Judy
I picked the book up because a reviewer of the fantasy novel “Babel” by R.F. Kuang suggested that a reader who enjoyed this YA fiction novel might be inspired to read this nonfiction book that deals with the same time period and the 19th century war capitalism effects on a global scale.
Babel by R.F. Kuang - Classics of Science Fiction
I skipped the YA novel and went right to this book and I'm pleased with my random path to this book. It was insightful and clear about the connections that evolve as a commodity becomes part of a system of trade, beginning with local subsistence production to a nation-based medium of exchange and eventually a global force for war capitalism, colonization, slavery, and eventually decolonization.
It's written with an interested general reader in mind, yet has enough extended examples, research and interpretation to be included on a course syllabus. This author will be on my list of ones to watch watch when I'm looking for good economic history reads.
Picked this up because it was read by the main character in the novel “Solenoid” by Mircea Cărtărescu and the character considered it a foundational book in his life. It probably never would have crossed my radar otherwise.
It's quite the romantic/historical story typical of early 1900s, with impassioned speeches and intense loves and relationships. Quite critical of religious and political institutions, with the Italian uprisings of the 1840s as the background for a general comment on the need for revolution and revolts to fight injustice all over the world.
I'm glad I read it simply for the look at a historical time/setting I was very unfamiliar with, and looking into the author's background and family led me down all kinds of neat trails. But, the novel itself wasn't exactly as riveting or transformational as I expected, based on the “Solenoid” character's reaction.
Enjoyed the linguistic stream of philosophy, mathematics, history, and all the things coming at a speed I've never experienced before...but also found myself overwhelmed in too many spots with that same dump of words. I can appreciate the innovative experiments the author was making with the writing, yet I ended up feeling dissatisfied with the wrap-up of the novel.
Three reasons I picked up this book: 1) heard the author read the Ranney letters aloud on his Vimeo/YouTube channel, 2) the Hotchkiss name is part of my genealogy, so I needed to follow up my curiosity, and 3) the author's other book on Charles Knowlton was such a fascinating read and I wanted to know more. (The author has also read aloud the Knowlton book–check it out on his video channel!)
This book is an excellent example of using the history of a single concept (peppermint essence) to explore a variety of social and economic issues. Tracing connections and narrating the real-life workings of family and community seemed to uncover all kinds of unappreciated and/or unknown aspects of history that warrant even more reading and study. The sections on Albert M. Todd were especially fruitful in expanding my awareness of this time period and economic/social history in general.
Because this started as a dissertation, there are sections that can be somewhat dry. Yet I still found myself surprised at how much the unconventional interpretations of many of the topics made me want to know more, (i.e. would love to read a more focused study on the Mentha farm that A.M. Todd set up). Hopefully, the author will keep writing and sharing on these topics.
I got this book after listening to the author chat about it in an online book club for a completely different book/topic. I found the author's YouTube site where he was posting his own audio readings of the chapters and I was hooked.
I'm amazed that Dr. Charles Knowlton's biography hasn't been written sooner! I thoroughly enjoyed reading the narrative of his life and the picture of rural America communities in the early 1800s that came to life in this book. I even found mention of a distant relative of mine (Hiram Hotchkiss) included in the story–another way I found the whole book such an engaging read.
The print version has some great notes on resources and Mr. Allosso's own thoughts and informed interpretations as well. I can see myself using this book as a source for other lines of research and reading–the freethinkers movement, the history of medicine, rural American economy (peppermint oil!) and of course, the birth-control and population control controversies of the time.
If you're into reading history/biography written in an accessible and entertaining manner, this book should go on your TBR list.
Interesting look at the information (and misinformation) surrounding reproduction and birth control during the early 1800s. The appendix and notes also point to other lines of history to explore. One example: In the last paragraph or so of the book, a vague reference is made to “The Fall River affair” as an example of how information about contraception might have made for a a less tragic outcome. After following the rabbit trail this opened for me, I learned that this refers to a case of a young woman (Sarah Maria Cornell) working in the mills (therefore–a “loose” woman) who had found herself pregnant by a married, upstanding man in the community. So, she hung herself (or maybe was forced/murdered/?). The note in the pamphlet isn't condemning or condoning, just pointing out that better information might have made a difference for one young woman's life. [bc:An Infidel Body-Snatcher and the Fruits of His Philosophy 17618612 An Infidel Body-Snatcher and the Fruits of His Philosophy Dan Allosso https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1363413599l/17618612.SY75.jpg 24585026] [b:An Infidel Body-Snatcher and the Fruits of His Philosophy 17618612 An Infidel Body-Snatcher and the Fruits of His Philosophy Dan Allosso https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1363413599l/17618612.SY75.jpg 24585026] by [a:Dan Allosso 867754 Dan Allosso https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1602539141p2/867754.jpg] was the instigator for my curiosity in reading about Charles Knowlton's life. Lots of fascinating history to explore–history of birth control and medicine, religion, New England settlement, family history, book publishing, etc.
Enjoying this series of “Introducing....: A Graphic Guide” overviews on a variety of topics. I appreciated how the fundamental theories, principles and terms were explained, with the amount of detail just about right. I'm reading some heavy philosophy of language books right now, with no background in semiotics or linguistics, and this book has helped me with unfamiliar concepts and people behind the theories.
An unconventional story that carries you along with the thoughts and emotions of a woman taking off into a schizophrenic-like flight from herself. The author's lovely and evocative writing made me feel inside the experience of the characters and their different levels of coping and disassociation. Somewhat frustrated by the uncertain closure of the novel, but I suppose that is what keeps it in my mind even after I've finished reading.
Liked this book as a whole and the way the author explored the “Culture” goals of utopia and the hubris of imperial ideology when making contact with other civilizations. The author really knows how to do dialogue well, yet you don't feel like you're reading the author's views in a heavy-handed way. I felt I was experiencing truly different opinions from various characters on the themes. I'm anticipating reading the whole series because I really enjoyed the first two, but actually, this one didn't quite live up to my expectations.
The structure of the novel, with alternating chapters dipping into different timelines of the main character's life, one line progressing forward, and the other line working backward from the start of the protagonist's life, just didn't work for me. It kept taking me out of the story as I needed to figure out where the plot was going. Even with the chapter titles written as numbers going forward, and as Roman numerals for the backward line, I still felt confused too often. I tend to prefer one plotline over the other when a book splits like this. I was more comfortable reading the forward-moving plot, but I was more engaged with the character in the regressing plotline.
Didn't really care for the ending, but that didn't spoil the rest of the book for me. If you enjoy military sci-fi, but with a less emphasis on glorifying war, this book works well. The author explains battle tactics and strategy with the right amount of detail that I could visualize easily.
Even though this is only my third book to read in the series, I feel I would recommend this one only after reading at least the first two, and maybe even skipping this one until you have read more.
Stumbled on this at a thrift store and was mainly drawn to the illustrations and map inside the endpapers, but was pleasantly surprised with the travel information/history story of Iceland, even if it was written before the 1950s. Nice overview of cultural topics, i.e., food, native animals, family, mythology, etc.
Magical realism isn't really my reading “thing”, so this wasn't a story I found all that compelling. The main “villain” of the story, Mama Elena, was the most interesting character to me: “Unquestionably, when it came to dividing, dismantling, dismembering, desolating, detaching, dispossessing, destroying, or dominating, Mama Elena was a pro.” Love that quote.
Even though the book was just okay for me, I'm still interested in seeing the movie, just to see how Mama Elena is portrayed.
I did enjoy the recipes and instructions for cooking various Mexican dishes intriguing. I wished there had been more focus on the historical context of area and time period, but that's because I'm a nerd. :-)
After watching the mini-series adaptation on NetFlix for this novel, I had to read the book and see how the two formats compared to each other. I'm already a big Margaret Atwood fan, so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed in her book. I felt there was the right amount of switching between different characters' points-of-view to tell the story well, yet keep you guessing as to the reliability of the character's words. Atwood also has a gift for inserting dry, deadpan humor in the story that makes you connect to the story, avoiding any hint of moralizing or preachiness about the way the world worked then...or the way it does now, especially around women's roles and attitudes toward them.
I usually end up liking a book much better than the movie, but I have to say that in this case, I got a lot out of watching the movie as well as reading the book. If you've only read the book, or only watched the movie, I would suggest you try the alternate version. I had a more enriching experience of the story as a whole through both mediums.
“You can't control what you see, but you can control what you're looking for.”
Good book for a basic explanation of how depressive, negative thoughts and behaviors interact to start the downward spiral into depression. The bulk of the book retells the various studies and experimental results in neuroscience that explain how depression might work, in a more accessible way for the general reader. If this is the first book you've picked up on neuroscience/depression, it's a good introduction.
I usually have a special affinity for dystopian novels with a literary style rather than a thriller plot, but this one just didn't work for me. The structure of jumping from pre-collapse to post-collapse was distracting and kept me from getting into the characters enough to keep their plot lines straight. There were some very beautiful, lyrical passages, but I was expecting more after all the buzz online surrounding this novel. It wouldn't be my first choice if I were asked for a recommendation of a good dystopian novel.
This last book in the series was my least favorite, simply because the narrative felt somewhat bloated just to make the fourth book. But I'm still glad to have read the series and wrapped up the story of Karl Oskar and Kristina immigration to Minnesota. The author did phenomenal work getting the story as authentic as possible and it worked for me.
Anyone interested in immigration during the 1850s from Europe to America would benefit from reading this book. Trying to track down the movie made from the first two books now to expand my appreciation of this series.
Reading through this series and still enjoying the authenticity of the immigration experience as lived by this Swedish family. My only complaint in this book is the long digression into Karl Oskar's younger brother's “gold fever” and its consequences. The storytelling of this part just didn't match the rest of the book and took me out of the story in a negative way.
Compelling, provocative arguments about our decline into complacency and disengagement as a society. We seek and protect security, avoid change and disruption....then find that we need resets and shake-ups to grow. Cyclic nature of history is more true to reality than a constant march of upward progress. The first half of the book was pretty dry with statistics and data, but the second half presented the arguments quite simply and logically. Will be reading his other books soon.
“She had emigrated and now she lived so far away that only her thoughts could carry her back.”
I am loving this series of novels detailing the immigrant experience of Swedish settlers coming into Minnesota during the 1850s. It's obvious the author did extensive historical research to capture the lived experience of this family, and he was skilled in writing to connect the reader with the emotional aspect of the characters. The differences between how men and women tended to adapt to their new home in America is well-drawn, and there are lots of opportunities to compare what the emigrant/immigrant experience was like then with the way it might be now for others.
The writing feels more authentic and lyrical with it being translated from Swedish and I think it really added to my enjoyment of the novel. Book #3 is on the fast-track to my currently-reading pile.