Currently reading, listening, & watching…
Currently reading:
-John Dewey’s Democracy and Education
-A Small Town in Germany
Last watched:
-Spike Jonez and Dave Eggers screen adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are. Douglas was my favourite character. Moral: be careful of going to search for what you don’t have, when what you do have is something special. Question: why do we hurt those who are closest to us?
Currently Listening to:
-David Gray’s new album, Draw the Line
Recently finished reading:
-Spencer, Arnold, Huxley, and other dudes as we swung from Romanticism into the Industrial Revolution.
-Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women.
-J. M. Itard’s 1802 account of The Wild Boy of Aveyron
-Emile or On Education by that romantic himself, Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
-Some Thoughts Concerning Education by John Locke.
-Plato’s The Republic. Maybe you’ve heard of this dude.
-I was browsing in a used book store when I picked up Crossing the Water, Daniel Robb’s account of a year and half out of the three he spent on an island working with troubled boys. I picked up this book before fate threw a question at me. That question remains to be answered, although I am currently struck by the oddity of the coincidence.
-William P. Young’s The Shack. There will definitely be more to talk about with this one.
Recently watched:
-Eric Roth’s 2008, Oscar nominated, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It was good, but certainly not great. It tangled too many things in there that didn’t hit on its main themes, and in the end didn’t do a great job these themes. So far, all of the Best Picture nominees for 2008 have been a bit sub-par.
-The Hangover. The entire movie is a set-up for the credits – but boy do you roar with laughter during those credits. One man wolf pack 
-The fourth installment of the archeology/adventure series, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Too much action, trying to hard at one-liners that worked in the 80s. Yes, I can’t believe I just wrote that, the 80s. Had to see it though, as the true Indy is one of films most intriguing characters.
The R said
Do be prepared for the soft let down occurring somewhere after page 24 in Eggers. It has been quite a while since I read it, but I do remember the thrill of the first third of the book and loosing that rush over the remaining pages.
Salinger’s book is legend; for both good and bad reasons. Good because it does such an amazing job at portraying the angst and alienation that adolescent boys can identify with so readily. Bad because of its connection to the FBI’s only correlation between the commonalities found between serial killers.
lisa said
Ian, I am wondering if you have read “Atonement”. While I really liked “Saturday”, I absolutely loved the former. Probably ranks among the best books I have read.
lisa said
Hey Ian, I read Amsterdam several years ago and remember enjoying it. He is a genius novelist. Some of the details of it are fuzzy after all this time though; I may have to have another look at it. I just read Per Petterson’s “Out Stealing Horses”. I loved this book. Check it out. I may go get “No Country For Old Men” now, after reading your thoughts. I read another Cormac McCarthy novel which also became a movie but the name is escaping me. Young boy goes to Mexico with a friend….. I have also had my eye on “The Road” for a while now but am worried it is too grim for me.
lisa said
hey, how are you? Suggestions for reading…..you could check out my blog
wordpress.gatorbooks.com. http://www.gatorbooks.wordpress.com. I am the TL at Walnut Grove this year. The blog is aimed at high school students but you may something useful in the staff picks.I just finished Katszner’s Train. Not a big fan of Coupland myself. I did like Complicated Kindness but found her next book a little cute. Very suitable for YA actually. (not to suggest YA fiction is cute, that didn’t come out right.)
lisa said
oops, it’s gatorbooks.wordpress but you probably knew that.
IR said
In the end, Coupland is a bit touch and go for me. To be honest I couldn’t finish Rigby, and returned it to the library. Other times I’ll read something by him and not be able to put it down. Fantastic blog you have there Lisa!
Sydney said
What did you think of Icefields?
Have you picked-up Three Day Road yet? I think you’d like it.
IR said
I haven’t got very far into Icefields yet, but not so sure if I’m enjoying it. I’m not really buying into any feeling there yet. Could be due to the fact it’s a big change going from McCarthy to this. I’ll give it some more time though. I’ll also grab Three Day Road for my next book then.
Sydney said
Yes, Icefields was a little devoid of feeling…but I think having been to that area, I was able to superimpose my own wonder. However, given the period in which the novel was set, perhaps the rigid feeling was intentional?
Sydney said
I -really- liked In the Skin of a Lion, but I think it was partly because of my familiarity with Toronto, where the novel is set.
Have you read the Stone Carvers?