trn off yr tv

#87 - Complete A-Z reading challenge - titles A-C

"Alta" Mercedes Lackey
About a boy who used to be a slave but now rides a dragon that he tamed so can hold his head up high among the rich and powerful. Has escaped the slave life to return to his homeland. Since that home land is at war with the place he escaped from he manages to convince the authorites that he can help train up more dragons like his own thus giving them controllable sober killing machines as opposed to the drugged up killing machines they have now. Along the way he falls in love, is taken into the confidence of the heir-apparent and discovers a foul plot.

What did I think? Unfortunately I leant my lesson too late - this is the second in a series which I didn't pick up until about halfway through the book. I wondered why there was so much reference to 'before' and 'when I was a slave'. Maybe this contributed to the disjointed feeling I got from reading the book. It seemed like there was a lot of action going on in the background but because it was boring it was just ignored. Recommend you read something else of hers instead.


"Bowling alone : the collapse and revival of American community" Robert D. Putnam.
About the decrease and decline of social capital in the States and how this led to social problems. Filled with lots of tables and interesting facts and figures about different generations and how changes affected them.

What did I think? Unfortunately I was reading to find out how to fix the problem, not the casues and reasons for it. The author doesn't have this solution, only suggestions and challenges for social groups and individuals. Overall an interesting, challenging read but ultimately useless to me. (Probably should be recommended reading for college classes in USA though.) It did make me think about other social trends e.g. crafting, eco-chic, etc and whether the revival of these old-style pursuits would also lead to a revival in volunteering and group social activities. Probably not - I think we're still a world of spectators. Or more appropriately, lurkers.


"A Canticle for Leibowitz" Walter M. Miller
About an order of monks (not monkees) who protect data and documents hoping to one day turn it into knowledge. Leibowitz is the founder who was responsible for booklegging items for preservation after a cataclysmic disaster. The book is in three parts and covers a number of generations and years. Do the monks contribute to the saving of civilisation? Does humanity learn humanity or is it doomed to repeat past mistakes?

What did I think? Unfortunately...there is no unfortunately. I'm not even sure why I read this (Maybe those dastards at Unshelved? Hhm, apparently not) but after a slow start I began to enjoy it. By the end I was marvelling that this book had been written in 1959 as it seemed particularly relevant to todays situation. I found some of the sentence constructs hard to cope with - I'm not much good at reading the religious stuff and I hate having to translate things. (So I didn't...hope it wasn't important.) If you can get through it though it's a great commentary on the human condition. Recommended.