Ben Saufley - Reading

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A Study in Scarlet

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Finished 2011-01-01
The Cloud Searchers

by Kazu Kibuishi

Finished 2011-01-01
The Stonekeeper's Curse

by Kazu Kibuishi

Finished 2011-01-01
Mockingjay

by Suzanne Collins

Finished 2010-09-21

I guess there are no real spoilers in this but it certainly could give one expectations so I’m marking this as having spoilers.

I was hesitant after the second book, which I enjoyed but which seemed to lean a bit heavily on the conventions of the first. Also, the second and the third books are far more dark and violent than the first. As I approached the ending of Mockingjay, I became more and more curious (not just as an invested reader, but as a creative person, someone who is interested in telling stories … wow, that all sounds silly) about how Collins was going to end the trilogy. With everything that had happened, it would take a lot to justify the whole thing.

She very, very much did it.

I’m very fascinated by this whole series being aimed at young adults, but I think there was a lot that happened in this series, a lot was said, and it ended exactly how it had to. With everything that had happened, it couldn’t be a happy ending, but it would be far too easy to end the series with a simple, tragic ending. I thought she might go for a meaningless end, by simply killing Katniss and maybe everybody else. Just because of all of the preceding events. It might have been interesting, and I was preparing myself for something like that. I was not prepared for what actually happened and I’m glad, because it was perfect and not obvious.

The way Collins wrapped up this series validated everything that happened in it without trivializing any of it, and it proved that she knew what she was doing. I love Harry Potter (and yes, I know they’re very different things), and I liked how Rowling ended that series but she left a lot of things that didn’t set quite right. This ending seemed to fit together perfectly, partially because it had little to tie up. There was some deus ex machina, some stuff that might have seemed contrived, if there weren’t precedent for it throughout the series. And all of this has elevated this series to one of my favorites of all time. We’ll see if I’m just coming down from the experience of the series, or if this opinion endures. But I loved it.
Catching Fire

by Suzanne Collins

Finished 2010-09-16
The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

Finished 2010-09-08

Even books I’m enjoying don’t often pull me in as much as I’d like these days - I find myself setting them down and not picking them up for weeks, even. But I found this in paperback recently and remembered being curious about it when I saw it in hardcover so I bought it. There are so many ways this book could have failed, building on the clichés it uses, but it didn’t. I found myself engaged constantly, wondering what happened next, worrying about characters, and desperately needing to pick the book up again when I’d put it down.

I don’t know. I don’t really feel like analyzing it much beyond that, but I really enjoyed it. I’m going to find the second book as soon as I possibly can. And the third just came out! The final book! That’s exciting
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

by Michael Chabon

Finished 2010-08-29
Serbs and CroatsThe Struggle in Yugoslavia

by Alex N. Dragnich

Finished 2010-08-23

I knew that this account was written with an eye on defending Serbia, and I think that in some ways Dragnich did an admirable job discussing the motives of most parties. Unfortunately, what he most neglected was Serbia itself: despite his attempts to sound even-handed and fairly analyze actions of which he clearly disapproved from Croatia and Slovenia, he gave no thought to Serbia’s own actions. When I looked up major players mentioned in the book, I found accusations (real or not) that were not even addressed by Dragnich.

Basically, this book helped to give me a good idea of how many Serbians may see their recent history, and to develop some impression of what actually happened. And while I believe that Dragnich has an agenda, I don’t believe that he intended simply to force it upon people with this book. He obviously has a level of dissatisfaction with much of the recent history of the area and its leaders - Serb, Croat, and otherwise. But whatever the facts, he does Serbia a disservice in ignoring the larger issues and accusations against the country. It denies him the opportunity to properly address those accusations, and lends the whole book an air (hopefully undeserved) of propaganda.

I am looking for another book at this point that will address the issue with a more historical and detached approach. Open to suggestions.
The Time Machine

by H. G. Wells

Finished 2010-06-07

Despite its age, the adventure it presented and the concepts within felt neither dated, nor clichéd, nor unoriginal. There’s an atmosphere in the stark style of writing that lends itself to the waning days of life on planet Earth. Very quick but fascinating.
The Hound of the Baskervilles

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Finished 2010-06-03

Quite an adventure. A pretty quick read, but its age and style present some interesting words and phrases that are less-familiar in modern English.
Making ComicsStorytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels

by Scott McCloud

Finished 2010-06-01
The Titan's Curse

by Rick Riordan

Finished 2010-05-25
Tales of H. P. Lovecraft

by Joyce Carol Oates

Finished 2010-03-17
Understanding ComicsThe Invisible Art

by Scott McCloud

Finished 2010-03-16
The Sea of Monsters

by Rick Riordan

Finished 2010-02-23

Better than the first one, at least. We’ll see if it continues to improve.

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Serbs and CroatsThe Struggle in Yugoslavia

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A Study in Scarlet

The Cloud Searchers

The Stonekeeper's Curse

Mockingjay

Catching Fire

The Hunger Games

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

The Time Machine

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Making ComicsStorytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels

The Titan's Curse

Tales of H. P. Lovecraft

Understanding ComicsThe Invisible Art

The Sea of Monsters