Waiting List

Virtual list of bookish curiosities...

[waitinglistbooks]

I have a substack! That's where you can find my book reviews. Come and chat!

[waitinglistbooks]

acepipe

( a·ce·pi·pe )

nome masculino

1. Guloseima, pitéu.

2. Iguaria ou prato servido antes do prato principal. = ANTEPASTO, APERITIVO, ENTRADA

"acepipe", in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa [em linha], 2008-2025, https://dicionario.priberam.org/acepipe.

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“Alan Turing: Unlocking the Enigma”

Who is Alan Turing? In this day an age he’s not an obscure character any longer. His face will be on the £50 note. To be honest, I didn’t who he was until the film “The Imitation Game” came out in 2014. I had heard of the Turing test before – I think I first got notice of it on one of the documentaries that come with the special edition box of the movie trilogy “Matrix”, which I highly recommend, if you’re into philosophy – in the context of philosophy regarding  AI. My academic education is on arts and sciences, so I didn’t got to have a higher education on mathematics, algebra, logic.

Alan Turing was a British mathematician, more well known by his 1947 paper where he talks about the future of computing and of AI (Turing is considered that father of Artificial Intelligence). But he was also one of the precursors of the computer as we know it today (along with Lord Babbage and Ada Lovelace – daughter of Lord Byron). But he also had a brilliant mind to crack codes, and hence his connection with the British secret services during World War II, where he helped crack the Enigma Code. He remained connected with war time secret service during the Cold War, working on the making of the first British nuclear bomb. By the end of his life he started to become much more interested in biology and its patterns, namely the relation of these with the Fibonacci sequence.

Yes, a unique mind. But, also a somewhat unique person. He was a shy person, and very straightforward, having been connected to a communist movement early in his life. Turing wasn’t bending knees for anyone, even if this would mean his downfall, especially regarding his sexual orientation – a crime in the United Kingdom at his time, and which caused for him to undergo “hormone treatment” and prison. A pardon was officially made in 2013 by the British Parliament, without however changing the law at that time. Turing was persecuted by the intelligence police due to his way of life and how this was seen to compromise national security.

David Boyle’s account comes about in a very small book, that you can read in a few hours, but that’s very good to give a wide view on Turing’s life, work, and impact he had on the world. I bought it in 2015, after watching the film, to start learning more about this decisive person, that led the way in so many areas of knowledge and that, sadly, was treated so ill indeed.

“I end by noting something surely perverse, if constitutionally sound enough, about this bill. It would grant Alan a pardon, when surely all of us would far prefer to receive a pardon from him”.

Lord Quirk, House of Lords in July 2013

The author provides a bibliography which I will leave here, if you are interested in learning more about Alan Turing.

Alan Turing homepage www.turing.org

Briggs, Asa (2011), “Secret Days: Code breaking in Bletchley Park”, London: Frontline

Copeland, Jack (ed.)(2002), “The Essential Turing”, Oxford: Oxford University Press

Diamond, Cora (ed.)(1976), “Wittgenstein’s Lectures on the Foundations of Mathematics, Cambridge 1939), Hassocks: Harvester Press

Elridge, Jim (2013), “Alan Turing, London: Bloomsbury/Real Lives

Goldstein, Rebecca (2005), “Incompleteness: The proof and paradox of Kurt Godel”, New York: Norton

Hodges, Andrew (2000), “Alan Turing: The Enigma”, New York: Walker Books.

Leavitt, David (2006), “The Man Who Knew Too Much: Alan Turing and the investion of the computer”, London:Weidenfeld&Nicolson

McKAy, Sinclair (2010), “The Secret Life of Bletchley Park”, London:Aurum Press

Penrose, Roger (1999), “The Emperer’s New Mind: Concerning computers, minds and the laws of physics”, Oxford: Oxford University Press

Searle, John (1984), “Minds, Brains and Science”, Cambridge MA:Harvard University Press

Teuscher, Christof (Ed.)(2004), “Alan Turing, Life and legacy of a great thinker”, Berlin:Springer.

Turing, Sara (1959), “Alan M. Turing”, Cambridge:Heffer&Co.

“Alan Turing: Unlocking the Enigma” written by David Boyle, The Real Press, UK, 2014ISBN 9781500985370

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"Nenhum Olhar"

I read José Luís Peixoto’s first novel when I was about 17 years of age. I had no idea it was his first, and I bought it because of word of mouth at the time of its publishing. It made an impact on me – it’s about his dad’s death. Since then, Peixoto has been a prolific writer (and tour guide, with a couple of traveling books), winner of several writing awards, including the José Saramago Prize, in 2001, for this very one, “Nenhum Olhar”. I decided to read his full work last year, and wanted to do it in chronological order, hence “Nenhum Olhar”.

“Nenhum Olhar” has its focus on a small hamlet in the Alentejo planes of Portugal, and shows us the everyday life of several people that were born and raised there. And that died there as well.

As he writes, you can feel the inevitability of the aimless life they lead. There is an aim, actually, but it's simply to live from day to day: wake up, wash yourself, get dressed for work, feed the disabled ones, walk through the scorching heat to your workplace, work as its expected from you, come back home in the scorching heat, choose someone to marry, marry, have children, and the next generation does it all over again. The incipient depression, and low expectation of life runs all through the book. There are intrigues, there is suffering and sadness, but there are also small joys, and love, wordless love, and death, so much death. Not just physical death, but death in life. It’s so real though. I can identify with it quite a bit, as part of my family is from this part of the country (as is Peixoto).

I forgot how easy José Luís Peixoto is to read, without being vulgar or banal. An excellent writer.

If you never tried any Portuguese writer, I would strongly suggest starting with José Luís Peixoto, he is translated is many languages, including English (the title in English is “Blank Gaze”).

José Luís Peixoto is very active on Instagram, you can follow him there.

“Nenhum Olhar” (“Blank Gaze”) written by José Luís Peixoto, Quetzal, 2019

ISBN 9789897223273

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"The Road"

I admit it, I had never heard of Cormac McCarthy until he died, June of the current year. There were so many good reviews on his work upon his death, that I went to investigate a little further and found out that he also wrote a book that would be adapted by the Cohen Brothers, “No Country for Old Men”. I still haven’t seen this movie, but it also had rave reviews when it got out. So, all of this made me want to, at least, try and read one of his novels. The list had 12 books, and I chose “The Road”, after reading some opinions on his work. I didn’t remember but this book was also adapted to the big screen by John Hillcoat, with Viggo Mortensen on the leading road.

“The Road” tells us about a father and a son (we never learn their names) living in a post-apocalyptic world, that has ongoing fires. All is ash and clouds and greyness. The days are dark and short. The whole of humanity is gone, save for some miserable ones who, in their big majority resort to cannibalism. We see how life is on the road, constantly looking over your shoulder to avoid getting caught for food, foraging in old abandoned houses, service stations, farms, while both walk their way towards the sea.

I was afraid this was another “Old Man and the Sea” (Yes. Yes. I did not enjoy it when I read it 20 odd years ago…I am considering reading it again…maybe) – after a bit I was wondering where the hell is this leading to? However, after a while I started to enjoy it quite a lot. It’s an essay on survival, death, values, hope, persistence. I loved how MacCarthy’s writing although very simple, can convey the despair and sadness of the situation. His description seems almost childlike, but so precise. The end is a bit predicable, but still fulfilling and hopeful.

I haven’t read a book that left me feeling like this in a long while. The cliché expression “punch in the stomach” applies here very well. I think this is not only because of MacCarthy’s writing, which is obviously excellent, but also because of all this atmosphere we live in, where climate change is on the daily top stories, including wild fires all over the world.

This book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

I will certainly go back to Corman MacCarthy again. For sure!

“The Road” written by Cormac MacCarthy, Picador, UK, 2022 ISBN: 9781035003792

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“The Witcher: Sword of Destiny”, by Andrzej Sapkowski

This is the second short stories collection about the life and world of The Witcher, Geralt of Rivia.

Like the first volume, this continues to be a collection of lose episodes of the life of Geralt, and again it goes back and forth in time. On this one, we start to learn more about his friends, Dandelion, Yennefer, Yarpen Zigrin; but also, about the origins of Geralt – where did he get his magic powers, where did he train and who helped him become a Witcher. The stories lead us to the fall of Cintra, taken by Nilfgard, and his already known connection to the Child Surprise, Ciri.

It’s basically an adventure book, very entertaining, at least for me. I read it quite quick as well. As I read, I did start to agree with Henry Cavill…The people who did the Netflix series could have done better. With so much time in which to lay and adapt the books, they could have put more of the stories we read in the book. But maybe they wanted to shift the way the Witcher comes across, which is slightly different than in the books.

Anyway, a good read, I think.

“The Witcher: Sword of Destiny” written by Andzej Sapkowski, Gollancz, UK, 2023 ISBN: 9781399611411

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“The Witcher, The Last Wish”

I’d never heard of Andrzej Sapkowski, until I started watching the Netflix series “The Witcher”. Again, a show that I missed on purpose because I thought it was just another pop creation with no interest (I do this quite a lot lately…who has the time to spend to see all the new movies, series, books, and still work and sleep!?). Anyway, I had the opportunity to see somethings on Netflix and I tried the first episode of the show “The Witcher” (I’m sure the fact that Henry Cavill being the protagonist, might have something to do with it). I was hooked after that, and watched the whole lot, including the last season that aired recently.

I like to read all type of genres and subjects, and fantasy is one of them. I liked the TV show, but when I started reading the book, I sort of wished I didn’t. My imagination was fairly curtailed by it, which is not usual with me. The book is quite enthralling. I’ve read the English translation, which I found quite good.

“The Last Wish” introduces us to the Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher. He’s actually one of many (although not as many as they used to be), in the Continent, which is formed by several kingdoms. This first book is a series of episodes, or, if you will, short stories of the daily life of Geralt as he roams the Continent, looking for monsters to kill – his professional occupation. In this book we are also introduced to some of the other characters that will accompany him in the following volumes: the sorceress Yennefer, the bard Dandilion (whose name was changed in the series to Jaskier), The Queen of Cintra Calanthe, Nenneke, Mousesack, among others.

I liked the way Sapkowski sets the action. The chapters are not all the same size. Some are quite long; some only have 2 pages. I didn’t find the book dull at all, and finished it in only 2 weeks. He adds much of the same older types of fantastical creatures like dragons, witches, elves, werewolves, trolls, mermaids, magicians, dwarves; but also introduces many others, like rusalkas, sylvans, witchers…We learn about the world of the Witcher, what he is, what people think he is, and what he wants to be. Is he just a mutant that can’t feel any emotions, stuck forever to his mission of killing monsters (but only non-inteligent ones), or is he really entitled to much more out of life. The perception of not having any feelings is useful if you want to get work as a monster killer, but what if you really feel for people, friends or lovers…or children. The book takes us through these dilemmas as Geralt finds monsters to kill in the most improbable places, or when he’s actually hired for it, and how he starts to create his own circle of friends, all improbable as well. I’ll let you find that out for yourself.

The narrative is not straightforward. It goes back and forth, with several analepses to the Witcher’s past. It’s not confusing however, and although you don’t have clear signs of when we are, Sapkowski is very clear in his writing and doesn’t let you get lost.

I know that usually the book is better (and this is also the case here), and although the first season does follow the book quite closely, it’s not as clear on the time line, and also doesn’t build the characters as well, which you would expect from a TV series – if I was talking about a 2 hour film that would be more acceptable, but you would also have to cut a lot of material in order to do it properly, so there’s that.

In my opinion, if you like fantasy storylines this is a good one to spend some time on. Although some things are brought back from the fantasy universe, Andrzej Sapkowski is quite original in many others. I also enjoyed the historical setting, which is something similar to the medieval times.

“The Witcher: Last Wish” written by Andzej Sapkowski, Gollancz, UK, 2023 ISBN: 9781399611398

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The Origins of Political Order, From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution

For a few years now, I’ve been leaning on reading more about Sociology, Politics, History of Nations and, eventually, the name of Francis Fukuyama came up. Fukuyama is an American writer and political theorist. He studied at the Cornell University and Political Sciences at Harvard. He is currently a fellow at the Stanford University. Fukuyama has also worked for the U.S. Department of State, having specialized in Middle East affairs, and, later, to deal with European Political and Military affairs. In short, he has an enviable curriculum and a lot of experience in the field of politics.

When I was listening to a podcast I caught his name, and put him on my “books to read” waiting list, and was only expecting to actually get to it in a while. However, the Universe had other plans and in one of my many visits to bookshops, I found one of his books just asking me to take it. And so, I did. “The Origins of Political Order” was the book. It’s a fairly dated book (from 2012), and it’s the first volume of a set of 2 (the second one being “Political Order and Political Decay”).  I couldn’t wait, and started reading it straight away – my other ongoing books were not happy…

It took me awhile to get through it because it’s such a dense book. Dense in the sense that every sentence is pertinent information. I usually underline passages, expressions, sentences in books, but on this one I just couldn’t. Everything is relevant and thought provoking.

In this first volume, Fukuyama goes through the origins of human relations and society since the primitive times up to the eve of the French Revolution. Not being his own view and systematization of history, he does it in a very neat way, starting with China, then going to India, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and finally Europe, to explain how institutions are built and how the different social groups interact and make or destroy social organizations. I learned a lot with this book, as my base education is medical science, so I never got to go so thoroughly into history, Rule of Law, Social Movements, the Parliament, etc. It was so interesting to have a view on how the rule of law came about, how the different societies organized themselves, and how government and society interact with each other and how they, in Fukuyama’s point of view, can create strong or weak absolutists states, or democracies. I was also enlightened with regards on how the geography influences the culture and the way the government can control, or not control its people, and consequently, build states. Very, very interesting, and even if only a point of view on the facts, still food for thought.

I found the writing of Fukuyama very easy to read. Yes, this is textbook level, and yes, I am not that person that gets tired when reading thick, dense texts, but I would still think that, for the interested mind, this a very good recommendation.

I cannot go into specifics as the context is important, and I wouldn’t be able to, even if I wanted to but, if you want to learn more on how states, and political institutions come about, and to have a wider point of view on how things came to be, this is the ideal book to start.

“Samuel Huntington has suggested if the rallying cry of the English Parliament was “no taxation without representation”, today’s slogan ought to be “no representation without taxation”, since it is the latter that best incentivizes political participation.”

“The Origins of Political Order, From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution” written by Francis Fukuyama, Profile Books Ltd, UK, 2012 ISBN: 9781846682575

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Uma Paixão Simples (Une Passion Simple)

Annie Ernaux was the recipient of the Literature Nobel Prize from 2022. To be honest, I had never heard of her before this. When they announced her name, and I read about what type of themes she wrote about, I became curious and put her on my waiting list. A feminist, with a somewhat biographical body of work.

Someone guessed my wish, and I was gifted this book by a friend, who, as me, didn’t really know her well.

I read it in Portuguese, “Uma Paixão Simples”, but the title in English is “Simple Passion”. It’s a very short book, with 59 pages. It is biographical, indeed. Annie takes us with the main character through a roller coaster of emotions, as she goes along an affair with a married man. She let us see her obsession with him, to whom she dedicated her whole life, all her living minutes were dedicated to A.: what to wear when he came to her place, avoid going out or making loud noises at home, so she would be at home and hear the phone ring when he called to warn her he was coming. An uncertain and destined to failure relationship, but that she wasn’t able to repel. The name of the man remains anonymous. In fact, all that matters is her outburst on paper. This is a diary. A diary where she pours all of what she’s feeling, all her wishes and dreams and disappointments.

I didn’t felt it as a page turner. Not at all. I think that’s because I also felt something like it before. It wasn’t a nice feeling. It wasn’t a nice experience. So, reading it, even if by another’s hand, isn’t exactly exciting. But maybe, like she wishes as well in the book, it’s a comfort. A comfort in the way that I wasn’t alone in feeling and going through those experiences. It’s normal. And I think that’s the greatest value of this book. Maybe someone needs to know that, in order to make just a little sense out of their lives.

“Uma Paixão Simples” written by Annie Ernaux, Livros do Brasil, Porto Editora, 2ª Edição 2022

 ISBN: 9789897112010

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Catching the TBT wave, I have a throwback to last year. "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick was one of my latest incursions in the world of Science Fiction and my take on it is on my sister blog. Just click here.

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The Tenth Man

The Tenth Man is a book written by Graham Greene. I really don’t know what he’s most well known for, because the first time I remember hearing his name was around the time that the movie “The Quiet American” opened, back in 2002. I don’t remember watching the movie, but my parents had an old cheap print of the book, and that I did read. I loved the book. It was a tiny one, like this I’m talking about today, but very well written. It drove me to try and find more books from Greene. I don’t remember how I got to “The Tenth Man”, though. Greene wrote many novels, travel books, and also a few screenplays, amongst them is “The Third Man”, dated c.1949, directed by Carol Reed and with Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles.

The print I got is a Vintage Classics Edition, from 2000. I bought this one at G David Bookseller, an old bookshop in Cambridge, UK, that has lots of antiques, but also many new editions at very tasty prices. A bookshop I highly recommend. Their website is here.

Anyway, I bought it back in 2017, but only got to it now (February 2023)…as you do, when you have hundreds of unread books, that you hoard every year. I had no idea what The Tenth Man was about until I actually started reading it a few weeks ago.  Graham Greene wrote it around 1944, when he was bounded to a contract with MGM at the time. It’s actually Greene that tells you about how “The Tenth Man” came about, and the short stories he wrote previously.

The Tenth Man is the story of Jean-Louis Chavel, a Second World War prisoner, who exchanges his life, due for execution, for everything he owns. He survives, but at what cost? This is not a book that shows you the usual context of war, as we usually see. The focus is on the individuals, more precisely Chavel. What makes him offer all of his possessions in such a hopeless situation? What’s his homecoming like after the War? We can feel the suspicion mood against the countrymen that returned unharmed, the change that the lingering Americans caused in France, after the War.

Because it’s a very small book, we don’t have the time to go into the deep thoughts and reflections regarding why people do what they do, while you’re going through the motions of the story, but after that? Maybe. I wish it was a longer and more developed novel.

The book was later adapted to cinema (1988) and turned into a film with the same name, directed by Jack Gold, and with the actors Anthony Hopkins, Kristin Scott Thomas and Derek Jacobi. It was unheard of by me until now, but just got onto my waiting list.

“The Tenth Man” written by Graham Greene, Vintage Classics, 2020 ISBN: 9780099284147

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While this month's post doesn't come, I'll leave you with a past recommendation I wrote on my sister tumblr. . I've been re-watching the Millennium Trilogy, based on the books from Stieg Larsson, and it reminded me of a book I read a few years ago, on the same subject: "The War on Women", by Sue Lloyd-Roberts, a British reporter. It's one of my favourites, and I can't recommend it enough. Unfortunately, it's in Portuguese, and on this post I didn't write the English translation. However, I'm sure, chrome can help you with that.

Go here to read it.

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Cinema Speculation

“Cinema Speculation” is only the second book by Quentin Tarantino (is debut was a novelization of his film “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), and the first non-fiction book. Apparently, Tarantino is aiming at a writing career, after he’s finished with the movies (he’s been saying for a while, his next film would be his last).

“Cinema Speculation” was just edited in 2022, and was straight away on my books waiting list to acquire. I was lucky enough to have got it as a Christmas present. Aside from the book being a true page turner, the fact that I had a bit of extra time during the holidays made me able to finish it in 3 weeks – for such a large book, I was unusually quick.

Speculation is a sort of a memoir of Tarantino's experience of the movies (and movie theaters he went to) throughout the 70s. I already knew of his reputation as a movie buff, but it’s quite different to read it. Because I’ve seen quite a few interviews of Tarantino, as well as watch him act in many movies, it’s hard not read with his voice in your head when you're going through the sentences and expressions, which are actually very characteristic of his.

Tarantino goes through a very wide array of movies, and not just the gender you’re expecting (blackspoitation, grind movies,…). He has very particular knowledge on many stories that surround movies like Escape from Alcatraz, Bullit, Rocky. I didn’t know many of these and a lot of the movies I never heard of either – it made me feel that I still have a lot to go with regards to American cinema (I thought I was completely lacking on the cinema of other countries, which I will not name here), but it also made me feel the urge to list those movies and start watching them all with the new information I just learned.

It's also very entertaining to hear about how was the experience of going to the movies in different areas of LA in the 1970s, and to learn some details of Tarantino’s own life while growing up, son of a single mother, and trying to pitch his scripts. He actually lands himself an interview with a very well known script writer, Paul Shraeder.

The whole book is a compilation of film critiques of all these movies, that Tarantino actually loves. He knows it's still his own view and you take it as you wish.  But, agree, or not, with his perspective it’s worth the hours you take to read it.

“Cinema Speculation” written by Quentin Tarantino, Orion Publishing Co, 2022 ISBN: 9781474624220

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Curious ones, Beware!!!!

The blog you’re about to read is nothing else than a virtual place where I list the books I’ve been reading and give a humble opinion on what I thought about them, when I read them.

The point here is not to do critique – that is left for the literature specialists, and people with much more knowledge than me in that regard. No, the point here is to share what I like to read, what I liked, or not, about the book, and hopefully to hear from the readers - that will be done on Instagram, here. Hear if they read the book, if they agree with my opinion, get some recommendations on other books, perhaps. We can even talk about the theme of the book or other related subjects. My text is only a starting point.

I already do a bit of this in one of my other blogs (click here), but I wanted to have a place solely for books.

I was going to wait until the start of next year, but I just couldn’t wait. I want to keep this as regular as possible, but since I do read quite a lot of dense books, my publishing may lag. I will try to publish at least once a month. The reviews are written right after I finished the book.

“We read to know we are not alone.” – C.S. Lewis