Review: Murder Most Frothy

Murder Most Frothy by Cleo Coyle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Good, fun summer read. Involving coffee as a main ingredient (see what I did there??) makes it all the more fun.



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Review: The Hutt Gambit

The Hutt Gambit by A.C. Crispin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This, like the first novel in this series, was a lot of fun to read. This was not as crisp as the first, but had some exciting battle scenes. It also introduces you to several well-known characters from the movies and how Han meets them (including the Millenium Falcon). Great summer time, fun read. I'm tempted to pop A New Hope into the DVD player.



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Review: Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues

Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues by Michael Brandman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



No one will mistake Brandman with Parker. Ace Atkins, the author conintuing the Spenser series, captured Parker's voice at least partially. Atkins got the feel of the characters, the style, and the language of Spenser. Brandman, unfortunately, is not as successfully. It is not a bad book, but it is far from Parker's Stone. One clearly sees the influence of the TV movies here, no surprise since that is how Brandman comes to the series. But Stone's edge, both from the Selleck movies and the Parker books, is too softened here. Brandman does a good job with the dialogue, but the inner life that Parker was so adept at is lost. All this said, the book was interesting and enjoyable. I am glad I tried it out, though I am not sure how quickly I'll pick up the next one. Almost certainly, it will be a library rental if I do (as was this).



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Review: The Chairman

The Chairman by Stephen W. Frey

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



A solid thriller. Took a little bit, but sucked me in. Many of the characters were a little too stereotypical; from central casting for wall st types. Many characterize Frey as Grisham for finance. Dead on. I really liked Stiles, the security guy. The main character could have been more heroic in my view. Still, it was fun and I'm sure I'll read more Frey in future--though I am in no rush.



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Review: The Paradise Snare

The Paradise Snare by A.C. Crispin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



That was a lot of fun. I got the book through the library as a test of its ebook lending. I was a little surprised at how quickly I got sucked in. But then Han Solo was always my favorite from the original film trilogy. Not sure I'll get into the whole expanded universe but I think I'll finish this trilogy. Crispin does a great job of capturing Solo. Hard not to picture a young Harrison Ford! A slight fault might be that Muuurgh and Bria where just a little too close to Chewie and Leia.



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Review: The Caves of Steel

The Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Mystery science fiction, my two favorite genres masterfully knitted together by Asimov. It is curious this never quite made it to the big screen; it could be a good movie. The structure of society, these giant cities, is interesting; there is the standard inevitablity of greater and greater bureaucratic control at the cost of individualism. But at the same time, the need and value of individualism is implicit in many ways. I was also struck by the musing of Baley about the "ancient" market systems. He says something along the lines of the primitive nature of bartering and chasing the dollar, but then goes on to see that the same traits are still present but directed at status and similar things. I see these themes running through Asimov's work (which is why I am rereading).



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Review: I, Robot

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



May 2012: I'm excited to reread the extended Foundation series. These stories are great. Witty, fast-paced, still relevant. That is, it still feels futuristic and sci-fi. I particularly like The Evitable Conflict. This story, or rather an aspect of its theme, is big part of the reason I am reading this series. Asimov seems to subscribe to the notion that with enough knowledge and computing power we could predict the future, run the economy, etc. And yet, something always seems to go wrong. Old review: Another old Asimov book of mine without an ISBN. An old Signet paperback from the 50s. Very interesting story. Will Smith movie was very good, but very different.



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Review: Robert B. Parker's Lullaby

Robert B. Parker's Lullaby by Ace Atkins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I was skeptical. But Atkins won me over. This a man who knows how to write and who know Spenser's world. He is cleary a well-versed, talented fan of Parker. This is a good book, and captures Spenser as well as can be imagined. Still, there is something ineffable missing. One knows this is not Parker writing. The voice in my head is different. It is just off in little ways that are hard to pinpoint or explain. I'd compare it to a really good counterfeit painting. For the most part perfect, but just a few strokes not quite right that give it away. Nevertheless, fans of Spenser should give it a try, you won't be disappointed.



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Review: Drop Shot

Drop Shot by Harlan Coben

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



An action-packed, entertaining read. Make Win black and slighty less psychopathic, and this is basically a Spenser/Hawk novel. Which is not a criticism in itself, I love Spenser and Parker. But, it is, nonetheless, derivative in that way.



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Review: Shop Class As Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work

Shop Class As Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew Crawford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



There were things about this book I really liked, and things that infuriated and frustrated me. Part of the author's point is to revitalize and defend manual work. He wants to show the intellectual rewarding aspects of this kind of work. This part I liked, and he does a wonderful job here, with interesting anecdotes and references to historic thinkers. He seems to want to reject the mind/body dictohomy at the root of the manual-mental work division. But in developing the framework for his argument, he reintroduces or rather fails to reject fully the mind/body dictohomy in the form of a kind of concrete-abstract dichotomy.

Now, this is a real distinction, so what I mean is he consistently priviledges knowledge and ideas that are more concrete over more abstract ones. This is related, I think, to what Ayn Rand called this the anti-conceptual mentality. She says that this mentality "treats concepts as if they were (memorized) percepts; it treats abstractions as if they were perceptual concretes." Crawford doesn't do this completely, but he does fail to treat abstractions as fundamentally connected to and about reality. They are, well, too abstract to provide us with guidance, validity, or objectivity in work. Only, it seems, a particular, concrete direct experience can do this. There is a ubiquitous contrast of a kind navel-gazing, head in the cloud shadow of a person with the real guy doing real work that anyone can see, experience, and measure. We can only get objectivity with things we can see, if it is abstract or far-off, it cannot serve that function, and worse, misleads us. So carpenters know when they have done a good job, they can see it, others can see it. But the manager of some team in a corporate environment has nothing to look at the end of his work day. This, Crawford claims, leaves him with no objective standards to judge his work. What follows in his account are all the problems caricatured by The Office and Dilbert.

This anti-conceptual mentality leads him to several misdiagnoses of problems with contemporary work environments and institutions (the marxist influences don't help either). Nevertheless the book is an interesting and worthwhile read, with many insights into the pleasure and value of work and the essential role that work plays in the good life.



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Review: The Given Day

The Given Day by Dennis Lehane

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I still prefer the Patrick and Angela novels, but Lehane is always an entertaining author. I like how he pushes himself into new areas and genres. This novel brings you into the world of Boston in the 20s. Lehane weaves a complicated plot, but it comes together at the end. I don't know how sold I am on the Babe Ruth angle, but it ended up working and added a novel element to the story.



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Harry Potter and Humanity at PCA/ACA

This is my abstract for the paper I will be presenting at the 42nd Annual PCA/ACA National Conference in Boston, MA.

Harry Potter and Humanity: Choices, Love, and Death

In this paper, I analyze how the Harry Potter novels bring to our awareness two fundamental parts of the human condition: the importance of one’s choices and the inevitable of one’s mortality.

Lord Voldemort, in his ruthless search for immortality, never accepts his own humanity; he openly rejects it. I argue it is this choice that makes his irredeemable evil, and his ultimate defeat, possible.

On the other hand, it is Harry’s acceptance of his mortality that allows him to embrace his humanity. It is this recognition that gives Harry the power defeat Voldemort. More than that, it makes it possible for Harry to develop into a realized, virtuous adult. In his acceptance of his mortality, the boy that lived is able more fully and wholly to live.

This revised paper was originally written for "The Power to Imagine Better: The Philosophy of Harry Potter" at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City.

Abstract for APEE Presentation

I will be speaking on the panel "Author Meets Critics: Adam Moore's: Privacy Rights " at the Association of Private Enterprise Education International Conference in Las Vegas on April 1-3, 2012.

Here is the abstract:

Adam Moore argues for a robust right to informational privacy. He defines privacy as "an access control right over oneself and information about oneself" (16). A potential problem arises, I argue, in that some information is created in such a way that two different parties can be said to own the information. For example, when I buy an espresso at a cafe, that is personal information about my tastes and habits. But this information is created in a context involving other agents who, it would seem, have a right to this information by the same arguments that establish my right to this information. While I agree with much of Moore's account, it does not adequately address this potential conflict which seems to be at the heart of many disputes over privacy.

Review: A History of the Jews

A History of the Jews by Paul Johnson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This is not just a history of the Jews. It is a history of Western Civilization. It covers so much, it is at times overwhelming. It is hard to sum up one’s response to a book that covers nearly 5000 years and every major event in the West. I can do no better than quote Johnson from his Epilogue: “It seems to be the role of the Jews to focus and dramatize these common experiences of mankind, and to turn their particular fate into a universal moral” and “The Jews believed they were a special people with such unanimity and passion, and over so long a span, that they became one. They did indeed have a role because they wrote it for themselves.” These lines succinctly and accurately sum up the book and Johnson’s approach on the history of Jews.

Johnson’s take is sympathetic and admiring. He is fascinated by the history he is telling and so the reader is fascinated as well. I do wish the parts where broken up in to chapters or sections to facilitate reading. This is not a book one reads in a sitting. Each part is a small book in itself, and so more natural breaks in the text would have helped. Johnson does an amazing job of integrating the history, of tracing lines from ancient Baghdad to modern Tel Aviv. Like any good long book, I am glad to have finished it, but I will miss it.




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Review: A Brief History of Liberty

A Brief History of Liberty by David Schmidtz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Brief it is, but still manages to be a thorough and extensive history and discussion of liberty and freedom. Convassing many different conceptions of liberty, it is not a polemic or didactic work. It is thoughtful and well-researched. The authors deal with interesting questions and problems that arise within the history of freedom, including some of the contemporary social psych literature that is sometimes cast as providing a basis to reject the claims of classical liberalism. I hope my students find it as useful and as interesting as I did.



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Sports Studies Symposium: second call and extended deadline

Call for Abstracts (second) with extended deadline (Jan 20)

1st Annual Rockford College Sports Studies Symposium:
An interdisciplinary conference on the study of Sport
Date: April 28, 2012

Rockford College
5050 E. State. St.
Rockford, IL 61108

Whether one is a participant, a casual spectator, a die-hard fan, or a critic, sport, in all its varieties and forms, play a significant role in the lives of most people through out the world. Sports and competitions have long been a part of human civilization and raise a wide range of important philosophical and ethical issues.

This symposium will bring together a panel of scholars to discuss philosophical themes or issues arising in the study of Sport. The focus of the panel will depend, in part, on the submitted abstracts. Each presenter on a panel will have 20 minutes for their presentation. This will be followed by 10-15 minutes for panelists to respond to each other and then 15 minutes or more for audience Q&A. There will also be a panel on the Rhetoric of Sport.

Abstract Submission:
Submissions are welcome on any philosophical theme or issue arising in the study of Sport. Abstract should be 300-500 words. Send via email (as PDF) to sklein_at_rockford_dot_edu.

New Deadline: January 20th, 2012
Notification of Acceptance: February 1st, 2012

If you have any questions, please contact Shawn Klein (Assistant Professor, Philosophy Department) at 815-226-4115 or sklein_at_rockford_dot_edu or Michael Perry (Assistant Professor, English Department) at 815-226-4098 or mperry_at_rockford_dot_edu.

Review: The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars to Socratic Practice

The Habit of Thought: From Socratic Seminars to Socratic Practice by Michael Strong

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I found this very useful and have already purchased several books recommended here. I hope to implement much of what he suggests in future classes.



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Review: Heat Rises

Heat Rises by Richard Castle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I had some trouble getting into this third Castle novel, seemed to be spinning its wheels. Too much Heat and Rook "gushiness." But half way through it started to pick up and redeemed itself. There were several funny Castle/Firefly references that'll make fans laugh.



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Review: Red Harvest

Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Classic noir. Love the language and style. Makes me want to go back and reread The Maltese Falcon.



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Review: Red Harvest

Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Classic noir. Love the language and style.



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