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diff --git a/site/read.html b/site/read.html index 891b56a..18fa289 100644 --- a/site/read.html +++ b/site/read.html @@ -37,244 +37,261 @@ </nav> </header> <main> -<style type="text/css"> - .covers img { - filter: saturate(40%); - } +<style> + .covers img { + filter: saturate(40%); + } </style> <aside class="covers squish"> - <img src="/media/content/read/kowalczuk_freiheit.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/smith_shore.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/cronin_passage.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/broad_japan.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/bradbury_martian.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/elgin_tongue.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/kawakami_night.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/kowalczuk_freiheit.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/dev/null" class="size-s"> </aside> <details open> - <summary>2025</summary> - <main> - <h2 id="now">now</h2> - <ul> - <li>Freiheitsschock, Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk</li> - </ul> - <h2 id="nov25">november</h2> - <ul> - <li>Tod in Venedig, Thomas Mann</li> - <blockquote> - at the start the style of writing was preventing me from getting into - the story fully, as i was reading i got used to it and by the end found - myself quite enjoying it. apart from the style i find nothing - particularly special about it. the conclusion is quite unexpected - though. i found the epilog by terence james reed contextualised the - writing of the book in thomas manns life really useful. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="oct25">october</h2> - <ul> - <li>The Burning Shore, Wilbur Smith</li> - <blockquote> - while it kept me awake until 3am for 3 days i really disliked the - tonal shift between the second and third acts. how can he portray the - lifestyle of the san the way he does and then have centaine tear up - their sacred place of ancestor worship for diamonds. then the in-world - justification, that it will provide "good water" for her son. to me is - just blatant sugarcoating of an act that clearly violates the memory - and principles of the people she has her life to thank for. though she - had already all but forgotten them, when it was time for the story to - move on from including o'wa and h'ani. - <br> - another gripe with the writing i've had is the way the female lead is - written. it is so obvious, that the author is a man of the last - century... centaine in both instances immediately falls for the male, - that is so clearly set up to be her love-interest. - <br> - The book - <i>is</i> - from 1985, that might put some of this into perspective. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="sep25">september</h2> - <ul> - <li>The Passage, Justin Cronin</li> - <blockquote> - i can't quite remember where i even found this book. specifically the - part after the timeskip pulled me in and i just needed to know what - happens next. the book sets up a series and i am quite curious what - else they are going to do with the characters - i am personally happy - with what they did and wouldn't - <i>need</i> - more. - <br> - one small detail from the epilog i like is that apparently he co-wrote - the concept for the book together with his daughter. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="aug25">august</h2> - <ul> - <li>Abroad in Japan, Chris Broad</li> - <blockquote> - after reading the first half, i would already recommend this - book. even without any context on the author or japan, this has - some really funny stories. i also like how i can almost hear - chris' voice in the writing. - </blockquote> - <li>The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury</li> - <blockquote> - this one took a while. started reading pretty much right after - Native Tongue at the end of march. the book works well for piece - meal reading, since it's a collection of stories set in a - shared world. my favorites were the one where 'and the moon be - still as bright' and 'the million year picnic'. - overall i think i prefer this over fahrenheit if i had to - recommend one. this one executes the almost educational tone - better while telling actually great scifi stories, which often - left me thinking about them later. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="mar25">march</h2> - <ul> - <li>Native Tongue, Suzette Haden Elgin</li> - <blockquote> - read most of this in two long sessions while we were in - turkey. after a bit of a slow start i liked the spin on - "dystopian future-not-future society"; the world building - is reminiscent of handmaid's tale, but i felt like there - was more exploration of the inner workings of - <i>why</i> - society is that way; the feminist context shines through - especially towards the end, when the plot only works because the - men are all arrogant assholes, which was satisfying but a - bit one-dimensional. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="feb25">february</h2> - <p class="notice"> - started reading a weekly newspaper which had quite the - impact on my reading time. i have a test subscription for - 10 weeks, let's see if i can figure out how to balance my - reading out... - </p> - <h2 id="jan25">january</h2> - <ul> - <li>Record of a Night too brief, Hiromi Kawakami</li> - <blockquote> - the first half consists of surreal dreamlike short stories - that only refer to their protagonists as 'me' and 'the - girl'. second half is two longer stories. i enjoyed - interpreting what everything might mean, but wasn't - particularly drawn to the book because of the episodic - nature at the start. read the second half in one afternoon. - </blockquote> - </ul> - </main> + <summary>2026</summary> + <section> + <h2 id="now">now</h2> + <ul> + <li>Freiheitsschock, Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk</li> + </ul> + <h2 id="jan26">january</h2> + <ul> + <li>Circe, Madeline Miller</li> + </ul> + </section> </details> +<hr> <aside class="covers squish"> - <img src="/media/content/read/stephenson_crash.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/alharthi_celestial.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/kawabata_snow.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/rek_devine_busy.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/shea_illuminatus.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/kutscher_stumme_tod.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/lovecraft_madness.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/neuvel_only_human.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/vonnegut_champions.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/gibson_neuromancer.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/murata_convenience.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/smith_shore.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/cronin_passage.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/broad_japan.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/bradbury_martian.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/elgin_tongue.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/kawakami_night.jpg" class="size-s"> </aside> <details> - <summary>2024</summary> - <main> - <h2 id="dec24">december</h2> - <ul> - <li>Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson</li> - <blockquote> - had I not read Ready Player One and Neuromancer before, - this would surely have left a better impression. - the part about the sumarian virus is creative but feels - forced at the end when it is used to resolve - everything. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="nov24">november</h2> - <ul> - <li>Celestial Bodies, Jokha Alharthi</li> - <blockquote> - read this while in iceland. basically a family history - focused on the women. i had no background on oman's - history or society. super interesting from that angle. - sometimes a bit slow and confusing, since it's jumping - around the timeline. - </blockquote> - <li>Snow Country, Kawabata Yasunari</li> - <blockquote> - i am a sucker for japanese novels and their erie vibe. - this one has it too. so many small details that feel - meaningless on the surface but add some much to the - experience of the book. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="oct24">october</h2> - <ul> - <li><a href="//100r.co/site/busy_doing_nothing.html">Busy Doing Nothing</a>, - Rek Bellum & Devine Lu Linvega</li> - <blockquote> - somehow i fell down the rabbithole (lol) of rek & - devine's world this month. their log is fascinating and - inspiring. much of their stuff makes you want to set - out to sail yourself, and much of this book does too, - but then there is also details (like the wave incident) - that make you say: hell no. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="aug24">august</h2> - <ul> - <li><code>DROPPED</code> - <i>Illuminatus! Part 1: The Eye in the Pyramid, Robert Shea</i></li> - <blockquote> - I did not like the meandering writing and whacky - storylines that kept looping back onto each other. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="jul24">july</h2> - <ul> - <li>Der stumme Tod, Volker Kutscher</li> - <li>At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft</li> - <blockquote> - the story was mildly scary but entertaining. he kind of - overused "scary" adjective-noun pairs: cosmic fear, - blasphemous mountains. i don't understand how the pov - character thinks his report will hold back further - exploration of that region of antarctica. i would actually - expect it to inspire more attention. - </blockquote> - <li>Only Human (Themis Files #3), Sylvain Neuvel</li> - <blockquote> - i did not like this compared to the other two entries - to the series. mostly takes place on the world of the - creators of the "mechs". the style feels off compared - to the first novel when we were seeing the story evolve - through the eyes of the unnamed character. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="jun24">june</h2> - <ul> - <li>Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut</li> - <li>Neuromancer, William Gibson</li> - <li>Convenience Store Woman, Murata Sayaka</li> - <blockquote> - i admit, i probably started this out of nostalgia after - coming back from japan. it's a cute little story that - nicely shows how weird japanese society can be. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <p class="notice"> - i left my ereader at a cafe on the 1st of january of this year - while traveling in south korea. i only got a replacement in june. - that's why there is a 6 month gap where i did not read anything - this year. - </p> - </main> + <summary>2025</summary> + <section> + <h2 id="dec25">november</h2> + <ul> + <li>In the Miso Soup, Ryu Murakami</li> + </ul> + <h2 id="nov25">november</h2> + <ul> + <li>Tod in Venedig, Thomas Mann</li> + <blockquote> + at the start the style of writing was preventing me from getting into + the story fully, as i was reading i got used to it and by the end found + myself quite enjoying it. apart from the style i find nothing + particularly special about it. the conclusion is quite unexpected + though. i found the epilog by terence james reed contextualised the + writing of the book in thomas manns life really useful. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="oct25">october</h2> + <ul> + <li>The Burning Shore, Wilbur Smith</li> + <blockquote> + while it kept me awake until 3am for 3 days i really disliked the + tonal shift between the second and third acts. how can he portray the + lifestyle of the san the way he does and then have centaine tear up + their sacred place of ancestor worship for diamonds. then the in-world + justification, that it will provide "good water" for her son. to me is + just blatant sugarcoating of an act that clearly violates the memory + and principles of the people she has her life to thank for. though she + had already all but forgotten them, when it was time for the story to + move on from including o'wa and h'ani. + <br> + another gripe with the writing i've had is the way the female lead is + written. it is so obvious, that the author is a man of the last + century... centaine in both instances immediately falls for the male, + that is so clearly set up to be her love-interest. + <br> + The book + <i>is</i> + from 1985, that might put some of this into perspective. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="sep25">september</h2> + <ul> + <li>The Passage, Justin Cronin</li> + <blockquote> + i can't quite remember where i even found this book. specifically the + part after the timeskip pulled me in and i just needed to know what + happens next. the book sets up a series and i am quite curious what + else they are going to do with the characters - i am personally happy + with what they did and wouldn't + <i>need</i> + more. + <br> + one small detail from the epilog i like is that apparently he co-wrote + the concept for the book together with his daughter. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="aug25">august</h2> + <ul> + <li>Abroad in Japan, Chris Broad</li> + <blockquote> + after reading the first half, i would already recommend this + book. even without any context on the author or japan, this has + some really funny stories. i also like how i can almost hear + chris' voice in the writing. + </blockquote> + <li>The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury</li> + <blockquote> + this one took a while. started reading pretty much right after + Native Tongue at the end of march. the book works well for piece + meal reading, since it's a collection of stories set in a + shared world. my favorites were the one where 'and the moon be + still as bright' and 'the million year picnic'. + overall i think i prefer this over fahrenheit if i had to + recommend one. this one executes the almost educational tone + better while telling actually great scifi stories, which often + left me thinking about them later. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="mar25">march</h2> + <ul> + <li>Native Tongue, Suzette Haden Elgin</li> + <blockquote> + read most of this in two long sessions while we were in + turkey. after a bit of a slow start i liked the spin on + "dystopian future-not-future society"; the world building + is reminiscent of handmaid's tale, but i felt like there + was more exploration of the inner workings of + <i>why</i> + society is that way; the feminist context shines through + especially towards the end, when the plot only works because the + men are all arrogant assholes, which was satisfying but a + bit one-dimensional. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="feb25">february</h2> + <p class="notice"> + started reading a weekly newspaper which had quite the + impact on my reading time. i have a test subscription for + 10 weeks, let's see if i can figure out how to balance my + reading out... + </p> + <h2 id="jan25">january</h2> + <ul> + <li>Record of a Night too brief, Hiromi Kawakami</li> + <blockquote> + the first half consists of surreal dreamlike short stories + that only refer to their protagonists as 'me' and 'the + girl'. second half is two longer stories. i enjoyed + interpreting what everything might mean, but wasn't + particularly drawn to the book because of the episodic + nature at the start. read the second half in one afternoon. + </blockquote> + </ul> + </section> +</details> +<aside class="covers squish"> + <img src="/media/content/read/stephenson_crash.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/alharthi_celestial.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/kawabata_snow.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/rek_devine_busy.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/shea_illuminatus.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/kutscher_stumme_tod.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/lovecraft_madness.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/neuvel_only_human.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/vonnegut_champions.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/gibson_neuromancer.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/murata_convenience.jpg" class="size-s"> +</aside> +<details> + <summary>2024</summary> + <section> + <h2 id="dec24">december</h2> + <ul> + <li>Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson</li> + <blockquote> + had I not read Ready Player One and Neuromancer before, + this would surely have left a better impression. + the part about the sumarian virus is creative but feels + forced at the end when it is used to resolve + everything. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="nov24">november</h2> + <ul> + <li>Celestial Bodies, Jokha Alharthi</li> + <blockquote> + read this while in iceland. basically a family history + focused on the women. i had no background on oman's + history or society. super interesting from that angle. + sometimes a bit slow and confusing, since it's jumping + around the timeline. + </blockquote> + <li>Snow Country, Kawabata Yasunari</li> + <blockquote> + i am a sucker for japanese novels and their erie vibe. + this one has it too. so many small details that feel + meaningless on the surface but add some much to the + experience of the book. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="oct24">october</h2> + <ul> + <li><a href="//100r.co/site/busy_doing_nothing.html">Busy Doing Nothing</a>, + Rek Bellum & Devine Lu Linvega</li> + <blockquote> + somehow i fell down the rabbithole (lol) of rek & + devine's world this month. their log is fascinating and + inspiring. much of their stuff makes you want to set + out to sail yourself, and much of this book does too, + but then there is also details (like the wave incident) + that make you say: hell no. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="aug24">august</h2> + <ul> + <li><code>DROPPED</code> + <i>Illuminatus! Part 1: The Eye in the Pyramid, Robert Shea</i></li> + <blockquote> + I did not like the meandering writing and whacky + storylines that kept looping back onto each other. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="jul24">july</h2> + <ul> + <li>Der stumme Tod, Volker Kutscher</li> + <li>At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft</li> + <blockquote> + the story was mildly scary but entertaining. he kind of + overused "scary" adjective-noun pairs: cosmic fear, + blasphemous mountains. i don't understand how the pov + character thinks his report will hold back further + exploration of that region of antarctica. i would actually + expect it to inspire more attention. + </blockquote> + <li>Only Human (Themis Files #3), Sylvain Neuvel</li> + <blockquote> + i did not like this compared to the other two entries + to the series. mostly takes place on the world of the + creators of the "mechs". the style feels off compared + to the first novel when we were seeing the story evolve + through the eyes of the unnamed character. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="jun24">june</h2> + <ul> + <li>Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut</li> + <li>Neuromancer, William Gibson</li> + <li>Convenience Store Woman, Murata Sayaka</li> + <blockquote> + i admit, i probably started this out of nostalgia after + coming back from japan. it's a cute little story that + nicely shows how weird japanese society can be. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <p class="notice"> + i left my ereader at a cafe on the 1st of january of this year + while traveling in south korea. i only got a replacement in june. + that's why there is a 6 month gap where i did not read anything + this year. + </p> + </section> </details> </main> <footer> diff --git a/src/inc/read.htm b/src/inc/read.htm index fd6a50f..1c2ab05 100644 --- a/src/inc/read.htm +++ b/src/inc/read.htm @@ -1,239 +1,256 @@ -<style type="text/css"> - .covers img { - filter: saturate(40%); - } +<style> + .covers img { + filter: saturate(40%); + } </style> <aside class="covers squish"> - <img src="/media/content/read/kowalczuk_freiheit.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/smith_shore.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/cronin_passage.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/broad_japan.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/bradbury_martian.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/elgin_tongue.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/kawakami_night.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/kowalczuk_freiheit.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/dev/null" class="size-s"> </aside> <details open> - <summary>2025</summary> - <main> - <h2 id="now">now</h2> - <ul> - <li>Freiheitsschock, Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk</li> - </ul> - <h2 id="nov25">november</h2> - <ul> - <li>Tod in Venedig, Thomas Mann</li> - <blockquote> - at the start the style of writing was preventing me from getting into - the story fully, as i was reading i got used to it and by the end found - myself quite enjoying it. apart from the style i find nothing - particularly special about it. the conclusion is quite unexpected - though. i found the epilog by terence james reed contextualised the - writing of the book in thomas manns life really useful. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="oct25">october</h2> - <ul> - <li>The Burning Shore, Wilbur Smith</li> - <blockquote> - while it kept me awake until 3am for 3 days i really disliked the - tonal shift between the second and third acts. how can he portray the - lifestyle of the san the way he does and then have centaine tear up - their sacred place of ancestor worship for diamonds. then the in-world - justification, that it will provide "good water" for her son. to me is - just blatant sugarcoating of an act that clearly violates the memory - and principles of the people she has her life to thank for. though she - had already all but forgotten them, when it was time for the story to - move on from including o'wa and h'ani. - <br> - another gripe with the writing i've had is the way the female lead is - written. it is so obvious, that the author is a man of the last - century... centaine in both instances immediately falls for the male, - that is so clearly set up to be her love-interest. - <br> - The book - <i>is</i> - from 1985, that might put some of this into perspective. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="sep25">september</h2> - <ul> - <li>The Passage, Justin Cronin</li> - <blockquote> - i can't quite remember where i even found this book. specifically the - part after the timeskip pulled me in and i just needed to know what - happens next. the book sets up a series and i am quite curious what - else they are going to do with the characters - i am personally happy - with what they did and wouldn't - <i>need</i> - more. - <br> - one small detail from the epilog i like is that apparently he co-wrote - the concept for the book together with his daughter. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="aug25">august</h2> - <ul> - <li>Abroad in Japan, Chris Broad</li> - <blockquote> - after reading the first half, i would already recommend this - book. even without any context on the author or japan, this has - some really funny stories. i also like how i can almost hear - chris' voice in the writing. - </blockquote> - <li>The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury</li> - <blockquote> - this one took a while. started reading pretty much right after - Native Tongue at the end of march. the book works well for piece - meal reading, since it's a collection of stories set in a - shared world. my favorites were the one where 'and the moon be - still as bright' and 'the million year picnic'. - overall i think i prefer this over fahrenheit if i had to - recommend one. this one executes the almost educational tone - better while telling actually great scifi stories, which often - left me thinking about them later. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="mar25">march</h2> - <ul> - <li>Native Tongue, Suzette Haden Elgin</li> - <blockquote> - read most of this in two long sessions while we were in - turkey. after a bit of a slow start i liked the spin on - "dystopian future-not-future society"; the world building - is reminiscent of handmaid's tale, but i felt like there - was more exploration of the inner workings of - <i>why</i> - society is that way; the feminist context shines through - especially towards the end, when the plot only works because the - men are all arrogant assholes, which was satisfying but a - bit one-dimensional. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="feb25">february</h2> - <p class="notice"> - started reading a weekly newspaper which had quite the - impact on my reading time. i have a test subscription for - 10 weeks, let's see if i can figure out how to balance my - reading out... - </p> - <h2 id="jan25">january</h2> - <ul> - <li>Record of a Night too brief, Hiromi Kawakami</li> - <blockquote> - the first half consists of surreal dreamlike short stories - that only refer to their protagonists as 'me' and 'the - girl'. second half is two longer stories. i enjoyed - interpreting what everything might mean, but wasn't - particularly drawn to the book because of the episodic - nature at the start. read the second half in one afternoon. - </blockquote> - </ul> - </main> + <summary>2026</summary> + <section> + <h2 id="now">now</h2> + <ul> + <li>Freiheitsschock, Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk</li> + </ul> + <h2 id="jan26">january</h2> + <ul> + <li>Circe, Madeline Miller</li> + </ul> + </section> </details> +<hr> <aside class="covers squish"> - <img src="/media/content/read/stephenson_crash.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/alharthi_celestial.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/kawabata_snow.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/rek_devine_busy.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/shea_illuminatus.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/kutscher_stumme_tod.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/lovecraft_madness.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/neuvel_only_human.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/vonnegut_champions.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/gibson_neuromancer.jpg" class="size-s"> - <img src="/media/content/read/murata_convenience.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/smith_shore.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/cronin_passage.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/broad_japan.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/bradbury_martian.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/elgin_tongue.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/kawakami_night.jpg" class="size-s"> </aside> <details> - <summary>2024</summary> - <main> - <h2 id="dec24">december</h2> - <ul> - <li>Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson</li> - <blockquote> - had I not read Ready Player One and Neuromancer before, - this would surely have left a better impression. - the part about the sumarian virus is creative but feels - forced at the end when it is used to resolve - everything. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="nov24">november</h2> - <ul> - <li>Celestial Bodies, Jokha Alharthi</li> - <blockquote> - read this while in iceland. basically a family history - focused on the women. i had no background on oman's - history or society. super interesting from that angle. - sometimes a bit slow and confusing, since it's jumping - around the timeline. - </blockquote> - <li>Snow Country, Kawabata Yasunari</li> - <blockquote> - i am a sucker for japanese novels and their erie vibe. - this one has it too. so many small details that feel - meaningless on the surface but add some much to the - experience of the book. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="oct24">october</h2> - <ul> - <li><a href="//100r.co/site/busy_doing_nothing.html">Busy Doing Nothing</a>, - Rek Bellum & Devine Lu Linvega</li> - <blockquote> - somehow i fell down the rabbithole (lol) of rek & - devine's world this month. their log is fascinating and - inspiring. much of their stuff makes you want to set - out to sail yourself, and much of this book does too, - but then there is also details (like the wave incident) - that make you say: hell no. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="aug24">august</h2> - <ul> - <li><code>DROPPED</code> - <i>Illuminatus! Part 1: The Eye in the Pyramid, Robert Shea</i></li> - <blockquote> - I did not like the meandering writing and whacky - storylines that kept looping back onto each other. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="jul24">july</h2> - <ul> - <li>Der stumme Tod, Volker Kutscher</li> - <li>At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft</li> - <blockquote> - the story was mildly scary but entertaining. he kind of - overused "scary" adjective-noun pairs: cosmic fear, - blasphemous mountains. i don't understand how the pov - character thinks his report will hold back further - exploration of that region of antarctica. i would actually - expect it to inspire more attention. - </blockquote> - <li>Only Human (Themis Files #3), Sylvain Neuvel</li> - <blockquote> - i did not like this compared to the other two entries - to the series. mostly takes place on the world of the - creators of the "mechs". the style feels off compared - to the first novel when we were seeing the story evolve - through the eyes of the unnamed character. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <h2 id="jun24">june</h2> - <ul> - <li>Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut</li> - <li>Neuromancer, William Gibson</li> - <li>Convenience Store Woman, Murata Sayaka</li> - <blockquote> - i admit, i probably started this out of nostalgia after - coming back from japan. it's a cute little story that - nicely shows how weird japanese society can be. - </blockquote> - </ul> - <p class="notice"> - i left my ereader at a cafe on the 1st of january of this year - while traveling in south korea. i only got a replacement in june. - that's why there is a 6 month gap where i did not read anything - this year. - </p> - </main> + <summary>2025</summary> + <section> + <h2 id="dec25">november</h2> + <ul> + <li>In the Miso Soup, Ryu Murakami</li> + </ul> + <h2 id="nov25">november</h2> + <ul> + <li>Tod in Venedig, Thomas Mann</li> + <blockquote> + at the start the style of writing was preventing me from getting into + the story fully, as i was reading i got used to it and by the end found + myself quite enjoying it. apart from the style i find nothing + particularly special about it. the conclusion is quite unexpected + though. i found the epilog by terence james reed contextualised the + writing of the book in thomas manns life really useful. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="oct25">october</h2> + <ul> + <li>The Burning Shore, Wilbur Smith</li> + <blockquote> + while it kept me awake until 3am for 3 days i really disliked the + tonal shift between the second and third acts. how can he portray the + lifestyle of the san the way he does and then have centaine tear up + their sacred place of ancestor worship for diamonds. then the in-world + justification, that it will provide "good water" for her son. to me is + just blatant sugarcoating of an act that clearly violates the memory + and principles of the people she has her life to thank for. though she + had already all but forgotten them, when it was time for the story to + move on from including o'wa and h'ani. + <br> + another gripe with the writing i've had is the way the female lead is + written. it is so obvious, that the author is a man of the last + century... centaine in both instances immediately falls for the male, + that is so clearly set up to be her love-interest. + <br> + The book + <i>is</i> + from 1985, that might put some of this into perspective. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="sep25">september</h2> + <ul> + <li>The Passage, Justin Cronin</li> + <blockquote> + i can't quite remember where i even found this book. specifically the + part after the timeskip pulled me in and i just needed to know what + happens next. the book sets up a series and i am quite curious what + else they are going to do with the characters - i am personally happy + with what they did and wouldn't + <i>need</i> + more. + <br> + one small detail from the epilog i like is that apparently he co-wrote + the concept for the book together with his daughter. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="aug25">august</h2> + <ul> + <li>Abroad in Japan, Chris Broad</li> + <blockquote> + after reading the first half, i would already recommend this + book. even without any context on the author or japan, this has + some really funny stories. i also like how i can almost hear + chris' voice in the writing. + </blockquote> + <li>The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury</li> + <blockquote> + this one took a while. started reading pretty much right after + Native Tongue at the end of march. the book works well for piece + meal reading, since it's a collection of stories set in a + shared world. my favorites were the one where 'and the moon be + still as bright' and 'the million year picnic'. + overall i think i prefer this over fahrenheit if i had to + recommend one. this one executes the almost educational tone + better while telling actually great scifi stories, which often + left me thinking about them later. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="mar25">march</h2> + <ul> + <li>Native Tongue, Suzette Haden Elgin</li> + <blockquote> + read most of this in two long sessions while we were in + turkey. after a bit of a slow start i liked the spin on + "dystopian future-not-future society"; the world building + is reminiscent of handmaid's tale, but i felt like there + was more exploration of the inner workings of + <i>why</i> + society is that way; the feminist context shines through + especially towards the end, when the plot only works because the + men are all arrogant assholes, which was satisfying but a + bit one-dimensional. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="feb25">february</h2> + <p class="notice"> + started reading a weekly newspaper which had quite the + impact on my reading time. i have a test subscription for + 10 weeks, let's see if i can figure out how to balance my + reading out... + </p> + <h2 id="jan25">january</h2> + <ul> + <li>Record of a Night too brief, Hiromi Kawakami</li> + <blockquote> + the first half consists of surreal dreamlike short stories + that only refer to their protagonists as 'me' and 'the + girl'. second half is two longer stories. i enjoyed + interpreting what everything might mean, but wasn't + particularly drawn to the book because of the episodic + nature at the start. read the second half in one afternoon. + </blockquote> + </ul> + </section> +</details> +<aside class="covers squish"> + <img src="/media/content/read/stephenson_crash.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/alharthi_celestial.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/kawabata_snow.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/rek_devine_busy.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/shea_illuminatus.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/kutscher_stumme_tod.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/lovecraft_madness.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/neuvel_only_human.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/vonnegut_champions.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/gibson_neuromancer.jpg" class="size-s"> + <img src="/media/content/read/murata_convenience.jpg" class="size-s"> +</aside> +<details> + <summary>2024</summary> + <section> + <h2 id="dec24">december</h2> + <ul> + <li>Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson</li> + <blockquote> + had I not read Ready Player One and Neuromancer before, + this would surely have left a better impression. + the part about the sumarian virus is creative but feels + forced at the end when it is used to resolve + everything. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="nov24">november</h2> + <ul> + <li>Celestial Bodies, Jokha Alharthi</li> + <blockquote> + read this while in iceland. basically a family history + focused on the women. i had no background on oman's + history or society. super interesting from that angle. + sometimes a bit slow and confusing, since it's jumping + around the timeline. + </blockquote> + <li>Snow Country, Kawabata Yasunari</li> + <blockquote> + i am a sucker for japanese novels and their erie vibe. + this one has it too. so many small details that feel + meaningless on the surface but add some much to the + experience of the book. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="oct24">october</h2> + <ul> + <li><a href="//100r.co/site/busy_doing_nothing.html">Busy Doing Nothing</a>, + Rek Bellum & Devine Lu Linvega</li> + <blockquote> + somehow i fell down the rabbithole (lol) of rek & + devine's world this month. their log is fascinating and + inspiring. much of their stuff makes you want to set + out to sail yourself, and much of this book does too, + but then there is also details (like the wave incident) + that make you say: hell no. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="aug24">august</h2> + <ul> + <li><code>DROPPED</code> + <i>Illuminatus! Part 1: The Eye in the Pyramid, Robert Shea</i></li> + <blockquote> + I did not like the meandering writing and whacky + storylines that kept looping back onto each other. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="jul24">july</h2> + <ul> + <li>Der stumme Tod, Volker Kutscher</li> + <li>At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft</li> + <blockquote> + the story was mildly scary but entertaining. he kind of + overused "scary" adjective-noun pairs: cosmic fear, + blasphemous mountains. i don't understand how the pov + character thinks his report will hold back further + exploration of that region of antarctica. i would actually + expect it to inspire more attention. + </blockquote> + <li>Only Human (Themis Files #3), Sylvain Neuvel</li> + <blockquote> + i did not like this compared to the other two entries + to the series. mostly takes place on the world of the + creators of the "mechs". the style feels off compared + to the first novel when we were seeing the story evolve + through the eyes of the unnamed character. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <h2 id="jun24">june</h2> + <ul> + <li>Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut</li> + <li>Neuromancer, William Gibson</li> + <li>Convenience Store Woman, Murata Sayaka</li> + <blockquote> + i admit, i probably started this out of nostalgia after + coming back from japan. it's a cute little story that + nicely shows how weird japanese society can be. + </blockquote> + </ul> + <p class="notice"> + i left my ereader at a cafe on the 1st of january of this year + while traveling in south korea. i only got a replacement in june. + that's why there is a 6 month gap where i did not read anything + this year. + </p> + </section> </details> |