No Time to Spare by Ursula Le Guin

4 Stars

Insightful and incisive series of essays on everything from cats to the Sartre Refusal Prize.

"If we insist in the real world the ultimate victor must be the good guy, we've sacrificed right to might."

I had to read this quote several times to recognize the truth in the statement. Le Guin brings it up in an essay about Homer and how neither The Illiad nor The Odyssey employ wishful thinking; therefore, not fantasy. But, that quote is counter to almost everything we want to believe--wish to believe. If it were true, better technology would always win over large corporations, the best ideals would always prevail, and the morally corrupt would always fail. Which we know is simply false.

"Art is not a horse race."

This is a thoughtful rumination about book prizes and PR, and how one drives the other.

"The creative adult is the child who survived."

Rather amusing, and since I actually have that "Liked" somewhere in my Goodreads' quotes I found it more than a bit embarrassing/funny/ridiculous that she categorically did not write it, ever. The misattribution and how it came about is humorous.

"I want to say clearly that I do not believe any animal is capable of being cruel. Cruelty implies consciousness of another's pain and the intent to cause it. Cruelty is a human speciality, which human beings continue to practice, and perfect, and institutionalize, though we seldom boast about it. We prefer to disown it, calling it "inhumanity", ascribing it to animals. We don't want to admit the innocence of the animals, which reveals our guilt."

It comes in one of many cat related essays--not a cat fan, at all. Nonetheless, Le Guin uses her relationship with Pard to relay a few thoughts. I like the hard truths in this book, the ripping away of the veil.

It never ceases to amaze me how much synchronicity envelopes my life. I should be immune to it because it happens all the time, nonetheless, in the foreword Le Guin mentions Saramago, and I smiled thinking to myself, 'I have met this writer and I understand'. Literally, not a couple months ago. And again, I find myself starting with a writer at the end. First, Gunter Grass and now Le Guin. That isn't the bizarre synchronicity it might seem at first blush because 2018 is the anniversary of a death--I have been planning to reopen it again, just to make sure everything is in place and to remember. Hence, all the morbidity in the books I've been selecting.

I didn't mean to start here. Le Guin has been on my To-Be-Read for more years than I will admit and now it's time for me to read her stories.

Favorite quote:

"Anger points powerfully to the denial of rights, but the exercise of rights can't live and thrive on anger. It lives and thrives on the dogged pursuit of justice."

Entropy in Bloom by Jeremy Robert Johnson

4 Stars

His carefully crafted suit had gone cannibalistic.

Weird books for jaded readers.

Huh...absolutely nailed it, Chris. Chris provides me with all the internet wandering I need. Granted, I'm not a big internet wanderer. So, when she had a link to a bunch of recommendations for weird books for jaded readers I was like, "That's me."

Skullcrack City was the one I wanted, but when I got to my library website they only had one Jeremy Robert Johnson book available to lend, now. And I wanted it--NOW. Plus, the cover is so pretty and the title seductive that I couldn't resist. Couldn't. Inconceivable.

This is a collection of short stories that appeared in various places over the years and well, you know that when the introduction says this:

The kind of readers who are willing to stand on the side of the literary highway and thumb down whatever vehicle comes by, who are willing to take more chances than the average reader.

Every reader thinks that's them, 'I'm a rebel', so I wasn't totally drinking the Kool-Aid until I read the next line and I knew that this is where I wanted to be:

It'll be a wild ride, but after a little shaking you'll get to your destination, and be able to get out unharmed, mostly, and it'll still be you. Or at least someone who looks and acts like you.Well, someone who will be able to pass for you in most circumstances. Honestly, the real you probably won't even be missed.

How right you are, Mr. Brian Evenson.

This is the sell. I don't want to go into to many details and spoil the fun of discovery and the delightful twists that just make you go O_O and then O_o

So the guiding themes of these stories are invasion, loss of control, and spectacle. Shuffled and dealt in bizarre ways that highlight the visceral. There's a definite sense of betrayal running through it and it is very male perspective focused. Frankly, there were a few that I read that really made me think there are a bunch of unresolved issues with women and I struggled with the rating. It wasn't misogyny, but frustration, resentment, and a rather depressing surrendered acceptance--beyond resignation.

Sometimes he felt as if he was training towards a gold medal in the Dumbfuck Olympics.

"League of Zeros" was one of my favorites. Take the concept of celebrity and go, go far. Beyond reality tv, YouTube, keep going--This is one place you end up. Freaky and the business of spectacle. The Oarsman, Cathedral Mother, Persistence Hunting, and Swimming in the House of the Sea, all right up there too. I loved the stretch in these stories. They're out there, but rather glittering in all their squalid splendor.

"How hard do I have to deny this entire day to make it disappear?"

The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer

3 Stars

Dangerous Liaisons made light with absurdity.

There I was in the middle of reading some dreadfully bleak and twisted books when I realized that a bit of fluff would clear the palette. Voila! Enter Heyer. And it worked, I just had to bite my tongue and read past Horatia's propensity to be an absolute rube. She had all the moxy I like in a heroine, but her leap before looking and then going, 'Oh, dear!' was grating. I suppose it's better than not realize her idiocy at all, but nevertheless, eye-rolling and made me want to smack her upside the head. I know, I know... she's young; it's allowed. *eye-roll* Let's just say that unprepared and arrogant are not two qualities I enjoy in tandem. 

And Rule. *deep sigh* Woefully under-explored. As the master tactician he loses some shine with his choice. I get it. He's jaded and Horry's the breath of fresh air that will reinvigorate his life. 

Frankly, the secondary characters had all the good lines and saved it.

When he had seen the Viscount stalking towards him at Almack's he had been quite aghast, and would have been perfectly willing to eat the rash words that had caused all the bother had not the Viscount committed that shocking rape upon his hat and wig. [...] this brutal action had roused him to a really heroic rage.

The hat is beyond and really needs to be read properly in context to be enjoyed. 

It was a good fight -- I don't remember a better. Hatred lends a spice, doesn't it?

Nothing more endearing than a good loser.

You can't go around the club asking a lot of queer-looking strangers to come to Vauxhall with you. Besides, what should we do with them when we got 'em there?

Utterly unhinged at times, but surprisingly insightful when taking a moment for reflection. 

So, the main characters were meh, but the absurd romp and especially the last sixty pages left me feeling much fonder. 

Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay

3 Stars

Doakes is back! And Chutsky! Even a couple new speed bumps in Dexter's road.

Still liking the series and Dexter's increasingly complicated quandary of human performance, but this one had a lot more rabbit runs, going up down, all around, but without Dark Passenger for company. I miss that interplay. So, this seemed slower even though Dex was all over the map, literally.

On the other hand, I love the aesthetics of this one. The spectacle shows dedication to detail, which I appreciate. The commentary about art makes for a delightful amuse-bouche.

Rita takes the backseat, but Cody and Astor are making progress. But it's a slow road.

All fake, all the time with only the short and far-too-rare intervals of razor-sharp reality to look forward to--and I was passing all this on to Cody, that small and damaged creature who stood up there so stiffly, watching with such intense focus for a hint of belonging that would never come.

Definitely finishing this series off this year. Hope the next one has more frolicking.

The Un-Discovered Islands by Malachy Tallack

3 Stars

Map says it's there; where did it go?

There are several sections to this book breaking down the islands into categories: Islands of Life and Death (mythic representations of eden/heaven), Setting Out, The Age of Exploration--before we solved the problem of an accurate timepiece accurate latitude measurements were impossible and historical maps are littered with islands that have never been seen again. In 1875, the British Royal Navy removed 123 islands from its admiralty maps after an extensive remapping endeavor. Sunken Lands addresses the obvious, lands that were reclaimed by the ocean from real ones off Iceland and Greenland to the fictional Atlantis created by Plato which amazingly transcended its purpose. Fraudulent Islands were great and made me smile. A whole slew of imaginary islands named after investors or rich men that explorers were hoping would funds future ventures. But I guess the most surprising section was Recent Undiscoveries. You'd think with all the technology we have that there wouldn't be any left to disprove-au contraire. I somehow managed to miss the post Y2K brouhaha between Mexico and the US over the mysterious island Bermeja in the Gulf of Mexico and the implications in treaties and oil drilling. 

This isn't as in-depth as I hoped, but realistically, the lack of material is what made these islands exist for so long. Tallack did a good job either outright debunking the island or presenting enough circumstantial information to create a reasonable cogent argument for what might have been responsible for its inclusion on maps. A fun reference for the curious and filled with some nice illustrations throughout, reflected of those presented on the cover. 

Off Armageddon Reef (Safehold #1) by David Webber

3.5 Stars

Swashbuckling read that dragged on a bit at times.

Don't get me wrong. I liked it, but could have trimmed a bit or maybe I'm just a whiner because it spent more time on the conflict of secular and spiritual forces and less on boats. More boats!

This basically reinterprets the Age of Sail and how innovation drives economy, growth and change. Not everyone likes change, but it is a result of innovation. New ideas, new solutions cause one to question fundamental principles. Either one embraces it or not, and the ensuing battle goes from metaphorical to physical faster than you think.

At the end of the day, a civilization either moves with the tide or gets drowned by it. Stagnation is death, just slow. I guess the blatant manipulation in this book is amusing/ironic/slightly terrifying when you think of present day consequences, but in establishing the world, Webber cribbed it straight out of history-- 15th and 16th century. If you don't know it, then it's probably necessary, but if you have a grasp of it then you spend your time saying, "Come on, come on--Let's go!"

Then there's the tedious repetitions as multi-players are pulled into a scheme and we have to hear how each one reacts to the same event and I think it could have been tightened. Second thing that really made me roll my eyes, not aggravate, more quirked brow, was the spellings of names. I love sci-fi fantasy; I get it. I'm all for weird. But taking essentially the same names and just replacing all or the majority of vowels with "Y"s was... lame.

On the other hand, love the references to Hamilcar and Hasdrubal. Yeah, I read that Hannibal book last year so this passing/throwaway nod was nice. There's a bunch, some dorkier than others, but fun.

If you've read enough reviews of mine then you've probably noticed a slight fixation on boats, sailing, islands, etc. and this was a big draw for the book. And I was NOT disappointed. Innovations in boat design as well as a good eye for naval military maneuvers were stellar. Seriously, the naval warfare and all the intensity and horrific consequences, the best two hundred pages of the book. As much as this dragged on, I'll give the sequel a go, because Duh... BOATS and I like the main characters.

To sum up in LA Style: this is Henry VIII meets Pern on a bed of Borg and Lucifer.

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

3.5 Stars

I'm not sure I would have heard about this book of poetry and drawings if it weren't for its inclusion on a younger family member's Christmas wishlist. Actually, THE SUN AND HER FLOWERS and MILK AND HONEY  were on it and I purchased both for them. Then, I thought to myself that poetry is one of those things that speaks to the individual and often in ways that we don't discuss with each other. So, I wanted to know why she requested them in hopes of peeking into her inner psyche and wandered to my local library site to see if it was available to loan--it was, but the wait time was going to be a couple months. Fine. I wasn't in any rush.

I really don't feel capable of critiquing it on a technical basis. I read poetry. I know what I like, but do I have any true understanding of how to analyze it for fundamentals--no. Therefore, this review will focus on its visual elements, the drawings, and the emotional response it evoked.

The book is divided into subsections. I'm just going to quote the 'About the book' blurb for concise reference because it's spot on.

The sun and her flowers is a collection of poetry about grief, self-abandonment, honoring one's roots, love, and empowering oneself. It is split into five chapters: wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming. 

It is female oriented and speaks to the challenges we face in ourselves and the world which attempts to define for us what "women" is. There are some wonderful insights, whether or not it's great poetry I can't say, but it is definitely the sort of thing you can open and reflect on the struggle and triumph discussed within it.

i use to dream of being so strong nothing could shake me. now. i am. so strong. that nothing shakes me. and all i dream is to soften.

yes
it is possible
to hate and love someone
at the same time
i do it to myself
every day

the right one does not
stand in your way
they make space for you
to step forward

i stand
on the sacrifices
of a million women before me
thinking
what can i doto make this mountain tallerso the women after mecan see farther-legacy

Is it feminist? If being focused on a women's perspective is your sole defining characteristic of feminism then yes. But, I think this is more about individual self-worth and agency. Some times this felt almost hackneyed, like aphorisms, but it had a well-thought out trajectory and the drawings that accompanied were lovely. Some intriguing continuous line drawing and they help to focus the mind on the intent of the words.

I think the more torn, and probably younger, at least closer to the age of the author or twenties then this is more powerful. That said, I can easily recommend it to several friends I know who are double that age, if for no other reason then remembering your own struggles and how you've persevered is a good reflection.

The Child Finder by Rene Denefeld

4 Stars

Remember: The wolf is always at the door.

I couldn't possibly explain why I enjoyed this book. Frankly, it's horrible. In fact, if you have young children or any children that you can't let leave through the door without a worry then don't read this.

Seriously. Don't. This book is what parents' nightmares are made of.

This book is more than a simple missing child story; it is a very intense psychological exploration. It is gritty and dreadful, but yet, it leaves you optimistic. I got a lot more than I expected going into it. There are many angles explored here and the characterizations, the empathy evoked was startling. Strangely, after all the horror, it manages to come full circle.

She knelt over the grave until her nose was touching the dirt. "When you are ready to inhabit a new skin," she said, "we will be waiting for you."

Beethoven's Eroica: The First Great Romantic Symphony by James Hamilton-Paterson

3.5 Stars

Beethoven was a radical.

In a diary entry in 1793 he wrote, 'Do as much good as you can--love freedom above everything else. Never deny the truth, not even to the throne.'

The times were changing with the growing republicanism sweeping Europe. The piano was changing, the difference between the harpsichord and piano is enormous and it is much easier to see Beethoven's evolution in playing compared to earlier composers like Mozart and Haydn. 

Beethoven acknowledged that Eroica was partially inspired by Napoleon, but after he chose to crown himself emperor some of the admiration rubbed off. Another theory thought it dedicated to Prince Louis Ferdinand, the Prussian warrior prince and musician and Beethoven's friend. More accurately, I believe is that Eroica can be seen as not attached to an individual, but the revolutions redrawing eighteenth century Europe.

Beethoven was a genius and like most geniuses was not particularly pleasant. Blunt and arrogant, no matter how well deserved, he was a love/hate person. I suppose the part of his story that always saddened me is that moment, at the height of his creative career when he knew he was going deaf. He was losing the one thing that matter in life to him. A dagger to the heart. Amazingly, while he gave up performing he continued to compose and he transcended.

In the Second World War the Nazis cheerfully exploited Beethoven's music, just as the dot-dot-dot-dash opening of the Fifth Symphony was read and used by the Allies as the Morse code letter "V" for Victory, showing that Beethoven easily eclipsed German nationalism, his inspiration and recognition being universal. Later still, the last movement of the Ninth Symphony has been shamelessly co-opted to served as the European Union's 'national anthem', the 'Ode to Joy' turned into the theme song of a remarkably joyless institution. 

So, while I have and will always be a a Viennese Classical fan I understand and admire Beethoven more after reading this. He was my father's favorite composer, which as a child always seemed a bit dramatic to me, not Russian composer dramatic and over-the-top, but it wasn't until I was in my late teens that I recognized what a romantic idealist my father was. 

The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne

4 Stars

A nonstop slip and slide through life, one life in particular belong to Cyril Avery. From 1950s Ireland to Amsterdam to NYC and back again this is a lifetime.

Reading it is like plunging over a series of cataracts, each one you're sure could kill a person, but life just keeps on pushing. It's horrible, wonderful, heartbreaking, happy, and you wish it would stop, but it doesn't. Like life, it just keeps on swinging. Occasionally scooping you up and transporting leagues forward, but more often than not just hitting you squarely in the jaw.

This was a surprisingly quick read considering the length. The storytelling is compelling and the nature of the events pull the reader forward. It is not easy to put it down. I didn't cry once during the story, and there's plenty to be ripped apart by during the nearly five hundred pages. But the end, the last closing moments I confess got the better of me. My thanks to Shelby for raving about it because it certainly put it on my radar.

I've lost people before. I've known violence, I've known bigotry, I've known shame and I've known love. And somehow, I always survive.