Rising Tide, John M. Barry

 

Rising Tide: The great Mississippi flood of 1827 and how it changed America by John M. Barry

Started: August 13, 2026

Completed: September 20, 2026

Recommendation: Recommended

Recommended By: Nobody, found it at a library sale

Media: Audio

Review:

This is an interesting book on several levels.  It is interesting to hear about the efforts to reduce flooding along the Mississippi.  It is interesting to see how communities rallied or failed in response to the flood.  It is also striking how quickly racism of all forms was a common part of every day at that time.  Now, it is simply less common.

Daughters of the Sun and Moon, Lisa See

 

Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See

Started: September 11, 2026
Completed: September 20, 2026
Recommendation: Not recommended
Recommended By: Nobody
Media: Audio

Words for which I sought help:

perspicacity -- the mental ability to see through confusion, understand situations quickly, and make very accurate judgements

Review:

The mental and physical abuse described in this novel are constant.  While I see the value in terms of understanding the suffering of the Chinese women of this time in early California, the violence in this book was something that I really disliked.  It just is not for me.  Torture scenes that simply make things worth rather than forwarding the plot seem unnecessary unless the point is to talk about torture.  I wish I had known that this book focused on a massacre and the unbelievable suffering of these women before I picked it up.

A Trade of Blood, Robert Jackson Bennett

 

A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

Started: September 3, 2026
Completed: September 11, 2026
Recommendation: Highly recommended
Recommended By: Nobody, just love the series
Media: Audio

Review:

It is impressive how Bennett drives a whole fantasy series on how an empire is fed.  This is not just an impressive feat in and of itself, but it is also revealing about our own society and our own world.  Really a great book in a great series.

Tigana, Guy Gavriel Kay

 

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay has been in my books to read for so long, I cannot remember why it is there.

Started: August 8, 2021
Completed: September 3, 2026
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Media: ebook/audio

Review:

This book took me forever.  It is a good book.  The beginning is slow and I often grab ebooks when I am sitting in line or just have a minute or two.  This book had a huge cast of characters and an epic story line.  It was just too much to do in dribs and drabs.  When I switched to the audio book, things progressed nicely.  It still wasn't fast because there was so much to remember that I found myself going back and relistening.  In the end, however, having this book on audio meant that I could actually spend time on the story instead of rereading.

Prophecy, Carissa Véliz

 

Prophecy: Prediction, power, and the fight for the future from ancient oracles to AI by Carissa Véliz

Started: July 23, 2026

Completed: August 31, 2026

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

Recommended By: Nobody

Media: Audio

Review:

This book is compelling making the strong argument that prediction is not telling the future it is about what the predictor wants to happen.  It is well written, artfully argued, and only a little repetative.  Anyone who references Thales of Miletus is OK in my book :).

Perdido Street Station, China Miéville

 

Perdido Street Station by China Miéville

Started: August 18, 2026
Completed: August 29, 2026
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody
Media: Audio

Review:

This was, in many ways, a book without any redeeming character.  The destruction of basically all of the characters in the book (not necessarily death) was unrelenting.  The prose, however, was excellent.  I just could not stomach the plot and it all unraveled at the end.  It seemed as though the characters which most deserved destruction did not get it, those who seemed to deserve enrichment did not get it and those in between fell either side of the line with little more than randomness.  In that sense it was realistic.  Well written, but hard to walk away thinking of anyone to whom I should provide a glowing recommendation.

The Time Ships, Stephen Baxter

 

The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter is a continuation of HG Wells' short story, The Time Machine.  I'm not thrilled about someone glomming on to someone else's work, but I was curious about this one.  This was authorized by the Wells estate.

Started: July 22, 2026
Completed: DNF
Recommendation: N/A
Recommended By: Nobody
Media: Paperback

Review:

Wells had a certain breathless observational mode.  This book captured that well, but, frankly it is unendurable.  150 pages into 510 and I just could not keep it up.  The book wore me out.