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A disclaimer, I've not read the 1831 "popular edition", so I don't know how this actually differs from it, apart from knowing this is the more "radical" version of the story.

Nevertheless, this felt agonizingly relevant in this day and age, where the most ambitious, self-important "inventors" create something hideous and thoroughly pointless, that no one asked or wanted, yet sow pain and misery to anyone involved.

There is a lot of detailed nuance here about retribution, vengeance and remorse, it feels almost like an honest, inner monologue you'd wish the trailblazers and industrialists of the world had with themselves. Just a long look in the mirror and ask of themselves whether they really want to be known for such a grisly, horrid work.

Probably one of the best books I've ever read. It works as both as gothic horror and as a still-relevant cautionary tale about untempered ambition.

An exceptionally sharp critique of uprootedness, which Weil attributes to losing the connection between self, land and communities, through a trickle of nationalism, coercive religion and violence. The central theme of the book is that uprooted peoples uproot other peoples, something which we can see in the most tragic way in the myriad conflicts of today, in depressingly relevant way.

One of the more interesting takes here is how Weil attributes Catholic structures not as Christian, but instead as a descendant of Roman imperialism. That it is the Constantinian legacy that is at the crux of every fascist government, the will to power and to subjugate others under their empire. Probably not a coincidence how Rome seems to always crop up where the uprootedness takes hold, whether Holy Roman Empire, Third Reich, Muscovy as "third Rome" or the would-be decadent Roman "emperor" at Washington D.C.

Required reading for anyone exchanging labor for wages.

I found the book quite sharp and still thought-provoking for something written a century ago. Its message is relevant as ever, as we're plunged into the dystopia of corporatism and decay by those at the top exploiting the labor force. It is radical and revolutionary and I would heartily recommend it for anyone interested in the actual meaning and nature of work and its dynamics and how societies organize and form around both labor and culture.

Profound. A beautiful text, even if I can't really comment on the translation. I've been wanting to explore Taoism between my Zen studies and I'm glad I reached out to this before any commentary on it, so I got to experience it unadulterated. A book that I will most likely read many times in the years to come.

An absolutely enthralling collection of cats. There are two avenues of interest in this title, the other being the life of Louis Wain and the historicity of his work in the context of Victorian era, the other being the art, setup here for close examination. I haven't read any of the previous books on Louis Wain's art, but I found this to be very fresh, as it contains much of his work I've never seen elsewhere.

I found this translation relatively easy to follow, it was the commentary that I had trouble with, as I have fleeting understanding of Islamic mysticism and most of the references just escaped me. The book explains how to in effect reject the world, its people and distractions and embark on a potentially dangerous inner journey through the spiritual realms. From a perennial viewpoint, similar mystic philosophies are found in hesychasm and other oriental traditions.

As a neophyte scholar, I found this an interesting read and will be on the lookout for more Ibn Arabi in the future.

An absolute gem of cosmic horror. Junji Ito manages spectacularily to hold the mood throughout the entire book. It starts weird and gets just weirder, presenting the reader with unsettling things one after another, without ever feeling stale or somehow forced. I really enjoyed the ending.

For any fans of H.P. Lovecraft, and I kinda found something similar here as in Strugatsky brothers' Roadside Picnic, which I completed just recently, in that regular people get caught in something inexplicable and alien, looking for answers and closure.

If I had to pick one word to describe Roadside Picnic, it would be clever. All about this book feels rascalous, chaotic, full of energy and vitality. I think the main theme here is how people and culture can adapt to almost anything. No matter how bleak, odd or desperate the situation, the spark of life can be found in the most unexpected of places and that's something I'd gladly take to my heart from this book, especially in these trying times.