A little behind on posting

Books Heard

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, by Stieg Larson. Pretty good book, although arguably it was two stories stuck together. One story invovled the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Harriet Vanger years earlier. I sort of figured out the mystery (or at least suspected the outcome), but I still enjoyed seeing the clues build toward the ultimate resolution. The second story involved another coompany, guilty of corporate fraud (now that's timely). The protagonist, a writer and owner of a business magazine, had been found guilty of defamation in writing about the company. That story, and its ultimate resolution, was less satisfying. The title was also a bit misleading. There is a girl with a dragon tatoo, and in fact she is an intriguing character, but ultimately, the story is not really about her. Either way, well-written, and worth the time.

A Passage to India, by E. M. Forster. I'm amazed that someone hasn't updated this story. It's so timely! Set in Colonial India, the story raises the question as to whether people from vastly different cultures can really be friends. Three cultures converge in Chandrapore: the English, the Hindus, and the Muslims. There is much distrust among the three groups, but Dr. Aziz, the protagonist, while frustrated with his English boss, is open to a friendship with Mrs. Moore, whom he meets at the mosque, when she seems about as sincere as any English person he's ever met. Things seems to be going well as several English people, Dr. Aziz, and Dr. Godbole (a Hindu) seem to be forming a genuine friendship. Unfortunately, it all unravels pretty quickly after the "incident" in the Marabar Caves. What happens thereafter is thought-provoking and probably entirely understood, at least by those whose cultures have traditionally been treated as inferior to the dominant culture. Good read.

Book Read

Jesus on Death Row: The Trial of Jesus and American Capital Punishment, by Mark Osler.

It's good to have smart friends that write books. That's the case here with this book. It's not available yet, but of course, when one can get a copy from the author, well that's the life.

In this book, Mark shows the comparisons between current criminal procedure and practice and the procedure and practice at the time of Jesus, as recounted in the gospels. Mark admits that he's not trying to be theological, and some theologians might have issues with his harmonizing of the gospels. Nonetheless, the similarities between then and now are astounding.

I await Mark's further writings in this area.

Books Working on:

Georges, by Alexandre Dumas (reading)
Tom Jones, by Fielding (listening to)