Books

Day 16: Death in Venice

A book about age, illness, decay, and obsessing over a teenage boy so hard that you die. There’s a lot going on underneath the fairly mild surface, which is typical for Mann. 

I love writing that draws on classical stories and myths, which this does heavily. But Mann is subtle about it mostly and I prefer it to hit me on the head like a billy club. 

It’s an unsettling book on every level. You feel like a sick old degenerate just reading it. For a book without deep cringe that handles some of the same themes, I recommend Narcissus and Goldmund by Hesse. 

That being said, it’s undeniably a classic. Four stars for its type.

Day 17: The Jungle Book 

A series of fable-ish stories mostly populated by animal characters, including a bunch that don’t star Mowgli. 

The Mowgli stories are the best known for good reason. The Rikki-Tikki-Tavi story is the second strongest. The rest are good but not noteworthy. 

My 6yo and I both had a pretty tepid reaction to it. If you’re out of content to read with your kids, go for it. But here are some alternatives I’d recommend more strongly:

Better orphan story: The Graveyard Book

Better animal story: Watership Down

Better adventure: Treasure Island 

Better Kipling: Captains Courageous 

Four stars carried on Mowgli’s little man cub back