reading (catching up on the last week or so)

I finished this book just before leaving on vacation. I most enjoyed the last two stories which were the story of how Dahl became a writer and his first story, respectively. The remaining fiction stories aren't Dahl's strongest, but are fun read all the same.
38. Roald Dahl "The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar"

I was disappointed by Christopher Moore's "Fluke". I have gotten used to howling with laughter at Moore's characters and plot twists. But I really didn't like the plot of this one and in my opinion the characters couldn't carry it. Perhaps if Moore had taken the real life stories he gathered while researching this book and wrote them up it would have been more fun. This is my least favorite Moore book, skip this one and re-read one of his others instead.
39. Christopher Moore "Fluke"

"Twits" is a weak kid book by Dahl. Where he usually mixes interesting characters or plot with ugliness, here he went for unrelenting ugliness. I don't think it would suit kids very well and I certainly wouldn't recommend it as fun adult reading.
40. Roald Dahl "Twits"

I had never read "Brave New World" before. Once I got into it I read it just about continuously, finishing in less than a day. The utopia, or dystopia, depending on your outlook, that Huxley builds is in ways far fetched and in others a reflection of today's society. One of my favorite bits was the elimination of nature as an attraction because it didn't sell enough. I think this book would make a great group read for people who like to discuss politics and society.
41. Aldous Huxley "Brave New World"

"The Beejum Book" feels like a book that can't quite figure out its audience. It flips between real world and fantasy. The real would parts are overburdened with heavy handed moral lessons and the fantasy parts have plots trying to wade through dream logic without the whimsy necessary to sustain momentum. In short, the outside is preachy enough that any kid that can read the words will roll their eyes at the lessons and not absorb them. The inside seems unwilling to pick between unreality and plots, geography, and rules. It wanders around somewhere in between, not quite achieving either whimsy or sense.

I suspect Howell could have written a fantastic book for kids about the places she went, the people she saw, and the lessons she learned as a child while travelling the world. Stick to the reality, take about 50% of the moralizing out, and allow the lessons to come a little more naturally as part of the story and there is some great material hiding in here.
42. Alice O. Howell "The Beejum Book"

sans ambition

We're back from the beach. In short it was: sun (brief), rain, overcast, rain, overcast, rain, rain, overcast, rain, overcast, rain, rain, rain, rain, sun, sun. We got much reading done and a fare amount of sleeping. We saw lots of birds, some boats, some seals, some hail, and lots of raindrops. More on that later if I have the concentration.

After we got home yesterday we got the van mostly unloaded and crawled down the street to an excellent curry. I do like Portland.

Hint for those of little brain: If you haven't worn flip flops in a dozen years, do not walk three miles in such footwear in one go. (My arches are completely decimated.)

reading (Double Fudge)

I finished "Double Fudge" today. This is the first Judy Blume book I've read.

This was a fun book! The narrator retains the same voice throughout the whole book. The pacing is good and the comic timing is great. Blume recreates the vocal and choreographic chaos of a family without turning it into literary chaos.

43. Judy Blume "Double Fudge"