In his own words
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The World’s Most Dangerous Place
Review: A fascinating look deep inside the world’s most dangerous outlaw country: Somalia. The book was great, well written, tight and journalistic. It’s like this: Great book but so difficult to read. Heartbreaking. Somalia is the asshole of the universe and I can’t see it getting any better, ever. This book made me want to:…
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Sapphira and the Slave Girl
Review: The final Willa Cather novel. This was written and published around 1939-1940, but set in 1856. Pre-Civil War America in the south. I’m not sure who was meant to be the hero of this one. Every character seemed to be very human, very flawed. I was expecting a sort of anti-slavery treatise, but I…
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Kokoro
Review: Very insightful and rich in understanding. A unique (for me) glimpse into Meiji era Japan and Japanese culture. Like all Japanese novels this was moving, intellectually satisfying, and depressing as fuck. The prose was interesting, can’t describe it any better. But then again, this might be due to the English translation. Every time I…
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The Math Book
Review: This was tough, but I learned a lot of interesting new things. Pascal, Fermat, LaGrange – all were names known to me but now I have learned about the men behind the names. Merseen primes, Pi, Euler’s number… this stuff is fascinating if almost completely beyond the ken of most mortals. This book made…
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The Warden
Review: What a nice surprise! I thought this was going to be either too dry or too smarmily satirical. Like old people that try to be witty at the opera intermission. While not as shocking as the book or movie of Deliverance, the two share one thing. The “what would you do?” thing. Best line…
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Wuthering Heights
Review: Wow was this ever dark. Like midnight on the moor with no moon dark, as represented throughout the novel. This was also excellent, extremely well composed and thoroughly engrossing. Despite its age, this one has stood up very well to modern readings. A classic worthy of the name. This book made me want to:…
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Smoke and Mirrors
Review: My first Neil Gaiman experience and it definitely won’t be my last. At times haunting, at other times laugh out loud funny. Atmosphere is everything. From dark and gloomy to sun bleached and gently nostalgic, the tales weave in and around their settings. Effortlessly. Some of these little beauties merit a second reading at…
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Lucy Gayheart
Review: One of the best Willa Cather novels I have read. I wasn’t sure how good it would be, seeing as it was one of her last works, from 1935. Meaning that very often an author’s latter output is not as good as the books from their peak period. See Sherlock Holmes Later Adventures to…
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The Song of Achilles
Review: 5 stars! This was an extraordinary piece of writing. A retelling of the Illiad done vividly and clearly. A masterpiece based on a materpiece. Plenty-o-gayness. This book made me want to: punch Odysseus in the snotbox Overall rating: Readability: Plot: Other: Gayness
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The Tartan Sell
Review: Failing to check my spreadsheet first meant that this was a second read for this one. It seems I had first read this in 1997, deep in the drunken years. So deep in fact that I had zero memory of it. Acceptable for a re-read. I couldn’t help but enjoy this book, despite it…