Summer Reading

I will document my summer reading on Library Thing. I usually do not keep books, but donate them to library sales and thrift stores, so it will be nice to keep a memento of Summer Reading, vintage 2008.

I never read books written in English translated in French, except for this book, translated by Marcel Duhamel, who founded the Série Noire. Charles Williams is sadly a little forgotten in his native country, whereas his books are still in print in France.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog

Spent a relaxing week end reading "L’élégance du hérisson" by Muriel Barbery, the Elegance of the Hedgehog. Here, the hedgehog is a middle-aged Parisian concierge who reads Tolstoy and watches Ozu's movies. Good book, but the author is a little too eager to show us that "simple people" may also love art, literature, and philosophy. Well, this eagerness to inform us of that fact make her look like an naive elitist for those of us who knew that fact for a long time. Everybody is an expert in at least one subject. Degrees, books piled library shelves, museum passes, are mere trifles.

The "Real" Mary Poppins

I spent the week- end re-reading some of my favorite books, Miss Marple and Mary Poppins. Apart from being both prim and proper British ladies, these two characters share the fate of having been incarnated on the stage, cinema, and television, by various actresses.

I read Mary Poppins Opens the Door, the third book in the series. This book was written by P.L. Travers during WWII, in London and in New York. It may the reason why this book is particularly gloomy and sad. The children are desperate of having Mary Poppins stay with them "for ever", but nothing is for ever, as their nanny informs them. She leaves them at the end of the book, once again, in the most unexpected way, just like an abusive mother would do. There is a little bit of hope though, as the parents are finally portrayed in the last pages as loving one another, so one has hope that the Banks children will find happiness in their own home. Anyway, we are far away for the character portrayed by Julie Andrews.

The New Yorker published an interesting article on P.L. Travers a few years ago, here.

A new GWTW sequel (authorized this time)

Stephen L. Carter reviews in the New York Times Rhett Butler’s People, the new authorized Gone With the Wind sequel, written by Donald McCaig. The book has for central character Rhett Butler, who probably will not be portrayed as having an having with Scarlett half sister, born from the ancillary love of Gerald O'Hara and Mammy, as portrayed in the Wind Done Gone. The author, Alice Randall, won the suit brought by the Trustees of the Mitchell Estate, claiming copyright infringement.

As Professor Carter remind us in his article , in the original Michell book, Mr Kennedy, one of Scarlett's husband, dies in an ambush as a Klan man, during an expedition set to avenge Scarlett's honor (she has been attacked by a black man.) The suit was a copyright infringement suit. Would have it gone another route if the trustees would have sued for trademark infringement, and disparagement? It would have been difficult to prove disparagement (by miscegenation? Fortunately, these laws have been repealed...) of a character, Rhett Butler, while shown in the original book risking his life to save revenge-hungry Klan men...

Rhett Butler and Scarlett O'Hara are registered trademarks. Turner Entertainment Company has the right to use "Rhett Butler' and 'Scarlett O'Hara" as a mark for "Toys and sporting goods, including games and playthings--namely, action figures and accessories therefor; plush toys; balloons; bathtub toys; ride-on toys; equipment sold as a unit for playing card games; toy vehicles; dolls; flying discs; electronic hand-held game unit; game equipment sold as a unit for playing a board game, a card game, a manipulative game, a parlor game and an action type target game; stand alone video output game machines; jigsaw and manipulative puzzles; paper face masks; skateboards; ice skates; water squirting toys; balls--namely, playground balls, soccer balls, baseballs, basketballs; baseball gloves; swimming floats for recreational use; kickboard flotation devices for recreational use; surfboards; swim boards for recreational use; swim fins; toy bakeware and toy cookware; toy banks; toy snow globes; and Christmas tree ornaments. "

Indeed, the Margaret Mitchell Museum sells Christmas ornaments, and other GWTW items. Scarlett O'Hara base ball gloves? More unlikely.. The ball is high, the ball is gone with the wind, home run by ... , does not sound right somehow...

E-books gratuits

Ce site propose des e-books, à télécharger gratuitement.

Médias et vie privée, par Christophe Bigot.

Via AdmiNet, la parution récente de Médias et vie privée, par Christophe Bigot.

New Book by Daniel Solove

Daniel Solove wrote a book about privacy and gossip. I cannot wait to read it.

Book Worm Report

I was interviewed recently for a position, and the recruiter asked me why I had first studied IP. I first studied IP because I love to read, it's as simple as that.

I read this week Simple's Uncle Sam, by Langston Hugues, a sample of some of the Simple's stories, set in Harlem.

Also read Inspector Imanishi Investigates, by Seicho Matsumoto, published by Soho Crime. I have never been disappointed by any book published in this collection. The story is thrilling.

Also read The Dead Fish Museum, by Charles d'Ambrosio. He could very well write the Great American Novel.