Books: Last Book You Read and Rate It

[Spring in Fialta]

The Castle by Franz Kafka (1926) - Ashamed to say I gave up on this 40 pages in. Kafka is my favorite author and The Castle was the only work of his I hadn't read. Yet...I can't plow through it. I don't know if it's the state of mind I was in or the translation I have, but it felt annoyingly clunky prose-wise and lifeless in it's reading. I'll go back to it eventually - I have to, I can't believe this - but I've picked up a couple of novels I'm a lot more interested in diving into right now - The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe and Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Marcia Marquez. I'll probably also read Ubik before I try The Castle again.

 

[hototogisu]

White Noise by Don DeLillo: 7.5/10
I started off really liking this. It was witty, acerbic, and the social satire had aged very well for something written in 1985. The book is broken up into three parts and I have to say I enjoyed each part a little bit less than the one before it. Although DeLillo's writing is never boring and there's quite a bit of (black) comedy dispersed throughout the pages. The story went in a direction that I wasn't entirely prepared for, and while I didn't love the resolution I enjoyed the ride and would definitely seek out some more of his work to read.

A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride: 5/10
I read a lot of praise for this book and saw it on a lot of year-end lists so I decided to give it a shot. I didn't enjoy it as much as most seemed to, apparently. It's the story of a girl, from the age of 2 until her late teens, from a poor Irish family. Her older brother has a brain tumor, her mother is alternately tender and abusive, and she is raped by her uncle and enters into an ongoing sexual relationship with him. The novel is told from her perspective, her thoughts expressed mostly as short, semi-intelligible bursts. McBride's major influence was Joyce's Ulysses, but I was reminded a lot of Faulkner, especially the "Benjy" chapters from The Sound and the Fury. It didn't really grip me like Faulkner (usually) does and I found myself reading faster to get through the book faster; McBride's prose was exhausting instead of enriching and the story of the book's (unnamed) main character was mostly repetitive and not terribly interesting.

Universal Harvester by John Darnielle: 6/10
This book has two undeniably great things: its cover and its premise. The cover is above. The premise: a bored video store clerk in late 90's rural Iowa discovers that someone has been splicing bizarre home video footage into some of the VHS tapes at the shop. It sounds kind of like a familiar horror movie premise (cf. The Ring) and this is definitely not a horror novel, despite what it's being sold as. The book is split into 4 parts with a multitude of very short chapters in each, and focuses on a few different characters, often bringing in new ones out of the blue and taking its time to reveal how they're connected to the larger plot. The narration shifts in tone occasionally too. All these factors (characters, parts, chapters, narrative shifts) in such a short book (barely 200+ pages) really makes things feel messy. This is the rare occasion where I wish a book was longer, not because I loved it but because I felt it had the potential to be something better.
To say too much about Universal Harvester would be to spoil it. It's certainly not the novel it seems to be at first blush. I saw it compared to House of Leaves, in the way that it takes a horror story for its premise and turns it into a story about grief and loss. It's a fair comparison, although House of Leaves is the much better book. Darnielle is a gifted writer, and this book is certainly a page-turner, but I have to say I was ultimately let down with the direction it took and I closed it feeling like a greater opportunity was missed. This feels like an early draft of what could have been a much more developed, more engrossing, and all around better book.

 

[Oscar Acosta]

Leaving Berlin - Joseph Kanon

I only add the cover so you'll know what to avoid in stores if anyone else is tempted to pick it up. Worst book I've read in years - you'd think an espionage tale after WWII in Germany could be great, nope.

1/10

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1981) - Famously known as an author of Magical Realism - a genre I'm not very fond of - this is the first work I've read of his and boy, was it a great one. Written in an amateurish journalistic style - the narrator of the story offers the fruits of his labor, piecing together what exactly happened decades ago in his village, when Santiago Nasar, a childhood friend, was brutally murdered after a grandiose wedding - the story offers a well-written story about the hopelessness and horrors that can sometimes be brought about by cultural tradition. Throughout the story, no one could be considered innocent about the disastrous incident and yet, no one feels completely guilty, either. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot in case someone decides to read it - which I would recommend, it's not a long read either - but Santiago Nasar's incoming death eventually becomes common knowledge throughout the village and yet no one is able to prevent it - sometimes on purpose, sometimes not - that a sort of realistic absurdness (if that makes sense) pervades throughout the story to great effect and makes the foretold murder all the more tragic, especially as even the killers themselves look for a way out of their burden. Very impactful book, especially in relation to culture, tradition and our relationship with it. Good use of poetic lines as well.

 

[Wee Baby Seamus]

White Noise by Don DeLillo: 7.5/10
I started off really liking this. It was witty, acerbic, and the social satire had aged very well for something written in 1985. The book is broken up into three parts and I have to say I enjoyed each part a little bit less than the one before it. Although DeLillo's writing is never boring and there's quite a bit of (black) comedy dispersed throughout the pages. The story went in a direction that I wasn't entirely prepared for, and while I didn't love the resolution I enjoyed the ride and would definitely seek out some more of his work to read.

You just perfectly summed up my thoughts on that novel. The first two parts are incredible, but the whole fear of death thing just didn't do anything for me.

 

[buyinnow]

The Library of Mount Char. Scott Hawkins. Contemporary fantasy. Terrific book that had no dry spots or "get on with it already" moments. Even though I haven't read Palahniuk in years, this reminded me of him. Little bit weird with some F'd up moments. Original. 8.5 / 10

 

[Spring in Fialta]

The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1774) - The famous epistolary novel which apparently touched a bunch of mopey young men as well in it's day and was a cultural phenomenon - copycat suicides, visiting the setting of the story as a young man - one can't help but cringe at how this book, considering the time when it was written, has probably influenced the forlorn lover archetype archetype, despite it's moments of absolute brilliance. The first two parts of the book reads as a series of letters from Werther to his friend Wilhelm, recounting his life and particularly, his love for Charlotte, a married woman who takes care of her younger siblings after the death of their mother. Contrary to a previously reviewed book - The Devil by Tolstoy - here, Werther waxes poetry about his obsession with Charlotte in flowery detail and waxes even more poetry about the despair he feels to the unrequited love. A sensitive and caring soul, Werther also genuiely becomes friends with her husband, Albert, who he holds in high-esteem, although his relationship with both naturally grows bleaker as he falls more deeply into a dangerous depression. There are lot of excellent and inspired moments - particularly, discussions or musings between Werther and Albert about the nature of man, passions, art, morality, etc. - that are a whole lot of fun to read. Goethe was a supremely skilled writer, that much is true, albeit at times, overly theatrical and due to living in 2017 and having seen this archetype over and over again through various works of art, one can't help but sometimes cringe at the over-the-top poetic distress of the main character. The description - the third part of the book is narrated by an editor - of Charlotte's actions and feelings through the last pages are breathtaking though, in contrast with Werther, especially since I have no idea if Goethe meant this - she comes across as a far more sympathetic and touching character than Werther does that is easier to be enthralled by, considering you eventually become numb to Werther speaking about her. It's a good read, both as a cultural artifact - a literary sensation for young men 300 years ago - and as a love story, especially if you like theatrical and flowery writing. It has it in spades. I like it in moderation, and it speaks to Goethe's talent that I never really tired of reading the book, despite feeling a bit numb by Werther's lovesick rantings at times.

 

[kihei]

A Girl is a Half-Formed Thing by Eimear McBride: 5/10
I read a lot of praise for this book and saw it on a lot of year-end lists so I decided to give it a shot. I didn't enjoy it as much as most seemed to, apparently. It's the story of a girl, from the age of 2 until her late teens, from a poor Irish family. Her older brother has a brain tumor, her mother is alternately tender and abusive, and she is raped by her uncle and enters into an ongoing sexual relationship with him. The novel is told from her perspective, her thoughts expressed mostly as short, semi-intelligible bursts. McBride's major influence was Joyce's Ulysses, but I was reminded a lot of Faulkner, especially the "Benjy" chapters from The Sound and the Fury. It didn't really grip me like Faulkner (usually) does and I found myself reading faster to get through the book faster; McBride's prose was exhausting instead of enriching and the story of the book's (unnamed) main character was mostly repetitive and not terribly interesting.

You perfectly summed up this one, too. At about the mid-point reading this novel just became drudgery for me. I felt like I was "in for a penny, in for a pound," so I had to finish it. But it was a lot of effort in return for very little reward. Very good point about the Faulkner comparison, too, which I hadn't thought of but now seems really spot on.

 

[Thucydides]

Really enjoyed this book about the grid system in the US & how changing it over to different power sources , wind & solar is so complex .

A good look at the role energy plays in our life, how that came to be, and how and why it's going to change in the future.

Great read. Expected a sluggish read at points, but it was anything but.

8.8/10

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Ubik by Phillip K. Dick (1969) - Finished this a few days ago but haven't had the chance to post my thoughts due to a changing of job and a recent trip. It was a fun read, although sometimes it was hard to see where Dick was going with this or what point he was trying to make, despite the fact that it was very obvious he was trying to make one. The dialogue also came off as rather B movie and fell flat at times but Dick's description of the regressing world was top-notch. He certainly had a talent for saying a lot with a little and creating these slick and sweet descriptions of characters and environements. The Ubik advertisements at the start of every chapter were a kick as were the comedic scènes as they were well-thought out annoyances of everyday life - and kind of absurdist as well, which is right up my alley - that one could actually relate to in this era (like having to literally tip for every thing at this point, like a non-engaging cab driver or a regular sandwhich counter! - which served as much-needed breathers from the heavy themes and actions of the novel. The novel also becomes far more engaging when the main characters realize that their physical world is going back in time and try to figure out why or what the hell is going on. Dick was a very creative and imaginative author and these qualities come through in spades during the reading of Ubik but he never overdoes it with the science-fiction. It actually feels realistic, despite the genre (kind of like Do Androids Dream of Electrip Sheep? does) and I think this is a reason why Dick has become such a lasting figure in literature. His stories never feel corny (perhaps a bit too heroic towards the end, but it's not bad at all). His musings on life, death and Ubik were joyful to read as well.

 

[EverettMike]

Ready Player One: 2/10

 

[Fugazy]

8/10 - Excellent, in depth read on the USC football program's history. Highly recommend it for college football fans out there.

 

[Thucydides]

Didn't realize what this book was all about when I read it.

Typical rom com book. Guy with Aspergers designs a test that will help him find wife. He meets girl who is oblivious about test but likes him. Later she finds out about the test and is upset , but then they patch it up, as he designed another test to find her father.

He comes to realize he likes this girl. He tries to change . But she likes the old him. He goes back to his old self. All is well.

I can't believe this is rated as highly as it is. Terrible, mundane, predictable book all the way through. Luckily it was a quick read.

0.2/10

 

[Thucydides]

Been slacking on keeping up with my thoughts on books.

Memoir about a girl who falls in love with octopi. Some cool facts about the animal, and a lot of memoir about the girl , from taking diving lessons, to her past excursions. She annoyed me at times, but for the most part it was an interesting read.

6.8/10

Story about a murder narrated by an unborn baby inside his mother.

This was a short read, I wasn't expecting much, but was entertained throughout.

McEwan is a great writer and it's on display here.

7.7/10

An overview of the 2006-2008 war in Iraq. One of the best I've read . Ricks does a great job of finding out what went wrong, and how the brilliant military mind, Petraeus , tried to make it right.

Recommended for anyone interested in the Iraq War.

8.2/10

As with its predecessor, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Harari recounts the course of history while describing events and the individual human experience, along with ethical issues in relation to his historical survey. Homo Deus, as opposed to the previous book, deals more with the abilities acquired by humans (Homo sapiens) throughout its existence, and its evolution as the dominant species in the world; the book attempts to paint an image of the future. Many philosophical issues are discussed, such as the human experience, individualism, human emotion and consciousness. The book describes the current abilities and achievements of mankind.

Along with Sapiens, this is going to factor in , in my top 10 for the year.

9.2/10

Book is made up of varying Soviet voices of those who were involved in the Soviet Afghan war, from soldiers to nurses .

Haunting book.

8.5/10

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949) - I first read this novel when 10 years ago when I was around 14 or 15 but didn't remember much of it besides the big moments. After reading it again in the past week, I believe this book to be a genuine masterpiece and it hasn't got much to do with it's political ideas - although they were interesting to read but I'm not knowledgable enough about politics and history to be able to truly relate, although a lot of it does seem observable, particularly concerning human nature - but the complete structure of the story and the world created by Orwell within 300 pages is such a delight to read. Throughout the book, Orwell navigates simulatenously through dream-like memories, thoughts and feelings and the harsh blandness of his world in a masterful way and manages to turn a book about a deeply uniformized world into a thrilling page-turner. Every character fits perfectly within the mould of the story, every action and interaction appears to be useful and fitting for the structured story he was trying to tell and despite that perfect structure, Orwell is still able to delve profoundly into Winston Smith with a streaming prose that renders the character an emotionally-touching one in a world where every other character - including Julia to a certain extent - are lacking in life and personalized thought. He was equally proficient at being touching, sweet as he was at writing about horror, pain and harshness. Orwell also used perfect timing in regards to when he kept the story moving and when he stalled to muse on life, human nature and politics. It always appeared to come at the perfect time, something that I felt a book like Houllebecq's Whatever never seemed to be able to do. Frankly, I have a hard time finding a flaw in this one.

 

[Thucydides]

Just catching up on reviews :

9.1/10

What a gem. The writing is superb the whole way through, and clocking in at 1056 pages, that is saying something. What a feat !

10/10

7.2/10

Never been into self help books, but this one is pretty good, and I found a lot of what the author said, rings true .

Pretty cool book on astrophysics. A lot of cool facts , but some of it still went over my head.

7.4/10

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Been slacking off.

Night Flight (1931) by Antoine de Saint-Exupery - Finished this days ago but didn't get around to reviewing it - job change makes it harder for me to take my time with posts - and as a fervent fan of The Little Prince, I couldn't help but feel a little bit let-down by this one. This story revolves around Fabien, a pilot, Riviere, his director and Robichou, a plane inspector and their daily life in South America working the planes carrying the mail to Europe. There are some gorgeously inspired passages in this one - Fabian's wife life as a woman with an often-gone husband, Robichou's despair about his job's lack of stimulation for example - and Saint-Exupéry was certainly a poetic man who was very crafty with his words but his prose quickly becomes major over-kill, which is unforgivable for such a short book - around 160 paperback pages - and his words, despite being beautifully written, can't help but lose their effect. His use of metaphors seem to be within every single sentence. I still enjoyed it, and he was a supremely talented writer, but in this one, you get the feeling he honed his skills to the point where they feel lifeless. I still enjoyed the book as a feat of poetic writing though.

The Story of a Horse by Leo Tolstoy (1886) - A phenomenal short story although it takes a little bit too long to get going. Centering around an old and beaten horse with an enthralling past, the story centers around said horse recounting his past to younger horses who continuously teased and beat him before the fateful recounting of his younger days - which is only done after he is recognised by another horse who lived in the same stable as him when they were young. While the beginning feels dull - they only serve as description of the horse as they are led towards a body of water to drink, feed, rest and play - the story truly gets going when the old horse speaks of his past and his suffering as well as his scarse happy moments. Using the horse's life and past - while also giving humanistic qualities to the animals - Tolstoy also comments on human nature and material life in a concise, simple and effective way and Tolstoy - at least in his shorter works - certainly had a phenomenal gift for clear writing that feels simple despite it's profound sense and thought. Outside of the beginning, I can't find a flaw with this one, particularly as the horse speaks of his past. The ending is ruthless and touching as well, leaving you rather despaired about what is an often unforgiving life.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (1969) - Similar in tone as Breakfast of Champions - BOF seems to keep going up among my favorite books of all-time though, I often myself walking and chuckling about a passage - but a lot less humorous then BOF, I found. It was still an excellent read and Vonnegut's deadpan voice and beautiful simplistic comments on the horrors of war feel just right. The book also feels a lot more personal and conventional - despite the time-traveling of Billy Pilgrim - for Vonnegut's work. It's far more reflective than observational. Still a kick to read and I appreciate Vonnegut's writing structure. His short and to the point chapters make him an easy page-turner that never feels heavy or boring which can often act as a breather, especially after reading something as flowery as Saint-Exupery's Night Flight. Will likely be picking up Cat's Cradle soon. It sounds very interesting.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962) - No need for any sort of plot description. The first twenty pages or so a slog to get through and I feel like Burgess went overboard with the invented language shtick - would have been better off using it as spice and not a main course, I frankly don't see the use for an invented word for God or mouth or head - which I feel mostly made a simple and straight-forward story more confusing for no apparent reason. The storytelling is very good and the book really picks up after Part 1 but I felt as if Burgess didn't delve deep enough into what he wanted to say and argue about society, politics and free-will and kind of only made a superficial presentation of a philosophical which appears to have interested him deeply and was actually introduced well in the book. It's a decent read but the film is far better. I don't have a problem with the ending though, as compared to many other readers. Actually found it rather endearing and realistic, within the context of youth.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Sorry, editing rights were removed: The book does have a fantastic frenetic energy to it, and some of Burgess's techniques were cool, like calling crying Boo hoo hing.

 

[Eisen]

Just finished "Remembrance of Earth's past" trilogy by Liu Cixin
I randomly grabbed the first one off the shelf without reading the blurb because I never read Chinese science fiction before. I didn't even know it was a trilogy at that point.
It turned out my wife read it before me and recommended it a couple of years ago but I forgot about it. Perhaps that's what made me pick it in the first place.

It's a science fiction novel (with some characteristics of a historical novel) over many centuries, spanning from the time of the Cultural Revolution until about 500 years later. A tiny decision born out of despair and loss of belief in human virtue turns out to have an immense impact on the future of humanity and the universe. One of the most chilling dystopias I have ever read. Of course, as many novels, sometimes it loses itself in descriptive detail, but some people might even like that as it helps immerse into the situation.
Recommmended for friends of SF. I couldn't put it down. Read about 1700 pages in less than a week. Gives ineresting insides and desciptions of physics without delving into techno babble, too.

 

[Thucydides]

A who did it murder mystery from the queen of mystery novels .

10 guests end up on an island, and one by one they start being murdered . Didn't see the ending coming .

8.3/10

[/img]

I became interested in Bitcoin after hearing about the Silk Road and downloading the TOR browser to go and see what the fuss was all about . Once there I noticed they were using Bitcoins as a payment and thought it was going to be huge. Called that one .

This book explains the story of the people behind it. Really interesting .

7.9/10

Just Mercy tells the story of a non profit lawyer who is working to help save wrongly convicted black men on Death Row. Looks at how the system is corrupt against African Americans.

One of those books that makes you look at the problem in a different light. Recommended .

8.7/10

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction a few years ago.

It deals with intertwined themes of propaganda, identity and state power in North Korea.

Enjoyed it. It was along the same lines as Pulitzer Prize winner, The Sympathizer , from last year.

8.5/10

 

[Thucydides]

Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool?

What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?

How much do parents really matter?

These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He studies the riddles of everyday life—from cheating and crime to parenting and sports—and reaches conclusions that turn conventional wisdom on its head.

A blend of economics and pop culture . Breezy, fun read.

7.7/10

 

[Thucydides]

Book about an immigrant (Cameroonian) family trying to make it work in New York City during the recession in 2008.

One of the better books I've read this year , hard to put down at times .

8.6/10

Book about the high murder rate of black people in Los Angeles . The majority of the book deals with the murder and court drama of a detectives son. How hard it is to get people to testify due to threat of retribution.

Interesting, but felt somewhat draggy at times .

7.3/10

The last book in the Harry Potter series , but it reads as a play. Deals with Harry's son and his time at Hogwarts, not wanting to live in his fathers shadow and finding it hard to get away from his last name.

6.8/10

 

[Thucydides]

Rafael Bernal's The Mongolian Conspiracy, written in 1969, is a masterful work of hilarity and noir. Compelling and full of wit, this is a detective story with a cast of memorable characters, delicious Mexican profanities and sharp, well-placed dialogue. The protagonist, Filiberto García, is an ex–Mexican revolutionary hired by authorities to gather intelligence on a rumored assassination plot on the Mexican and American presidents. García, a "private contractor" with a set of indispensable skills, investigates an underworld that reveals spellbinding truths about corruption close to home. When he begins a relationship with Marta, a young half-Chinese woman he meets along the way, his sense of purpose is only heightened. Not especially common in the world of Mexican noir, the love affair serves as an alluring, and inevitably heartbreaking, backdrop for a classic tale wrought with blood and intrigue.

9.0/10