Review: The Inimitable Jeeves

The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

fun fun fun. After the while the stories start to look somewhat alike, so next time I'll probably take a couple of breaks in between. But still fun.

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Review: Cyrano de Bergerac

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A delight to read. Also quite impressed at the English translation, given all the wordplay scattered throughout. If I find it in the original French I'm picking it up.

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Review: Profit First: A Simple System To Transform Any Business From A Cash-Eating Monster To A Money-Making Machine

Profit First: A Simple System To Transform Any Business From A Cash-Eating Monster To A Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am going to guess that fewer than 10% of the readers of this book actually followed through with all of his advice.

This book was rare. Many business books, if they have any faults, will tend to restate the obvious, be full of fluff, or just have one simple idea that gets repeated throughout. This book does the opposite. It not only offers an idea, which, as far as I can tell, is a very good one. It offers the entire framework for applying it to your business, step by step.

The issue is that it goes too far in the other direction, which is why I doubt many readers actually followed through, despite the author practically begging us to "Stop now!" and get his points done before proceeding (he repeats this multiple times, and does so for each point). The problem is that his points literally involve opening multiple bank accounts, restructuring your company's entire cash flow and bookkeeping system, and going through other exercises like finding all your expenses from the last year and reducing them by 10%.

These are all great points for a consulting service, rather than a book. For example, I couldn't pause everything to open multiple checking accounts (I was reading this over a weekend, while finishing up a job for a client due on Monday, and helping out my sick wife with our child). I did pause, but only for a day or two, before deciding to just write up his process on excel (which he says is a cop-out and advises against). I'm going to go ahead and guess that most busy entrepreneurs are like me.

Like I mentioned, as far as I can tell the information is great (although he seems to meander a bit later on in the book and also repeats a couple of his examples), but I suspect he knows most businesses won't apply all his changes while reading the book, and uses it as a way for promoting his consulting services. Still, it is interesting he offers all of the information to do it on our own in the book, no matter how complicated.

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Review: Ticknor

Ticknor by Sheila Heti
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I don't know. It took me a while to figure out that the long paragraphs, alternating between first and second person singular, with sentences that sometimes agreed and sometimes disagreed, were all the main character thinking to himself. I thought there might be a dialog occuring, or some jumps in time (still think that might be the case), or possibly some letter writing. A neutral narrator's voice would have helped me to be honest. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind. Maybe the author overreached. Most likely the former, judging by most of the other reviews.

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Review: Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World

Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World by Michael Pollan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting broad overview of Caffeine. Great as a primer for those wondering if they wish to tackle something more in depth. It covers some of the history, the chemistry involved, and the composition, as well as a few enlightening anecdotes. It also includes the author's journey getting off of caffeine for three months and then getting back on it.



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Review: The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano

The Last Testament of Lucky Luciano by Martin A. Gosch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'm amazed at how much of what Luciano did would have gotten him kicked out of the mafia today. Maybe it's a statement on how bureaucratic anything can get after some time. Between having a Jewish consigliere (and encouraging having non-italians as part of the outfit in general), to not only ratting out, but delivering Lepke to the police (and technically setting up Vito Genovese as well, although he had some the same thing to Luciano), to choosing to retire (which Frank Costello did as well).

Obviously all of this is from Luciano's point of view, also filtered through Gosch's retelling, so the facts should be taken with a grain of salt. But regardless, it doesn't disappoint.

I thought this would become boring once he was arrested (and his rise had basically stopped), but the book kept me interested throughout. This is highly recommended for anyone interested in the Italian mob in general (all you Sopranos and Goodfellas fans out there). I find it strange that it's so difficult to find this book these days.

5 stars because it is one of a kind (don't even try mentioning "underboss")

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Review: The Chestnut Man

The Chestnut Man by Søren Sveistrup
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book, while a fast-paced (for the most part), riveting mystery thriller, was a bit too much for me at points. As in, a bit too gruesome and hardcore. I've heard the genre referred to as Nordic noir, but looking back, I think the only book I've read that could fall under the same genre might be Camilla Läckberg. Anyway, let's just say I didn't expect it. But for those of you who enjoy the more hard-hitting no holds barred type of crime fiction, this should do quite nicely.



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Review: Last Words from Montmartre

Last Words from Montmartre by Qiu Miaojin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a book without a plot, which I tend to dislike out of hand. It is also one filled with intense feeling and emotions, which I usually avoid. However, for some reason, it was fascinating and kept me enthralled throughout. I am sure this is also because of the background. Knowing the author killed herself around a week after having written these letters, the book itself becomes haunting.

This book is probably what "The Sorrows of Young Werther" had set out to be, but it was more successful, at least in my opinion. I really felt like I was in the author's head, seeing her thoughts as they occurred. She seems to be a 26-year-old who was too smart, too passionate and too intense for her world.


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Review: American Gods

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Major spoilers here.

Wow. Really not sure what to make of this. I love the premise, and the general idea throughout the book, although I kept feeling more could have been done with it. For the number of Norse gods throughout, and even the appearance of ancient Egyptian gods, it seemed odd to have barely anything from Ancient Greece or Rome, or even old Chinese and Hindu gods.

The prose is very Neil Gaiman, which I always like. And the story seems full to the brim with symbolism, clear up to the protagonist, the son of God, being hung up, pierced in his side, and resurrected thanks to Easter.

I did not see the twist with Hinzelmann in the end.

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Review: Taiwan Literature: Special Issue on Kuo-Ch'ing Tu

Taiwan Literature: Special Issue on Kuo-Ch'ing Tu by Kuo-Ch'ing Tu
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"Thus, long ago, I offered my heart to the goddess of poetry as an altar for her to trample it as she wished". Tu Kuo-ching is obviously a very serious poet. Unfortunately, every time I read poetry I feel like I'm probably just not deep enough of a person. I try, but most of it is just over my head.

It doesn't help that I'm sure there are a couple typos (i.e. corps instead of corpse).

I confess I only skimmed two of the final three essays, written by others as commentary on Tu's work. The second one (the one I read) discussed how his international background shaped his point of view. It is more specific than that, but that's the point I found interesting (the 'compound eyes' view he has).


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Review: The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 夏季號/2019 - No. 189

The Taipei Chinese PEN—A Quarterly Journal of Contemporary Chinese Literature from Taiwan《中華民國筆會英文季刊─台灣文譯》 夏季號/2019 - No. 189 by Yanwing Leung
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great collection of poetry and short stories, as well as a feature on Li Chi Mao, a Taiwanese artist, with some very versatile artworks encompassing different styles and subjects. I really enjoy these.

My favorite short story was Burning Lovers, by Marula Liu

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Review: A Thousand Moons on a Thousand Rivers

A Thousand Moons on a Thousand Rivers by Li-Hung Hsiao
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was exactly the book I was looking for in terms of a novel that goes through Taiwanese customs and traditions.
Plus, the family bears an uncanny resemblance to my wife's family.
Plus, the title, and the meaning behind it, is really nice.
Plus, the story itself is actually quite pleasant. Despite it being a tad unconventional and not really having a plot per se, it seemed much more true to real life, where there is no real beginning-arc-end.

For these reasons I give this five stars, and hope to read more by the same author soon.

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