Reviews and Comments

One of the best books I have ever had the joy of reading.

Nevada is so so good. Already planning on a re-read.

Not like any book I've read before. Starts off as a murder mystery before going in a couple other directions, all centered on the life of one man and his interaction with the people in a small alpine village. The book leaves you with a lot to think about. I look forward to reading more by Jean Giono.

I picked up A Time of Gifts during a NYRB sale. The blurb made it sound like an interesting and relaxing little travel journal. Somehow I completely missed when it was that the author started his sojourn across Europe to Constantinople.

Given the time we're currently living through, the author's description of pre WW2 Germany and the people he interacted with acquires an even deeper level of significance.

Putting that aside though, it's an extremely interesting and often funny travel journal. I can't wait to read the next volume.

I strongly disliked this book during most of my read through, but by the end I was teary-eyed.

Listen, here is what I got out of Breakfast of Champions.

Every person has their own story. The nicest people you know could be ugly and hateful on the inside. We destroy not only what we love most, but also what we should actually love the most. We are all scared and damaged people who turn to self-destruction to cope with the horrors of the every day and the knowledge of our ever approaching mortality. If we were aware that this is what we were doing then it would horrify us. So we either ignore it and choose the bliss of ignorance, or we nihilistically and cynically accept the status quo, and so on.

Does Vonnegut have an answer to all that? I don't know, but I enjoyed Breakfast of Champions, and I'm doubly glad I read it now in these dark times.

Gravity's Rainbow is like nothing I've ever read. While still less than one hundred pages in, it was clear that it is a brilliantly written book, had an interesting plot, and could be very funny. But what the hell is going on? Hard to say because just following along became close to impossible. I found some advice online that got me through the rest of the book, which was basically just to keep reading and ride along instead of trying to follow along.

And what a ride it was (Ja Ja!).

For maybe no reason at all, one quote at the end seemed worth making note of: 'Is there a fate that only I have been kept blind to?'

If you want to be challenged by a book, read Gravity's Rainbow. You might even enjoy it.

If I can finish this book there is no book I cannot read. Holy cow.

This is the first modern detective story I've ever read, not counting Sherlock Holmes, but it won't be my last. I enjoyed this book immensely and would recommend it to everyone.

I've once again started too many books at the same time.