Book on Lorenzo Bolla

The Testaments

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Testaments

by Margaret Atwood • 2019

Why

Sequel of The Handmaid’s Tale.

The Handmaid's Tale

Sat, 02 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The Handmaid's Tale

by Margaret Atwood • 1996

Why

I watched the TV series, so I knew the story. But when I grabbed the book in the bookstore and started reading, I was immediately captivated by the writing style: #Quotes below show some examples. I will definitely read more from Margaret Atwood.

What I liked

Writing style is stunning: dry and shocking like a punch, at times; slow and moving, the next page. It keeps you reading and shocks you. Ah, the story is also very entertaining.

Here Comes Everybody

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Here Comes Everybody

by Antony Burgess • 2019

Why

As a companion for Ulysses.

What I liked

The book gives a unitary view of A Portrait, Ulysses and Finnegans Wake. It’s beautifully written and quite short (which is a great quality). If one doesn’t feel like reading Joyce, this book is excellent on its own right to get a sense of the complexity and depth of Joyce’s works.

What I disliked

Nothing really. The only observation is that this is an “introductory” companion, meaning that one probably needs other secondary sources to help with Ulysses.

Ulisse

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ulisse

by James Joyce • 2026

Why

As a companion for Ulysses, in #italiano.

Ulysses Unbound

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ulysses Unbound

by Terence Killeen • 2018

Why

As a companion for Ulysses.

What I liked

The book is very schematic. Each chapter has the same structure: a summary of the corresponding chapter in Ulysses, an explanation of the literary style, which body part governs the narration. It’s an excellent book to read along the main work.

What I disliked

The book doesn’t provide novel insights: all it says can be found on Wikipedia or other online websites. Nonetheless, I appreciate having all the information in one place.

Understanding Media

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Understanding Media

by Marshall McLuhan • 1994

Why

I wanted to understand better what “The medium is the message ” sentence means. I also wanted to know if McLuhan’s framework can be applied to understand how the communication landscape will change with the advent of #AI technologies.

What I liked

The first few chapters are great. The whole framework is laid out and can be absorbed in few reading sessions. The second half of the book are “applications” of the framework itself, e.g. how radio or television shaped the communication landscape.

Ulysses

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Ulysses

by James Joyce • 1922

Why

Marshall McLuhan’s Understanding Media tickled my interest for James Joyce: Finnegans Wake was the author’s favorite book. I read FW’s first lines and I thought immediately I needed some help. Antony Burgess introduction convinced me that I would probably enjoy Ulysses better: I had read The Dubliners before and I’m not really that interested in A Portrait. More over Ulysses has this aura of being a difficult book and I didn’t quite know what the story was about…

Crystal Mentality

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Crystal Mentality

by Max Harms • 2017

Why

Second volume of The Crystal trilogy. First book is Crystal Society.

What I liked

What I disliked

Crystal Society

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Crystal Society

by Max Harms • 2016

Why

I heard about Max Harms on the 80000 hours podcast, talking about AI alignment.

What I liked

From the outside, most humans interact with the AI (protagonist of the book) as if it was a single coherent entity: but it isn’t. The AI is a “society” (hence the title of the book) of interacting “personalities”. The analog is obviously with AI agents, each focused on their narrow goal, called The Purpose. The AI’s personality then arises from the interaction of often opposing goals, in a mostly democratic way. There is no single dominant “agent”, but they cooperate to advance their purpose.