| Собачье сердце by Михаил Булгаков, 88 pages Tony Pisarenkov 13 May 2006 Sad and prescient, though like with Boulgakov's other books, the power would no doubt be lost in translation. | Style and the Man by Alan Flusser, 122 pages Tony Pisarenkov 15 April 2004 Neither a primer on basic style (matching colors and patterns, etc.) nor a guide to dressing appropriately for various business a social occasions, this book is rather an aid for those who wish to know exactly how to recognize whether an item of clothing fits properly, how to choose designs flattering to one's face and body shape, and how to recognize quality and fine workmanship when selecting clothes. The large section on high-end clothing stores and tailor shops around the world (skimmed, and therefore not reflected in the page count), although admittedly useless to most of us, occasionally reads as a travelogue. |
Relativity: The Special and the General Theory by Albert Einstein, 188 pages Tony Pisarenkov 13 April 2008 This version was subtitled "A clear explanation that anyone can understand." In that aim, it succeeded, but it failed to change my outlook on life in a fundamental way. More comments here |
The Conformist by Alberto Moravia, 376 pages Tony Pisarenkov 01 November 2009 Though I've seen the movie twice, reading the book reminded me how much I didn't remember about it. I initially had some misgivings about Moravia's style, but in the end it worked. |
A Meal Observed by Andrew Todhunter, 228 pages Tony Pisarenkov 14 May 2006 Part commentary on French gastronomy (and, by extension, national character), part memoir, told through the prism of a single meal at Taillevent, one of the most respected Parisian restaurants. If you are going to read only one book about French gastronomy, this is probably not it, but very entertaining and enjoyable if you're into that sort of thing. |
GULAG: A History by Anne Appelbaum, 677 pages Tony Pisarenkov 03 October 2009 Let's face it: most of us will never have the fortitude to get through Solzhenitsyn's opus. This book is the best substitute. |
A Cook's Tour: In Search of a Perfect Meal by Anthony Bourdain, 288 pages Tony Pisarenkov 20 April 2007 Less foodie-ish than Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, and a surprisingly decent bit of travel writing. Entertaining and enjoyable all around. |
The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain, 288 pages Tony Pisarenkov 19 May 2007 A few entertaining pieces, but mostly covers the same ground as his previous (and better) books. |
In the Land of Invented Languages by Arika Okrent, 342 pages Tony Pisarenkov 27 July 2009 An absolutely fascinating and very well-written account of artificial languages throughout history, their inventors' frequently outsized personalities, and the motivation behind their quixotic undertakings. Heartily recommended. |
Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict 1881-2001 by Benny Morris, 694 pages Tony Pisarenkov 11 October 2005 An exhaustively comrehensive, painstakingly detailed, eminently readable and, amazingly, truly unbiased history of the development of Zionism, the creation of Israel and its struggle with the Arab world. The obvious historian's detachment aside (a very good thing in this case), Morris did for the Middle East what Rbecca West had done for the Balkans. |
Ciao, America by Beppe Severgnini, 242 pages Tony Pisarenkov 10 February 2006 A mostly insightful, marvellously self-deprecating, but alas, only marginally funny memoir of an Italian who spent a year living in Washington, DC. Thank you, Steve, for the gift, and apologies for having taken so long to read it. |
Among the Thugs by Bill Buford, 313 pages Tony Pisarenkov 10 November 2002 A fascinating, if stomach-churning, look at the phenomenon of English football hooligans |
Heat by Bill Buford, 318 pages Tony Pisarenkov 23 January 2007 The majority of the book -- an account of the author's apprenticeship at Mario Batali's legendary restaurant Babbo -- is enjoyable enough, though this will be familiar, and thus not very informative, territory for fans of Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. The rest, however -- Buford's adventures in Italy as an apprentice butcher and amateur food historian -- is priceless. |
Gullible's Travels by Cash Peters, 276 pages Tony Pisarenkov 15 March 2009 Only occasionally funny. |
God is Not Great: How Religions Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens, 307 pages Tony Pisarenkov 03 February 2008 Hitchens is preaching to the choir here, and I am the choir. I agree with everything he has to say in the book 100% (or close to it, anyhow), and as a result the book was not useful. At best, it filled in a few minor details. |
Socrates Cafe by Christopher Phillips, 87 pages Tony Pisarenkov 12 May 2003 One of the hokiest books I've come across in a long time. This account of the author's experiences fascilitating informal public discussions of questions of the attendees' choice supposedly using the Scoratic method comes out as a thinly disguised self-help book of the shallowest kind. Full of the author's own platitudes and the half-baked pseudo-arguments of his audiences, occasionally interspersed with two-sentence reductions of major philosophers' central ideas, this book gives philosophy a bad name. Normally I would not even bother mentioning any book I threw down in exasperation after two chapters, but I will do it this time to warn potential readers. |
Cultural Amnesia: Necessary Memories from History and the Arts by Clive James, 876 pages Tony Pisarenkov 05 September 2007 Required reading for anyone who even remotely cares about the predicament that our society has got itself into over the course of the last hundred or so years, and how those of us with a gift of one kind or another have confronted it. |
The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet Nation by David Kamp, 392 pages Tony Pisarenkov 16 September 2007 An informative synthesis of events and personalities responsible for the foodie subculture in the US, but compared to the stalwarts of the genre like Bourdain and Steingarten, the quality of the writing is mediocre. |
Lenin's Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire by David Remnick, 588 pages Tony Pisarenkov 26 February 2009 An excellent account of the glasnost era and the eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union, including, crucially, a very good analysis of the history of the regime and the political and social forces that formed (and failed to form) modern Russia. Highly recommended. Thank you, Steve, for the present. More comments here |
White Noise by Don DeLillo, 326 pages Tony Pisarenkov 02 April 2003 Jack Gladney, a death-obsessed professor of Hitler studies at a small liberal arts college and his family are fighting the postmodern condition of pervasive commercial and media messages, and losing the fight. Engaging enough and frequently quite funny, on balance the novel remains shallow and overwrought, and most of the issues it touches upon lack the timelessness of those covered by the great works of fiction. It might have been provocative and even controversial when first published in 1985, but by now we've seen and heard it all before. |
Billy Bathgate by E. L. Doctorow, 244 pages Tony Pisarenkov 25 February 2003 A novel about a boy who joins an infamous New York gang in the waning days of its influence. Quite simply a great book -- good story, compelling characters and beautiful writing. |
The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer, 177 pages Tony Pisarenkov 04 September 2008 The title says it all. Not quite what I was hoping for (I was looking for something more directly dealing with religious cults). Heavy on generalities, very short on examples, colored by the state of the world at the time it was written (1951), but at times still thought-provoking. |
Open Sky: Sonny Rollins and His World of Improvisation by Eric Nisenson, 213 pages Tony Pisarenkov 29 January 2003 For those that like Rollins's music but don't know much about his life and career, this is not a bad place to start, but ultimately the book disappoints. It suffers from the same problems as Nisenson's other work: a tone of extreme adoration and insufficient criticism of the subject, too much basic jazz history aimed at neophytes, an ineffective attempt to discuss race relations, and, above all, the fact that Nisenson is simply not a very good writer. |
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, 314 pages Tony Pisarenkov 20 November 2005 I used to think that I liked Hemingway. I am not so sure anymore. |
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, 351 pages Tony Pisarenkov 09 July 2004 A fascinating and deeply moving story of a young artist's entanglement with an eccentric family of English aristocrats, struggling to understand the world, each other and, above all, the place that religion occupies in their lives. The best novel I've read in a long, long time. |
A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh, 225 pages Tony Pisarenkov 05 July 2006 Brideshead Revisited did more for me, and I agree that the connection between the first and second parts of the book is strained at best (the alternate ending provided free of charge does no better), but Waugh's mastery at creating what are quite possibly the most vapid and despicable characters in all of XX-century literature with a mere flick of his pen comes through loud and clear. |
Ezra Pound Speaking: Radio Speeches of WWII by Ezra Pound, 190 pages Tony Pisarenkov 01 April 2004 What's all the controversy about? Highly anti-semitic, yes, but beyond that, just ravings of a madman. No coherent arguments, no evidence, no critical analysis. You've read one, you've read them all. |
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 172 pages Tony Pisarenkov 07 September 2008 Though I had read Gatsby many years ago, I remembered virtually nothing, so it was just like reading it for the first time, and just as enjoyable. |
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 349 pages Tony Pisarenkov 09 November 2008 Not entirely sure what to make of it. Reads like a book that has been written in chunks over a period of many years. A few passages hit close to home. Others, however, made no sense at all. |
Notes from the Underground by Fedor Dostoyevsky, 220 pages Tony Pisarenkov 05 August 2008 |
A Nervous Splendor: Vienna 1888-1889 by Frederic Morton, 317 pages Tony Pisarenkov 05 November 2003 Loosely centered around the controversy-ridden life and suicide of Crown Prince Rudolph, "A Nervous Splendor" cronicles, without deep analysis but with great narrative flair, cultural, political and scientific events in Vienna during a single year, summer of 1888 through summer of 1889, with the implicit conclusion that these events were instrumental in shaping the history of the twentieth century in Europe. Principal personalities, in addition to Rudolph, include Freud, Brahms, Klimt, Bruckner, Schnitzler, Mahler, Herzl and Kaiser Wilhelm, among others. Not for the dedicated historian, but immensely informative in a journalistic sort of way, and a real page-turner. Highly recommended. |
Memoirs 1950-1963 by George Kennan, 372 pages Tony Pisarenkov 02 December 2007 Necessarily selective, but a fascinating peek into the life of a career diplomat and the inevitable, eternal, and, to me as it is to Kennan, deeply depressing conflict between foreign and domestic policy, and the subservience of the former to the latter. |
Russia and the West under Lenin and Stalin by George Kennan, 372 pages Tony Pisarenkov 04 May 2008 Kennan's classic lectures compiled into a book are an excellent analysis of the political and diplomatic history of Russia vis-a-vis Western (and some Eastern) powers between 1917 and 1945, enhanced with some excellent insight into the Communist doctrine, Stalin's personality, and some timeless observations about the behavior of nations and governments that are still applicable today. Highly recommended to every thinking adult. More extensive comments here |
Inventing a Nation: Washington, Adams, Jefferson by Gore Vidal, 198 pages Tony Pisarenkov 04 July 2008 Vidal's cynical take on the founding fathers. More detailed comments here. |
Dark Magus: The Jeckyl and Hyde Life of Miles Davis by Gregory Davis with Les Sussman, 174 pages Tony Pisarenkov 02 January 2007 An utterly unnecessary, and abysmally written to boot (despite the presence of a presumably professional co-author), memoir by Miles's son of his relationship with his father. Seriously, what new insight into Davis's art can we possibly gain by learning that a conniving aunt conspired to keep poor Gregory out of his father's will? |
Three Tales by Gustave Flaubert, 124 pages Tony Pisarenkov 13 June 2003 These were written very late in Flaubert's career, years after "Madame Bovary" and "Sentimental Education." Of the three, "A Simple Heart" is by far the best and the only one I'd recommend. It is sad and touching while remaining exceptionally simple in language, structure and plot. The other two are are dismissible to this reader. "St. Julian Hospitator" was apparetly insipred by a legend depicted in a series of stained glass windows in a church, and is no more than a curiosity. "Herodias" dramatizes some of the political events in Palestine around the time Jesus was just beginning to attain notoriety, but it failed to capture and hold my interest. |
Coffee: The Epic of a Commodity by H.E. Jacob, 283 pages Tony Pisarenkov 07 June 2003 Reportedly very popular when it was first published in 1935, this book claims to be the first to examine a food as a social and economic force. One learns much, most of it very interesting and occasionally even fascinating, but the stilted and contrived writing style further exacerbated by the old-fashioned translation takes quite a bit away from the reading enjoyment. |
Getting the Love You Want by Harville Hendrix, 298 pages Tony Pisarenkov 22 September 2005 Though a self-help book for the "lay" reader, this synthesis of relevant ideas from every imaginable psychotherapy orientation into a method designed to help couples re-evaluating their relationship is far deeper and more analytical than most of its competitors. Certain parts made me nod my head in agreement vigorously while others provoked a loud "what the..." -- as a good psychology book should. |
Loving by Henry Green, 204 pages Tony Pisarenkov 13 November 2003 Very English and, quite frankly, very boring. Nuances that would have been meaningful to a mid-century British reader are completely lost on a contemporary American one. |
Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller, 346 pages Tony Pisarenkov 25 October 2003 Advertised as a sequel of sorts to "Tropic of Cancer," and sometimes described as Miller's take on his life in New York the same way the earlier novel related his life in Paris, "Tropic of Capricorn" is in fact nothing of the sort. Expansively auto-biographical, it is written in an even more stream-of-consciousness fashion than the earlier work, so much so sometimes that I could not help concluding that Miller was on some fairly heavy drugs when writing certain passages. Still, his extreme nihilism and misanthropy come through readily, frequently in amounts that could be too much for some, and that is what makes the book powerful in the end. You have to admire his ability to deliver such an amazing lack of anything even remotely positive. |
Left Bank by Herbert Lottman, 319 pages Tony Pisarenkov 07 April 2009 An enjoyable history of a fairly narrow subject: political involvement and allegiances on the part of intellectuals, particularly writers, in France between 1930 and 1950. Recommended if you care about that sort of thing, and want to get an impression of how pervasive Communism was in France before De Gaulle. |
The Elsewhere Community by Hugh Kenner, 155 pages Tony Pisarenkov 24 February 2004 A collection of essays, originally created as lectures for Canadian Radio, loosely centered around the idea of self-imposed exile and its importance to the work of poets. Some entertaining anecdotes of the author's meetings with famous poets (Ezra Pound, T.S. Elliott, William Carols Williams), but little really enlightening beyond that (although the parallels and references he draws between Homer, Dante and modern poets did make me go "a-ha!" now and then). I also wish he didn't feel compelled to comment, vacuously, on the phenomenon of the Internet. |
Kaddish for a Child Not Born by Imre Kertesz, 95 pages Tony Pisarenkov 25 July 2005 This stream-of-consciousness philosophical treatise cum memoir masquearding as a novella tells the story of a writer, a professional, social and romantic failure, who explains, through the general prism of his Jewishness, how his experience at Auschwitz made him unable to bring another being into this world. Heavy stuff, a bit self-absorbed at times, but intellectually and emotionally intense. |
The Physiology of Taste by J.A. Brillat-Savarin, 443 pages Tony Pisarenkov 06 June 2004 Originally published in 1825, this is purportedly the first book to discuss cooking and eating as an art form. Although tedious in spots, it is mostly highly enetertaining, and fascinating because it illustrates both how much we already knew about the functioning of the human organism and how ignorant we were of what today would be considered common knowledge and even common sense. Commentary by M.F.K. Fisher (the translator) adds an entire new dimension to the text. |
Deep in a Dream: The Long Night of Chet Baker by James Gavin, 448 pages Tony Pisarenkov 18 March 2007 Sordid does not even begin to describe it. Anyone who thinks they have seen the limits of humans' capacity to act irrationally need only to read about the countless lives Chet Baker ruined while extending his own beyond any reasonable expectation. |
Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman by James Gleick, 531 pages Tony Pisarenkov 17 February 2008 Too heavy on the science for my taste, science of the kind that would have been lost on me even back in the day, when I was far more scientifically and mathematically minded than I am today. Still, definitely had its moments. Thank you, Steve, for the present, and I am sorry it took me two years to get to it! |
The Geography of Nowhere by James H. Kunstler, 303 pages Tony Pisarenkov 17 September 2004 Having become a minor classic since its publication roughly a decade and a half ago, this book cronicles the demise of our society's attention to the public realm and the quality of places we build for ourselves to live and work in all its chilling reality. Fascinating to see some of the phenomena the author predicted already beginning to take place. Certainly the worthiest successor to Jane Jacobs' "Death and Life of Great American Cities" available today. |
The Horned Man by James Lasdun, 194 pages Tony Pisarenkov 11 September 2003 A novel about a college professor becoming a victim of what seems like an elaborate conspiracy but really a victim of his own spinelessness, culminating in a truly bizzarre, surreal, and highly symbolic denouement. An enormous amount of symbolism and an equally large variety of themes densely packed into a slim volume, propelled along by language that is surprisingly direct and unadorned for a book of this breadth and depth but ultimately highly effective. One of the best contemporary novels I've come across in quite some time. Highly recommended. |
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond, 457 pages Tony Pisarenkov 19 May 2005 A sweeping examination of the history of the world's native cultures and the reasons why some have developed so far beyond others as to be able to subjugate them. Asks some fascinating questions, but reads too much like a textbook for an unqualified recommendation. Thank you, Steve, for the gift. |
The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten, 494 pages Tony Pisarenkov 26 December 2004 A collection of magazine pieces on every imaginable aspect of food, cooking and eating. Entertaining, irreverent and insightful; recommended to anyone who has even a passing interest in food. |
It Must Have Been Something I Ate by Jeffrey Steingarten, 513 pages Tony Pisarenkov 23 January 2005 Even better than his previous collection (see my entry form last year), funnier, with more recipes, and slightly less science (although still with plenty of detailed explanations of exactly what chemical processes make dry-aged steaks superior to all other kinds). |
Craze: Gin and Debauchery in an Age of Reason by Jessica Warner, 267 pages Tony Pisarenkov 20 February 2008 Warner documents the rise of distilled spirits consumption in England in the middle of the XVIII century and the government's backlash against it. Fairly interesting, though I was hoping for more on the early spirits' manufacture, flavor and the rituals of consumption, and less on parliamentary politics of the day. |
The Orchestra: Origins and Transformations by Joan Peyser, ed., 646 pages Tony Pisarenkov 27 January 2008 A collection of essays on the various aspects of the symphony orchestra -- its development, history, social and commercial roles, its impact on the evolution of composition and conducting, etc. The quality of the essays varies greatly, but the best ones are quite good. |
Behind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management by Johanna Rothman and Esther Derby, 167 pages Tony Pisarenkov 19 October 2007 |
Grendel by John Gardner, 174 pages Tony Pisarenkov 17 January 2008 Enjoyed it to a surprising degree. A lot of layers and a fair amount to chew on, especially for a book that starts with such a preposterous concept. |
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, 462 pages Tony Pisarenkov 26 December 2003 In all of literature, Shakespeare included, there is no character more repugnant, deranged, conniving, self-absorbed, disconnected from reality yet able to pervert it to previously unfathomable extents, than Ignatius J. Reilly. A masterpiece of the ludicrous. |
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, 123 pages Tony Pisarenkov 19 June 2006 Observation of the mundane taken to the level of high art. Amazing how enjoyable a book about nothing in particular can be. |
How to Be Alone (Essays) by Jonathan Franzen, 278 pages Tony Pisarenkov 04 December 2002 A collection of essays on a variety of topics, loosely centered around the theme of conflict between today's hyper-technological society and the art of fiction writing. Although reactionary and whiny at times, this book will have a profound impact on how you define yourself and your role in society, assuming you define it in any way at all. |
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen, 568 pages Tony Pisarenkov 17 February 2005 Postmodern dysfunctional family novel par excellence, and so much more. Franzen is a brilliant social observer, and leaves no corner of our existence unturned. So emotinally vivid that it's difficult to read at times, but on balance, very powerful and well worth the effort. Thank you, Steve, for the gift. |
Watermark by Joseph Brodsky, 135 pages Tony Pisarenkov 28 January 2004 A collection of charming, whimsical, poetic, and occasionally self-absorbed vignettes about the author's peculiar relationship and love affair with the city of Venice. |
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, 132 pages Tony Pisarenkov 12 December 2008 Not too shabby for someone who didn't speak a word of English until age twenty-one. |
Red Star Rogue by Kenneth Sewell, 305 pages Tony Pisarenkov 25 December 2006 An account of a Soviet submarine, evidently commandeered by a rogue KGB faction, that sank while attempting to launch a nuclear missle on Hawaii in 1968, its salavaging by the CIA in the mid-1970s and the subsequent coverup that continues to this day. While a gold mine for both submarine geeks and Cold War wonks, it's surprisingly readable by someone who is neither, but given that the real story has not been declassified by either government, and isn't likely to be, the ultimate satisfaction of having learned something historically factual is absent. |
Wondrous Strange: The Art and Life of Glenn Gould by Kevin Bazzana, 528 pages Tony Pisarenkov 23 October 2007 Exactly what a great biography should be: revealing without being gossipy, admiring without being adulatory and, above all, tremendously engaging. |
Saddam's Bombmaker by Khidhir Hamza and Jeff Stein, 337 pages Tony Pisarenkov 18 March 2003 The story of Iraq's nuclear weapons program written by its chief scientist, who escaped after the bomb was perfected to the point that only its excessive size prevented it from being mounted on a missile. The story of the escape alone makes the book worth reading, but what it tells about how Saddam and his system operates makes it essential reading given today's (literally) situation. |
The Accidental Connoisseur: An Irreverent Journey through the Wine World by Lawrence Osbourne, 272 pages Tony Pisarenkov 18 May 2008 A book not so much about wine as it is about winemakers. A couple of the stories are mildly interesting, and Osbourne does have a knack for a good turn of phrase now and then, but after a while it all starts to sound the same. More detailed comments here |
Art Blakey: Jazz Messenger by Leslie Gourse, 209 pages Tony Pisarenkov 06 March 2009 A brief and very mediocre biography of the great jazz drummer Art Blakey. Does give you some appreciation of his role as a mentor to young musicians, but otherwise fairly worthless. |
Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast by Lewis Wolpert, 243 pages Tony Pisarenkov 29 December 2008 I was misled by the subtitle ("The Evolutionary Origins of Belief"), and once I discovered what the book was really about, it proved to be a disappointment. A few more comments here. |
Death on the Installment Plan by Louis-Ferdinand Céline, 592 pages Tony Pisarenkov 05 July 2009 Had its moments, but on the whole -- definitely a slog. Céline's Journey... was much better, and that's saying something. |
Journey to the End of the Night by Lous-Ferdinand Céline, 446 pages Tony Pisarenkov 25 June 2008 I'm glad I read this now, and not fifteen years ago when I first became aware of it. Detailed comments here |
To Begin Again: Stories and Memoirs, 1908-1929 by M.F.K. Fisher, 179 pages Tony Pisarenkov 29 February 2004 I wish this collection of reminiscences by one of the doyennes of American gastronomy was more about food and less about her childhood which, although remarkable in its own way, does not really deserve a memoir. |
Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky, 484 pages Tony Pisarenkov 31 March 2008 Chock-full of fascinating random facts about salt and how it affected commerce and, through it, the rest of history, throughout the ages. Sadly, not very well written and poorly organized. More extensive comments here |
The Ambient Century (From Mahler to Trance: the Evolution of Sound in the Electronic Age) by Mark Prendergast, 473 pages Tony Pisarenkov 20 March 2005 An expansive survey of ambient and electronic musical styles and the musicians who made it, as well as other styles and influences that can in be connected with the larger idea of sonic ambience. Not particularly well-written, with a few (although not many) glaring omissions, rarely truly fascinating, but never less than interesting and a very useful resource for any fan of modern music, however you define "modern." |
The Jazz Tradition by Martin Williams, 301 pages Tony Pisarenkov 09 April 2007 Advertised as an attempt at a synthesis of history and criticism, this book is much heavier on the latter. Occasionally insightful, though Williams spends most of his time ignoring Duke Ellington prinicple that "if it sounds good, it is good." Thank you, Steve, for the present. |
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach, 294 pages Tony Pisarenkov 29 September 2005 So, what would you like to have happen to your body after you die? Dissection? Used for crash testing? Made into dumplings? |
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History in Four Meals by Michael Pollan, 450 pages Tony Pisarenkov 04 November 2007 This book has generated a healthy amount of heated debate, so it's not really my place to offer any sort of critique here. Suffice it to say that I enjoyed it tremendously and heartily recommend it to everyone. |
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan, 244 pages Tony Pisarenkov 06 January 2009 Though it lacks the adventure of Pollan's best-seller "The Omnivore's Dilemma," and comes off as far more polemical, I still found it informative and, dare I say, inspirational. You could say I drank the Kool-Aid, though as a processed food with artificial ingredients, it wouldn't qualify. |
The World's Strangest Aircraft by Michael Taylor, 112 pages Tony Pisarenkov 23 October 2008 Mostly pictures, but if people can get away with Edward Tufte, I can claim credit for this :) |
Footprints: The Life and Work of Wayne Shorter by Michelle Mercer, 298 pages Tony Pisarenkov 02 March 2008 The only biography I've read so far that is not only authorized by its subject, but one whose subject actively collaborated with the author. As such, it understandably leaves some things unsaid. Still, it captures both Shorter's personality and, more importantly, his musicianship, quite well, especially later in his career. My more detailed reactions are here |
City of Quartz by Mike Davis, 440 pages Tony Pisarenkov 10 May 2003 Billed as a discussion of historical forces that made Los Angeles and its surroundings unique, the book is an extremely detailed but selective study of a variety of of social and economic trends and events at play in Southern California in the last 150 years. It reveals a lot of fascinating and frequently disturbing information, but ultimately fails to synthesize it all into a coherent whole or prove that L.A. is indeed unique among American or world cities. The last chapter, on the history of Fontana and Kaiser Steel, while a very interesting and genuinely sad story, has virtually no relation to the rest of the book. |
Ignorance by Milan Kundera, 195 pages Tony Pisarenkov 09 December 2002 Kundera's take on the question of the possibility of returning to the country from which one emigrated and the life one left behind. Although I was initially skeptical and disappointed at Kundera's decision to treat the topic at all, the delightful inconclusiveness with which he does it made it a sublime experience once again. To the extent that it is possible to choose, this is not his best -- the amputated ear sequence, although sufficiently Kunderian, is a bit contrived to say the least -- but Kundera's "good enough" is still orders of magnitude greater than many other writers today could ever hope for. |
Slowness by Milan Kundera, 156 pages Tony Pisarenkov 03 December 2008 |
Miles: The Autobiography by Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe, 441 pages Tony Pisarenkov 02 January 2009 An interesting book that is not very enjoyable to read. Definitely pops Miles's mystique bubble. My favorite bits were his unpopular at the time, but brutally honest opinions of fellow musicians. |
The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer, 559 pages Tony Pisarenkov 27 April 2008 The mother of all war novels. Well worth the considerable effort. |
Terror and Liberalism by Paul Berman, 220 pages Tony Pisarenkov 14 June 2007 A surprisingly good analysis of philosophical and theological foundations of extremist Islam, followed by a more diffuse but still basically sound commentary on the West's response so far and the reasons for its inadequacy, concluded with a recommendation of an idealistic foreign policy. Very measured and level-headed for a man whose origins lie in a political extreme. |
Spectacular Happiness by Peter D. Kramer, 313 pages Tony Pisarenkov 10 July 2003 A novel about an aging sixties' radical turned latter-day terrorist who blows up Cape Cod mansions as a sign of protest against private propery and excesses of wealth. A few secondary themes resonate quite well, and there are a few compelling characters, but the story turns more than faintly ridiculous at the end, and there is an obvious sense of the author's own Marxism oozing out of his characters' actions. I got a distinct impression that he really wanted his readers to agree that the way of renouncing material wealth for social good was morally superior, but the actual statement the book made, to me at least, was "damed if you do, damned if you don't." |
Schnitzler's Century: The Making of Middle Class Culture, 1815-1914 by Peter Gay, 289 pages Tony Pisarenkov 24 January 2006 An informative and mostly well-argued work of cultural history that attempts to show, convincingly for the most part, that Victorian-era bourgeois were not as prissy as we tend to assume. In other words, they were much like us, with a possible exception of the author, who is more obsessed with sex than either his subjects or -- harder to believe -- his readers. |
Portnoy's Complaint by Philip Roth, 274 pages Tony Pisarenkov 26 May 2003 Disturbing for all the right reasons. The sort of book that is unpleasant while you are reading it, but remarkably eye-opening once you put it down and think about what you've just read. If there is a man that cannot relate to at least something here, I have yet to meet him. It all gets just a bit too much by the end, but still, essential stuff. |
Our Gang by Philip Roth, 201 pages Tony Pisarenkov 27 May 2005 One long send-up of Richard Nixon. Dated, but in places still hilarious. |
Jazz Cleopatra: Josephine Baker in Her Time by Phyllis Rose, 321 pages Tony Pisarenkov 24 March 2009 A lot about her time, which is interesting, but less than one might expect about Baker herself. Informative, but didn't really draw me in. |
A Beginner's Guide to the World Economy by Randy Charles Epping, 232 pages Tony Pisarenkov 10 December 2003 Truly a beginner's guide, so much so that any semi-regular reader of the New York Times, the Washington Post or the Wall Street Journal will have little, if anything, to learn from it. I had hoped that it would discuss the social implications of globalization at greater length, but in fact the entire book is dedicated to defining basic concepts. The most useful section is the glossary of terms in the back. |
Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey through Yugoslavia by Rebecca West, 1158 pages Tony Pisarenkov 10 February 2004 "The answer is too long, as long indeed, as this book, which hardly anybody will read by reason of its length." (p. 773). The longest book I have read to date, and the only one that took me over a year to complete, "Black Lamb..." is razor-sharp political history thinly disguised as a brilliant travelogue. Writing in an age when members of a certain slice of society could travel and write without constraint, and regularly overwhelmed by an excess of enthusiasm, West is still, to me, the only way to understand Bosnia, Kosovo, and everything that happened in the Balkans in the last hundred... no, make it thousand, years. Without West, Robert Kaplan, Warren Zimmerman, Richard Holbrooke and many others could not have done what they did or written what they wrote. |
Fragile Glory: A Portrait of France and the French by Richard Bernstein, 349 pages Tony Pisarenkov 03 August 2008 A now outdated, and occasionally short-sighted, but largely perceptive and nuanced evaluation of the French national character by a long-time Paris correspondent for the New York Times. Enjoyable. More comments here |
The Cross and the Crescent: Christianity and Islam from Muhammad to the Reformation by Richard Fletcher, 183 pages Tony Pisarenkov 18 July 2007 Informative, but not very well written. |
Eastward to Tartary by Robert Kaplan, 347 pages Tony Pisarenkov 20 May 2003 Covering a bit of the Balkans but primarily Turkey, the Middle East and formerly Soviet Caucusus and Central Asia, this is a worthy follow-up to Kaplan's now classic "Balkan Ghosts." A tad less incisive, perhaps, than the earlier volume, and, sadly, lacking the fascinating photography of "Ghosts," it is still a brilliant synthesis of ancient and recent history with a shrewd political, social and cultural analysis of the current situations in the places he covers, all written with great flair and ending with a note of caution about the West's mishandling of many of the unstable parts of the world -- a warning especially relevant today. Essential reading. |
Experiments Against Reality: The Fate of Culture in the Postmodern Age by Roger Kimball, 359 pages Tony Pisarenkov 30 November 2008 Thought-provoking, controversial, occasionally infuriating, usually engaging. Not recommended to cultural liberals unprepared to question their assumptions. More on the blog in a few days. |
Modern Philosophy: An Introduction and Survey by Roger Scruton, 495 pages Tony Pisarenkov 25 March 2006 A sweeping and refreshingly lucid survey of Western philosophy from Descartes onwards. Scruton mostly delivers on the promise of making philosophy applicable to daily life, at least in the sections on political philosophy and aestehtic experience. His critique of deconstructionist and "liberationist" philosophies, while effective, is a bit heavy on religious language for my taste. |
The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine by Rudolph Chelminski, 344 pages Tony Pisarenkov 26 October 2005 A thoroughly engaging biography of Bernard Loiseau, a three-star French chef who committed suicde while at the height of his success in 2003. On the surface, this is a subject that might not warrant an entire book, but Chelminski not only paints an extremely compelling portrait of this loveable, generous but deeply flawed man, but also gives us a fascinating look into the history and inner workings of French gastronomy. Highly recommended. |
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie, 561 pages Tony Pisarenkov 23 April 2006 The famous novel, sprawling (perhaps a little too much so) and wonderfully cinematic. One of the very few books that I really wish someone would adapt to the screen, but in today's social and geo-political climate, what are the chances? Someone with a greater knowledge of both the Quaran and Indian culture would no doubt get many of the references and allegories that were lost on me. |
The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow, 536 pages Tony Pisarenkov 29 March 2007 A sprawling bildungsroman full of great characters and some amazing prose. A major undertaking to be sure, but well worth it. |
Beowulf by Seamus Heaney, translator, 116 pages Tony Pisarenkov 12 January 2008 Re-read in preparation for John Gardner's Grendel |
Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis, 319 pages Tony Pisarenkov 26 January 2004 This now classic paean to self-destructive straight-lacedness is a good book that did not age well, although the last handful of chapters ends up being engaging and satisfying in its own strange way. |
Word Freak by Stefan Fatsis, 372 pages Tony Pisarenkov 28 January 2009 A fascinating look into a world most of us are not even aware exists -- professional Scrabble. Could have benefited from slightly more aggressive editing, but on balance, fantastic. And you've got to admire the author's dedication -- he actually became a full-time Scrabble player for several years. |
How the Canyon Became Grand by Stephen J. Pyne, 162 pages Tony Pisarenkov 06 September 2003 An excellent survey of the exploration of the Grand Canyon and, more importantly, of the impact it had on American intellectual, cultural and political life. Packs an impressive amount of historical and social insight and some surprising connections between seemingly unrelated ideas into its relatively short length. |
Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, 220 pages Tony Pisarenkov 31 May 2006 If you can get past the authors continuously congratulating themselves on their greatness, it's actually interesting stuff |
Loving in Flow: How the Happiest Couples Get and Stay That Way by Susan K. Perry, 329 pages Tony Pisarenkov 04 August 2004 Mostly very insightful and informative, although some issues are covered in much greater detail than others. Recommended not only to couples who are reevaluating their relationship, but also to those who feel that things are going well for them. Unfortunately, the topic that was of particular interest to this reader gets short thrift, but that does not detract from the book's general usefulness. |
Waiter's Rant by The Waiter, 302 pages Tony Pisarenkov 25 September 2008 Mostly entertaining, but not without its faults. More comments here |
Life at the Bottom by Theodore Dalrymple, 261 pages Tony Pisarenkov 03 February 2009 Dalrymple, a doctor in the slums and a prison in Birmingham, gives a chilling account of the moral and cultural decrepitude of the British underclass and traces it to the welfare state's overwhelming culture of victimhood and a complete refusal on society's part to hold people responsible for their choices, fostered by liberal intellectuals. A must-read for anyone raising or planning to raise children, at the very least. Either affirming or controversial for the rest. A few more comments here. |
A Century of Recorded Music: Listening to Musical History by Timothy Day, 306 pages Tony Pisarenkov 18 September 2006 A potentially interesting topic (how sound recording affected the performance and consumption of classical music) covered in an inadequate, disjoint, excessively England-centric and effete fashion. If I see the word demisemiquaver one more time, I will strangle someone. |
Cosmopolitan: A Bartender's Life by Toby Cecchini, 238 pages Tony Pisarenkov 24 December 2005 For once, the blurb on the cover is spot-on: what Bourdain did for chefs, Cecchini did for bartenders. A surprisingly well-written, frequently poetic, yet at the same time brutally realistic first-hand account of bartending and bar owenrship that will make you run to your nearest watering hole while recoiling in horror from any ambition you may be harboring of working behind the bar. |
A History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage, 311 pages Tony Pisarenkov 29 September 2007 An enjoyable and surprisingly well-written, albeit brief, examination of the impact six beverages -- beer, wine, distilled spirits, coffee, tea and Coca-Cola -- had on the political and economic history of mankind. Recommended. |
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, 343 pages Tony Pisarenkov 30 December 2005 I fully admit that I picked up the book after seeing the film "Capote," but I am glad I did. Very well written, reads much more like a novel than I expected, and, most amazingly, betrays none of Capote's over the top personality. |
Surrender on Demand by Varian Fry, 272 pages Tony Pisarenkov 18 April 2009 Fry, as the representative of the Emergency Rescue Committee in Marseille from August 1940 until September 1941, is credited with saving over 1,000 refugees from Nazi-occupied France, most of them clandestinely. It is a shame he is not better known. This is his fascinating and occasionally chilling memoir. Highly recommended. |
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, 335 pages Tony Pisarenkov 28 August 2008 I can't believe it took me so many years to get around to reading this book. |
Sunlight at Midnight: St. Petersburg and the Rise of Modern Russia by W. Bruce Lincoln, 419 pages Tony Pisarenkov 16 March 2008 A very comprehensive and beautifully written history of St. Petersburg that emphasizes the artistic and cultural aspects of the city's life without shortchanging the political and economic ones. Recommended. More comments here |
Flushed: How the Plumber Saved Civilization by W. Hodding Carter, 241 pages Tony Pisarenkov 19 July 2009 Surprisingly interesting and occasionally very funny. A little heavy on the solid waste removal aspect of plumbing for my taste. |
On the Natural History of Destruction by W.G. Sebald, 191 pages Tony Pisarenkov 31 August 2008 A collection of Sebald's essays and lectures dealing with the conspicuous absence of treatment of the allied firebombing of German cities during WWII from post-war German literature, what might have contributed to that absence, and the dangers of not rectifying it. |
The Emigrants by W.G. Sebald, 234 pages Tony Pisarenkov 19 September 2008 Unusual book. Detailed comments here |
In Stalin's Secret Service: Memoirs of the First Soviet Master Spy to Defect by Walter G. Krivitsky, 306 pages Tony Pisarenkov 29 June 2008 Shocking and unbelievable as it may be in spots, this is a priceless historical document. Detailed comments here |
Fascination by William Boyd, 288 pages Tony Pisarenkov 28 April 2007 Some of these short stories are too self-consciously writerly for my taste, though others are quite enjoyable in an off-kilter sort of way. |
City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple, 339 pages Tony Pisarenkov 12 June 2005 An account of the author's year-long residence in Delhi, this is a fascinating and occasionally disturbing travelogue and cultural survey richly layered with Indian history from the Mughals to the Partition. An all-around great read. |
Light in August by William Faulkner, 480 pages Tony Pisarenkov 08 January 2003 Faulkner's classic that starts out as a slowish period piece with no resonance to our time and experience, and ends as a bone-chilling work or profound pathos which makes you alternately throw it down in digust and keep turning the pages to find out just what else these so-called people are capable of. I am glad I read it now instead of having it spoon-fed to me in a class years ago. |
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, 243 pages Tony Pisarenkov 17 October 2004 Not quite what I expected from Faulkner and, frankly, not all that satisfying, although it is entirely possible, likely even, that many of the subtleties were lost on me. |
New Orleans Sketches by William Faulkner, 173 pages Tony Pisarenkov 21 November 2009 A delightful collection of Faulkner's early sketches, written when he lived briefly in New Orleans in 1924-1925, and inspired by it. Very enjoyable, and made more so by my recent trip there. The editor's introduction is very well-written as well and gives some interesting information on Faulkner's early life. |
The Outlaw Sea by William Langweische, 239 pages Tony Pisarenkov 12 November 2006 Journalistic expose at its best -- keeps you turning the pages with edge-of-your-seat tales of spectacular shipwrecks and brazen modern-day piracy while shedding light on the obscure but fascinating topic of the inherent anarchy of the world of international commercial shipping and its political enablers. |