Todd Warner
Fantastic story of a boy in search of himself only to have his life upended by those around him. The prose is terrific with masterful character development. The narrative can sometimes be a bit chaotic, but is reflective of the events proceeding. And the story is as bittersweet as the protagonist himself. Some other reviewers did not "get" the ending, IMHO, but the author utterly nailed it. Inspired writing.
3.5 stars. An interesting character study, where each explores various paths seeking a way forward in the world while still heavily influenced by their past.
The translator did a decent job though I felt it was a bit awkward and distracting at times.
A posthumous collection of Conroy's short reflections on his life as a writer. His words further flesh out a somewhat troubled, flawed man who also deeply loved beauty, nature, and his fellow humans. His heart was almost too enormous for his body, which comes across in his writing.
If you appreciate memoirs, especially memoirs of readers and writers, I would recommend first Conroy's The Reading Life and then this. Excellent. Recommend.
Blood of the Innocents completes an outstanding three-book saga. The story follows a company of English archers throughout a brutal campaign rampaging across France during the Hundred Years War. Berenger Fripper, a vintener (think: first sergeant or company commander), anchors the storyline as he wrestles with both his internal and external struggles with the horror of war—especially war of this time—and how it has affected him, the landscape, the people, and his compatriots. The exploration of the inanity and failed logic of why we fight, which is then expertly painted with a grim backdrop of debased humanity, is a fascinating throughline. Each book improves upon the last and the story will stick with you for a long time to come. Jecks really nails this.
Excellent set of essays exploring the natural world (emphasis, birds) of the author's local region within walking distance. Beautifully written, this book is bound to become a classic of the genre. Loved it.
The author outlines the ridiculousness of the Vegan and Vegetarian mythos and digs into political, social, moral, nutritional, and most importantly, the sustainable aspects of eating... and ultimately our footprint, as a species, on planet Earth.
For this reader there was no huge revelations, since I'm well versed in the realities of agriculture and food at this point, and spend a great deal of time immersed in the natural and agricultural world, but the author nicely packages a fairly comprehensive discussion of the topic into this volume. There is a disturbing element to having all this laid out in one volume though: As you read it, it really underscores the pervasiveness of a community of folks that live their lives entirely divorced from the realities of the natural world and the cycles of life, death, and rebirth. I don't want to sound overly harsh, but it is a bit unavoidable. These are folks that look at nature from inside a bubble... through a pane of glass. Never really understanding it. Some is their fault, but it is a societal disorder, long in coming considering urbanization and how housebound most people in the 1st world are today.
The other disturbing element to the story as outlined by the author, is that though we know what we need to do to address the deeper ecological realities of massive over-population on this planet I personally am not confident that we'll take the necessary steps, and I don't think the author is either.
And that is where the biggest surprise of the book was found. The author was not afraid to summarize the corrective course of action that we would have to take as humans to make things better. Finally someone is bold enough, in a relatively mainstream book, to state that in order to ever have a sustainable, ecological, and ethical food system (or any system)... over-population really needs to be addressed. Severely. It will solve itself eventually, but it can either be messy and violent, or orderly and peaceful. Not many authors writing a mainstream book are bold enough to state it so plainly.
4 stars: There are three issues I had with the book: (1) The author slips into “appeal to emotion” a bit much, (2) It's hard to weed out the good science from the bad or mediocre, and (3) There is no index... which means you have to take notes, write in the margins, and highlight, or just have a really good memory. ;) Geez. Books like this have to have an index. I blame her editors. What a disappointment.
Great book. Folks, if you are confused as to why the vegan/vegetarian lifestyle is unsustainable, unnatural, relatively unhealthy, un-ecological, and ultimately more than a bit silly (but with non-silly implications)... this is a great book to to read. Even more importantly, it is a great discussion about environmentalism, food security, and agricultural sustainability, and of course, overpopulation – topics that I am particularly passionate about, even more so than the main topic of the book.
Recommend.
Sue Hubbell is a national treasure. Was. She died last year. Her memoirs are a poetic homage to life in the country and farming by a particularly extraordinary woman. Both an active participant and keen observer of the natural world around her and the people she encounters in it. Just fantastic.
I love this book.
It was also a book that is more than a bit disturbing in its brutal examination of the human condition. It is a book about the human condition from one, well several, perspectives. And like so many books that examine things so closely, we really get a good look at our own failings as human beings.
This book centers on a young lady growing up probably a bit too early, but who also finds her own strength in the process. The folks that surround her are fully realized and multi-dimensional and you care for all of them, even all the ones making dreadful mistakes. They are you. They are all of us.
One thought that ran through my head as I read this was that... one could easily retitle this book to “Life is Complicated”.
Read “Scout's Honor”. It's a great debut novel.
Heartfelt, introspective, sometimes joyful, sometimes angry, sometimes sad—Campbell Smith weaves you into her lived experience and triggers reflection on your own. I really love this book of poetry.
Well written. For whatever reason, I felt this had a similar vibe as Zelazny's The Chronicles of Amber.
A good premise, poorly executed.
It's fun, even silly, which is fine. In fact, that's all it has going for it really. But it has nearly zero depth. It's incredibly short, but still far too long. Rip out the copious fluff forcibly added to make it into a book and tone down the religiosity which adds nothing (and comes across, to be frank, more than a bit creepy) and this becomes a 5 to 10 page solid essay. I suspect the follow-on books add some depth, but after this... I'm just not going to waste my time.
Almost unreadable unless you study the words. Even then it is a struggle. I don't recommend this to the more casual reader. I appreciate the story and its importance. I did not enjoy it. So, I leave it unrated.
Fox and I is a tale of a woman—a woman as modern human and as human animal—and her introspective engagement with the natural world that surrounds her. It's a tale of participation and not mere observation and what that means to her and what that may mean to the rest of us.
This memoir is utterly unique and her writing is stupendous. I was also quite impressed with her ability to seamlessly weave a tale of both fiction and memoir. Fox and I deserves all the awards it is bound to win and is one of those rare books that will be read and reread for decades to come. Quite an achievement.
“Our books became ash, then dust, years ago. The girl looks a little younger than my son, maybe ten, not old enough to remember books, schools, our lives before this life. I can hardly remember what came before. Before hurts so bad it's not even a memory.”
This short story collection is bold. Penetrating. Each story a story of lives laid bare. So stunningly well written.
Wow. What a unique book from the great Ian McEwan. Just go ahead and read the synopsis. Yes, it is as intriguing as it sounds. A lesser writer could never pull this off. Rather brilliant. Recommend.
A book for young adults (and adults like me who just love a good story). “Grounded for Good” is set in the modern world, about kids living modern normal lives. It really captures some of the trials and tribulations of the teen years. In this case a young punk, but otherwise intelligent and latently talented kid, named Derek.
Ms. Daria hit a home run with this one and I want to recommend it to my compatriots. Teens, young adults, and heck, I, a full grown adult, even had troubling putting it down... It is a great read and really pokes at the little things in life that matter. It is truly outstanding.
A Mexican noir(ish) novella set in the time of pandemic. A day in the life of a fixer who is tasked with negotiating the exchange of two youths each captured by rival criminal gang lords.
The writing (via translation) is tremendous. This author is clearly influenced by Cormac McCarthy. Recommend.
A haunting novella. In some ways at least. A story of empowerment and yet disempowerment. A look into the world of human trafficking (the immigration kind), motivations driven by poverty, and cultural tenacity. A linear story of a young woman traveling alone from Mexico to the US in search of her brother. I wasn't a fan of some of the choices made in the translation, but this is a great story that will stick with me for awhile.
Super fun with a really wide assortment of perspective and imaginative storytelling. This anthology has something for everyone: A western. A superhero (supervillain) tale. A Lovecraftian horror. A sad, but introspective story of love and loss. Gritty noir-ish crime. Even a bit of steampunk action. This is a super-fun anthology where every story offers something unexpected. A real treat. Recommend.
Stunning. Magnificent. Easily one of the greatest books I have ever read.
This is the story of a man in search of himself who keeps all those he loves, or wants to love, at arms length and the consequences that follow. It's a story of the same internal struggles with which we all contend. A tortured tale beautifully rendered by James Baldwin.
What makes this book stand out are the characters. Each were so different and written so well. This is particularly difficult for writers and Jackson really nailed it