Cory Alexander > Recent Status Updates

A shit ton of tabs already on this one. So much to digest. I thought the roughly 11 or 12 pages a day planned was too slow but this one takes up so much mental bandwidth. Fascinating shit though. Really.

This should be an interesting read. I don't have much exposure to traditional conservative values and thinking. He seems very intelligent and not with active malice. So any distaste some of this might stir in me is partially just from its previous mental stagnation exposed.

Starting to get a little bored. Action is still good. Would like to track bad guys a little more or get to the show down.

Cool stuff.

While much of the book is despair, the action is really unmatched. Just death match after death match. Nature turned malignant turning man the more so. Some cool developments that picked back up the pace after a little lull. Definitely worth finishing. Curious to see if any good will come out of all this.

I like certain philosophy, sociology, and other books where the first half is just saying what other people are getting wrong. Other theorist. They know those answers given in other theorist's work are appealing so they hopefully spend the last half of the book intellgoing off on that subject in a fashion even more appealing. Somewhat soon starts the construction of this book. I have confidence it will be enjoyable.

Running into what I have before with any dystopian apocalypse type book, despair fatigue. It's just hard to read about such a difficult world. So much death and hopelessness. Curious to see where the glass orb thing goes. The bad guy seems interesting. A shit ton of The Stand similarities. King was more fun. This is more probably true to what a decimated world would be like.

Excellent!

DEATH

Very very dark so far. But its a book about essentially the apocalypse. And it's doing it very well so far. Great story telling. Was originally recommended after reading King's The Stand, probably like a lot of people. I am doing the audiobook. Very optimistic. So much action so far. Can't not hook you. But dark. Lol

Alright. I'm starting to get bored.

Solid read after reading Leviathan by Hobbes. A bit more modern, not entirely so. Think it was about half century later. Can definitely see the roots of the American constitution.

Different then the age of reason. More eclectic. Tense with the mood. Confusing at times but a great pacing and ton.

Not bad at all so far. I like the female perspective as well as the turn of the century era.

Section two was decently different from one. The tone is fascinating given the danger of the situation. Perhaps realistic. You can't always be scared. Section one helped build the couple characters to care about what they go through in section two.

Started off listening to about a third of this book. 2x speed on Libby because the narrator is slow as heck. But I'm enjoying this. My first Delillo. A unique style. I can see some of the post modern claims. Some similarities to David Foster Wallace I think. Love a take on consumerism. We are so drenched in it, it's remarkable when someone can point at a tree in the midst of the forest.

Section 2 of chapter 5 on anomic suicide was a master class in the psychological condition of man. When economic social factors which are limited are then forced to go up against physiological lack of limitations for the existential man. Men are unlimited in their aspirations but limited in their abilities both by nature and logic. We could want it all unless we are socialized not to and will this be frustrated.

Solid read. The statistics and claims have started so the interest had dropped a little but it's still very well researched and philosophical in its own.

Part 1 is done. He was playing defense and deconstructing a bunch of common social theories on suicide and it's possible causes. He did a great job. He is switching to offense and is gonna say there are actual social causes. He has categories of being one may find himself in through relation to his society. It will be interesting to see if his theories can hold up to the kind of intense academic criticism.

Having a surprisingly good time reading this master class in sociological study. The thing being studied isn't fun but that doesn't mean studying it has to be. Durkheim obviously deserves the recognition for writing this in the 1890s. Sociologist and people like me can learn. Some of it is outdated. His analysis is wrong sometimes. But its so often not wrong. He's points out every fallacy in thinking. Philosophical.

I'm sure I'll finish this series but it isn't as literary as perhaps I was hoping. But it has some great aspects.

Some greatness. Especially for non-hard sci fi fan. I like the odd numbered chapters about Urras more than the even chapters about Anarres. I really do love Le Guin though of the sci Fi authors. She philosophical and psychological. She does commentary on our own culture but without too much bias or judgement. She must have been a genius. Gonna listen to some of her non fiction.

The breaking down of Christian theology doesn't have the bite of the earlier sections. Might have to be doing some skimming if it doesn't feel worth it to read some of these pages. But it was an absolute banger until about page 400.

This one is rated higher than some of the others. So far deservedly. Great start.

Another one of those books that doesn't necessarily answer anything but does list off a bunch of interesting studies and really just underlines the whole basis of the book, taste is difficult to define, malleable, and almost ineffable.

Finally getting to some nitty gritty after a long introduction to the book and then basically 125 pages of definitions. But now he's using those words and if you agree with the definitions it becomes much harder to disagree with all of his claims. And he makes a lot of claims! He's deconstructing man and society. Definitions and deconstruction. Double D's of philosophy. I love it.

This is an interesting experience. As reading any great work of philosophy tends to be. Ups and downs. Feigned understanding them feeling my comprehension increase and increase. Reading speed increases. Should take me at least 3 more weeks if I keep up a daily hour or two.