A sensitive topic, a public scandal and the investigation that followed which upturned some of the previous certainties. A good example of the misinfoA sensitive topic, a public scandal and the investigation that followed which upturned some of the previous certainties. A good example of the misinformation war. ...more
It's interesting to explore how people give themselves space to change their mind and how they explore reconstructing their narratives and meaning. It's interesting to explore how people give themselves space to change their mind and how they explore reconstructing their narratives and meaning. ...more
I read it for Halloween. It was fun. I can see it developed into a movie. Made me curious for more context & an origin story for the supernatural threI read it for Halloween. It was fun. I can see it developed into a movie. Made me curious for more context & an origin story for the supernatural threat, but that's a constant with me, I always want the mystery explained and the loose ends neatly tied into a coherent story. ...more
This type of fiction blending auto-biography with classic fictional writing is a very interesting one for me. French scholars call it 'auto-fiction' aThis type of fiction blending auto-biography with classic fictional writing is a very interesting one for me. French scholars call it 'auto-fiction' and I think it's a very appropriate name.
I admire not just the beauty and expressivity of the writing, but also the guts you must have as an author to explore something so painful from your family's past. It's especially wonderful how the author is not judgemental towards her grandmother in any way, but puts her life in the context of the women's independence movement and also in the context of mental illness. A complex story that deserves a complex account, and I'm glad the author managed to keep away from labels, especially since those left behind can feel the attempt at labels keenly in order to make sense of their own suffering. ...more
Not usually a fan of thrillers, but this was a brilliant and highly artsy descent into the deep recesses of the human mind. It's not the gore or horroNot usually a fan of thrillers, but this was a brilliant and highly artsy descent into the deep recesses of the human mind. It's not the gore or horror kind of thriller, just a psychological one, and once you 'get it', after reaching the half of the book or so, nothing will be actually scary anymore. It's a brilliant exploration of mental health but delivered in a high-culture style, like a dizzying symphony. ...more
I was very pleased to discover that the team of psychic investigators I met in the author's Tor short story (Go Fish) are actually part of a longer seI was very pleased to discover that the team of psychic investigators I met in the author's Tor short story (Go Fish) are actually part of a longer series of his. So I set out to read more from them and The House of Ashley Avenue was the next one I reached for. I like how the author explores the hidden and the mysterious with a hefty dose of humor and grittiness. I will want to follow up with these characters more in the extended series Every House is Haunted. ...more
A compelling short story about the horror of killing animals for the human current definition of civilization and its spoils. On a whale killing platfA compelling short story about the horror of killing animals for the human current definition of civilization and its spoils. On a whale killing platform, the questions that arise all lead to one inevitable question, namely if such humans deserve to live. The description and tension building are very masterfully dosed, so you do feel the horror when the suicides commence. ...more
A really nice addition to the collection of Tor short stories, I almost always find them just to my liking. This investigative story takes place in a A really nice addition to the collection of Tor short stories, I almost always find them just to my liking. This investigative story takes place in a dark setting of a fish processing industrial house, with the story being led by a team of psychic detectives. I loved it for both the horror and the humor notes, and especially for how natural both are blended into the narrative. Can't wait to read more from Ian Rogers. :)...more
Since the first book produced such strong impressions on people, it was natural for the second one to generate a lot of buzz and conflicting feelings.Since the first book produced such strong impressions on people, it was natural for the second one to generate a lot of buzz and conflicting feelings. A book cannot please everyone when the hopes and expectations for it are stacked so high.
That being said, I enjoyed The Testaments and in my view, it makes for a good follow-up to the first installment. I was, naturally, a bit disappointed that the story doesn't see much of June (the former Offred) and that it doesn't give more details into the HOW of Gilead's fall. I mean, what could have those files contained that would spur the leaders of the other nations, we presume, to intervene? It's not like the world wasn't already aware of the horrors of Gilead.
But I understood both of these little disappointments as the narrative artifices that the author felt the need to employ. The first makes for a good twist, while the second allows us to focus on more subjective truths (what the readers of the 'future' could be interested in, in a world that already knows the HOW).
I think The Testaments are a lovely read that manages to keep you turning the pages and even deliver a happy ending, in a world-warped way. If you liked The Handmaid's Tale, read it....more
The only novel written by an author I love and who usually specializes in short stories - I had to read this one. And it was every bit as lovely as exThe only novel written by an author I love and who usually specializes in short stories - I had to read this one. And it was every bit as lovely as expected. It speaks volumes for gender roles and their unbalance, provincialism and shame, inter-generational ties and the sometimes complicated relationship one has with their same-sex parent.
I especially loved an observation, when recounting how the main character chooses to semi-throw her life away for a passing romance (but thankfully nothing she can't come back from), the author notes something along these lines: Ours was a purely physical connection, or 'just sexual' as some call these type of liaisons, but I never understood why people say this as if it's somehow inferior or common since it's actually very hard to find someone who makes you vibrate and come alive like that.
This story had not just a surprising beauty, but a downright startling one. Its depth is unsettling but peaceful at the same time, in a way that I thiThis story had not just a surprising beauty, but a downright startling one. Its depth is unsettling but peaceful at the same time, in a way that I think only people who are at least partially introverts can comprehend.
It is post-apocalyptic and in this way similar to most other post-apocalyptic stories, it's true. But while it doesn't shy away from the rough realities of survival in such an era, this is only a backdrop for what truly matters: the beauty of loose strands, of longing, of the world before and of our own fading humanity. It makes one contemplative and starry-eyed, at once nostalgic for the world before and at peace with what comes next. It is a lullaby for a dying world, a song so full of grace and poise and immensely fragile at the same time.
I saw that some people complained that the survival aspects of the story are not realistic enough or too similar to The Walking Dead (minus the zombies) or stories from a similar canon. I don't want to contradict them, but even if they are true, this is totally beside the point. The book is a poetic elegy to humanity and at the same time an odyssey of the quest to find it again - so the survival stuff is just a pretext for all of it. ...more
Mandatory read in college (Sociology with a major in International Relations). It was one of the 'OK' books I read as an intro for the coursework. VerMandatory read in college (Sociology with a major in International Relations). It was one of the 'OK' books I read as an intro for the coursework. Very thorough, good for getting you up to speed with major theories. ...more
Mandatory reading in college (Sociology, International Relations major). It was thorough and one of the 'OK' books I had to deal with in the geopolitiMandatory reading in college (Sociology, International Relations major). It was thorough and one of the 'OK' books I had to deal with in the geopolitics niche, as an intro. ...more
I expected this to be just like his songs are, but it's even better. It has the same mix of self-irony, spirituality, and eroticism, and reads just liI expected this to be just like his songs are, but it's even better. It has the same mix of self-irony, spirituality, and eroticism, and reads just like a journal. He even has a poem dedicated to his diary, and it feels like he's talking to the actual book you're reading.
It's nice that the poems reflect some of the events of his life, too, especially his time experimenting with Buddhism and living in a monastery, trying to find a deeper spirituality, and falling just short of it. The regular desires and disillusions, those he was so apt at writing about, are responsible for preventing his full immersion into the zen lifestyle, and I think we're all lucky not to have 'lost' him to it.
I also loved the little doodles and self-portraits scribbled in between poems, throughout the book. They're fragile and beautiful, sometimes a bit sarcastic too, and most of the time playful. I also like how the collection also includes a little introduction he wrote for Chinese readers for one of his previous books, Beautiful Losers. That intro is so beautiful that it definitely deserved to be counted as a poem in itself, so including it makes total sense.
Not that the volume is all poetry (and drawings), mind you. Lyrical prose excerpts are also a thing. You have to just read for yourself, one beautiful page at a time. The pervading theme throughout the entire collection is, of course, longing, the feeling Cohen is so adept at projecting. It's not all erotic longing, either, but also the more elusive varieties of spiritual longing, longing after a previous version of yourself that's been irreversibly lost, and so on.
Here are some of my favorite bits, and which are generally less well-known. (I don't need to quote the beautiful lyrics to A Thousand Kisses Deep, for example, which are included in this collection - in both versions).
“I followed the course From chaos to art Desire the horse Depression the cart”
-----------------------
HOW COULD I HAVE DOUBTED I stopped looking for you I stopped waiting for you I stopped dying for you and I started dying for myself I aged rapidly I became fat in the face and soft in the gut and I forgot that I’d ever loved you I was old I had no focus, no mission I wandered around eating and buying bigger and bigger clothes and I forgot why I hated every long moment that was mine to fill Why did you come back to me tonight I can’t even get off this chair Tears run down my cheeks I am in love again I can live like this
------------------------------
“I was one of the things that was put into Jana. Once you have been put in, you have been put in forever. That is love. Sometimes it is greater than Death, sometimes smaller, sometimes the same size.”
-------------------------------
SPLIT What can I do with this love of mine with this hairy knob with this poison wine Who shall I take to the edge of despair with my knee on her heart and my lips in her hair So I’ll take all my love and I’ll split it in two and there’s one part for me and there’s one part for you And we’ll drink the wine and we’ll hide the staff and the lover will groan and the other will laugh And I’ll go to your bed and I’ll lie by your side and I’ll bury the bones and I’ll marry the bride And you’ll do the same when you come to my room You’ll dig in my dirt and you’ll bury the groom And I swear by this love which is living and dead that we will be separate and we will be wed
------------------------
LOOKING AWAY you would look at me and it never occurred to me that you might be choosing the man of your life you would look at me over the bottles and the corpses and I thought you must be playing with me you must think I’m crazy enough to step behind your eyes into the open elevator shaft so I looked away and I waited until you became a palm tree or a crow or the vast grey ocean of wind or the vast grey ocean of mind now look at me married to everyone but you
------------------------
“I gave her something pretty And I waited ’til she laughed I wasn’t born a gypsy To make a woman sad”
-------------------------
BECAUSE OF A FEW SONGS Because of a few songs wherein I spoke of their mystery, women have been exceptionally kind to my old age. They make a secret place in their busy lives and they take me there. They become naked in their different ways and they say, “Look at me, Leonard look at me one last time.” Then they bend over the bed and cover me up like a baby that is shivering.
------------------------
“I want to love you now I want to love you then I want to love you never And then begin again All the tassels of my belt Go flying in the sky When you bend down to laugh at me From your place on high I want to be the fool The one you send away After you have used him up Every second day I want to be the rose You beckon with a yawn Limping on a thorny crutch Across the burning lawn See what you have done to me As if you give a shit I used to live behind a line But now I’m over it I won’t come back to say goodbye I’ll never leave your side Until I am the other man And you are someone’s bride Sit down on my memory When you are in pain When you are in pleasure Sit down on it again”
An easy to read collection of short stories that recounts the world of Jewish immigrants of the Slavic world moving to Canada in the second half of thAn easy to read collection of short stories that recounts the world of Jewish immigrants of the Slavic world moving to Canada in the second half of the 20th century. Making sense of their identity, traditions and trying to navigate the incredibly harsh conditions and their own enclosing poverty. All of this recounted through the eyes of a little boy that becomes a teenager as the stories progress (they are presented chronologically).
At a first glance, it may seem that the narrator is making light of things and presents them casually, almost carelessly. But after a while you begin noticing a deep tenderness towards all of the characters, like a distant form of empathy which works even better than the up close and personal kind.
I loved the story about attending a Jewish school and being the troublemaker there until the headmaster gives the boy a lesson on what it means to be Jewish. I loved Natasha, of course. I loved the story of the two men living together in one apartment and the gossip around them. And the dad's history as a trainer of martial arts athletes.
Even though the author is from Latvia and I am from Romania (and with no Jewish ties of my own), I could recognize a decisively Eastern European atmosphere throughout the stories. A freshly just-out-of-communism feel which my own country has gone trough for the past decades (especially in the nineties when I was growing up). ...more
This is the first thing I've read by Alice Munro and I definitely understand now the hype around her. Her insights into human nature seep throughout eThis is the first thing I've read by Alice Munro and I definitely understand now the hype around her. Her insights into human nature seep throughout every scene she writes and it's all spectacular even when nothing spectacular is happening.
Example of one of my favorite bits:
"So we sit there not talking but not in silence because as you may recall he is a nosy breather. [..] You're not supposed to take any notice, and I'll soon be used to it. But it takes up a lot of space in a room. As he would anyway with his high hard stomach and long legs and his expression. What is that expression? It's as if he's got a list of offenses both remembered and anticipated and he's letting it be known how his patience can be tried by what you know you do wrong but also by what you don't even suspect. I think a lot of fathers and grandfathers strive for that look - even some who unlike him don't have any authority outside their own houses - but he's the one who's got it exactly permanently right."
I won't go into more details, and leave everyone to see for themselves just how brilliant her short stories are. Recommended to: anyone age 15+. ...more
I read this during college and even went on a field research (anthropology) with a friend with an idea based on this book. It was a great start to undI read this during college and even went on a field research (anthropology) with a friend with an idea based on this book. It was a great start to understanding why some community projects fail and others succeed :).
I like Malcolm Gladwell's ideas pretty much all the time, in his other books as well. I will say something in the book's defense now, because I used to get this objection all the time when presenting our research back then.
As long as you take all social theory in the way it is meant, which is as a starting point for understanding people better, and not as an all-encompassing explain-it-all macro-theory, it's great. But if you object to it along the lines of 'but people don't actually behave this way', then you don't understand what a theoretical model is, and why it should only be used as an illustrative point, without any claims of painting reality for what it is.
If you want an interesting read, in layman terms, which is also exciting and fun to go through, this is a nice book for you. ...more
The second novel of Margaret Atwood's which I read, after The Handmaid's Tale, and the first book of hers I wholeheartedly love.
I bet I will still finThe second novel of Margaret Atwood's which I read, after The Handmaid's Tale, and the first book of hers I wholeheartedly love.
I bet I will still find enjoyable reads from her novels, but I understand now why this one is considered her masterpiece. The inter-textual narratives so often over-used nowadays make perfect sense, and the story manages to be overabundant in details and monologues and reminisces without being boring. I don't know how she does it but it's amazing!
I took my sweet time with this, because I wanted to savor every detail.
The story is very touching: the elderly Iris writes the story of her life and of her younger sister Laura's life, in order that her estranged granddaughter may one day read it and understand more about her background and who she is. The written notes are meant to be an attempt to win back the affection of the young lady (who was kept from her by malicious relatives), but of course the actual manuscript will only reach the granddaughter's hands via an attorney, when the old lady's last will is carried out...
The story named The Blind Assassin is told in separate little chapters inserted throughout the main narrative. It is later understood that Laura (the younger sister) achieved fame when publishing this novel (post-mortem), but it is actually revealed that Iris wrote it and sent it to a publishing house under Laura's name, in order to draw enough attention to her case.
I will not continue summarizing the plot here because spoilers, but the unique quality of this book lies in how it manages to be so heart-gutting and realistic, but so infused with fantasy at the same time. I recommend it to everyone....more
Loading...
