This book is a beautiful small gem. It's about a swimming pool and its regulars making their daily laps. Central character is Alice, who suffers from dementia.
Otsuka is proof that a good writer can make the ordinary special. No need for spectacular plots.
It has its own, unique style. Using many repeating wordings to describe what people think, feel or say. These are like brushstrokes, painting a touching story.
Wow, this is a truly original contribution to the history of science. Central character is John von Neumann. He pioneered in ideas of the computer, atomic bomb, game theory and artificial intelligence.
Fortunately you don't need scientific knowledge for this book. It's told by the people nearest to him in an interesting mosaic of voices. How close his genius and madness were.
The writing is thrilling, in a beautiful literary style. Masterpiece!
The main character looks back on his time as a German soldier at the eastern front in World War II. With the wisdom of old age he describes the horror and absurdity of war. And he reflects on the questions of guilt and shame, of being on the wrong side as a German.
This is a less known perspective on WWII, at least to me. Very impressive. Very well written.
It's so long ago that I read Remarque's book that I won't try to compare. I remember that I was really impressed, but not many details. It might be different in tone.
Starritt's book has a human, almost down-to-earth voice, making it all the more impressive, imo.
"Crook Manifesto" is Colson Whitehead's second book about Harlem. In the 1970s it's a sordid world full of crime and racism. But still, both books are a kind of love song to the city and its crooked people. But even crooks have their own sense of honesty, their crook manifesto.
I am blown away by Whitehead's writing. The language is both tough and beautiful, in a mesmerising mix. My favourite line: "Crime is just how folks talk to each other sometimes".
Bakewell portrays humanism by describing the life and thoughts of a series of humanist people over 700 years. What binds them is freethinking, liberty, critical enquiry and empathy for others.
Much more lively and fun than most philosophy books. Full of enthusiasm, wonderful stories and witty observations.
Highly recommended to anyone who wants to keep their belief in humanity.
On New Year's Eve the 85 year old Lilian takes a long walk in Manhattan. On the way she visits places from her past and talks to people she meets. Meanwhile she looks back on her life as an ad copywriter, poet, wife and mother
You can't help but love her independent, prickly character and her way with words
You can read her as a feminist, but this is not too explicit or preaching, which I liked all the better
A really beautiful book about a man after a long period of grief. Slowly he is opening himself up again to other people and to everything that happened in the past.
Very well written. Moving without getting maudlin. This is a thin line that only good writers can get right.
Zojuist heb ik "Een dwaze maagd" van Ida Simons uitgelezen. Oorspronkelijk uit 1959, opnieuw uitgegeven in 2014 als een van de vele 'herontdekte meesterwerken'.
Over een meisje dat opgroeit in het interbellum in Den Haag, Antwerpen en Berlijn.
Ik heb vooral genoten van de licht vileine manier waarop de hoofdpersoon haar (joodse) familie beschrijft. Er is veel ruzie en gedoe over status en gedrag. Voor de hoofdpersoon is dat soms ontluisterend, maar de toon blijft licht en nuchter.
Zojuist "De macht van het verleden" van Ivo v.d. Wijdeven uitgelezen.
Geweldig boek over hoe machthebbers de geschiedenis inzetten. Door selectief te winkelen in het verleden herschrijven ze de geschiedenis. Die zetten ze in voor hun eigen nationalistische agenda.
Dit fenomeen is zo oud als de weg naar Rome, maar wordt hier uitgewerkt voor Rusland, Polen, Turkije, China en het VK.
About a woman in Sarajevo during the siege in 1992. Trapped in the city, with water, food, electricity and other supplies cut off. They are keeping their humanity through art, books, kindness (symbolised by bridges).
I found the best aspect of this book the historical setting.
While reading it, the news from Gaza/Israel created unexpected reflections. Of course these wars are very different, but the horribleness is similar.
I enjoyed this book very much. I always like books where the story is told from different perspectives. In this case three members of a Canadian family in the late 1960s.
It is very well written. Lawson doesn't need all kinds of bells and whistles. The writing is straightforward, almost unobtrusively good.
This book is so much fun, just like Osman's first one about a group of elderly people solving murders.
The plot is nicely surprising. But just like all good detectives/thrillers it's not really about the plot. It's the wonderful characters and dialogues that make it so good.
Looking forward to the third and fourth of the Thursday Murder Club series.
@MarianHellema@bookstodon I listened to that on audiobook and loved it. Not sure about getting the next one though: apparently the narrator is a man instead of the perfect (woman) narrator who did the first 2. I don’t think I can switch.
I loved "Skippy dies", but this time I have mixed feelings.
Murray writes very well, making you want to read on and on. The story is told from four perspectives. The characters are only partly aware of the others' story, so as a reader you have to put the pieces together. This works very well.
But I found it all a bit too much: a bit too long, the psychology a bit too heavy, the storylines a bit too far-fetched.