I'd say it's showing, but I think the distinction should be made between showing vs telling of character actions and behaviors against showing vs telling of description. For character emotions, telling would be like saying "He was angry" instead of "he pounded his fist on the table". For description, to me, the undesirable 'telling' equivalent would be a 'shallow' description and showing would be a deeper or more active description. Your description of the face doesn't seem shallow and it seems appropriately deep and active. If you just said "he hated his ugly face' that would be akin to the undesirable 'telling'.
Finished two books. Drood, Dan Simmons. A wildly immersive, opium-laced mystery with a congenial combination of spooky thrills and Dickensian banter. In terms of scope and research, it’s nearly as impressive as The Terror, but it doesn’t quite have that book’s level of emotional payoff. Rating: 4 stars. To Rescue The Republic: Ulysses S. Grant, the Fragile Union, and the Crisis of 1876, Bret Baier. I read very little nonfiction, but I intend to change that. And this book on Grant proved to be a fine start. I wasn’t aware just how disputed and precarious the Hayes versus Tilden election of 1876 was. Fascinating. Rating: 4 stars. Currently reading: Smoke and Stone, Michael R. Fletcher
I had a pretty bad cold last week, so I needed something fun and stupid to read while my brain wasn't working. Enter "The Time Machine Did It" by John Swartzwelder, writer of 59 episodes of The Simpsons, including possibly the greatest half-hour in television history, "You Only Move Twice" (AKA the Hank Scorpio episode). I had high hopes for this one, and while it didn't quite reach them, it was still quite enjoyable. As the name suggests, the story is sci-fi noir, following detective Frank Burly as he searches for a missing time machine. This was Swartzwelder's first novel, and it definitely feels like it. The plot is thinner than the toilet paper in a gas station restroom, basically just an excuse to string jokes along, but they are at least good jokes. It's a short book, only 138 pages, but with no real structure to speak of, it probably couldn't have gone any longer without getting tedious. You could easily read this in one sitting and be satisfied. Here's a favorite sample: If that appeals to you, you'll enjoy this book. If not, go read some Tolstoy or something. As for me, I think I'll check out one of his later books to see if he developed more polish as a writer to go with his sense of humor. And even if not, I bet I'll still enjoy it.
I’ve finished Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. I loved it, and it had the effect I was after (relieving stress), but… Spoiler Have you ever read a book and only when you were finished realised it was much sadder than you noticed while reading? This happens to me every so often. I’ll be sad for a while (usually a few hours), but then I’m ok. It’s a bit like waiting for the echo of the story to fade away. Until today I didn’t know this also works with scary stuff. I couldn’t put it down and even broke my rule not to read Stephen King at night (which worked fine until I came to the last third). Today I had only the two included short stories, the deleted scenes and the afterword left to read. When I was done, I went with Henry (the doggo) for a quick evening walk (it had just gotten dark), and it wasn’t enjoyable. I guess this is related to how much I dive into the story. So Mr King can be glad because he did a good job. And I’m happy, too, because these unexpected aftereffects are a small price for hours of good reading. My next will be Blaine for the Win by Robbie Couch.
My to-read stack is two books shorter. Smoke and Stone, Michael R. Fletcher. A very impressive world and premise (Mesoamerican fantasy) with an especially bleak tone for the genre that I should have been perfectly happy immersing myself in. Unfortunately — and surprisingly, considering I’ve read Fletcher before — nearly all of the characters were underdeveloped, and the two characters who were fully realized (the two POVs) were underwhelming. Not a single character was notably funny or charming or charismatic or clever. No one even managed to be engrossingly pathetic. Fletcher’s Beyond Redemption, in stark contrast, has a slew of compelling and unique characters. Rating: 2 stars. Misery, Stephen King. I’m a fan of the movie, but having finally read the book I like the written version slightly more. Annie and Paul’s twisted relationship is more complex on the page. And as contradictory as it might sound, Annie manages to be more monstrous and more sympathetic in the book. Rating: 4 stars. Currently reading: The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafón
I'm reading a book from 1920 from which the "great replacement" theory (racist dribble that the non-White people of the world are actively trying to outbreed and destroy the white "race") is said to have sprung. I won't name it because I don't want to publicize it, but suffice to say that any book on ethnicity and demographics that's introduced by a zoologist is not going anywhere good. And, since you asked, I read these things because I like to see what was really said, not what pundits tell me was said. Peace.
Currently reading House In The Cerulean Sea but coming along very gradually. It’s about an orphanage that takes care of children who are of the supernatural variety and considered “strange”. The MC, Linus Baker, is an inspector of this kind of orphanage and he inspects them and decides on whether or not it’s safe to keep them open. One of the kids at the orphanage is an alien, another one a sprite and another one is the son of Satan. Yes THE Satan. But considered “just a kid”. It’s supposed to be an affectionate and also tells of a homosexual relationship around the MC (with the manager of the orphanage ). The writing is not too bad for this kind of fantasy.
I just finished some nonfiction, Jessica Fern's Polysecure: Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Nonmonogamy. I had heard of attachment theory before this but hadn't read much about it, and the first part of the book gives a well-written, detailed overview of the subject. Really fascinating stuff! It covers the psychology of intimate relationships, how much of our thought and behavior is rooted in experiences from childhood, and how we can change or address that in adulthood to build healthy, secure relationships. Honestly, I did a lot of highlighting in that section. While the first section applies to relationships of all kinds, the rest of the book focuses specifically on nonmonogamous relationships. It starts with an overview of common relationship types (polyamory, swinging, relationship anarchy, etc), then discusses strategies to help people with different attachment styles navigate the complexities of their lifestyle. The author practices nonmonogamy herself and specializes in it as a relationship therapist, and she draws on a combination of theory, observations of her clients, and her own practical experience here. It's pretty thorough, but it's mostly focused on established monogamous couples looking to open up their relationships, not single people. That's the only real criticism I can give it, though. On the whole, a good book, and one with a strong positive reputation in the nonmonogamy community. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in attachment theory or nonmonogamy, including writers who might want to include nonmonogamous characters in their work.
Finished two more. The Last Kingdom, Bernard Cornwell. I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand I appreciated its vividly described battles, its feeling of well-researched history, its grittiness, and the conflicting loyalties within the main character. But on the other hand I felt the book would have greatly benefitted from additional character moments, as well as a slightly slower pace. I’m ultimately glad I read it but I don’t plan on continuing with the series. Rating: 3.5 stars. The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafón. So much to praise: Unforgettable characters and relationships, atmosphere as immersive as a dream, and a plot that will sweep every romantic off their feet. Zafón’s prose is an exquisite blend of comfort and sophistication, akin to an expensive smoking jacket. And Fermín Romero de Torres is probably my favorite supporting character of all time. The Shadow of the Wind is a triumph. Rating: 5 stars. Once, in my father’s bookshop, I heard a regular customer say that few things leave a deeper mark on a reader than the first book that finds its way into his heart. Those first images, the echo of words we think we have left behind, accompany us throughout our lives and sculpt a palace in our memory to which, sooner or later—no matter how many books we read, how many worlds we discover, or how much we learn or forget—we will return. ~ The Shadow of the Wind Currently reading: The Republic of Pirates, Colin Woodard.
I've been looking for something to read- nothing I've icked up has held my attention for long. Maybe I'll re-read Shadow of the Wind. It was indeed a fine book.
Three Day Road by Jospeh Boyden. Really frickin' good. About a Native American (Canadian) fighting in WWI. Intercut with multiple first person POVs of family members, from 1880s Canadian winter starvation to the trenches of France. Like I said, really frickin good!
Re-reading Consider Phlebas. It's very cinematic for Banks. Not that he lacks in descriptive ability, but this one would go on the screen really well.
Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito's draft opinion on DOBBSv.JACKSON WOMEN'S HEALTH ORGANIZATION. Fascinating stuff.
I respect you for going to the primary source, but after reading Scott v. Sandford I decided to leave those things to the lawyers to read.
It is a tough slog (98 pages of dense legalese), but this is mostly what we're going to be dealing with this summer, so I thought I'd get ahead of it.
After more than 3 months of waiting in line, its finally my turn to listen to The Icepick Surgeon by Sam Kean
Charlotte McConaghy, Migrations. In a climate-change ravaged future, a woman convinces a fishing boat captain to follow the migration of the last arctic terns from Greenland to Antarctica. In parallel the story flashes back to her life, which is full of mysterious traumatic things that are revealed slowly. IDK, it's fine but doesn't really click for me. The prose is serviceable and I'm not really sure what it's trying to say, other than humans are ravaging the environment, which...yeah, but that's not enough to sustain a novel on its own. Feels very book-club-y, which isn't really a knock against it but for some reason the best way I can think of to characterize it.
I finally read 1984 by George Orwell. Well, I knew what the book was about even without watching the movie. If you ask me how come I went through high school without reading it . . . I honestly don't know what happened. But this is one of those books whose storyline and elements (like Big Brother) are so iconic, that I never felt the urge to read. I must admit that there were some parts I read slowly, but overall the voice fits the story well. I appreciated how precise the book is, especially in feeling the separation between narrator and the MC's feelings and thinking. I am even amazed on how long we spend time in the MC's head going about how transgressive his actions are and perceiving them so, while they aren't in my everyday world. Of course the book also anticipated the dictatorial regimes of the cold war, so another reason for reading it. The most amazing thing about this book is that the author chose for it just the right element to turn into the center of its dystopia: the constant monitoring of people's thoughts and feelings even within the privacy of their own home, and its personification (Big Brother). It made me think of just how essential for freedom it is for everyone to have a space where one can express and rework one's thoughts and feelings without external judgement, regardless of how wrong those thoughts are, without people furtively listening to what you say (I am not talking about covering up criminal activity of course). With that fully private space free of judgement, then one can emerge into the public sphere (streets, acquaintances and others, public spaces, etc.) with what they consider the correct version of those thoughts (sometimes we think all sorts of negative things and we are extremely judgmental because we are upset for instance, but that doesn't mean we think just that). 1984 refers to a political ideology, but I think the idea of a fully private space refers to that of moral judgement in today's society, seeing just how many people confuse their need to affirm themselves by judging celebrities and others on social media, but quite frankly even their neighbors, and go as far as "punishing" them as they see fit. People confuse their lack of accountability (they don't get punished if they are wrong) as proof of them being right. Again here I am not talking about denouncing criminal actions. But on this line, I am currently looking for a dystopia that presents a similar idea applied to social media. Does anybody know of such a novel? Other suggestions of novels you think I might appreciate since I liked 1984 are also welcome. EDIT: I just edited out the comment on word count, I feel I am just going in default mode with it . . . better stop it now.
I love dystopias and Nineteen Eighty-Four is one of my all-time faves. I'd recommend Gary Shteyngart, Super Sad True Love Story, as the best social-media-era entry in the genre.
I actually just read 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. A very quirky turn on the dystopian novel. It’s a larger-than-average one at about 1200 pages. A good read, though the third act drags a bit in my opinion.
World Without End. Ken Follett. It's a good book, but at 1000+ pages, it is physically tiresome to hold. No, don't mention tablets and e-readers and the like to me. They are physically tiring to look at. I'd much sooner prop the paper book on a pillow on my lap.
I spoke with my sister yesterday on the phone, we had a long conversation. She doesn't read much, but she did read 1984 again as an adult and she gave me such an eloquent exposition to its relevance to contemporary society . . . her understanding is so deep both intellectually and emotionally, I felt such amazement at her, I can't explain. I really feel proud to be her sister. I heard about this book, and wondering what it was like. I am considering it reading it next or soon. thanks for the suggestion, I do like Murakami, but a thousand+ pages might be too much of a commitment for me, but I am glad you mentioned it.
