Added Dogeaters
book
Rated Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Greatest Shop in the Galaxy 8/10
This one had its funny moments, but I look forward to hearing one of these older audios that isn't loosely centered around "men being weird around Benny."
Finished reading Water into Wine
Rated The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces 4/10
Frightening.
High use of steroids in order to cope with the physical ordeal of training seems to be the entry door to heavier drugs.
Elite corps look like a bunch of macho, drug addicted and assassin gang.
On style, I didn't like the way the book is written...too much jumping around in time and episodes.
Edited 94d ago
Finished reading A Prayer for the Crown-Shy
Rated The Mountains of Mourning 8/10
Edited 84d ago
Rated Same Bed Different Dreams 9/10
<div>At first I wasn't sure this was for me, or that maybe I was just reading it at the wrong time in my life, but I was interested enough to keep going, and I'm so glad I did. This book is so inventive and interesting. Instead of trying to fully describe what this book is — a many layered, complex alternate-but-not history of Korea, but also the U.S.— I'll quote Alexander Chee from a recent edition of his newsletter:<br><br></div><blockquote>I made note of the many tiny connections at first thinking to use them in the review but of course not only are those spoilers, but such an effort would end up with me looking like someone in front of a murder wall, insisting on a theory held together by string and tacks and photos of people you can almost make out.</blockquote><div><br>I am sure this is a book that rewards rereading. New things to notice, new connections to be made. I can see why Park took his time writing it. What a feat.</div>
Rated Ring the Hill 10/10
I love pretty much everything I've read from Tom Cox, and this nature-memoir is no different. It's all lovely, informative, and funny too, with some bonus spooky elements. Just as it should be. Looking forward to the next one.
Finished reading A Closed and Common Orbit
Rated River of Teeth 7/10
<div>I liked this more than Upright Women Wanted, and it's an interesting alternate history to explore. Maybe the audiobook narrator took something away from it from me, sorry. </div>
Rated Selections from the writings of Kierkegaard 5/10
<div>I am loosely trying a few reading challenges this year again (though they don't entirely dictate what I've been reading), and one of the categories in more than one of them was "A Favorite Writer's Favorite" or something along those lines. And even though I know plenty of writers and read interviews with plenty of others, of course I immediately blanked out on every book any of them had ever suggested (even though I've probably read some of those books!). So I decided to google what influenced Patricia Highsmith, and apparently (though not surprisingly), she liked a lot of existentialists and related writers, including Kierkegaard. You'd think I would've remembered this from reading a biography about her, but no! I have read a little of Kierkegaard in various classes way back when, and I knew he was readable enough, so off to Project Gutenberg I went to see what was available.<br><br>And this is... fine. Not the BEST thing you'd want to read sometimes before falling asleep, tbh, but that's on me. The man manages some breathtaking misogyny in one section, which, given that this was written over 100 years ago, makes it loop back around and is almost funny in how assertive it is? WOMAN UNSERIOUS CREATURE. MAN SO SO SERIOUS. etc.<br><br>The rest deals with Christian ethics, and he picks it apart in a way that I imagine drove some religious people up the wall, but also bolstered the arguments against organized religion among the atheists (which is perhaps what Highsmith got out of it, since she wasn't religious).<br><br>It's sort of ridiculous to give something like this a star rating because even though I wasn't overly into much of it (and the introduction written by someone else is VERY dry), I also see how other writers and thinkers took this and either said, "Yes, and..." or "This is some hot bullshit, and here's why." Existentialists! Your individual mileage often varies! Best of luck!</div>