Bart

PRAGMATISM AS ANTI-AUTHORITARIANISM – Richard Rorty (2021) For an introduction to American philosopher Richard Rorty, check out my review of What Can We Hope For?, a collection of essays on politics. In the introduction of that review, I write a bit about …

#RichardRorty #philosophy

His crowning achievement according to some. Absolutely brilliant book. On #ethics and #epistemology.

Review with lots of long quotes on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-9db

EMILY – Joanna Newsom (2006) – lyrics analysis Something different this time. I’ve been wanting to do this for years and years, and as it will be probably three more weeks before I finish Mary Gentle’s epic Ash, it seemed like the p…

I have wanted to do this for years and years, and here it finally is: an in depth look at the lyrics of ´Emily' by #JoannaNewsom. What a song!

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THE FIRST FIFTEEN LIVES OF HARRY AUGUST – Claire North (2014) The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August blipped on my radar because of a glowing review on A Sky of Books and Movies. When I checked Goodreads, 28 people of those I’ve friended there had read…

I can see why people like this. It’s fun entertainment. It’s a puzzly beach read. But #ClaireNorth shows no firm grasp on truth or wisdom or humanity or reality in #TheFirstFifteenLivesofHarryAugust. More on Weighing A Pig: wp.me/p1tcLv-96x

THE FORCE – Don Winslow (2017) Two years ago I read The Power of the Dog, Don Winslow’s 2005 drug war epic. I included that in my best reads of the decade, as it was an absolute tour de force: informative, chilling, thrill…

Looking for an immersive and emotional thriller? Look no further! Featuring 3D-characters and a nuanced take on police corruption in NY. Entertaining and enlightning! A contemporary tragedy! #DonWinslow #TheForce

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THE SHEEP LOOK UP – John Brunner (1972) I recently included John Brunner’s 1968 novel Stand on Zanzibar as one of the 22 books that made a lasting impression on me since I started reviewing over a decade ago. It was due time to rea…

On the paradox of the progress narrative, and Brunner´s 1972 dystopia. Maybe more of a doom rant than an actual review.
#JohnBrunner #TheSheepLookUp

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A DECADE IN REVIEW Some time ago I realized I’ve passed the 10-year mark of writing about books. In August 2014 I started reviewing every book I read, and in October 2015 I started posting those reviews on this…

I´ve been writing about books for over a decade. These are the ones that stuck... wp.me/p1tcLv-8W0

% are misleading, we should look at the evolution of the absolute numbers.

BOEK 1 – Martin Rombouts (2025) Another post in Dutch, about the debut of Martin Rombouts, a 32-year-old poet from Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He’s somewhat of a celebrity there because he won a popular TV quiz. Boek 1 tran…

Stevige aanrader. Recensie over ironie en zijn en lijken en wat al dan niet literatuur is. Koop het, lees het, laat me vlug iets weten. #MartinRombouts @dasmag.nl @martinrombouts.bsky.social

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DISTRESS – Greg Egan (1995) Reality is a miracle, and my bet is we will never find out how & why it originated. Despite our efforts, we still don’t grasp what matter actually is. Fundamental physics is one of Greg E…

A thought-provoking book, and I would recommend it as such, but it also made me realize that I am done with techno-optimism. #GregEgan #Distress #scifi #books #collapse

More on Weighing A Pig:

HET ZOMERT IN BARAKSTAD – J.M.H. Berckmans (1993) This is a post in Dutch, about the 5th book of Jean-Marie Berckmans, a Flemish cult author who died at the age of 54, poor and emaciated. From an early age on, Berckmans suffered from psychiatric p…

Waarom Berckmans geen monotone nihilist is.

#Barakstad #literatuur #JMHBerckmans #boeken

JUICE – Tim Winton (2024) Jesse over at Speculiction put this book on my radar, naming it one of the best books he read last year, as well as the best book published in 2024. He compared Juice to Kim Stanley Robinson’…

New review up on Weighing A Pig, about #Juice by #TimWinton

The book is easy to recommend, even though its post-apocaliptic doom is way too optimistic. #clifi #scifi

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