Lethologica

I have been enjoying reading non-fiction lately. I have to admit, that very little of it absorbs me quite the way that fiction does, but it is an interesting area to explore a bit more. I find the ego a little more prevalent in non-fiction. You hear the author either speaking in the first person or arguing their own ideas, usually from a rather personal point of view.

Two most recent non-fiction books are Blink by Malcom Gladwell and Breaking Ground by Daniel Libeskind. I am still trudging through the little book Blink, but I finished Breaking Ground today after work. Both are very fast and easy reads.

Blink is an interesting little book that deals with Malcom Gladwell’s concept of “thin slicing.” He argues that most people actually make very fast and accurate judgments/decisions/inspirations in a split second then spend the rest of the time trying to justify the decision. He argues that we make these quick decisions behind the “locked door” of our unconscious. Your unconscious sifts through your prior knowledge, associations and returns a fairly accurate response. The more expert you are at a subject the better your response. He backs up all of this with some really interesting psychological experiments and anecdotal evidence (that is not always accurate).

I usually love anything about cognitive science, but this kinda reads like a really long magazine article. Sure it is researched, but I am not sure how solid it is. He does not seem to ever really get very deep. It all remains fairly surface, although that is the premise for Blink, fast recognition. I am not sure that is how I would really put together a theory. If you feel like a little more meat in your cognitive science, my friend Richard suggestes The Way We Think: Conceptual Blending and the Mind's Hidden Complexities by Gilles Fauconnier as an excellent book.

Ok, on to Breaking Ground by Daniel Liebeskind. I found this a really interesting book to read at the same time as Blink. Liebeskind talks extensively how he has a flash of an idea that is born fully formed like Athena from Zeus’ head. This is something that Gladwell argues comes from behind the “locked door.” The moment of inspiration after soaking in the problem. I enjoyed the happy coincidence.

Have you seen any of the designs for the master plan of the new World Trade Center? Well, that is some of Daniel Liebeskind’s work. He also designed the new annex for the Denver Art Museum. His work is very untraditional. He approaches each building in a more esoteric mode than your typical architect. His designs are very cutting edge yet incredibly compelling to me.

The book is an anecdotal journey of his creative process, theory, personal history, gossip about the architecture world and book to argue why he is a genius when it comes to architecture. Each chapter loosely centers on its theme: Foundations, A Sense of Place, Building, Faces, Hertzblut, The Proposal, The Invisible, Materials, Forced Marriage, Faith. Breaking Ground rambles on in an organic kind of way explaining his position in the world with stories of childhood and various projects he has worked on. A major theme is overcoming obstacles, which he has had his share.

I have to say that I loved his family stories, it gave me a wonderful view of how he became the person he is. I loved his creative process, he has an amazing take on the world and brings it into his work amazingly. I found his stories about the personalities of the architecture world catty and gossipy. I could have done without his characterizations of some really well known people, it made me feel that he was using his book to get back at these people and to prove to the world how he is the better person. In my opinion, if he were such a great person it would not be necessary to drag these people through the mud as he does. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have any love for the people who he gossiped about, but it just felt like such an unprofessional thing to do. Breaking Ground begins beautifully and ends on a bit of a sour note as he shares a lot about the personalities involved in rebuilding the WTC

Most of these are in groups because I tend to find one book I like and go read others by the same author.

Margaret Atwood
Blind Assassin
Oryx and Crake

Paul Auster
Oracle Night

David Eugenides
Middlesex
The Virgin Suicides

Christopher Moore
Lamb: The Gosipal According to Biff Christ’s Childhood Pal
Fluke (strange and enjoyable Sci-Fi twist)


Anne Patchette
Bel Canto (reading group guide)
Magician’s Assistant

Matthew Pearl
Dante Club

Richard Russo
Empire Falls (reading group guide)
Straight Man

by Joan D. Vinge
Rating: B
Genre: Sci-Fi

If you don’t like Sci-Fi, don’t read any further. Last night I finished Snow Queen during one of my fits of “I-can’t-fall-asleep-so-I-might-as-well-finish-my-book.” I was up until 1:30 on a school night reading this oddly compelling story.

Ok, confession: I am a person who loves Sci-Fi. I don’t read a whole lot of it anymore, but my dad introduced me to all sorts of Fantasy and Sci-Fi at a young age. I loved all the escapist plots, crazy technology and otherworldliness. He gave me Lord of the Rings and Stranger in Strange Land while I was still in middle school. I think I always identified with - or wanted to believe I was like - the protagonist who is in someway special, trying to do good in the world, but misunderstood or battling by those around them. I think it is the same thing that makes comic books compelling for so many.

Pros: I really enjoyed the world of universe of the Hegemony and Tiamat that were the background for the story. I thought that Vinge did a great job of creating an entire political system in which to place the story. I enjoyed the way the story unfolded slowly revealing the details in such a way that they were not immediately obvious (for the most part). Even though the general arc of the plot was obvious quickly, I enjoyed the ride it took me on to its conclusion. I felt compelled to pick it up and see where it was going. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, but…

Cons: Sci-Fi and Fantasy genres have some big hurdles to overcome to get my vote as a really good read. Too often the characters are flat, not nearly the inner life you want in your protagonist. The dialogue and plot can be clichéd. Snow Queen definitely fell into those holes. The main character Moon had lots of action and adventure, but I never really connected and cared about her the way a good character can sink her hooks into me (I think I cared more about the supporting characters than the fate of the Moon). Even though this book was written by a woman who wanted to create strong female oriented tale, it could have easily been written by a man who doesn’t quite get it. Joan D. Vinge’s female characters (protagonist, antagonist and supporting characters) suffered from the syndrome of a characterization of a strong woman instead of the honesty of a strong woman. They were too arrogant and not well rounded enough to really ring true. The dialogue is somewhat forced and I never quite fell into the natural rhythm that makes me forget I am reading. I like to be absorbed in a book.

I would recommend the book, but with the caveat that it is not a great Sci-Fi book, but a good Sci-Fi book. Entertaining, enjoyable, interesting clash of primitive and technological worlds, quest for knowledge, truth, and love wrapped up in a compelling story.