I read four books in January and here are my one-sentence reviews of each book and the rating scale I use.
***** An extraordinary book: one of my Top 15 all-time favorites
**** An outstanding book: highly recommended
*** A good book: worth the read
** An OK read, but you'd be better off finding something else
* Not worth the read; avoid at all costs
Reflections on the Guillotine, by Albert Camus (**** 1/2)
This impassioned plea against capital punishment is a tour de force and could very well be the most persuasive argument ever constructed against this barbaric practice.
How to See, by Thich Nhat Hahn (****)
The great zen master (who passed away last month) examines how our perceptions of the world and the people in it are usually distorted and require that we develop a Right View, through mindful practices, in order to achieve greater inner peace.
The Remains of Day, by Kazuo Ishiguro (*** 1/2)
If you can be patient with the narrator's seemingly endless monologue about dignity and what constitutes the attributes of a perfect butler (it will all make sense in the end), then you will be rewarded with a profound and sad novel that serves as a meditation on the choices we make on how we live our lives.
The Power of Words, by Simone Weil (***)
In this collection of three somewhat dense and dated essays from the 1930s, the title essay examines the dire consequence of modern society's inability to use language to adequately address the problems of the world, but I found The Needs of the Soul (3rd essay) to be the most interesting.
You might not find that any of these volumes seem interesting to you and that's OK. Just read something to exercise your brain--you never know how your mind could be transformed.
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