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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