7858

@7858.eth

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Our Man in Havana British expat recruited as a spy in pre-revolution Cuba, takes the gig for the money, dark hijinks ensue. The 2025 film adaptation would be directed by the Coen Brothers. The whole vibe feels a lot like a tropical version of Burn After Reading. It was fun and entertaining, with a bit more meat on its bones than a pure bubblegum spy thriller. Also more self aware and humorous. Casually recommended if you’re looking for something in its niche.

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It’s not quite imperial jasmine pearls, but it’s so good

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Born Standing Up Comedy legend briefly tells his story from birth to the top. It’s a treat. He’s smart, sincere, and sensitive throughout, which took me slightly by surprise since he so often plays the opposite type of character. But it’s never heavy handed, and it offers its fair share of laughs, too. Another great example of someone grinding for decades to earn overnight success. Recommended for all. Would make a great plane, train, or beach book.

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These are both true. Woj’s line is more quotable and more broadly applicable. jtgi is on firmer ground in this case Love to see us beating the Christian Rap accusations one innocuous disagreement at a time

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Mrs Dalloway A day in the life of an aristocrat. I reference it only begrudgingly, because this book only achieves the palest shadow of its target, but it wants to be Ulysses so badly. It is far from it. The writing at the level of the sentence is very good, and paragraphs sometimes form into coherent sections. But at any point, the perspective might shift to another person, or to a flashback, or from pure stream of consciousness to a more structured narrative. Ulysses can also feel disorienting and even apparently incoherent at times, but I think any decent reader will find that by the end, it has formed a meaningful whole. Mrs Dalloway does not. All the nonsense and rigamarole of high modernism with none of its compensating virtues. Maybe I just didn’t work hard enough at this book. But if there’s significant meaning embedded somewhere in this book, it’s deeply encoded. Seemed like cargo cult modernism and not the real thing. If anyone loves it, please come help me understand. Not recommended.

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Web 2 was amazing for content about my interests or about people like me The next gen of AI powered internet is potentially going to have me as a star, and I’m not sure I’m ready for that That super cruel psychoanalyst mini app from a month or so ago still haunts me

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My response to the question “how do I shift some scrolling time to book time?” Initial recommendations for better books in the recasted cast 😊

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A River Runs Through It A family of fly fishermen lose a brother. This is the best fishing book. And it’s also a beautifully written piece of literature, even for those who don’t fish. I’ve read maybe a dozen fishing books, and with the exception of John Gierach’s books, I’ve found them all at least a little off putting as a consequence of the authors’ varying degrees of poseur. Most were filthy casuals, even those who purported to be dedicated or addicted. Norman Maclean is the real thing. He’s a true fisherman. It matters to me, but only because of that Gell-Mann amnesia effect. What will matter to many more is that he’s also an outstanding writer and storyteller. He writes with humor and poetry, but always stays grounded. I held off reading this because I love the movie and I didn’t want a sub par book to compromise my enjoyment. Far from it, turned out. Recommended for everyone. Highly recommended for anyone who fishes or loves someone who fishes.

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Got it. Book reviews

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Project Hail Mary Scientific and technological forces combine to achieve beneficial outcome. Alright, I acknowledge it’s not the most descriptive oneliner of my career, but how often do you get to say it? Plus, there’s a good chance that you will read it someday and my experience was enhanced by a total absence of spoilers. This is the most fun I’ve had reading sci fi since I was a teenager. Massive shoutout to @kyle for the recommendation, who also provided an excellent elevator pitch. It’s MacGyver in space. PHM is that and more. I read it to my oldest boy, and it’s currently his favorite book. Strongest possible recommendation. Send it straight to the top of your list.

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Miniword continues to deliver joy, day after day. I love crosswords under any circumstances, but it's even more fun to see how I stack up against people on this app who I know and respect. Tour de force fapp, @cbeav I'd be honored to guest write a puzzle sometime https://farcaster.xyz/7858.eth/0xf0ea1deb

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Everything is on sale on Audible right now. Would you please recommend a few audiobooks to me? I’m gonna try to line up my next 10-20 books this week. Here are some recommendations for you: Kitchen Confidential read by the author The Ocean at the End of the Lane read by the author Angela’s Ashes read by the author The Innocents Abroad read by Grover Gardner (he’s consistently great) Moby Dick read by Jonathan Epstein (captures the humor, makes the book feel much more manageable)

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Lord Jim Young Jim, who is not really a lord of any sort, grapples with his past. You can flip this book open to any page, read a few paragraphs, and know you’re reading good writing. But if you don’t keep your head in the game, the entire book will feel like that. The narrative structure is not ergonomic, and the majority of book kind of obliquely looks at its actual subject. So it’s not an easy read. But Conrad is a master at conjuring a mood, and if you put in the work that this book asks of you, you’ll find a meaningful coherence beneath its seemingly disjointed narrative. Worst case, it’s a bunch of compelling short stories. Don’t run to the library this moment, but if you get a chance to read it, don’t turn it down. Cautiously recommended.

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My Antonia Loving portrait of a young immigrant girl growing into adulthood on the frontier. The narrator is an orphan who moves to the frontier around the same time as Antonia, and falls in love with her. You will, too. She’s tough, charming, and overflowing with life. The book is also a portrait of Antonia’s time, place, and people. It works well on all those fronts as well. Wonderful anecdotes, wonderful characters. The prose leaned more poetic than was good for it at times, but that’s my only quibble. Reading this felt like being initiated into something secret and beautiful. I love this kind of love. Recommended for anyone.

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Ethan Frome Ethan falls in love with Mattie, the cousin of his miserable wife, to disastrous results. It’s a lovely, tender, tight little book. It’s faithful and fair to both the strict social norms of its setting and the feelings that provide the impetus for their transgression. While Ethan’s wife Zeena is a bit less complex than Ethan and Mattie, her unflattering portrait is perhaps the most memorable of all. But across the board the character development is terrific. You also get an uncommonly strong sense of place from the book. If you’ve ever experienced the northeastern United States in the winter, it’ll make you reach for your warmest coat. It’s the opposite of flashy. It lacks the garish gestures that characterize modern romance stories, and it ends in tragedy. But despite all that, in its understated way, it’s one of the most romantic books I’ve ever read. Despite all the physical and emotional frigidity, it’s kinda hot. Highly recommended.

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Notes from Underground Bitter, spiteful, unreliable narrator absolutely drags rationality, determinism, and himself. This is not a fun book. I did not enjoy reading it. The first half isn’t even a story, just a screed. The second half is a brutal portrait of the narrator as the worst kind of person. I’d be prepared to forgive all that if not for the fact that it didn’t even surface any especially novel or plausible ideas. If you liked Crime and Punishment, this might appeal to you. But if you, like me, find yourself looking for Dostoevsky titles because you loved The Brothers Karamazov, look elsewhere.

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Jane Eyre Governess falls in love with the master of the house, and after some hiccups, marries him. Jane Eyre slaps. Don’t let the haters tell you otherwise. In a lot of ways, it feels like a modern story. We follow Jane as she comes of age, which is itself a touching arc. But the book really hits its stride when Rochester shows up. Their relationship isn’t the usual harlequin slop. We get a deep look into Jane’s nuanced feelings, and Rochester is a complex object for them. It’s hard to do it justice without giving a bunch of spoilers. Normally I don’t sweat that but some of the twists in the middle were unexpected and fun. The twists at the end were more predictable, but equally gratifying in their way. Middlemarch is better, but it’s in a different category. Jane Eyre is the best of these old romances. Better than any Jane Austen stuff. Highly recommended if you have the stomach for slightly archaic language and pacing.

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I’m earnestly pleased with the increasing incidence of selfies of attractive young women on this network. It’s agreeable in itself and it’s a strong signal that FC is going to survive

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