A coupla reviews..

Hello, all!

Well, as promised, I have two reviews for you. Both are books I've read on the loo, as they tend to be the shortest ones I read. I've finished 'Pooh and the Philosophers' now, and am steaming onward through 'Of Mice and Men' (I have two Steinbeck books on the go at the same time, and I'm falling more in love with him everyday). 'Of Mice..' is quite short however, so I have confidence I'll have finished it by the end of this week, so my next book is going to be Rudyard Kipling's 'Just So Stories' (inspired partly by 'The Curious Tale of Benjamin Button', which is brilliant! :D).

Pooh and the Philosophers - John Tyerman Williams:
"This book confirms, once and for all.. that Pooh is a bear of Enormous Brain."
In this witty and entertaining book, Williams sets out to prove that Pooh Bear, the cute, cuddly founder of Wobbly Spelling, is in fact a philosophical genius that not only encapsulates all of Western Philosophy, but betters most of it as well. A profound claim, but one that Williams quite eruditely manages to prove to be true. At first, admittedly, his statements seem absurd and stupid, but by the end of the book even the most hardened cynic will believe that the concept of Sartre's 'Being and Nothingness' being anything other than a footnote to the philosophy of Pooh is ridiculous, and anyone who disagrees should be laughed at.
Of course, the book is, as the author himself states, a casual joke turned into a remarkable book. It can be pretty heavy going at times, and even though the author does his best to provide a crash course in Philosophy as he goes, it can sometimes be confusing, and somewhat esoteric to anyone who hasn't already taken the subject to degree level. Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend this to any lovers of wit and sillyness, as well as fans of Pooh. [4/5]

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D Salinger:
So it turns out that Catcher is a near impossible book to review. In creating Holden Caulfield, a depressing boy that people just can't identify with, Salinger has created what seems to be a piece of art. Because the 'tragedy' of Holden wandering through life unable to connect to anyone and having to deal with all these conflicting, tormenting emotions all by himself because no one will listen to him, shows the reader just how important empathy and the connections we have with people really are. However, it's more than that. The fact that the final scene with Phoebe and Holden's hat made me damn near burst into tears is a good thing, because it means that the matured Holden, who tells the story has developed and finally embraced change and maturity, and so realises how to connect to people.
There are so many facets to this book, and so many things to take from it, but for me the symbolism that's so prevalent in Holden's life, and to a degree, in all our lives really struck me. It made me think how we can get so dependant on things working out, on things resolving, and so stuck in seeing symbols of tragedy in our lives that we can forget reality, which is, admittedly, what some fiction is for, but I think it's important that we don't lose sight of reality, or else it'll find it's own nasty way of catching up with you.
In short, I think it's amazing, and I think that everyone should read it, and if they don't get it or like it, read it again until they do. [5/5]

I've rambled on for long enough in this post, but I'm interested to know what you think. So comment and let me know (it's easy, you don't even have to have an account!), or if you want to discuss either of these books some more, you can add me on GoodReads (>>), or email me at Flangel66@gmail.com

Hope y'all okay, and reading lots!

xo
gb