Wednesday, December 30, 2009 |
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo |
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By Diana Hsieh @ 8:00 AM   
 This past weekend, I read Stieg Larsson's huge bestselling Swedish mystery The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Despite some periodic anti-business elements, I really liked it. The mystery -- or rather, interlocking set of mysteries -- were very well-constructed. The main characters, although very different in personality and life-situation, were engaging and enjoyable. It definitely wasn't deep, but the novel was good popular fiction, perhaps the best I've ever read. (However, I'm not the best judge, as I don't read much popular fiction. I vastly prefer the classics.)
The second novel in the trilogy is The Girl Who Played with Fire. That's available now, and I'm eager to read it. I think I'll wait until February or March though -- if I can. The third novel, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, is due out in late May. So I'd like to space them out a bit.
Notably, I didn't read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo myself: I listened to the unabridged audiobook read well by Simon Vance. That's how I'll read the others. If you like audiobooks, I definitely recommend those versions. You can get them for relatively cheap via a subscription to Audible.com ; that's what I use for all my audiobooks. (Disclosure Coerced by the FTC: I get a commission if you subscribe via that link.)
Unfortunately, Stieg Larsson died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 2004, so we won't be enjoying any more novels from him. However, it looks like movies are coming.Labels: Fiction, Recommendations
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Tuesday, December 08, 2009 |
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Harry Potter for Christmas |
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By Diana Hsieh @ 3:00 PM
Given that Christmas is just around the corner, I'd like to reiterate my recommendation for Ari Armstrong's excellent little book Values of Harry Potter. Here's my official endorsement of it.
I've read all the Harry Potter novels multiple times, discussed them at length with friends, read essays analyzing them, and even published an essay of my own. Yet Ari Armstrong's Values of Harry Potter offered me a delightful array of fresh insights into J. K. Rowling's works. It offers fans of Harry Potter a unique opportunity to explore the core values of the novels, to discover why we find them so captivating and so inspiring. Readers will develop a deeper appreciation for Rowling's achievement in portraying life-loving, courageous heroes. They will discover compelling answers to any half-formed questions and doubts about the significance of her Christian themes. When I re-read the Harry Potter series -- as I'm eager to do again -- I will gain far more insight and inspiration from them than ever before, thanks to Values of Harry Potter. For a taste of Ari's writings on Harry Potter, you might check out these essays. You can also view the contents of the book and download a sample via this page.
I recommend the book to all fans of Harry Potter, but particularly to people interested in Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. You'll find much of interest in it -- much that you didn't notice on a first or second or third reading of the books. It's also an excellent gift for any teenage fan of the books. So go order a copy now!
I would ask that you order from the web site directly, rather than via Amazon, as Ari earns significantly more per copy that way. The price is the same. Given the quality of the book -- not to mention Ari's tireless and often-uncompensated efforts to promote free markets in Colorado and elsewhere -- he deserves every penny he can earn from sales of this book!Labels: Fiction, Recommendations
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Wednesday, July 22, 2009 |
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Values of Harry Potter, Again |
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By Diana Hsieh @ 12:01 AM
Now that the new Harry Potter movie is out, I'd like to reiterate my recommendation for Ari Armstrong's excellent little book Values of Harry Potter. Here's my official endorsement of it.
I've read all the Harry Potter novels multiple times, discussed them at length with friends, read essays analyzing them, and even published an essay of my own. Yet Ari Armstrong's Values of Harry Potter offered me a delightful array of fresh insights into J. K. Rowling's works. It offers fans of Harry Potter a unique opportunity to explore the core values of the novels, to discover why we find them so captivating and so inspiring. Readers will develop a deeper appreciation for Rowling's achievement in portraying life-loving, courageous heroes. They will discover compelling answers to any half-formed questions and doubts about the significance of her Christian themes. When I re-read the Harry Potter series -- as I'm eager to do again -- I will gain far more insight and inspiration from them than ever before, thanks to Values of Harry Potter. For a taste of Ari's writings on Harry Potter, you might check out these essays, as well as his review of the new movie. You can also view the contents of the book and download a sample via this page.
I recommend the book to all fans of Harry Potter, but particularly to people interested in Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. You'll find much of interest in it -- much that you didn't notice on a first or second or third reading of the books. So go order your copy now!
I would ask that you order from the web site directly, rather than via Amazon, as Ari earns significantly more per copy that way. The price is the same. Given the quality of the book -- not to mention Ari's tireless and often-uncompensated efforts to promote free markets in Colorado and elsewhere -- he deserves every penny he can earn from sales of this book!Labels: Fiction, Recommendations
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Thursday, December 25, 2008 |
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Merry Christmas! |
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By Diana Hsieh @ 8:11 AM
Merry Christmas!
Here are two questions for you:
1. What do you like most about your Christmas this year?
2. What will you do differently next year to have an even better Christmas?
Personally, I'm most looking forward to our traditional Christmas dinner with some friends from 1FROG at the always-fantastic Opus Restaurant in Littleton.
Unfortunately, I won't be doing much else with my day. Paul left bright and early this morning to go to work; he'll be done around 3 pm. I'm slated to do a full measure of dissertation writing today, as chapter seven has taken me a bit longer than I supposed, albeit for the very good reason that I've had develop some major new ideas in it.
Next year, I plan to enjoy Christmas by having more of a Christmas. I'd like to put up some decorations, as well as do some holiday-inspired cooking. That will be possible because I'll be a doctor of philosophy, rather than a mere dissertating grunt of a graduate student!
Oh, and I almost forgot: Here's a truly delightful tale -- no kidding this time -- that I read for the first time just a few weeks ago: "Merry Gravmas" by James P. Hogan. It's a short short story, but quite memorable: I've found myself mulling over the prospect of such a rational future more than a few times since I first read it.
Hence, Merry Gravmas!Labels: Fiction, Fun
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Monday, September 15, 2008 |
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Two Bits of Good News... |
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By Diana Hsieh @ 3:23 PM
... from the Coalition for Secular Government:
Last Wednesday, Ari Armstrong and I attended a fundraising dinner for the Colorado chapter of Republican Majority for Choice. Ari and I were generously invited to the event because of our issue paper, "Amendment 48 Is Anti-Life: Why It Matters That a Fertilized Egg Is Not a Person."
I was very impressed with the 200-strong turnout, as well as the commitment to individual rights so clearly expressed by master of ceremonies Hank Brown. The event was a bright spot in our fight against Colorado's Amendment 48, which would grant full legal rights to fertilized eggs in Colorado's constitution. I do hope to see more pro-choice Republicans speaking up for reproductive rights within their party.
Ari Armstrong's op-ed -- "With Palin, McCain ignores Colorado warning" -- was published by the Boulder Weekly. That op-ed was distributed by the Coalition for Secular Government.
Independent of CSG, Ari also published an excellent op-ed in the Rocky Mountain News entitled Lessons for U.S. politicians from the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this weekend. (Ari is the author of a fantastic short book Values of Harry Potter.)Labels: Coalition for Secular Government, Election, Fiction, Politics
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Friday, August 08, 2008 |
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Values of Harry Potter |
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By Diana Hsieh @ 12:38 AM
I'm delighted to announce that Ari Armstrong's book Values of Harry Potter is now available for purchase. I read an advance copy of the book last month. I loved it. Here's my official endorsement of it.
I've read all the Harry Potter novels multiple times, discussed them at length with friends, read essays analyzing them, and even published an essay of my own. Yet Ari Armstrong's Values of Harry Potter offered me a delightful array of fresh insights into J. K. Rowling's works. It offers fans of Harry Potter a unique opportunity to explore the core values of the novels, to discover why we find them so captivating and so inspiring. Readers will develop a deeper appreciation for Rowling's achievement in portraying life-loving, courageous heroes. They will discover compelling answers to any half-formed questions and doubts about the significance of her Christian themes. When I re-read the Harry Potter series -- as I'm eager to do again -- I will gain far more insight and inspiration from them than ever before, thanks to Values of Harry Potter. For a bit of a taste of the actual item, Ari has posted a PDF with extracts of the book on his web site.
I recommend the book to all fans of Harry Potter, but particularly to people interested in Ayn Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. You'll find much of interest in it -- much that you didn't notice on a first or second or third reading of the books. So go order your copy now!Labels: Fiction, Recommendations
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