Afterworlds, by Scott Westerfeld June 14, 2016
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Afterworlds, by Scott Westerfeld is a strange amalgam of a book. It’s half a story of a young writer come to New York to write on the strength of her first YA novel and half the story she wrote, featuring a young girl who escapes terrorist attacks at her local airport by pretending to be dead…a little too convincingly. She finds herself in a sort of between life and death world, from which she is (eventually) able to come and go as she pleases.
The book seesaws between the mundane business of publishing (I am sure no first-time writer has it as easy as she does) and the horror-suspense of the Afterworld in a way that is surprisingly well balanced; each chapter moves the story along a little ways, sometimes in a connected way, mostly not. This is not as jarring a transition as you might imagine: Westerfeld is an excellent writer, and the character of each of the two protagonists is well-developed enough that you hardly notice how slow the book really is.
That was intended as praise. I like a book I can linger over.
The link above goes to amazon; I got my copy at the local library.
Redshirts, by John Scalzi June 2, 2016
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Redshirts, by John Scalzi is a fun little read featuring a suspiciously Star Trek-like ship’s enlisted personnel dying with frightening frequency on planet-bound missions. The “new kids” notice this and the real fun begins; they try to figure out why and how this is happening.
Well performed by Wil Wheaton (whose annoying character really should have gone on more away missions), this book deals really nicely with sci-fi tropes we know and love, and old TV shows we love irrationally. Wil’s reading is a source of great entertainment for me, as he always seems to put the right amount of astonishment into the voice of his unfortunate character’s mouth.
Link goes to Amazon; also available at sfpl.org.
Not related, but related.
Soon I Will be Invincible, by Austin Grossman June 2, 2016
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OK; I have never reviewed a superhero novel, possibly because I didn’t think there were such things. This is one, however. As impossible as this is, it is also a literary comic book, filled with various heroes with strange origin stories (like the sad, immortal faerie with hardly any forests left to sustain her), and a villain created in the moment of the main heroes’ creation.
This is more than a simple comic book without pictures; there’s actual pathos here, where the half-human half-robot girl (who weighs in at about a half-ton of steel and titanium) really wants to get laid and knows that’s never going to happen.
The villain is just a super-smart guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and wanted the hero’s girl pretty badly when they were school kids together. It’s very fun to listen in on HIS thoughts, I promise you.
Oh, and he does become invincible. So there’s kind of a challenge for the heroes there, when he decides to plunge the Earth into a new ice age.
Pretty fun. Link goes to Amazon, but I can’t remember where I got the book, so it’s probably available at sfpl.org and other public libraries. Or maybe your local comics store.
Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld June 1, 2016
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Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld is a cute little steampunk novel set (largely) on board a living blimp run by the Victorian English (“Darwinists”) about to run afoul of the dastardly, mechanically-inclined Hun (“Clankers”). Both sides weapons are drawn in a WWI epic (this series runs to three novels) that features heroism, pluck and improvisation by the adolescent FEMALE protagonist, nobility but naiveté in the male protagonist and lovely action, drama and romance all around. Great fun, especially the complex business of running a living airship made by DNA (“life strands”) editing and running steam-powered robots through heavily-forested areas. Well-drawn characters make this a nice audiobook (and the other two, Goliath and Behemoth) to listen to on a long drive. The narrator’s voice covers a very wide range of characters convincingly. I was very entertained.
Nicely done all around. Links above go to Amazon; of course available at sfpl.org, and other public libraries no doubt.
Armada, by Ernest Cline June 1, 2016
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Armada, by Ernest Cline is an excellent book for a really, really long, horrible weekend moving trip. Especially if you have to make TWO trips because U-Haul screws you over by fraudulently renting you the smaller trailer, incidentally costing you a day’s pay and an extra hundred bucks in cash. And my air conditioning died on Memorial Day weekend on the very hot drive through the valley (100F +).
I’m not bitter. I would not want you to think that.
Armada is another of those well-loved (read: clichéd) sci-fi tropes wherein an adolescent boy (always an adolescent boy; never a girl, never a grown man or woman) daydreams about space dogfights and excels at videogames of that type, especially one game wherein he is high scorer. I believe the best-known version of this is The Last Starfighter (link goes to a special four-movie deal: Flash Gordon, The Last Starfighter, Battlestar Galactica and Dune for eight bucks which is actually pretty good). Our Hero is recruited by defense agency to fight the faceless monsters at the last minute to save Earth from destruction at the hands of an implacable and seemingly invincible foe.
This could be pretty trite in the hands of some but Ernest Cline manages, by exposing the trope to scrutiny and skepticism within the novel, to extract a dramatic story line from it, and imbue the story with a kind of realistic humor which I found very stress-relieving. And then there’s Wil Wheaton, who read each sentence with enough emotional clarity that I found myself laughing and crying along with Our Hero, the video game geek (note: this features an intragalactic war, so characters you like are gonna get snuffed). Good job, Wil.
The link at the top of the page goes to Amazon, but the audiobook is available at sfpl.org and probably your own local library.
Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline May 25, 2016
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Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline is a nice little novel which has generated a lot of talk in the blogosphere among people younger than myself—those who were teenagers in the late eighties, I suspect. This navel-gazing into the solipsistic past doesn’t do much for me as I am from the wrong era but the novel itself, when stripped of egregious references to pop culture, it is actually a strange kind of action tale taking place mostly in the dystopian (of course) future. The action is largely game puzzles solved in a competition in a VR space that has kind of subsumed the real world, but there’s some real-world danger and people meeting in meatspace as well.
Yep, a standard, formulaic quest-type action novel. Why the blogosphere love? One, Ernest Cline’s use of dialogue and description. He’s no slacker and it shows. Two (and I think this resonates with everyone who has “read” it), it’s read in the audiobook by Wil Wheaton.
Wil made it for me. His reading is just about perfect in nuance, pace and sardonic timing. His acting chops have only gotten much better with age (although really, he wasn’t given much to work with as Wesley Crusher now, was he?).1
Anyway, I enjoyed it during my commute (I should mention than I’m behind in writing about books since renovating my house but Fear Not! I shall catch up eventually) last year when I still did commute. Wil has also read Redshirts by John Scalzi and another Ernest Cline novel Armada, which I just started. Don’t worry; I will review them both eventually.2
I do recommend this as your usual scifi stuff. Popcorn need not be a bad thing, after all. It’s not all Neal Stephenson, is it?
___________
1 No. He wasn’t. I give him full credit for quitting; that took some cajones for a kid in the meat grinder of television.
2 Be afraid.
Wicked Appetite, by Janet Evanovich July 14, 2015
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Wicked Appetite, by Janet Evanovich
An evil magician[3] seeks Lizzie’s peculiar talent (the location one, not the muffin one) to find seven stone embodying the Seven Deadly Sins[tm], which will allow him to unleash Hell On Earth[tm]. Lizzie doesn’t think that a good idea, but evil magicians can be very persuasive[4].
She is saved from persuasion by Diesel, a kind of a beach bum lookin’ dude[5] with a certain weird charm and with inherited talents also, none of which involve muffins. Lizzie and Diesel get their hands on the first part of the Gluttony stone, which hilariously derails normality by making everything about food, punishment or hoarding (depending on who has the thing).
Lizzie is helped by her friend Gloria and her discount book of spells, which also hilariously derail conversation. For this part I strongly suggest the audiobook, so you can hear Lorelei King deliver gibberish. I would pay full price for this audiobook for that alone.
The link above is to Amazon, but this is available at sfpl.org, where the cognoscenti get their books for free.
___
[0] She’s not the heroine type.
[1] He is, curiously enough, not the comic relief. He’s just nuts.
[3] Distractingly handsome; see above.
[4] See footnote 3, above.
[5] See footnote 3, above. I begin to detect a pattern here.
10% Happier, by Dan Harris July 10, 2015
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10% Happier, by Dan Harris
The real juicy part of this book is not so much who he met or how he learned this or that thing, but his blow-by-blow account of his thoughts and reactions as he began learning meditation. Especially interesting was his reaction to a ten-day Zen retreat of six-hour daily meditation, wherein he finally felt he “got it” and later the emotional outpouring he experience when meditating upon compassion for the first time.
The reason I loved this book is that his story resonates closely with my own, especially the embarrassing awareness of the banality of my own thoughts, the ease of distraction and the lack of rigor in focus or awareness of anything but the voice in my head. That, and I’m hoping to get a little guidance on my own practice, and I think this book helped.
The link above goes to the Audible audiobook version, but it is also available at sfpl.org. I do recommend the audiobook, as it is read by him and guarantees his nuances will not be misunderstood (c.f., “Jew-Bus”, above).
Audiobook Roundup July 6, 2015
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Some of my readers know I am renovating my house to rent and spend long days doing repetitive work like sanding and painting and minor repairs. Little of this involves thought, so I listen to audiobooks. I liked the ones I have been listening to, so here goes:
The Girl with All the Gifts, by M.R. Carey 
Exciting update: there is to be a movie made:
The Magician’s Land by Lev Grossman 
I know this makes him sound like an overachiever, but Grossman tells it so well you just go with it. Spectacular use of language; most highly recommended, not depressing at all.
Exciting update: there is a TV series. I would have learned this sooner, but I don’t watch TV (much. I have seen most of Person of Interest).
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman 
I’m not done with this one yet, but I like it already.
Thank You, Terry Pratchett March 14, 2015
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Thank you, Sir Terry
EDIT: That’s a cake, friends.
Housewife Assassin’s Handbook by Josie Brown February 23, 2015
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The Housewife Assassin’s Handbook
The Housewife Assassin’s Killer Christmas Tips
The Housewife Assassin’s Relationship Survival Guide
The Housewife Assassin’s Vacation to Die For
The Housewife Assassin’s Recipes for Disaster
The Housewife Assassin’s Hollywood Scream Play
The Housewife Assassin’s Deadly Dossier
I do get it, based upon the first book. It’s the perfect fantasy for any suburban mom: sexy(!) mom with time to kill(!!), a mystery or two, handsome men vying for her affections (complete with steamy sex scenes) and successful mothering of near-perfect children.
You know, I could have bought the whole premise right up until then.
Cheap Complex Devices by John Sundman February 23, 2015
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Cheap Complex Devices
I do love a book which confounds my expectations, and Cheap Complex Devices
The Power of Habit February 9, 2015
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The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
Babbage and Lovelace in Paperback! February 9, 2015
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It’s ready for pre-order! The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk February 3, 2015
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The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma is a fabulous up-to-date survey of what is currently known about psychological traumas and innovative, effective treatments for life-long sufferers of trauma. From war veterans to incest survivors to accident victims, Bessel van der Kolk in the JRI Trauma Research Center in Brookline, Mass. recounts painful case histories to illustrate creative approaches to trauma treatment and recovery, from neurofeedback to theater to EMDR, with often amazing results. Simple meditation can provide serious relief and often open doors to talk therapy that remained closed for many patients.
I have always held that about a third of humanity is seriously messed up inside, from unrecognized illness, child abuse, rape or simply absent parental figures. Given the huge numbers of trauma sufferers of so many kinds throughout the world, and the impact that even one damaged person can have on so many others, isn’t it time to learn more about trauma?
I found by the end of this book I was feeling quite a bit more charitable to strangers than heretofore.
Maybe I’m learning something about trauma.
The Martian, by Andy Weir January 14, 2015
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The Martian, by Andy Weir
What really makes this book is the audiobook’s narrator, who adds just the right amount of pathos, black humor, and sense of desperation to the astronaut’s voice. Did I mention that the stranded astronaut is cut off from NASA and they don’t even know he’s alive?
Awesome, awesome book. The most refreshing bit of science fiction I have read in a year, The Martian is up for every award in the science fiction world, and it damn well should be. Also, the link here is to the audiobook which is a paltry ten bucks. Pay the money and you can thank me later.
Procrastination by Punctuation December 12, 2014
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On the List That Cannot be Named, there is a lively week-long (and still ongoing) discussion of letters that didn’t make it into the alphabet. This alone is Stuff I Like, but there is a long parody which contains this snippet, duly appreciated:
>>> Of all the many characters,
>>> Old English to adorn,
>>> There are a few that no one here knew,
>>> Like Yogh and Ash and Thorn.
>>> …
>>
>> =v= That’s downright awesome. Did you write it?
>> </Lazyweb>
>> <_Jym_>
>
> Indeed. The levels of creativity produced by finals procrastination
> astound me.
> – Ray
Wait till you get to PhD thesis avoidance.
A Winter’s Tale, by Mark Helprin November 3, 2014
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A Winter’s Tale
One thing it is not, however, is short. This book is one of many reasons I have been slow to update this space. Do not be fooled by the appearance of a movie of the same name; you can’t make a movie
In short (hah!) Winter’s Tale is a long-form poem, as sure as Homer’s little doggerel is. Do not start this unless you have a strong love of wordplay and a powerful ability to suspend disbelief. If you have that, you are in for a real treat.
The wordplay here is second to none; it kills any narrative flow like a stake through the heart, but that’s just fine. The words are the thing, not the plot, the action or any personal conflicts. Those are just the bread upon which sweet jams and jellies are lathered to make a word sandwich.
I cannot recommend this book too highly; I would give it ten stars but I only have five.
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie September 18, 2014
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Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
I won’t spoil that for you. When the protagonist is forced to act against her character, it causes her to snap and behave in a very selfish and yet selfless manner—which is our story, of course.
I recommend Ancillary Justice
As it is the winner of the Hugo, Nebula, British Science Fiction, Locus and Arthur C. Clarke Awards, I gather I am not the only one who recommends it.
Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman by James Gleick May 9, 2014
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Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman
Besides being the best possible biography of a recent scientist, it has magnificent quotes from scientists of the age (“Going to MIT and suicide were not commutable operations”), fascinating anecdotes about Feynman and colleagues and a bit of history I surely did not know before: American (and expatriate European) physicists were working secretly on the Bomb long before they had US government help. Hitler scared the crap out of them, and they knew they were onto Something Big with fission.
I do heartily recommend this book for biography buffs, history buffs, war history buffs, science buffs and science history buffs, and Gleick’s other books as well (except Faster); this one especially for the philosophical musings about the nature of genius and why we don’t seem to have any lying around anymore.
Stuffilike.net 