I’ve been busy over the past week and have neglected the blog, so I’m playing a little catch up tonight.  I finished Gulliver’s Travels as expected, started and finished The Husband by Dean Koontz, and am beginning a new book, The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl; it looks to be an interesting read.

I really enjoyed Gulliver’s Travels, although I felt it became a little overdone in the last segment where Gulliver ends up in the land of the Houyhnhnms, a horse-like race, free of fraud and dishonesty, but with a peculiar detachment that makes them less admirable and more cold, if anything.  As I had written earlier, all I knew of Gulliver’s Travels was the story of Gulliver’s encounter with the diminutive race of people in Lilliput, when in fact, the Lilliputians only comprise a fourth of the story, and an eighth of the foreign races discovered during Gulliver’s restless travels.  The book is a biting satire which pokes fun at royalties and society beliefs at the time it was written.  Scholars have identified many of the subjects of the satire, although the actual names or events behind the lines certainly aren’t as fundamental as what is between the lines.  In fact, had I not read about some of these circumstances, I would have no less an appreciation for the work.  The bottom line of the story is that Swift would like us to view the world through a different perspective, to question what we have been taught, and see things for ourselves.  Within the story of discovery of the outside world is actually an urge toward self-discovery, to look within us.

The Husband was an excellent read.  The speed with which I read it should serve to demonstrate the enthusiasm I had for each page, each chapter.  The story revolves around a simple gardener who receives a phone call telling him that his wife has been kidnapped.  The kidnappers have demanded $2 million for her return, despite the fact that the gardener, Mitchell Rafferty, could manage little more than $27 thousand if he sold everything he owned.  The kidnappers are serious and back up their threat to him through an act of violence that both convinces Mitchell to do what they ask, and causes the police to suspect his involvement.  With nowhere to turn, Mitchell sets out to prove his love for his wife and do whatever it takes to get her back.  I like Dean Koontz’s writing even though he often times brings in psychic powers and paranormal activity; however, this book has none of that.  It’s a straight up action thriller.

I had forgotten to update the “Currently Enjoying” section when I completed Seven Deadly Wonders by Matthew Reilly. Seven Deadly Wonders is about a seven member team exploring the ancient wonders of the world seeking pieces of the capstone that had once topped the Great Pyramid at Giza and preserve world peace. Needless to say, it was a little far-fetched but as enjoyable as an Indiana Jones film or National Treasure with Nicolas Cage. When I finished the book, I went on to another adventure novel, this time the classic, Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift. I have finished most of the book already and have been really surprised at how funny and insightful some of it can be. I hadn’t known that the book was a satire prior to reading. I hope to write more upon completion of the novel.

The Library of Congress has a research section dedicated to Everyday Mysteries. Dealing with topics like “What is the difference between sweet potatoes and yams?" and “Why do fingers and toes wrinkle in the bathtub?", the site contains serious answers to fun questions, a nice diversion from the typically staid offerings of the world’s largest library and the U.S.’s oldest federal cultural institution.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/