reality is not what it seems

Carlo Rovelli picked a great title when he chose Reality is Not What it Seems for this follow up to his Seven Brief Lessons on Physics,* which started out a pamphlet and became an international best seller. Rovelli talks a little bit about this in the introduction; how this book came to be; how people had been asking him to explain the theories of quantum gravity in layman's terms, which he was reluctant to try and do. He did try when pressed, and the result was a small book, but because of its popularity, he was pressed further to expand on that work and the result, he explains, is this book.

I will go ahead and tell you now, that I was quoting phrases, and reading passages out loud to anyone who would listen. my apologies to my family When I finished, I gave the book to my wife and recommended that she read it.

In the first few chapters, Rovelli traces the history of where we are in physics, and our understanding of how the universe works. How scientists and philosophers built upon the work of their predecessors to unlock the secrets of the universe as we know it. Because I am interested in this kind of thing, I had a pretty good idea about where we are and how we got there, but the story that Rovelli tells both provided missing links in the trail of information, extended what I understood and how different theories relate to one another, and in a way that was both succinct, and mesmerizing. Two chapters in and I was hooked.

Rovelli then goes on to describe quantum physics, and what we know about it, building upon what we've learned in the past, until he gets to the point where the theories aren't proven yet, and its still conjecture and competing theses. He points out that there are two main branches of theories, the one he is working on and believes in, and the other, which is string theory. You got me about which is correct, or more correct, but he makes a passionate argument.

Read this Book--I enjoyed it thoroughly--but maybe only if you are interested in this kind of stuff. Its good, but I'm not sure how much general appeal it will have for the less geekily inclined.

* You can download a copy of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by clicking here.

 

 

book of illusions

The Book of Illusions is a novel Paul Auster, published in 2002, and was apparently pretty well received at the time. I don't really follow things like that, but they show up when I do a little searching to put together my review, and lots of book descriptions say it was nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award in 2004. His work is generally lauded, I've come to understand. Go Paul Auster.

I picked this one up at the book sale at the Moses Greeley Parker Memorial Library in Dracut, Massachusetts. Library books sales are one of my favorite ways to find books. Lost of times the library will stock up on new books that are very popular so they can meet the demand. Often times it is the Friends of the Library group, who helps to funds these additional copies so that patrons aren't disappointed by not being able to secure a copy of the latest popular book by being put on a wait list. Once the rush is over, the library may begin to sell off additional copies to make room for the new popular title.

I enjoyed this false history* story very much. David Zimmer is a professor who stumbles upon some thought to be lost silent movies by a less than well known actor from the 1920s, and contemporary of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Zimmer takes advantage of the discovery to create a project to help help cope with recent tragedy that has also left him with more time on his hands than he wants, and extra spending money to follow this pursuit. He takes it upon himself to find out all he can, and write the definitive book on this unknown champion of the silent film genre.

What he eventually finds changes his life more than he expected, and some of those experiences tilt into the surreal. I have read anything by Auster in the past that I recall, but I really like his writing style. Its direct, pared down, clean and easy to read. Like all the best writers, Auster is invisible, and the story just feels like its being absorbed rather than read and interpreted. Auster's first person story telling seamless slipped between Zimmer's story, the silent movies plots he was watching, and the book he was writing. All of which seem to inform, reflect, and in some cases foreshadow one another. Art evincing art, evincing art.

I'll keep my eye out for Paul Auster. Auster died last April at 77. Read this book. 

 

*In 2010, Duke Special recorded an album in tribute to the 12 fictional lost movies of the fictional silent film star, Hector Mann, in Auster's book. The 12 tracks on the album have the same names as the 12 silent films described in The Book of Illusions. Wild.

hail mary

Andy Weir, of The Martian fame, has revisited those roots for Project Hail Mary. The protagonist, Ryland Grace, has many of the same traits as the astronaut, Mark Watney in The Martian: he's a scientist at heart, and because of his love of science, he believes in the scientific method and its ability to solve problems. And man, are there problems. Weir's infectious love of science is clearly the seed planted in both of these characters, and his ability to use it to drive a story is what makes his stories stand out. 

What I read years ago, is that hard science fiction, relied on the futuristic technologies to support the story line, whereas soft sci-fi are more character driven stories, and the future and its technologies are more of a setting, which may help to enable the character stories in ways that may not be possible with our current understanding of science and technology. Weir is, by contrast, writing science fiction built on known science and technologies. Not as much in this book, as The Martian, however. Things get pretty wild in this one, but Weir's Ryland Grace uses the scientific method to understand and adapt these newer technologies and materials to solve problems.

What these two stories have in common then, are that they are both like complicated puzzle rooms, that if not solved will kill you. In The Martian, the astronaut had to continuously solve problems, using science and logic, to prevent his instant death. If only to increase the chances that he might ultimately survive. Project Hail Mary steps it up a notch. Not only does Ryland Grace have to work to stay alive, he simultaneously needs to solve a larger puzzle, which has all of humanity on the line. So this one steps further into that hard sci-fi sub-genre.

Weir uses an interesting plot structure that relies on flashbacks which Ryland Grace can't make sense of at first, as he recovers from memory loss. Memory loss which also hampers his ability to problem solve in some ways, at a time when its obviously critically needed.

According to the interwebs buzz, this book has been optioned for a movie, and we may actually see that in the next year or two. Based on my reading, its seems like a good candidate for a movie. This is Weir's third novel (that I'm aware of.) His second, Artemis was good too. You can read my review of that book here.

Read this book. Especially if you liked his other novels.

This review is for a book I read a while ago, and I'm trying to catch-up on the pile of books I read in 2024 that I didn't write about. You can see that hole in my blog entries listed on The Books tab at the top of the page.

on-the-fringe

Sweeney On-the-Fringe is a short, sweet little novel by Dave Robinson, which states on the cover that it is "Based on the notes of Owen Kivlin" <--you can see it right there * who is the narrator of the book, and the 'compiler' of the various stories about Sweeney, and poems written by Sweeney, which were either either left around, or more often mailed to the narrator by Sweeney, from some exotic local where Sweeney was invariably surfing and relaxing. The motivation behind the telling, is that no one has seen or heard from Sweeney at the time Owen Kivlin begins to try and figure out both where Sweeney may have gone, and why he left. He attempts to figure out the mystery of Sweeney by trying to discover more about him; a folk tale of their fictional Massachusetts, seaside town of Seawell, located at the mouth of the Merrimack River. 

The small town, we soon find out, is actually a small city, and the name, its location--and the author's home town--all point to Seawell being inspired by Lowell, Massachusetts, combined with some other small, New Englandy towns. The Merrimack River actually meets the Atlantic between Newburyport and Salisbury, Massachusetts. Neither of which is a city, nor has a university, and I don't think either has an airport [nope, hold it, looks like Plum Island has a small airport.] Plum Island is a pretty big island that runs north-south along the coast of Newburyport, and apparently, you can surf there, as well as north of the river's mouth, at Salisbury Beach.

Sweeney is the story of a local legend. That guy from a few years ago, who always seemed to be able to do whatever he wanted, and no one could figure out how, and most couldn't figure out why. The story is told through a series of transcribed interviews with, and letters from, people who knew Sweeney; interspersed with Sweeney's own poems. The interesting part is that Sweeney knew a lot of people, from different generations and walks of life, and they all knew different parts of his story, but none knew his whole story. And even by the end of the novel, Owen Kivlin still doesn't know all there is to know about this enigmatic man who touched all of their lives, in profound and subtle ways.

In the 'About the Author' blurb in the backmatter, the author indicates that this 2007 novel is the first in a trilogy. A quick look around the interwebs turns up only this: Sweeney In Effable, which is a single volume containing five books, one of which is Sweeney On-the-Fringe. The description of Effable on it's Amazon page includes this line:

"This contemporary protagonist is based on the ancient Irish legend from Trevor Joyce's translation, Sweeny Peregrine, with a nod to Seamus Heaney's Sweeney Astray." 

So there is a tradition for this slippery, Loki-esque or Pan-like character. This one was a fun ride.

Read this Book.

* Another thing you can see on the cover, is the horrible font they used for the title, which unfortunately, follows us throughout the book. I was thinking, what does on-the-Frince even mean?

space between worlds

I'm pretty sure this book came from the book sale at my local library. It didn't seem like anyone had even opened it when I picked it up (for a dollar or two!) so I assume it was a gift or something. you missed out, bro! Micaiah Johnson is a young author from the desert west, and The Space Between Worlds is her first book, from 2020. She has a new one out now, which is called Those Beyond the Wall.

Sci Fi is one of my go-tos but I don't often get the chance to read something new and great, and this was both. Johnson has created an alternative world, which may be in our future, or it may be in an alternate universe, very similar to ours. And we aren't alone. Johnson's protagonist, Cara, is a bridge between the world of poverty and oppression she was born into, and the shining white city on a hill where she is currently employed. She is also the bridge between the infinite worlds of the multiverse, playing the various versions of people and places that exist in each, but only tuned to a different frequency, Cara finds that she can learn from, borrow from, and interact with different versions of the people she knows, weaving their frequencies together in a song only she can hear, discordant though it may be.

There is also conflict within Cara, between the two parts of herself that struggle with wanting to be true to her roots in poverty, while striving to become accepted in the city she works in. To complicate her struggle, their are people she loves in both worlds, people she both wants to be with, and not disappoint.

The interplay and layers of realities and relationships, and how Cara finds her way between and around them, is what makes this story work so well. Classicism and prejudice are more ingrained, more ineradicable, in this world. And because that is so, its all the more grating and ruinous. The peoples that populate this world take it for granted; its a given, and that starkness is both an unflattering mirror of our own world, and heartbreaking in its despair. 

Johnson has created a world that is both hard to look at, and too beautiful to ignore, peopled by characters with similar qualities. I enjoyed this all the way through. Good for you Micaiah Johnson. 

Read this book.

golden enclaves

That's Book Three: done and dusted. The Golden Enclaves is the third book in the Scholomance Trilogy by Naomi Novik, which I banged out is pretty quick order, for me. That normally means that the books are engaging enough that I'm going out of my way to find reading time, rather than just reading a little at breakfast, and when I go to bed. That methods usually ends up turning your average novel into a two to three week ordeal.

Novik did everything right here: compelling characters and storyline, some drama, some hooks, some fun, some romance, some action, some surprise, some death, a smackerel of foreshadowing, see what I did there? and as I said in my review of the first book, an original and engaging view of how magic works in this version of our world. And that magic and how it works is not just interesting, but it plays heavily into the story, and how the witches and wizards that use it need to manage its needs and implications. Reminds me a little of Isaac Asimov's three rules for robots. Once he came up with the rules, he wrote a series of short stories (I, Robot) to test them and see how they might function is 'real life' settings. Novik does the same thing, she pokes a prods at magic through her characters to see what it will do, testing the rules and implications.

If you enjoyed the Harry Potter series, enjoyed The Magicians books even more, but weren't as much of a fan of Narnia Series, then this is probably for you. The Bone Season has some similarities as well, in the interesting view of magic in our world, but the Scholomance is much better written.

Novik crushed it. Read this book.

 

last graduate

Part two of the Scholomance Trilogy is called The Last Graduate. Naomi Novik is pretty well practiced at multi-novel story arcs, she has a series called Temeraire, that has 10 books in it. You can find more about that, and Naomi Novik, as well as some kind of web interactive trip to the Scholomance on her website.

I had to wait for this book at the library as it was reserved by someone else, but I banged out a few others while I waited, but now that this one is done, I've started on the third book, as I bought a surplus copy at my library's book sale. Unlike a lot of middle books in trilogies, The Last Graduate is really the second part of a longer story, and it really does pick up right where the first book left off. And sneak peek: the same is true between the second and the third. I'm not sure if these books would read so well if taken alone, or out of order, but then, I don't think any writer assumes that will be the case, and any subtle summarizing of the earlier book is probably done to catch up those who have had to wait a year, or however long its been, since the earlier book was published.

Book two develops the main characters in more detail, and we watch them grow in this book from the juniors they were in Book one, to the seniors they are now, getting ready to graduate from the Scholomance. This story took some turns I wasn't expecting, but I guess that is the plan. I don't normally spend any time while reading trying to work out the ending, but in some cases I'm not surprised, and in others, I am. This was one of the latter type, which is always fun. Novik does a pretty good job of convincing you of one thing, along with the protagonists, only to then change your mind, and win you over about something you didn't think you'd ever change your mind about, taking you on the same journey as the characters. That's tough to do, and can sometimes seems clunky. The worse of which is just the explainer, whether to a supporting character, or even worse, in inner dialog.

I reserved judgement on this when i wrote about the first one, because I wasn't sure where this was going to go, but I'm going assume the third book is going finish this story up nicely, and say Read this Book.

 

On a side note, this series has the backbone that I think people look for in a movie premise, or more likely a TV series. I can imagine something with a fair amount of production value that might be pretty good on the small screen. Diverse cast, international scope, and enough intrigue to pull in various types of viewers.

sea of tranquility

Sea of Tranquility was on the New York Times Bestseller List, according to the cover of this paperback I picked up at my library's book sale while waiting for my shot at the second book in a trilogy I just started. That's not why I bought it, it was because the blurb on the back cover made this one sound like a wild romp with some Cloud Atlas vibes.

It was, but not AS out there as Cloud Atlas.

Emily St. John Mandel tells a pretty good tale. She probably best known as the author of Station Eleven, which they apparently made a mini-series out of over at the HBO Max, which, in case it isn't obvious, I haven't seen. St. John Mandel is also the author of The Glass Hotel, a blurb of which is included in the backmatter of this book, and if i understand that paragraph correctly, that book may include some of the same characters as this one. Another reminder of David Mitchell.

And I just needed to read the first line of this book to know that St. John Mandel is a funny woman.

Sea of Tranquility did nod in the David Mitchell direction, for me, but the story line was completely original, albeit with some time traveling antics that I guess we've all seen before, but how they're woven together here was a treat. This was a good one, and I'll keep my eye out for books by Emily St. John Mandel.*

Read this book.

 

* Moments after publishing this post, I was cleaning up by closing browser tabs and read at the very top of Emily St. John Mandel's website, these words, "St. John is my middle name. The books go under M." I guess that's pretty clear, and apparently happens often enough that its the first line on her page. Mandel is a funny woman.

deadly education

On a recent visit to my local library's book sale shelf, I found what ends up being the third book in a trilogy, about young magicians enrolled in a magic school of some kind. I was intrigued, but after discovering it was book three, I decided I should check out the first books before committing to the two-dollar purchase price my library was looking to collect for a used hard cover. that's frugality, right there

I found the first two volumes in the library catalog, and because my library is currently under construction, and I was standing in the gymnasium of a former elementary school which currently serves as the temporary home for my library, I needed the librarian’s help to collect the book from the closed stacks. That was just a few days ago.

I sailed through this book. 

It was an easy, well-paced and exciting read. I returned the book just a few days later, and immediately tried to secure the second volume, only to find that the one copy the library has is currently out, and another patron had a hold on it, when it returns. So I added my name to the hold list, and then picked up a few more books from the book sale in the meantime.* I’m currently enjoying once of those, while I wait for my turn at book two of the Scholomance Trilogy, called The Last Graduate.

Book one is called A Deadly Education. Naomi Novik has written a few other books, including a whole bunch of books in her Temeraire Series, which seems to be about alternate history, dragons, and whatnot, but I don't recall ever reading any of her stuff. Novik also has a number of fantasy short stories that are often included in fantasy anthologies, so maybe I've run across one or two of those.

The Scholomance is the name of the school these young magical folks attend. This ain't Hogwarts or Brakebills. I was gratified to read Novik's take on a magical school, and how different it is from so many other's. It seems that when a particular literary archetype has been written about enough, the traits become so standardized that if a vampire doesn't cringe at garlic, we're all thinking, "That can't be true!" Its refreshing to read a story that breaks that mold, and Naomi Novik has built a world where magic, what powers it, and how it is taught is different from the other books I've read. There will be some hard-core magic  readers out there who've read everything is this genre magical realism? fabulism? swords & sorcery, sans swords? who beg to differ, and please do, I just haven't read anything quite like this before.

Book one is fast paced, well plotted, and exciting, with spots of action, trauma, classism, and a kind of teen rage-angst that could blacken stars and end worlds. 

Maybe that will be in part two... [rubs hands together like an evil spirit watching politics.]

* When I went back to return book one and reserve book two, the third book was still on the book sale shelf, so I bought it, along with a few others. cue more hand rubbing

number 9 dream

This may be David Mitchell's second book. [I guess I could look that up... Yes, it is, published in 2001.]

I don't recall if I read his first book, but if not, I'll probably look it up and put it on my list. [I guess I could check that too... David Mitchell's first book is Ghostwritten, 1999, and I've haven't read it, ,so I guess that is now on my list.] So, according to this list, I've read all of his stand alone novels except for the first, and the last. His most recent book, Utopia Avenue, I haven't read. Not sure how I missed it, but yes, that is now on my list as well.

David Mitchell is one of my favorite writers. Why? Because of the ideas he's exploring in this early work: depth of story, reliance on the reader to carry their weight, surrealism, stream of consciousness story telling, a blending of the mystical, the magical, the spiritual, and one's own reality; which importantly, may not be the reality of others.

Maybe that's a heavy lift for some; for me, I say, "Bring it. Let's do this!" I am all in, and you want to switch from dreams to waking state without a cue card? Go ahead. Do I need to be waved at to follow what you're writing about? Nope. Does that cause me to sometimes loose track? Yep, but we all loose track sometimes, and writing that reflects that reality in my life is a bonus.

If you feel that the writer has a responsibility to hold your hand, tell you it will be okay, and plot a straight (or curvy) course from the beginning to the end, David Mitchell may not be for you. If writing that makes you feel like you can predict what will happen next, or even how the story will end is important to you, David Mitchell may not be for you. If you don't want to wonder if what you're reading in this moment is actually part of this story, part of another story, part of the protagonist's story, or is related to some completely other story that you're unaware of, David Mitchell may not be for you. If you didn't love the fact that Bill Murray whispered in Scarlett Johansson's ear in "Lost in Translation," and you won't ever know never, ever know what they said, then David Mitchell may not be for you.

If you are looking for something that challenges you to keep up, and expects you to bring your thinking game AND your sense of humor, then Number 9 Dream may be for you. The title comes from a John Lennon's song title of the same name, and I have to admit, I don't know it. A popular search about that song, according to google, is "What is #9Dream about?" I took a quick listen, and its got that mid-70s, ex-Beatles vibe with a little Yoko Ono thrown in there. What is it about? Don't know, maybe google does. yeah, here's me, not looking that up for you

Lennon does make an appearance in the story tho, in Eiji Miyake's dream, as I assume you've Imagined he would. see what I did there?

Eiji Mikake is lost. Lost in Tokyo, lost in loss, lost for words, lost without love, lost and alone. Mitchell has spun a fairy tale of modern life, with glimpses at loss, grief, panic, love, determination, violence, support, and growth. Is it flawless? No. Is it worth reading? Yes.

Read this book, and then find the other things David Mitchell has written and read those too.

 

Note: This should have been published when I originally wrote it, in mid-August. I've finished a few since then, so its catch up time.

river of doubt

At some point in February or March, I read River of Doubt, by Candice Millard, but I didn't get a chance to write about it. It was probably after Wool, but before Shift. I probably spent my time working on my post about why March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb instead of writing about this.

I heard from someone that I should read this, and its been a while since I put it on my list. It even made it to this blog; you can find it in the "notes and scribbles" applet at the bottom right of the page. The link takes you to the hardcover version of the book, so its probably been there a while.

In any case, I can see why, this was a good one. I'm not a big nonfiction fan, but I did like this one. I had no idea about this trip that Roosevelt took into the interior of the Amazon, which he decided to take just after his losing bid for the presidency in 1912. Millard lays out the trip from the early conception and planning stages through to its completion, along with some anecdotal information about the later lives of some of the expedition's members in an epilogue.

Most of the story is based on notes, letters, news stories and reports, and other documents. It seemed to me that very little needed to be glossed over by the author; she was able to find documentation for nearly every event and every day of the expedition. 

I was surprised and how difficult and trying this trip was without my never hearing about it. By the end, I was amazed that the party even made out alive.

wool

Wool is one of those books I had on a list somewhere, so that probably means I heard it was good at some point. Maybe Will told me about this one? Wool is the first book in a trilogy that I think is called the Silo Series by Hugh Howey. I don’t recall reading anything by Howey before but I’ll check here on the blog as I’m writing this sitting on a plane to Florida and I can’t check. [Just checked: nope]

Wool falls into the dystopian, soft sci fi box but it differs from a lot of the other stuff in that box in many ways. The premise is pretty original, at least in my experience, and the scope is very limited which I think helps the story because it’s so pared down.

The focus of the story seems to shift from where we thought we were when we first started reading, and then once we refocus, it shifts again. I think that helps to create empathy with the characters in the story as the story arc reveals more about this place, these people, and their situation.

Howey is able to build tension along the way while still keeping tight control of the narrative and how much we learn as we go.

There is intrigue, passion, righteousness, love, rebellion, murder, ingenuity, mystery, and a little taste of the horrifying.

I’ll be looking for the next books in this series. [Update: picked the next one up at the library. Its next.]

Read this book.

lord of the rings

Is this a re-read? Yes.

This may be the fourth time I've read this... maybe? could be the fifth? The first time I was a teen; maybe 15 or so? I suppose I could do that math, but the results would include some guess work. I was assigned The Hobbit in the 8th grade, and then I actually read The Hobbit the summer after the 8th grade. I think I read The Lord of the Rings in high school, which I borrowed from my Uncle, or.... maybe he got another copy and gave me his old one? Yes, I think that's right, those iconic 1970s paperbacks, as shown on the left.

The second time I read through them I read these same books, but after a while, they started to take a beating, and the glue binding was starting to break down. So at some point, I bought a one volume paperback edition. I did the one volume thing so I could get to the appendixes when I needed to. In the three volume versions, the appendixes only appear in the third volume, so you need to carry that around if you need it. The one volume paperback is fine, but the stresses on the glue binding are too much and its been falling apart for a while. Because of its size, its also cumbersome to read, and I eventually went out and bought a three volume set of paperbacks, which is what I read the last time through, in 2016. But the one volume is fun, I think I'm going to try and re-bind it.

After reading through this a few times, I've begun to see some of the rhythms in Tolkien's writing shining through a bit. There are some spots where he seems to be impatient to get to the next (major) point and the narrative, and doesn't provide as much of the detail of those moves are accomplished as he had in other places. I wonder if this is pressure from publishers, or a self-imposed pressure or editing on his own part. You may have heard that one of Tolkien's regrets about The Lord of the Rings is that its too short. In response to the questions and opinions of critics and others, Tolkien offers no quarter, response or apology, in his Forward to the Second Edition, but offers only this to those who have complained that the book was too long:

"The most critical reader of all, myself, now finds many defects, minor and major, but being fortunately under no obligation either to review the book or to write it again, he will pass over these in silence, except one that has been noted by others: the book is too short."

This can probably be read two ways: at face value, or as a subtle jab at his critics, which was only partly meant or facetious. After having read through a number of times, I believe Tolkien did have more story to tell, and while he may not have been referring to The Lord of the Rings specifically, I think he did see a number of his works still spinning in his head, which he was unable to get into print. Tolkien complained a number of times about not having his notes in order, and that peccadillo, along with the rigors of his non-writing life, prevented him from bringing many of those other stories to fruition. I wonder what we'd have if Tolkien had a computer. Would it have increased his productivity, and if so, would there have been a cost to that, in the quality of his work? Perhaps from a lessening of the contemplative way he wrote, and re-wrote, in longhand? mmmm...

All this to say, I believe I've said it all in other reviews of this book. I didn't break down my review this time into three chunks to correspond to the traditional three volumes, only because this is well traveled ground, both for me and for many others. I did want to get some of my thoughts down on why reading a one volume editions vs. the three volume (they both have pros and cons) and on the length of the tale itself. On that point I will add that if you are left wanting more, there is a little more in the Appendices, and I can recommend highly enough that you read them. In fact, back in 2016, when I read through all of these books the last time, as noted above, I recommended that if you are re-reading the Middle Earth books that you read the Appendices first, right after The Silmarillion, and before The Hobbit. This time I was just reading The Lord of the Rings, but I did read all of the notes in the front matter, and the Appendices at the back, before I began the body of the text.

Tolkien is a champion world-builder and creator of mythologies. The Lord of the Rings has a depth and richness that is unmatched by most of its counterparts in fantastic fiction. It still has staying power, the ability to thrill and entertain, even after multiple readings, which hasn't been dimmed by the films, in my mind at least.

Read this book.

read this book

'Read this book' or a version of that statement, is typically the last line in one of my book reviews for a book that I am recommending. Sometimes I qualify that recommendation, and many times I add something like 'and do it right now' if I think the book is great. Anyone who has read through this blog a little has probably noticed that.

Now, I've spend a hour or so, and I went back through each of my 550 posts over the past 13 years and I've found all of those books that I've given the 'Read this Book' credit to and tagged them that way. So, if you mouse on over to the tag cloud on the right of the page titled "what i'm talking about" and click on the tag read this book, you'll get a sort of all of the reviews that have that tag, arranged in order of most recent to older.

As as was going through my past reviews, I found a few that probably should have included the Read this Book phrase, such as The Count of Monte Cristo, but if they didn't, I didn't tag them that way. I'm happy to report that there are very few books that I really liked that don't include my accolade of choice. Going forward, I will also tag future reviews in the same fashion.

I hope this is helpful to some. i'm hoping that its helpful to me too

the martian

The Martian is Andy Weir's first book. Obviously this book made a big splash, especially when you consider that Weir self-published this book originally! Gives hope to all the struggling novelists out there, right? yeah, me too I saw the movie a few years ago, and it was good and I figured I'd read this at some point, and as it often happens, I run into a book like this at a book sale. This copy came from a library book sale, and looks like a British copy, which may have been purchased for a flight home perhaps?

I read another book by Weir a couple of years ago, which I recommended. I said then that I'd seen some murmurs on line about potentially making a movie based on that book. Haven't seen it yet, but who knows. The Martian as a book, is much more involved than the movie, as is typically the case. So seeing the movie a few years ago didn't prevent me from enjoying this book at all. Writing a novel with a single protagonist, who has no one to speak to, seems like a daunting challenge, but Weir does a good job of delivering this story in way that kept me engaged from beginning to end. I enjoyed this more than I expected to.

What I think holds this story together is the science, and the problem solving Weir's character Mark Watney has to continually do in order to stay alive. As I said to my wife, understanding modern science and technology, the ability to project forward where the technology might go, and then using fiction to test those technologies is a tactic that many great SF authors have used. Asimov and Stephenson are two authors that come to mind that do this.

Read this book.

futuristic violence & fancy suits

David Wong is the pen name of Jason Pargin, who until somewhat recently was an editor of Cracked.com. Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits is his 2015 novel, and introduction to Zoey Ashe, which will appear--or has, by now appeared--in some future novels... Yep, a quick look tells me that Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick came out in October 2020. And can only assume that more are on the way. It looks like Wong writes under his own name now, but because David Wong is the author of the book I read, I'll just stick to that for the duration of this little ditty.

According to his website, David Wong has been surprised by the response to his novel writing, which began with his 2009 John Dies at the End, which was made into a movie in 2012. Not so surprised that he couldn't crack out a sequel or two for that one as well. I heard about the John Dies movie, but I didn't see it, and I didn't know that it was based on a book at the time; at least not that I can recall. I wouldn't have recognized Wong's name on the cover of this book, which I picked up at a library book sale, but the publisher helpfully included the John Dies credit on the cover for me. thanks, advertising The title was catchy, the artwork (on the softcover edition I read) reminded my of this cover, and that story was pretty good. 

And the cat flying through the air? That's some hijinx right there! So I bit, and it worked out pretty good. I think it was a dollar

I got about halfway through this thing, when I said to my oldest that this book looked like a movie script to me, and if it was done right, could be The Fifth Element of this time. Here's why I say that: Sci Fi/Action/Comedy, with dashes of mystery and romance, and a pinch of kitsch. All in the face of world-annihilating evil. Its a tricky recipe for story-telling, and there aren't a lot that can pull it off. Need another example: Kung Fu Hustle. Watch that immediately if you haven't seen it.* Its missing the world-annihilating-level evil, its more of a home-town-annihilating evil, but its got all of the other boxes checked.

This book checked the boxes for me, too. I was reading this outside my normal reading time. I was skipping other things, like chores and feeding myself, to read this one. It probably could have been 50 pages shorter, tho I'm not sure what exactly I would have cut. I can tell you that one word showed up a few too many times in the text for my taste, but maybe that's just me. Zoey Ashe is a great character, and Wong obviously had fun writing her. I can see why he'd want to reprise her in some other stories. I guess we'll see how that goes.

 

* This command assumes you've already seen The Fifth Element. If you haven't, put your hamster down, and go do that now. Then watch Kung Fu Hustle. Then Read This Book.

liar's dictionary

This book was weeded from my local library, I assume because they had multiple copies when it first came out. This is the second book/first novel from British author Eley Williams, if I'm understanding the book jacket information correctly. 

'Dictionary' in the title gave me my first clue that this was going to be a book by a word nerd author, and I was right; Williams is definitely a word hound and this book is just busting with them. Obscure, archaic, quirky, and just plain made up words.

The Liar's Dictionary is a story told in parallel, both now and in the past, * and centers on the little known Swansby's New Encyclopaedic Dictionary; which has lexicographers chipping away at words and their varied meanings, and somewhat more importantly, what the words mean to them. But that's not all, there is a little of everything here: love, romance, obsession, intrigue, terrorism, tragedy, mystery, censorship... yeah, everything.

Williams even lets her characters run off with the narrative, spinning away into streams of consciousness, and free associative thought processes, laid bare. That tactic is (thankfully) rare, but it lends a sense of realism that almost echos one's own thoughts while reading. And its funny! In many places, I got a kick out how these characters dealt with the stresses of their complicated, and interwoven lives. This book isn't very big, but there is lot in here. I'll be looking for Eley Williams' next venture.

Read this book.

 

On an unrelated note, invasion of your neighbor, Ukraine, seems like a crummy way to celebrate Defender of the Fatherland Day, or Red Army Day, this February 23rd, Vlad.

* the parallel stories, told now and in the past, and tied together with mystery and modern sleuthing reminded me of my recent reading of The Lost Apothecary, and reading them so close was an interesting contrast. It makes me think that some kind kind of thematic reading series might be fun to work on at some point. Ideas? Leave a comment!

prince without a kingdom

First off, A Prince Without a Kingdom, is apparently book two (2!) sometimes called a sequel, as in intended to be read after the first book, which is called (in the English translation) Vango: Between Earth and Sky. I will be recommending that you read this book, go ahead, skip right to the bottom and check. see? but I assume I won't have to suggest that you do that after reading the first volume. we'll just assume that one is good too

Versions of this book in English apparently also include the word Vango first in the title, moving the Prince and Kingdom bits into the rank of subtitle. It also includes a big note that reads "Book 2" which would have helped in my case.

Vango is the protagonist in this story, and I have to say the narrative jumped right in to what felt like the middle of the story when I started, but we know why, so lets not belabor the point. too late bro! This is an action adventure from the get-go. Reminded me a little of Emil and the Detectives, a 1929 children's adventure written Erich Kästner and illustrated by Walter Trier. you can see it listed in my all time favorites in the right hand column Vango is a little like Emil in that he's dropped into this adventure/mystery as a reluctant hero that must try and resolve it. But Vango is more grown than Emil in this book, and so his problems are more dangerous than little Emil had to deal with. His adventures also take him further afield.

This is a swashbuckling story of old. Simple in form, but infectiously rich in daring, adventure, romance and intrigue. In that way it reminds me of "The Crimson Pirate." Burt Lancaster and his first mate Ojo, played by Nick Cravat, rollick through their adventures with abandon, going out of their way to live their lives on their own terms, but always on the look out for injustice and tyranny along the way. Lancaster's character is Capt. Vallo, by the way. Inspiration for Vango, perhaps?

The cast of characters is as wide as the 1930s and 1940s world Vango and his friend float through. Timothée de Fombelle is a treat to read, at least that's my impression based on the translation by Sarah Ardizzone. There were phrases here and there that caught me, and then I remembered that this is a translation, and thought 'Nicely done Sarah Ardizzone.' Fombelle also takes full advantage of his position as author and leader of the conversation between himself and the reader, and I was delighted to be included in a few witticisms he shared, but was kind enough not to point out.

Read this book.

 

science fictional universe

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu was pretty popular when it came out in 2010 if I remember correctly. I added to my reading list then, but I haven't gotten around to it until now. I get a kick out of the cover art, which appears to be a study in old school ray gun design, along with a Star Trek font for the text. A closer look at the ray guns shows that they aren't all different--which is slightly disappointing--and one of them isn't a ray gun at all.

What is great about this story is that it reads a little like an autobiography (written in first person, and the protagonist's name is Charles Yu) and a little like the diary of an emotionally damaged man, and a little like the service manual for a futuristic device that isn't really well explained, and a little like a letter to one's future self about how to be better, and a little like wholly metaphoric construct created to path to reckoning with regret and time wasted.

I think that amorphous quality of the story may be what makes it so popular. It has the ability, like a good fortune teller does, to spin a tale charged enough to latch onto our shared experiences, and vague enough to allow us to bring more of ourselves to the story as readers. In the end, it looks like Yu has told us a story of himself, and ourselves, and maybe hasn't told a science fiction story at all.

Read this book.

Silmarillion

Sweet, sad, Silmarillion. 

The Wikipedia entry refers to The Silmarillion as a mythopoetic collection of stories. I had to look that one up; and I kind of like it. The tone the stories are told in is a little reserved. Some of the early ones, chronologically speaking, read like bible entries. But when you’re talking about the birth of the Earth—or Ea, Tolkien calls it—then I guess biblese seems appropriate. 

As I understand it, Tolkien felt the absence of a traditional English mythology beyond the tall tales of Arthur Pendragon and his ilk. Something of the scope and depth of the kind the Greeks, Romans, and Norse cultures have; stories that underlay their culture and belief systems, and tie them to their spiritual past. A careful look at what Tolkien has done shows that. From his proto-nursery rhymes, to the linguistic underpinnings of English, present in the early languages of the Quendi, the Elves. 

The Silmarillion is Tolkien’s unfinished backstory, the framework of his world building upon which he built the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. But it’s more than that; it’s his notes on dozens of other stories that he didn’t get the chance to finish. Christopher Tolkien did a great job, organizing, editing and releasing many of these work in the decades after his father’s death. Working, as he says he did when his father was alive, as a kind of amanuensis. One can only imagine what kind of works Tolkien may have produced had he had access to modern word processing or even speech-to-text technology. 

Tolkien described the creation of the world as the first collective music of the Ainur, made manifest by the one god Illuvatar, with all of the good, the bad, and the ugly of a first run, still in there. It’s like a proud papa pasting his kid’s first crayon drawing on the fridge... and then asking us all to live there for eons. augh, I don't wanna live in a first draft. Melkor is licking his finger and touching me! But don’t worry, says Eru, the big man, this is like a dry run. We’ll work out the bugs then bang out a fresh one all fixed up!*

What? Yeah, this ones probly gonna suck, for you guys and everyone else down there, but screw it, right? You guys made it, let’s see what happens!**

In here we find everything from the beginning of the world to the creation myths of the sun, the moon, and the stars; from the origins of elves, dwarves, and men, to the flat world theory; from the flood story to the making of dragons; and from the invention of war, to the making of rings. That last one was inspired, by the way, by the same fables and myths that inspired Wagner and his Der Ring des Nibelungen, "The Ring of the Nibelung," often referred to as the Ring Cycle. Tolkien was also inspired by the Edda, as was Wagner. 

 

This isn't the first time I've read this book, and it won't be the last. My last time through was nearly ten years ago. That review is maybe better than this one. If you want to know why you should read The Silmarillion, or even some pointers on how to read it, check out my earlier review.

Either way, read this book.

 

* I'm paraphrasing, nerds

** Yep, paraphrasing again