A Few Short Book Reviews
The World According to Mr. Rogers, by Fred Rogers
So, first of all, if you actively dislike Mr. Rogers, we can't be friends. You can not care, you can like him, but Mr. Rogers is my patronus and the man after whom I pattern my life, sooo yes. That said, this is a short collection of his quotes and anecdotes and it made me feel very warm and fuzzy inside. So it means a lot to me personally, and I suspect anyone who had any connection to Mr. Rogers, including watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood as a child. But it is, you know, just a collection of quotes and anecdotes, so it may not be for you.
The Meaning of Flowers: Myth, Language and Lore, by Ann Field and Gretchen Scoble
Meh. Short little book (with, I admit, excellent illustrations) that goes over the meanings of various flowers in flower language, as well as a brief introduction that goes into what flower language actually is. It does give meanings that are not strictly European in origin, which was nice. The problem is that it doesn't actually source any of its assertions and I'm not particularly sure I believe any of them. Pick it up at the library for the illustrations, but I'm not sure it's really useful for anything else.
Melancholy Accidents: Three Centuries of Stray Bullets and Bad Luck, by Peter Manseau
This is not a book that could have come out before the public sparring over gun control, largely because it's one long historical argument for gun control. It's essentially a collection of newspaper articles chronicaling accidental shootings from the colonial era on. And on the one hand, it's fascinating to read all of these and imagine the stories behind them. One or two of them I'm positive were murders disguised as accidents. On the other hand, they get very repetitive and depressing, especially if you read them all at once like I did. I dunno, it's an interesting read, but maybe in bite-sized pieces. And maybe sort of accidentally left on your anti-gun-control relative's side table. Accidental-like.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/398271.html. Please comment over there if possible.
So, first of all, if you actively dislike Mr. Rogers, we can't be friends. You can not care, you can like him, but Mr. Rogers is my patronus and the man after whom I pattern my life, sooo yes. That said, this is a short collection of his quotes and anecdotes and it made me feel very warm and fuzzy inside. So it means a lot to me personally, and I suspect anyone who had any connection to Mr. Rogers, including watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood as a child. But it is, you know, just a collection of quotes and anecdotes, so it may not be for you.
The Meaning of Flowers: Myth, Language and Lore, by Ann Field and Gretchen Scoble
Meh. Short little book (with, I admit, excellent illustrations) that goes over the meanings of various flowers in flower language, as well as a brief introduction that goes into what flower language actually is. It does give meanings that are not strictly European in origin, which was nice. The problem is that it doesn't actually source any of its assertions and I'm not particularly sure I believe any of them. Pick it up at the library for the illustrations, but I'm not sure it's really useful for anything else.
Melancholy Accidents: Three Centuries of Stray Bullets and Bad Luck, by Peter Manseau
This is not a book that could have come out before the public sparring over gun control, largely because it's one long historical argument for gun control. It's essentially a collection of newspaper articles chronicaling accidental shootings from the colonial era on. And on the one hand, it's fascinating to read all of these and imagine the stories behind them. One or two of them I'm positive were murders disguised as accidents. On the other hand, they get very repetitive and depressing, especially if you read them all at once like I did. I dunno, it's an interesting read, but maybe in bite-sized pieces. And maybe sort of accidentally left on your anti-gun-control relative's side table. Accidental-like.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/398271.html. Please comment over there if possible.