Review of "The Invisible Library"

Ordinarily I don't care for fantasy, but it has come a long way in the last few years. Case in point: "The Invisible Library," by Genevieve Cogman. She's got a whole series of these now, but this is the first one, and it's really good. Densely plotted, intriguing, and all about books.

Review: How Music Works, by David Byrne

David Byrne has written an unusual and interesting book not on music per se, but on the cultural forces that shape what kind of music can be written and performed in specific environments - from intimate salons to gigantic arenas, from live concerts to recorded forms in multiple technological formats, from one person listening to a CD to thousands participating together. He covers a lot of ground, and shows how each form impacts the others.

Highly recommended. 

I received a copy of this book in return for a review.

Available on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/How-Music-Works-David-Byrne-ebook/dp/B01JWDZ7Q2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497476144&sr=8-1&keywords=how+music+works

Short Review: Sandalwood Essential Oil from First Botany

Sandalwood oil is a "cosmeceutical," which along with "natural," "pure," and "aromatherapy" are marketing terms for natural products not regulated as drugs (and consequently without detailed labeling requirements from the FDA.). The material has an ancient and honorable history in Ayurvedic medicine and meditative practices, but the amount of blather written about it and other essential oils is truly astounding - all kinds of unsubstantiated claims, arguments, and general web-spinning. I'm going to put that noise aside and simply describe my interaction with this particular product.

I mixed a couple drops with coconut oil and used it as a perfumed skin cream. Very nice, with a lovely and long-lasting woodsy fragrance. It works well in a diffuser to scent a room, too. Most references indicate that it is important to mix the product with another oil or cream - and try on a small patch of skin first - because the full strength material can be irritating. Its normal price is substantial for just 30 mL, but you only need a little for each application, and the dropper bottle is handy.

Recommended.

I obtained this product at a discounted price in exchange for an unbiased review through Honest Dragon Reviews.

Snapshot: "The Magic of Math"

Arthur Benjamin has been doing math magic for some years now, and is one of several mathematicians writing engaging books on their subject for the lay person. (See John Allen Paulos and William Dunham for two other excellent examples.) In this particular tome he shows off a number of mathematical tricks that make learning number concepts easier, including algebra, counting, fibonacci numbers, pi, calculus, and infinity.

Highly recommended, particularly to teachers - this gives you a lot more ammo than the average blah textbook.

I got a free copy of this book in exchange for a review on NetGalley.com.

Short Review: "Elgin Park"

Michael Paul Smith is an artist who constructs and photographs open air dioramas of an imaginary town, based on memories of his boyhood home. He uses his own extensive collection of die cast model cars, beautifully constructed architectural models (he has some training in the field), a good camera, and outdoor scenes for perspective.  Fascinating for anyone who loves dollhouses, old cars, puzzles, or any kind of nostalgia.

Oddly, the actual text of the book, written in third person rather than first and at times self-congratulatory (this strikes me as the fault of his co-author) strikes a rather jarring note. Additionally, the quality of the images in the book is not as good as it could be, compared to the actual photos on Smith's Flickr page.

Look past that, though. Smith's voice is there, in answers to questions, in descriptions of the images, and in tutorial information on how to construct these kinds of scenes.

Recommended.

I received an e-book of this title in exchange for a review on NetGalley.

Snapshot: "Zen and the Art of Donkey Maintenance"

Robert Crisp was an eccentric Brit - a famous Cricket player who dropped out of sight except for some articles he wrote for a publication, which were eventually worked into a memoir by his son Peter. At age 50 or so the elder Crisp settled in a free two-room shack in Greece near a beach, and made efforts to live on 10 pounds sterling a month, gardening, keeping some livestock and generally living a Thoreau-style existence. It's well-written and engaging, although not particularly unique - I've read books like this before.

Worth a look.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review on NetGalley.com.

Short Review: "The Divine Madness of Philip K. Dick"

Kyle Arnold has written a gripping analysis of Philip K Dick`s work in the context of his psychological torments, and their genesis in his upbringing.  Dick barely survived near starvation as an infant, and his twin sister died. His mother blamed him somehow for that death, and many of his other childhood experiences piled on worse. Arnold is convincing when showing how those experiences informed Dick`s fiction. (There are multiple excellent examples.)

He goes a little over the top when he psychoanalyzes Dicks behavior,  in places almost trying to explain it away rather than just explain it. (Dick was a charming misogynist and drug addict, battling mental illness his entire life.) Never the less, this is a thorough, though-provoking addition to PKD criticism.

Recommended particularly for devotees of PKD's fiction.

I received a free e-book of this title in exchange for a review.

Three short reviews of Island Press books

Island Press publishes books on environmental subjects. Here are three that consider important issues in urban renewal, the built environment, and sustainability.

Urbanism without Effort
Charles Wolfe has managed to articulate what has always troubled me about city renovations - no matter how professionally done, they often look fake, superficial. Wolfe has conducted what he calls photocentric archaeology in old cities that developed according to people's needs over time, and has come up with some interesting observations. The loss of human scale is a problem with overly planned spaces - some of them look like people don't belong there at all. He notes that modern architecture is often static, controlling rather than supporting human movement, comfort, and flexibility. A thriving city needs organic growth and adaptive reuse in order to stay authentic.

Conservation for Cities
Conservation for Cities, by Robert McDonald, is an engaging look at the potential for "natural infrastructure" in urban areas - the role that greenery and other natural constructs can have in keeping a densely populated city cool, safe, fed, and financially successful while still having the lowest possible negative effect on wildlife. Contrary to some opinions that cities are evil, McDonald suggests that they can be environmentally beneficial: resource efficient, protective of wildlife, and better able to manage water and waste.

The Shape of Green "Does sustainability change the face of design or only its content?" An interesting question for those of us who get a little tired of considering how much we'll have to "give up" to create a sustainable world. Yes, we should probably give up gasoline and meat and big houses and maybe even capitalism, but what do we get besides bare bones survival? Do we have to give up beauty, too? No. Great design and green design are not mutually exclusive, despite the common wisdom that says sustainable design is not only ugly, but necessarily ugly. After reviewing the reasons builders separate green from pretty, the author (a writer for Architect Magazine), argues that beauty is inherent in sustainability. Interesting, well-referenced, knowledgeable and thorough.

All three highly recommended.

I received free copies of these books in exchange for a review on NetGalley.

Snapshot: "Microgroove"

How did I not know about John Corbett? Music criticism as literature (a notion James Wood, the literary critic and Harvard professor, would agree with) - what a concept! Incisive, fascinating, and very, very knowledgeable. He starts with a preface that explains how his father taught him to listen deeply to music by listening to the sounds of nature, particularly the patterns of frogs croaking in a pond. He "finds little meanings in big music, and ...big meanings in little music." I'm looking up some of the artists he mentions now.

Highly recommended.

I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for a review on NetGalley.com

Snapshot: “About Women”

Rarely does one get to hear (read) an extended conversation between two accomplished older women who are interested in each others lives and creative activities. Lisa Alther, a writer who lives in Appalachia, and Francoise Gilot, a painter who lives in France, became close friends, and their correspondence here is fascinating. They talk over their early histories (one was born just after WWI and the other during WWII), their art, their influences, and their views on everything from gender to education to slavery to DNA.

Highly recommended.

I received a copy of this book in return for a review on NetGalley.com.