Goodreads Review:
I'm saddened to be finished with this trilogy. Not as sad as when I read the second book, but sad nonetheless. This book was another raucous story of stories that tied everything together and was truly enjoyable to read. I loved the logical absurdity of it all. It was like the Deus ex machina was not only the resolution of the book, but its very essence and reason for being. I look forward to reading more like this!
Monday, May 14, 2018
Saturday, April 14, 2018
Quick idea FMAG & Leibniz
In reading some old notes on Leibniz I think that I would like to make the alien that picks up the protagonist in the story a Leibniz-like figure. Or at least use some of Leibniz's metaphysical principles to power his space ship.
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Señor Vivo and The Coca Lord
From my Goodreads review.
This book was just a smidge less enjoyable as the first book in the Latin American Trilogy by de Berniéres. It had all of the same pizazz and dark irony, all the same inventive creativity and the same pulling many disparate parts together into one culmination. I wrote elsewhere that if I wrote a book I'd like to emulate some parts of the style of The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts. I don't think I could emulate this one. It was a bit too sad. You could see the sadness coming; yet, it was still too shocking not to tear some of my heart up.
This book was just a smidge less enjoyable as the first book in the Latin American Trilogy by de Berniéres. It had all of the same pizazz and dark irony, all the same inventive creativity and the same pulling many disparate parts together into one culmination. I wrote elsewhere that if I wrote a book I'd like to emulate some parts of the style of The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts. I don't think I could emulate this one. It was a bit too sad. You could see the sadness coming; yet, it was still too shocking not to tear some of my heart up.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts
(Originally written March 28, 2018)
My Goodreads review of The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louis de Berniéres
I found this book to be a very good read; but, somewhat difficult to classify in my rather haphazard and arbitrary bookshelf labels. I put it on the English-Lit shelf because de Berniéres is English. I also placed it on my Latin-American bookshelf because it reads a lot like other Latin American stories and is set in a fictitious Latin American country. It's a funny book that is definitely a bastard son of Candide, treating nothing as sacred in the wake of its dark humor. It doesn't have quite the pace of Voltaire (what does?); but, other than maybe trying to use obtuse words, the seeming rabbit holes that de Berniéres leads us down tie together nicely in the end. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to diving into number two of his Latin American trilogy.
If I ever write a book, this magical realism is a style I'd like to emulate.
My Goodreads review of The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louis de Berniéres
I found this book to be a very good read; but, somewhat difficult to classify in my rather haphazard and arbitrary bookshelf labels. I put it on the English-Lit shelf because de Berniéres is English. I also placed it on my Latin-American bookshelf because it reads a lot like other Latin American stories and is set in a fictitious Latin American country. It's a funny book that is definitely a bastard son of Candide, treating nothing as sacred in the wake of its dark humor. It doesn't have quite the pace of Voltaire (what does?); but, other than maybe trying to use obtuse words, the seeming rabbit holes that de Berniéres leads us down tie together nicely in the end. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to diving into number two of his Latin American trilogy.
If I ever write a book, this magical realism is a style I'd like to emulate.
Monday, March 26, 2018
How time travel was invented
With no rhyme or reason an idea of how time travel was invented popped into my head in church. I haven't written or edited anything on this work in months. To be honest, I haven't even thought about it. But, I was inspired in church today nonetheless.
Spacetime is curved.
The "GPS" Guidance system was mistakenly installed upside down. (Obviously will have to come up with a term other than global positioning system)
Captain ____ was quite surprised to arrive at his correct destination a million or so light years before he left.
Happy accidents like this tend to move evolution through paradigm shifts.
Spacetime is curved.
The "GPS" Guidance system was mistakenly installed upside down. (Obviously will have to come up with a term other than global positioning system)
Captain ____ was quite surprised to arrive at his correct destination a million or so light years before he left.
Happy accidents like this tend to move evolution through paradigm shifts.
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Dark spot
It's been a while since I've worked on my journals. I've been in a rather dark place for the past few months. In that time I've known only despair and depression, anger and frustration, hanging on to what needs to die in order to live. Not much has changed today. I'm just tired of being in that dark place. I'm not sure that I am capable or even willing to get to the place that everyone else seems to know that I need to be. But, I'm tired of the darkness too. So, I won't worry about that place where everyone thinks I should be as it is far away anyhow. I'll simply focus on right now and getting out of the darkness long enough to work on the things like this journal that bring me a modicum of happiness.
Friday, March 23, 2018
Review of Gulliver's Travels
(Originally written March 23, 2018)
My Goodreads review of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
When I was a kid I read the abridged versions of classics like this one. As a reward my mother would have me read the unabridged versions and write a book report on them. A great way to spend your summer vacation, right? Being younger, I hadn't quite grasped satire. The first version of this book that I read included, A Modest Proposal. Needless to say the shock of reading about poor people selling their children off as food for the rich shocked me? Now, as an adult, and understanding a trifle more of what satire is, I can still say I was shocked by this book.
Swift is nearly as ruthless as Voltaire in his bluntness. He excoriates mankind and lays bare the ugliest parts of human nature to show those qualities to be inherent and truly fundamental. He hammers home the point that we all are merely Yahoos.
Beyond being good satire this book is a good story. It's easy to read and moves quickly. While it compares to Voltaire, I still find the pace of Candide to be preferable - but that is merely opinion, and not a rational fact.
My Goodreads review of Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift
When I was a kid I read the abridged versions of classics like this one. As a reward my mother would have me read the unabridged versions and write a book report on them. A great way to spend your summer vacation, right? Being younger, I hadn't quite grasped satire. The first version of this book that I read included, A Modest Proposal. Needless to say the shock of reading about poor people selling their children off as food for the rich shocked me? Now, as an adult, and understanding a trifle more of what satire is, I can still say I was shocked by this book.
Swift is nearly as ruthless as Voltaire in his bluntness. He excoriates mankind and lays bare the ugliest parts of human nature to show those qualities to be inherent and truly fundamental. He hammers home the point that we all are merely Yahoos.
Beyond being good satire this book is a good story. It's easy to read and moves quickly. While it compares to Voltaire, I still find the pace of Candide to be preferable - but that is merely opinion, and not a rational fact.
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