THE PRICE OF SALT is the famous lesbian love story by Patricia Highsmith, written under …
Review of 'The Price of Salt' on 'Goodreads'
5 stelle
For the longest time I snobbed Patricia Highsmith thinking of her as a thriller author, but this novel is outrageously well written. It's incredible that she managed to get this published in 1952, almost 20 years before "Maurice" by E.M. Forster.
The character development, the masterful way we're made to perceive how the feelings develop between the character when they're still so hard to identify clearly... I know exactly what she's talking about, and I still have no idea how she managed to put it into words so well.
Review of 'Come valutare la qualità del catalogo di una biblioteca' on 'Goodreads'
4 stelle
Guida essenziale a certi criteri di qualità minima dei cataloghi. Non mancano le frecciatine al catalogo SBN per la mancanza di normalizzazione dei dati, che ne penalizza l'usabilità.
Un libro que llamara profundamente la atencion de cuantos se interesen por los problemas politicos …
Review of 'Crises of the Republic' on 'Goodreads'
5 stelle
Hannah Arendt is spectacular in these four essays. After reading them, I keep going back to these concepts and I find we still have a huge need for them, for example when thinking about civil disobedience and the concepts of violence in the activism against the climate crisis.
Excellent work, but I'm not sure how enjoyable for someone who has not read the book. A good refresher if you have. It's also easy to realise how this screenplay would have been a nightmare for any film producer. Luchino Visconti might have been able to pull it off, but all those different highly visual scenes are a minefield.
I originally read this book in Thai Vegan Kitchen in Helsinki. It's ostensibly about communicating with carnists about veganism, but in reality I'd say it's a book about using direct non-violent communication in personal relations. You can find the same concepts in any book about attachment theory, but Melanie Joy presents it all in a more personal way. Useful also if you often find you have trouble communicating the importance of a belief of yours, for example (in my case) free software or privacy.
We live in an era in which offensive speech is on the rise. The emergence …
Review of 'Hate' on 'Goodreads'
4 stelle
Nadine Strossen is very convincing and uniquely experienced in the topic. Before coming up with your own definitions of online harassment or whatnot, check this book for the well-known pitfalls.
Dune is a 1965 epic science fiction novel by American author Frank Herbert, originally published …
Review of 'Dune' on 'Goodreads'
4 stelle
Obviously I've only started the book because I was captivated by the eye candy of the movie, but surprisingly I ended up reading it in one sitting because it was very captivating. There's something for everybody.
«Water is the least favourable condition for life on Arrakis. And remember that growth itself can produce unfavourable conditions unless treated with extreme care.»
While observing exotic animal trainers for her acclaimed book Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched, journalist Amy …
Review of 'What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love, and Marriage' on 'Goodreads'
2 stelle
A funny and enjoyable read with some sound advice on relationships. There isn't much more than you won't have learnt already from the original essay on the NYT, but there's some nice filler.
In the Clean Coder: A Code of Conduct for Professional Programmers, legendary software expert …
Review of 'The clean coder' on 'Goodreads'
4 stelle
A good reference, mostly because it's so compact and well thought out. I've not managed to use it that much in practice, but it can be a good starting point for conversations or for self-improvement if you're confused about where you stand.
One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society is a 1964 book by …
Review of "L'uomo a una dimensione" on 'Goodreads'
5 stelle
Already in 1964, Herbert Marcuse had understood that most of our political discourse is completely missing the point: we need to rethink our approach to technology, or we won't achieve anything apart from touching the cosmetic surface of things. 1986 and 1991 screamed for help, but we failed to listen. Now the climate crisis and the big technological oligopolies expose the deep rot of the system in smaller installments, and the background noise makes it impossible to understand why we seem unable to do anything. Marcuse reminds us to question the basics.
From chapter 7 (1964 translation via marcuse.org): «For example, the scientific approach to the vexing problem of mutual annihilation–the mathematics and calculations of kill and over-kill, the measurement of spreading or not-quite-so-spreading fallout, the experiments of endurance in abnormal situations–is mystifying to the extent to which it promotes (and even demands) behavior which accepts the insanity. It thus …
Already in 1964, Herbert Marcuse had understood that most of our political discourse is completely missing the point: we need to rethink our approach to technology, or we won't achieve anything apart from touching the cosmetic surface of things. 1986 and 1991 screamed for help, but we failed to listen. Now the climate crisis and the big technological oligopolies expose the deep rot of the system in smaller installments, and the background noise makes it impossible to understand why we seem unable to do anything. Marcuse reminds us to question the basics.
From chapter 7 (1964 translation via marcuse.org): «For example, the scientific approach to the vexing problem of mutual annihilation–the mathematics and calculations of kill and over-kill, the measurement of spreading or not-quite-so-spreading fallout, the experiments of endurance in abnormal situations–is mystifying to the extent to which it promotes (and even demands) behavior which accepts the insanity. It thus counteracts a truly rational behavior–namely, the refusal to go along, and the effort to do away with the conditions which produce the insanity.»
I like to compare Marcuse to the classic "Prometheus Bound" by Aeschylus, "Téchne d'anánkes asthenéstera makrô". This really is the basic problem of modern society, since 2500 years ago.
Family Sayings (Original title Lessico famigliare) is a novel by the Italian author Natalia Ginzburg, …
Review of 'Lessico famigliare' on 'Goodreads'
4 stelle
Rileggere Lessico famigliare non è stata una delusione. Si può godere la pure bellezza linguistica, oppure assaporare l'immagine di una vita famigliare molto particolare eppure molto semplice, o ancora meravigliarsi della macrostoria di cui apprendiamo tramite questa microstoria, come l'episodio della fuga di Turati.
IN A LIFE filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of …
Review of 'Becoming' on 'Goodreads'
2 stelle
Very well written and enjoyable, much better than Barack Obama's books. A much more realistic point of view. I can't say I know much more than before though.