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1 Comment
FINISHED:
**Imperium, by Robert Harris**
I enjoyed the subject of this book tremendously, especially its first part. It did feel like the author drew a line as to how far the real events should be fictionalised and I respect his restraint but, sadly, this made it harder for me to maintain my immersion, as by the time something interesting popped up, the narrative quickly changed to the next thing in the chronology of the events. Still, I genuinely loved the story and the setting.
**The Wave, by Todd Strasser**
I was familiar with the subject of the book and have seen the film; however, what escaped me before was the impact the experiment had on the teacher, so it was interesting to have some fresh insight into that part of the story, i.e., how power corrupts.
**Paingod: And Other Delusions + From the Land of Fear, by Harlan Ellison**
I didn’t expect to enjoy Ellison’s writing as much as I did. It is dark and disturbing and at times pretty damn questionable yet it seems to come from a genuine desire for discovery rather than some grotesque need to shock and awe. It’s not that I enjoy reading men write violence and SA into their stories but I appreciate when they reveal something visceral of themselves, and Ellison has a pathological need to wear his heart on his sleeve. In that I’m not even sure what I enjoyed more, his stories, which in and of themselves were not particularly consistent, or his personal comments preceding each of those stories. In a way, this reminded me of J.G. Ballard’s comments on *The Atrocity Exhibition*, which (although far less personal) made me enjoy that book so much more.
**Miss Lonelyhearts, by Nathanael West**
Referred to by Harlan Ellison in one of his introductions. The premise of an Agony Aunt newspaper columnist’s life unravelling as he gets more and more traumatised by readers’ pleadings for help and advice sounded really promising. And yes, it was an interesting tale, but something was missing… I just couldn’t feel the desperation of the main character, there was no arc. It was chaotic and cynical but aside from a handful of letters/personal stories it didn’t really touch me in a way that I expected it to. Like, everything aside from those letters, felt insubstantial, even the final act was almost like a sidenote, though perhaps that was the point…?
**Diaboliad, by Mikhail Bulgakov**
This has been on my TBR for so long I’ve completely forgotten about it, until I saw someone else here pick it up last week. What a fantastic read. Can clearly see some of the elements that 40 or so years later came to inhabit *The Master and Margarita*. The pace of it, the anxiety that you feel for the main character as he raced to complete each and every bureaucratic obstacle was insane. Loved it.
**Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman**
Finally finished after starting it back in April. The less said about it the better.
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STARTED:
**Task Force Hammer, by Craig Alanson**
Book 17… I am finally caught up with the series.
**Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters & Seymour: An Introduction, by J.D. Salinger**
Mentioned by Harlon Ellison
**This Much is True, by Miriam Margolyes**
Something different for a change.