A Smile and a Shoeshine

Not me; I don't smile nor do I wear shoes that require shining...I do read though and Death of a Salesman brings me one book closer to my goal. This is the first play I've read this year and probably the first since I was in high school. I actually think I read this one in high school but am wondering why; how could a teenager possibly understand this story?

I found myself generally loathing Willy Loman but at the same time pitying him, even though he is a pathetic simpleton. Maybe this characteristic warrants some sympathy but, more than that, it awakens the Texan in me that just wants to shake him until he wakes up. His confidence, stubbornness, and tendency to exaggerate are completely off-putting but I have to admit that his innocence and naivete stir up a hint of emotion, though I can't say if it is jealousy, romanticism, or rage -- I'm sure I felt each of these at some point while reading the play. Anyhow, I guess that's part of what makes Arthur Miller great.

Book 22

Just finished Jane Jacobs' The Death and Life of Great American Cities after quite a while. It's very interesting though pretty dry and academic at times, but her insight and honesty shines bright throughout. I plan on trying to integrate some of what I read into my posts at the Green Housing Collaborative so, if you're interested, take a peek over there from time to time.

That brings me to a paltry 22 books at the beginning of the last week of July. It's doubtful that I can get back on pace this week but maybe if I concentrate on getting caught up by the end of August, and before my next class starts, I can make it.

Not that it counts...

...toward my fifty books, but I've been spending an awful lot of reading time with the Spring 2008 issue of Dissent.

No new completed books to report but the next one down will be Jane Jacobs, finally.

Book 21

I just finished Motherless Brooklyn, by Jonathan Lethem, on the way to work this morning. I've wanted read Fortress of Solitude for quite some time but stumbled across this volume in the used section of Elliott Bay a few weeks ago. If I were ranking books instead of giving them faux-reviews, I'd probably give it a five out of ten. I was not captivated like I was by my previous New York books, which were written by Paul Auster. I could identify with pop culture references but they turned me off, possibly because I read this article, which attacks the "Brooklyn Books of Wonder," last year, even though Bukiet says the Lethem is one of the better authors in the borough.

I failed to get to my 25 book goal by the end of June but I'm blaming the two weddings I attended and the week long vacation in Denver, where we were booked solid. I'm working my way through Jane Jacobs and will hopefully make progress toward my goal this month.