blauracke – Page 17 – Cannonball Read 17

One Man’s Trash…

Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan

February 11, 2020 by blauracke Leave a Comment

In China, sometime in the near future, Silicon Isle has become the place where the world’s electronic trash is shipped for recycling. The land is heavily polluted, migrant workers are exploited by three ruling clans, an American company is trying to get a foot in the door, ecoterrorists are determined to disrupt the operation, and a biological weapon may lead to the evolution of mankind. The first half of this book is just excellent. The setting is a future where cybernetics are much more advanced, […]

The proof has been in the pudding for a long time.

Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea by Mark Blyth

February 3, 2020 by blauracke Leave a Comment

When the banking crisis started in 2008, a renaissance of the economic policy of austerity could be observed especially in the EU which basically meant condemning the state for profligacy on one hand while expecting it to bail out all the floundering banks and other big financial players on the other hand. It meant taking a private sector crisis and making it a public sector problem. Blyth argues that austerity is a dangerous idea for several reasons but the one that should interest anyone who […]

No, Not All Is Said.

Kalpa Imperial: The Greatest Empire That Never Was by Angélica Gorodischer

January 26, 2020 by blauracke Leave a Comment

The history of a fictional empire is told by various storytellers who not only narrate what happened but also distort it by looking at events through the mists of time and the traditions and mannerisms of their profession. Hence their stories work as allegories, fables, or social commentaries that teach moral lessons or make a point about the nature of the world more than they impart knowledge about the subject at hand in general or about its past. The stories are very loosely connected to […]

There Are Always Two Sides to Every Story

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard

January 22, 2020 by blauracke 2 Comments

In 63 BCE, the politician and lawyer Cicero gave four speeches against the senator Catiline whom he accused of being the instigator of a conspiracy to overthrow the government. Historically and probably unfairly, Cicero came out of this as a famous and brilliant orator who saved the republic while Catiline ended up dead and branded a traitor and a villain. This particular episode in the history of Rome, covered in the first chapter, sets the tone of the book and illustrates the problems that often […]

The War of Emotion

Spring Snow (The Sea of Fertility Book 1) by Yukio Mishima

January 13, 2020 by blauracke 3 Comments

Set in Tokyo in 1912, this is the story of Kiyoaki, an 18-year-old member of the upper class, his best friend Honda, and the aristocratic Satoko who invokes feelings in him that he struggles greatly with. Tragedy begins to take its course when she becomes engaged to a royal prince. Ostensibly a rather conventional story about the hardships of an impossible love, underneath the surface, the nuance and finesse Mishima brings to his reflections on the faults and failures of human existence and the inevitability […]

“As Hegel said, tragedy was not the conflict between right and wrong but right and right, a dilemma none of us who wanted to participate in history could escape.”

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

January 5, 2020 by blauracke 2 Comments

Starting during the last days of the Vietnam War, the novel follows a mole working for a high-ranking South Vietnamese general who is evacuated from Saigon only to continue spying for the Viet Cong on American soil. This is a darkly humorous book, one that is equally hilarious and disturbing, amusing and sickening. There are grotesquely comical episodes, and scenes that will make you heave. The effect of events is increased by the claustrophobic atmosphere caused by the first person narration and the distance created […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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