Giovanni

I enjoyed this greatly. I'm grateful that it reminded me that Justinian is the sole speaker in the sixth canto of Dante's Paradiso, and of one of my (MANY) favorite tercets:

Diverse voci fanno dolci note;

così diversi scanni in nostra vita

rendon dolce armonia tra queste rote.

~~~

Differing voices join to sound sweet music;

so do the different orders in our life

render sweet harmony among these spheres.

Always fun to review some medieval history with Dan Jones!

I struggled to finish this book. My mindset alternated among three states: 1) This is obvious, accepted, and no, there is no need to spend all this time on it (e.g. attention impacts learning); 2) This is plausible, but irrelevant (e.g. pupil dilation); 3) This is unexpected, surprising, potentially interesting, but I don’t see any evidence here that is convincing (e.g. priming and many others).

Very interesting perspective. Not sure what the state of affairs and overall awareness of Cuba in 1970 were, but obviously proposing Cuba as a solution has not aged well, and paradoxically it makes Galeano’s point even better, as it makes the overall situation—if anything—darker.

fascinating and heartbreaking.

I loved this book! It’s passionate, detailed, and engaging (an engaging history book, I guess). Yes, it’s opinionated—but it's the right opinion, in my opinion! This has inspired me to continue my journey through Latin American history. I’ve expanded my original list of three books to include three more: Silver, Sword, and Stone and LatinoLand by Marie Arana, and Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano. If you have more suggestions with English audiobooks, please let me know!

First stop on a two-book emergency tour to go from Clueless to Slightly Less Clueless about Latin American history 😅

not that I needed a reminder, but boy am I ignorant! And I have yet to chart the histories of the Orient!

I loved the affectionate descriptions of animals (there’s a three-page chapter that must be the longest and most delightful description of a turtle in Western literature!), Ma's quiet leadership, and the overall tragic tone. I’m thankful that I listened to it, as I would have found the phonetic dialogues difficult to follow. I wonder if the author would have approved of this preference—probably, it's likely he wouldn't have cared much either way.

She was extended full length at her end of the divan, completely motionless, and with her chin raised a little, as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall.

Characters are sketched so well and so succinctly. It reminds me of those line drawings by Picasso or Matisse, where the whole picture is clear to you, before you realize that they are just a few lines, perfectly placed.

A lot of this is still interesting and relevant, if you are able to forego the psychoanalytic interpretations of psychosis, sexual preference etc. I found the essay included in the appendix of this edition (Classical Adlerian Theory and Practice by Henry T. Stein and Martha E. Edwards, 1998) particularly illuminating.

It is remarkable to read these stories and essays in the era of LMMs. Pretty impressive clairvoyance! Perhaps, after all, it *will* be possible to do in my lifetime what Montaigne did: "long weary of the servitude of the court and of public employments, while still entire, retired to the bosom of the learned virgins, where in calm and freedom from all cares he will spend what little remains of his life, now more than half run out. If the fates permit, he will complete this abode, this sweet ancestral retreat; and he has consecrated it to his freedom, tranquillity, and leisure.”

With this completed, I join the ranks of those anxiously waiting for 'The Fifth Volume'! In the meantime, if the man decides to publish anything else, maybe the cuts of "The Power Broker", or his grocery list, I am ready to get audiobook, EPUB, and printed copy!

Yes, sometimes the details are dry and add little to the overall picture, but having a detailed, definitive account of the events is valuable. One aspect that surprised me was the list of "unheeded signs" that supposedly preceded the Dallas visit. In a scientific account of the events, I would have expected a comparison with other presidential visits. Were there similar tips, threats, and reports of plans to kill the president during other trips? One would assume so. Were the signs in Dallas different in terms of number, credibility, or source? This critical evaluation is missing; only the Dallas "signs" are presented, without comparison to other visits. This gives the impression that the assassination could have been easily prevented. Maybe that is true, but in my opinion, the evidence here does not support it.

Before starting my Caro journey, I was skeptical and wary of the hype. But no—reading Caro is truly a unique experience, one of those rare journeys where, even while you're immersed in it, you already regret that you'll never be able to experience it for the first time again.

What a delightful book. Great complement to the Wolff volumes. I have listened to Bach my whole life, and more and more I appreciate how, with his music (for example the Sonatina from BWV 106, or the Mache dich aria from the St Matthew Passion) he communicates his version of amor fati: yes, life sucks and can be horrible etc., but it also beautiful; you just need to get on with it, and ultimately you cannot but love it.

“Proceed—Persevere—Never despair—don’t give up the ship.”

I was pleasantly surprised. After reading many histories of the Civil War, this helped me to (begin to) see the Southern point of view.

I did have some moments when my resolve faltered, but overall this book met my "made-me-think, would re-read-if-I-had-the-time" criteria for 4⭐️. Chilling descriptions of addiction and depression. Loved the irony/sarcasm, and the prose (albeit often showy). Occasional sexism, racism, ableism etc, not always ascribable to the characters. Erudite, encyclopedic. Learned of many online resources about the book, at least one podcast and an entire community of enthusiasts.

Terrific book, scientifically accurate, full of hope, inspiration, and heartbreak. The story of the CF foundation is a model for other rare disease foundations.

good overview and suggestions

I have occasionally thought, while reading, that my time would have been better spent on another non-fiction book about the middle ages, but eventually liked the way human and ‘small' events came to focus together with ‘big' historical events.

🙄

Tough, complex read (and listen). Takes a while to get oriented. Reminded me of a piece of contemporary music, where you are allowed to follow for a while but then plunged back into a confusion of fragments. Some of this confusion is deliberate (for example, the use of the same name for multiple characters, or the name change in another). Will need a second read! Faulkner wants you do so some work too. How nice when a book (or, for that matter, a poem, music, movie, dinner, painting) makes an impression that stays with you for days!

mostly a recap of the other one, but ok