From cde564f0c2739dcb1ef85d4fc4c995da5ab4c8ae Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Robert Günzler Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2025 18:08:42 +0200 Subject: update books page MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Signed-off-by: Robert Günzler --- site/books.html | 332 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-------------------------- src/inc/books.htm | 330 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++-------------------------- 2 files changed, 345 insertions(+), 317 deletions(-) diff --git a/site/books.html b/site/books.html index cf3610c..a20ca7f 100644 --- a/site/books.html +++ b/site/books.html @@ -33,170 +33,184 @@
- 2025 -
-

now

-
    -
  • The Passage, Justin Cronin
    • -
  • Freiheitsschock, Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk
    • -
-

august

-
    -
  • Abroad in Japan, Chris Broad
    • -
    - 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. -
    -
  • The Marsian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury
    • -
    - 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. -
    -
-

march

-
    -
  • Native Tongue, Suzette Haden Elgin
    • -
    - 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 - why - 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. -
    -
-

february

-

- 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... -

-

january

-
    -
  • Record of a Night too brief, Hiromi Kawakami
    • -
    - 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. -
    -
-
+ 2025 +
+

now

+
    +
  • Freiheitsschock, Ilko-Sascha Kowalczuk
    • +
+

september

+
    +
  • The Passage, Justin Cronin
    • +
    + 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 + need + more. +
    + one small detail from the epilog i like is that apparently he co-wrote + the concept for the book together with his daughter. +
    +
+

august

+
    +
  • Abroad in Japan, Chris Broad
    • +
    + 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. +
    +
  • The Marsian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury
    • +
    + 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. +
    +
+

march

+
    +
  • Native Tongue, Suzette Haden Elgin
    • +
    + 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 + why + 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. +
    +
+

february

+

+ 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... +

+

january

+
    +
  • Record of a Night too brief, Hiromi Kawakami
    • +
    + 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. +
    +
+
- 2024 -
-

december

-
    -
  • Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
    • -
    - 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. -
    -
-

november

-
    -
  • Celestial Bodies, Jokha Alharthi
    • -
    - 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. -
    -
  • Snow Country, Kawabata Yasunari
    • -
    - 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. -
    -
-

october

-
    -
  • Busy Doing Nothing, - Rek Bellum & Devine Lu Linvega
    • -
    - 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. -
    -
-

august

-
    -
  • DROPPED - Illuminatus! Part 1: The Eye in the Pyramid, Robert Shea -
    • -
    - I did not like the meandering writing and whacky - storylines that kept looping back onto each other. -
    -
-

july

-
    -
  • Der stumme Tod, Volker Kutscher
    • -
  • At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft
    • -
    - 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. -
    -
  • Only Human (Themis Files #3), Sylvain Neuvel
    • -
    - 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. -
    -
-

june

-
    -
  • Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut
    • -
  • Neuromancer, William Gibson
    • -
  • Convenience Store Woman, Murata Sayaka
    • -
    - 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. -
    -
-

- 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. -

-
+ 2024 +
+

december

+
    +
  • Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
    • +
    + 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. +
    +
+

november

+
    +
  • Celestial Bodies, Jokha Alharthi
    • +
    + 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. +
    +
  • Snow Country, Kawabata Yasunari
    • +
    + 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. +
    +
+

october

+
    +
  • Busy Doing Nothing, + Rek Bellum & Devine Lu Linvega
    • +
    + 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. +
    +
+

august

+
    +
  • DROPPED + Illuminatus! Part 1: The Eye in the Pyramid, Robert Shea
    • +
    + I did not like the meandering writing and whacky + storylines that kept looping back onto each other. +
    +
+

july

+
    +
  • Der stumme Tod, Volker Kutscher
    • +
  • At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft
    • +
    + 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. +
    +
  • Only Human (Themis Files #3), Sylvain Neuvel
    • +
    + 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. +
    +
+

june

+
    +
  • Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut
    • +
  • Neuromancer, William Gibson
    • +
  • Convenience Store Woman, Murata Sayaka
    • +
    + 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. +
    +
+

+ 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. +

+