Sure, it's getting on for 75 years since it was first published. Sure, the world Marlowe inhabits is full of dames and stoogess, shines and whiskies o...moreSure, it's getting on for 75 years since it was first published. Sure, the world Marlowe inhabits is full of dames and stoogess, shines and whiskies on the rocks, but get past the colourful dated language and you are in an urban world of pain strangely familiar. What I didn’t appreciate until now was how class-conscious Chandler's LA is, in fact, class jealousy is the key to the mystery. I guess you could call it the underbelly of the American Dream or some such. I just found it reassuring that here was a writer who lived and died before I was born but whose world was full of psychic charlatans, bent coppers and cynics with hearts of gold or hearts of ice, every bit as alive in the literary and real world of today. Well, kind of comforting, in that our problems are not unique to us in the here and now.
Sure, there are holes in the novel. The plot was unfathomable. The descriptions of rooms and folks' faces and such border on the tedious, but to cite these points as faults that in any way deserving of me costing the book a star would be churlish. I mean, c'mon this is Chandler. He wrote the book on noir detectives. Besides. the throwaway lines are so delicious, I forgive him any number of meaty sins. And this novel still hums. It's still a damn-good read. His pacing is expert, and that his stark prose can transport you to a foreign world gone-by that at once is so familiar all these years later, is nothing short of genius.(less)
Recently, I feel compelled to read, write and think about North Korea. I'm not quite sure why. I suspect it is something to do with it being the antit...moreRecently, I feel compelled to read, write and think about North Korea. I'm not quite sure why. I suspect it is something to do with it being the antithesis of everything we know of our cosy liberal world. The rule of law, the rights of man, democracy and even religion, are mocked, distorted and abused in the warped mirror of the Kim's family fiefdom. And we're practically neighbours. Anyway, after tweeting about the excellent "Sophie Smith goes to Pyongyang" article doing the rounds on Twitter, a chance recommendation from a trusted follower led me to this witty graphic novel memoir of a couple of months spent in Pyongyang by a Western animator a couple of years ago.
It's by no means a definitive description of North Korea's horrors, but I can't think of a better way to introduce the embodiment of George Orwell's 1984 nightmare than through the stark, sometimes absurd, black and white sketches that illuminate one man's point of view. Is the author qualified to report on the country? I don't know. All I can say is I couldn't put the book down this morning at breakfast. And two hours later, when I'd finished it, I felt exhausted but relieved to be alive, so grateful to live here and not there, and so sorry for the people of North Korea who must live in this nightmare believing it is a dream.y(less)
I helped edit this book for Kindle so it would be wrong of you to think this review could be in any way impartial. It's not. But let me tell you, the...moreI helped edit this book for Kindle so it would be wrong of you to think this review could be in any way impartial. It's not. But let me tell you, the reason I helped with the book for Kindle was I saw the earlier version by Dan and thought the photos particularly were excellent. The poems are growing on me too. I'd give it five stars but for limitations of the Kindle in presenting such artistic pictures. One of these days I hope it is a print book. (less)
Boy is about endurance. It is a collection of three short stories, each told from the point of view of boys coming of age in Japan. Although there are...moreBoy is about endurance. It is a collection of three short stories, each told from the point of view of boys coming of age in Japan. Although there are three different lads, they could easily be the same boy as he grows up from primary school to junior high and finally high school student. The stories are about enduring what must be endured, whether it be a fever in an undokai sports day, the militaristic rituals every Japanese kid must scream and march their way through in elementary school; the difficulties of surviving and moving on from the death of a father; or that first broken heart. The stories are deceptively easy to read and I had to pace myself not to finish them too quickly. You could race through them all in one sitting, but I'm glad I read one a day over three days. It gave the characters a chance to resonate and live a little longer off the page. It would have been a shame to have hurried to the end and missed the depth in the honest depiction of the end of childhood. Boy left me feeling a little sad, partly sentimental for a time that I can never get back, and partly pitying my own children who must shortly navigate their way to adulthood on their own. But maybe that's just me. It's good stuff.(less)
This is my book, so it would be silly of me to rate it. I just wanted to add it is meant for folks with an interest in politics, but not necessarily J...moreThis is my book, so it would be silly of me to rate it. I just wanted to add it is meant for folks with an interest in politics, but not necessarily Japan, or folk with an interest in Japan, but not necessarily politics. If you are an expert in Japan and politics you are probably out of luck and should look elsewhere like Ian Baruma or John Stuart Mill or something.(less)
This is not my type of story and that's why I wanted to read it. Just to see what made it tick. Its premise is a no-good suicidal alcoholic ex-basebal...moreThis is not my type of story and that's why I wanted to read it. Just to see what made it tick. Its premise is a no-good suicidal alcoholic ex-baseballer hallucinates seeing his dead mom for a day. The moral of the story, is you should listen to your mom and not your good-for-nothing father. I guess you could read lots of spiritual and biblical meaning into the tale too if you felt so inclined. I didn't. It reminded me of the kind of country songs I keep hearing on the Armed Forces Network radio my car radio picks up — well-structured, witty and down home, but essentially conservative, sentimental and unchallenging. So I should give it one star, but I have to say it was well-written with an ear for dialogue and character, and ol' Mitch just had to throw in a couple of twists at the end, one of which worked and the other which just seemed trite to me, but hey, I actually read it all, so there's that.(less)
If you want a glimpse of real life in such an unreal nightmare of a country, can't think of a better book. It reminds Our Man of John Hersey's Hiroshi...moreIf you want a glimpse of real life in such an unreal nightmare of a country, can't think of a better book. It reminds Our Man of John Hersey's Hiroshima (who was a teacher of Demick's apparently) in that it weaves the stories of real people together to form a picture of a bigger reality -- the daily horrors of the North Korean regime.
Since the book tells the tales of defectors, you know the outcome - that they make it, but still you just have to turn the pages to find out what happens to these people and those they have to leave behind. And then you are left with a greater understanding of the horrors that continue to be inflicted on a nation of people who deserve better.(less)
Our Man is the author of this beyond awesome essay, so naturally he thinks it's beyond awesome. You, dear readers, are welcome to disagree vehemently...moreOur Man is the author of this beyond awesome essay, so naturally he thinks it's beyond awesome. You, dear readers, are welcome to disagree vehemently and say so. He's only writing this review to alert others to the existence of this beyond awesome essay. But since he was here, you know, he had to give it 5 stars. What kind of an author would give less to their own baby? But again, it's not your baby so you may be less enamored with it, so by all means... vent, baby, vent.(less)
In Our Man's entirely biased view, this is brilliant, of course. He can also tell you this: it's been his life work since even before Quakebook, and h...moreIn Our Man's entirely biased view, this is brilliant, of course. He can also tell you this: it's been his life work since even before Quakebook, and he is so glad to get this monkey off his back. Now the search for more monkeys can begin.(less)
As Our Man started this last night and and finished it this afternoon, he couldn't help but think how dated this argument is. Not that anything Hitche...moreAs Our Man started this last night and and finished it this afternoon, he couldn't help but think how dated this argument is. Not that anything Hitchens said is not still true, it is, it's just that why are we still having this debate now? Weren't these questions settled in the 18th Century?
Then as Our Man saw on Twitter today on the occasion of the Diamond Jubilee, apparently not. The monarchists are out in force with their asinine excuses for servility: well, the monarchy doesn't have any real power; it's not really political, it's harmless, it's a force for good; it's better than an elected president, it's British... STOP.
If you entertain any of those thoughts, please allow Hitchens a few moments of your time to appreciate his eloquence, and accept a chance to set the record straight. Our Man supposes that only the converted will read Hitchens, but he'd like to think a wavering monarchist or two might read this polemic and get up from their knees and join with the 18th Century traditionalists and repeat after Our Man:
Our Man was reluctant to read and review this book for three reasons: Could this be any good? (it's just a collection of blog posts, dammit); how can...moreOur Man was reluctant to read and review this book for three reasons: Could this be any good? (it's just a collection of blog posts, dammit); how can he be honest about it, as Jo is a friend? Jo did much to make Quakebook the success it was, how can anyone trust anything Our Man says about this book?
Then he read it.
It is a collection of blog posts, but edited ones with some more writing too. But it's one of those books where the whole is more than the sum of its constituent parts. There is a three-point narrative here: The British girl looking to escape the dull certainties of life in England, who finds more than she could have anticipated in a strange land, and her acceptance and discovery of a role to play in this increasingly familiar land.
Our Man has met Jo only once in person, but frequently online. Still, he would count her as a friend. He doesn't know if that clouds his judgement, no doubt it does, but while reading of the travails of our girl in 2011 Japan, something in the background kept niggling at Our Man. A voice he'd heard before. Was it an echo of George Orwell, Jo's hero? Not exactly, though the subject matter and opinions were complementary.
Anyway, how can you trust anything Our Man says about this book? He and Quakebook - the project that took over his life for several months after the earthquake - are mentioned frequently. Well, the answer is it's up to you how much trust you put into the opinions of a silhouette with a bogus name and a penchant for third person. Personally, Our Man wouldn't trust a single word. He's like that.
But he does now know who Jo's voice is like. It was a voice Our Man encountered on his mother's bookshelves years ago. Another young author in a strange land, finding her feet and discovering her voice. Have you read In Pursuit of the English: A Documentary by Doris Lessing?
Whether The Teas That Bind is as good, Our Man can't say yet, but he can say this: it's a fascinating document of one woman's experiences as an observer of a nation in crisis. Whether it will become a valuable insight into the mind of a great novelist at the outset of her writing career is entirely up to Jo to decide.(less)
If you have any interest in publishing a book but are unsure where to start, start with Let's Get Digital. David Gaughran does more in this accessible...moreIf you have any interest in publishing a book but are unsure where to start, start with Let's Get Digital. David Gaughran does more in this accessible book than any other single guide to get you in a position to self-publish.
In turns practical, polemical and inspirational, Let's Get Digital will get you published. Our Man is aware this review is sounding a bit like advertising copy, he doesn't mean it to be, it's just that this is an excellent book that does what it sets out to do, with aplomb.
For a while Our Man was undecided about self-publishing, preferring to take a middle road "all publishing is equally good, each to their own, blah blah blah" approach, but the more he learns about self-publishing and the traditional alternative, the more he is convinced self-publishing (and ebooks) will be the dominant form very soon.
You might as well get on the right side of history, and this book is the place to start.(less)
Just finished reading this. It's been over a year since Our Man read the first Flashman novel, so forgive him if he fails to compare the two accuratel...moreJust finished reading this. It's been over a year since Our Man read the first Flashman novel, so forgive him if he fails to compare the two accurately. Perhaps the first was more enjoyable simply because Flashman as a character was a wondrous discovery; this time round he was more of a known entity.
But whatever, this is a great reactionary romp through revolutionary 1848 Europe, and Flashman has his way with the Queen of Bavaria and bests Bismarck at his Realpolitikin' to boot.
Great politically-incorrect fun and a parody of The Prisoner of Zenda too. Just love the character and the liberties Fraser takes with history and his refusal to take himself, the character or the genre too seriously.
I loved this book. Must admit, being on the other side of the world and, er, not American, I hadn't heard of Brooke Gladstone, but the recommendation...moreI loved this book. Must admit, being on the other side of the world and, er, not American, I hadn't heard of Brooke Gladstone, but the recommendation from the Brain Picking blog was enough to tell me I'd love this book, and I did.
It's a great summary of thinking on the media and with a hefty dose of humour and iconoclasm that you'd expect from being in comic book form. Her argument, that we are the media - so we get what we deserve - seems irrefutable to me, and her anecdotes and references were spot on.
My only quibble was this book is clearly meant to be read in print form only, or passably on on a tablet I guess. It was impossible to read on my Kindle (text too small) so I had to read it on my iPhone. Clunky, but possible.
But how much better it would have been if it had been divided into single cartoon frames per page so that you could whip through it on the Kindle and - perish the thought - that it had links on each quotation so you could zip to your favourite original source material on the page; surely not too much to ask of a book written by and for lovers of media?(less)
Couldn't get past Page 19 or so. It's not you, Haruki, it's me, OK? I just think, you know, what I felt for you all those years ago has somehow change...moreCouldn't get past Page 19 or so. It's not you, Haruki, it's me, OK? I just think, you know, what I felt for you all those years ago has somehow changed. What seemed fresh and endearing, now seems over-long, full of exposition and, you know, dull. I think it would help if we maybe had time away from each other. Just for a bit, maybe. And, you know, if you wanted to see other editors, I'm cool with that. No, I really am cool with that. But we are still friends, OK? It's not you, it's me, OK? (less)
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