Lacking Natural Simplicity

A Gentleman of France, by Stanley Weyman. Project Gutenberg, October, 1999, Etext #1939. This was the first novel I read on my wife's Palm m505, and I was surprised by how well reading on the Palm (using Weasel Reader) went. The novel is great swashbuckling fun, too.

The Cloud Atlas, by Liam Callanan, Delacorte Press/Bantam Dell 2004. A very interesting work that doesn't fit comfortably into any genre.

Protector, by Larry Niven, 1973. Books on Tape. 1998. This was just as absorbing to listen to as it was originally to read. Niven's interesting ideas retain their ability to enthrall.

Celestial Matters, by Richard Garfinkle. Tor, 1996. This is a very clever novel. Well worth reading for the interesting ideas.

Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson. Putnam, 2003. An interesting mystery, largely lacking the science fiction elements of his earlier works.

Dragon's Lair, by Sharon Kay Penman. Putnam, 2003. A Medieval Mystery. This is the third in her excellent series about Justin de Quincy, after The Queen's Man and Cruel as the Grave. Interesting characters and situations make an excellent historical mystery.

Nora inu, also known as Stray Dog - directed by Akira Kurosawa, and starring Toshiro Mifune, Takashi Shimura, and Keiko Awaji. 1949. I saw this on a IFC Indie Pulp showing; it's an interesting look at Japanese police and criminals.

Dai-bosatsu tôge, also known as The Sword of Doom and Daibosatsu Pass - Directed by Kihachi Okamoto, written by Shinobu Hashimoto, based on a novel by Kaizan Nakazato, and starring Tatsuya Nakadai, Toshiro Mifune, and Yuzo Kayama. 1966. Another Samurui Saturday showing, this movie completely avoids a normal ending. Apparently this is based on a well- known story which is not all retold in the movie, and has been filmed a number of times.