Reading Atomic Habits one chapter a day (chapter 9/20)

Random fact, I discovered this just so happens to be my 100th post on My Life Well Wasted.

I am reading Atomic Habits by James Clear at the rate of a chapter a day. This book has been sitting around for over two years now and I thought it was time to actually pick it up and finish it. (I’ve previously listened to half of the audiobook version on Libby before purchasing it.) It has been so long that yellow spots has started to appear on several pages which finally kicked me to start. I realised how long it’s been.

Tokyo Anti-Library – an ever-fleeting library

While looking at architecture competitions for students, I stumbled onto this entry I felt I needed to share. 

The Ever-Fleeting Library by Alexandre Biselli, the winning entry to the Tokyo Anti-Library competition. Link to the competition page here. 

Alexandre Biselli’s entry, the ever-fleeting library, re-thinks the traditional library.

How I see this (I hope this is coherent):

Libraries are archives – repositories of knowledge. There are two functions to the traditional library, storing information and passing it down. Today, they no longer pass it down.

Grimgar vol.7 begins uncharted territory

The first translations for volume 7 of Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash just released on j-novel club and has started to enter uncharted territory.

The Travelers, a spy novel?

The Travelers, by Chris Pavone, is not what you’d call a spy novel precisely. Yes, there are spies, intelligence agencies, secret meet-ups and more intrigue. But that wasn’t what gripped me while reading this book.

Instead, there was this sense of a life slowly unravelling and it was just delicious to read. Will it recover? Will it not? What will Will do? (ha. ha.)

Step into the shoes of Will Rhodes, a writer for Travelers, a world-renowned travel magazines. His life is less than the ideal that he has been chasing after – living in an incomplete house, a troubled marriage, and the sense that there’s just something wrong with his life.

It’s finally here! Grimgar vol.1

The first volume of Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash that I preordered finally came in the mail.

I was afraid that it might’ve been lost in shipping. A long time ago, a book I ordered on book-depository was lost in shipping (which they very kindly refunded when contacted). But there would’ve been a really long wait for another copy, the pre-orders were totally sold out.

“Violet Evergarden” looks absolutely stunning

I’m really looking forward to this one.

It looks gorgeous, and what I know about it has me intrigued. I’ll have to take a look if there’s an English translation for the light novel.

“I will run as fast as I can to wherever my customer desires. I am the Auto Memories Doll, Violet Evergarden.”

 

the long way to a small angry planet: a review

I wrote my first impressions on this book here when I was about a 100 pages in.

This is a short compilation of what I liked about the long way to a small angry planet. With some luck, you might like what I’ve got to say and give this book a shot too.

1. It’s not ‘hard’ sci-fi. This book doesn’t throw around engineering and science fiction jargon around while expecting you to somehow understand it. It really is a book about a road-trip. Except that it’s through space, with stops on exotic planets, and the highway might be a black hole. 

Wind/Pinball and nostalgia

I have to begin with this: the introduction is beautifully written. In simple and evocative language, it tells his tale of how he came about to writing. Haruki Murakami’s life, hardships, inspiration, and writing process. If you read nothing else of this book, read the introduction.

The book in question on my desk

For the novels themselves, I can’t claim to understand what the stories are about or what the plot is. My initial thoughts were along the lines of: how was it possible that this was the first prize winner in a competition? (And that he’s a whacko.)

100 pages in: the long way to a small angry planet

It’s not ‘hard’ sci-fi heavy on jargon. Instead, it focuses very much on people.

The writing, in my head, doesn’t flow like poetry. It feels more… serviceable. It really helps get into the mind of Rosemary, not her real name, who’s the main perspective into the world. The language feels like words real people might think and say. It feels real. The world feels lived in.

Maybe this says more about me than the book but, the people do feel a bit too nice. But, there are also hints of stuff under the surface.

I loved the scene of Sissix and Ashby texting. It was funny and honestly read like one of those funny text message threads I see posted on Facebook.

It has been a real delight to read so far, and the incredible thing is that nothing’s really happened. Becky Chambers would be perfect to write slice-of-life stuff.

A small book haul

Last weekend, I discovered that MPH(a book store chain) had a book sale at the Singapore Expo. It took up half an exhibition hall.

At 10 books of any kind for $50, I couldn’t pass it up.