Recent reading
Feb. 4th, 2016 03:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luzulaAmatka by Karin Tidbeck
Swedish SF, not translated (but a short-story collection of hers called Jagannath has been translated into English). At first this seemed to be one of those authoritarian state socialism-style dystopias a la 1984, but it turns into something else and more interesting. But at the same time frustrating, because I was expecting SF, and IMO this book is more fantasy, or possibly horror. Not that I dislike those, but when I read SF I expect it to fit reasonably in a scientific world-view, and this book didn't. Hmm. I liked the writing, and it was nicely Bechdel-test-passing.
Authority and the Individual by Bertrand Russell
My dad gave me this for Christmas because he wanted to discuss it with me (or rather, he gave me a gift-wrapped borrowed library book, which is a tradition in my family). I agree with some of it, and disagree with some, so hopefully it will be fruitful to discuss with him. There are some pretty sweeping statements: "Rome's attempt to unify the civilized world came to grief largely because, perhaps through being both remote and alien, it failed to bring any measure of instinctive happiness even to prosperous citizens." I don't know enough about history myself to say why Rome fell without reading up on it, but I would like better support for a statement like that, thank you. But perhaps he doesn't mean it literally.
The Wild Girls by Ursula K. Le Guin
A novella + two essays + some poems + an interview. Not my favorite of her work, I think, but Le Guin is always worth reading. I did like this poem:
The Next War:
It will take place,
it will take time,
it will take life,
and waste them.
Swedish SF, not translated (but a short-story collection of hers called Jagannath has been translated into English). At first this seemed to be one of those authoritarian state socialism-style dystopias a la 1984, but it turns into something else and more interesting. But at the same time frustrating, because I was expecting SF, and IMO this book is more fantasy, or possibly horror. Not that I dislike those, but when I read SF I expect it to fit reasonably in a scientific world-view, and this book didn't. Hmm. I liked the writing, and it was nicely Bechdel-test-passing.
Authority and the Individual by Bertrand Russell
My dad gave me this for Christmas because he wanted to discuss it with me (or rather, he gave me a gift-wrapped borrowed library book, which is a tradition in my family). I agree with some of it, and disagree with some, so hopefully it will be fruitful to discuss with him. There are some pretty sweeping statements: "Rome's attempt to unify the civilized world came to grief largely because, perhaps through being both remote and alien, it failed to bring any measure of instinctive happiness even to prosperous citizens." I don't know enough about history myself to say why Rome fell without reading up on it, but I would like better support for a statement like that, thank you. But perhaps he doesn't mean it literally.
The Wild Girls by Ursula K. Le Guin
A novella + two essays + some poems + an interview. Not my favorite of her work, I think, but Le Guin is always worth reading. I did like this poem:
The Next War:
It will take place,
it will take time,
it will take life,
and waste them.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-05 04:12 am (UTC)Excellent poem though.
I don't know enough about history myself to say why Rome fell without reading up on it, but I would like better support for a statement like that, thank you.
I feel that way about SO MUCH history that I read. And essays. And political commentary. :(
I love that your family gives library books!!
(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-05 02:56 pm (UTC)I love that your family gives library books!!
Yeah, it's a good tradition, both as a sort of anti-consumerism thing, and because if you don't like the book, you don't have to keep it.
(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-05 05:03 pm (UTC)I think Russell was operating within the British lit tradition where anyone who mattered had gone to public school and knew Latin and all about Rome. Not that that's an excuse.
I want to adopt the library book gift idea immediately. What's the customary check-out period? (US = 4 weeks except hot new fiction = 2 weeks.)
(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-05 09:59 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-05 10:04 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-05 10:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-07 04:33 pm (UTC)And I may pick up other books of hers--I liked the writing. Meanwhile I have lots of books in my to-read pile...
(no subject)
Date: 2016-02-07 04:51 pm (UTC)Nice to know. (And don't we all? :) )