In his own words
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How to Spot a Fascist
Review: This was less of a book, more of a booklet. It contained three essays or speeches from Umberto Eco regarding the elusive fascism. Elusive as in we hear it used every day, but it’s difficult for most of us to define. In the first essay he outlines 14 points of commonality with all fascist…
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Underworld
Review: I didn’t read this book as much as I experienced this book. What an absolutely brilliant novel. From the first sentence to the last word this was stunning, emotional, captivating. I originally heard of this book when reading an old newspaper piece by Salman Rushdie when he was reviewing some of his favorite reads…
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Philosophy for Beginners
Review: Everything I ever learned I learned in elementary school right? Spot on. This is a book geared towards younger readers that taught me more in two days than I have gleaned from 51 years of reading adult tomes on this weighty subject. The idea to read this came from a cartoon that a friend…
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Rewired: The Post-Cyberpunk Anthology
Review: Superb. An extraordinary collection of SF stories. At first, I didn’t see how they were post CP and not just straight CP. But after awhile, I saw how they differed, some by a lot, others just a subtle distinction. Gibson and Sterling’s stories were two of their finest, and that’s saying something. The final…
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The Making of a Poem
Review: This was great and I learned a lot. Like, a lot. Villanelle, sestina, sonnet, elegy. Words I have heard but would have been hard pressed to define. Now I can! Informative without being condescending. I really like that. ESVM made it in, naturally. Three cheers for Edna! This book made me want to: write…
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The House Gun
Review: This was awful. I made it 107 pages and I feel that some sort of prize should be awarded in recognition of my tenacity and determination. It doesn’t have to be a Nobel Prize. I’d be happy with, say, a Rolo. This book made me want to: Re-evaluate my priorities, namely why I would…
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Around the World in a Hundred Years
Review: I get more solid information our of young readers books than I can from a stack of textbooks. They’re uncluttered and in plain language. 1421 to 1521, from Henry the Navigator through to Magellan. Just 100 years from sailing within sight of shore to a complete circumnavigation of the globe. Nothing short of incredible.…
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Links
Review: 20 years after publication and still contemporary with the new every day. Somalia is a shithole. An inside look at just exactly what it’s like everyday there, which is to say awful. An excellent novel, a brilliant novelist. Dark, disturbing, but an important novel. This book made me want to: read more from this…
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British Short Stories – Classics Criticism
Review: From Kipling to Huxley, Conrad through Greene, this collection covered a broad cross-section of early 20th century British short fiction. Wow. Lots of casual, routine racism. All of these stories were excellent. None very happy, some downright depressing. I didn’t “get” all of them, but maybe nobody does, stories hit or miss with each…
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Islands in the stream
Review: I bailed on this. Got through about 30% and just had to move on. I wanted to like this. I wanted it to live up to A Farewell to Arms or the short stories. But no. Drinks, bars, descriptions of making drinks, descriptions of bars, descriptions of drinking drinks in bars. I would have…