This March, it seemed like I didn’t read as much, with last night’s completion of Sun-Tzu’s The Art of War, I completed 5 books in March, for a grand total of 18 for the year.  This month I read these books:

• Michael Crichton’s Prey
• George Orwell’s Animal Farm
• David Eddings’s The Belgariad Volume I
• J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher In The Rye
• Sun-Tzu’s The Art of War

Also in March, I decided to join up in The Classics Club, a classics reading project that Jillian, over at A Room of One’s Own.  I put together a list of 103 classics to read, which you can view my selections here.  Three of the books I read in March were included on that list, which leaves me with 100 to go.

For April, I’m looking at reading Aristotle’s The Metaphysics which I will be reading with a co-worker of mine to discuss during our lunch periods at the office.  I will also be reading Kat Richardson’s Greywalker, a book chosen by my sister for all of us to read in our reading group.  I will also continue participating in a read-along with Bleak House.  I seem to be enjoying it for the most part.  There are some parts of the book that I wish weren’t as descriptive, but with it being so rich in detail, you’re definitely not missing anything.

Aside from those books, I really don’t have too many solid reading plans.  I’ve truly enjoyed reading without any set plans this year, and can be open to read whatever, unlike last year at this time, where I was pretty much set on reading Marx’s Capital and other heavy reading endeavors.

What do you have on tap for reading?  What have your recently finished?

To begin with, I can’t get too far into my thoughts this week without talking about Richard first.  I know the last couple of weeks, I may have been a little hard on Richard and his actions in Bleak House, to date, but Richard is really starting to drive me crazy with his jumping to and fro for what he really wants to do.  In this week’s reading, he’s decided that law isn’t the profession for him and instead wants to purchase a commission in the royal army.  Now, 15 years ago, when I was what Richard’s age is in the book, I really didn’t have a real solid idea of what I wanted to do with my life either; however, I was attending GW at the time, but Richard doesn’t seem to have any interest at all in school.  He’s just jumping from one job to the next.  By this point, I’m pretty much 100% convinced that all he’s wanting to do is bide his time until the Jarndyce vs Jarndyce lawsuit is at an end and he won’t have to work.  Or maybe he’s wanting to become a lot like Mr. Skimpole where he lives off the generosity of others and not have to contribute one iota toward society’s well-being.  Regardless, if he’s truly wanting to marry Ada, he’s not doing a good enough job of demonstrating to her that he’s “marriage” material.  One thing’s for sure, my dislike for Richard’s character in this book is at an all-time high.

Aside from that, there were two items of particular note that really caught my eye.  The first was the announcement of the engagement between Caddy and Prince to their respective parents.  I thought Prince’s father, Mr. Turveydrop, was going to be dead set against it at first, but I was pleasantly surprised that he was persuaded that this match was going to be very good for both of them.  On the other hand, I was really quite disappointed with Mrs. Jellyby’s reaction.  Mrs. Jellyby just proved to me that all she cares about, more than anything else in this world, is her philanthropy and nothing else comes close.  She seemed really quite put out that she was going to be marrying someone and it seemed to take time out of her busy day.  How disappointing for Caddy!

Finally, at the end of this week’s reading something occurred that really caught my eye.  It was when Mr. Jarndyce presented Esther with the gift of Charley to work for her with a great majority of the housekeeping duties.  Now, ordinarily, that sort of action would tell me that he thinks Esther may be overwhelmed with some of the housework that Esther is doing and she simply needs help.  However, what completely changed my opinion of this act of kindness was that Charley mentioned she was a gift of love from Mr. Jarndyce.  That comment certainly raised an eyebrow for me and really started getting me to thinking that perhaps Mr. Jarndyce has deeper feelings than for Esther than I originally thought.

I’m certainly looking forward to learning more about what’s going on with the Jarndyce vs Jarndyce case, but more importantly, how all these characters are truly connected.  I don’t think I’ve quite reached the point where I can see all the connections yet!

The first and foremost item that comes to mind is Dickens’s description of the suffering of children throughout, not only this week’s reading, but all of Bleak House in general since I began reading this book four weeks ago.  Whether it’s Esther, before Mr. Jarndyce becomes her guardian, Caddy, Jo, or the Neckett children, Charley, Tom and Emma.  Between these descriptions, and obviously the descriptions of what I’ve read in David Copperfield, I can’t help but think that children must’ve suffered a lot in poverty if they weren’t well-cared for, and/or had no parents during Victorian England.  It’s rather depressing to me actually, and I’m sure I’ll feel very similarly when I read Oliver Twist later on down the road.

Speaking of suffering children, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Jo as he was being thoroughly questioned in Chapter XIX about him not moving along and how he received the money, that no child in his position, could possibly have earned legally.  I suppose, if you’re considered rif-raff, you’re going to be looked at more closely than if you come from a family of higher stature.

Another item that really caught my attention in the reading this week was Lady Dedlock’s behavior and actions.  For starters, why is she so interested in the death of a document writer, Nemo?  She went to great pains to disguise herself and conceal her true identity to Jo to have him show her around and where Nemo was interred.  I stored that particular knowledge away for future reference.  It just seemed quite suspicious to me.

The second thing about Lady Dedlock that really caught my attention was her behavior toward Esther.  When she met up with her, and Mr. Jarndyce, she was cordial to everyone BUT Esther.  She also didn’t say good-bye upon her departure from that scene to Esther.  That particular scene got me to thinking.  Is there more to this relationship between Esther and Lady Dedlock?  Is Lady Dedlock feeling some sort of guilt from a past action on her part?  Could Esther be related to Lady Dedlock somehow?  Those are questions I’ll be definitely looking for answer to as I read more in the book.

Finally, I can’t finish this post without mentioning one of my strong dislikes in this book, and that lies with Richard.  He decides that his heart isn’t in medicine and would rather go into law instead.  Now, I understand, I may have been a bit hard on Richard a couple of posts ago, he’s still young, and very impressionable.  However, with that being said, I think he’s looking for a way to bide his time, hoping the Jarndyce v Jarndyce suit will be concluded and he can live without working.  I think he’s looking for an easy way out and a quick way to make a buck, or in this case, a pound.  I just think this uncertainty he seems to have for himself, and the way he keeps bouncing around to avoid failure, may end up catching up with him and he’ll end up a giant failure anyway, all because he’s unwilling to take a chance on himself.  It will definitely be interesting to see how much of this story turns out as I continue with my journey.

As I mentioned in my post on book one, I found that I was still scratching my head as to where these characters were ultimately going and their goal.  I still didn’t have an idea as to what this orb was, or who they were exactly chasing, and, of course, more importantly, why.  I definitely found the answers to those questions in both Queen of Sorcery and Magician’s Gambit.  In both of these books, I continued to follow the journey of Garion and his mates in their quest to retrieve the orb before it can get in the hands of the baddies.

In both Queen of Sorcery and Magician’s Gambit, Garion, Aunt Pol, and Old Wolf, meet new friends, enemies, and have a grand ole time trying to find their way to whomever captured the orb, apparently, an old colleague of Wolf’s, before it’s too late.  I definitely found Queen of Sorcery to be the best book out of the three that was included in this volume.  I discovered that the story became much more developed, and I came to like the characters more, especially Mallorean, a noble knight.  I also thought the story, similar in Pawn of Prophecy read very quickly.

In Magician’s Gambit, we find the crew getting closer to discovering the actual location of the orb.  As I was nearing the completion of Queen of Sorcery, I felt the book’s pace had slowed down a bit, and I felt there was some carryover into Magician’s Gambit.  I didn’t enjoy Magician’s Gambit as much as Queen of Prophecy, but there were some very important details to the plot that was revealed, and I feel that now I have a larger grasp as to what is really going on and how things may end up toward the end of the series.  I certainly hope, in Volume II, the pace picks up a bit, and I am able to get as good of a story as I did in Queen of Propechy.  Reading this first volume has certainly made me curious for more, so I will definitely read the second volume at some point later on this year.  Although, a part of me thinks, I may have enjoyed this set much more when I was in my teenage years, I still enjoyed reading this set, and I hope to continue to enjoy the rest of the series.

If you’ve read The Belgariad or other works by David Eddings, I’d love to see what you thought of them!

A few weeks ago, I ordered the paperback version of The Art of War from Amazon when I ordered my wife a couple of books.  Here’s a quick synopsis of what the book is about:

For more than two thousand years, Sun-tzu’s The Art of War has provided military leaders with essential advice on battlefield tactics, managing troops and terrain, and employing cunning and deception.  An elemental part of Chinese culture, it has also become a touchstone for the Western struggle for survival and success, whether in battle, in business, or in relationships.

The first half of this edition presents the core text; the second half presents the same text with extensive running commentary from the canon of traditional Chinese commentators and others.  With John Minford’s crisp, accessible translation, and lively, learned introduction, even readers already familiar with The Art of War will experience it anew, finding it more fascinating – and more chilling – than ever.

I’m truly looking forward to reading this classical piece of work and learning much from it.  Since I do have an MBA, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how Sun-Tzu’s work applies to the business world.  If you’ve read The Art of War, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Of course, I have been quite aware of this book’s notoriety, but I wasn’t sure why the book was so controversial.  After I completed my reading, I could definitely see why the book was as controversial as it was in 1949 when it was first published.  Foul language, the mention of sex, a boy in Holden Caulfield who clearly has some emotional and psychological issues that he must address.

While I was reading this book, I was having a hard time trying to figure out the premise, it just seemed that Holden was rambling about his activities before he was supposed to meet up with his parents in New York and they found out he had been expelled from his prep school Percey.  Not until I spoke with my brother yesterday did he tell me the setting of the story was Holden telling his story to a psychologist as to how he got to where he was.  Not once while reading The Catcher In The Rye did I pick up on the fact that he was telling his story to his psychologist in a mental facility.  Sure, there was one clue where it was mentioned to Holden that he should be psychoanalyzed, but aside from that passage, I didn’t have the slightest clue.  I thought perhaps he was telling the story to his parents.  If my brother hadn’t told me that, or I didn’t think to take a look at the Cliffsnotes for the book, I would’ve never figured it out.

Aside from the language and the mention of sex, I really didn’t see the fascination with the book, I also didn’t really enjoy the read all that much.  Personally, I just couldn’t see the fascination with The Catcher In The Rye aside from those points.  Maybe it’s really as my brother indicated to me, I simply didn’t get the book; however, there really didn’t seem to be very complex at all to me.  It just seemed like unedited thoughts and nothing more.  I’m sure there’s more to it than that, and others have seen it, maybe I simply just didn’t like the book and I should keep it as simple as that.  What did you think of The Catcher In The Rye?  What have you been reading this past week and what do you have on tap for this week?

I loved how Orwell wrote this satirical novel.  It was very enjoyable to read, and I definitely wanted to know how the farm would develop with each animal having an “equal” stake in everything.  I also really liked how they established seven laws of “animalism” on how each animal was to be treated on the farm.  But as things progressed in the book, I could definitely see how one group of animals was becoming more tyrannical than others and granting themselves certain privileges.  The end didn’t really surprise me, especially when you’re talking about revolutions, on how the most powerful of the revolutionaries become masters of all by assuming all the power.  Just exchanging one form of totalitarianism for another.

I felt the book was well written and I couldn’t believe how quick of a read it was.  I definitely saw how the concepts in Animal Farm could be applied to today’s world, especially when we’re seeing some revolutions in the Middle East occurring over the last year and some change.  I also feel that Animal Farm does a very good job of demonstrating the ills of totalitarianism and how it’s something that should be feared.

I truly enjoyed reading Animal Farm and I can’t wait until I tackle my next work by George Orwell, 1984.  If you’ve read Animal Farm, I’d love to hear what you thought of it.

Those sentiments aside, I can clearly see why Bleak House is considered one of the first detective novels in literature.  There are so many riddles and questions that it could drive a man to drink.  On a complete side note and tangent, it may be an added motivation to drink while reading this book, we’ll see!  And I don’t necessarily mean a detective novel in the sense of the genre.  There are so many questions, as I mentioned above.  Why was Lady Deadlock so interested in the death of a rather obscure copyist?  Clearly, Dickens keeps on letting his opinion of the legal system be the basis of his disgust of the Victorian method of enforcing the law.

One thing that kind of left me scratching my head was how Richard and Ada are having a blossoming romance.  They’re cousins!  A part of me is ewww, but a part of me sees this as one of Richard’s failings, and perhaps his confidence in other areas of his life.  I didn’t mention this point last week, but Richard strikes me as a character who has some serious issues with his self-confidence.  In last week’s reading, he wasn’t sure what it was he wanted to do with his life.  He just figures he needs to get a job and earn his keep like everyone else.  He really seems to have no drive to improve himself, or even to ask questions.  This week’s reading reinforced that belief.  A career field was suggested to him, and he said, “Sure, that sounds interesting.”  Without even really giving it much thought, he simply wished to please his benefactor.  One thing I can’t stand in literature, is characters that are weak in character.  Richard strikes me as one of those types of characters, where he’s just going with the flow and doesn’t really seem to care, as long as the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case results in him receiving his share of the inheritance, and then maybe, quite maybe, he won’t have to work at all.  He’s naive to the fact that there isn’t anything left to inherit, and, instead of demonstrating some motivation, is hoping for something good to simply land on his lap.

In closing, I want to take a moment to mention something about Esther.  Esther, at the end of this week’s reading, seems to be caught in some conflicting feelings.  She seems to be attracted to a young surgeon, while, at the same time, she needs to deal with her feelings with Mr. Jarndyce, whom I can see is perhaps starting to have more than simply the feelings of a benefactor.  I’ll be interesting to see how that relationship pans out as I continue on with Bleak House.

Mainly, I want to see the story pick up some and for Dickens to maybe get to the point a little quicker, but I think that very well might be an unrealistic expectation.  Hopefully I’ll be able to keep my motivation level going so I can continue reading this book.

I checked out the paperback version from the library, and here’s a quick synopsis courtesy of Goodreads:

Anyone who has read J.D. Salinger’s New Yorker stories ? particularly A Perfect Day for Bananafish, Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut, The Laughing Man, and For Esme ? With Love and Squalor, will not be surprised by the fact that his first novel is fully of children. The hero-narrator of THE CATCHER IN THE RYE is an ancient child of sixteen, a native New Yorker named Holden Caulfield. Through circumstances that tend to preclude adult, secondhand description, he leaves his prep school in Pennsylvania and goes underground in New York City for three days. The boy himself is at once too simple and too complex for us to make any final comment about him or his story. Perhaps the safest thing we can say about Holden is that he was born in the world not just strongly attracted to beauty but, almost, hopelessly impaled on it. There are many voices in this novel: children’s voices, adult voices, underground voices-but Holden’s voice is the most eloquent of all. Transcending his own vernacular, yet remaining marvelously faithful to it, he issues a perfectly articulated cry of mixed pain and pleasure. However, like most lovers and clowns and poets of the higher orders, he keeps most of the pain to, and for, himself. The pleasure he gives away, or sets aside, with all his heart. It is there for the reader who can handle it to keep.

I’m looking forward to seeing what the hype has been about the book, and my brother’s fascination with the story.  As I mentioned, my brother highly recommends it, so I hope it isn’t a complete let down.  So, Chief, I’m taking the journey that you’ve been asking me to take for quite some time now, you typically don’t steer me wrong with reading suggestions, so I’m looking forward to an enjoyable read!

In Prey, we learn about John Forman, an unemployed  stay-at-home dad, who’s been having some issues, not only finding work, but, as he finds out, with his wife and her suspicious activities.  John’s wife, Julia, is a VP of a major technology company that’s trying to make a major breakthrough in the area of nanotechnology.  She’s been working late, not keeping in touch with John, and her behavior has been erratic.  These new behaviors has triggered John into some sort of action, when his old company wants to hire him back to help his wife’s company with solving a coding problem for these little pieces of technology.

What ensues is John discovering what ultimately is the issue with the nanotechnology.  I won’t give away any of the plot details, but, as I mentioned above, it’s awfully heavy on scientific principles.  How nanotechnology is supposed to work, and some areas of the coding of this technology.  I understand that the detailed scientific descriptions were needed for the climax of the novel, but I wasn’t expecting it to be nearly as in-depth with those details, as opposed to any actual real character development.  The plot was also razor-thin, in my opinion, and it could’ve used some additional depth, at least to show that there was as much commitment to that as to the depth Crichton went into for the scientific portion of the book.

Overall, though, it’s your typical Michael Crichton book, something that’s ok to check out from the library, but not worth a re-read.  I do know my brother quite enjoyed the book, my sister less so than myself.  But, part of this reading group we formed was to read books we probably haven’t heard of nor wouldn’t have read otherwise, to broaden our horizons, so from that avenue, I’m glad to have  been exposed to Michael Crichton again.  If you enjoy Michael Crichton, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.  If you’ve read Prey, I’d love to hear your thoughts!