Tag: 5 stars
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Babbitt
Review: This was an extraordinary novel, and I was not expecting that at all. How I came to read this was due to a trivia question that I got wrong a few weeks ago. The question was: Who was the first American author to receive a Pulitzer Prize? So I looked at the choices and… Read more
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The Fire and the Darkness
Review: Dresden. Kurt Vonnegut made the name part of popular consciousness with the publication of Slaughterhouse Five. But for historians this is a minefield that most choose not to navigate. How to balance the remembrance with politics and the war. Like with Hiroshima, it’s difficult to discuss or write about without taking a side or… Read more
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Burning Chrome
Review: This is one of my rare re-reads and it was by design, not something that I read and halfway through figured that I had actually read this before. I did that with a few, remember that 25 years of this reading journal was read through a vodka filter. I first discovered William Gibson when… Read more
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The Sea
Review: This book, perhaps of all the (eight so far) Booker Prize winners I have read is the One True Winner. An outstanding piece of modern literature and a joy to read. So what is it about? In this case, I’m at a loss, it’s sort of about life, and dealing with illness, and grieving,… Read more
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History Year by Year
Review: This was excellent. A long tour through the whole of human history, from Australopithecus to the smart phone. Fully illustrated throughout with photos and diagrams on every beautiful page. The timeline runs through the entire volume but every few pages there is a deep dive on a particular area of interest, like life in… Read more
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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… Read more
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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… Read more
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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… Read more
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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 Read more
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A Recipe For Bees
Review: A very moving, very well constructed novel. I love reading Canadian literature because it speaks to my own experiences in this country. I love reading about the protagonist’s adventures in a town that I have been to. I learned a lot about the art and science of beekeeping. No way I’m ever doing that.… Read more