Kevin Booker > Recent Status Updates

I don't usually post progress but this book just took a turn that made it 10 x more interesting and I don't want to put it down

Wow. If you want to read Kafka’s “The Trial” (which I loved) don’t read this book first. Major spoiler on page 118

“... which meant, Miles supposed, that diverting one’s attention from the past was not the same as envisioning and embarking upon a future. On the other hand, if the past were razed, the slate wiped clean, maybe fewer people would confuse it with the future, and that at least would be something.” This is going to be good

This is funny and interesting and fascinating and I’m loving it

It's like what screenwriters dream up. A resistance group is arrested & banned when a motorcycle crashes, spilling pamphlets. The top General is dismissed over false charges of homosexuality & a lying witness. His replacement is forced to divorce his wife & marry a strong Nazi party woman. True & f'ed up stuff

The people he meets and becomes friends with, the places he goes, the things he does, almost make it seem fictional. But I suppose without these life experiences he may not have become Joseph Campbell, which the authors seem to be saying. "And we see that this influenced his later writing on blah blah blah." A fascinating life for sure

Her writing is simply exceptional. I will read anything she writes ever

"It is these things that make the unique importance of man, and it is of these things that each generation in turn is the trustee. To hand on the treasure, not diminished, but increased, is our supreme duty to posterity. I wish I could believe that we are performing it."

I wish I would have read this 30 years ago

Aha, so I'm pretty sure I just figured out what's going on and what their purpose is. I love Ishiguro so it'll be interesting to see where he goes with this

“Oh God, help me,” he cried, raising his eyes to Heaven.
But this evening, Heaven seemed to him very high, a very long way from man, silent, indifferent, neither a friend nor an enemy.

So wonderful to be reading Kazantzakis!

“So, the festival over, Yannakos had gone in the early morning into the dark stable where the ass, his best friend, slept and dreamed. The stable smelled of the dung and fetid damp of the earliest ages; no doubt the world smelled like that in the first time of the creation.” Kazantzakis is the best, at least top 3

“..encouraging him now means telling him that he’s right, that he need only carry on in the same way as before, but that way he’ll never accomplish anything; no matter how much you keep encouraging someone who is blindfolded to stare through the cloth, he still won’t see a thing; it’s only when you take off the blindfold that he can see. It is help that Barnabas needs not encouragement.”

'she put down the top of the convertible...She loved this kind of moment when something ordinary could be made to seem dramatic and exciting. If only her whole life could be that way' This is great so far

Meh

Wow. Once again I am in awe of how she combines exceptional writing with astounding creativity.

Diggin it

It’s really good, telling three interesting stories of interesting characters that are intertwined and will obviously connect more directly. I just wonder if I can stay engaged as there’s still 692 pages to go

Already starting off like a very good sci-fi novel

I just finished chapter 5 which contains the story of Miette and Silvère, and A beautifully written tale of young love of two innocent, sheltered souls.

Hmm. I'm enjoying it very much. When I think I know where it's going I am continually (and pleasantly) surprised. This combined with the easy to read yet not simple writing is making me happy

So far I like it better than Yiddish Policeman’s Union which I enjoyed. We’ll see if my recent post holds true about 600 page books lately being too long even when they’re good

The end of chapter 10 starting with “Brushing my teeth..” is why I love Murakami so much. You don’t need to know what’s happened to feel the emotion and see his genius.

The end of chapter 10 starting with “Brushing my teeth..” is why I love Murakami so much. You don’t need to know what’s happened to feel the emotion and see his genius.

Yay! another Murakami! I love his writing, the details are so solid and enjoyable. I am completely hooked by this already.

Digging it. I like her writing

So good. So very, very good.