Aaron's Updates en-US Wed, 16 Apr 2025 19:10:37 -0700 60 Aaron's Updates 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7494845220 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 19:10:37 -0700 <![CDATA[Aaron added 'Generation A']]> /review/show/7494845220 Generation A by Douglas Coupland Aaron gave 4 stars to Generation A (Hardcover) by Douglas Coupland
Generation A is a fine example of a Coupland book. Which is to say, a bit plodding with a boundless sense of curiosity. There's a great premise - that the world's bee population has gone extinct and tune years later a group of people from across the globe are stung by a bee - and the prose that gets us from one point to the next is highly enjoyable. This book is structured with each chapter being from the perspective of one of the stung people, leaving the task of advancing the plot up to the different monologues and crafting them in a way that a general narrative arc starts to appear. It does make it a little rougher sailing than you might desire, but that's also sort of the attraction with Coupland.

A solid quarter of the back end of the book is devoted to the characters taking turns making up stories and telling them to one another, further twisting the conceit and highlighting that we are telling stories to ourselves in order to create meaning. Its not exactly subtle, but the stories are so madcap and bonkers that I didn't mind.

I've long thought of Coupland as a sort of Kurt Vonnegut for the digital age, and this book is dripping with Kurt. There's even a KV epigraph to get us started. This author is worthy of keeping that bizarro sensibility with a heart of gold alive and well, and I feel the Vonnegut influence heavily here (the miracle drug solon, in particular, feels very much like something Kurt would have crafted). ]]> ReadStatus9317835759 Wed, 16 Apr 2025 18:53:40 -0700 <![CDATA[Aaron is currently reading 'In This Economy?: How Money & Markets Really Work']]> /review/show/7494805290 In This Economy? by Kyla Scanlon Aaron is currently reading In This Economy?: How Money & Markets Really Work by Kyla Scanlon
]]> Review7453726343 Sun, 06 Apr 2025 19:34:55 -0700 <![CDATA[Aaron added 'Blood Test: A Comedy']]> /review/show/7453726343 Blood Test by Charles Baxter Aaron gave 3 stars to Blood Test: A Comedy (Hardcover) by Charles Baxter
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
]]> Review7191038271 Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:27:52 -0700 <![CDATA[Aaron added 'Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals']]> /review/show/7191038271 Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman Aaron gave 5 stars to Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals (Hardcover) by Oliver Burkeman
This book is a mix of social science, self-help and philosophy. And it kind of rocked my world. I didn't intend to start this book on January 1, but it is an excellent primer to think about a new year and my place in the world. I finished the audiobook, and then promptly checked out a paper copy from the library. It is packed full of advice that I've already started to put into practice in an effort to live my life to the fullest - focusing on the priority items rather than the low hanging fruit. Oh, and in addition to the insight, I really enjoyed the tone throughout. The author takes the subject seriously, but does not ever feel self-important. ]]> Review7400007478 Thu, 13 Mar 2025 08:37:28 -0700 <![CDATA[Aaron added 'Happy Place']]> /review/show/7400007478 Happy Place by Emily Henry Aaron gave 4 stars to Happy Place (Hardcover) by Emily Henry
Who knew that a book like this existed?! Apparently, a lot of people, as Emily Henry is quite popular. But wow, what a novel. My wife recommended it to me, and I was expecting a romantic comedy. Which I guess this is, but maybe more romantic semi-tragedy? IDK, its not a bad ending, so tragedy is probably too far. It just has a depth that a movie rom-com doesn't possess; I felt the emotions deeply, all the uncertainty of various types of relationships congealing and manifesting in the life of a 30-something. And the sexy scenes were something else  - so much titillating description of relative tame situations (and then also of less tame situations!). It was refreshing to read these scenes that are certainly not PG but nevertheless compelling in their restraint.

I'm not sure I'll come back to Henry - or at least not for a while - as I've heard a lot of the books are pretty similar. But it's comforting to know I have a palette cleanser of sorts if ever I should feel bogged down by the _important_ _artistic_ _intellectual_ fare I typically consume. ]]> Review7366622743 Thu, 13 Mar 2025 08:33:23 -0700 <![CDATA[Aaron added 'Station Eleven']]> /review/show/7366622743 Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel Aaron gave 5 stars to Station Eleven (Hardcover) by Emily St. John Mandel
TLDR: Come for the desolate hellscape intrigue beget by the fallen world, stay for the human connection that withstands it all.

This is the first time in a while that I've had the experience of consuming both book and screen adaptation of a book, having watched the amazing HBO miniseries Station Eleven a couple years back and, now, having read the book. Both are really well done, and while there are significant plot deviations in the TV show I think the spirit of the work endures perfectly on the screen. The thing the TV show captured so well is teasing the audience that there might be some sort of sci-fi element at play, whereas from the jump in the book we know that Station Eleven is a fictional creation of one of the characters. Not that you need to inject more suspense into a story set in a post-apocalyptic world, but I really enjoyed the veiled hints at play in the show.

As for the book, its a credit to the writing that the story was able to keep my attention despite me already having the framework of the world and the beats of the plot. St. John Mandel is an excellent crafter of spare ambiance, which allows us to hone in on the characters. I don't think that's just my having visual reference points from the cinematograph of the TV show, or the fact that I was listening to this in part while walking around Chicago in the winter (where the show is set). The interweaving of the characters compels the action, and the reconnecting at key moments and places feels earned (rather than just a 'oh, wow, this person just conveniently happened to be there at exactly the right time' sort of thing).

A big conceit of the book is that culture helps us come to grips with our experience of the world. It takes a bit of a backseat in the book (IMO the traveling symphony felt way more heartily wrought in the show), though its certainly still present. Kirsten collects celebrity gossip magazine clippings, Jeevan's photography playing a role in Miranda's life upending, the book written, the connection point of so many characters in the King Lear production, and of course the Station Eleven graphic novel that become a quasi sacred text. Even the visual art of the knife tattoos seem inexplicably compulsory, an outlet of grief in a world that has experienced so much.

The cultish intrigue of The Prophet is effective in its creepiness, but I lament that we don't get as much face time trying to figure out Tyler as a kid who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. At the very end of the book we get just a peek into the psyche of his followers, and I wanted to explore with more empathy the lives of people who - seemingly lacking the resolve for solitary redemption - glom onto the stabilizing presence of a confident (or at least mystique-filled) leader. Still, the overall importance of community comes through - just with an unfortunate side-effect of also showcasing humanity's proclivity for conflict. ]]> Review7257333105 Sat, 25 Jan 2025 20:46:37 -0800 <![CDATA[Aaron added 'Tenth of December']]> /review/show/7257333105 Tenth of December by George Saunders Aaron gave 4 stars to Tenth of December (Hardcover) by George Saunders
I'd only ever read Saunders in Lincoln in the Bardo, a book I remember being incredibly hyped up to then really disappoint me. I'm sure there is some element of it that I just wasn't quite sharp enough to revel in; I did appreciate the novelty, it just felt too long and like there wasn't a lot of payoff. I maybe should revisit it. Anyway, I totally loved Tenth of December. The writing style is so sharp and jaunty if that makes sense. The stories have excellent premises, almost as thought experiments. Multiple stories riff on the question: What would you do if you saw a crime being committed as a person with an apparent dearth of agency? 'Victory Lap' sets out at a blistering pace, jumping seamlessly (or, erratically, if you're not into it) from internal monologue to internal monologue of all the characters involved.  'Escape from Spiderhead' is a pretty dark entry but with a fascinating array of ideas related to free will and subverting control even in the most dire circumstances. 'The Semplica-Girl Diaries' might have been my favorite story as it spanned the most space - interpersonal family dynamics, ethical relativity, and a protagonist/narrator with an incredibly winning and sympathetic disposition. 'Tenth of December' has the least amount of magical realism but was the one that made me _feel_ the most. Those were the standouts for me, but all the stories are just packed to the brim with energy and wit. Saunders completely won me over with this collection. ]]> Review7257253995 Sat, 25 Jan 2025 20:17:27 -0800 <![CDATA[Aaron added 'Severance']]> /review/show/7257253995 Severance by Ling Ma Aaron gave 4 stars to Severance (Hardcover) by Ling Ma
This is by far the most prescient-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-book-published-before-it-happened that I've ever read. The sections about the time just before things start shutting down really aptly captured the feeling of that moment (in retrospect). But then things get worse and worse in the book and there isn't any sign of recovery. I don't think that's a spoiler. I enjoyed this, but it seemed a little like two different stories - one of the pandemic-and-its-fallout variety, and the other of the first-generation-immigrant variety. There is some effort to interweave the two tales, and at moments it works. I just wanted more interconnection. I can't say too much more without spoiling it; suffice to say that the post-apocalyptic elements were my favorite parts of the story, while the interpersonal dynamics and backstory were a bit more run of the mill. ]]> Review7191038271 Wed, 08 Jan 2025 11:25:56 -0800 <![CDATA[Aaron added 'Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals']]> /review/show/7191038271 Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman Aaron gave 5 stars to Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals (Hardcover) by Oliver Burkeman
This book is a mix of social science, self-help and philosophy. And it kind of rocked my world. I didn't intend to start this book on January 1, but it is an excellent primer to think about a new year and my place in the world. I finished the audiobook, and then promptly checked out a paper copy from the library. It is packed full of advice that I've already started to put into practice in an effort to live my life to the fullest - focusing on the priority items rather than the low hanging fruit. Oh, and in addition to the insight, I really enjoyed the tone throughout. The author takes the subject seriously, but does not ever feel self-important. ]]> Rating809835285 Wed, 08 Jan 2025 11:25:53 -0800 <![CDATA[Aaron Yost liked a review]]> /
Aaron liked Rosanna's review of Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals:
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman
""Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals" by @oliverburkeman is the best book I've ready all year! And, yes, today is January 2, but a great way to start the New Year. The basis of the number he cites is the average life span, and the book is a reminder that we can't beat time, or beat death. Burkeman believes that becoming more efficient has some serious downsides. Goal this year: reframe worry as curiosity."
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