Vol. 38, No. 18

1-7-2009
By:

Booktalk, 1/8/09

Barbara Ryden is an associate professor of astronomy. Her newest textbook, Foundations of Astrophysics, will be published in March.

What are your five favorite books and why?
Emma, by Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice is also a favorite of mine, but Elizabeth Bennet is a little too good to be true. Emma Woodhouse, by contrast, is a deeply flawed character who eventually realizes what a doofus she’s been.

King Lear, by William Shakespeare. (I was going to say The Complete Works of Shakespeare, but that would be something of a cheat.) King Lear attracts me as a deeply flawed character who eventually realizes what a doofus he’s been. (I think I see a theme here — has anyone written a thesis comparing the characters of Lear and Emma?)

Guns of August, by Barbara Tuchman. Most works of military history leave me confused as to who did what, and why, but Tuchman’s analysis helped me to understand how humanity fell into the mudpit called the First World War.

The Path Between the Seas, by David McCullough. My father was an engineer, and people who build things attract my admiration.McCullough’s history of the Panama Canal was like catnip to me.

Introduction to Cosmology, by Barbara Ryden. I was asked for my favorite books, not for the best books I’ve ever read. Thus, I must confess my favoritism toward the book that was written by me.

What’s your “guilty pleasure” — a book you love but don’t often talk about because it’s not “serious” literature?
I consume British police procedurals in large quantities. Give me a corpse or two and an inspector from Scotland Yard, and I’m a happy reader.

What “important book” have you not read and why haven’t you read it?
Anything by William Faulkner. Every time I make my biannual attempt at reading Light in August, I bog down desperately. Maybe next year.

What classic novel was a disappointment to you?
Venturing into the realm of epic poetry, Homer’s Iliad contains long boring stretches, with repetitious descriptions of warriors galloping around in chariots and skewering each other with spears. It’s the Bronze Age equivalent of the description of a NASCAR race, with particular attention being paid to the crashes. Maybe the Iliad is just another Guy Thing.

To nominate an Ohio State faculty or staff person for a future Booktalk column, e-mail harris.587@osu.edu.

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