Grenzer
@grenzer.bsky.social
Bibliophile, scholar of history, philosophy, and literature. Sometimes talks about socialism.
I don't really need an introduction in general, but it doesn't hurt to go back to the basics. The section on Poetry I found useful. That's probably my weak point.
January 30, 2025 at 6:30 PM
I don't really need an introduction in general, but it doesn't hurt to go back to the basics. The section on Poetry I found useful. That's probably my weak point.
Not really too impressed with Weil in general. I know this is more or less just an essay, but I've read other things. Her Platonism is a little ridiculous, but her earnestness is refreshing, one might say.
January 24, 2025 at 6:56 PM
Not really too impressed with Weil in general. I know this is more or less just an essay, but I've read other things. Her Platonism is a little ridiculous, but her earnestness is refreshing, one might say.
Back to the classics. I don't have too much to say on this one.
January 23, 2025 at 8:10 PM
Back to the classics. I don't have too much to say on this one.
As a work of history I think this book is seriously flawed. Losurdo betrays an immense ignorance of American history, and this is more of a propagandistic polemic than a serious reflection on history.
January 21, 2025 at 5:11 PM
As a work of history I think this book is seriously flawed. Losurdo betrays an immense ignorance of American history, and this is more of a propagandistic polemic than a serious reflection on history.
Short, but good. Another Hobsbawm classic.
January 20, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Short, but good. Another Hobsbawm classic.
Interested in reading more on this. The included essays were interesting, but it seems like they had a very narrow focus on England and Northern France. They're quite old as well. It would be interesting to see how this debate has evolved in the past 50 years.
January 17, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Interested in reading more on this. The included essays were interesting, but it seems like they had a very narrow focus on England and Northern France. They're quite old as well. It would be interesting to see how this debate has evolved in the past 50 years.
Been pretty lax about posting. Busy with real world duties, but I've still gotten a fair bit of reading done.
This is old, the contributions date from the early 60's, but it was still an interesting read. There was a bit more diversity of thought than I expected.
This is old, the contributions date from the early 60's, but it was still an interesting read. There was a bit more diversity of thought than I expected.
January 15, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Been pretty lax about posting. Busy with real world duties, but I've still gotten a fair bit of reading done.
This is old, the contributions date from the early 60's, but it was still an interesting read. There was a bit more diversity of thought than I expected.
This is old, the contributions date from the early 60's, but it was still an interesting read. There was a bit more diversity of thought than I expected.
For some reason Towles' books are something of a guilty pleasure. He's a pretty mediocre author and I find his overly affected bourgeois snobbery to be kind of unbearable at times. Yet I still have fun with these.
Enjoyed this more than the Lincoln Highway at any rate.
Enjoyed this more than the Lincoln Highway at any rate.
January 7, 2025 at 8:12 AM
For some reason Towles' books are something of a guilty pleasure. He's a pretty mediocre author and I find his overly affected bourgeois snobbery to be kind of unbearable at times. Yet I still have fun with these.
Enjoyed this more than the Lincoln Highway at any rate.
Enjoyed this more than the Lincoln Highway at any rate.
Been a bit since I posted. Finished this yesterday.
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. Probably too much detail, and I think Orlando Figes covers the malignancy and incompetence of this disastrous figure far better and more concisely in his 'A People's Tragedy'.
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. Probably too much detail, and I think Orlando Figes covers the malignancy and incompetence of this disastrous figure far better and more concisely in his 'A People's Tragedy'.
January 5, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Been a bit since I posted. Finished this yesterday.
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. Probably too much detail, and I think Orlando Figes covers the malignancy and incompetence of this disastrous figure far better and more concisely in his 'A People's Tragedy'.
Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. Probably too much detail, and I think Orlando Figes covers the malignancy and incompetence of this disastrous figure far better and more concisely in his 'A People's Tragedy'.
After all these years, finally got around to beginning Hobsbawm's legendary series. Haven't learned much new from this, but I've read a lot of history over the years. It really does synthesize a lot of information and I think this remains relevant.
December 3, 2024 at 3:23 PM
After all these years, finally got around to beginning Hobsbawm's legendary series. Haven't learned much new from this, but I've read a lot of history over the years. It really does synthesize a lot of information and I think this remains relevant.
Been busy with things, but I finally got around to finishing this. I've wanted to read a variety of things about the CIA and FBI, so I consider this a first step.
The book is quite comprehensive, but I think it is a little bottom heavy. The later period is covered more briefly.
The book is quite comprehensive, but I think it is a little bottom heavy. The later period is covered more briefly.
November 27, 2024 at 8:32 PM
Been busy with things, but I finally got around to finishing this. I've wanted to read a variety of things about the CIA and FBI, so I consider this a first step.
The book is quite comprehensive, but I think it is a little bottom heavy. The later period is covered more briefly.
The book is quite comprehensive, but I think it is a little bottom heavy. The later period is covered more briefly.
Mixed things up with a combo about both the American and French revolutions. The usual caveat with biographies applies.
This also reminds me about how much more I need to read about the French Revolution, and how woefully lacking English language historiography is on the subject.
This also reminds me about how much more I need to read about the French Revolution, and how woefully lacking English language historiography is on the subject.
October 31, 2024 at 6:36 PM
Mixed things up with a combo about both the American and French revolutions. The usual caveat with biographies applies.
This also reminds me about how much more I need to read about the French Revolution, and how woefully lacking English language historiography is on the subject.
This also reminds me about how much more I need to read about the French Revolution, and how woefully lacking English language historiography is on the subject.
Back to book posting, quite a backlog to post yet.
This one wasn't too interesting. Marginal figure in the greater scheme of things.
This one wasn't too interesting. Marginal figure in the greater scheme of things.
October 30, 2024 at 7:40 PM
Back to book posting, quite a backlog to post yet.
This one wasn't too interesting. Marginal figure in the greater scheme of things.
This one wasn't too interesting. Marginal figure in the greater scheme of things.
Finished rereading this yesterday. It was much less impactful the second time, and it certainly pales compared to some of Bernhard’s other works like Gargoyles and Woodcutters.
August 18, 2023 at 4:19 PM
Finished rereading this yesterday. It was much less impactful the second time, and it certainly pales compared to some of Bernhard’s other works like Gargoyles and Woodcutters.
Finished this today. The most depressing thing about this book is that it makes you realize that American progressive liberals 100 years ago were more combative and militant than most Marxists are today.
It’s not even a high bar in the first place, come on.
It’s not even a high bar in the first place, come on.
August 15, 2023 at 3:11 AM
Finished this today. The most depressing thing about this book is that it makes you realize that American progressive liberals 100 years ago were more combative and militant than most Marxists are today.
It’s not even a high bar in the first place, come on.
It’s not even a high bar in the first place, come on.
A strong repudiation of Lars Lih's version of the April Theses and his defense of Stalin and Kamenev. Virtually every history I've ever read describes a similar turn of events. Lih deals with inconvenient facts like this mostly by pretending that they don't exist.
July 31, 2023 at 4:46 AM
A strong repudiation of Lars Lih's version of the April Theses and his defense of Stalin and Kamenev. Virtually every history I've ever read describes a similar turn of events. Lih deals with inconvenient facts like this mostly by pretending that they don't exist.
It’s funny. I’ve read over a hundred books on Soviet history, but not a single biography of Stalin. Stalin is so central to the first half of Soviet history that you really don’t even need to, but I’m reading this for fun.
I’m a little skeptical of this one, but we’ll see.
I’m a little skeptical of this one, but we’ll see.
July 29, 2023 at 10:07 PM
It’s funny. I’ve read over a hundred books on Soviet history, but not a single biography of Stalin. Stalin is so central to the first half of Soviet history that you really don’t even need to, but I’m reading this for fun.
I’m a little skeptical of this one, but we’ll see.
I’m a little skeptical of this one, but we’ll see.
Dipping my toes into Japanese fiction. Never read any aside from Murakami before. Fingers crossed.
I have a lot of respect for good short story writers. Writing a good one is high alchemy, probably more difficult than making a decent novel.
I have a lot of respect for good short story writers. Writing a good one is high alchemy, probably more difficult than making a decent novel.
July 27, 2023 at 10:33 PM
Dipping my toes into Japanese fiction. Never read any aside from Murakami before. Fingers crossed.
I have a lot of respect for good short story writers. Writing a good one is high alchemy, probably more difficult than making a decent novel.
I have a lot of respect for good short story writers. Writing a good one is high alchemy, probably more difficult than making a decent novel.
Finished another one. This book was kind of shit. A conglomerate of mostly random essays on a similar theme that fail to tie together, a common trend in Zizek’s books. He has a few on Heidegger in here and he’s completely uncritical.
Zizek jumped the shark with Covid and he’s never returning.
Zizek jumped the shark with Covid and he’s never returning.
July 27, 2023 at 8:06 PM
Finished another one. This book was kind of shit. A conglomerate of mostly random essays on a similar theme that fail to tie together, a common trend in Zizek’s books. He has a few on Heidegger in here and he’s completely uncritical.
Zizek jumped the shark with Covid and he’s never returning.
Zizek jumped the shark with Covid and he’s never returning.
Just got done with this. This book was awful. It’s a lot like his “PANDEMIC!” books: a compilation of short, derivative essays he probably wrote while taking a shit.
Zizek ends up concluding that there is no option but to tail progressive liberals, same as everyone else.
Zizek ends up concluding that there is no option but to tail progressive liberals, same as everyone else.
July 24, 2023 at 7:43 PM
Just got done with this. This book was awful. It’s a lot like his “PANDEMIC!” books: a compilation of short, derivative essays he probably wrote while taking a shit.
Zizek ends up concluding that there is no option but to tail progressive liberals, same as everyone else.
Zizek ends up concluding that there is no option but to tail progressive liberals, same as everyone else.
You know that cinema is dead when Uwe Boll has to give you advice.. and he’s right.
July 24, 2023 at 10:34 AM
You know that cinema is dead when Uwe Boll has to give you advice.. and he’s right.
Just finished this today. Deeply disappointing. The first third of the book is an endless procession of statistics and quotes, uncritically presented, alleging Jewish superiority. The other two-thirds focuses almost exclusively on Stalin-era Soviet Jews. No coherent thesis.
July 23, 2023 at 9:40 PM
Just finished this today. Deeply disappointing. The first third of the book is an endless procession of statistics and quotes, uncritically presented, alleging Jewish superiority. The other two-thirds focuses almost exclusively on Stalin-era Soviet Jews. No coherent thesis.
Finally got around to reading some Freud recently. It’s a mixed bag. I’ve found that his pre-WW1 writings largely tend to be crank shit while his more interesting and plausible ideas come after that period.
July 23, 2023 at 3:28 AM
Finally got around to reading some Freud recently. It’s a mixed bag. I’ve found that his pre-WW1 writings largely tend to be crank shit while his more interesting and plausible ideas come after that period.