Recent readings

[rhu]

Finished reading Humans and Hybrids while we were on vacation a few weeks back. And.... not worth it. Too many ideas jumbled together; the stuff that I didn't like in Hominids wasn't justified by what came later. One interesting question that I hope to return to later is that in Sawyer's alternate Neaderthal universe, the populace decided not to let the bottom 5% in intelligence breed; as a result of this eugenics program, their intelligence bell curve shifted upwards. I was pondering the contrast between this and the way Huxley deals with the Deltas in Brave New World, and I was wondering (setting aside the moral quicksand of both alternatives) which is more practical --- are there some jobs that would drive an intelligent person crazy, and for which society needs the Deltas? This might make for an interesting essay, or a panel discussion at a con. "Do we Need Deltas?" I think the answer is "yes". (Now if you'll excuse me, I need to experience the roof... roof... roof....)

Started to read The Voice, which is Thomas Quasthoff's autobiography, but couldn't get through it. Boring, I'm afraid.

Started to read Thrones, Dominations, the posthumous Wimsey-Vane novel. Jill Patton Walsh is no Dorothy Sayers. Gave up after three chapters, and re-read Busman's Honeymoon to cleanse the palate.

Comments

[toonhead-npl.livejournal.com]

Totally unrelated, but now that you're using Macs, I thought you'd get a kick out of this.

[tahnan.livejournal.com]

Ah! Thank you for sparing me the Sawyer, then.

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

I agree on the "yes."

[bookishfellow.livejournal.com]

Good call on Thrones, Dominations. I can rarely stand to let a book go half-read, and I can tell you that you didn't miss out on much. I understand Patton Walsh actually has another Wimsey title to her "credit" as well; this says more about the popular demand for Lord Peter Wimsey than about her skills as a writer of LPW.