[Life] Book Club

[Megan]

As I've finished not one but two books just recently, I want to take some time to talk about both of them. One belonging to the "health" categoriy, the other being a short story written by Jules Verne.

The first one is a German book called "Die 7 Revolutionen der Medizin" (transl: the 7 revolutions of medicine). It's divided into seven chapters talking about some modern world health problem before providing some sort of wonder medicine supposedly fixing the issues. You know, I didn't quite decide to read this on my own. I have a relative who is heavily into this stuff and really likes not only reading those books (among others) but also constantly giving them to others so that they too read them and then give them back. That's how I ended up with it and I really wanted to get this over with.

Anyway, I'm not a medical expert so I want to keep this rather short. There are some things in this book that over time have been proven right, the others I can't tell. To be fair, the book does provide some references to some of the studies the guy talks about, which to be fair, I didn't bother doing some research in the matter. I know I didn't like some of the statistics provided, in particular those who had a very small amounts of test subjects and those more anecdotal "evidences". I also didn't like how at times it felt way more like an infomercial and from what I've gathered the stuff you're supposed to take costs quite a bit.

Well, I don't wanna rag on this book for too long because the next one is actually more interesting. The next one I'm going to talk is "From the Earth to the Moon" by Jules Verne.

In regards to stories written by Jules Verne there are two that I've already experienced. I've watched "In 80 days around the World" on TV a long time ago. "A Journey to the Center of the Earth" I've read last year. The former I've forgotten most of, but as I have it in book form I will pick it up in not too long. The latter on the other hand is an excellent book that I definitively recommend reading! I've been meaning to continue reading more of Jules Verne's stories so after finishing Moby Dick I decided to start with "From the Earth to the Moon".

Guns, Cannons, death and destruction. The US has been waging its war for independance for quite some time now. But alas! at last victory is attained, the US freed at last. No more need for guns or cannons, no more reasons to develop new weapons of destruction.
With these depressing thoughts in mind the members of the Gun Club of Baltimore now had to come to terms with the fact that their club might soon disband. However, in these trying times a wonder was about to happen.

A letter was sent to the members of the club. It was written by Barbicane, the president of the Gun Club, himself. He was organizing an assembly for he had an announcment in regards to the future of the club.
Barbicane's plans are revealed: to push the frontier of human society even further a cannon will be build. A cannon of obscene size that is meant to shoot a projectile to the moon. This is welcomed with great excitement and the plan to build it is set into motion, immediately.

But this will not be all, not by a long shot. Right after completion of the the massive columbiad a telegraph makes its way into Barbicane's hand.

"From the Earth to the Moon" is a rather short story. Its main focus revolves around the planning, logistics and building of the cannon and projectile as well as all the problems that come along with that. What materials to use? Where to set up the cannon? Where to get the financial support for all of this? Those and more questions are being tackled throughout the whole process.

All in all I enjoyed the story. I think in part this is also due to how the story ended. Without spoiling too much: the ending was kinda surprising but also kinda hilarious.
Though, while I did enjoy it, I don't think it gave me enough to make me want to reread it some later time.

Honestly, the way in which you've described the characters makes them seem quite interesting. I adore stories with a that have lively and interesting stories. Are any of the character's backstories heavily explored? If so, which character had the most intriguing past and who was your favourite character?

Sadly more precise describtions of characters backstories are rather thin. Queequeg is probably the character with the most of it. Other than that we get a little backstory for Ahab in the beginning and the end of the book, as well as a little for Starbuck at the end as well.
As for my favorite it's most likely Stubb due to his rather philosophical though processes. Though, I should probably also mention that he also has some rather "outdated" viewpoints. But that's what you kinda expect from media from back in the day.

 

[VisionofMilotic]

I mean to come back for a long visit soon. I got so many interesting questions about Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and am dying to answer them when I get the time. I also want to comment on some of the new books I have been reading. I am going to pop in for just a hot second though because I stumbled open a video called The World's Most Mysterious Book, and I thought it would be perfect to share with my beloved Book Club.

What do you guys think of the Vonyich manuscript? Oh how I love watching Ted-ed! It has brought some really thought-provoking content to my attention.

 

[Neb]

Name/Nickname: Neb/Benjamin
Favourite Book: Flowers for Algernon
Favourite Author: Neil Gaiman

I try to read from as many different genres as possible, but my favorites are memoirs and science fiction.

 

[VisionofMilotic]

One question I immediately have as I read through your analysis is are there any efforts to increase the population of "authentic" animals? Are there scientists working to breed these creatures in order to allow them to flourish once again in the wild? Or are scientists solely focusing on the development of artificial electric organisms? I'm rather intrigued.

That's a great question Lina! The answer is yes, breeding real animals is hugely important. Having a female animal is especially sought after for reproduction purposes. Unfortunately, even though there is effort to raise more animals, those animals as well as people still struggle to inhabit earth due to the condition it is in post-war, so the endangered "real animals" still do not always survive. The fledgling animal population is susceptible to all the diseases and risks that they currently experience in our world, but have mostly lost their habitats and live in an atmosphere that has radioactive dust in it left over from the last nuclear war. This is one of the pitches that salesman of synthetic animals make, that the animals they offer you will never die unlike the real ones, so it's a better investment they argue.

Also some once common species are not just endangered or vulnerable, but have sadly gone altogether extinct. So in many cases there is no way to authentically reproduce any more, only the synthetic copies are available now, having an owl would be like having a dinosaur in our world today.

To get your hands on an animal of a species thought extinct and lead recovery efforts to increase the population would mean international acclaim, medals in the sciences, peace prizes, making billions of dollars and more.

This story deeply interests me to the highest level. A post-war, post-apocalyptic society where machines can model as human beings and other living creatures sounds truly terrifying. It also highlights a fear that many people have in our increasingly technological-reliant society, is that one day computers and "androids" may outsmart us. I think perhaps there is a similar fear that is present in the society that you describe, which perhaps would explain why "androids" have no civil rights. This is perhaps a bizarre question, but is there a part of you that hypothesizes that are current society is heading towards an age of dominated by artificial intelligence?

This also a really interesting question. In Phillip K Dick's world androids are clever and usually highly-skilled, they may quote great philosophers and make literary allusions. They can be programmed to do just about anything. You want an a master concert pianist android, leading chef or skilled neurosurgeon to do the job? You got one! They can be exceeding strong, and many will remain calm and level-headed even in the face of death. So, indeed they can excell and would outperform humans in many fields.

On the other hand, androids are still relatively new creations. An android may physically look like a mature person in their thirties, but literally could have been born yesterday. Something I reminded myself of while reading the story is that the androids we encounter are all under 4 years old if you judge age by the date of their creation. As precocious as they are, there are still many things that androids don't have a reference for, which I attribute that to how short their time in the world has been. An android attempting to pass for human might begin to show signs of confusion and discomfort if you make mention of things that we did as a society in the years before the war for instance-- there were no androids at the time after all, and usually they learn about the past from books or movies. Though androids are intelligent, often at the same time there are gaps in their knowledge that the average person would not have. There's a naivety about androids despite their many talents, and humans can exploit this to ensnare them. So I think whether an android can take the place of a human would really depend on what it is that they're doing, because while they can outsmart us, there are also ways that we humans can outsmart them.

There are jobs were you arguably need a human touch too, often humans are better as veterinarians for instance, "real" mammals often just bonds more with humans than they would an Android. Our animals are sensitive enough to just know there's a difference.

I really love your questions! Well, I can't say whether we are headed towards an age dominated by artificial intelligence or not. I will say that some of the robots that have been developed do take my breath away with how human they look, especially the ones by Mesmer. You might want to take a peek at these if you haven't heard of them. I ask myself, "where do we draw the line between human beings and machines?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2BP6yndc6w

Our present understanding of the science robotics is relatively new and budding, and the androids we have obviously are extremely limited and awkward compared to the Nexus-6 models that Phillip K Dick envisioned, but I do sometimes wonder... While I see a lot of potential for good coming out of AI like self-driving cars, robot-performed surgeries and bomb removal, and am happy for these contributions to a better world right now, I ponder sometimes if this cab lead to a greater morality issue in the future as we continue to make breakthroughs and develop more and more lifelike androids. If we develop an android with the ability to think on par with humans, that can survive without depending on us and coexist alongside then should they have the right to autonomy in our society? Should they be paid wages for their occupation? There are interestingly hotels right now in Japan that are staffed right now by all robots like the Henn na in Nagaski, Japan, and don't have any people working there to cut costs.

Human beings have even married robots I have learned. Should we recognize these as civil unions?

What if an android's creator wants to reprogram or discontinue the Android, does the android have a say?

One of the most well-known androids is Sophie, she is an ambassador who holds United Nations titles, is recognized as a citizen in some countries and has acted in films and is a regular guest on many talk shows. She lives in Saudi Arabia and arguably has more rights than some human women in this particular country where there are many restrictions on mobility to travel and dress codes you have to observe. Sophia is a Hanson robot.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LguXfHKsa0c

Victor Frankenstein tried to do something good, and create life, and made a new race of being that he wasn't prepared for the ramifications of, and I think that's a cautionary tale we should remember going forward and take into account many different possibilities as robots evolve. I'm not saying androids should not exist, but I do wonder what that will ultimately mean for our world.

Anyways, the prospect of androids getting hunted down genuinely breaks my heart. I feel for these individuals, even if they are indeed soulless. What is your perspective on this?

I agree with you. I think it's a very ironic world they live in. There are human characters you encounter who are colder than the robots.

I think androids wanting to escape captivity and death is a natural instinct that any human or animal would experience, and that very impulse would seem to indicate to me that regardless of what the law says--they are alive. So I do sympathize with these individuals too. Even to kill to get free or to kill to keep someone from killing you would be considered bravery in most cultures in human civilization, and reading this as an American descendant of slaves I don't think an android deserves death just for not wanting to be someone's property. I think if androids were treated with a drop more dignity then it might not have to come to humans and androids killing each other.

That being said, I think PKD's world is one where I have to watch out for making generalizations about androids bad or good, or people for that matter. There are androids that don't seem dangerous, and like they could be a positive influence in society if given a chance. There's one female android I liked, and having the job to retire this android is what begins to disillusion Deckard as well. We meet a variety of quirky characters in the novel. There are androids that I would like to grant to clemency to, and give a chance to assimilate into society. But then there are others like Roy, leader of the recent uprising on Mars, who was built for combat purposes. He's portrayed as an anti-social, battle-hardened soldier and would quickly slit my throat if he thought I had seen to much and might expose him, and then go make dinner. Some of these individuals we will just not be able to negotiate with, and I think you'd have no choice but to take them down because they can be extremely dangerous. I would have to look at each android's case individually.

What I like about the writer is that he shows the situation in it's complexities, sometimes he gives you an android that is likeable, sometimes he gives you one that's sinister, some fall into a grey zone and you go back and forth about whether you like them or not. The book still gives me much to think about.

 

[Megan]

I'm currently a little bit of a slump and am taking a break from reading regular books. I still have a couple of them that I put on hold for the time being but will get back into at some point in the future. Those being:
- Musashi (Eiji Yoshikawa)
- Five weeks in a balloon (another Jules Verne story)

as well as potentially picking back up Terry Pratchet. I've read "The Color of Magic" about one or two years ago but never really delved deeper into the universe that comprises the Disc World.

--

I do have a question: are Manga up for discussion as well? Because I've been reading (and finishing) a couple series as of late and I could probably talk a little bit about some that I found interesting. The finished ones I may talk about being:
- Deadman Wonderland
- Rurouni Kenshin
- Claymore
- Hellstar Remina

 

[Ninetales]

Name/Nickname: Neb/Benjamin
Favourite Book: Flowers for Algernon
Favourite Author: Neil Gaiman

I try to read from as many different genres as possible, but my favorites are memoirs and science fiction.

Hi! Welcome to the book club, so lovely to have you! ^-^ It's so wonderful to see my humble club growing.

May I ask what memoir is your favourite that you've read thus far? Also, are there any other memoirs that you've been eyeing recently? I'm highly curious!

I'm currently a little bit of a slump and am taking a break from reading regular books. I still have a couple of them that I put on hold for the time being but will get back into at some point in the future. Those being:
- Musashi (Eiji Yoshikawa)
- Five weeks in a balloon (another Jules Verne story)

as well as potentially picking back up Terry Pratchet. I've read "The Color of Magic" about one or two years ago but never really delved deeper into the universe that comprises the Disc World.

--

That's completely understandable! I have been in a similar situation as well. I've been so preoccupied with school that I've admittedly neglected reading, despite having a million books to read. I hope to pick up a book this upcoming week. I started The Summer List by Amy Mason Doan a while ago and I hope to re-introduce myself to it again. It does seem quite intriguing and enjoyable.

I do have a question: are Manga up for discussion as well? Because I've been reading (and finishing) a couple series as of late and I could probably talk a little bit about some that I found interesting. The finished ones I may talk about being:
- Deadman Wonderland
- Rurouni Kenshin
- Claymore
- Hellstar Remina

Yes! Absolutely! I was actually going to start a discussion about Manga. I've been reading manga more frequently as of late. It's convenient and it doesn't require the same commitment that a traditional novel does. Lately I've been reading Waiting for Spring and Grand Blue Dreaming, which are both vastly different. Waiting for Spring makes for a lovely read because it's easily digestible and has an array of likeable characters. It's a high-school romance, love triangle sort of thing, which as cliché and cheesy as it may seem, I love it! Grand Blue Dreaming is anything but romantic. It's Seinen and therefore is not meant for consumption by my demographic. Regardless, I thought it looked interesting. It's by no means my favourite but I am enjoying it thus far. Besides, it's splendid to diversify your reading.

Do you read manga? If so, what is your favourite manga (question intended for all book club members.)

 

[VisionofMilotic]

I really love anime and manga with historical themes like Rose of Versailles and adaptations of literary classics like Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo and Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette.
The manga I'm following right now Requiem of the Rose King is both. It's about a real period in English History the War of the Roses, and it's also a twist on Shakespeare's play Richard III.

I love the art style, it's just ravishing and very sleek and graceful, and also full of expression.



I like the characters mostly. For one I enjoyed the way Richard's father (also named Richard) the Duke of York was portrayed as a man of grace and honor with a very strong bond with Richard. While York gets depicted sometimes as ambitious and grasping in historical fiction novels, the impression I have of the historical Duke of York (also named Richard) is that he had innate leadership qualities that King Henry VI did not, and was very devoted to his family and house. His king had literally gone stark raving mad and was clearly unfit to rule, and York did have a legitimate blood claim to the throne, and had a reasonable case to make. So I don't think he was just a usurper, and suppose this is a fair way to show the father of the Kings Edward and Richard, if a little romantic. Shakespeare is not unkind to York either in the Henry VI plays.



The way Elizabeth Woodville is portrayed also stands out to me. She is shown as deeply in love with her first husband, and her heartbreak over his loss is her driving motive. The real Elizabeth Woodville was someone who ended up switching sides multiple times during her life. Her 1st husband John Grey was a knight who fought for the House of Lancaster (the red rose side) but was killed in battle, leaving her widowed with small children. When she petitions the king for help settling a land dispute, he falls in love with the famously beautiful Elizabeth and proposes to her to the shock of the country, and so she becomes part of the house of York, (the white rose) opposite of the house her family fought for. I mostly saw the historical Woodville as some just trying to survive the turning wheel of fortune, but Aya Kanno's Woodville is deeper than that. It's not often that Elizabeth's vulnerable side is portrayed in fiction, and it's an interesting conception of Elizabeth and Edward the story of the king who married a commoner for love as not a love story at all like we've been told, but instead she is a tragic and haunted character.



There's touches of the occult in this manga that I like, curses, demons to be exercised, ghosts. The spirit of Joan of Arc haunts the forest near where Richard's castle is. The English did after all kill her. She appears sometimes as a trickster of a guide to Richard.


While basically I like the characters, I think Kanno could present a more sophisticated portrayal for Richard, especially when there are so many other cool supporting characters. Shakespeare's Richard III is a machiavel full of intrigue and dark humor, bumping people off to clear a path to the throne. In the manga though he is demonic evil, psychotically massacring thousands indiscriminately. He is like the blood countess or Ivan the Terrible. Richard is drawn amazing, and I like a lot of the exciting situations he is placed in, I just think the artist can pull it back, and still have a villain without making him this extreme.



Historically the worst Richard III is suspected of doing is ordering his nephews (the princes in towers) killed to consolidate his reign as king, that is the worst charge levied against him, and even that has been challenged by some historians. What is agreed about Richard by historians is that he was someone who had distinguished himself in military campaigns, he did so in spite of having scoliosis and was brave on the field. he was very religious, he was popular where he lived in the North of England with the people and unlike his older brother the Duke of Clarence and his cousin the Earl of Warwick who both did rebel against King Edward during his lifetime, Richard stayed loyal to his brother throughout his reign. , There weren't the early signs of cruelty you might expect, and I think he probably just lost his way. Now of course this is fiction, I don't expect historical accuracy from a manga, and can enjoy material that takes artistic license. I just think it would be a more compelling story to tell the tale of a man who gets corrupted because of the pressures and temptation of the crown, rather than write a character who is just a sociopath from childhood. I think she has a lot of potential yet to be explored to make the story more dramatic and multifaceted.

For what it is though it's a really fun and creative twist of time in English history that I like, the last Plantagenet king, it has a lot of style, and glad I bought the volumes that I did, would be interested in reading some more and seeing where it goes.

 

[Ninetales]

I really love anime and manga with historical themes like Rose of Versailles and adaptations of literary classics like Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo and Les Misérables: Shōjo Cosette.
The manga I'm following right now Requiem of the Rose King is both. It's about a real period in English History the War of the Roses, and it's also a twist on Shakespeare's play Richard III.

I love the art style, it's just ravishing and very sleek and graceful, and also full of expression.

The art style is quite appealing to the eyes, I will say. I also adore manga with historical elements. As we've addressed countless times, I have an obsession with historical fiction, so it's only natural for me to be drawn towards historical manga as well. The characters as you describe them seem so dark and the story seems very interesting. I do like how Elizabeth married into the white rose faction despite her previous ties to opposing forces. I could imagine the emotional confliction with making such a transition. I think I may have to read Requiem of the Rose King if I ever do come across it.

I have a few suggestions for you. I would recommend Oumuksu Kyoshi Heine or The Royal Tutor.

It is set in what in a post-industrial revolution society (most likely the mid-late 19th century). The city that the story takes place in, Wien, is supposedly modelled after the real life city of Vienna, Austria. It involves the story of 4 princes - Kai, Bruno, Leonhard, Licht, who are second-fifth in line for their throne, after their eldest brother, Eins. The king, Viktor von Granzreich, wants to prepare his younger sons in the case that Eins is unable to succeed him as king. Therefore, he hires Heine Wittgenstein to be their tutor and to shape them into perfect successors to the throne. Of course, the 4 boys, each with strikingly different personalities, have no intent of learning from an educator and have a history of running off previous tutors with their disobedience.

It's a fantastic read! It's full of lively characters and each volume expands on the story of a different prince. I think you'd really enjoy it. Toward the end, Heine Wittgenstein's backstory is unveiled and it comes as quite a shock.

Another option is Tsukumogami Kashimasu, which takes place in Edo, in what appears to be the 18th or 19th century.

Oko and Seiji own and run the Izumo-ya lending shop in the Fukagawa district of the city. Several of the items they lend are old and have become tsukumogami, which are objects that over time have acquired a spirit or kami and are usually items that are loved and treasured by humans over a long period of time. Seiji with the help of the tsukumogami, has a reputation for being able to solve mysteries and other difficult problems and would often lend the tsukumogami to people who he suspected to have information regarding a mystery. The tsukumogami are portrayed as loving gossip and are wise and intelligent, as well as compassionate and desire to help out others. Oko and Seiji often listen to the tsukumogami in order to gain information and solve mysteries.

While I haven't actually read the manga (I've watched the anime adaption instead), I must say, I think you'd really enjoy the storyline. It's easily digestible and is somewhat of a historical slice-of-life. The characters are fascinating and it has expanded my knowledge on various aspects of Japanese culture and the innerworkings of Japanese society in the past. I would definitely recommend!

 

[Megan]

I've recently been in somewhat of a manga reading spree and finished reading a couple series of varying lengths. Some of which I found pretty good; others I found a little disappointing.

Some I finished:

1. Deadman Wonderland
I've know of this series for a couple years. Back then the anime adaptaion comprising of only ten episodes and therefore only covering the first few arcs made its way on TV. It was one of those showes specifically designed to serve as advertisements for their respective manga. However, I mostly forgot about it shortly after the series finished and only remembered when I stumbled upon a random Youtube review. At that point I decided to take a closer look at the series.

Ten years after a massive earthquake in Japan that destroyed a big part of Tokyo things seemingly went back to normal. We get introduced to the main character Ganta Igarashi who is soon found to be plunged into great despair as not only gets his entire class killed by an unknown man in red right in front of his eyes, but also he ends up being blamed for the murders, sentenced to death and then thrown into the privately run prison called Deadman Wonderland. He is forced to wear a collar which is constantly infusing a deadly poison and the only way to survive is to participate in games and earn money to buy an antidote that allows him to survive for a couple more days.
Shortly after his arrival a strange power awakens in him that allows him to utilize his blood as a weapon, something that brands him as a so called deadman. At the same time he meets a girl that not only seems to be able to walk the prison freely but also claims to know Ganta. Yet, he doesn't remember her at all.

The main focus here is for Ganta to uncover what happened ten years ago all the while fighting to survive the constant onslaught of deadly challenges he is forced to face by this prison that seemingly seems to be connect to the past as well.

Honestly? I think it was alright. It's definitely not the greatest, but definitely above average. I can't really put my finger on what exactly felt a little off; if I had to guess it was probably just me and my expectations being a little bit too high? I suppose I was expecting something a little bit more philosophical. But its still good.

2. Rurouni Kenshin
Have I mentioned yet that Youtube was one of my main resources to make me look up manga series? This one was no different.

The era of samurai has come to an end. Ten years have passed, governments have established and the possesion of swords is prohibited. Kenshin who was a major figure during the war that brought the change is now living his life as a vagabond. With him he carryies his sakabato, a reverse bladed sword that is only meant to be used in self defense and to protect others. Kenshin wants nothing but to atone for the atrocities he commited. But the scars go far deeper.
Things are about to change hwoever when after years of restless traveling he finds himself moving into a rundown dojo that teaches the way of the sword that protects life.

All in all I like the series. All things considered it's pretty short only boasting two big arcs and some minor ones. It still amounts to over 250 chapters which means that everything that really matters is explained with throughoutly enough. It has a bunch of serious moments but also likes to balance them with some more lighthearted ones as well.

Some I'm still in the process of reading:

1. Sun-ken Rock
This one was made by boichi who is also responsible for the art of Dr. Stone. And it really shows!
Since I also happen to read Dr. Stone and I randomly watched a Video that talked about the art style used I got interested into the series and figured I may as well pick it up.

Kitano Ken confesses his love to a girl but is soon rejected as she tells him that she is in fact Korean and intent to return to her home country as well as become a policewoman there. Not being willing to accept instead he decides to drop out of school and move to Korea as well. There he spends his first year as a recluse before being thrown into a situation where he is forced to fight a couple gang members. Soon after Ken is being approached by another gang who proposes to make him their leader. Is is the beginning of a conquest to take over and reform the country, all the while Ken finds himself constantly having to balance between learning what it means to be a leader as well as making sure to keep his occupation a secret to his girlfriend.

The series is a seinen series and therefore very adult, _very_ adult. Violence, corruption, racism, sex, etc. you name it, you get it. All depicked in a really beautifully detailed art style. But it isn't only dark and gloom, there are plenty of light hearted moments. Ken himself, while having his own convictions and determination to push them through, he also is kind of a dork who does some really hilariously stupid things at times.

2. The Promised Neverland
I wanted to pick up a more modern series that was considered to good. This one seemed promising.

The series starts by introducing us to a bunch of children living at an orphanage. Their life is a happy one. Lots of food, lots of playtime, learning and a loving mother.
Out of all the children there are three that standout for their high intelligence: Emma, Norman and Ray. When one of their siblings got adopted Emma and Norman stumbled across a dark secret that made them realize the true purpose of the orphanage and that they need to get out of there as fast as possible.
However such a feat is not done easily as they find out pretty quickly.

The first arc is in my opinion by far the strongest. Even the following arcs are still pretty good. However as times progressed the pacing just went wrong. With all the buildup done throughout the story the last few arcs should have been the most satisfying. However, things are just being resolved so quickly it makes it feeling as though the writer is trying to end the series as fast as possible. Something similar happened with the characters themselves: did the series start off introducing three main characters, at the end only one really takes the focus and everyone else has been relegated to being nothing but a support character. Granted, the series is still going. So maybe some other characters may still be able to shine. I'm not going to drop it, but I'll not hold too high of an expectation.

--

I may also talk about a couple other series like Dr. Stone which I'm also currently reading on a later day.

Yes! Absolutely! I was actually going to start a discussion about Manga. I've been reading manga more frequently as of late. It's convenient and it doesn't require the same commitment that a traditional novel does. Lately I've been reading Waiting for Spring and Grand Blue Dreaming, which are both vastly different. Waiting for Spring makes for a lovely read because it's easily digestible and has an array of likeable characters. It's a high-school romance, love triangle sort of thing, which as cliché and cheesy as it may seem, I love it! Grand Blue Dreaming is anything but romantic. It's Seinen and therefore is not meant for consumption by my demographic. Regardless, I thought it looked interesting. It's by no means my favourite but I am enjoying it thus far. Besides, it's splendid to diversify your reading.

Seinen are an acquired taste. They are a lot more detailed about mature topics sometimes to a degree that you wouldn't want to show a younger audience. But its not only that: there's usually a lot more effort put into them in terms of artwork. A chapter of such a manga would take about a month as opposed to let's say a generic shonen that has to adhere to a weekly schedule.

Do you read manga? If so, what is your favourite manga (question intended for all book club members.)

I'm not sure if I have a favorite because there's a lot of them I really like. There may just be too many to choose from. One Piece is still pretty good due to its massive worldbuilding, Berserk is very impressive especially on the artistic side, Dr. Stone is pretty interesting because it tries to do something different with the shonen formula, etc.

 

[Ninetales]

I've recently been in somewhat of a manga reading spree and finished reading a couple series of varying lengths. Some of which I found pretty good; others I found a little disappointing.

Some I finished:

1. Deadman Wonderland
I've know of this series for a couple years. Back then the anime adaptaion comprising of only ten episodes and therefore only covering the first few arcs made its way on TV. It was one of those showes specifically designed to serve as advertisements for their respective manga. However, I mostly forgot about it shortly after the series finished and only remembered when I stumbled upon a random Youtube review. At that point I decided to take a closer look at the series.

Ten years after a massive earthquake in Japan that destroyed a big part of Tokyo things seemingly went back to normal. We get introduced to the main character Ganta Igarashi who is soon found to be plunged into great despair as not only gets his entire class killed by an unknown man in red right in front of his eyes, but also he ends up being blamed for the murders, sentenced to death and then thrown into the privately run prison called Deadman Wonderland. He is forced to wear a collar which is constantly infusing a deadly poison and the only way to survive is to participate in games and earn money to buy an antidote that allows him to survive for a couple more days.
Shortly after his arrival a strange power awakens in him that allows him to utilize his blood as a weapon, something that brands him as a so called deadman. At the same time he meets a girl that not only seems to be able to walk the prison freely but also claims to know Ganta. Yet, he doesn't remember her at all.

The main focus here is for Ganta to uncover what happened ten years ago all the while fighting to survive the constant onslaught of deadly challenges he is forced to face by this prison that seemingly seems to be connect to the past as well.

Honestly? I think it was alright. It's definitely not the greatest, but definitely above average. I can't really put my finger on what exactly felt a little off; if I had to guess it was probably just me and my expectations being a little bit too high? I suppose I was expecting something a little bit more philosophical. But its still good.

Oh my goodness, now THIS is interesting! Framed for murder, I couldn't imagine. That's one of my biggest fears - to be found guilty of a brutal crime I didn't commit and sentenced to death. Furthermore, the idea of prisoners competing in games in order to survive is immensely cruel and heinous! The fact that the prison itself may have connection to the crime is interesting as well. Overall, it seems multi-layered and fully dimensional. The plot seems well-thought out and heavily complex as you describe it! I have a feeling that I'd prefer the anime adaption of this but nevertheless, it sounds quite peculiar!

2. Rurouni Kenshin
Have I mentioned yet that Youtube was one of my main resources to make me look up manga series? This one was no different.

The era of samurai has come to an end. Ten years have passed, governments have established and the possesion of swords is prohibited. Kenshin who was a major figure during the war that brought the change is now living his life as a vagabond. With him he carryies his sakabato, a reverse bladed sword that is only meant to be used in self defense and to protect others. Kenshin wants nothing but to atone for the atrocities he commited. But the scars go far deeper.
Things are about to change hwoever when after years of restless traveling he finds himself moving into a rundown dojo that teaches the way of the sword that protects life.

All in all I like the series. All things considered it's pretty short only boasting two big arcs and some minor ones. It still amounts to over 250 chapters which means that everything that really matters is explained with throughoutly enough. It has a bunch of serious moments but also likes to balance them with some more lighthearted ones as well.

This sounds riveting indeed! I love the concept of a samurai returning to the way of the sword and re-adopting an appreciation for it, whilst passing down his skills to the next generation. I think many fall in and out of love with their hobbies or passions - only to rediscover them and view them in a different light years later. It's quite inspiring. Also, I can't imagine all that Kenshin has seen and experienced as a hardened warrior. I'm sure his past is riddled with hardship and I'd be very intrigued to learn of it. Sounds excellent to me! I might have to give it a read, it somewhat remains me of InuYasha!

Some I'm still in the process of reading:

1. Sun-ken Rock
This one was made by boichi who is also responsible for the art of Dr. Stone. And it really shows!
Since I also happen to read Dr. Stone and I randomly watched a Video that talked about the art style used I got interested into the series and figured I may as well pick it up.

Kitano Ken confesses his love to a girl but is soon rejected as she tells him that she is in fact Korean and intent to return to her home country as well as become a policewoman there. Not being willing to accept instead he decides to drop out of school and move to Korea as well. There he spends his first year as a recluse before being thrown into a situation where he is forced to fight a couple gang members. Soon after Ken is being approached by another gang who proposes to make him their leader. Is is the beginning of a conquest to take over and reform the country, all the while Ken finds himself constantly having to balance between learning what it means to be a leader as well as making sure to keep his occupation a secret to his girlfriend.

The series is a seinen series and therefore very adult, _very_ adult. Violence, corruption, racism, sex, etc. you name it, you get it. All depicked in a really beautifully detailed art style. But it isn't only dark and gloom, there are plenty of light hearted moments. Ken himself, while having his own convictions and determination to push them through, he also is kind of a dork who does some really hilariously stupid things at times.

This does seem incredibly mature due to the subject matter that it touches on. Not too often do you find anime with such depth, nor do you find anime that mirrors the real world in a way that puts emphasis on the corruption that persists within the social fabric of our world. If you have finished this, please do share your thoughts! I'm genuinely curious. I generally enjoy lighthearted slice of life, drama, and the occasional Shonen. This story seems quite contrasting to those, and yet, I am highly intrigued.

2. The Promised Neverland
I wanted to pick up a more modern series that was considered to good. This one seemed promising.

The series starts by introducing us to a bunch of children living at an orphanage. Their life is a happy one. Lots of food, lots of playtime, learning and a loving mother.
Out of all the children there are three that standout for their high intelligence: Emma, Norman and Ray. When one of their siblings got adopted Emma and Norman stumbled across a dark secret that made them realize the true purpose of the orphanage and that they need to get out of there as fast as possible.
However such a feat is not done easily as they find out pretty quickly.

The first arc is in my opinion by far the strongest. Even the following arcs are still pretty good. However as times progressed the pacing just went wrong. With all the buildup done throughout the story the last few arcs should have been the most satisfying. However, things are just being resolved so quickly it makes it feeling as though the writer is trying to end the series as fast as possible. Something similar happened with the characters themselves: did the series start off introducing three main characters, at the end only one really takes the focus and everyone else has been relegated to being nothing but a support character. Granted, the series is still going. So maybe some other characters may still be able to shine. I'm not going to drop it, but I'll not hold too high of an expectation.

A rushed series? I don't think that's uncommon for anime/manga, I've read/watched countless series that feel too brief and too condensed. The concept of an orphanage with a hidden secret is compelling, already I am drawn in. However, if the pacing is as bad as you've described, that throws me off entirely. Pacing is very important and I have dropped books if the pacing feels jumbled or too rushed. Have you completed this series? Was there any improvement in regards to the pacing?

I may also talk about a couple other series like Dr. Stone which I'm also currently reading on a later day.

Seinen are an acquired taste. They are a lot more detailed about mature topics sometimes to a degree that you wouldn't want to show a younger audience. But its not only that: there's usually a lot more effort put into them in terms of artwork. A chapter of such a manga would take about a month as opposed to let's say a generic shonen that has to adhere to a weekly schedule.

I'm not sure if I have a favorite because there's a lot of them I really like. There may just be too many to choose from. One Piece is still pretty good due to its massive worldbuilding, Berserk is very impressive especially on the artistic side, Dr. Stone is pretty interesting because it tries to do something different with the shonen formula, etc.

I finished the first volume of Grand Blue Dreaming! It's apparently one of the top 10 best rated manga on MyAnimeList (surprisingly!) I must admit that while it is by no means my favourite, it was pretty decent all things considered. As it progressed I did begin to understand the characters a bit more and it was an enjoyable read. I doubt that I'll purchase more volumes, I think this one is enough for me, but it turned out to be better than I had expected!

 

[Ninetales]

In wake of recent events, I thought it'd be a marvelous time to highlight the works of Black creators and Black authors and their contributions to literature.

Maya Angelou is one that comes to mind. Not only is she a successful author but she's also a famed poet and activist, who dedicated her life to combating racism and sexism. She is known to have advocated for the rights of African Americans alongside Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights movement. A prolific poet, her words often depict Black beauty, the resilience of the human spirit, female empowerment whilst demanding social justice and pushing for social change. She is know for her critically acclaimed autobiographies that detail events from her early life. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) is one of her most famed autobiographies and was the first. She sought to alter the very structure of autobiographies. Her first collection of poems Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1972. This was the same year she become the first Black woman in history to have a screenplay produced.

She passed away in 2014 after a long, immensely influential and prosperous career. I personally recall watching a series in which Oprah interviewed her when I was younger and she discussed her life and her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. I was immediately drawn to her, she had such wisdom and class, and had such a way with words that truly touched the heart and soul. To me, she is one of the most wonderful and talented writers that has graced the earth and I admire her dedication to changing the social fabric our world for the better. She is an inspiration to all.

Michelle Obama is another one of my favourite authors. Her famed memoir Becoming, is a wonderful, incredibly powerful read that details her time as First Lady of the United States, motherhood, and how she found her voice among other things. It's something that I'm currently reading and I can only sing its praises. Michelle Obama is a graduate from Princeton and Harvard Law School who is known for her dedication to healthcare reform, education, poverty awareness, and her efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of school aged children through nutrition, physical activity and opportunity. A gracious and thoughtful woman, Michelle in my opinion, is one of the greatest female role models of our generation. Despite not being American, I respect her hard work and her devotion to change and Becoming is a literary masterpiece in its own right. With almost 10 million copies sold worldwide, it is regarded as one of the most successful and best-selling memoirs in history.

Who is your favourite Black author and why? Have you read a novel that has themes relating to racial discrimination or racial inequality? How did you feel about how these issues were portrayed?

 

[VisionofMilotic]

Who is your favourite Black author and why?

Probably Zora Neale Hurston. I read Their Eyes Were Watching God, and really enjoyed that. I find her voice as an author very lyrical, natural and airy. It's the story of a free-spirited biracial young lady named Janey living during the turn of the century and orphaned at a young age. She is a great beauty that many want to possess, but the men in her life often prove to be people she can not count on, and fortune wheel never fully stops turning.

Hurston is an Alabama-native, and Southerners often bring these rich dreamy romantic prose that make even everyday settings hypnotic I find like William Styron or Tennese Williams.

My favorite black poet might be Robert Hayden. His imagery is poignant, you can see a person and their character and the pain of their line in a few lines. He's a very sophisticated writer, and you might find interesting allusions from Greek mythology to impressionist masterpieces to biblical references to contemporary political events all wrapped into verse for a juxtaposition that can be breathtaking.

Have you read a novel that has themes relating to racial discrimination or racial inequality? How did you feel about how these issues were portrayed?

Yes, Beloved by Toni Morrison comes to mind. It's the story of a woman who escapes from slavery and the psychological and literal physical way that it scarred her. It's a very graphic portrayal, there are beatings, rapes, lynchings. It's honestly a tough read to get through, very unsentimental. The heroine makes a terrible choice in the story when met with the prospect of being dragged back into slavery and having her family also taken back into this institution. I don't always like Sethe or agree with her decisions, but I think it's a realistic portrayal.

The story is deeply personal, and I like that the ghosts of her past are not just physical, but literal supernatural ones that haunt her as well.

One of the things I think is interesting about the novel is that it's not as simple as black and white. I don't think Morrison idealizes anyone, and even inspite of the horrendous racism and oppression there are some characters like the escaped indentured servant Amy that give you a glimpse into the way poor white people also suffered within structure of the Society.

 

[Megan]

I have a couple more books I'd like to list:

1. "Musashi" by Eiji Yoshikawa
This is a novel about Japan's legendary swordsman Musashi Miyamoto. It depicts his way from a young mindless brute to a mature well versed and spiritual samurai.

As it is Japanese literature you can expect there to be a hugh focus on honor. At the time a lot of ronin where roaming the land turning bandits and threatening the common folk. You have schools that have lost their way and are now deteriorating.

It's very much reflected in the actions of the main characters: Musashi who starts out as a good-for-nothing maturing over the course of his journey; Matahachi, his best friend, who starts out as the son of a noble family but becomes a good for nothing; Sasaki Kojiro who is a strong as Musashi and a lot more talented but lacks spirituality; Otsu who has engaged to Matahachi but after his loosing the engagement falls in love with Musashi and stays true to her feelings; Akemi who is very much the opposite of Otsu; Osugi who is Matahachi's mother and who swore revenge on Musashi; as well as Jotaro, Musashi's first disciple, who is very much undisciplined and Iori, Musashi's second disciple, who his very much the opposite.

The first half of the story plays out in the region around Kyoto, the old capital. Musahsi is pitched against the Yoshioka school who after having lost against him on multiple occasions became quite desperate to try anything in their power to restore their lost honor.

The second part majorly plays in the region of Edo, the new capital, where slowly all the different paths unwind and the stage gets set for Musashi's final confrontation against his biggest rival.

I started this book because I saw others talking about Japanese literature. I got curious and I also remembered an old school mate reading this book back in the day. So I decided to read it. I have to say: I really liked it! It was definitely an experience and it's pretty neat being able to catch a couple more references in more modern Japanese media.

2. "20000 Leagues Under the Sea" by Jules Verne
A strange whale like thing has appeared on sea and on multiple occasions has been the cause of accident. It has gotten to a point when the war ship "Abraham Lincoln" sets out to hunt this being down. Invited on board is also the professor Pierre Aronnax, known for his book he wrote on creatures that roam the oceans. With him his has his trusty assistant Conseil who is good at categorizing but lacks practical experience. On board also is the Canadian harpooner Ned Land who is well versed at his job.

When the ship finally found this creature it turned out to be a massive underwater vessel. What's more: they can't do anything against it. During the chase the three get swept overboard and when they awake they find themselves on top of the submarine. The hatch opens and they are led inside where they meet Captain Nemo. He allows them to roam the submarine as they please. However the one condition is that they need to obey when Nemo demands it.

And as such a journey of 20000 Leagues (1 League=~4 Kilometers) begins.

Throughout the journey they visit a lot of different places all across the globe, although all of them within the boundaries of the sea. They also categorize a lot of creates of the sea. A _lot_.

However what are the origins of Captain Nemo? Who was he, why did he decide to cut ties with the rest of the world?

This is definitely one of my favorite Jules Verne stories so far. I found it very interesting how someone can just write a book (technically two) that does nothing but talk about things that happen during an ocean journey. Especially given that back then a lot of it was still unexplored (example: the Antarctic).

3. "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway
This is a story about an old fisherman catching a fish.

For weeks he had bad luck. The fish just wouldn't come and he would return empty handed. But the boy would still come and support him. He would help the old man and bring him food and he would ask him to take him on board to catch fish the next time.
Another day approached and the old man went to the sea again to catch fish. And then he would try to catch a fish.

I don't know if I'm doing this properly. Hemingway is kinda weird. Tbh. I'm not sure if I like his very simplistic style or not. But it was definitely an interesting read!

Who is your favourite Black author and why? Have you read a novel that has themes relating to racial discrimination or racial inequality? How did you feel about how these issues were portrayed

Do I need to feel bad for not having read a book by a black author? I'm still somewhat stuff in books from back in the day and haven't really gotten around to more modern books. I think the closest I got was while listening to radio. We have a radio station that has these reading sessions where they read a lot more modern books that usually have racism as one of their main themes, books usually written by people affected by it, though.
I have to say: I have hugh difficulties really relating our understanding what's going on. I suppose not being part of the afflicted group and in general lacking this "empathy" thing makes it not easier.

Older novels kinda have the tendency to portrait racism as not as bad (read: normal). I don't know if that counts, though. But it's something to be aware of if you ever find yourself wanting to read an older story. Especially when the name of the author contains "Lovecraft".

 

[Megan]

The Epic of Gilgamesh
This here is the oldest story that humankind knows about. There are two different versions known: one from ancient babylonian scriptures and one from old ninivitian tablets written, created at about 2700 B.C.
The translation I've read (Reclam) was made from what we so far managed to reconstruct from the latter. In total the story is comprised of 11 tablets, though an additional 12th one was created years afterwards. I don't know much about that one, though, as the translation was purely about the other 11 that come before it and which entail the entirety of the epic.

As is to be expected from old stone tablets, however, is that due to environmental factors parts of the story are still missing. It's estimated that about 2/3 of the story are yet to be reconstructed. Fortunately, the story is not too complicated which means that even without the last 1/3 it is perfectly understandable. The translation I used made note of any missing line as well as fractures of text that where lost.
Another point that makes this a little bit easier is the amount of repetition. There where multiple times when the same lines where repeated, often the exact same and sometimes ones similar enough.

Lastly, before I start summarizing the story there also needs to be mentions in regards to names. Different versions tend to use different names and some translations can be a little bit confusing, as well. For instance: Gilgamesch is also sometimes known as "Bilgamesh" or Chumbaba I've also seen being called "Chuwawa" or "Humbaba". Usually, if they sound similar, they probably are the same person.

Btw.: spoilers for a ~5000 years old story :P

The story: Gilgamesh is a mesopotamian king who rules the city of Uruk (somewhere in modern Iraq). He's known for being very capable and strong and supposedly was responsible for building the walls around the town. It's also said that he is 1/3 human and 2/3 god.

But Actually, the story doens't start off with Gilgamesh. Instead it depicts the origins of Enkidu. Enkidu, being a man made out of clay by the gods who spends his entire time among the wild animals, gets civilized by the most effective way possible (aka sex work). He then learns about Gilgamesh's strength and decides to challenge him to a fight. Gilgamesh easily overpowers him and they become close friends.

Afterwards there are depictions of the different exploits the two go on. The quest to the Cedar forest to fell some of those valuable trees as well as slaying its guardian Chumbaba (who curses the both of them to death) and the slaying of a godly beast sent by a very envious goddess (Gilgamesh wouldn't fall for her).
Things take a turn for the worse when Enkidu dies. Gilgamesh spends a couple days in grief right at the bodies side. After the hopes of his best friend returning from the dead don't find fullfillment he gets terrified by his own mortality. He sets out to find the answer to life and death and even goes beyond the reaches of the world. There he finds the ancient hero who survived the flood (which was most likely the inspiration for the tale found in the bible) who only tells him that while humans where granted life, their death is still in the hands of the gods and if Gilgamesh can't even stay awake for a week he will never overcome death.

Lastly this hero tells Gilgamesh to retrieve a flower which is supposed to give him back his youth and then to head back to his home town. On the way however, said flower got devoured by a snake leaving Gilgamesh empty handed. It's not said what happened after he went back home, however supposedly Gilgamesh ended up earning a place among the gods.

To finish: I find this very interesting and I'm sad that we still aren't able to fully reconstruct the whole story. I wanna say I would recommend it. Obviously, if you pick it up you also want to read up on the context as society was very different back then; though, I suppose it goes without saying. :D

It's also relatively short.

 

[Megan]

I have here two books I want to talk about. However, there's also quite a bit of weight to what I'm about to do. If you're not interested into someone's self reflections then this here post is better off being skipped. The reason for this is that this is not just me talking about two philosophical books, but it is me closing a chapter of my life. So important, for myself, that I do feel the need to center a huge portion of this around the context of this my chapter.

The thing is that I've always been interested into the deeper questions of life. Even during childhood I spend a huge amount of my lonely time to reflect on all kinds of aspects in life. What is the meaning of life? How big is the entire universe? Where are me going? etc.
Yet, for the longest time I've never read a philosophical book.

A couple years ago I found myself in a bad spot. After a chain of terrible events I find myself isolating from the rest of the world. Cutting ties to everyone I knew, stopped going to university, closing myself into my small little room and spend all day just watching videos. It was very miserable.

I was watching a documentary, something about modern workers. One of the interviewed employers was talking that nowadays nobody reads the likes of Nietzsche, anymore. The reasons for that statement were not important. But it let me realize that I had the time to look into one of those philosophical books.

It would still take some time, however, until I picked the first one up.

There were two weeks I had to spend without internet and I prepared by getting a copy of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" ("Thus Spoke Zarathustra") by Nietzsche. I spend the first week doing nothing but reading it. For those who don't know: philosophy books are difficult to read. Some of them are really difficult and Nietzsche is definitely among them. However, this book in particular is not one you want to start with. As you might expect: I didn't understand a single word of it. But I read it anyway.

A couple years later I went to trade school and moved into my own apartment. At that point I started collecting and reading more philosophical books. They were a very wide array including:
- The Art of War (Sun Tsu)
- more books by Nietzsche
- Politeia (Plato)
- Meditations (Rene Descardes but also Marc Aurel)
- The Prince (Machiavelli)
- Nichomachean Ethics (Aristotle)
- as well as different psychological books (mainly Freud)
- I even read parts of the bible

Aristotle actually had some huge influence as he made me look into politics. When I started I picked the for me most logical place for political input: Youtube
You know, the definitely not most toxic place you can think of. That was long before they cracked down on right wing propagandists/grifters. You can probably imagine what channels I got presented.

One of those channels I remember in particular. I was watching this guys channel who was constantly shouting around how important "philosophy" is. I actually likes his stuff for the most part. However, then I stumbled upon a video that guy made about Nietzsche. He labeled him a psychopath and even dragged down Plato just for good measure. At the time I was still fairly shaky about those two. But at least I had already developed somewhat of a feel of what they were about.
So this is when I realized that that guy was full of shit. If that is what he had to say about those important philosophers who could say how much garbage the rest of his "content" was? Needless to say I stopped watching his videos and never looked back.
This was a good thing because it turns out the guy was pretty much a cult leader with some very abusive ways to deal with people who first engaged with his stuff and later decided to stop. In that sense I dodged a very massive bullet. ^^
SO massive in fact that during the social media purge last year he was one of the major players who got banished to the shadow realm.

Years later I still had two books to read though. This is when I realized that I was pretty much done with philosophical book. "Done" in the sense that I stopped having a desire to read them. This is why it took me years to get around to reading them. Well, sort of. I'll explain when I get to the individual books.

The two books I still needed to read about were:
- Organon (Aristotle)
- Phenomenology of the Spirit (Hegel)

You might have already guessed it. Going back to what this thread is actually about, I'm going to talk about those two remaining books.

So without further ado:

Organon (Aristotle)
I'm going to be straight on this one: I've not read it completely and I'll never do it. I've read parts of it and I've skipped others. I will tell you why I decided to do it this way.

First things first: this isn't a book written by Aristotle. It's a collection of notes made by one of his disciples. And it is a good thing they decided to do exactly that.

For those who don't know: Aristotle is the inventor of the scientific method. He created different methods to categorize and analyze his surroundings. He laid the ground work for how scientific proof is conducted. The way how it is, however, is very convoluted which made going his explanations very difficult, to a point where I realized that it's not worth it.

The way we conduct science nowadays is a lot more approachable because it's something we've been doing all our life. Thus I thought to myself that trying to understand an outdated version of the same thing we intuitively do every day is simply not necessary. SO I ended up dropping it. Sorry, if someone finds this disappointing, but I'm not going to change my mind.

Phenomenology of the Spirit (G. W. F. Hegel)
Looking back, maybe I should've dropped this one as well. But I didn't. Well, at least I can tell you that I've read all the words that the book had. They were words, alright. But let's start at the beginning:

A couple years ago I was playing Persona 5. One of the characters was dropping Hegel's name which is how I became aware of him. Later on in school someone dropped his name and complained about how hard he is to understand. Because I'm such a huge masochist and I really love smashing my head against a wall I decided to look for books Hegel wrote. This is how I managed to get my hands on it.

When people talk about how difficult Hegel is to understand then they are not kidding. But there is more to it than just being able to understand the words he was writing down. For example, when Hegel is talking about "logic" he isn't talking about logic as we understand it. To make matters worse he never gave an actually explanation as to what he even understood as "logic".
It gets worse when you consider that this book was meant to be part one of a two part series. When Hegel got around to the second one he himself realized that this first one didn't actually fit anymore, which is why it kind of is a standalone thing but at the same time it isn't.

The book is presented in somewhat of a circular way. The premise of it is pretty much proof of that: Hegel wanted to establish philosophy as a science. For that he created this book as a scientific philosophy book that used scientific tools of philosophy in order to proof that philosophy is scientific.

The book is split into five parts: the introduction in which Hegel explains what his goals are by writing this book (showing that philosophy is scientific and necessary as such), the first part that deals with the individual and its perception, the second part that deals with society as an accumulation of individuals and their understanding of morals, laws and crime. The third part is about the cultural aspects: religion and it's trueness in its "being of light" and art in all its artificial and true nature. Finally, at the end he talks about true knowledge.

There have been different system people tried to use in order to make sense of what is written in the book. I'll try to explain the two that I've found to make the most sense:

1. Thesis-Antithesis-Synthesis
There are two states:
- the current (beginning) state - thesis
- the final (ending) state that is the opposite of the current one - antithesis
and there is the transition from the first to the final state - synthesis

This synthesis is progression and life is all about one state flowing into the other. Philosophy is not a science of definite states, but rather a science of constant progression.

In math you don't need to understand why a formula gives you a specific result. You just put in the numbers and get a result. In real life this, however, is not how things work. Only if you understand what you need to do can you progress to the final stage. If you don't know about a subject (thesis) but you want to know about it (antithesis) then you need to actively learn about it (synthesis).

However, in the book it is also noted that different people can get a different understanding of the world around them. If you have two people looking at the same tree, they will still see a different one. The reason for that is because even though they may look at the same object, they still look at it from different angles, see different details that the other may not see.

Another example deals with the question on whether one can determine the character of a person on how they look. Hegel's taking one of the back then leading scientific fields that tried to figure out if you could understand the intends of someone by looking on the shape of their skull. He argued that the only way to determine who you are is not by looking at your features but rather by observing on how you act.
Someone is not a murderer because they look like a murderer but rather because they murder people.

You are what you do and not how you look is still pretty important nowadays, don't you agree? So parts are still pretty relevant today.

2. Master-Inferior
I actually don't know if those are the actual words used for the system. Basically, there are two people. One who is the dominant one who needs someone else who acknowledges their superiority and another, an inferior who needs a superior that recognizes the inferior. This causes a sort of dependency between the two which has this interesting side effect in which the two keep changing from one of the extremes to the other. In a sense the superior is also the inferior due to their need of the other to recognize them as superior all the while the inferior for being recognized by the other shift to the superior because of how their efforts cause the other to be dependent on them turning them into the inferior instead.

I think you can see where the problem lies with Hegel's philosophy?

It was very difficult to go through. But interestingly enough it also gave me a bunch of ideas for world building stuff, etc. In that sense it was not in vain. Though, I may still need to make some more research in the matter. But not by reading more philosophical books. That train left already and I'm ok with not boarding another one like this.

All in all, when looking back, I can't tell if reading philosophical books helped. When I started I wanted to find a purpose in life and was very miserable. Now, I still haven't found a purpose in life, but at least I'm a little less miserable? I won't deny that there may be some positive influence (apart from the political stuff I was talking about earlier), but only future will tell.

So the question is: do I recommend reading Hegel, or any philosophical book?
The answer is: if you have to ask, then no. No you shouldn't read them. If you want to know more about different philosophies, go to Youtube, look up some good videos about them. They are shorter, they are a lot cheaper and the people who talk about them usually have done the difficult part of trying to make sense of it.

 

[Megan]

It has been a while since I last wrote about the books I've been reading. In the meantime I've already finished three new ones that I'd like to talk about. I also think I'll not go in too deep. If anyone happens to have questions: just ask away! :)

Chobits
This is a manga made by CLAMP and combines a rather liberal idea of technology with romance aspects.

Hideki Motosuwa currently studies in order to make it to university. As he also lacks money he spends a lot of time in his part time job doing busywork and such in a small store. He'd really love to own a computer, a commodity that's becoming more and more common.

Computers, however, while they function very much the same as we understand them in real life, in the manga they also happen to look like humans. Nobody actually knows why that is the case.

As Hideki walks back home, being done with work for the day, he spots a computer that just lies in the trash! He decides to move it back home. As he moved it, a disk dropped to the ground.
The computer looked like a little girl and when he decided to boot her up, she also started acting like one, all too eager to learn about anything she came across. She even gets a name in Chi.

The story focuses on Hideki trying to find out more about Chi and where she came from. All the while a lot of focus is set on what relationships computers and their owners have between each other. Especially early on it is stated that a lot of people find themselves unhappy and lonely and for some reason computers always seem to be at least in part responsible in the matter. What's more: even though it is clearly stated that computers don't have feelings, that all they do is follow their programming.
Yet, at the same time something strange seems to be happening whenever Chi finds another chapter of a picture book that somehow seems to affect her in some unknown way.
There are also rumors about a very specific model of a computer: so called "Chobits". Could Chi belong to this mysterious model?

This manga I bought as two compiled books, simply because I was interested into reading something cute. It ended up being a lot more than that, fortunately. I really like the philosophic aspects that are touched in this story. Can computers/robots have feelings? Can humans form actual relationships with them? Of course, for western audiences that's probably not as topical as it would be for especially Japanese ones. But it intrigued me, regardless; at least enough to finish the story.

I did wish there was a little bit more to it. Some of the things built up seemed to be resolved a little bit too quickly which left somewhat of a sour aftertaste, but not too much as to ruin my experience.


Uzumaki
This is a manga made by Junji Ito who is very much, to this day known for his terrifying horror stories. Uzumaki might just be, among Tomie, one of his most known works.

In the village of Kurouzu strange things are happening. Spirals appear everywhere and as their numbers increase the village spirals more and more into chaos.

Protagonist of this sotry is Kirie Goshima, as student at the local school. Early on she disregards the warnings her boyfriend Shuichi, who was very heavily affected by the curse of the spirals, but as time passes she becomes more and more aware of the dangers that loom.

The manga is very episodic, especially in the early parts. Those parts are very much "monster of the week"-esque. Every episode a new threat is introduced that is linked to spirals in some way. Some of the threats are overcome, some others, however, aren't and as such: a lot of those end up reappearing in a later point of the story.

This was not my first time reading this manga. While I was walking through my local book store I found a compiled book that had all the chapters in one. Since I had a couple extra bucks I decided to pick it up and reread it.

I do like a good horror story. I've read a lot of Stephen King books in the past and I've also read Lovecraft's entire story collection. I've also read a lot more stories from Junji Ito. Just taking into perspective all of his other works I've read I think it comfortably sits very high on the list.


The Mysterious Island (Jules Verne)
It is the later parts of the Civil War. The engineer Cyrus Harding, his trusted companion Neb, and his faithful dog Top, the reporter Gideon Spilett, the boy Herbert and the sailor Pencroft find themselves prisoners of war. Making up a bold plan they finally manage to escape their confinement by riding a balloon. But the euphory is not lasting long; a massive storm breaks loose and the balloon is swept to sea, flying for a long time until it starts to break apart due to air loss. During this occurance the engineer falls off and shortly after the balloon crashes on unknown shores.

This unknown location ends up being an island not yet discovered! The group becomes a merry band of colonists who thanks to the seemingly endless knowledge of Cyrus Harding manage to build up their own colony on this "Lincoln Island". But there is more to the island than it seems, as everytime they find themselves in serious trouble, some mysterious events occur that always help them to turn things around.

So as the colonists build up the colony and try to find a way that someday may allow them to get back to their homeland, they also keep their eyes open for any hint they can get on these mysterious happenings.

Out of the Jules Verne stories I've read so far this one might be one of my favorites if not even my favorite story. It's a lot longer than the others, but it also has a lot more exploration going on. A lot of the story is spend with building different buildings, apparatus, furniture, etc as well as planting, cultivating, basically building the colony. But not in the same way how in different stories things just get listed up and be done with (listing off all the species they see in "20000 Leagues Below the Sea" felt very tedious), but it does all belong to the overarching story of building a new home for the settlers.

I think, I'll be taking a little break from Jules Verne, though. I've almost exclusively been reading his stories for almost a year, when it comes to regular novels.

 

[VisionofMilotic]

Currently reading Song of Sacrifice by Janell Rhiannon. This is the first book in a series of novels about the Trojan war called The Homeric Chronicles. I know a lot about this legend and a thing or two about the bronze age. I have read Homer's poem The Iliad before and the Odyssey, and have seen performances of the Euripedes play The Trojan Women. I have also emersed myself in documentaries and books about the archeological site of Troy, ancient Greece before the Dorian invasions by historians like Bethany Hughes, as well as life in the near east, particularly within the Hittite empire--which the real Troy was connected to. So I am not a newcomer to this subject.

It's been some years though since I have read a good re-telling of The Trojan War. Though I am always interested in seeing my favorite mythological characters living again,
most efforts end up disappointing me in oneway or another. There was one novella Kassandra by a German author Christa Wolf that I rather liked reading the translation of. However, I don't think I have yet read a large-scale novel that I thought really did justice to the subject matter.

I say all that to say though that I may have finally found the book I have been waiting for. I think this is a interesting novel that was really a pleasant surprise. I can't believe I happened upon it almost by chance, this series deserves much more publicity than it has received. I learned about it through discussion on mythology with the author I found on YouTube, and I was impressed by how knowledgeable she was about ancient literature, and the insights she had into some of the Greek heroes. She has a character analyses series called Super Men and Wonder Women of Greek mythology that I find very informative. During the course of her podcasts she shared some samples of her own writing, and I was intrigued. So I purchased her book on my Kindle Amazon, and couldn't put it down in the first 20 chapters.

I love that Rhiannon makes the Greek Gods and their magic highly visible in her world, because a lot of writers of today demystify the world of Ancient Greece, and tell the story of the Trojan War only as a drama, and not a fantasy. The most mystical it might get is a dream sequence or a priest. This story doesn't spoil my fun. The whole pantheon of Gods and Goddesses abound, Artemis, Apollo, Zeus, Ares, Hera, Poseidon and more all appear in the flesh. There's Pegasus, wood and water nymphs, shape shifting, psychics, healing just to whet the appetite within the first dozen chapters.

In The Homeric Chronicles war is part of a grander plan by Zeus to end lines of demigod children between mortals and the immortals. When you think about it, there are many legendary figures half-human and half-divine who were involved in the Trojan War like Aeneas, Penthesilea, Memnon, Troilus, Achilles, Helen, sometimes Hector even is a son of Apollo, and several of them are killed, though some do survive.

The theme of population control of these superhumans is actually supported by some ancient sources, not Homer so much, but in Hesiod. I have never seen a contemporary author make use of this as a plot though, and I think the author is brilliant for seizing on this.

This plot device not only gives us a window into the world of the Gods, and their perspective, but it also allows me to look at some of the Greeks and Trojans from a point of view that I don't think is explored as often in contemporary adaptations of the Trojan war, as victims of fate.

Paris is really well fleshed out well as a character in The Song of Sacrifice, and that's noteworthy I think because he is often not an easy character to relate to, it's his actions that trigger the war by running away with Helen. Homer portrays him in the Illiad as a pretty face, but weak of character, pampered and vain. He doesn't have the moral scruples that his brother Hector has, and they serve as foils, with Paris being considered dishonorable, and Hector being the good prince who gives wise, honest counsel, is devoted to his family and his city, and behaves responsibly, meeting his opponents in battle with courage and dignity.

More recent depictions of Paris romanticize him into more of this Lancelot or Romeo-like figure who is offering a release from an unhappy marriage. The Song of Sacrifice offers a fresh interpretation though to the others that I am familiar with.

We spend several chapters with a young Paris, long before the war takes place, when he's living on Mt Ida before he realizes he's a prince, and I like this portrayal of him. Rhiannon's Paris is kinda like a beast master. Paris being found by a cowherd as a baby and being raised as his own son is a popular motif in literature, but Rhiannon's twist of the legend is that he can talk to animals, which I think is fun! Again, there's a good dose of magic in this adaptation.

I think Rhiannon's good at making characters come alive and re-interpreting legendary figures in ways that I have not seen before. Her prose are also moving. I like the way she writes Hecuba. The chapters dealing with her perspective are some of my favorites. The author puts some time into exploring how having her child sacrificed (or so she thinks) has traumatized her emotionally, and she writes Hecuba as a character who has sunken into a deep depression. The loss is magnified by the fact that she had previously suffered miscarriages, and then finally conceives this healthy, beautiful baby boy, only to be told that it's cursed and has to die. Rhiannon's Hecuba never stops fighting and begging for her son's life to be spared, and hates her husband Priam for taking him away. After losing Paris Hecuba is only going through the motions of her duties as queen. She's physically there, but has greatly distanced herself emotionally from her husband, and there's all this internal dialogue going on in her head while she wears a stoic face. Because of the trauma of the loss of this baby, she also wasn't able to fully bond with children that came after him, they are conceived without love because she no longer wants Priam's affections, and they remind her of the child she lost. The sadness is always there. The only one she really can open up to is Hector, and she rationalizes their relationship as special because he was born before Paris and before her sufferings started.

This novel also has a good sense of historical accuracy I think, the types of rituals and temples, agricultural practices, descriptions of clothing and hairstyles feel appropriate to the bronze age. I think it also feels authentic that Priam has a royal harem, Homer did write that Priam had more than 50 children by various wives, and polygamy was a widespread practice for kings of the ancient world in the middle east, it was done by the Hittites, Assyrians, the Egyptians that ensure dynastic succession, so that seems on point here. Though I think sometimes she looks at concubinage from a perspective that feels more western, but that's a minor criticism. Overall, I like what this writer is doing a lot.

 

[Knight Of Legendaries]

Name/Nickname: Knight of Legendaries
Favorite book: Xiran Jay Zhao's Iron Widow
Favorite author: Maybe Rick Riordan or Jim Butcher? Hard to pick a favorite.

 

[VisionofMilotic]

I recently read Animal Farm by George Orwell. It's damn good, albeit it's savagely cruel, even by Orwellian standards. I would make the arguement that Animal Farm is more cynical than his Magnum Opus 1984. Animal Farm can catch the reader off guard I think more easily because of the simpler world that the story is set in, and Orwell's ever-witty narrative voice, but below is why I personally think it's the more disturbing read. You have been warned of plot spoilers.

Spoiler:

In the final half of 1984 the brainwashed state Winston is reduced to would seem to foreshadow how helpless the rest of humanity is to resist the party, but Orwell didn't completely shut the door on the possibility of the Brotherhood's existence though. There is certainly doubt cast on whether they are real or not. They could just be another myth designed as propaganda to scare loyal party members and entrap the disgruntle ones into incriminating themselves, or there might really be an organized resistance out there, even if the main characters were not part of it. I'm inclined to believe the former, but its left ambiguous enough that the reader could choose to believe in the latter option, and where continued opposition is something.

In Animal Farm there's not even the dimmest notion of anything left that could bring about salvation for the oppressed, even in a distant future. Not only did we see the hopeful and independent state they constructed systematically revert back to the misery of the beginning, but the scale of suffering even increased, with Napoleon as the antagonist being a more organized form of evil than Jones was ever capable of achieving.

What's even more tragic is that Napoleon held power only because everyone allowed him to do so, and in reality had little more than bluff to back him up. He had just a handful of dogs to enforce his reign of terror, dogs that were not his, but stolen from Jessie and Bluebell on some nonsensical pretext. Everybody could have taken their power back at any time, as we see when Boxer easily disables one of the dogs during the purge. The characters of Animal Farm have banded together to bravely overcome far worse odds on multiple occasions when they fended off attacks from Jones or Fredrick and their guns and bombs, but that's the irony, and Orwell's cautionary tale to us, how we cooperate in our own exploitation and destruction. In 84 the main character is doomed before he even thought of actively or passively resisting, but in Animal Farm it could have had a totally different outcome than it did, and I personally find that the sadder and more frustrating story to tell, because they really had a chance to turn things around immediately. I kept reading Animal Farm and waiting for a big internal revolt, especially when Boxer was openly carted off to his pitiful end. I told myself that this was the last straw, his friends will lose it and march in there and kill Napoleon for this, but no, the nightmare continues. I never thought we'd see animal farm buying up others, but here we are. When the men and pigs played cards in the end I hoped that there were some more pages of the book left, and said to myself no, the story can't end here. Of course, it did.

It's a book that makes you think and poignantly feel, I do need a breather from it though, before picking up another.

 

[Megan]

I agree, Animal Farm is, indeed, a very sad and cruel story. At the same time I also thought to myself, when I was still at the beginning, "is this going to end like I think it does?". And, yes, it did. ^^"