Yeah. That’ll do.
This really is just the absolute bedrock of true crime. Stephen King, Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Harris, etc., all owe a huge debt. But unlike many things that serve as a template or the first of something that is later improved upon, this is still a damn well-written book.
I appreciated that Capote only showed you the violence when necessary. It’s clear he himself didn’t want to go there, but also needed to understand why. And he, Dewey, Susan, and the reader are all left without a satisfying answer.
Good lord. Good book.
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Jesse Atkinson's books
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Jesse Atkinson has read 0 of 12 books.
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Jesse Atkinson reviewed In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Review of 'In cold blood : a true account of a multiple murder and its consequences' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Jesse Atkinson rated Functional programming in Scala: 5 stars
Jesse Atkinson reviewed How to Read and Why by Harold Bloom
Review of 'How to Read and Why' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
The intro is good. The individual chapters are great IF you've read those books. But they're quite useless and spoiler-y if you haven't.
This title is misleading. This is more "Here's some very important books Harold Bloom likes and wanted to write about why he liked them so much." Which is fine. But it's definitely not "How to Read and Why".
Jesse Atkinson reviewed As I lay dying by William Faulkner (William Faulkner manuscripts ;)
Review of 'As I lay dying' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I get it. It’s good. Frustrating prose at times. But compelling character study.
Nearly everyone in this book sucks except Cash and Darl until he uhhhh ya know. And I feel bad for Dewey.
Anse Bundren can fuck right off.
Jesse Atkinson reviewed My Struggle Book Five by Karl Ove Knausgård
Jesse Atkinson rated The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: 3 stars
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, #1)
Despite constant efforts to declutter your home, do papers still accumulate like snowdrifts and clothes pile up like a tangled …
Jesse Atkinson rated Beyond the Curve (Modern Japanese Writers Series): 3 stars
Jesse Atkinson reviewed Min kamp by Karl Ove Knausgård
Jesse Atkinson rated Akira, Vol. 1: 5 stars
Jesse Atkinson rated Akira, Vol. 2: 5 stars
Jesse Atkinson reviewed My Struggle Book Three by Karl Ove Knausgård
Review of 'My Struggle Book Three' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Took me an embarrassingly long time to read. Not quite as engaging as the first two volumes. A lot like the film “Boyhood”. A good read. And a stark and honest account of what it’s like to go through puberty.
Jesse Atkinson rated Tmux: Productive Mouse-Free Development: 4 stars
Review of 'Modern Vim: Craft Your Development Environment with Vim 8 and Neovim' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Really solid modern advice. Although at times it feels like a glorified blog post rather than a deep dive. And often turns into “use this plugin by tpope”. Solid book and I learned a fair amount. But not a must read for vim nerds.
Jesse Atkinson reviewed The shape of design by Frank Chimero
Review of 'The shape of design' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Solid book. A little too fluffy at times. But great messages for anyone who creates or designs for a living. Even a software engineer like me finds the lessons here applicable. I just wish he’d have gotten into the weeds a bit more. Feels too surface-y at times.