Welcome to the October 2021 edition of the reading (and watching) list! Here are some things I’m reading (and watching) lately, as we move fully into the fall. Hopefully this gives readers some ideas for what to pick up as they lose fall leaves and prepare for colder weather.
Books
Arthur Conan Doyle – The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Volume 1 and Volume 2)
OK, so did I read every Sherlock Holmes story in these collections? No. They get pretty repetitive after awhile. But I read most of them. They’re fun stories. Yes, philosophers often complain that Holmes ‘deductions’ are really just inference to the best explanation (and, for the most part, philosophers are right about that). But I also set that aside.
Holmes comes off as pretty clever, and sometimes it’s fun to guess along with Watson. If any readers want a guide to which Holmes stories are the best, I’d recommend starting at this link.
Dai Sijie – Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
In this short book, Dijie tells the story of a re-education camp during China’s Cultural Revolution. He does a fantastic job getting at the psychological pressures of re-education, as well as just the overall feel of why it was such a disaster for so many.
As for the story itself, the narrator and his friend strike up a relationship with a young woman in the rural neighborhood where they’re sent. Various adventures follow, including a role-reversal of sorts after they discover banned books and read them.
Trump Collection, Part 1: Michael Wolff – Siege; Bob Woodward – Rage
I’m sure some readers know that authors and publishers created a small industry of books on the Trump Administration and its failures. I’ve read probably a dozen or so of those books by now. Periodically I’ll post thoughts on them.
Both Wolff and Woodward have published a series of their own books, with these being the second in each series. Woodward stands out as a major journalist, while Wolff takes a more informal approach. But both tend to do a better job than most other authors, even major authors. What they share in common is the view – almost certainly correct – that Trump was more incompetent fool than evil genius. If you’re looking for a place to start, I’d recommend both Wolff and Woodward.
Movies
A Quiet Place, Part II
So, I actually watched this a few months ago at the theater. You know, during that brief month or so window when it seemed safe to go to the movies.
For anyone who watched the first film, I think this will do well enough as a sequel. It picks up at about the moment the last film left off. But it also provides a bit of background story to introduce the new main character. And Emily Blunt is great, as usual.
Unfortunately, we don’t really learn much more about the aliens in this film. Nor do we learn exactly why it’s so easily to defeat them with cochlear implants. But, hey. That’s a horror film for you.
Black Bear
So, this is an odd little movie about movies. Or at least about the stress one person undergoes while making movies. The quickest thing to say about it is that it stars Aubrey Plaza – who is a consistently solid, under-rated actress – and that it’s about stress and abuse. Specifically, stress and abuse that happens when blurring the lines between film and reality.
Was it the best film of 2020? No. But I’d recommend it.
