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Steven Deobald

deobald@linguistic.earth

Joined 1 year, 5 months ago

I struggle to read fiction.

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Review of 'S. N. Goenka' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

There once was a field mouse convinced he could become an elephant. For many years, the mouse went to great lengths to learn about the elephants, watching them from the grasses, imitating their movements, and even learning to understand their languages. In the barn, he found an open can of grey paint and decided to make his final transition. After soaking in oil paint for days, he returned to the burrows.

"Behold! I have become an elephant!" he proclaimed. Some of the other mice were very impressed and sat in rapture, listening to his stories of what the life of an elephant was like.

Emboldened by a long night of story telling, he once again returned to the grasses. This time, however, he approached the elephants in the field and proclaimed himself one of their own. But they could not hear him.

Jiddu Krishnamurti: Freedom from the Known 4 stars

Freedom from the Known is a book by Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986), originally published 1969.

Review of 'Freedom from the Known' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I find it interesting how substantial Krishnamurti's readership and following is, despite the difficulty of the material he produced. The immediacy of timeless states, the awareness of anatta, and the penetration of sensation by deep meditation — none of these things is easily accessible. None can be learned from a book and Krishnamurti points out as much. It is a testament to his clear writing and the evocation of familiar analogs that a lay person is able to read his work at all.

Gerald Weinberg: Weinberg on Writing: The Fieldstone Method (2006) 2 stars

Review of 'Weinberg on Writing: The Fieldstone Method' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I'm in a peculiar situation with this book. I'm actively recommending it to people... but I'm also giving it two stars. I'll try to explain my reconciliation process.

The ideas in this book are coherent. Many of Weinberg's suggestions are techniques I've gleaned from other sources and the stories, suggestions, and exercises are all worth working through. It's a light read and the entire book is easy to digest.

So why two stars? The writing is just not very good. It's not terrible. But for a book about writing it feels like there should be more to this little pamphlet. The transitions are not arresting, but there is grit in the derailleur. His ideas are sound, but they do not read as a continuum. It's perhaps a genius form of self-reference that his book feels like running one's hand over a fieldstone wall ... but I'm guessing that wasn't intentional. …

Review of 'Summary : Atomic Habits' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

one point… five stars?

another one of those books with great insights that could easily be delivered on a single A4 sheet of paper.

no one makes the nyt best sellers list that way, though.

not painful like “why we sleep” but a pretty boring read.