"Aria Da Capo" is a very short play by Edna St. Vincent Millay. I somehow suspect that this one act play with an incomprehensible title is based on the infamous Stanford psychology experiment. Once people get into a situation, in this case an artificial wall and in Stanford's case an artificial prison, people tend to … Continue reading Misbehavior

There are no good books about Asia in English. I just can’t find any good books. If anybody read a good one, please let me know. I am so desperate for some good books in this direction that I have to read books about the Pacific Theater of WWII. I dislike books on wars, but … Continue reading Good, Bad And Things In Between

"The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1: An Introduction" By Michel Foucault. The first two chapters are exhilarating, but for the rest I just can't understand. Maybe philosophy is just not my thing. I have to re-read it one day when I have the energy. I miss my days as a teenager and twenty something when … Continue reading Finished And Unfinished In December

This 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 lot of people, but as a non-native speaker I feel differently. If I feel the magnificence, it's a different kind of magnificence. Mencken and Orwell … Continue reading Magnificent In Different Ways

is 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. Same for words like flout, flounder, flaunt. F for failure to remember. I don't know about native speakers, but for non-native speakers like me such … Continue reading Foist

At 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 sized dim sum like food. For Asian immigrants like me, hors d'œuvre is a type of dim sum no matter what you say otherwise. Somehow … Continue reading Canopy And Canape

I 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 because I got it at the end of my feverish obsession with Atwood's work--finally the enthusiasm waned and I didn't finish Testament and another book, … Continue reading Memories of Girlfriends

"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 my interest. I hope you don't see me as a fraud. The people who are really into Japan would learn the Japanese language, immersed in … Continue reading Another Misunderstanding

I 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 if the author is not intentionally toning it done to suit her romantic theme. They are wonderful. I gave the first book five stars due … Continue reading Finishing Up

I 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 it. For one thing, I've read too many fan novels; for another, I've seen the movie. Still, for some unexplained reason, I borrowed it from … Continue reading Catnip

Isn'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 the first book I've ever bought and read completely in English. I still remember on the first page, there's a word "smack", for which when … Continue reading The New Film

I 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 a story. I've read "A Thousand Miles To Freedom", and "In Order To Live" before. There are a lot of similarities between the three books, … Continue reading Sleepless

I 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 think the author did this deliberately and "great" means "famous" rather than "good". The trials of Socrates, Giordano Bruno, Thomas Moor are so bad that … Continue reading Great Trials Or Bad Trials

Just 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 am itchy to know more about him ever since his very public dispute with Cornel West--why can't they continue to debate, like Sartre and Camus, … Continue reading Following The Trend

I 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 here. One can do nothing but cry, though tears sound so futile in face of crises like these. This may sound very naive and laughable--my … Continue reading Cries and Crises

Who 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 I haven't heard of him before. I am a sloth and I usually won't go out of my way to try to know a book … Continue reading Why Haven’t I Heard Of Him

I 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". I remember where I read the "Quicksand"--in an online Wharton fan site, where the short story is truncated and the last chapter is not included. … Continue reading Memory

Amazon 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 its recommendations. Not that I'm impervious to marketing campaigns. Also I am not devoid of common human weaknesses which are usually cleverly explored by ads. … Continue reading Amazon Recommends

There'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 happen if the author change his angle a little bit and add the cultural and ethnic differences in his interpretation of emotional intelligence. For example, … Continue reading Alternative Interpretation

I 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 because it is on sale at Audible. Time and again, such a preference for discount has led to my not liking or even understanding a … Continue reading Incomprehensible Paradise

"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 Tell, The Devil's Disciple, Caesar and Cleopatra, Man and Superman, Don Juan in Hell, Major Barbara, Pygmalion, Heartbreak House, The Apple Cart, The Millionairess. I … Continue reading My Favorite

I 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 riding an elephant which has a mind of its own. The thing is I want to let the elephant be natural and unforced and inspiring, … Continue reading Happy and Happier

I 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 writing in her "Crucial Instances". Some people say "Crucial Instances" are better than her first short story collection "The Greater Inclination", but I have no … Continue reading Crucial Exploration

I 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 a record of it, no matter how reluctant. I really like each of the stories, especially the first one about a muse' complaint--she's not a … Continue reading New Inclination

I 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 read a bit more, gave up, then watched a video of it, gave up, before finally completing it today. The problem is it is too … Continue reading No Exit

I 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 attention for interesting details or humor. I'm surprised that I have been fully engaged in listening from the beginning to the end. The last three … Continue reading Hero Or Villain

"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 advance of the other one. The author has such a talent of turning boring subject into interesting stories that he has made the science of … Continue reading Doing and Undoing

The 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 the Russians have fought Japanese in many battles, on land and on high seas, for more than one hundred years. How about throwing Mongolia to … Continue reading The Figurative Mountain

I 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, and 4th risk? Or probably the author explained at some point but I missed; or probably it's a common knowledge that I don't know--as a … Continue reading From Boring To Interesting

I'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, "Uncanny Valley". My interest is piqued. After reading the Amazon reviews, I know I have to read it. It's about Silicon Valley, which would be … Continue reading Canny and Uncanny

This 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 the other. I have to say I like this one even better. The inclusion of Japanese Russian Japanese conflicts (Battle of Tsushima, Battles of Khalkhin … Continue reading All Those Unknown Battles

My 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? Or is violence avoidable if rebels want to achieve their goal? Can freedom and justice coexist peacefully? Is absolute freedom something against freedom? Is absolute … Continue reading No Excuses

I 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 at first and then it appears in Amazon video. When I scrolled down the list of the 24 episodes, I saw "Battle of Red Cliff", … Continue reading Regrettable Battles

"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 and his travel can't be appeased. That's why I searched and found this book, which is comprehensive in its content, engaging in its language. It … Continue reading Xanadu Again

How 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 the past several years, although I didn't really get the audible book for this one, but rather the Amazon video. Professor Cahoone has made distinctive … Continue reading Theory and Practice

I 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 I've lost interest in extraordinary circumstances and gory details. Now I am more into uneventful bantering and boring routine of life. I remember as a … Continue reading Something I Should Have Done Long Ago

Another 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 nice book, is deceptively depressing. So many candles crowd the cake that the oversized flaming top seems on the point of toppling over. However once … Continue reading Not Getting Younger

I 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 History" is rather interesting in its grand scope and its comprehensiveness. People, who are used to food books, may want more specific things and more … Continue reading All About Food

I 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 my opinion. I didn't even remember what this play is about when I read Mencken's book on Shaw. It's a very funny and subtle book, … Continue reading Bad Memory

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. Long ago, I trudged through "Valley of Decisions" and could only manage less than half of it. So foreign to the life she described and … Continue reading Reading “Greater Inclination”

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 his futile effort and useless task. If I read this book through the lens of an immigrant, I wonder if Camus is giving a foreboding … Continue reading Reading “The Myth”

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 first before proceeding to the infected town and its philosophical consequence. The problem is that Camus' book has a lot of references on figures of … Continue reading Reading “The Rebel”

Now 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 jobs, gaining financial independence, and having fun than jumping into marriage. Obviously he's not happy about this. In the previous chapters, he's railing against women … Continue reading Last Chapter

I found this book much more interesting than "Middlemarch", George Eliot's life more exhilarating and gratifying than the characters she created, for example Dorothea, the description of the relationship between Eliot and George Henry Lewes more interesting than most of the relationships described in novels--I mean many novels including "Middlemarch". Although I read it long … Continue reading Finishing “My Life in Middlemarch”

"In Defense of Men" should be the more apt title since throughout the book men are described as being defenseless in face of the scheming women in almost everything and especially in marriage. I don't believe a word of it and I can hardly believe that Mencken believed in what he was writing. The book … Continue reading Finishing “In Defense of Women”

I should stop buying things just because they are on sale. I should, but I won't. This book appears in my audible library and at first I thought it's an easy read. However, I've never watched "How I met Your Mother" and have never watched anything that's mentioned in the book except "Titanic", in which … Continue reading Finishing “Choose Your Own Autobiography”

It's like a book review runs amok, extending from the convention of a mere essay of several pages to an entire book of 293 pages. I bought this book due to its title and the brief description in amazon website. I never really like "Middlemarch", and I am very interested to see how and why … Continue reading Reading “My Life in Middlemarch”

The title must mean something. Something biblical? I have no idea. I didn't know how it ends up in my audible library, when I bought it, why I bought it. I guess it was on sale during one of the previous holiday seasons and I bought several in one shot. The incomprehensible title, the discount, … Continue reading Reading “Slouching Towards Bethlehem”

I've never admitted that I like to read rambling lines, but I think I do after finishing another round of "S & S". Austen rambled happily and one character can talk incessantly for half to one page at a time. I didn't notice this before, probably because I had often jumped forward in previous times. … Continue reading Rambling

It should be named "Ego Is Both the Friend and the Enemy". The story of Howard Hughes is very interesting--the worst businessman ever who is famed for losing money in every business adventure he's involved in, lol. Although I don't know much about all these prominent figures, I somehow watched "The Aviator", probably dragged to … Continue reading Reading “Ego Is the Enemy”

I've read this book long time ago, but can't remember much about it; I've watched the movie a long time ago, with Ang Lee as the director, but can't remember anything except Hugh Grant as Edward--a great portrayal of the role, exactly as what Jane Austen had portrayed him. Emma Thompson played Elinor, who's a … Continue reading Rereading “S & S”

Another round of reading of Austen books. After finishing P&P, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, and Emma, I proceed to S&S. It has become a routine for me every once in a while. I could have used the time to read books about modern women or something more informative. I could and I should. I acknowledge it … Continue reading About Austen

I bought this book on sale from Audible and thought that it should be named, "The 48 Laws of Wicked Power". Intelligence is used for manipulation, kindness for popularity, generosity for future advantage, agreeableness for influence. It's a bit too depressing to read. I can just imagine anybody who practices these 48 laws will soon … Continue reading Reading “The 48 Laws of Power”

The reason I reread "Emma" is because I watched a video of Dr. Cornel West who said that "Emma" is his favorite book among all Austen's books. I've heard this line before, but never really thought about it much until now. I thought "Emma" is not as good as "Pride and Prejudice" in its sarcastic … Continue reading Rereading “Emma”

I select this book purely for its name, the kind of judging a book by its cover, which I confess that I've always practiced even if I hate myself doing that. Mencken is mostly jesting and never being serious. So some of the negative reviews are really taking him too seriously, which he had no … Continue reading Reading “In Defense of Women”

I've read "Burr" and so I think reading this sequel is inevitable. Since I am not so familiar with the early history of the States, I don't quite know which characters are fictional and which characters are historical figures. The same for the book "Burr". Is Charles Schermerhorn Schuyler a real historical figure? It really … Continue reading Reading “1876”

I really enjoy this book. The prose is deliberately poetic, but with none of those affected erudition that's hard to understand. From its deliberate simplicity, wisdom and wit are conveyed. I don't think she meant to be funny but there are many humorous places--the marriage to end all marriages, abstract figures that only their labor … Continue reading Reading “Even The Stars Look Lonesome”

It's another round of Jane Austen for me. After finishing "P&P", "Persuasion", I am proceeding to "Mansfield Park" and "Emma". I don't think I would go so far to "S & S" and "Northanger Abbey" and "Lady Susan". I draw a line here. I can't help comparing "Mansfield Park" to "Dreams of Red Chamber" since … Continue reading Reread “Mansfield Park”

After reading "In the Ruins of Empire", my curiosity of Korean War just gets more intense. There are several books to choose from and I hesitated between this one and "The Coldest Winter", which I have it in my kindle library for quite a while but haven't had the time to read. Listening will be … Continue reading “The Korean War” by Bruce Cuming

The book ruined my weekend. I couldn’t put it down before finishing it and ended up spending Saturday and a large portion of Sunday reading through it.I don't know how many times I've read this book, but reading it again enables me to find something new. The narratives are accurate, persuasive, eloquent, and witty. The … Continue reading Reread “Persuasion”

I liked this book when I was young, but then as years pass by, I can't help noticing the laughable implausibility of the main characters, the summary and unsympathetic rejection of Charlotte's views on marriage which were held by many women due to necessity rather than preference. Thank goodness the society has progressed and "well-educated … Continue reading Reread “Pride and Prejudice”

I'm glad that I find this book and it is one of the best history books I've ever read. I only wish it is longer, including more of the Chinese Civil War and the Korean War and the Vietnam War, which of course is too much to wish for. I, like most people, only know … Continue reading Reading “In the Ruins of Empire”

I've always wanted to read a book by Churchill or about Churchill, but never done it. The problem is once I start to read a book, I want to finish it even if I don't like it. I am afraid that I won't like a book of Churchill because of his prejudices against people from … Continue reading Read or Not Read “Quotable Winston Churchill”

I know this book is an American classic, but I have never got around to read it. Then I binge watched several seasons of "Friends", in which Joey read the book, and Rachel forced a couple of spoilers on him. I thought of reading it at the time, but then I didn't, because I didn't … Continue reading Little Women

I wish it is longer. My favorite quote, "Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." "A woman is as old as she looks, a man is as old as he feels…" Since I've never read any book of his or any book about him, I really don't know much about … Continue reading A Witty Conservative–About A Book of Churchill’s Quotes

Reading Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity by Iliza Shlesinger I especially like the beginning portion of the book where the author pointed out the contradicting expectations the society put on women. More so right now than in the past. I really laughed hard, but I don't want to spoil it for anybody. However … Continue reading Logic or No Logic

I didn't think I would like this book, but it turned out I really like it. Still I don't understand all the fuss about this book and all the significance. The same kind of puzzlement can be also applied to the book 1984, and several other dystopian focused works. When I was young, in primary … Continue reading What’s “On the Road”