Jim Manis on Most Anything

Jim Manis can formulate an opinion about a good many things, including those about which he has little knowledge. (And some dude named "Lazlo.") Visit The MagicFactory.

Friday, March 22, 2019

Owning the Earth: The Transforming History of Land OwnershipOwning the Earth: The Transforming History of Land Ownership by Andro Linklater

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ranks with Piketty's "Capital" as a must read. Traces the effects of property ownership on human culture over the past 500 years.

The book is dense with information and is meant for an audience above the 12th grade reading level. But does not require a degree in either history or economics.

Linklater says that he started the book in 2009 in an attempt to come to terms with the financial collapse of 2007-8, but by the time he published in 2013 he was as current as today's New York Times.



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Thursday, March 21, 2019

The Best American Short Stories 2018The Best American Short Stories 2018 by Roxane Gay

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the 31st edition in a row that I've read of this collection. Seems only like yesterday, to coin a phrase. It has long been one of my annual treats to read the current edition.

The last two years have delivered an increasing diversity in authors and stories. Some people object to this, and it does take some getting used to.

I can't say that any of these stories thrilled me. Perhaps I've just become to jaded. But the quality of writing is still first rate, and it's always interesting to see what's made it past at least three very good editors. Most of what becomes published never makes it past this much sifting. That could lead to mediocre work, or indicate work of the very best quality.



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Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Rimbaud Complete Rimbaud Complete by Arthur Rimbaud

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Rimbaud has been referenced as an important poet by many poets over the years, but I had only read a few brief passages. Having now read Wyatt Mason's translation, I see why those poets see him as an important influence on 20th century poetry, despite having produced a small body of work over about three years, between the ages of 17 to 20, after which he evidently stopped writing poetry, became a businessman and moved from France to northern Africa.

This edition is bilingual, and I neither speak nor read French, so I cannot speak to the quality of the translation. The poetry, however, in English is vivid.



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Tuesday, March 05, 2019

The Mysteries of PittsburghThe Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Comparisons with "The Catcher in the Rye" and "The Great Gatsby" are obvious but not overwhelming. Chabon's first novel, written while he was in grad school. A remarkable product for a first novel at such a young age.



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