Books

Inspired by this toot1 from John Willshire I thought I’d also jump on this idea he references, that has its roots back in 2005. I like the questions, I think I’ve finally got back into reading so I have answers worth sharing, and also I support John’s push for people to start blogging rather than posting on more interactive platforms. The questions from the original post are: How many books do you own? What is the last book you bought? What is the last book you read? What are 5 books that mean a lot to you? My answers are below: ...

An intentionally browseable set of weeknotes for my previous “week”1. I beheld I’ve decided that “beheld” is the best word for “things I read such as a book, or watched such as a movie, but didn’t play like a game, or didn’t engage with for work”. Suggestions for better terms are expected, but I’ll probably ignore them, “beheld” feels worth writing about. Stewart Lee. I read March of the Lemmings by Stewart Lee ages ago, but only found my notes on it recently. This is definitely for you if you like Lee’s relentless demeanor, political stance, and whipsmart phrasing. I’m reminded of TV series such as Community, or Ted Lasso, when sometimes you have to hit Pause and let a phrase sink in. It could be a bit much all in one go, so a good bedtime read when you just want a fun chapter or two to put the day behind you. ...

( My reviews are strictly aimed at helping you decide whether you should read something, rather than assuming your meaning of “good” or “bad” is anything like mine. ) As per my last 'weeknotes' I finished reading Rory Sutherland’s “Alchemy” recently. The overall point of the work, for me, is that economics and marketing ( in general, so with exceptions ) have failed to understand human nature and desire, and therefore their models are incorrect. These points are well made, well illustrated, well supported; I do like Sutherland’s use of “psycho-logical” to describe the approach he advocates for. The only place where it gets a bit wobbly in places is where he argues that free markets are good for most effectively indicating what people want - which is fair - but those neo-liberal capitalists have ruined it by being more profitable. But extrapolating the benefits of certain strategies within a market regardless of their overall effect is a conversation for another time. ...

Edited highlights from my previous week I finished Passenger to Frankfurt by Agatha Christie, a surprise “Jolabokaflod” present. I wrote up my thoughts here, it was a weird and entertaining ride of a book. Appropriately for the time of year, I finally watched some more MST3K by viewing their interpretation of The Christmas That Almost Wasn't. As Twelfth Night has only just passed I think, do take a look if you want a seasonal introduction to the, er, oeuvre/method of MST3K and RiffTrax…. “It’s like watching a movie with your funniest friends!”. ...

On finishing Agatha Christie’s “Passenger to Frankfurt”, some thoughts… I have a huge TBR ( To Be Read ) pile of books, to the extent that really it’s at least one set of bookshelves, rather than a mere pile. But also I have a relatively poor memory, and relatively poor focus, so unless a book is especially engaging it can be a struggle to read rather than a joy. Or if it’s a more serious work then I end up with a list of semi-intelligible notes, sometimes they’re converted into a more useful format, sometimes they’re the start of a new pile. ...