Recent Reading and Viewing

T. Kurt Bond

Recent Reading

The Life and Works of Chopin, by Jeremy Seipman; narrated by Jeremy Siepmann with Anton Lesser, Neville Jason, Elaine Claxton, and Karen Archer; NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd, copyright 2001.
The Farthest Shore, by Ursula K. Le Guin, copyright 1972; Antheneum, September 1972; Bantam Books, October 1975; 8th printing, November 1977.
Tehanu, by Ursula K. Le Guin. Atheneum, 1990. Originally published as Tehanu: the last book of Earthsea. When Tehanu was first released there was a lot of controversy amongst those who remembered the first three * Earthsea* books fondly because where the first three were beloved children's/young adult books about (among other things) coming of age and choices, Tehanu is about (among other things) child abuse and gender/power relationships. Many felt that Le Guin had used the popularity of the earlier three books as a springboard for a polemic. I recently reread the three earlier books and the fourth in fairly close proximity, and in my considered opinion the fourth book has the same voice as the earlier three: it's definitely an Earthsea book. I was glad to find, a while ago, that there were more Earthsea stories to be told after Tehanu.

Earthgrip: Tales from the Trader's World, by Harry Turtledove, copyright 1991; Del Rey, December 1991. “6+” copyright 1987, Analog, September 1987; “Nothing in Night-Time”, copyright 1989, Analog, March 1989; “The Great Unknown”, copyright 1991, Analog, April, May, June 1991.

Zatôichi abare tako also known as Zatoichi's Flashing Sword, 1964; directed by Kazuo Ikehiro; writing by Shozaburo Asai, Minoru Inuzuka, Kan Shimozawa; starting Shintarô Katsu.
Zatôichi kesshô-tabi also known as Fight, Zatoichi, Fight; 1964; directed by Kenji MIsumi, writing by Seiji Hoshikawa, starting Shintarô Katsu.
Frazetta: Painting with Fire, 2003; directed by Lance Laspina. This was an interesting documentary about Frank Frazetta, who dominated the field of fantasy illustration.