bookie wooks

I have just finished The Stand by Stephen King, an enthralling 1164 page apocalyptic novel with supernatural elements. Like most King novels, the build-up was much better than the conclusion that was built up to, but I enjoyed it all the same. It was much better than IT, anyway.

Like most people with terrible attention spans, I always have a zillion books on the go at once. Right now, minus the one I just finished, I am currently digging into:

- Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (a complete and unabridged translation by Signet classics)
- I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison (I'm on the last short story!)
- Dawn by Octavia E. Butler (borrowed from Lizzy, who read it for school)
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (will it be as great as the Swedish film?)
- Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book 1 by Alan Moore (Moore's take on this comic book series)

These lovelies are pictured above in a tantalizing stack, flanked by a delicious pot of mango tea. I look forward to a wonderful afternoon.

books, tea, licorice, dragons

I did it!

At long last, I creased and twisted and folded paper until it took the shape of a tiny dragon that will stand up on its own --an event which had been a long-term goal of mine. It was thrilling to watch my little square of paper finally take this lizard-y shape, which had only crumpled and slipped into unrecognizable messes for me before. This small but satisfying achievement makes me feel like I am actually capable of folding more difficult things, which is my rather bold motivation to try an even harder pattern: the stand-alone eagle. Wish me luck!

origami atmosphere: The Black Keys, green tea, Capricorn black licorice

Summer Books

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

The Reason for God by Timothy Keller

Watership Down by Richard Adams

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison

Mythology by Edith Hamilton

The Collapse of Evolution by Scott M. Huse

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

Exodus [New American Standard]

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Tales by H.P. Lovecraft

The Stand by Stephen King

A Room With A View by E.M. Forster

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

the motor of the world

The idea that human beings could exist harmoniously, but at the same time in competition of each other's abilities, is not only wondrously desirable for the intellectual achievements it would reap [due to the constant striving of people to better themselves], but also because it is the way humanity should be. Competition and appreciation of ability separate us from each other, but at the same time keep us together in all the ways we are meant to. They keep humanity moving forward as a nation, with each separate human contributing to the whole the way he is best at or likes, and receiving according to what he has earned, not because of need or necessity.

I feel Ayn Rand slowly convincing me.