The Eye of the Heron by Ursula K. Le Guin

The Eye of the Heron by Ursula K. Le Guin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A book about oppression, freedom, immigration, non-violence, and violence disguised as an easy-to-read YA fantasy book. The writing is really lovely.

View all my reviews

All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Beautiful and so sad. I don’t think I’ve ever read a war novel from the perspective of “the enemy” before though maybe something close to that about the Middle East. So brilliantly written, that I assume the translation is excellent.

View all my reviews

The Ask by Sam Lipsyte

The Ask by Sam Lipsyte
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The beginning was really funny (and sad) but after about two thirds through I got tired of the characters not developing and their situation devolving. Lipsyte is very intelligent and witty, and kudos to you if you get all his jokes. I’m sure so many of his jokes went right over my head, but oh boy will you feel full of yourself when you get some of them. Ha! Ultimately, I thought Don, a minor character, was the most interesting, though I didn’t like the direction his story took. The plot is mostly just a vehicle for satire and who cares what happens to them anyway... not me.

View all my reviews

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book appears to have the seeds of other better books like Anathem and Ready Player One, but it's fun, imaginative, and delightfully detailed.

I participated in the 24 in 48 Readathon this weekend, and as part of the readathon, I finished this book. I didn't make it up to 24 hours, but I'm satisfied that I got to enjoy so much of this story over the weekend.

Readathoning

View all my reviews

20 Poemas de Amor y Una Canción Desesperada by Pablo Neruda

20 poemas de amor y una canción desesperada by Pablo Neruda
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this in Spanish, and I generally enjoy Neruda much more in Spanish. The problem here is that good poetry in Spanish is very difficult for me, and I might be missing something significant here. Ideally, I'd read this in both Spanish in English, so I'm off to find an English copy.


Current favorite line, Poema 14:
"Quiero hacer contigo
lo que la primavera hace con los cerezos."

As an aside, he really loves the word "crepúsculo" which mean twilight in English. Crepúsculo crepúsculo crepúsculo.

Here's an online copy of the poems in Spanish if anyone is curious: https://www.poemas-del-alma.com/20-poemas-de-amor.htm.

View all my reviews

Love Poems by Pablo Neruda

Love Poems by Pablo Neruda
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this in English and in Spanish, and I wasn't crazy about this collection. I thought the poems were just a little better in Spanish. I especially liked the laughter poems in Spanish better. I find the English easier to understand because I'm more comfortable with it, and the Spanish a bit more musical, but there's not a huge difference in these particular poems for me. Love is a maybe the most difficult topic for poetry, and this just left something missing for me.

View all my reviews

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was a relatively quick read- 4 hours for the 24 in 48 Readathon. I was glad to finally get to this science fiction classic, but it didn't really stand the test of time. I'm sure it was brilliant in 1895, but now that it's been in the sci-fi consciousness for over a 100 years, it's been surpassed by many books of its genre. Even for such a short book, it doesn't read quickly with plenty of boring bits. It's not particularly happy either, nor is the "fun gloomy" of the dystopian novels we've become accustomed to in this century.

View all my reviews