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<details open>
<summary>2025</summary>
<main>
<h2 id="now">now</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>
</ul>
<h2 id="aug25">august</h2>
<ul>
<li>The Marsian 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>
</details>
<details>
<summary>2024</summary>
<main>
<h2 id="dec24">december</h2>
<ul>
<li>Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
<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>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="nov24">november</h2>
<ul>
<li>Celestial Bodies, Jokha Alharthi
<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>
<li>Snow Country, Kawabata Yasunari
<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>
</li>
</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
<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>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="aug24">august</h2>
<ul>
<li><code>DROPPED</code>
<i>Illuminatus! Part 1: The Eye in the Pyramid, Robert Shea</i>
<blockquote>
I did not like the meandering writing and whacky
storylines that kept looping back onto each other.
</blockquote>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="jul24">july</h2>
<ul>
<li>Der stumme Tod, Volker Kutscher</li>
<li>At the Mountains of Madness, H.P. Lovecraft</li>
<li>Only Human (Themis Files #3), Sylvain Neuvel
<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>
</li>
</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
<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>
</li>
</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>
</details>
|
