The City And The City China Mieville

The City and The City by China Mieville

This novel is almost a detective story, but it becomes something much more. The setting is in the city of Beszel and the city of Ul Qoma two fictional cities in Eastern Europe which share a common border. They almost seem real, but, if you read carefully they become more and more fantastic as you get deeper into the story.

Beszel and Ul Qoma are divided much like Berlin might be divided or Jerusalem. There are zones which cross into each city and areas which are in both.

This novel touches on how we choose to see the world and how it affects the way we perceive reality. Visitors perceive Ul Qoma and Beszel very differently from the native population.

There are hidden things which the main character, Inspector Tyador Borlu of the Extreme Crime Squad must uncover to solve a murder. His inspection is fascinating because it intersects with the politics, myths, legends, and conspiracies between the two cities. This makes it more than a typical mystery. It becomes an urban fantasy.

The setting is not usual at all. There are elements of Eastern European, Jewish, Russian, Muslim, and Turkish culture in the mix. There is also mention of Berlin and Jerusalem two other divided cities.

Sometimes, I had to put the book down and think about what I had just read. There were many instances of situations in the novel which I had never thought about at all.

I think this book will win awards. It is unique. Get it, read it, enjoy it.

Daily Thoughts 7/28/2009 ( How The Mighty Fall )

The Danish Royal Library, interior view of building in Fiolstræde.

Daily Thoughts 7/28/2009

I finished reading The City and The City by China Mieville. It was very enjoyable to read on the train. I just started reading How The Mighty Fall And Why Some Companies Never Give In by Jim Collins. It tells the story of why very successful companies come apart.

Today was another steady day. I did more weeding in the large print books, and the sports books. The summer youth employees are shifting the 700s right now to free up some book carts. My colleague is weeding the scores. It is sometimes good to know what you are not good at. I don't know a whole lot about music scores. I am still considering where the graphic novels will be merchandised. Somtimes work is about consistency and showing up every day to do what needs to be done.

A person who worked for me for a while as a library aide came by today to ask me for a part time job. This is her second visit. Unfortunately, there are no new jobs right now. People take what they can get these days.

I am looking at Montmorency's Revenge by Eleanor Updale. On the back of the book, there are awards listed for the young adult series; Nestle Smarties Prize Silver Medal and Booksense 76 Pick. Also a starred review in School Library Journal, The Horn Book, and The Bulletin for the Center for Children's Books. The book like the author has a very distinctly English style.

I read some more of How The Mighty Fall on the train home. The book mentions five business thinkers; Peter Drucker, Edward Deming, Michael E Porter, and Thomas Peters and Robert Waterman. The only one I have not read is the book In Search of Excellence by Thomas Peters and Robert Waterman. I remember reading Michael E. Porter while I was working doing recruitment research during my dot com days to understand how to better get people from competitors.

Daily Thoughts 7/27/2009 ( Books On The Air )

"Haiti. A drama of the black Napoleon by William Du Bois : With the New York cast." Poster for Federal Theatre Project presentation of "Haiti" at the Copley Theatre, 463 Stuart St., Boston, Mass., showing bust portrait of Toussaint Louverture. From Wikimedia. I liked the image.

Daily Thoughts 7/27/2009

I have been thinking about books in the media. We get a lot of requests for material which people have heard about on the radio, television, and the internet. I think I'm going to have to pay more attention to this. We have been aiming to boost our circulation a lot. These are some places to look for media tie ins.

Books In The Media
http://news.bookweb.org/mediaguide/

NYPL Books On The Air
http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/bookletter/showfab.html?sid=5796&qlname=NLAIR

There is also ICV2's movies and television section if you want to know which comics are going to be turned into films. http://www.icv2.com/search/index.php?q=movies/+tv

This is a video of China Mieville talking about The City and The City.

Today has been a quiet day. I have been watching things happen slowly. They have been moving ahead with the shifting project in the 700s. I showed someone how to do weeding with the laptop. I talked about creating a section for genre fiction-- mysteries and science fiction in the "New Arrivals" area who was returning from vacation.

I am thinking of merchandising the graphic novels. It should happen fairly soon.

I checked out Xenopath A Bengal Station Novel by Eric Brown. It is a science fiction novel. I also read the latest copy of the New York Times Book Review. I am also looking at a copy of How The Mighty Fall And Why Some Companies Never Give In by Jim Collins. Very every day stuff.

Daily Thoughts 7/25/2009

Herbet Spenser

Today started quietly. I finished reading The Golden Rules for Managers. It was interestig. I went and got my hair cut this morning and took a long walk. I am looking at a dvd film called Waltz With Bashir by Ari Folman. It is an animated film about an Israeli soldier of the First Lebanon war who has forgotten much of what happened. It won the Golden Globe for best Foreign Language Film and National Society of Film Critics Film of the Year. I have not watched it. Last Night I watched Bolt. It is an entertaining animated kids film about a dog who does not realize he is not a superdog.

I am procrastinating a little bit on writing a review of Wildfire by Sarah Micklem. I am still thinking about it. I also have a copy of The City and The City by China Mieville sitting in front of me. They are all good books. I try not to spend too much time on books I do not like.

I have started reading The City and The City by China Mieville. The book is a murder mystery set in an imaginary city Beszel in what would be contemporary Eastern Europe. It reads like the present, but everything is just slightly off. The names sound real, but if you look closely, they are just slightly off from reality.

Daily Thoughts 5/17/2009

Stage adaptation of It Can't Happen Here a novel by Sinclair Lewis. WPA-- Works Project Administration

Daily Thoughts 5/17/2009

I've started reading Pop Goes the Library Using Pop Culture to Connect With Your Whole Community by Sophie Brookover and Elizabeth Burns. The book starts with the distinction between popular culture and high culture. I like to think of high culture as a source of philanthropy and prestige, and popular culture as a source of circulation and government money. Public libraries need both of them to survive in equal measure. Sometimes they meet in unusual ways. Oprah's Book Club is an example of how high culture and popular culture can intersect. Some of the selections; East of Eden by John Steinbeck, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Love In the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez represent high culture.

I spent some more time reading Pop Goes The Library by Sophie Brookover and Elizabeth Burns at the laundromat. I usually sit and drink coffee while the laundry spins. I got up to the section on technology. My favorite part of the book are the quotes from practicing librarians at the ends of the chapters.

China Mieville has a new book coming out The City and The City. He is a very popular author for fantasy novels. I liked Un Lun Dun his young adult novels. I didn't like some of his other novels despite their popularity. I found some of the philosophy annoying. Allan Steele also has a new novel in his Coyote series, Coyote Horizon. I have enjoyed the series about colonization of an alien world.

I put the book, The Toyota Way by Jeffrey Liker on hold. I am interested in the idea when I was reading The Kaizen Way, that there is a logical way to integrate discontinuous innovation with continuous improvement.