Month: March 2015

Book Review: The Year of Living Biblically

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations2 Comments

Did you know there are upwards of 700 commands in the Bible?  I know that because I just finished reading The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs, a kind of memoir about Jacobs’ efforts to spend a year following every command in the Bible as literally as possible.  Strange subject?  Well, yes–but the book was funny, intriguing and at times quite insightful too.

Jacobs is ethnically Jewish but, at the beginning of the year, is an agnostic with a completely secular relationship to Judaism.  He lives in New York City with his wife and young son, and is a writer for Esquire.  His previous book was about reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, and he needs a new subject.  He latches onto the Bible, curious to know more about the book that’s such a foundation for Western culture.

The book is told in semi-journal form, relating anecdotes, adventures and reflections day by day throughout the year.  Each section is tied (more or less loosely) to one commandment, everything from “Love thy neighbor” to “Thou shalt not cut the corners of your beard.”  (The beard becomes a big thing–literally and figuratively.) Continue reading “Book Review: The Year of Living Biblically” →

Favorite Moments with Terry Pratchett

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations2 Comments

As sad as I was to hear about Leonard Nimoy, it was even more devastating a couple weeks later to hear that Terry Pratchett had died.  Pratchett’s Discworld series is my go-to resource on bad days and sad times, the funniest book I ever read came from his pen, and I consistently pick one of his books for funniest read of the year every year.  When I heard of his death, inside of fifteen minutes I was on my mobile phone to–what else?–request a Discworld book from my library.

So in honor of Sir Terry, I’m re-posting my collection of favorite Discworld moments…not quotes exactly, because several are all about the dialogue or the back-and-forth.  Hereare some moments that always make me think or make me laugh or do both!

First, a philosophical one, about the power of knowledge:

They thought the Library was a dangerous place because of all the magical books, which was true enough, but what made it really one of the most dangerous places there could ever be was the simple fact that it was a library.

– Guards! Guards!

And another time, Death waxes philosophical.  It should be noted that Death always speaks IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS:

WHO KNOWS WHAT EVIL LURKS IN THE HEART OF MEN?
The Death of Rats looked up from the feast of potato.
SQUEAK, he said.
Death waved a hand dismissively. WELL, YES, OBVIOUSLY ME, he said. I JUST WONDERED IF THERE WAS ANYONE ELSE.

– The Truth

And because Death is so brilliant, another one, after someone suggested that he should be “more of a people person”:

KNOCK KNOCK.
He looked up.
“Who’s there?”
DEATH.
“Death who?”
There was a chill in the air. Beano waited…
I WONDER… CAN WE START AGAIN? I DON’T SEEM TO HAVE THE HANG OF THIS…

– Men at Arms

Maskerade is probably a favorite moment in its entirety, and I could quote most of it…but here’s just one moment.  A dead body turns up, along with a note from the Opera Ghost:

Hahahahaha!  Ahahahahaha!
Yrs, The Opera Ghost
P.S. Ahahahahaha!

“I don’t understand!  Is this man mad?”

Salzella put an arm around his shoulders and led him away from the crowd.  “Well, now,” he said as kindly as he could.  “A man who wears evening dress all the time, lurks in the shadows and occasionally kills people.  Then he sends little notes, writing maniacal laughter.  Five exclamation marks again, I notice.  We have to ask ourselves: is this the career of a sane man?”

“But why is he doing it?” Bucket wailed.

“That is only a relevant question if he is sane,” said Salzella calmly.  “He may be doing it because the little yellow pixies tell him to.”

– Maskerade

The image of the Phantom of the Opera, chatting with the little yellow pixies, never fails to crack me up.  It’s the same for this very odd bit below, about a crazed artist:

“He was convinced that if he went to sleep at night, he would turn into a chicken.  He’d leave little notes for himself saying, ‘You are not a chicken,’ although sometimes he thought he was lying…  Scholars have puzzled over the notes ever since, seeking some insight into the poor man’s tortured mind.  They are not in any order, you see.  Some are very…odd.”

“Odder than ‘You are not a chicken’?”

– Thud!

I think I need to re-read all of these books now.  🙂  Other Discworld readers, what are your favorite quotes or moments?

Book Review: Seventeen Against the Dealer (Tillerman Cycle)

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews, Young Adult3 Comments

I finished out my reread of the Tillerman Cycle by Cynthia Voigt with the final book, Seventeen Against the Dealer.  I’ve loved revisiting the Tillerman family, getting inside each of their heads (as Voigt does so well!) and watching them navigate and struggle with goals, identities and connections.

This last book brings us back into the point of view of Dicey, lead character of the first two books.  At twenty-one, Dicey has dropped out of college to start her own boat-building business.  With her usual fierce pride and independence, she’s determined to make her own way with her business, accepting no help and incurring no debts.  She faces setback after setback, and her solution is always to work harder…so hard that she doesn’t notice the people she’s pulling away from in the process.  The title is metaphorical, about making a risky bet in Black Jack, reflected in the book by the gambles Dicey makes throughout as she struggles toward her goal.

This final book wraps back to the beginning in a nice way by putting the focus on Dicey again (which it hasn’t been for four books).  It also continues the theme of the Tillerman tendency to keep oneself apart–needing no one and relying on no one.  That was part of Dicey’s character in her earlier two books, and we saw the quality taken to an extreme with Bullet in the fourth book, The Runner.  In this book Dicey seems on a path to be like Bullet, so self-reliant that she’s cutting off all other ties.  This is a satisfying ending to the series in part because Dicey (and her grandmother) ultimately learns something about needing other people–not giving up her strength or will but realizing that she doesn’t have to do everything alone. Continue reading “Book Review: Seventeen Against the Dealer (Tillerman Cycle)” →

Movie Review: Muppet Treasure Island

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews4 Comments

Muppet Treasure IslandThere was a year or two in high school when I knew many of the songs from Muppet Treasure Island by heart—and my group of friends may have broken into spontaneous singing on a semi-regular basis. I hadn’t watched the movie in years, but a recent re-watch was as delightful as I remembered. I may have been helped along by the memory of many in-jokes and oft-quoted lines, but I can recommend this even to those without that advantage!

The movie follows the essential story of Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Young Jim Hawkins obtains a treasure map and sets out on a sea voyage to look for buried treasure on a distant island. Along the way he meets ship’s cook Long John Silver, who soon is at the heart of a pirate mutiny. The Muppets’ chief variations are to send Jim to sea with his two friends, Gonzo and Rizzo, and of course to cast Muppet characters in key roles: Jim and Long John are human, but Kermit plays the ship’s captain, Miss Piggy is castaway Benjamina Gunn, and that crew of pirates has some very strange members (my favorites? Old Tom, Very Old Tom, and Dead Tom).

This movie is a long parade of funny moments and silly songs. There are heaps of one-liners, those pirate shanties are still pretty great, and Kermit has the most entertaining facial expressions you’re ever likely to see on a frog. You have to like your humor pretty absurd, but if you do this is enormous fun. Continue reading “Movie Review: Muppet Treasure Island” →

Fairyland Beckons…

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations2 Comments

oncetimenine400The first day of Spring is…either today or tomorrow, I never remember (and yeah, I’m sure Google knows, but where’s the fun in looking it up?)  Either way!  It’s been warm and sunny in my neighborhood for at least a week, the daffodils have been blooming for over a month, and the real point of all this is that Spring is here (or as good as) which means it’s time to turn towards fairy tales and fantasy for the annual Once Upon a Time “challenge.”

If you know this blog, it won’t surprise you that this is my favorite reading challenge. 🙂

I’ve decided to be unplanned this year, and let the books, magic and possibly pink sparkles fall where they will.  I have lots of fantasy books on my To Be Read list, and since I’m also aiming to do more rereading this year, I’ll see if I can rustle up any past-read fairy tale retellings too.  I’m curious to see if they read differently to me now, after the last five years or so of immersing myself in fairy tales so much more!

I only have two definite books on my list for this challenge, only because they’re the two I already picked up at the library:  Dearest by Alethea Kontis, third book in the Woodcutter Sisters series, which I’ve been holding onto waiting for this challenge to arrive.  And A Question of Magic by E.D. Baker, which has a really cool premise and I hope will change my mind about this author (because I wasn’t able to get into the previous two books I read…)

And beyond that…we shall see!