Marcus's bookshelf: all en-US Mon, 12 May 2025 00:04:15 -0700 60 Marcus's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[Quantum Computing for Everyone]]> 54391242 An accessible introduction to an exciting new area in computation, explaining such topics as qubits, entanglement, and quantum teleportation for the general reader.Quantum computing is a beautiful fusion of quantum physics and computer science, incorporating some of the most stunning ideas from twentieth-century physics into an entirely new way of thinking about computation. In this book, Chris Bernhardt offers an introduction to quantum computing that is accessible to anyone who is comfortable with high school mathematics. He explains qubits, entanglement, quantum teleportation, quantum algorithms, and other quantum-related topics as clearly as possible for the general reader. Bernhardt, a mathematician himself, simplifies the mathematics as much as he can and provides elementary examples that illustrate both how the math works and what it means.

Bernhardt introduces the basic unit of quantum computing, the qubit, and explains how the qubit can be measured; discusses entanglement—which, he says, is easier to describe mathematically than verbally—and what it means when two qubits are entangled (citing Einstein's characterization of what happens when the measurement of one entangled qubit affects the second as “spooky action at a distance�); and introduces quantum cryptography. He recaps standard topics in classical computing—bits, gates, and logic—and describes Edward Fredkin's ingenious billiard ball computer. He defines quantum gates, considers the speed of quantum algorithms, and describes the building of quantum computers. By the end of the book, readers understand that quantum computing and classical computing are not two distinct disciplines, and that quantum computing is the fundamental form of computing. The basic unit of computation is the qubit, not the bit.]]> 214 Chris Bernhardt 0262350947 Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.19 2019 Quantum Computing for Everyone
author: Chris Bernhardt
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2019
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Ein Kampf um Rom: historischer Roman]]> 12961211
Es ist die Amtszeit des letzten Römischen Kaisers der Antike Justinian. Das Byzantinische Reich kämpft gegen den Einfall der Goten.

Dahn achtete darauf, seine Geschichte so historisch korrekt wie möglich zu schreiben.]]> 700 Felix Dahn 3843001987 Marcus 0 currently-reading 1.00 1876 Ein Kampf um Rom: historischer Roman
author: Felix Dahn
name: Marcus
average rating: 1.00
book published: 1876
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/02/14
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]]> <![CDATA[What Is ChatGPT Doing... and Why Does It Work?]]> 123245371 143 Stephen Wolfram 1579550827 Marcus 0 currently-reading 3.88 What Is ChatGPT Doing... and Why Does It Work?
author: Stephen Wolfram
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.88
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]]> <![CDATA[Shadow & Claw (The Book of the New Sun, #1-2)]]> 58403570 The Shadow of the Torturer is the first volume in this four-volume epic, the tale of young Severian, an apprentice to the Guild of Torturers on the world called Urth, exiled for committing the ultimate sin of his profession- showing mercy toward his victim.

The Claw of the Conciliator continues the saga of Severian, banished from his home, as he undertakes a mythic quest to discover the awesome power of an ancient relic and learn the truth about his hidden destiny.

This new Tor Essentials edition of Shadow & Claw contains a new introduction by historian and novelist Ada Palmer, author of the award-winning Too Like the Lightning.]]> 528 Gene Wolfe Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.08 1994 Shadow & Claw (The Book of the New Sun, #1-2)
author: Gene Wolfe
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.08
book published: 1994
rating: 0
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date added: 2025/01/05
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]]> <![CDATA[John Carter: The First Barsoom Trilogy (Barsoom #1-3)]]> 21306980
John Carter, a fictional lead character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, appears in Burroughs' Barsoom novels, a fictionalized version of Mars. This first novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs was written between July and September 28, 1911, and serialized as Under the Moons of Mars in the pulp magazine The All-Story from February to July 1912. It later appeared as a complete novel only after the success of Burroughs' Tarzan series. For its October 1917 hardcover publication by A.C. McClurg & Company, the novel was retitled A Princess of Mars.

Although Carter is actually a Virginian from Earth (he served as a captain in the American Civil War on the side of the Confederacy), and only a visitor to Mars, he is sometimes known as John Carter of Mars, in reference to the setting in which his major deeds are recorded.

His character and courtesy exemplify the ideals of the antebellum South, and John Carter has endured, having appeared in various media including the 2012 Disney-made feature film John Carter, which marks the hundredth anniversary of Carter's first appearance.]]> Edgar Rice Burroughs Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.07 1991 John Carter: The First Barsoom Trilogy (Barsoom #1-3)
author: Edgar Rice Burroughs
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1991
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Raspberry Pi Assembly Language Programming: ARM Processor Coding]]> 49647014
What You'll Learn

Program basic ARM 32-Bit Assembly LanguageInterface with the various hardware devices on the Raspberry PiComprehend code containing Assembly languageUse the official ARM reference documentation





Who This Book Is ForCoders who have already learned to program in a higher-level language like Python, Java, C#, or C and now wish to learn Assembly programming.]]> 385 Stephen Smith 148425287X Marcus 0 currently-reading 5.00 Raspberry Pi Assembly Language Programming: ARM Processor Coding
author: Stephen Smith
name: Marcus
average rating: 5.00
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rating: 0
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date added: 2024/12/03
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]]> <![CDATA[Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)]]> 18759417 "This is the definitive reference book for any serious or professional UNIX systems programmer. Rago has updated and extended the original Stevens classic while keeping true to the original."

—Andrew Josey, Director, Certification, The Open Group, and Chair of the POSIX 1003.1 Working Group

For over a decade, serious C programmers have relied on one book for practical, in-depth knowledge of the programming interfaces that drive the UNIX and Linux kernels: W. Richard Stevens' Advanced Programming in the UNIX® Environment. Now, Stevens' colleague Stephen Rago has thoroughly updated this classic to reflect the latest technical advances and add support for today's leading UNIX and Linux platforms.

Rago carefully retains the spirit and approach that made this book a classic. Building on Stevens' work, he begins with basic topics such as files, directories, and processes, carefully laying the groundwork for understanding more advanced techniques, such as signal handling and terminal I/O.

Substantial new material includes chapters on threads and multithreaded programming, using the socket interface to drive interprocess communication (IPC), and extensive coverage of the interfaces added to the latest version of the POSIX.1 standard. Nearly all examples have been tested on four of today's most widely used UNIX/Linux platforms: FreeBSD 5.2.1; the Linux 2.4.22 kernel; Solaris 9; and Darwin 7.4.0, the FreeBSD/Mach hybrid underlying Apple's Mac OS X 10.3.

As in the first edition, you'll learn through example, including more than 10,000 lines of downloadable, ANSI C source code. More than 400 system calls and functions are demonstrated with concise, complete programs that clearly illustrate their usage, arguments, and return values. To tie together what you've learned, the book presents several chapter-length case studies, each fully updated for contemporary environments.

Advanced Programming in the UNIX® Environment has helped a generation of programmers write code with exceptional power, performance, and reliability. Now updated for today's UNIX/Linux systems, this second edition will be even more indispensable.

]]> 1013 W. Richard Stevens Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.50 1992 Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)
author: W. Richard Stevens
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1992
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/19
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]]> Decline and Fall 205104270 Waugh is recognised as one of the great prose stylists of the English language in the 20th century.]]> 137 Evelyn Waugh 1774645742 Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.04 1928 Decline and Fall
author: Evelyn Waugh
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1928
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/10/14
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]]> <![CDATA[The Collected Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel: Omnibus Edition of Sir Percy's Adventures (Illustrated)]]> 58866462 0 Emmuska Orczy Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.00 The Collected Adventures of the Scarlet Pimpernel: Omnibus Edition of Sir Percy's Adventures (Illustrated)
author: Emmuska Orczy
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.00
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]]> <![CDATA[The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel]]> 19191794 214 Emmuska Orczy Marcus 0 currently-reading 3.98 1919 The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel
author: Emmuska Orczy
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1919
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/08/09
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]]> Fishing For Dummies 55363231 TheĚýcompleteĚýfisherman’s friendĚýĚý

The fully updatedĚýFishingĚýForĚýDummies, 3rdĚýEdition,ĚýexperiencedĚýangler and fishing writerĚýGreg Schwipps shows that while none of us is born to angling, we can all achieve it—and become great at it.ĚýWhether you love fishing for fun or sport, this hands-on friendly guide has everything you need to make sure that there need never be such a thing as “the one that got away!”ĚýĚýĚýĚ�

From trout to carp,Ěýcatfish to bonefish,Ěýfreshwater to saltwater,Ěýthe easy-to-follow pictures and tips help you recognize and deal with what you’ll meet in the murky deep. You’ll also find out about theĚýbestĚýtimes and the right spotsĚýto cast your line, as well as the right gear—whichĚýinĚýtheseĚýhi-techĚýdays includes GPS, apps, and sonar!ĚýĚý

Gear up with the right rod and tackleĚý CastĚýand baitĚýeffectivelyĚý Gut and clean your catchĚýĚý GetĚýhooked onĚýnewĚýtrends—kayak fishing!ĚýĚý WhateverĚýyour line—a quiet afternoon at the local creek,Ěýor aĚýpunishingĚýmorning’s whitewater kayaking followedĚýbyĚýfishingĚýthe lonesome wild—Fishing For DummiesĚýhas you covered.Ěý

Ěý±Ő±Ő> 391 Greg Schwipps 1119685915 Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.55 Fishing For Dummies
author: Greg Schwipps
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.55
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]]> <![CDATA[Die Verlobten (I Promessi Sposi) (German Edition)]]> 31310212 Die Verlobten ist ein historischer Roman des italienischen Autors Alessandro Manzoni. In einer Vorrede erklärt der Autor, er habe die Geschichte in einer "verblichenen und zerkratzten Handschrift" eines Anonymus aus dem 17. Jahrhundert gefunden, wo sie jedoch in einer so geschwollen-barocken Manier erzählt werde, dass er sich entschlossen habe, sie mit eigenen Worten wiederzugeben. Denn es handle sich, wie er findet, um eine "schöne, was sage ich, wunderschöne" Geschichte, die den Lesern nicht unbekannt bleiben solle. Sie spielt in den Jahren 1628-1630 im Herzogtum Mailand, das damals von Spanien beherrscht wurde, und handelt von zwei einander versprochenen jungen Leuten, Renzo und Lucia, die in Lecco am Comer See leben und heiraten wollen, aber von dem örtlichen Feudalherrn Don Rodrigo, der sein Auge auf Lucia geworfen hat, daran gehindert und verfolgt werden, weshalb sie aus Lecco fliehen müssen. Lucia findet Zuflucht in einem Nonnenkloster in Monza.]]> 601 Alessandro Manzoni 8026813316 Marcus 0 currently-reading 0.0 1827 Die Verlobten (I Promessi Sposi) (German Edition)
author: Alessandro Manzoni
name: Marcus
average rating: 0.0
book published: 1827
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]]> <![CDATA[The Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, & Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of C]]> 11510659 "This account of how a once reviled theory, Baye’s rule, came to underpin modern life is both approachable and engrossing" (Sunday Times). ĚýA New York Times Book Review Editorsâ€� Choice Bayes' rule appears to be a straightforward, one-line by updating our initial beliefs with objective new information, we get a new and improved belief. To its adherents, it is an elegant statement about learning from experience. To its opponents, it is subjectivity run amok. In the first-ever account of Bayes' rule for general readers, Sharon Bertsch McGrayne explores this controversial theorem and the generations-long human drama surrounding it. Ěý McGrayne traces the rule’s discovery by an 18th century amateur mathematician through its development by French scientist Pierre Simon Laplace. She reveals why respected statisticians rendered it professionally taboo for 150 years—while practitioners relied on it to solve crises involving great uncertainty and scanty information, such as Alan Turing's work breaking Germany's Enigma code during World War II. Ěý McGrayne also explains how the advent of computer technology in the 1980s proved to be a game-changer. Today, Bayes' rule is used everywhere from DNA de-coding to Homeland Security. Drawing on primary source material and interviews with statisticians and other scientists,ĚýThe Theory That Would Not DieĚýis the riveting account of how a seemingly simple theorem ignited one of the greatest controversies of all time.]]> 335 Sharon Bertsch McGrayne 0300175094 Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.01 2011 The Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, & Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of C
author: Sharon Bertsch McGrayne
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/05/25
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]]> <![CDATA[Coders at Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming]]> 30238165
Hundreds of people have suggested names of programmers to interview on the Coders at Work web . The complete list was 284 names. Having digested everyone’s feedback, we selected 15 folks who’ve been kind enough to agree to be

Frances Pioneer in optimizing compilers, first woman to win the Turing Award (2006) and first female IBM fellow Joe Inventor of Erlang Joshua Author of the Java collections framework, now at Google Bernie One of the main software guys behind the original ARPANET IMPs and a master debugger Douglas JSON founder, JavaScript architect at Yahoo! L. Peter Author of Ghostscript, implementer of Smalltalk-80 at Xerox PARC and Lisp 1.5 on PDP-1 Brendan Inventor of JavaScript, CTO of the Mozilla Corporation Brad Writer of LiveJournal, OpenID, memcached, and Perlbal Dan Smalltalk implementor and designer Simon Peyton Coinventor of Haskell and lead designer of Glasgow Haskell Compiler Donald Author of The Art of Computer Programming and creator of TeX Peter Director of Research at Google and author of the standard text on AI Guy Coinventor of Scheme and part of the Common Lisp Gang of Five, currently working on Fortress Ken Inventor of UNIX Jamie Author of XEmacs and early Netscape/Mozilla hacker]]> 634 Peter Seibel Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.31 2009 Coders at Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming
author: Peter Seibel
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2009
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/05/17
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]]> Algorithms, Part II 20888947 791 Robert Sedgewick Marcus 0 currently-reading 3.86 2014 Algorithms, Part II
author: Robert Sedgewick
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/04/08
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]]> Algorithms, Part I 20837728
The algorithms in this book represent a body of knowledge developed over the last 50 years that has become indispensable, not just for professional programmers and computer science students but for any student with interests in science, mathematics, and engineering, not to mention students who use computation in the liberal arts.

The companion web site, algs4.cs.princeton.edu contains



An online synopsis Full Java implementations Test data Exercises and answers Dynamic visualizations Lecture slides Programming assignments with checklists Links to related material The MOOC related to this book is accessible via the "Online Course" link at algs4.cs.princeton.edu. The course offers more than 100 video lecture segments that are integrated with the text, extensive online assessments, and the large-scale discussion forums that have proven so valuable. Offered each fall and spring, this course regularly attracts tens of thousands of registrants.

Robert Sedgewick and Kevin Wayne are developing a modern approach to disseminating knowledge that fully embraces technology, enabling people all around the world to discover new ways of learning and teaching. By integrating their textbook, online content, and MOOC, all at the state of the art, they have built a unique resource that greatly expands the breadth and depth of the educational experience.]]> 655 Sedgewick Robert Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.29 2014 Algorithms, Part I
author: Sedgewick Robert
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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]]> <![CDATA[Land of Lisp: Learn to Program in Lisp, One Game at a Time!]]> 11793388 504 Conrad Barski 1593273495 Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.21 2010 Land of Lisp: Learn to Program in Lisp, One Game at a Time!
author: Conrad Barski
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2010
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/03/26
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]]> <![CDATA[The Ring of Truth: The Wisdom of Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung]]> 44019345 Richard Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung is one of the greatest works of art created in modern times, and has fascinated both critics and devotees for over a century and a half. No recent study has examined the meaning of Wagner's masterpiece with the attention to detail and intellectual power that Roger Scruton brings to it in this inspiring account.The Ring of Truth is an exploration of the drama, music, symbolism and philosophy of the Ring from a writer whose knowledge and understanding of the Western musical tradition are the equal of his capacities as a philosopher. Scruton shows how, through musical connections and brilliant dramatic strokes, Wagner is able to express truths about the human condition which few other creative artists have been able to convey so convincingly. For Wagner, writes Scruton, the task of art is to “show us freedom in its immediate, contingent, human form, reminding us of what it means to us. Even if we live in a world from which gods and heroes have disappeared we can, by imagining them, dramatize the deep truths of our condition and renew our faith in what we are.â€�?Love, death, sacrifice and the liberation that we win through sacrifice—these are the great themes of the Ring, as they are of this book. Scruton's passionate and moving interpretation allows us to understand more fully than ever how Wagner conveys his ideas about who we are, and why theĂ‚ĚýRing continues to be such a hypnotically absorbing work.]]> 418 Roger Scruton Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.25 2016 The Ring of Truth: The Wisdom of Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung
author: Roger Scruton
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2016
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/02/20
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]]> Magnus 22796451 208 George Mackay Brown Marcus 0 currently-reading 3.69 1973 Magnus
author: George Mackay Brown
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1973
rating: 0
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date added: 2024/02/03
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]]> <![CDATA[Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy: Bertrand Russell's Philosophical Primer]]> 35320782
Key Aspects of the Book "Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy": Logic and Russell examines the relationship between logic and mathematics, demonstrating how logical principles form the basis of mathematical reasoning. He explores mathematical logic, symbolic notation, and the principles of inference. Philosophical The book goes beyond the technical aspects of mathematics and delves into the philosophical implications of mathematical concepts. Russell explores questions of truth, knowledge, and the nature of reality as they relate to mathematics. Set Theory and Russell introduces the principles of set theory and discusses their role in establishing the foundations of mathematics. He explores the paradoxes that arise in set theory and proposes solutions to resolve these paradoxes.

Bertrand Russell was a renowned philosopher, logician, and mathematician. His contributions to various fields of study, including philosophy of language, logic, and mathematics, have had a profound impact on intellectual thought. "Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy" showcases Russell's expertise in both mathematics and philosophy, solidifying his reputation as a leading figure in analytical philosophy and mathematical logic.]]> 269 Bertrand Russell Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.42 1918 Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy: Bertrand Russell's Philosophical Primer
author: Bertrand Russell
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.42
book published: 1918
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/12/27
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]]> The First 'Women in Love' 32063 592 D.H. Lawrence 0521007097 Marcus 5 reviewed
A much longer review & commentary on this novel is .]]> 4.12 The First 'Women in Love'
author: D.H. Lawrence
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.12
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2012/05/28
date added: 2023/12/15
shelves: reviewed
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How strange and wonderful to discover a new (yet old) author & love him so much. First book I ever read by Lawrence. Came upon him through Forster's Aspects of the Novel (also a great book) and found "The First Women In Love" (which actually is the first version of "Woman in Love") in a bookstore yesterday & couldn't stop reading it. Lawrence sets up an almost perfect continuous dream. The way he uses language to draw life, conflict and characters, is astonishing. Fantasy comes in when Ursula suddenly thinks of Gerald Crich as a wolf, "young, unbroached", and of his mother as "an old, unbroken wolf." This scene explodes in the readers face after a most careful setup that was suffocatingly tense and difficult for the characters of Gudrun and Ursula. DHL appears as a true novelist in the sense of John Gardner (On Becoming A Novelist) and bears the marks of "Prophecy", as Forster calls "... an accent in the novelist’s voice. His theme is the universe, or something universal. The characters and events still have a specific meaning within the story, but they also have greater resonances." Grand writing � I haven't looked forward to finishing a book like this in a long time.

A much longer review & commentary on this novel is .
]]> <![CDATA[Complexity: A Very Short Introduction]]> 22748995 120 John H. Holland 0191639540 Marcus 0 currently-reading 3.77 2014 Complexity: A Very Short Introduction
author: John H. Holland
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2014
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/10/05
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]]> Gone With the Wind 122780666 Vivid color photographs from the production are included in its pages, offering a preview for those who have not seen the picture, recalling thrilling moments for those who have.]]> 1334 Margaret Mitchell Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.71 1936 Gone With the Wind
author: Margaret Mitchell
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.71
book published: 1936
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/06/20
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]]> <![CDATA[SQLAlchemy 2 In Practice: Learn to program relational databases in Python step by step]]> 122917115
For developers interested in using SQLAlchemy in larger applications, information and examples on integrating databases into web applications written with the Flask and FastAPI frameworks is provided. A chapter dedicated to the use of SQLAlchemy 2 in asynchronous applications based on the asyncio package is included as well.]]> 274 Miguel Grinberg Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.18 SQLAlchemy 2 In Practice: Learn to program relational databases in Python step by step
author: Miguel Grinberg
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/06/04
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]]> Python Basics Dan Bader 62716344 Beginner to Intermediate in Python�
Python A Practical Introduction to Python 3
Your Complete Python Curriculum—With Exercises, Interactive Quizzes, and Sample Projects

What should you learn about Python in the beginning to get a strong foundation? With Python Basics, you’ll not only cover the core concepts you really need to know, but you’ll also learn them in the most efficient order with the help of practical exercises and interactive quizzes. You’ll know enough to be dangerous with Python, fast!

Who Should Read This Book

If you’re new to Python, you’ll get a practical, step-by-step roadmap on developing your foundational skills. You’ll be introduced to each concept and language feature in a logical order. Every step in this curriculum is explained and illustrated with short, clear code samples. Our goal with this book is to educate, not to impress or intimidate.If you’re familiar with some basic programming concepts, you’ll get a clear and well-tested introduction to Python. This is a practical introduction to Python that jumps right into the meat and potatoes without sacrificing substance. If you have prior experience with languages like VBA, PowerShell, R, Perl, C, C++, C#, Java, or Swift the numerous exercises within each chapter will fast-track your progress.If you’re a seasoned developer, you’ll get a Python 3 crash course that brings you up to speed with modern Python programming. Mix and match the chapters that interest you the most and use the interactive quizzes and review exercises to check your learning progress as you go along.If you’re a self-starter completely new to coding, you’ll get practical and motivating examples. You’ll begin by installing Python and setting up a coding environment on your computer from scratch, and then continue from there. We’ll get you coding right away so that you become competent and knowledgeable enough to solve real-world problems, fast. Develop a passion for programming by solving interesting problems with Python every day!If you’re looking to break into a coding or data-science career, you’ll pick up the practical foundations with this book. We won’t just dump a boat load of theoretical information on you so you can “sink or swim”—instead you’ll learn from hands-on, practical examples one step at a time. Each concept is broken down for you so you’ll always know what you can do with it in practical terms.If you’re interested in teaching others “how to Python,� this will be your guidebook. If you’re looking to stoke the coding flame in your coworkers, kids, or relatives—use our material to teach them. All the sequencing has been done for you so you’ll always know what to cover next and how to explain it. What Python Developers Say About The

“Go forth and learn this amazing language using this great book.� � Michael Kennedy, Talk Python

“The wording is casual, easy to understand, and makes the information flow well.� � Thomas Wong, Pythonista

“I floundered for a long time trying to teach myself. I slogged through dozens of incomplete online tutorials. I snoozed through hours of boring screencasts. I gave up on countless crufty books from big-time publishers.]]> 483 Fletcher Heisler 1775093336 Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.55 Python Basics Dan Bader
author: Fletcher Heisler
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.55
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rating: 0
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date added: 2023/03/04
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]]> <![CDATA[The Crusades: The World's Debate]]> 19073460 269 Hilaire Belloc Marcus 0 currently-reading 3.97 1992 The Crusades: The World's Debate
author: Hilaire Belloc
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.97
book published: 1992
rating: 0
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date added: 2023/02/10
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]]> <![CDATA[Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament]]> 22917634
Augustine in the "De Doctrinâ Christianâ" (begun in 397 and ended in 426) gives us a genuine treatise of exegesis, historically the first (for St. Jerome wrote rather as a controversialist). Several times he attempted a commentary on Genesis. The great work "De Genesi ad litteram" was composed from 401 to 415. The "Enarrationes in Psalmos" are a masterpiece of popular eloquence, with a swing and a warmth to them which are inimitable. On the New Testament: the "De Sermone Dei in Monte" (during his priestly ministry) is especially noteworthy; "De Consensu Evangelistarum" (Harmony of the Gospels � 400); Homilies on St. John (416), generally classed among the chief works of Augustine; the Exposition of the Epistle to the Galatians" (324), etc. The most remarkable of his Biblical works illustrate either a theory of exegesis (one generally approved) which delights in finding mystical or allegorical interpretations, or the style of preaching which is founded on that view. His strictly exegetical work is far from equalling in scientific value that of St. Jerome. His knowledge of the Biblical languages was insufficient: he read Greek with difficulty; as for Hebrew, all that we can gather from the studies of Schanz and Rottmanner is that he was familiar with Punic, a language allied to Hebrew. Moreover, the two grand qualities of his genius � ardent feeling and prodigious subtlety � carried him sway into interpretations that were violent or more ingenious than solid.]]> 538 Augustine of Hippo Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.00 2011 Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament
author: Augustine of Hippo
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2011
rating: 0
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]]> The Old Wives' Tale 24549728 483 Arnold Bennett 6050313407 Marcus 5 4.14 1908 The Old Wives' Tale
author: Arnold Bennett
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1908
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/06
date added: 2023/02/06
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review:

]]> <![CDATA[Head First Python: A Brain-Friendly Guide]]> 33130335 Head First Python, you'll quickly grasp Python's fundamentals, working with the built-in data structures and functions. Then you'll move on to building your very own webapp, exploring database management, exception handling, and data wrangling. If you're intrigued by what you can do with context managers, decorators, comprehensions, and generators, it's all here. This second edition is a complete learning experience that will help you become a bonafide Python programmer in no time.

Why does this book look so different? Based on the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory, Head First Pythonuses a visually rich format to engage your mind, rather than a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep. Why waste your time struggling with new concepts? This multi-sensory learning experience is designed for the way your brain really works.]]> 1042 Paul Barry 1491919507 Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.16 2010 Head First Python: A Brain-Friendly Guide
author: Paul Barry
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/21
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> My Evil Mother 60497502 32 Margaret Atwood 1662504497 Marcus 1 3.88 2022 My Evil Mother
author: Margaret Atwood
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2022
rating: 1
read at: 2022/10/14
date added: 2022/10/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government]]> 19004702 608 Jefferson Davis Marcus 0 currently-reading 3.60 1881 The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government
author: Jefferson Davis
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.60
book published: 1881
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/08/29
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Vorsatz zur Luxusausgabe von »Herr und Hund«]]> 61784521 28 Thomas Mann 310400434X Marcus 5 5.00 Vorsatz zur Luxusausgabe von »Herr und Hund«
author: Thomas Mann
name: Marcus
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2022/08/21
date added: 2022/08/21
shelves:
review:

]]> The Brothers Karamazov 8141172 1024 Fyodor Dostoevsky Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.50 1880 The Brothers Karamazov
author: Fyodor Dostoevsky
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1880
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/06/18
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fifty Challenging Problems in Probability with Solutions (Dover Books on Mathematics)]]> 18713392 100 Frederick Mosteller 0486134962 Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.00 1965 Fifty Challenging Problems in Probability with Solutions (Dover Books on Mathematics)
author: Frederick Mosteller
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1965
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/28
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Introductory R: A Beginner's Guide to Data Visualisation, Statistical Analysis and Programming in R]]> 18941929 554 Robert Knell 095759710X Marcus 0 currently-reading 3.85 2013 Introductory R: A Beginner's Guide to Data Visualisation, Statistical Analysis and Programming in R
author: Robert Knell
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/27
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[R Programming for Beginners: An Introduction to Learn R Programming with Tutorials and Hands-On Examples]]> 48921402
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this book might just be what you need.

R can be a royal pain in the neck sometimes. Even seasoned programmers and data analysts still struggle with it. But it doesn't have to be you. In this guide, you're going to learn everything you need to do heavy data wrangling in R, with graded exercises and examples at the end to help you reinforce what you've learned.

Here's a preview of what you're going to discover in R Programming for

Step-by-step instructions to help you set up and install the R Environment with photosHow to properly Execute R Scripts with your favorite code editorEverything you need to know about the R syntax—statements, blocks, comments, and keywordsSteps to help you write your very first R script and begin your programming journeyThe 6 data types supported by the R programming languageHow to name variables and assign values to themSteps to help you write well-defined user functions effectivelyHow to control program flow with decision making control structures and loopsHow to visualize data with R programming...and lots more!Whether you're completely new to programming and have never written a single line of code before, or you're an intermediate or experienced R programmer looking to brush up on the basics, this book has everything you need to master R completely.

Scroll to the top of the page and click the "Add to Cart" button to get started today!]]> 166 Nathan Metzler Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.33 R Programming for Beginners: An Introduction to Learn R Programming with Tutorials and Hands-On Examples
author: Nathan Metzler
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.33
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/05/19
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Sword of Honor Trilogy 20983890 Sword of Honor is also a brilliant comedy, peopled by the fantastic figures so familiar from Waugh's early satires. The deepest pleasures these novels afford come from observing a great satiric writer employ his gifts with extraordinary subtlety, delicacy, and human feeling, for purposes that are ultimately anything but satiric.
]]> Evelyn Waugh Marcus 0 to-read 3.54 1965 Sword of Honor Trilogy
author: Evelyn Waugh
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.54
book published: 1965
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/05/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Ballad of The Sad Cafe 1276137 157 carson-mccullers 0140019073 Marcus 4 reviewed 3.86 1951 The Ballad of The Sad Cafe
author: carson-mccullers
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1951
rating: 4
read at: 2012/09/08
date added: 2020/12/15
shelves: reviewed
review:
This story really stirred me up. One of the most touching most disturbing short stories I've ever read. I wrote myself out of confusion with a rather unusual review on my blog, , but don't be too disappointed with it: all my reviews are reflective rather than descriptive. Enjoy!
]]> <![CDATA[Pythagore, amoureux | Pythagoras in Love (Multilingual Edition)]]> 27750943 120 Lee Slonimsky 1610191080 Marcus 0 to-read 4.50 2015 Pythagore, amoureux | Pythagoras in Love (Multilingual Edition)
author: Lee Slonimsky
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/09/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Men at Arms (Sword of Honour, #1)]]> 264121 256 Evelyn Waugh 0141185732 Marcus 0 currently-reading 3.91 1952 Men at Arms (Sword of Honour, #1)
author: Evelyn Waugh
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1952
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/16
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Faith and Modern Man 11414516 203 Romano Guardini Marcus 0 to-read 4.00 1953 The Faith and Modern Man
author: Romano Guardini
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1953
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Mickelsson's Ghosts 4776314 610 John Gardner 0811216799 Marcus 0 currently-reading 4.06 1982 Mickelsson's Ghosts
author: John Gardner
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.06
book published: 1982
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Die Pest 942451 349 Albert Camus 349922500X Marcus 5 3.91 1947 Die Pest
author: Albert Camus
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.91
book published: 1947
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/15
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves:
review:

]]> The Kingdom of Speech 28118522
Tom Wolfe, whose legend began in journalism, takes us on an eye-opening journey that is sure to arouse widespread debate. The Kingdom of Speech is a captivating, paradigm-shifting argument that speech—not evolution—is responsible for humanity's complex societies and achievements.

From Alfred Russel Wallace, the Englishman who beat Darwin to the theory of natural selection but later renounced it, and through the controversial work of modern-day anthropologist Daniel Everett, who defies the current wisdom that language is hard-wired in humans, Wolfe examines the solemn, long-faced, laugh-out-loud zig-zags of Darwinism, old and Neo, and finds it irrelevant here in the Kingdom of Speech.]]> 304 Tom Wolfe 0316269964 Marcus 5 3.44 2016 The Kingdom of Speech
author: Tom Wolfe
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2020/07/11
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves:
review:
Outstanding. Enjoyed this enormously, especially the intelligent polemics. Slaughters holy scientific cows left, right and center. The style sticks to the middle ground between journalism and the best, most entertaining fiction. Superficially, this book is about linguistics but not really. It is written at breathtaking speed, motivated by the power of language, with some great protagonists and antagonists, showing that science is also, but not only, a social affair. I used it as additional ammunition for a talk about natural language processing (NLP), which is a machine learning (= AI) application. It helped me understand how little understood language is so that I could more properly assess the potential of NLP.
]]> Thank You For Your Sperm 17852586 194 Marcus Speh 0988549042 Marcus 5 4.41 2013 Thank You For Your Sperm
author: Marcus Speh
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.41
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves:
review:

]]> Tales of Another Country 23262501 74 Neil Bristow Marcus 5 5.00 2014 Tales of Another Country
author: Neil Bristow
name: Marcus
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Gisela: Princess, Empress, Abbess, Saint]]> 51147441 her body is connected to every other body, and glory...only a reflection in a puddle of words. Never losing faith with her inner light even as her life ends, she is strangely serene and happy to embrace a blue beginning. To read the story of Gisela is to discover a magic that will never stop as long as the sun shines and the stars turn.]]> 130 Marcus Speh 1610192362 Marcus 0 0.0 Gisela: Princess, Empress, Abbess, Saint
author: Marcus Speh
name: Marcus
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves:
review:

]]> GISELA 35299456 117 Marcus Speh 1610191102 Marcus 5 4.43 GISELA
author: Marcus Speh
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.43
book published:
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves:
review:
I wrote this, of course I think it's good though not great. Naturally I can see 1,000 places where it could have been improved. To begin with: it's too short. You should still get it. Perhaps I'll write a sequel (in fact, more than half the stories exist but weren't published since the publisher originally wanted to split them up into two publications but later abandoned the idea).
]]> The Bostonians 194546
This satire of the women’s rights movement in America is the story of the ravishing inspirational speaker Verena Tarrant and the bitter struggle between two distant cousins who seek to control her. Will the privileged Boston feminist Olive Chancellor succeed in turning her beloved ward into a celebrated activist and lifetime companion? Or will Basil Ransom, a conservative southern lawyer, steal Verena’s heart and remove her from the limelight?]]> 460 Henry James 0812969960 Marcus 0 currently-reading 3.59 1886 The Bostonians
author: Henry James
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.59
book published: 1886
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Second Sleep 43561172
1468. A young priest, Christopher Fairfax, arrives in a remote Exmoor village to conduct the funeral of his predecessor. The land around is strewn with ancient artefacts � coins, fragments of glass, human bones � which the old parson used to collect. Did his obsession with the past lead to his death?

As Fairfax is drawn more deeply into the isolated community, everything he believes � about himself, his faith and the history of his world � is tested to destruction.]]> 330 Robert Harris Marcus 3 reviewed 3.47 2019 The Second Sleep
author: Robert Harris
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2020/07/14
date added: 2020/07/15
shelves: reviewed
review:
I read this fairly quickly as I think it's probably meant to be read - at a thrilled pace. I enjoyed it overall though the book left a bitter taste in my mouth. Let me explain. This is a dark tale from the start and it doesn't get any lighter at the end. The description of medieval times is highly stylized and foreshortened, like Cornwell's Saxon Saga, or like a Hollywood film about pre-enlightenment times. Not really what I think those times were actually like. While the church is used as an antagonist, it is only a literary prop - not quite brought to life. Faith is not equated with the institution: indeed, rarely have I read a modern book with so many Christian prayers rendered accurately and delivered in a heartfelt way. Fighting the Church, getting back to Enlightenment, understanding the past - all of these appear as skirmishes. The real battle is fought for heart and soul of a priest, Christopher Fairfax, the main protagonist. Unlike many other reviewers, I was not disappointed by the second half. The book speeds up a lot during this part and does indeed end with a bang, but so what. The end is properly foreshadowed and if some are disappointed because, well, the tale does not end happily for everyone…this is life on our plane of existence. Nobody complains because many die in Camus' "The Plague", which I re-read recently. Just like in "The Plague", I would suggest that Harris treats "The Second Sleep" allegorically. This insight softened the blow of the ending at least for me!
]]> <![CDATA[Die Lästigen: Eine Amerikanische Chronik in Erzählungen]]> 10871972
Elende Ehen, gewaltbereite Männner, gedemütigte Frauen, die Familie ist kein Zufluchtsort, rassistische Übergriffe, die Arglosen sind alles andere als arglos. Auch hier zeigt sich Oates als geniale Beobachterin menschlicher Abgründe, sie weiß das dunkle Ich, die zerstörerischen Leidenschaften in brillant bedrückenden Geschichten einzufangen. Oates Einblicke in das Durchschnittsleben, das schnell zur Hölle werden kann, sind grandios, schockierend und trotz allem tröstend.

---------------------

Von diesen wirklichkeitssatten und sinnlichen Storys geht ein Sog aus, dem wir uns nicht entziehen wollen. Im Blitzlicht der Prosa von Joyce Carol Oates, in ihren Kurzgeschichten, die zu Kürzestromanen werden, sind krude Wirklichkeiten, verborgene Ränder und Abgründe des amerikanischen Kontinents schonungslos sichtbar.
Es macht atemlos, wie Joyce Carol Oates in ihren radikal subjektiven Geschichten in die Haut von Männern und Frauen mit ihren Demütigungen schlüpft, wie sie beschädigten Kinderseelen und aufsässigen Teenagern oder pädophilen Vätern zu Sprache verhilft. Joyce Carol Oates' Helden stammen aus der vom Abstieg bedrohten amerikanischen Mittelschicht - es sind verunsicherte Existenzen.
In all diesen in Die Lästigen versammelten und von Susanne Röckel kongenial erstmals ins Deutsche übertragenen Geschichten entfaltet sich die innere Wahrheit der Joyce Carol Oates, die »eine« Geschichte, die sie obsessiv variiert - ihre amerikanische Chronik. Sie handelt von der Verletzlichkeit des Individuums und damit von uns. Sie erzählt von der Nachtseite Amerikas, von der Enge in seiner Größe und von Gewalt.]]> 384 Joyce Carol Oates 3821862378 Marcus 4 reviewed 4.50 2004 Die Lästigen: Eine Amerikanische Chronik in Erzählungen
author: Joyce Carol Oates
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2012/05/28
date added: 2018/12/06
shelves: reviewed
review:
you know, this is the oddest thing: i cannot really stand oates in english. yes, i know she's the bee's knees but i just can't get with it. but this translation! i suddenly love it. it will give oates (in the original) a second look...
]]> Taipei 16041828
Taipei is an ode - or lament - to the way we live now. Following Paul from New York, where he comically navigates Manhattan's art and literary scenes, to Taipei, Taiwan, where he confronts his family's roots, we see one relationship fail, while another is born on the internet and blooms into an unexpected wedding in Las Vegas.

From one of this generation's most talked-about and enigmatic writers comes a deeply personal and uncompromising novel about memory, love, and what it means to be alive.]]> 248 Tao Lin 0307950174 Marcus 0 3.35 2013 Taipei
author: Tao Lin
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at: 2018/06/03
date added: 2018/06/03
shelves:
review:
Bought "Taipei" by Tao Lin today. Reading it with great pleasure so far. Read it on the electric car, read it on the Underground, read it while walking home even though my bag pack was very, very heavy (with Chinese food!). I think I will do a review for my blog or for another place (whoever wants it). I did not quite expect to like the book this much. I should've trusted Frank Hinton who's a good egg. I realised why Alt Lit gets to me: I only started writing/publishing four years ago so I'm also in my mid-20s as a writer, sort of, even though my passport says I'm 49. Getting old, or in German: "alt". � Check this out (from "Taipei"): «Because he'd appear to, and be able to pretend he was, but never actually be a part of the mass, maybe he'd gradually begin to feel a kind of needless intimacy, not unlike being in the same room as a significant other and feeling affection without touching or speaking.» This is the goods, as far as I'm concerned, consciousness prose, and there's more where this came from. [Update 2018: I did finish this book years ago & now all I can remember about is that its protagonist seemed to have lost its way. "Alt Lit" is gone as far as I can see & we've all moved on.]
]]> <![CDATA[Bertrand Russell. 1921-1970: The Ghost of Madness (#2)]]> 67338
Drawing on thousands of documents collected at the Russell archives in Canada, Monk steers through the turbulence of Russell's public activities, scrutinizing his sometimes paradoxical and often outrageouspronouncements. Monk's focus, however, is on the tragedy of Russell's personal life, and in revealing this inner drama Monk has relied heavily on the cooperation of Russell's surviving relatives and access to previously unexamined legal and private correspondence. A central player in Russell's life was his first son, John. Russell applied the methods of the new science of child psychology in his parenting, believing that a new generation of children could be reared to be "independent, fearless, and free." But instead of being a model of this new generation, John became anxious, withdrawn, and eventually schizophrenic. Nor was John's daughter Lucy (who was Russell's favorite grandchild) to be a model of the new generation; gradually she grew so emotionally disturbed that, at the age of twenty-six, she took her own life.

"The Ghost of Madness" completes the most searching examination yet published of Bertrand Russell's unique life and work. Together with Ray Monk's highly praised first volume of the biography, "The Spirit of Solitude," this is the classic account of an extraordinary man who championed the great ideas of the twentieth century and was all but destroyed by them. It is a portrait of the mind of a century.]]> 592 Ray Monk 0743212150 Marcus 0 4.14 2000 Bertrand Russell. 1921-1970: The Ghost of Madness (#2)
author: Ray Monk
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2000
rating: 0
read at: 2018/06/03
date added: 2018/06/03
shelves:
review:

]]> A Man of Parts 9372166 'The mind is a time machine that travels backwards in memory and forwards in prophecy, but he has done with prophecy now...'

Sequestered in his blitz-battered Regent's Park house in 1944, the ailing Herbert George Wells, 'H.G.' to his family and friends, looks back on a life crowded with incident, books, and women. Has it been a success or a failure? Once he was the most famous writer in the world, 'the man who invented tomorrow'; now he feels like yesterday's man, deserted by readers and depressed by the collapse of his utopian dreams.

He recalls his unpromising start, and early struggles to acquire an education and make a living as a teacher; his rapid rise to fame as a writer with a prophetic imagination and a comic common touch which brought him into contact with most of the important literary, intellectual, and political figures of his time; his plunge into socialist politics; his belief in free love, and energetic practice of it. Arguing with himself about his conduct, he relives his relationships with two wives and many mistresses, especially the brilliant student Amber Reeves and the gifted writer Rebecca West, both of whom bore him children, with dramatic and long-lasting consequences.

Unfolding this astonishing story, David Lodge depicts a man as contradictory as he was talented: a socialist who enjoyed his affluence, an acclaimed novelist who turned against the literary novel; a feminist womaniser, sensual yet incurably romantic, irresistible and exasperating by turns, but always vitally human.]]> 565 David Lodge 1846554969 Marcus 4 3.52 2011 A Man of Parts
author: David Lodge
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2018/06/03
date added: 2018/06/03
shelves:
review:
picked this up a few days ago and been reading it ever since. starts a little slowly but my reading is helped along by the fascination for the subject matter of this book, the writer h g wells. the novel is an odd mixture, attractive to me, of literary criticism, memoir and story. in many places i found the wit that i so love about lodge's writing. enjoying this. will continue/finish review when i'm done.
]]> Ada 88415 Ada tells the life story of a man named Van Veen, and his lifelong love affair with his sister Ada. They meet when she is eleven (soon to be twelve) and he is fourteen, believing that they are cousins (more precisely: that their fathers are cousins and that their mothers are sisters), and begin a sexual affair. They later discover that Van's father is also Ada's and her mother is also his. The story follows the various interruptions and resumptions of their affair. Both are wealthy, educated, and intelligent. The book itself takes the form of his memoir, written when he is in his nineties, punctuated with his own and Ada's marginalia, and in parts with notes by an unnamed editor, suggesting the manuscript is not complete.]]> 626 Vladimir Nabokov 0070457204 Marcus 0 to-read 4.04 1969 Ada
author: Vladimir Nabokov
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1969
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/08/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Ferocious Silence 29454260 132 Darryl Price 0996352686 Marcus 5 5.00 The Ferocious Silence
author: Darryl Price
name: Marcus
average rating: 5.00
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2017/07/21
date added: 2017/07/21
shelves:
review:
A great title for a great collection. These poems are filled with music and love. These are terrible times, these are hard times to be a human: so much war, so much strife, so much hatred. The voice of this author rings out clearly among the ruins. Rather than give in to the global griping, he sings true and gives hope like a bard should. I've got this book next to my desk. I'm reluctant to add a "starting" or "finished" date because I don't think this is a book to read from cover to cover but rather to relish continuously, pick up when the mood's low especially because it'll lift yours. Highly recommended.
]]> Conclave 29397486
Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world’s most secretive election.

They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals.

Over the next seventy-two hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.]]> 288 Robert Harris Marcus 4 reviewed 4.03 2016 Conclave
author: Robert Harris
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2017/04/01
date added: 2017/04/30
shelves: reviewed
review:
In the end I was a little stunned by this novel - "read" most of it on audible.de while driving (brilliantly read by Roy McMillan) & in the end I had to hurry through the last 40 pages because of the unbearable suspense. But there's more than tension - there's a trinity here: terror, tradition and tolerance are summoned supremely. The end is wholly unexpected - unguessable but not impossible. After getting away from this book for a few days I think that Harris made a mistake with the ending. Without giving away what exactly it is: the ending is foreshadowed in a number of ways, mostly through the tension that the protagonist, Cardinal Lomeli, feels as a priest, unrelated to the choosing of a pope. A much deeper process and issue. This issue is tabled through the ending but not resolved or, I think, properly addressed. It is much more serious than Harris makes it out to be. But perhaps he wanted to treat it with a light hand to indicate that he believes it is a non-issue? This would be typical for non-Catholics who, as it were, stand outside of the factory, doors and windows closed, but wish to guess the meaning and the mechanics of the production inside. In the case of the conclave as a process, it feels as if Harris might have got it right. In the case of the (unfortunate, as I believe now) ending, he did not. Being a brilliant plotter, he should have thought of a different way to justify the end. The book still remains hard to put down without being a thriller at all (except perhaps a thrilling character study) & the ending only covers the last few pages or so and is, in hindsight, not all that important to the impact that the book made on me.
]]> Dark Sun, Bright Moon 22805356 576 Oliver Sparrow 1500432016 Marcus 0 to-read 3.54 2014 Dark Sun, Bright Moon
author: Oliver Sparrow
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/12/23
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Sophronia L. 23171890 372 Tim Bridwell 1610191056 Marcus 0 to-read 4.47 2014 Sophronia L.
author: Tim Bridwell
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.47
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/11/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Tooth Decay 27177799 226 Garrett Socol 1610191072 Marcus 0 to-read 5.00 2015 Tooth Decay
author: Garrett Socol
name: Marcus
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/11/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man / Dubliners]]> 23296
In the semi-autobiographical Portrait, young Stephen Dedalus yearns to be an artist, but first must struggle against the forces of church, school, and society, which fetter his imagination and stifle his soul. The book’s inventive style is apparent from its opening pages, a record of an infant’s impressions of the world around him—and one of the first examples of the “stream of consciousness� technique.

Comprising fifteen stories, Dubliners presents a community of mesmerizing, humorous, and haunting characters—a group portrait. The interactions among them form one long meditation on the human condition, culminating with “The Dead,� one of Joyce’s most graceful compositions centering around a character’s epiphany. A carefully woven tapestry of Dublin life at the turn of the last century, Dubliners realizes Joyce’s ambition to give his countrymen “one good look at themselves.�

Kevin J. H. Dettmar is Professor of English and Cultural Studies at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He is the author or editor of a half-dozen books on James Joyce, modernist literature, and rock music. He is currently finishing a term as President of the Modernist Studies Association.
--back cover]]> 464 James Joyce 159308031X Marcus 5 reviewed 3.94 1914 A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man / Dubliners
author: James Joyce
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.94
book published: 1914
rating: 5
read at: 2009/11/01
date added: 2015/09/16
shelves: reviewed
review:
like my other read in november, this one is so steeped in catholicism, i wonder what the message is for me...there are scenes that will remain with me forever: most of all the christmas dinner. at the end, it seems clear that joyce already thought about leaving stephen dedalus for other shores, which did not reduce my pleasure in reading this. a book (like all by joyce) that i believe must be read aloud. if you just want to hear it being read, get jim norton's fantastic rendering on naxos.
]]> <![CDATA[Pleasure of Thinking: A Journey Through the Sideways Leaps of Ideas]]> 13023469 198 Theodore Dalrymple 190809608X Marcus 0 to-read 3.53 2012 Pleasure of Thinking: A Journey Through the Sideways Leaps of Ideas
author: Theodore Dalrymple
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/09/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Destiny's Journey:Flight from the Nazis]]> 708394 Book by Doblin, Alfred 352 Alfred Döblin 1557782652 Marcus 0 4.00 1992 Destiny's Journey:Flight from the Nazis
author: Alfred Döblin
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1992
rating: 0
read at: 2014/08/13
date added: 2014/08/13
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sword Song (The Saxon Stories, #4)]]> 1297150 314 Bernard Cornwell 0060888644 Marcus 3 4.30 2007 Sword Song (The Saxon Stories, #4)
author: Bernard Cornwell
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2014/08/13
date added: 2014/08/13
shelves:
review:

]]> One Shoe Tale 20793345 90 Jeremy Green 1495392635 Marcus 5 4.33 2014 One Shoe Tale
author: Jeremy Green
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2014/08/13
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review:
This story packs a punch: it has cobblers, flunkeys and gags, brutal Carmelites and a hero who stands between Hungary and Haringey just like the author who has added Magyar moodiness to Chandler's cool. The result is a novella taking place in "a distorted, reverse reflection" of Budapest, as Jeremy Green says in his after-word. Green does a great job of summoning its crumbling splendour without leaving sight of his story. This story is not what you expect it to be after the first few pages: there's more than one twist along the way, and the detective, Marlowe/Mahler, has more than one adventure in him. At the end, tipping his tricorn to a post-modern sensibility, he says: »The old world, the world of nobles and their estates and retainers, that's coming to an end. The new world, it's all about bearer bonds and bourses and bills of exchange. It's the same all over Europe. Trade is the new religion. Soon it won't matter which God you pray to, or what language you pray in... in a few years, no-one will want to talk about the War on Error.« (Sic!) Ferenc Marlowe is every bit as deep as his literary cousin from California and like the Marlowe from CA, too cool to show it. I can't wait to see what he'll be up to next, 250 years ago.
]]> The Merrill Diaries 18277875 202 Susan Tepper 0992277825 Marcus 5 4.79 2013 The Merrill Diaries
author: Susan Tepper
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.79
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/08/16
shelves:
review:
Merrill Kimberley is not Bridget Jones (thank god). In fact, as we learn, she's not Kimberly but just Merrill, a name that strangely resonates with me, I don't know why. It's not Merrick (the elephant man) and it's not frilly. It uncannily fits the young woman on the cover of this beautifully written and presented book. In Germany, where I'm from, the diary novel, much like its cousin, the epistolary novel, are highly appreciated —Ěýreading Merrill, I understand why: there's an intimacy in this form that instantly transports you into the life of this young woman and her explorations, spurred by Gloria Steinem, scanning the various stations of her journey (covering both sides of the pond) with an American curiosity and a home-grown wit that never fails to amuse. After breezing half way through the book, smooth sailing thanks to Tepper's light-hearted but never flighty prose, I want to know what's happening to this girl, and so will you. Not to worry though —Ěýshe's a big girl and, as Merrill says: "Men do not worry me." I know one shouldn't read other people's diaries, but you need to make an exception for this one.
]]> Barbary Shore 12475 320 Norman Mailer 0375700390 Marcus 0 to-read 2.86 1952 Barbary Shore
author: Norman Mailer
name: Marcus
average rating: 2.86
book published: 1952
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/07/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Style 5930095 On English writing style. 296 F.L. Lucas 0304293652 Marcus 4 4.43 1955 Style
author: F.L. Lucas
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.43
book published: 1955
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/07/19
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review:

]]> Idiopathy 16066898
Idiopathy (?d?'?p??i): a disease or condition which arises spontaneously or for which the cause is unknown.

Idiopathy : a novel as unexpected as its title, in which Katherine, Daniel, and Nathan—three characters you won't forget in a hurry—unsuccessfully try to figure out how they feel about one another and how they might best live their lives in a world gone mad. Featuring a mysterious cattle epidemic, a humiliating stint in rehab, an unwanted pregnancy, a mom–turned–media personality ("Mother Courage"), and a workplace with a bio-dome housing a perfectly engineered cornfield, it is at once a scathing satire and a moving meditation on love and loneliness. With unusual verbal finesse and great humor, Sam Byers neatly skewers the tangled relationships and unhinged narcissism of a self-obsessed generation in a remarkable, uproarious first novel.]]> 321 Sam Byers 0374709874 Marcus 0 to-read 3.04 2013 Idiopathy
author: Sam Byers
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.04
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/07/03
shelves: to-read
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]]> Amores gitano (gypsy loves) 17617543 30 Roberto Carlos Garcia Marcus 0 to-read 4.58 2013 Amores gitano (gypsy loves)
author: Roberto Carlos Garcia
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.58
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/06/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Bell Jar 6514 294 Sylvia Plath 0571268862 Marcus 1 4.05 1963 The Bell Jar
author: Sylvia Plath
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1963
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2013/05/19
shelves:
review:

]]> Pointed Sentences 13516542 Book of 114 poems. 146 Bill Yarrow 1609640829 Marcus 5 4.36 2012 Pointed Sentences
author: Bill Yarrow
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/05/09
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[On Looking Into the Abyss: Untimely Thoughts on Culture and Society]]> 725210 224 Gertrude Himmelfarb 0679759239 Marcus 0 to-read 3.78 1994 On Looking Into the Abyss: Untimely Thoughts on Culture and Society
author: Gertrude Himmelfarb
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.78
book published: 1994
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/05/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Die Ritchie Boys. Deutsche Emigranten beim US-Geheimdienst]]> 2316880 223 Christian Bauer 3455094988 Marcus 0 to-read 0.0 Die Ritchie Boys. Deutsche Emigranten beim US-Geheimdienst
author: Christian Bauer
name: Marcus
average rating: 0.0
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/05/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Roderick Hudson (Penguin Classics)]]> 856226
Roderick Hudson, egotistical, beautiful and an exceptionally gifted sculptor, but poor, is taken from New England to Rome by Rowland Mallet, a rich man of fine appreciative sensibilities, who intends to give Roderick the scope to develop his genius. Together they seem like twins or lovers, opposing halves of what should have been an ideal whole. Subtext : blazing unspoken sexuality.

]]> 398 Henry James 0140432647 Marcus 4 ]]> 3.68 1875 Roderick Hudson (Penguin Classics)
author: Henry James
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.68
book published: 1875
rating: 4
read at: 2013/04/10
date added: 2013/05/02
shelves:
review:
I recently finished "Roderick Hudson" by Henry James--the central character from whose perspective the novel is told, Rowland Mallet, is a weak, shy character, in stark contrast to the hero of the title, the brilliant but self-destructive sculptor-genius Roderick Hudson. Oddly enough, and interestingly, it is the boringness and suppressed emotionality of Rowland which makes this book work. Perhaps because it highlights the difference to Roderick's creative Tsunami. When the Roderick's storm, partly due to the unhappy encounter with a beautiful dame, peters out, Rowland does not rise to the challenge but he suppresses his feelings for another woman even more decidedly. He's kind of an American anti-hero but because every man, even today, can understand how circumstances can conspire to paralyse one, he remains sympathetic albeit sad and we're sorry for him. -- [Do yourself a favor and do NOT read the 1878 version but the edited version from 1907: James edited this substantially and some publishers see fit to suppress it (Penguin seems to be one) with arguments that seem flimsy to me. I read both and the 1907 version is superb and superior.]

]]> Er ist wieder da 14897790 400 Timur Vermes 3847905171 Marcus 3 3.47 2012 Er ist wieder da
author: Timur Vermes
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2013/04/14
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Samuel Johnson and the Life of Writing]]> 111961 320 Paul Fussell 039330258X Marcus 0 to-read 4.10 1971 Samuel Johnson and the Life of Writing
author: Paul Fussell
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1971
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/04/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Love Doesn't Work 7699382 200 Henning Koch 098252045X Marcus 5 reviewed 3.83 2010 Love Doesn't Work
author: Henning Koch
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2011/08/01
date added: 2013/03/21
shelves: reviewed
review:
There are story tellers and then there are story tellers. And if you're like me then you'll find it harder and harder every time you go to a book store to sift through all the junk (more and more seems to be written and published and so it's not revolutionary to say that there's more and more junk in the book shops) and find the ONE book that you might like to have next to your bed perhaps or on your favorite little reading table across from the soft leather chair. The chair that smells like you and that has witnessed you reading some of the very best writing. The writing that was so good that it became a part of you. “Love doesn’t work� is by one of those storytellers, who produce real stories, stories you will remember & stories you want to remember. The opening story, "In Memoriam, Ingmar Bergman" already has some of the absurd comical originality that marks every story in this book and gives it character. I liked this story a lot, but my favorite I think is the last one, "Little Rabbit", which features Belsize Park, Tim Burton and Helena Bonham-Carter among many other characters and ends “like a long summer’s day�. If you follow Henning Koch down his personal rabbit-hole, you'll find out more, but not all, because he manages to conceal just enough. In fact, this isn't only "not junk", it is simply some of the best, clearest, most honest writing I've come across in a long time. And it's honest in the Heming-way, as it were, giving the necessary detail and then some to get your own dream going. If it proves anything then it proves that Love Does Work at least when short stories are the love object.
]]> Author, Author 69927 The Boston Globe

Henry James takes center stage in this brilliant story about literary ambition, creativity, and rivalry as revealed in the public career and private life of this most singular writer. Framed by a moving and dramatic account of his last illness, Author opens in the early 1880s, describing James's close friendship with an illustrator named George du Maurier and his intimate but problematic relationship with fellow American novelist Constance Fenimore Woolson. At the end of the decade, Henry, worried by the failure of his books to sell, resolves to achieve fame and fortune as a playwright, while du Maurier diversifies into writing novels. The consequences that ensue mingle comedy, irony, pathos, and suspense. As Du Maurier's novel Trilby becomes the bestseller of the century, Henry anxiously awaits the opening night of his make-or-break play, Guy Domville. This event, on January 5, 1895, and its complex sequel form the climax to Lodge's absorbing novel.]]> 400 David Lodge 0143036092 Marcus 4 reviewed 3.63 2004 Author, Author
author: David Lodge
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/03/01
shelves: reviewed
review:
I find it hard to say anything about this book. Not because I didn't enjoy it � I did, though I found it hard to get on with it at times � but because writing a review about a fictional biography of a writer who insisted (apparently) to be known, loved and critically appreciated only through his (published and edited) work and not through his life, feels like lending one's voice to a double betrayal. Were it not for the fact that David Lodge managed to stay away from making up too much of the inner life of James and that his profound reverie for the man, his method and his mastery shines through, I don't think I could have bothered finishing it. All the while I still felt like prying. As others have pointed out, Lodge's voice as a writer of fictional biography is very different from his regular voice � though perhaps for the literary critic Lodge this is the regular voice and the author of hilarious campus novels is the alien, who knows. It is interesting to me that Lodge tackled HG Wells after James (in: ''; without competition this time, it seems) given that Wells and James were both giants and modernizers of literature—and though I love and read both authors, I preferred 'Author, Author' because Lodge allows his invention of Henry James to have much more attractive ambivalence than his invention of Herbert George Wells. But now I'm slowly moving into talking about the other book (which I haven't finished yet) and so I'll stop here. 'Author, Author' is recommended but it'll give you pain on behalf of James, especially if you're a writer, too.
]]> <![CDATA[Portrait of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of an American Masterpiece]]> 13812161 385 Michael Gorra 0871404087 Marcus 0 to-read 4.26 2012 Portrait of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of an American Masterpiece
author: Michael Gorra
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/03/01
shelves: to-read
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]]> <![CDATA[The Bells in Their Silence: Travels through Germany]]> 969634

Gorra uses Goethe's account of his Italian journey as a model for testing the traveler's response to Germany today, and he subjects the shopping arcades of contemporary German cities to the terms of Benjamin's Arcades project. He reads post-Wende Berlin through the novels of Theodor Fontane, examines the role of figurative language, and enlists W. G. Sebald as a guide to the place of fragments and digressions in travel writing.


Replete with the flaneur's chance discoveries--and rich in the delights of the enduring and the ephemeral, of architecture and flood--The Bells in Their Silence offers that rare traveler's tale of Germany while testing the very limits of the travel narrative as a literary form.]]> 232 Michael Gorra 0691117659 Marcus 0 to-read 3.38 2004 The Bells in Their Silence: Travels through Germany
author: Michael Gorra
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.38
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/03/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Plotto: The Master Book of All Plots]]> 11454870 A classic how-to manual, William Wallace Cook’s Plotto is one writer’s personal method, painstakingly diagrammed for the benefit of others. The theory itself may be simple — "Purpose opposed by Obstacle yields Conflict" — but Cook takes his "Plottoist" through hundreds of situations and scenarios, guiding the reader’s hand as a dizzying array of purposes and obstacles come to a head. Cook’s method is broken down into three stages: First, the master plot. This four-page chart distills the most basic plot points into a three-line sentence. Next, the conflict situation. Each master plot leads the reader to a list of circumstances, distributed among 20 different conflict groups (these range from “Love’s Beginning� to “Personal Limitations� to “Transgression�). There are over 2,000 unique conflict situations in the book, and each is cross-referenced with designs for how the situation might have started, or where it might go. Finally, there are character combinations — Cook offers an extensive index of protagonists, each cross-referenced with various supporting players — themselves tied to various conflict situations, for what appears to be an inexhaustible reservoir of suggestions and inspiration.

]]> 438 William Wallace Cook 1935639188 Marcus 4 3.75 1928 Plotto: The Master Book of All Plots
author: William Wallace Cook
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1928
rating: 4
read at: 2013/01/24
date added: 2013/01/25
shelves:
review:
Frenzied "Tour de force" I think is the term for an undertaking such as this. I frequently browse through Plotto though I haven't felt the need yet to copy one of its schemes for a plot of my own. This is surprising given that I find plotting difficult and cumbersome...it's almost an affectation with me and, as I know, with other writers of "literary" fiction, too. Unfortunately, "literary" means all too often that the story doesn't meet John Gardner's brilliantly conceived criterion of story as a " vivid and continuous dream" in the reader's mind...Plotto makes plot seem if not easy but at least doable, it takes away some of the mystery and replaces it by craft. Wholly recommendable!
]]> Aspects of the Novel 263341 From the Back Cover
The wit and lively, informed originality Forster employs in his study of the novel has made this book a classic. Deliberately avoiding the chronological development approach of what he classifies "pseudoscholarship," the author freely examines aspects all English-language novels have in common: story, people, plot, fantasy, prophecy, pattern, and rhythm. Forster's delightful treatment gives the reader a profound appreciation for both the novel and the author's own formidable talents.

"We discover under Forster's casual and wittily acute guidance, many things about the literary magic which transmutes the dull stuff of He-said and She-said into characters, stories, and intimations of truth." -- Jacques Barzun, Harper's Magazine

Mr. Forster's volume is more than a discussion of a literary form, it is a discussion of experience, of life, an admirable and delightful reflection of a mind that has recognized its own affinity with Erasmus and Montaigne. -- Theodore Spencer, New York Times Book Review

Amazon. com Review
There are all kinds of books out there purporting to explain that odd phenomenon the novel. Sometimes it's hard to know whom they're are for, exactly. Enthusiastic readers? Fellow academics? Would-be writers? Aspects of the Novel, E. M. Forster's 1927 treatise on the "fictitious prose work over 50,000 words" is, it turns out, for anyone with the faintest interest in how fiction is made. Open at random, and find your attention utterly sandbagged.

Forster's book is not really a book at all; rather, it's a collection of lectures delivered at Cambridge University on subjects as parboiled as "People," "The Plot," and "The Story." It has an unpretentious verbal immediacy thanks to its spoken origin and is written in the key of Apologetic Mumble: "Those who dislike Dickens have an excellent case. He ought to be bad." Such gentle provocations litter these pages. How can you not read on? Forster's critical writing is so ridiculously plainspoken, so happily commonsensical, that we often forget to be intimidated by the rhetorical landscapes he so ably leads us through. As he himself points out in the introductory note, "Since the novel is itself often colloquial it may possibly withhold some of its secrets from the graver and grander streams of criticism, and may reveal them to backwaters and shallows."

Forster's brand of humanism has fallen from fashion in literary studies, yet it endures in fiction itself. Readers still love this author, even if they come to him by way of the multiplex. The durability of his work is, of course, the greatest raison d'ĂŞtre this book could have. It should have been titled How to Write Novels People Will Still Read in a Hundred Years. -- Claire Dederer]]> 192 E.M. Forster 0156091801 Marcus 4 3.83 1927 Aspects of the Novel
author: E.M. Forster
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.83
book published: 1927
rating: 4
read at: 2013/01/24
date added: 2013/01/25
shelves:
review:
I'd rather not quibble over stars...this book gets one less from me only in comparison with even more useful books like John Gardner's ON BECOMING A NOVELIST, which is considerably tighter. Forster's book is a kind of literary bed spread, a sprawl of spirit that sometimes wanders off in search of itself, alas in vain. I know that I am reserved also because one of my favorite novelist, Henry James, gets a bit of a beating...I understand why of course but I still must punish Mr Forster, the purveyor of stern stereotyping as far as James is concerned...still, like the books by Brande, Gardner, King on writing, I regularly return to this one, easy as it is to skip some of the bitchier passages.
]]> On Becoming a Novelist 32532 On Becoming a Novelist contains the wisdom accumulated during John Gardner's distinguished twenty-year career as a fiction writer and creative writing teacher. With elegance, humor, and sophistication, Gardner describes the life of a working novelist; warns what needs to be guarded against, both from within the writer and from without; and predicts what the writer can reasonably expect and what, in general, he or she cannot. "For a certain kind of person," Gardner writes, "nothing is more joyful or satisfying than the life of a novelist." But no other vocation, he is quick to add, is so fraught with professional and spiritual difficulties. Whether discussing the supposed value of writer's workshops, explaining the role of the novelist's agent and editor, or railing against the seductive fruits of literary elitism, On Becoming a Novelist is an indispensable, life-affirming handbook for anyone authentically called to the profession. "A miraculously detailed account of the creative process."—Anne Tyler, Baltimore Sun]]> 150 John Gardner 0393320030 Marcus 5 4.10 1983 On Becoming a Novelist
author: John Gardner
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1983
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/01/18
shelves:
review:

]]> The Same Terrible Storm 14761328
—K. L. Cook, Author of Love Songs for the Quarantined and Last Call]]> Sheldon Lee Compton Marcus 5 4.62 2012 The Same Terrible Storm
author: Sheldon Lee Compton
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.62
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2013/01/15
shelves:
review:

]]> In Swanns Welt 11792557 433 Marcel Proust Marcus 0 to-read 4.50 1913 In Swanns Welt
author: Marcel Proust
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1913
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/01/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[New Sun Rising: Stories for Japan]]> 16161417
This anthology was prepared by an international team of volunteers and includes the donation of a poem in German with English translation by award-winning Austrian poet and writer, Friederike Mayröcker.

Greg Mc Queen, founder of 100 Stories for Haiti and 50 Stories for Pakistan says this: "You're holding a book that beat the odds. A book made from determination. From compassion. And by holding it - buying it - reading it - telling others about it - you stand with the writers and artists who created it: ordinary people who watched the lives of strangers destroyed and decided that they needed to help." Celebrate with us Japan and its people.]]> 264 Annie Evett 0987138316 Marcus 5 4.14 2012 New Sun Rising: Stories for Japan
author: Annie Evett
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2012/11/28
shelves:
review:
A fantastic kaleidoscope of writing talent welded together under the sign of the rising sun, celebrating Japan and keeping the memory alive of the terrible disasters that befell the country in March 2011, led by celebrated Austrian poet Friederike Mayröcker (and including my 'Gyoza Express'). I much enjoyed participating in this project and I wish it and all involved great success! —ĚýLooking forward to holding the paperback copy in my hands now.
]]> Action, Figure 13435913
Set amongst an unknown exploding city and Halifax, the city that once exploded, Action, Figure moves within and merges streaming consciousness, self-loathing, and the recovering mind as three lost souls move to scaffold realities they don’t accept. To cope they attack themselves in whatever way they can, hoping that whatever survives will see through to better days.]]> 160 Frank Hinton Marcus 5
«Frank made a vampire face and then pretended to bite into it a bag of pet food. Penny was laughing again and Frank felt good inside. She was easy to entertain, simple really. Frank took second to inspect her. She was an Etsy girl, dolled up in something yarnish, all browns and yellows, thick glasses and too much lipstick. She had a nice body though. Her breasts were large and pulled her down into a sexy but gibbous posture. Frank thought of his own slight hunch. He wondered if they could be together. When kissing late form a kind of golden arches.» (p. 173)

I think I’m going to love this book.]]> 4.20 2012 Action, Figure
author: Frank Hinton
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2012/11/25
date added: 2012/11/25
shelves:
review:
My daughter shrieked this morning: “There is a book for you! Did you write it?� I denied. “Did you make the cover?”—“No, honey, I’m sorry.� � The book was ACTION, FIGURE by Frank Hinton and for some reason I thought it would be a thin book. The reason probably being that most indie presses seem to publish thin books in large print. At 336 pages, this is a thick book, not a thin book. Because it was so surprised, I took a picture of it next to our current favorite soap. I have this book on my desk next to me now. It doesn’t matter where I open it: it’s all good. It’s for vampire lovers, too:

«Frank made a vampire face and then pretended to bite into it a bag of pet food. Penny was laughing again and Frank felt good inside. She was easy to entertain, simple really. Frank took second to inspect her. She was an Etsy girl, dolled up in something yarnish, all browns and yellows, thick glasses and too much lipstick. She had a nice body though. Her breasts were large and pulled her down into a sexy but gibbous posture. Frank thought of his own slight hunch. He wondered if they could be together. When kissing late form a kind of golden arches.» (p. 173)

I think I’m going to love this book.
]]> <![CDATA[Worlds Apart: 2 friends, 2 journeys, and 10 life lessons - a true story]]> 15768181 WOR(L)DS APART is a book about a friendship across cultures, and the insights it evokes.

While Smitha Murthy is in a foreign country for the first time � teaching English at a Chinese school � she chances upon a fellow traveller in the web: Dorothee Lang, who has just returned to Europe from a journey to Asia, and is trying to find the balance between everyday joys and worries, work, and the call of the horizon.

An engaging travelogue in the form of emails unfolds. It leads from the Great Wall to Shanghai, from Munich to the Mediterranean Sea, and from curious questions ("How does one type on a Chinese keyboard?") to shared life lessons that wait along the road: "And that is the beauty of travel. It's a journey to discover the truths that lie underneath."

Interlaced with photos and notes, and rounded up with practical advice for travelling and teaching in Asia, WOR(L)DS APART is both an inspiring travel read, and the story of a friendship across cultures and borders.]]> 242 Dorothee Lang 1610191021 Marcus 5 4.28 2012 Worlds Apart: 2 friends, 2 journeys, and 10 life lessons - a true story
author: Dorothee Lang
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2012/11/25
shelves:
review:
This looks fantastic, I can’t wait to get this book. I have followed Dorothee’s meandering literary and artistic paths for a few years now, and whatever emerges from her workshop is exciting, original and inspiring. Will come back here when I've received and read it!
]]> IN THOSE DAYS WE 16169031
Featuring written works by: Len Kuntz, Robert Kloss, Norman Lock, Molly Gaudry, J. A. Tyler, Kathryn Rantala, Ben Tanzer, Ryan W. Bradley, Andrew Borgstrom, Meg Tuite, Kyle Hemmings, Parker Tettleton, Marcus Speh, Chad Redden, Robert Vaughan, J. Bradley, and David Tomaloff.]]> 126 Jennifer L. Tomaloff 1479376450 Marcus 5 5.00 2012 IN THOSE DAYS WE
author: Jennifer L. Tomaloff
name: Marcus
average rating: 5.00
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2012/11/25
shelves:
review:
This is a beautiful book full of pictures and stories assembled by Jennifer Tomaloff. The pictures are mysterious because we don't know the stories behind them. They're strangely familiar to those of us with families. Many of them unmistakably come from a time long lost to America and thereby to the world. The stories that fill the book were written with the pictures as prompts and they're powerful. I'm delighted to be part of this Tomaloff project—once again a peculiar "bending of light into verse" form. It's a violation of the laws of physics: light particles that are everywhere at once because they're part of a fictional universe of infinite meaning and size.
]]> <![CDATA[New Sun Rising: Stories for Japan]]> 15700121 539 Annie Evett 0987138324 Marcus 5 4.78 2012 New Sun Rising: Stories for Japan
author: Annie Evett
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.78
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2012/09/08
date added: 2012/11/22
shelves:
review:
A fantastic kaleidoscope of writing talent welded together under the sign of the rising sun, celebrating Japan and keeping the memory alive of the terrible disasters that befell the country in March 2011, led by celebrated Austrian poet Friederike Mayröcker (and including my 'Gyoza Express'). I much enjoyed participating in this project and I wish it and all involved great success!
]]> <![CDATA[Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett]]> 140734
Inevitably Maigret was a hostile presence in the Majestic. He constituted a kind of foreign body that the hotel's atmosphere could not assimilate. Not that he looked like a cartoon policeman. He didn't have a moustache and he didn't wear heavy boots. His clothes were well cut and made of fairly light worsted. He shaved every day and looked after his hands. But his frame was proletarian. He was a big, bony man. His firm muscles filled out his jacket and quickly pulled all his trousers out of shape. He had a way of imposing himself just by standing there. His assertive presence had often irked many of his own colleagues.

In Simenon's first novel featuring Maigret, the laconic detective is taken from grimy bars to luxury hotels as he traces the true identity of Pietr the Latvian. Georges Simenon was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1903. Best known in Britain as the author of the Maigret books, his prolific output of over 400 novels and short stories have made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived for the latter part of his life.

David Bellos is Director of the Program in Translation and Intercultural Communication at Princeton University and has won many awards for his translations including the Man Booker International Translator's Award (2005).]]> 144 Georges Simenon 0140020233 Marcus 3
Simenon’s references to Paris are strewn in sparsely and smartly, not unlike Chandler’s references to Los Angeles: the city is but a setting, and it’s the reader’s job to discover the uniqueness of this setting. In fact, anything else would feel intrusive. But the true secret of the effectiveness of this novel is not Paris and it’s not the crime either: one could graft Maigret on to another genre (that might be fun in a postmodern way). The true secret, I think, is the corporeality, which spreads throughout the novel like the inspector’s massive figure. Powerful physicality glows throughout like Maigret’s pipe (which should never burn out) or the potbelly stove in his office (which burns out all the time):

«Maigret slept, half of his body buried under the red eiderdown quilt, head pressed into the thick feather filled pillow, while all the familiar sounds buzzed around his tranquil face.»


More than in the novels with with Marlowe, Marple or other detectives (not to mention Holmes/Watson), Simenon recruits the reader as a partner in crime in order to protect the firmly established world that turns around Maigret against all evil. In this regard the novels of this French also could also be called “noir� even though they are (politically) far more conservative than their American counterparts.


From my Blog: - enjoy and let me know what you think!]]> 3.69 1930 Maigret and the Enigmatic Lett
author: Georges Simenon
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1930
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/10/16
shelves:
review:
I finished Simenon’s (first) Maigret detective novel: somehow I know that I read this one and many others about the inspector from Paris a long time ago. It’s a thrilling tale even though the writing seems often clumsy, take for example the shouting (rather than telling) which is inserted whenever the action is heating up: something like “MAIGRET GUNNED HIM DOWN!� � you can practically hear how every letter is capitalized. What can I learn from this book? For example how inspector Maigret’s physiognomy and nature lend a particular speed to all action so that whenever the plot is accelerating, an attractive gap appears, alongside the question: will this throw Maigret off-balance? At last he loses his cool when his much loved colleague is murdered: from then on the book runs its course like an avalanche. The last 30 pages however are filled with background story and appear like a documentary, oddly disconnected from the plot. Still, the book is most suspenseful and despite its age of 80 years in this somehow still sufficiently contemporary; this could be because we all dream of parents all the time and we’re grateful for every opportunity to teleport to the Seine.

Simenon’s references to Paris are strewn in sparsely and smartly, not unlike Chandler’s references to Los Angeles: the city is but a setting, and it’s the reader’s job to discover the uniqueness of this setting. In fact, anything else would feel intrusive. But the true secret of the effectiveness of this novel is not Paris and it’s not the crime either: one could graft Maigret on to another genre (that might be fun in a postmodern way). The true secret, I think, is the corporeality, which spreads throughout the novel like the inspector’s massive figure. Powerful physicality glows throughout like Maigret’s pipe (which should never burn out) or the potbelly stove in his office (which burns out all the time):

«Maigret slept, half of his body buried under the red eiderdown quilt, head pressed into the thick feather filled pillow, while all the familiar sounds buzzed around his tranquil face.»


More than in the novels with with Marlowe, Marple or other detectives (not to mention Holmes/Watson), Simenon recruits the reader as a partner in crime in order to protect the firmly established world that turns around Maigret against all evil. In this regard the novels of this French also could also be called “noir� even though they are (politically) far more conservative than their American counterparts.


From my Blog: - enjoy and let me know what you think!
]]> Sommersaat 12961361
Germerow ist ein harmloses Dorf vor den Toren Berlins. Dorthin hat sich Johannes Stifter zurückgezogen. An den Ufern eines klaren Sees sucht er Ruhe und Frieden. Er will über Foucault promovieren und ein unaufgeregtes Leben als Postbote führen. Doch ein bestialischer Mord sucht Germerow heim, und Stifter ist plötzlich Verdächtiger und Ermittler in einer Person. Er muss sich eingestehen, dass er sein Dorf nicht kennt und dass seine Bewohner alte Schuld und neue Geheimnisse vor ihm verbergen. � Tanja Weber hat einen unerhört spannenden Krimi geschrieben, der von genauester Milieukenntnis und frappierender Figurenpsychologie lebt. Und von der Gabe der Autorin, schlichtweg gut erzählen zu können.]]> 350 Tanja Weber 3351033613 Marcus 3 3.40 2011 Sommersaat
author: Tanja Weber
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/10/16
shelves:
review:
Habe diesen Roman eben beendet, war mir empfohlen worden, nicht schlecht, spritzig geschrieben! Besonders gefallen hat mir die Einfärbung des Krimigemäldes mit Lokalkolorit. Das Buch war nicht leicht aus der Hand zu legen, man merkte, dass die Autorin Skript-Erfahrung hat; viel Berliner Zuwanderer-Energie steckte in den beiden Hauptpersonen Stifter und Thalmeier. Der Roman hat mir als moderner deutscher Krimi genau das gegeben, wonach ich gesucht hatte (ich schreibe gerade selber einen). Und dass unsere Datscha quasi in Rufweite von Germerow liegt, war auch irgendwie interessant und ungewohnt.
]]> Middlemarch 19089 "People are almost always better than their neighbours think they are"

George Eliot’s most ambitious novel is a masterly evocation of diverse lives and changing fortunes in a provincial community. Peopling its landscape are Dorothea Brooke, a young idealist whose search for intellectual fulfillment leads her into a disastrous marriage to the pedantic scholar Casaubon; the charming but tactless Dr Lydgate, whose pioneering medical methods, combined with an imprudent marriage to the spendthrift beauty Rosamond, threaten to undermine his career; and the religious hypocrite Bulstrode, hiding scandalous crimes from his past. As their stories interweave, George Eliot creates a richly nuanced and moving drama, hailed by Virginia Woolf as "one of the few English novels written for grown-up people".]]> 912 George Eliot 0451529170 Marcus 5 4.00 1872 Middlemarch
author: George Eliot
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1872
rating: 5
read at: 2012/09/26
date added: 2012/09/26
shelves:
review:

]]> Kino: A Novel 13825591
With a cast of characters that includes Joseph Goebbels, Fritz Lang and Leni Riefenstahl, Fauth concocts a genre-busting blend of German history, film, and art into a fast, sinister tale of redemption. The tightly woven narrative is filled with thuggish darkness and back alley shadows running neck-and-neck with cinematic light and intri]]> 266 Jurgen Fauth 0983208077 Marcus 0 to-read 3.76 2012 Kino: A Novel
author: Jurgen Fauth
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/09/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Lords of the North (The Saxon Stories, #3)]]> 68526 317 Bernard Cornwell 0060888628 Marcus 4
Update: this book did not disappoint.]]> 4.34 2007 Lords of the North (The Saxon Stories, #3)
author: Bernard Cornwell
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2012/09/12
date added: 2012/09/16
shelves:
review:
I'm enjoying another part of the Saxon Saga by Bernard Cornwell: haven't found another book that gets me back into the first century A.D. as effectively. The writing is adequately terse and sharp (for a warrior's tale), centered on characters and relationship thereby avoiding many of the traps of historical fiction (such as lush sprawling boring descriptions). The books are also about the conflict between paganism and Christianity (or, for that matter, between any two conflicting worlds of belief), which interests me greatly in the context of my own "Gizella" story () which I've begun to work on again. While being wonderfully entertaining and virtually impossible to put down, Cornwell manages to keep the balance—I'm never quite sure if he is siding with the old gods (like his protagonist, Uthred) or with the new god (like Uthred's fixed point, Alfred the Great)...of course there's more to it. Cornwell has also folded Hamlet into the story and hald a dozen other mythologies to harden the case, and when you want to keep people of the 21st century engaged with a story over 1000 years ago you need a hardened tale...at least that is true for everyone except the english who may just care for it because it's england's history...but whatever, mythology is the key.

Update: this book did not disappoint.
]]> <![CDATA[Conversations with S. Teri O'Type (a Satire)]]> 15871302
Also available on Kindle.
]]> 244 Christopher Allen 1479160253 Marcus 5 3.94 2012 Conversations with S. Teri O'Type (a Satire)
author: Christopher Allen
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2012/09/06
date added: 2012/09/14
shelves:
review:
If you've ever read Christopher Allen's blog "", you will expect to laugh out loud while enjoying Allen's beautiful way with language. He has now stepped off a plane to create the ultimate literary anti-closet weapon: the main character in these 'Conversations', Teri, who helps the narrator, Curt, onto and along 'the road to greater gayness', is both a trickster and an elegant guru. As I followed the story, I realized how the initiator and the initiated were both two sides of one character, and how the whirlpool of words unleashed by Allen, hides well-known family skeletons: «Your mama knows. Mamas always know.» Along the way, as a bonus, you'll also learn everything there is to know about moisturizer. A fierce farce indeed, and a fine read.
]]> The Writing of Fiction 50549 The Writing of Fiction by Edith Wharton contains brilliant advice on writing from the first woman ever to win a Pulitzer Prize -- for her novel The Age of Innocence. In The Writing of Fiction, Wharton provides general comments on the roots of modern fiction, the various approaches to writing a piece of fiction, and the development of form and style. She also devotes entire chapters to the telling of a short story, the construction of a novel, and the importance of character and situation in the novel. Not only a valuable treatise on the art of writing, The Writing of Fiction also allows readers to experience the inimitable but seldom heard voice of one of America's most important and beloved writers, and includes a final chapter on the pros and cons of Marcel Proust.]]> 128 Edith Wharton Marcus 5 reviewed 3.87 1925 The Writing of Fiction
author: Edith Wharton
name: Marcus
average rating: 3.87
book published: 1925
rating: 5
read at: 2012/09/08
date added: 2012/09/08
shelves: reviewed
review:
Like the writing books of other great novelists and writers � John Gardner, E M Forster, Margaret Atwood... � this book captures the imagination and not just the mind of any writer. Also don't miss .
]]> <![CDATA[The Land of the Four Rivers � My Experience as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia (2006-2008)]]> 15846136
A 1999 graduate of Belmont Abbey College (BA History) Matthew is currently the librarian at Benedictine College Preparatory, an all-male, Catholic military high school. He lives in Richmond, Virginia.

"The Land of the Four Rivers" was nominated for a 2013 Pushcart Prize.]]> 42 Matthew A. Hamilton Marcus 0 to-read 4.67 2012 The Land of the Four Rivers — My Experience as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia (2006-2008)
author: Matthew A. Hamilton
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.67
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/08/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Can't Go On, I'll Go On: A Samuel Beckett Reader]]> 54043
- The complete plays Waiting for Godot, Krapp’s Last Tape, Cascando, Eh Joe, Not I, and That Time
- Selections from his novels Murphy, Watt, Mercier and Camier, Molloy, and The Unnamable
- The shorter works “Dante and the Lobster,� “The Expelled,� Imagination Dead Imagine, and Lessness
- A selection of Beckett’s poetry and critical writings

With an indispensable introduction by editor and Beckett intimate Richard Seaver, and featuring a useful select bibliography, I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On is indeed an invaluable introduction to a writer who has changed the face of modern literature.]]> 621 Samuel Beckett 0802132871 Marcus 4
[See a sort of review and appreciation ] ]]> 4.35 1976 I Can't Go On, I'll Go On: A Samuel Beckett Reader
author: Samuel Beckett
name: Marcus
average rating: 4.35
book published: 1976
rating: 4
read at: 2012/08/20
date added: 2012/08/20
shelves:
review:
I own this book in addition to individual editions of most of the excerpts contained in it. However, I often find myself going here: partly because of the excellent introductions written by someone who knew Beckett, published him, and obviously feels his work from the inside rather than the glib scholastic outside. These days, I use Beckett like a drug, to get me through holes of motivation and doubts of ability: I use Gertrude Stein in a similar fashion. There's just something about clarity and truth of expression in Beckett's work that helps me to realign my inner writing magnets.

[See a sort of review and appreciation ]
]]>