Review: Nails and Eyes

Nails and Eyes by Kaori Fujino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A good collection. The last story, "Minute Fears" is the best and spookiest.


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Review: Agent Running in the Field

Agent Running in the Field by John Le Carré
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nice, thoughtful and satisfying.

At one point I felt disappointed in the character being seemingly naive, but it was a minor point all in all.



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Review: Dissipatio H.G.

Dissipatio H.G. by Guido Morselli
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I admit I wasn't in the right state of mind for this. I found myself wondering where people were, wanting the protagonist to explore more (such as when he went to the airport) and learn how he survived on his own (how does electricity hold up? etc.).

While it did have some of these aspects, most of the book concentrated on the philosophical aspect of being alone, whether that constitutes the end of the world, and other aspects of the protagonist's past (I won't write any spoilers here).

It's probably an excellent book for questioning your mortality, etc. But otherwise you may feel like a teenager watching an intellectual artsy movie, and just wishing for some action.


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Review: Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide

Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide by Tony Horwitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a book I would have enjoyed experiencing and writing. Right before the Civil War, Frederick Law Olmsted traveled around the South to gauge sentiments and thoughts and relay them to the North. The result was the book A Journey through Texas.

This book follows along the same path, to see how things and people have changed, and how peoples' views and opinions on race relations have diverged, as well as other details (what became of the Germantowns, crossing over the border, etc.). This book was written on the eve of Trump being elected, and so draw whatever parallels you wish.

The author also provides more background on Olmsted and his brother, which gave more context behind the first book.



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Review: Co-Intelligence: The Definitive, Bestselling Guide to Living and Working with AI

Co-Intelligence: The Definitive, Bestselling Guide to Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a must-read for anyone interested in using AI in a professional setting. I'm not sure for how long this will remain up-to-date, but if you are just starting out with AI, this is probably the best introduction to its use that you will find.

It doesn't contain direct prompts, and it also doesn't get too much into the philosophical ideas as to whether AI will take over (it does a little of this). But it gives a great broad idea as to how to approach AI in general.



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Review: Mozart: The Reign of Love

Mozart: The Reign of Love by Jan Swafford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

While I always enjoy these long, dense biographical books, I often find they get bogged down in detail, or tend to ramble on about something or another. And, not knowing much about Mozart and not being particularly musically inclined, I fully expected the same from this.

But I must say I was happily surprised. This was a pleasure to read, from the surprisingly naughty messages and couplets of his youth (my daughter really enjoyed hearing about these parts) to his trial and travails later on in life. The description of certain operas got into more detail than I could really process, but I did appreciate the analysis of famous operas like the Marriage of Figaro, or how the arias of Queen of the night were written for his sister-in-law. And some of the other characters (yes, including Salieri, but also Lorenzo Da Ponte and others) were fascinating.

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Review: Sympathy for the Traitor: A Translation Manifesto

Sympathy for the Traitor: A Translation Manifesto by Mark Polizzotti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was almost going to give up on this, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I admit, however, that my favorite parts were his collection of other peoples' musings and thoughts on translation, from Milan Kundera to Umberto Eco.

His side-by-side comparisons of different translations were enlightening as well.

As a translator who has a (not very) secret wish to one day be a literary translator, I found some solace in reading how seriously it is taken. It's a comfort after seeing how lightly it can be treated in other industries.


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Review: Memories of Silk and Straw: A Self-Portrait of Small-Town Japan

Memories of Silk and Straw: A Self-Portrait of Small-Town Japan by Junichi Saga
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of the best books I've read about recent Japanese history, despite this not being a history book and only focusing on anecdotal stories from a handful of people in a relatively small area.

I now wish we had other "self-portraits" of small towns around the world in a similar vein.


It is also amazing how little many Japanese people had quite recently.


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Review: Time Difference

Time Difference by Sou Linne Baik
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A short novella that is a pleasure to read, with some difficult moments. The "Time difference" could also be "Different timeline" or something along those lines, although it also ties together Korea with Europe.


The author has a smooth, pleasant writing style. I will be looking for more by her.


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Review: Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire

Victoria The Queen: An Intimate Biography of the Woman Who Ruled an Empire by Julia Baird
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Every time I begin one of these big biography tomes I prepare myself for a huge (but hopefully enjoyable) slog.

Oddly enough, this wasn't the case at all here. The author does a great job filling the book with facts and keeping the reader interested throughout (despite a couple repetitions).

She is also careful not to draw too many hasty conclusions (on Queen Victoria or Prince Albert's sexual tendencies, for example), which many often like to do.

It is interesting to read about her relationship with Gladstone and Disraeli, not to mention the men 'helping' her after Albert's death.

Also interesting how progressive she was, except when dealing with women's rights. Especially odd given who she was and the power she wielded.



4.5 stars


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Review: Hot Air Balloon

Hot Air Balloon by Son Bo-mi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I probably didn't understand much of the symbolism of this book, but quite liked it nonetheless. There was a constant feeling of "what if" in terms of things that happened in the past, and wishing things had gone differently. And the main one becomes more clear toward the end.

Reading the afterword, it was very interesting to see how the author came about her ideas for this book.


4.5 stars


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