Review - The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima


My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Mishima is clearly a brilliant writer--his prose (at least, the English translation of it), puts you right in the situation. Unfortunately, this is part of the problem for me, for as well as a brilliant writer he was a profoundly disturbed man (he eventually committed seppuku, Japanese ritual suicide).

The book is, loosely, about a sailor who turns his back on dreams of glory on the sea to love a woman, and how that relationship and the world is seen by the woman's son, Noboru. Noboru is part of a gang of boys who see the world as useless, and killing, or rather the ability to end life, as the ultimate proof of their superiority over the world.

Disturbing stories used to not bother me like they do now, and I just couldn't finish this. It had an interesting concept and beautiful writing, but I had to draw the line at the kitten-killing.

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Review - Pickets and Dead Men: Seasons on Rainier

Pickets and Dead Men: Seasons on Rainier by Bree Loewen


My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fascinating book about Bree Loewen's experiences over three years as a climbing ranger on Mt. Rainier. Those rangers face an incredibly tough life, and I don't blame her for quitting. Not the life for me, thanks, except maybe for the copious amounts of macaroni and cheese that Bree eats throughout the book.

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At Last

Finally, finally, I'm seeing the light. The MLIS program I'm in requires 4 core courses and 8 electives. On December 17th, I'll complete the last of the core requirements with one elective under my belt t'boot! 5/12 of the way through the program... almost halfway done.

When I started this, I didn't expect the degree to take me this long. I didn't expect a lot of things to happen--people dying, pets dying, getting married, buying a house. This is technically my third year in the program, and it's going to run at least another year and a half before I can complete it.

This semester has been going better now that I have taken to heart the advice that I don't need to get straight A's. There are things that are more important than school (gasp!) It's been working well for me... less stress, less time spent on it, and I'm still averaging over a B.

And now I get to take whatever classes I want for the rest of the program! Woot!

Yesterday I signed up for Spring semester--taking "Genealogy I & II" and "Information Resources for the Health Sciences." The Genealogy series is two back-to-back one credit courses which end in April, so they will overlap with the other three credit course for the first three months, then leave me a month of breathing room to finish up finals for the second course in May.

It is exciting and sad that for the first time, I am truly looking forward to my graduate classes.

Review - Girl, Interrupted

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I only got about half-way through this book... it was useful to me to look at the form the author chose, but since I have a brother-in-law in a mental hospital, I couldn't exactly agree with the reviewer quote on the cover that it was "triumphantly funny." I think she was probably missing the point. It made me feel less amused and more like I was going to vomit.

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Review - Cordelia's Honor

Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I haven't read much recently-written science fiction other than Star Trek and Star Wars-related stuff in my reading career, so I decided to give this a try on the recommendation of a friend. I was not disappointed. Flawed, yet amazing characters, well-realized worlds, a plausible far-future, witty, and lots of explosions and righteous slaying t'boot. Some parts got a little slow, but when I picked the book back up I was quickly hooked again. Can't stand the back of the book, though... it tells you the whole story. Basically, it's about Cordelia, and she's awesome. And you should read it. Enough said.

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