Space Station Mir

40. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson The idea behind Jekyll and Hyde, that every person actually has dual, or multiple selves, always interested me. Though Stevenson uses this premise to divide humans, or specifically men, as there are no female characters to speak of (though that itself adds to discussion), into moral opposites, I would like to take the theory in a more complicated direction. I don't believe most people contain two innate selves, a good and a bad, but rather that people do have slightly differentiated personalities within them (and the degree of separation depends on the person), that have different motivations and temperaments, none of which are necessarily good or evil. I think Stevenson foresaw this way of thinking, and the story does tell us that most people are not quite so morally binary as Jekyll. The protagonist Mr. Utterson, in fact, from whose point of view proceeds the first part of the story, for those not familiar ...

39. The Lifted Veil and Brother Jacob by George Eliot These are two separate novellas included in an Oxford World Classics edition. The first could be categorized as a nineteenth century prototype for a genre that would become science fiction. The main character Latimer reminded me strongly of Mary Shelley's Victor Frankenstein and there are similar themes. For those of you not familiar with her, George Eliot was also a woman. Latimer, in rich prose, describes his tragic transformation into a clairvoyant, a reader of the future and other peoples' minds. He discovers the petty motivations, negativity, or emptiness of all those around him and internalizes it. He is a romantic poetic type, but notably without the ability to create art. The object of his affection and subsequent horror is Bertha Grant, at first the only one immune to his powers. The Lifted Veil, and Brother Jacob as well, boast gorgeous language and keen, though pessimistic, insight into human society and behavior....

I dote on movies like Juno and Little Miss Sunshine. Juno especially spoke to me, as it reminded me of my own "quirky", "ironic" set of friends. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/10/AR2008101000728.html The Washington Post legitimately comments on the counterintuitive popular trend of "indie" movies, but I was surprised that there was not so much focus on the generational context. "Indie" movies appeal to the current high school, college, and young adult crowds. Instead of criticizing Hollywood and filmmakers for being hypocritical or trying to capitalize on public opinion, why not call it out as a new trend that will inform the future of Hollywood? Maybe it's not really "indie," but it sure as hell is a lot better than "300." I, for one, could deal with many more snarky comments on pop culture for years to come.

38. Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe Probably the most shocking element of this eighteenth century pseudo-biography is the lack of chapter divisions. The title page reads like that of a wanted poster or freak show advertisement of the era, The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders Who was Born in NEWGATE (famous London prison) blah blah blah Twelve Year a Whore, five times a Wife (whereof once to her own Brother) twelve Year a Thief etc. I'm sure the book was exciting and 'novel' at the time (there's still some debate as to whether it is a novel or not), but now it's fairly tame, there are no explicit sex scenes, no excessive drink or drugs, just a woman very determined never to work for a living, no matter how she manages it. I can appreciate that Moll is a very complex character, with many motivations (though primarily monetary), and that Defoe represents many crucial themes of his time including capitalism and moral responsibility. It also might be fu...

I just got back from seeing The Duchess with Kiera Knightley. It's apparently based on Amanda Foreman's biography of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire in the late eighteenth century. The movie has inspired me to read this biography whenever I find the time. I was impressed with Knightley's transition from a high-spirited, but still anxious to please girl of seventeen to a more jaded and decisive, but still emotional and anxious to please woman. Her character reminded me strongly of Marie Antoinette, though more in control of herself. The Duchess makes her statement through the womanly arts of fashion and motherhood, as well as plays and politics. It is refreshing to see a historical woman portrayed strongly and still emotionally sympathetic. In my studies on Elizabeth I, I looked at many of the recent films, and she is either an amenable passionate damsel, a cold bitch, or some unbelievable schizophrenic mixture. Helen Mirren in the HBO version does the best job, i...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/quiz/2008/sep/26/banned.books.quiz I scored 6 out of a possible 12, but I'm going to guess that's higher than the average American. I am still alive, per the title, but currently more occupied with the school year than my personal reading. Never fear though, I am in the midst of Moll Flanders and Northanger Abbey (a third or fourth reread) for class, and Brisingr for pleasure, though from what I've read so far, more just to find out what happens. Hopefully it will drastically improve as it goes on, or maybe I've finally graduated from Paolini's style. I could have sworn Eldest was a lot better written though.

37. The Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer Only one concept separates this book from a thousand others like it. Unfortunately, persecution is not a new or even relatively rare subject, and so it is often unnecessary to read more than a few of this genre before getting a taste of the pain often personally experienced by authors. The Septembers of Shiraz is fiction, but loosely based on the experience of the author's family. The year is 1981. The place, Iran. The father of a wealthy Jewish family is imprisoned, innocent of the accusation-Zionist spy. Sofer alternates between the father's musing and experience in prison, his wife's anguishing search, his nine-year-old daughter's thoughts, and the feelings of his nineteen-year-old son attending university in New York. Some of the coincidences are unbelievable, such as that Shirin, the daughter, discovers a file on her uncle at a friend's house and hides it. Sofer stretches credibility unnecessarily, the sheer intensity...

36. Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress I gave Kress another chance, and am so overwhelmingly glad I did. The Hugo and Nebula awards were well deserved. Beggars in Spain is the story of humans genetically modified to be Sleepless, awake 24/7, never tiring, and how the "Sleeper" majority population turns on them. Sleepless, due to the way they are engineered, are happier, more intelligent, and live longer than Sleepers. As the first generation begins to grow up, Sleepers become jealous of their superhuman abilities and slowly begin to prohibit them from competitions and businesses, de facto or de jure, because of their unfair or "inhuman" advantages. The main character, Leisha Camden, is part of that first generation and she is born in 2008. Kress deftly portrays the effects of American politics, ideals, and economics on the national social psyche. Americans strive to better themselves, thus the rise of the Sleepless, but a society based in individual achievement, with n...