07-31-2024, 09:36 AM
More like book reviews, but in homage to the late great CrownRoom thread, I'll keep it as is
It's been awhile since I posted about any books, but I had a chance to do a little reading this summer so here goes
Kappa by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. Very short little book about a mental patient that thinks he spent the last year or so living with a group of animals called Kappa (guess they are a real part of Japanese folklore). Not a lot to say about it; it’s kind of odd, has a little Gulliver’s Travels vibe to it.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I now understand why this was a best seller. Wow! What a story. Of course, I had heard about it a decade ago when it was in the news/being made a movie, but I didn’t really know anything about it. It’s the story of two boys in Afghanistan, one the son of rich businessman, the other the rich man’s servant’s son. Without giving anything away, a lot of bad things happen in the book (to say it mildly). But, the story is very engaging and I ended up reading it in two days (stayed up till midnight the second day, reading a little under 250 pages because I didn’t want to go to sleep without knowing how it turned out). It will get your blood boiling at times, the room will get “dusty” at times, and anyone living with you will ask if everything is okay when they hear you yell “fuck yeah” at some point. Highly recommend giving it a read.
Big Trouble by Dave Barry. Is Dave Berry, Carl Hiaasen? Same general idea as most of Hiassen’s books without any leftwing references. Just a crazy book about the nuttiness that is Florida. Some pretty funny parts with a lot of over-the-top Florida stuff. It’s a little too much to try to recap, but here goes…. a guy in Florida who does the dirty work of a shady company has a couple hit men after him. Every time they try to kill this guy something crazy happens and interferes with their plans. Russian arm dealers, want-a-be cops, meat heads, and Florida stuff come together in a fairly funny story. If you need a pallet cleanser, this is an easy read that should get a couple chuckles.
The King Must Die by Mary Renault. Roll referenced this book at one point, so I bought a copy. I must say, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I didn’t read a lot for pleasure back then, but I would have had a better general understanding of the background if I read it while at UGA. I took a couple classic literature classes for electives, so I had a little bit of knowledge about Greek mythology. Oh well. This is the story of Theseus and his coming to power (and his time as a slave/bull-dancer). I thought the writing was excellent and the story itself was very intriguing (and from the little I remember, kept to the general storyline/premise of the myth). Not much else to say other than it was very good and I’d recommend it.
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. Mexico, 1930s, religion has been outlawed. All the priests have fled or been shot. Only one has stayed behind and he’s a drunk. This is the story of him trying to avoid being captured. The writing is fine, relatively easy to read. Most of the book/story is decent, but the last 40 pages are very good. This is and is not a religious book; if you’re religious, the last 40 or so pages will be especially thought provoking. That said, you do not have to be religious to enjoy the book or do some soul searching the last couple chapters.
Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow. A rough old military vet who has millions is sick of the average life and looking for answers/an adventure so he goes to Africa. Ultimately, he gets caught up with a remote African tribe and becomes a rainmaker. The writing in the book is fine and it’s somewhat interesting at times, but overall, meh.
City of Thieves by David Benioff. What a good book! Easy read and very engaging. The setting is Russia during WWII. A starving kid (17 years old) and a cocky soldier have been arrested for pretty crimes. The colonel in charge of that city gives them an impossible task to earn their freedom: find a dozen eggs. At this point in the war, there is no food let alone fresh eggs. That’s the first 50 pages or so. The next 200 are about their attempt to find eggs during winter and WWII. I don’t want to give anything away, but it’s a very good story imo.
The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse. Going to recommend this book to the whole group. It’s entertaining and very funny. I know some of you loved a Confederacy of Dunces; this book has the same type of subtle humor. I actually really really liked this book. It should be way more popular than it is. Written in 1938, it’s a story of an English chap that gets wrapped up in some ridiculousness all centered around a cow creamer; stealing it for his aunt, avoiding marrying a clingy female acquaintance, dealing with ex school friends. I can tell you right now, I’m going to re-read this book at some point in the next year or two. Funny, entertaining, easy to read. I mean, all around enjoyable. A+ in my book (pun intended)
The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession by David Grann. I’ve read a couple books by Grann including Killers of the Flower Moon, so I thought I’d give this one a try. It’s a dozen or so short non-fictions stories including the story of a Texas man who was put to death for allegedly killing his family. A couple very interesting stories, but this one was pretty eye-opening. Other chapters include the birth and rise of the Aryan Brotherhood, the mysterious death of a Sherlock Holmes fan, and a 78-year old bank robber. Overall, pretty good book. Each story is only 25-55 pages, so it’s easy to read a chapter when you have some free time. Grann’s writing style is also simple but intriguing, so if you’re looking for a non-fiction book to read, this might be a good option.
Read anything good lately?
It's been awhile since I posted about any books, but I had a chance to do a little reading this summer so here goes
Kappa by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. Very short little book about a mental patient that thinks he spent the last year or so living with a group of animals called Kappa (guess they are a real part of Japanese folklore). Not a lot to say about it; it’s kind of odd, has a little Gulliver’s Travels vibe to it.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I now understand why this was a best seller. Wow! What a story. Of course, I had heard about it a decade ago when it was in the news/being made a movie, but I didn’t really know anything about it. It’s the story of two boys in Afghanistan, one the son of rich businessman, the other the rich man’s servant’s son. Without giving anything away, a lot of bad things happen in the book (to say it mildly). But, the story is very engaging and I ended up reading it in two days (stayed up till midnight the second day, reading a little under 250 pages because I didn’t want to go to sleep without knowing how it turned out). It will get your blood boiling at times, the room will get “dusty” at times, and anyone living with you will ask if everything is okay when they hear you yell “fuck yeah” at some point. Highly recommend giving it a read.
Big Trouble by Dave Barry. Is Dave Berry, Carl Hiaasen? Same general idea as most of Hiassen’s books without any leftwing references. Just a crazy book about the nuttiness that is Florida. Some pretty funny parts with a lot of over-the-top Florida stuff. It’s a little too much to try to recap, but here goes…. a guy in Florida who does the dirty work of a shady company has a couple hit men after him. Every time they try to kill this guy something crazy happens and interferes with their plans. Russian arm dealers, want-a-be cops, meat heads, and Florida stuff come together in a fairly funny story. If you need a pallet cleanser, this is an easy read that should get a couple chuckles.
The King Must Die by Mary Renault. Roll referenced this book at one point, so I bought a copy. I must say, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I didn’t read a lot for pleasure back then, but I would have had a better general understanding of the background if I read it while at UGA. I took a couple classic literature classes for electives, so I had a little bit of knowledge about Greek mythology. Oh well. This is the story of Theseus and his coming to power (and his time as a slave/bull-dancer). I thought the writing was excellent and the story itself was very intriguing (and from the little I remember, kept to the general storyline/premise of the myth). Not much else to say other than it was very good and I’d recommend it.
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. Mexico, 1930s, religion has been outlawed. All the priests have fled or been shot. Only one has stayed behind and he’s a drunk. This is the story of him trying to avoid being captured. The writing is fine, relatively easy to read. Most of the book/story is decent, but the last 40 pages are very good. This is and is not a religious book; if you’re religious, the last 40 or so pages will be especially thought provoking. That said, you do not have to be religious to enjoy the book or do some soul searching the last couple chapters.
Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow. A rough old military vet who has millions is sick of the average life and looking for answers/an adventure so he goes to Africa. Ultimately, he gets caught up with a remote African tribe and becomes a rainmaker. The writing in the book is fine and it’s somewhat interesting at times, but overall, meh.
City of Thieves by David Benioff. What a good book! Easy read and very engaging. The setting is Russia during WWII. A starving kid (17 years old) and a cocky soldier have been arrested for pretty crimes. The colonel in charge of that city gives them an impossible task to earn their freedom: find a dozen eggs. At this point in the war, there is no food let alone fresh eggs. That’s the first 50 pages or so. The next 200 are about their attempt to find eggs during winter and WWII. I don’t want to give anything away, but it’s a very good story imo.
The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse. Going to recommend this book to the whole group. It’s entertaining and very funny. I know some of you loved a Confederacy of Dunces; this book has the same type of subtle humor. I actually really really liked this book. It should be way more popular than it is. Written in 1938, it’s a story of an English chap that gets wrapped up in some ridiculousness all centered around a cow creamer; stealing it for his aunt, avoiding marrying a clingy female acquaintance, dealing with ex school friends. I can tell you right now, I’m going to re-read this book at some point in the next year or two. Funny, entertaining, easy to read. I mean, all around enjoyable. A+ in my book (pun intended)
The Devil & Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession by David Grann. I’ve read a couple books by Grann including Killers of the Flower Moon, so I thought I’d give this one a try. It’s a dozen or so short non-fictions stories including the story of a Texas man who was put to death for allegedly killing his family. A couple very interesting stories, but this one was pretty eye-opening. Other chapters include the birth and rise of the Aryan Brotherhood, the mysterious death of a Sherlock Holmes fan, and a 78-year old bank robber. Overall, pretty good book. Each story is only 25-55 pages, so it’s easy to read a chapter when you have some free time. Grann’s writing style is also simple but intriguing, so if you’re looking for a non-fiction book to read, this might be a good option.
Read anything good lately?
