Life itself is sheer ambiguity. If a person doesn't see that, he's either an asshole or a fascist.

I've recently seen a lot of people in different comms saying that they don't like the Catcher in the Rye. I honestly think it's because there's no texting, no cellphones, no Internet, and no iPods in it. They genuinely can't relate to a kid who doesn't have to spend every moment of his waking life plugged into something.

A couple of weeks ago I put a book on hold at the library. The library put a "trace" on the two copies that they own because apparently whoever went to pull the book off the shelf couldn't find either copy. I bet they won't find them either, and they'll have to mark them missing ( Read more... )

By this time it was becoming clear to the princess that Count Bussard ws not the sharpest knife in the drawer. This did not surprise her. Many people are under the misapprehension that those who have amassed wealth or power must have some greater degree of intelligence or skill. Gloria knew many rich and powerful people and had learned that this ( Read more... )

There is no reason good can't triumph over evil, if only angels will get organized along the lines of the mafia.

While the two crews were yet circling in the waters, reaching out after the revolving line-tubs, oars, and other floating furniture, while aslope little Flask bobbed up and down like an empty vial, twitching his legs upwards to escape the dreaded jaws of sharks; and Stubb was lustily singing out for some one to ladle him up

I just read Amy Sohn's new book My Old Man. I liked it for a number of reasons even though I thought overall it sort of didn't know what its point was. One thing I liked was how concretely Brooklyn was portrayed. Very often when I read books set in New York (particularly chick lit books), I don't get the feeling that these books are set here -- ( Read more... )

"Thou art too damned jolly."

( cut for spoilers even though everyone probably knows them already )

The book Wizard's Hall by Jane Yolen was published in hardcover in 1991 and reissued in paperback in 1999. It's a short book, coming in under 150 pages, but that's par for the course for most children's books. But in those 150 pages are basically every single idea that is also in the HP books (and then some). Obviously this book isn't nearly as ( Read more... )