Lead Me Not Into Temptation...

Especially bookstores! It’s like a kid in a candy store or something. To quote Bartok the bat, “This can only end in tears!” By which I mean buying more books, of course.

I just finished reading MacIntyre’s “The Bishop’s Man,” which took me a long time, mostly because I currently have the mental capability of Batty Koda from “FernGully.” Also, I’m noticing I seem to remember animated bats a lot. Not quite sure how I feel about that.

Anyway, I picked up the book because it won an award and I read good reviews in two separate sources. Basically, the book is about a priest whose job is to do the Bishop’s dirty work – by which I mean confronting and ‘removing,’ um, unscrupulous priests. It focuses on him, his past, and the people he meets in his new job, a relatively isolated parish in the diocese of Antigonish (that last part is a little creepy).

Although at first I found the ‘jagged’ narrative a bit annoying, jumping back and forth through time, I think ultimately it helps to both soften some of the more difficult parts and to develop his character in a way that approximates how real people would get to know him, piece by complicated piece.

If there’s one thing about this book worth taking note of, it’s that it captures the idea that nothing is simple, even the things that are. A study in how people misunderstand each other and how sometimes they understand all too well. Ultimately, because we can never fully know another person, or even ourselves, there will always be questions about what’s right and what’s wrong…who are you? The things you do: what do they mean? Who decides?

*most half-assed book review ever*

So. Book finished, need new book. Well, not really need, but I like them. I want something funny, so I’ve been looking at the Piers Anthony Xanth books, and the Terry Pratchette Discworld ones. Yes, it’s true: I am (slightly) obsessed with fantasy books – some SciFi too, like “Do Androids Dream of Electric sheep?,” aka Bladerunner, but mostly fantasy. These two series are predominately humorous. The one I just read has a rival magician vying for kingship whose talent is to make everything that can go wrong go wrong. His name is Murphy. The sad part is I didn’t realize the joke until I was almost finished reading it. *sheepishly downcast expression*

Mostly I am looking at these two authors because Raymond E. Feist, whom I LOVE, hasn’t released the second book in the Demonwar Saga, even though it’s been on his website forever. He also has a lot of other ‘forthcoming’ titles that make me feel both excited and annoyed that he never seems to stop adding to the series’ about Midkemia. The titles are all there, but the actual writing of them seems to have fallen into a black hole. Dear Mr. Feist: for the love of all things sacred, either stop ‘writing’ new books or actually write them!

I’m realizing that I’m pretty geeky…ah, well. At least I don’t have the entire Monty Python ‘Holy hand grenade of Antioch’ script memorized.

I wonder if it’s somehow evil to be so interested in books involving magic and wizards and whatnot? That “Jesus Camp” movie tells me it is, and that if Harry Potter were in the Bible they would have stoned him. Ick. I dunno: maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. I wonder if it’s somehow wrong to have lots of books? Father had soooo many books – many of which he foisted on or lent to congregation members. He got so excited about them, especially new books, that not accepting the book loan would feel something like kicking a puppy. Every year during Lent he would lament the day on the D&P calendar where you were supposed to donate, like, a penny or five cents or something for every book you owned.

Yarg. This is a never-ending post, it seems, and also has no real point. Just let me get my literary shotgun and put us all out of our misery.

The End

p.s. I seem to be quite dizzy these days, which I have decided to assume is normal. Remind me not to stand up so much.