August 31, 2012

Literary Pick (**)

Nine Stories
-J.D. Salinger

August 27, 2012

Literary Pick (***)

Atonement
-Ian McEwan















What I enjoy most about Ian McEwan's novels is the gracefulness of his prose.
You won't go wrong if you're in search of good conscientious writing that is unlabored or overly manipulated. There's a certain placidity in the manner of his writing that for me is steady and calming, and that from now on, after having read two of his books, I will have the need to return to every now and then, like an intermezzo. I believe McEwan has not yet written his best life's work. This story developed very slowly for me. I read McEwan's Saturday, and although, perhaps just a little less complex than Atonement, possessed more of the qualities I search for in a dramatic work.
Although I feel his stories aren't exactly solid, they're worth the course.

I reluctantly give it a 3.

August 23, 2012

Art of the Day

Monarch of the Glen 
-Sir Edwin Henry Landseer

August 22, 2012

Literary Pick (*)

Never Let Me Go 
-Kazuo Ishiguro

August 20, 2012

RIP

Phyllis Diller 
(July 17, 1917 – August 20, 2012)

August 15, 2012

Literary Pick (****)

The Tunnel
-Ernesto Sabato













 

Precisely the kind of literature I search and long to read. Obsessive, manic, compulsive, and finally tragic.
I coincidentally purchased this book together with Othello, both stories about irrational jealousy.
The Tunnel reminds me very much of The Kreutzer Sonata, another personal favorite in which both protagonists are insanely jealous and unable to control their emotions which leads them to murder.

The Tunnel pairs very well with Adiago for Strings.
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August 14, 2012

Literary Pick (**)

Fahrenheit 451 
-Ray Bradbury 















I delayed reading this book for years, and resisted forcing myself to do so simply because it's considered a masterwork of 20th century literature.
Something about the theme of this novel with buzz-words such as dystopia, over-population, extinction, futuristic, and television, repelled me from it from the very beginning. I don't like hearing any of those words. The concept in these kinds of novels frightens me. The need for our society to continuously create bigger and better not only scares me, but disgusts me very deeply as well. So in those terms I was able to appreciate the message of this novel. A lot of which has already happened, and will continue to occur for years to come. Which is why I believe this novel continues to be relevant even in our time today.
When leaving the safety of one's cocoon, it's alarming to see what people have become, and how automatic and mechanical they behave, in actions and response. Parents and children seem to be hypnotized, and what was bad in now good, or mainstream. We've become numb to things that society used to strongly react to, like morality and decency. In that respect I could relate to everything in the book, but what I had difficulty relating to was the style in which it was written. Not too different from A Brave New World, Bradbury's style is somewhat obscure, the scenery, nebulous, and the exchanges bordering on abstract. I found it tedious almost from the very beginning. The story does get better as it progresses. The ending was pretty good and somewhat inspiring. I wouldn't not recommend this book. It's just a genre that fails to reach me as a reader. 

August 11, 2012

Quote of the Day

“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” 
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Literary Pick (***)

Before Night Falls
- Reinaldo Arenas





















I must admit, I was somewhat put off by the bestial eroticism in the beginning of this memoir. I felt it was rather gratuitous. However, halfway through, the story rapidly picks up the pace and focuses more on his political struggles in Cuba during both Batista's and Castro's regime. The writing gets much better as it progresses as well. If you're into Latin American literature it's definitely worth the read.