Sam
Entertaining, heart-warming, and surprisingly instructive in science. Don't need to say much, all-round lovely book!!
One of the many things that George Saunders explores in this book is why writing is so powerful. His conclusion is that books change your perspective on something ever so slightly, say by 1%. Of course, after 100 books, you're something of a new person.
The best books might change 5% or even 10% of one's psyche. I'd place A Swim in a Pond in the Rain at a solid 7%. Saunders might have restricted his subject to just writing, but I believe this book's lessons apply to all forms of expression. The Ruthless Efficiency Principle, the need for constant escalation, the wonders of omission, contradiction, and self-consistency. I daresay this book is a must-read for anyone creating anything.
The Picture of Dorian Gray is witty, engaging, and delightful! It is a very easy read, and every step of the way it is a joy to read. If you've just read something long and perhaps dry at times (such as The Lord of the Rings, even), The Picture of Dorian Gray is a very refreshing read.
Where do I even start? I don't know what to say about Notes from Underground as a literary piece. I'll just say that it requires patience.
As an artistic work, it's remarkable. Dostoevsky embarks on such an incredibly display of talent–
No. I'm not even going to try. I'm confused. You should read it, but you'll also be confused.
Peerless. The Brothers Karamazov is simply the book.
“Without God, all things are permitted.” I believe this is the primary theme of the novel. Each of us has a devil within, just like Ivan. Whereas Alyosha and even Dmitri may find themselves defended by God, Ivan has forsworn such protection, and Dostoevsky had him suffer the consequences. A man of enlightened education and unmatched intellect, Ivan nonetheless succumbed to the moral bankruptcy that is inevitable in a refutation of God.
I think Ivan is the character with whom modern readers empathize most. Especially among readers of Dostoevsky, we've all faced the same questions that Ivan did: What is true? Who is true? How can anything be true? So, how come we ourselves are not driven to the same madness?
Delusion. Unlike us, Ivan refused to delude himself. His doubt fed on itself, and the devil within him bloomed. Ironically, Ivan is perhaps the monk Zosima's most ardent adherent, for Ivan did as Zosima preached: “Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.”
We, meanwhile, are content to lie to ourselves. We accept some things as true and others as right. Not because they are, but because we want them to be–we wish they were. It is quite literally a projection of our desires on a void reality, only to maintain our sanity.
The doubt and anguish faced by the brothers shake the foundations of the reader's worldview. But if the edifice remains, one might become somewhat certain.
P.S. The idea that delusion is the bedrock of sanity is well-established in existentialist writings. But what is incredible about The Brothers Karamazov is that Dostoevsky wrote before all of them. One can derive so many existentialist concepts solely from an analysis of this book. Yet another reason why it is so groundbreaking.
Base rating: 5 stars
-1 star for how crude the book gets
-1 star for the totally inane decisions the characters make
+1 for the heart-warming and life-reaffirming ending
= 4 stars
Kafka on the Shore is a treatise on memories and how dangerous yet valuable they can be. It has so much wonderful wisdom hidden in the most unexpected of places. You have your standard Murakami elements in this book: talking cats, metaphysical occurrences, precocious and insightful characters, a winding yet satisfying plot.
I read books for two reasons: either for entertainment or for their thought-provoking/informative nature. Kafka on the Shore fulfills both these roles marvelously.
What a marvelous little story! And what a charming conversation starter. Well, what do you think, how can the net amount of entropy of the universe be massively decreased?
I felt constantly bored by this book. I didn't like the characters; I didn't like the prose; the plot was quite linear and predictably boring. Sometimes I think to myself, “maybe the characters are supposed to seem alien and strange and unlikeable? Maybe the plot is supposed to be predictable because, well, Paul?” But this book is neither entertaining nor thought-provoking. A real disappointment.
A delightful, practical introduction to Adlerian psychology. There are some truly memorable and actionable insights in this book: happiness in contribution; the separation of life tasks; focusing on what you can change, rather than what you can't; how to be a free, independent person while being in harmony with society; and, of course, the refutation of trauma. I recognize that these may or may not resonate with readers, depending on their own experiences.
Yet it's important to understand this book as a product of the times. Society's departure from faith has left many of us uncertain about our place in the world. Adlerian psychology presents something new to believe, something that is surprisingly compatible with current societal conditions, as repeatedly demonstrated by the examples in this book.
4 stars only because the communication style didn't quite work for me. The dialogue was questionably dramatic at times, especially when the youth would act outraged over the same point as the last time. But as this book was originally written for a Japanese audience, one must make allowance for cultural differences (doesn't anime have the same displays of outrage?). Even with these flaws, Kishimi conveyed his points adequately through the dialogues.
It's like sci-fi Sherlock Holmes with robots. A sequence of “mystery” short stories that are loosely related, but could each be read independently. I found it very entertaining and easy to read (Asimov himself once described his writing style as evolving around one principle: “to be clear”). There were many very interesting ideas posed in the book; one of my favorites was: “if humans had infallible robots to govern and direct them, would they let the robots do so? Or would human pride and distrust win out?”
I also have to laud Asimov for how convincing his sci-fi is. Each of these stories feels like it could happen in the next few decades. And for writing in 1950, Asimov's foresight is definitely impressive.
Last fun fact: J.R.R. Tolkien, who once said he generally disliked “modern books,” made an exception of Asimov. I doubt my recommendation would be of greater value than J.R.R. Tolkien's, so listen to him!
Very helpful! I'm a recent college grad, and this book had a lot of tips to prepare me for industry. Definitely learned a lot. Towards the end, things got a little repetitive, but overall this is a really good read for early-in-career software engineers.
Very inspiring, practical, and effective. Some material in the book feels repeated, but I suppose that's for reinforcement's sake.
There is absolutely nothing lacking in this book. The world-building is at once unmatchably epic and so easily believable. The characters are complex and fascinating. The language is simply poetic. I found the plot even better than what the first two books offered! Enjoyable, exciting, and satisfying, Simmons immensely surpassed my expectations.
The Unfinished Revolution was a splendid biography of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Although Kayloe seems to be something of a partisan of Dr. Sun's, he absolutely justifies his admiration for the 國父, the “Father of the Nation.” Between Sun's fierce honesty, his seemingly monomaniacal persistence (even after some 6 failed attempts at revolution), and his universally appreciable Three Principles of the People, it is easy to see why Sun is beloved on both sides of the Taiwan Strait nearly 100 years after his death.
Like any good biography, Kayloe's spends a great deal of time exploring the context in which Sun lived. Encroaching Western (and Japanese) imperialism, anti-Manchu nationalism, Qing attempts at reform, the rise of the Beiyang army, and the importance of the huaqiao, overseas Chinese, to Sun's career are all covered in satisfying detail. The activities of Sun himself are followed from Guangzhou to Hawaii, from London to Yokohama. All the uprisings, all the fundraising, all the failures, all the political intrigues. It cannot be doubted that Dr. Sun's life was an extraordinary one.
Many in the West have a hard time understanding why the Chinese state acts as it does. The Unfinished Revolution offers an implicit explanation. During China's “century of humiliation,” during which Sun lived, many of China's greatest cities were handed over to the Great Powers as “concessions” and “treaty ports,” euphemisms for “colonies.” Extraterritoriality allowed all foreign citizens to be immune to Chinese laws, resulting in brazen abuses by Westerners. Forever looming over late Qing China was the prospect of being formally carved up among the Great Powers. This last worry informs the CCP's objective of re-unification with Taiwan. One could make a convincing argument that China isn't fully unified only because of continued imperialism by Western powers.
What ashamed me personally was the absolutely infuriating behavior of American diplomats towards Sun and his entourage. Sun regarded the US as the most respectable of the Great Powers, especially when compared to Britain and Japan. In spite of America's purported “anti-imperialist” stance, in spite of the Constitution stating that “all men are created equal,” America's policies towards Sun were only marginally better than Britain's or Japan's. Sun was an ideological ally of America, and even at a time of strong Wilsonian idealism in the country, the US did nothing for Sun. The countries that ended up doing the most for Nationalist China? Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany. Seriously, I'm not kidding.
I had only two minor disappointments with this book. The first was the dizzying number of names to remember. Kayloe includes a glossary at the beginning, but referring back to it is a little tedious. I don't think this concern should dissuade one from reading this book; seeing so many unfamiliar names simply indicates that there's so much more to learn. My second disappointment regarded a figure who might've only been mentioned once in the book: Hong Xiuquan. I recall reading elsewhere that Sun, in many ways, saw himself as continuing the work of the Heavenly King. Kayloe includes some quotes from Sun on his deathbed, and it was clear to me that Sun was thinking of Hong Xiuquan as he lay dying. I had wished that Kayloe perhaps explored this theme more, but he might have found it insignificant and accordingly omitted the discussion.
Overall, Kayloe's biography of Sun is an excellent introduction to the man and his times. Sun's tragic but inspiring story has earned him the moniker “the kindest of all revolutionaries.” He envisioned a world order based on cooperation rather than competition. Kayloe helps us see the world through Sun's eyes, both in 1922 and in 2022. We can see that the bipolar world we live in wasn't one bit inevitable. The past always has a way of catching up with us.
A very thrilling and immersive read! The prose was clear and easy to read, and all descriptions of the setting were easy to picture in my mind (as opposed to Dune, with Herbert coming up with outlandish ways to describe a slope of sand). The plot was entertaining and thought-provoking, the two qualities I look for in any good book. Being set in 2021, it's also enjoyable to compare the world today and Dick's world. Highly, highly recommend!
“What caused the Opium War?” I never knew this question required 400 pages to explain until I read this book. Platt extricates history from narrative and objectively describes the causes of this consequential occurrence while never becoming pedantic or dry. It is worth noting this is not a military history: the course of the war is described in less than five pages. It's more like an account of Sino-British relations before the Opium War and how the war was sparked. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Chinese history!
It's Sherlock Holmes! Each tale is new and enjoyable. It is always fun to put yourself in Sherlock's shoes and try to solve the mystery (of course, Doyle omits many details that are needed, but you can always make entertaining guesses!). Another fun read.
I have to be very formulaic in reviewing this book, mainly because it evoked no strong feelings from me.
I seek two things in a book: entertainment and “thought-provocation.” Frankenstein was not very entertaining. The characters felt so dramatic, but in a marionette way. The way they expressed their grief or their ecstasy was so eloquently hollow. Now, of course, this is just a trait of Mary Shelley writing in the Romantic era of literature. But in any case, all the characters seemed cartoony and one-dimensional. The plot, too, was so predictable and terribly uninspired, even though I have never watched a Frankenstein-themed movie or play. Finally, if this is what the Romantics call a horror novel, they get frightened awfully easily. At best, Frankenstein gets a 2/5 in entertainment value.
As for how thought-provoking the book was, I was quite fascinated. I could sense that, at times, Shelley was scathingly criticizing the Christian God. After relenting to an audience with his creation, Victor Frankenstein noted that “[he] felt what the duties of a creator towards his creature were, and that I ought to render him happy before I complained of his wickedness.” At numerous points in the novel does Shelley draw a parallel between the relationship between God and humans and the relationship between Frankenstein and his creature. In this quote, she implies that God has a duty to listen to humans, a duty which He has never fulfilled. Reading Frankenstein from this perspective makes the book much more interesting. Finally, considering this in a science fiction context makes for equally remarkable reflections. What are the duties of humans towards future robots or androids? Reading Frankenstein in the same year as I read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and I, Robot was a very happy coincidence for me. 4/5 for thought-provocation.
So, in sum, 3/5. Extremely boring characters, but the book poses some fascinating questions that slightly redeem it.
A solid, sober history of the Roman Republic on the era between the Third Punic War and Sulla's dictatorship. I particular appreciated Duncan's lack of judgment. He made it very clear that there was no “good” and “bad” ; as ever, there are only competing interests and unconfronted realities.
The Lord of the Rings is the epic. One cannot have a serious discussion about fantasy if they do not mention The Lord of the Rings. Many recent competitors have popped up (Harry Potter and Game of Thrones), but The Lord of the Rings will stand the test of time. Centuries from now, our descendants will point to The Lord of the Rings as the most epic tale ever written.
I concede it can be slow to read sometimes. But most of the book is very entertaining. History fans like myself will marvel at the depth of the world Tolkien creates, rich with millennia of its own lore.
There are also common criticisms with which I agree. The absolute distinction between good and evil is one. Generally, such a distinction will seem cheesy in many normal novels. Tolkien manages to still make an incredibly story in spite of this polarity.
Boring. Having read the five main Foundation books, this one just seems unoriginal. Maybe that's to be expected? Still, everything feels so bland and colorless. The technology isn't particularly exciting or bold. Hari Seldon is unconvincing as a protagonist. I really don't get why this is rated so highly...
I've read the Foundation books from Foundation to Foundation and Earth, and this is the only one I rated four stars (I gave all of the others five). It's still a pretty good novel, but the ending underwhelmed me, to say the least. One more book in the series would've been an excellent consolation, but there is no book after this. Still, if you're this far through the series, give it a read, but don't hold your hopes as high.
If you read Foundation and liked it, well, yeah, read this! Be patient though, read it to the end. It's definitely worth it.
What an excellent conclusion to the series! Second Foundation was a brilliant keystone in the series, tying it together in a truly unforgettable way. When I read books, I frequently find myself thinking, “Ok, that's plausible, but it could have been equally plausible if this happened.” Second Foundation removes all of these doubts and presents a masterpiece of a plot. Read it if you enjoyed the first two books of the series!