Wonderful book! I'm only 40% into it, but it is already the book of the year for me :)
Review to come when I finish
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Home Land: a Novel. Sam Lipsyte (2004)
(ebook) Supposedly a very funny author, I found it just entertaining. The whole book is a series of letters destined to the high school alumni newsletter: The catmounts. That is fresh for a while, a few good liners, the cynic look on the successes and mediocrity of the alumni.
But even literature seems saturated by this over used trend of amuse the audience by introducing endless list of characters doing bizarre and pointless things, or just a few characters doing an endless list of bizarre and pointless things. Protagonist and productive seem to be contradictory these days.
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Altered Carbon (2002). Richard K. Morgan
(ebook) The first 2 techno-thrillers I tried this year left me either unsatisfied or with a bad taste in my mouth, so I tried a third one, and this one probed to be fairly entertaining, a detective story set in the future, where humans can download their mind on new (natural or artificial) bodies.
Plenty of chases, shootings, fights, some sex (basically a pulp), but some interesting sci fi ideas, some of the not part of the actual plot, but off the cuff, such as the mention that whale language had been decrypted, and the communication had provided information about pre-history.
I'm halfway through.
Plenty of chases, shootings, fights, some sex (basically a pulp), but some interesting sci fi ideas, some of the not part of the actual plot, but off the cuff, such as the mention that whale language had been decrypted, and the communication had provided information about pre-history.
I'm halfway through.
The Hardcore History - Dan Carlin
(podcast) I was very conflicted about adding this to my book blog. there are many radio shows / podcasts that I enjoy, but this one is in a category by itself because it is so thoroughly researched, because it provided me with so much historical data that was brand new, or added details to known stories that give you a whole new perspective.
I can clearly state that I know much more about world history now that I did one year ago when I first started listening this. there are 50 episodes to date, typically 1 or 2 hours, some as long as 5 hours. I'd say that I've been listening to at least 100 hours of lectures on topics from Genghis Khan, the Roman empire, to WWII's east front, and the Cuban independence. Fascinating, informative, and surprisingly unbiased for an american.
I recommend it to anyone and everyone, in an ideal world I would have time to create a similar one in spanish.
I can clearly state that I know much more about world history now that I did one year ago when I first started listening this. there are 50 episodes to date, typically 1 or 2 hours, some as long as 5 hours. I'd say that I've been listening to at least 100 hours of lectures on topics from Genghis Khan, the Roman empire, to WWII's east front, and the Cuban independence. Fascinating, informative, and surprisingly unbiased for an american.
I recommend it to anyone and everyone, in an ideal world I would have time to create a similar one in spanish.
State of Fear (2004). Michael Crichton.
(audiobook) I had to stop in the middle, it is such a cartoonish propaganda denying climate change that it hurts. It is rabid and overblown, anything that enviromentalist do is out of pure evil or utter stupidity, and the climate change deniers are demi-gods with lucid minds and irrefutable data. No wonder is a big hit among Tea Party and such crowd. Sad state of affairs.
Red Mars (1993). Kim Stanley Robinson.
(ebook) It's becoming a tradition to start the year with a Sci Fi recommendation from Marchebout. I asked for a techno-thriller, but didn't like Red Mars.
The main plot of the story is the colonization of the planet, the logistics, technical challenges and politics. In many points it read more as a project plan, a blue print, rather than a novel, too much to my taste. He switches the narrative from one character to another, which is not bad on itself, except that few of the characters are compelling (the psychologist, the japanese biologist / cult leader).
The less believable aspect of the book is not the far fetched technology to colonize mars, or to revert aging, not even the idea that billions of dollars would be invested for that purpose. The most unlikely premise is the idea that most people spend their energies building, constructing, making progress, instead of looking for self-benefit.
The main plot of the story is the colonization of the planet, the logistics, technical challenges and politics. In many points it read more as a project plan, a blue print, rather than a novel, too much to my taste. He switches the narrative from one character to another, which is not bad on itself, except that few of the characters are compelling (the psychologist, the japanese biologist / cult leader).
The less believable aspect of the book is not the far fetched technology to colonize mars, or to revert aging, not even the idea that billions of dollars would be invested for that purpose. The most unlikely premise is the idea that most people spend their energies building, constructing, making progress, instead of looking for self-benefit.
Friday, January 3, 2014
Brain Bugs. How the brain flaws shape our lives. Dean Buonomano. 2012
Audiobook. I picked up this one thinking "why am I reading yet another popularization book on this subject?" Alas, not all books are the same, even if the material on this book overlaps with several others on the subject, and I can't identify any new ideas, this is one of the most entertaining and well put books on the subject I've read (or listen to), eloquent and illustrative, I'd recommend it to everyone as an introductory book on the subject. It quotes Pinker, quotes Kahneman (thinking fat and slow), but it is more entertaining than the latter.
A very good read
A very good read
Arrecife. Juan Villoro. 2012
Regalo de Juan Antonio, pero el mismo Juan Antonio reconoce que es una novela floja, opinión que comparto, y que compartieron Fausto y Ernesto Lumbreras, a quienes vi con un par de días de diferencia. Los cuatro coincidimos en que Villoro es ensayista y periodista soberbio, yo pienso que como novelista Testigo fue un home run, quizá porque la leí en mi condición de exilio, Lumbreras dice que a él no le pareció muy lograda.
En fin, Arrecife falla en varios rubros, los personajes si bien son creíbles, nunca terminan de ser relevantes para uno como lector, es difícil empatizar; la trama es insulsa, un asesinato que es menos interesante que las historias de juventud del personaje, un modelo turístico que no se lo cree ni la abuelita de Marcos (cuánta gente paga para arriesgarse a una guerrilla?) y para cuando se descubre el asesino la verdad que a uno le da igual. Lo más rescatable del libro son las pequeñas idiosincracias de los personajes, y pro supuesto, Cancún como el cementerio de los perdedores del rock nacional.
Esperemos que Villoro de el gran salto.
En fin, Arrecife falla en varios rubros, los personajes si bien son creíbles, nunca terminan de ser relevantes para uno como lector, es difícil empatizar; la trama es insulsa, un asesinato que es menos interesante que las historias de juventud del personaje, un modelo turístico que no se lo cree ni la abuelita de Marcos (cuánta gente paga para arriesgarse a una guerrilla?) y para cuando se descubre el asesino la verdad que a uno le da igual. Lo más rescatable del libro son las pequeñas idiosincracias de los personajes, y pro supuesto, Cancún como el cementerio de los perdedores del rock nacional.
Esperemos que Villoro de el gran salto.
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