This is a fairly remarkable book in that it is a story told from the viewpoint of a loser in a political struggle; many losers in history have been censored or entirely silenced.
Continue readingHawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen by Lili’uokalani
Tag: 3 stars
Shakespeare’s Sonnets by William Shakespeare
I hate that I still feel like such a dunderhead when it comes to poetry, but I’m about ready to admit defeat.
Continue readingThe Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
I more or less enjoyed reading this one. The poem had a way of inducing a kind of irresistible mood, by turns eerie and somber.
Continue readingThe Story of My Experiments with Truth by Gandhi
I would recommend this book to readers who are interested in getting a personal perspective of late-19th to early-20th century life in India and South Africa, and (obviously!) to folks looking for insight into the intellectual and spiritual life of Gandhi, as an individual.
Continue readingUbik by Philip K. Dick
I’m acquainted with a couple of people who absolutely rave about the works of Philip K. Dick, and both of them seem to think that the best of his works is Ubik. I had no choice but to put it on my to-read list.
Continue readingThe Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft
This story really was quite creepy; I can definitely see why it has captured the imagination of so many readers over the years. It has spawned all kinds of spin-offs and has been referenced often in later horror and sci-fi works.
Continue readingAppetites by Anthony Bourdain
I’ll say this is a solid choice for people who are already fairly comfortable in the kitchen (not for beginners!), but who want to experiment a little bit under the guidance of a kind of expert madman.
Continue readingAnna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anna Karenina is widely considered one of the best novels out of Russia, if not one of the best novels regardless of national origin, of all time… so, of course it had to go on my list for Classics Club.
Continue readingRising by Elizabeth Rush
This is not an easy book. The ultimate message seems to be meant to be one of hope, of the possibility of building a resilient future in the face of this intensifying cataclysm. To be honest, though, to me the book is just bleak.
Continue readingCeremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
I’m glad to have had the experience of reading Ceremony, despite my initial difficulties with its fractured narrative. The overall message is one of healing and hope, a reminder of the interconnectedness of all humans, and a tribute to the powers of storytelling and subversive traditions.
Continue reading