by Dave Barry, audio book narrated by Dick Hill, 1999, Brilliance Audio
Trashy, sleazy, bad language, stereotyped characters, weak plot, absolutely no redeeming value! (In spite of all of this, I listened to the entire book)
New Header Image
I have now completed the work on my new header image, the one with books on the top of each page. I was thinking that, since the books that I read seem to be the primary focus of my web site, I should have a header image that pertains to this subject (sort of reflecting on my reflections).
In the process of implementing the new image, I found that I needed some support regarding a gray band that was appearing on the top of the image and I went to the Weaver Forums to get my answer. I put a comment in and within just a few hours my answer was there.
It turns out that there is a bit of a problem with Internet Explorer 7 that manifests itself with the gray band and also putting the login/logout on the menu bar seems to create two menu bars. I thought the problem was with IE8, but I had “compatibility view” checked which apparently renders the code in IE7 format. Once I turned that off, the band went away and the menu bars appeared correctly.
My advice would be to upgrade your browser to at least IE8 (IE9 is only available to computers running Microsoft Vista or Windows 7) or use FireFox 4.0, Chrome, or Opera for your Internet browsing.
Anyway, I think I am effectively done with the redesign of my web site for now. Back to those books!
Weaver 2.0 Theme
I have decided (finally) to redesign my Wilson’s Weblog site using a new theme. The original Kubrick theme seemed to be a bit dated as it was pretty narrow for the new wide screen monitors which are used by most new laptops and desktops. Also, the colors needed some work.
In looking through the various themes that were available, I found Weaver 2.0 to be the most flexible. It is based on the new WordPress Twenty-Ten design that was offered as a standard theme with WordPress 3.0, but it provides many more options. I still have a bit of work to do such as creating a new header background image. Weaver also has its own web site which can be accessed at WordPress Weaver.
Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, first published in 1866, audio book narrated by Anthony Heald, 2007, Blackstone Audio, Inc.
This is a very deep, psychological study of a young man who is bordering on insanity. Dostoyevsky tells a compelling tale, but the book is somewhat long-winded by contemporary standards. There is also very little action in the entire book.
What redeems the book are the characters who were brought to life by the fine reading by Anthony Heald. I can not imagine reading this book after listening to his rendition. Also, the translation seems very current; these characters act and converse as if they are living in our times. I found very few situations that felt out of place due to the passage of time. It is hard to believe that the descriptions and dialogue could have been written almost a century and a half ago.
A World Lit Only by Fire, The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance, Portrait of an Age
by William Manchester, 1992, Little, Brown & Company, Limited, Boston
This is an amazing book, although somewhat loosely structured. Manchester admits this structure issue himself as he describes in the forward of the book that it seemed to him that the book wrote itself rather than his writing it or that it was written “inside out”. His primary thesis is that Ferdinand Magellan is essential to understanding this period. In the first chapter of the book he describes the Dark Ages and the culture that existed in those times. He starts the second chapter by jumping to the subject of Ferdinand Magellan and then goes on to cover the first glimmerings of the Renaissance, the reaction of the Church, and then on to the Reformation. The last section of the book then goes back to the life and final voyage of Magellan. How does this all tie together? Manchester does manage to tie it together in the last few pages of the book, but I will not disclose the answer in this writing.
As I read the opening pages of the book, I was struck with one sentence he uses to describe the Dark Ages: “…the portrait which emerges is a melage of incessant warfare, corruption, lawlessness, obsession with strange myths, and an almost impenetrable mindlessness”. With just a little stretch of the imagination, perhaps this same quote could be applied to our times in the United States with our rejection of science in favor of myths (surveys indicate that up to 37% of Americans reject the theory of evolution) and the impenetrable mindlessness of at least one of our political parties (lowering taxes will always lead to increased job creation and prosperity). As to incessant warfare, we now appear to be involved in wars in at least three middle eastern countries. Progress?
Another concept presented in the book was that the Catholic Church survived this period spite of Christians rather than because of them. The Church had become so corrupt, debased, and autocratic that it is no wonder that Luther was able to break away. The sad part is that he and his followers were just as brutal as the Catholic Church was. Henry the VIII’s new Anglican Church wasn’t much better. William Tyndale, who first translated the New Testament into English, was garroted and his body was drawn and quartered for his crime at the behest of Henry (albeit prior to Henry’s break with Rome). Reading all of this makes one think that the heinous pedophile crimes of the Catholic clergy and subsequent cover-ups in our current era pale by comparison to the acts that were committed in the name of the Church in those earlier times.
Anyway, this is a very interesting book that packs a lot of information and insight into a fairly slim volume in spite of its somewhat different structure.
Unbroken, A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand, 2010, Random House, New York
This is an excellent biography of a World War II hero. The book details the life of Louis Zamparini and how he survived a POW camp in Japan. The details of the brutal treatment in the prison camp is horrific and the author does a pretty good job of showing the long-term effects on the soldiers after returning from the war.
Hillenbrand becomes so close to her subject that it seems at times that the story is unbelievable. Despite this tendency, the book is a very good read.
Everglades: Doc Ford Series, Book 10
by Randy Wayne White, 2003, audio book, narrated by Dick Hill, Brilliance Audio, Grand Haven MI
I don’t have too much to say about this book other than that it is another Doc Ford book. The first two of these that I read seemed a bit more enjoyable. Maybe it’s just that the characters are getting a bit old, but also the plot seemed a bit thin. It is about Florida, however, and that makes it a bit more enjoyable for me.
Belize Survivor, Darker Side of Paradise
by Nancy R. Koerner, 2007, Published by NK Marketing
This was not a bad read and I learned quite a bit about Belize, a country that was totally unfamiliar to me. The author has an interesting style as the pace of the book slows down quite a bit and then abruptly speeds ahead. It is a bit disconcerting, but it certainly does help keep the length of the book reasonable. The book also describes an abusive relationship and how isolation in a remote country with a very weak judicial system makes it almost impossible to break away. 
Hellhound on His Trail, The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the International Hunt for His Assassin
by Hampton Sides, 2010, Doubleday, New York
This is a fantastic book, well-researched and well-written. The book gave a great deal of insight into the mind and character of James Earl Ray who was a real enigma. I guess I didn’t follow him much when the events depicted in the book were occurring. For instance, I didn’t realize that Ray was apprehended in England. I also was not aware of the fact that he broke out of prison many years after King’s assassination. Not only was the book a great read, it also gave me a great refresher on the history of the times.
Clapton: The Autobiograpy
by Eric Clapton, audio book by narrated by Simon Vance
This was an interesting book as I didn’t know much about Eric and his past (other than watching the Cream reunion concert on PBS and owning his Unplugged album). It was somewhat tedious at times as Clapton listed all the performers he worked with and knew. At other times it was a very compelling story.
I was amazed at how messed up and self-absorbed he was. It seems that he has managed to straighten himself out over the last twenty years or so by giving up alcohol and drugs but I am still not sure I would like to be a close friend of his.
The book gave me a lot of insight into his world of music and, as a result, I will probably be looking at getting some of his recordings.