Ryan
Maybe I'm a genius but this book didn't present many ideas I found that groundbreaking. It feels like a random collection of thoughts about how systems work. Maybe a bit more organized than my thoughts but it mostly feels like organized common sense.
Genius. I love everything about these these. Truly Rachel Cusk is one of the great minds of our time. Deep yet so readable. I think this one was my favorite of the three but they're all incredible.
Really struggled to make it through, though it's not bad though, I just never felt inspired to read it. Greatly preferred the movie.
Really loved the world of this book. Climate dystopia + intricacies of Thai culture. I avoided reading this for a long time because I thought based on the cover that it was steampunk or something? Don't judge a book by it's cover!
3.5 stars. I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more if I read it like right after my first experience with hallucinogens. Some of it is very poignant and some of it is a reach, sounds like a very educated man's first experience with tripping. Then again, I've never done mescaline.
Appreciate that he is essentially advocating for the legalization of all drugs in the 50s, though the middle part of the book is just his random stoner thoughts on the art he's looking at and the music he's listening to.
3.5 stars. Interestingly written, but the story felt a bit slow and doesn't go anywhere really.
4.5 stars. The author never explains her feelings, just the affect her feeling have on her. Maybe she didn't know, when she was 19. Very different from my experience as a freshmen college yet this book expressed some core truth about being that age.
I really enjoyed the way Rachel Cusk thinks, but this felt a little less cohesive to me than outline? Still really enjoyed it and will definitely read the third one.
Really mindblowing in parts; a refreshingly frank and honest book about the ways people protect themselves from negative emotions and general maladaptive behaviors, preventing emotional closeness and openness in their relationships. Has a lot of ideas and anecdotes that definitely date it, but looking past that reveals a core of truth that felt very helpful for explaining my own and others behaviors. Like all non fiction is a little bit too repetitive so I struggled towards the end.
EDIT:
Seems like this guy is maybe a cult leader so probably best to take this all with a grain of salt.
So weird and bad. I've never read Atlas Shrugged but what I imagine Atlas Shrugged would be like if it was even more dumb and bad. I mean I like the concepts but the characters all talk like lame aliens and about NOTHING other than monetary policy. The author sounds like such a boomer in the most embarrassing way throughout the text.
This one surprised me, wholly original fantasy. One of those books where I wish I had written it.
Read it on my kindle so I had no idea how much was left of it, felt short for a Stephenson book but I enjoyed it nonetheless, though it does repeat itself a few more times than I needed. Looking forwards to the rest of the series.
3.5 stars. I almost gave up halfway through. I took a month long break. The second half really turned it around for me. First half 2 stars, second half 4.5. Really shocked that this is not the authors first book (I don't mean that in a good way)
3.5 stars. Maybe I'm just over science fiction. This book has a lot of interesting ideas even though it definitely rips off A Deepness in the Sky, another Sci Fi book that has exciting ideas but prose and characters that bored me to death. Every sci fi book I've read lately has been a slog to get through so I think I might take a break.
4.5 stars rounded up. I wasn't originally going to read the 3rd book in this series right away, but after having read the first two I was lulled into this comfortable state when reading these. Maybe because the writing is so flat and boring it gives me permission to not worry about whether this book is good or “cool”. And the writing is indeed flat. In classic sci fi tradition this book is full of incredible ideas and incredibly boring writing and characters and story. This is true for all the books in this series. But the ideas, my god the ideas. Some of the best, most interesting and grounded ideas I've ever come across in a sci fi book. They all seem mostly based in reality too.
The exception to all of this is the chapter about Singer, which might be one of the coolest and best written and most interesting chapters in all of sci fi.
This series definitely has its problems but I'm still glad I read them all and this book was my favorite of all of them, I think the series gets better and better as it goes on. Going to be weird to read something else after this, I'm so used to the universe contained in these books.
Pretty slow for the most part, and still as unimaginatively written (or translated) as the first one. But full of great ideas. I loved the Wallfacers.
4.5 stars rounded down. Very interesting and technical book about the history and sociology and technology of the NES, a system I didn't play much. Much of the hardware limitations lead to the classic games we think of today. A fascinating read, though the author does NOT dumb it down for you.
Really wanted to like it. Some sections of writing are really beautiful.
I really struggled to finish it though. Kind of a slog.
Felt pretty baffled by the main characters motivations and sense of self. Felt very wooden or opaque to me. Also nothing fucking happens. I can only read so many descriptions of commercials. I agree with all the points the book is trying to make about consumerism and capitalism and body image and health and food systems but I still found myself getting annoyed with how they dealt with all the politics.
Wow I loved this. Halfway between “Down and Out in Paris and London” and “Trainspotting” but better written than both.
Devastating. But maybe the best book I've ever read. I've never seen the human condition captured so perfectly. Beautiful and tragic.
Second time though similar feelings as the first. Amazing ideas, decent plot, not great dialogue. I'm not sure if this is a writing or translation issue. I still enjoyed it, and second time through, knowing those things allowed me to lean in and enjoy it more. Excited to read the other books in the series which were not released when I first read this.
