Tuesday, May 08, 2007

They're not just for decorating

I opened up a box full of books last night. I had put them away for not having any space for them in my previous apartment. So boxed up they spent all these years not seeing the light of day. They've all been read before but, I'm a re-reader.

My first choice was Vidal's "The Smithsonian Institution" - Now in light of the lecture I went to last Wednesday, what are the odds that this would be the book I'd choose to read? I can't remember much about the book. Only that a bunch of historical figures come to life after the Smithsonian closes down. It's typical Vidal fashion like in his masterpiece "Myron." Which I've read many times.

Here's the scoop from the inside jacket for The Smithsonian Institution:

"questions about political responsibility and personal sacrifice are deftly woven into a surreal narrative of quantum physics, string theory, clones, the sexual habits of Eskimos, and the domestic arrangements of various U.S presidents"

Blah, blah "4Th dimension", blah blah "Space-time continuum," - "Einstein" and "atomic bomb."

I don't remember all that when I first read it, so it should be more interesting to read this now as it was the first time.

Have I just crossed the line to utterly boring, yet?

7 comments:

kilgorsky said...

I'm not a rereader. There's TOO much stuff I've yet to read and probably never will.

Chuang Shyue Chou said...

No, you have NOT crossed that line.

I like reading about your musings on science and more.

It is heartening to see that there are people who still have the spirit of the enlightenment in them today.

V said...

Kil, A good book is like good music, you want to experience it all over again. Though I agree with you that there is so much to cover in the book area.

Chuang - Thank you! I feel good knowing that.

Chuang Shyue Chou said...

I went to buy Roger Penrose's 'The Emperor's New Mind' and Richard Dawkin's 'The God Delusion' last night.

I also bought Bernard Lewis' 'A History of the Middle East' and something on the Cathar Castles.

V said...

Oh I've been meaning to get Dawkin's book for sometime now. Let me know how you like it.

Chuang Shyue Chou said...

Will do.

Presently reading Horgan's 'The Undiscovered Mind'.

xolondon said...

LOL I am reading the new Tales Of The City book. My intellect was shut down awhile back!