Frank > Recent Status Updates

Winner of the 2026 Best Title Ever Award.

This is anthropology, not history, doing its anthropology thing which, in this case, focusses on a minute examination of how Soviet citizens of that era used language. Whatever you thought about the Soviets before, you will come away realising they were worse. Much worse. Ugh!

This is pretty good. JA can be prolix at times, but this is a fair price to pay for solid delivery. He doesn't dumb down the subject and isn't afraid of introducing technical concepts when needed to support his intent. And there are enough innovative, and even off the wall ideas to make the book thought provoking.

RB is all of the place. There is a chapter on flatulence. The subsequent chapter is about love.

If I hadn't been melancholy before, I am now.

This is entertaining but is to savoured in small doses. Considering its size, it is going to be with me for quite some time.

This book (especially the editor footnotes) is giving me a braingasm.

Thoughts upon reprising (really: rereading) this after a long interruption:

This is session has been highly illuminating. Now, if you would please excuse me. I have to go home and shoot myself in the head.

Cheerful guy

This is better than I had expected. It proceeds in a series of episodes with rather sharp breaks. This is held to be a defect in literature, although it is often how life really is and, here it works. Compelling stuff.