Review: The Honjin Murders

The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two locked-room murder mysteries from the 1930s in a row! Purely by coincidence (the other was "Murder of a Lady" by Antony Wynne). I enjoyed this one more. Less far-fetched, more inventive and also quite meta, especially for the time. I look forward to reading more by the author. 

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Review: 유리방패 The Glass Shield

유리방패 The Glass Shield by Kim Junghyuk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book jacket says "The narrative devoid of the woman-lover axis evolves only around the male-friend axis. One might compare Kim Jung-hyuk's pals to the freemasons who have replaced Beatrice". 

But I can't help wondering if this is in itself a mockery of the art critic in the story, giving all these serious intellectual traits to what is basically just fun and games. 

Then again, there is obviously more to this (short) story, since in the end we realize that living carefree can't continue forever. 

Regardless, this is a re-read and I enjoyed it more the second time around. 4.5 stars. 

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Review: If Cats Disappeared from the World

If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

And so continues my journey through contemporary Japanese fiction dealing with cats. Thus far it's been: "The Traveling Cat Chronicles" by Hiro Arikawa, "The Guest Cat" by Takashi Hiraide (albeit a dnf for me), "I Am a Cat" by Natsume Soseki, various by Haruki Murakami (like "Town of Cats" and "Kafka on the Shore"), and now this one. I wonder how many more there are. 

Regardless, this was a good book if you're in the right mood I guess. It deals with the issue of dying, what will be remembered/left of us once we die, and how you don't appreciate what you have until it's gone. It isn't depressing, but if those topics sound trite to you, then don't read this book. 

I can go for topics like these, at times, but not necessarily right now. Still, a cute premise and story.

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Review: Token Economy: How the Web3 reinvents the Internet

Token Economy: How the Web3 reinvents the Internet by Shermin Voshmgir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great dive into pretty much everything about Tokens. The dive isn't too deep, but this probably shouldn't be your first foray into Blockchain technology, unless you have a finance background maybe. 

Regardless, I found it very informative, if a tad boring and long-winded in parts. Like with any book about this topic, it will be out of date by the time it goes to print, but it still gives quite a bit of good background information. 

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Review: Desire: Vintage Minis

Desire: Vintage Minis by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A compendium of some of Murakami's short stories, a few of which are featured in other collections, so I think all except one were re-reads for me. I must say, however, that if anything I enjoyed them more the second time around, which kinda makes me want to re-read some other Murakami novels. 

The stories were:

"The Second Bakery Attack" - A re-read. And more fun the second time around. I had forgotten the ending, so that kept me going

"On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning" - Another re-read. Probably my least favorite, but still good in its own way.

"Birthday Girl" - Skipped this one since I remembered it rather vividly

"Samsa in Love" - A very weird one, but fun. I probably would have gotten more out of it if I had read The Metamorphosis (don't tell anyone I haven't).

"A Folklore for my Generation. A Prehistory of Late Stage Capitalism" - A re-read, but a pleasant one. And it takes place in Lucca, so you can't go wrong. 

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Review: Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner to Corner Office

Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner to Corner Office by Zack O'Malley Greenburg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great look into the life of one of the most interesting (and successful) people alive. It's too bad Jay-Z didn't agree to be interviewed for this, but on the other hand, much like happened with "Sam Walton - The Inside Story of America's Richest Man", this was just because Jay-Z was writing his own autobiography. When this happens, I tend to choose the version that will be less biased and (likely) more thoroughly researched. And this was definitely well-researched. Finding the link between Jay-Z and Armand de Brignac was quite impressive sleuthing. 

Unfortunately, however, this book leaves off around 10 years ago. So no mention of his children, of other endeavors like Tidal, tours with Beyonce, etc. 

If a revised version ever comes out, I'll probably check it out. 

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Review: Murder of a Lady

Murder of a Lady by Anthony Wynne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Quite entertaining despite everything. Kept me guessing. A bit far-fetched at the end, but no worse than many contemporary mystery novels. 

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Review: The Introvert’s Edge to Networking: Work the Room. Leverage Social Media. Develop Powerful Connections

The Introvert’s Edge to Networking: Work the Room. Leverage Social Media. Develop Powerful Connections by Matthew Owen Pollard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was excited to read this book since I am very much an introvert, although I completely understand how essential networking is in business. 

I must say a couple of things seemed odd in this book. First of all, the author keeps saying he's an introvert, but then goes on to have certain stories that don't really square up. For example, as a younger kid in Australia, he knew some owner of a hot club (I can't remember the exact position), so he could get in without waiting in line, and could even bring his mates in. Obviously this is cool, but hardly the life of an introvert. 

More importantly, I have to say that pretty much every time I've been to a networking event, the people there from large companies are usually NEVER there to network, but to relax with some friends and drink some beers. In fact, at my last event, I was asking some people which chamber I should join, and they literally advised me not to join this and that chamber because all the networking events are so 'serious' and 'everyone is networking'. Obviously this isn't true for entrepreneur events, but still. 

Apparently this isn't the case for him, since he talks about networking with some IBM exec at some event and how it got him some supersales. 

One other bone of contention was a detail. He said if you go to an event and 2 people are in a conversation then you shouldn't approach them because you'll be interrupting. His reasoning is anecdotal (he was chatting with the aforementioned IBM exec closing a deal). This, however, goes against his own advice NOT to sell at the event itself. And in fact, I've found often the opposite to be true. If it is a networking event (especially for entrepreneurs), then 2 people talking to each other either A) know each other already, in which case they know they should be networking even though they aren't, so someone who approaches them saves them the trouble, Or B) don't know each other, in which case they're probably having an awkward 1st time conversation, and welcome a newcomer, or even if they are having a good conversation, they can always end it on a high note (as the author recommends doing) and decide to meet up again over coffee one day, so the 3rd person will be a welcome addition. 

Anyway, all of this makes it seem like I didn't like the book. I actually found it very useful, which I guess is why these other points rankled. I plan on using his information, especially preparing before the meetings, and the follow-up after the meetings (Probably not so much during the meetings, for the reasons mentioned above). 

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Review: The Analects

The Analects by Confucius
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So I bought this commentary book on Mencius, and figured before reading that I should read Mencius, and then I figured before reading Mencius I should read Confucius, so here we are. 

This is actually a re-read, but I figured it was needed. And it was an interesting one. I found some odd passages, like:

"Confucius would rather be criticized for partiality than appear to be openly critical of the Duke" (note to Book VII, 31)

I guess this falls under respecting superiors, although it comes across like he's being opportunist and has a double standard

"It is a shameful matter to be poor and humble when the Way prevails in the state" (Book VIII, 13)

eh?

 Also I'm not sure if one should put the State above all, or the family above the state (see Book XIII, 18)

But also some good ones I marked down for reference, like:

"Only when the cold season comes is the point brought home that the pine and the cypress are the last to lose their leaves" (Book IX, 28)

I really like this one!

To be frank it would have also helped to use the Chinese characters for some of the terms. I understand most readers probably wouldn't understand (myself included), but I'm guessing those same readers won't know what the Chün shih chapter of the Shu Ching is, and having the characters, rather than this Wade-Giles mishmash would make it easier to follow-up

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Review: The New Testament: A Translation

The New Testament: A Translation by David Bentley Hart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've always thought the profession of Translator should be more respected when dealing with (a translation of) the Bible. All too many interpretations are taken from commonly accepted faulty translations, and yet very few people are actually qualified to translate ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek from the original/oldest sources. 

Obviously I'm not one of the those people, so I can't really judge the accuracy of Hart's translations, but at least it is something he takes very seriously. His introductory and concluding chapters detail this. In this translation, he endeavors to not only provide an accurate translation (dealing with words like "spirit", "fornication", "eternity", etc.), but also tries to convey the voice of the original text (when it was erudite, when more coarse, when not necessarily written by a native speaker, etc.). 

The result is very interesting indeed. Plus it gave me a chance to revisit the New Testament, which, like it or leave it, is one of the main canonical texts of our age. 

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Review: The Ten Loves of Mr. Nishino

The Ten Loves of Mr. Nishino by Hiromi Kawakami
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love the idea, and the execution was good as well. I just really didn't like Mr. Nishino and I found most of his loves less than enthralling (possibly because they were his loves). I get the feeling that by the end you're supposed to feel bad for Nishino, but I confess that wasn't really the case for me. 

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Review: Sudden Death

Sudden Death by David Rosenfelt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Probably 4.5 stars. I like this series.

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Review: Bootlegger's Daughter

Bootlegger's Daughter by Margaret Maron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Solid murder mystery, and interesting having it take place in a fictionalized version of Johnston County, just south of Raleigh, N.C. I'll be looking forward to more in this series. 

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Review: Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache

Wisdom Sits in Places: Landscape and Language Among the Western Apache by Keith H. Basso
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Having started this book, I almost left it unfinished after the first part. I still don't know why I had it in my wishlist. Regardless, it is definitely a unique book. This is part linguistics, part anthropology, part philosophy, all dealing with the Western Apache. The idea of "place-making" is, as far as I can tell, unique, and yet there are echoes of it in other cultures I'm sure. 

No matter who you are, this is almost definitely what Tyler Cowen refers to as a "view quake" book. 

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Review: Lugano la bella sconosciuta. Una città inaspettata e curiosa

Lugano la bella sconosciuta. Una città inaspettata e curiosa by Jonas Marti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An excellent book that needed to be written. Now I hope someone (this same author?) writes one for the rest of Ticino. 

I'm only giving it 4 stars, however, because I feel like some things were missing. The Last supper of Ponte Capriasca seems worth mentioning (I take all my friends who visit to go see it): https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_Cena_(Ponte_Capriasca)

as well as the old Principessa Sissi statue that used to be behind Farmacia Vittoria, in Piazza Indipendenza. I never knew why the statue was there, and then one day they took it away. I also feel like there are a few stories from Canobbio (where I grew up) that could have been included. 

Also, so much talk about how splendid the Castello di Trevano was, and then just mentioning that it was demolished in 1961. I have figured out why they would have demolished it. Especially just to create the prison-like middle school and high school I attended. What a waste...

Anyway, an excellent trip around the Luganese and the history of the region. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the region. 

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Review: Io e te

Io e te by Niccolò Ammaniti
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A nice novella. Coming of age. A tad depressing and dark. 

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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》 Autumn/2010 - No.153

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》 Autumn/2010 - No.153 by Taipei Chinese PEN
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bookman's, next to NTU in Taipei, has old issues of The Taipei Chinese PEN, so it's great to be able to read these issues with various short stories and some poetry, all in translation. 

This one was dedicated to Shang Qin, who had just passed away, so it was interesting to read about him. Out of the short stories I enjoyed Battle Trains, by Lin Chung-han, since it was an insight into travel within Taiwan back in the 1960s-1980s. 

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Review: Excellent Cadavers: The Mafia and the Death of the First Italian Republic

Excellent Cadavers: The Mafia and the Death of the First Italian Republic by Alexander Stille
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Probably the definitive book on the Sicilian Mafia in its heyday, including the Corleone uprising, Luciano Leggio, Toto Riina, Bernardo Provenzano (although not much on him), etc. And obviously tons on Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, and how they had to struggle to achieve their results, more so against other politicians than against the mafia itself (even though the mafia was definitely trying to dissuade them, and succeeded in killing them in the end). 

Incredible how the mafia had taken hold in Sicily. The stories about the priest killer who would give last rites to men after killing them, or the politicians, judges, police officers involved, or just how ordinary citizens were all involved (middle aged ladies from Torretta were used as mules to bring heroin to the US), or how the imprisoned Mafia bosses all got leave to stay in the hospital for 'tests' that continued on and on; the hospital being owned by the brother of a corrupt politician, they had run of the mill there, had people visit them, and even had underlings moved there to act as servants. 

Particularly unnerving was also reading about "fake turncoats", like Pellegriti. Already serving life in prison, he suddenly confessed to various conspiracies involving a (corrupt) politician, which turned out to be false. Turns out he was spreading disinformation, trying to muddy the waters of the other information obtained. 

Cosa Nostra would also spread disinformation about important people they murdered, both before and after murdering them. This was because if an upstanding member of society is murdered, people are outraged, but if there are rumors and newspaper articles about that person being corrupt, having affairs, making deals with criminals, etc., then they will be much more accepting of his murder. 

5 stars. Also I see a movie was made with the same name. I should probably check it out. 

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Review: At the End of the Matinee

At the End of the Matinee by Keiichirō Hirano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disturbing, perceptive, symbolic. Those are the main adjectives that come to mind to describe this book. I confess that what I knew about the author stopped me from reading this (and some of his other books) for a while, because I expected a troubled/disturbed mind. And that is pretty much what I got.  

This was, by all means, an excellent book, and one can understand the symbolism. Fusako represents the West (which Mishima hated), while Noboru, the 13 year-old, represents old fashioned honor (although, quite distorted and brainwashed, so I'm not sure what that was about). Ryuji was cast at sea, and gradually came to one side over the other. 

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Review: The Diary of Benjamin Reynolds: The Journal of a Voyage 'Round Cape Horn from Philadelphia to Chile and Back Again Via Rio de Janiero in 1840-41

The Diary of Benjamin Reynolds: The Journal of a Voyage 'Round Cape Horn from Philadelphia to Chile and Back Again Via Rio de Janiero in 1840-41 by Benjamin Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Knowing that the author (compiler) pretty much literally found this man's diary in an attic, and that it was an acquaintance of her great grandfather, and married a great-great aunt of hers (can that be right??) makes this more interesting than it otherwise would have been. I had hoped this diary would describe life in Valparaiso and/or Rio, or even just life on the ship, more in-depth. I guess there were some details about life on the ship, but not really for the "terra firma" stops. We hear about his days and activities, but little much else about the people, cities and locations. 

Still, an enjoyable glimpse into a real man's journey to South America in 1840. 

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Review: Diary of a Murderer: And Other Stories

Diary of a Murderer: And Other Stories by Young-Ha Kim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A solid collection. I must say Young-Ha Kim's stories grow on me, and I seem to like each one more than the last. I didn't read "Missing Child", but the other stories "Diary of a Murderer", "The Origin of Life" and "The Writer" were all odd, but kept me interested throughout. "The Origin of Life" was probably my favorite. I'm not sure I got "The Writer", and "Diary of a Murderer" was the most disturbing. 

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Review: My Enemy's Cherry Tree

My Enemy's Cherry Tree by Ting-Kuo Wang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An interesting, melancholic book, discussing loss, love, betrayal, poverty, etc. These are probably the reasons why it reminded me somewhat of contemporary Korean fiction. 

Regardless, the story was excellent, although the parts about Baixiu were probably over my head. I read the author took a 25-year hiatus from writing because of his father-in-law. I look forward to more books by him. 

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Review: Mars: Stories

Mars: Stories by Asja Bakić
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My first foray into Contemporary Bosnian Fiction (although she writes in Croatian?), and it did not disappoint.

My favorites were probably:

Abby (a woman wakes up with no memory, and not sure if she can trust her husband)

Asja 5.0 (a woman and her clone want to escape her boyfriend. Also, this is the author's name)

The Talus of Madame Liken (a serial killer is confused by a killing happening in his territory)

Passions  (about a woman trying to figure out the author of a short story collection, only to be told it's her, but is it really?)

Heading West (about immigrants, but with a twist)

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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》 Autumn/2019 - No.190

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》 Autumn/2019 - No.190 by Taipei Chinese PEN
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another interesting collection. 

My favorite stories:

Landing Pad, by Ruei Chung (Zhong Minrui on Goodreads)

Portrait of a Son, by Inca Pan (who apparently published under the penname Chuan Bei Mu／川貝母). This started off seeming a tad obvious but became progressively eerie

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Review: The Informer

The Informer by Akimitsu Takagi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think I enjoyed this more than the first one I read by this author (The Tattoo Murder Case). Excellent book with an excellent mystery; original and I did not see the ending coming.

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Review: Stephen Fry's Edwardian Secrets

Stephen Fry's Edwardian Secrets by NOT A BOOK
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An excellent follow-up to Stephen Fry's Victorian Secrets. I admit I came into this knowing next to nothing about the Edwardian era (I haven't even watched Downton Abbey), but I still found it all fascinating. Highly recommended. 

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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/2021 - No. 197

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/2021 - No. 197 by Taipei Chinese PEN
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another interesting issue, with poetry, short stories, and a feature of Paul Chiang, an artist in Taidong. 

My favorite short stories:

Wandering among small mountains, by Ko Yu-fen

Marriage Proposal, by Chung Ling (Hundred-Dollar Bills wasn't bad either, by the same author)

The Forbidden, by Chang Yuan

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Review: Against Interpretation and Other Essays

Against Interpretation and Other Essays by Susan Sontag
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I admit that many of these essays were on people and/or works I had never heard of. Having said that, I found the ones on Cesare Pavese and Ionesco quite interesting (the one on Ionesco was scathing), as well as those dealing with Sartre and Camus.

Interesting to learn about Happenings, and Assemblages, since I had never heard of them before. Also interesting were the notes on Camp Style (especially considered how the term is used these days in the UK). The essay on Science fiction was extremely thorough, but I can't say I found it all that interesting, except possibly that Sci-fi movies were pretty much all disaster movies.

Still, Sontag was obviously extremely observant and intelligent. I doubt we have anyone quite like her around today. 

All essays date from the 1960s.

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Review: The Housekeeper and the Professor

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I never thought a book that delves so much into mathematics and (outdated) Japanese baseball would retain my attention so easily. In fact, not only did it keep me involved in the story, but I really hope some of the math sticks with me, since it was explained in a way that made sense, and it was able to convey some of the beauty mathematicians seem to see in math. 

If you want an original and charming book to read then this is it. 

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Review: The Business Blockchain: Promise, Practice, and Application of the Next Internet Technology

The Business Blockchain: Promise, Practice, and Application of the Next Internet Technology by William Mougayar
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Dated, but pretty good in terms of foundational information. The target market here is businesses who might be persuaded to add blockchain technology to whatever they do, but it is obviously too generalized, since the use of blockchain would differ immensely from business to business. 

If you are wondering if/how to use blockchain in your business, feel free to read this, then use what you learned to find something that discusses what you need more in depth. 

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Review: The Lessons of History

The Lessons of History by Will Durant
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had listened to this on tape around a decade and a half ago. It was great hearing Will and Ariel Durant's voices again. 

I had forgotten how incisive and fun Ariel's comments were. I wish there had been more of them. 

It is also refreshing to have a historian who takes history so seriously, and who philosophizes on its study like Durant does. 

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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/2021 - No. 196

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/2021 - No. 196 by Taipei Chinese PEN
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great collection of poetry and short stories, also featuring some Czech poetry. 

Out of the 2 short stories my favorite was probably "Lucy's notes of a Guest House" by Tsai Su-fen (蔡素芬), although it seems that the other author ，王定國， is the famous one.

It also had a great feature on Sculpture in Taiwan, discussing Pu Tian-Sheng and Huang Tu-Shui, all of which was new to me. 

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Review: The Clothes They Stood Up In

The Clothes They Stood Up In by Alan Bennett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The premise was very interesting, as was the denouement. The characters were also quite unique. But for some reason I can't say I enjoyed this all that much. Something may have been missing. But still, it's a short read, so it can be worth it if you come across the book. 

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Review: Newcomer

Newcomer by Keigo Higashino
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this. I admit I got a bit confused by all the characters part of the way through. It also is a tad too neat (a few too many reconciliations and 'feel good' moments for me), and I found Kaga too much of a goody goody at time. But it's a good mystery and I didn't see it coming, which is something. 

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Review: The Guide to the Flying Island: A Novella

The Guide to the Flying Island: A Novella by Lee Upton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I bought this at the Book Rack before my flight, pretty much purely because it was a short book, which suited me perfectly for an airplane flight. Anyway, it was rather slow, but the scattered twists and turns kept me interested. I can't really say I liked the sparse tone of the novel, but that's probably just me. Also I think the symbolism was over my head (this happens often. I guess I'm not one for symbolism). Still, it is short enough that the few odd happenings can get you through the rest. 

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Review: The Governesses

The Governesses by Anne Serre
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A bit too odd for me. The symbolism becomes a little more obvious at the very end. At least that's what I think. Something akin to "if a tree falls in the forest but no one is there to hear, does it still make a sound?", although I may be wrong. 

Otherwise it was still a very odd little book. I didn't not enjoy it, but I'm not really sure if I enjoyed it. I may have to think about it a bit more. Still, interesting I guess. 

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Review: Alaric the Goth: An Outsider's History of the Fall of Rome

Alaric the Goth: An Outsider's History of the Fall of Rome by Douglas Boin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A great overview of a man I only knew about in passing. Like most people, I associated the Goths (and anything "Gothic") with bad, evil, sinister things and people. This book does a lot to dispel those notions, which I appreciated. 

It seems like we're a bit short on first-hand material on Alaric, so much of this had to be conjecture, as well as a lot of background to help the reader understand. 

Still, it is well worth reading, since this is an important character whose story deserves to be told. 

Also, the parallels between the waning days of the Roman Empire and these days jump out at you. 

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Review: A Man

A Man by Keiichirō Hirano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I bought this pretty much on a whim, and I'm glad I did. The story is an interesting and original one, and it makes the reader think about identity. It reminded me, in this sense, of The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, by Umberto Eco, although the angle is a bit different. Rather than ask if one's memories can be recreated in order to recreate a person the way they were before, this asks more what you would do if you were to switch lives with someone else (and they with you) at some point. Would someone else be excited to be living your life, with your past and background? Would they make more out of it than you? What about you in someone else's life? 

Anyway, I found it interesting throughout, although the convolution of the story was a bit much for me, and I kept having to try to remember who was being discussed. Also, I felt there wasn't much closure with the main protagonist's story arc. 

Regardless, I look forward to reading more by the author. 

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Review: A Confederacy of Dunces

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I confess the first part of this book was a slog for me. I took a break after a while to read another short book, and then came back to it. However, the last half (or possibly 1/3) of the book kept me quite interested. At this point I was more invested in the characters and was curious to see how everything would end. 

I should say, it has a very original tone and style of humor throughout, but I probably just wasn't in the right mindset at first. 

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Review: Blockchain Chicken Farm: And Other Stories of Tech in China's Countryside

Blockchain Chicken Farm: And Other Stories of Tech in China's Countryside by Xiaowei Wang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think this would have made 2 excellent books. One could have been about tech in rural China, focusing on the different areas mentioned in the book (blockchain, AI, drones, online orders, etc.) while the other could be a very interesting travelogue, detailing the different scenes, people, experiences, etc. encountered by the author throughout China. As it stands, it had extremely interesting content, but felt rather disjointed. I confess I'm still not sure about the random recipes interspersed throughout. 

Having said that, this book should probably be required reading for anyone outside China who is interested in an update on what is going on tech-wise, especially outside of the big cities, and how tech is affecting everyday lives. 

I was looking for more examples of how blockchain technology was being used in rural China, especially after having seen a story about how it was being used in rural Taiwan, so I was a bit disappointed that it didn't have more on that, but the rest of the material was still quite fascinating. 

One story that stuck with me was about the author, when staying among the Dong (Kam) people, having tried a spicy paste they liked so much that they asked if they could buy it. This caused confusion, since the people in the village weren't used to this type of commerce and weren't prepared to sell to outside markets. In the end the boss put some of the paste in an empty Sprite bottle for them to carry. When asked how much it cost, the person thought about it, and replied, "Would RMB 10 be a fair price? Also, can you pay me on Wechat?". This really brought home the juxtaposition of rural life and modern technology for me.

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Review: Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan

Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan by Murasaki Shikibu
My rating:

An interesting collection. I can't really give it a rating. My favorite (and the one most resembling a diary, albeit a disjointed one) was Lady Sarashina's. But they were each different and singular. I don't know why the collection wouldn't include The Gossamer years, but there you go. 

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Review: The Izumi Shikibu Diary: A Romance of the Heian Court

The Izumi Shikibu Diary: A Romance of the Heian Court by Izumi Shikibu
My rating:

I confess this wasn't what I was looking for. After having read the journals of Lady Sarashina, Lady Murasaki, the Tosa Diary, etc., I thought this would be similar, but it rather just narrates a specific love story, more as a story than a journal. It is told in the third person and begins and (sort of) ends with just this story. It is an interesting one, considering it really happened, and it is also a sad one, considering how it ended (although the ending isn't really mentioned in the journal). 

Regardless, I'm glad I read it. 

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Review: Lost

Lost by Michael Robotham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.25 stars. Kept me guessing throughout and kept me interested for the most part. 

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Review: The Infinite Machine: How an Army of Crypto-hackers Is Building the Next Internet with Ethereum

The Infinite Machine: How an Army of Crypto-hackers Is Building the Next Internet with Ethereum by Camila Russo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a must-read for anyone interested in Ethereum and, in fact, in the Crypto world in general, since it pretty much spans its entire existence. It is told as a story (Michael Lewis-style, as many other reviewers have mentioned), but also goes into quite a bit of detail, naming names and explaining intricacies (at least it seemed intricate for a non-technical person like me). 

This is probably canonical at this point in time, and seems to end in a way so that a part two, or an addition, can be tacked onto the end of this in the future. 

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Review: The Diary of Lady Murasaki

The Diary of Lady Murasaki by Murasaki Shikibu
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

I can't really leave a rating here. Suffice it to say I find these types of memoirs/journals/diaries fascinating. Not to mention there is an interesting (not entirely flattering) tidbit about Shikibu Izumi, who also wrote a diary, which I will hopefully be reading soon. 

Also, being the author of the Tale of Genji, it is quite insightful how she refers to a certain official as "No Genji". This might be some insight into her character development. 

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Review: Interpreter of Maladies

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ok I'm pretty embarrassed. I started reading this book and found myself really enjoying the first couple stories. In fact, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed them. So I started wondering why I was so surprised, and tried to remember what I had thought of previous Lahiri books. Only then did I realize this is my first Jhumpa Lahiri book. 

I've been calling myself a fan of hers for a while, ever since I heard her interview with Tyler Cowen, and read about how she moved to Italy, learned Italian, translated Starnone's "I Lacci" into English (which I then read), and then wrote her own novel in Italian, which she also then translated (and I have yet to read). 

But this is the first original work of hers that I have read. Usually short stories are always hit or miss for me, but I must say these were pretty much all hits. If I had to pick, I'd say my favorites were:

When Mr. Pirzada came to dine

Interpreter of Maladies

Mrs. Sen's

The Treatment of Bibi Haldar

The Third and Final Continent

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Review: Blockchain Technology Explained: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide About Blockchain Wallet, Mining, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Zcash, Monero, Ripple, Dash, IOTA and Smart Contracts

Blockchain Technology Explained: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide About Blockchain Wallet, Mining, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Zcash, Monero, Ripple, Dash, IOTA and Smart Contracts by Alan T. Norman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A tad outdated here and there at this point, but still a great overall primer for those interested in a broad overview of blockchain technology.

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Review: Power: Why Some People Have it and Others Don't

Power: Why Some People Have it and Others Don't by Jeffrey Pfeffer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The beginning doesn't seem promising. He said he would use peoples' real names unless necessary, and his first two examples are "Anna" and Beth" (Examples A & B?), with no other context. I hope future examples are more concrete.

****

Ok, actually the book did get better. I think this will be most useful to employees of corporations, or even heads of corporations. Maybe less so for entrepreneurs, but there are still some useful nuggets. 

3.5 stars

Some of my notes:

Large network of weak ties is good for innovation and new situations

Small network of strong ties is good for exploiting existing knowledge and tacit skills

First impressions stick. If you are seen as weak, or unfavorably, it might be best to find new people to meet, rather than try to change these peoples' impression of you. 

Try to network in many new places and see what sticks (Large network of weak ties)

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Review: Minding the Store: A Big Story about a Small Business

Minding the Store: A Big Story about a Small Business by Julie Gaines
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I think I discovered a (very niche) genre that I really like: autobiographical graphic novels. After having read this and 'Uncomfortably Happy', by Hong Yeon-sik, I think there's something I really enjoy about them. They aren't autobiographies by any means (they seem to deal with just a certain period, and are obviously non-exhaustive and just give a broad overview), but they help to get a quick feel for what the author experienced, and the graphics help because I don't overlay my own imagery, but see what the author saw and remembers. I'm not sure if that explanation made sense, but suffice it to say that I enjoyed this book a great deal and I look forward to reading more in this niche genre, if I can find any. 

I may even visit Fishs Eddy the next time I'm in New York, even though I confess it's not my style of store. 

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