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taicantfly's reviews
7 reviews
A Jewdas Haggadah by Jewdas
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Thank you Jewdas for keeping me sane. Baruch hashem, happy Pesach.
How to Spot a Fascist by Umberto Eco, Richard Dixon, Alastair McEwen
informative
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Really weird. Starts off well and poignantly, characterising fascism fairly explicitly. Continues to a slightly meandering and off-topic discussion of noise and media over-saturation as a form of political control (which has its gems but at one point he complains about people with iPods and having TVs at restaurants - what??), then ends on a discussion of the European cultural identity which felt like it was saying absolutely nothing. This is the first Eco I've read, so I won't judge the guy at pointblank on a 50-page essay, but I can't say I loved it.
Also, what the fuck was that about Romanians?
Also, what the fuck was that about Romanians?
Blindness by José Saramago
One of my favourite books of all time. Deserves every piece of praise it gets.
Rarely does a book evoke such strong emotions of genuine empathy and willingness to change. The society in Blindness breaks down so completely and so swiftly that all that our characters are left with are the most fundamental and necessary of human traits. It shows that, in the end, it all boils down to love - the love the doctor's wife has for her husband, the love the woman with the dark shades has for the child, the love the man with the eyepatch has for her. Through so much pain and dehumanisation our community unites us, and when you strip away all the unnecessary vices and distractions, it is love that keeos us going. It was love and it always has been. This book makes me want to be a better version of myself.
In contrast to love, the other main thematic portrayal is the nature of violence. The violence of soldier against inmate stems from fear of blindness. The violence of inmate against inmate stems from fear that this delivery of food may be the last, and the knowledge that if the other wing eats you might not. These roots of violence gnaw at the hearts of those they occupy, and it grows a mind of its own - massacres, sexual violence.
In the end, Blindness' themes are simple. Love and violence, violence and love. But what makes it such a beautiful book is that it shows you that everything is just love and violence, violence and love.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Rarely does a book evoke such strong emotions of genuine empathy and willingness to change. The society in Blindness breaks down so completely and so swiftly that all that our characters are left with are the most fundamental and necessary of human traits. It shows that, in the end, it all boils down to love - the love the doctor's wife has for her husband, the love the woman with the dark shades has for the child, the love the man with the eyepatch has for her. Through so much pain and dehumanisation our community unites us, and when you strip away all the unnecessary vices and distractions, it is love that keeos us going. It was love and it always has been. This book makes me want to be a better version of myself.
In contrast to love, the other main thematic portrayal is the nature of violence. The violence of soldier against inmate stems from fear of blindness. The violence of inmate against inmate stems from fear that this delivery of food may be the last, and the knowledge that if the other wing eats you might not. These roots of violence gnaw at the hearts of those they occupy, and it grows a mind of its own - massacres, sexual violence.
In the end, Blindness' themes are simple. Love and violence, violence and love. But what makes it such a beautiful book is that it shows you that everything is just love and violence, violence and love.
A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.
Bizarre emotional rollercoaster of a book.
Funny and witty near the start, a well constructed and immersive setting used as a musing on religion's place in humanity's lives, culture and knowledge. Francis' encounter with the Old Jew was an excellent hook in and I found myself reading more in my first sitting than I could remember having done in weeks. I thought it'd be this strange almost anthropological adventure and then an unseen, unnamed barbarian shoots our protagonist through the eyes and I realise the book is split into thirds. My mouth was fully open and I decided I'd put the book down before continuing.
The middle third was my least favourite. At times I was disengaged with the politics and although the "war is inevitable so long as autocracy prevails" message was both biting and well delivered, it felt like a lot of time was wasted. I enjoyed the back-and-forth between Dom Paulo and Thaddeus and found that it left me wondering (as all good scifi should) about the role of religious institutions throughout history as catalysts of science. Overall solid, but lacklustre compared to how good the other parts were.
The ending, especially the last 20 pages, was heartwrenching and bitterly cynical. Doctor Cors and Zarchi were probably my favourite characters in the book (I think Zarchi was entirely in the wrong throughout the entire act but he was written too well to ignore) and the penultimate chapter created in me such a profound and fearful stillness I had to sit in my dim room for a minute after I'd finished to just feel it.
Zarchi's frantic realisation that only Rachel survived the blast was superb and I (despite not being religious) could so strongly feel his panic at his entire worldview crumbling in the face of the incoming nothingness as he grasps for straws of meaning (baptising Rachel, praying for the last time, coming to peace with his supressed guilt about the baby). If the whole book was as gorgeous as the ending I'd not hesitate to call it a favourite.
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Funny and witty near the start, a well constructed and immersive setting used as a musing on religion's place in humanity's lives, culture and knowledge. Francis' encounter with the Old Jew was an excellent hook in and I found myself reading more in my first sitting than I could remember having done in weeks. I thought it'd be this strange almost anthropological adventure and then an unseen, unnamed barbarian shoots our protagonist through the eyes and I realise the book is split into thirds. My mouth was fully open and I decided I'd put the book down before continuing.
The middle third was my least favourite. At times I was disengaged with the politics and although the "war is inevitable so long as autocracy prevails" message was both biting and well delivered, it felt like a lot of time was wasted. I enjoyed the back-and-forth between Dom Paulo and Thaddeus and found that it left me wondering (as all good scifi should) about the role of religious institutions throughout history as catalysts of science. Overall solid, but lacklustre compared to how good the other parts were.
The ending, especially the last 20 pages, was heartwrenching and bitterly cynical. Doctor Cors and Zarchi were probably my favourite characters in the book (I think Zarchi was entirely in the wrong throughout the entire act but he was written too well to ignore) and the penultimate chapter created in me such a profound and fearful stillness I had to sit in my dim room for a minute after I'd finished to just feel it.
Zarchi's frantic realisation that only Rachel survived the blast was superb and I (despite not being religious) could so strongly feel his panic at his entire worldview crumbling in the face of the incoming nothingness as he grasps for straws of meaning (baptising Rachel, praying for the last time, coming to peace with his supressed guilt about the baby). If the whole book was as gorgeous as the ending I'd not hesitate to call it a favourite.
The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Wonderful and powerful and short. I love Ursula LeGuin beyond words.
Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
2.75
Oscillates between great and disappointing. Some chapters are filled with descriptions of empirical findings and their implications (which I loved as someone who wants to learn more about physics) and the possibilities of physics. Some are more general discussions of Hawking's opinions on bioengineering and AI and a Mars mission, which are definitely good if you're looking to get into the dialogue on those topics but they're a bit dilute. He ends up repeating himself a lot which is good if you want to read the questions as standalones but really annoying if you are going cover to cover.
Would hugely recommend the first two chapters but the rest didn't do it for me. I see the value in having this kind of pop science especially from a mind like Hawking but it didn't feel as special as it could've been.
Would hugely recommend the first two chapters but the rest didn't do it for me. I see the value in having this kind of pop science especially from a mind like Hawking but it didn't feel as special as it could've been.
Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy
"Two years ago we pulled out from Griffin for a last hunt. We ransacked the country. Six weeks. Finally found a herd of eight animals and we killed them and come in. They're gone. Ever one of them that God ever made is gone as if they'd never been at all."
A heartbreaking book about the violence and wretchedness that went into building the American southwest. From the infamous monologue (that which exists without my knowledge...) to the Judge scappling away ancient paintings to the seemingly random genocide of whole tribes and their traditions, this book will desensitize you with its overwhelming and needless violence and cruelty and then it will be swept under the rug as the bones of vultures in the desert.
In the end the Judge asks if there were any witnesses to what had been. If apart from him and the Kid anyone had known or seen Glanton, the Jacksons, Toadvine, Bathcat, Tobin, Tate, Shelby. As he pulls the kid into the outhouse, we now know that all of that is lost to the arrow of time and no matter what, as says the Judge:
"Men's memories are uncertain and the past that was differs from the past that was not."
Judge Holden is the centrepiece around which the violence unfolds, a near-omniscient possibly-immortal god (or at least prophet) of war. Shocking character and completely unimitable.
This was the first McCarthy book I read and I was by no means disappointed. A flawless, soul-crushing and very difficult read which I would not recommend to anyone struggling with misanthropic thoughts.
I will be seeing a 7 foot tall bald albino in my nightmares for the rest of my life.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A heartbreaking book about the violence and wretchedness that went into building the American southwest. From the infamous monologue (that which exists without my knowledge...) to the Judge scappling away ancient paintings to the seemingly random genocide of whole tribes and their traditions, this book will desensitize you with its overwhelming and needless violence and cruelty and then it will be swept under the rug as the bones of vultures in the desert.
In the end the Judge asks if there were any witnesses to what had been. If apart from him and the Kid anyone had known or seen Glanton, the Jacksons, Toadvine, Bathcat, Tobin, Tate, Shelby. As he pulls the kid into the outhouse, we now know that all of that is lost to the arrow of time and no matter what, as says the Judge:
"Men's memories are uncertain and the past that was differs from the past that was not."
Judge Holden is the centrepiece around which the violence unfolds, a near-omniscient possibly-immortal god (or at least prophet) of war. Shocking character and completely unimitable.
This was the first McCarthy book I read and I was by no means disappointed. A flawless, soul-crushing and very difficult read which I would not recommend to anyone struggling with misanthropic thoughts.
I will be seeing a 7 foot tall bald albino in my nightmares for the rest of my life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cultural appropriation, Slavery, Blood, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Animal death, Classism, Colonisation, Racism, Sexual content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Animal cruelty, Excrement, Genocide, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, War, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Murder, and Pedophilia
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