+ LozBlog

2022

Warning! Spoilers ahead... proceed with caution.

• Esbirros

  Antonio Ortuño

  2021-06-24 /
  2022-02-22

  Amazon Kindle

  Inicié el año pasado, pero no terminé. Es una colección de cuentos, un tanto extraños. So far so good.Después de terminarlo me queda una sensación un poco de vacío. Algunas de las historias terminan de forma abrupta, como en un cliffhanger, como que no es el verdadero final y no se sabe qué va a pasar.

  Me han dicho que esto es normal, son estilos, diferentes formas de narrar, además es posible que haya partes que no me hayan quedado claras y por eso no comprenda, sin embargo tiendo a pensar que, como en toda cuestión artística, los gustos son subjetivos, y definitivamente no me gustan estos finales tan, a mi parecer, abiertos.Por otro lado, veo también narraciones de situaciones tristes de violencia que se han generalizado en México al grado de que se sientan "normales".

  Mi particular punto de vista es: la realidad ya es bastante cruel, ¿para qué leerlo también en las ficciones? Mis favoritas son las historias de fantasía o ciencia ficción, y las de resolver misterios, donde mi mente divaga lejos de la realidad, porque, para realidad, basta mi ya nutrido consumo de noticias.

• Morfología del cuento

  Vladimir Propp

  /
  

  Google Play Books

  I think I started this one back in 2020, but as I'm taking down notes, I have been procrastinating over this one.

• Restauración

  Ave Barrera

  /
  

  Google Play Books

  Last year's list. Recommended by teacher Abe. Was finding overal physical descriptions way too detailed for my taste, but I have only started it.

• Damas Chinas

  Mario Bellatin

  2022-01-15 /
  2022-01-25

  Google Play Books

  Recommended by teacher Abe. Short read, was done in a few days. It felt strange, I don't think I quite understood it. There seemed to be two stories: the one from the narrator (part I), and the one from the kid that the narrator met. That kid told the narrator a story, which the narrator in turn replicates (part II). I just can't connect both of them, how are they related? What or when was the (overall) climax? Did it even have one? It felt like an empty ending, like a narration of events that had an interest of their own, but I couldn't place it within my beloved classic structure: intro, climax, resolution. Will need a second reading, if I can put myself to it, 'cause I feel like I rather pick the next one on my list.

• La vida de hormigas

  Maurice Maeterlinck

  2022-02-26 /
  

  Amazon Kindle

  I have only started it, but so far it seems like I've been through several introductions (sinopsis, introducción, nociones generales, and the start of what I believe is actually the first chapter "el secreto del hormiguero"). I thought the book was more lightweight, as it was recommended (and gifted) by my mother, but so far I'm finding it too many scientific terms, that don't really mean anything to me and probably will never remember again.

• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

  Yuval Noah Harari

  2022-03-21 /
  

  Amazon Kindle

• JavaScript: Novice to Ninja, 2nd Ed

  Darren Jones

  2022-07-05 /
  

  Google Play Books

  Bought it on humble bundle (https://www.humblebundle.com/books/front-end-web-dev-sitepoint-books), and uploaded to Google Play Books.

• Radicales Libres

  Alice Munro

  2022-07-25 /
  2022-08-01

  Google Play Books

  I have had a difficult time reading other stories by Alice Munro... yes, I know she's a literature nobel prize winner, but still... I feel as if nothing is really happening in her tales, and me, being more of a syfy/adventure guy, I get desperate.

  Anyway, speaking strictly about this story, I must say I liked it. It does have a surprise ending, which are the ones I crave. But I still don't understand why half the story seems slow, then something interesting happens, and the other half slowly unfolds, and then the crazy twist. I feel as if at least half of the story wasn't needed, like if it tons of details could be compressed in a more agile narration. There are important parts of the story mixed along those lenghty mementos and descriptions, I know, and I think that at least part of the trick to make the reader not suspicious of the ending, is to hide it along those large ambience passages, but I can't help it. My conclusion: it was good, but unnecesary lengthy.

  And please, dear Munro fans, before you crucify me, remember I am not a literature critic; just an amateur sharing his biased opinios on his personal Blog.

• The Pyramid of Game Design

  Nicholas Lovell

  2022-10-07 /
  

  Google Play Books

  Reading

• Las cosas que perdimos en el fuego

  Mariana Enríquez

  2022-11-13 /
  2022-11-15

  Amazon Kindle

  Damn, this book would almost become my all time favorite, if not for what I consider to be missing endings. I know this would be highly debatable, and maybe the author would say that each reader should deduct and select their own endings, but this is what it feels to me: like if you're watching a movie on the tv, and suddenly the power goes out, and you're left wihtout knowing what happened. 

  You scream, hit the tv, throw away the remote, and curse all the heathen gods, but the power just doesn't come back. And, obviously, you're in the 90s, before streaming services existed, and you can't just play it back again once the power is restored the next day (or week). 

  Anyway, most of the stories have endings like that. They finish, and I'm left wanting to know how it really ends, what happens next, who dies, or survives, or how they die. Some of them more, some of them less, some of them are more obvious and I can have a clearer assumption, but basically all feel like that to me. 

  Anyway, I remember how I got to learn about this book. A friend of mine, about a month ago, at a wedding, narrated the story "under the black water", which hooked me instantly, and is actually (probably) my fave story of the book (that story should be the one that bestows its name to the book). I bought it for Kindle right then and there. I was immediately left wanting to read it, although I forgot about it and only started reading last sunday, while on the way back from a trip.

  One thing I noticed is that all the main characters of the stories, are girls. Not sure if it's a posture, like a stance, a politically correct, feminist viewpoint, or just her style, because why not. 

  One more thing that I like, is the theme in the setting. Meaning: the theme of horror, set in LATAM. Because I'm used to think in horror (and sci fi) in popular locations around the world, the US, the UK, or other capitals of "great countries". These stories don't develop on poor or third world countries. I think that's due to two reasons: one, latin american writers in general focus on other themes, drama, romance, and such, but not terror or science fiction. Second and most likely, I'm too ignorant and know too little about the latin authors that do treat such topics.

  One thing's for sure, it's definitely the best book I've read this year. I'm planning on devouring everything Mariana Enriquez has written. 

  Damn Mariana, your writing is awesome as hell fire!

• El guardagujas

  Juan José Arreola

  2022-11-27 /
  2022-11-27

  Google Play Books

  Technically, 'tis not really a book, but a short story. I added it here as a separate entry as I had it uploaded (isolated) to my Play Books library.

  I found the story strangely pleasing, a bit much I may add, because I had just written a few days earlier a story that resembled it too closely. As if the author, who passed away more than two decades ago, stole my idea.

  Anyway, I think the concept is great, a crazy train that may or (most likely) may not get you to your destination, that is, unless your actual destination is death.