From 69d38de2e0b75db72a6e30a72c6acc023694fd1e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Robert Günzler Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2025 16:29:21 +0200 Subject: read: show covers MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Signed-off-by: Robert Günzler --- src/inc/read.htm | 185 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++------------------------ 1 file changed, 106 insertions(+), 79 deletions(-) (limited to 'src') diff --git a/src/inc/read.htm b/src/inc/read.htm index 64d59a2..fd6a50f 100644 --- a/src/inc/read.htm +++ b/src/inc/read.htm @@ -1,3 +1,17 @@ + +
2025
@@ -10,11 +24,11 @@
  • 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. + 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

    @@ -22,19 +36,19 @@
  • 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. + 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. + 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 @@ -46,15 +60,15 @@
  • 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 + 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. + the concept for the book together with his daughter.

    august

    @@ -62,21 +76,21 @@
  • 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. + 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. + 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

    @@ -84,38 +98,51 @@
  • 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 + 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. + 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... + 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. + 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
    @@ -124,10 +151,10 @@
  • 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. + 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

    @@ -135,30 +162,30 @@
  • 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. + 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. + 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
      • + 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. + 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

    @@ -167,7 +194,7 @@ 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. + storylines that kept looping back onto each other.

    july

    @@ -176,19 +203,19 @@
  • 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. + 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. + 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

    @@ -198,15 +225,15 @@
  • 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. + 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. + 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