Book round-up: January 2023

[sixthlight]

January was nice! I read a bunch of books and mostly chilled out. It was particularly nice when I look back on it from February, which I am not yet emotionally prepared to discuss (to quote our new PM, and Jesus that's still a weird thing to say in itself, the swarm of locusts is the last thing missing and there’s still a week to go).

Fiction

Death and Hard Cider (Barbara Hambly)

Last so far in the Benjamin January series, had to wait to get my hands on the hardcover. A nice return to the New Orleans setting and its recurring characters after several books of travel, but otherwise slight in terms of both length and mystery.

The Stars Undying (Emery Robin)
Antony and Cleopatra: the Bisexual Space Opera (at least, Part One thereof). Took me a little while to get into but the second half absolutely rattled along. The narrative very deliberately plays with truth and perspective in a way that keeps the story fresh - a masterclass in demonstrating that knowing the ending (Caesar will always attend the Senate one last time) doesn’t stop a story being compelling. I’m all in for Part Two (or however many parts this goes to.)

Those Who Hunt the Night and Travelling With the Dead (Barbara Hambly)
First two books in a different mystery/horror series of hers, Edwardian spies + quite nasty vampires. Unfortunately very few of these people like each other and “older Wife Guy loves his extremely nerdy wife” isn’t bad as a concept but was a little too similar to the main Benjamin January relationship to feel emotionally interesting for me. There’s more in the series but I don’t think I’ll bother unless I’m bored and in need of a known quantity read.

Fevered Star (Rebecca Roanhorse)
Second in her pre-Colombian Americas epic fantasy. I liked the first (Black Sun) a lot but I struggled with this one; it felt like everybody was going in circles in the same place they’d been at the end of the first book until almost the end, very bad Middle Book syndrome. The setting continues to be fun and novel but otherwise…a bit eh. I will read the next one but my expectations will be lower.

Non-fiction

Fossil Treasures of Foulden Maar : a window into Miocene Zealandia (Daphne Lee et al)

Foulden Maar is a world-class fossil site near Dunedin, New Zealand, which preserves a lake ecosystem from twenty-three million years ago (a very important period in Aotearoa’s geologic history as there’s contention about whether it went entirely underwater or not) in exquisite detail. It was threatened by a mining company (recently resolved) and this book was clearly written by scientists as an attempt to speak to the general public about its scientific importance. Unfortunately it is basically a long review paper in book form and I’m not sure the general public will find it at all accessible; it worked for me but I am, uh, a person of extremely specific background for a non-palaeontologist. Desperately needed an actual narrative. There’s some really pretty pictures though?

Pompeii (Mary Beard)
This is an older book, first published in 2008, but it’s such an accessible and clear summary of what was known about Pompeii at the time, and what this told us about life in Roman Italy of the period. Beard is always meticulously careful to distinguish between what is known from archaeological and historical evidence, what is inferred, and what is assumed based on one or two references or discoveries. Highly, highly recommended.

You Just Need To Lose Weight (Aubrey Gordon)
Aubrey Gordon is a fat activist and co-hosts the popular health and diet science podcast Maintenance Phase; this book goes through nineteen myths about fat people and ways to respond to them, patiently and clearly. A really good reference if you are interested in pushing back either as a fat person or ally (or just deflecting fatphobic bullshit when it appears).

So That's What They're For! (Janet Tamaro)
Early 2000s breastfeeding guide. The title accurately foreshadows the condescending tone. The troubleshooting sections and guide on actual breastfeeding techniques seem solid and are well laid out; the chapter on partners is an actual Why Must Straights nightmare about how your cis male partner will be sad that your breasts are no longer his personal sex toys. The chapter on returning to work, equally so (including several stories of horrific sexual harassment downplayed as Just How Those Dudes Are.) Naturally, do not even engage with the diet/weight talk. If you were going to use this I’d pick and choose which bits you read.

The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk (Diana West and Lisa Marasco)
Thank god, this one is actually sensible, useful, and takes the firm position that any breastfeeding is good and feeding parents should not judge themselves by what they are capable of doing, including what they are emotionally/practically capable of. The troubleshooting bits were good enough we bought a copy to keep - and the updated 2019 edition includes advice for trans people too (and has de-gendered the title to just ‘Making More Milk’). For once for a pregnancy-related book…actually just recommended!

Re-reads

The Calculating Stars (Mary Robinette Kowal)

Returned to this after my mild grumpiness with The Spare Man not being a Lady Astronaut book. It’s still a good post-apocalyptic read, but more and more Kowal’s Happy Heterosexual Couples are a limited taste for me. They’re fine! I just don’t care about how much Happy Married Heterosexual PIV Sex they’re having. It’s not the book it’s me etc. More actual rockets less rocket sex puns please. Also this time I noticed that the asshole white dude antagonist was included based on a recommendation from Brandon Sanderson and I was just very…. 😶😶😶 (esp considering what happens with him in the second book).

Comments

[profiterole_reads]

I hope you weren't affected by the flooding. *hugs*

[sixthlight]

Not directly - Wellington didn't get anything worse than you'd have in an average winter storm. But I have work and family ties to the hardest-hit areas so it's been emotionally not great, on top of Several Other Not-Great Things. Climate change, blergh.

[cyprinella]

The later Hambly vampires books do some emotional threesome stuff with Ysidro that's interesting if you're into pining but it also kinda doesn't go anywhere due to important character reasons and then the series ends. They're all fairly enjoyable (although it's been a while since I read some of them and can't remember if the one in China is racially dodgy for example) and like you said, good for if you need something solid but not taxing.

[sixthlight]

I am VERY NOT into emotional threesome pining so sounds like a good decision to stop where I did!