Category: Review
You need these reviews in your life.
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The Touchstone
Review: It’s been a while, a long time really since I read anything by Edith Wharton and I realize now how much I have missed that. Edith Wharton rarely disappoints and this is no exception. The Touchstone was Wharton’s first published novel, although she did have one self published in her teens called Fast and… Read more
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Gene Bilbrew Revealed
Review: This was a well researched and well written biography of a fetish art pioneer. I wasn’t expecting this to be as good as it turned out to be so I’m doubly glad that I read it. First of all let me say that I have been and continue to be a fetish art enthusiast,… Read more
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Studies in the History of the Renaissance
Review: I have had this one on my to-read list for almost a year now and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. I’m interested in the 19th century Decadent Movement and this is considered one of its seminal works so it was an important read. Walter Pater was an essayist, scholar, and… Read more
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Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs
Review: Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated? Those were the last words spoken by Johnny Rotten as a Sex Pistol. Johnny Rotten was the pseudonym of John Lydon, the front man for the Sex Pistols and this is his story. Much has been written about the Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious, Sid and Nancy but… Read more
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The Invention of Morel
Review: Why had I never heard of this book or this author? Actually it is quite simple when I think about it. If you ask me or any reasonably well read person, “Can you name a South American novelist?” the answer is going to be Jose Luis Borges or Gabriel Garcia Marquez. When you have… Read more
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The London Reader: Cyberpunk Now
Review: This was on my reading list for a while now and I finally got around to it. This was sort of like a digest or magazine in that it had fiction, non-fiction, interviews, art, even poetry. All modern and recent as of 2016, so you’re not going to see Burning Chrome or something from… Read more
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DK Eyewitness World War I
Review: DK Books are so good, so, so good and this was no exception. If you’re not familiar with the DK Eyewitness series they are a series of books designed as they say, “for young curious minds”. Lavishly illustrated with photographs, charts and artwork they give you a deep insight into the subject in an… Read more
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Six Records of a Floating Life
Review: This was an excellent book and a great read. Like any Chinese literature, or classical literature generally, you need to take your time and try to absorb the meaning rather than just skimming along like you would with a contemporary novel. I absorbed a lot and this was time well spent. The translation was… Read more
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Pyramid
Review: O Time! Thy Pyramids! Bonus points if you know what that refers to. This book is about exactly what the title suggests, building a pyramid. First published in 1975 this book was originally written for younger readers but has informed and delighted kids and adults for nearly 50 years. Macaulay’s incredible draftsmanship and clear… Read more
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NYT Essential Library: Jazz
Review: An impulse buy that really showed its age. Published in 2002 in the days of compact discs, before streaming, before even iTunes or the iPod. The subtitle is A Critic’s Guide to the 100 Most Important (Jazz) Recordings and it was exactly that. Now in 2024 the whole world of music is an entirely… Read more