What are you reading the week of January 21, 2017?
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1fredbacon
The brothers Arkady Strugatsky (28 August 1925 – 12 October 1991) and Boris Strugatsky (14 April 1933 – 19 November 2012) were Soviet-Russian science fiction authors who collaborated through most of their careers.
The Strugatsky brothers were born to Natan Strugatsky, an art critic, and his wife, a teacher. Their father was Jewish and their mother was Russian Orthodox. Their early work was influenced by Ivan Yefremov and Stanisław Lem. Later they went on to develop their own, unique style of science fiction writing that emerged from the period of Soviet rationalism in Soviet literature and evolved into novels interpreted as works of social criticism.
Their best-known novel, Roadside Picnic, Roadside Picnic is a work of fiction based on the aftermath of an extraterrestrial event (called the Visitation) that simultaneously took place in half a dozen separate locations around Earth for a two-day period. Neither the Visitors themselves nor their means of arrival or departure were ever seen by the local population who lived inside the relatively small (a few square kilometers) area of each of the six Visitation Zones. Such zones exhibit strange and dangerous phenomena not understood by humans, and contain artifacts with inexplicable, seemingly supernatural properties. It was adapted for the screen by Andrei Tarkovsky as Stalker (1979).
Several other of their fiction works were translated into English, German, French, and Italian but did not receive the same magnitude of critical acclaim granted them by their Russian audiences. The Strugatsky brothers, however, were and still are popular in many countries, including Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, the former republics of Yugoslavia, and Germany, where most of their works were available in both East and West Germany. Nowadays, they are arguably the best-known Russian science fiction writers, with a well-developed fan base.
Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky was born 25 August 1925 in Batumi; the family later moved to Leningrad. In January 1942, Arkady and his father left the besieged city, but Arkady was the only survivor in his train car; his father died upon reaching Vologda. Arkady was later drafted into the Soviet army; he trained first at the artillery school in Aktyubinsk and later at the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow, from which he graduated in 1949 as an interpreter of English and Japanese. He worked as a teacher and interpreter for the military until 1955. In 1955, he began working as an editor and writer. In 1958, he began collaborating with his brother Boris, a collaboration that lasted until Arkady's death on 12 October 1991.
Born 14 April 1933, Boris Natanovich Strugatsky remained in Leningrad with his mother during the siege of the city during World War II. He graduated from high school in 1950 and applied to the physics department at Leningrad State University, but studied astronomy instead. After graduating in 1955, he worked as an astronomer and computer engineer until 1966, when he became a full-time writer. He was an agnostic atheist. Boris Strugatsky died in Saint Petersburg on 19 November 2012.
Several of the Strugatsky brothers' books take place in the The World of Noon, also known unofficially as the Wanderers Universe. The name is derived from the title of one of their texts, Noon: 22nd Century. Noon: 22nd Century is a 1961 science fiction book by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, expanded in 1962 and further in 1967, translated into English in 1978. It is sometimes considered an episodic novel, collection of linked short stories or a fix-up as some parts had been published previously as independent short stories. It relates several stories of the 22nd century, while providing the background "feel" for the style of life which gave birth to the Noon Universe.
The main characteristics of the Noon Universe are: a very high level of social, scientific, and technological development; the creativity of the general population; and the very significant level of societal maturity compared to the modern world. For instance, this world knows no monetary stimulation (indeed, money does not exist), and every person is engaged in a profession that interests him or her. The Earth of the Noon Universe is governed by a global meritocratic council composed of the world's leading scientists and philosophers. That Noon World has been clearly named as "World of Communism" in their novels, which was handy for publishing their novels in the USSR, where the Communist Party decided whether a book would be printed and approved for mass circulation.
The Noon Universe was described by the authors as the world in which they would like to live and work. It became highly influential for at least a generation of Soviet people, e.g., a person could quote the Strugatsky books and be sure of being understood. At first the authors thought the Noon Universe would become reality "by itself", but then they realized that the only way to achieve it was by inventing the High Theory of Upbringing, making the upbringing of each person a unique deed.
One of the important story arcs of those books addresses how the advanced human civilization covertly steers the development of those considered less advanced. Agents of humans are known as Progressors. At the same time, some humans suspect that a very advanced spacefaring race called Wanderers exists and is "progressing" humanity itself.
Monday Begins on Saturday is a 1965 science fiction/science fantasy novel set in a fictional town in northern Russia, where highly classified research in magic occurs, the novel is a satire of Soviet scientific research institutes, complete with an inept administration, a dishonest, show-horse professor, and numerous equipment failures. It offers an idealistic view of the scientific work ethic, as reflected in the title which suggests that the scientists' weekends are nonexistent.
The "Scientific Research Institute of Sorcery and Wizardry," located in the fictional Northern Russian town of Solovets, is portrayed as a place where everyone must work hard willingly, or else their loss of honesty is symbolized by hair growing from their ears. These hairy-eared people are viewed with disdain, but, in a turn symbolic of Soviet times, many of them stay in the institute because it provides them with a comfortable living no matter what.
The Doomed City is set in a mysterious world where enigmatic Mentors run a sociological experiment. The mentors gathered volunteers from Earth from various places and times: from Germany of the 1940s, the USA of the 1960s, Sweden of the 1970s, etc. The volunteers do not know the goals or conditions of the experiment. In spite of different native languages the people can effortlessly communicate with each other. Most of the people live in the City that is skirted by a swamp on one side and a desert on the other. Apparently, the experiment runs out of control, the City is shaken by a social unrest and an egalitarian system of job rotations is replaced by a dictatorship.
In 2014 a square in Saint Petersburg was named after the Strugatsky brothers. A memorial museum is being opened in the same city.
The Strugatsky brothers were born to Natan Strugatsky, an art critic, and his wife, a teacher. Their father was Jewish and their mother was Russian Orthodox. Their early work was influenced by Ivan Yefremov and Stanisław Lem. Later they went on to develop their own, unique style of science fiction writing that emerged from the period of Soviet rationalism in Soviet literature and evolved into novels interpreted as works of social criticism.
Their best-known novel, Roadside Picnic, Roadside Picnic is a work of fiction based on the aftermath of an extraterrestrial event (called the Visitation) that simultaneously took place in half a dozen separate locations around Earth for a two-day period. Neither the Visitors themselves nor their means of arrival or departure were ever seen by the local population who lived inside the relatively small (a few square kilometers) area of each of the six Visitation Zones. Such zones exhibit strange and dangerous phenomena not understood by humans, and contain artifacts with inexplicable, seemingly supernatural properties. It was adapted for the screen by Andrei Tarkovsky as Stalker (1979).
Several other of their fiction works were translated into English, German, French, and Italian but did not receive the same magnitude of critical acclaim granted them by their Russian audiences. The Strugatsky brothers, however, were and still are popular in many countries, including Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, the former republics of Yugoslavia, and Germany, where most of their works were available in both East and West Germany. Nowadays, they are arguably the best-known Russian science fiction writers, with a well-developed fan base.
Arkady Natanovich Strugatsky was born 25 August 1925 in Batumi; the family later moved to Leningrad. In January 1942, Arkady and his father left the besieged city, but Arkady was the only survivor in his train car; his father died upon reaching Vologda. Arkady was later drafted into the Soviet army; he trained first at the artillery school in Aktyubinsk and later at the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow, from which he graduated in 1949 as an interpreter of English and Japanese. He worked as a teacher and interpreter for the military until 1955. In 1955, he began working as an editor and writer. In 1958, he began collaborating with his brother Boris, a collaboration that lasted until Arkady's death on 12 October 1991.
Born 14 April 1933, Boris Natanovich Strugatsky remained in Leningrad with his mother during the siege of the city during World War II. He graduated from high school in 1950 and applied to the physics department at Leningrad State University, but studied astronomy instead. After graduating in 1955, he worked as an astronomer and computer engineer until 1966, when he became a full-time writer. He was an agnostic atheist. Boris Strugatsky died in Saint Petersburg on 19 November 2012.
Several of the Strugatsky brothers' books take place in the The World of Noon, also known unofficially as the Wanderers Universe. The name is derived from the title of one of their texts, Noon: 22nd Century. Noon: 22nd Century is a 1961 science fiction book by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, expanded in 1962 and further in 1967, translated into English in 1978. It is sometimes considered an episodic novel, collection of linked short stories or a fix-up as some parts had been published previously as independent short stories. It relates several stories of the 22nd century, while providing the background "feel" for the style of life which gave birth to the Noon Universe.
The main characteristics of the Noon Universe are: a very high level of social, scientific, and technological development; the creativity of the general population; and the very significant level of societal maturity compared to the modern world. For instance, this world knows no monetary stimulation (indeed, money does not exist), and every person is engaged in a profession that interests him or her. The Earth of the Noon Universe is governed by a global meritocratic council composed of the world's leading scientists and philosophers. That Noon World has been clearly named as "World of Communism" in their novels, which was handy for publishing their novels in the USSR, where the Communist Party decided whether a book would be printed and approved for mass circulation.
The Noon Universe was described by the authors as the world in which they would like to live and work. It became highly influential for at least a generation of Soviet people, e.g., a person could quote the Strugatsky books and be sure of being understood. At first the authors thought the Noon Universe would become reality "by itself", but then they realized that the only way to achieve it was by inventing the High Theory of Upbringing, making the upbringing of each person a unique deed.
One of the important story arcs of those books addresses how the advanced human civilization covertly steers the development of those considered less advanced. Agents of humans are known as Progressors. At the same time, some humans suspect that a very advanced spacefaring race called Wanderers exists and is "progressing" humanity itself.
Monday Begins on Saturday is a 1965 science fiction/science fantasy novel set in a fictional town in northern Russia, where highly classified research in magic occurs, the novel is a satire of Soviet scientific research institutes, complete with an inept administration, a dishonest, show-horse professor, and numerous equipment failures. It offers an idealistic view of the scientific work ethic, as reflected in the title which suggests that the scientists' weekends are nonexistent.
The "Scientific Research Institute of Sorcery and Wizardry," located in the fictional Northern Russian town of Solovets, is portrayed as a place where everyone must work hard willingly, or else their loss of honesty is symbolized by hair growing from their ears. These hairy-eared people are viewed with disdain, but, in a turn symbolic of Soviet times, many of them stay in the institute because it provides them with a comfortable living no matter what.
The Doomed City is set in a mysterious world where enigmatic Mentors run a sociological experiment. The mentors gathered volunteers from Earth from various places and times: from Germany of the 1940s, the USA of the 1960s, Sweden of the 1970s, etc. The volunteers do not know the goals or conditions of the experiment. In spite of different native languages the people can effortlessly communicate with each other. Most of the people live in the City that is skirted by a swamp on one side and a desert on the other. Apparently, the experiment runs out of control, the City is shaken by a social unrest and an egalitarian system of job rotations is replaced by a dictatorship.
In 2014 a square in Saint Petersburg was named after the Strugatsky brothers. A memorial museum is being opened in the same city.
2fredbacon
I've temporarily given up on How Propaganda Works. Instead, I've started Walter Lippmann's The Phantom Public and John Dewey's response The Public and Its Problems.
3nrmay
Fred, just wanted to say I really appreciated last weeks's bio of Mary Gardam.
I loved her book The Hollow Land! I will look for more by her. Thanks for that.
Finished Rapture of the Deep in the Bloody Jack adventure series.
Now reading The Found and the Lost by Le Guin and The Paid Companion by Amanda Quick.
Still listening to The Curve of Time by M. Wylie Blanchet.
I loved her book The Hollow Land! I will look for more by her. Thanks for that.
Finished Rapture of the Deep in the Bloody Jack adventure series.
Now reading The Found and the Lost by Le Guin and The Paid Companion by Amanda Quick.
Still listening to The Curve of Time by M. Wylie Blanchet.
6mollygrace
I enjoyed Alice Hoffman's Faithful, though not as much as some of her earlier books. I also read the Penguin 80 book Mrs. Rosie and the Priest, four stories from Giovanni Boaccaccio's The Decameron -- I loved this taste of the 14th Century.
Now I'm reading The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain as well as poet Joyce Sutphen's First Words and the Penguin selections from the work of Gerard Manley Hopkins, As Kingfishers Catch Fire.
Now I'm reading The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain as well as poet Joyce Sutphen's First Words and the Penguin selections from the work of Gerard Manley Hopkins, As Kingfishers Catch Fire.
7seitherin
Finished The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. Really enjoyed it. Next up is Death in Holy Orders by P. D. James.
8shesinplainview
Just finished Benediction by Kent Haruf and audio of Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. Started audio of Finders Keepers the second in series by King. Benediction was wonderful, though sad.
9krazy4katz
Across That Bridge: Life Lessons for Change by John Lewis. Seems appropriate.
10snash
Finished reading 1876 which seemed timely given the present election. I don't know if it's a comfort to know the country survived all the corruption and chaos of that election, or depressing that the buying of votes has been going on forever and will assuredly continue.
11rocketjk
Last week I raced through the espionage novel Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst, which was excellent.
Last night I began "Arise and Sing," the second play in my Modern Library edition of Six Plays of Clifford Odets.
Last night I began "Arise and Sing," the second play in my Modern Library edition of Six Plays of Clifford Odets.
12PaperbackPirate
I'm still reading Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly. It's a little fact heavy, but the story is important so I press on.
13seitherin
Finished The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters by Robert Lewis Taylor. I enjoyed it. Next up is Unsinkable: A Memoir by Debbie Reynolds.
14rocketjk
Today I started the Finnish classic, Under the North Star, by Vaino Linna.
15nhlsecord
I have begun The Likeness by Tana French. It's big! But I'm interested in the characters so here's hoping...
I'm also reading a number of business magazines to start the year off. And there are Hostages of Fortune by Peter C. Newman and a back doctoring book buried on the couch. I must declare an official "sitting in a proper chair by the window for serious reading" day soon.
I'm also reading a number of business magazines to start the year off. And there are Hostages of Fortune by Peter C. Newman and a back doctoring book buried on the couch. I must declare an official "sitting in a proper chair by the window for serious reading" day soon.
16BookConcierge
Mrs Lincoln’s Dressmaker – Jennifer Chiaverini
Book on CD narrated by Christina Moore
3***
Elizabeth Keckley was a free Negro whose skill as a seamstress brought her to the attention of Washington D.C.’s leading ladies, including Mrs. Abraham Lincoln. Chiaverini’s novel tells Elizabeth’s story.
This was an interesting look at an era in history that we already know much about. I enjoyed the historical references and Elizabeth’s point of view of many of the events. It was an engaging story that held my interest. But … I wish Chiaverini had given us more of Elizabeth in the novel and less of Mrs Lincoln. I would have liked to read more about Elizabeth’s early years as a slave, how she came to buy her freedom and that of her son, and how she came to start her business in Washington. As it is, the novel opens with Elizabeth already a successful businesswoman, and about to be introduced to Mrs Lincoln. Chiaverini references her history of slavery, but never fully explains it.
Christina Moore does a fine job narrating the audio version of this book. She has good pacing, and a fluid delivery. I was never confused about who was speaking, despite the many female characters.
Book on CD narrated by Christina Moore
3***
Elizabeth Keckley was a free Negro whose skill as a seamstress brought her to the attention of Washington D.C.’s leading ladies, including Mrs. Abraham Lincoln. Chiaverini’s novel tells Elizabeth’s story.
This was an interesting look at an era in history that we already know much about. I enjoyed the historical references and Elizabeth’s point of view of many of the events. It was an engaging story that held my interest. But … I wish Chiaverini had given us more of Elizabeth in the novel and less of Mrs Lincoln. I would have liked to read more about Elizabeth’s early years as a slave, how she came to buy her freedom and that of her son, and how she came to start her business in Washington. As it is, the novel opens with Elizabeth already a successful businesswoman, and about to be introduced to Mrs Lincoln. Chiaverini references her history of slavery, but never fully explains it.
Christina Moore does a fine job narrating the audio version of this book. She has good pacing, and a fluid delivery. I was never confused about who was speaking, despite the many female characters.
17BookConcierge
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – John Berendt
Audiobook read by Jeff Woodman.
4****
Berendt was a free-lance journalist when curiosity took him to Savannah and he began to write about the particularly insular culture of that Southern city. Then a murder happened, and his story really took off.
I read this sometime in the mid to late 1990s. My F2F book club discussed it in June 1997, and I know I had read it before then. Of course, that pre-dated my keeping track of my reads on Goodreads (or even in my handwritten book journal), and I have no notes of my reactions, but I do remember REALLY liking it. I also remember enjoying the movie (starring Kevin Spacey as millionaire murder suspect Jim Williams).
That being said, on re-reading it I’m not so keen about it. It held my interest, but I realize how long it takes to get to the murder and trial, and I found myself not so interested in the eccentric antics of the Savannah residents. That’s probably because I already knew what was coming and was anxious to get on with it. I’m still giving it 4 stars because I believe that was closer to my original reaction to the book.
Jeff Woodman does an adequate job on the audio. His pacing is good, but his Southern accents sounded really bad to me.
Audiobook read by Jeff Woodman.
4****
Berendt was a free-lance journalist when curiosity took him to Savannah and he began to write about the particularly insular culture of that Southern city. Then a murder happened, and his story really took off.
I read this sometime in the mid to late 1990s. My F2F book club discussed it in June 1997, and I know I had read it before then. Of course, that pre-dated my keeping track of my reads on Goodreads (or even in my handwritten book journal), and I have no notes of my reactions, but I do remember REALLY liking it. I also remember enjoying the movie (starring Kevin Spacey as millionaire murder suspect Jim Williams).
That being said, on re-reading it I’m not so keen about it. It held my interest, but I realize how long it takes to get to the murder and trial, and I found myself not so interested in the eccentric antics of the Savannah residents. That’s probably because I already knew what was coming and was anxious to get on with it. I’m still giving it 4 stars because I believe that was closer to my original reaction to the book.
Jeff Woodman does an adequate job on the audio. His pacing is good, but his Southern accents sounded really bad to me.
18seitherin
Finished Death in Holy Orders by P. D. James. Enjoyed it. Next up is The Chalice of Death by Robert Silverberg.
19NarratorLady
Finished the highly entertaining Edward Sorel's Mary Astor's Purple Diary: The Great American Sex Scandal of 1936
20Barbarasue
Re-reading Debora Harkness Discovery of Witches series in preparation for The Searpents Mirror being released in November 2017. Re-reading The Proud Breed by Celeste de Blasis. Huge 1970's romance with sex but not much bodice ripping, but great sweeping history of California with an amazing love story.
21JulieLill
Ready Player One by
Ernest Cline
4/5 stars
Set in 2044, the world is a dark and horrible place to live in for most people. People rarely go out now but live, go to school and work on the internet and in OASIS, a virtual world. When a challenge is announced that someone will win millions of dollars in a game set up by the now deceased creator of OASIS, James Halliday, the world goes berserk in trying to find the prize. The book follows Wade Watts and a few of his online friends as they take up the challenge to be the first to find the prize.
This was a fast read and hard to put down. If you lived through the 1980s and love video games you will appreciate this book. Looking forward to seeing Spielberg's film version.
Ernest Cline
4/5 stars
Set in 2044, the world is a dark and horrible place to live in for most people. People rarely go out now but live, go to school and work on the internet and in OASIS, a virtual world. When a challenge is announced that someone will win millions of dollars in a game set up by the now deceased creator of OASIS, James Halliday, the world goes berserk in trying to find the prize. The book follows Wade Watts and a few of his online friends as they take up the challenge to be the first to find the prize.
This was a fast read and hard to put down. If you lived through the 1980s and love video games you will appreciate this book. Looking forward to seeing Spielberg's film version.
22seitherin
Finished My First Murder by Leena Lehtolainen. Enjoyed it. Was almost cheerful for a Nordic mystery. Decided not to add a third book to my rotation for a bit. Trying to ward off a burnout.
23hemlokgang
I finished listening to a pretty bad Argentinian novel, Fever Dream. Thankful that the fever broke!
Next up for listening is Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz.
Next up for listening is Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz.
24BookConcierge
Cinnamon Girl: Letters Found Inside a Cereal Box - Juan Felipe Herrera
3***
From the book jacket When the towers fall, New York City is blanketed by dust. On the lower East Side, Yolanda makes her manda, her promise, to gather as much of it as she can. As tragedies from her past mix in the air of an unthinkable present, Yolanda searches for hope. Maybe it’s buried somewhere in the silvery dust of Alphabet City.
My reactions
This slim volume is told entirely in free verse. The poems are visceral and disturbing, emotional and moving. And yet, I felt somehow removed from Yolanda and her pain.
I think part of that was because Herrera does not give us a linear timeline. He skips back and forth, starting in a hospital room where Yolanda and her mother await news of her uncle DJ’s condition after he’s been pulled from the wreckage of the World Trade Center collapse, then moving back and forth in time to give the reader the story of this family’s background, their struggles and triumphs, joys and heartbreaks. The changes in tone, voice and time frame kept me off balance.
A couple of stylistic choices do help the reader. Different fonts are used depending on whether Yolanda is relating what is happening in “real time,” reading an old letter from her uncle, or copying an earlier poem or school assignment. Additionally, he includes a date stamp on most entries, which helps determine the time frame.
Nevertheless, what does come through loud and clear is the emotion being felt. From the typical teen lament of “no one understands me” to the joy and freedom of a new friendship, to the very real fear of having lost someone in a tragic accident, Herrera’s Cinnamon Girl will resonate with many readers.
3***
From the book jacket When the towers fall, New York City is blanketed by dust. On the lower East Side, Yolanda makes her manda, her promise, to gather as much of it as she can. As tragedies from her past mix in the air of an unthinkable present, Yolanda searches for hope. Maybe it’s buried somewhere in the silvery dust of Alphabet City.
My reactions
This slim volume is told entirely in free verse. The poems are visceral and disturbing, emotional and moving. And yet, I felt somehow removed from Yolanda and her pain.
I think part of that was because Herrera does not give us a linear timeline. He skips back and forth, starting in a hospital room where Yolanda and her mother await news of her uncle DJ’s condition after he’s been pulled from the wreckage of the World Trade Center collapse, then moving back and forth in time to give the reader the story of this family’s background, their struggles and triumphs, joys and heartbreaks. The changes in tone, voice and time frame kept me off balance.
A couple of stylistic choices do help the reader. Different fonts are used depending on whether Yolanda is relating what is happening in “real time,” reading an old letter from her uncle, or copying an earlier poem or school assignment. Additionally, he includes a date stamp on most entries, which helps determine the time frame.
Nevertheless, what does come through loud and clear is the emotion being felt. From the typical teen lament of “no one understands me” to the joy and freedom of a new friendship, to the very real fear of having lost someone in a tragic accident, Herrera’s Cinnamon Girl will resonate with many readers.
25BookConcierge
How To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie
Book on CD read by
3***
This classic self-help / self-improvement book was first published in the 1930s. It is divided into four major sections: Fundamental Techniques in Handling People, Six Ways to Make People Like You, How to Win People To Your Way of Thinking, and Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment.
Given the decades over which this book has been read, and the hordes of people who have done so, I’d be surprised if most of us hadn’t already heard most of this before. But Carnegie insisted that all he says here bears repeating, and he even advises that the person who truly wants to apply these principles should re-read the book frequently, keeping a copy on one’s desk for quick reference.
I admit that some of the principles certainly bear repeating, and that it is easier to agree with them than it is to practice them consistently. Still, had it not fulfilled a particular challenge, I would have abandoned it long before I finished it.
Andrew Macmillan’s performance on the audio was so “dated” in tone and quality that it made me think of 1930s black-and-white movies or even old radio dramatizations, rather than concentrate on the principles being taught. 1 star for the audio.
I did have a copy of the text handy, and despite some dated examples, the principles hold true. So 3-stars for the book.
Book on CD read by
3***
This classic self-help / self-improvement book was first published in the 1930s. It is divided into four major sections: Fundamental Techniques in Handling People, Six Ways to Make People Like You, How to Win People To Your Way of Thinking, and Be a Leader: How to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment.
Given the decades over which this book has been read, and the hordes of people who have done so, I’d be surprised if most of us hadn’t already heard most of this before. But Carnegie insisted that all he says here bears repeating, and he even advises that the person who truly wants to apply these principles should re-read the book frequently, keeping a copy on one’s desk for quick reference.
I admit that some of the principles certainly bear repeating, and that it is easier to agree with them than it is to practice them consistently. Still, had it not fulfilled a particular challenge, I would have abandoned it long before I finished it.
Andrew Macmillan’s performance on the audio was so “dated” in tone and quality that it made me think of 1930s black-and-white movies or even old radio dramatizations, rather than concentrate on the principles being taught. 1 star for the audio.
I did have a copy of the text handy, and despite some dated examples, the principles hold true. So 3-stars for the book.
26hemlokgang
Just finished reading a novella written by Che Guevara's grandson., 33 Revolutions by Canek Sanchez Guevara. Stark, we'll written and troubling.
27Copperskye
I'm reading Fun Home and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, and listening to Being Mortal. All are very good. Also very bleak in their own ways.
28JulieLill
Reading The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks and Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. Both are very compelling.
29Travis1259
Finished Lucifer's Harvest by Mel Starr. A medieval novel that took a while to get into, but I find that I would like to read another book by Starr.
30Travis1259
Reading my ER book Lenin on the Train by Catherine Merridale. It's an account of Lenin's train trip from Zurich to Petrograd. And, alas the start of Soviet Russia.
31framboise
>27 Copperskye: I loved Fun Home. Read it after seeing the Broadway show. You're def right about it being bleak.
>28 JulieLill: I absolutely loved Tell the Wolves I'm Home so much that I recently reread it (something I only do for dearly loved books. Usually it's one & done for me.).
I'm in between books now. Tried to get into Everyone Brave is Forgiven but just can't get into it. Maybe I'm just not in the mood.
Thinking of picking up Me Before You for a spontaneous weekend trip this weekend. I saw the movie the other day when I was home sick.
>28 JulieLill: I absolutely loved Tell the Wolves I'm Home so much that I recently reread it (something I only do for dearly loved books. Usually it's one & done for me.).
I'm in between books now. Tried to get into Everyone Brave is Forgiven but just can't get into it. Maybe I'm just not in the mood.
Thinking of picking up Me Before You for a spontaneous weekend trip this weekend. I saw the movie the other day when I was home sick.
32cindysprocket
Reading White Crosses by Larry Watson.
