Nika

necessary read for our times.

Almost perfect little book soured by the ludicrous ending.

James UNCHAINED!

Can't recommend this enough. On the surface, a story of a survival, but the book goes much farther than mere description of 117 days at sea. Ultimately this is an amazing account of two lives, unique and at same time mundane, just as almost everybody's life will turn out to be.

I rarely envy people, but it's nearly impossible not to feel jealous of a guy's life who has lived 100 lives.

This book slaps

As this is my first serious book read in German, I'll be brief and on point: Grandios!

I wanted to mention a Nobel prize in this review so much, but I doubt the committee won't be able to produce an worthy assessment and put in words the phantasmagoria Mr. Cartarescu writes about.

Fun fact: follow the author on instagram, much fun guaranteed.

One of the best works of nonfiction I've ever read. Packer writes with such clarity and compassion about the decline of once-thriving American towns and the people left behind. The characters are unforgettable—funny, flawed, full of hope and disappointment. It's a mix of personal stories, political shifts, economic change, and the rise of tech, all woven into a portrait of a country coming undone. Reading this now feels essential—it gives you a deeper understanding of how we ended up where we are today in America.

I am torn between 4 and 5 stars. it is a book like no other, with a perspective on the mode of life that none us has experienced up until reading this book (ok, maybe in the form of Groundhog Day movie, but that doesn't really count), but at the same time it could be a bit sleep inductive.

It's a movie encyclopaedia with some banter and trivia in between.

Even if Monica was just this stunning visual spectacle it is now, it would still deserve the highest praise. But beyond the striking artwork, Clowes delivers a story that's wild, unpredictable, and deeply absorbing. It doesn't get much better than this.

A book like no other. Full of new, prescient ideas, literary dimensions and predictions (most of which ultimately came true). It's complex, funny, infinitely re-readable, and expands an understanding of what a novel can be, and do. A thunderbolt!

Don't sleep on this modern masterpiece.

If anyone needed a reminder that not all Booker Prize finalists are deserving of the honor, here it is. This novel attempts an elegiac tone, aiming to convey what Carl Sagan captured so succinctly in his Pale Blue Dot essay—only in a long and daunting manner. Add some geographical descriptions here, a hint of political tension there—and voilà! You've got a book on your hands.

Magisterial! (I always wanted to use the word “magisterial” in my reviews)

Discovering and accepting oneself is the greatest learning journey one can undertake. For writers, this means identifying their unique tone, style, and cadence, and coming to terms with these elements. But what happens when a writer's natural style doesn't align with the grandeur of the sci-fi concepts they aim to explore? What if the prose is choppy, reminiscent of a telenovela, occasionally even pulpy? How does one reconcile this disparity? The answer, it seems, lies in adopting a style that may not feel authentic but serves the story at hand. This approach is challenging and may only last until the creative fuel runs dry, leading to stylistic exhaustion.

In this collection, comprising fewer than ten stories, the author delivers two near-perfect tales in terms of form, style, and content—the very first two stories. Alas, the subsequent reading grew more daunting and slow, until I had to abandon the very last story.

Four stars aren't bad either.

he writes as if he has the experience and outlook as vast as ten people. i wish i could write like this :'-(

DNF because it's not really relevant for a person living outside of the United States, except for maybe some nuggets of universal revelations. At this stage I've read numerous books about the dysfunctional medical/mental institutions in the US, and this isn't even best of those. I do feel that it's a must read for people interested in the topic, even for those on the fringes. Also, a strong argument to have multi-party system) #FeelTheBern

“A braw readin but whit a sad dreich.”

Consistently great stories every 2 years. Mr. King still has the fire burning, and Will Patton narrates it comfortingly and bone-chillingly at times, matching the pace and the mood of each story like an absolute master.

Favorite stories/novellas: Two Talented Bastids, Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream, The Answer Man.

“ბუნკერის” კითხვას 2024 წლის პროტესტების ფონზე, აღდგომა დღეს ვამთავრებ და ნათლად ვხედავ ბოლო ათწლეულებია, სიზიფეს მითის მსგავსად, ეს ბუნკერიდან ამოყვანილი ქვეყანა მაინც როგორ უკან გვისრიალდება იმ მყრალ რეალობაში რომელსაც ასე კარგად აღწერს ივა, ისე კარგად რომ წიგნის დასრულების შემდეგ კბილების გახეხვა და წყლის გადავლება გჭირდება, მითუმეტეს თუ მამუკასაც გერმანიაში არ ხარ გაზრდილი და წიგნის ყველა გვერდი კითხვისას ნერვებს გაწიწკნის და გახსენებს იმ დამპალ რეალობას, რომელიც შეცვლილი გგონია მაგრამ სინამდვილეში კარგად იმალება თბილისის გარეუბნებში, “სტამბასა” და “ლოლიტასგან” ძალიან შორს მაგრამ მაინც იმდენად ახლოს რომ ერთი პატარა წიგნი და ძალიან რეალური პერსონჟებია საჭირო რომ ისევ ღრმად ჩაგხედოს თვალებში. ჰო და, არა რუსულ კანონს ყველა გარეთ პარლამენტის წინ 19:00-ზე, და იმედია წლების შემდეგ “ჯენ ზი” რომ წაიკითხავს ამ რომანს, ჩემსავით არ შეაჟრჟოლებს და დააფასებს მხოლოდ იმ სხვა ბევრი კარგი თვისებისთვის, რომელიც მართლა აქვს და რომლის ჩამოთვლას აქ არ მოვუყვები და უბრალოდ გირჩევთ თვითონ წაიკითხოთ.

The title story is just one perfect graphic story: brutal, tight, smart and real. The rest are fine too.

This is not a good book. it is an entertainment, but not even a good one at that.

I do understand that this is tad different from his other novels and presents basically a roman a clef, but... is this it? Just a conventional retelling of what we already knew, with some medical recovery anecdotes sprinkled on top?

I'm amazed how can one water down a story that involves 14 KNIFE WOUNDS, and mostly talk about celebrity friendships, endlessly quote your past work, constantly fret about what insurance covers, - the list goes on. Also, I don't think anyone should be allowed to call their work “meditations” since Marcus Aurelius died 2000 years ago. Especially if you're going to be writing about mundane stuff.

I do sound harsh, but I do not allow (!) writers just fleetingly compare himself to Grass and Borges.

Uneven. 3.5 stars