I spent a few days finishing Liu Zhenyun’s new novel A Salty Joke. Overall, it is a solid and complete work that still carries his signature narrative style and social concern. But frankly, it is neither as weighty as A Sentence Is Worth Ten Thousand nor as entertaining as I Am Liu Yuejin.
It is a good novel, but it does not deliver a real surprise.
1. Formal experimentation: fresh, but not fully mature # A Salty Joke makes clear structural experiments:
In many literary works, there is a recurring type of character: they do not change their fate through extraordinary talent or impossible luck events, but by staying consistently “lucky” as if favored by destiny. In Chinese storytelling, this type is often called a “fortunate general.”
Cheng Yaojin in Romance of Sui and Tang and Wei Xiaobao in The Deer and the Cauldron are two of the most representative examples of this archetype.
I recently reread Romance of Sui and Tang and noticed that Qin Qiong (Qin Shubao) in that novel has some surprisingly thought-provoking similarities with Song Jiang in Water Margin. Both are known for loyalty and righteousness. Both rose to prominence in turbulent times. Yet they ended with completely different life outcomes. The comparison is worth careful reflection.
1. A similar starting point: heroism, filial piety, and Jianghu reputation # When people mention Qin Qiong, they often think of heroism, filial piety, Wagang stronghold, and military bravery. For Song Jiang, the keywords are heroism, filial piety, Liangshan, and leadership.
Whenever it is time to summarize, I feel how fast time passes. Half of 2024 is already over. Thanks to a long Spring Festival holiday, I read nearly 20 books in the first half of the year. So here is a light summary.
In April, I also completed the 365-day WeRead reading challenge and received a one-year membership plus 500 book coins.
Rating guide:
2/5: not very recommended
3/5: average
Thanks to smartphones and smart devices, e-reading has become popular and is the main reading method for many people.
Compared with paper books, e-reading has many advantages: portability, more free resources, and more options.
When I was in high school, even without smartphones, some classmates used MP4 devices to read web novels.
In college I started reading e-books on a Nokia phone. There were already reading apps and many free e-books online, but paper books were still my main choice.
Compared with 2022, I read more books in 2023, but the range of genres narrowed. Most were literary works, and many were short story collections.
As before, I rate every book I finished in 2023 (unfinished books are not included). I also record why I read each book and my impressions. At the end, I summarize my current thoughts about reading.
Rating guide:
1/5: not recommended 2/5: not very recommended 3/5: ok if you have time 4/5: recommended 5/5: highly recommended Reading log # Books are listed in the order I read them.
Last month, the first film in the “Creation of the Gods” trilogy was released. I watched an early screening. The feeling was mixed and left me wanting more, so I went back to the original novel “The Investiture of the Gods.” Reading it again brought new thoughts. The biggest change is that the book reads differently now. Age changes how we see things.
First, the film # The film has been out for a month and the reputation has stabilized. Even if you have not seen it, you likely saw clips.
I finished several good books in June and want to summarize briefly.
“Ring” (Suzuki Koji) - Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ # “Ring” is the original novel behind the Japanese horror film, but it is actually science fiction. The premise is advanced and the core ideas are meaningful.
I previously wrote a short note about it.
“1587: A Year of No Significance” - Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ # Ray Huang’s classic work of macro-history. It analyzes key figures such as the Wanli Emperor, Zhang Juzheng, Hai Rui, and Qi Jiguang, revealing deep problems that led to the Ming dynasty’s decline. The writing is vivid and easy to read.
I do not remember when I watched the film “The Ring.” I only remember Sadako crawling out of the TV. That iconic scene has been referenced in many works, mostly in a playful way.
Last year I saw a book recommendation video on Bilibili. The book was the original novel “Ring.” What shocked me was that it is science fiction. Adapting a sci-fi novel into a horror film sounded unbelievable. At that time I was only curious, not interested in reading. But the fact stuck with me.
Compared with last year, I made progress in both the number and the variety of books. I read about 19 books (there may be omissions), covering science fiction, history, mystery, popular science, open source, literature, and more.
Below I list them one by one and give each book a personal rating out of 5.
Rating guide:
1/5: not recommended 2/5: not very recommended 3/5: ok if you have time 4/5: recommended 5/5: highly recommended Novels # The Gadfly # Author: Ethel Lilian Voynich Genre: classic literature Source: WeRead Rating: 1/5 The novel depicts Italian revolutionaries in the 1830s resisting Austrian rule and shapes the image of the revolutionary “Gadfly.” It deals with struggle, faith, and sacrifice. Although it is often labeled “red,” to me it reads more like a tragedy about the protagonist’s yearning for paternal love and the pain of never receiving it. Overall, not recommended.
