Books and other stuff I feel like discussing
By education and experience - Accountant with a specialty in taxation. Formerly a CPA (license has lapsed). Masters degree in law of taxation from University of Denver. Now retired. Part time work during baseball season as receptionist & switchboard operator for the Colorado Rockies. This gig feeds my soul in ways I have trouble articulating. One daughter, and four grandchildren. I share the house with two cats; a big goof of a cat called Grinch (named as a joke for his easy going "whatever" disposition); and Lady, a shelter adoptee with a regal bearing and sweet little soprano voice. I would be very bereft if it ever becomes necessary to keep house without a cat.
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Read a Classic Novel
I just finished FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury, and like most of my reactions when I read a book recommended over and over by dozens of commentators, I wonder why it took me so long
Bradbury first published this in 1953, and I found it remarkably prophetic. I do recall that more and more households had TV's in those years, but I also recall that my family didn't get one until 1955. With that in mind, I found his prediction of the future of TV to be remarkable. He portrays a world where all four walls of a room are devoted to large interactive screens. Programming features ill defined, raucous arguments/discussions from characters called "family" in which there is no common thread of sense or meaning.
I thought of the shows like Jerry Springer, Maury Povich, and the endless round of courtroom shows - Judge Judy and her ilk.
Political aspirants are evaluated by the clothing they wear, and the haircuts they display.
There is widespread denigration of the wisdom to be found in classical literature, and a depressing sort of anti-intellectualism is also widespread and seems to have the support of the government of the time.
The title, of course, refers to the temperature at which books will burn. All structures have been successfully fireproofed, so firemen devote their skills to incincerating caches of books located in the community.
The main character, Guy Montag, is a fireman and has a crisis of conscience when he encounters an elderly woman who will literally stop at nothing to be close to her books. His growing doubt and confusion provide the central thread of the story.
The version I read had an afterword by Bradbury, in which he contemplates the various subtle censorships his novel faced during the years, his tribute to Conan Doyle in the work (a large mechanical dog with the ability to attack and kill by use of lethal medications is modeled after the Hound of the Baskervilles) and his wry observation that Montag's name is also that of a brand of paper, and another character - Faber - bears the name of a brand of pencils.
In the end, I found the work to be ultimately hopeful and positive in outlook. One of the "book people" Montag meets late in the action compares the civilized world to a phoenix - facing destruction over and over again, but finding a way to rise from the ashes.
All things considered, a good reading choice for the week of the Fourth of July.
Bradbury first published this in 1953, and I found it remarkably prophetic. I do recall that more and more households had TV's in those years, but I also recall that my family didn't get one until 1955. With that in mind, I found his prediction of the future of TV to be remarkable. He portrays a world where all four walls of a room are devoted to large interactive screens. Programming features ill defined, raucous arguments/discussions from characters called "family" in which there is no common thread of sense or meaning.
I thought of the shows like Jerry Springer, Maury Povich, and the endless round of courtroom shows - Judge Judy and her ilk.
Political aspirants are evaluated by the clothing they wear, and the haircuts they display.
There is widespread denigration of the wisdom to be found in classical literature, and a depressing sort of anti-intellectualism is also widespread and seems to have the support of the government of the time.
The title, of course, refers to the temperature at which books will burn. All structures have been successfully fireproofed, so firemen devote their skills to incincerating caches of books located in the community.
The main character, Guy Montag, is a fireman and has a crisis of conscience when he encounters an elderly woman who will literally stop at nothing to be close to her books. His growing doubt and confusion provide the central thread of the story.
The version I read had an afterword by Bradbury, in which he contemplates the various subtle censorships his novel faced during the years, his tribute to Conan Doyle in the work (a large mechanical dog with the ability to attack and kill by use of lethal medications is modeled after the Hound of the Baskervilles) and his wry observation that Montag's name is also that of a brand of paper, and another character - Faber - bears the name of a brand of pencils.
In the end, I found the work to be ultimately hopeful and positive in outlook. One of the "book people" Montag meets late in the action compares the civilized world to a phoenix - facing destruction over and over again, but finding a way to rise from the ashes.
All things considered, a good reading choice for the week of the Fourth of July.
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