be. Similar attempts have been made since the early days of SABR to turn basketball and football, the sports I know far better than baseball, into statistical test trials. That they've worked to only a limited extent in those sports despite their massive success in baseball speaks to baseball's uniquely stat-driven nature.
Moneyball is an approach I know only somewhat well to a game I know only somewhat well. It may be a little difficult for those unfamiliar with baseball, but at least of the North Americans reading this, hopefully that won't be an issue. It's educational about baseball, and perhaps a little about statistics.
Ease of Reading: 8
Educational Content: 6
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Last Week's Book: Syntactic Structures
Not much to say on this one except that it was an interesting read, surprisingly quick, and I certainly have never read the same book twice for Book a Week.
October 21-27: Syntactic Structures by Noam Chomsky
Linguistics (1957 - 117 pp.)
Syntactic Structures is, much like What Is the West?, a short, focused, ambitious work with a huge ambit and not a lot of space. Syntactic Structures is very dense, with different ideas presented as often as about twice every three pages. The underlying premise, of a "rigorous and objective approach" (94) to the construction of sentences in the English language, is naturally interesting for anyone in love with the written word. The book is difficult for a non-specialist (a group including me), yet Chomsky explains his points with little enough jargon or symbols that it is easy enough to ford.
I cannot offer anything approaching an informed comment as to how convincing Chomsky's propositions are. That has already been covered elsewhere. From the non-specialist's view, though, I did find Chomsky's argument against the use of defining grammar by semantic means effective. I also enjoyed his sentence path chart (19) and his chart explaining placement of subjects and predicates (27), which are perhaps among the simplest illustrations the book has to offer. I am not entirely certain that transformations solve the entirety of the English language without introducing too many exceptions, but then, that is for the linguists to decide.
Something worth mentioning is the format of the book. Chomsky does this quite well overall - I tend to prefer books with many short sections to few long sections, and he offers up dozens of bites on his subjects. Each time he changes gears, he adds a new section or subsection number within a broader chapter, which helps greatly. He also numbers all of his examples, making them valuable reference points. If there is one thing that could be added, it would be a list of all of his numbered examples added to the appendices. I have not flipped back and forth through a book this much since Lone Wolf.
This is definitely a niche book. It does not contain any history of the English language, nor does it contain much insight into how language is interpreted. It claims neither. To those with an interest in exploring the structural roots of English, it will please.
Ease of Reading: 2
Educational Content: 7
October 21-27: Syntactic Structures by Noam Chomsky
Linguistics (1957 - 117 pp.)
Syntactic Structures is, much like What Is the West?, a short, focused, ambitious work with a huge ambit and not a lot of space. Syntactic Structures is very dense, with different ideas presented as often as about twice every three pages. The underlying premise, of a "rigorous and objective approach" (94) to the construction of sentences in the English language, is naturally interesting for anyone in love with the written word. The book is difficult for a non-specialist (a group including me), yet Chomsky explains his points with little enough jargon or symbols that it is easy enough to ford.
I cannot offer anything approaching an informed comment as to how convincing Chomsky's propositions are. That has already been covered elsewhere. From the non-specialist's view, though, I did find Chomsky's argument against the use of defining grammar by semantic means effective. I also enjoyed his sentence path chart (19) and his chart explaining placement of subjects and predicates (27), which are perhaps among the simplest illustrations the book has to offer. I am not entirely certain that transformations solve the entirety of the English language without introducing too many exceptions, but then, that is for the linguists to decide.
Something worth mentioning is the format of the book. Chomsky does this quite well overall - I tend to prefer books with many short sections to few long sections, and he offers up dozens of bites on his subjects. Each time he changes gears, he adds a new section or subsection number within a broader chapter, which helps greatly. He also numbers all of his examples, making them valuable reference points. If there is one thing that could be added, it would be a list of all of his numbered examples added to the appendices. I have not flipped back and forth through a book this much since Lone Wolf.
This is definitely a niche book. It does not contain any history of the English language, nor does it contain much insight into how language is interpreted. It claims neither. To those with an interest in exploring the structural roots of English, it will please.
Ease of Reading: 2
Educational Content: 7
Saturday, October 20, 2012
This Week's Book: Jennifer Government
Anyone interested in mid-2000s text-based browser games may find this interesting. Or if you want a light read.
October 14-20: Jennifer Government by Max Barry
Science Fiction (2003 - 150 pp.)
The premise of Jennifer Government is relatively straightforward. Corporations are in control of nearly everything, to the point of peoples' last names being their employers. Said corporations carry around medieval Papal States-style militaries that they deploy against their competitors in Erie War type conflicts. The government lacks funding to the point that it has to ask complainants' families for donations when pursuing criminal cases. Antitrust law is nonexistent, allowing for conglomerate collusion on a mind-boggling scale. Much of this is attributed to "capitalizm", which was allegedly a working title for the book and which, based on my impression of the book, does not have much in common with actual capitalism.
The characters and plot are easily understandable, with the book's short span dedicated almost solely to the latter. The frequent switching between characters, leading to 86 tiny chapters broken down into six parts and an epilogue, is a nice format. Placing everyone as an automaton allows the reader to suspend disbelief about who the characters are except that they usually either hate their jobs or enjoy being cruel, which is well within what would be expected in a book like this. Any political commentary is reduced to more or less a caricature of what the left thinks of the right. Given the cornucopia of too much government dystopia novels compared to the dearth of not enough government dystopia novels, it passes. Comments related to how there used to be a community when there was tax come off as tongue-in-cheek more than anything.
The environment surrounding Jennifer Government is arguably more interesting than the book itself. Max Barry created the text-based browser game NationStates to promote the book, which drew considerable popularity. Then the similarly text-based but more interactive browser game Cyber Nations drew a similar demographic, including alliances that drew their members directly from NationStates (the New Pacific Order being the most famous example). Given the staggering numbers of nations these games have recorded, Barry likely made more people interested in online political simulators than in his book. The other important side-issue is his claims regarding the use of actual corporations' names, which allegedly resulted in lawsuits. While I don't think anything in the book is worthy of a suit if only because it's all so completely unrealistic, I would personally err on the side of caution when using anyone else's trademarked name.
Barry gives a great few lines in his Acknowledgements at the end of the book: "Most of the time, being a writer means sitting in front of a computer and fighting against the urge to play Minesweeper. It's like that for a couple of years and then you get published and everyone wants to talk to you at once. But some people are there from the beginning, and these are the ones you can't do without." That first sentence is as true as anything. The second one I certainly hope is true. The third one is a telling reminder of why people write in the first place, whether it's one of the more taxing books I read earlier this year or a sci-fi thriller like Jennifer Government.
Ease of Reading: 10
Educational Content: 1
October 14-20: Jennifer Government by Max Barry
Science Fiction (2003 - 150 pp.)
The premise of Jennifer Government is relatively straightforward. Corporations are in control of nearly everything, to the point of peoples' last names being their employers. Said corporations carry around medieval Papal States-style militaries that they deploy against their competitors in Erie War type conflicts. The government lacks funding to the point that it has to ask complainants' families for donations when pursuing criminal cases. Antitrust law is nonexistent, allowing for conglomerate collusion on a mind-boggling scale. Much of this is attributed to "capitalizm", which was allegedly a working title for the book and which, based on my impression of the book, does not have much in common with actual capitalism.
The characters and plot are easily understandable, with the book's short span dedicated almost solely to the latter. The frequent switching between characters, leading to 86 tiny chapters broken down into six parts and an epilogue, is a nice format. Placing everyone as an automaton allows the reader to suspend disbelief about who the characters are except that they usually either hate their jobs or enjoy being cruel, which is well within what would be expected in a book like this. Any political commentary is reduced to more or less a caricature of what the left thinks of the right. Given the cornucopia of too much government dystopia novels compared to the dearth of not enough government dystopia novels, it passes. Comments related to how there used to be a community when there was tax come off as tongue-in-cheek more than anything.
The environment surrounding Jennifer Government is arguably more interesting than the book itself. Max Barry created the text-based browser game NationStates to promote the book, which drew considerable popularity. Then the similarly text-based but more interactive browser game Cyber Nations drew a similar demographic, including alliances that drew their members directly from NationStates (the New Pacific Order being the most famous example). Given the staggering numbers of nations these games have recorded, Barry likely made more people interested in online political simulators than in his book. The other important side-issue is his claims regarding the use of actual corporations' names, which allegedly resulted in lawsuits. While I don't think anything in the book is worthy of a suit if only because it's all so completely unrealistic, I would personally err on the side of caution when using anyone else's trademarked name.
Barry gives a great few lines in his Acknowledgements at the end of the book: "Most of the time, being a writer means sitting in front of a computer and fighting against the urge to play Minesweeper. It's like that for a couple of years and then you get published and everyone wants to talk to you at once. But some people are there from the beginning, and these are the ones you can't do without." That first sentence is as true as anything. The second one I certainly hope is true. The third one is a telling reminder of why people write in the first place, whether it's one of the more taxing books I read earlier this year or a sci-fi thriller like Jennifer Government.
Ease of Reading: 10
Educational Content: 1
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