This was probably one of the most depressing books I read and am going to read this year. Yet, it is also by far one of the best ones. It moved me in ways I did not expect, made me cry and I do think because of it I was down throughout May (it might …
As riveting as the journalist's stories of the Troubles are this book had to wait a few months for its turn. I bought it last October, during the memorable bookshop crawl, in Housmans. I can now proudly say I read all the books I bought at Housmans (still a lot more reading to go through …
Art takes time. To spend an hour looking at a painting is difficult. The public gallery experience is one that encourages art at a trot. The average reader (and we must remember that the average reader does not exist before the late nineteenth century) is a product of modern schooling and conservative taste. T be …
Continue reading Art Objects. Essays on Ecstasy and Effrontery – Jeanette Winterson – Quotes
I do love the title of this book, with its subtle double meaning that is accentuated more and more in every single essay. This book is a collection of ten essays by Winterson on art, writing, reading, creating and collecting. To be honest, I expected it to be more focused on art in the classic …
Continue reading Art Objects. Essays on Ecstasy and Effrontery – Jeanette Winterson
Let's start with a bad translation of the title, to give you an idea what it's about: Polish ghostology: Things and people in the years of transformation. A bad one, I know... but bear with me. The years of transformation in Poland denote the period when communism ended and democracy started, there are no strict …
Continue reading Duchologia polska: Rzeczy i ludzie w latach transformacji – Olga Drenda
What they mean is that manufacturing jobs have gone overseas and middle-class jobs are harder to come by for people without college degrees. Fair enough - I worry about those things, too. But this book is about something else: what goes on in the lives of real people when the industrial economy goes south. It's …
Continue reading Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of Family and Culture in Crisis – J. D. Vance – Quotes
I read this book a few weeks ago, so to refresh my memory I went through my notes, but I also went on Goodreads, to take a look at some of the comments and reviews. I must admit I did not expect such a heated discussion. Being from Europe and only having been to the …
Continue reading Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of Family and Culture in Crisis – J. D. Vance
Intuitively we all know what the term 'iconic architecture' means, we've seen enough of it to also know that it does not always mean good architecture. Actually, the more investors focus on the iconic aspect the worse the architecture usually becomes. Tom Dyckhoff tries to understand this phenomenon and its origins. It was fun to …
Continue reading The Age of Spectacle: The Rise and Fall of Iconic Architecture – Tom Dyckhoff
Traditionally let's start from the title: Istanbul. In the fumes of urban absurd. I know, it's an awful translation, but that's all my brain can do today. I got this book from my mum. We went together to Istanbul in 2012 and it was a fantastic trip, we both fell in love with the city …
Continue reading Stambuł. W Oparach Miejskiego Absurdu – Agata Wielgołaska
I felt pretty good, actually. When you're still too young to shave, optimism is a perfectly legitimate response to failure. By the time I was fourteen (and shaving twice a week whether I needed to or not) the nail on my wall would no longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. …
Continue reading On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft – Stephen King – Quotes
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