All of my book reviews from The Storygraph

What I did for my movie-watching history in the previous post, I’ve done for my book reviews in this one. This habit started on Goodreads, but I grew dissatisfied with the UI/UX design on that site, and so moved over to The Storygraph.

With this, I think I can say that everything that I’ve ever written on the Internet (apart from social media, which, who cares?) now lives on this website, which I have full control over.

One thing I would like to explore in the future is going in the other direction. I.e. when I write something and post it on this website, I should also share it on Letterboxd or Storygraph, or whatever platforms spring up in the future. There’s a name for this approach: POSSE, which stands for “Publish on Own Site, Syndicate Everywhere.” It could be as simple as copy and pasting, but as a software developer, I can’t help but try to find a way to automate it.

Let’s see if I get around to it…

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood     2010-04-20

It was well-written and I enjoyed the narration of Grace, the main character. But I had a problem with the character of the doctor, Simon. It seemed like the character of Simon was meant to be a parallel to Grace, but I don’t think the book spends enough time with his story to fully develop that connection. It would have been better if the time was evenly divided between the two characters, or just focussed on Grace herself. The chapters about Simon seemed tacked on; and I found that his subplot ended abruptly.

My favourite parts were the sections that consisted of letters between the different characters, especially the letters from Simon’s mother. She played the motherly guilt trip in a way that was real and funny.

The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company by David A. Price     2010-11-28

This book does a good job of balancing the three different aspects of Pixar’s story. One, the development of the technology that they use to produce computer graphics. Two, the creative process that goes into finding and perfecting the stories and ideas in their movies. Three, the business deals and relationships between the key players. The book would be interesting if it was about any one of these areas; combining them together made for an entertaining and informative read.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach     2010-12-03

I might have been grossed out in some parts if it hadn’t been so funny…

Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra     2011-02-08

It took me a very long time to read Sacred Games, and it was mostly worth it. There are some powerful moments and I liked the overall setting and style, but it was ultimately a bit uneven.

When I first started reading it, the language took a bit of getting used to. Chandra uses a lot of words in various Indian languages. Even the characters’ names were hard to keep track of because they are unfamiliar. There is a large glossary, but I found that it was too cumbersome to flip to it all the time, and it was better just to read on. Usually the context was enough to provide understanding.

Structurally, the novel is quite interesting. Chapters alternate between focussing on Sartaj Singh, a police detective, and Ganesh Gaitonde, a crime boss. The two characters actually meet in the first chapter and Gaitonde dies. The rest of the Gaitonde chapters are flashbacks of his criminal “career” and what lead to his end, while the Sartaj chapters deal with his investigation into the same events. Apart from this alternating series of chapters, there are occasional chapters called “Insets” that have to do with peripheral characters who may or may not affect the main plot.

Because of this structure, the experience is like reading two separate novels, with the Insets acting like short stories thrown into the mix. I thought the Gaitonde story was a bit stronger than Sartaj’s. Parts of it reminded me of the De Niro parts of The Godfather Part II, particularly near the beginning when he is working his up the criminal hierarchy. When he becomes the boss, his mental state often fluctuates between aggressive cockiness and paranoid insecurity. I can imagine that the stresses of being the head of a crime organization would do that to you.

One of my favourite chapters was the Inset revolving around Sartaj’s mother’s childhood. The writing style reflected a different time and conveyed a childlike perspective. I won’t spoil it, but what happens is really traumatic, while also tying into the themes of the larger plot.

The main problem I had with the book was the scale of the plot. After finishing it, I can now see that the story comes together. But during the course of reading it, it felt like there were many excessive diversions. Sometimes it would tie into the plot, and sometimes not. While I admire the richness of it, I was often left thinking to myself, “Why is this important?” As an example, the penultimate chapter involves a character who has seemingly not been previously introduced. We basically go through his entire life story before we find out that he is in fact a background character who was involved an earlier event involving one of the main characters. The fact that this chapter takes place after the climax of the main plot made it seem really out of place and unnecessary.

Overall, I liked the immersiveness of Sacred Games, but maybe it was so immersive that sometimes I lost track of the point.

Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben Macintyre     2011-02-25

The thing that struck me most while reading this was how much luck was involved in the operation’s success. It’s fascinating how such an event as large-scale as the invasion of Sicily was affected by a series of small events that made Operation Mincemeat work. Little things like finding the right photograph to match the dead body, the documents landing in the hands of an anti-Nazi German officer, etc… if any of those things had happened differently, the entire operation could have failed. The book does a good job of revealing these turns of fortune in an entertaining way so that it reads like a suspense novel.

Black Hole by Charles Burns     2011-04-01

Other than the gross-out factor of the effects of “The Bug” disease, I didn’t really find it very interesting. The story is pretty typical teenage angst stuff.

Blankets by Craig Thompson     2011-04-07

Imaginative drawings. Nice story. Sad story.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess     2011-04-20

Second time reading the book. Have seen the movie many times. I still find the language and voice entertaining.

I believe this was the first time I’ve been exposed to the last chapter (older editions have the last chapter cut out, and the movie doesn’t adapt the last chapter). I’m not sure how I feel about it. It does provide a nice symmetry to the first chapter, but I thought it was a bit too convenient. It features a character change in Alex that seems like it’s just there to make a point and to end it on a positive note.

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford     2011-04-25

In a way, the title is misleading. I was expecting something like a biography of Genghis Khan, and it is that to start with. I was surprised when the death of Genghis Khan occurred about a third of the way through the book. There’s a definite tonal change at this point. The parts about Genghis’s early life and eventual rise to power feel more like legends and myths because the research is drawn from stories that were probably passed down orally before being recorded historically. After his death, the book shifts to a more high-level account of his descendants and empire. As the empire grew, so did the number of “proper” historians taking down the events. As a result, the text becomes more encyclopedic and less personal, and I found it less compelling. Still, I learned a lot about a subject that I wasn’t that familiar with before, so it’s good.

The Monkeyface Chronicles by Richard Scarsbrook     2011-06-18

Very entertaining and hard to put down. I read the entire third act in one sitting, on the eve of Father’s Day, which is interesting considering the plot revelations that come out.

In many instances, the characters surprise you by behaving in ways you don’t expect. Some characters are set up to be a certain way, but end up making choices that break out of what a clichéd version of the character might do. For example, in an early scene, the principal of the school, who is also the father of the school bullies, resolves a bullying incident by favouring justice over nepotism. It took me by surprise, and it was very satisfying.

Overall, a funny and enjoyable read.

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood     2011-06-20

Not as good as Oryx and Crake. I found that switching between two main characters took me out of it. It’s a bit odd to have one of them narrated in first person, and the other in third person. I don’t think it serves any great purpose, and it only caused me to have to adjust every time the perspective changed.

My biggest problem with it is that all the minor characters that Jimmy knew and met independently in Oryx and Crake are shown to have a history together in The Year of the Flood. It was too much of a coincidence and made it seem arbitrary.

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan     2011-07-06

It’s appropriate that I read Cloud Atlas not long ago. That novel and A Visit from the Goon Squad share some similarities in structure: both are essentially a set of short stories, each in a different style, that are all connected in some way. Ultimately, I have to say that I enjoyed Cloud Atlas more than Goon Squad.

The main difference between the two is the purpose that the structure and style serves. In Cloud Atlas, the structure made me curious as to how the stories would end up connecting to each other. The changes in style worked because they suited the different settings of each story.

In Goon Squad, conversely, the structure and style work against the story. The point-of-view change in each chapter makes it difficult to connect to any one character. By the time you get to know a character, their story is pretty much over and we’re on to the next one. It didn’t help that most of the characters were expressing the same dissatisfaction and sadness over getting old. I know that aging and the passage of time are the themes of the book, but it got a little monotonous because everyone in the story is filled with angst and regret.

I respect Egan’s writing style for the most part; she definitely expresses ideas very creatively. However, I think she overdoes it in a couple of chapters. The chapter about Rob is narrated in the second person. I don’t think there’s any reason for it, other than to do something different. It’s almost like she wrote it in first person and then simply replaced every “I” with “you.” I kept forgetting that it was narrated this way and had to reorient myself every time I came across the word “you.”

The other chapter that bothered me was the PowerPoint chapter, supposedly a presentation put together by a 12-year-old girl. It’s almost a shame because I found the girl’s autistic brother to be interesting. The brother is obsessed with pauses in songs, and I thought it was a cool concept. Unfortunately, that distinctive character was masked by the quirky format for the chapter.

Overall, I didn’t really enjoy the book. I admire the technique and writing style, but the lack of an end-to-end narrative and some overly gimmicky sections took me out of it.

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin     2011-08-06

I read this after enjoying the TV series. The book is good, but I must say the TV show does a pretty good job of covering it. I was able to gloss over some of the more descriptive parts of the book because I had already seen the visual representation and so already had a mental image.

The real test will be when I read the next book, which I want to do before the second season of the show comes out…

The Cult of the Amateur by Andrew Keen     2011-09-22

It was good for the first couple of chapters. I agree that the Internet tends to glorify the participation of the masses, even if those masses produce very little quality. Keen criticizes Wikipedia in particular, which has made me second-guess my own dependence on that site. I’ve never used Wikipedia for any in-depth research, but I now worry that even the small factoids that I get from it may not be true. I think that we are starting to forget the distinction between content created by experts and by amateurs, and this book does a good job reminding us of that.

In the second half, I think the book loses track of its main argument and devolves into moralizing. It basically boils down to: “The Internet is bad because people get addicted to online poker! And people steal music! And there’s too much porn!” These latter chapters seem disconnected from the original thesis of the book, since these problems aren’t related to the creation of content by amateurs. While the first part of the book is about the objective quality of content, the second half deals with subjective morals, and it becomes too grounded in the personal values of the author.

Perhaps ironically, the very act of my writing this review (I’m not a professional writer or reviewer) is exactly the kind of thing that this book is arguing against. So I wonder, can anyone really write a review of this book without having an inherent bias?

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin     2011-10-03

Since this series of books is so plot-driven, it’s hard to discuss without giving anything away. I’ll just say that I enjoyed it, and I’m looking forward to see what happens next. I’m also very curious about how HBO is going to film this; it’s bigger in scope than the first book and has more big action scenes that will be difficult to bring to the screen. Buy the DVDs, people… they’re going to need the money.

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen     2011-11-25

I admired more than enjoyed this book. It’s very well-written, but underneath the impressive style are a story and characters that I didn’t like very much. I thought that it spent too much time in flashback, which gives it the feeling that the current storyline is constantly stalled; I was always waiting for it to get back to what’s happening now.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick     2012-02-15

The illustrations were great. I didn’t read all of the text because it’s written at a very kid-friendly level and didn’t interest me much. This is one example where the movie works better than the book, mainly because I think it’s very important to actually see Méliès films in motion.

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt     2012-06-23

I don’t usually like Westerns, but this was okay. Had some good dark humour. The writing style was nice and crisp, but I never felt any real tension in the story.

Oblivion: Stories by David Foster Wallace     2012-09-03

“Good Old Neon” is worth the price of admission. I’m less impressed with the rest than I was the first time around.

Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer     2012-09-16

A good mix of true crime and history, although I found the true crime bits overly lurid at times. Also, by focussing so much on the fundamentalist sects of Mormonism and the very negative aspects of these sects, it might be a bit unfair to Mormonism in general.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell     2012-10-01

Much has been said about the structure of this novel, so I’ll try to keep my thoughts on the subject to a minimum. Basically, I don’t think that the structure contributes anything to the overall experience beyond providing some “hey, cool” moments where one story references another. Therefore, I see the novel as a set of short stories connected by some common themes rather than a single, grand narrative. As such, each story should be judged individually.

The one strength that flows throughout the book is the use of language. Each story takes place in a different setting and time period, which allows Mitchell the opportunity to write in different styles and voices. I particularly liked the archaic language used in “The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing”—it was challenging but not frustratingly so. The stories that take place in the future were not as stylistically interesting for me—I’ve read a lot of sci-fi and the use of invented words has become familiar.

“The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish” was the weakest story. While I did enjoy the character’s snarkiness and intelligence, the stakes did not stack up to the more life-and-death situations that the other stories convey. Maybe it’s meant to be a comedic touch to see a curmudgeonly old man overreacting to his plight, but I felt like it didn’t fit in with the others.

My favourite story of the lot is “Sloosha’s Crossin’ an’ Ev’rythin’ After.” Initially, the future-hillbilly language was hard to get into, but it grew on me. Once I warmed up to it, the innocence of the narrator and his society became evident. The idea of a primitive post-apocalyptic society, contrasted with the high-tech society of the Prescients, worked really well in building a sense of danger. In a world that has already lost so much, every action that they take is amplified because of the risk of losing it all.

The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt     2013-03-19

I liked the parallel and contrasting histories of Ancient Rome and Renaissance Italy, and how the rise of Christianity changed everything. But when it came to the actual ideas in Lucretius’s poem and how those ideas affected the Renaissance, I felt it was kind of rushed and crammed into the final two chapters.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn     2013-05-19

It was entertaining, but the twists took me out of it. It got to the point where I couldn’t care about the characters anymore because there’s no truth to them.

Girl with Curious Hair by David Foster Wallace     2013-05-28

Interesting look at his early work and how his style developed. My favourites were the title story and “John Billy”, which both had bizarre narrative voices, something I tend to go for. The final novella “Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way”, I had to give up on. It was more like an essay than a story, and seems to be exactly what Wallace was talking about when he said that everything he wrote when he was younger was him trying to prove that he was clever.

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf     2013-07-19

Artwork is great, but writing is so-so. The narration in particular is way too direct and unsubtle.

Red China Blues: My Long March from Mao to Now by Jan Wong     2013-09-17

Really enjoyed the sense of humour that Wong brought to this memoir. It really highlights the contradictory and absurd nature of Chinese communism. But, appropriately, the humour goes out the window during her first-hand account of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Those few chapters are very powerful indeed.

Consider the Lobster And Other Essays by David Foster Wallace     2014-04-03

“Host” and “Up, Simba” were a bit sloppy, I thought, but really enjoyed “Authority and American Usage,” especially the part about the pants.

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men by David Foster Wallace     2014-08-15

While I don’t expect much in terms of plot from DFW, these stories felt more like a series of rants than actual narratives. The highlight for me was “Octet.”

The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich     2014-10-05

I didn’t realize how closely The Social Network adapted this book. Having just watched the movie, I didn’t find that reading the book added much.

The Best Short Stories of the Modern Age edited by Douglas Angus     2016-08-31

My favourites:

• The Dead (Joyce)
• The Ledge (Hall)
• The Lottery (Jackson)
• Of This Place, Of That Time (Trilling)
• A Clean, Well-Lighted Place (Hemingway)
• The Wall (Sartre)

Rockets Versus Gravity by Richard Scarsbrook     2016-09-15

(N.B. I’m a student of the author’s and have come to know him personally.)

Very crisp read filled with characters that are easy to identify with. The morality of the book divides the characters into haves and have-nots, and invariably it’s the have-nots who find freedom from their situation, and find value in things other than… things. Lots of hope. Lots of humour.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo     2016-11-29

Nothing evokes guilt like reading about poverty on a brand-new shiny e-book gadget…

Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu     2017-08-21

Artwork is beautiful. The story seems to be mainly built upon withholding information about the history of the world, so that you want to find out more. I’m not totally invested in the story yet, but the characters are growing on me.

Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan     2018-12-23

The love triangle kept me engaged, even though Sid was being blindly and irrationally jealous most of the time. There are a couple of beautiful passages about what it’s like to make music, and what talent and genius mean. Mostly, though, I never quite settled into the prose style: a bit repetitive at times, and forced my head voice into a mental blackface that I wasn’t comfortable with.

On Snooker: The Game and the Characters Who Play It by Mordecai Richler     2019-01-07

Not as much about snooker as I’d hoped. Lots of digressions. Still fun to read.

Highlight: constant bashing of the player Stephen Lee for no apparent reason.

Hellgoing: Stories by Lynn Coady     2019-01-20

Enjoyed the writing style all around.

Will focus on my favourite story of the bunch, “Dogs In Clothes.” The main character reminds me of people I know, egocentric people who like to think of themselves as cultured, and are sensitive to any doubts cast on their sincerity. Yet, the character is not necessarily unlikable. You feel that she is just doing what is expected of her.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers     2019-02-24

I got the edition that has the “Mistakes We Knew We Made” appendix attached. I skipped it. I had had enough.

It worked for me for the first couple of chapters. The graphic descriptions of the mother’s illness (“podules”, “green fluids”) were an effective, visceral way of gaining sympathy. The sympathy lasts after the parents are gone, when Dave and Toph are living in California. He says “we are owed” and I can give him that, even if I don’t believe it. They suffered a tragedy, sure, but they’re not the only ones to ever have parents die. The hubris is endearing until the sympathy wears off… by the time we get to Dave’s work at the magazine and the extended “interview” with MTV, the overconfident tone became obnoxious to me.

I’m not even mentioning the extended meta-commentary in the acknowledgements at the beginning. Not a good start for me… I was like, really? You’re explaining your themes before the book starts?

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi     2019-03-12

did not finish

Excessive worldbuilding… felt like all of the interesting stuff happens “off-screen,” at the expense of the present story.

The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir by Alex Marzano-Lesnevich     2019-03-28

The best parts of the book are the passages that connect the writer’s life with the killer’s. Taken alone, the two stories are interesting, but it’s her finding meaning in the parallels between them that is truly compelling.

On a stylistic note, I wasn’t a fan of everything in present tense. For a narrative that jumps around in time so much, it’s hard to grasp a frame of reference if everything feels like it’s happening all at once. I understand that the effect could be intentional, but it jarred me every time she used the will future tense, e.g. “five years from now, I will do so-and-so.” But it’s obviously all in the past.

Among Others by Jo Walton     2019-04-18

The biggest strength of this novel is the combination of a coming-of-age story with a subtle magical world. The way that magic works, by indirect manipulation of reality, so that a spell seems to reach back in time to set up a chain of events that lead to the desired result, is fascinating. It also plays well with Mori’s teenage insecurity; when she makes friends, she doesn’t believe that she earned it. Even though she’s a clear, natural fit in her book club, she chalks it up to a spell she cast, and agonizes over the “ethics” of her actions.

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin     2019-04-18

The story feels very disorienting, because it jumps between realities, and it’s a new world that you have to get used to every time. This is intentional, of course, and effective. However, I felt the need to have some constant to hold onto, and didn’t get it. The only relationship that exists throughout the story is between George and Haber. I would have liked to see some sort of evolution in this relationship, like a power struggle that goes back and forth. Instead, I felt that it was quite static: Haber always has the upper hand, and there’s not much George can do about it.

The Postmortal by Drew Magary     2019-05-27

The setup and premise are interesting. At first, I got a World War Z vibe because of the “on the ground, as it happened” style. Unfortunately, where World War Z branched out into many different sources and perspectives, here, it’s limited to the journal of one person. Because of this, the characters in John’s life become vehicles to express how the postmortal cure would affect different slices of society.

E.g.

• The father: an older person.
• The sister: a married person with kids.
• The mother of John’s child: a person making the decision to have kids.
• The new girlfriend: a person making the decision to get married.

Nobody feels real, and their conversations often sound like philosophical debates.

Boxers by Gene Luen Yang     2019-06-01

I thought the ending was a bit rushed. There’s a lot of moral ambiguity here, and I have to say I found it tough to get into because I never really wanted Bao to succeed. His rebellion is based on nationalism and exclusionary thinking, and I couldn’t get behind it, even though on a personal level, I respect that he was trying to protect his way of life.

The artwork is great, and I enjoyed the designs of the gods that the fighters become.

Saints by Gene Luen Yang     2019-06-09

The biggest wow moment for me was seeing the Righteous and Harmonious Fists in battle from Vibiana’s perspective. They appear as men, and not as gods. It creates the sense that the Fist members are driven by faith in their cause (which I never totally agreed with while reading Boxers).

I was not a fan of the epilogue here… I didn’t think that Bao deserved to survive, and especially not due to the prayer that he learned from the girl that he murdered. I didn’t feel it was just; Bao was the instigator of violence, and he ends up being victorious, in a way.

Outline by Rachel Cusk     2019-06-12

I read this while going through a bit of a mid-life crisis. Basically, coming to the realization that it’s impossible to have it all. Trying to fit everything into this life only leads to anxiety.

In this book, one character after another pours their heart out to the narrator. They reflect upon their lives, often filled with regret. On the surface, it seems like they regret their failure to attain everything they wanted. But in my state of mind, I interpreted it as regret that they failed to recognize the impossibility of attaining everything they wanted. Or, they failed to recognize that they were being told to want the wrong things.

This book is filled with passages that describe parts of my life perfectly. One of the most emotionally satisfying reads I’ve had in a while.

Beyond Measure: The Big Impact of Small Changes by Margaret Heffernan     2019-07-22

Most of it seems common-sense to me: communicate, be social, be open-minded, no hierarchies. I disagree with the pitch that anyone “from the CEO to the janitor” can implement these changes. You still need some power to put things in motion.

Why We Work by Barry Schwartz     2019-08-27

The core message of the book—that people are motivated by doing work that they find meaningful—didn’t seem that insightful to me. But I did like the latter half of the book, which talks about how misconceptions spread. Ideology propagates because of self-fulfilling prophecy.

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman     2019-09-01

I liked it less and less as it went on. The first book, I was in, because it focused on one character’s quest, and had a sense of discovery as Lyra learned about the rules of the world. There are many strange mysteries, and they all tie into her quest.

By the third book, the world-building and multiple plotlines have gotten so complex that it feels like the characters need to explain what’s going on to each other in every other chapter. Lyra spends a third of it asleep, and she’s the only character I ever really cared about. (Will is okay, but too brooding.) I found myself rushing through whole sequences, just to get back to her story.

Some subplots I found unsatisfying:

• The war against the Authority doesn’t amount to much. We simply haven’t seen the Authority do anything to make us want him to lose.
• The assassin sent to kill Mary because she was going to tempt Lyra… he gets killed without the confrontation ever happening.

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell     2019-09-09

did not finish

It was well-written and interesting, but focussed too much on art history and literary history, and didn’t actually spend a lot of time on the concept of the attention economy itself. I was hoping for more social, technological and historic context.

The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst     2019-10-15

Drew me into a world that I know nothing of, and made me feel like an expert.

Transit by Rachel Cusk     2019-10-30

I didn’t identify with this as much as I did Outline, but if I ever get divorced, I’ll know to revisit this.

Kudos by Rachel Cusk     2019-11-20

The best parts for me were those that explored the way that people (families, couples) perform happiness or unity for the sake of others. And then those other people respond with envy, until it breaks down, either because the happiness dissolves for real, or because the envious person realizes that it’s only an image.

I didn’t like it as much when it dove too deeply into what I would call “writer stuff” - philosophical discussions about the value of literature and writing. It’s too self-referential for me.

The New York Trilogy: City of Glass / Ghosts / The Locked Room by Paul Auster     2019-12-15

The linguistic theory stuff in City of Glass reminded me of Snow Crash, which is always a good thing. Ghosts was a bit weaker, and felt like a variation of the same themes. But The Locked Room brought it around for me again, by bringing the more abstract ideas of the others into a more personal story.

We become our obsessions, and if our obsession is another person, we risk losing our identity.

The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread by Cailin O’Connor, James Owen Weatherall     2019-12-22

More scientific than I expected, as it explains the spread of information and misinformation through precise models. Learned a lot. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like there’s any way out of the situation unless systems (even the very idea of democracy) fundamentally change. I’m not very hopeful about this; people won’t change for the sake of it, unless there are incentives to do so.

The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner     2020-01-22

did not finish

Entertaining, but didn’t give me enough insight to keep me going.

The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis     2020-03-01

Really indulgent first chapter about NBA drafts, which was interesting, but had little to do with the rest of the book. I was most interested in the story of Amos and Danny’s relationship, and I almost think the book could have been entirely about that.

Embassytown by China Miéville     2020-03-04

World-building in the first third really drew me in. Felt like a less-pristine Star Trek episode. I thought the main conflict, once it started, dragged on a little. Character motivations didn’t feel strongly defined.

Ru by Kim Thúy     2020-03-13

I admire the writing. It’s filled with both beautiful and horrific images, sometimes stacked together. (E.g., description of grandmother in beautiful dress, at peaceful Buddhist altar; then, the suggestion that the incense blunts the pain that she feels about her departed son.)

On the other hand, I think the lack of structure put me off. I didn’t feel attached to any characters because they come and go so quickly that they leave only impressions.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami     2020-03-17

did not finish

Not really digging the main character. Too apathetic.

Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier     2020-05-12

did not finish

I wanted to read this because I’m interested in the painter Vermeer. Unfortunately, the book is happy to keep him in the background as a mysterious figure, so I lost patience with it.

A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace     2020-05-25

The title essay is brilliant and hilarious. I have tried to read Wallace’s fiction before and always found it a bit depressing. I think his nonfiction is more grounded in reality and there doesn’t go to the same dark places that his fiction does. I got to appreciate his style more, and I think this will encourage me to revisit his other books.

Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter     2020-06-18

Towards the end, as the book explores concepts from AI, I lost a bit of interest because I had doubts about whether it’s out-dated. AI has progressed greatly since this book was written.

But the first half, leading up to the explanation of Godel’s theorem, I found fascinating.

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie     2020-07-27

I was affected more by the large-scale tragedy than by any of the personal suffering of the main characters. The final personal loss did not hit me very hard because I was already numbed by the descriptions of the horrors happening to secondary and background characters, like the beheaded servant, or the malnourished children.

Throughout, I had the sense that the main characters were a bit contrived to be in an optimal position to cover all aspects of the war. For example, Olanna happens to have an ex from the north, who ends up on the opposite side of the war.

The Part 3 section was particularly jarring, an extended flashback focusing on soap opera-like subplots, which interrupts the story of the war.

All in all, despite the flaws in characterization, it was still a powerful account of a period of history that I was ignorant about.

Collaborating with the Enemy: How to Work with People You Don’t Agree with or Like or Trust by Adam Kahane     2020-08-06

It’s simultaneously too long and too short. Too long because it repeats vague descriptions of its ideas multiple times, and too short because it illustrates those ideas with superficial anecdotes. I would have liked to read more about the author’s experiences in how he applied these ideas.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe     2020-08-08

My favourite little bit is when Okonkwo’s daughter is taken by the priestess for some ritual, and Okonkwo desperately wants to go after her and make sure she’s okay, but forces himself to wait a “manly” amount of time before going. Nice dig at male insecurity.

Women Talking by Miriam Toews     2020-11-24

Do we romanticize the Mennonite and Amish lifestyles because they live in simpler times? Seems appealing, but this book reveals the downsides. The women essentially have no freedom.

Dangerous Laughter by Steven Millhauser     2021-04-02

A bit disappointing because it is dominated by ideas over characters. “The Little Kingdom of J. Franklin Payne” from Little Kingdoms hit me emotionally, and nothing in this book had the same effect.

Weather by Jenny Offill     2021-08-13

Effectively captures the anxiety of day-to-day life, and then manages to layer climate anxiety on top of that. Best read in small chunks.

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah     2021-09-23

I picked up this book after my company hired him to do an interview with our CEO, and I was struck by his charisma. His charm comes through in the book, making it an easy read, but he also deals with South Africa’s dark history of racism in a refreshingly blunt way.

Beyond the impact of racism, there’s also the huge personal cost of not fitting in with any particular group. He’s not Black (though he identifies himself as such), he’s not white, and that’s hard enough. But there’s also the colored people who are the result of race-mixing long ago, before it was illegal. He doesn’t fit in with them either, even though he looks like them.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami     2021-10-12

did not finish

I enjoyed bits of the story, but I don’t feel like there’s a narrative that drives me to keep reading. In particular, the part about the Lieutenant’s war experience in Mongolia was harrowing, and there was a realistic and sensitive discussion on abortion with the wife.

I was also weirded out by some of the sexual stuff… the Creta Kano character is objectified, either as a rape victim or as the subject of wet dreams.

The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel     2021-10-17

I could have done without the repeated references to historical Transcendentalists. It would have left a more focussed look at her personal life. I was blown away by Fun Home, but this one didn’t hit as hard.

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke     2021-11-06

Reminded me a bit of Flowers for Algernon or The Curious Incident of Dog in Night-time, due to the narrator’s voice. He’s a naive mind who doesn’t understand the world around him, but cares greatly about being good. Combine that with a cool magical setting, and I was hooked.

Two Trees Make a Forest: Travels Among Taiwan’s Mountains & Coasts in Search of My Family’s Past by Jessica J. Lee     2021-11-06

did not finish

It was too much description of scenery and geography, and not enough stories about people. Well-written, but I’m drawn more to the human element, which was lacking here.

This Is the Voice by John Colapinto     2021-11-15

did not finish

Reads like a series of “did you know” factoids. Interesting but I don’t feel it has enough depth.

On Animals by Susan Orlean     2021-12-01

The “Free Willy” one was my favourite. It’s disturbing to me that hype around a movie can move so many people to act, without regard to whether it’s really best for the animal.

Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon     2021-12-02

did not finish

This was probably my third attempt. I admire it but don’t enjoy it.

Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness by Kristen Radtke     2021-12-08

Overall, this book contained a lot of insights about the biological and evolutionary reasons behind human psychology. There’s one section, about the US gun problem, which seemed a bit off-topic to me, because it doesn’t relate to the main theme of loneliness. It’s kind of sad, that the gun issue is so ingrained in American culture that it just has to be commented on.

In the Beginning… Was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson     2021-12-09

Picked this up for the first time in ~20 years. I read this many times at an impressionable age, and I credit it for influencing me to start the career path that I’m still on, and further, influencing me to be the type of computer user that I am (a Morlock, in the book’s terms). I’ve internalized so much of the book that I don’t feel like I’m really reading it anymore… it’s more like, I’m watching sentences go by that are already in my head.

On the other hand, there are some sections that rub me the wrong way now. There’s an attitude of elitism that doesn’t feel right for me. I know that I was full of conceit and superiority when I was younger, so it would have appealed to me then, but it’s kind of abrasive now.

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien     2021-12-21

did not finish

Had a hard time with the writing style. It felt quite stilted and didn’t grip me emotionally. Too many characters introduced too quickly and they didn’t feel like real people.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion     2022-02-23

did not finish

Too sad

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr.     2022-02-23

did not finish

Interesting concepts, but it was too distant from the characters.

Little Blue Encyclopedia (for Vivian) by Hazel Jane Plante     2022-03-20

A highlight for me in the Little Blue sections was all of the invented titles of other movies or songs.

Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill     2022-06-16

Really liked it until the husband’s infidelity. After that point, it got a little chaotic, which I guess is part of the point.

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris     2022-07-12

did not finish

A bit too meandering in getting to its point

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson     2022-07-23

An old favourite. This time around, I found myself getting impatient towards the latter half. The first act setup is probably my favourite part, how it creates the setting and introduces the concepts of the Metaverse. As a software guy, I love that “hacking” is like a superpower in the book. Once we get into the long discussions with the Librarian, I started skimming.

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones     2022-09-06

Stylistically, it can be a bit hard to follow, but the story is strong and propulsive. The characters are haunted by past actions that are so specific to their culture that at first, I didn’t think that what they did was a big deal. But the journey to understanding why it was a big deal for them is exactly why I love reading.

Escape into Meaning: Essays on Superman, Public Benches, and Other Obsessions by Evan Puschak     2022-09-25

I’ve watched so much Nerdwriter that I heard his voice the whole time I was reading this book.

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard     2023-04-03

did not finish

I really respect the writing here, but about halfway through, I felt it was getting repetitive.

Version Control by Dexter Palmer     2023-04-03

It’s a bit overstuffed, going on a lot of tangents about technology, e.g. social media, online dating, deepfakes/AI. It’s all very insightful, but it does distract from the core of the story.