Books: Last Book You Read and Rate It

[Thucydides]

The first rule of writing - show, don't tell. This book is all tell, no show. It reads like a bad Wikipedia entry.

I bumped up the score because in the end I learned how McMahon took over the territories.

It's too bad - there's a good story to be told here, but it's not this book.

3/10

 

[sr edler]

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) by Philip K. Dick – 3/5

I enjoyed this book quite a lot in its first half. I thought the interplay between the protagonist and his wife was quite amusing and subtly witty, for instance. There were also interesting themes going on about isolation, aging and mental health. Large parts of the book also carry quite a simple but effective detective story, with some nice turns to it. Somewhere in the second half though it all became quite abstract and bleak, and wordy, and it lost me a little bit.

I remember having seen the more famous (?) films based on this material, but I can't really remember if I ever finished them wholly, though I do remember they weren't totally my cup of tea (especially the latter one with Ryan Gosling which I found really boring).

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Quick Reviews.

The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy (2022) - Large chunks are reminiscent of Suttree but it's somehow more and less plotless by moments and a lot of it gets tied down to random conversation about subjects that seem to interest McCarthy (somewhat surprisingly, even being transgender) and a lot of the language can get a bit boringly technical at what are plot-advancing chapters but there's some really funny colorful characters (and even some hallucinations) but I don't think incest subplot is as interesting as it was meant to be and in terms of pure idea, Stella Maris seemed more engaging to read. Because it's McCarthy, there's always some perfect writing/passages throughout the entire book and it's quite obvious that McCarthy gave no consideration to any sort of resolution as opposed to creating scenes and set pieces where he can digress on what he wants. He does seem to capture a pretty realistic capture of what abandoning one's life and drifting would look like - very scattered.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1982) - Re-read. There's a review of it somewhere in this thread. Perfect. Mixes storytelling, style and culture to masterful effect.

On Booze by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Never been a big fan of Fitzgerald, though this might be my favorite thing from him. It's a compilation, not all of it related to booze. Lots of hotels though, which gives a nice trailing sentiment/succession to the story of his life. Unfortunately for Fitzgerald, he seems to have suffered one of the worst fates imaginable: he seems to be remembered more for what he represented than for he was, which seems to be a pretty cruel ending. He's got a lot of great insights on who he was, what he became and what he realized. It's hard not to feel for him. On the other hand, his prose does what it always does to him. It's intelligent, it's organized, it's structure and sometimes even beautiful, but man, most of the time, he just bores me to death. This also happened pretty often to me here.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James (1898) - A nice little novella, though the cadence and writing style can seem uncomfortably thick after a while. For one, I don't think I've ever read prose that uses so many commas, often useless, and it can create an exhausting rhythm to the reading without any added stylistic value. On the other hand, it's an engaging story. At the time of publication, novellas were often published in magazines and the dun-dun-dun ending of certain chapters work well with the ghost story and certain phrases and intonations from Henry James are electric. Still, for such a short book (roughly 120 pages in paperback), I found there was too many words spent on the governess's love/awe of the children. The praising has its use plot-wise but I felt it went to it a little too often despite it being an understandable position as the bulk of the book is narrated in first person singular but leads to a lot of excessive telling as opposed to a necessary amount of showing. Still well worth a read, though.

The Lady with the Dog by Anton Chekhov (1899) - I don't know if this is the case of a poor translation but I was left pretty let-down by this despite being really excited at its reading it. I even re-read two or three times to see if I wouldn't change my opinion. I found the story undercooked and that additional pages/further exploration of the two main character's romance would have made the man's realizations feel like a bigger better payoff. Also didn't think that the prose had all that much flair or was all that grabbing despite a few really good passages. It's often considered one of the best short stories of all-time so I'm bound to try with a different translation and see if it works better.

A Scanner Darkly (1977) by Philip K. Dick - Re-read. I had liked it on a first read but the second reading has blown me away and the book rockets up among my all-time favorites. A poingnant and intelligent story with an impeccable style, atmosphere and structure. Masterfully plotted. Masterpiece work. Also a criminally underrated adaptation was made by Richard Linklater in '06. Worth checking out.It requires the greatest kind of wisdom, she thought, to know when to apply injustice. How can justice fall victim, ever, to what is right?

Tropisms by Nathalie Sarraute (1939) - A bunch of miniature stories (mostly less than 3 pages long) with an ephemeral atmosphere centered around mundane happenings (An older couple having tea, a man facing the silent hostility of others around him, etc). Very cool for how detailed the smallest moment (especially in such short order!) can be and yet obscured by not handing everything to the reader. Probably works best a curiosity piece for the average reader as it's not a book that's centered around any sort of plot, character development, etc. So far as I can tell, each piece could be read in any order and the reader wouldn't lose anything nor would the thematics of the books be altered or misunderstood. Loved it.

The Invention of Morel by Adolfo Bioy Cesares (1940) - A brilliant piece of work. Read this due to recommendation of a friend, as this novel seems to have inspired one of my all-time favorite films (Last Year at Marienbad, 1961) written by Alain Robbe-Grillet, a novelist I have a ton of respect for. The plot concerns a Venezuelan fugitive (the reason for which is undisclosed though alluded to being political) who escapes on an empty island but which contains a pool and a modern museum. Soon enough, a group of people arrive and the nameless protagonist falls with one of the woman named Faustine. When he tries to approach her, she seems to ignore him and/or not see him and the story develops from there. Morel is one of those books that are pretty cool because while conventionally constructed, you can see a beautiful style (mostly related to plot, cadence and themes) that the reader isn't sure if they were intended or just wonderful moments of artistic happenstance. At any rate, it works, and small images convey moments of immense beauty (such as two suns and two moons rising simultaneously in the sky due a technical effect caused by a machine) and the book is accompanied by drawings made by Borges' sister that both convey a dainty and surreal atmosphere, something that matches well with the novella. Repetition and a subjective perspective are massive here (and it was funny to me to see that what Robbe-Grillet seemed to have taken from the book was that its plot influenced his technical style, as opposed to the opposite!) and give way to a highly romantic story with an ending that is hard to shake off.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The Lime Twig by John Hawkes (1961) - Lots of genius-level sentences but the the book requires a lot of stamina, partly due to that as if your concentration slips, you can miss something. It feels like a marathon despite being less than 200 pages. It's not always the funnest read as it gets exhausting but it is rewarding. It's described as an experimental novel but frankly, I found the structure pretty standard (linear) although it's definitely not plot-heavy, though there is one. The novel is definitely centered around its prose and use of language above anything else though.

With that said, probably one of the coolest climax scenes I've ever read. The most memorable part of the book and a masterpiece of a scene from start to finish, which is pretty ironic for an author who called plot an enemy of the novel.

 

[Turin]

The Bible.

I would rate it 5/10. I grew up in a family where religion was nothing we ever talked about. Growing older, I started questioning things in life, such as the big bang theory. How can something be created out of nothing? I was seeking for answers and thought I might find them in the Bible, giving how highly other people praised it.

I did not touch it for years and just got more and more curious. After finally reading it, I was somewhat disappointed. There are things inside that are just far too unrealistisch.

The Bible is many different books written over a span of 2000 years, grouped together and accepted as authoritative through Christian liturgical tradition. Learning how to read it is an art. Learning how to understand it is a spiritual undertaking. The only reason those books are together in one book is because the Church understood those books as telling one unified story, through divine inspiration, about creation being united to God.

 

[Turin]

The Life of Moses by Gregory of Nyssa

9/10. A look into how the story of Moses is read spiritually as an ascent up the mountain of divine contemplation towards kinship with God. It's relatively short for a commentary on Moses and offers the most satisfying theological conclusion of any book I've read patristic or not.

"This is true perfection: not to avoid a wicked life because like slaves we servilely fear punishment, nor to do good because we hope for rewards, as if cashing in on the virtuous life by some business-like and contractual arrangement. On the contrary, disregarding all those things for which we hope and which have been reserved by promise, we regard falling from God's friendship as the only thing dreadful, and we consider becoming God's friend the only thing worthy of honour and desire."

 

[Primary Assist]

"Promise Me" by Harlan Coben - this is the first of Coben's novels I've read and I'll give it an emphatic thumbs up. This book is NOT literature, but it is a page turner. It relies upon a bunch of detective novel cliches and huge leaps of logic, but in the end I cared about the missing girl's fate and was bemused by the protagonist's infallibility and heroics. The description of early 21st century suburban living is also spot on. Go in with moderate expectations and you'll be satisfied.

 

[K Fleur]

American Kingpin by Nick Bilton.

4/5. An interesting and easily accessible read. I felt Bilton did a good job allowing the reader to “pick a side”(or not)instead of doing it for them.

 

[Thucydides]

8.5/10

One of the best wrestling books I’ve ever read

 

[Thucydides]

The Bible.

I would rate it 5/10. I grew up in a family where religion was nothing we ever talked about. Growing older, I started questioning things in life, such as the big bang theory. How can something be created out of nothing? I was seeking for answers and thought I might find them in the Bible, giving how highly other people praised it.

I did not touch it for years and just got more and more curious. After finally reading it, I was somewhat disappointed. There are things inside that are just far too unrealistisch.

What did you find unrealistic? I think if you read it and try to find a deeper meaning in the stories told, you’d get more out of it. A lot of the Bible is made up of metaphor & allegory.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang (2002) - A collection of heavy science-fiction. And what I mean by heavy is not the weight of emotions. Not even close. This is extremely cerebral and seemingly based on real-life knowledge as opposed to pow pow sci-fi. This has both its advantages and disadvantages. One story in particular gets completely tanked by this (Seventy-Two Letters) where the story halts for two characters to go on about a certain process in the most boring, technical and unengaging language/style possible. It's the only story of the collection I didn't complete.

In the rest, the science that centers them is engaging and poses interesting theological, moral and societal questions. It works really well and I think permits the story to go on paths that someone who isn't as scientifically-minded would never see and explore. This where Ted Chiang's practical intelligence really shines through and allows his imagination to create as his settings, plots, insights and speculation are what make him work, far more than his prose. I really enjoyed this book.

Liking What You See: A Documentary (would make a terrific thriller/sci-fi film in the right hands)
Understand (would make a terrific thriller/sci-fi film in the right hands)
--
Hell is the Absence of God
Story of Your Life
Division by Zero
--
Tower of Babylon
--
The Evolution of Human Sciences
--
Seventy-Two Letters

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Braun (2022) - I have to say, I'm kind of shook that the author of this book has won a pulitzer prize. It's not so much that it's bad that it's just so bland, both in terms of structure and in terms of prose. This pretty much reads like the diary of an old privileged woman during COVID. As boring as that would be. The writing is 'simple' in the sense that there's no flair, there's no risk, there's no acrobatics with all of the 'simple' points that would come along with. Folks in Maine hate New Yorkers and tell them so. Great. Your daughter is getting cheated on by her husband and they're going to be divorced and you feel bad for her. Sure but say something or do something interesting about it. Someone's dad is nice and reckless about COVID. Yeah, we know. Play with form, shapes, details.

Very short chapters make this a quick read that almost makes you think it's more effective until you eventually pick it up and realize that there's no fun in going on.

This makes it sound worst than it really is. I'm sure lots of people would find value and pleasure in it. It's not incompetent. I just don't see how someone who can win such an award can be that bland and uninteresting.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The Real Life of Sebastian Knight by Vladimir Nabokov (1940) - For an author who was - rightfully - dismissive of concepts like relatability and intellectual grandstanding, it's funny to see how utterly in love Nabokov was with himself. So many of his lines across different works read like critical arguments he creates against himself and then destroys, ensuring a win. His wit, prose and occasional insight justifies him but I do wonder how he would read himself if he wasn't himself.

Small talk though. He's such a dominant technician with a keen understanding of structure that he always gets away with it and nobody creates a doppelganger like he does. It was his first novel in english and twenty years after its publication, the book became valued as the forefront of postmodernism (a fancy word for intentional self-awareness). Of his stuff that I've read (a good amount) I rank it pretty low because what he's most concerned with is the beauty of his themes and I think he hits on those at genius levels in pieces after this work (First Love, Spring in Fialta) but again this doesn't mean much because his lowest ranks can rival the best out of just about anybody so you always end up comparing him against himself, which I think would make him very happy.

 

[sdf]

Russians have this superiority over Westerners, a Russian writer can imitate Western culture, so you won't be able to understand that this book was written by a foreigner, but if any American tries to write a novel about Russian characters in Russia, it will be something ridiculous

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Russians have this superiority over Westerners, a Russian writer can imitate Western culture, so you won't be able to understand that this book was written by a foreigner, but if any American tries to write a novel about Russian characters in Russia, it will be something ridiculous

The book isn't set or about America and Nabokov lived in America for twenty years. It's not like he was just some guy in Moscow who started writing stories about America. I'm not sure your point really stands.

 

[Babe Ruth]

Good concise history of Miami.. starting with its earliest days and its relationship with the more settled & politically powerful north Florida. Then moves to the city's economic development.. its relationship with waves of Caribbean immigrants. How different ethnic enclaves formed within Miami. Organized (& disorganized) crime in Miami.

Good read... my only complaint is that I believe the author overstates Cuba's influence on early Miami. But the author specializes in Miami-Caribbean relationships. So maybe he is retrofitting the history some, because he possesses some unique insights.
Nice softcover book with a cool cover shot. It's a decent one-stop history..

 

[Babe Ruth]

Decent, even handed, Monday morning accounting of America's varying pandemic protocols.

Two chapters stood out to me.. The Zoom Class, that gave a brief history of the Zoom platform and how it became a fault line between working class & white collar pandemic experiences.
And The Most Corrupt Market of All.. which explained how some American entrepreneurs stepped up to open domestic facilities for manufacturing needed medical supplies.. but as the pandemic slowed down their buyers abandoned them (including the Biden administration who had been waving the flag for American manufacturing), as soon as Chinese manufacturers flooded the market w/cheap masks etc. So American manufacturers largely folded up, and the US is again dependent on foreign supplies for medical emergencies.
And this dependence included being fleeced by Vietnamese manufacturers who outright stole American payments, or sent boxes of used gloves to US hospitals.
Book also has a good critique of how private equity firms streamlined nursing homes to a point where there was no margin for error in a health crisis..

 

[Babe Ruth]

A chronological history of species conservation. Focused a lot on generational individuals who headed conservation efforts. The man who helped save bison, an author who sounded the alarm about DDT, and its effects on bald eagles. Individuals fighting rhino poaching in Africa, etc..

Interesting subject matter, but not really a very interesting book..

 

[K Fleur]

One of the more compelling King novels I’ve read. It’s about 100-200 pages too long(like just about every other King book) but it felt like I flew through this one.

Solid 4/5 for me.

 

[Babe Ruth]

Good beginner's resource for understanding the scope of autism, and raising autistic kids. The author has an adult son with autism.. so she has some good, practical insights on dealing with schools and general struggles.. End of the book lists helpful reads and groups for families.

 

[Babe Ruth]

Ranking of the NFL's 100 greatest players. Each player gets a brief bio..

I realize no one asked, but these are my top 3, and how they were ranked by the authors:
1- Tom Brady (1)
2- Jim Brown (2)
3- Sammy Baugh (25)
So my subjective picks were pretty consistent with theirs.. but they had Tarkenton at #100, which I thought was odd.. Tarkenton should be in the top 40.

 

[Babe Ruth]

(The Comedians. Kliph Nesteroff)

Chronological history of American comedy.. starting with vaudeville, moving to radio, TV, the start of Vegas stand-up acts, and finishing in the early 2ooos when comics were becoming known thru MySpace uploads.
A lot of backstory on well known names.. Marx Bros, Don Rickles, Larry David etc.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Just finished another reading of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. So, so perfect. Can never finish it without tearing up.

 

[BerthMania]

Why Buddhism is true by Robert Wright. A very nice mix of neuroscience and Buddhism that kind of convinced me that the Self doesn't exist.