January 22 Book Review

Y’all, I didn’t think it was possible. I stated publicly that in no way was I trying to outdo the amount of reading I did in 2021 in 2022. Yet here I am and without trying I totally read 13 books this past month! It helped that work was a little slower and that I am reading The Witcher books and they are very fun. But yeah! 13 books. I’m not looking to recreate that again in 2022 but I wasn’t trying in January so maybe it is possible to out-read my 2021 total!

Terror on a Treasure Hunt

By: Winter Morgan

If one could ever go so far to say that “the plot thickens” in this series THIS would be the book. I personally, like Mr. Anarchy. Its also interesting to stop for a moment and think that in the Minecraft world many of the users are children. Thinking of these ageless-seeming characters as children changed my perspective a bit. Vor was still enthusiastically following along at this point so onward to the final couple of books in this series!

Summary Here

Propaganda

By: Edward Bernays

This book was a weird read. I didn’t look at when the original copyright was until after I finished and the WHOLE time I was trying to place it in history so I could think about it in the context of the day and I COULD NOT! It was written in 1928. I was shocked, honestly, that it is that old even though context clues were definitely hinting at it, I kept wanting it to be much more recent. Mr. Bernays would be absolutely shocked to see how propaganda has been applied since this book first came into print. I mean the man was thinking of it as an almost benign way of government and business interacting with its constituency but then again he had yet to see what the Nazis would do with it let alone how political parties function today. Worth the read if you’re into media, marketing, sociology, or people who have really put their foot in their mouths over time.

Summary Here

Ghastly Battle

By: Winter Morgan

Well I’ll be…In this installment Winter Morgan actually toys around with some character development! The mains are all still around and people are getting briefed and mobs are popping up out of nowhere and all the regular fare for your Minecraft fan-fic. But maybe, actually, some of the characters are growing a little and learning from the past. There’s another book yet to go in this series so I guess we have to wait to see if the changes stick.

Summary Here

The Last Wish

By: Andrzej Sapkowski

I love the short story format. I love the dialog. I love that in the background there is a very ominous texture coagulating. I love the allusion to humans and cultural elements from our current, real universe. I love the explanation of magic. I love that so much of what is going on is a bit of a mystery. I feel an epic story brewing and I am very excited to keep reading! For those of you who have watched the show - yes this covers some of the same ground that the first season of the show does. I still recommend reading it for deeper comprehension and especially if you plan to read the other books. The books are vastly more complex than the show and you will want all the extra background info you can pick up!

Summary Here

Creeper Invasion

I really rather enjoyed the Steve and the Diamond Sword series by Winter Morgan. But this series is banal and so repetitive! I’m trying to listen and it is HARD. Vor, still loving it. Five books in and its the same book for the 5th time. Someone, no resolution. Not a fave.

Summary Here

Sword of Destiny

By: Andrzej Sapkowski

Where to begin? The Show. I’ll start with the show. Part of this book still coincide with the show but if you are following along in the visual format, this is where reading the book would really start to fill things in. Additionally, if you don’t read these shorts you miss out on details that come much deeper into play in later books. Furthermore, you miss out on vignettes from Gors Velen featuring Molnar and the dwarves are some of the best characters imo.

This is on audible so I’m listening along and Peter Kenny is killing it! Y’all gotta know by now that I am a sucker for a good narrator and this man has some range! Top tier for sure.

As for the book itself, the vice grip of impending war and chaos is tightening in this book. I like book Yennefer WAY, better than tv Yen although I think that will change as the tv series catches up with Yen’s character development. The theme of destiny in this book is very interesting in the way it is teased out. Does it matter? Does it not? The book is another collection of short stories which I find myself really liking. I don’t mind that time is somewhat disjointed. If you want to read the series you are just going to have to get comfortable with that.

Summary Here

Blood of Elves

By Andrzej Sapkowski

What I didn't address while reviewing the last book that I need to address in this review is this: the translator is a fucking boss. I keep marveling at the diction and then I realize these books have all been translated from Polish to English and my mind is fucking blown.

In this book I finally got to know Ciri as more than a pawn of destiny. She is innocent enough but there is definitely some foreshadowing about her having a darker nature or at least a dark side.

There is a lot going on. Really its all the same background that has been bubbling the whole time in The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny but in this book the concurrent political events are of equal importance to the more condensed story of the mains.

This is one of those books where the author plays with space/time by revealing layers of meaning through a variety of POVs. If you want a straight forward answer for questions in your book, you may think twice about embarking on this journey. If you enjoy plots unraveling in slow and methodical ways then you are likely to really get into this series.

The map is extensive, the video game is epic, the fandom is fully engaged. I find those all to be perks and at this third book in there series am fully committed to this series. Great high fantasy!

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History of Bourbon

By: Ken Albala

Meh. This was definitely not a podcast but it felt almost like a podcast. I am not a fan of podcasts, generally speaking. I do like info about random things. This book satisfied some of that drive for me to pick up more information. But it also felt like more for more’s sake. This history of bourbon wasn’t contextualized to give it any historical weight or significance. This book was comprised mainly of the following three parts: facts about bourbon, the history of the bourbon market, the author’s own thoughts and feelings or experiences with bourbon. Didn’t hate it didn’t love it.

Summary Here

The Time of Contempt

By: Andrzej Sapkowski

So far this was my favorite book in the series. I love the dynamic between Ciri and Yennefer. I think rebellious but innocent Ciri is fun and cute. The interactions between Yennefer and Geralt at the sorcerer’s ball as well as Geralt’s individual charades were very funny and endearing. But I also had a sense that shit was about to go down and it really did go down in this book.

Ciri has a Muad’dib moment in the Korath desert that was amazing and totally unexpected. This book played on my emotions more than the others as yet. All the aforementioned good features of the previous books continue. The very elaborate plot also thickens.

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On Color

By: David Scott Kastan

Random but enriching. There was a little science, a good bit of history, and a certain poetry to this book. It was written for the sake of writing about color. In a way, it feels frivolous. There was no message or meaning or over-arching theme except that maybe “we all see color differently.” Nonetheless it felt good to read it for all of those same reasons. Just shy of beautiful it still has a grace about it. Not my most favorite book of all time but I like the way my ideas of color have softened a little after reading On Color.

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Baptism of Fire

By Andrzej Sapkowski

To me, things slow down a lot in this book. Whereas before the story was moving over the timeframe of weeks and months, here, we are slogging a few days at a time through various character’s POV. This is an observation not a complaint. Geralt goes through some really gnarly shit but is surrounded by awesome people that keep his story fresh and fun. Regis becomes a new favorite for me, personally. The vignette of “the bridge” was amazing and another hint at “destiny.”

Meanwhile Ciri is going through some shit. At this point pretty much the only true protagonist is Geralt. Shit is kinda confusing but not so much that its annoying, but just enough to keep me on my toes.

BoF and the series as a whole has taken on a bit of a LOTR feeling. There is a lot of questing and journeying going on at this stage in the story. I’m very curious where this is all going.

Summary Here

Wishes and Wellingtons

By: Julie Berry

Vor really liked this book. I liked the setting and the characters but the story felt like it could have lingered longer and explored the fantastical element a bit more. For a story that was built around having a personal genie, there was rather limited magic and adventure.

I rather liked the message and how various plot points worked themselves out. There is a second installment available and I liked it enough to pick up with round 2.

Summary Here

The Tower of Swallow

By: Anrzej Sapkowski

Some AWESOME vignettes in this book. The story is very complex at this point but with the introduction of a few well actualized characters the plot unfolds in a very interesting way. It’s kind of crazy how many questions get raised throughout the series and that even at this stage more questions are being raised. The story runs so seamlessly from book to book I have to go back and reference what is happening in each. Likewise in each book there are really beautiful character driven moments as well as brilliant dialog and awesome fantasy-scapes. I mentioned that they dialog is good enough to be extracted in large segments for the show but I didnt linger so I’ll go back now. At times it is poignant, scary, and even gut-bustlingly funny. 👏👏👏 so. good.

Summary Here

December Book Drop

So You Want To Talk About Race

By: Ijeoma Oluo

This is one of many books that falls under the intersection of self-help and sociology. As a cis-het white woman, its a genre I come back to again and again. Having read and heavily recommended The New Jim Crow, I want to circle back to those of you who took that rec. I had feedback from some saying it was good but they themselves felt a little affronted as the reader like they were being personally called out, unfairly so. I had others who thought the books was great and passed it on to people who had that same feedback. This kind of book can definitely be uncomfortable for the white reader and the more status quo conforming readers out there. Like anything, there is a bit of a learning curve. Its ok to have feelings, to recognize and examine them. Some books are way more challenging to that end than others. I think The New Jim Crow really requires either the timing to be exactly perfect that the reader is ready to be challenged OR that the person has already moved past that point and is comfortable with being challenged already.

All of this is set up to say, Ijeoma Oluo covers some of the same territory and also explores other territories. She takes a more personal approach. She takes a more story-telling approach. The combination of which makes this relatable, insightful, funny, and heart-breaking all in one. If you or someone you know wanted to read The New Jim Crow and found yourself wanting to push back a lot on your emotions I would recommend circling back to it later and instead start here.

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The Warrior’s Apprentice

By: Lois McMaster Bujold

Ok this was great. This series continues to be a favorite T-Shirt, a refreshing beverage, a shady respite on a hot day. It’s rather epic, with the total number of books in the double digits. A handful in and the characters and dialog continue to be delightful and engaging. This is the kind of series you can enjoy without being so thoroughly engrossed as to lose sight of everything else. I appreciate that. As with the other books in the series I’ve read, there is a very gradual ramp up in this novel. The stakes got high but I never felt emotionally drained as I do with some of my more favorite books. That, to me, is a good thing. Not every book I read can be gripping or the best book I’ve ever read. But similarly going from mountains highs of literature to the dregs is also not enjoyable. This series has allowed the come down from The Red Rising to be gradual. They stand alone as enjoyable writing. Miles Vorkosigan is a very fun main. In The Warrior’s Apprentice we have entered into his story-line and things are already interesting but I have a feeling the best is yet to come.

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The Poetic Edda

By: Jackson Crawford

This is my second tango with The Poetic Edda. I listened to the book - narrated by the author. It was harder to follow but worthwhile. Its nice to hear the names pronounced by a scholar of the language. Additionally, something as personal as The Cowboy Edda included as an afterword are best shared directly. It was this final personal interpretation/extrapolation by the author that inspired me to look him up. A few takeaways from so-doing…

1. Apparently he is THE man when it comes to ancient Norse runes and pronunciation. So that’s cool and made me feel even better about listening/reading.

2. Jackson Crawford just gives me James Holden from The Expanse vibes but like slightly more a for-real cowboy. Probably someone I’d invite to my backyard bbq.

Anyway, I look forward to circling back for a re-read, also to moving on the The Prose Edda and finally to reading The Saga of The Volsungs next…got study up on my Obsidian lore IYKYK.

Summary Here

A Monster Like Me

By: Wendy S. Swore

This is a middle reader book so I chose it for Vor and me. I waffled for quite some time before deciding to queue it up and even afterwards I curated others ahead. I thought it would be good but possible a bit too heavy for Vor. I think maturity-wise he ended up being on the right side of being able to comprehend the larger message of the story. The actual writing was great. The first person perspective was fresh and enjoyable for a kid’s book and the imagery was very well done. Vor and I were both able to have pretty vivid ideas in our head of what was going on.

Definitely recommend. Being as the main character is a child, I doubt most adults reading for pleasure would want to engage. For those with kids, you will have to gauge your own child’s ability to handle a story that features bullying, medical issues, and possible mental health issues. Is there resolution? Yes. So if that is something you need, don’t feel afeared.

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The Hidden Nazi

By: Dean Reuter

I read this book because the subject matter was interesting to me. I knew Dean Reuter was a familiar name to me but I didn’t know how. You know a person is powerful when they lead a very public life yet they have been able to stifle Wiki from having an article about them. Ironically, the only information on the internet about Dean Reuters is the information he wants you to see. The hypocrisy is not lost on me.

This book, was, nonetheless fascinating. DR is the first named author but sounds like Lowery and Chester were the real driving forces being this book being written. I found myself, several times, going into deep dives to find info and pictures of players in the Nazi regime that I hadn’t heard of or had only heard of in passing. The reason is, it was really really hard for me to wrap my head around these men being “family men” at home with their wive and children then going to do what they did. I felt compelled to try to put a face with the name - to see them as humans who actively made the decisions that led to their places in history.

I learned a lot by reading this book. There were moments when horrific actions were outlined but the book was tasteful in how sparingly they were used. While the book follows the trail of Hans Kammler, it is maybe more about the organization of the Nazi party and how people were able to move through the ranks, how various large-scale programs and operations were able to be enacted, and ultimately about the V2 bomb program and infrastructure. A grim but fascinating read.

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Paddle-to-the-Sea

By: Holling Clancy Holling

I wanted Vor to read this for the nostalgia factor it brings me. I read this when I was growing up and lived in Michigan. He and I both really enjoyed it. Alert to parents - language re: Indigenous People of Canada. I think this book is to be utterly respectful to the culture of the young Canadian Indigenous boy who constructs Paddle-to-the-Sea and sets the figurine on its way. The reality is the book was written in the 60’s and language did not reflect the intention. This is a good opportunity to talk about such things with your kid. I think it is otherwise fine. Feel free to share any differing opinions or support for or against mine with sources in the comments so people can self-educate.

Summary Here

Implied Spaces

By: Walter Jon Williams

Perhaps I expect everything to suck. I mean, I only choose to read books above a certain threshold of positive reviews. But part of me is still expecting that won’t matter and what I choose to read is going to underwhelm me. Thankfully, Implied Spaces was more enjoyable than I expected it to be. It was a hodgepodge monstrosity of genres mashing up but it was still fun imo. I thought the science was good and played into the story enjoyably while softening at its edges just enough to allow for words like Zombie to be thrown around plausibly. Additional marks given for treating gender as a fluid concept and for having a super-computer sentience housed in a black cat.

Summary Here

Trapped in the Overworld

By: Winter Morgan

Back to the world of Minecraft. Winter Morgan knows how to stay in their lane. I like that about them. I thought the other series Vor and I read about Steve and his sword were better. But, this was still enjoyable as far as Minecraft adventure novels go. Do a bunch of kids get trapped in Minecraft? Yes. Hordes and mobs ensue. If you’ve read one you’ve read them all. If your kid likes Minecraft, quality isn’t a factor. Thankfully, Vor is not obsessed. And the kid is partaking of high-level literature left right and center so I feel obligated to lob him one on occasion. This series is that. My advice - never give them Minecraft to begin with. I joke. But I do think there are other series that are bette than this one. From the vantage point of having finished them all, they weren’t as exciting.

Summary Here

Leviathan Falls

By: James S.A. Corey

I will probably re-read The Expanse 20 more times before I die. Much like with Red Rising, these are not fictional characters to me. They are besties. They provide as much comfort to me as the flesh and blood humans I walk with, skate with, surf with, etc. That being said, this is my least favorite book of the series. I have thus far stayed away from star ratings but to give a feel - probably a 3.5 or 4 compared to the others all being 4.5 or 5 star books. Essentially, my gripes rest on a lack of willingness to break out of the mold for the final book. The “mold” is fine when you are expanding the scope but when its time to wrap it up, bold action/writing is required to pull the scope back in and get down to what this was all about.

Light spoiler - while the universe is burning down around them, humans get distracted by petty bullshit. To me, instead of trying and possibly failing to explain the speculative science behind the beings that killed the gate-builders, the writing team focused, instead, on interpersonal shit between the Roci crew and the main antagonist. I did end up liking her comeuppance, however. Jim finished up in heart-wrenchingly predictable fashion. I could have done with double the amount of Teresa’s perspective. Similarly, I wanted to learn more about the gate-builders through Elvi.

In the end, it felt like there was a good bit of playing the story safe. BUT that is totally speculation on my part. Had anything changed the ending could have sucked. Suck it did not. It just didn’t blow my mind to the level I was hoping it would. There I go having expectations. lol!

Summary Here

The Republican Brain

By: Chris Mooney

He said what he said. This is old news, but in case you didn’t know. Nothing short of a life-altering event is likely to change someone’s mind about their political affiliations or their “beliefs.” This book goes into the “why” behind that phenomenon. Does this book spend time on failures of the Democratic Brain as well? Yes. But its also not the central theme of the book.

I had to read this book when it I felt like I could take it in and not be depressed by it. Many of my older family members are Republicans and fall into the predictable patterns discussed in this book. In review, this makes me have a sad. I honestly, truly, think the world would be better off without corporate Christianity and capitalism. Those two things go relatively hand in hand with American-bred Republicanism. This book covers a little of that common ground but largely sticks to social trends, examples of Republicans through time adhering to weird denials of science and reality, sociological studies, and psychological studies that support the titular statement.

Its not a total lambast. Credit and positive attributes of Republicans are noted throughout but the author and yt don’t think that a few good traits make up for the headaches and problems that arise when a huge segment of society is nearly incapable of wrapping their heads around science and its implications.

Summary Here

Mobs in the Mine

By: Winter Morgan

The first book in the series was better than this one. Whereas the first book establishes the characters and overall tension of the series, this book establishes what is to become a trope. I am going to refrain from telling you what it is, imo. The reason being, if you or your kids are into Minecraft you’re not going to care. If you’re not and you read it anyway…well that was your choice and you just have to know that these books are basic and repetitive. Sure there’s a bigger story arc being played out. But ultimately, Winter Morgan is exploring different ways to highlight fan-favorite features of the Minecraft world and the story functions as a means to that end more than to tell the story itself. You read these because you like Minecraft not because you want a good story.

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November Book Drop

Lo, friends! Tis almost the end of the year. I almost cannot believe it. I have two more of these reviews to go before we are into 2022. Next month I will do a Top Ten List in addition to the normal review. As of the time of this entry, I am 120 books into the year. Hopefully I can keep up this pace next year too! I managed 12 books this month to make up for the last couple of months of slacking ;-)

God Emperor of Dune

By: Frank Herbert

I still love this book. I’ve read through the series five times and I still love this book. I am more critical of it than ever and I still love it. Its dense. Leto can be pompous. The Duncans can be obtuse. Nonetheless, the philosophical through-line is very clear and rings true even after so many years. It is an odd masterpiece. It sticks out like a sore thumb in the series as a whole, but it’s really great. Related aside: I run a Dune Stan account on Instagram. www.instagram.com/dunequotes I’m the OG Dune Quotes page on Insta since 2016. If you want to cheat and get some quote samplage, check it out. If you like what you see there, you’ll like the books.

Summary Here

The Golden Goblet

By: Eloise Jarvis McGraw

This was a mom-and-me read. It took a little while for Vor to get into it. I had to stop and give context quite a lot in the beginning. The first two thirds of the book were rather slow. There was a lot of repetition and a lot of setup for the ultimate resolution. However, the resolution felt very rushed and lacking in detail especially when compared to the rest of the book. I think it was worth a read but I’m glad we did it on our own terms. I think if I were one of the many kids that are forced to read this in school I would have resented the hell out of the ending and pacing.

Summary Here

Falling Free

By: Lois McMaster Bujold

I really enjoy this woman’s writing. It is fast-paced and funny. It is clever and imaginative. She does characterization really well, too. I randomly read the 5th book in this series first because its called The Vor Game, so duh, had to. I thought I would circle back eventually. I invited Matt to start reading the series with me and he cosigns on all of the above. This series does not ask as much of you philosophically as Dune. It does not hold your heart in its hand like Red Rising. It does not get into the mathematics of things like The Three Body Problem. But its unique with fun characters who are not your typical heroes. Highly enjoyable. Caveat: this book doesn’t fit into the series in a neat and tidy way. I am still waiting to see when it does. Supposedly it does…I guess we’ll see.

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A Little History of Economics

By: Niall Kishtainy

This was everything I hoped it would be. It was informative and not boring. The narration was great and for a subject-matter book was perfectly easy to follow in audio format. My take-away is that I think we need a new theory of economics that takes into account people’s (individual and societal) time and the quality of their environment to calculate a true economic status. I was also reinforced in my belief that most economists, while probably well-meaning can really fuck off with this pseudo-science bullshit. If you’re going to make shit up, maybe try looking beyond the material. I wanted an overview and an interesting read to compliment some of the heavier reading I’ve done on the subject such as Road to Serfdom. For that, this book was wonderful. Nothing against the book, I just think most of this field of research is so terribly subjective that it’s absurd.

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Five Children and It

By: E. Nesbitt

For Victorian-era children’s literature this was quite good. Compared to more contemporary authors, not so much. But giving credit where credit is due, this is a very imaginative and fun story that Vor was able to follow and enjoy despite the more antiquated language-structure. Taking a moment for broader reflection, I think it’s interesting how language has changed and how it requires a concerted effort on the part of younger readers to invest into classic literature. I’m thinking to myself as we are listening: “Vor doesn’t know wtf thou means.” We have run into this language disconnect several times now. The first time was with Beatrix Potter but I thought the content of those books was weird and have passed on the rest of her repertoire. Vor and I both enjoyed The Secret Garden, The Wizard of Oz, The Princess and the Goblins, and to some extent The Golden Goblet - all of which are written in a more formal, dated version of English. FCandIt was above the threshold of enjoyment as well. As a parent, be ready to patiently explain if you’re reading this with a kiddo.

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Shards of Honor

By: Lois McMaster Bujold

Another fun read by Bujold. I loved getting to know the world through this love story. Love story? Yes. But not sappy, stupid shit. In this context the love story is a fun narrative device and ultimately is just a background thread tying the other events of the book together. As mentioned above, if you are expecting any continuity between Falling Free and SOH, you will be frustrated. Consider the context of FF as informative of the larger galactic context in SOH and leave it at that. Cordelia, Arol, Bothari, etc are all interesting characters unto themselves and interact in a way that left me feeling that the psychology of the characters was consistently considered when placing them in inter-relational situations. Well done.

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The Practicing Stoic

By: Ward Farnsworth

I liked the book more as it progressed but, overall, would be curious to see if there is a better overview of Stoicism out there.

The good:

The Stoic principles are great. So, if you are a true beginner to the subject, you’ll probably get a lot out of this.

The organizational structure is really well done for what Farnsworth is attempting. The practicality and nuance of the subject-matter blooms the longer your keep reading but could indeed be taken piece-meal if one so chose.

The bad:

The organizational structure. This is a very personal preference, but I would have liked to experience the propositions in context. I would not have known that ahead of time, though.

TPS was not at all a bad book. You might like it way more than me. It didn’t light me up and ultimately, I have been a practicing Stoic for many years due to my personal integration/amalgamation of many spiritual practices. So at the end of the day, I wasn’t blown away with the book or topic but that doesn’t mean you won’t be.

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Foundation

By: Isaac Asimov

Better the second time around. I listened to this book about 3 years ago. My take away then was: men talking stressfully at each other. Now, everyone is going batshit about the series on iTune. Since the positive reception of the show and my take-away didn’t fully line up, I was starting to think I was losing my edge or perhaps that my listening skills were not fully developed at the time I initially read the book. But, no. I was right. This book is like 90% dialog. The difference in my reception this time is in the knowing. I was familiar with the ideas the book was attempting to convey and that was helpful. Secondarily, I am way more familiar with early Sci-Fi as a genre and its nuances and short-comings. See more on that below. All in all, I liked the ideas much better this time because I wasn’t waiting for there to be action and could just sink my teeth into the dialog. Spoiler alert - there is no action. If you want a version of the story with action, definitely just watch it.

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Netherwings

By Django Wexler

Well, shit. This was a good story. It was a middle-grade story but it was good enough to have me fully invested after about the 3rd chapter. Middle-grade books are really doing it for both Vor and me lately. They are dramatic enough with ample action and suspense to keep me invested while being just predictable enough that I’m not worried about sex and gore and major psychological trauma for Vor. For Vor they also hit a sweet spot. He’s not a baby so kid’s books are often too babyish for him but on the flip side, when it comes to hard copies, he could not actually read read these books yet. But that doesn’t mean he is not ready for the content. He is. So audiobooks work well for him to engage with stories that are at his maturity level if not his “reading” level. I’m really excited for him to gain mastery of reading text so he can start to choose books on his own from the library at school. In the mean time, he continues to surprise me with insightful and penetrating questions for books on this level that show me he is, very much, paying attention to relatively complex narrative structure and drama despite the medium. I hope we get more from this author in this dimension asap.

Summary Here

Barryar

By Lois McMaster Bujold

I am pretty well won over at this point and am a full-fledged fan of Bujold’s writing. The first half of this book is a little slower. The second half is a full court press. If you have read any of her other books, Barryar holds true to her witty/sardonic, character-forward approach. Cordelia and Bothari shine and the set-up for Miles to enter the scene is perfect. Highest Barryaran marks!

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The Unfettered Mind

By: Takuan Soho

Not suspending disbelief or applying a critical mind - kinda stodgy. The metaphors were poetic but rigid. This was a very restrained work. Now, if we apply some perspective to the content, that same observation turns from critique to praise. I think restrained would be a compliment for the intersection of Zen and Swordsmanship! It’s a beautiful work and the narrator has a buttery baritone voice that is naturally suited for this gorgeously formal writing style. The question of whether or not you will like this book is likely going to boil down to whether or not you have enough historical basis to place the piece culturally. And, from there, whether you have an interest in Zen or Swordsmanship.

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The Einstein Intersection

By: Samuel R. Delany

Good vintage Sci-Fi. To me, that means it was kinda weird, a little obscure, had enough detail to give you a sense of what was going on but left quite a bit up to the imagination. I wouldn’t want the same from more modern works. I’m learning to take the early stuff as a sub-genre and appreciate them in that context. This is probably one of my reading take-aways for 2021 as a whole.

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September Book Drop

This month I read fewer books. Why? In August I was sick in bed with Covid for about two weeks straight, and I had a lot of catching up to do. Furthermore, I took a small beach vacay at the end of the month and did less listening/reading. Finally, I needed some time to digest Iron Gold and Dark Age. 😩😢😤

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Iron Gold

By: Pierce Brown

Everything that happens in this book sets up Dark Age. Unlike my usual, clinical, and spoiler-free reviews, this one CONTAINS SPOILERS. As I suspected, democracy does not take root too well in the soil The Society has left behind. There are hold-out factions of Golds both in the inner planets and the outer planets. As one might expect from so bellicose a people, they are not going down quietly. Additionally, there is a displacement of the populace from their customary caste pursuits. Rather than having an answer to that issue, there is general chaos for anyone who did not come from means. Reds are in refugee camps, the Obsidians are barely being held in check by Sefi, and throughout the book, tension continues to build. The democracy that The Rising built is tenuous at best, even though each of the colors now has representation. In short, no one is happy. Except for, maybe, Sophocles. That’s what is going down around the inner planets. Meanwhile, Cassius and Lysander are stumbling into folly after folly in the rim with the Moon Lords. Romulus is probably my favorite non-central character. Between his screed in Morning Star and his exit in this novel, the man is just fucking epic. Now that THAT opinion is out of the way, let’s get back to Cassius and Lysander. I hate Lysander. I hated Lysander from the moment they happen upon the distressed ship. My burning loathing for him only intensified as this and Dark Age continued. Some would argue on his behalf - that he is a product of his upbringing. Certainly, therein lies a kernel of truth. Nonetheless, if that motherfucker isn’t a textbook sociopath then I ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Given, the way PB wrote his inner monologue in Iron Gold vs. Dark Age is different. It is more subtle. His narcissism is easier to miss. He has a semblance of care for Cassius in Iron Gold. But more than his “love” of Cassius is a disdain for him, which is peppered in finely. Think about it this way, those of you who have read the book - Darrow was never fully trustworthy as a POV character throughout the whole first trilogy. He often lied to himself about his feelings or motives. Lysander is no different. When he says he “loves” someone, do not take him at his word. I want to say more, but I will refrain. The Lysander storyline features prominently throughout Iron Gold. If you endeavor to read these books, you need to go in as an unspoiled virgin to have the truest experience. I would be remiss to neglect Apollonius and his 2-kilo steak and air violin. He is magnificent, but by the end, you can add him to the long list of people ceremonially calling Darrow’s name before battle. I’ll wrap this up by saying I was the happy little frog in the slowly heating pot for this entire book. There were moments of loss ala PB. There were also fast-paced vignettes. But in hindsight, it was all a bloody damn trick to get you to read Dark Age.

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Dark Age

By: Pierce Brown

Ya know, I thought The Triumph easily trumped The Red Wedding (ASOIF). I said to myself then, “Damn. That Pierce Brown knows how to write a tragic scene and make me really feel it.” The Triumph, and The Jackal’s little box, and Ragnar, and Nerol, and, and, and… It was all a lot, but I felt like I could handle it. This book. Fuck this book. Not really. But kinda, yes. There was so much to process that some of the most profound losses did not even register. The last few hundred pages are nearly unrelenting. It was a vice from beginning to end. Just when I thought I was going to crack, indeed, I was sobbing uncontrollably, the vice loosened by a fraction of an inch. There really isn’t too much more to say. This is the best book of the series, and they have all been phenomenal. The only thing left is for me to double down on my FUCK LYSANDER stance. BUT, now that I’ve taken a hard line, PB may pull some shit out of nowhere and make me consider Lysander as redeemable all over again. I await this next book with great fear and anticipation.

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Amusing Ourselves to Death

By: Neil Postman

Wow. This is such an interesting book to read from a historical perspective. As early as the advent of TV, the author of this book, was able to forecast its negative impact on society. Fast-forward to now. The trends identified in this book have only become more exacerbated. The negative social impact of TV has only become more pronounced now that we are also contending with social media. Reading AOTD was a great exercise in extrapolation. If you have been interested in the multitude of research that has been released about Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok re: aberrant social behavior and negative self-image, this book is up your alley. Also of note, the author only lived to the early 2000’s and I suspect is currently rolling in his grave at about 10,000 revolutions per minute.

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Brave New World

By: Aldous Huxley

After reading Amusing Ourselves To Death, I had to go back for a re-read of BNW. Most people probably know this; in case you don’t, the long and short of it is a society controlled through distraction. The element that jumps out at me the most is the “Feelies.” It is mind-boggling that this book remains cutting edge. With VR and wearable tech, our society is definitely on the cusp of realizing “the Feelies.” In fact, I was postulating with a friend that the only thing that will be able to unseat a 5-15s video meme in our collective attentions is a medium through which we can experience our distractions of choice as if first-hand. For its continued relevancy and character studies, I definitely am glad I circled back for a re-read. BNW is a classic for a reason.

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The Stand-In

By: Lily Chu

Lesson learned. Read the whole synopsis. The first few lines of this book’s summary are outlined as a list. Lists are a theme in the book. It makes sense. The surface-level premise of a life-changing identity mix-up sounded fun. I was in. Then I realized that it was also a bit of a romance novel. I clicked back to see if that was mentioned anywhere in the summary. Yes, if you “read more” it was there. If you are into soft-core porny romance this is not for you. In that regard, it is more YA. But I don’t really dig that genre, so all the cute flirting and thrill of the chase felt like a guilty pleasure for me even though it was innocent enough. TSI was written in 1st person. I found that to be a great way to get to know the cast of characters. I felt invested in Gracie like a friend by the end of it. I didn’t see the twist coming until it was almost upon me, too. Yes, there is a twist. Overall snappy writing, great characters, and fun. After the first two books of this month, TSI was a welcome upbeat palette cleanse.

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Battle For The Nether

By: Mark Cheverton

NERD ALERT!!1! I had read a fair amount of Minecraft-related books now. There are several series by Winter Morgan that are not literary classics but totally enjoyable for a mom and 5-year-old to read together. Bonus fact: many of said books are narrated by Luke Daniels, a fantastic narrator, and author to boot. But this is not Winter Morgan's Minecraft. BFTN is fan fiction that reaches a little too far, imo. It strives to teach moral high ground. It manages to do as much but with little finesse. You can subtract additional points if you're listening on Audible. I think anyone would be hard-pressed to find a narrator that sounds as nerdy as the subject matter but this guy really nailed it.

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Consider Phlebas

By: Iain M. Banks

My favorite aspect of this book was the end. I don’t mean that facetiously. I was unimpressed by the novel as a whole. I thought the characters were rather bland. The world-building felt Star Warsian in the sense that it felt like some things were done for absurdity-sake. The author wields violence and crudity in a ham-handed fashion. In juxtaposition with Red Rising, where all the violence feels terrible but necessary, in CP the violence and grossness feels like it is just there to make you squirm. CP was one of the novels that upon completing, I felt like I needed to take to the internet to understand "why?" I actually found a satisfying answer from the author, himself. But the fact that he had to write the "why" out separately from the novel seems like maybe there was an opportunity to have better illustrated it within the text, itself. As I said before, the end is where the discerning reader may be able to extract the "why" in-line with the story. I couldn't quite excavate it on my own but did come away with the sense that the end was satisfactory even if the process of reading the book was not quite the experience I was hoping for.

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August Book Drop

Stella Batts: None of Your Beeswax

By: Courtney Sheinmel

These are honestly great kids books. This particular installment doesn’t break from the mold. The main character, Stella is spunky and fun without feeling annoying for an adult to follow. Book 7 deals with themes of keeping secrets, group projects and friend dynamics. Worthwhile.

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The Rise of Endymion

By: Dan Simmons

This is a beautiful book. There is some really powerful discourse about the nature of the universe and love that rivals my favorite passages from God Emperor of Dune. I was very impressed with this series and put it up there in my top 5 Sci-Fi of all time. Dan Simmons’ world-building is damn near unparalleled. The sheer imagination required to contrive of both creatures and “land”scapes of the magnitude covered in this book is staggering. If you love Dune you will definitely enjoy this series. But to all who venture forth into this territory; do not judge this series by the first book. I greatly enjoyed Hyperion but this is a quad of books that most certainly should be taken as a whole.

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Direct Descent

By: Frank Herbert

Well this was interesting. I didn’t enjoy this book very much. I will use this as an opportunity to share with you some encouraging thoughts. I have now read extensively in Frank Herbert’s non-Dune work. I have found it absolutely shocking that he is the author of Dune and the other stuff. Works like Direct Descent feel adolescent. They feel unrealized. Dune, is of course, a magnum opus.

Foreshadowing of Dune is present in many of the books Herbert wrote before Dune. Direct Descent is no exception. The reason I want to share is because I write. If you’re on my blog maybe you do, too. I think its important to know that your first book, your first short story, maybe even your 50th maybe won’t be that great. But that doesn't mean you don’t have a masterpiece inside of your mind. That goes for any artistic endeavor. Keep putting in the work.

I didn’t love this book as far as the story or the writing go. But I’m grateful it exists. Its an inspiration in a completely different way than the most beloved of Herbert’s books and it serves a purpose in the grand scheme of things. Thematically, that sentiment ties perfectly into the story so I’ll leave you right there.

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Stella Batts: Superstar

By: Courtney Sheinmel

Ok, as an older sister. I felt this. I think that’s the genius of Courtney Sheinmel - she really nails the experience of being a kid. Themes in this book are not getting what you think you want, being envious of someone else’s experience and a little insight into acting. This was fun for me to read with Vor because it talks about the BTS aspect of film-making and I felt cool because I could verify first-hand what Sheinmel was writing about.

This is the last of Stella on Audible so I won’t be writing any more Stella reviews for the foreseeable future. I’m ok with that but want to underscore that this is a great children’s book series and I think your younger kids will more than likely enjoy it. Happily recommended for younger readers.

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Geekeralla

By: Ashley Poston

I honestly don’t know wtf I was thinking picking up this book. I think I was like - Sci-Fi theme! But I didn’t pay any attention to the fact that everything is couched in the archetype of Cinderella.

Its a romance novel. Its cute. Its totally palatable. Its nerdy af. I didn’t hate it. I just kinda low-key hated myself for picking a romance novel. BUT! I enjoyed it. And it was honestly great timing for me.

I was re-reading Red Rising at the same time as this book and that series is not good to listen to before bed oftentimes. So this was my pre-bed wind-down novel for a couple weeks. For that, it was good.

Definitely a bit of young adult fiction. It was a fun take on Cinderella. I didn’t love the heroine because she was annoyingly in damsel-in-distress mode for most of the book but that IS Cinderella so there’s only so much I can say to complain. I did, however, like the Prince Charming and The Fairy Godmother and even one of the Evil Step-Sisters.

It didn’t suck. Its LGBTQ-friendly despite the main story being cis-het. There are plenty of nice things to be said about it. Not my typical fare but doesn’t mean you won’t like it.

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Morning Star

By: Pierce Brown

I’m going to quickly give you my take on this, solo, and then as promised in last month’s installment, I will circle back and deal with the first three books as a trilogy.

I read this 2x in quick succession along with the first two books of this series. Why? They are that good. As a third book goes, this was a satisfying ending to the first trilogy in this series.

The first time through, I stopped. I actually had no intention of reading any more of the series for a while but Matt is reading it with me so I have the courage to continue because I can vent to someone when needed.

I’ll get into that more just below. But yeah. This book was great just like the first two.

Summary Here

Red Rising Books 1-3

By: Pierce Brown

Conversion experience. Love. Best Friends. My judgement is clouded y’all. I can’t help but write this like a true Stan. But you probably knew that already from the fact that I read these and then immediately read them again.

But if you will, let me please go into some more detail about why I love these so much. Let’s go into list mode:

1. The characters. I know my Aquarius is showing when I say this but…sorry real-life humans, these are my best friends. :-/ I love Darrow and Sevro and Victra and Ragnar etc as if they were flesh and blood humans. Thinking of them gives me comfort and makes me feel less alone in this fucked up pandemic world of 2021. They are right up there with the crew of The Rocinante from The Expanse. They are flawed but their strengths are shining. They are serious and brooding but funny. They are strong but vulnerable. I love them. Sorry not sorry.

2. Balance. There are male and female badasses. There is hetero and homo love. There is action and philosophy. There is humor and tension. There is local scale and solar-system scale. All of the above and more leaves me really satisfied as a discerning reader.

3. Kick-Assness. Goddamn if Darrow isn’t the come -from-nothing badass to end all badasses. His character literally inspired me to pick up and start writing my own characters. Sometimes people call me a badass. I think that’s a very kind sentiment to bestow upon a person but to me, how could I ever be called that when someone like Darrow exists. Ok, yes. Darrow is a fictional character. I don’t care. He’s real to me and he is amazing…see above where I either want to be him, fuck him or be his best friend.

4. Interesting Premise. Yes, book one is not dissimilar to The Hunger Games but the scope expands and the comparisons fall away after Red Rising. What is left is the idea of superior humans, a conquering of regular humans and a caste society. Why is this interesting to me? Because its set in space and if you don’t think Bezos and Musk et. al. are cruising right toward establishing this sort of “society” you are not paying attention. There are some fanciful leaps of sci-fi in the series but they check out well enough for those who like a grounding in “reality.” But its the cultural context of this novel that really catches my attention as a real possibility of a dystopian future.

5. Beautiful writing. Brown is a fucking great writer. Someone compared his prose to Shakespeare. They aren’t wrong to do so. The philosophy in these books is presented as the musings of the narrator both aloud and as internal monologue. Brown covers a surprise amount of ground that way. Furthermore, the way he is able to overlay the philosophy onto the actions of the characters in a way that only serves to underscore their humanity is masterful. These are best-sellers for a reason. Pierce Brown bodied the fuck out of these. I’m as much a fan of the man as a writer as I am of his characters. If you ever read this my Goodman, thank you.

6. Fandom. The Fandom for this series only makes reading the books that much more enjoyable. Its a bloodydamn culture. The initiated know, you can steep yourself as fully into the culture of a Gold, a Howler, an Obsidian as you can with any of the cultures of being a real life human. The genius is of course there is enough borrowed from real-life human culture to take what is given to you in the books and expand upon it as much as you want. Its fun. Its the reason I had to press-gang Matt into reading these books, too. They are even better when you can share them with others.

Ok \list.

Why did I stop at Book 3? Darrow is a hero, a god of war, a very interesting human, not without flaw. His flaws deepen as his decisions get ethically murky. No blame from me, here. I am, however, apprehensive to see him fall from glory. Not saying that is what will happen but the next trilogy in the series is ten years hence from when these books ended. Virginia, Darrow and retinue have built up a Republic in place of The Society and shit is not going smoothly. That seems rife with the potential of Darrow being sullied as one of my all time favorites. Second and no less importantly, this is were Brown undertakes to solve the political issues that have plagued humanity since we first got our silly little consciousnesses bent on the idea of organizing and governing one another. At this point in the series (and irl) autocracy, fascism, socialism, democracy etc have all been given a go and not quite panned out. I just have a feeling that much of the tension and turmoil as yet to come in the series is going to be a mirror of humanity in its current state and I needed a break before tackling that in there literally realm since its ubiquitous on social and in face-to-face convos.

Y’all. I wasn’t expecting this level of falling in love when I picked these books up. It was a whim. It was me being anal retentive about telling someone 5 years ago that I would read them and finally following through. I take my promises to read things very seriously. I’ve been rewarded time and again but never before like this. Shannon, thanks a million for the recommendation. Allow me to pass the rec onward a million times into the future.