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I just finished Elbow Room by Daniel Dennett. It was my second time through it because, not having any real background in philosophy, I felt I'd missed a lot the first time through. It's pretty accessible, and helps to clear up some of the clutter surrounding the idea of free will. Before that I read Godel Escher Bach by Doug Hofstadter, which was very long but ultimately worthwhile and pretty entertaining. Again, I feel like I missed quite a bit, since it's so densely packed with hidden bits, double meanings, self-references, and whatnot, but I'll need to take a break before tackling it again.
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Nov 16, 2006 04:49
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The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow - I enjoyed this one, although I did find it slow going at some points. There were also some irritating tendencies, like when characters randomly burst into florid soliloquies and improvised philosophical dissertations that seemed really out of character. For the most part though it was a very well told, and fairly well paced story, especially considering the length. Mr. Sandman by Barbara Gowdy - I plowed through this in a couple of days, which I rarely do anymore. It was very engaging, quite often hilarious, and dealt with some surprisingly deep, dark subject matter without losing its sense of lightness. In that sense it actually reminded me somewhat of Vonnegut, although without the more fantastic, sci-fi-ish elements he tends to throw in. The story itself is quite standard, following the lives of a family over the course of several years, but with everything tied together by a strange, quasi-mystical youngest child. It's hard to describe without spoiling, but I highly recommend it.
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Sep 3, 2008 19:13
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