A short read. Actually just one story of the "New York Trilogy". I'm still not sure what to think. It was a quick and nice read, for sure. And then it turns weird. Post modernist kind of weird. Gets you thinking, which is a plus. Leaves you hanging as a reader, which is a minus (for me, that is). Yes, it's great if an author can build up something and then not deliver on a tangible resolution at the end. Still, my naive self would have liked a more specific outcome.
A story about growing up, growing old, and trying to remember how it was back then before having grown up. Very well written, and asking some interesting questions.
The first few pages take us back to a British boys' school in the 60s. In history lessons, the main character and his friends argue about how to understand responsibility in retrospect.
"But of course, my desire to ascribe responsibility might be more a reflection of my own cast of mind than a fair analysis of what happened."
While reading, you pass over these thoughts and just accept them as anecdotal glimpses into the thought process of the characters.
Having finished the book, I now ask myself if I shouldn't apply the same principle to the narration itself: The account is given by one character, he tries to tell the reader a version of truth that he himself isn't quite sure of. When he has reached his final conclusion, how can I be sure there isn't another - a truer version - of the story, that I would have to decipher myself? Now imagine you tell your own life's story to yourself when you're old: How to decipher your life - your truth - then?
I am not really sure if I have understood the ending completely, yet. But I'm pretty certain I find this book brilliant. And all of that in just 160 short pages.
As far as I'm aware, this is supposed to be a classic in the field of financial education. I went into it quite sceptical because of the odd cover, and in many ways, you get what you expect: more "marketing" than deeply scientific content, very anecdotal rather than based on studies, a lot of redundancy in the text, which was a bit annoying sometimes. If I had to sum it up in one word, this book seemed very... "American" overall. And yet, it captivated me. The messages Robert Kiyosaki wants to drive home really get you thinking about your own relationship towards money, personal assets and towards work itself. I wouldn't take everything from this book literally, but I think the way he presents the "personal income statement" and its cashflow helped me get a better grasp and what are "good" and "bad" spending habits. I'd say it is a called a classic for a reason.
I knew the story, yet had never read the original. A clearly written text and great read.
I was surprised to find myself laughing from time to time -- at the cat who doesn't seem to grasp what's going on but actually doesn't really care; or at the pigs when they discover alcohol.
In my reading, I am always interested in "the construction of evil" or what you want to call it. Orwell apparently follows history by taking inspiration from the Russian Revolution. The plot is believable in some aspects, however it relies on the population of the farm not being smart enough to understand what's going on, while it's pretty clear for the reader right from the start. What interests me also, are other ideas of more subtle ways of turning evil. Animal Farm tells a different story though, and that's okay.
Ein unsympathischer Hauptcharakter, dessen Geschichte mich doch irgendwie sehr in den Bann gezogen und mitgenommen hat. Vielleicht auch, weil in Hamburg und Berlin so viele Dinge waren, zu denen ich persönlich einen Bezug habe. Von einer negativen Erfahrung in die nächste, trotz der ganzen Ekstase doch eine sehr deprimierende Erzählung. Klingt abgehoben, aber "Weltschmerz" beschreibt die Gesamtheit schon ganz gut.
Ein Glücksgriff in einem der "Mängelexemplar" Läden. Wegen des hübschen Covers mitgenommen und begeistert gelesen.
Die Geschichte eines Italieners, der als Kind von seinem Vater zur Gebirgsbegeisterung gebracht wird und dort den Freund seines Lebens findet. Eine Geschichte über die Beziehung zu seinem Vater, über die Freundschaft mit einem Menschen, der ganz anders ist als man selbst und über die richtige Lebensgestaltung -- Karriere in der Welt oder Frieden in den Bergen?
Nachdenklich, manchmal traurig, verträumt und durch und durch von einer Liebe zu den Bergen getränkt -- die mich hier und dort an die norwegische Meeresliebe aus dem "Buch vom Meer" erinnerte, das ich letztes Jahr las.
Schön.
After a couple of non-fiction books, I wanted to just grab a light read. Read this in a stressful time, so I didn't fully devote my attention to the story, which is why it didn't capture me completely and confused me sometimes. I laughed in parts, but yeah, can't really rate this properly, because I didn't pay attention all the time. I think this is a good story though, definitely had some captivating characters.
Solider Thriller (?) slash Roman. Moderne Technologie wurde auf das Deutschland der 30er und 40er Jahre übertragen. Die Konzepte haben gut gepasst und waren teilweise gut erklärt. Selbst wenn es nie zur Sprache kam, war viel von den Beispielen etwas, was wir "Data Science" nennen würden. Sprachlich teilweise etwas sperrig, aber auch ulkig: Programmieren wurde zum Beispiel zum "Programme stricken".
Das Hörbuch war super gelesen.