en-US Tue, 29 Apr 2025 07:18:19 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg ReadStatus9366215769 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 07:18:19 -0700 /review/show/7528409807 Travis is currently reading Parkland: Birth of a Movement by Dave Cullen
]]> ReadStatus9366201410 Tue, 29 Apr 2025 07:13:21 -0700 /review/show/7528399455 Travis is currently reading Constellations by Nick Payne
]]> Review7510197843 Mon, 28 Apr 2025 20:45:44 -0700 /review/show/7510197843 Travis gave 4 stars to The Hare (Paperback) by César Aira
]]> Review7481092340 Mon, 28 Apr 2025 13:06:37 -0700 /review/show/7481092340 Travis gave 3 stars to The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2024 (Kindle Edition) by Bill McKibben
Still an interesting read, though at this point it's depressing how much the collection has been taken over by climate change almost exclusively. Even articles and essays that aren't singularly focused on climate change -- like one about the dangers of glass to birds, or another about communication among whales -- inevitably also needs to incorporate considerations of climate collapse as part of a larger picture. An especially depressing article concerns corruption concerning carbon credits and a seemingly delusional CEO who started out seemingly sincere but allowed his greed to blind him to the flaws in the system he believed in. Will be interesting and possibly painful to see how this continues to progress over the coming years. ]]> Review7481081402 Sun, 27 Apr 2025 10:50:16 -0700 /review/show/7481081402 Travis gave 4 stars to Song for the Unraveling of the World: Stories (Paperback) by Brian Evenson
A collection of really compelling horror stories, reminded me of a slightly more approachable Tom Ligotti, in both the tone and aesthetics of the specific corner of the genre the stories deal with. Also significantly shorter too, which is maybe what I prefer, there is just enough time to set a tone and get to the hook then maybe pull a quick twist and finish up without overstaying the welcome; while I get the inclination to want the reader to stew in suspense and building tension, this could be a double edged sword in written fiction where it's easy to slide into repetition and thus boredom. Will definitely be checkout out more from Evenson in the future. ]]> Review7451280884 Wed, 23 Apr 2025 11:17:02 -0700 /review/show/7451280884 Travis gave 3 stars to The Best American Essays 2024 (Paperback) by Wesley Morris
I had initially planned to skip over the non-fiction collections in this year's Best American series but a fitness challenge with a reading component lead me back to them, for which I am glad. That said, while this year's has a few standouts (in particular the ones that stood out to me: The Lives of Brian about a brother who had "died" several times, The Anatomy of Panic in which the author takes us through his history with panic attacks, The Ones We Sent Away about America's messy history with non-verbal intellectual disabilities and how the author's own family history intersects, and Because: An Etiology which has a unique and gripping writing structure) but on the whole was nothing mind blowing. I am still glad to keep up with modern American essays to continue to track and ingest what intelligent people are writing about our current culture tho, and look forward to next year's collections. ]]> ReadStatus9340014764 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 13:19:18 -0700 /review/show/7510197843 Travis is currently reading The Hare by César Aira
]]> Review7489036338 Tue, 22 Apr 2025 11:19:24 -0700 /review/show/7489036338 Travis gave 5 stars to The Maniac (Hardcover) by Benjamín Labatut
I had heard this was not on the level of Labatut's other work translated into English (When We Cease to Understand the World) and that may be true, but the more traditional narrative structure of this one as well as the slightly more obscure subjects of study for some reason clicked with me a bit more and I enjoyed this one immensely. I am incredibly keen on following Labatut's future work and I can foresee rereading both of these books sooner rather than later, which is rare for me. ]]> ReadStatus9297998985 Fri, 11 Apr 2025 14:57:43 -0700 /review/show/7481092340 Travis is currently reading The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2024 by Bill McKibben
]]> ReadStatus9297982852 Fri, 11 Apr 2025 14:52:09 -0700 /review/show/7481081402 Travis is currently reading Song for the Unraveling of the World: Stories by Brian Evenson
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