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Xdyj's books
I'm a Chinese student studying in the U. S.. I like reading and talking about books I like or dislike.
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Pakistan: A Personal History
A bit boring at times, though it may be because I hold no sympathy to his politics and "philosophy". Iqbal was a visionary for his time but it is not 1930s. Also imho the author should try to learn more from the Iranian experience after 1979, both its achievements and pitfalls.
England Your England
Some of his assessments are a bit too optimistic or pessimistic by hindsight, however certain points he made, e.g. on how writers should deal with politics, power and truth, though arguably flawed, could still be relevant today. And his critique of the selective "antiimperialists" and the partisan reporting on wars arguably still hold true to this day. Also I wonder how much of his characterization of "Englishness" remains true today.
Sexing the Cherry
Parts of it reminds me of Angela Carter's fairytale/folklore retellings as well as [b:Invisible Cities|9809|Invisible Cities|Italo Calvino|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388395463s/9809.jpg|68476] by [a:Italo Calvino|155517|Italo Calvino|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1383157020p2/155517.jpg]. Winterson's prose is beautiful and often quotable, though imho the 1990 parts are not as amazing as the 17th century parts & the ending feels a bit underwhelming.
The Accident
There is some interesting insights on publishing industry. OTOH, I find it a bit strange that so many people were making photocopies of the "dangerous" manuscript, but no one tried to scan and upload it to one of the many anomyous filesharing websites, even when they realized that people were getting killed for it.
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
I'm not always a fan of Romanticism, but imho Blake's radical revolutionary vision is remarkable.
The Invention of Wings: A Novel
The subject matter is interesting. It would be better had there been more description on the relationships and interaction between characters IMHO.
A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present
History of the U.S. from a Marxist & humanist perspective.
Radiant Days
A YA coming-of-age story about art, 1970s American underground art scene, Paris Commune, Rimbaud, and love in the Platonic sense.
Boating for Beginners
Winterson's Mouty Python-like story about the Christian right that managed to be both hilarious and tragic. According to the author it's not a serious work but imho it's overall quite good.
The Man Who Bridged the Mist
A short sf/f story in which nothing unexpected happens, the sf/f elements are of relatively little importance, and the focus is solely on characters dealing with everyday problems & their relationships with each other.
Peter Pan
I like this surreal story on growing up & make-believe & I think it's one of the very few children's books that can speak to both children & adults profoundly & stand the test of time, though I can imagine some ppl may consider it inappropriate to their young children. SJ Tucker's somewhat more lighthearted "The Wendy Trilogy" is also quite interesting imo.
Very beautifully written but could be a bit predictable if you're familiar with these kind of stories.
