Choose Your Own Misery: Dating by Jilly Gagnon and Mike MacDonald Read: 5/1/19 Rating: 1.5/5
Choose whichever sleazy or vulgar scenario you want- fromChoose Your Own Misery: Dating by Jilly Gagnon and Mike MacDonald Read: 5/1/19 Rating: 1.5/5
Choose whichever sleazy or vulgar scenario you want- from bad to worse to worst! Your chance to escape your mundane life for a few hours, but can these writers from “The Onion” offer anything more preferable? Own your choices- as in the original series from your childhood, you decide how the story goes. Misery, unfortunately, seems to be your only choice- where are the good endings you so fondly recall? Dating can be depressing, discouraging, dismal, disappointing, and distressing, as this book unashamedly and unhesitatingly accentuates!
For nostalgia, this should be read but everyone who grew up reading Richard Scarry. The illustration style is very similar. The contrast in what we taFor nostalgia, this should be read but everyone who grew up reading Richard Scarry. The illustration style is very similar. The contrast in what we taught our children in the 1960s - 1990s and today is not only quite telling on so many levels, but hilarious.
Written by a Dallas, Texas native born after Scarry's prime time and, more importantly, when technology was already expected in her daily life, the difference in beliefs and values is reflected.
One of those picture books that has little notes written all over the page that is pretty fun too take the time to almost hide and seek. Detailed pictures; will probably find something new every time you look at it- from a different angle, in a different lighting environment, in a different state of mind, in a different frame of reference.
The statement is clear and true. We do many things that make little sense. The sooner we confess it to ourselves, the sooner we can do something about bringing back old school values. Or not. We will all laugh about it, then write a GoodReads review, Tweet a status update, Instagram ourselves holding it up, and then immediately go back to our organic lunches and playing a game....more
**spoiler alert** This book was exquisite. Anthony Marra's words are like magic, like a sparkling, glittering waterfall of beauty. They are evocative,**spoiler alert** This book was exquisite. Anthony Marra's words are like magic, like a sparkling, glittering waterfall of beauty. They are evocative, transporting, mesmerizing, transformative; they paint magnificent pictures, make villains almost likeable, war times seemingly easy to endure, tragic situations something to be thankful for. How does he do it? Talent? Genius? Magic? Honestly, I do not care. Give me more. I of course experienced the power of his writing in his debut novel, "A Constellation of Vital Phenomena" (because, yes, reaching something from him is an experience; more than simply reading words on a page). You could definitely see the same voice in "The Tsar of Love & Techno".
As indicated by the subtitle, it is a correction of short stories. However, as he explains in the Extra Libris "Book Notes", Marra sees a mixtape organized similarly to a good story collection. You are not simply collecting a series of songs or stories you like, but rather you are engineering an emotional narrative. Here, his collection of tightly intertwined stories set over nearly a century of Russian history, structured as a mixtape. There's a side and a side B, with an intermission between serving as a tape. It was pretty awesome that he even decided to create a mixtape for readers to listen to as they read. I would recommend reading his thoughts on some of the tracks, included in the back, if you take this route. Here is the playlist:
Well, it seems that Marra is not a hidden gem. As in, many have discovered his greatness and there are therefore numerous reviews out there that day almost everything I have to say on this masterpiece. A couple of my favorites:
This one states that the all important painting that serves as the thread that connects all the stories, "Empty Pasture in the Afternoon" by real-life Chechen painter, Pyotr Zakharov-Chechenets, is fictitious.
As described in the first story by the censor artist, it is "... perhaps the dullest work in his catalogue raisonné. An empty pasture in late daylight rises to a crest at the canvas's top third. A white stone wall cuts a quiet diagonal across the field. A dacha, a well, and an herb garden extending halfway up the pasture hill, foregrounded in shadow. There is no sign of life or movement, not even a lost goat." This makes sense, looking at the painter's ouevre, which seems to be all portraits rather than landscapes, empty or not. However, every other article and review I have read does not mention this, and even treats it as real.
There are so many levels of ingenuity in Marra's work. The first is his handling on the English language and his magnificent use of words, plain and simple. Using the right words and the right amount.
The second is how these words, more specifically, somehow can make the reader truly emphasize with a villain and to see tragedy as the opposite. Marra's writing is illuminating the emotional darkness. He is able to add humor without it being inappropriate. Two of my favorite examples:
"For inspiration [to draw the Gronzy tourist brochure], I studied pamphlets from the torture bureaus of other urban hellscapes, Baghdad, Pyongyang, Houston. I learned to be lavish... Upon seeing the empty space when apartment block wants to, I wrote, ' wide, unobstructed skies!' I watched as a pack of dogs chased a man, and wrote 'unexpected encounters with natural wildlife!'... Even before I reached the first checkpoint, I had scribbled 'first rate security!'"
The only one I have been to is Houston and I find it hilarious that Marra mentioned it rather than New York, Detroit, any number of other cities in this country.
"The trick is to make the Americans feel he must convince you of his identity, rather than the other way around. Tom Hanks's fans are maybe ten times more likely to fall for this than the average American."
"Because there is something wrong with them?"
"I would not go that far. I would say that those who like his acting are unfamiliar with human nature."
This is so true. And I love it, because I know my personality, and it makes sense why I have indeed always disliked Too Hanks. What follows in the narrative is a great vignette of a senior Vladamir trying to acclimate himself to his son Sergei's electronics, talking to Google, being literally scared by the power of the information it provides on the internet, etcetera.
The third is how he manages to orchestrate this collection of short stories into a perfect whole, like a perfect mix tape, as he says. The oil painting is only one of several reoccurring items that threads the stories together. There is a picture of Kolya, Alexei, and their parents in leopard print swimsuits (and swimsuits made into the less feminine briefs). A few of the short stories include very touching vignettes of the boys' childhood years, Kolya the tough love older brother, Alexei the oft scared, but always admitting and in awe younger brother. This picture is the only one they have of all of them, taken at Lake Mercury on the very day their mother first coughs, the first symptom that ends in her death from lung cancer. There is the picture of a ballerina, Galina, a beautiful model who was only ever truly in love with Kolya, and vice versa. Sadly, this was before he was drafted for war, before he returned to have his heart torn from him when he saw her face everywhere as a celebrity, having to find out from a stranger on the street that she was married to a rich ogliarch and about to have a daughter. His brother Aleksi confirmed his worse fear. Not knowing when and even if he would ever return, she chose not to have the child they had created before he left. After ensuring his younger brother Alexai was cared for, he volunteered for what unfortunately became his final trip into war. Before he leaves, Alexei gifts to him a meticulously made mix tape with Galina's assistance, marked "For Kolya. In Case of Emergency!!!! Volume 1." This becomes yet another symbolic item, as it is something Alexei always did when they were young, playing in a homemade space shuttle they made together for their father's museum (before their mother's death, he had quit his dependable governmental career to follow his dream, opening a space museum, although it was not very successful). They would pretend to go into space, Kolya aways being the one to lift off, being the older brother. Alexai, before waving from Earth, would say, "One final thing, Cosmonaut," giving him a note, a tape, a file containing instruction on further adventures to be had in space. "Open only in case of emergency." In only one example of a maneuver that almost had me crying, the final story tells of Kolya floating in outer space before he does, getting the chance to open that tape. During his time as a prisoner of war shortly before his death, the illogical idea of finally getting to play his brother's mixtape is they only thing that he wanted to live for. Kolya even made a comment at one point that they both knew how silly it was too send him into war with this gift, as if out in the trenches they would find electricity, let alone a tape player in those times. Along with Kolya (I felt like I was looking over his shoulder, what every good book should aspire to do), readers can hear Galina's voice singing the same off tune ballads that he used to teach her, the granddaughter of a great ballerina, how to dance to. And then Alexi's voice, equally but differently off tune, percussion provided by dishware. The last words of this book? "One more time through. From the beginning. Give me that. Please."
It is not only the creative (so perfectly I almost want to add 'surreptitiously') imbedding of these inanimate trinkets into the stories, but also how Marra turns them into characters themselves. For example, the painting takes on special meaning for each owner, from the "corrective artist" Roman who paints in his dead brother (whose execution he had to live with for his entire life) into the painting; to the near blind woman Nadya who discovers this same man painted in all of the now long dead Roman's paintings in various ages and disguises, to her lover, Ruslan, who paints in silhouettes representing the family he lost in the real life dacha the painting depicts (the description now becomes, in Alexi's words, "it was not much to look at, which is about all you can do with a painting. An empty pasture cresting into a hill. A small house. An herb garden. A wall of white stone meandering at a diagonal. But in a patch of plugged in canvas the size of a halved playing card, two slender shadows ran up the hill. One was a head and a half taller than the other. A slender green grass separated their dark hands, and I could noy tell if they were reaching for each other or letting go."), and eventually is forced to sell this painting but is able to save Nadya's eyesight; to the ballerina Galina who is the said purchaser whose true love was Kolya; to Alexei who Galina eventually gives the painting to, who uses it to locate the place where his brother died and collects dirt there so that he can finally take it with the ashes of his parents and scatter them into the sea and find solace in his life. The final exchange of the painting returns it to the last living owner, Ruslan.
All the loose ends in previous stories are tied up beautifully by the conclusion of the mix-tape-short-story-collection-novel. We find out who caused Roman's execution in the first story in the penultimate story, when Vladami views an exhibition on his uncle Roman Osipovich Markin the "corrective artist", curated by Nadya, now cured with full eyesight. In yet another emotionally powerful vignette, he sees, for the first time, his father in dozens on framed paintings. A youngster. Dressed in a dark suit who appears to be his mother. Holding a young Vladamir. As a scientist. A cook. A farmer. A peasant. A factory foreman. A violinist. A grandfather.
Years ago, his uncle had come to visit his mother, having her erase every last trace of her dead husband, to protect her, he said. Government officials might find them, placing she and her son in danger. A few years later, his mother hints that he might have been involved in his father's death. Despising him for this and only a child, he tells his teacher his uncle was a subversive, that he had seen him conducting affairs with foreigners. He wanted revenge and someone had to pay. Of course, he did not realize this would lead to the torture and execution of a man he had only met for a few minutes.
On that same first and final visit to their family so many years ago, Roman told his nephew, the young Vladamir, that his father is still alive, for him to look for him. In the background, but that he is there and will continue to live on. The now elderly Vladamir finally realizes what his uncle really meant. Nadya admits that she has no idea who this man is, that she had been trying to figure it out for years. His heart can hardly hold the moment. Vladamir tells her, as much as he is telling himself at the same time. "My father."
The fourth level of ingenuity in "The Tsar of Love & Techno" is that this is all based on extensive research and in depth history. This is evidenced by all the references Marra lists and a short search on many of the locations and events mentioned in the book. That such a magnificent work of art is also educational is nothing short of a miracle.
I really should say "A" rather than "The" fourth level, because there is so much more that a reader can appreciate from this type of book on a second read, and even more I am not even mentioning because I will leave that up to you to discover if you have not already. This really is not the type of book anyone can even begin to appreciate by reading a review. And if you have already read the book in its entirety, then you know exactly what I mean. And if you have but do not, then I might have to find you in person and have a serious conversation with you about it. ...more
Dark and depressing if you let this book get to you. Has existentialism written all over it, with a little more philosophizing than I cared for. One tDark and depressing if you let this book get to you. Has existentialism written all over it, with a little more philosophizing than I cared for. One too many tangents regarding the meaning of our lives (apparently when one ceases to see theirs as a story, there is no more meaning), reincarnation (Karen discusses how she used to play a game when she was younger where they would have to pretend to die by mentioning what they reincarnated as. Interestingly (but so true!), not once in all those years did anyone elect to come back as another human being.), and what happens to us after death. But most of it was intellectually stimulating and intriguing to read.
The book is divided into five chapters. Each chapter is divided into five parts, each describing events from the perspective of one of the five main characters: Karen — A divorced mother of one daughter, and a receptionist at a psychiatrist office, who travels from Winnipeg to Toronto to meet Warren, whom she met in an online forum; Rick — A divorced father of one son, and a recovering alcoholic, who works as a bartender at the Toronto Airport Camelot Hotel. He has been saving money to enroll in an empowerment program operated by Leslie Freemont; Luke — A pastor of a church in Nipissing, Ontario who lost his faith in religion, stole $20,000 from the church and fled to Toronto; Rachel — A young woman who operates a business that breeds lab mice and lives with psychological conditions on the Autism soectrum. Among her psychological conditions is prosopagnosia, as well as an inability to understand humour, metaphors, irony, or social cues. She wants to become pregnant to prove to her parents that she can lead what they consider a normal life. Player One — A disembodied voice, (Rachel's online avatar), who watches the events and comments on the character's past, present, and future actions and circumstances (I love her narration when her turn in the chapters comes: "Here is Player One with your story upgrade"). The secondary characters: Warren — The man who Karen is scheduled to meet at the hotel bar; Leslie Freemont — A self-help guru who operates the Power Dynamics Seminar System. He arrives with his assistant Tara to accept Rick into the program; Bertis — A religious fanatic, the son of Leslie Freemont, and the sniper on the bar's roof; Max — A teenager who tries to covertly take photos of Karen during their flight. He finds the group as he flees the chemical fall-out.
The most significant theme throughout the novel is that of change. Specifically in regards to technology, identity, and social interactions. An apocalyptic novel, depicting the crumbling society we know today as the world. A utopia is suggested. But it seems far more likely that a dystopia will emerge in the coming weeks.
Honestly, the "Future Glossary" included at the end is what made this book a winner. Coupland was obviously having fun with it; many entries do not relate to the story at all. And I had a good many laughs while reading the substantial entries.
Looking forward to reading what else Douglas Coupland has to offer....more
Ashamedly, I am always stunned when a seemingly innocent actor/actress turns out to be quite the impressive individual with a stellar curriculum viteaAshamedly, I am always stunned when a seemingly innocent actor/actress turns out to be quite the impressive individual with a stellar curriculum vitea. BJ Novak is one such actor. In my defense, the character I know him best as, The Office's gullible, awkward Ryan Howard, must have been played so well that I was, naturally, so easily led to believe otherwise. Other than his iconic character, he also wrote, directed, and produced for the show. He played roles in several wife-release films, the one most interesting to me being Inglorious Basterds alongside Brad Pitt. Notably, Novak is a Harvard alumni, having studied English and Spanish literature. Great trivia: http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/...
Back to the material at hand! He is funny. No doubt about it. Add his intellect, apparent in his writing, reflected in his wittiness, and you have some damn good stories. I love intelligent humor above any other. Novak has it.
Not to say he is anywhere near perfect. Out near the breasts like Steve Martin and Ellen DeGeneres, even Demetri Martin (personal favorites). Some of his stories did not have me laughing at all, even smiling. Maybe a share of them referenced things I did not understand. But others still simply were not funny, though I could see where he was going with it.
My personal favorite were: The Rematch (The Tortoise & The Rabbit), The Man Who Invented The Calendar, & The Girl That Gave Great Advice (She only nods, provides options, then whichever the recurve of said advice hold onto, she had the right words to further encourage it, has specific head tilted/angles, etcetera).
Interesting ideas, concepts, stories that were not necessarily humorous: Wikipedia Brown & The Case of The Missing Bicycle, The Thing by John Grisham (Quitr accurate, referencing how all his titles are the same), A Great Problem To Have (Regarding the story behind the creator of the grade school arithmetic ? that discusses two trains meeting, traveling @ the same speed), Sophia (An A.I. Lover the protagonist returns for having feelings).
Another favorite, although not quite one of the stories, is the discussion questions. Awesomely amusing!...more
**spoiler alert** It looks like Patrick Ness has a cult following. As I always say in most areas of life, to each their own. God knows I have my own b**spoiler alert** It looks like Patrick Ness has a cult following. As I always say in most areas of life, to each their own. God knows I have my own biased devotions. Notably, this is my first book by him. That being said, I was impressed, but not overwhelmingly. It reminded me of Saramango's "Blindness" Series. Both interesting takes on the apocalyptic/dystopian world, with great detail that gets the reader imagining actually being there. Both have an underlying important message for readers about the way our society and culture is today. This message is focused on the idea that everything will inevitably go awry if we do not do something different; make some serious changes in the near future. Stir in the survival in bonding themes in McCarthy's The Road, and we have a match!
The title refers to the protagonist's loneliness, desperation, and enervation in life; the feeling that somewhere, somehow, there has to be "more than" this that he sees and experiences now.
The way I see it, "More Than This" can be summarized with the following messages/themes:
1) The "more" in life is found in those that care for you, the relationships you forge.
2) Life will always be uncertain. Life will always be unpredictable. Any attempts to make sense of it will ultimately fail.
3) As long as you know yourself, know that you are real, that is the only thing one can believe with certainty. And as long as you go into any situation ready to defend that truth, all will be alright.
4) We should ask make the best out of every hour, every day that we have, because we never know when it will be our last.
5) Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. (I would like to add that this is true provided that one is ignorant of their ignorance.)
6) In a solipsistic sense, we may never know what is really real. Who is to say this is not an online dimension? That there are not for other dimensions of there? That we may even visit with frequency without remembering?
7) "Real life is only ever simply real life. Messy. What it means depends on how you look at it. The only thing you have to do is find a way to live there."
The storyline, which is intentionally left extremely vague in any synopsis I found, focuses on only three characters. The protagonist is Seth Wearing, a young man whose drowning begins the novel. The ridiculousness behind on around the fourth page, in which he comes back to life, finding himself in another world/dimension, alone. There are bandages all over him which he does not remember applying. His head, at the back, has an abrasion where it made contact with the ocean rocks that ultimately led to his death. Rather, his "death".
Following a few days that feel like a lifetime for Seth (as he spends what little energy he has ensuring he has the basics for survival including water, food, shelter, etcetera), he figures out that he has actually been sent to his own personal living hell; i.e., the childhood house in which he grew up in England. Why there? It was where his entire being, along with his family's, ceased to have much meaning. He was sudennly burdened with a guilt that weighed him down. His father became depressed, never really recovering. His mother completely feel apart. His brother Owen, unfortunately, is the reason for this. The reason, but not the blame- which, with an unspoken assistance from his parents, falls to Seth. (All he did as an eight-yes, eight!- year old boy was let a stranger in when he promised not to murder either of the boys. Everyone seems to conveniently forget that the mother left two less than fully capable boys home alone.
It is eventually revealed that, led by their mother, the entire family accepts a current government option in "experimental phase" in which they can essentially "log on" to a server and live a fake life in a fantasy world. Their physical bodies are stored for safekeeping, until they return to real life. If ever. Everything cannot be perfect in this fantasy "online" world; e.g. Owen may not be dead, but he does have psychological repercussions. No matter, though. They will all fully believe, consciously, anyhow, that Owen is alive and well.
Many others follow Seth's family into the online world with this process called "Lethe", their memories erased, replaced by more pleasant ones, with a fake but supposedly utopian life ahead. In time, the entire world is permanently online.
Secondly, the discovery which actually prevents him from committing suicide for a second time, is that he is not amount in what he believed to be his personal geek. Apparently, it is hell for at least three others. Regine and Tomasz, his friends. Plus a man in black they call The Driver. He is the guardian of all the dormant bodies of individuals havering chosen to remain "online" rather than exist in the real world, where Seth and his friends are now.
Most of the novel is about their survival, running from The Driver, their memories, themselves. We learn their stories, who they were, how and why they died. Seth's final days were filled with sorrow and loss, when he knew he would lose the live of his life, his boyfriend Gundmund. It has such a profound effect on him because he was his "More" in life. A rather deep and philosophical novel for begging categorized as "Young Adult". Ingenious ideas, creativity aplenty. I can see why it was well received, but, honestly the praise is a little extreme. There are far better science fiction dystopian novels out there, with better characterization, less ridiculous dimensions, more believable plots, less predictable story arcs, better paced plots, and more memorable, visually stunning words. Patrick Ness's conceptual are deserving of any praise given. The actual execution and whole picture when presented in a novel, however, leave something to be desired.
The tagline for this novel ought to be the following:
Quite absorbing. The authors explore why this brand is such a phenomenon, how it has always been, still is, always will be involved throughout the worQuite absorbing. The authors explore why this brand is such a phenomenon, how it has always been, still is, always will be involved throughout the world politically, socially, economically. It is a symbol here, but the symbolism it has in the Asian countries is different, with almost an otherworldly feel to it. Individuals have admitted to dining there for what they call "the experience". Against cultural, religious, personal, social beliefs.
The book involves ethnographic studies, sociology, anthropological views, etcetera. An extensive view of the company, but quite an engaging panoply. One thing is evident. A century from now, no matter how shamefully we may look at this company here, they will be around.......more
A Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian is advertised as being an extremely comical take on family drama. The latter I can agree with. The former, maA Short History Of Tractors In Ukrainian is advertised as being an extremely comical take on family drama. The latter I can agree with. The former, maybe not so much. I had a few smiles, sure. But I never laughed out loud, which is my (maybe unnecessarily high standard) definition of a truly humorous novel. It was, however, a portrayal of the ridiculousness of the green card process (if the amount of marriages bought with the sole purpose of citizenship is any indication) and the inherent obstacles in immigrating here that took a comical rather than serious angle, making this, overall, a short, lighthearted read.
I say "overall" because there were definitely a few tragic, depressingly honest chapters regarding the Mayevskyj Family history. Nikolai and Ludmilla, parents to sisters Nadezhda (our narrator) and Vera (Big Sister), were originally from Ukraine, surviving through wars, communism, concentration camps, Stalin's totalitarian reign, etcetera. Grief and death, separation from family members, living in fear, close ones disappearing in the dark of the night; they endured it all. Later labeled "War Baby" by younger sister Nadezhda ("Peace Baby", of course), was also a victim of these sad circumstances in her earlier years.
Since the death of their mother a couple years ago, the two sisters have been feuding regarding the inheritance, barely on talking terms. (Vera convinced their mother on her death bed to alter her will to divide it between the grandaughters rather than her daughters; Vera, of course, has two on Nedezhda's one.) When her father calls to announce that he is getting married to one "Valentina", with "Bottecellian" breasts, twenty years younger, in need of green card citizenship passage via marriage certificate, Nadezhda is resigned to the fate that their father's well-being is more important the sibling rivalry.
She reaches out to Big Sister. The two of them collaborate, investigating, intervening consoling, counseling, as Nikolai can be quite the stubborn old man, set in his ways and sometimes convoluted ideals. The two sisters inevitably bond, making up and becoming far closer the more time they spend together coming to the rescue of their father.
As predicted, Valentina is extremely careless with what little finances he has; she demands very specific brand names on the things he is mandated to provide her with, including three vehicles and a specific color pressure cooker. She is obviously seeing other men, but her adultery is something her husband refuses to admit (only indirectly when she has a son that is not his). She also begins emotionally, physically, verbally abusing him. Blinded by three primary things, physical infatuation, his desire to have a son (Standinolov, her son, has come from Ukraine with Valentina), + his perceived obligation to save those from his country (Ukraine is still currently in communism rule, impoverished communities), their father continues alternating, sometimes simultaneously, proclaiming his love for her and/or expressing his fear that she will murder him. Indeed, Valentina is quite the colorful character, initiating numerous hilarious scenarios. Coupled with a slightly senile old man for a husband, two feuding sisters, and their mother, still very alive in spirit, all with colorful personalities of their own, you have a cast of characters made for a comedy show.
The title here is actually referring to the work Nikolai penned, completing by the conclusion of the novel. Always having a passion for tractors, especially in relation to his native Ukraine, he often reads from his text to visitors. One of his preferred audience members in Michael, Nadezhda's husband, as he is an engineer. As a nice addition to the novel, Lewycka includes detailed scholarly information regarding the history for Ford's first tractors, the success found by John Deere, & the significance farming technologies had in our world, especially during war times under Stalin's reign....more
All books for children need to be this intelligent. So, with no words whatsoever, this book tells the story of a little girl whom walks home with her All books for children need to be this intelligent. So, with no words whatsoever, this book tells the story of a little girl whom walks home with her father one day whom is, alas, on his device the entire time. She holds his hand diligently. With her other hand, she holds the flowers. With her eyes, she sees the city. her father continues to absorb all that technology has to offer. The little girl holds the flowers up, then places them precisely where her father has placed his device; hers is beautiful, as a floral accessory.
Sophisticated beauty. A subtle but necessary message, lesson, story, arts piece for children & adults alike....
"It is not Paolo Bacigalupi, it is me." "It simply was not for me." "Bacigalupi is a genius, but I really could not finish the book." "This is not for"It is not Paolo Bacigalupi, it is me." "It simply was not for me." "Bacigalupi is a genius, but I really could not finish the book." "This is not for everyone."
It was astonishing how many reviews I read includes statements such as these, either almost word for word or very similar. Enough of them, and it actually is not the reader, but the author. This is not quite the definition of a book with a cult following, but it is close. A small group of readers seem to love it as the most amazing book ever, but other than that, average, subpart, then a fair amount that could not finish it. I am proud to say that I came very close to being in the last group, but because I have a personal philosophy and commitment to finishing every book I begin, I kept reading and it actually did get better.
When? Once Emiko arrived. She is New People, someone struggling with identity and her nature to obey to her masters. She was created by the Japanese so has some speed and abilities that are close to superpowers. She is owned by this not-so-nice guy, but Anderson Lake essentially falls in love with her and enlightens her about the possibility of another life, in the North, where New People live together and are not owned.
There are a lot of racist ideas, comments; some subtle, some not. I would not say I was offended, even though I am Asian (Chinese) and this takes place in Thailand, Malaysia (written as Malaya), discusses "yellow cards", etcetera.
Anderson Lane is pretty unrelatable. Carlyle is his partner of sorts. Hock Seng is some Chinese guy who works for Anderson Lane and is planning to betray him. Mai works at the same plant; she is especially loyal to Hock Seng, doing favors for him even when it could harm her. Jaidee works for The Ministry, is a warrior. Kanya works for him, but also the other side; she does not laugh at anything, even smile. Jaidee says she does not know Sanuk (fun in Thai). As the two of them become close, Kanya deals with the possibility of betraying her.
There are many other miscellaneous characters; to be honest, not only did I have little interest in them, it was difficult to follow. Especially because Bacigalupi does not explain his universe very well; there were many instances where I had no idea what was going on, how his imagined universe operated, even the definitions for his imaginary terms and words. Even worse, he continually uses words in other languages without defining/translating. Luckily, I speak Mandarin Chinese, so that took care of that, but it was a whole confusing other story for the Malaysian / Thai / other languages. Context clues had limited efficacy.
The ending. You can read all about it from our most informed friends online. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_W...) I actually liked it. Realistic and not an easy fairytale ending. This is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel, after all....more
The mind-fuck level was a little high for me here. Obviously, not on the level of, say The House of Leaves, but that is why I still love Scarlett ThomThe mind-fuck level was a little high for me here. Obviously, not on the level of, say The House of Leaves, but that is why I still love Scarlett Thomas. I really would love to meet her in person. I bet she would be fascinating to have coffee with. High tea with, I should say. The synopsis was a little misleading, as I do not feel it was really about Kelsey Newman's immortality thing/Omega Point regarding immortality/living forever. Apparently, his theory posits that at the end of time, all of us would become, one thousand years later, omniscient; able to be whatever, do whatever, possibilities endless, all of us immortal; in fact, right now, we are already in the second world, unaware. It was about so much more. I could not really even begin to list all the little topics that arose, from relationship issues of letting go, to meta-fiction, to story-less stories, to tarot cards, to all of us simply living our lives, stuck, because we are comfortable? There were many references to Chekhov & Tolstoy, which Thomas seems to love. As usual, like in her other titles, relativity, physics, astrophysics, logology. I liked this less than her others, however, because whereas Mr. Y focused on the hard sciences, PopCo. focused on the logology, this one seemed to be a merging and/or sampling of the two. ...more
Disappointed by this one. Only my second novel by Rainbow Rowell (awesome name, by the way!), but I liked Attachments a lot more. Landline seemed a liDisappointed by this one. Only my second novel by Rainbow Rowell (awesome name, by the way!), but I liked Attachments a lot more. Landline seemed a little contrived. In theory, the idea was great. A television sitcom writer, Georgie McCool (yes, her real name) is the career woman in her family. Neal sacrificed his to be a stay-at-home father for their two children. She had taken Neal for granted before, but brings it up a notch this year by cancelling their long standing plans to return to Neal's hometown, opting instead to stay and work on scripts that she is convinced will seal the deal on a career-transforming contract. Even worse, Georgie's "best friend' Seth is literally her other half, with her everywhere, in very close quarters. Except when she goes home to her family. Which is becoming increasingly rare. While he is away, she finds a landline (yes, they still exist. You Millennials, it is that thing you use to communicate, not smart, no text messages, connected to the wall. No, you can not move it away from there.) It is only on this landline that she can call Neal but be connected to the landline at Neal's parents' house. And talk to Neal in the past. It is through these conversations that she comes to appreciate her marriage, his time and love that she has taken for franted for too long, and the children she has not paid enough attention to. Equally importantly, she truly realizes how bad Neal must feel every time she leaves to see Seth. And that the trust he gave to her is not to be taken for granted.
As I accede, inventive, creative, potentially genius idea. The execution fell a little short. Rowell could afford to have taken the landline into the past further than only Neal. Even if all it provided was some much needed fun to the dull and predictable plot. Oh, and Georgie was really not a likable character. I could not empathize with her at all....more
Like Ferris's "Then We Came to the End", "To Rise Again at a Decent Hour" is hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud several times. Which is not eLike Ferris's "Then We Came to the End", "To Rise Again at a Decent Hour" is hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud several times. Which is not easily elicited from me by books. Be forewarned, however, that most of the humor us relative to this generation. What makes it so funny is the raw honesty, pertaining to how the millennials are viewing the world completely differently today. At the very least, most seem to be viewing their lives through the filter of technology. One night even ask, are they viewing anything at all, or are they trapped in their artificially intelligent, creatively superior, science fictional, technologically advanced iWorlds?
Those of us that grew up in the 80s and 90s had no idea what was coming for us. For example, I loved the passage in which Paul laments on "having as my dinner companions Wikipedia, IMDB, the Zagat guide, the New York Times, and People Magazine. Was there not some strange forgotten pleasure and reveling in our ignorance? Couldn't we simply be wrong? We thought about that goddamned me-machine more than about where to go and what to do, sex and its frequency, and a million other things combined."
I wonder how much of the historical and religious information given is based on fact. Of particular interest to me was the Zoroastrian religion, which I was shocked to find out was, in fact, real. (http://www.religionfacts.com/zoroastr...).
This is a book about religion, identity, standing out versus fitting in, the truth and how we manipulate our own minds through psychological tricks in order to believe what want to believe. Note specifically, it is about those of us who are unable to succumb too ignorance, as much as we may want to. Because, indeed, ignorance is bliss. When one is ignorant that they are ignorant (or in denial that they are not ignorant).
Paul is being pulled into the secret sect of the Ulms, a religion that treasures skepticism at its core. Might work for Paul. He is a devout atheist. With a not-so-secret obsession with all things Jewish. Anyhow, being nominated for the Man Booker Prize, you can find all that in a review from any of the better known publications.
I will say that I lost interest a few times. Firstly, because politics and religion are things I have very little interest in. secondly, Paul is manic-depressive, and thus understandably difficult to follow in his tangents at times. But a manic-depressive character is difficult to write, and Ferris did it impressively well.
One of my favorite little tidbits from this novel? Paul had trouble sleeping as a boy, washing his mother up constantly so as to not be awake; he hated feeling alone, being the only one awake. And this is what he tells his assuming mother, though she cannot, does not, respond:
“Mom, remember when I couldn’t sleep... Dad died and I couldn’t sleep... And then one night, you happened to tell me about Chinese people? I was so scared that I’d be the last person awake in the world. I don’t know why that was so scary to me, but it was. But you said I couldn’t be the last person awake in the world, because just as we were going to sleep, all the people in China were waking up... That helped. Even though Chinese people were strange to me then, you know, because of their eyes... Even now, when I can’t sleep, it helps me to think about the Chinese. All thanks to you. And then, when I do fall asleep, I sleep like a baby. Every night, I sleep like a dream.”...more
Not sure why I only liked, but not loved Luminarium. The concept was certainly novel. Fusing obviously well-researched neurosciences information with Not sure why I only liked, but not loved Luminarium. The concept was certainly novel. Fusing obviously well-researched neurosciences information with magical realism, we are told the story of one Fred Brounian, doing his best to keep his twin brother George, currently in a coma, alive, while living back at home with his once-actor-become-party-magician father, Vasar, & his Reiki-supernatural healing power-loving mother. His older brother, Sam, now in charge of the company George started with the three of them, could not care less about George, having visited him maybe once. He begins paid experiments involving a helmet, lights, electrodes, etc. that focus on playing with various parts of his mind, mostly the ever important frontal lobe, elucidating certain visions, allowing for some out-of-body floating experiences, illuminating memories, transporting him through time & space, etc. in charge of the experiments is Mira, whom he, of course, falls in love with... To complicate things further, he begins receiving highly technical messages from none other than his brother George. I thoroughly appreciated the parts about Celebration, Florida, as well as the party magician scenes, which were actually relatively minor parts. The romance between was awkwardly cute. The relationship between the twin brothers was well illustrated, especially contrasting with older brother Sam. The technical IT information was extensive & educational, although could have used some further explanation at times. The same can be said about Virtual Gaming, also extensively covered. The neurosciences & neuropsychology information was most interesting, leaving readers wondering how long before this becomes real life.
In all, this science fiction, fantasy, neurology story with a virtual gaming world as well as the supernatural neurosciences world within the mind in addition to the real world was definitely an engaging, even very educational read, but was covering more than it maybe should have, the result being a slightly unfocused story line with one too many ideas. Other than that, I cannot say why I liked, rather than loved Alex Shakar's novel. It had all the appearances of an all-time-favorite, but somehow fell short. ...more
So... Well... this would be one of the times I really wish I were not such a strict grader... Because I really liked this one. I did. I feel like I shSo... Well... this would be one of the times I really wish I were not such a strict grader... Because I really liked this one. I did. I feel like I should give it five stars... But comparison to my other five star all time favorites says otherwise. It was a lot of fun to read, but conclusively a beach read rather than a close to all time favorite. As Robin Sloan says in the closing paragraphs, quite eloquently, "There is no immortality that is not built on friendship and work done with care. All the secrets in the world worth knowing are hiding in plain sight. It takes forty-one seconds to climb a ladder three stories tall. It's not easy to imagine the year 3012, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. We have new capabilities now—strange powers we're still getting used to. Your life must be an open city, with all sorts of ways to wander in... After that, the book will fade, the way all books fade in your mind. But I hope you will remember this: A man walking fast down a dark lonely street. Quick steps and hard breathing, all wonder and need. A bell above a door and the tinkle it makes. A clerk and a ladder and warm golden light, and then: the right book exactly, at exactly the right time"...
I define this book as a modernized, twenty-first century, Google, Amazon, technology, audiobooks, Singularity-infused version of something in between The Shadow Of The Wind and/or The DaVinci Code. There are some great quotes from this, wonderfully creative concepts, & ideas that make me smile, while somehow wondering whether they are actually true. I would love for someone from Google, for example, to inform on exactly how accurate any of the portrayals of their culture is (Singularity Singles, the targeted food/chefs with separate visitor lines, The Big White Boxes, eating on graph paper). Some other examples are The Accession Table (database where all museums can ensure authenticity of their pieces), Google readers that actually feel like books, CULT, a storage place in Las Vegas for world treasures...
Plenty of intrigue with mystery. The characters were loveable, relatable; one was sad to see them go. A lot of religion-like cult references with The Secret Society. Loved the information on typography, an important part to the great mystery of The Codex Vitae. Plus, who could not love any story with a secret underground library? Entered through a bookshelf, of course!!!!!....
It was also funny. Puns, references to our generation, Dungeons & Dragons, IKEA... Essentially, I am not that type of nerd; I am a proud nerd, but not of the science fiction-coding-everything across the internets-Google type. Yet, even without understanding all the references, I seriously liked this book... So if you are a nerd of this type, which there are more than enough in this age, this will be an immediate favorite of yours. A cult classic. Possibly your all time favoritest book ever. Seriously. Read it....more
Definitely nowhere as good as her others, but I suppose this was early in her career, thus, understandable. The premise behind the novel was creative Definitely nowhere as good as her others, but I suppose this was early in her career, thus, understandable. The premise behind the novel was creative & cute. Reading it was fun & hilarious at times. The characters had distinctive voices. I was not pleased with the ending. It was kinda like the last episode of Roseanne. "What? Well, I just wasted my entire day!"
Loading...
