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My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Terry Pratchett is a genius! This book is the fourth in the Tiffany Aching Adventures, and my favorite so far, I think. Tiffany is a sixteen-year-old witch, self-assured and very wise beyond her years, yet still down to earth (or, in her case, chalk) and still sixteen. She is once again joined by her small, blue, kilted, ale-drinking, fist-fighting, hygienically challenged, oft-invisible clan of Nac Mac Feegles who provide the story’s comic relief. Her nemesis this time is the Cunning Man–the pure, stinking essence of evil left eons ago when a witch-burning fanatic was drawn into the flames himself by one of his young victims. Tiffany realizes that a bit of him exists in all of us as the seed of doubt, fear and xenophobia that can grow into hatred, prejudice and mob violence all too easily. She finds herself facing off against him at a time of change and transition; the old Baron has died peacefully, just a few days before his son, Roland, is to be married. Several of Tiffany’s witch sisters arrive for the occasion including Mistress Weatherwax, her severe but ultimately caring mentor, and the bawdy Nanny Ogg (who most willingly fills the bride-to-be in on some wedding night secrets and advice, wink-wink nudge-nudge). As usual, Pratchett had me in alternating tears of hilarity and tenderness and empathy. And, as always, the book ends with the reader feeling a cathartic cleansing, and the sense that Tiffany Aching is in her place, doing her job the best she knows how, and all is right with the world.

Click here if you would like to watch a talk by Terry Pratchett at Barnes and Noble.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don’t give 5 stars lightly, but this book was absolutely fascinating – to me, at least. Though, as I read passages, I kept thinking of yet another person who ought to read it. Carr (and the book) have been getting a lot of “air play” lately – blogs, NPR, etc., and chapters and snippets of the book have appeared several places (the snippet-ization being another result of the internet that he discusses). Lots of readable, distilled scientific info about current thinking on how the brain works (adult brain much more plastic than previously thought) and possible implications for our new information MO – browse and scan – what else are we to do when faced with the massive amounts of info now available to all? The tone is not that of a Cassandra nor Henny Penny, nor is it holier-than-thou; Carr quite self-admittedly is as much of an Internet addict as any of us. He does a really nice job of sketching out the history and the effects of the printing press on our thought processes as well. The change is happening — Carr simply invites us to be cognizant of that fact and to consider the implications, rather than just letting it happen to us.

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