2020 Book Review and 2021 Plans

As is my habit, I pick out some books each year to read so I can keep whittling down my shelf of shame. It's fun to have a challenge and I try not to pick too many books or else I can't do any spontaneous reading (like the occasional volume recommended by A Good Story is Hard to Find). Here's my list of planned reading from last year--I read them all!

Fiction

• The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age by Stanislaw Lem--he's the author of Solaris, so I've had him on my radar for some time. Reviewed here.
• Neuromancer by William Gibson--more cyber-shenanigans! Reviewed here.
• Outer Banks Tales to Remember by Charles Harry Whedbee--local stories and myths from North Carolina. Reviewed here.
• Scottish Myths and Legends selected by Rosemary Gray--Scotland must be a good source for myths and legends, right? Reviewed here.

History

• Swords Around the Cross: The Nine Years War by Timothy T. O'Donnell--about a war in Ireland from one of my old college professors. Reviewed here.
• Malachy McCourt's History of Ireland by (you guessed it) Malachy McCourt--This should pair well with the previous book? Reviewed here.
• Roanoke Island: The Beginnings of English America by David Stick--More from North Carolina, though this is actual history. Reviewed here.
• The Apostle of the Marianas 1627-1672 by Juan Ledesma--I bought this book on Guam last century/millennium (take your pick), so it's been on the shelf of shame for a while. Reviewed here.

Theology

• Friar Thomas D'Aquino: His Life, Thought and Works by James A. Weisheipl, O.P. A Dominican writing about the Dominicans' superstar! Reviewed here.
• Upon This Rock: St. Peter and the Primacy of Rome in Scripture and the Early Church by Stephen K. Ray. Reviewed here.
• Science of Today and the Problems of Genesis by Patrick O'Connell, B.D. Reviewed here.
• What is the Point of Being a Christian? by Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. Reviewed here.

Philosophy

• Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill--Will I keep this after I've read it? Depends on how useful I find it. Reviewed here.
• Five Moral Pieces by Umberto Eco--Some non-fiction from The Name of the Rose author. Reviewed here.
• The Poverty of Historicism by Karl Popper. Reviewed here.
• The Consolations of Philosophy by Alain de Botton--I may have to read Boethius's original Consolation of Philosophy along with this. Reviewed here.
• The Birth of Tragedy by Friedrich Nietzsche--I still haven't read any full work by Nietzsche. I had a professor who said Nietzsche is very popular with teenage boys but they shouldn't read him because a lot more is going on than the surface meaning. Reviewed here.
• The Evidential Power of Beauty: Science and Theology Meet by Thomas Dubay, S. M.--maybe this should be in theology? Reviewed here.

I also read graphic novels and manga (basically, graphic novels from Japan). Here's last year's graphic novel challenge list:

1. Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 19--reviewed here.
2. Apocalypse Taco--reviewed here.
3. Frog Catchers--reviewed here.
4. Houdini: The Handcuff King--reviewed here.
5. My Hero Academia Volume 13--reviewed here.
6. Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crowe--reviewed here. 
7. Essential Thor Volume 3--reviewed here.
8. Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 20--reviewed here.
9. The Umbrella Academy Volume 1--reviewed here.
10. Snow, Glass, Apples--reviewed here.
11. Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: Major Impossible--reviewed here.
12. My Hero Academia Volume 13--reviewed here. 
13. Saint John the Baptist--reviewed here.
14. Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 21--reviewed here.
15. Wonder Woman: Warbringer The Graphic Novel--reviewed here.
16. Jenny Finn--reviewed here.
17. My Hero Academia Volume 14--reviewed here.
18. Stanislav Lem's The Seventh Voyage--reviewed here.
19. Y: The Last Man Volume 1--reviewed here.
20. Saint Francis and Brother Duck--reviewed here.
21. ZombieWorld: Champion of Worms--reviewed here.
22. My Hero Academia Volume 15--reviewed here.
23. Hellboy 20th Anniversary Sampler--reviewed here.
24. Y: The Last Man Volume 2--reviewed here.
25. B.P.R.D. The Devil You Know Volume 1--reviewed here.
26. Mr. Higgins Comes Home--reviewed here.
27. My Hero Academia Volume 16--reviewed here.
28. Introducing Time--reviewed here.
29. B.P.R.D. The Devil You Know Volume 2--reviewed here.
30. Dark Horse Freebies--reviewed here.
31. Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 22--reviewed here.
32. Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers--reviewed here.
33. B.P.R.D. The Devil You Know Volume 3--reviewed here.
34. They Call Us Enemy--reviewed here.
35. The Shadow/Batman--reviewed here.
36. Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 23--reviewed here.
37. Batman Vs. Superman: The Greatest Battles--reviewed here.
38. Marvel Masterworks X-Men Volume 1--reviewed here.
39. Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 24--reviewed here.
40. My Hero Academia Volume 17--reviewed here.
41. Marvel Masterworks X-Men Volume 2--reviewed here.
42. Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 25--reviewed here.
43. Dragon Hoops--reviewed here.
44. Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 26--reviewed here.
45. The Oracle Code_--reviewed here.
46. Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 27--reviewed here.
47. Astronauts: Women on the Final Frontier--reviewed here.
48. Daredevil Volume 1--reviewed here.
49. This Land is My Land--reviewed here.
50. Marvel Masterworks X-Men Volume 3--reviewed here.
51. My Hero Academia Volume 18--reviewed here.
52. One Trick Pony--reviewed here.
53. Black Widow: Sting of the Widow--reviewed here.
54. My Hero Academia Volume 19--reviewed here.
55. Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Volume 4--reviewed here.
56. Daredevil Volume 2--reviewed here.
57. Black Widow: No More Secrets--reviewed here.
58. My Hero Academia Volume 20--reviewed here.
59. Olympus--reviewed here.
60. Superman Smashes the Klan--reviewed here.
61. Daredevil Volume 3--reviewed here.
62. Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Volume 5--reviewed here.

Here's next year's plans:

Fiction

• A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe. This book is not a recent publication but a classic about the great plague of 1665. Seems appropriate.
• Gilgamesh: The New Translation by Gerald J. Davis. I love those classic epics!
• Legends of the Outer Banks and Tar Heel Tidewater by Charles Harry Whedbee. Local stories and myths from North Carolina. Not to be confused with the book from last year by the same author that also told stories from North Carolina.
• Hawaiian Legends of Ghosts and Ghost-Gods collected and translated from the Hawaiian by Willam D. Westervelt. More folkloric goodness!
• Ghost Stories of California by Barbara Smith. West coast (of America) ghost stories.
• Nevada Myths & Legends by Richard Moreno. Yet more folklore. 

History

• The Wright Brothers: A Biography by Fred C. Kelly. I picked this up in North Carolina on a visit long ago.
• The Planets by Dava Sobel. I think this was written before Pluto got demoted. Should be interesting.
• The Age of Illumination: Science, Technology, and Reason in the Middle Ages by Scott Rank. The author hosts the History Unplugged Podcast, to which I have been a faithful listener for many years.

Theology

• The Resurrection of the Shroud: New Scientific, Medical and Archeological Evidence by Mark Antonacci. The Turin Shroud is a perpetually fascinating topic.
• New Proofs for the Existence of God: Contributions of Contemporary Physics and Philosophy by Robert J. Spitzer. Arguable, this belongs in the next section. Spitzer is a Jesuit, so I'm not counting on him to leave out Revelation.

Philosophy

• Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future by Friedrich Nietzsche, translated by Walter Kaufmann. Birth of Tragedy was a bit of a dud for me, maybe this will be more interesting.
• The Psychology of the Transference by C. G. Jung. Reading Jung has been easier for me and I am trying to clear out unread books. The time has come!
• An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume. This is another book that's been sitting around for a while and may not be kept after it is read.
• Escher on Escher: Exploring the Infinite. Can M. C. Escher be as enjoyable as a writer as he is as an artist? I may have used "as" too many times in that last sentence. 

I'll be doing the graphic novel challenge again as well, though I still haven't seen a sign-up for it yet. My Hero Academia will probably slow down this coming year as I am catching up to the current publishing and I am hoping the final Amulet book comes out in 2021. Usagi Yojimbo is a new series I will be starting.

Random Bits of Christmas 2020

Here's a bunch of Christmas stuff that didn't get its own post...

We decorated Christmas cookies with one of the cousins. This personal family tradition has gone on for many happy years.

Starting out

Adding one sprinkle at a time

More work

Almost done

Finished products #1

Finished products #2

The cub scout pack had a holiday bingo card. One of the card's squares required us to make reindeer food. We found a recipe online, did some shopping, and whipped up a batch. Luckily, the ingredients were more than we needed so we will probably make another batch soon!

Do reindeer really eat this?

Our church had a drive-thru Christmas extravaganza.

Starting the drive-thru

Saint Nicholas was the first one to greet us.

The famous bishop of Myra

The live nativity was interesting. We weren't sure if the llama was supposed to be a camel or not. It's not visible in the photo below.

Live nativity

The adult choir was socially-distanced outdoors.

Adult caroling choir

A Christmas tree of sorts

Across the street (i.e. in the other parking lot), the children's choir huddled a bit closer together for warmth.

Children's choir

Random Bits of Minnesota Trip

Our rental house in Minnesota had a hot tub, which saw a lot of action from the children (and the adults too). 

A happy girl

A bearded girl!?!

More in hot water

The massage chair in the house was very popular with my daughter.

Doing "school work"

The sunrises were beautiful, and easy to see since we were on East Coast time for the first couple of days. 

Sunrise at the lake with a morning star!

The other direction with another morning star!

The sun also rises

My wife and I went out to eat at a local restaurant on their outdoor seating. It was the day after hunting season started, so they had a donation bin out front in the parking lot.

What do they want?

Huh?!?

I guess if you only hunt for the meat, this is a good way to dispose of the hide. Since the season just started, the bin was empty.

At one of the stores, I saw the biggest Rice Krispy treat ever!

What the yum?

The kids built gingerbread houses, though they were quick to eat them.

Done decorating

Toward the end of the trip, we ran out of desserts at the house and had to go to a local bakery to get treats. One cookie was so amazing, I had to take pictures.

A happy customer!

Cookie close up

Book Review: Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Vol. 5 by C. Claremont et al.

Marvel Masterworks: X-Men Volume 5 written by Chris Claremont, penciled and co-plotted by John Byrne, penciled by John Romita, Jr., and inked by Terry Austin and Bob McLeod

This book includes the finale of the Hellfire Club plotline (which introduces Kitty Pryde and Dazzler) and leads directly into the famous Dark Phoenix saga. I reviewed that storyline here, and it was just as enjoyable to re-read it. The book also has the aftermath, where Cyclops leaves the group and Storm is put in charge. The group has some smaller, single or double issue adventures afterward. Wolverine finally sorts out his relationship with the Canadian government; Nightcrawler faces his past in an interesting story involving Dante's Inferno; Kitty Pryde starts to gel with the team.

The book ends with some interesting bonus material. The original ending to the Dark Phoenix saga, where Jean Grey doesn't die but is only depowered, thus forcing the Phoenix entity out of her, is given. It's less satisfying than the published version. Another bonus story has Jean's older sister trying to connect with her younger sister while facing the possibility that Jean's nieces and nephews might have mutant powers. The story is in black and white and a little hard to read but interesting. There's also text from an interview with the X-Men creative team discussing the decision to switch the ending of the Dark Phoenix saga which had some nice insights but ran a little long.

Recommended.

TV Review: The Haunting of Hill House (2018)

The Haunting of Hill House (2018) created by Mike Flanagan based on the novel by Shirley Jackson

The Crain family were house flippers, fixing up old, dilapidated homes and selling them for a profit. They were on the verge of retiring when they bought Hill House, the ancestral New England estate of the Hill family. Parents Hugh (Henry Thomas) and Olivia (Carla Gugino) bring their five children to the palatial mansion where they quickly settle in and get to work. But odd things start to happen, especially to the children. The parents explain away a lot of stuff as dreams or youthful imagination but viewers know there is more going on. The mom is especially vulnerable to the malign influences of the house. 

The reason viewers are clued in is because the story is told from two time periods. The first period is the family in the house. The second period is about twenty years later as the adult children are drawn back together from their separate paths as tragedy looms over them again. Oldest son Steven (Michiel Huisman) has made a writing career out of telling haunted house stories, starting with the family's experience at Hill House. He does not believe in the supernatural and is just making a buck off its popularity, much to the chagrin of his siblings. Oldest daughter Shirley (Elizabeth Reiser) has become a mortician and is just as much a control freak as she was as a child. Her sister Theo (Kate Seigel) lives in her guest house and works as a psychologist, though she has some psychic powers based on touching others, so Theo wears gloves all the time to avoid her issues with reality becoming worse. Twins Nell (Victoria Pedretti) and Luke (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) are pretty messed up. Luke is a drug addict who has a very hard time staying clean and winds up mooching off the rest of the family, often stealing from them. Nell is sweet but never quite over her experience, making her very unstable. The ghosts that haunted them in the house start showing up again, encouraging some very bad decisions that lead to a lot of drama.

The story is very exciting and thrilling. The scares are mostly non-gory and are the results of tense situations and the awful consequences of past and current decisions. The show slowly explains what happened at the house over the ten-episode arc, building tension as little details are revealed along the way. The contemporary story of family problems also slowly reveals their problems in a dramatically satisfying way.

The TV series is nominally based on the classic Shirley Jackson novel. A lot of the characters share names with those in the book though they are totally different in motivation and personality. The house is very similar (the creepy spiral staircase in the library and the weird statues). Some of the classic lines (like Mrs. Dudley's "we never come to the house in the night...in the dark") are retained. But the story is very different. There's not a group of psychic investigators who are in over their heads. Here is an unfortunate family who are in over their heads.

I enjoyed the series as a family drama and a spooky story. The filmmakers do a good job showing how damaged the family is by their experience and how they are forced to cope with a situation they tried to leave behind. The first nine episodes are great. Then the tenth episode tries to shift the focus and understanding of what's going on, as if it was a great plot twist. But it does not fit in with what happened in earlier episodes--the ending does not pay off the build up but instead sells it short. The family drama ends well (perhaps too well) and the spooky story is rendered completely ridiculous and incomprehensible. 

Slightly recommended--this is nine-tenths of a great show. Unfortunately the last tenth lets it down. If you can stop watching after the ninth episode and just leave the story unresolved (which would require supernatural effort), that would be for the best. If I could go back in time and tell myself not to watch the last episode, I would. My younger self probably wouldn't believe me and watch anyway.

I watched on Netflix but there is a DVD set available with additional footage. If my local library had it, I would borrow it to see the deleted scenes.

Book Review: What is the Point of Being a Christian? by Timothy Radcliffe OP

 What is the Point of Being a Christian? by Timothy Radcliffe OP

Father Radcliffe argues that belief in Christianity is based on truth, at least that is what attracted him to the Dominican order. The order's motto is Veritas, the Latin word for truth. When he tells people who asked the titular question, "What is the point of being Christian?", Radcliffe was a bit befuddled at their dissatisfaction with his answer. People expected some results or benefit from being a Christian. Radcliffe explores the idea of what benefit or positive impact Christian faith has.

The book wanders around, taking on different issues like hope, suffering, violence, corporeality, and other topics. Radcliffe has a wide breadth of experience to draw from, but often it seems like he's just showing off his international travels and openness to other spiritual traditions. He grapples with our contemporary idolatry of consumerism and convincingly argues for a temperate attitude toward money and private property. He does not really get to the purpose of wealth and how to use it in a Christian way.

The scandal of the division among Christians gets a lot of coverage. He talks about both the separation of denominations and the internal division within denominations. He dislikes the left/right, traditional/progressive, and conservative/liberal descriptions of an internal divide within the Catholic Church. While I agree these are not the most accurate descriptions, Radcliffe's substitutions "Kingdom Catholics" and "Communion Catholic" are unwieldy and unconvincing. He identifies the problem but does not have a coherent solution.

Radcliffe has a broad range of ideas. The reader gets plenty to think about. But the big picture, i.e. the point of being Christian, gets lost somewhere along the way. I found the book unsatisfying and won't be hanging on to it.

Not recommended.

The Snow in Minnesnowta

While in Minnesota, it snowed. The children were delighted to experience something we mostly missed out on in Maryland last year. The first snow started at night, which meant the tables on our rental house's deck got loaded with snow. The kids were dying to play, so we let them out in the cold, dark night. They promptly weaponized the snow and tried to get the warm, dry parents to be cold, wet parents. 

Gathering the easy snow

Ready for trouble

A view through our shields

Another view through our shields

The next morning, the kids went out into the yard to make snow angels, have snowball fights, and generally cause mayhem. 

Trying to hit a parent on the deck

A long range throw

Lakeside fun

We threw snowballs into the lake after a round of snowball fighting amongst ourselves. Naturally, I didn't get any pictures during the fight. Where's a GoPro when you need it?

A view of the rental

The snow was a bit dry and powdery, making it sub-optimal for snowballs and snowmen. My kids discovered the snow on top of the hot tub was wetter and thus more amenable to shaping.

Snowman or stockpile of snowballs?

At Granny and Grandpa's house, an all-out war went on between Grandpa and all takers.

A strategic retreat

The sledding at their house was so fun, I only got one picture.

A good run

A small snow cave was built, and eventually demolished.

Tromping on their own work

The snow-ladened woods were very peaceful.

Smooth, untrammeled snow

A few days later, the rental house had a beautiful sunrise with some warmer weather.

A nice view

The next morning was much colder, resulting in a nice fogrise.

"Fogrise" would be a good name for a horror novel, right?

Book Review: Daredevil Vol. 3 by M. Waid et al.

Daredevil Volume 3 written by Mark Waid and Greg Rucka, art by Marco Checchetto, Chris Samnee, Khoi Pham, and Tom Palmer

Daredevil has the same problem as last volume--the Omega Drive. It's a piece of Fantastic Four tech that stores information on five different super criminal organizations. After defeating Black Spectre (one of the organizations), he's now on a mission to keep it out of any wrong hands. That includes Frank Castle's hands. Frank is The Punisher. He'd love to use the information to cause mayhem and destruction for organized crime. Daredevil thinks that will involve too much collateral damage, so he teams up with Spider-man to keep Castle in check as the three try to destroy the drive, hopefully in public where all the bad guys will realize it's gone and stop hounding Daredevil. Plans don't go according to plan. Other plots are tried, though they are interrupted when Doctor Doom abducts Daredevil for his own nefarious purposes.

This story continues to entertain and be creative. The plans to get rid of the drive are interesting. At first, the Doctor Doom stuff seems shoehorned in. As that story develops, it makes a little more sense. The art is a bit uneven since the story was spread over different comics. The volume includes issues of Avenging Spider-man and The Punisher. It was one of those crossover stories--the bonus materials in the back show how the three different issue covers are put together to make one big picture. The characters look a little different in the different issues, a fact I found distracting. Still, the story is solid and I am ready for more.

Recommended.

Movie Review: #Alive (2020)

 #Alive (2020) directed by Cho Il

A young Korean man (Ah-In Yoo) is trapped in his apartment when a viral outbreak (i.e. zombie apocalyptic event) happens. His parents and sister left early (he woke up at 10 a.m.) and never made it home. He has some tech toys at home but they hardly satisfy his need for entertainment and companionship, especially when the internet coverage and cellular signals die out. The TV coverage is not encouraging, though the cable lasts longer than the internet for some reason. He bars the door with the fridge and plans out his last few meals with what's left at home. Seemingly, all he can do is watch what's going on in the street below. And hang off the balcony to get better cell coverage.

The plot follows a fairly standard zombie survival arc. The introduction of recent technology (texting, drones, etc.) creates some new, minor twists to freshen up the story. After getting to the point of suicide, another person finds him and they start to connect. The usual stuff happens after that. The actors did a good job with no outstanding moments. The gore was very subdued, which seems standard for Korean horror. The movie had no big surprises, but no big flaws either.

Slightly recommended.

Available streaming on Netflix.

War of the Christmas Novelty Ales 2020

See previous wars here!

The year of living under a rock has been hard on everyone. Luckily, breweries have not disappointed us in the Christmas season and have provided some good ales to enjoy...or have they? Here's this year's contenders for the War of the Christmas Novelty Ales!

Hofbrau Winter Spezial (8.4% alcohol by volume) by Hofbrau Munchen--The description on the label is "A Hofbrau Brewery Specialty brewed with roasted Munich malt; therefore appearing dark brown up to black color. Large, persistent light brown head. Taste is intensely malty and toasty." The writing is not the most poetic but it is very honest. The color is very dark with caramel edges. The flavor does have a lot of malt (which I like much more than hops) and a bit of smoky, toasty flavor to it. There's a hint of nutmeg or cardamom, but not enough to make it into an over-flavored chai. This is an excellent, warm winter beer that I would have again in a heartbeat. 

Office Party (6.8% alcohol by volume) by Abita Brewing Company--According to the label, you can "Spice up your holiday mix and mingle with this 'best dressed' brew. Office party is a holiday stout brewed with oats, pale, caramel and chocolate malts, and is hopped with Williamette hops. Generous amounts of cocoa nibs, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg are added to infuse the spirit of the holidays into this limited release." A very stout holiday stout with the taste of bitter chocolate (not even bittersweet) and some hint of spices hiding behind that (they may have been generous with the spices, but still the bitters win the day). This is definitely a drink that should be drunk on its own--it's the heartiest of dishes that would have a chance competing for the flavor here. 

Merry Monkey (10.0% alcohol by volume) by Victory Brewing Company--The label write-up says, "This Belgian-style Holiday Ale combines the beloved flavor profile of Golden Monkey with notes of cranberry, orange peel, cinnamon and nutmeg to deliver a delightfully smooth finish, perfect for merry gatherings with family and friends." I have never had Golden Monkey, so I don't know how this compares to that. I'm usually opposed to fruit flavors in beer (they pretty much never work). The cranberry is subtle enough to provide sweetness without turning this ale into a wine cooler. The spices are stronger but not overwhelming. It's a fun beverage that I would drink again but I'm not running out to buy it.

Snow Pants Oatmeal Stout (8.5% alcohol by volume) by Union Craft Brewing--The can claims, "It's eerily quiet in the city streets. There's only one thing left to do: bust out your SNOW PANTS! Snow Pants Oatmeal Stout is a full-bodied ale packed with flavor. This jet black beer warms the palate with the roasty, chocolate flavor of rich, dark malt complimented by gentle, creamy body from a hefty dose of oats. A generous addition of Cascade and Columbus hops provides balance and lends a bit of a piney character to this tasty winter brew."The flavor is very smoky and chalky, like burned chocolate. No "gentle, creamy body" was detectable by me. I normally like stouts but this one was too dry and bitter for my tastes.

Electric Reindeer (5.5% alcohol by volume) by Sun King Brewing--The pint can says, "Electric Reindeer is a brown ale brewed with ginger and molasses in celebration of Newfield's Winterlights." Curious about the reference to Newfield's, I discovered it is an art museum and gardens in Indianapolis, where Sun King Brewing is located. Newfield's even has a beer garden (my favorite type of garden, truth be told). But back to the beer. The molasses made this brown ale black! The flavor is really good. The ginger and molasses are well blended, giving a hint to the drinker of the flavor of a gingerbread man. The drink is smooth and drinkable with no aftertaste. I liked this a lot and would gladly drink it again.

Holiday Ale/Biere de Noel (7.3% alcohol by volume) by Two Roads Brewing Company--The can says, "Holiday Cheer from Two Roads!" Not much of a description, eh? The website has this description: "Two Roads Holiday Ale is inspired by the little known Biere de Noel style, a subset of Biere de Garde, both of which originated on small farmhouse breweries in the north of France. Biere de Noel, which translates as 'Christmas Beer,' tends to exhibit a more malty profile than a typical Biere de Garde." France isn't really known for its beers, so I guess that's why they left it off the can? I don't know Biere de Garde so I can't say how this is different. I does have a bit of a sweet and sour taste to it. The beer is just okay in my opinion.

This year's winner of the War of the Christmas Novelty Ales--Electric Reindeer!