Collected Miscellany

writing for Google since 2003

Archive for June, 2003

Revolt from the Heartland by Joseph Scotchie

one comment

Long time readers will know that I am fascinated by the “taxonomy” of the conservative movement. I am interested in, and have studied, the political and intellectual history of the movement. And not infrequently I have been drawn into the internecine quarrels of conservatism. These fights seem to have intensified and deepened with the end of the Cold War and the Republican Majority. We now have terms like paleo-conservative and neo-conservative being debated in the conservative press and even seeping into the mainstream press in weird ways. Trying to shed some light on this subject I picked up Revolt from the Heartland: The Struggle For An Authentic Conservatism a friendly look at paleo-conservatism by Joseph Scotchie. I wanted to get a closer look on what exactly motivates and underlies this conservative counter-culture (or what they would claim is a return to conservative roots).

If I was still a grad student, I would love to really deconstruct and unpack this rather short book. Since I have a full time job, I will simply try to point out some pluses and note some incongruities.

Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Kevin Holtsberry

June 30th, 2003 at 11:13 pm

Posted in Reviews

Inaugural Book Club Vote

6 comments

Per the entry below, I am throwing out the first batch of books to vote on for the first every Blog Book club Book. Entries are below. One vote per person please. You can vote via the comments on this post or by emailing me your choice.

harrypotter5.jpg Since I am already reading it and it is likely that a number of other people are too, I thought I would start with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It is a bit long but it is easy reading.

freedom.jpgIn a totally different vein is The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad by Fareed Zakaria. It might not be as popular as Harry Potter but it is extremely topical and certainly capable of engendering interesting debate.

conqerors.jpgThe next choice might not be as relevant to current events but it should provide some historical perspective. Plus I have been wanting to read The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman and the Destruction of Hitler’s Germany, 1941-1945 by Michael Beschloss for awhile. Being the moderator for this book club does have some advantages.

choosing.jpgLast but certainly not least, we have an option that might really stir up the Blogosphere: A Time for Choosing: The Rise of Modern American Conservatism. What with Republicans in power in Washington and with conservatives getting into heated debates about what the term means, I figure this might be a good time to review how we got here.

So there you have it. Your choices for out very first book club run. Fantasy fiction, international relations, history, and political science. Seems like a wide array of choices. I will keep the vote open for a week. Look for the winner to be announced on June 30.

Written by Kevin Holtsberry

June 22nd, 2003 at 11:24 pm

Posted in News

A Blog Book Club

one comment

UPDATE: Vote for the first book here.
I have decided to try something different and see if it catches on: a blog book club. Here is how it will work:
- I will post three or four books from which to choose. Anyone who wants can then vote by email or comment. I will tally the votes and figure out which book got the most votes.
- I will then I will tally the votes and post the winning book and a time frame for reading it. Anyone who would like to discuss the book can then post comments and questions to that initial post as they are reading.
- After I have read the book and the time given is up, I will post my review of the book. Again, those who are interested can post comments, questions, etc. They can also link their review to the post via trackback or other link system (or at least post a comment with a link to their review).
- If possible I will try to convince some authors to participate in some Q&A, etc.
- In the end you would have an interesting thread of discussion and debate surrounding the book in two easily identifiable posts. Not only is this a chance to read interesting comments on the same book it is a chance to encounter new blogs and people as various readers post their thoughts and links. AS the subject changes so to will the readers – should be a chance for previously unconnected people to interact.

I think this could be a lot of fun. The Blogosphere, or at least a small section of it, can read the same book, debate and discuss the issues it raises, and share links to reviews, ideas, and comments. The possibilities are wide open really, people can make it whatever they want – I will simply facilitate the discussion and provide some ideas to get the process started.

I will post the first batch of book choices soon. So check back and vote! As always any comments, suggestions, and/or ideas are welcome.

Written by Kevin Holtsberry

June 22nd, 2003 at 11:02 pm

Posted in News

Harry Potter at Midnight

2 comments

harrypotter5.jpgI admit I am one the thousands (millions?) of people who will be running out tonight to pick up the brand new Harry Potter book. Does frantically running to the bookstore at midnight for a very large children’s novel make me a geek? If so, so be it. I am what I am. I only wish I would have thought ahead and reserved a copy!

By the way, if you still think Harry Potter is the devil’s handmaiden (if you will pardon the phrase) read this.

Written by Kevin Holtsberry

June 20th, 2003 at 10:40 pm

Posted in News

Amanda Bright@Home by Danielle Crittenden

one comment

Amandabright.jpg When someone first suggested I read Amanda Bright@Home I was a little unsure. I mean isn’t this a book about “women’s issues?” How would I be able to relate to a book about a stay at home mom wrestling with insecurity? I don’t even have kids. (Do I feel guilty about leaving my dogs alone all day? Sure, but that is another topic . . .) So I gave it to a friend who I thought might have more insight into the topic. She read it and enjoyed it and so I thought what the heck I might as well dive in and see what it is all about. I found the topic interesting enough that I wanted to interview the author. Amazingly she was gracious enough to answer some questions. Now that you have read the interview you must be thinking: so what did Kevin think of the book? To try and temper that insatiable thirst for my opinion I know you all have, here is my review.

Amanda Bright@Home is basically two stories woven together, one ?internal? the other ?external.? The internal story explores the insecurities and emotions of a highly educated “feminist,” Amanda Bright, who decides to leave the workplace, stay home, and raise her children. She must do this in the hothouse of Washington D.C.; where politics, power, and gossip make up the air she breathes. This story while influenced and impacted by outside events takes place inside Amanda?s head. It concerns her thoughts, emotions, doubts, and worries. The external story is the flip side. It is the story of how she inadvertently gets sucked up into, and chewed up by, the Washington power game with serious consequences for her husband?s career and even her marriage. This part of the story is driven by the events and people surrounding Amanda. The book alternates its focus between these two plot lines with each putting pressure on the other. The tension between the two holds the book together.

Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Kevin Holtsberry

June 18th, 2003 at 4:51 pm

Posted in Reviews

An Interview With Danielle Crittenden

leave a comment

In my never ending quest for interesting content for you dear reader, I decided to take a page out of John Hawkins? book and do some interviews. At the time I happened to be reading a very interesting book, Amanda Bright@home by Danielle Crittenden, and thought it would be interesting to interview the author. Thanks to the power of email and the graciousness of the author, I was able to arrange a Q & A.

In case you are unaware of who she is, let me give you some background on this impressive author. Besides writing Amanda Bright@Home, the first novel to be serialized by Opinion Journal, she is also the author of What Our Mothers Didn’t Tell Us: Why Happiness Eludes The Modern Woman. A former columnist for The New York Post, she is also the founding editor of The Women’s Quarterly, published by the Washington- based Independent Women’s Forum. Miss Crittenden is married to David Frum, a former speechwriter for President Bush. They have two children and live in Washington.

I will post a review of this interesting book on Tuesday but to wet your appetites please find below a series of questions I posed to the author via email. The questions are in bold and her answers follow.

Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Kevin Holtsberry

June 16th, 2003 at 9:10 am

Posted in Interviews

Modern Library’s 100 Greatest English Language Novels of the 20th Century

one comment

I get a great many hits looking for the 100 greatest novels. Lately I have been feeling guilty that when you click through you find no real content just an out of date link. So I have decided to remedy that by listing the novels out and letting you know which I have read. The ones in Bold I have read and the ones in Italic I own (those in both I own and have read). I hope this helps those of you clicking through . . .

1. ULYSSES by James Joyce
2. THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce
4. LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov
5. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley
6. THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner
7. CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller
8. DARKNESS AT NOON by Arthur Koestler
9. SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. Lawrence
10. THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck

Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Kevin Holtsberry

June 11th, 2003 at 10:21 pm

Posted in News