The Maniac, Benjamin Labatut

The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut is the story of John Von Neumann.

Started: 10/23/2023

Completed: 10/29/2023

Recommendation: Recommended

Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

This is an odd novel.  I chose to look at it as non-fiction, despite its being a novel and including details that nobody could actually know.  The story of Von Neumann's life is told from the perspectives of the people who knew him.  Each had a different, distinct voice and covered portions of his life which were often overlapping.  It was interesting and very odd.  I can recommend it, but with the sole reservation that that you need to know about the life of Von Neumann in order to really follow it well.

Salvation, Peter F. Hamilton

 

Salvation by Peter F. Hamilton is the first book in the Salvation Series

Started: 8/13/2023
Completed: 10/28/2023
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: A list of "must read" sci-fi books.

Review:

Overall I enjoyed this book and I liked the way that all of the different details of an alien civilization came to light.  I think it is worth reading the second.  I especially liked the use of portals and looking at how that changed the world.

The Vaster Wilds, Lauren Groff

 

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff

Started: 10/20/2023
Completed: 10/23/2023
Recommendation: Not Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

Groff seems to have one voice:  suffering.  This novel is an ode to suffering with most of the varieties of suffering possible discussed.  It is an unpleasant read, though well written.

Mobility, Lydia Kiesling

 

Mobility by Lydia Kiesling

Started: 10/16/2023
Completed: 10/20/2023
Recommendation: Not recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

The main character in this book is not very interesting.  The book jolts back in forth in time and I found the plot plodding.  What "foreshadowing" there was was extremely obvious and  kind of lead to a certain amount of dread.  I don't remember any foreshadowing that lead to good things.  The main character is repeatedly described as intelligent and seemed to do well in a school environment yet remained mystified by simple concepts like the stock market.  I found the details about clothing and makeup made no difference to the story...maybe they are the kind of details that "set the scene" in the way a description of a landscape does, but it was hard to me to take anything away beyond the image itself.  Maybe this is a me problem.  Normal major events (divorce, marriage, birth of a child, etc.) seemed to occur between chapters while masturbation, hook ups, and cheating seemed to occupy whole chapters.  This book oddly seemed to be about sex without being graphic.  I don't know, it was just a weird mix and I found it hard to enjoy.

The Struggle for a Decent Politics by Michael Walzer

 

The Struggle for a Decent Politics:  On "liberal" as an adjective by Michael Walzer

Started: 10/15/2023
Completed: 10/15/2023
Recommendation: Mildly Recommended
Recommended By: my wife

Review:

For most of this book, this seemed like an academic parsing of words.  I guess I should have been ready for that from the title.  Towards the end, there was a little bit more on the application.  As theory books go, this was very readable and very approachable.  Like most political theory, I felt that this book described what already happens rather than builds a coherent theory.  I know that is unfair to this author who is a full fledged theorist and who went to great lengths to make this book coherent from a theoretical point of view.  All the same, it sort of felt like using "liberal" as an adjective was pointed at, "what is the liberal version" of a lot of different types of politics.  In addition, he did address what types of politics are simply incompatible with "liberal."  I guess the heart of the issue is that the way that Walzer defines "liberal" (which may be entirely correct) was at odds with my understanding (which probably is closer to "progressive") so I frequently found his uses of the term jarring leading to less understanding and not more.

The Bone Shard Daughter, Andrea Stewart

 

The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart is the first book in the Drowning Empire Trilogy

Started: 10/11/2023
Completed: 10/16/2023
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

To me, this seemed like a modern take on Frankenstein.  The world building was quite good and very consistent.  I was fully enmeshed in each new concept as it came and the idea of using life force as a source of magic is a good one.  I look forward to the next book in the series.

Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt

 

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Started: 10/10/2023
Completed: 10/11/2023
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

This is a light read.  The octopus is used to move the plot forward and bring together the human main characters.  It is a fun change and ascribes a lot to an octopus, but makes the book enjoyable.