There Is Simply Too Much to Think About: Collected Nonfiction by Saul Bellow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Some really good essays, but also a lot of repetition and hand-wringing over modernity. Sometimes you just want to shout “Deal with it!”.
Author: dave
Moral Imagination: Implications of Cognitive Science for Ethics by Mark Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Johnson investigates the imaginative basis of morality and offers a thoroughgoing refutation of both absolutist and absolutely relativist moral theories as being inconsistent with the modern understanding of how people think and behave.
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Review: The Cartel
The Cartel by Don Winslow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The intense sequel to The Power of the Dog. A chilling indictment of the human disaster that is the war on drugs.
The Great War and Modern Memory by Paul Fussell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A humane elegy to the inhabitants of the “troglodyte world” of the Great War trenches and how their experience and response have shaped our view of war and the modern world ever since.
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Review: Ready Player One
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A pretty fun and fast-paced sci-fi read. Though nominally set in a dreary future, the book’s premise allows it to pack in as many ’80s references as it’s possible for a novel to have.
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Review: Lush Life
Lush Life by Richard Price
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Great police procedural with deft changes of perspective.
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Review: The Quincunx
The Quincunx by Charles Palliser
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A unique and enjoyable read. Just remember to bring your stamina.
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Review: The Brink: Stories
The Brink: Stories by Austin Bunn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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Review: How Fiction Works
How Fiction Works by James Wood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A perceptive analysis of the elements of fiction, including character, dialogue and voice, with many examples drawn from a wide range of authors.