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What I’m reading

I was going to review Freakonomics for my Tuesday book review, but I found I don’t really have much to say about it.  I was underwhelmed by it — it’s so simplified to be "accessible" to people who are scared of numbers that if you’ve read about the book, you’ve learned as much about the contents as you would by reading the book.  Leavitt’s controversial paper about abortion and crime is presented as a simple statement of fact, comparable to the statement that swimming pools are more of a hazard to kids than guns, without enough information for a reader to evaluate Leavitt’s claims and his critics’.   Mostly, reading Freakonomics made me appreciate Malcolm Gladwell’s skills at bringing complex ideas to life by discussing the people who care about them.

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I’ve been on a fiction reading kick lately, in part due to recommendations from around the blogosphere.  (Note the new "blogs about books" section in the sidebar.)

  • I really enjoyed The Icarus Girl, although it didn’t quite finish as strongly as it started.  I have a soft spot for books about hyper-literate girls, even if they prefer Beth to Jo.  Several reviews indicate that it’s based on Nigerian mythology — I wish I knew more about that.  I don’t see how the Icarus myth fits in at all.
  • Flea recommended Cloud Atlas, which I liked, although not as much as she did.  I really liked some of the individual stories, but found myself wondering whether the structure of the book was too precious and if it actually added anything to my reading.
  • Wayne recommended I Sailed With Magellan as "the best collection of short stories that I’ve ever read."  I’m only two stories in, so will hold my judgment. 
  • Next in line, I think, is March.  Do you think it will matter that it’s been almost 20 years since I read Little Women?

And, hey, Shannon’s starting a book club!

Related posts:

  1. what I’m reading
  2. Now reading…
  3. Reading L.lita in Tehran

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 12th, 2005 at 7:01 am and is filed under Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “What I’m reading”

  1. Wayne Says:
    July 13th, 2005 at 12:13 pm

    Thanks for the heads up about Freakonomics.
    I agree with you about the structure of Cloud Atlas, and was glad at least that the book recognized that, when Robert Frobisher briefly wonders if his musical composition (which resembles the structure of the novel) is worth it.

  2. trilobite Says:
    July 14th, 2005 at 11:49 am

    Thanks for recommending March. I had not heard about it and it sounds great.
    For making the complex accessible, have you read Jared Diamond’s Collapse? Or Bill Bryson’s Short History of Almost Everything?

  3. Academic Coach Says:
    July 18th, 2005 at 12:28 am

    You don’t need to have read Little Women in 20 years to enjoy March.
    You don’t have to have liked Little Women to like March.

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