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By C. Jake Williams. July 11, 2008
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Today's is a shorty.
I've been reading lots lately. Not compared to some, but lots for me.
Just now I read the final words of I, Robot by Isaac Asimov, and take it from me: the book has very little in common with the Will Smith made-for-millions movie.
The same can basically, though to a smaller extent, be said of Starship Troopers.
After watching both films and reading both books, I'm thinking I might not be much of a critic. I seem to like most anything that has to do with science or government structure, let alone a work comprised of both like Asimov's book.
I'd recommend both to those curious on such topics.
Another book I'm working on is Phil Jackson's The Last Season, which is like a collection of diary entries during by the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2003-04 season. Jackson's insights into basketball intuition and personality conflicts are descriptive and telling, but still it's not a book that's hard to put down, if you catch my drift. Perhaps my style just doesn't match Jackson's.
And I'm still working on Mark Danielewski's Only Revolutions, a book I fear I may never finish even though I am astounded by its complexity. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the book, reading the book one direction gives you the story of Sam as he courts Hailey, the other of Hailey courting Sam. Chapters are eight pages each, after which a 180 flip allows you to read the other dater's parallel experience.
I could write 2,000 words just on my epiphany reached on page 180, the exact middle of the publication. Put shortly, any sentence in the book is possibly mirrored or slightly altered in three other locations within, with increased probability the closer one comes to page 180, which is where Hailey's words exactly match Sam's, leading to this long and indecipherable sentence.
I never said my epiphany led to clarity. Quite the opposite has occured, and I'm afraid Only Revolutions is above and beyond my complete comprehension.
You were there.