Chris Nicholson's Writing Weblog
November 11, 2005 • Friday
I finished reading the best-selling novel The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, about ten days ago. Another thank-you to my sister, Katie, for recommending it; she says it's the best book she's read this year.
The prose is well-written, the background information educational, the main character dynamic, the plot captivating, and the ending realistic.
I learned a lot about Afghanistan, the setting for most of the important parts of the story, and a lot about what the Afghans went through during 30 years of war tearing apart what was once a peaceful culture.
But the theme of the book is more about unatoned sin. If a good book is one in which you recognize a piece of your own condition, then can there be anyone who doesn't identify with The Kite Runner?
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November 09, 2005 • Wednesday
Last week I saw the musical Rent on Broadway. I've been hearing for years how good it is, especially the writing.
Alas, the show failed to impress me to that superlative degree. I didn't dislike the show; it just didn't strike the same chord (ha! get it?) in me as it has in others.
The "live for today" theme was apparent. But I've heard that theme a hundred times by this stage (ha! again!) in life, so it only strikes as poignant when presented in a way that resonates with my present personal experience.
Ferris Bueller: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it." That inspired me in junior high school.
Dead Poet's Society: "Carpe diem ... seize the day, boys ... make your life extraordinary." At 20, that changed my life.
Shawshank Redemption: "Get busy living, or get busy dying." That works for me now. It worked for me the first and 15th time I saw the movie, and worked for me when I read the book.
And so on.
But Rent's "No day but today" didn't resonate. Perhaps I'd just read the quote too many times at the end of my younger sister's emails.
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November 04, 2005 • Friday
Yesterday Google officially launched Google Print, a search engine that allows visitors to research thousands and thousands of books. Literally. (Ha!)
A few publishers are griping about the copyright issues involved. I'm a rabid supporter of intellectual property rights, and even I believe that Google is going about this correctly. (For more information, see this answer on the FAQ page.)
I like the idea of Google Print, but they have some bugs to work out. I just did a search for "once upon a midnight dreary." The first result is the book Artificial Intelligence With Common Lisp, by James L Noyes. An Edgar Allen Poe book doesn't show up until the fourth link; the next Poe book is the tenth link.
When I clicked on the first link, I was asked to sign in to view what the site claims is a copyrighted work. "The Raven" has been in the public domain for a very, very long time.
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