From 63a148262ae7b67cd06eaa8bf312706c06e30a72 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Robert Günzler Date: Sat, 17 Jan 2026 19:05:19 +0100 Subject: update books MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Signed-off-by: Robert Günzler --- src/inc/read.htm | 477 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--------------------------- 1 file changed, 247 insertions(+), 230 deletions(-) (limited to 'src/inc/read.htm') 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 @@ -
- 2025 -
-

now

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

november

-
    -
  • Tod in Venedig, Thomas Mann
    • -
    - 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. -
    -
-

october

-
    -
  • The Burning Shore, Wilbur Smith
    • -
    - 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. -
    - 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. -
    - The book - is - from 1985, that might put some of this into perspective. -
    -
-

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 Martian 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. -
    -
-
+ 2026 +
+

now

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

january

+
    +
  • Circe, Madeline Miller
    • +
+
+
- 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. -

-
+ 2025 +
+

november

+
    +
  • In the Miso Soup, Ryu Murakami
    • +
+

november

+
    +
  • Tod in Venedig, Thomas Mann
    • +
    + 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. +
    +
+

october

+
    +
  • The Burning Shore, Wilbur Smith
    • +
    + 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. +
    + 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. +
    + The book + is + from 1985, that might put some of this into perspective. +
    +
+

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 Martian 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. +

+
-- cgit 1.4.1