What am I Reading this Month? (February-March 2012)

I've got a whole slew of books I'm reading at the same time. Unlike some people I know, I can't just read one book at a time. Just how I'm wired I guess.

Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale by Russell T. Davies and Benjamin Cook. I saw this in the used bookstore today and snapped it up for $7. The guy behind the counter saw me with it as I was checking out and said, "Oh, you're a Whovian too!" I'm really curious to read about RTD's creative processes while he was writing scripts for Chris Eccleston's and David Tennant's Dr. Who, as well as Torchwood. 

The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, reproduced from the original publication in The Strand Magazine with the classic illustrations by Sidney Paget. The Holmesian Canon, with Paget's illustrations. I've had this particular copy since 1992, while I was in college, and I've re-read it many times.

The Daily Book of Art: 365 readings that teach, inspire and entertain Exactly what it says on the tin. Each day covers a different topic, ranging from famous artists (like Van Gogh, Rembrandt and Da Vinci), periods of art history (Rococo, Neoclassicism), famous museums (Louvre, Palacio Nacional in Mexico City, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City), and the mechanics of art (color temperature? what's a balanced composition? atmospheric perspective?).

The Complete I Ching, 10th Anniversary Edition, The Definitive Translation by Taoist Master Alfred Huang A translation of the Chinese Book of Changes. There are a total of 64 gua (symbols) in the I Ching. Master Huang explains each gua and includes an analysis of its structure, plus the commentaries by Confucius, King Wen and the Duke of Zhou. (The latter two lived during the Shang Dynasties of China).