reading clearout - may 2021

Hi reader,

A few thoughts today on some recent(ish) (re)reading that I won't put into a full review.

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran (January 2020)

I've written plenty on TOA about Gibran's 1923 classic, with my 2018 reading review being the comprehensive precursor to my 2019 blurb. My notes from last January include a remark that I reread "On Giving", though of course I obviously saw fit to reread the whole book. The thought that a wrongdoer speaks for the ills of the community as much as for the individual has stayed with me since I first read The Prophet, blessing me with a perspective regarding our structural issues that informed the way I responded to events of the past year.

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (April 2019)

It occurred to me as I reviewed my 2019 reading list that it has now been two full years since I last saw this book, which I've read six times since 2010. Unlike last year, however, I don't feel any sense of having missed my annual April rereading - it seems that the tradition was more closely tied to Marathon Monday than it was to the spring season. I guess the theory will soon be put to the test - the next edition of the race is rescheduled for October. In the meantime, we can carry on with one of the enduring lessons of the book - routines can provide just enough stability to guide us through our difficult times.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (December 2019)

This is one of those books that I should have written about right away because its combination of length, symbolism, and surreal elements make it a challenging work to review eighteen months after the fact. I only half-recommend Kafka on the Shore for I am unlikely to reread it again, but I do sense this is a partly unfair comment as I am comparing it against some of Murakami's other work, which I prefer; this book written by an otherwise unknown author might gain higher approval from me. The role of imagination in helping us move forward from the past is an important idea that drifts through this work, for our sense of responsibility is almost always an imaginative act; reclaiming responsibility for our own lives is the greatest imaginative act of all. Otherwise, we may be doomed once we pass life's point of no return, doomed to live out the remainder of our time trying to fit the broken shards back into the framework of the past.

proper corona admin, vol 38

A few weeks ago, on Marathon Monday, April 20, I realized this would be the first year in quite some time that I didn't reread Maniac Magee. No big problem, just charge it to the Corona, only a small loss...

Right?

I must admit, it hit me hard. The part of the book that applies quite well to the current moment is Maniac's endless running, and as I approach thirty miles a week myself I think about this quite often. I remember how I'm always impressed by the way Spinelli weaves running into his story - it's one part therapy, two parts coping mechanism, and three parts snowball for his characters, and running  subtly keeps the story moving just when the characters seem out of ideas. Perhaps the specific line I've thought about most is eerily close to my current mental state - running in the mornings and reading in the afternoons gave him just enough stability... I guess the details are off, but I connect to the spirit, and the value of knowing how to put one foot in front of the other, over and over and over.

The most interesting thing happened on April 21 - I realized my initial disappointment, an intense, almost grief-like moment on April 20, had given way to complete forgetfulness. As far as running themes go, this one was consistent with my recent past - losses hit me harder in my thirties, but I move on much more quickly than I did in my twenties. After all these annual rereads, it's interesting that the fallow year is when I harvest the crop - lingering is in these pages, hanging around the other side of every corner, and in habits or routines is often an admission that we are simply not yet ready, not quite strong enough, to bear the pain and move on.

toa quick hits – december 2019

Hi all,

Like I did last month, here are some quick notes about the books for which I’ve yet to post a full review.

A Pattern Language by Christopher W. Alexander, et al (March 2019)

This one thousand plus page brick doghouse of a book is probably enough reason to stop doing reading reviews altogether. Alexander and his team describe the principles of design in public and private spaces, tying it all together by identifying the shared or larger patterns relevant to each detail. The idea of south-facing design making the most use of natural sunlight has made a big change to how I’ve looked at spaces. I also thought the comment that people learn best when they help someone who knows what is going on was a brilliant insight into the learning process.

It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (April 2019)

Longtime readers may recognize these authors from prior comments about Rework or Remote . This latest book is more tactical than their past works, detailing specific strategies for achieving their ideal of a calm company – one that rejects the frenzied attributes most take for granted in the modern workplace. Their note that remaining profitable is critical to achieving this goal made a big impact on me. A company in the red cannot do anything meaningful to calm their employees because in the back of their minds is always the lingering possibility of imminent bust.

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (April 2019)

Yes, I still recommend it. I may have noted this in the past but I find it interesting how so many books are about orphans (including some of my other favorites such as Eureka Street and the Harry Potter series).

It's Better Than It Looks by Gregg Easterbrook (March 2019)

I have a mixed history with Easterbrook’s work that has gone largely undocumented (most of the reading happened pre-TOA). He is a broadly optimistic figure whose insights grow from a willingness to question any widely accepted opinion. His note that agricultural advancements mean our planet can feed between 10 and 20 billion is a good example of what you’ll find here. For me, his comment that models can only ‘predict’ the conclusions built into their programming was one of my favorite ideas of the year.