Writing this now, I’m embarrassed by the comparison. There is something ludicrous about relating foot patrols in a combat zone to Bluetooth shopping a few miles beyond a stateside base. But there was a way in which I had been conditioned, before and during my military years, to be suspicious of the outside, wherever that outside might be.
The Financier by Theodore Dreiser
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I got stuck in the middle of this and almost abandoned it. Now that I’ve powered through it I’m not sure I enjoyed it. I need to stew on it and update this later.
I also need to go back and find the podcast that recommended it and figure out why. I know it was brought up at some point on one of Brian Koppelman’s podcasts or when he was on someone else’s show. And since I like BK a lot I immediately grabbed the book- and now I want to know why they brought it up.
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The Cocktail Waitress by James M. Cain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Good pulp and an interesting afterword by the editor who restored the manuscript. May not be to everyone’s tastes but I thought it was enjoyable
Manifold: Time by Stephen Baxter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I liked most of it, but I think the ending went over my head. I should stew on it for a few days and come back and update…
Maybe I missed something – seemed to show promise until the last fourth of the book. Not sure. I wanted to like it but… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
How to Change Your Mind: The New Science of Psychedelics by Michael Pollan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
not a subject that’s in my wheelhouse but it’s really good- takes a bit to get to the neuro science which was why I wanted to read it, but I wound up finding the whole book and subject fascinating.