What starts out as a tipsy-turvy look at Naomi Klein's bizarre personal doppelgänger situation evolves into a more nuanced examination of our current What starts out as a tipsy-turvy look at Naomi Klein's bizarre personal doppelgänger situation evolves into a more nuanced examination of our current culture and the nature of doubling. Frankly, had the novel continued along a course that looked at Klein's personal struggles with her far-right and far-out double, I would have been along for the ride. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised to slip into Klein's calm and even writing style (and narration!) as she examines many of the troubling aspects of today's world that bug, horrify, and deflate me.
While I may not have enjoyed each and every chapter and topic, my thoughts were always provoked. I listened to this, mostly, on my commute to and from work and would find occasion in the quieter moments of the day to reflect on what Klein brought up. Covering vaccine misinformation, wellness culture, COVID-19, the Palestinian genocide, political bifurcation, misinformation, and climate change, Klein really rises to today's challenges in a fashion that felt infrequently preachy and always well thought out.
Though despair and hopelessness may hang like a cloud over our current societal moment, Klein has a way of hacking through the dense overgrowth and finding a path forward. There's no sugar coating here, but there is a clear-eyed sense of reasons and means to work towards a better future. An idea, a possibility of collective action through the dissolving of the self and the acceptance of our relationship and reliance on each other, seems possible if you listen to Klein. I for one, am here for it....more
I was so ready to abandon The Fraud. Smith's style crossed with historical fiction felt grating, slow, and entirely uninteresting. I usually try to geI was so ready to abandon The Fraud. Smith's style crossed with historical fiction felt grating, slow, and entirely uninteresting. I usually try to get through 100 pages of a book before abandoning it, but I could hardly squeak my way through the first 50. Fortunately, I had Cam Waller to point me in the right direction: the audiobook is where it's at.
Read by Smith, The Fraud embodies the accents and lilt of the characters with a compelling performance throughout. Even though I found the start of the novel pretty slow, Smith breathes the pure stuff of creation into her characters. I loathed Sarah Ainsworth at the appropriate spots, felt the austere intelligence of Mrs. Touchet, and mourned Andrew Bogle's stolen life. Though I doubt that I would have seen the book through in print, Smith pulled me along through the audiobook.
What's more, I think I'm likely to return to this novel in the future. There was a lot of rich ideas that I wish I could have stewed on more in audio, and some stuff that went entirely over my head. Did I love the book? Assuredly not: in my mind it's a 3.5 star read, but it gets bumped up for the audio. Did I appreciate the novel? Undoubtedly! I left each listening session richer than I came to it....more
I'm fairly big on the NYT Review of Books, in particular their podcast, and found that reading their 10 best books of the year tends to give me a wellI'm fairly big on the NYT Review of Books, in particular their podcast, and found that reading their 10 best books of the year tends to give me a well-rounded view on the literary landscape. Though Bottoms Up and the Devil Laughs wasn't the nonfiction pick in which I was most interested, it had the advantage of a great title and being one of the shortest picks. A fine a spot to start on the list as any.
The first half of the book examines, briefly, the idea of surveillance and the massive amount of data accrual that's happened in the past 25 years. For me, this was the best part of the book. I was interested to learn about the literally unreadable amount of data that is acquired and how easily the term "classified" is bandied about. I wish the book had stuck around here a little longer and dove into more of what has made the system what it is.
So, as an audiobook, how does this one fare? Well, I'd say. It's not unlike listening to a long form political podcast with all its attendant tangents and loose connections. In Howley's book, the investigation of the Deep State hangs on the case of Reality Winner, who acts as a cautionary tale for our modern world of surveillance. Winner's story is a fine case study where the wheels skirt off the track of intended justice and safety towards the Kafkaesque.
Even though the scope is massive and tethered to Winner, it never really laid together nicely in my mind. Sure, the facts and stories were interesting in and of themselves, but as a whole I felt something rather essential was lacking. By no means is this a bad book or a bad premise, it's just one I wish had been better fleshed out....more
My wife and I had this on as we drove across the province. I usually lean towards nonfiction for audiobooks but my wife likes a story to get lost in. My wife and I had this on as we drove across the province. I usually lean towards nonfiction for audiobooks but my wife likes a story to get lost in. Luckily, this one landed for both of us. It’s got a fairly hilarious concept—children that spontaneously combust when they have tantrums—that did a lot for us as young parents. Would recommend!...more
I've been struggling to put into words my feelings about the art of monstrous men. Luckily, Claire Dederer is here to offer one possible path out of mI've been struggling to put into words my feelings about the art of monstrous men. Luckily, Claire Dederer is here to offer one possible path out of my moral quagmire. Sometimes I love a piece of work so much that I struggle to represent the experience in any way that is reflective of the book's content. It feels that way with Monsters, but I do have some quick hit feelings:
-The audiobook is terrific and I couldn't imagine experiencing the book for the first time in any other format. -The book is erudite without being pretentious or preachy. -Some of the passages about parenthood, typical motherhood in particular, pierced me through to my core in recognition.
Monsters is, quite possibly, my favourite book of the year so far. I can’t recommend it highly enough!...more
I listened to Hua Hsu's audiobook on the recommendation of NYT's best books of 2022 list. I'm slowly making my way through all the fiction picks, and I listened to Hua Hsu's audiobook on the recommendation of NYT's best books of 2022 list. I'm slowly making my way through all the fiction picks, and I decided to take a stab at some of the nonfiction reads that drew my attention. Of the entire list, this memoir seemed an outlier among its more rigorous scientific or historical texts. However, Stay True manages to blaze its own path and make a fine case for its inclusion on NYT's list. What's more, as I finished the last few hours of listening, the memoir won a Pulitzer!
This is a great book, but a truly terrific audio experience. Hsu reads the memoir himself, and though it does occasionally dig into minutiae of making a zine that I cared little about, it is overall a transportive piece of literature. This story is a time machine to a time when the internet was just creeping into the common parlance, and Hsu wonderfully describes the time period.
I thought that Hsu's relationship and mourning of Ken was treated with care without being overly sentimental. It's obvious that their brief friendship and Ken's sudden passing had an immense influence on Hsu, though the memoir is truly more about Hsu than Ken. Well worth a listen or read!...more
For my wife and I, the release of a new David Sedaris book is a capital-E event. We'll load it up on audible and begin to look for opportunities to taFor my wife and I, the release of a new David Sedaris book is a capital-E event. We'll load it up on audible and begin to look for opportunities to take to the road and give it a listen. Sedaris' writing coupled with his wry narration and knack for impersonation make for an endearing listen each time. I preferred this collection to Calypso and especially dug Sedaris wrestling with the pandemic and the death of his father.
This may not be the best place to start (see When You Are Engulfed in Flames), but it's certainly another feather in Sedaris' cap....more
This was an interesting combination of biography, history, and science reporting. There’s some fairly emotionally heavy subject matter, which won’t beThis was an interesting combination of biography, history, and science reporting. There’s some fairly emotionally heavy subject matter, which won’t be for everyone, but I thought all of it was handled with care. In particular, the section on eugenics in the US was eye opening and horrific. My wife and I both found it to be a compelling audiobook, and Lulu Miller does a fine job with it. ...more
I opted to go from reading to listening to this second Skyward Flight novella and it was a solid choice. This one is much better than the first, but dI opted to go from reading to listening to this second Skyward Flight novella and it was a solid choice. This one is much better than the first, but does build nicely on what's come before. There's times when the YAness of the characterization and dialogue causes me to flinch, but I'm doing my very best to become less pretentious about that stuff. I mean, if it's good clean fun, why think too hard about it?
Looking forward to the wrapping up of these novellas and the arrival of Cytonic!
This one lands on the lower end of Pollan's output, but still manages to be damn good. This book definitely feels like a cobbling of long form pieces This one lands on the lower end of Pollan's output, but still manages to be damn good. This book definitely feels like a cobbling of long form pieces into a semi-cohesive whole about mind-altering plants. As always, Pollan is a warm and compelling narrator in the audiobook version. The first piece about opium is by turns funny and slightly out of date. Luckily, it's buoyed along by Pollan's signature style.
The second section about caffeine was previously presented in an Audible-exclusive listen that was supposed to act as a coda to Pollan's excellent previous book, How to Change Your Mind. I was a little peeved to see it show up here with a few tweaks, but that's what I get for not doing a closer reading of the synopsis. It's still quite entertaining and I'd point you towards my previous review of it had Goodreads not seemingly lost it.
The final bit about peyote is perhaps the best of the bunch. It's a neat attempt to coalesce the scientific rigour of Pollan's approach with an anthropological exploration of Native American tribes' use of the plant. It feels very genuine and was thoroughly educational.
Though I wish this had gone on a bit longer or been tied together more strongly, it's undeniably more of what I've loved in Pollan's other work....more
Brought to my attention by its inclusion on the New York Times' 10 Best Books of 2020, Hidden Valley Road was a harrowing account of mental illness anBrought to my attention by its inclusion on the New York Times' 10 Best Books of 2020, Hidden Valley Road was a harrowing account of mental illness and the slow progress of scientific discovery in the field of schizophrenia. The nonfiction account follows the history of the all-American Galvin family and their unfortunate preponderance towards hallucination and delusion. Of the twelve siblings in the Galvin family, six of the boys spend their lives in and out of mental institutions while their family struggles to deal with their illness.
Parallel to this family tale, equal parts moving and disturbing, is a history of schizophrenia itself. From the days of Freud through to modern genetics, Kolker deftly navigates the ups and downs of scientific progress throughout the years. These chapters are in and of themselves fascinating historical science, but that the author is able to weave those shifts in the best practices of the day with the experience of the Galvin boys is a wonderful bit of work.
A trigger warning: the book features detailed descriptions of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Kolker's book is comprehensive and granular in its attention to detail. No one person's narrative is given precedent over another, and the injustices suffered by the well children at the hands of their ill siblings are examined again and again. The evolution in these viewpoints feel true because they are: Kolker conducted hours of interviews and poured over what seems like a mountain of documents to bring this story to life.
The eventual discovery of the Galvin family by the scientific community helps bring the story to a conclusion that highlights the progress made and the road yet to be travelled. It is a series of tragedies that characterizes the Galvin brothers' various fates at the book's end, but a spark of hope remains for future generations. Though the call seems in part to further research into schizophrenia, it also tells the reader that the current situation doesn't need to be as bad as it has been.
Hidden Valley Road was a compelling and absolutely listenable audiobook experience. Though not an easy read, it's one I wholeheartedly recommend....more
My wife and I listened to Jenny Lawson's humorous memoir while driving our four month old over 16 hours to see his grandparents. We had lots of laughsMy wife and I listened to Jenny Lawson's humorous memoir while driving our four month old over 16 hours to see his grandparents. We had lots of laughs, but some of it just didn't tick our particular boxes. While most of her asides were funny, some were obnoxious diversions and felt like they were quirk for the sake of being quirky. I saw a lot of reviews that compared this favourably to David Sedaris, and while I see the comparison it's obviously very different in tone and style. I didn't find her moral conclusions to be as hard hitting as Sedaris, but it might work for others.
So, should you give this a go? I think it's definitely worthwhile to at least give the audiobook a test run. You'll either fall in love with Lawson's writing or find it occasionally a little bit grating. We both came down somewhere in the middle....more
The score is about the audiobook version, not the actual content. Far too many definitions and smart turns of phrase to be properly appreciated in an The score is about the audiobook version, not the actual content. Far too many definitions and smart turns of phrase to be properly appreciated in an audio format. What’s more, this isn’t my usual fare, straight philosophy and race theory presented in a highly academic manner. It felt very often like a textbook worth studying and I had a hard time digging into my thoughts in this format.
All the same, I learned some things! Maybe I’ll return later to a physical copy....more
It’s taken a few months, but my wife and I listened to Farrow’s account of his journalistic efforts that helped spur on #MeToo. Though occasionally toIt’s taken a few months, but my wife and I listened to Farrow’s account of his journalistic efforts that helped spur on #MeToo. Though occasionally too deep into the weeds for our liking, this is an impressive piece of journalism and one bolstered by Farrow’s narration. Heavy, but very good, stuff....more
Even though it's taken me a few months to listen to, I've enjoyed the time I spent with Lori Gottlieb and her patients. There's a heaping helping of aEven though it's taken me a few months to listen to, I've enjoyed the time I spent with Lori Gottlieb and her patients. There's a heaping helping of advice that I found useful either personally or professionally. For my personal taste, I worry about how liberal Gottlieb is with her patient's confidentiality in the telling of these stories. Almost all of these stories are painfully personal and though they are impactful, I kept asking myself how these people might feel about a fella from Canada listening in on their personal suffering. Maybe I missed a disclaimer from Gottlieb in the audio version?
Nonetheless, there's a ton of really good life advice to be taken from this one. The audio experience was great: I thought the narrator captured the various characters' voices well and it was reasonably paced. The small snippets I took during cooking, painting, and doing other chores always sustained me with something to ponder. Overall, I'd recommend it for anyone looking to expand their interpersonal horizons!...more
If you're anything like me, you've come to feel more than a little enslaved to your cell phone and you're failing to see what you get out of the wholeIf you're anything like me, you've come to feel more than a little enslaved to your cell phone and you're failing to see what you get out of the whole exchange. I've found myself sitting down with a cup of coffee for a quick scroll of content, looking up to find 30 minutes or more have passed. The thing is, these social media scrolls rarely leave me feeling the way, say, a great book does: rewarded, challenged, or that I have just spent my time doing something useful. All the same, I found it harder and harder to pull away from my screen (I'm sure the feeling is nigh-universal these days). I decided to veer away from my typical reading and try out a self-help book about how to remodel my relationship to these new technologies.
I started out this audiobook and had some major worries: would this book work as well in audio when so much is given as "practices and exercises?" I was right to feel tentative since this book, for most people, is going to work a lot better in print than it is playing through your ears. Nonetheless, for my purposes the book was able to deliver its thesis and provide some helpful tips on how to curb social media/screen time use. Cal Newport does a good job providing helpful tips and educating the listener about how exactly these apps can sap your will to be functional.
Occasionally I found the book to be a touch on the preachy side, but that's not to be entirely unexpected in a self-help book. More often than not I found myself able to take a piece of Newport's suggested practice and put it into play in my daily life. My phone is now entirely black and white (a change that my friends describe as Schindler's List: iPhone edition), all social media (excepting Goodreads!) has been scrubbed from my phone, and I've been doing my best to divert my time to more fulfilling activities. My wife and I have even been engaging in a modified digital declutter! I'm not going to take up all of the practices that Newport describes--indeed, there's a lot here that just doesn't jive with some of my professional requirements--but it's been enough to make a real difference.
Definitely a step outside of my reading comfort zone, but one that has had pretty positive effects on my screen time. I'll be recommending this to a few friends over the coming year....more
An easy personal stand-out for personal non-fiction book of the year, Trick Mirror is an essay collection that touches on feminism, its intersection wAn easy personal stand-out for personal non-fiction book of the year, Trick Mirror is an essay collection that touches on feminism, its intersection with the internet, our modern preoccupations with external appearance, and honestly staggering amounts of other good stuff. It's a bit tough to summarize a book that features an essay of complex analysis of the institute of marriage alongside one about taking ecstasy, religion, and DJ Screw.
Suffice to say that this is an audiobook that is packed to the gills with insightful commentary, intelligent analysis, hilarious anecdotes, and a voice that feels like an inoculation against the worst the modern world has to offer. I usually listened in to an essay over the course of meal-prep or to-and-from work. There's not an essay in the bunch that failed to stir my interest, or challenge a preexisting belief, or force me to think in new directions.
Indeed, the book feels like a warm shower of wokeness. One whose steam still feels like it is wafting off my pores. In the collection there's old ideas interrogated with sharp wit, questioning of culturally held beliefs, and some serious callouts. I'm not saying that Tolentino and I see eye-to-eye on every single matter, but hers is an opinion that I respect and always enjoy hearing out. This type of challenge to rote cognition is exactly what I love in a good conversation and Tolentino packs in almost ten solid hours of good stuff.
Again, not my typical fare. This book is more like an elective outside one's major that presents new ideas and ways of thinking that exemplify the best that post-secondary education has to offer. Nonetheless, it's put me on to an author whose work I'll be sure to follow in the future. Don't sleep on this one!
A huge shout out to Garrett who put me on to Jia Tolentino's writing: I don't know that I would have otherwise sought out such a book. Fortunately, I did!...more
I listened to all six of the Forward collection with my good friend on a road trip. I'm hoping he'll write a little paragraph to add in his thoughts, I listened to all six of the Forward collection with my good friend on a road trip. I'm hoping he'll write a little paragraph to add in his thoughts, but especially so for Ark which we were split on. I found the story to be fairly average: one in which a horticulturist is gathering plant data prior to an extinction level event. There's a lot of description of plants, their structure, their importance to humanity's new world, but the lead's challenging decision to stay or go before the asteroid lands is the big centrepiece. It was just okay for me, but Alex said it was his favourite of the bunch, so worth a go!...more
An interesting part of the Forward collection, Weir's story focuses on quantum computing and the effect that might have on business. Specifically, WeiAn interesting part of the Forward collection, Weir's story focuses on quantum computing and the effect that might have on business. Specifically, Weir sets up a world in which gambling is threatened by the true randomization of numbers made possible by quantum computers. It's a cool concept and one that takes a more narrow and hard-science approach than it's Forward peers. I'm still finding Weir's dialogue to be a bit spotty, but it worked well in audio format. Not the best of the bunch, but still pretty good.
Ah, damn, this one is a bit of a letdown. I really dug The Cabin at the End of the World and had high hopes for Tremblay's contribution to the ForAh, damn, this one is a bit of a letdown. I really dug The Cabin at the End of the World and had high hopes for Tremblay's contribution to the Forward collection>. Alas, both my road trip companion, Alex, and I both agreed that this is the weakest story of the pack. It plods on for the first half with some pretty monotone audio narration of content which drags out a reveal we both thought was obvious. Tremblay's horror skills come into play during the last twenty-or-so minutes, but by then the story had overstayed its welcome. If you had to skip one story of the collection, this should be it!...more
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