Category Archives: Reviews

Ls&Cs: Meaning and Happiness

Posted on 25 October 2021 by Mark R. Kelly

Kant’s take on happiness; Arthur C. Brooks’ three bite-sized dimensions to the meaning of life; Thomas B. Edsall on whether conservatives are happier than liberals.

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NYRoB on PKD’s The Man in the High Castle

Posted on 13 February 2016 by Mark R. Kelly

I haven’t picked up an issue of THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS in many years. On the one hand, it has been characterized in my reading life by the Harlan Ellison story, “The New York Review of Bird”, which … Continue reading →

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Inherit the Wind

Posted on 23 November 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Saw the movie INHERIT THE WIND today for the first time in many years. This is the 1960 film version of the 1955 play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, as directed by Stanley Kramer, about the famous 1925 … Continue reading →

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The Meaning of Human Existence

Posted on 5 November 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

(Earlier posted on Facebook) Quick plug for Edward O. Wilson’s new book, THE MEANING OF HUMAN EXISTENCE, which is as expected a grand if concise philosophical summary of this important scientist’s views on the big issues of science and philosophy … Continue reading →

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Today’s Odds and Ends: Conservative rejection of science; Christians’ perceived persecution; Dinesh D’Souza’s paranoia

Posted on 9 July 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

There have been several articles in recent days about how people [conservatives] who don’t accept evolution or climate science don’t necessarily know less about those subjects than others… they do so because their “community” rejects such conclusions, by instinct. New … Continue reading →

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Clarke, Childhood’s End, part 2 – themes

Posted on 6 June 2014 by Mark R. Kelly

Last week I started my discussion of re-reading several classic Arthur C. Clarke novels, and summarized the plot of Childhood’s End, in this post. Now some comments on themes. My purpose in these rereadings is not to explore the history … Continue reading →

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12 Years a Slave

Posted on 21 October 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Saw 12 YEARS A SLAVE on Sunday, a gripping, brilliantly directed and acted film that is at times difficult to watch – but not because you don’t think it’s telling you the truth. It’s about a free black man kidnapped … Continue reading →

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Review of Cory Doctorow’s Homeland

Posted on 17 September 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

I’d meant to write more reviews on this blog, so let me catch up with a review of a novel I read a few weeks ago – Cory Doctorow’s Homeland. I confess that after the longueurs of his novel Makers, … Continue reading →

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Review of Lauren Beukes’ The Shining Girls

Posted on 10 August 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Having just posted Gary K. Wolfe’s Locus review of The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes, it’s timely for me to spend a few minutes adding my own reaction. To summarize very briefly (since you can read Gary’s summary right there), … Continue reading →

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Review of McDevitt & Resnick’s The Cassandra Project

Posted on 8 August 2013 by Mark R. Kelly

Jack McDevitt and Mike Resnick’s The Cassandra Project (2012) is set in 2019 at a time when NASA funding is being cut and many worry that NASA may be disbanded altogether. It begins with a routine release of old records … Continue reading →

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