ingres77 – Page 14 – Cannonball Read 17

I don’t know if you’ve heard of this one, but this was really good

Animal Farm by George Orwell

April 2, 2021 by ingres77 4 Comments

In my continuing quest to read all the books I should’ve read in high school but somehow talked my way out of, I read Animal Farm last week. In 1936, after publishing The Road to Wigan Pier, George Orwell went to Spain to fight against the Fascists being led by Francisco Franco. In 1931, the Spanish King, Alfonso XIII agreed to allow elections to decide the government of Spain. Overwhelmingly, the people of Spain voted to abolish the monarchy and form a liberal republic. Over […]

When a cog is broken, you throw it away.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

April 2, 2021 by ingres77 Leave a Comment

Keiko Furukura has been different her entire life, and she’s always to understand why she makes people uncomfortable. As a child, she found a dead bird and she brought it to her mother, who responded with sympathy and an offer to bury it. Keiko instead wanted to eat it. One day at school, two boys were fighting. Horrified, one of the girls screamed for someone to break them up, so Keiko grabbed a shovel and hit one of them over the head. And that was […]

Such a Murakami novel

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

March 22, 2021 by ingres77 Leave a Comment

I seem to always say this, but I don’t really know how to review Haruki Murakami’s books. They’re so inexplicable and enjoyable and uneventful. A Wild Sheep Chase, according to the man himself (in What I Talk About When I Talk About Running), was his “real starting point” as a writer – and that makes sense. Hear the Wind Sing, his first novel, has all the hallmarks of a Murakami novel, but doesn’t quite work as well. He hasn’t really found himself yet, and it […]

I can’t believe I’m going to say it, but the movie is better

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald

March 18, 2021 by ingres77 Leave a Comment

I saw this movie years ago, when it came out in theaters, and I remember liking it. I’m a bit of a sucker for tragic romances, though. After discovering that I really like F. Scott Fitzgerald last month, I thought I’d give this story a go. And while I did enjoy it – I actually think the movie is quite a bit better. The movie abandons much of the plot, and significantly changes the characters. In the movie, Benjamin is abandoned by his widowed father […]

Somehow, both Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton

Henry Clay: America's Greatest Statesman by Harlow Giles Unger

March 14, 2021 by ingres77 Leave a Comment

Were you to ask me, prior to my reading this book, who Henry Clay was, I would’ve been able to tell you that he was an important US politician in the early-19th century who unsuccessfully ran for president a few times. Which, I suppose, is more of a legacy than most people get. Born in 1777 Virginia, and launched a legal career twenty years later in Kentucky. He was such a powerful speaker, and so successful in court, that he was elected to the House […]

A nice little palate cleanser

A Change of Plans by Dennis E. Taylor

March 3, 2021 by ingres77 Leave a Comment

Audible’s members section has blown up recently – or I’ve just recently discovered what others have long enjoyed. There’s a virtually endless supply of books, novellas, and short stories available for download – beyond the normal one credit per month system. Currently, I have 65 books on my phone – almost all of them downloaded in the last two weeks. I should stop looking – I may have a problem. I’ve read quite a few books by Dennis Taylor, and virtually all of them have […]

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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