Pleased to discover that there is something more to Ray Bradbury than the stereotypical old man yells at cloud denouncing technology for ruining the tPleased to discover that there is something more to Ray Bradbury than the stereotypical old man yells at cloud denouncing technology for ruining the traditional human way of life. Some of the stories make no sense to me, but most of them are clever, thought-provoking, or downright sad (in a good way). I never thought I'd feel that way reading Bradbury, I'm not the greatest fan of Fahrenheit 451, but this collection proves he is much more than that. My favorites: The Rocket, Kaleidoscope, The Fire Balloons....more
Reading Carver is like finding money you unknowingly misplaced while looking for something else. It's great but it happens so rarely it's wiser not toReading Carver is like finding money you unknowingly misplaced while looking for something else. It's great but it happens so rarely it's wiser not to expect it and just be pleasantly surprised when it does happen.
Stories in here that feel like that: The Collectors, Put Yourself in my Shoes ...more
Drive My Car - 4/5 Yesterday - 4/5 An Independent Organ - 1/5 Scheherazade - 3/5 Kino - 3/5 Samsa in Love - 3/5 Men Without Women - 1/5
I don't think I can tDrive My Car - 4/5 Yesterday - 4/5 An Independent Organ - 1/5 Scheherazade - 3/5 Kino - 3/5 Samsa in Love - 3/5 Men Without Women - 1/5
I don't think I can think about this separately from Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Drive My Car which combines three of the stories in this collection (DMC, Scheherazade, Kino) and spectacularly adds into it. On the other hand, two of the stories (Organ, MWM) feel eerily similar to Murakami's own 1Q84 that it almost seems like self-plagiarism.
Still, it has those signature Murakami moments which make you feel seen while narrating the oddest circumstances. Nothing beats that. ...more
"All this, all of this love we're talking about, it would just be a memory. Maybe not even a memory."
It's about love, but not the cutesy type or th3.5
"All this, all of this love we're talking about, it would just be a memory. Maybe not even a memory."
It's about love, but not the cutesy type or the grandiose Love with a capital L. It's about what comes after that – mostly dread, sometimes life. It's not just about romantic love either, although most of the stories do feature married, once-married, or soon-to-be-married couples. It is also about the love that entangle that – the parents whose decisions you can never understand, the best friends you don't notice changing right before your eyes (not until it's too late), the neighbors you used to drink with, from whom you're now separated by a tall fence, even the strangers who share your sorrows, though you might not know it yet....more
Most of the stories and poems in this are not memorable, though they are short enough to not make me regret reading them. Sometimes it seems Russian lMost of the stories and poems in this are not memorable, though they are short enough to not make me regret reading them. Sometimes it seems Russian literature is some of the most profound things I've ever read, and other times it completely escapes me, like this book....more
I've never read anything similar to Borges. Several of the works here are written as official reports documenting alternate worlds or realities. Even I've never read anything similar to Borges. Several of the works here are written as official reports documenting alternate worlds or realities. Even the ones that are in traditional story format border on uncanny territory, almost but not quite like the world we live in. It's so surreal and confusing to read but also curiosity-inducing. I probably don't understand half of what he is trying to say as I'm reading but the joy is also in analyzing and trying to make sense of it.
My favorites: The Garden of Forking Paths, The Library of Babel, and Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius...more
The Manila of Nick Joaquin's time is very different from the Manila that I was born in. And yet, too often I could see myself in his sentences. There'The Manila of Nick Joaquin's time is very different from the Manila that I was born in. And yet, too often I could see myself in his sentences. There's my religious trauma, there's my adamant quest for freedom, and there is the intergenerational conflict that I grew up and still grapple with. It's true. Our generation and our parents' generation speak in different languages, literally.
My favorites from this collection: The Order of Melkizedek - about the clash of traditional Catholic worldviews and alternative movements in a society heavily influenced by American counterculture Cándido's Apocalypse - an ode to petit bourgeois parents and their "overacting" teenage children The Mass of St. Sylvestre, Doña Geronima, May Day Eve - just fun tales that double as criticism of the church...more
A little bit of everything from Kafka: short stories, aphorisms, flash fiction, the mini travelogues he loves so much. The first part of this colle3.5
A little bit of everything from Kafka: short stories, aphorisms, flash fiction, the mini travelogues he loves so much. The first part of this collection (Four Stories) was considerably better than the latter parts, with two of them (A Hunger Artist and Josefine the Singer) being two of the most poignant, albeit opposite, takes on artistry I have ever read. In the latter parts I liked A Country Doctor and A Report to an Academy....more
Forty meditations on a question which will never have a definitive answer: what happens to us after we die?
A lot of the stories seemed throwaway-ish,Forty meditations on a question which will never have a definitive answer: what happens to us after we die?
A lot of the stories seemed throwaway-ish, but there are also those which can be a starting point for further contemplation. Nothing revolutionary but still neat. Some of the stories I liked: Metamorphosis, Mary, Circle of Friends, Mirrors, Subjunctive...more
Exactly what you would expect a Bojack Horseman (Extended) book would read like. I don't have problems with that, I love the show. The stories here3.5
Exactly what you would expect a Bojack Horseman (Extended) book would read like. I don't have problems with that, I love the show. The stories here have the same self-deprecating wit that makes the show so endearing, but the subject matter is more limited. Romantic love takes the undisputed center, and it really hurts for a while. Eventually though that kinda gets boring especially when you're single and not really particularly sad about it.
My favorites from this collection: Missed connections - Short and sweet and free to read in Craigslist, of all places Up-and-comers - Absurdist comedy about superheroes falling in love? It's more likely than you think The average of all possible things - Lucinda is literally me in a parallel universe
Life is terrifying and overwhelming and it can happen at any moment. And when you’re confronted with life you can either be cowardly or you can be brave, but either way you’re going to live. So you might as well be brave....more
Like all short story collections it's pretty hit or miss. But the hits are sooo good that you might forget about the transgressions for a while. MaybeLike all short story collections it's pretty hit or miss. But the hits are sooo good that you might forget about the transgressions for a while. Maybe.
EPICAC - 5/5. Touching tale of a machine doing what machines aren't supposed to do. Epic indeed. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - 4/5. Hmm. Interesting. A thought experiment of what might happen to privacy in an overpopulated world. Long Walk to Forever - 3/5. Cute. The Euphio Question - 4/5. Commercialization ruins everything. Unready to Wear - 4/5. Hohoho! I want that. All the King's Horses - 2/5. Entertaining cold war allegory, just don't think about the politics. The Package - 2/5. Middle class problems. The Lie - 3/5. Upper middle class problems. Welcome to the Monkey House - 1/5. What the fuck was that. Where I Live - 0/5. I don't think this is a short story. Who am I this time? - 5/5. I still think about this sometimes. :omg: Harrison Bergeron - 3/5. Interesting in theory. The Foster Portfolio - 2/5. Rich people problems. Tom Edison's Shaggy Dog - 2/5. POV: Some rando in the park keeps trying to talk to you. Next Door - I don't get it. More Stately Mansions - 3/5. The Hyannis Port Story - No comment. D. P. - 3/5. Sad. Report on the Barnhouse Effect - 4/5. Peak Vonnegut. Love it. Go Back to your Precious Wife and Son - 3/5. Deer in the Works - 4/5. There is no ethical consumption under capitalism. Adam - 2/5.
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