Stretch's 2011 reading

Looking forward to another great reading year in 2011.

This year I'm hoping to reduce my TBR by 27 which only leaves me the 6 new books this year, which I hope will only be graphic novels.

Books I'd like to take off the TBR Pile*:

The Kite Runner
The Unvanquished
Blood Meridian
Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell
Uncle Tom's Cabin
The Last of the Mohicans
Dracula
Foundation
The Founding Fish
Robinson Cursoe
Theodore Rex
And Then There Were None

The Varieties of the Scientific Experience
Out Stealing Horses
The March
Black Rain
Barefoot Gen
Don Quixote
Stiff
The Eyre Affair
Childhood's End
Billions and Billions
Feet of Clay
Jingo
The Fifth Elephant
Ever Since Darwin
Thud
Earth: An Intimate History

*look at what Club Read has done to me, my first ever orginaized list of books to be read in the next year ever. Which will probably be largely ignored.

Books actually read to be listed here.

Currently Reading:

Taiko by Eiji Yoshikawa

Read at a Glance: linked to actual post

Fiction:
Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
Barefoot Gen by Keiji Nakazawa
Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
Out Stealing Horses by Per Pettersen
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
Don Quixote by Miquel Servantes
The March by E. L. Doctorow
Jingo by Terry Pratchett
The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
Thud! by Terry Pratchett
Hack and Slash Omnibus Vol 1 by Tim Seeley
The Nobody by Jeff Lemire
Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan
Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill
Coming Unglued by Jim Snowden
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Love at Absolute Zero By Christopher Meeks
Storm Rider by Akira Yoshimura
Machine by Peter Adolphsen
Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimura
The Sea and Poison by Shusaku Endo

Non-Fiction:
Classic Feynman by Richard Feynman
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Billions & Billions by Carl Sagan
Science: A Four Thousand Year History by Patricia Fara
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
Walk About Northern California By Tim Courtney
The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing by Richard Dawkins
I Shall Not Hate by Izzeldin Abuelaish
Ever Since Darwin by Stephen Jay Gould
Eyewitness to America: 500 Years of American History in the Words of Those Who Saw It Happen by David Colbert
Japan: Its History and Culture by W. Scott Morton
Varieties of the Scientific Experience by Carl Sagan
Thinking Like a Mountain by Robert Bateman
Earth: An Intimate History by Richard Fortey

Short Stories/Essays:
Scientific Integrity: White house memo A lot of nice ideals are expressed in this short memo. It'll be interesting to see how it's implemented in each department. Lack of funding section is a bit of a concern, seems like a mighty big loophole.
Death and What Comes Next by Terry Pratchett. A short of when Death meets a Philosopher and the condrum of how humans choice to deal with the impending end.
Theatre of Cruelty by Terry Pratchett. An okay Night watch short story about solving a murder. Short and sweet, but lacks that watch quality that makes the watch special.
Creationism's Evolving Strategy by Sandhya Bathija. A review developments in the creationism/evolution controversy 5 years after the decision in the Kitzmiller v. Dover case. Not a whole a lot of new information is presented in this overview. Still nice to get a quick summation of the current status of this particular cultural battle.
My Father's Mask by Joe Hill A story I read indepently of 20th Century Ghosts about a family vacation on a lake, that like to play mystreious games and live behind masks that alter their personas. A very creepy story, with an ending I don't quite understand. Joe Hill is quickly becoming one of my favorite horror authors, who is much better than his father

Ooh, some excellent potential reading there! I'll be very interested to hear what you might have to say about some of those. I am also reminded of the fact that Edgar Allen Poe's Complete Tales and Poems has been sitting on my own TBR Pile for far too long. I will confess to being mildly intimidated by it.

I find my list to be a little daunting, but I'm actually quite excited too. The more I think about the more I think I have a good mix. I'm really going to try to stick to one book at a time schedule. Plus having a few unread Pratchett's is always good to have in my back pocket for when I hit those walls.

You ought to be able to take Foundation off the pile in less than a day...unless you get totally hooked and have to continue on through the subsequent books:-) Childhood's End is a fairly short book also (and I suspect any Agatha Christie would also be a quick read!) Things are already looking optimistic! I never make lists like this because it would make me want to rebel; however, I think there is a list of this kind somewhere in my subconscious.

I like your list. Of the ones I've read, I really enjoyed Don Quixote and The Eyre Affair. And Then There Were None was pretty good, though I don't remember a ton about it. Uncle Tom's Cabin I found too preachy. The Last of the Mohicans I hated. Dracula was interesting, some parts were very good, some not so much. I couldn't stand Mina's sections. I also have Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe and Stiff on the TBR.

" ...my first ever organized list of books to be read in the next year ever. Which will probably be largely ignored."

Ha! Glad it's not just me!

>Lois I like the optimistic outlook, I'll have to keep that in mind when trying to figure out a good order to read these.

>Jane I'm certainly looking forward to some on my list more then others. A few are there to fill in the gaps and "should" that have been there so long that if I don't read read them, I'll have to discard them and I hate to see a book go unread.

>Theaelizabet, coming from a long line of list makers the urge to rebel is strong.


To make this post a bit more substantive I have finished Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett, but have been contemplating breaking an unwritten rule of commenting on satire or humorous. To me there is nothing worse than having to explain the joke. You either get it or don't.

I'll still have to make a formal post at sometime.

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett



I love Terry Pratchett novels. They're fun, light reads that end up to be much deeper than you think they'll be. Humorous stories with unforgettable characters. The city watch is by far my favorite of the Disc world universe. Full of reluctant anti-heroes that at first appear to utterly incompetent and totally out of their league, but in the end they come through in the most unsuspected ways. The evolution of the city watch is great, slowly Vimes is wrestling the control of the city away from the guilds and installing something of a lawful society.

I'm going for TBR's too, though it was my plan last year and my pile doubled, so we'll see. We'll all have to encourage each other and maybe even try to read a book at the same time. What's the weather outside at your house? Out Stealing Horses ought to be read when it's cold and snowy outside--makes it so much better (imo). I'm one of the masses who loved Kite Runner if you're needing any encouragement there. Never finished Theodore Rex--too much detail, but don't go by me, because I often think this about political biographies. I'm going to reread Dracula too this year. And Then There Were None was such a pivotal mystery book for me--can't say why until you read it. ;-) Some other books there, I may be reading too. Have fun!

Thanks Boonie for the encouragement. Right now Indiana is going through a weird warm snap, today it was almost 60 degrees, so I'll have to put Out Stealing Horses till it snows again. I too have trouble with political biographies or any biography for that matter. Took me almost a year to read through The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt last year. So that one is going to take some time to work up the steam to get through it. I'm excited to get through some of these this year. Your TBR pile is quite impressive, and I'll certainly be following along this year.

Barefoot Gen Volume One by Keiji Nakazawa



Every now and then I come across a book that I wish was required reading when I was in high school; in my estimation Barefoot Gen: Vol 1 is one of those books. Barefoot Gen is the first hand account of the author's, Keiji Nakazawa, experiences of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Nakazawa is certainly a competent illustrator, but more importantly it's the story he tells through his panels that makes the this personal re-telling of history so compelling.

Most of the first volume takes place well before the bomb is dropped, setting the stage for the ultimate tragedy. However, the small unjustices of Gen's family in the days prior to the bombing amount to a tragedy all their own. Gen’s father is outspoken about his opposition to the war; he sees the famine it’s brought, the lives it takes and the values it twists, such as the group suicides who seek honor in taking their lives rather than face capture. Nakazawa looks down upon this so-called honor, instead focusing directly on the daily hardships in wartime and the futility of hope and superstitions. Nakazawa witnessed the blind loyalty of Japanese citizens to the Emperor, endured the stigma of being one of the few families opposed to the war in his village, saw the flesh dripping off the bodies of those victims caught directly in the bomb’s blast. What he puts on the illustrated page is not necessarily realistic, but it is haunting and terrible all the same. Even mixing the over-the-top comical elements (silly and strange dialogue; overt use of violence when characters disagree; even fart jokes) that is so common with Manga. I wouldn't say the Manga elements are seamlessly integrated into the story, but the story simply wouldn't be the same without them.

Nakazawa, through Gen’s family, offers one of the greatest explorations of the concept of humanity ever put in print. Loyalty and sacrifice for an ideal mean nothing when fellow neighbors are in immediate need of help. Gen’s town turns on his family once they’re branded as traitors, but it’s those who still offer them food and support that stand out in the story. I think this series will remain in my mind for a long time to come.

I have to thank Daniel for suggesting this great graphic novel to me last year.

I'm a big PTerry fan too, although something of an oddball among my friends, who prefer the Rincewind novels. I'm glad to see there's another Watch fan out there! Are you reading the Discword books in order? And have you gotten to Night Watch yet? It's perhaps my favorite in the series as well as a novel that stands perfectly well on its own merits.

12: Sounds really good. So, were he and his family branded as traitors before the bomb dropped? I think it would be even harder to speak out after that happened.

Actually Night Watch was my second introduction to Terry's world, and is by far one of my favorites. I have now gone back to read them in order, now that I have been better educated. The Watch series is my only "complete:" series at the moment and want to finish it out before I move on to the Witches, or Rincewind series. I've got most of the Death series as well, but I'm not as big a fan of that series. Love the character though.

>14 bonniebooks: Yes they were branded traitors prior to the bombing, when the emperor cult was its strongest, just before the invasion of the home island.

stretch - 1st class review for Barefoot Gen. "However, the small unjustices of Gen's family in the days prior to the bombing amount to a tragedy all their own." - very true, and it's this is such a big part of what makes this work, it's so engrossing even before the bomb.

As for TP, for some reason "Clay of my clay" keeps repeating itself in my head...

I'm curious about Pratchett. It seems like something I would like, and I see a lot of people reading them. I guess I've always worried it will be too British so I won't get it.

>Thanks Daniel and I think "Clay of my Clay" will have to scrawled on a wall of one of my future child's room.

>Jane

I have found that Pratchett is very accessible to American audiences, words are even edited to appear more American. The satires and social commentary is pretty universal to all modern society nothing too specific to the British. That being said there is some stuff and jokes that go over my head. And his British following is a lot greater than it is here in America.

The real debate is where to start. I got into Pratchett by reading Good Omens, then Small Gods (1st discworld book), and then Night Watch. Not exactly the order prescribed, but the Watch has certainly become my favorite, but none of the series are bad. Some would argue that the Rincewind series is the necessary starting point, while others would say to steer clear until you have adjusted to the Disc. I think there's no wrong way to start reading Pratchett.
I'm sure if polled the Pratchett fans here in the Club would all have a different take on where to start.

The Discworld in all its glory, if you are interested.

stretch>

I really thought I was going to love the Death series as much as the Watch. Mort and Reaper Man had me doubled over laughing, which most books can't accomplish. Unfortunately, the last three in the series (while good) fell short.

Incidentally, have you read any of the Tiffany Aching novels yet? The first two rank just behind Night Watch in my opinion, and have some neat cross references to the Watch series.

janepriceestrada> I took a glance at the novels you've got tagged under "fantasy," and I think you'd get a real kick out of Discworld. I'm seconding stretch's motion that you read them!

20 - Great resource.

20/21 - I'll probably pick up one sometime.

I would second the recommendation for Mort which I still think is the funniest of the Pratchetts that I've read.

>20 stretch: I'm agape at the chart ... and then to take in Pratchett's body of work that underlies it, amazing. I have Mort to look forward to.

>Trismegistus

I feel the same way about the Death Series. The first two were fantastic, but the others were good but not as great as his other books. I would put Moving Pictures as one of those just kind of falls flat.

I haven't read any of the Tiffany Aching novels yet. This is mostly due to my confusion of how the fit in with the Witches. I haven't read any of the Witches books. I haven't heard anything but rave reviews of those books. Can they stand alone or would I at least to understand the chronology to the witches?

The Tiffany series refers to the witches very casually. It's enough if you know
1. that they exist
2. that there are three of them
3. bonus points if you know their names
No really, the Tiffany series is aimed at a different audience than the rest of DW, so it wouldn't be fair to expect the little readers (mmm, should try it on my daughter...) to know everything about Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg etc.

I've long thought of Mort as my favorite of the Discworld novels, but it's been so long since I read it that I can't now quite remember why.

And the Tiffany Aching books, I think, stand very nicely on their own, even if you've never read any other Discworld novels at all. The third one does have a fair amount of stuff you might appreciate even more if you've read the other Witches books, but it's not remotely necessary.

Classic Feynman by Richard Feynman



Classic Feynman is a collection of stories, lectures, and anecdotes taken from his two most popular books, Surely Your Joking and What Do You Care What Other People Think to form an entertaining autobiography of this endlessly fascinating and fiercely independent man. The book is divided into two distinct parts. The first and largest chunk of the book is dedicated to Feynman's childhood, time as a student, his work at Los Alamos, his adventures in Brazil and Japan, and his time as a professor at Caltech. There is also a passing mention to winning the noble prize in physics in there somewhere as well. The second part of the book details his work on the committee investigating the challenger disaster in 1986. Classic Feynman is a candid look at the life of this very unique man. While it highlights his many triumphs it also shines a glaring light on his failures and his character flaws that had just as much influence on his life as his many achievements. What made Feynman such a complaining character to me was not his obvious love of science but his willingness to explore and challenge what is expected of him. His natural curiosity and wonder about the world around him to explore other cultures, the world of art, music, and even some of the more illicit and frowned upon activities of his time with such a reckless enthusiasm that it would be impossible not grow as a person. The man was not afraid to be an iconoclast, he simply didn't give a shit what other people thought of him. That is what I most admire about him. His courage and willingness to throw his whole self into anything that strikes him as interesting, is to me at least, is something to aspire to.

While his iconoclastic nature is compelling by itself, it's his ability to communicate and tell his life story with clarity, with self-defecting humor, without hubris, and with profound reflections on the ordinary that made reading this book so enjoyable. I could find a memorable quote on almost every page that will keep re-reading this book for a long time to come.

**Some of my favorite quotes:**

"The highest forms of understanding we can achieve are laughter and human compassion."

"I think it's much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers which might be wrong."

"Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts."

"I, a universe of atoms, an atom in the universe."

"I have a friend who's an artist and has sometimes taken a view which I don't agree with very well. He'll hold up a flower and say "look how beautiful it is," and I'll agree. Then he says "I as an artist can see how beautiful this is but you as a scientist take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing," and I think that he's kind of nutty. First of all, the beauty that he sees is available to other people and to me too, I believe. Although I may not be quite as refined aesthetically as he is ... I can appreciate the beauty of a flower. At the same time, I see much more about the flower than he sees. I could imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside, which also have a beauty. I mean it's not just beauty at this dimension, at one centimeter; there's also beauty at smaller dimensions, the inner structure, also the processes. The fact that the colors in the flower evolved in order to attract insects to pollinate it is interesting; it means that insects can see the color. It adds a question: does this aesthetic sense also exist in the lower forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions which the science knowledge only adds to the excitement, the mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds. I don't understand how it subtracts."

"You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be. It's their mistake, not my failing."

It's safe to say I'm now a BIG fan of Richard Feynman.

Feynman is probably one of my all-time favorite people in history.

Feynman has quickly become one my favorite scientists/human beings of all time. I have a hard time putting Feynman ahead of Sagan as all time favorite popularizer of scientific thought. I think this is because he was the most prominent figure for me when I was considering a life in the sciences, plus I remained woefully ignorant of Feynman for many, many years. It seems that their over all philosophies and approach to life are similar in many ways, including their lack of faith. I actually look at both of them as role models in this regard.

I'm glad I had a chance to learn about Feynman and his life. I wish to learn and read more of his work in the future.

Oh, I totally understand being prejudiced towards Sagan, whom I also discovered long before I'd ever heard of Feynman. If I hadn't read the book version of Cosmos at an impressionable age -- it was only much later that I ever saw the TV series -- I honestly do not think I would be where I am right now.

Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse



Black Rain is set several years after WWII and is told through the main narrator Shigematsu Shizuma as he and a small group of local survivors, including his family, struggle with the stigma and mysterious symptoms of radiation sickness. Which the only cure seems to be that of the common cold and a lot rest; it's that last part that seems to be so upsetting to Japanese sensibility. The narrative revolves around Shigematsu Shizuma’s niece, Yasuko, who is not yet married, and rumors that she was hit by poisonous black rain after the Hiroshima bombing, and is now suffering from radiation sickness, lower her chances of finding someone. When someone makes inquires about her, her uncle decides to copy his diary of the days after the bombing so that he can set the record straight about what the family went through and to preserve a first hand account of the immediate aftermath for a local school.

The real power of this narrative comes from narrow focus of these one family as they struggle through the immediate aftermath and fallout. Black Rain is not about the political or social implications of nuclear warfare. Rather, it’s about its everyday consequences and impacts of war on the lives of those who lived it. Through the diary entries we get a clear picture of the hardships rationing, the stress of air raids or the lack of air raids, the complications of black market dealings, and the bureaucracy of life under army rule. Then there was the flash that changed it all for the people of Hiroshima. The Diary entries detail the bombing from several perspectives, describing the deaths and injuries of the victims in all their gory detail. Some of descriptions are extremely disturbing. But what really stands out is the chaos and confusion that prevails the situation throughout the first week. Victims not knowing were to seek safety from the flames; not knowing how to deal with the dead and dieing; the continued frustration of dealing with a never-ending bureaucracy to get help and needed supplies; and finally the surreal reaction to the final surrender. The immense suffering of and udder lack of humanity that saturates the whole situation (I'm including the victims here as well) is enough to cause me to question what the hell is wrong with the species.

Black Rain is a very moving book, written in a very quiet, restrained tone. The lack emotions stands in stark contrast to that of western writers. The casual observations that make up much of the diary entries are what make this fictional biography so disturbing. Anger or self-pity would detract from understanding the totality of this tragedy. Black Rain is one of those books that should be required reading in history class covering the war with Japan. The images from this book will linger in my mind for a long time to come.

32 - Great review!

Excellent review stretch. I'm happy to see that you also observed the lack of emotion throughout the book. And I like how you compare it to how western writers would probably write. It was the same thing I thought about when I was reading the book. Very nice.

Great review, stretch. I'll definitely look out for this book. Just recently, my husband brought to my attention an audio recording of the official report of the team of military physicians and engineers who accompanied the 1st contingent of US Army soldiers into the destroyed cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. It is available for free download at Librivox, if you're interested in listening to a firsthand account of the aftermath (ironically sent in by those who caused it in the first place).

http://librivox.org/the-atomic-bombings-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki-by-us-army-cor...

>Jane, Thanks.

>Lilisin, For some reason I've always thought the Japanese people as being very reserved. Something I admire about their culture really. The one thing I still have questions about though is whether or not they are really that formal when talking to one another? Some of the dialogue seems so unnatural given the circumstances. Given Feynman’s impressions of Japan on his many visits there, it doesn’t seem as far fetched now.

> deebee1, Thanks for the link. I'll be sure to check that out when I find my headphones.

stretch - Catching up here. Very nice review of Black Rain. And, thanks for posting the Feynman quotes.

Yes, they really are that formal even with the circumstances going around them. There is a very ingrained system of hierarchy that is kept rigidly. You don't drop that no matter the situation. In French culture as well we have this where if there were a bomb etc., you would still call a someone Madame or Monsieur, and you would use vous instead of tu due to this sense of formalism. When you're used to do it, you really don't think twice about it. Our formalism isn't as extensive as the Japanese but it's the same idea.

And even now that formalism is there. Even when I meet someone my age, I'll start off very formally and then will vary my speech according to what our status is related to one another and the level of our friendship.

Thanks for the cultural perspective that I'm sadly lacking in. That's interesting that there formal usages in French. It's all still a bit bizarre to me that an entire people can conform to such a rigid hierarchy without some major rebellion; then again I'm not at all formal in any stretch of the imagination and have a slight problem with authority.

It's not as rigid as it sounds though. As a rule, every culture tends to have its own hierarchy. In English, for the most part, we speak differently when we are speaking to a friend versus when we are speaking to a boss. Your grade school teacher will always be known as Ms. Peters and your Doctor as Dr. Trist. We even call the president Mr. President, so you can see that even in English we have rules of formalism.

The Japanese, now, certainly have a higher grade of formal speak that they use, to the point that different words are used according to who you speak to. There are verbs that have humble versions for when you need to humble yourself to a respected authority and an honorific version to honor the person you are speaking to. The word suffix -sensei will also be attached to your teacher no matter if you're older, younger, or of a higher rank in another position later. They will always be your teacher, your -sensei.

Anyway, I hope that helps you understand the formality of speech in the book.

I know personally I love looking at how different countries write about war. For example, I love war books written by Americans because I feel they really show you the brute reality of war. While I tend to not read war books by the French as they tend to romanticize many aspects of war. So it was interesting to see how Ibuse seemed to stay very neutral towards the bombing comparing to say, an American or French writer, and, in fact, even compared to his fellow countrymen.

Great review and conversation about Black Rain and culture. The cover is memorable and after seeing it here I noticed it in my amazon recommendations. I do have Barefoot Gen in my wishlist there but wonder if I've browsed some other, more recent, book that connects with this older release...

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde



I thought that this book was just okay for an alternative history. I like Fforde's nursery crime books so I thought I'd give the Next series a try. Mixing sly snippets of literature and Shakspeare conspiracy into an otherwise straight forward alternate history just didn't come off for me. I know Fforde knows his literature and I know he can use bits and pieces of other stories more cleverly then what's offered in this book. Plus, with the story paralleling the plot of Jane Eyre so closely it felt like the story was being laid out like a highway with very little mystery as to where Fforde was taking Thursday and how her story was to be played out. There's nothing particularly glaring that makes me dislike this book, so I guess I going to go with the old stand by "that this was not my cup of tea" or maybe I'm just over the gimmick, really I don't know.

42 - I responded briefly on one of the what are you reading threads, but just wanted to chime in that I enjoyed The Eyre Affair, but I can see where you're coming from. I haven't picked up any of the sequels yet.

Jane, I certainly don't mean to be disparaging to those that enjoy the series, it's one of the reasons I hate writing negative reviews. And there is a lot to admire about Thursday Next as character. I think Fforde tried to mix too many elements from Alternative History, Sci-Fiction, Thriller, Love story (if you can call it that), and mystery into the plot that the all just came off rather bland for me.

Excellent review of Black Rain, and interesting points about cultural attitudes toward war. Black Rain is one of the most powerful books about war I've read, perhaps because of its understatedness.

Out Stealing Horses by Per Pettersen



I’ve never had much patience for novels that are all description and atmosphere, novels in which little or nothing actually happens. I’ve always felt that a story like that is one I should trudge through and admire for its literary quality, but not necessarily something to enjoy on its own merit. Out Stealing Horses seems like one of those stories at first, but proves that it is so much more than a just descripitive atmosphere.

Plenty happens in Out Stealing Horses. But whether it’s happening in the narrative present, or in the main character’s past, is not always clear. The mix of past and present also serves effectively to carry through the book the shadow that has remained with Trond throughout his life, the shadow cast over the summer of 1948.

Petterson reveals that this shadow has multiple layers. First we’re led to think the shadow was cast by the accidental shooting of a child by his twin brother – an accident caused by the neglectfulness of Jon, Trond’s best friend. Scarred by the accident, and his role in it, Jon is sent away from the village, and Trond never sees him again.

But Petterson isn’t done yet. Even after Jon leaves, the shadow acquires another dimension; the adulterous love between Trond’s father and Jon’s mother. The adulterous passion eventually deprives not one, but two boys of their fathers: Trond himself, and Lars, the child who accidentally shot his own twin brother.

Petterson brings past and present close together, but reminds us constantly of how distant the summer of 1948 is from the present, the 1999 in which Trond narrates his story. Men fell, strip and stack logs with hand tools. Horses draw mowing machines to cut hay, and men and boys use long rakes to pile it into full, rounded haystacks.

It’s not just the pain of lost love and sudden, violent death that lay Trond out flat. It’s the crisis of realizing that one is not unique, that one’s own life can be easily destroyed, run over by the huge events of history and the grand passions of the adults who shape us. Petterson leads us without fear into the forest where love, adultery, awakening sexuality and a father’s abandonment shape a man’s life.

Kevin - This review reminds me how much I miss reading the book.

Billions and Billions by Carl Sagan



In his last published work Carl Sagan explores the beauty of quantification, the dangers humans pose to the environment, and human morality through his many speeches and essays. All the essays and speeches presented well reasoned arguments and simple explanations that made Sagan such a powerful spoke person and popular figure. While some of the material is dated and the dire warnings of ozone depletion, global warming, and all out nuclear war can get repetitious, they are still worthy of our attention. The last third of the book is in my estimation the most important. In this section Sagan argues for us as species to learn to cooperate with one another so that we can solve the issues that impact the planet we all share.

The most poignant of the essays in this collection was his last, "In the Valley of the Shadow," an emotional account of his struggles with the illness, myelodysplasia, that would ultimately take his life. Through all the bone marrow transplants and chemotherapy treatments, Sagan still manages to sustain his usual wit and optimism that we have all come to know and love. Sadly the treatments didn't work and we lost one of the greatest popularize of science we have ever known.

Ann Druyan, Sagan’s loving wife, adds a moving epilogue in which she describes Sagan’s last days and the courage Sagan exhibits while facing death without the comfort of faith in a world beyond our own.

Science: A Four Thousand Year History by Patricia Fara



Science: A Four Thousand Year History is an unconventional take on the history of science. Unlike conventional histories, Patricia Fara, tries to debunk scientists and their achievements rather than celebrating them as heroic genius in pursuit of reality. She Frequently emphasizes where notable figures were wrong or misguided and how their discoveries often involved luck or methods no longer accepted as scientific, often sitting in judgment of what contemporary prejudices colored scientific findings and ideas. Fara never discounts their ideas wholesale, but comes close on several occasions, especially if they come into conflict with our modern social norms and the feminist movement. She stresses how science is fallible and subject to personal, political, and material pressures.

In an effort to destroy the picturesque ideal of mostly European lone scientific genius making great discoveries isolated in their laboratories Fara traces the origins of science to several sources now thought of as magical or unscientific, such as concepts and techniques rooted in astrology and alchemy. Artisans and technicians, not just canonical philosophers and "scientists," have always been important contributors, she points out. She reminds us, too, that amateur observers and collectors have long played significant roles. These observations and many others along the same lines are not particularly controversial or surprising. Fara tries too hard at times to bolster the importance of minor figures, especially women, doing fairly mundane things that were important to scientific discoveries to the point that it feels like she would rather fore sack what the discoveries have given us as a society to build up minor role players to make up for a slight of history.

It is very substantive, thought-provoking, and briskly-paced. In support of the main themes Fara has interesting things to say about science and religion, non-Western contributions (with noticeable omissions; Rome, per-Colombian Americas, India), the contributions of women, the roles of scientific institutions, and many other important related subjects.

Kevin - I have a copy of Billions and Billions that I picked up second-hand years ago, but never actually read. I'm happy to see your review.

As for the Fara book...not sure if that would be annoying or interesting. Overall, would you recommend it?

>Daniel: I've been thinking about that question all morning. And I think my answer would be no, I can’t recommend it without some reservations. While Fara presents an interesting origin to scientific thought and it is a fairly complete history of the major themes in science. Her clunky largely unsupported arguments for her more critical assertions and criticisms can be frustrating. There are times when her entire argument is based on contemporary paintings from the appropriate time period. While I found it interesting how she interprets art work and how it might relate to the larger social context, it is a pretty flimsy way to support her thesis. A lot of her evidence is actually more intuition and social extrapolation backed with little or to no factual evidence, which is evident in her notes sections. That’s not to say I didn’t gain something out of it at all, because she doesn’t present some interesting, if not bias, perspective on science from a larger social context. I just think that this book would have been better off tackling a smaller scope.

#51 Thanks! I'll skip this one. Years ago I read 21097::The Beginnings of Western Science : The European Scientific Tradition in Philosophical, Religious, and Institutional Context, 600 B.C. to A.D. 1450 by David C. Lindbeg...Unfortunately, I only remember a few scraps here and there...I should read it again.

>52 dchaikin: I know, I know, you were trying to get the touchstone...

but it's so funny to see the lines-long, detailed title and then that you remember only scraps of the content. Your post made my day.

#53 - Actually, the title was so long, I had to un-truncate in my record. When I originally entered it on LT, LT had much smaller character limits for titles. (...when I edit, I the touchstone, then when I submit it goes away...grrrrr)

Yeah, I think I'll skip that one, too. There might be some ideas of interest in it, but it sounds like the sort of thing I'm likely to find really irritating.

To be totally honest, I would've never even picked it up if weren't for the local Borders going out of business. I think it cost about two bucks. And I've surprised myself with not being so irritated by it. Normally it's exactly the kind of book that drives me batty. I have no idea why I'm so apathetic about this one, this time.

The rating I've given it is too high really. I'll have to fix that when it's sunk in a bit. I don't think it warrants a one star and now I'm wavering between a two and a three. Maybe I should just split the difference and call it done.

The Wee Free men by Terry Pratchett



I read this on the based on the earlier suggestions of Discworld fans in this thread. And they were right. The Tiffany Aching series is very good. I loved it. She reminds me a bit of Vimes in that they are both antiheros that do the right thing even if their reasons aren't so noble. I think after the watch series I'll read this one next then start the witches.

Oh, yes, definitely do read the rest of the Tiffany Aching books. I think they just get better.

Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke



This is one of the best science fiction stories I have ever read. Childhood's End is one of Arthur C. Clarke's longest enduring and most well-known works. The story, about mankind's first encounter with extra-terrestrial visitors, has set the stage for many stories and movies since it was first published over fifty years ago). Of course, this being a Clarke tale, the aliens are benevolent, and mankind advances into an age of unparalleled peace and prosperity. But hey, what is it those aliens really want anyway? Unfortunately, this not being the Twilight Zone, no cookbook ever surfaces. The answer, however, surprised me, and gave new meaning(s) to the title.

I couldn't stop reading it once I had started. The story offers a fascinating alternative on the progression of mankind. I still can't believe that this was written in 1953! The only technology that I could find that dates this book is the overuse of fax machines.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra



This book, needless to say, is mammoth. While it can be redundant, as many times Cervantes seems to be going through the motions and giving the reader another example of Don Quixote's madness, the overall experience is amazing. In addition to providing two classic and unforgettably hilarious characters, the title character and Sancho Panza, Don Quixote is obviously a landmark in the history of literature, and for good reason. The dialog is extremely amusing, the story is delightfully absurd.

Overall, the greatest element of the book is the friendship between master and squire. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, though occasionally at odds, make for realistic and compelling friends who were made for each other.

Cervantes could have used a better editor to trim this story down to a more manageable and less repetitive length, but that doesn't make it any less impressive. Ultimately the book is a great feat that brings laughs and keeps you entertained. It may be a little long, and wander on too many examples of Don Quixote's madness, but overall it's worth reading.

Kevin - this is one of those (many) books that I know I should read, but I'm sure I really want to. Interesting to read your review. Congrats on finishing it. I'm curious, your posting four days after your previous review...did you really read it in four days?

Oh, god no! I'm way too slow of reader for that. I started the book at the end of March (I think it was around the 20th) and finished it last Sunday/Monday morning. I read Childhood's End last week while doing a tedious and boring sampling event for work, it was much smaller to carry around, (it's amazing what can be read in eight minute intervals over the course of a ten hour day) couldn't fit the 1200 page mammoth in my pocket. This month was pretty much reserved for Don Quixote with only a minor side track into the other.

I've had on the you really need to read this self since high school, so its been really gratifying to for me to have actually completed it.

ETA: Just to note there is often quite a large time span from when I've finished a book and when I eventually comment on it. Usually it's just a couple of days, which are not used to gather my toughts or even edit the above posts, that's probably obvious. The lack is mostly laziness or me staring a blinking cursor trying figure out a different way to say the same thing so many others have before me.

Ok, I'll keep that month in mind.

Congratulations on finishing Don Quixote! It's one of my favorite and most memorable reads. It was wonderful just getting lost in the adventures. And I love the turn of events in part two.

Thanks! I can't seem to get it out of my head yet. It's making moving with my other reads difficult right now. Defiantely one of the more memorable reads thus far.

yay stretch! I very much want to read Don Quixote, as I still want to finish Infinite Jest, I just don't want to have to hold them while I do so! Good choices for an e-reader, I guess. Did you read at a table?

Mentioned on the quest thread before I got here, but I loved Don Quixote, so much so that I could never write a review for it. Glad you liked it.

>66 detailmuse:. Luckily I'm a ungainly 6'5" which just so happens to come with big hands. Otherwise the Don is prefect for an e-reader. I can't wrap my head around how I would even begin to tackle Infinite Jest so kudos to you for even trying.

>67 janemarieprice:. I feel the same way. There is so much more that could be discussed, my above comments are only a meek attempt to sum up what I liked about the story.

The March by E. L. Doctorow



The March is a dramatization of the devastation wrought from total warfare and emancipation of the slaves of General Sherman’s and the Army of the West campaign through the south. Rather than focus on the historical events themselves E. L. Doctorow weaves a narrative of the march from multiple perspectives including well known generals, rebel turncoats, freed slaves, a British war correspondent, a photographer, dispossessed plantation owners, a surgeon, and a few soldiers who meet their ends along the way.

There are some excellent passages and writing about the march itself as living organism that has to feed and tamed in order to achieve it’s ultimate goal. Also, the dialogue between characters is spot on, making the character to character interaction seem natural and fluid. Match that with an obvious desire to present the history accurately and you’ve got the raw materials for a great novel. However, perhaps that book’s greatest short coming was intended to be its greatest strength; the vast array of characters.

Although I can see why Doctorow would want to include such a wide array of perspectives of such a grand event, individually the characters are not given an enough space to be fully developed and flourish. I think the incomplete realizations and disjointed/abortive storylines are meant to emphasize the chaos of war; if so, it didn’t work for me. Another issue I had with the book is that sometimes the characters didn’t seem like characters at all instead they are used to represent larger historical forces that are not necessarily at work in the micro-stories that are the focus of the narrative. It seems like Doctorow is trying to pull all these individual stories together in order to lecture to the reader about the injustices of the time. It seems to me that the best historical fiction allows the reads complete entry into another time and place with all the prejudices and limitations of that experience. Perhaps if the a few of the characters were given more space, more depth, and more nuance there wouldn’t be this issue of distance between the reader and the events.

In the end, I’m not sorry to have spent time reading this novel, there is plenty of good writing in the various individual stories to recommend it, but falls a bit short of my expectations.

interesting review. I'm wondering if he was aiming to capture the experience or there was some kind of political (or nonpolitical) point involved. Anyway, you've encouraged to pick up Ragtime, the one Doctorow book I own.

Good question. Either his commentaory was not overt enough or I'm just too dense to pick up on it, so I'm not sure that he was trying to show anything more than the aburbt and fleeting nature of battle.

I'll have think about it more but I think your right to wonder if there was some larger point.

Stiff: The Curious lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach



It's hard to make a book about dead bodies charming but Mary Roach has an uncanny ability to make the creepiest and most unsettling situations not only interesting and compelling, and turn it into a hilarious romp of discovery. She treats her subjects with tact and care getting her laughs at the expense of the living, but is refreshingly unsentimental in discussing their many uses. I can guarantee you'll come away from this book with a new found respect and admiration for those who give up their bodies for scientific research...you'll just have to ignore the odd looks you may get from anyone who sees you with it.

Mary Roach has a terrific sense of humor. She takes a challenging subject, like the dead, and finds ways to make you laugh just when you need it. Her humor is irreverent, but never disrespectful. She can laugh at some of the absurdity, yet still appreciate the pain dying can bring.

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman



Normally I wouldn't read a book about reading books. But after reading some of the Club's opinions on her other work I thought I would give this a go. I really enjoyed the first few essays. But after a while, I think it came right after the essay on proofreading, Fadiman began to get on my nerves. She came off as a little pretentious. I tend to despise elitism in all its forms, so the second half of the book fell flat. That's not to say that Ms. Fadiman can't write a compelling, quite the contrary she is a very good writer and I can appreciate the effort. With all that being said I still enjoyed the first half well enough to recommend it to those with some interest in books on books.

Interesting regarding Ex Libris. With regard to Stiff, that's a great review, but still it doesn't make me want to read it. I keep thinking to myself, what could possible interest me there?...guess i lack the curiosity.

>73 dchaikin:: I think a large part of the surprising appeal of Stiff is that it actually makes you feel curious and interested about stuff that you might normally not even want to think about. At least, it had that effect on me, and seemed to achieve it quite effortlessly, too. Which is fairly impressive, as the whole idea of dead bodies is (or was) a major squick for me. I don't even attend funerals if I can help it.

It also not only left me with a degree of respect for those who leave their bodies to research, it really cemented my vague notion that I'd like to be one of them. Of course, whether science will want my body or not may be an open question...

yes, a good point...there is an art in some nonfiction books in creating the curiosity.

Oh I totally understand the lack curiosity to read about cadavers. It's why I put reading Stiff for so long. I kept seeing it in bookstores and just about ever else but couldn't bring myself to be interested enough to actually buy it. Then I read Bonk and found that Roach can make the most mundane and awkward situations interesting; not in that train wreck sort of way, instead she forms a coherent story that is both truly interesting and informative but still fun. Roach has a way of flipping your expectations for the positive. I'm glad I started with something other than Stiff or I might have missed out on some really great storytelling.

Bragan after reading Stiff I've cemented in my own mine that I want to be donated as well. Before I was on the fence about the whole donate your body to science thing, I just hope I don't end up in cosmetic surgery research/practice. I've always hated the idea of funerals and burial; and even cremation. I've always viewed it as such a wasteful and morbid practice. She does make a good point in the end though that regardless of our feelings it's still up to our living loved ones to make that decision since they will have to live with the 'consequences'. I know my family will know of wishes long before we get there so that they can grow accustom to the idea.

Jingo by Terry Pratchett



Drive-by posting more for a continuation of the log then anything else. Had some really enjoyable moments that were seriously funny. Now I'm only two books away from completing the Watch Series, which will be my first coherent series to date.

ETA: Forget about the stuff about finishing a Discworld series. I totally spaced about Snuff by Sir Terry, (I wonder if the knighting should be retroactive) which will be number eight in the series once it comes out in October. Damn.

Ooh, I didn't even realize he had a new one coming out!

Yeah supposedly the story centers around Sam Vimes and is not a true "Watch" novel. I'm curious as to when this will reach the states. I don't know what kind of delay there is between when it comes out in the UK and when it comes out here.

I seem to recall that his last few made it here pretty quickly, but I don't remember exactly how long it was.

Interesting reading here, stretch!

The Fifth Elephant and Thud! by Terry Pratchett

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Finally finished the Watch series as it currently stands which in itself is pretty great. I can start reading a new series in order, Tiffany Aching is probably where I'm leaning. The Watch is better with Carrot playing a much smaller role. He doesn't grow or change or even alter his persona to better fit the rest of the characters, which is irrating to the readers as it is to his colleagues. Thankfully he is absent for much of these books. I'll actually be looking forward to Snuff when it arrives in October.

But now I need to break out of the Pratchett groove and actually read some of the other books on the list.

I see you mention Joe Hill's short story, 'My Father's Mask'. I haven't read that one yet (20th Century Ghosts is still waiting for me, as is Horns) but I did read Heart-Shaped Box and, although it was good, I thought that it was a bit over-rated. I still prefer his father's novellas in Different Seasons, though Joe's short story in Stories: All-new Tales was quite impressive. I also like Joe's Locke & Key comics.

For me King is strongest in his shorter work. Different Seasons begs a reread from me. It's been a while since I read it and now I confuse the movies and the stories, but both were phenomenal. His short stories and novellas are some the best I’ve ever read and many of his stories have had that ‘Lottery’ kind of impact. Plus I never pass up a Stephen King movie marathon. I mean ‘The Mist’ had a great ending in the book, but the movies ending now that was something to talk about. It's his novels that I guess color my opinion a bit. For me I hate how some of his work movies from the creepy and surreal to the absurdly surreal and outlandish endings. For me there is nothing like enjoying a story just to end up in one those wtf endings.

I seem to be buy 20th Century Ghosts one story at a time, thanks to the Kindle, but all of them so far have been outstanding and just the right mix of surreal elements and creepiness that keeps me happily plugging along. I’ve been itching to get to one of his novels to see how I like him in a longer format. In general I find that suspense is hard to keep manufacturing as story progresses in a novel. This general rule applies to all horror writers not just King. So perfer horror in shorter installments. I also really enjoy the Locke & Key series. Waiting for the collected editions however is on the verge of driving me nuts.

I guess when comparing side by each it is premature to say that I like Hill more than his father. I think he is off to a fantastic start though.

ETA: The above Joe Hill touchedstone seems to link to Desmond Tutu which I find as kind of humorous.

Hi. De-lurking, and backing up some weeks, to ask whether you have read or are thinking of reading any commentaries on Don Quixote? I read it a couple of years ago, and have bought Nabokov's Lectures on Don Quixote, but haven't started reading it yet, and am wondering if you/anyone would recommend that, or anything else?

I have never really thought about reading a commentary about Don Quixote or any book really. I did read an essay or two online when thinking of putting together an actual review, but quickly realized I was way out of my league. Lectures on Don Quixote looks good, maybe something I'll look into down the road. Hopefully someone more helpful or with literary background will come around make some suggestions. Anyone?

Backing up to Stiff -- Roach writes with so much wit alongside what I agree is great respect for the topic (vs Spook (about the afterlife), where I thought her too mocking). I remember being surprised by all the uses of cadavers -- e.g. though dummies are used in auto crash tests, it's tests with cadavers that lead the design of those dummies.

Yeah I’ve been a bit hesitant of Spook I can see how Roach could go too far with her brand of sarcasm. In many ways afterlife and ghost research is too soft of a target to pass up putting a few jabs in for the scientific method. While I don’t buy the bull those folks are selling, I also don’t need to read a 300+ page book making fun of them either. There’s nothing to gain there and what I enjoy most from her books is learning something new or seeing a new perspective on something I thought I already knew, like in Stiff, all done with a dash of humor so that it feels more like a conversation rather than a lecture. I’ll probably get around to reading Spook at some point, it just not going to up to high on my need-to-read-this non-fiction wishlist.

Hack/Slash Omnibus Volume 1 b Tim Seeley



Hack and Slash is a purely fun graphic novel mixing classic horror flick antics with all the cheese one would expect. This novel is a collection of stories featuring Cassandra Hack and her compatriot Vlad as the hunt down various undead Slashers rampaging throughout the country. Cassandra can best be summed up as a mix between Buffy's attitude with Tank Girl's wit, all packaged with giant chip on her shoulder to intent to rid the world of slashers stemming from a seriously troubled childhood. Vlad on the other hand is the lovable giant and muscle behind the duo with all his own baggage. Together they make one hell of team destroying all the things that go bump in the night.

These stories are meant to fun stories of no real consequence, much like the slasher flicks they emulate. Some of the panels can be a bit tasteless and Cassandra is always scantly clad in what could be called “goth” wear, and sometimes less especially in the mist of battle, which is too bad for otherwise a strong portal of a female heroine. It's not a classic but I was entertained.

A couple of graphic novels that

The Nobody by Jeff Lemire



In "The Nobody," Lemire tells a version of the Invisible Man story. It's the H. G. Well classic reimagined as Rural Noir, filtered through the bleak but vibrant blue and white chromatic scheme making the setting for the story feel haunted right from the start. The characters from the Wells story appear here under similar names -- we have a Kemp, a Griffen (spelled "Griffin" in the original), a Marvel, but their roles are more mysterious. Lemire doesn't simply recast the story in a modern day setting. He reconfigures it, injecting it with a different kind of psychological mystery, and offers no easy answers in the end. Everything resolves by the final pages, but its meaning - and the motives of some the characters - remain slightly elusive.

It was for me a very good story and I want to read more Lemire's work.

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Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan



The "Pride of Baghdad" is the story of the four lions that escaped the Baghdad zoo during the U.S. lead attack on that city in 2008 told from the animals prespective. The artwork with its red-tinged palettes did a wonderful job of giving the comic an apporpiate sense of atmosphere, you get a real feeling for war torn Iraq. The characters are well defined you have an old, emotionally and physically scarred lioness with one eye, a proud and intelligent male, a haughty mother who despises the older female, and her cute, little cub, as well as a few other interesting animal characters thrown in along the way. However, there are flaws that are make this only an average graphic novel. The dialogue and political asides are forced much the time giving the story uneven feeling. A lot of interesting philosophical questions and issues were brought up in the course of the comic. But the story ends so quickly that it doesn't even come close to exploring them. Even with those flaws it's hard not to feel some kind of impact in the last couple of frames.

Locke & Key: Keys to the Kingdom by Joe hill



The “Keys to the Kingdom” is the fourth installment of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's excellent dark fantasy detailing the adventures of the Locke children as the explore the mysterious powers of the keys that are hidden all around the lovecraft manor and fight a dark force trying to unleash hell. Once again Hill and Rodriquez have managed to find the pitch perfect balance of innovative concepts, character development, and awesome artwork to construct just the right atmosphere for a great ride with a cliff hanger that just begs a great sequel. Told as a series of individual character arcs that form a larger more coherent storyline,allowing the authors to reveal an outstanding number of keys while keeping the overall story intact. It really was an inspired and risky choice to speed the story along that worked.

I think this is the best yet of the Locke & Key Series. From the homage to Calvin and Hobbes in “Sparrow” to the minimalist story telling in “February,” Hill and Rodriguez have not only shown their versatility as story tellers, but have also pushed the envelope for what we as readers can expect from this series in the future. The thing I fear the most about this series is that they have built my expectations up to a level that anything less than spectacular is going to be a let down. I can't shake that feeling that a Star Wars Episode 1-like repeat is just around the corner.

Doggone it, I haven't got my copy of that yet. I pre-ordered it ages ago, but Amazon kept e-mailing me saying the date had been pushed back. They'd better send it soon.

I got lucky and managed to snag one at a brick and mortar comic book store during my lunch break who happens to stock all new releases on Wednesdays right around when I take my lunch break. I almost missed it there too. It seems with all online retailers all you can do is pre-order at this time, you think IDW would roll out the book to both the online stores and the physical stores at the same time. I'm also curious as to all the delays; I wonder if they stwitced printers or something and now have supple issues.

Both of these next books are ones I won for Early Reviewers May and June:

Walkabout Northern California: Hiking Inn to Inn by Tim Courtney



Tim Courtney takes a more European approach to the great outdoors. Rather then romantic ideal of escaping to nature and sleeping under the stars, Courtney takes the more pragmatic trek and finds comfortable lodgings and warm cooked meals at the end of the day. I'm more of the idealistic sort of outdoors enthusiast. However, I know of quite a few people that prefer their nature in small doses, who could greatly benefit from this book.

Each of the ten trails described in this book are thoroughly detailed through day-by-day itineraries, that include transportation, places to find maps of the trails, and even driving directions to the trial heads. At the end of each of these descriptions are ideas about local lodging rated by price. All very helpful information when planning similar treks. Striking something of balance between those that want to get out and about and those that prefer to relax in more luxurious surroundings. That being said Northern California is not Europe, readers should be aware that not all the lodgings at the end of the day will be the lap of luxury. Especially those on a budget, whose choices are limited to motels that could still be considered “roughing it”. A little more detail on the individual accommodations would have been informative.

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Coming Unglued: Six Stories About Things Falling Apart by Peter Barlow



Coming Unglued is a small collection of short stories all connected by the theme of things not working out quite as planned. Usually with mixed short story collections I expect there to be a couple of standouts and a few duds, but this collection managed to pull off six strong stories without the dip in quality. While I don't think there is anything earth shattering here, I did find it easy to digest and ultimately enjoyable. Not bad for a book that can be read in a single sitting.

The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing by Richard Dawkins



How do you pick the best science writing of the twentieth century? Really it all comes down to a matter of opinion, which almost always results in the complaint and special pleading for authors and works left on the cutting room floor (I mean no geology! Come on can’t we get just a little respect). Richard Dawkins never the less makes the noble and very worthwhile attempt to collect some of the very best that science has to offer from the scientist themselves.

The book itself is a collection of over a hundred short passages, excerpts, essays, and even a few poems taken from the likes of Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Francis Crick, Stephen Gould, Brian Greene, Jared Diamond, Alan Turning, Richard Feynman, Carl Sagan, Primo Levi, the list goes on and on. Just this alone would make a great collection, but Dawkins also includes the men and women that contributed so much to the worlds of astronomy, oceanography, evolution, particle physics, and genetics that most and certainly I have never had the pleasure of coming across before. Dawkins introduces each and every essay with a humbling and often personal anecdote informing the reader on not just who the author is but why they are important and why they deserve to be included with the ranks of the very best.

The book is organized into four distinct groups “What Scientists Study,” “Who Scientists Are,” “What Scientists Think,” and “What Scientists Delight in” providing a unify theme that serves as a backdrop of the often awe inspiring essays that follow. At times the essays can be a bit dry, but Dawkins tries to reveal the whole spectrum that science has to offer. It’s also not a light fluffy affair; some science literacy is needed because Dawkins does not shy away from the technical here. I found myself doing something I love with really great non-fiction works: further research. Not being so well versed in some of the genetics and higher mathematics/physics I was required to independent research and information gathering to grasp the full meaning of that particular essay. I learned so much more than I ever expected.

The excerpts and short passages could be so tantalizing that I was sometimes left wishing for more. Couple that with the exposure to works by scientist I would have never come across before has caused my wishlist to implode. I only wish there were more collections like this one by different editors to really show off the diversity of that science has to offer.

Just as a note: I did get boged down in the math and phsyics heavy section near the end of the book. I was having a hard time visualizing some of the concepts the authors were describing which slowed me down considerably.

I Shall Not Hate by Izzeldin Abuelaish



I Shall Not Hate is truly a book worth reading. The raw emotional passion that Abuelaish feels throughout the book is self-evident in this unapologetic, unpolished work about one man's hope for a new way forward for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Abuelaish, a Palestinian physician, is an advocate that the people of Palestine and the people of Israel need to come together in mutual respect and put the past in the past if there is ever going to be peace between the two countries. The military option has clearly not worked, and the conditions in which the Palestinians are forced to live is beyond harsh, some might even go as far as to say in humane, could make anybody want to seek vengeance. But Abuelaish doesn't see the endless cycle of revenge as an answer even after all the humiliation, and everyday hardships that comes with the tight border controls; even after the tragic deaths of his wife (cancer) and the deaths of his daughters and niece and the hands of the Israeli army, Abuelaish is a fervent believer that the only way forward is through forgiveness and respect. I Shall Not Hate is book that needs to be read by those wanting a deeper understanding of what is at stake in this war and why the world's current solutions won't be enough to bring peace to such a troubled people. Abuelaish's hope for a better future is truly inspiring.

Good review of I shall not hate others on club read have also found it interesting. It's on my to buy list

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson



I hate to use a word that seems like a cliché these days, but Red Mars is epic.

The ideas in Red Mars are big, really big. Should Mars be terraformed so that it be more habitable? Should we leave it alone and frozen in time to be studied? Should the politicians on Earth be the ones to govern and rule settlements on another planet? If given a blank slate what would a new society loo like? What factors would shape it? How will people deal with an influx of new people, new cultures, and new ideas? Robinson tackles these issues by telling the colonization of Mars through several viewpoints from characters that run the full spectrum of ideas and motivations that shine a new and different perspective on the events that are shaping their world; their new Martian society. The personal struggles and political turmoil that comes with building a new world can be a little overly dramatic at times and bog the reader down. In the end though I'm glad that the characters don't take a secondary role and are in fact the main forces shaping Mars for what it will become. Without the diversity of characters and viewpoints this would have been just another fantastical sci-fi romp on another planet. Thankfully it is so much more than that.

The real meat of this book, however, are the descriptions of the alien landscape and science behind making Mars a place for human habitation. The descriptions will make you believe that you are seeing the sun setting on the polar dunes and looking down from the rim of Olympus Mons on the planet far below. You can practically hear it when a huge aquifer bursts and floods Valles Marineris with a roiling sea of ice and steaming water. It truly is a magnificent world that Robinson was able to build from the ground up. The technical details of their colonization and terraforming efforts are well thought-out. Full of the small details of geology, physics, genetic engineering, mechanical engineering, ecology, robotics, and spaceflight exhibit the research and our level of knowledge of Mars at the time the book was originally published (1993) that Robinson managed to include not as after thought, but as the main course. The detail wasn't confined to the sciences of terraforming. Robinson isn't afraid to explore the softer sciences of psychology of isolation, the economics of martian derived mining, and the politics of multinational corporations. What was really impressive to me was that Robinson managed to do all this without every talking down to the reader. I appreciate it when an author allows the reader to think with them and not force feed the reader into a particular scenario the author has predetermined is the right course.

Red Mars isn’t a perfect book, but there is so much in it that is great, it is certainly worth reading.

As a side note: I never thought I would learn so much about desert geology from a fictional book about Mars, but I did and it was great.

Red Mars is on my reading list for the near future, and you've made me quite eager to get to it.

Love at Absolute Zero by Christopher Meeks



Love at Absolute Zero is a story about love and finding love. Gunnar Gunderson a newly tenured physicist suddenly feels the urge to find a life partner, using the only thing he knows - science. Or at least that is the premise. To find his soul mate Gunnar gives himself three whole days while his research lab is moved. Not a lot of time, but as luck would have Gunnar accidentally finds a woman who he'll give up everything for even moving half way around the world, a big step considering he has never been that far outside of Wisconsin. Turns out she's not the best fit, but this brief and intense love affair sees Gunnar grow in unexpected ways. Eventually Gunnar is able to stumble into a path that is meant for him and not settle into the one that was laid before him.

The science of atoms at absolute zero and physics are more like philosophical foils for Gunnar, who is intially portrayed as singly focused but narrow minded scientist. Overtime Gunnar is able expand his way thinking to embrace a more creative way of thinking and take chances that would have never even considered before. It was really nice and enjoyable to read how nice guy like Gunnar Gunderson was able to grow and experience life in a new way; and find the love of his life. It was also nice to see a professional scientist portrayed as being fairly normal, not too geeky/awkward or so cool as to be unrealistic. All-in-all Love at Absolute Zero is a fast and enjoyable read.

Storm Rider by Akira Yoshimura



Storm Rider is primarily a story about a young Japanese castaway rescued by American sailors trying to get back to his homeland. Hikotaro, who became Hikozo, and later Joseph Heco becomes a successful interpreter for various commercial enterprises and the US government during the period when Japan was opening itself to western trade again in the 1850's. Even though Hikozo is able to return to his homeland in his heart he is knows that his fellow countrymen will always be considered a criminal for becoming a citizen of his adopted country and converting to Christianity. Never being truly American and not able to assimilate himself back into Japanese society, Hikozo is destined to drift between this cultural divide unsure of where he fits and where his true loyalties lie.

On the surface this would make a compelling story. However, Yoshimura fails to deliver the goods. Instead the reader is presented with an interesting historical perspective of the opening of Japan but not much else. The main plot has no real dramatic tension or motivation. The story simply follows Hikozo around for many years detailing his life and all the people who help him return to Japan, while on some level this is fairly interesting it doesn't make for a very compelling read. On top of that Yoshimura felt it necessary to split the narrative several times, following the lives of other Japanese castaways whom Hikozo meets as they, too, try to return to Japan. All these stories felt like an epilogue sandwiched in the middle without much thought as to how it would affect the pace and overall structure of the story. It's all a bit strange why Yoshimura choose to fragment the story in this way, something I would expect from a first time novelist, not a seasoned veteran. Also, the translation while probably accurate and precise his often very dry and a times seems to breakdown the cadence/rhythm of Yoshimura's writing that is quite jarring and hard and adds breaks to the narrative that shouldn't be there. Really Storm Rider feels like a thinly veiled historical narrative Nakahama Manjiro's life and the opening of Japan. With some judicious editing and a better translator this could have been a really good novel. Or maybe Yoshimura should have just stuck with a historical biography of Nakahama Manjiro and not have tried to fictionalize his life story.

On a positive note Storm Rider has not deterred my desire to read Shipwrecks by the same author. Even though I may not have enjoyed Storm Rider as much as I would have liked, I did find some real potential in Yoshimura's writing. Added bonus I learned about Nakahama Manjiro, an unintentional side effect of googleing. Oh and now I feel I need to learn more about Japanese culture and history to really understand setting and moods of Japanese fiction.

Interesting thoughts. I also have Shipwrecks on my TBR due to all the recommendations I've received about it. I haven't read Yoshimura before so I can't comment on his style but perhaps I can reflect on it with you once I've read Shipwrecks.

I sure do hope you take the time to learn some more about the culture and history of Japan. As you say, it will aid you in understanding setting and moods. Then you can read Tanizaki's In Praise of Shadows and really see what it is he's saying in between the lines of his book.

Ever Since Darwin: Reflections in Natural History by Stephen Jay Gould



Ever Since Darwin was Stephen Jay Gould's first collection of essays written for the 'Natural History Magazine'. Gould's writing is so wonderfully simple and clear it's really a wonder to read, even if much of the information is now outdated or rather basic for the scientifically initiated. Gould's areas of personal interest (such as science history) and academic expertise (invertebrate paleontology) are obvious here. In the past 30 years since this book was published science has made huge strides in our understanding of evolution and geology sadly making much of the material in this book obsolete. Nevertheless it was fun to see the benchmark of science in the early 70's and it is always a pleasure to read Gould's essays.

101-2 - I really enjoyed Shipwrecks, although it was a pretty bleak read... But definitely, don't let the problems of this book put you off reading that.

Although I haven't written out my thoughts on it yet on my own thread, I read Shipwrecks on the plane on my way to Paris and loved it. Such a visual book.

I'm actually very eager to read Shipwrecks despite the flaws I found with Storm Rider. I looked to your thoughts Lilisin to compare your impressions of Yoshimura. I'm trying not to start it yet until I finish Taiko, which I'm slowly reading when I finally get a chance to get home, it such a large and cumbersome book to lug around while traveling for work. But once I finish that Shipwrecks is def. next on the list.

Added Dawkin's book to my wish list. I love those kinds of compilations that are created for the lay reader. Thanks!

Yeah Bonnie I thought it was an excellent way to get topical knowledge of a wide array of science, especially from the areas that I know I won't have the time/desire to read an in depth book about. I only wish there were more books like that.

Anyway with Halloween coming up I'd thought I'd promote Neil Gaiman's idea (now 2 years old) of a All Hallow's Read here since I don't do twitter. The idea is to give a book or read a scary story to loved one, friend , or colleague. There really isn't enough book giving traditions anymore and one for Halloween to me is a fabulous idea. I did this last year with my young nephews, which was fantastic experience for me and I think they really enjoyed it as well. Finally got one nephew to pick up a book on his own so that was a plus. I think this year I'm going to expand it some of the older folks in my family to see how that works, still haven't picked the book or story yet but there is still time this year.

Eyewitness to America by David Colbert



David Colbert had a disarmingly simple idea: take all the major events of American history, find someone who was there for each one, and publish their descriptions. Taking passages from diaries, private letters, and memoirs, Colbert has assembled the words of men and women who witnessed some of the most decisive and memorable moments in the history of the United States. The book is arranged chronologically from the earliest encounters of Columbus with the Native Peoples of the Americas, to one of the first email exhanges with Bill Gates in the early nineties. All told through the unfiltered lens of the people who lived it, with only the slightest of edits for clarity and short introduction of each excerpt to give a larger picture of how each event shaped America's history and culture. There are dozens of illuminating moments in these first hand accounts that really get at the human side of the stories we have come to know.

There are few if any omissions to the overall timeline of history, which is pretty incrediable feat in itself; but I would have added the Gettysburg address, or Washingtons last speech as president, or the establishment of the national park system like any good amatuer history buff I have my favorites that envitably be get cut from a book like this, however, even with my nit-picking aside I think thos is a truly outstanding work of narrative history that should be read by even those with just a passing interest in the history of the United States. My only real ciriticism is that the book could use an update to cover the two decades of history that have reshaped the American landscape.

Kevin, are you planning to read the other Mars books by Robinson? It's quite the slog but worth the effort. Although I gave none of the individual books more than 4 stars, I'd give the series 5.

Margaret

Oh, yes I plan on read the rest of the Mar series and more by Robinson eventually, right now I got too many sticks in the fire to figure out what I'm reading, but I'll return to series when I can. It was my first full length book on the Kindle that I read and can't wait to read the rest with the e-reader. I never highlighted of annotated fiction before but the kindle makes it so easy.

The one thing that annoyed me about Red Mars was that the chapters from Boone and Chambers perspectives were just mirrored versions of the same thing. Each man going has similar experiences and go through similar emotions just with different motivations. I thought Robinson should have explored a different angle for Chambers chapter. He was probably trying to show how both men are more alike then either will acknowledge, but I think there are better ways to show this; or perhaps I'm reading this wrong and the chapters served merely as a mouthpiece for Robinson to talk about Islam and all its facets.

Japan: Its History and Culture by W. Scott Morton



Japan: Its History and Culture is scant little book coming in a little over 300 pages. There's no way that a book of this length could the full history of a civilization as ancient, rich, and as varied as Japan. However, for a brief and comprehensive introduction to the major trends and themes that shaped the Japanese culture from initial tribes the first settled the Island nation to the modern day.

Because this book is covering so much history in such a small number of pages, very few events are written about in detail. There is considerable discussion about the historical evolution of the cultural aspects of Japanese civilization (as opposed to the political or military), which is exactly what is I a novice was looking for and will hopefully provide a good foundation from which to start learning more about Japan. But more importantly it will and already has influenced the way I view the fictional works of Japanese authors.

There really is so much to discuss that there is no way for me to even begin to tackle Japanese culture in this breif synopsis.

Sounds perfect for a beginner like me, so I will definitely be looking for this one, thanks.

The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God by Carl Sagan



Through the Gifford Lecture series, Sagan delivers his characteristically eloquent and humbling assessment of our place in the universe. Certainly a thought-provoking read and illuminated with a tasteful selection of colorful photographs. However, since it is a transcription of lectures, the chapters are necessarily brief and often only scratch the surface of the many issues he brings up. For example, he examines the grounds for religious belief (including supposedly fulfilled prophesies, religious experiences, etc.) and tries to rebut each of them. The reality of the situation is that each of these topics require lengthier discussion to really tease out the intricate arguments to really explore these particular landmines.

Machine by Peter Adolphsen



In 85 short pages, Peter Adolphsen manages to trace the complete history of a drop of oil from its origins in the early Eocene through a story of the last moments of a Hyracotherium (a tiny prehistoric ancestor to the horse) where this drop of oil started in this tiny animals beating heart, through its geologic development and migration, its extraction and refinement into gasoline, and finally through the combustion process of 1970s Ford Pinto where this single molecule will find its ultimate destination, drastically altering the life of one of the passengers.

Adolphsen plays with the idea of Chaos Theory and coincidence throughout the novel tying what seems like a series of highly improbable events into a single narrative history told in unique almost omnipresent first person. Throughout the narrative Adolphsen is preoccupied with the science that makes these series of events happen from life and death, to the creation of oil from living matter, to the brain on drugs and the combustion of a car engine. In fact, the majority of the book is concerned with these in my estimation fascinating scientific details. What you'll find with Machine is a novel less concerned about the characters and their individual story, instead the focus is more about the external processes that shape them that constantly apart of their lives but largely unnoticed. I realize that all the precise scientific detail and jargon might come off as a bit dry and boring, and is not seamlessly integrated with the story as some would like, but I found Machine to be interestingly straightforward and at times beautifully written book exploring big ideas in a way fictional setting that I understood. It certainly isn't a book for everyone, but I'll definitely be rereading this one again.

Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimura



Shipwrecks is a story of a poor coastal village in medieval Japan as a young boy, Isaku, is coming of age. Isaku's father has sold himself into debt-bondage, so though only nine years old he has to learn the skills of an adult to help his mother support the family on the brink of starvation. The story develops slowly as Isaku learns and develops the skills needed to survive the harsh realities of this isolated village. All the while he and his fellow villagers hope and pray for the rare O-fune-sama, the shipwrecks which mean the difference between bare subsistence and temporary security; which they actively lure to their doom during heavy storms. O-fune-sama is considered a gift of prosperity from the sea until one fateful ship ravages the village with a catastrophe that seems like a timely retribution for their sins.

The story unfolds slowly setting up a routine and seasonality to lives of the villagers that is in way serene and peaceful. The fish caught in the bay and along the reef come and go with the changing of the seasons, what little food that can be gathered or traded for is collected, villagers wed, children are born, the elderly die, the villagers practice the Shinto and Buddhist rituals to ensure good tidings are performed; life as hard as it is goes on as it has always gone on. Even when disaster befalls the village the Yoshimura never alters to clam and sometimes passive tone that is prevasive throughout the novel, instilling a sense that even this too shall pass. Shipwrecks does not culminate in dramatic flourish of life altering revelations or major life changes. The surviving villagers pick up the their lives where they left off; accepting the good and the bad as apart of what life has to offer. There is a sense that they will simply rebuild and hope that when the sea offers up its bounty it will once again bring prosperity and security to the village.

A very dark but worthwhile and powerful read. Shipwrecks is almost lyrical in its presentation, my reservations of Yoshimura as a writer can now be totally dismissed.

I posted this in the Asian-Fiction thread but thought I'd post it on your actual thread.

I'm happy to hear how much you enjoyed the book. It's really amazing, isn't it? I got my parents to read Shipwrecks as well and they really loved it as well. My father also really enjoyed The Sea and Poison and now my mother is reading it. Although she's the only one reading it AFTER Shipwrecks and is commenting on the editing/translation which I hadn't noticed during my reading of it. I wonder what you'll think of that. Either way, loved that book as well. And Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids is also a fantastic read. I'm jealous you're reading those for the first time!

The only reason I get to read this great Japanese works is because I have so much catching up to do!

Happy to note your enthusiasm for Peter Adolphsen's Machine! I loved his ideas enough to get his next, The Brummstein -- also short and involving geology, this time about a rock that travels hand-to-hand through 20th-century experiences.

>101 stretch:, 116 I was catching up with your thread, saw you had read Storm Rider and was glad to see that later in the thread you had read Shipwrecks. I read them some time again, so it was fun to revisit them through your reviews. I agree that Shipwrecks is the better book.

>119 detailmuse:: MJ The Brummstein has been added to the wishlist. Call me biased , but any book with geology in it is going to probably get high marks from me.

>120 avaland:: I still can't put my finger on it, but I feel that there was something off about the translation in Storm Rider that it didn't read quite like Shipwrecks. I'm glad that I didn't give up on Yoshimura because Shipwrecks was well worth the reading. More than likely its going to end up the year end best read list.

Thinking Like a Mountain by Robert Bateman



Thinking like a Mountain is a collection of short essays and stories from Robert Bateman's career as an artist, teacher, and environmentalist that encapsulate his personal philosophies. You can easily see the passion and worry that Bateman feels for the environment the man made crisis we have caused to so much of the natural world. The simple pencil drawings that accompany each essay or story are quite good and is evident that Bateman takes great care in capturing nature as it really is, in his artwork.

The Sea and Poison by Shusaku Endo



The Sea and Poison is a short, dark physiological exploration of the motives and morals of the men and women who performed vivisections of B29 airmen at Fukuoka Imperial University towards the end of World War II. The story primarily centers around the of Dr. Suguro, who in the opening of the book is practicing medicine in a dingy clinic in a backwater suburb of Tokyo, a curiosity considering his skill and proffiency that would suggest that he belonged in a proper hospital. But that career is fated to someone else it seems, for Dr. Suguro is haunted by the acts he and the other doctors committed during the war at the Fukuoka Hospital. A majority of the story takes place at the hospital, while Dr. Suguro is a young intern, and told from the multiple points of view of the doctors and nurses who would ultimately choose to take part in the horrendous acts of vivisections of POWs and their muted reactions to their crimes.

While the Sea and Poison is a short novel, it effectively explores the theme of morality and the practical ethics of person when under a great strain is not only willing to accept evil, but even become an active participate in unspeakable crimes. A combination for the demoralizing effect of air raids and the lust for power of the doctor’s at Fukuoka takes precedence over the care of patients to the point that their suffering and death have very little effect on the doctor’s who are all too ready to cover up mistakes and give into the demands of the military establishment. It was a bit surreal to see how the nihilism that swept Japan’s prewar culture and how the absolute devotion to authority led to doctor’s of all people to not only neglect their patients, but to harm and kill their patients with so little feeling. It’s scary to think how fragile people at times of personal crisis. The really remarkable thing about this book to me was how easy the decision became for many of the doctor’s and nurse’s who felt that there was really nothing else they could lose. A very good but very dark read whose themes are going to be with me for a while.

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Lillisin, about translation issues. I did feel that at times the translation would break down a bit and become a bit chuncky especially in 'the nurse' chapter, but it's wasn't that much of a problem. Endo's style is so different from almost lyrical prose of Shipwrecks that in itself was jarring at first. I'm about to show my ignorance here but I felt that the Sea and Poison is more comparable to Fires on the Plain while Shipwrecks feels more like Black Rain in style if not theme. That probably dosen't make much sense.

Once again I'm copying my reply from the Asian Fiction and Non-Fiction thread. (So many interesting threads everywhere!)

The translator most certainly can affect the original intent of the author, indeed. It's why I'm so resolved to eventually reread this books in the original Japanese someday. Some of the more recent translations are being poorly edited I feel, which I feel is a huge detriment to the world of Japanese fiction. But in the end, Yoshimura and Endo's style don't really compare so perhaps my mother had just so positively reacted to Yoshimura's style that the Endo just felt choppy to her. Plus she hated the mediocrity of the characters' personalities.

I don't think your comparison is in any way "mediocre" at all. S&P and Fires both show the breakdown of characters due to their environment and how that breakdown affects their decisions in later roles. And both authors really break down those emotions and manners of thinking in the most brute animalistic way of thinking possible, I feel.

Whlie, with Shipwrecks and Black Rain, the characters actually gain strength despite their environment and surrounding consequences. They are able to maintain a dignity and appreciation according to the values and traditions they were raised with and taught.

So I actually find your comparison very interesting!

That is much better stated! I think you captured those themes perfectly!

The scene or passage I just can't get out of my head is the nonchalant way Toda is able to perform an abortion on his mistress with so little sympathy for her pain or feelings. It really showcased his lack of a moral compass guiding his life path. That was one of the most shocking paragraphs I think I have ever come across.

Earth: An intimate history by Richard Fortey



Earth: An Intimate History is at its heart a travelogue of some the most interesting geological sights from around the world. Fortey offers a wonderfully multi-layered narrative of local history, geology, and cultural perspectives into an interesting and often engaging exposition of what lies underfoot. In a lot of ways this is the perfect way for those unfamiliar with the science of geology, especially those that might find geology itself to be a dull or boring science. Introducing cultural history and how the local geology has shaped that cultural over time adds an element to help facilitate the learning of geology in a way that may go down easier than just the pure science route. It also helps that Fortey choose some of the most interesting geological landscapes in the world with some of the richest histories helps being informative while at the same time being entertaining. However, there is some problems that are hard to overlook. Richard Fortey has the ability to write some great and profound one-liners, I mean some real gems. Unfortunately Fortey can also, kill paragraphs like no other. One minute you read a great quote, line, or interesting tid-bit, and then the next it’s as dull as any textbook I’ve ever read. Also, paragraphs feel disjointed from one another with little or no transitions. Plus, there are some glaring factual errors like the confusion between Carson City, NV with Virginia City, NV, maybe not the biggest error in the world, but still large enough that it should have been corrected after such a long time. An editor is badly needed. One brave enough to nix sentences that just don’t work and one that can pull some kind of structure within the individual chapters would help this book immensely. Even with my obvious bias for pushing anything geology I would find it hard to recommend this book as it is written.

End of the Year Summary

Books Read: 38
Fiction: 18
Non-Fiction: 15
Other (Graphic Novel): 5
Pages: 11,755 + 220
TBR pile from 1st post: 16/29 (55%)

Male Authors: 28
Female Authors: 3
Mixed: 2
New-to-me: 24
More than 1 work: Akira Yoshimura, Carl Sagan, Terry Pratchett

Country of Origin:

U.S.A: 19
UK.: 10
Japan: 5
Spain: 1
Denmark: 1
Norway: 1
Canada: 1

Publication Year:

2010+: 7
2000-2010: 17
1990-2000: 7
1980-1990: 1
Pre-1980: 6

Ratings:

5-star: 3
4.5: 7
4: 7
3.5: 7
3: 7
2.5: 3
2: 3
1.5: 1

Average = 3.75
45% rated 4 stars or higher
37% rated between 3 and 4 stars
18% rated below 3 stars

Top Reads of the Year:

Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Machine by Peter Adolphsen
Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimura

Classic Feynman by Richard Feynman
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing by Richard Dawkins
Eyewitness to America by David Colbert

Impressions: Pretty good year for both fiction and non-fiction (45% 4-star or higher). Really cemented a new love for the simple prose of Japanese fiction, hope to pursue more books written by and about Japan in the future. My female to male ratio is dismal this year. I have increased the precentage of female authors in my library/wishlist to close to 20%, but have failed to read them this year, especially fiction authored by women. I need to improve this area drastically. My TBR pile is now up to 91 books of mostly non-fiction books (early American History), plan to tackle as much of this as possible next year, which means the wishlist only grows longer.

Kevin, somehow I'm relieved that you had some trouble with Earth, that it wasn't just me. Nice review.

I've noticed that with a lot of Fortey's writing that it's a mix of hit and miss sentences. Which ultimately kills the whole paragraph. I wonder if it's always the same writer + editor combo for everything he writes.

I wonder how much an editor can do. Also I think the more information you have the lower the standard for your writing quality. I think Fortey writes worse then I would like, but better than he has to, if that makes sense. He still brings a lot of value.

great end of year review

Thanks Baswood, but the credit for the format goes to Detailmuse

Just curious: why the End of the Year Summary (which I will shamelessly copy) with a month still to go?

I'm taking a bit of hiatus from reading this month, dipping in an out of Edgar Allen Poe's Complete Tales & Poems to finish some grad school applications so there won't be any books to add to it this year. I figured if I've already done it, why sit on it for month.

Plus, it'll give me some time to figure out how to tackle my to be read pile of mostly nonfiction books next year.

Loved looking at your stats. Wow re: the TBRs! -- more than half of your reading from your shelves. Don Quixote has been on my "someday" list, and every mention of it made me think I "should" get to it. But your experience cemented my interest and now every mention makes me "want" to get to it.

Don Quixote really was a seminal read for me this year, and I'm so glad I read it.

I did manage to curve the reading by half from the beginning of this year, but I've not got a pile that's almost 4 times as high standing at 95 strong now. This is mostly due to adding a lot of early American history books as well as scifi classics I never read and @lillisin Japanese Author theme read just added another 8. So yeah needless to say no new books at all next year, expect Locke & Key because well I need to keep up with that series.