- November Reading Wrap-up 2Click Here For Wrap Up 1 What’s the point of making a to-be-read plan, but leaving most of the list unread in the end. I knew I was not going … Continue reading November Reading Wrap-up 2
- November Reading Wrap-up 1“Pangs of Love” by David Wong LouieI suffered a lot while reading “The Barbarians Are Coming”, but as soon as I finish it, I take on this book. Do I … Continue reading November Reading Wrap-up 1
- Blocked And UnblockedI am completely and probably irreversibly blocked right now after reading a book about blogging, which says what one wants to write is not what others want to read. It … Continue reading Blocked And Unblocked
- I Know I Won’t Finish These In November“Nine Horses” by Billy CollinsEven his complaints are delightful to read. I wonder why? “Forgotten Wars: Freedom and Revolution in Southeast Asia” by C.A. Bayly, Tim HarperThe end of WWII … Continue reading I Know I Won’t Finish These In November
- Unfinished October ReadingIt’s different from what I planned a month ago, but several lovable books have made it all worthwhile. “If I Had Your Face” by Frances Cha– This is the first … Continue reading Unfinished October Reading
- Read And Misread In OctoberReading often goes hand in hand with misreading. Being an immigrant and reading English as a second language have taught me this fact. At first this made me rather uncomfortable–the … Continue reading Read And Misread In October
- Finished With A SighI shouldn’t read this book, “We Wanted to Be Writers: Life, Love, and Literature at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop” by Eric Olsen. I knew I shouldn’t but I still did. … Continue reading Finished With A Sigh
- The October Book PlanFor about half a year or so, I wrote book reviews devotedly for books I read, but then I felt that I didn’t really enjoy doing that. I guess the … Continue reading The October Book Plan
- The Peril Of PersistenceIt’s the peril of persistence. I was brought up on the principle of finishing what you started and now I am suffering the consequence. I can’t go on with this … Continue reading The Peril Of Persistence
- Magnificent In Different WaysThis is not for me. I mean the book, “Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue”. It’s obviously for those native speakers. The magnificence described by the book must be felt by a … Continue reading Magnificent In Different Ways
- Foistis a word that I cannot handle. No matter how many times I’ve encountered it and looked it up, I have to look it up again for the next encounter. … Continue reading Foist
- The CauldronThere’s always this table, on which books pile up high, in one of the local grocery stores, the ShopRite of Edison township. Sometimes one or two precariously perched books on … Continue reading The Cauldron
- Canopy And CanapeAt first I thought it means awning and then I realize it is not spelled canopy, but rather canape, for which Firefox’s quick search shows it means those little bite … Continue reading Canopy And Canape
- Memories of GirlfriendsI can’t believe how good this book is, “Writing With Intent”. I’ve bought this book for a year and haven’t gone around to read it until now. I think it’s … Continue reading Memories of Girlfriends
- Another Misunderstanding“Understanding Japan” starts slow but getting more interesting as it progresses towards the modern era. I have always been interested in Japan but haven’t read books about it–so much for … Continue reading Another Misunderstanding
- Finishing UpI am finishing up this book #2 in the Bridget Jones series. The best parts of the book are those conversations between the girls, which can be even more biting … Continue reading Finishing Up
- CatnipI feel groggy and listless today, most likely due to the fact that I finished the book “Bridget Jones Diary” yesterday. For many years, I’ve tried to refrain from reading … Continue reading Catnip
- The New FilmIsn’t it strange that there will be a new film “Martin Eden” made by an Italian-French team? The reason “Martin Eden” is very important to me is because it is … Continue reading The New Film
- SleeplessI stayed up until 4AM last night to finish “A Girl With Seven Names” and I’ve been groggy the whole day today, even when I was out grocery shopping. What … Continue reading Sleepless
- Great Trials Or Bad TrialsI only finished five of the lectures of “The Great Trials Of World History”, but already I feel that most of these trials are bad trials, not great trials. I … Continue reading Great Trials Or Bad Trials
- Following The TrendJust to follow the trend, I got one book by Mary Trump and two by Ta-Nahisi Coates. Which one to read first? Coates’ books are obviously better written and I … Continue reading Following The Trend
- Cries and CrisesI can’t go through “Crashes and Crises: Lessons from a History of Financial Disasters” without thinking what I would do if I were involved in any of the disasters listed … Continue reading Cries and Crises
- Why Haven’t I Heard Of HimWho is Mencken and why haven’t I heard of him before? One of Mencken’s fans claims online. Same here. I want to make the same claim, but I know why … Continue reading Why Haven’t I Heard Of Him
- MemoryI can’t believe I’ve read “The Descent Of Man And Other Stories” before. This was the first impression I had when I read the “Quicksand” and “The Mission of Jane”. … Continue reading Memory
- Amazon RecommendsAmazon recommends me something at least once a day in my email; it sends me advertisements disguised as login screen on my Kindle Fire. But I’ve never bought anything through … Continue reading Amazon Recommends
- Alternative InterpretationThere’s always at least one alternative interpretation to events and stories of a philosophy book or a psychology book. I mean a book like “Emotional Intelligence”. I wonder what will … Continue reading Alternative Interpretation
- Incomprehensible ParadiseI am completely lost. I don’t know what “Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained” is talking about. Is there even a plot for this long endless poem? I bought this book … Continue reading Incomprehensible Paradise
- My Favorite“The Philanderer” is the best play from Shaw that I’ve ever read, as good as “Man of Destiny”, better than “Mrs Warren’s Profession”, Arms and The Man, You Never Can … Continue reading My Favorite
- Happy and HappierI like “The Happiness Hypothesis” a lot although I don’t always agree with the author. His elephant metaphor is very apt and I too have often felt that I am … Continue reading Happy and Happier
- Crucial ExplorationI thought it would be more suitably titled “Crucial Exploration” rather than “Crucial Instances”. I like everything Wharton wrote, almost indiscriminately, even if when she’s exploring different possibilities with her … Continue reading Crucial Exploration
- New InclinationI really don’t know what to say about “The Greater Inclination”, but I know I have to say something, just to tell myself that I’ve read the book and leave … Continue reading New Inclination
- No ExitI finally finished “No Exit” after starting it almost a year ago. It’s a short play in writing and in performance. I read a little bit first, gave up, then … Continue reading No Exit
- Hero Or VillainI watched the movie by Oliver Stone, but the movie only piqued my interest to know more about Snowden. “Permanent Record” is the answer. It’s a passive narration without much … Continue reading Hero Or Villain
- Doing and Undoing“The Undoing Project” is almost a companion to “Thinking, Fast and Slow”. I wish I had read these two together. Or better still, I should have read this book in … Continue reading Doing and Undoing
- The Figurative MountainThe figurative mountain exists in the book “Three Tigers, One Mountain”, which is obviously referring to the East Asia. How about adding Russia as another tiger to the tree since … Continue reading The Figurative Mountain
- From Boring To InterestingI like the books “Liar’s Poker” and “Boomerang”. So when audible offers a discount of “The Fifth Risk”, I have to take it. I don’t know what’s 1st, 2nd, 3rd, … Continue reading From Boring To Interesting
- Canny and UncannyI’ve never seen anybody use the word canny, but uncanny makes regular appearance here and there. However this is the first time I see a book with such a title, … Continue reading Canny and Uncanny
- All Those Unknown BattlesThis book, “The Decisive Battles of World History” is almost a sequel to “History’s Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach”. When I finished one, I have to finish … Continue reading All Those Unknown Battles
- No ExcusesMy interest in the book, “No Excuses: Existentialism And The Meaning Of Life“, stems from my fascination with the philosophical feud between Camus and Sartre. Can rebels rebel without violence? … Continue reading No Excuses
- Regrettable BattlesI really think this book, “History’s Great Military Blunders”, is one of the best among the “Great Courses” series, as good as “Modern Political Tradition”. This is an audible book … Continue reading Regrettable Battles
- Xanadu Again“The Travels of Marco Polo” is almost unreadable. I struggled for several pages and had to give up. There’s no pleasure in reading it, but my curiosity of the man … Continue reading Xanadu Again
- Theory and PracticeHow much do political practices follow political theories? A skeptic’s view on “The Modern Political Tradition”. This is the best among the “Great Courses” series that I’ve listened to in … Continue reading Theory and Practice
- Something I Should Have Done Long AgoI should have read “Full Dark, No Stars” long time ago. I know I would have liked it ten years ago. However I encounter Stephen King too late, long after … Continue reading Something I Should Have Done Long Ago
- Not Getting YoungerAnother book on sale and another book one could regret one bought it. Even the picture on the cover, which looks just as sanguine as another nice outfit for a … Continue reading Not Getting Younger
- All About FoodI haven’t read many books on food, except two or three books of Anthony Bourdain and one by Marcus Samuelsson and one by Jim Gaffigan. So “Food: A Cultural Culinary … Continue reading All About Food
- Bad MemoryI can’t believe I said this, but I did and it was recorded in the Goodread with me saying that “Man of Destiny” is the best play of Shaw in … Continue reading Bad Memory
- Reading “Greater Inclination”Now that I know Wharton wrote many books of short stories, I’d want to read some of them. Just her way with language alone will draw me to her work. … Continue reading Reading “Greater Inclination”
- Reading “The Myth”I only understand a small portion of it. “The Myth of Sisyphus” needs to be reread, but just from my partial understanding of it, Sisyphus is considered to be enjoying … Continue reading Reading “The Myth”
- Reading “The Rebel”I’ve been trying to read this book forever, but now with the intention of reading “The Plague”–so fitting during the current pandemic–I am forcing myself to understand the rebellious morality … Continue reading Reading “The Rebel”
- Last ChapterNow I am at the last chapter of “In Defense of Women” and I just can’t help laughing that Mencken is railing against women who are more interested in taking … Continue reading Last Chapter
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
