Brutal and subtle and incredibly real and sad and vivid and visceral and disquieting in the best way possible. This book will STAY with me for the resBrutal and subtle and incredibly real and sad and vivid and visceral and disquieting in the best way possible. This book will STAY with me for the rest of my life....more
Absolutely wonderful book illustrating the ways in which our conception of time was imposed on us by forces that do not value us, and how other concepAbsolutely wonderful book illustrating the ways in which our conception of time was imposed on us by forces that do not value us, and how other conceptions of time have been stolen along the way. It's a terrific sort of follow up to How To Do Nothing , one of the best books of the last decade.
I read this at the same time as DO / PAUSE, by Robert Poynton, and think of them as sister books. Saving Time is about the problem, and how things got the way they are. DO / PAUSE is a strikingly simple, personal solution.
They work so well together it's unreal. Read both. ...more
This is one of those books that is truly going to be life changing for me. It's a simple concept that is easy to implement, scales to any scenario, anThis is one of those books that is truly going to be life changing for me. It's a simple concept that is easy to implement, scales to any scenario, and is a radical answer to the ways in which the ever accelerating pace of our world impacts our individual well-being.
Interestingly enough, I've been reading this at the same time as Saving Time, by Jenny Odell and only just realized that they're both talking about the same thing from different angles:
Saving Time, is very interested in how we perceive time, and the ways that capitalism and industry have perverted our experience of time. Do / Pause is less interested in the causes of the issue, but in a practical, individual solution to the problem. Jenny Odell approached this same type of solution in her previous book How to do Nothing a few years back.
I absolutely love when disparate books coalesce into one like this. I feel like I'm adding new information to an existing web of knowledge every time this happens. ...more
An incredible memoir from a someone who has lived a fascinating, intense life. Full of poignant wanderings, pontifications, and interactions with someAn incredible memoir from a someone who has lived a fascinating, intense life. Full of poignant wanderings, pontifications, and interactions with some of the most unique lives lived in the margins and corners of America.
The majority of the book is split between Carrot's turbulent Alaskan upbringing and her experiences riding freight trains across the country, searching for a way to live.
Beautifully written and touching. This is a new favorite....more
Okay, this cements Alasdair Gray as utterly brilliant. The way this story is structured is so incredibly clever: A found book-within-a-book containingOkay, this cements Alasdair Gray as utterly brilliant. The way this story is structured is so incredibly clever: A found book-within-a-book containing dueling unreliable narrators with differing versions of the events of the story. One fantastical, one much more grounded in reality. Both characters within the found novel/possibly historical text could plausibly have perverted their telling of the story from the "reality" of the other's telling.
It's also a very entertaining, enlightening story all on its own. A feminist Frankenstein. One of the most unique and important coming of age stories I've ever read.
Jan 2023 update: The movie is REALLY good y'all. ...more
Vernon Subutex is a mosaic of utterly fascinating characters living on the margins of society deep in a mid-aughts Paris. Virginie Despentes' (pronounVernon Subutex is a mosaic of utterly fascinating characters living on the margins of society deep in a mid-aughts Paris. Virginie Despentes' (pronounced DEH-PONT) writing reminds me of a more feminist version of Christopher Brookmyre or Irvine Welsh minus all the scots dialogue and heroin. Cocaine seems to be the drug of choice for her characters.
The most impressive thing for me is just how great Despentes is at getting into her characters' heads, and honestly portraying so many perspectives. The story itself is relatively thin, Vernon Subutex, recently homeless, has some videos containing the last will and testament of his recently deceased rockstar friend. Vernon is trying to leverage these videos to help him get back on his feet, and in the meantime he's couch surfing around Paris. There are a dizzying amount of characters all interacting with one another that get caught up in trying to obtain these videos for one reason or another, and we get to live in their shoes for a little while.
If you're fascinated with interesting characters, you're going to have a blast with this one....more
I haven't been exposed to too many new-to-me novels this year. Mostly, I've been rereading old favorites. As 2020 started winding down, I've been wondI haven't been exposed to too many new-to-me novels this year. Mostly, I've been rereading old favorites. As 2020 started winding down, I've been wondering what my favorite read of the year would end up being. I just found out.
Every sentence in this short novel is absolutely bursting with bittersweet melancholy. Bitter for the obvious reason that it's a heartbreakingly sad story. Sweet because it's handled oh so well and is beautifully written....more
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