Crazy s***, never really heard anyone talk about JFK like that. Thanks, you got me interested

Just finished The Poppy War by R.F Kuang

I liked it. The pacing was pretty great, kept my attention throughout and moved at an engaging pace. My favorite sections were definitely Runin's "training arc" period between studying at Sinegard, and her experience with Jiang. Her experience with Jiang in particular was a highlight because of the underlying critiques of organized religion and how its used by people in power across different cultures. There's a cool approach to mysticism and magic overall throughout the book.

The war period of the book, part two, is the weakest part of the book. Sometimes it moves too fast, sometimes it moves too slow. The pacing overall for this section was a bit off. Events leading up to the war were a bit accelerated, and all the characters aged up really quickly, but only a few actually felt as if they matured in that time period. So that felt a bit rushed. Then when you are in the thick of the conflict, there were a couple of side experiences that felt like fluff.

I'm not usually the biggest fantasy fan, and I will say that there was this feeling of familiarity, like I've seen or been through these things before in other media. It's not that original, but it gets the job done.

The most harrowing part of the book was in part 3, definitely a traumatizing highlight part of the book that reeled me back in and drove me to finish. The depictions of violence were pretty horrifying, and it touches on the cycle of violence throughout countries at war from a few different angles, bringing up an important discussion with how different characters treat these horrors of war and react to them.

I'd give it like a 3.75/5.

Salute, will kop eventually 👊

very much just fine on the surface but the more I think the more i'm annoyed by it.

Radio Free Albemuth by Philip K D***

My god this book was boring. It was impossible for me to read this without thinking about D***'s insistence that most of this had really happened to him, which is weird because I could find no conversation online about how this is basically the ravings of a man in the midst of a prolonged mental health crisis. I'd like to think a manic author would write something at least interesting, but the characters just react so lackadaisically to all the bizarre things that are happening to them that there is essentially no tension. The paranoia is also undercut by the character's faith in VALIS, all of the stakes are rendered inert by the trust that even the author displays in the guiding hand of VALIS. It gets +.5 stars for a great final chapter that lends some pathos to the novel, but the final 12 pages are far too late to introduce any emotion to the novel.

HHhH by Laurent Binder

Too cute by half and uneven, this memoir/novel spends too much time on the author's unexplained love for (obsession with) Czechoslovakia (and, uncomfortably, Czechoslovakian women) and not enough time on the incredible true story unfolding in the WWII Nazi-occupied Prague. The novel parts end up being more a biography of Heydrich than the two Allied assassins. The dust jacket claims that " we follow Jozef Gabcik and Jan Kubiš" but in practice we mostly follow the Nazi official as he exerts his menacing, evil will over his protectorate. When cutting away from the historical drama we find ourselves lost in the author's musings on what it means to write a historical novel: what can he claim is true, what must be invented to sell the story, and does imagining dialogue cheapen the real action-movie event happening in 1942. Also he talks a lot about Czech women that he has loved (ah, the French). I actually had to check partway through if the author is a Czech native due to his near-constant professing that his heart lies in Prague: he is not. Great story, I just wish it wasn't so mired in ancillary detail. If you're looking for a historical meta-novel that asks questions about how to write a historical meta-novel, please instead look to the excellent Faraway the Southern Sky by Joseph Andras (a normal French guy? no way).

Why? This was on my reading list

Just finished Francesca Melandri's Higher Than the Sea.
Beautiful, beautiful novel, with the ending absolutely leaving me on the verge of a breakdown lmao.
Explores the themes of forgiveness, imprisonment and human connection with such a tender touch, but it's never overly melancholic or sappy.
8.5/10 for me.

sorry just coming back to this. I found the first 50 pages really compelling but the actual meat of the story left me wanting more. I found the protagonist to be a bit too pitiful and the romantic interest to be written in a way that leaves nothing much left to interpretation.

La Muerte Viene Estilando by Andrés Montero (2021) 129 pages

collection of short interconnected stories about a rural Chilean town and its habitants across generations as they deal with modernity, secrets, and life & death. really liked the prose and some of the stories were memorable, especially those that incorporated magical realism. overall it was entertaining, funny and heartfelt at times. no English translation unfortunately but I definitely want to check out more from Montero

8.1/10

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1878) 964 pages

where to even begin...only Tolstoy I had read before was Death of Ivan Ilyich which I really liked but I absolutely loved Anna Karenina and Tolstoy's writing. it's a long narrative that mainly follows a young and beautiful unhappily married woman and an intellectual farmer looking for meaning with a wide cast of characters. though set in 19th century Russia, I was moved by how relatable so many of these characters were and their experiences with love, life, death, and search for meaning. Tolstoy's ability to have you empathize with the characters as they struggle with both the crises and mundaneness of life was outstanding and though Dostoyevsky seems to be everybody's favorite, this book impacted me more than anything I've read from him. very long and it took me about a month but it had short chapters and was almost always engaging. this will probably end up being my favorite of the year and I highly recommend it to anybody looking for a long read. can't imagine Tolstoy topping this but will read War & Peace in the next few years

9.8/10

A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck (2011) 108 pages

wanted a short read after AK and I had seen this recommended a lot on social media. did not disappoint and I finished it in a day. novella about a man who wakes up in a hell based on Borges' Library of Babel where he can't leave until he finds a book that tells the story of his life without any mistakes. unlike The Midnight Library which relies on the concept but tells a sappy story, this was brutal and imaginative with existential dread throughout. definitely a quick read that's worth checking out if the concept intrigues you, would love to see a movie adaptation of this

8.3/10

absolutely incredible. blew through it in a few days. it was such a magical and haunting piece of literature that I will hold dear. like others have said, if you decide to read this, please go in blind.

Man… I’ve been enjoying my read of James Islington’s The Strength of the Few, I’m on the last chapter. It’s a good sequel to The Will of the Many. I however find myself almost fundamentally disagreeing with many of Vis’ decisions. As I'm finishing up the book, I’m struggling to understand what he actually stands for. The series explores themes of classism, fascism, and rebellion. Vis is very idealistic, but most of his actions go against what he preaches, or rather he finds a way where it’s justified or framed as “no other choice”. Yet he will moralize, and wax poetic about certain ideas other characters are making. Like the book flirts with the idea of taking a stand against tyranny, but it does that thing where the oppressed are suppose to “rise above” the methods used by their oppressors.

Like he’s a flawed character no doubt which is cool, but 2 books in I just find myself asking what is he doing this all for? The Hierarchy he hates, he also condemns those who are fighting the hardest against it. He himself wasn’t doing anything, just keeping his head down and getting around.

Just finished the trial by kafka.

Man. What a strange book, never got into kafka before besides metamorphosis which I need to re read. It's been years.

This s*** is so oppressive, pathetic, hopeless, anxious, odd, and creepy in an extremely captivating way. It feels rusty and wet to read, if that makes sense. Like it is sweating profusely.
It could be a little boring at times, but I really enjoyed it for the most part.

it starts off as a bizarre, poignant take on the absurdity of bueracracy but spirals into something much more about kafkas view on life itself. Which is dismal, to say the least.

I can see Kafka writing this in a craze, laughing in fear. Sometimes it can be verbose, but it adds to the anxiety, and the slow crawling, gaslighting nature of the Law, what ever it really is.

Book reminds me of rosemarys baby or something David lynch wouldve adapted. I know there's a few adaptations but ari aster gotta tackle this.

If the book gets a bit boring for you. Just know it all kind of a build up for the last few chapters.

great little mystery, only 200 pagees and pretty captivating, read it all on the train this week.

been reading some crime bangers

Sisters in Yellow by Mieko Kawakami (2023/2026) 448 pages

novel about a Japanese woman recounting her teenage years as the daughter of a cocktail waitress in Japan coping with abandonment and poverty. interesting depiction of the underbelly of Japan and how capitalism and marginalization can push people towards crime. marketed as "a Japanese Breaking Bad" which is a huge disservice because I was expecting it to be crazier. but this is the second novel I've read by Kawakami and it was well written and entertaining throughout. could've been better but still an enjoyable read

7.3/10

Five Decembers by James Kestrel (2021) 429 pages

noir crime novel about a police officer in Hawaii who catches a gruesome murder case that takes him to Asia right when WWII kicks off. think I've seen this recommended in here and other places online as well. it was a pretty standard detective novel but the historical aspect, main character, and writing made it a page turner and for the most part I liked where the story went. there was one choice I found predictable and cringe but this still delivered and lived up to the hype

8.6/10

Dos Crímenes / Two Crimes by Jorge Ibargüengoitia (1979) 211 pages

Mexican novel about a man on the run after being accused of a crime who flees to a small town and meets up with his rich uncle who is on his deathbed and his cousins-in-law plotting on the inheritance. hadn't heard much about this but I was very impressed by the structure and storytelling. amusing cast of characters, funny at times, and just a very well crafted narrative. definitely makes me want to read more Ibargüengoitia

9.5/10