Book round-up: May and June 2021
Jul. 3rd, 2021 01:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sixthlightThe mood for the past eight weeks or so has been mostly non-fiction. Why? No idea. But I’m trying to go with the flow and read the non-fic books people have recced me recently, rather than force my brain to engage with fiction when it isn’t ready.
Fiction
Fugitive Telemetry (Martha Wells)
Surely if you read these reviews you have heard the good word of Murderbot, and I am pleased to report that the latest entry in the series is just as good as the rest, plus it’s a murder mystery, which means it was guaranteed to delight me. I particularly love Murderbot being forced to think about the cultural differences between it and the bots in Preservation society and who it wants to be, really.
Soulstar (C L Polk)
The final book in Polk’s Kingston bicycle-punk secondary world fantasy trilogy, this time following nurse and social activist Robin as she works to bring about the revolution and renegotiate her relationship with her spouse, who was imprisoned as a witch two decades ago and only recently freed. This series doesn’t compromise on its commitment to asking what real change looks like in a society and it finishes the trilogy in a deeply satisfying way. The bits about the everyday nature of left-wing political activism were so painfully accurate I had to put the book down occasionally.
Riot Baby (Tochi Onyebuchi)
Hugo-nominated novella about two siblings, one born during the 1992 LA riots, whose superpowers do not exempt them from the weight of being Black in America. I enjoyed the subtle way it diverges from our timeline while still being deeply anchored in recent history.
The Councillor (E J Beaton)
When Queen Sarelin is murdered, scholar Lysande Prior is appointed Councillor to choose the next monarch of their country, a coalition of five city-states - a role she does not feel prepared or qualified for. The other city rulers are dubiously trustworthy, the nobles of her own city don’t like her, the murderer is still unknown, and Sarelin’s legacy becomes increasingly complicated as Lysande grapples with it.
This is basically “recovering from imposter syndrome: the epic fantasy novel”, as Lysande learns to make friends, wield power, and stab people, and I liked it a lot. Plus the central - romance is a bit strong - central developing relationship is a bi-for-bi-with-D/s-undertones power struggle between Lysande and city ruler Luca Fontaine, whose thesis is “I murdered a lot of people to get where I am and I apologise for none of it”. Uh. It’s just very very good please read it. (TW for drug addiction as a major theme.)
Subtle Blood (K J Charles)
Final book in the Will Darling Adventures pulp 1920s mlm romance/adventure trilogy, featuring soldier-turned-bookseller Will, slippery aristocrat Kim, and their various friends and family, plus plentiful cameos from another K J Charles series. You really do have to read the whole trilogy or this will make no sense, but rest assured it lands in an excellent place, plus the trigger FINALLY gets pulled on a supporting romance. I now really REALLY need the fic where [spoiler cameo character] goes home and complains to [his partner] about Will and Kim’s shenanigans.
Non-fiction
The 99% Invisible City (Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt)
Series of short pieces about elements of city construction and infrastructure that often go overlooked. Some bits were fascinating; some bits were painfully Americocentric - it asserts itself as about the generic city but it’s very much about American cities with some other examples. Interesting enough.
Science Fictions (Stuart Ritchie)
A biting rundown of all the different ways Western science fails to live up to its own standards. The author is writing from a very specific viewpoint - this isn’t the kind of text that spends time on other forms of knowledge - and I very much could have done with more introspection on the structural constraints that lead to p-hacking, file-drawering, etc, but worth a read nonetheless if you’re interested in this sort of thing. Published in April 2020, and hits VERY differently in light of *waves hands* everything than it would have in the Before Times - but if anything, even more relevant.
The Norman Conquest (Marc Morris)
Saw the author recced for another book and this was the one my library had, so gave it a whirl. Very much sticks with the Great Man/Historical Record mode of history and while it’s not badly written, this bored me enough that I did not finish. Tell me about the culture! Tell me about the gaps! Think about why it is that every woman who appears in your narrative is a conniving bitch or does nothing but have babies and die! I guess I would recommend it if you want to get a grasp on the complicated pan-European political situation that the Conquest happened in (v much not restricted to actors in Normandy and England) but really go and read The Children of Ash and Elm instead.
Harold Wellman: A Man Who Moved New Zealand (Simon Nathan)
A close biography of the eponymous geologist, who among other things in a very active life identified the Alpine Fault. He overlapped with many former colleagues of mine and this book is very much written with an intended audience of “people who are familiar with the New Zealand geological community”, but it seemed to go over well with some other people who aren’t in that category. I enjoyed the social insights into Wellman’s early life in the UK and 1920s NZ (the first part of the book is re-written from his own attempted memoir), although a section on his work in Papua New Guinea needs some language updating (no actual slurs but the term ‘boys’ is used much too often.) Left me extraordinarily glad that I was about fifteen years too late to interact with Wellman; we would not have got on.
The Manager’s Path (Camille Fournier)
Aimed at technical specialists moving into management paths; apparently a classic. I found it very relevant for my own science space as well, but it does assume that you’re a software developer/engineer moving up to manage other software developers/engineers. It runs the whole gamut from ‘so you have your first summer intern’ to ‘so you’re applying for CTO positions’ and I can definitely see myself returning to it when relevant. If this sounds relevant for you I strongly recommend it.
Re-reads
The Murderbot series (Martha Wells)
Still so good!
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Date: 2021-07-14 03:15 pm (UTC)Oh man. I just finished this, and I may have to write this fic. Or at least read it. So good!
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Date: 2021-08-13 03:12 am (UTC)