navola

I was in the library to look for some things to read. I normally check out the used book sale, which may seem crazy considering I'm buying books from a place that is full of free ones, but I do it for two reasons: first, I'm a slow reader, so I'm unlikely to finish a book before its due,* never mind multiple books, and second, the small amount of money goes to support the library, especially given the fact that I return most of those books in the form of donations to the book sale. One of the reasons I started this blog was to keep track of the books I've bought so that I don't buy them again. yeah, that happens

Anyhoo, I found two books at the book sale, one of which my wife read in about 2 days, and the second I've just started today. The third book I found was in the new books section. I thought I'd take a look and see if any of my favorite authors had published anything new. Alpha-by-author got me to Bacigalupi, Paolo, which was a pleasant surprise. Once I found Navola, I stopped looking. Bacigalupi** has written a few novels for adults, and a few more for teens. I read the teens books, and they're pretty good, but I like his adult fiction/SF better. Navola was a treat.

Bacigalupi has developed a world based on Renaissance Europe, and is focused on the city-state of Navola, in the upper eastern part of a 'hook' shaped peninsula poking out into a sea with countries to the north, west, and south coastal regions. Its pretty clear that the 'hook' is based on the pre-Italian conglomeration of city-states, duchies, and kingdoms, and has French-like and German-like countries to the north, Turkish and further Asian countries to the east, and Arabic-type countries on the southern shores of the sea. Where there they have dragons, or they used to, at least.

Navola is a coming of age story, with political, social, and familial intrigues, romance, and violence,with glimpses at historical gods, and the believe systems that grew from them. Bacigalupi has created a world with depth and history, rife with monetary, cultural, and nobility clashes. Navola also appears to be the first is a series of books based on this world Bacigalupi has created. Maybe the good news is that this book actually came out in 2024, although I'm not sure why I haven't seen it until now or why its on the new books shelf at the library a year and a half later, but maybe that means the next installment isn't too far off?

  

* Yes, I know I can renew it. In fact my library now has automatic renewals and no late fees. 

** Bacigalupi is a fun name, and its Italian, which may have something to do with the inspiration for the fantasy setting of this story in a pre-Italian peninsula of city-states and other Euro-inspired surrounding countries, but a search for the origin of this surname led to differing, but interesting results:

One site has it listed, confoundingly as "unattensted verb bacigare ‘to hunt’ + lupo ‘wolf’" Unattensted apparently means: not existing in any documented form. Super helpful.

Wikipedia has this to say: "Bacigalupi (Ligurian: Bâçigalô) is an Italian surname from Liguria, literally translating to 'wolf-wounder' " Altho, its funny, when I translated bacigalo, it means 'kiss him,' but dialect is always funny.

Hunter, or wounder? And a few others besides, see below. So I used my dangerous level of Italian comprehension to search in Italian, and this site (thanks to google translate) says: "It derives from a nickname linked to the Genoese dialect word basigâ, "to swing/to tease," and lupi, meaning "the one who swings/teases the wolves." The nickname probably indicated a wolf hunter (who attached the skins to a stick to carry them, hence the swinging motion), or a wolf skin merchant." M'kay.

This guy, who maintains his own site, as a kind of commonplace book, thinks it's a: "compound surname derived from "bacia" (kiss) and "lupo" (wolf), thus literally meaning "kiss the wolf." I'm assuming that is a wild guess? I'll admit, I was under the impression it was baci [(you) kiss] + whatever galupi meant, but galupi meant nothing. Except...

The same guy has a page on the name origin of the surname Galuppi, which he says: "is derived from the nickname "galuppo," meaning "crest" or "tuft,". If that is the case, I'm not sure why he didn't assume that Bacigalupi means to 'kiss the crest' which certainly sounds like a thing... coat of arms, signet ring, to show respect, allegiance, etc. Well, to me anyway. 

The world may never know.

 

 

eisenhorn: the omnibus

This book is not one I would have picked out for myself--this was a Christmas gift this year (thanks Jacob!)--but I ended up enjoying it even more that I expected. I don't know anything about Warhammer or how its different from warcraft but I assume Gregor Eisenhorn is a character from the video game,* and Dan Abnett has written these stories about him under contract with the Warhammer folks. The frontmatter and backmatter in this paperback talk about a bunch of other stories in the 'Black Library', which is a series of stories from different writers about characters and storylines from Warhammer.

Because the Warhammer universe is so far into the future, mankind has moved out into the galaxy (maybe beyond? don't know, nerds) that men now live on thousands of planets, and have for thousands of years. This, I think, makes for a ripe backdrop for story telling given that these worlds now all have their own histories, cultures, flora and fauna, that influence the people that live there. While some planets are more centralized, and their cultures more homogeneous, more distance or isolated planets diverge more from the centralized culture and norms of the empire.

The stories in this book are all that have been written by Dan Abnett about this character, and they are arranged chronologically and so we can follow Eisenhorn's character development, along with those of his team members, through their long (and sometimes short) careers. I do love SciFi, but again, this isn't something I would have chosen for myself, however, I did find myself stealing extra moments to read a little longer, or forgoing other things in order to read another chapter. The stories range from novels (there are a few novel length stories) and some short stories of varying lengths (magazine article length, to novellas). Its a big boy; Eisenhorn: The Omnibus is nearly a thousand pages, but it didn't take too long for me to read. 

I especially liked how Abnett describes the dress, food, drink, or technology of a scene in detail (sometimes including the ingredients of a dish, for example) and then names off the bits that make up whatever he is describing using series of made-up words and phrases that can only be understood by their context, and gives no further definitions or descriptions. I think this needs to be done carefully so as not to overwhelm the reader with SciFi speak, and Abnett does a good job threading that needle.

 

* Sorry nerds, Warhammer is apparently not a video game (maybe Warcraft is?) Apparently is a fantasy combat board game played with miniatures and its been around since the early 80s. 

inspriration theory for conan painting

Frazetta image used without permission

Maybe I'm crazy maybe that's a given but I was scrolling thru the interwebs today when I saw the famous Conan the Adventurer painting by Frank Frazetta, the first one he did for the 1967 Lancer book cover of the same name. According to one article I read, the painting actually done in 1966 even tho Frazetta dated in 1965. Who knows, but Frazetta was pretty well known for exaggerating the truth, lets say.

When I saw this image (It was used as the thumbnail for a YouTube documentary about Frazetta, that I didn't watch) it struck me that the pose Conan has is a little odd: arms straight down, elbows rolled out and locked, shoulders hunched, head down. Yet his hands are relaxed, one propped on his sword hilt. My first thought was, that this looks a guy operating a jackhammer. Pushing down with both arms, elbows locked, head down, shoulders hunched, and muscles all flexed. 

 

So that's my theory, Frazetta saw a guy operating a jackhammer and the pose stuck with him. 

Not 'jacked' like Conan, but...

 

Like I said, maybe I'm crazy, but Frazetta told this interviewer that he banged out in a day. Probably took a few weeks, and actually went through a few iterations, including finishing up some of the details that the first draft didn't have yet when it was apparently shown to the Lancer folks. But he says he did it from his imagination, which makes me think he meant without models.

The more modern way of operating a jackhammer isn't like this, the weight of the tool does more of the work, and operators usually have a more of a relaxed grip, with bent elbows to help absorb the shock, but when I was a kid, jackhammers were muscled into the ground by leaning on them really hard. And I'm old enough now, that my childhood years are just a few years after this painting was done, so this is how I recall seeing construction workers on the roads operating these things. I can imagine Frazetta stopped on the road in traffic, caused by construction, and taking a look at a guy working the jackhammer into the pavement on a hot day and that image sticking with him until this painting.

Frazetta went on to do a series of Conan book cover art paintings, which you can see here. 

Prove me wrong. 

 

the thirst

Norwegian writer Jo Nesbø has penned another Harry Hole novel in the series, called The Thirst. Harry Hole (pronounced HO-leh, apparently; and Harry is pretty much pronounced like Harry) is a detective working for the police department in Oslo, and this is number 11 in the Harry Hole series. I've read a few others, but only one is listed here on the blog. When I wrote about that one, I commented that I was sure I read another but didn't write about it here. This one, like the other I've linked above, was translated into English by Neil Smith.

Hole is a murder detective, and at this point in his life he's actually retired from the police department and is teaching at the police college, but he is called back to work a case that appears to be perpetrated by a serial killer that got away from Hole years ago, and seems to gone to ground, at least until now. Hole reluctantly returns to police work to catch this deranged killer as the victims fall by the day.

Nesbø writes a good story, and the differences between Norwegian crime fiction and American crime fiction is not all that is different, altho that is a treat. Nesbø weaves a complex tale, and when you think the twists and turns are all uncovered, there are more to come. This was a good one, and I'll keep my eye out for more of Nesbø's writing, whether its a Harry Hole story or something else Nesbø has written.

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.

 

 

the overstory

The Overstory by Richard Powers is organized unlike any other book I can recall. Its like a series of short stories, that kind of grow together, around and among the trees. Its a series of related fables? Ovid's Metamorphoses is mentioned in here somewhere, and its at least part of the inspiration for this story, as much as global warming and deforestation is the implied warning or moral.

I don't recall reading anything by Richard Powers before, so I took a quick look, and this book apparently won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, so go figure. I enjoyed this book, but I'm not going to put it in my 'read this book'* category only because it was a little slow and disjointed for me. Its my guess that this won the Pulitzer because it is so different from other things I've read, and the structure of this book's story arc is like nothing else I've read. For me personally, being different as not the same as being entertaining, and that's why I read fiction. 

Lets be clear, was entertained, and I did enjoy this book, I'm just not weeping because I finished it, rapt with longing for more, and kicking down doors to find the next book by this author. Now, also to be clear, I don't feel that way about every book that makes it to the 'read this...' group, that's a high bar indeed, I just reserve that for books I'm recommending without reservation.

Powers writes fiction about science and technology, and it seems as though he is pretty well known for it. I'll keep my eye out and if I run into another that looks good I'll probably pick it up.

 

* The link to my 'read this book' tagged books can be found anytime by clicking on the appropriate tag on the tag cloud on the right-hand column on this page. Its under the heading: 'what i'm talking about'. You can use any of the other tags in the same way. They also show up at the bottom of every post, so if you're looking for something similar, I may have labeled it that way

 

started but...

I started these two books a few months ago, and just couldn't get through them. 

One of the reasons I keep this blog is because I pick up used books so often that its always a mixed bag; the books I find can be current or 50 years old, or whatever. Prior to keeping this blog I have found myself sitting down to read a newly acquired book only to discover that I've read it at some point in the past. The blog helps me with that in two ways: I can just look them up on my phone when I'm out and about, 'The Books' tab at the top of this page is a summary by author and title, and its really there for me, altho it is a handy way to find things, and there are links that take you to the reviews, if you need them. Second, I've found that writing about them helps me to remember them better. maybe that's why we had to do book reports in school... hmm

Recording books here that I didn't finish, is therefore especially important. I do NOT want to find myself re-purchasing and re-reading something I put down. 

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara seemed like it was going to be similar to some other time malleable stories I've read recently, such as The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells, or Sea of Tranquility. It sort of was, but it just didn't measure up. Yanagihara has created an alternative universe for our world in which the history of the United States took a very different turn more than 100 years ago, and things that we still now argue about as too liberal became widely accepted in some placed, making the lives of those that have lived on the edged for society for so long, more welcome. Utopia, right! Nope. 

The story does take place over a number of.. generations? Eras? And we follow some of the same people? Generations? its not really clear, so... Any who, the past that could have been liberating and free, wasn't. The recent past, which could have been amazing, and non-stop party, wasn't so the future, right? That must be bright and sunny; a warm glow at the end of a long, hard slog.

Nope. Maybe it ended great, I'll never know. Too depressing, to inward looking, too caught up in itself. It almost seems that the author asked themselves, what if I had a chance to do it all over, in a world where thinsg were different, and then just convinced themselves that things will never get better, because no matter where you run, you always bring yourself with you. 

Welp. Go on ahead without me.

 

I've got a couple of Bill Bryson books in my list of recommendations on the right side of this page. These are the books that folks tell me about, and I put them here so I can find them if I'm out book hunting somewheres. Made in America is not one of the two Bryson titles in my list, but I figured it was worth a shot. I've read some similar books like Damp Squid, and some by Richard Lederer. 

Made in America reminded me of those works, and other books, but after I got about halfway through, it was just more of the same. This wasn't so much a story about the American breed of English, as it was an annotated list of words and phrases and how they differ from the English spoken in other countries. It was like Bryson just had his notes typed up, gave them the once over, and went to print. 

I want you to tell me a story, and if you think I just wasn't looking hard enough, I read half of it! You had your chance bro.

 

Q: Where are the links Phil? 

A: Why?

 

world without end

World Without End is Ken Follett's 2007 follow-up to his 1989 The Pillars of the Earth. Its the second in his Kingsbridge series, which apparently has 3 more, making it a total of 5 in this series, so, pentology, I guess.

Pillars was good--it's actually listed in the 'good' section on the right-hand column of this blog--so I was interested to see where this one would go.  We're still in Kingsbridge, where the first story takes place, and the cathedral that formed the framework around which the first installment was built, is already in place. This book is also about the people, rather than the building, but things have changed in the years that have elapsed in Kingsbridge (or in the 18 years that elapsed between writing the first and second books!) This book is a little more soapy than I recall the first one being, and a little more sexy. Its not a bodice ripper, by any means, but I did get the feeling that Follett may have taken a little more freedom with what propriety may have allowed during the period without some shunning, if not hanging. But what do I know; my experience with what happened and what people did or could do in the 1200s is limited to the other things I've read and seen on the screen, so who's to say which notion is correct.

That said, World Without End was entertaining, if perhaps not quite as good as the original. As I said, there are now three more: after another 10 year gap, Follett produced A Column of Fire, sounds like he should have that looked at and then just three years later, and then another three more, he cracked out the remaining two. Are there more coming? Don't know, guess we'll wait and see. Based on this read, I won't be running out to get the next one, but if I stumble across it in the wild, as I did this one, I'll probably pick it up.

I read this a while ago (a few months ago?) and didn't get a chance or make a chance to write about this one at the time. I have a few more to catch up on too.

nerax 2025

The New England Real Ale Exhibition (NERAX) was held this year again, at the South Boston Lithuanian Citizens' Association and Lithuanian Kitchen, also known simply as the  Lithuanian Club. This is the second time I've been to NERAX at the Lithuanian Club. Its a big hall on the third floor of an older building on West Broadway in South Boston, just 5 or 6 blocks up from the Broadway T Station. Because of a mix-up on the dates, we bought four advance tickets for Friday (yesterday) but two of our party had other plans, so we bought four more tickets and went on Thursday. We still had tickets for yesterday, so we asked two other folks to go with us for a second round. I think that may have been the first time I've gone twice during an NERAX event. Wasn't a bad thing!

I sampled quarter pints, which is one quarter of an Imperial Pint, or about 5 ounces. They have a graduated scale for costs based on ABV (alcohol by volume). Most beers were below the 7% limit, and therefore $3.00 for a quarter pint. Between 7% and 10% is $4.00, and over 10% is $5.00 for a quarter. They also limit the draft size. The lower ABV beers are available in quarter, half, and full pints, whereas the mid-range in quarters and halves, and the over 10% beers only in quarter pints. There were only a few in these upper ranges that I saw, but I spent my time on the lower ABV beers, usually 6% and under. I sampled mine in one of the NERAX badged half-pint nonic glasses they have available for a $5 deposit, which you can forgo and take the glass home, which we all did. You can see the half-pint glasses in the pictures below.

THURSDAY NIGHT

Phil, Alessia, Stefan and Jacob. Happy Birthday Stefan!

 

Fen Slodger - 8 Sail Brewery, Heckington, Lincolnshire, England (ABV 5.0%)

This is the first beer listed in the program. tasting notes sounded good, so I dug right in. Penny brown-copper colored with a light head of little clinging bubbles. Malt and dark chocolate on the nose. Herbal, grains, and a soft, balanced bitterness, with a strong but pleasant bitter, astringent finish. A great start.

Everlasting - Attic Brewing Co., Birmingham, West Midlands, England (ABV 3.4%)

Molasses, malt and rye on the nose. Deep coppery color with a ivory colored thin and shiny head. It took a second, but the taste reminded me strongly of the brown bread they used to serve at Bugaboo Creek restaurant. I said that to my kids, who were there with me, and my son showed me a recipe on his phone, which was called Molasses Rye Bread. nailed it Thin, slightly sour, watery bitterness, with a smooth and silky bread crust finish. This one was labeled vegan.

Orkney Best - Swannay Brewery, Orkney, Scotland (ABV 5.2%)

Very light hops on the nose. Grassy-honey gold. Wild, initial high & low flavor profile. Bright, tart, citrusy sweetness floats over the top of a slightly sour, leather, pith, and sawdust bitterness. Like throat singing in a glass! Super clean and crisp finish.

Morph - Brass Castle Brewery, Malton, North Yorshire, England (ABV 5.0%)

Fruits, yeast and hops on the nose. Deep honey blonde. Balanced tart fruits with residual sweetness, apricot, and peach pit. Lingering, dry bitterness with citrus and salad greens. Very pleasant.

A Petition to the King for the Repeal of the Intolerable Acts - Amory's Tomb Brewing Co., Maynard, Massachusetts (ABV 6.5%)

This one was described as a dark ale--a blend of porter and brown ale--conditioned on spruce tips. Herbs and pine on the nose. Juicy mouth feel, frutti di bosco tartness, and dark fruits sweetness gives way to a roasted vegetable and braised meats depth of flavor, with a grapefruit skin and roasted tomato tang. The flavors sparkle in this one.

Proper Chap - Nod Hill Brewery, Ridgefield, Connecticut (ABV 4.4%)

Amber brown, with a wispy head. Malty, toast crust, dessert without much sweetness. Almonds, walnut skins, and dry caramel flavors.

FRIDAY NIGHT 

Phil, Stefan, Carmela, and Chuck

 

Pacific Porter - Kelburn Brewing, Glasgow, Scotland (ABV 5.5%)

Quiet hops on the nose, chocolatey red-brown with cream colored head. Juicy spices and brown bread. Tart, dry, bitter finish.

Ox Blood - Little Ox, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England (ABV 4.3%)

Bright and clear. Orangey-red with a straw yellow, wispy head. Clean, fruity citrus. Smooth, lasting but mild bitter finish.

Bravehop - Loch Lomond Brewery, Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland* (ABV 4.3%)

Its another Coppery red ale! I tried lots of copper colored ales this year. Huge mouthfeel, complex wash over the tongue; herbal, vegetable, bread crust, crackers, and orange skin all playing in there. Smooth, long and super clean finish.

Tiddly - Fox Farm Brewery, Salem, Connecticut (ABV 3.8)

Walnut brown with a white, frothy head. Molasses, bread and vanilla nose. Melted snow, mild leather, with prunes and maybe some smoke?

Luminary - Medusa Brewing Company, Hudson, Massachusetts (ABV 5.6%)

Described as a cream ale, and vegan. Pale gold and clear. Watery, bubbly head. White fruits, top sweetness, smooth, snappy tartness. Melon and pineapple.

Unfiltered Helles - von Trapp Brewing, Stowe, Vermont (ABV 4.9%)

Goldenrod yellow, with a thick, frothy head. Pancake batter, wheat, berries, friar's tang,** leather, and biscuits.

Mildred - Liars Bench Beer Company, Portsmouth, New Hampshire (ABV 4.0%)

Last call! Deep red-brown smoky color with cream colored head. Roasted fruit and root vegetables. Hermits and raisins, with a tangy stickiness; Amaro. Light sour finish. Here's to Millie!!!

 

 

* Yes, its Dum-barton, in Dun-barton-shire, Scotland. That's an N and an M. Not a typo.

** Friar's Tang is that Belgian wild yeast, cave beer flavor from centuries old monastery beers. Just tastes like basement to me. Its  good thing the Helles I tried only had a little taint of this flavor.