By Fiona Maazel
I went to a reading by Fiona in Riverside Park, and was very impressed with her beautiful writing and rich imagination. She seemed to have a tendency to tackle a bunch of important and not necessarily related issues, and she does it in a way that makes you smile and laugh out loud even when you're sad. So I checked out her debut novel, and was not disappointed. I chuckled frequently and enjoyed the perspective of a drug addict of a world in crisis - attacked by a superplague. I was a bit thrown off by occasional voices of reincarnated souls, which were not always easy to follow. But on the whole, I really enjoyed the book. [337 pp.]
[Book link]
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Monday, November 2, 2015
The War of the Worlds
By H.G. Wells
I might have seen the movie, ages ago, but I don't remember much. The book is written in the first person voice. A man who witnesses a great deal of the Martian invasion, complemented by details of his brother's experiences. It is very sound logically, as far as I could tell, which is nice. [285 pp.]
I might have seen the movie, ages ago, but I don't remember much. The book is written in the first person voice. A man who witnesses a great deal of the Martian invasion, complemented by details of his brother's experiences. It is very sound logically, as far as I could tell, which is nice. [285 pp.]
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Shalosh Komot (Three Floors) [Hebrew]
By Eshkol Nevo
This book was interesting and a quick read. I felt it was missing in subtext, even though it dealt with some serious issues. It's nice to be fed with a spoon every now and then, but sometimes I'd like to dig in myself. In the end, I did not feel the same exhilaration I felt when I read another of Nevo's books, Neuland.
[272 pp.]
Book link
This book was interesting and a quick read. I felt it was missing in subtext, even though it dealt with some serious issues. It's nice to be fed with a spoon every now and then, but sometimes I'd like to dig in myself. In the end, I did not feel the same exhilaration I felt when I read another of Nevo's books, Neuland.
[272 pp.]
Book link
This Year in Jerusalem
By Jeffrey F. Barken
A collection of stories, a few set in the US, others in various parts of Israel. Some of the stories are connected. It's interesting to read about Israel from the point of view of an American who had volunteered to work in a Kibbutz. [129 pp.]
Book link
A collection of stories, a few set in the US, others in various parts of Israel. Some of the stories are connected. It's interesting to read about Israel from the point of view of an American who had volunteered to work in a Kibbutz. [129 pp.]
Book link
Fantasy & Science Fiction - February 1993
Interesting stories, for the most part. I had a bit of trouble with From Our Point of View We Had Moved to the Left, but the other ones were pretty good. The Grass is Always Greener was particularly fun. And it was very interesting to read about the Internet (in the Science section) as it was viewed back in 1992.
[160 pp.]
[160 pp.]
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Brave New World
By Aldous Huxley
A book published in 1932 with an outlook to a future, that is, unfortunately, not too different from our times. Perhaps not biologically, though the advances mentioned in the book in regard to that technology are no doubt here. But the consumerism aspect is spot on. Clothes that fall apart so you'd buy new ones all the time? A drug to make you happy without side effects? (well, we're still working on that). I liked the idea of worshipping Ford and his factory mentality. I didn't find this book to be beautifully written, or that I could easilly get lost or immersed in the new world, but it did offer some insights and made me laugh at times.
Link to book.
A book published in 1932 with an outlook to a future, that is, unfortunately, not too different from our times. Perhaps not biologically, though the advances mentioned in the book in regard to that technology are no doubt here. But the consumerism aspect is spot on. Clothes that fall apart so you'd buy new ones all the time? A drug to make you happy without side effects? (well, we're still working on that). I liked the idea of worshipping Ford and his factory mentality. I didn't find this book to be beautifully written, or that I could easilly get lost or immersed in the new world, but it did offer some insights and made me laugh at times.
Link to book.
Monday, August 3, 2015
The Art of Racing in the Rain
By Garth Stein
A story about an amateur car racer and his struggles to keep his family intact, told from the perspective of his dog, who has aspirations to become a human in his next incarnation. The book is very readable and though at time it felt a bit too new-agey, it wasn't too bad. I guess when the new-agey individual is a dog, it's okay. I expected the dog to be more egocentric, but I guess, he was so selfless because he was a dog, not a cat. Same could be said of his admiration of his owner. Overall, a pleasant read, and at times tear-jerking. [321 pp.]
Link to book.
A story about an amateur car racer and his struggles to keep his family intact, told from the perspective of his dog, who has aspirations to become a human in his next incarnation. The book is very readable and though at time it felt a bit too new-agey, it wasn't too bad. I guess when the new-agey individual is a dog, it's okay. I expected the dog to be more egocentric, but I guess, he was so selfless because he was a dog, not a cat. Same could be said of his admiration of his owner. Overall, a pleasant read, and at times tear-jerking. [321 pp.]
Link to book.
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