Nikolai > Recent Status Updates

"It was odd, she thought, how if one was alone, one leant to things, inanimate things; trees, streams, flowers; felt they expressed one; felt the became one; felt they knew one, in a sense were one; felt an irrational tenderness thus (she looked at that long steady light) as for oneself. [...] there curled up off the floor of the mind, rose from the lake of one's being, a mist, a bride to meet her lover."

This is so densely written, that as of yet it's hard for me to know what's going on, exactly. I do know that Virginia Woolf was one hell of a writer, though. It's impressive how she is able to string such long sentences together and not lose me in the process.

Interestingly enough, I feel like the movie improved on some details from the book. Still super cute, though.

"Leto smiled. 'The ultimate aristocrat dies within me.' And he thought: Privilege becomes arrogance. Arrogance promotes injustice. The seeds of ruin blossom."

I love that Leto II. makes the argument, that all male armies are inherently homo-erotic in a toxically masculine way, a danger to civilians and inherently rape-y. I did not expect to find so much written in this chapter about toxic masculinity, long before the term was popularized.

"'We are myth killers, you and I, Moneo. That's the dream we share. I assure you from a God's Olympian perch that government is a shared myth. When the myth dies the government dies.'"

Frank Herbert is on his shit again like a boss with these musings 😎

Pappé has to be one of the most based Israeli historians. No wonder he had to leave the country...I started this on audio book yesterday and am already halfway through. The more I learn about certain bits of history concerning the Israel-Palestine question, the crazier it gets.

Frank Herbert, you mad man. I love you.

Also, the first chapter of this felt like an old school adventure novel. I dig that.

"Or were they in this moment unaware, or something more than unaware - were they somehow invulnerable to, untouched by, vulgarity and ugliness, glancing for a moment into something deeper, something concealed beneath the surface of life, not unreality but a hidden reality: the presence at all times, in all places, of a beautiful world?"

"The world seemed capable of including these things and my eyes were capable, my brain was capable, of receiving and understanding them. I was tired, it was late, I was sitting half-asleep in the back of a taxi, remembering strangely that wherever I go, you are with me, and so is he, and that as long as you both live the world will be beautiful to me."

Rip my heart out, why don't you? I miss my ex best friend T-T

Started listening to this on audiobook yesterday and I couldn't possibly recommend it enough to anyone seeking to inform themselves on this topic. I possibly don't align with 100% of Bartov's views, but it can not be understated, that he is one of THE most important Jewish-Israeli academic voices standing tall for humanism and an end to violence and oppression.

Yeaaaah, I'm going to dnf this. Sadly the slice of life pace in this book is killing my reading experience, which is probably why I was struggling before and put it aside for 4 years or something, charming as it is.

So hard to grasp at times, yet deeply beautiful in a transient sort of way.

I think a challenge should be made out of finding the few chapters in this book, in which Chris does not describe one or more food dishes xD

Leave it to one of the 'New Historians' of Jewish-Israeli academia, to have to balls to say that Hamas isn't a terrorist organization, but a legitimate liberation movement. I mean, it's clearly both, but to so heavily emphasize the legitimacy of the armed Palestinian struggle for liberation is especially impressive to me.

"I look out at the scene. The flakes float on the water and dissolve, joining with the river as it sails past me towards the sea. I love snow. Snow can make anything beautiful."

Alice Osman created a manic pixie dream boy in this...equality?

"There's a time and a place for being normal. For most people normal is their default setting. But for some, like you and me, normal is something we have to bring out, like putting on a suit for a posh dinner."

"Reserved people often really need the frank discussion of their sentiments and griefs more than the expansive. The sternest-seeming stoic is human after all; and to 'burst' with boldness and good-will into 'the silent sea' of their souls is often to confer on them the first of obligations."

Really opening up my eyes to some things.

Mr. Rochester turned out to be a real asshole. Not just cause of the lies, but the way he talks about other women and the way he idealizes Jane...big red flags!

Jane really just said: "Yeah, Rochester is ugly, but he's my kinda ugly." She really was ahead of her time. Also I love how clingy and dramatic Rochester is being. He's so smitten, haha.

"I looked, and had an acute pleasure in looking - a precious yet poignant pleasure; pure gold with a steely point of agony: a pleasure like what the thirst-perishing man might feel who knows the well to which he has crept is poisoned, yet stoops and drinks divine draughts nevertheless."

This should be a mandatory read for anyone who ever wants to speak on this conflict.

Already learned some stuff here.