"..high-quality products and services. Comforted by the sanctuary of filtered order in a world of sensory overload, we might unintentionally narrow our horizons, depriving ourselves of opportunities. Cherished values like community, free speech, and privacy could be diminished."
The Control Revolution by Andrew Shapiro (1999). Read this in grad school, and must admit I was naive. I described the chapter on 'Narrowing Our Horizons" as "unlikely." Boy, was I wrong!
Had been thinking about this book recently, and a revisit finds it startling prescient.
"...individual control can be pushed too far. Enthralled with the idea of taking power from politicians, media giants, and price-inflating middlemen, we may lose sight of the benefits of representative democracy and the need for intermediaries who bring us reliable news and...
Not where I would suggest someone to begin with Vance, but after struggling to get into Araminta Station the series started to loosen up for me. Where else can one find the dense lyrical prose and description, humorous cynicism, and world building better than a Vance book?
Just delivered. After working through the essential Jack Vance (Dying Earth, Cugel, Demon Princes, Lyonesse, et al.) I have arrived at Throy, the final book in the Cadwal trilogy.
Oliver Twist. My most recent Charles Dickens read. This 1898 edition isn't in perfect shape, but for twenty cents from the Cazenovia Library book sale, it's difficult to beat the hours of entertainment it provided.
The language is thick at first, but the effort fades away as it envelops you with depth and detail. The faint must, delicate vellum, and beautiful illustrations all add the experience. I love finding things in used books, like this Christmas note about Barb having scarlet fever.
Burn by Peter Heller is what I would call literary apocalypse fiction. This book was a recent gift, and as a signed first edition from @islandbooksobx, may be the fanciest book I own. Simultaneously a likely/not likely story that's really about the people inhabiting it.
Excerpt from Snow Crash (1992) by Stephenson. My shabby highlight job. Heck, you could probably just highlight the whole book. There's a lot of good words.
A senior audit student recommended Stranger in a Strange Land (1961) to me. He was a fantastic participant in a small, strange photo class. We were talking about science fiction and I asked him if he had any suggestions. This edition from the library has beautiful typography.