MiikkaMiikka@mastodon.social
Feb 22, 2024, 5:35 AMDecided to do another another book thread! In this thread: books I've read in 2024.
Replies
- MiikkaMiikka@mastodon.socialFeb 22, 2024, 5:43 AM
1. "Katsotaanhan puhelimiakin" by Arsi Alenius. Novel, in Finnish.
A young literary critic is angry about how literature has lost its social cachet. I suppose it’s (auto)fiction, but really it’s a pamphlet. It’s aggressive, provocative, and arrogant.
For a short book it jumps around a lot. Many times I went “wow, didn’t see that coming”. Many times I went “damn right”. It spoke to the slightly arrogant and elitist reader in me 🙂
- MiikkaMiikka@mastodon.socialMar 1, 2024, 4:27 PM
2. "Ruukku rubiiniviiniä ja muita runoja" by Omar Khayyam, translated to Finnish by Jaakko Hämeen-Anttila. Poetry.
Basically quatrains about wine and debauchery. Hilarious! Reminds me of Carl Michael Belman's drinking songs.
I also tried reading the Rubaiyat (in English), but couldn't get into it. Appreciating poetry in a foreign language is difficult.
- MiikkaMiikka@mastodon.socialMar 20, 2024, 4:58 AM
3. "Hello, Stranger" by Will Buckingham. Non-fiction.
On strangers, hospitality, and travel. Buckingham weaves together anthropology, Greek classics, and personal anecdotes to talk about the thrill and the trouble in getting to know strangers.
I really enjoy Buckingham's writing - it's so cozy. This book made me want to travel again.
- MiikkaMiikka@mastodon.socialMar 23, 2024, 6:19 AM
4. "Alkoholi" by Mika Lietzen. Graphic novel.
It's a story about struggling with alcoholism. The homeless protagonist resorts to violence, then tries to live with the consequences.
The illustration was elegant, but the story frankly fell flat. The situation was complex; the story felt simple.
