Earth Lover

Six Hours with Umberto Eco

Revisado: 12-28-21

Eco's postmodern reflections on literature and art. Issues like the way time is portrayed in literature (versus porn movies!), the relations of narrative voices to authors, etc. Relaxed and enjoyable reading.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Good-hearted but Sadly Out of Date

Revisado: 10-30-21

Maybe each reader will turn first to the chapter on their own tradition. I did - WItchcraft and NeoPaganism. Here's what I see.

History - solid. Smoley does a good job of outlining the history of witchcraft from ancient times thru the witch-hunts and on thru Murray and Gardner.

But when he gets anywhere near present times (Smoley published in 2006), the book is hopelessly outdated. The people he cites as "contemporary" sources and authorities are from the 1960s and 70s.

When he gets closer to present times, he seems under-informed. He refers to the very well-known Starhawk as part of a Dianic (ie, women-only) tradition - that will come as a surprise to Starhawk, who has helped pioneer inclusion of all genders and orientations.

To Smoley, Neo-Paganism is all about god-and-goddess, male-and-female There is no awareness of post-binarist ideas and developments from the past 40 years.

The problem here - and I suspect in this entire book -- is that Smoley's sources are other books. I don't see any reference to interviews or personal experience. He has just read a lot of books (apparently all published before 1990).

Smoley is trying to get it right - this is a good-hearted book. As a guide to pre-2000 trends, it might be fine (although I would recommend Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon).

But as a guide to "contemporary" trends, I'm sad to say that this chapter (and I suspect most of Smoley's book) is quite out of date.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Outstanding Readable Survey of Recent Scholarship

Revisado: 09-06-21

Great survey of recent archaeology and interpretations. Major focus on archaeology of Asia Minor and the Asian Steppes and how it pertains to all of Eurasia. Not likely to to be the final word, but a good overview of where we're at in 2020.

Magic/Religion/Science - Gosden sees them as a perpetual triad, not a linear sequence. Science is found in prehistoric times - and magic in modern.

This book lends itself to "dropping in" - each section can stand on its own as well as part of a larger flow.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 10 personas

Best Audio Tarot Book?

Revisado: 09-06-21

Good introduction to Tarot, with some emphasis on intuitive reading and bringing the Tarot alive for one's self (as opposed to books that try to tell you what "experts" say the cards mean).

Probably the best Tarot book available as audio - but that's not saying much....

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

This Is Just Chapter 1

Revisado: 07-24-20

This is the first 30 minutes of a much longer book. Did I pay for this? Apparently the rest has not been recorded. Too bad - the first 30 minutes are first-rate.

Shalhoub's voice is so-so -- not really sleep-inducing, but not real engaging, either. Tolerable is a better word for it.

Someone record this whole book!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Excellent Reflections on Poetry

Revisado: 07-24-20

This book could be much longer. But then it wouldn't be "very short." In any case, it's very engaging and thought-provoking.

This is not a history of poetry, and contains few extended samples, It focuses on lit-crit topics such as:

- What is Poetry - what makes something a poem?
- How does it function? What is it "good for"?
- Are there rules? Are they only made to be broken? Are there special "poetic" uses of language?
- What does it mean to be "true to nature"?

I will return to this book for the questions and thoughts it provokes.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Outstanding History of Modern Art

Revisado: 07-24-20

Don't be fooled by the fluffy publisher's description on the audible page - this is a first-rate history of visual art from about 1850 to 2000, told in a relaxed, open-minded manner.

Yes, you'll need to make a list of works and visit the internet if you're not already familiar with the canon. But Gompertz makes it worth your while.

Wish there were books like this about all of world art!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 15 personas

Brilliant Materialist Interpretation

Revisado: 05-16-20

Hobsbawm's four-volume survey of European history from the French Revolution to the Fall of the Eastern Bloc is the premier materialist text of its generation. While giving solid notice to culture and politics, Hobsbawm's first interest is in the movements of economics and production, and how these tides shaped the broader history of the period.

Readable, engaging, fast-paced - an indispensable survey of the past two centuries.

Kermode's reading is solid - but the audio quality is poor. Tantor usually does better - how about a remix?

Still - five stars for this extraordinary book!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 11 personas

Revolution, Not Reform

Revisado: 07-24-19

Lenin's most readable essay, in which he lays out his idea that "bourgeois democracy" is an integral part of capitalism, and cannot simply be taken over and re-staffed by socialism. Socialism will require new structures and political processes.

We can be inspired by the overall points without necessarily agreeing with Lenin's answer to the problem. Five stars!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 12 personas

Excellent Introductory Survey

Revisado: 07-01-19

Yes, this is too short - but for its scale this is an outstanding introduction to a complex and much-distorted aspect of European history.

The 25-minute lecture format does lead the author to continually cut explanations short. But it also allows for treatment of less-prominent issues such as the legal processes of the era.

Final course grade: A+

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña