Curtis > Recent Status Updates

Australian writers makes for big cacti section, many of which are near impossible to grow indoors outside of that climate. Wish book made that clear. Difficulty often underrated. Variety of cacti/succulents surprising! Didn't know they had such variety. Confused why disimilar plants categorized as same genus; wish it elaborated on identifying. Authors include tips specific to each plant alongside general rules.

Soviet invasion in Afghanistan sparse on detail; says US assumed an oil motive but was misled, then doesn't clarify their actual motives. Focus on Salem's playboy lifestyle is displacing more interesting historical aspects. Bin Laden corporation still interesting as it intersects more with geo-politics. Interesting how region traumatized by US leads to extremism; makes sense. Trump makes appearance; as dumb as ever.

Salem section dull & drawn out: just showing him being a rich playboy for 40 pages. Bit interesting with tensions between SA and 'western' culture he embodies, or his business deals, but too many anecdotes of him flaunting wealth. Best part was someone named Anita Pizza. Picks up again when finally returning to Osama as he's further radicalized; world's biggest buzzkill, seems OCD about extreme rules/lifestyle.

Death of MBL shifts book; back in time for Osama's life. Dual Arabic revolutions. Both anti-colonial: one wanting to return before that period (Islamist fundamentalists), other wanting to go past it (progressive/socialists). SA shelters expelled Islamists to bolster their power against socialists; US assists, leading to hotbeds of extremism. OBL & Khashogghi in same cell! Things picking up; eager for Soviet invasion.

Love variety of plant shapes, sizes, colours! Text highlights 'architectual quality' of plants, though some photos don't quite do justice (close-ups or shots of young plants not always helpful). Many plants require similar care (how many need 'bright/indirect light' or 2 inches dry soil)? Wish the care level was more elaborate; many listed as novice level when I hear they're finnicky. Love looking through it though!

Brisk pace; book straddles turbulent eras & also goes back to start of Islam, Wahabbism. Polytheistic Hajj origins interesting. Awed by Saudi corruption; no wonder US worried of Nasser-backed overthrow! US & Other nations propping up SA for oil relations & putting down rebels. Treatment of women horrid; Bin Laden just shows up, marries children & leaves. Not a cent spent to improve lives of locals; roads over rail.

Anxious about keeping track of all names/places etc, yet drawn into narrative fast; novelty of vastly different culture (believing telegraphs are witchcraft & dancing evil; almost killed over an ox) meeting modernity & insatiable enterprise. Rags to riches narrative, straddling lots of history from WW1 & 2, Ottomans, depression, etc. Surreal opening w/ Saudis meeting Hollywood stars @ white house. Gonna be wild book.

Book mostly aesthetic: beautiful to flip through. Information broad w/ glossary of terms for beginners. Wish there was a section on pruning or illustrated diagrams for plant growth. A visual catalogue for most houseplants. Notable ommissions: money tree, bamboo. Great pics, but some too close or people-focused. Socially conscious: land/colonial acknowledgements, organic solutions encouraged. Picture book for adults!

Lose a lot when doing audio-only; author gets into highly complex subatomic/chemical examination of plants at each level which requires book's illustrations. Though not totally lost; he makes things simple & rephrases when he can for retention's sake, weaving between practical/layman level & specialized language. Learning a lot despite much of it going over my head, making it good to come back to as I learn subject.

Brimming with insight & academic depth, but feels like homework. Crow clearly a master of subject; ties disparate cultural elements together to weave a tapestry where everything is connected, led by history. Overlong; somewhat above my level despite knowing the subject really well. Tangents sometimes barely relevant; Gericault section especially, though glad he touched on what followed neoclassicism. Godd but hard.

I adore when Crow talks about the art itself--goes into a zen flow state of pulling together all these disperate elements of cross-inspiration, symbolism & history, making even unfinished works or concepts of works seem like an inevitable result of social forces culminating. Marius paintings comparison a highlight. Artist names difficult to keep straight, foreknowledge often needed, but awed by academic rigour!

Much more narrative now. Though Revloution itself glossed over, its fallout elaborated, esp. in Rome as mobs hunt French. Girodet barely survives. Insights abound as political climate informs artistic choices. Though lacking biographic focus on David, attention to his pupils/broader influence inderectly adds to his story. Other artists aping his work for Marat tribute. Good detail into context of each work. Great!

Pre-empted conclusion on David influenced by his students just by seeing a Girodet painting! On same page as a PHD! Love how book puts full-colour artworks right into the text as it mentions them & does so much more than just describe the artwork, but thoroughly analyzes them in way that feels like seeing them from totally different lens. Love how students contribute to David's works & how much paper trail there is!

Understand why its required reading for art history master's degree. Highly complex examination of David & students for people already well-versed in period/subject. Ties together all realms of culture; not only philosophy but literature & stage plays. Biographic anecdotes rare, though colourful. Love learning what this life was like. Slightly above my level despite familiarity with subject. Slow going but rewarding.

Some intense science for 'intro' book! Keeping up with it in the moment, but find it difficult to retain. Watched Magic School Bus episode on plants to help :P Huegel's passion for plants comes through; love the tangent into how plants got here & (along w/ fungi) terraformed earth to be habitable to other life; 50m years of soil w/o plants. Practical parts come in simply-named sections on what plants need. Enjoying!

Last manifestoes didn't do much for me; Canadian one reflected an interesting time in our history that made me realize how little I know about Canada's past, but was way longer than needed. Interesting in how it shows ability to vote doesn't fix all ills like M & E predicted, especially when representation is slanted by region bias. Final essay should've been placed earlier with other French stuff. Thought provoking!

Engels' writing ends w/ account of communism's history. Liked the detailing of splintering groups being scattered by the law only to reform stronger. Interesting assessments of US/Canada, but other travelogue unneeded. Transitions to other manifestoes, incl. from French Revolution that added great context of precedents to communism. Brit manifesto was complete fluff; far vaguer than the CM. Canadian manifesto next!

Staggeringly awful ending! The book vaporized the goodwill I'd lent it, making me wonder if I'd given Moorcock too much credit. So bad he went back & attempted to fix it a decade later. Even dialogue/exposition nosedives, with 2-3 twists revealed in succession in aon exposition dump. Gloriana never self-actualizes & isnt capable of carrying story if ending does so little with her. Seemed great 'til last few chapters.

More contrived naivite; Quire's grip on Gloriana is so sudden it makes her seem childlike. At least there's a reason: she was protected so much by training & environment that she's been kept away from the dark underbellies of society. Plus possible mind-control. Dimensions plot discarded; only justifies alt history setting. Flying through this last section; compulsively readable! Suspense high, excited for the end!

Tertiary character's interchangeability becomes a weakness, but it's negligible since the point being made about their corruption is simple. Una still a fave, but she made 2 dumb choices to further the plot. Still, suspense around her/Gloriana getting intense; I'm on edge of my seat! Hidden passages of palace SO interesting; hope we see more of it in climax. Third act starts with a bang, anxious to see how it ends!

Sudden 'whodunit' plot with dramatic irony; we know who's behind it all. Wondering if its missing out on potential intrigue this way. Still engaging; Gloriana becoming more interesting, with sudden interest in exploring walls/meeting the lowest rung of society. Mystery comes from identity of figure in walls (I guess it's her mom). Also Gloriana is a bi queen! Really engaging; thankfully avoiding earlier trashiness.

Unable to shake my agnosticism here; strongly agreeing in places, disagreeing (or wanting elaboration) in other places. Taking note when it prescribes things which the USSR acted against (material conditions/democracy not met before revolution; warns against taking away personal freedoms). Inevatability of communism, domino theory, proved untrue, yet these assumptions baked into theory. Enjoying the experience!

Alternate dimension thread so far uninteresting comapred to escalating intrigue plot & Quire. Disturbing elements continue w/ 2 characters being abducted & trafficked (though thankfully no sexual element to it... so far). Gloriana's palace a great setting; people living in walls means you never know who's listening. Slow burn build fairly effective so far but wonder if all threads can be satisfyingly resolved.

Masculine vs feminine: men violent, disrespect boundaries (personal and international), lament the relative 'softness' of Gloriana's leadership/diplomacy, which are linked to feminine. I want Quin to die so bad! Some moments are gratuitious/unsure what Moorcock is going for (fucking ape men). Good intrigue, though some characters hard to keep track of. Pretty disturbing at times, especially sexual stuff. Readable!

Prose better/less pulpy than expected. So far Gloriana is least interesting character in the motley crew we meet. 'Men writing women' aspects toughest part, but I feel its done with intention/commentary. Uncomfortable. Alt-renaissance; maybe alternate dimension? Like ASoIaF, wondering how much magic will enter story. Compellingly written, vivid characters, immersive descriptions. Shown what ruling is like. Promising!

Marx can be saucy! His takedown of a liberal pretending to be communist surprisingly funny. Engel's 'confession,' like manifesto, brings up several things I'm unsure on & doesn't elaborate like class gray zones (between prol. & bourg.), details on property abolition etc. Funny to see principles that counter USSR such as 'we cant rule by decree/not all class conditions necessitate revolution.' Difficult but rewarding.

Fizzled out in 2nd half; super predictable playout, no twists. Ravn's fragmentary style worked against, rather than with the story being told, unlike her previous work. Not much emotional intensity despite stakes. Prose at times excellent; other times overwrought or repetitive, like group dialogue scenes. Women's solidarity break down most interesting aspect, alongside gray area about good/bad magic. Undercooked.

Magic a part of life; superstitions common, blurring distinction between witch/nonwitch. Women's solidarity motif, yet book plays on your suspicions with one. Probably misdirecting us against her, making reader participate in witch hunt mindset. Later, witches are shown to resist patriarchy as best they can, getting abused wife away from abuser. Creepy, especially start, but real horror will probably come from trial.

Not sure manifesto is best entry point: presumes knowledge; takes defensive against misconceptions, rather than laying out communist ideology/goals. Though its defenses are strong & I understood it better this time than before (esp. private/personal property distinction, uprooting of family & indust. revolution), it still feels uneven/incomplete. Presumption of capitalism breaking itself down that I can't reconcile.

Intro: how popular manifestoes were, eclipsing religious-style catechisms as ideal format. Wish it got more into communism origins, since it's made clear M & E didn't start it (who did)? Presumes foreknowledge in places; beginner-friendly in others, (M & E's backgrounds). Some hints of my feeling that Marx sometimes oversimplifies (late stage capitalism, historical materialism). Curious to re-read manifesto now!