The Most Beautiful Woman in Town - Charles Bukowksi - a little bit of Buk goes a long way, and even though these stories only average 10 pages long I was only able to read 1 or 2 of them at a time, before alternating with something else. This collection has the one from the POV of a pedophile, and his usual subjects about drinking, ####ing, fighting, shit blue collar jobs, playing the race track. In other words, 20 minutes in the company of Chuck is all I can take.
The Wandering Earth - Cixin Liu - An entertaining collection of sci-fi stories, none as gripping as his massive 3 Body Problem trilogy. There's a movie based on the title track that I have no plans to see any time soon.
Children of Men - P.D. James - another bit of sci-fi that was turned into a hit movie. Standard dystopian fare.
Non-fiction
On China - Henry Kissinger - If you're a Sinophile or a student of international diplomacy, a must read; if neither, a 600 page slog. I had no idea the Sino-Soviet split was that serious and intense.
Cambodia's Curse - Immensely depressing modern history of an inherently depressing subject. Illiteracy, malnutrition, poverty, corruption - LOTS of corruption (half the foreign aid shoveled into Cambodia goes to waste to line officials' pockets). A hopeless country.
A History of the World in 6 Glasses - Much needed light relief after that. The impact of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, Coca-Cola on human civilization - short, breezy pop history.
Currently (Fiction)
The Book of Jamaica - Russell Banks - just started in on this last night. The first chapter involving a decadent Errol Flynn makes the book seem promising.
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