If you are in the mood for a book with logical plots and neatly resolved endings, then this is not what you’re looking for. But if you have a willingness to just go along for the ride and an ability to suspend disbelief, then you will enjoy Murakami. I’ve read 4 of his books now: first one was Kafka on the Shore, then Wind Up Bird Chronicle, then After Dark and South of the Border.
Saturday, July 2, 2016
South of the Border, West of the Sun, by Haruki Murakami
What I like best about Murakami is the way he can evoke an atmosphere and describe the most mundane everyday situations/objects and bring out how beautiful or satisfying they really are, or introduce an uncanny twist to them. Portraying alienation in a modern world is another thing he’s great at. His writing style is strangely addictive and keeps you reading even when something just too weird to believe has just happened. Sometimes his imagination strays into the overwrought, with gratuitous sex & violence that contribute little to the story or characters (like he just threw them in there for shock value), but that was not the case for this book.
If you are in the mood for a book with logical plots and neatly resolved endings, then this is not what you’re looking for. But if you have a willingness to just go along for the ride and an ability to suspend disbelief, then you will enjoy Murakami. I’ve read 4 of his books now: first one was Kafka on the Shore, then Wind Up Bird Chronicle, then After Dark and South of the Border.
If you are in the mood for a book with logical plots and neatly resolved endings, then this is not what you’re looking for. But if you have a willingness to just go along for the ride and an ability to suspend disbelief, then you will enjoy Murakami. I’ve read 4 of his books now: first one was Kafka on the Shore, then Wind Up Bird Chronicle, then After Dark and South of the Border.
Under the Greenwood Tree, by Thomas Hardy
I read this book after <i>Far from the Madding Crowd</i> and in some ways it is a simpler, more lighthearted version of the later novel. Like <i>Far from the Madding Crowd</i>, the heroine, a young schoolmistress and organist named Fancy Day has three suitors, very different from one another, and she must choose among them. The passions depicted and the events surrounding her choice are much more down to earth and not nearly so dramatic as those of Bathsheba Everdene, so the story has a more serene and relaxing atmosphere. Interwoven with the marriage is that of the pastor's decision to replace the unreliable crew of church musicians with Fancy, who can play the organ, and their unhappiness and speculations about the reasons behind this, the pastor being one of Fancy's suitors.
I have to say I enjoyed <i>Far from the Madding Crowd</i> more than this book, but it was a pleasant and quick read.
I have to say I enjoyed <i>Far from the Madding Crowd</i> more than this book, but it was a pleasant and quick read.
The Case for Democracy, by Natan Sharansky
Natan Sharansky, an erstwhile political prisoner in the Soviet Union, writes about how to accurately tell a free society from a "fear" society (one in which people do not enjoy basic liberties and are kept in check by their leaders through fear of punishment). He makes a good case for why it is in the interest of free societies to conduct their foreign policy in such a way as to link benefits granted to fear societies with requirements that the fear society reform its domestic practices.
Fear societies tend to be poorer and less innovative than free ones, so they often need aid, technology, and other things from free societies, but two of the ways they keep their population in check is 1) to distribute the benefits received so as to keep their population dependent on the dictator's good graces and 2) to present the free society to their people as an enemy in order to produce a state of internal solidarity and hostility against it (as if there were a war going on). Appeasement of dictators is therefore counterproductive as it leads to a vicious circle of increasing their power, aggravating tensions between the countries, and further appeasement by the free society.
It was particularly interesting to read this book shortly after George Kennan's At a Century's Ending: Reflections, 1982-1995 because Kennan has a more traditional view on foreign policy, i.e. stay out of other countries' domestic policy and just concern yourself with their foreign policy. Sharansky uses the relations between the US and USSR during the Cold War and the (seemingly endless) Israeli-Palestinian peace process as examples to illustrate why the traditional approach doesn't work when dealing with fear societies.
Fear societies tend to be poorer and less innovative than free ones, so they often need aid, technology, and other things from free societies, but two of the ways they keep their population in check is 1) to distribute the benefits received so as to keep their population dependent on the dictator's good graces and 2) to present the free society to their people as an enemy in order to produce a state of internal solidarity and hostility against it (as if there were a war going on). Appeasement of dictators is therefore counterproductive as it leads to a vicious circle of increasing their power, aggravating tensions between the countries, and further appeasement by the free society.
It was particularly interesting to read this book shortly after George Kennan's At a Century's Ending: Reflections, 1982-1995 because Kennan has a more traditional view on foreign policy, i.e. stay out of other countries' domestic policy and just concern yourself with their foreign policy. Sharansky uses the relations between the US and USSR during the Cold War and the (seemingly endless) Israeli-Palestinian peace process as examples to illustrate why the traditional approach doesn't work when dealing with fear societies.
Triumph and Tragedy, by Sir Winston Churchill
Brilliant last installment of Winston Churchill's World War II series that clearly outlines the surrenders of Germany and Japan to the Allies, the fateful decisions made about strategy and troop allocations among the different operations, from the Normandy landing to the Mediterranean to the Pacific theater and how these decisions shaped postwar Europe, particularly the formation of the Iron Curtain, the partition of Germany, and Soviet efforts to grab even territories that had been liberated by the Americans and British. Churchill remarks on the differences between how Roosevelt and Truman handled the war, how the invention of the atomic bomb and its use in Hiroshima and Nagasaki changed not only how wars could be fought, but the calculations behind the decisions connected with war. Also included are accounts of the defeat of Chiang Kai-shek against the Chinese communists, India gaining independence from Britain, its partition into India and Pakistan, and Churchill's thoughts on Gandhi and Nehru (given how we tend to lionize Gandhi today I was surprised at some of these!).
I listened to the audiobook of the abridged version and am now motivated to read the full version because there are so many things just touched on briefly that I want to learn about in more detail! In sum, an extremely interesting book that I know will take much re-listening to digest since it covers so much ground, and quickly too.
I listened to the audiobook of the abridged version and am now motivated to read the full version because there are so many things just touched on briefly that I want to learn about in more detail! In sum, an extremely interesting book that I know will take much re-listening to digest since it covers so much ground, and quickly too.
The Life and Miracles of St. Benedict
Concise little biography of St. Benedict that is perfect for those who want to learn what this saint was about. I would have liked for it to go into more detail about the Benedictine Rule, as this saint is known for setting up numerous monasteries and establishing the traditions for Christian monastic life.
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta just turned 800 years old this past June 15 as I was reminded on several websites I visit regularly, so I figured it was time to read it. It is one of those documents whose importance is impressed on people in school, but that few actually read, so I figured that the procrastination went on long enough and that this would be the year I would read it. I read the text off the Project Gutenberg website, which is a translation of the original into modern English, so it was an easy read.
Basically, it is a list of new laws limiting the King's power. The English barons had King John sign it after they won the battle at Runnymede. Most of the items have to do with the rights and duties of the king and the barons (especially the council of 25), inheritance laws, laws about the rights and duties of creditors and debtors, laws protecting the rights of merchants, and taxes. It dispels popular myths about medieval kings being all-powerful and shows the important part historically played by the aristocracy in bringing about the tradition of mixed (and limited) government in the West.
One item (no. 20) in the Magna Carta struck me as glaringly relevant to current events. It says that a man should be fined only in proportion to the degree of his offense and that whether his offense was trivial or serious, the fine should not be large enough to deprive him of his livelihood. Moreover, the fine could not be imposed until reputable people in the same neighborhood assessed it to be appropriate. It brought to mind certain small bakers and florists who have been fined out of their livelihoods within the last few years...
When 800 years is not enough time for a lesson to be learned once and for all, it is safe to assume that the condition is chronic and requires perennial management.
Basically, it is a list of new laws limiting the King's power. The English barons had King John sign it after they won the battle at Runnymede. Most of the items have to do with the rights and duties of the king and the barons (especially the council of 25), inheritance laws, laws about the rights and duties of creditors and debtors, laws protecting the rights of merchants, and taxes. It dispels popular myths about medieval kings being all-powerful and shows the important part historically played by the aristocracy in bringing about the tradition of mixed (and limited) government in the West.
One item (no. 20) in the Magna Carta struck me as glaringly relevant to current events. It says that a man should be fined only in proportion to the degree of his offense and that whether his offense was trivial or serious, the fine should not be large enough to deprive him of his livelihood. Moreover, the fine could not be imposed until reputable people in the same neighborhood assessed it to be appropriate. It brought to mind certain small bakers and florists who have been fined out of their livelihoods within the last few years...
When 800 years is not enough time for a lesson to be learned once and for all, it is safe to assume that the condition is chronic and requires perennial management.
Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
I must have read this ten or more times as a child. My mom had an old hardback copy from the 1940's that she had since her childhood and she gave it to me. That book had a really hard life it was read so often--the cover and spine are falling off. I have always enjoyed stories (no matter how long) that are told in such a way that the people in them become real to me and I can really get into that world. Well Louisa May Alcott definitely has that talent! I won't go into what my favorite parts of the book are because that would involve spoilers.
God Is Love: Deus Caritas Est, by Pope Benedict XVI
I read this a few weeks after C.S. Lewis's <i>The Four Loves</i> and it is an excellent companion to it, with a different emphasis. While Lewis concentrates on defining four different kinds of love: affection, friendship, eros, and charity, Benedict XVI's focus is to differentiate two kinds of love as identified by the Greeks (eros and agape). Each offers a reflection of God's love in the lives of individuals as well as in the life of the Church. Very worthwhile read.
Fathers and Sons, by Ivan Turgenev
This book gives an illustration of the contrast in ideas and attitudes between older and younger generations, between experience and enthusiasm, between abstract thinking and the ability to recognize the limits of reality. Also, it also explores how members of the younger generation learn, eventually, to accept reality as it is when it collides with their pet theories. It is not a plot-heavy novel, but more of a slice of life type of novel, where the author presents various interactions and conversations among the characters during one summer when the sons return home from university. The book was written in the 1860's, but the clash between the generations is timeless.
I first became interested in Turgenev's work after hearing this talk given by Isaiah Berlin, on Turgenev's short story <i>Fire At Sea</i>.
I first became interested in Turgenev's work after hearing this talk given by Isaiah Berlin, on Turgenev's short story <i>Fire At Sea</i>.
Villette, by Charlotte Brontë
I liked this novel even better than Jane Eyre! I read it in high school for the first time and have revisited it more times than I have revisited Jane Eyre. And I seem to understand more and more of it as I get older.
In many respects, the heroine Lucy Snowe is similar to Jane: poor, not so pretty, without family, and needing to make her own way alone in the world. Both are quiet, unobtrusive young women who try to disappear into the background of the society they are in as is suited to their temperament and low social station, while regretting and sometimes envying the more outgoing, fortunate ladies who play a more active role in it. Both are shrewd observers of the people around them. Lucy, however, is a more guarded narrator than Jane. She reveals things to the reader in her own time and you are reminded that she is in full control of the story—making you sometimes question how reliable, complete, or objective her point of view is.
The story is a lot more complex than Jane Eyre and the situations Lucy finds herself in are more realistic than the ones in Jane’s life. No wicked aunts, insane wives, mysterious locked doors, or tormented, moody gentlemen here, so those who like the Gothic element in Jane Eyre and come to Villette looking for more of the same will be disappointed. Maybe this is why Villette is relatively neglected compared to Jane Eyre; it does not make the same strong dramatic impact. However, if you are looking for a story you can lose yourself in with sympathetic and lifelike characters and reflections on problems even more widespread today than in Charlotte Bronte’s time (such as loneliness) then Villette is a great choice.
In many respects, the heroine Lucy Snowe is similar to Jane: poor, not so pretty, without family, and needing to make her own way alone in the world. Both are quiet, unobtrusive young women who try to disappear into the background of the society they are in as is suited to their temperament and low social station, while regretting and sometimes envying the more outgoing, fortunate ladies who play a more active role in it. Both are shrewd observers of the people around them. Lucy, however, is a more guarded narrator than Jane. She reveals things to the reader in her own time and you are reminded that she is in full control of the story—making you sometimes question how reliable, complete, or objective her point of view is.
The story is a lot more complex than Jane Eyre and the situations Lucy finds herself in are more realistic than the ones in Jane’s life. No wicked aunts, insane wives, mysterious locked doors, or tormented, moody gentlemen here, so those who like the Gothic element in Jane Eyre and come to Villette looking for more of the same will be disappointed. Maybe this is why Villette is relatively neglected compared to Jane Eyre; it does not make the same strong dramatic impact. However, if you are looking for a story you can lose yourself in with sympathetic and lifelike characters and reflections on problems even more widespread today than in Charlotte Bronte’s time (such as loneliness) then Villette is a great choice.
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