Stuff we're reading / watching / listening to

[Yarjka]

The Violinist's Thumb isn't nearly as entertaining as The Disappearing Spoon, and I'm disappointed.

I just started it today at lunch, but so far I'm interested.

It's not bad, I'd probably even think it was good if his other book hadn't set such a high bar.

Now that I'm further along in the book, there have been some fabulous moments. The chapter on retroviruses and the notion that our DNA is 8% virus is fascinating. Also the possible effects of Toxoplasmosis on cat hoarders is just blowing my mind. I highly recommend this book.

[Zedability]

Yeah, it got better as it went on for sure.

[Dead Cat]

I just read Captain Justo from the Planet Is by Stephen Miller. I imagine a lot of middle grade kids (particularly if they were LDS) could get a lot out of it while having fun with adventures in space. It had a lot of didactic moments that were so blatantly intentional I wasn't sure if I should laugh or reflect. I don't think I'll recommend this one to a lot of people, not for horribleness, but because the audience of those who would appreciate it is so narrow.

[Dragon Lady]

I just finished Recovering Charles by Jason F. Wright (author of The Wednesday Letters and Christmas Jars). It was a good, fast read. But rather depressing.

[Digit]

I saw an old Pixar animated short called Geri's Game about an old man playing chess against himself and recognized the old man as the specialist who fixed Woody's arm in Toy Story 2. Nice code reuse.

[Dead Cat]

I saw an old Pixar animated short called Geri's Game about an old man playing chess against himself and recognized the old man as the specialist who fixed Woody's arm in Toy Story 2. Nice code reuse.

That's probably my favorite Pixar short.

[Katya]

I saw an old Pixar animated short called Geri's Game about an old man playing chess against himself and recognized the old man as the specialist who fixed Woody's arm in Toy Story 2. Nice code reuse.

When I saw Toy Story 2 in the theater, the gasps were audible when Geri/the toy specialist showed up.

[Craig Jessop]

I saw The Iron Lady last night, and it was awful. I mean the history and stuff was pretty good, but I wish they had shown more of it. Instead, they decked out Meryl Streep in old people makeup and spent half the movie exploring her dementia, complete with visions of her dead husband. So hokey, so not based in any sort of verifiable fact, and so not as interesting as the Falkland War or Northern Ireland, neither of which were treated as much as they deserved. That being said, as usual, Meryl Streep was fantastic.

[krebscout]

Over my vacation last week, I read Orson Scott Card's Treason for the first time (a very early novel), and it was WONDERFUL. Part campy science fiction, part platform-video-game-esque hero journey (complete with a forest world, a desert world, a pirate ship, and the attainment of new abilities and achievements at each world), part inventive and fresh take on "magic"/fantasy...I just loved it.

And a few days ago, I received my copy of The Book of Mormon Girl. And I'm almost done with it. Reading it makes me so emotional, and I don't even know what emotions they are exactly. Recognition, maybe? I adore it. It's going on my special shelf of books that changed me.

[Katya]

And a few days ago, I received my copy of The Book of Mormon Girl. And I'm almost done with it. Reading it makes me so emotional, and I don't even know what emotions they are exactly. Recognition, maybe? I adore it. It's going on my special shelf of books that changed me.

I really need to read this. (And I'd love to know what other books are on that shelf.)

Also, I wonder if her sales will get a bump from her appearance on The Daily Show.

[Giovanni Schwartz]

I'm watching Firefly. And being greatly amused by their Chinese, and how bad they speak it.

[mic0]

I'm watching Firefly. And being greatly amused by their Chinese, and how bad they speak it.

Continue to be amused for the whole series! And the movie!

[Giovanni Schwartz]

Bahaha I've already been incredibly amused through most of the series. Only two episodes left.

That was one of the things I told people, by the way, was that I couldn't wait to come home and know what they were saying in the Chinese portions of the show. I'm personally entertained when they call each other names like "Monkey butt." Among others.

[krebscout]

Also, I wonder if her sales will get a bump from her appearance on The Daily Show.

It seems to be doing pretty well — on sale at both Costco and Deseret Book, so, y'know, she's made it. In both worlds.

I do have some issues with the book, as much as I love it, though I see why she wrote it the way she did. There was a New Yorker review that called it "a book of faith, but not necessarily Joseph Smith's faith," and I think that's pretty accurate. She delves into a few of the peculiarities of the Church, but most of them are somewhat superficial and not universal (like the immense impact of Marie Osmond on her childhood). I have never so fully understood, though, why genealogy was so important to Latter-Day Saints until I read this. It's more poetic than her blog. And she doesn't get into a lot of specifics of struggles with the church from her direction, more of the church's problems with her. I would love to read something with more detail and depth about her personal struggles. But she did a wonderful job making faith look beautiful and admirable.

[Portia]

Just ordered the Garden State soundtrack with what may be humanity's finest invention, Amazon Prime. The film is apparently quite insufferable*, but the soundtrack gets universally positive reviews.

*It, along with Elizabethtown, ushered in the era of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl, for those who follow them some tropes.

[Fredjikrang]

I finished reading Dracula. A surprisingly good read! I recommend it!

[Zedability]

I'm reading Godel Escher Bach. Stay tuned for the Board question where I go on a huge tangent about it

[Katya]

I'm reading Godel Escher Bach. Stay tuned for the Board question where I go on a huge tangent about it

That's a fun book. I love the Crab Canon. (I loved Hofstadter's Le Ton Beau de Marot even more, but that's because it's heavier on the language geekery.)

[Zedability]

Yeah, I was thinking I'd read Le Ton Beau de Marot next. Either that, or the French translation of GEB. I like reading books in multiple languages or translations, and noticing the little differences.

[Katya]

Yeah, I was thinking I'd read Le Ton Beau de Marot next. Either that, or the French translation of GEB. I like reading books in multiple languages or translations, and noticing the little differences.

Read Le Ton Beau first, because I think he actually talks about some of the issues he ran into in trying to have GEB translated into multiple languages. (Maybe not into French, but I do remember a passage on Chinese.)