Thursday, December 02, 2004

So much to discuss…so little time to do it.

Since my last post, I've been wildly busy with a variety of things - from reading to movie-going to playing a few video games. As I mentioned, I've been playing with the new Nintendo DS some, and I have to say the dual screen technology is incredibly nifty. There are times when things move effortlessly from top screen to bottom and it's extremely natural. I've spent the bulk of my playing time on the Urbz, and the touch screen is really well integrated into that port. I so can't wait for Animal Crossing on this machine.

I've also read through two and a half books in the past week and a half or so. The first was National Book Award for Nonfiction winner Arc of Justice, by Kevin Boyle. It's a captivating read about a trial that took place in Detroit back in the late 1920s. The ultimate results of the trial would have a lasting impact on the civil rights movement in the U.S., particularly with regards to the NAACP's efforts to create a fund that would allow them to finance the defense of African-Americans in cases that center on potential racial issues. I would give the book a solid A.

After finishing that book, I moved on to Ian McEwan's Enduring Love, which will be the subject of a Book vs. Movie column in the coming days. The book is seriously terrific - a rare A+, in fact. Sadly, the movie doesn't even come close to accomplishing what the book did. It feels like both screenwriter and director missed the point completely.

Now, I'm approaching being halfway through the 800-page Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke. It's very entertaining, and frequently puts me in mind of the darker fairy tales that I read as a child. I've seen it described as "Harry Potter for adults", but have to agree with Stephen King that Harry Potter is Harry Potter for adults. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is something entirely different. Once I finish the book, I'll offer up more thoughts.

Linkage of the day:

Apparently, the world's oldest pornography will be up for sale later this month.

The Onion interviews James Ellroy. He's…something.

An Alabama lawmaker seeks to ban novels with gay characters from public libraries, including public libraries. I wonder if he's been watching the vile homophobic Mrs. Howell on The Real Gilligan's Island.

And via Neil Gaiman's blog, the same folks who previously brought you The Hunger Site are now offering The Literacy Site. Bookmark all of their worthy click for a cause sites and visit them every day.

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