For a number of books I’ve been reading lately I can’t really justify writing an entire review length post on them, regardless of liking them or not. Here are a few shorter than usual reviews of some of those books.
As Easy As Pi: Stuff About Numbers That Isn’t (Just) Maths by Jamie Buchan (2009)
Jamie Buchan’s As Easy As Pi is an accessible introduction to the curiousities of the world of numbers, even for certified math tards like me! This book looks at the cultural origins of certain numerical phrases (such as “the third degree” or “at sixes and sevens”), numbers in fiction (film and literature), in culture, in religion and mythology. It did get a little too complicated for me when discussing the use of numbers in maths and science, but I think I gleaned enough from Buchan’s clear, non-technical writing. One particular, though there were many others, discovery that interested me was the connection made between the Holy Trinity and the superstition regarding walking under ladders , thus breaking the triangle, invading the trinity. I hadn’t heard that theory before. As well as shortcut tricks on surmising divisibility, and lots of intriguing trivia about the numbers we use everyday, As Easy As Pi may not have much for the mathematically inclined, but for the bewildered and clueless, it is a friendly and approachable introduction.
My Grammar and I (Or Should That Be ‘Me’?): Old-School Ways to Sharpen Your English by Caroline Taggart and J.A. Wines (2009)
My Grammar and I is a useful little guide to grammar, while not plumbing the depths of grammatical rules and syntax it gives a comprehensive enough overview to provide a working knowledge of the rules. Though there are surely more exhaustive and authoritative grammar guides out there, this would be a valuable reference guide to have at hand for minor grammatical quibbles. Clever mnemonics tricks and a cheekily humourous approach to the topic help to make this grammar guide a fun and unintimidating read.
All I Want Is Everything (Gossip Girl #3) by Cecily von Ziegesar (2003)
There are so many obvious problems with the Gossip Girl series – the constant label name dropping, the lack of parental supervision, the endless amounts of cash splashed around, the tabloid like surveillance of the fractured group – but to pick on these feels like shooting for the easiest target. Despite these issues, I continue picking up the series when I need a mindless bit of escapism. I feel like all my previous Gossip Girl reviews are attempts at justifying my reasons for reading them, but I don’t do this for other books, so why this? Anyway, after the comparatively everyday issues explored in book two, You Know You Love Me (college applications, break ups, new relationships), All I Want Is Everything returns to the world of impossibly successful charity balls organized by teenagers, parties with rockstars, and exotic resorts. Completely unbelievable, but compulsively readable. I found it a little disturbing that Dan views the female characters close to him so easily as “sluts” – and that a poem inspired by this is published by the New Yorker (see what I mean about the lack of believability?). Blair is still a manipulative bitch, Serena is the carefree party girl, Nate is the dopey stoner, and Jenny, well, Jenny’s main characteristics still seem to be her large breasts and curly hair. You know what to expect from this series, and All I Want Is Everything delivers on these expectations, however low they are.
