loafingcactus > Recent Status Updates

Realized I've been so in the weeds of individual statements that I've lost track of the overarching argument. Went back over my notes and wrote a "plot" summary. Need to do the same for another book I am reading.

Realizing the reason this book is so boring is because it is written at a low reading level. YAY accessibility, but it is difficult to write a compelling book at whatever reading level this is. Also, this is very rude of me to say, and it's perhaps caused by the reading level choice, but it does feel like reading an LLM.

Me: This is a pretty boring history book.
Me to Me: You did know it was a history book when you picked it up though.

1.5 chapters from the end but I have things to do AAAAAHHHH.

Three chapters to go! I have abandoned most of my other reading to march through to the end, but I probably have no reading time in the coming week so perhaps 2 weeks to get there. I have prepared, in addition to a review (I always start writing a review from day one) a skimming guide for the book.

We are not romantic and depressing they declare as fate weaves for them the most depressing plot possible.

Astonishing book that I never imagined existed.

The stories of indigenous people, Black people, women I generally know. It's interesting... many white men reject their history of solidarity and standing up to power and don't tell their stories, and then wonder why we don't know their history. Also, the book is meant to be the untold history, but since the untold histories always interface with power, the told history of power gets repeated to set the scene.

Getting near the end of this as well as Kaufmann's Nietzsche book is giving me some kind of feeling- these have been a theme of my life for a long time. Funny, I didn't feel this way about finishing book 1 of Proust last year, in French, which I think of as a major accomplishment, but I guess I was very done with him!

On the last chapter! I’ve been reading this book on Saturday mornings since DECEMBER!

I’ve only just started this book but I am wondering if it has filtered into everything so much after 40 years that it is going to be terribly boring.

In chapter 12, Popper quotes a book titled Nationalism by E.N. Anderson and for Reasons he never cites it with more detail than that. He seems to think that of course all his readers know this book. Well, it is 2026, I do not know this book and I cannot find it. If anyone can help me find this book!!!

I'm sure I'll hate him again before the end of the book, but right now he's growing on me and absolutely everything I see in discussions of current events I'm just like "yeah, that's straight from The Revolt of the Masses."

Basically the 1900 version of “men will do anything except go to therapy!” (It is not written to women.) Particularly interesting to think it was written only 10 years after the invention of psychoanalysis and the author is like if you want to stop yelling at your wife you need to spend 7 hours a week thinking about who you are, no excuses! No, not that excuse either! Do it!!

The plot starts in chapter 14?! This was a serial, so people waited THREE MONTHS for something to happen?! I could never read this book but the other day it was the first thing that came up as a free Amazon Classic when I needed to drive somewhere and I was taking too many notes on 5 Crashes to drive with it. And then that terrible book today & a long drive.

Chapter 1 - “The necessary and the ephemeral,” arguing that all of political decision-making and freedom has been replaced by responding to what is seen as necessary and to be obsession with the now. I would say that few in US politics believe they have free will, or want it, and certain people know they do and here we are!

As good as everyone says, though chapter 3 is a massive spoiler of The Name of the Rose, a book I own and have not read, boo.

I had deep thoughts about the importance of transgression when I started reading this and was feeling the American political oppression particularly heavily. Now just getting along…

Just reading a little bit at a time. Not really trying to “study” but more recognition.

“all joy wants eternity— wants deep, wants deep eternity”

If you understood Nietzsche by reading him directly bully for you, but I need him explained to me as if I were an illiterate child and this book is absolutely amazing and I wish I had discovered it far earlier in life.

Co-reading in English and Spanish. The English translator chose to take out many paragraph breaks so second-language reader middle finger to him.

Withholding opinion on Ortega. I was just thinking he might not be an azzhole when he launched into that people no longer appreciate refinement because it has become too common to have a toilet…

Did anyone who is praising this book actually read it? The book is a hoax. I wonder what level of AI went into it, or if he really just slapped down meaningless words on the page himself without knowing what they mean. Amazing.

Still eating my vegetables... very slowly. I do think this is a good book, and an important book and in these days probably every person should read it. Also it's not a difficult read, the author pitched it to general audience, it just hasn't been at the top of my stack this year.

Me reading along: Oh this is so pretty, so much pretty, la la la, looks at reviews about "preachy" and "moralistic" oh whatever could be those peoples probl.... RECORD SCRATCH. Okay so this author sounds like she is in a cult. A Kellogg holdover, maybe would be Scientologist today. She has time to redeem herself but its not looking good.

I've been feeling like absolutely no one understands what it is like to have read Proust unless they have done it, and then I went and looked at the Goodreads reviews and many of them are so dull and everyday... what book did these people read. Meanwhile I'm here fighting for my life, hoping Proust will let me go after one book!