Ataraxia

  The Jungle by Upton Sinclair 9 out of 10 You can find this extraordinary, grim, fundamental, somewhat socialist, alas, novel on at least two cardinal lists…The Guardian 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read -  https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jan/23/bestbooks-fiction  - and The 150 English Language Novels of the 20 th  Century -  http://www.friendswood.lib.tx.us/bookinfo/frpubtop150.htm The story of the hero, Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant, of his family, their community and the workers of Chicago is more than compelling, it can cause nightmares, for the traumas, tragedies they experience could well haunt the reader for a long time, especially if we add to the description of the suffering of people, that of the animals killed in the meatpacking district, in the first part of the last century. To judge from the rather cheerful debut of the narrative, the reader might think that he or she is in for a joy ride – with this particular segment reminding the u...

  The Keys To The Kingdom based on the book by AJ Cronin – the argument against this might be found in The Psychological Effects of Religion by Nathaniel Branden  http://realini.blogspot.com/2016/04/psychological-effects-of-religion-by.html 9 out of 10     This narrative emphasizes the positive sides of religion, through the main character, Father Francis Chisholm -portrayed in the film adaptation by illustrious Gregory Peck, the one that enthused audiences in gems like To Kill A Mocking Bird and A Roman Holiday  http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/09/one-of-realini-best-100-movies-100-out.html  -who has all the wonderful qualities we aspire to possess – thus he is a Role Model and a Super Hero, Superman and Holy Man rolled into one – unlike the real clergy.   When I think priests, a horrible image comes to mind from real experience: when my father died, we had to hire a few priests, not for a lavish funeral, we were not rich (we are better off, Alhamduli...

  Relic and Preparation by Robert Olen Butler Very good read Relic Like in all the other short stories by Robert Olen Butler that I have read so far, this one has a Vietnamese hero. He doesn't do anything heroic though. The relic that is present in the title and that he acquires is a...shoe. Not just any shoe... It is one of the shoes of John Lennon. Furthermore, he was wearing it when he died, shot by a lunatic. They were joking the other day on some program about the world's most unfair events. One of them was Lennon being shot instead of Yoko Ono. It was in the sadist, tasteless genre that is gaining traction today. Even the woman comedian Amy Schummer goes for humor of a strange kind, with various weird sexual positions, the dragon, the van, the magician and others... -            You don't want to know...but if you do, Google or contact me. Returning to our collector, he is also a magician, speaking of challenging intercourse. ...

  A Ghost and Snow by Robert Olen Butler Somewhat sad, but stupendous narratives A Ghost In this tale the hero is a major in the army...I am not sure if the North or South Vietnamese. So far, to my great pleasure, the commie have been the enemy, in the other short stories by the very gifted Robert Olen Butler that I have read. This major is visiting his lover, they have intimate relations and he falls asleep. Alas, when he wakes up it is very late at night. And he has to go back to his unit. Driving at night is extremely dangerous and on the way he is very tense and only uses the headlights late in the game. The enemy can be hiding anywhere and a road block would be deadly. The major imagines hundreds of rifles pointed at him. Suddenly, in the road he sees amount woman, with a round face, big mouth and small nose. It is a trap, the driver thinks and pulls the wheel and avoids her. Only to see again, just a short distance away, the same figure. -       ...

  Open Arms and Mr. Green by Robert Olen Butler Good, if tragic short stories Robert Olen Butler has spent one year in Vietnam, as intelligence officer and translator. This helps explain his knowledge of Vietnamese people, customs, differences. Open Arms In the first short story from the acclaimed collection, we have some awkward situations. The story teller appears to have a grudge against another Vietnamese man. They happen to be in the same film projection room when a bizarre thing happens. They were expecting a comedy with Norman Wilson. This was a British actor, who was short and the other characters took advantage. The hero of the story does not like the sort of comedies where this discrimination and abuse, as he sees it, takes place. But the surprise is that instead of Norman and his shenanigans they get Swedish actors. And the genre is different. We are talking porn. And the one Vietnamese is staring at the other. The other' s wife had been killed by the communist guerillas...

  The Healthiest Girl in Town by Jean Stafford Enchanting – 10 out of 10   The short stories of Jean Stafford are impressive. She won the Pulitzer Prize for them. Some have a gloomy atmosphere that probably has to do with the author’s personal experience and troubles with alcohol and more. However, the spirit of this story is not only positive, but also funny from where I read it. The debut is not very promising in terms of happy events or people. We are in town where the sick come in search for a longer life, if not a final cure for their tuberculosis, which they hope would be tamed by the sun and the air. Whole families move to this town, where the heroine, who is also the story teller lives with her mother. Mother is a nurse and her tales of hemorrhages, with blood on the ceiling could not be more hideous and terrifying. The girl asks her mother about the patients and their symptoms, but is really interested in her father, about whom she is afraid to ask. Or perhaps embarra...

  Something Fresh by PG Wodehouse, one of the most remarkable comedy writers, author of Thank You, Jeeves  http://realini.blogspot.com/2019/02/thank-you-jeeves-by-pg-wodehouse-9-out.html  and other great comedies 10 out of 10     This is a novel that fits perfectly in this age of turmoil and atrocity, when Russia has invaded Ukraine, with tens of thousands dead, millions forced to take refuge, others enduring the freezing cold in blackouts provoked by the targeting of energy infrastructure, China is getting ready to swallow Taiwan, and it is a question of when they will push for that, not if, because they have had this history of violence, taking Tibet some decades ago, back enough in time for most people not to be aware of that monstrosity, they push around in the South China Sea, against Japan and almost all their neighbors.   Reading a book that offers solace, humor is indicated once in a while, humor is one important element of happiness and a having a ...