Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm
A reread.
A reread.
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- Thread starter dangerousdon
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woodpusher
TSC’s International Man of Meh
Your bigly brain has gooder komprenshen than mines, Tony.
The reason I do a lot of rereading is because I never quite get it.
I deviated from the The Things We Cannot Say - I’m going to save that one for post October - because after this book - I’m going to read a non-fiction prior to November.
I knew this book was going to be a quick read - I would have finished it in one sitting had the Phillies game not been exciting. There is an HBO miniseries based on this book and I thought that I would read the book first (as I almost always do). Two things - (1) this book was a challenging read that I hadn’t anticipated and (2) I cannot picture the actress selected for the miniseries in the role of the main character. This is not to disparage her acting - but she has a niche and I don’t see her having the chops for a more serious, non-comedic role - I could be wrong - but she is also about 15-20 years younger than the same character in the book - so for her to demonstrate the weight of the years for the main character would be a stretch from anything else I have seen her play.
The reason this book was challenging was that the main character is neither relatable (for most people) and not in the slightest, likable. Yet, even with these challenges, it is a decent read. The book is at its heart, both a drama and a spy novel. The main character, as the title would suggest, is a flight attendant. She is in her early 50’s and to state she has a drinking and self loathing problem, is not giving it a fair description…..she takes it to extreme. And I am not making a judgement on her lifestyle - Nick Cage plays a similar character in the movie - Leaving Las Vegas - who I found myself rooting for until the very end. This character doesn’t really have any of those qualities - and yes, she has a horrific childhood backstory - and maybe I’m just jaded - but even with that, doesn’t make me say - Go Team Flight Attendant
The book starts with her waking up next to a guy, with whom she had a one night stand, and he is dead - well assassinated. She doesn’t remember a thing because she was blackout drunk after binge drinking with the dude all night long. What ensues is the aftermath after the body is discovered.
I do think this book is worth the read. I am not wont to finish a book if I find it not to my liking (with the exception to The Man in the High Tower - which I loved the TV series so much that I was hoping the book would turn itself around). However, there are a few flaws that prevent me from giving it a glowing review (and note, I am in the very far minority - the book is an Amazon Editor’s Pick and has over 7,000 reviews). First, there are two moments in the beginning third of the book when you are getting to know the main character where the author gets pontifical to the extreme. To the point it is way out of character. It’s almost as if author was taking a TV time out to speak directly to her audience and say, “the moon is made of green cheese and if you don’t believe it you are a monster)……luckily that preachiness is never brought up again (and green cheese is just a substitute for what she is speaking about)……the second is the abrupt ending - where things are tied off a little too quickly and again, one character’s end stretches credibility, and there is another part of the ending where another role player is brought back out of the blue and brought back into the story - very similar to the hey Remember Sally, you know the so called friend that we haven’t mentioned in 200 pages - well turns out - she’s XXXXX So There).
I give it 3.5 razor blades on this one - you’ll have to do a SE shave - save the read for the next time you have to go on a flight.
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@Scuttlesoap is mad literate.
The result of having your mother cut the television cord on the family TV (due to my misbehaving) when I was 10 and not fixing it until I was in high school. We took weekly trips to the public library. Plus my father, whenever he wasn’t taking care of us, always had his nose in a book - so that greatly influenced me.
My grandfather always told me “Don’t be a stunad!” That was enough for me.
woodpusher
TSC’s International Man of Meh
This was a nice and easy, enjoyable read ... except for the last 20 pages where Foster probably thought to himself "I'm close to my contracted word-count; time to wrap this up."
woodpusher
TSC’s International Man of Meh
Picked this up from the library yesterday afternoon and BOOM! All done! It is an EXCELLENT quick read on how we think about money and what it means. It's not an investment book at all, but even so, I enjoyed it. 
Okay, I do this more than I should. But I am rarely that guy who reads a book and years later it is made into a movie or a TV series. It is usually the other way around. I see a movie or TV series and I like it so much I need to read the book.
Such is the case with the Amazon Prime series "The Peripheral." I really like the series...a lot. And I recognize the complexity of the storyline that I just knew that there had to be more to the story. So I started the book. Only about 60 or so pages into it. But William Gibson's writing style is fairly unique. So far with this book there are two timelines that run in tandem. This is a science fiction work...but it is done in a way that it is completely believable and the science fiction aspect of the book tends to get forgotten. This is a good thing. Dialogue is not written in proper gramatical fashion which lends to authenticity of the characters. Setting the stage seems to progress rather fast and the chapters are pretty short. So far I am enjoying the book.
The story is set in the very near future. Virtual Reality and Gamming are means of employment for some. The main character, Flynne, fills in for her brother in a VR security simulation. But is it really a simulation? And when does this simulation take place.
Their are some twists and turns, but I don't think any of them (so far) are these "Momento" or "Sixth Sense" type of twists that you are not supposed to see. And I don't think they are meant to be either. They are just small barriers to build the story. Maybe there are some M. Night Shama-lama-ding-dong twists...but these are not it. I should be able to get through this one relatively quick.
Such is the case with the Amazon Prime series "The Peripheral." I really like the series...a lot. And I recognize the complexity of the storyline that I just knew that there had to be more to the story. So I started the book. Only about 60 or so pages into it. But William Gibson's writing style is fairly unique. So far with this book there are two timelines that run in tandem. This is a science fiction work...but it is done in a way that it is completely believable and the science fiction aspect of the book tends to get forgotten. This is a good thing. Dialogue is not written in proper gramatical fashion which lends to authenticity of the characters. Setting the stage seems to progress rather fast and the chapters are pretty short. So far I am enjoying the book.
The story is set in the very near future. Virtual Reality and Gamming are means of employment for some. The main character, Flynne, fills in for her brother in a VR security simulation. But is it really a simulation? And when does this simulation take place.
Their are some twists and turns, but I don't think any of them (so far) are these "Momento" or "Sixth Sense" type of twists that you are not supposed to see. And I don't think they are meant to be either. They are just small barriers to build the story. Maybe there are some M. Night Shama-lama-ding-dong twists...but these are not it. I should be able to get through this one relatively quick.
beginish
The Dr. Who of the TSC
The show on Amazon is great. A little violent for my taste, but you can see the good bones it has. Don, you’ll have to tell us if the show holds true to the book.
Definitely one of the things that I am looking at.
Taking a break from the Non-Fiction genre……this one has almost 200k in reviews on Amazon and on many Best Sellers lists….described as a psychological thriller……..and I’m starting to read it at night. I’ll do a report when I’m finished.
JWS VII
0
I’ve heard good things. Some of the folks (mostly gals) say that there some difficult parts to read. Looking forward to your review!
It’s been a while since I’ve read a book of this genre style - most reviews I’ve read also said this was a pretty quick read as well
If you are looking for a book with a holiday theme, but like something a little more dark but less depressing than "It's a Wonderful Life." 
Then check out "Krampus: The Yule Lord." by Brohm. It's a fun read and quite entertaining. A little different take on the whole western traditional Santa Clause thing. I highly recommend it. And don't forget to put your shoes and some schnapps outside your door on Krampusnacht (December 5th).
Then check out "Krampus: The Yule Lord." by Brohm. It's a fun read and quite entertaining. A little different take on the whole western traditional Santa Clause thing. I highly recommend it. And don't forget to put your shoes and some schnapps outside your door on Krampusnacht (December 5th).Krampus: The Yule Lord: Brom: 9780062095664: Amazon.com: Books
Krampus: The Yule Lord [Brom] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Krampus: The Yule Lord
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