All About Books discussion

1. how the poor die by George Orwell
Finished: 1/2/2022
★★★★ (4)

A grim account of Orwell's experiences in a French public hospital, highlighting the experiences of those who were unable to pay for medical treatment. Orwell has the fine eye of a journalist for the right details to bring the situation home for the reader.

2. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Finished: 1/3/2022
★★★★ (4)

A beautifully written account of the experiences of a dog hauled out into the Canadian wilderness as part of the voracious appetites of the gold rush happening there. Also, a poetic exploration of the primitive instincts at the heart of the civilized creature. I'm not sure I agreed with all of the philosophy, but it was expressed with true poetry . . . beautifully done.

3. A Coney Island of the Mind by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Finished: 1/4/2022
★★★ (3)

I didn't love this work by San Francisco's seminal poet, but I was definitely able to appreciate it as expressing the spirit of a time and place worth cherishing, despite some aspects of the work that feel problematic nowadays.

4. Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu
Finished: 1/6/2022
★★★★ (4)

I enjoyed re-reading this atmospheric tale by Le Fanu as much as I enjoyed it the first time. From a modern perspective, much of the plot can be guessed, but there is something strangely compelling about the powerful and capable Carmilla, regardless of her intentions. I am not one for reading a lot of vampire stories, but I think this is my favorite of the ones I have read.

5. Odour of Chrysanthemums by D.H. Lawrence
Finished: 1/7/2022
★★★★★ (5)

A philosophically grim but marvelously affecting story about a coal miner and his unlucky wife. I find something so peculiar in Lawrence's perspectives, his perspectives on gender specifically but also overall. In most of his books, I find much that I disagree with philosophically or find problematic, but I always find him utterly fascinating regardless. This particular story is less peculiar than most of his other work that I've read, but it was still distinctly his. I loved it.

6. Meditations On The Insatiable Soul: Poems by Robert Bly
Finished: 1/10/2022
★★★ (3)

Bly is another author with a lot of gender conceptions that I find problematic or occasionally even offputting. This book has some great moments, however. A couple of the poems about his father's death were straightforward and almost revelatory. I also liked some of his tributes to other poets he knew in the first section. Some had the beautiful tone of a fable, enriched by various mythologies. The poems in the later more socially or politically minded section of the book felt clumsy and shallow by comparison, however.

7. The Chimes by Charles Dickens
Finished: 1/11/2022
★★★★ (4)

Nothing can match A Christmas Carol, obviously, but I love this novella. The ending made me cry both times I read it, and Dickens' writing is always a pleasure.

8. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
Finished: 1/16/2022
★★ (2)

I had really been looking forward to this book, but I was drastically disappointed. There was some humor in the absurdity of the book's events, but it lacked heart. Reading it was often a tedious exercise, even if the present day chapters made me chuckle at times.

9. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Finished: 1/16/2022
★★★★★ (5)

A beautiful long narrative poem about a sailor's mistake and the consequences suffered as a result of it. There are many ways this poem can be read - it has a strong mythological bent, and I can imagine some fairly clear allegorical meanings. But the story at its heart is both simple and deeply moving on its own.

Nice list of reads to start off the new year! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Cathie wrote: "Nice list of reads to start off the new year! Thanks for sharing your thoughts."

Thanks Cathie! :)

10. The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
finished: 1/24/2022
★★★★ (4)

An immensely entertaining viking epic full of Norse mythology, runic magic, and the magic of the old gods. A gripping story, tight plotting, and an appealing writing style that's both active and vivid. For someome who enjoys this sort of book, it would be hard to do better.

Minor warning for sensitive readers: be aware that battles do contain gory details, but it is not handled in an offputting, adolescent manner and I sense no self indulgence in it. On the contrary, there's a maturity of perspective . . . and some great storytelling too.

Greg, this is great progress! I'm still slogging through my fourth book :P

Damini wrote: "Greg, this is great progress! I'm still slogging through my fourth book :P"

Ha ha Damini, well a lot of these are novellas or short; so that helps! ;D

Greg wrote: "10. The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
finished: 1/24/2022
★★★★ (4)

An immensely entertaining viking epic full of Norse mythology, runic magic, and the magic of..."

That sounds awesome, will check this out right away. [edit: already on my wishlist 🤪 ]

Kat wrote: "Greg wrote: "10. The Shadow of the Gods by John Gwynne
finished: 1/24/2022
★★★★ (4)

An immensely entertaining viking epic full of Norse mythology, runic magic, and..."

Great Kat! I found it a really fun read! If you end up reading it, hope you enjoy it too!

11. The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.
finished: 1/30/2022
★★★★ (4)

A story of love between two male slaves on a Southern plantation as well as of the horrors of slavery. Very lyrical, evocative, disturbing, and strange . . . also at times quite beautiful.

12. The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles
finished: 1/30/2022
★★★ (3)

A friend of mine bought this for me for Christmas. It's a mix between fantasy and romance. Closer to the romance genre than the books I ordinarily read, but I did enjoy it.

13. In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
finished: 2/1/2022
★★★★★ (4.5)

Phenomenally affecting and structurally innovative memoir about domestic abuse. Highly recommended!

14. Sappho: A New Translation by Sappho (trans. Mary Barnard)
finished: 2/4/2022
★★★★ (3.5)

An excellent translation of Sappho's work. Despite attempts to erase her history, some gems have survived in these fragments.

15. The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne
finished: 2/25/2022
★★★★ (3.5)

Part of this book are hilarious and other parts are very affecting. I definitely enjoyed it! Despite a large number of coincidences in the plot, I was more than carried through by the humor and the storytelling.

16. Aeneid Book VI by Virgil (trans. Seamus Heaney)
finished: 2/26/2022
★★★★ (4.5)

Heaney's translation isn't quite as spectacular a tour-de-force as his translation of Beowulf, but it's still beautifully done. The source material from Virgil is also fascinating, with its pagan eschatology and its trip through the underworld. I can see why this is the book of the Aeneid that Heaney chose to translate! The number of other works that refer to this book are practically countless.

17. The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot
finished: 2/28/2022
★★★★ (4.0)

Despite its difficulty and at times obscureness, the poem itself is gorgeous and heartfelt. I highly recommend this particular copy, which includes excerpts of a number of works the poem refers to, including The Golden Bough, Chrome Yellow, Ovid's Metamorphosis, and several others. Having the context of those references enriched my reading of the poem greatly.

18. Foundation by Isaac Asimov
finished: 3/2/2022
★★★★ (4.0)

What an entertaining novel! I had read it so many years ago that I had remembered almost nothing, but I think I liked it even more this time. I so enjoyed experiencing this succession of brilliant men attempt to avert the various disasters they faced. I will definitely continue with my re-read of the series.

19. Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street by Herman Melville
finished: 3/2/2022
★★★★★ (5.0)

What a peculiar story/novella! Upon my re-read, I was falling off my chair in places laughing at this one, and then it took a philosophical twist that left me in tears. I definitely liked it as much as I did a couple decades ago when I read it the first time. Both this work and Billy Budd, Sailor are consistently among my favorites, though they could not be more different from each other in tone. Melville was a talented man!

Greg wrote: "17. The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot
finished: 2/28/2022
★★★★ (4.0)

Despite its difficulty and at times obscureness, the poem itself is gorgeous and heartfelt. I highly recommend this particular copy, which includes excerpts of a number of works the poem refers to, including The Golden Bough, Chrome Yellow, Ovid's Metamorphosis, and several others. Having the context of those references enriched my reading of the poem greatly."

Generally I'm not a "poetry person", but this is so excruciating beautiful and desperate that I re-read it every now and then. WHen he wrote it he didn't have any hope in the future; I know that after that he converted to Protestantism. But his later poems, even if less desperate and more confident - see Four Quartets for instance - are more complicated and less fascinating.
For me!