Mostafa Chizari
Added to listAudiobookwith 21 books.
My father died many years ago now - of natural causes. So it goes. He was a sweet man. He was a gun nut, too. He left me his guns. They rust.
And so it goes...
This book is exquisitely chaotic and canonically deranged. Its fractured looping structure and deadpan takes are a perfect mirror for the sheer absurdity of war, and I loved how little interest Vonnegut has in making things neat or comforting. It's honest, strange, deeply human, and quickly becoming my favourite flavour of fiction.
As an audiobook, though, the constant jumps in chronology left me even more baffled than expected. Still brilliant, but I'd probably recommend reading over listening.
Also I lovedThe Gospel from Outer Space by Kilgore Trout, and I wish I could give it it's own review (which would definitely get 5 stars!)
America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly extremely poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves.
It is in fact a crime for an American to be poor, even though America is a nation of poor.
The American poor are footless, mindless, and disinherited. They find each other hideous, and they have been brought up to believe that a man who is poor has only himself to blame.
They are afraid of each other's contempt, for they have no respect for themselves
My father died many years ago now - of natural causes. So it goes. He was a sweet man. He was a gun nut, too. He left me his guns. They rust.
And so it goes...
This book is exquisitely chaotic and canonically deranged. Its fractured looping structure and deadpan takes are a perfect mirror for the sheer absurdity of war, and I loved how little interest Vonnegut has in making things neat or comforting. It's honest, strange, deeply human, and quickly becoming my favourite flavour of fiction.
As an audiobook, though, the constant jumps in chronology left me even more baffled than expected. Still brilliant, but I'd probably recommend reading over listening.
Also I lovedThe Gospel from Outer Space by Kilgore Trout, and I wish I could give it it's own review (which would definitely get 5 stars!)
America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly extremely poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves.
It is in fact a crime for an American to be poor, even though America is a nation of poor.
The American poor are footless, mindless, and disinherited. They find each other hideous, and they have been brought up to believe that a man who is poor has only himself to blame.
They are afraid of each other's contempt, for they have no respect for themselves
A powerful and unsettling memoir, right from the isolated, survivalist upbringing to the impostor syndrome of formal education. The tension between loyalty to family and the slow awakening of selfhood is where the book really shines, and some moments are genuinely hard to read (meant in the best way).
It reminded me a lot - both in plot and tone - of Jennette McCurdy's memoir, with both books creating a beautiful rendition of the trauma surrounding a push toward independence.
A powerful and unsettling memoir, right from the isolated, survivalist upbringing to the impostor syndrome of formal education. The tension between loyalty to family and the slow awakening of selfhood is where the book really shines, and some moments are genuinely hard to read (meant in the best way).
It reminded me a lot - both in plot and tone - of Jennette McCurdy's memoir, with both books creating a beautiful rendition of the trauma surrounding a push toward independence.
Held up almost entirely by the audiobook performance. The voice acting was genuinely great and did a lot of heavy lifting, so this juuuuust scraped 2 stars for me.
The story itself felt badly paced, with thin character work and big themes that get name-checked but never really explored. I get that it's a short novella, but it still felt bloated - like a 10 page idea stretched out with filler that doesn't add much. The superficial and simplistic tone also made it that much harder to fully engage with what could have been dark and rich material.
Disappointing read, especially given the hype...
Held up almost entirely by the audiobook performance. The voice acting was genuinely great and did a lot of heavy lifting, so this juuuuust scraped 2 stars for me.
The story itself felt badly paced, with thin character work and big themes that get name-checked but never really explored. I get that it's a short novella, but it still felt bloated - like a 10 page idea stretched out with filler that doesn't add much. The superficial and simplistic tone also made it that much harder to fully engage with what could have been dark and rich material.
Disappointing read, especially given the hype...
‘Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.'
A genuinely lovely listen — almost like getting quiet life advice from a thoughtful Japanese uncle. Murakami threads his memories and routines through running so naturally that the whole thing feels both personal and meditative. A simple but beautifully resonant memoir that holds together surprisingly well through that single repeating variable.
‘Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.'
A genuinely lovely listen — almost like getting quiet life advice from a thoughtful Japanese uncle. Murakami threads his memories and routines through running so naturally that the whole thing feels both personal and meditative. A simple but beautifully resonant memoir that holds together surprisingly well through that single repeating variable.
A good book with a lot to say. It hits some genuinely important themes around identity and vulnerability but the writing style was just far too over the top for me - every feeling wrapped in layers of metaphor, to the point where I kept missing the heart of what the story was trying to do. For such a short novel, it somehow felt much longer, and not always in a good way. I appreciated the intent and the emotion, but the drama of the prose often drowned out the clarity I was waiting for.
A good book with a lot to say. It hits some genuinely important themes around identity and vulnerability but the writing style was just far too over the top for me - every feeling wrapped in layers of metaphor, to the point where I kept missing the heart of what the story was trying to do. For such a short novel, it somehow felt much longer, and not always in a good way. I appreciated the intent and the emotion, but the drama of the prose often drowned out the clarity I was waiting for.
Honestly, this one just didn't do much for me. I listened to it as an audiobook, which might've played a part, but the writing felt so simple and the story never really surprised me. I already had a rough idea of the plot going in, and the book didn't give me much beyond that - no extra depth or layers to make it hit harder. It's a quick read, sure, but also a pretty underwhelming one.
Honestly, this one just didn't do much for me. I listened to it as an audiobook, which might've played a part, but the writing felt so simple and the story never really surprised me. I already had a rough idea of the plot going in, and the book didn't give me much beyond that - no extra depth or layers to make it hit harder. It's a quick read, sure, but also a pretty underwhelming one.
