Weekend reading roundup

[nanila]

How did your weekend reading go? If you planned on anything specifically, did you read it?

Comments

[nanila]

As Partner has finished with it, I began reading Moby-Duck, which is the story of 28,800 bath toys that were lost at sea in 1992, and of the various people who've spent years trying to track them all down. It's an enjoyable premise and so far the writing is engaging, although I did eye-roll a bit at the author for being a little too present in the narrative.

AUTHOR: Woe, for I have given up my reliable day job and sacrificed time with my family in order to pursue my interest!
EVERYONE WHO HAS DONE RESEARCH, EVER: Er, yes, that's called "doing research". Also, you already had a career? That you could go back to when you finished this project? Shhhhh now.

[fred_mouse]

Sounds fascinating. Also echoing your eye-roll.

[fred_mouse]

I've been ill, of the 'argh can't move but am completely alert and present' type, so have done a remarkable amount of reading.

Harbinger (comic) - TPB volumes 1 and 2 ('Omega Rising' and 'Renegades') [all]
A short history of Perth architecture [all]
enough of 'The Brain that Changes Itself' that I decided I didn't care how "important" the findings are, the author is many things I don't care for [abandoned unfinished]
more of the 'the solution is anti-oxidant supplements' evangelical book. I'm still fascinated by this one, and the science is pitched so much better than the other one. [about 10 pages]
'History and Fiction' - a scholarly exploration of the way that writers (historical, fantasy, sf, speculative fiction) use history in informing and shaping their writing. [the first ~1/3]

[nanila]

I am impressed by the all-encompassing range of your interests! Would you recommend the short history of Perth architecture?

[fred_mouse]

I found the Short History of Perth Architecture really interesting, but it is my city. I think that it makes a little too many assumptions about how familiar the reader is with the city (the introductory text appears to list at least one location that there are no photos for). Having said that, I'm contemplating using it as the basis of a couple of walking tours. So, would recommend, but only in limited circumstances (locals, visitors with specific architectural interests). For people with architectural interests, I think that some of the books listed in the bibliography would do a much better job of discussing the way that the various schools of architecture were imported and adapted, and for people with limited knowledge of the history of architectural trends there is a lot of missing information.

Note here that 'Perth' means 'Greater Metropolitan Perth, Western Australia'. The way that Western Australians refer to our city is apparently idiosyncratic and confusing to visitors, not the least because 'Perth' includes the cities of Fremantle, Melville, Perth, Vincent, and several I'm forgetting.