#28 'Americanah' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
This book asks profound questions about 'home', about what cultures expect - or demand - of people born into or outside of them, and how the backdrops of our lives can define the things we value, notice, and think about most.
This book asks profound questions about 'home', about what cultures expect - or demand - of people born into or outside of them, and how the backdrops of our lives can define the things we value, notice, and think about most.
#29 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien
A perfect adventure with gold, dragons, goblins, wizards, magic, peril, treasure, and morals. I wish I'd had this read to me as a kid because the various songs and scrapes lend themselves perfectly to that.
Book and author are both badass.
A perfect adventure with gold, dragons, goblins, wizards, magic, peril, treasure, and morals. I wish I'd had this read to me as a kid because the various songs and scrapes lend themselves perfectly to that.
Book and author are both badass.
#30 'The Eden Express' by Mark #Vonnegut
An eloquent & deeply human account of his descent into psychotic mania, two relapses, and eventual long-term health.
A @nytimesbooks review nailed it: "Required reading for those who want to understand insanity from the inside."
An eloquent & deeply human account of his descent into psychotic mania, two relapses, and eventual long-term health.
A @nytimesbooks review nailed it: "Required reading for those who want to understand insanity from the inside."
📕#31/100 'Yes Man' by @dannywallace
My gf told me to read this and I'm glad I said Yes. Funny, uplifting, with smatterings of real, genuine insight.
I wonder how much artistic licensing there is, but that's curiosity not criticism.
My gf told me to read this and I'm glad I said Yes. Funny, uplifting, with smatterings of real, genuine insight.
I wonder how much artistic licensing there is, but that's curiosity not criticism.
📙 #32/100 Issue 232 of the @parisreview
I'm not sure if a magazine issue really counts as a book, but it was 200 pages of short stories, poetry, and interviews with authors. So I've included it.
I'm not sure if a magazine issue really counts as a book, but it was 200 pages of short stories, poetry, and interviews with authors. So I've included it.
📙 #33/100 'Timequake' by Kurt Vonnegut Jr
All the recognisable and enjoyable threads of Vonnegut's writing, pulled together less coherently than elsewhere. More of an entertaining monologue about a short story in progress than a novel.
Here's the book's cameo in The Simpsons:
All the recognisable and enjoyable threads of Vonnegut's writing, pulled together less coherently than elsewhere. More of an entertaining monologue about a short story in progress than a novel.
Here's the book's cameo in The Simpsons:
📙 #34/100 'Bigger Than Hitler - Better Than Christ' by Rik Mayall
Some people have a face for radio. I love Rik, but he should've kept to acting.
More surreal ramble than autobiography, and sadly the funny bits - like the chapter justifying the title - can't quite save it.
Some people have a face for radio. I love Rik, but he should've kept to acting.
More surreal ramble than autobiography, and sadly the funny bits - like the chapter justifying the title - can't quite save it.
📙 #35/100 'Among the Thugs' by @bill_buford
A US expat embeds himself in English football hooliganism & various overlapping subcultures. Rather than judge, he explores the cause, appeal, experience & requisite conditions of senseless violence.
Brave, & completely captivating.
A US expat embeds himself in English football hooliganism & various overlapping subcultures. Rather than judge, he explores the cause, appeal, experience & requisite conditions of senseless violence.
Brave, & completely captivating.
📙#36/100 'The City and The City' by China Miéville
This guy's world-building is masterful, as are the narratives he weaves into them. I can't remember the last time an author captivated me so completely - books #10 and #36 this year were his, #37 and #38 will be, too.
This guy's world-building is masterful, as are the narratives he weaves into them. I can't remember the last time an author captivated me so completely - books #10 and #36 this year were his, #37 and #38 will be, too.
📙 #37/100 'Perdido Street Station' by China Miéville
Superb, as expected. Miéville is a chameleon who blends perfectly into any genre or literary rhythm he chooses.
Perdido is a rich web woven from creative, compelling, sinister threads, set in Ankh Morpork's evil twin city.
Superb, as expected. Miéville is a chameleon who blends perfectly into any genre or literary rhythm he chooses.
Perdido is a rich web woven from creative, compelling, sinister threads, set in Ankh Morpork's evil twin city.
📙#38/100 'Northern Lights' by @PhilipPullman
What an incredible story, and what a treat to read it as a 29 year old who just moved to Oxford!
I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy, they're already in the post 👌
What an incredible story, and what a treat to read it as a 29 year old who just moved to Oxford!
I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy, they're already in the post 👌
📙#39/100 Issue 233 of the
@parisreview
It's great to read ~250 pages of words by people I've never heard of, and to be introduced to ideas and works outside my usual scope.
I particularly enjoyed 'Violets' by @Bud_Smith & 'The Juggler's Wife' by Emily Hunt Kivel in issue 233.
@parisreview
It's great to read ~250 pages of words by people I've never heard of, and to be introduced to ideas and works outside my usual scope.
I particularly enjoyed 'Violets' by @Bud_Smith & 'The Juggler's Wife' by Emily Hunt Kivel in issue 233.
📙#40/100 'Nine Lives' by @DalrympleWill
Impartial & articulate look at sacred vs profane in India. Most fascinating are insights into how religion can underpin unequal social structures, or be the vehicle through which they are legitimately, albeit temporarily, scorned.
Impartial & articulate look at sacred vs profane in India. Most fascinating are insights into how religion can underpin unequal social structures, or be the vehicle through which they are legitimately, albeit temporarily, scorned.
📙#41/100 'Utopia Avenue' by @david_mitchell
David's mind is a cornucopia overflowing with interlinking stories from a world that riffs on ours. His latest book simultaneously snapshots what made 60s London magical, while expounding the fantastical core of his fictional world.
David's mind is a cornucopia overflowing with interlinking stories from a world that riffs on ours. His latest book simultaneously snapshots what made 60s London magical, while expounding the fantastical core of his fictional world.
📙#42/100 'Housekeeping' by Marilynne Robinson
An incredible little book. Robinson uses precise and beautiful language to tell the story of three generations of women. It's deep, delicate, thoughtful, and profound.
An incredible little book. Robinson uses precise and beautiful language to tell the story of three generations of women. It's deep, delicate, thoughtful, and profound.
📙#43/100 '1Q84' by Haruki Murakami
A good story let down by repetitive prose and a seemingly improvised plot, with an ending made anticlimactic by the meandering required to get there.
Also: Murakami needs to write FAR LESS about the breasts (and ears?) of female characters.
A good story let down by repetitive prose and a seemingly improvised plot, with an ending made anticlimactic by the meandering required to get there.
Also: Murakami needs to write FAR LESS about the breasts (and ears?) of female characters.
📙#44/100 'The Sleeping Voice' by Dulce Chacon
Chacon calls politics a hairy spider. Her book captures the anxiety, despair, and anguish felt by non-combatants caught in the webs of political conflict. Lives disrupted at best, destroyed at worst, while striving for normality.
Chacon calls politics a hairy spider. Her book captures the anxiety, despair, and anguish felt by non-combatants caught in the webs of political conflict. Lives disrupted at best, destroyed at worst, while striving for normality.
📙#45/100 'After the Quake' by Haruki Murakami
These six stories over just 130 pages are distilled Murakami: A real tonic after the bumbling, rambling 1Q84. Each blends surreal with mundane to create the intriguing, enchanting, slightly disconcerting atmosphere he exels at.
These six stories over just 130 pages are distilled Murakami: A real tonic after the bumbling, rambling 1Q84. Each blends surreal with mundane to create the intriguing, enchanting, slightly disconcerting atmosphere he exels at.
46/100 #books: 'The Subtle Knife' by @PhilipPullman
Lyra suffers a bit from damsel-in-distressness this time around - slightly too beholden to the slightly too heroic Will - but beyond that, book 2 moves the story superbly and unexpectedly forward. Can't wait for the finale.
Lyra suffers a bit from damsel-in-distressness this time around - slightly too beholden to the slightly too heroic Will - but beyond that, book 2 moves the story superbly and unexpectedly forward. Can't wait for the finale.
47/100 #books: 'Dear Obama' by @jmlaskas
Whatever you think of @BarackObama, his decision to read ten letters from 'regular' Americans each day of his presidency highlights the values of humility, grounding, and service that SHOULD sit at the core of politics. Astounding book.
Whatever you think of @BarackObama, his decision to read ten letters from 'regular' Americans each day of his presidency highlights the values of humility, grounding, and service that SHOULD sit at the core of politics. Astounding book.
48/100 #books: 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich' by Leo Tolstoy
An unpicking of the physical and mental aspects of death, and the metrics by which the 'success' of a life are evaluated, both internally and externally. Short, rewarding, and thought provoking.
An unpicking of the physical and mental aspects of death, and the metrics by which the 'success' of a life are evaluated, both internally and externally. Short, rewarding, and thought provoking.
49/100 #books: 'God is Silence' by Pierre Lacout
I read this to better understand allusions to #Quaker faith in another book I'm reading. Lacout's interpretation has interesting commonalities with practices like mindfulness but, in my opinion, the links with God are unnecessary.
I read this to better understand allusions to #Quaker faith in another book I'm reading. Lacout's interpretation has interesting commonalities with practices like mindfulness but, in my opinion, the links with God are unnecessary.
50/100 #books: 'Requiem for the American Dream' by Noam Chomsky
Fuck me. A concise, articulate unpicking of how democracy has been co-opted into a machine to represent, further, and enshrine the interests of corporations at the expense of the citizenry. Vital reading.
Fuck me. A concise, articulate unpicking of how democracy has been co-opted into a machine to represent, further, and enshrine the interests of corporations at the expense of the citizenry. Vital reading.
- half way point -
50% of the books left to read
in 37.7% of the year
50% of the books left to read
in 37.7% of the year
51/100 #books: 'What Happened' by @HillaryClinton
Skulduggery put 💩 in the White House. HRC would be a far more capable & humane president. Her book looks past an accomplished life in politics at the toxic factors which manipulated 2016, pervade US discourse, & threaten 2020.
Skulduggery put 💩 in the White House. HRC would be a far more capable & humane president. Her book looks past an accomplished life in politics at the toxic factors which manipulated 2016, pervade US discourse, & threaten 2020.
52/100 #books: 'Good Woman: Poems and a Memoir 1969-1980' by Lucille Clifton
This review from Goodreads says it best - "Unbelievable. Clifton had just laid out the guide to being alive, female, and Black in the US through her poetry and memoir."
This review from Goodreads says it best - "Unbelievable. Clifton had just laid out the guide to being alive, female, and Black in the US through her poetry and memoir."
53/100 #books: 'Being Mortal' by @Atul_Gawande
Eye-opening & oddly heartwarming. Modern medicine skews our relationship with death, prioritising prolonged survival at any cost over providing real choice or meaning. Dr Gawande deftly explores the issues & potential remedies.
Eye-opening & oddly heartwarming. Modern medicine skews our relationship with death, prioritising prolonged survival at any cost over providing real choice or meaning. Dr Gawande deftly explores the issues & potential remedies.
54/100 #books: 'Jugs' by Alan Kenworthy
I'd avoid this book unless you're getting a jug dog.
Instead, enjoy a picture of our new #jug #dog, Gidget -
I'd avoid this book unless you're getting a jug dog.
Instead, enjoy a picture of our new #jug #dog, Gidget -
55/100 #books: 'Simply Chomsky' by Raphael Salkie
This isn't out yet, I was invited to read and review it pre-release.
I can't say much more than that it's a good introduction to Chomsky's ideas on linguistics and politics, and how they fit into those wider areas.
This isn't out yet, I was invited to read and review it pre-release.
I can't say much more than that it's a good introduction to Chomsky's ideas on linguistics and politics, and how they fit into those wider areas.
56/100 #books: 'The Speech' by @BernieSanders
A rallying cry against Republicans' inherent desire to strip taxes, prioritise wealth & entrench all gains at the expense of the non ultra-rich.
10 years old, more relevant now than ever.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/32…
A rallying cry against Republicans' inherent desire to strip taxes, prioritise wealth & entrench all gains at the expense of the non ultra-rich.
10 years old, more relevant now than ever.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/32…
57/100 #books: 'Star Wars Episode III' by @MWStover
The novel enriches the film. Plot sections that only get a line of dialogue are explained properly, so they seem less plot-holey. We learn a lot more about characters and their motivations. Def recommend to any Star Wars fan.
The novel enriches the film. Plot sections that only get a line of dialogue are explained properly, so they seem less plot-holey. We learn a lot more about characters and their motivations. Def recommend to any Star Wars fan.
58/100 #books: 'Ready Player One' by Ernest Cline
Action-novel-cum-80s-geek-culture-homage set in a fully-immersive VR game which, for many, replaces the real world. Filled with tropes & the author flexing his geek muscles, but in a way that helps rather than hinders immersion.
Action-novel-cum-80s-geek-culture-homage set in a fully-immersive VR game which, for many, replaces the real world. Filled with tropes & the author flexing his geek muscles, but in a way that helps rather than hinders immersion.
59/100 #books: 'Stress-proof' by @StoroniMithu
A whistlestop pop-psych tour of chronic stress, the damage it does, and the myriad things that might alleviate it. Feels light in places but the 59 pages of references lend a lot of credibility. Super useful for my essay, too.
A whistlestop pop-psych tour of chronic stress, the damage it does, and the myriad things that might alleviate it. Feels light in places but the 59 pages of references lend a lot of credibility. Super useful for my essay, too.
60/100 #books: 'Dawn' by Octavia E. Butler
Thoroughly enjoyed. Truly alien, thought-provoking, sinister undertones, and real-world allegories. Great sci-fi 👌 Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.
Thoroughly enjoyed. Truly alien, thought-provoking, sinister undertones, and real-world allegories. Great sci-fi 👌 Looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.
A thread of what I've read in 2021,
Opened with the best stuff I read in 2020 -
- Being Mortal, @Atul_Gawande
- To Obama, @jmlaskas
- Super-Frog Saves Tokyo, Haruki Murakami, in After the Quake
- The Juggler's Wife, Emily Hunt Kivel, @parisreview #233
Opened with the best stuff I read in 2020 -
- Being Mortal, @Atul_Gawande
- To Obama, @jmlaskas
- Super-Frog Saves Tokyo, Haruki Murakami, in After the Quake
- The Juggler's Wife, Emily Hunt Kivel, @parisreview #233
- The City & the City, China Miéville
- Amongst the Thugs, Bill Buford
- Let's Play Dead, Senaa Ahmad, @parisreview #232
- The Eden Express, Mark Vonnegut
- The Moon and Sixpence, W. Somerset Maugham
- Six Memos for the Next Millennium, Italo Calvino
- Noli Me Tángere, José Rizal
- Amongst the Thugs, Bill Buford
- Let's Play Dead, Senaa Ahmad, @parisreview #232
- The Eden Express, Mark Vonnegut
- The Moon and Sixpence, W. Somerset Maugham
- Six Memos for the Next Millennium, Italo Calvino
- Noli Me Tángere, José Rizal
#BookReview: 'Chickenhawk' by Robert Mason
Bob's gripping account of 1k+ heli missions in Vietnam shows us urgent camaraderie, hellish combat, a dawning realisation of futility, and heart-rending attempts to reenter civilian life with crippling PTSD. Visceral & vital.
2021/1
Bob's gripping account of 1k+ heli missions in Vietnam shows us urgent camaraderie, hellish combat, a dawning realisation of futility, and heart-rending attempts to reenter civilian life with crippling PTSD. Visceral & vital.
2021/1
#BookReview: 'Blood Wedding' by Federico García Lorca, Edwards translation
I'm not versed in reading scripts so not rly sure what to say. Compact, eventful, compelling, with a *lot* of flower imagery whose nuance I feel passed me by. Looking forward to watching the play.
2021/2
I'm not versed in reading scripts so not rly sure what to say. Compact, eventful, compelling, with a *lot* of flower imagery whose nuance I feel passed me by. Looking forward to watching the play.
2021/2
'Night' by Elie Wiesel
A sickening indictment of the depths humanity can plumb, the ideas that hold the power to lead us there, the indifference that allows them to take root, and the ignorance that threatens the cycle to repeat.
#BookReview: goodreads.com/review/show/37…
2021/3
A sickening indictment of the depths humanity can plumb, the ideas that hold the power to lead us there, the indifference that allows them to take root, and the ignorance that threatens the cycle to repeat.
#BookReview: goodreads.com/review/show/37…
2021/3
'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Brontë
A stark reminder of two things:
1. Keep an active and varied social life to prevent things festering into a toxic mess where everyone hates each other and brute force reigns.
2. It's grim up north.
#bookReview 2021#4
A stark reminder of two things:
1. Keep an active and varied social life to prevent things festering into a toxic mess where everyone hates each other and brute force reigns.
2. It's grim up north.
#bookReview 2021#4
'All My Friends Are Superheroes' by Andrew Kaufman (@severalmoments)
Elegant, clever, and fun. The type of book that never makes clear whether it's one complex allegory, or just a story about potentially allegorical characters.
#bookReview 2021#5
Elegant, clever, and fun. The type of book that never makes clear whether it's one complex allegory, or just a story about potentially allegorical characters.
#bookReview 2021#5
Issue 235 of the @parisreview
Highlights:
- Struggling through the first pages of 'The Stumble' by @dadjmi, to be rewarded by the subsequent excellence.
- My understanding of the role of poetry shifting during Edward Hirsch's interview.
- Kirk Lynn's excerpt.
#bookReview 2020#6
Highlights:
- Struggling through the first pages of 'The Stumble' by @dadjmi, to be rewarded by the subsequent excellence.
- My understanding of the role of poetry shifting during Edward Hirsch's interview.
- Kirk Lynn's excerpt.
#bookReview 2020#6
@parisreview @dadjmi 'A Promised Land' by @BarackObama
Best bit: Obama retrospectively lambasting Americans for a hypocrisy which demands immediate solutions to crises while vilifying the prudent policy and investment needed to deliver them.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/36…
#bookReview 2021#7
Best bit: Obama retrospectively lambasting Americans for a hypocrisy which demands immediate solutions to crises while vilifying the prudent policy and investment needed to deliver them.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/36…
#bookReview 2021#7
'Braiding Sweetgrass' by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Linguistically tough in places, but a real elegant beauty in the ecological lessons taught. Humanity's relationship with nature is at a crossroads; Kimmerer articulates how - and why - we must take the right path.
#bookReview 2021#8
Linguistically tough in places, but a real elegant beauty in the ecological lessons taught. Humanity's relationship with nature is at a crossroads; Kimmerer articulates how - and why - we must take the right path.
#bookReview 2021#8
'I Capture the Castle' by Dodie Smith
Not what I'd usually read, but I enjoyed it a lot. A humorous glimpse into the changing fortunes of an eccentric English family, and a deft description of first love that never gets soppy. A delicate line well trodden.
#bookReview 2021#9
Not what I'd usually read, but I enjoyed it a lot. A humorous glimpse into the changing fortunes of an eccentric English family, and a deft description of first love that never gets soppy. A delicate line well trodden.
#bookReview 2021#9
'Circe' by @MillerMadeline
The shapes of lives and stories are the same whether divine or mortal, but the scales and stakes differ massively. Circe - borne to divinity, drawn more to mortality - contends with fate and destiny to define an ideal life. Superb.
#bookReview 2021#10
The shapes of lives and stories are the same whether divine or mortal, but the scales and stakes differ massively. Circe - borne to divinity, drawn more to mortality - contends with fate and destiny to define an ideal life. Superb.
#bookReview 2021#10
'KL NOIR: RED', edited by Amir Muhammad (@amirmu)
1st of a 4-part series I heard of whilst in Kuala Lumpur. 14 stories + 1 essay about the city's dark, sinister, corrupt, violent, and depraved side. Overall, tamer than I expected! Maybe because it's fiction.
#bookReview 2021#11
1st of a 4-part series I heard of whilst in Kuala Lumpur. 14 stories + 1 essay about the city's dark, sinister, corrupt, violent, and depraved side. Overall, tamer than I expected! Maybe because it's fiction.
#bookReview 2021#11
To anyone who cares: I'm restructuring this thread.
Instead of counting books read each year, it'll be books read this decade.
So the most recent book becomes #71, and I'll be counting upwards from there.
Instead of counting books read each year, it'll be books read this decade.
So the most recent book becomes #71, and I'll be counting upwards from there.
#72: 'Killing Commendatore' by Haruki Murakami
This compounded my opinion of recent Murakami.
There's a better version of Killing Commendatore contained inside the version that was released. Too baggy a narrative and too many breasts.
Full review here: goodreads.com/review/show/32…
This compounded my opinion of recent Murakami.
There's a better version of Killing Commendatore contained inside the version that was released. Too baggy a narrative and too many breasts.
Full review here: goodreads.com/review/show/32…
#73: 'Mort' by Terry Pratchett
Hilarious, clever, charming.
One of the first books I remember enjoying in a way that made me want to read more. Soon after, I devoured the whole Discworld series. I like rereading Mort occasionally to remind me how deftly language can be used.
Hilarious, clever, charming.
One of the first books I remember enjoying in a way that made me want to read more. Soon after, I devoured the whole Discworld series. I like rereading Mort occasionally to remind me how deftly language can be used.
#74: 'The Go-Between' by L. P. Hartley
Haunting. Sad. Coming-of-age.
Manipulation can shift the burden of guilt and responsibility onto people who really shouldn't bear it. Such guilt, not resolved, can break a life.
Told partly from a child's perspective, especially powerful.
Haunting. Sad. Coming-of-age.
Manipulation can shift the burden of guilt and responsibility onto people who really shouldn't bear it. Such guilt, not resolved, can break a life.
Told partly from a child's perspective, especially powerful.
#75: 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' by Ken Kesey.
Just sublime. So good.
A warming and genuinely funny story about how tyrannical authority can subjugate or destroy the people it's meant to (and claims to) help.
Also about how dark some things labelled 'therapeutic' can be.
Just sublime. So good.
A warming and genuinely funny story about how tyrannical authority can subjugate or destroy the people it's meant to (and claims to) help.
Also about how dark some things labelled 'therapeutic' can be.
#76: 'The Red Thread' by various, edited by Edwin Frank
A whistle-stop retrospective (or, to me, introduction) to @nyrbclassics: A series designed to spotlight great writing threatened by obscurity.
A medley of genres and eras and worldviews united by their power to captivate.
A whistle-stop retrospective (or, to me, introduction) to @nyrbclassics: A series designed to spotlight great writing threatened by obscurity.
A medley of genres and eras and worldviews united by their power to captivate.
#77: 'Germs' by Richard Wollheim
An enchanting childhood memoir that swaps chronology for a deep examination of the things from which, their importance unseen at the time, lasting adult memories, traits, and emotions germinated. Unusual but gripping.
@nyrbclassics Feb 21
An enchanting childhood memoir that swaps chronology for a deep examination of the things from which, their importance unseen at the time, lasting adult memories, traits, and emotions germinated. Unusual but gripping.
@nyrbclassics Feb 21
#78: 'Little Snow Landscapes' by Robert Walser
Light and dainty snippets and stories collected into a sometimes-autobiographical sort-of-novel, spanning the scattered life of its undersung author. Playful with an undercurrent of melancholy.
@nyrbclassics Mar 21
Light and dainty snippets and stories collected into a sometimes-autobiographical sort-of-novel, spanning the scattered life of its undersung author. Playful with an undercurrent of melancholy.
@nyrbclassics Mar 21
#79: Neuromancer by @GreatDismal
A wild, visionary, sometimes hard-to-follow cyberpunk ride. @ansiblemag already wrote a perfect review:
"Gibson's pace is too frenetic, so unremitting that the reader never gets a rest and can't see the plot for the dazzle. Otherwise: nice one."
A wild, visionary, sometimes hard-to-follow cyberpunk ride. @ansiblemag already wrote a perfect review:
"Gibson's pace is too frenetic, so unremitting that the reader never gets a rest and can't see the plot for the dazzle. Otherwise: nice one."
#80: The Big Book of Yes by various, edited by @jondoolan1
A nice collection of stories by people who said "Yes!" to adventure of some kind, whether it be sobriety, a short trip far beyond their comfort zone, a new world record, or complete immersion in another culture.
A nice collection of stories by people who said "Yes!" to adventure of some kind, whether it be sobriety, a short trip far beyond their comfort zone, a new world record, or complete immersion in another culture.
#81: 'Palace Walk' by Naguib Mahfouz
A vivid, almost tactile account of lives trying their best to be lived under the twin tyrannies of a man against his family, and the English against the Egyptians.
One of my favourite ever quotes is from this author -
A vivid, almost tactile account of lives trying their best to be lived under the twin tyrannies of a man against his family, and the English against the Egyptians.
One of my favourite ever quotes is from this author -
#82: 'Nala's World' by Dean Nicholson (@1bike1world_)
Cute tale of a dude seeking meaning by cycling the world, but finding a stray kitten instead. Interesting insight into how quickly everything can change, and also the positive things an Instagram influencer can achieve.
Cute tale of a dude seeking meaning by cycling the world, but finding a stray kitten instead. Interesting insight into how quickly everything can change, and also the positive things an Instagram influencer can achieve.
#83: 'The Anatomy of a Moment' by Javier Cercas
Cercas deftly untangles complex threads running through a moment of massive historical significance, inviting you into his head & shining a light on the process by which history is written. 5⭐
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/39…
Cercas deftly untangles complex threads running through a moment of massive historical significance, inviting you into his head & shining a light on the process by which history is written. 5⭐
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/39…
#84: 'Pinocchio' by Carlo Collodi
Original Pinocchio doesn't fuck around. The first thing *this* puppet does is yeet a mallet at Cricket, killing him instantly. The original ending is him getting lynched. And, he's a complete gobshite.
Full review here: goodreads.com/review/show/39…
Original Pinocchio doesn't fuck around. The first thing *this* puppet does is yeet a mallet at Cricket, killing him instantly. The original ending is him getting lynched. And, he's a complete gobshite.
Full review here: goodreads.com/review/show/39…
#85: 'Other Worlds' by Teffi
Russia of yore must've been spooky af. Spirits possessed everything, sometimes mischievous; sometimes malevolent. Teffi's folkloric tales explore whether the spirits inflicted ill fates or whether people's fearful imaginings did.
@nyrbclassics Apr21
Russia of yore must've been spooky af. Spirits possessed everything, sometimes mischievous; sometimes malevolent. Teffi's folkloric tales explore whether the spirits inflicted ill fates or whether people's fearful imaginings did.
@nyrbclassics Apr21
#86: 'Greenlights' by Matthew @McConaughey
Great stories, well told, from an accomplished life. You'll laugh, you'll think, maybe you'll be inspired.
But Matthew, if you're reading this, I have a question -
WHY no mention of Surfer, Dude!? Your magnum opus is absent entirely.
Great stories, well told, from an accomplished life. You'll laugh, you'll think, maybe you'll be inspired.
But Matthew, if you're reading this, I have a question -
WHY no mention of Surfer, Dude!? Your magnum opus is absent entirely.
#87: 'Zami: A New Spelling of my Name' by Audre Lorde
A tender reflection on life, the process of forging one as a black lesbian in a racist and homophobic America, and the women whose "dreams/myths/histories [gave] this book shape".
Powerful, eye opening.
A tender reflection on life, the process of forging one as a black lesbian in a racist and homophobic America, and the women whose "dreams/myths/histories [gave] this book shape".
Powerful, eye opening.
#88: 'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Plath
"I knew you'd decide to be all right again."
TBJ accurately and honestly captures misconceptions about ill mental health, the harm & isolation they cause, & the resulting precarious, uphill battle to wellness.
A truth we need to hear better.
"I knew you'd decide to be all right again."
TBJ accurately and honestly captures misconceptions about ill mental health, the harm & isolation they cause, & the resulting precarious, uphill battle to wellness.
A truth we need to hear better.
#89: 'Good Behaviour' by Molly Keane
Defined as: bottling up feelings and pretending problems don't exist until you're either wholly naive, an emotional husk, a philanderer, or scarily manipulative. All as demanded by your emotionally stunted social class.
@nyrbclassics May 21
Defined as: bottling up feelings and pretending problems don't exist until you're either wholly naive, an emotional husk, a philanderer, or scarily manipulative. All as demanded by your emotionally stunted social class.
@nyrbclassics May 21
#90: 'A Wizard of Earthsea' by Ursula Le Guin
Common tropes of wizardry, destiny, dark vs light etc, are woven into something far more compelling than most could achieve. Incredible how rich a world and lore are created with just 160 pages.
Common tropes of wizardry, destiny, dark vs light etc, are woven into something far more compelling than most could achieve. Incredible how rich a world and lore are created with just 160 pages.
#91: 'The Tombs of Atuan' by Ursula Le Guin
Incredible book. Such rich, deep fantasy where the key antagonist is something that may, may not, or may never have existed. It's rare to see such a shift in tone within a series and it works so well 👏👏👏
Incredible book. Such rich, deep fantasy where the key antagonist is something that may, may not, or may never have existed. It's rare to see such a shift in tone within a series and it works so well 👏👏👏
#92: 'The Farthest Shore' by Ursula Le Guin
Three for three so far: lavish fantasy that builds on an increasingly familiar world in completely new ways. No reliance on hackneyed devices or endless battles. Masterful storytelling from an excellent lady.
Three for three so far: lavish fantasy that builds on an increasingly familiar world in completely new ways. No reliance on hackneyed devices or endless battles. Masterful storytelling from an excellent lady.
#93: 'Small Gods' by Terry Pratchett
Pratchett at his prime. The usual wit and humour, with an incisive plot exploring how the values a religion is built on can be lost as belief shifts to the structure rather than the scripture.
Pratchett at his prime. The usual wit and humour, with an incisive plot exploring how the values a religion is built on can be lost as belief shifts to the structure rather than the scripture.
#94: @parisreview issue 236
Highlights:
- Kwame Anthony Appiah's interview
- 'The Little Widow from the Capital' by Yohanca Delgado is haunting and excellent
- @my6687's paintings are really fun to look at
- tons of good lines and thoughts from stories, poems & conversations
Highlights:
- Kwame Anthony Appiah's interview
- 'The Little Widow from the Capital' by Yohanca Delgado is haunting and excellent
- @my6687's paintings are really fun to look at
- tons of good lines and thoughts from stories, poems & conversations
#95: 'Eunoia' by @christianbok
Sometimes a human invests inordinate time and effort into something unfathomably difficult, the completion of which, while technically unnecessary, makes humanity as a whole that little bit more accomplished.
This book is one of those times 👏👏👏
Sometimes a human invests inordinate time and effort into something unfathomably difficult, the completion of which, while technically unnecessary, makes humanity as a whole that little bit more accomplished.
This book is one of those times 👏👏👏
#96: 'My Life' by @WillieNelson
Drank a few whiskies, put his whistle-stop history of country on my headphones, and had a great evening blasting through this book.
The man is a legend, despite being promiscuous with women in his youth and with album releases more recently.
Drank a few whiskies, put his whistle-stop history of country on my headphones, and had a great evening blasting through this book.
The man is a legend, despite being promiscuous with women in his youth and with album releases more recently.
#97: 'Where the Crawdads Sing' by Delia Owens
Actually finished this on 2/6, forgot to tweet it 🤦♂️
Half incredibly beautiful description of an unfamiliar part of nature, half page-turner whodunnit. Compelling, but the dialogue and development felt a little forced at times.
Actually finished this on 2/6, forgot to tweet it 🤦♂️
Half incredibly beautiful description of an unfamiliar part of nature, half page-turner whodunnit. Compelling, but the dialogue and development felt a little forced at times.
#98: 'A Personal Matter' by Kenzaburō Ōe
Raw, visceral account of a grief-filled descent into despair, featuring the best descriptions of people I've read in a long time -
"hairy porkchops of a man"
"world's most forlorn vantriloquist"
of his stepmother: "this radium spook"
Raw, visceral account of a grief-filled descent into despair, featuring the best descriptions of people I've read in a long time -
"hairy porkchops of a man"
"world's most forlorn vantriloquist"
of his stepmother: "this radium spook"
#99: 'This is Going to Hurt' by @amateuradam
Treads an incredibly fine line between horrific and hilarious, to the point where you're in both head spaces simultaneously and find yourself laughing at things that really aren't funny.
Best though is his celebration of the NHS ❤️
Treads an incredibly fine line between horrific and hilarious, to the point where you're in both head spaces simultaneously and find yourself laughing at things that really aren't funny.
Best though is his celebration of the NHS ❤️
#100: 'The Remains of the Day' by Kazuo Ishiguro
So different to what I expected.
A meticulous and perfectly presented study of the people who serve the landed gentry and the sacrifices they have to make. Although just like the main character Mr Stevens, a little stifling.
So different to what I expected.
A meticulous and perfectly presented study of the people who serve the landed gentry and the sacrifices they have to make. Although just like the main character Mr Stevens, a little stifling.
#101: 'The Stone Face' by William Gardner Smith
A powerful reminder that hate and discrimination exist whether or not you're victim to them, and an exploration of the line between complacency and complicity.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/41…
@nyrbclassics Jul 21
A powerful reminder that hate and discrimination exist whether or not you're victim to them, and an exploration of the line between complacency and complicity.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/41…
@nyrbclassics Jul 21
#102: 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation' by Ottessa Moshfegh
Well written but the relentless fug of prescription drugs, 90s films and Whoopi Goldberg stifles the story underneath.
Hit its stride in the last 30 or so pages but it was too little too late to save it for me, sadly.
Well written but the relentless fug of prescription drugs, 90s films and Whoopi Goldberg stifles the story underneath.
Hit its stride in the last 30 or so pages but it was too little too late to save it for me, sadly.
#103: 'Kitchen Confidential' by Anthony @Bourdain
I love how cooking attracts the most rough and ready, fractious people and channels that energy into the creation of beauty. This book distills down this entire, incomprehensible dichotomy.
His untimely death was a tragedy. RIP.
I love how cooking attracts the most rough and ready, fractious people and channels that energy into the creation of beauty. This book distills down this entire, incomprehensible dichotomy.
His untimely death was a tragedy. RIP.
#104: 'The Dead Girls' Class Trip' by Anna Seghers
Some stories, five stars. Deep contemplations on the interplay between fascism, society, and individuality. As a compilation? A little too starchy for my liking.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/40…
@nyrbclassics Jun 21
Some stories, five stars. Deep contemplations on the interplay between fascism, society, and individuality. As a compilation? A little too starchy for my liking.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/40…
@nyrbclassics Jun 21
#105: 'The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
A weird story of humanity told by Death, with a jaunty & disruptive narrative style you'd expect from a being whose understanding of humanity is based on detached observation, mainly of tragedy & horror.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/35…
A weird story of humanity told by Death, with a jaunty & disruptive narrative style you'd expect from a being whose understanding of humanity is based on detached observation, mainly of tragedy & horror.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/35…
#106: 'A Savage War of Peace' by Alistair Horne
Such a thorough analysis of the broadly horrible war of independence, where the actions of both sides forced ever-bigger wedges until extremism and violent separation triumphed over any hope of diplomacy and peaceful coexistence.
Such a thorough analysis of the broadly horrible war of independence, where the actions of both sides forced ever-bigger wedges until extremism and violent separation triumphed over any hope of diplomacy and peaceful coexistence.
#107: 'I'm Not Myself These Days' by @joshkp
An incredible memoir that reveals the commonalities between lives separated by chasms of debauchery.
I had to remind myself often that this was non-fiction because it is so wild. Excellently written, deeply enjoyable.
An incredible memoir that reveals the commonalities between lives separated by chasms of debauchery.
I had to remind myself often that this was non-fiction because it is so wild. Excellently written, deeply enjoyable.
#108: 'The Gran Tour' by @benaitken85
Some holidays you relax and switch off, others you observe, consider, and maybe refine your way of seeing the world a little bit.
This soul-searching book does the latter, with the company and wisdom of elder generations as the catalyst.
Some holidays you relax and switch off, others you observe, consider, and maybe refine your way of seeing the world a little bit.
This soul-searching book does the latter, with the company and wisdom of elder generations as the catalyst.
#109: 'The Foundation Pit' by Andrei Platonov
Hard reading, cryptic, but a great insight into the mundane brutality and contradictory optimism of the early Soviet Union.
The afterword and notes in the @nyrbclassics edition lend a lot of context that improves the experience.
Hard reading, cryptic, but a great insight into the mundane brutality and contradictory optimism of the early Soviet Union.
The afterword and notes in the @nyrbclassics edition lend a lot of context that improves the experience.
#110: 'Ready Player Two' by Ernest Cline
This got panned on release day but I found it as good as, if not slightly better than the original. A geeky sci-fi romp that is more than enjoyable if you have realistic expectations.
Here's my brief counter-pan: goodreads.com/review/show/42…
This got panned on release day but I found it as good as, if not slightly better than the original. A geeky sci-fi romp that is more than enjoyable if you have realistic expectations.
Here's my brief counter-pan: goodreads.com/review/show/42…
#111: 'Storm' by George R Stewart
A graceful meditation on the interconnectedness of nature and how humanity barely registers on the grand scales on which it operates.
A storm as protagonist makes compelling and unexpectedly educational reading, too.
@nyrbclassics Aug 21
A graceful meditation on the interconnectedness of nature and how humanity barely registers on the grand scales on which it operates.
A storm as protagonist makes compelling and unexpectedly educational reading, too.
@nyrbclassics Aug 21
#112: 'Victus' by Albert Sánchez Piñol
Who'd have thought reading about the horrors of trench warfare and the grim reality of protracted, inevitably doomed seiges would be so enjoyable!
Good, swashbuckling fun with satisfying depth and emotion 🤺
Who'd have thought reading about the horrors of trench warfare and the grim reality of protracted, inevitably doomed seiges would be so enjoyable!
Good, swashbuckling fun with satisfying depth and emotion 🤺
#113: 'Jews Don't Count' by @Baddiel
Concise, well written, important. I need to read this again to digest it a bit better.
Concise, well written, important. I need to read this again to digest it a bit better.
114: Kapo by Aleksandar Tišma
If you want that boot-stamping-on-a-face feeling from your reading, this litany of atrocities committed by Nazis in camps and by a Kapo against inmates sits comfortably alongside 1984, Requiem for a Dream & other such classics.
@nyrbclassics Sep21
If you want that boot-stamping-on-a-face feeling from your reading, this litany of atrocities committed by Nazis in camps and by a Kapo against inmates sits comfortably alongside 1984, Requiem for a Dream & other such classics.
@nyrbclassics Sep21
115: No. 91/92: Notes on a Parisian Commute by @LaurenElkin
It's incredible how much heart and humanity a book can convey when you strip back the conventional layers like prose and plot.
This snapshot of Paris is far more powerful for being expressed in note form.
It's incredible how much heart and humanity a book can convey when you strip back the conventional layers like prose and plot.
This snapshot of Paris is far more powerful for being expressed in note form.
116: Divorcing by Susan Taubes
Sad, complex. Like a free jazz piece alternating between dissonance and clarity. Part fever dream; part showcase of misogyny; part articulate cry for help through the guise of a not-so-subtly fictionalised version of herself.
@nyrbclassics
Sad, complex. Like a free jazz piece alternating between dissonance and clarity. Part fever dream; part showcase of misogyny; part articulate cry for help through the guise of a not-so-subtly fictionalised version of herself.
@nyrbclassics
117: The Open Road by Jean Giono
A delight. A perfect example of one of my fave subgenres: books where walkers intersperse tales of vagabondry with deep observations about beauty & humanity.
@nyrbclassics Oct21, and my fave so far.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/43…
A delight. A perfect example of one of my fave subgenres: books where walkers intersperse tales of vagabondry with deep observations about beauty & humanity.
@nyrbclassics Oct21, and my fave so far.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/43…
118: Men Explain Things To Me by Rebecca Solnit
Every man should read this. I'm going to read it again before I comment.
Every man should read this. I'm going to read it again before I comment.
119 : The Peregrine by J. A. Baker
What to say? Initially I gave up on this, but tried again after finding a battered, sun-bleached copy on an airbnb bookshelf. Turns out to be one of the most beautiful, compelling pieces of nature writing I've ever read.
What to say? Initially I gave up on this, but tried again after finding a battered, sun-bleached copy on an airbnb bookshelf. Turns out to be one of the most beautiful, compelling pieces of nature writing I've ever read.
120: American Dirt by @jeaninecummins
Look past the appropriation debate & this gripping, urgent novel is a thrill to read. Even if the 8 y/o is too savant & the final plot resolution could be fleshed out a bit.
Shines a light on an issue WEIRDs can too easily ignore.
Look past the appropriation debate & this gripping, urgent novel is a thrill to read. Even if the 8 y/o is too savant & the final plot resolution could be fleshed out a bit.
Shines a light on an issue WEIRDs can too easily ignore.
121: Generations: A Memoir by Lucille Clifton
A concise but impressively vivid tracing of the intermingled threads of generations and the lives within them. The prose feels almost spoken, as if Clifton were there with you, recalling the stories.
@nyrbclassics Nov21
A concise but impressively vivid tracing of the intermingled threads of generations and the lives within them. The prose feels almost spoken, as if Clifton were there with you, recalling the stories.
@nyrbclassics Nov21
122: Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Absolute belter.
Absolute belter.
123: Wilder Winds by @BelOlid
I've been looking for a way into short stories and this is it. In the perfect amount of words - sometimes barely a page - Bel captures some beautiful, tangible, lyrical aspect of what it means to be human. A pleasure.
Thanks for the 🎁 @FumdEstampa
I've been looking for a way into short stories and this is it. In the perfect amount of words - sometimes barely a page - Bel captures some beautiful, tangible, lyrical aspect of what it means to be human. A pleasure.
Thanks for the 🎁 @FumdEstampa
124: The Thursday Murder Club by @richardosman
I squeaked in one final book for 2021 after a relative lent it to me at Christmas, and ended up finding what might be my favourite paragraph of the year: a distilled down snapshot of the book's defining fun, wit and playfulness 👇
I squeaked in one final book for 2021 after a relative lent it to me at Christmas, and ended up finding what might be my favourite paragraph of the year: a distilled down snapshot of the book's defining fun, wit and playfulness 👇
#bestbooksof2021 is too hard. Everything I read is above ☝ so here are some random highlights:
- Signing up to @nyrbclassics and @FumdEstampa
- Javier Cercas redefining non-fiction for me
- The perfection of Cuckoo's Nest
- Finding out Pinocchio is actually a bastard
- Signing up to @nyrbclassics and @FumdEstampa
- Javier Cercas redefining non-fiction for me
- The perfection of Cuckoo's Nest
- Finding out Pinocchio is actually a bastard
- Obama's proposal in A Promised Land
- @McConaughey's naked didgeridoo police chase
- Realising my reading is too male-centric & building a reading list to change that
- Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit: just astounding. Read it
- Eunoia by @christianbok: as above
- @McConaughey's naked didgeridoo police chase
- Realising my reading is too male-centric & building a reading list to change that
- Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit: just astounding. Read it
- Eunoia by @christianbok: as above
- Drinking whiskey and blasting Willie Nelson's bio in one sitting
- @joshkp's bio for its unbelievably candid glimpse into a completely different world
- @Dauntbooks cashier recommending @LaurenElkin, buying it there and then, loving it
- @joshkp's bio for its unbelievably candid glimpse into a completely different world
- @Dauntbooks cashier recommending @LaurenElkin, buying it there and then, loving it
125: Forty Lost Years by Rosa Maria Arquimbau
Thought-provoking & haunting reflection on how the tides of history wash over us, suppressing our lives, our desires, even our ability to feel. Flourishes in the final few chapters.
Half-baked review here: goodreads.com/review/show/44…
Thought-provoking & haunting reflection on how the tides of history wash over us, suppressing our lives, our desires, even our ability to feel. Flourishes in the final few chapters.
Half-baked review here: goodreads.com/review/show/44…
126: Books v. Cigarettes by George Orwell
Me & gf both independently chose this in a trendy art gallery bookshop, luckily realised before both buying 😂
Best bits:
- Orwell's proof that reading is a cost-effective hobby
- His exploration of ideas that evolved into 1984
Me & gf both independently chose this in a trendy art gallery bookshop, luckily realised before both buying 😂
Best bits:
- Orwell's proof that reading is a cost-effective hobby
- His exploration of ideas that evolved into 1984
127: The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk
It's impossible to distill my thoughts about this rich, fascinating tome into a tweet.
Read the author's illuminating article in the @calvertjournal instead (highlights below) -
calvertjournal.com/articles/show/…
It's impossible to distill my thoughts about this rich, fascinating tome into a tweet.
Read the author's illuminating article in the @calvertjournal instead (highlights below) -
calvertjournal.com/articles/show/…
128: Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor
At a certain point in this light, zesty exploration old age and the changes it brings, you realise there aren't enough pages left for a non-heartbreaking resolution to its various plot lines 🥲
@nyrbclassics Dec '21
At a certain point in this light, zesty exploration old age and the changes it brings, you realise there aren't enough pages left for a non-heartbreaking resolution to its various plot lines 🥲
@nyrbclassics Dec '21
129: Time on Rock by @annamfleming
A profound meditation on the interaction between human and landscape, in both the viscerally intense moment and the longer, deeper historical sense. Equally illuminating and captivating in each.
A thing of beauty, congrats Anna.
A profound meditation on the interaction between human and landscape, in both the viscerally intense moment and the longer, deeper historical sense. Equally illuminating and captivating in each.
A thing of beauty, congrats Anna.
130: The Accidental Adventurer by Nahla Summers
Promoting kindness is admirable, but it feels like the author could be a little kinder to herself. Most of the book is about suffering through exhaustion, injury or some other torment while on the mission of kindness.
Promoting kindness is admirable, but it feels like the author could be a little kinder to herself. Most of the book is about suffering through exhaustion, injury or some other torment while on the mission of kindness.
131: Ten Things About Writing by @Joannechocolat
I've had this on my Kindle for ages, finally started reading it during one of many #StormEunice delays. Very glad I did! Excellent and encouraging words by a wise and articulate lady.
Follow her #TenThingsAboutWriting hashtag 👍
I've had this on my Kindle for ages, finally started reading it during one of many #StormEunice delays. Very glad I did! Excellent and encouraging words by a wise and articulate lady.
Follow her #TenThingsAboutWriting hashtag 👍
132: Chocolat by @Joannechocolat
Mum had this on her bookshelf for years and I always passed it by when I pilfered her books. Glad to have finally read it. Sumptuous and layered, just like a luxurious chocolate 😁
Mum had this on her bookshelf for years and I always passed it by when I pilfered her books. Glad to have finally read it. Sumptuous and layered, just like a luxurious chocolate 😁
133: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
An abhorrent subject matter described with chilling precision and beautiful, almost playful prose. A challenging, unsettling classic.
An abhorrent subject matter described with chilling precision and beautiful, almost playful prose. A challenging, unsettling classic.
134: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
Well worth the quid I paid at a random bric-a-brac shop in Liverpool. Perfect length for the train ride home. Short, tense, and enjoyable.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/45…
Well worth the quid I paid at a random bric-a-brac shop in Liverpool. Perfect length for the train ride home. Short, tense, and enjoyable.
Full review: goodreads.com/review/show/45…
135: Jakob's Colours by @Lindsayhawdon
Multiple threads and timeframes overwhelm at times, but they come together so deftly (and heartbreakingly) at the end.
Somehow though, amongst war, upheaval, trauma, abusive mental healthcare and genocide, there manages to be beauty.
Multiple threads and timeframes overwhelm at times, but they come together so deftly (and heartbreakingly) at the end.
Somehow though, amongst war, upheaval, trauma, abusive mental healthcare and genocide, there manages to be beauty.
136: The Silentiary by Antonio Di Benedetto
A man is driven slowly over the edge by the incessant noise of modern life that we somehow learn to live with.
Small detail, but I really liked the way Di Benetto describes, almost personifies weather.
@nyrbclassics Jan 22
A man is driven slowly over the edge by the incessant noise of modern life that we somehow learn to live with.
Small detail, but I really liked the way Di Benetto describes, almost personifies weather.
@nyrbclassics Jan 22
137: Woman Running in the Mountains by Yuko Tsushima
I loved this because it pulled me completely into a story that, in the first few pages, seemed so far removed from my usual reading that I couldn't imagine enjoying it.
Review: goodreads.com/review/show/46…
@nyrbclassics Feb 22
I loved this because it pulled me completely into a story that, in the first few pages, seemed so far removed from my usual reading that I couldn't imagine enjoying it.
Review: goodreads.com/review/show/46…
@nyrbclassics Feb 22
138: The Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa
There's so much here and most of it is horrible. The terror of a dictator, the vicious reprisals for his assassination including brutal and depraved torture.
A reminder against complacency in the face of autocratic politics.
There's so much here and most of it is horrible. The terror of a dictator, the vicious reprisals for his assassination including brutal and depraved torture.
A reminder against complacency in the face of autocratic politics.
139: @parisreview issue 237
I'm a bit behind, this was the summer 2021 issue 😅
Highlights:
- stories by Camille Bordas, Adania Shibli, Joy Katz
- the interviews with Roz Chast and Arundhati Roy, the latter especially has some great nuggets about writing
- George Bradley's poem
I'm a bit behind, this was the summer 2021 issue 😅
Highlights:
- stories by Camille Bordas, Adania Shibli, Joy Katz
- the interviews with Roz Chast and Arundhati Roy, the latter especially has some great nuggets about writing
- George Bradley's poem
140: Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
This was a delight after two bloated Murakami novels (books #43 and 72 in this thread).
A fun, playful and ethereal short story, beautifully made and with a nice bleak chaser. Not a single mention of breasts or earlobes, either.
This was a delight after two bloated Murakami novels (books #43 and 72 in this thread).
A fun, playful and ethereal short story, beautifully made and with a nice bleak chaser. Not a single mention of breasts or earlobes, either.
141: The Seven Deadly Sins by @rgsait, @JordiGraupera, @OPonsatiMurla, @mporrasmarti, @AdriPujol, @annapunsoda & Oriol Quintana
Via @FumdEstampa
Thoughts below 👇 because listing all the contributors has used all of my tweet word count.
goodreads.com/review/show/46…
Via @FumdEstampa
Thoughts below 👇 because listing all the contributors has used all of my tweet word count.
goodreads.com/review/show/46…
142: Flâneuse by @LaurenElkin
My thoughts are too jumbled to fit into a tweet, so here's a mini-review of this gem.
goodreads.com/review/show/42…
My thoughts are too jumbled to fit into a tweet, so here's a mini-review of this gem.
goodreads.com/review/show/42…
143: @parisreview issue 238
This was really enjoyable. The contents are so varied, but you see these little ideas or themes pop up between them and it's really satisfying. You can feel the love and care that went into putting this issue together.
This was really enjoyable. The contents are so varied, but you see these little ideas or themes pop up between them and it's really satisfying. You can feel the love and care that went into putting this issue together.
144: The Others by Raül Garrigasait (@rgsait)
An excellent little novel, articulate and packed with far more to think about than its ample page count would suggest. Via @FumdEstampa.
Review here: goodreads.com/review/show/46…
An excellent little novel, articulate and packed with far more to think about than its ample page count would suggest. Via @FumdEstampa.
Review here: goodreads.com/review/show/46…
145: Don't Boil the Canary by Ted Simon (@Jupitalia)
More than anything, a testimony of a life lived primarily in pursuit of fulfilling things, rather than for money or prestige (and if the latter follows the former, all the better).
More thoughts here: goodreads.com/review/show/44…
More than anything, a testimony of a life lived primarily in pursuit of fulfilling things, rather than for money or prestige (and if the latter follows the former, all the better).
More thoughts here: goodreads.com/review/show/44…
146: Revolutionary Ride by @LoisPryce
🇬🇧 was instrumental in toppling 🇮🇷's democratically elected Prime Minister, bc of oil. A fact we conveniently forget when we lament 🇮🇷's current regime.
Words like Lois' are crucial in giving a fairer picture of this beautiful country.
🇬🇧 was instrumental in toppling 🇮🇷's democratically elected Prime Minister, bc of oil. A fact we conveniently forget when we lament 🇮🇷's current regime.
Words like Lois' are crucial in giving a fairer picture of this beautiful country.
147: The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown
This is a great, grownup fairytale. Mature but not smutty, heartfelt but not preachy in its morality, and good fun. It's a shame it is (was?) out of print because I think a lot of people would appreciate this.
This is a great, grownup fairytale. Mature but not smutty, heartfelt but not preachy in its morality, and good fun. It's a shame it is (was?) out of print because I think a lot of people would appreciate this.
148: The Song of Youth by Montserrat Roig
This was great. Eight short stories, each based on a snippet of a poem. All excellent, all beautiful.
Reviews here say it better than I can: fumdestampa.com/shop/p/the-son…
Everything I've read so far from @FumdEstampa has been top notch 🥂
This was great. Eight short stories, each based on a snippet of a poem. All excellent, all beautiful.
Reviews here say it better than I can: fumdestampa.com/shop/p/the-son…
Everything I've read so far from @FumdEstampa has been top notch 🥂
149: One Thousand and One Nights by Hanan Al-Shaykh
If I were king Shahryar I'm not sure Shahrazad wouldn't survived 1001 nights.
If I were king Shahryar I'm not sure Shahrazad wouldn't survived 1001 nights.
150: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
This is the literary equivalent of Marmite and I still can't quite decide what I think.
Review here in the next day or so: goodreads.com/review/show/46…
This is the literary equivalent of Marmite and I still can't quite decide what I think.
Review here in the next day or so: goodreads.com/review/show/46…
151: Elena Knows by @claudiapineiro
Thrusts you into 3 lives defined by struggle and invites you to empathise, or at least to consider from a perspective it's all too easy to dismiss.
In 143 brief pages Piñeiro asks powerful qs about intent, identity, grief, conviction, dogma.
Thrusts you into 3 lives defined by struggle and invites you to empathise, or at least to consider from a perspective it's all too easy to dismiss.
In 143 brief pages Piñeiro asks powerful qs about intent, identity, grief, conviction, dogma.
152: The Boy in the Field by @MargotLivesey
This kept growing on me as it went on. A family of people each trying to figure something out.
I love how the acknowledgements chart the gradual accumulation of ideas that become a book, too. Especially the last sentence in the pic.
This kept growing on me as it went on. A family of people each trying to figure something out.
I love how the acknowledgements chart the gradual accumulation of ideas that become a book, too. Especially the last sentence in the pic.
153: American Fascism by @BrynnTannehill
America seems set to join countries (Russia, Hungary etc) where an ideological minority rule through a system that's a democracy in name only, hollowed out by the feedback loop below.
Biden is a pause, not a change in direction.
America seems set to join countries (Russia, Hungary etc) where an ideological minority rule through a system that's a democracy in name only, hollowed out by the feedback loop below.
Biden is a pause, not a change in direction.
154: Flickerbook by Leila Berg
First person past tense vignettes by childhood iterations of herself - rather than a past tense reflection by the adult author - give unique perspective on how knowledge and worldview evolve.
Never read a memoir quite like it.
Via @CBeditions
First person past tense vignettes by childhood iterations of herself - rather than a past tense reflection by the adult author - give unique perspective on how knowledge and worldview evolve.
Never read a memoir quite like it.
Via @CBeditions
155: Look Here by @anakinsella
A different ratio b/w observation and introspection to what I expected, but a lovely ode to how people exist in cities and allow cities to exist.
A reminder of the endless things to see in a city, too. Especially in London ❤️
Via @DauntBooksPub
A different ratio b/w observation and introspection to what I expected, but a lovely ode to how people exist in cities and allow cities to exist.
A reminder of the endless things to see in a city, too. Especially in London ❤️
Via @DauntBooksPub
156: Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher
It was all going fine until she slagged off Star Wars at the end.
It was all going fine until she slagged off Star Wars at the end.
157: Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski
Anger, fights, corporal punishment, mass unemployment, sexual predators, alcoholism, gambling, racism, violence.
Growing up in 1930s America sounds really shit.
Anger, fights, corporal punishment, mass unemployment, sexual predators, alcoholism, gambling, racism, violence.
Growing up in 1930s America sounds really shit.
158: Teenagers by @Bud_Smith
First read Bud in @parisreview. His writing style is fresh and exciting and captivating, and this book was a pleasure. Great story, lovely prose, cool illustrations.
Felt like reading a movie.
First read Bud in @parisreview. His writing style is fresh and exciting and captivating, and this book was a pleasure. Great story, lovely prose, cool illustrations.
Felt like reading a movie.
159: The Third Policeman by Flann O'brien
I really loved this. So surreal, with occasional streaks of real joyous observation (sometimes about bicycles and cycling). I've never read anything quite like it but I want to read more.
Especially involving De Selby.
I really loved this. So surreal, with occasional streaks of real joyous observation (sometimes about bicycles and cycling). I've never read anything quite like it but I want to read more.
Especially involving De Selby.
160: We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
Great, haunting, tragically more topical now than ever. Shriver sprinkles enough clues and distractions throughout that you can never quite decide how to apportion blame for the inevitable tragedy.
Great, haunting, tragically more topical now than ever. Shriver sprinkles enough clues and distractions throughout that you can never quite decide how to apportion blame for the inevitable tragedy.
161: Tokyo Fiancée by @amelie_nothomb 🇧🇪
Very quickly turned from a chore into a funny, observant, whistle-stop tour of life as an expat in Tokyo, through the lens of dating a native.
Cool twist on a favourite yet rarely-read subgenre of mine.
Very quickly turned from a chore into a funny, observant, whistle-stop tour of life as an expat in Tokyo, through the lens of dating a native.
Cool twist on a favourite yet rarely-read subgenre of mine.
162: Indiana by George Sand 🇫🇷
A horny socialite, a brute and a creep acting under a banner of 'chivalry' compete for the affections of a young woman, as her life is wracked by the various consequences of their interest.
When one eventually succeeds, he kills her and himself.
A horny socialite, a brute and a creep acting under a banner of 'chivalry' compete for the affections of a young woman, as her life is wracked by the various consequences of their interest.
When one eventually succeeds, he kills her and himself.
163: Fear and Trembling by @amelie_nothomb 🇩🇪
A classic tale of a gaijin being ground up and spat out by Japan's relentless corporate machine.
A classic tale of a gaijin being ground up and spat out by Japan's relentless corporate machine.
164: The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank 🇳🇱
Despite her wisdom and its indisputable value as historic testimony, it never stops feeling weird reading a teenage girl's diary.
Also, fuck the nazis and their supporters - then, now, and always.
Despite her wisdom and its indisputable value as historic testimony, it never stops feeling weird reading a teenage girl's diary.
Also, fuck the nazis and their supporters - then, now, and always.
165: The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
I didn't expect a weaponised flock of flaming sheep to feature in the penultimate chapter, but after the warped and wild journey to get there, their appearance didn't surprise me at all.
I didn't expect a weaponised flock of flaming sheep to feature in the penultimate chapter, but after the warped and wild journey to get there, their appearance didn't surprise me at all.
166: HIGH FIVE! by various (see pic) 🇱🇺
A lively anthology of poems and short stories by five women from / with strong links to Luxembourg. Thoroughly enjoyed.
From @FountainBlack
A lively anthology of poems and short stories by five women from / with strong links to Luxembourg. Thoroughly enjoyed.
From @FountainBlack
167: Brilliant Corners by @NuzhatBukhari7
Incisive, compelling, proficient. More thoughts here: goodreads.com/review/show/47…
via @CBeditions
Incisive, compelling, proficient. More thoughts here: goodreads.com/review/show/47…
via @CBeditions
168: Sovetica by @CClarkLewes
This is fantastic. Short poem-stories and photographs bring briefly and richly to life a bygone time and place; one which, growing up in the west, we never got a fair chance to see.
via @CBeditions
This is fantastic. Short poem-stories and photographs bring briefly and richly to life a bygone time and place; one which, growing up in the west, we never got a fair chance to see.
via @CBeditions
169: Love is a Dog From Hell by Charles Bukowski
A tide of gritty, vulgar, shameless honesty laced with moments of piercing beauty.
A tide of gritty, vulgar, shameless honesty laced with moments of piercing beauty.
170: Gold by Rumi, trans. Haleh Liza Gafori
A rich expression of life and its pursuits of love and ecstacy. The story of Rumi & Shams is interesting, and some of these verses make ambiguous the nature of the bond (the love?) they shared.
@nyrbclassics Mar 22 (playing catchup!)
A rich expression of life and its pursuits of love and ecstacy. The story of Rumi & Shams is interesting, and some of these verses make ambiguous the nature of the bond (the love?) they shared.
@nyrbclassics Mar 22 (playing catchup!)
171: Out of Africa by Karen Blixen 🇩🇰
Colonialism sucks. But Blixen's account of life in 'British East Africa' (now Kenya) is respectful, insightful and fascinating. V different to other, probably far more common attitudes at the time.
Worth a read: washingtonpost.com/archive/lifest…
Colonialism sucks. But Blixen's account of life in 'British East Africa' (now Kenya) is respectful, insightful and fascinating. V different to other, probably far more common attitudes at the time.
Worth a read: washingtonpost.com/archive/lifest…
172: This is the Place To Be by @larapawson
Raw and un-put-downable. This from the back cover articulates better than I can what this book is.
Raw and un-put-downable. This from the back cover articulates better than I can what this book is.
173: Life Doesn't Frighten Me
A courageous poem by Maya Angelou combines with weirdly harrowing illustrations by Jean-Michel Basquiat for a kid's book with a very distinct vibe
A courageous poem by Maya Angelou combines with weirdly harrowing illustrations by Jean-Michel Basquiat for a kid's book with a very distinct vibe
174: The House of the Spirits by @isabelallende
A vast tapestry of the history of a family and a nation, with the quotidian as richly recounted as the loves, traumas, victories and senseless brutalities.
Evokes 100 Years of Solitude in some ways, but set in 🇨🇱 instead of 🇨🇴
A vast tapestry of the history of a family and a nation, with the quotidian as richly recounted as the loves, traumas, victories and senseless brutalities.
Evokes 100 Years of Solitude in some ways, but set in 🇨🇱 instead of 🇨🇴
175: Mildew by Paulette Jonguitud
A fragmentary, hallucinatory descent into what first seems to be hypochondriac paranoia but is apparently real within the narrative. Urgent and unsettling. Brings to mind The Metamorphosis.
Via @CBeditions
A fragmentary, hallucinatory descent into what first seems to be hypochondriac paranoia but is apparently real within the narrative. Urgent and unsettling. Brings to mind The Metamorphosis.
Via @CBeditions
176: Hunting the Boar by Beverley Bie Brahic
A collection which interplays the heavy themes and the light, playful moments that make up our lives.
Review here: goodreads.com/review/show/48…
Via @CBeditions
A collection which interplays the heavy themes and the light, playful moments that make up our lives.
Review here: goodreads.com/review/show/48…
Via @CBeditions
177: Fine, Fine, Fine, Fine, Fine by Diane Williams
Very unusual. Like glimpsing into the lives of the people a novel's main character passes in the street. Different lives united by an overarching atmosphere.
Review: goodreads.com/review/show/48…
Via @CBeditions, love the cover 👌
Very unusual. Like glimpsing into the lives of the people a novel's main character passes in the street. Different lives united by an overarching atmosphere.
Review: goodreads.com/review/show/48…
Via @CBeditions, love the cover 👌
178: The Slow Road to Tehran by @reo_lowe
Top tier 🚵 adventure showcasing the humanity that abounds in places we're conditioned to be most suspicious of.
Also an exposé of 🇬🇧's role in exploiting & destabilising those very same places.
Fave line, true of the whole world 👇
Top tier 🚵 adventure showcasing the humanity that abounds in places we're conditioned to be most suspicious of.
Also an exposé of 🇬🇧's role in exploiting & destabilising those very same places.
Fave line, true of the whole world 👇
179: Rodrigo Duterte by @MillervisionTV
A very thorough (if sometimes repetitive) profile of Duterte, an archetype of the type of leader that humanity should be moving away from but which, distressingly, we seem to be moving toward.
These bits are applicable to 🇺🇸, 🇬🇧, anyone.
A very thorough (if sometimes repetitive) profile of Duterte, an archetype of the type of leader that humanity should be moving away from but which, distressingly, we seem to be moving toward.
These bits are applicable to 🇺🇸, 🇬🇧, anyone.
180: Blush by Jack Robinson & @Expurgamento
Like taking a seat in a dimly lit Fringe venue unsure what you're about to see, then watching a captivating show on a subject you've never really thought about but leave feeling intrigued by and acquainted with. Unique & unusual.
Like taking a seat in a dimly lit Fringe venue unsure what you're about to see, then watching a captivating show on a subject you've never really thought about but leave feeling intrigued by and acquainted with. Unique & unusual.
181: Guston in Time by Ross Feld
Deeply invigorating despite author, subject & genre (art criticism) being unfamiliar to me. Exactly why I joined the @nyrbclassics book club (this = May 22 selection).
Image 1 below is a proper synopsis; the others a selection of Guston's work.
Deeply invigorating despite author, subject & genre (art criticism) being unfamiliar to me. Exactly why I joined the @nyrbclassics book club (this = May 22 selection).
Image 1 below is a proper synopsis; the others a selection of Guston's work.
182: A Week at the Airport by Alain de Botton
The most meta travel book possible.
Philosophical dispatches on the meaning of travel and its role in the modern world, dispatched from solely within Heathrow Terminal 5 and its surrounding structures.
Visually beautiful.
The most meta travel book possible.
Philosophical dispatches on the meaning of travel and its role in the modern world, dispatched from solely within Heathrow Terminal 5 and its surrounding structures.
Visually beautiful.
183: Seesaw by @Carmeldo
💙 this. At one point a character spends summer in a library letting chance findings & vague connections sculpt their worldview. The book uses these interesting, unlikely analogies to continually reframe the narrative, & it's excellent.
Via @CBeditions
💙 this. At one point a character spends summer in a library letting chance findings & vague connections sculpt their worldview. The book uses these interesting, unlikely analogies to continually reframe the narrative, & it's excellent.
Via @CBeditions
184:Train of Thought by Wendy Winn
A lovely little collection observing the things that happen on train journeys.
A lovely little collection observing the things that happen on train journeys.
185: Are They Funny, Are they Dead? by Marjorie Ann Watts
A fantastic set of short stories, most of which invite a pause to think back over or to untangle some subtle ambiguity. Clever, v enjoyable.
Includes the best short story I've read in a long time 👌
Via @CBeditions
A fantastic set of short stories, most of which invite a pause to think back over or to untangle some subtle ambiguity. Clever, v enjoyable.
Includes the best short story I've read in a long time 👌
Via @CBeditions
186: The Little Book of Hugs by Kathleen Keating
Heartwarming and unexpected. The cover suggests a coffee table picture book about bears hugging, but inside you find theory on the benefits of physical contact, the nature of consent, and a surprising amount more.
Heartwarming and unexpected. The cover suggests a coffee table picture book about bears hugging, but inside you find theory on the benefits of physical contact, the nature of consent, and a surprising amount more.
187: Peter the Great's African by Alexander Pushkin
A medley of unfinished things: each intriguing enough to captivate, somehow without the whole feeling disjointed.
Great intro to Pushkin; fascinating glimpse into Russian society at a time of great flux.
@nyrbclassics Apr 22
A medley of unfinished things: each intriguing enough to captivate, somehow without the whole feeling disjointed.
Great intro to Pushkin; fascinating glimpse into Russian society at a time of great flux.
@nyrbclassics Apr 22
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