Thoughts For Today

Thoughts For Today

I found it hard to read God's Demons by Wayne Barlow. The main problem is that there was a big picture of a demon on the front cover of the book. Somehow, this does not seem like a great image for a book while you are on the subway. Also, it makes references to Milton's Paradise Lost and John Dee. This makes it slightly uncomfortable for me to read. He is using the names of demons as they would appear in alchemical texts from the 16th century which is a bit unsettling. It is an attempt to recreate hell as a fantasy setting.

In a fantasy setting, I would like to have my demons and evil creatures remain completely fantastical. The writing is good. This is something which I think would be better to read in a private setting with plenty of time for contemplation on what you are reading.

I have started reading House of Many Ways by Diana Wynn Jones. This is the sequel to Howl's Moving Castle. Howl's Moving Castle was made into an anime film. It is lightweight entertainment written for young adults.

I am still doing a bit more ordering for social sciences. I have ordered Freedom From Oil by David Sandalow as part of the order as well as Public Domain, How To Find and Use Copyright Free Writing, Music, Art, and More by Stephen Fishman. This book is part of the Nolo Press imprint. I am requesting a copy at my library so I can see if it might be useful for this blog.

Fantagraphics Books sent me their latest catalog. This is one of my favorite presses for alternative graphic novels. I was looking through this and there are a few new items which look fascinating. The first is The Wolverton Bible by Basil Wolverton. Basil Wolverton's art and comics are astoundingly different and very strange. Spacehawk is quite interesting to look at.
http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/wolvertn.htm

The other book which really stood out for me in this catalog was Blazing Combat by Archie Goodwin. This is a really excellent war comic. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blazing_Combat

I am still ordering social science books. It is making my head spin a bit at this point. I sometimes think my brain will fly off to the land of words, where there is a castle made entirely out of sentences and punctuation. I will be off next week and am looking forward to my vacation.