4
Dec
2009
Elementary Forms of the Religious Life by Emile Durkheim
O.K., the first thing that you have to know about this book is that it was first published in 1912 (in French, 1915 in English). Therefore it’s very ethnocentric and thinks that white people are the bee’s knees and everyone else is less evolved.
21
Nov
2009
Myths to Live By by Joseph Campbell
Oh Joseph Campbell, how I love you. If you weren’t dead, I would find you and stalk you until you married me. I want to live inside your head. No other one scholar has influenced me like you have. It was your work which inspired me to major in Comparative Religion, possibly the most useless of all liberal arts degrees (except maybe Art History), and I have never really regretted it.
9
Nov
2009
Interview with Dr. Irene Pepperberg
It’s tough to say who is more famous–Dr. Irene Pepperberg, or the late Alex the grey parrot.
9
Nov
2009
Alex & Me by Dr. Irene Pepperberg
I’m sure that a lot of people out there in the blogosphere will review this book with an eye towards the story” the relationship between Alex the grey parrot and Dr. Irene Pepperberg; Pepperberg’s struggle for funding and acceptance in the scientific community; the tragic untimely death of Alex. But I’m going to focus on the linguistic implications of the duo’s work, because that’s why I wanted to read this book in the first place.
20
Oct
2009
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel
It’s tough when you have a understanding of something to not let inconsistancies or violations bug you when you just want to be entertained. For example, whenever we watch movies about, say, the American Revolution, my husband will point out that they are using the wrong guns. And so, because of my basic knowledge of anthropology and evolution I was often irked while reading this book.
16
Aug
2009
The Search for the Perfect Language by Umberto Eco
This book is many-faceted, and I doubt I’ll be able to cover it all in this post. But first let me say, that it’s by Umberto Eco, with whom you really can’t go wrong.
12
Aug
2009
The First Word by Christine Kenneally
Over on ye olde Twitter this week we’ve been discussing language–it’s origins, it’s usages, it’s variations, etc–on #litchat. It’s a grand time for the likes of me, and has given me the spirit to post about previously unreviewed language books. Unfortunately, for some at least, the reason why I haven’t reviewed them is because they would only be of interest to the most ardent of armchair linguists.
16
Jun
2009
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
You can’t call this Revisionist Christian Fiction, mainly because Anita Diamant is Jewish. You can call this revisionist fiction, of just fiction fiction, depending on your own perspective. Diamant’s chosen topic, Dinah, the daughter of Leah in the Old Testament/Torah, is obscure, even to most scholars. So, while Diamant did extensive research into the fields of ancient mediterranean and early Jewish history and archaeology, she did make the story up.
8
Jun
2009
The Pre-Printing Press Challenge
I’ve never done a reading challenge before. I don’t know why, I just haven’t. But I’m already hooked! I’ve just begun and have already signed up for three of them. I know everything that I’m reading for the first two, but I want to give them each their own special post.
20
May
2009
Dead Men Do Tell Tales by William R. Maples, Ph.D. and Michael Browning
Admit it: Not only do you like watching Law & Order/CSI/NCIS/Cold Case/Bones, but you also watch the the “real” shows like Forensic Files. You’re a little bit morbid, aren’t you?
