The Dark Forest, Cixin Liu

 

The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu is the second book in the Remembrance of Earth's Past.

Started: 4/24/2021
Completed: 4/29/2021
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

The premise continues and the whole idea of Earth being able to defend itself against a more powerful civilization is put to the test.  I like a lot of the concepts developed in this book.  It is also interesting to see a situation where China is central (and not the United States).  Where presumptions are Chinese and not American (or English, Italian, French, etc.)  Where ships have Chinese names and not English names that sound like something Chinese might like (Dragon Dawn or Red Eclipse would be the kind of names that don't ring true).  One problem with this is that the names of people and things are so foreign to me that they slip off my ears and I have trouble distinguishing characters who are clearly named distinctly.  The concept of the universe is pretty pessimistic (you won't confuse this universe with Star Trek or Star Wars), but there is a really good argument for it.  A well conceived book with the occasional political slam that reminds you that this book had to make it through Chinese censors.

The Toll, Neal Shusterman

 

The Toll by Neal Shusterman is the third book in the Arc of a Scythe series.

Started: 1/30/2021
Completed: 4/25/2021
Recommendation: Mild Recommendation
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

So, I love the concept.  The finale here is sort of a punt on whether the concept is a winner or not.  There is a suggestion that the AI is more reliable then anticipated and the humans are less.  I am mixed on what happened with Rand (a subplot which I found bitter throughout the series).  All things considered, this was a good young adult series and probably worth my time.

A Fatal Grace, Louise Penny

 

A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny is the second book in the Three Pines Mysteries.

Started: 4/22/2021
Completed: 4/24/2021
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: my parents

Review:

This book is an escape.  At least, that is how I enjoyed it.  I'm not fond of mysteries--I often feel tricked by the author.  With this book, I decided not to try and figure it out and I found the book much more enjoyable.  I let the mystery unwind just like another plot and I was able to fall into the book instead of constantly analyzing it.  That was both a release and an escape.

Despite this being a murder mystery, the overall feel of the book is not tension, but calm.  I know that this is an ironic comment to those who have actually read the book.  If you have not, don't worry, it is no mystery and is spelled out relatively quickly, but I have opted not to do so as calm is a frequently referenced turning point throughout the book and for those who like a mystery (I'm revealing nothing), I have no desire to mislead.

The characters have added some dimension and there is clearly a much longer plot unfolding beyond the particular major plot points of this book.  It is pleasant to fall into Penny's world.  I plan to revisit Three Pines in the future.

Chaos Under Heaven, Josh Rogin

 

Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the battle for the 21st Century by Josh Rogin is a book that my wife suggested I might want to read.

Started: 4/19/2021
Completed: 4/22/2021
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: my wife

Review:

I have read reviews of this book by Trumpists who feel offended.  Honestly, I went to check and see if Josh Rogin was a closet conservative given the amount of time he gave Nikki Haley.  I think it is likely that he is being pretty even handed.  While it is clear that he didn't think much of Trump (the adjectives alone are indicative), when you look at it in detail he gives Trump credit when Trump makes a good decision (a decision that, in hindsight, seems appropriate).  The fact that these are so few and far between is indicative of what an awful job Trump did, not a reflection of bias.  Even Trump's own coven (yes, I am biased) disagreed with him on a myriad of issues and nobody in his orbit would argue that he liked anything but chaos.

I do not find this book compelling on the concept of the threat of China.  The case is surely made, but I'm not willing to believe that people who disagree are necessarily threatening one another.  The bullying that China has done to countries with less power, however, is eye opening and it does give the threat legs.  I will not ignore the threat possibility from this point forward, it definitely is more credible in my mind after reading this book then it was before I started.  

I'm inclined to think, however, that authoritarians have trouble dealing with equals.  The authoritarians in China are used to being in charge and not used to being balked.  I have a feeling that if they continue to bully they will find themselves excluded hard.  Major international companies are used to ducking and dodging, but they are not used to being flayed.  If China decides that ducking and dodging is not sufficient, I think China will find that it has a fight on its hands.

Fentanyl, I think, is China's response to the opium wars.  I get why they are doing it, but given the degree of resentment they feel about being victimized by it, they are likely to come to realize that taking down another government at all costs has unpleasant consequences.  The oppression of their own people has to bite them some time.  That is the end of many a dictatorship.  The question is whether it will be 200 years from now or in the next 20.  200 would not be good for the United States, I'm certain.

The Gilded Ones, Namina Forna

 

The Guilded Ones by Namina Forna was a book I found on a list by authors talking about the African mythos.

Started: 4/17/2021
Completed: 4/19/2021
Recommendation: Mild Recommendation
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

This is another young adult novel that found its way into my older life.  In fairness, however, there is a lot that is not young adult about this novel.  The plot is simple and fairly predictable--which is fine.  The book is rather gory.  Trying to kill those who cannot die is like that, but is that really a young adult concept?  Is that something in which the young adults should be soaked?  I don't know...I guess it depends on the young adult.  I do like the feminist message and I can see how this novel is going to become a series.  I did not become attached to any of the characters and think it is likely that I will not read any further in the series.

A Storm of Swords, George R. R. Martin

 A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin is the next book in A Song of Ice and Fire series.

Started: 4/8/2021
Completed: 4/17/2021
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By:  Nobody

Words for which I sought help:

hippocras -- a drink made from wine mixed with sugar and spices, usually including cinnamon, and possibly heated

skirl -- (of bagpipes) make a shrill wailing sound

Review:

It is amazing the huge cast of characters.  It is equally impressive that this enormous group can still be followed.  The constant transition from one character to another is rather amazing and offers continuity to the characters while, at the same time, offering different perspectives on the same events.  This can be rather violent at times, but rarely gory.  Roy Dotrice does a great job reading the book and has a way of presenting this huge cast of characters differently although there are a few (particularly old men) who tend to have a very similar sound.  One can only do so much.

The pace of the story as a whole is plodding.  Each of the subplots seems to run at its own pace, however, with large sections of the book covering only a few days while other sections seem to cover weeks very quickly.  It is a bit hard to see, on some occasions, how the timelines interact.  Nonetheless this is quite a story and it is well written.

How The South Won the Civil War, Heather Cox Richardson

 

How The South Won The Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America by Heather Cox Richardson

Started: 1/13/2021
Completed: 4/10/2021
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

It turns out that Trump and Andrew Jackson had a lot in common.  It is utterly frustrating that the hierarchy of the South remains the status quo in the United States.  This book does a good job of distilling how this happens and asks the question whether the US is going to live up to the concept of all people being created equal.

The Constant Rabbit, Jasper Fforde

 

The Constant Rabbit by Jasper Fforde is a satire and I needed a smile.

Started: 4/7/2021
Completed: 4/8/2021
Recommendation: Highly recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

Simply great satire.  Had me laughing out loud and my wife even commented on how much I enjoyed this book.  Just a fun read, but well worth the time.

The Midnight Library, Matt Haig

 The Midnight Library by Matt Haig was recommended to me by my niece.

Started: 4/4/2021
Completed: 4/7/2021
Recommendation: Mild Recommendation
Recommended By: Virginia

Review:

There are some platitudes here with which I am not completely comfortable.  I do like the idea of making the best of what you have and not framing your life in terms of regrets.  This is an adventuresome read and I really like the multi-worlds theory, although I'm not comfortable with the ability to move between them.

The Liar's Dictionary, Eley Williams

 

The Liar's Dictionary by Eley Williams was reviewed in the New York Times.

Started: 4/2/2021
Completed: 4/4/2021
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: The New York Times

Words for which I sought help:

amanuensis -- a literary or artistic assistant, in particular one who takes dictation or copies manuscripts

netsuke -- a small carved ornament, especially of ivory or wood, worn as part of Japanese traditional dress as a toggle by which an article may be attached to the sash of a kimono

schatzkammer -- treasury or treasury chamber (German)

zoetrope -- a 19th-century optical toy consisting of a cylinder with a series of pictures on the inner surface that, when viewed through slits with the cylinder rotating give an impression of continuous motion

Review:

What a fun little journey!  Each character revealed themselves and by the end of the book had become something that they were not at the beginning with the exception of Pip, who is a minor character, but was simply herself throughout.  Pip was a foil for the other characters who all effectively had a secret which revealed a bit of that character's true nature.  The split across time was exceedingly well done and made two short stories into a coherent whole.  Really enjoyed it.

Empire of Ivory, Naomi Novik

 

Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik is the next book in the Temeraire series.

Started: 3/31/2021
Completed: 4/2/2021
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Words for which I sought Help:

hauteur -- haughtiness of manner; disdainful pride

Review:

These books are simply a good tale told well.  I get great pleasure from both the twisted effort to be honorable and the logic chopping insights of those not caught in a system of proprietary politeness.  More than once I smiled at the pleasure of a good turn of phrase and the excellent, fidgety efforts behind both formality and niceness (as distinguished from kindness).