Books

In case I hadn't mentioned it already, I am now doing all of my book blogging on goodreads.com. Look for me there and become my friend.

"Ash: A Secret History" - Mary Gentle

This is brilliant science fiction writing... or fantasy, or science-fantasy. In any case, this left me wondering why the hell I have never read anything by Mary Gentle; she's brilliant, and apparently a fascinating and untraditional person. To sum up in the most superficial way, this book is about a female mercenary captain in Europe, 1476, but it quickly becomes clear that this is not our Europe, a conclusion supported by the secondary narrative in the form of emails between three modern-day scientists (or two scientists and a publisher) who are studying historical documents that relate to this mercenary captain, Ash. I picked this up thanks to the glories of amazon.com and their magnificent interface which allowed me to jump from "The Deed of Paksenarrion" by Elizabeth Moon (completely wonderful fantasy trilogy) to related titles.

Ash portrays the life of a medieval mercenary in such vivid and gritty detail that "Paksenarrion" fades in comparison. All senses are filled with the experience; the smells, the tastes, the absolutely perplexing "fog of war" on the battlefield; the suffering of a siege in winter, of captivity, the fear of maiming, the terrible fear of watching people you love hacked to pieces on the battlefield... I am in awe; and beyond the intensity and the poetic narrative there is the modern-day plot line and the increasingly mysterious happenings as details from that distant past seem to exist or not exist, to be real or fictional. She manages to weave quantum physics in, by the end, and an alternate history that has to be negated in order for ours to be real.

Amazing stuff.

"The Condition" - Jennifer Haigh

I got this from the library because I either heard about it on mpr or read something in the paper... in any case, it's a story about a dysfunctional family full of flawed but complex people. Someone on amazon.com compared it to "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen, and I can see their reasoning, but that book was far more cynical in its worldview. I struggled a bit at the beginning because we first see the world through Penelope's eyes - her struggle for status, dealing with her husband's sexual needs and her concern for her children - but as the book progressed and I grew to know the cast of characters I was drawn into their worlds. The author does a good job of presenting realistically difficult people, flawed and without easy answers. I'm particularly impressed with her ability to show us the ways in which the different characters see the world from their very different perspectives. It's beautiful and ironic that Penelope only decides to try to understand her daughter's world at the point at which her daughter has decided to cut ties with the family.

"Water for Elephants" - Sara Gruen

Got this from the library because there seemed to be a buzz about it. I loved the ending. It so made the book for me. At first the split narrative - with Jacob as 90-year-old man and as young man joining the circus - seemed a little contrived, but as the tale rolled out it grew on me. The dangers and the painful tale of love and treachery make for a good story, sure. As the climactic finale neared I felt that it could go in many directions... and I was pleased with the choices the author made.

"Wishing Well" - Trevor Baxendale

Yes, another Doctor Who novel, this one featuring the 10th Doctor and Martha. Quite a cracking good read, too. The Doctor and Martha end up in 20th century England after a day of gallivanting around the galaxy in search of a traditional English cream tea. Their quest takes them to the small town of Creighton Mere where trouble is afoot. There is a nice amount of suspense and scariness here; secondary characters are nicely developed, the alien threat remains mysterious for an appropriate amount of time. I liked it a lot, but it was eclipsed by the next one I read.

"The Nightmare of Black Island" - Mike Tucker

Another Doctor Who novel, with the 10th Doctor and Rose. Not bad, not my favorite. Characterizations are good, the setting is appropriately spooky. The sequence of events feels very much like a television episode, with cliffhanger moments and sudden reveals.

"Book of a Thousand Days" - Shannon Hale

I got this on CD from the library after coming across it on amazon.com; I'm a sucker for a good YA fantasy, and this ended up being a really wonderful example. She has created a vaguely middle-eastern medieval society in which to set her characters, and it felt very real. Beautiful world-building, beautiful characterizations. I very much appreciated the intensity and realism of the dangers that the two young female protagonists face (the princess Saren and her maid Dashti). The story is told in the form of Dashti's journal as she and Saren endure four years imprisoned in a tower, and then great trials on their way to the eventual happy ending.
Nice job, Shannon!

"Quicksilver" - Neal Stephenson

Finished it last week.
Wow. I would recommend this highly to anyone; however I'm kind of surprised that it's a New York Times bestseller simply because the thing is massive, and I'd think it would intimidate many. Wonderful writing, though. Stephenson is such a thorough author; some of the reviews on amazon.com comment on his tendency to use several hundred words when just a few might do. But the words don't feel excessive, necessarily; the word-images he conjures are all beautifully realized. He's a damn good writer and a damn good historian and the two come together to marvelous effect in this book.

No point in my trying to summarize it - go to amazon for that, or read it yourself. Suffice it to say that he touches on history and technology and progress and human nature, love and hatred, principles and the lack thereof, the ways in which wars are fought, revolutions are forged, communication and technology advance... The book covers such bases while always being in touch with the human scale and the endeavors of individuals.

I will be reading the second and third volumes, but will have a break to read some other stuff.

"A Prisoner of Birth" - Jeffrey Archer

A co-worker loaned me this on CD. Very entertaining. Courtroom crime thriller set in England; protagonist is a young, working-class man framed for a murder he did not commit. The author, Jeffrey Archer, draws on his own life experience in writing this novel; he is (or has been) in the law profession and spent time in prison. Summer reading; fun, often requiring suspension of disbelief. Danny, the protagonist, transforms himself while in prison, learning to read, write, speak "posh" English, dress and eat in a more high-class manner. These skills then allow him to find and trap the men who framed him for the crime in the first place.

"Quicksilver" - Neal Stephenson

I've been slogging through this for what seems forever... and that makes it sound like it's been a horrendous task, which it hasn't - this is a GREAT book. But it's practically three novels-worth of words, so it's been a long process. And on top of that, it's the first of a TRILOGY. The book takes place in mid 1600s England (for the most part), with a cast of characters part fictional and part real. Daniel Waterhouse, our first fictional protagonist, bumps shoulders with Isaac Newton, Robert Hooke, and various and sundry members of the royalty as he follows his path - a puritan in a land of catholics and protestants, very aware of the fact that as a natural philosopher he is fully eclipsed by Newton, Leibniz, Hooke.

Stephenson touches on so many aspects of life, culture, language, science, in the course of his work that I feel like I'm getting an education along the way; the origins of words and scientific ideas flow by so rapidly, and the huge, incestuous mass of relationships between the various royal houses of Europe is so difficult to keep straight that I just let myself float along like a cork on this stream of words.

The quicksilver of the title certainly refers to the actual substance, mercury, which in that era was used for many purposes - as a health tonic among others; but also to the flow of ideas and the quickening of scientific rigor, the establishment of schools of thought and the great ideas coming from great men across Europe.

"Whisky Classified - Chosing single malts by flavour" - David Wishart

After reading "Raw Spirit" I had a greater interest in the minutiae of single-malt scotch selection. Of course the library was able to provide a source of information; this book does a great job of describing the process of making whisky, how to compare different whiskies, and the distinguishing features of all the single-malt distilleries. I was a fan of scotch previously; now I'm on the verge of becoming an afficionado. Ha ha.

My favorite single malts, thus far:
Caol Ila - peaty, but delicate
Oban - like luscious candy
Glenrothes - like even more luscious candy
Talisker - peaty, full-bodied, rich

"Arthur and George" - Julian Barnes

Picked this up on the recommendation of my cousin, Sara. Amusingly I bought it at Half Price Books AND got the book on CD from the library; ended up listening to it at work. Very compelling narrative, and the reader was excellent. Don't remember his name, but he's British and did a great job distinguishing the various voices. The Arthur of the title is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. George is a lesser known figure - Mr. George Edalji, son of an Indian father and a Scottish mother, who became a solicitor and wrote a book on railway law. The novel covers their separate lives from boyhood until chance and tragedy bring them together. I haven't read anything else by Julian Barnes, but I certainly shall; this is engrossing and very well told.

"Lolita" - Vladimir Nabokov

Decided to read this for two reasons; Rick was reading it, and I was perusing various "Top 100 books of all time" lists, and decided I ought to knock off a couple of 'em. Actually I listened to it on CD, read by Jeremy Irons, no less. Superb choice in reader. My god.

Fascinating and disturbing work. Nabokov writes with great mastery. The section in which Humbert and Dolly are driving all around the US is utter beauty; the litany of the constantly changing landscape rolls out before the reader like the road itself. As for the relationship, it is clear that 12-year-old "Lolita" is not what he thinks she is, what he projects onto her. Her struggle and misery come across to the reader although not to the criminally blind Humbert; he sees only what he wants to see, until later in more pensive moments he begins to comprehend. The scene that really struck me was one in which he watches her play tennis and ponders her perfect form, the beauty of her play... and her lack of desire to win, and thinks to himself that it is because he broke something in her.

"The Art of Racing in the Rain" - Garth Stein

This book was recommended to me on two fronts - by my boss, Rick, and by Scott Schmidt and his fiancee Jen (Scott also known as the guy who races the Austin Healey Sprite). It was a natural for both parties as it touches on auto racing. Interesting twist, though; the story is told from the perspective of a dog... a very peculiar dog with a very old soul and the heart of a racer.

I think I was led to believe that it was much more about racing than it is, but the surprise was not an unhappy one as the story is really about human relationships, the importance of never giving up on one's dreams, staying true to one's morals, and the impermanence of life.

It's an easy read, really a summer book, but with a real heart to it. Good stuff, and compelling.

"Forever Autumn" - Mark Morris

Another Doctor Who novel. After the last one was so satisfying I didn't think this one could possibly be up to that level... and the other Martha and the Tenth Doctor novel I read was not so great. Yet I judged too fast! Enjoyable in the extreme, and reasonably scary. Set in small-town New England - the Doctor and Martha show up just before Halloween because the TARDIS detected some kind of energy surge. Alien spaceships, spooky green mists, possessed cats... but through it all the characterizations of the Doctor and Martha are WONDERFUL. The Doctor has just the right mix of goofy energy and timelord distance; Martha is steady and good and very aware of her choices and why she's in this dangerous situation.

Nice one.

"Musicophilia - Tales of Music and the Brain" - Oliver Sacks

This is the first work of his that I've read, although I may have skimmed "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" years ago. Sacks is a neurologist who also happens to write well and with great humanity and insight about his observations of wellness and illness. This book focuses on issues of the brain and music; the innate human instinct for music, disorders having to do with sound perception, as well as cases in which music has a healing or enabling property.

Amazing, amazing stuff. Always interesting to read about how the brain functions or fails to function, and the story of the man with constant, debilitating amnesia who nevertheless is able to remember and perform music is astounding.

"Raw Spirit - in search of the perfect dram" - Iain Banks

I blogged a short while ago about my joy at discovering the reprinting of Banks' "Player of Games" - possibly my favorite of his novels and certainly a great and impressive work of science fiction which ought to stand the test of time. Anyway, it led me to looking Banks up on wikipedia and discovering this, his only work of non-fiction. Banks is a Scotsman and his great love for his country and its whisky product is a constant in this book. It is a combination of travelogue, memoir, opportunity to rant at will, and an admittedly incomplete survey of single malt whiskeys.

I had a moment of doubt at the start, fearing something overly self-indulgent, but as I was drawn into Banks' narrative his wit and unadulterated pleasure in the good things in life drew me in. Of course it doesn't hurt that I like many of the things he likes - whisky, fast cars, science fiction, curry, a dramatic view of mountains - and the sense that it would be fun and rewarding to be a friend of his, but I think his enthusiasm would translate even to a reader with less knowledge of these things.

"Classic Cocktails - A Modern Shake" - Mark Kingwell

I checked this out from the library after our New York adventures, as I had a newfound interest in the art of the cocktail. Mere recipe lists would not do it for me, I wanted something with more of the history and philosophy behind the mixed drink and I found the perfect resource in this volume. I'll just quote from the book jacket: "When philosophy professor and Harper's magazine contributing editor Mark Kingwell turns his lively mind to the gentlemanly subject of cocktails, he not only mixes the perfect drink but also tells us where it fits into a wider literary and social world."

A quote from the book itself:
"The basic premise of the present book is that you should choose your drink carefully, take some care in its preparation, and enjoy it in moderation." "If inebriation should occur, at least try to stay cheerful - nobody likes a mean drunk. Drink takes people different ways at different times, as Damon Runyon's "Stages of Drunkenness" usefully illustrates. The stages... are these:
1. witty and charming
2. rich and powerful
3. philosophical
4. against the designated hitter
5. f___ dinner
6. witty and charming, part II
7. for the designated hitter
8. morose and despondent
9. invisible
10. bulletproof"

The book is charming; each chapter addresses a different cocktail or family of cocktails, with frequent reference to the historical and cultural importance of the given drink and some information about the proper mixing thereof. Amusingly the chapter on the whisky sour begins, "It's a grown-up drink, and frankly not all of them are despite the liquor laws."

"Only Human" - Gareth Roberts

Another Doctor Who novel, this one featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rose. Just when I was losing faith in Doctor Who novels, resigning myself to not reading every last one... here is probably the best I've read. It has renewed my faith. Not only does it have the Ninth Doctor at his clever and sarcastic best, but Captain Jack is along for the ride. The author captures Jack's insouciance and constant flirting with ease. Also we have an intriguing plot involving illicit use of a "rip engine" for travelling back to prehistoric earth. The challenges our heroes face add just the right amount of danger. Good plotting, nicely drawn characters, believable difficulties.

"Making Sense of IBS" - Brian E. Lacy, Ph.D., M.D.

I would hardly be reading this book if I did not have IBS (irritable bowel syndrome for the uninitiated). I think I've had bowel issues for much of my life - certainly I can remember incidents of painful bowel spasms back in my childhood days. Thanks to my dealings with a gastroenterologist I can now claim to be officially diagnosed with IBS in addition to GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). Why all the digestive problems? It's hard to say for sure; according to this book there is some genetic predisposition, but other factors may play a part. There is certainly a brain-gut aspect to it; those with these diseases tend to have a higher incidence of anxiety and certain other health problems such as fibromyalgia. I'd classify myself as a more-anxious-than-average person, although that is certainly not based on any scientific survey.

Anyway, this is a comprehensive overview of IBS, thorough and with much reference to medical research. Still, "they" don't know a lot about it.

"The Good Fairies of New York" - Martin Millar

I saw this in Barnes & Noble; the title intrigued me and it had a recommendation from Neil Gaiman. Nuff said. Got it from the library, and tested it out on Ross. He was not effusive with his praise but he did stick with it. I figured it was worth a go.

Odd book. Written very simply; the prose could easily be for a young adult or children's novel, were it not for the frequent swearing, prodigious drinking and much reference to sex (both human and fairie). I can't recommend it. I didn't hate it, but the whole thing just didn't work for me. Cute ideas, fun, but in the end so meaningless and fluffy that I just don't care.

"Sick Building" - Paul Magrs(?)

Another Doctor Who novel, this one with the Doctor and Martha travelling to a privately owned planet which happens to lie in the path of a Voracious Craw. The beastie seems to be some kind of space version of a sandworm from Dune, but more voracious. The story had its moments, but I really am reaching my fill of Doctor Who novels now; they are simply written for a younger audience. It is a mark of my adoration that I have read so many.

Nice touch, though, with the intelligent machines that fill the Dreamhome from which the Doctor tries to rescue people. The Doctor, predictably, treats the machines like people; the people who have lived with the machines and have been served by them treat them as expendable. The Doctor in this volume is more antic, more unpredictable. It works, with Martha as his companion, because she's not ever quite sure where he's coming from.

"A Dirty Job" - Christopher Moore

Ooops, didn't realize I hadn't blogged about this one yet. My first read by Moore, and it is awesome! He reminds me a bit of Douglas Adams, but with a sarcastic modern edge. Superb dialogue, always snappy and so very funny to read but it feels right coming from his characters. Superb cast of characters; on the edge without being ridiculous. Love 'em. Fun concept for the plot; the main character finds that he has mysteriously become a "Death Merchant" - one of the few who help souls find their next bodies. Yes, it sounds like a crazy science fiction idea, but Moore makes it work so well. The book is funny, sad, often very touching, exciting. As with "Fluke", I felt that as the pace of the plot accelerated toward the end I missed the character development, but it was still a very fun read.

"Fluke - or I know why the winged whale sings" - Christopher Moore

I am now entranced by Christopher Moore. This is the second of his books that I've read, and it's sweet and funny and emotional and true, and also packed full of science and reality and the details of life as a whale researcher in Hawaii... AND packed full of wild science fiction insanity and speculation. What more could one want?

It does feel a bit like two different books at a certain point, and I really can't go into more detail lest I ruin it for someone, but both parts are nicely done. If I were to offer a critique it would apply to this book and to "A Dirty Job"; the character building is so great that I got a little disappointed when the book shifted to straight action. Christopher Moore just has a great feel for the ways in which men and women interact and more specifically the ways in which men react to women. He also does a great job of making the unlikely seem possible.

"The Monsters Inside" - Stephen Cole

Probably the Doctor Who novel that I've liked the least. The Doctor and Rose get separated right away and imprisoned, thus eliminating the stuff I like reading about - the interplay between their characters.

Lots of action and aliens. The return of the Slitheen - woo. I did like the Doctor's interaction with the aliens on his research team; that felt very like him. And Rose's intrepid nature comes to the fore. But my interest in reading all of these novels is wearing thin.

"The Sharing Knife: Passage" - Lois McMaster Bujold

This is the third book in a series of which there will obviously be more - which is a good thing! Lois is a local author - at least, she has lived in the Twin Cities for many years - and is tremendously successful in the SF/F field. Her Miles Vorkosigan series is a masterpiece of space opera; I really would recommend it to anyone for just pure entertainment value. Brilliant writing, spot-on characterizations. And the plotting!

It took her a while to break into fantasy, mainly because her science fiction was so successful that her publishers didn't want her to do something different. But at this point she has multiple successes behind her (the amazing "Curse of Chalion" and "Paladin of Souls") and she has done something unique and wonderful with this, the "Sharing Knife" series.

Fantasy, but set in a rural, agrarian society, in which the fantasy element is the threat of life-sapping malice, and the ability to sense "ground" or life-force. This series also has a heavy romantic element, which she pulls off beautifully. The strong relationship between the protagonists Dag and Fawn runs through the books like an anchoring force.

"Bel Canto" - Ann Patchett

I heard Ann Patchett being interviewed on mpr, and I felt really drawn to the conversation and to her. She seemed like a terribly thoughtful person. A large part of the conversation was about her friendship with Lucy Grealy and the books that the two of them wrote about their lives and relationships. I then went to amazon.com, my auxiliary brain, and read up on the books. Something about the description of "Bel Canto" made me hesititate to read it. I'm not sure what it was; perhaps it's the nature of a single-paragraph description of the plot, to make the whole thing seem a little impersonal. However, my cousin told me that her good friend recommended it highly and I was able to get it on CD from the library.

I loved it. I will definitely read more Ann Patchett; she writes in such a seamless fashion and I was so drawn in to the lives and the world of the characters. To summarize the plot ever so briefly, a group of important people are held hostage by South American terrorists. I particularly enjoyed the play of languages; the cast of characters includes Americans, Russians, a Frenchman, several Japanese, and a majority of Spanish-speakers. One of the Japanese characters is a very accomplished translator, and his role in the delicate situation of hostages and captors is an incredibly important one. But it's the subtlety of nationality and language that really fascinates; the ways in which the characters communicate without common languages, and the ways in which a certain behavior in a Russian man means something different than that same behavior in a Japanese man. The demands placed on the translator, and the ways in which this changes the dynamics of relationships. The forced intimacy of hostages and captors.

So beautifully written.

"Winner Takes All" - Jacqueline Rayner

Yet another Doctor Who novel; yes, I do intend to read every one the library owns. This one features the 9th Doctor and is the best so far. The plot is taut and bristling with danger and action. A new video game sensation is actually a scheme by an alien race to recruit humans to fight and defeat another alien race, and the Doctor unwittingly becomes their prime target after thoroughly trouncing Mickey in a game.

Despite the breakneck pace of the plot, the dialogue and character-establishment bits are lovingly handled. The Doctor has never seemed so smart, smart-alecky and unpredictable, while remaining the rock that Rose can depend on. Rose is sweet and intrepid, and the final scene in which the Doctor turns down the offer of a nap on her mum's sofa in order to go check out the moons of Jupiter is pure Doctor Who. Of course Rose chooses to go with him; she made that choice long ago.

"The Invention of Everything Else" - Samantha Hunt

A fascinating and beautiful novel, at least partially about the later days of Nikola Tesla as he lives in poverty in a Manhattan hotel. Louisa, a chambermaid at the hotel, strikes up a friendship with Tesla after he catches her poking through his stuff, and the book then veers in many unexpected directions. The characterizations are so achingly subtle and beautifully done. I am in danger of overusing the words "beautiful" and "dreamlike" when describing this book; it is often hard to know whether events are actually taking place or are imagined by one character or another. Manhattan itself lives and breathes on the page, and you will never view pigeons in the same way again after reading this lovely piece of work.

"The Stone Rose" - Jacqueline Rayner

Another Doctor Who novel, this one featuring the 10th Doctor and Rose. These really are aimed at an all-ages audience; the writing is not overly complex. Nonetheless, I did enjoy the book. The Doctor and Rose travel to Rome to investigate the origins of a 2000 year old statue of Rose they find in the British Museum.

After some major suspension of disbelief as the Doctor is thrown to the lions in the Colliseum, the final third of the novel offered up some wonderful moments of time-travel conundrums and ramifications of extreme future tech. Also, the characterizations of Rose, the Doctor and Mickey are spot on and enjoyable.

"A Prayer for Owen Meany" - John Irving

Finished it. Amazing experience. An assortment of thoughts:

Ayn Rand would hate it. Don't think my dad would like it.

Although Owen Meany is certainly the focus, both of the book and of John Wheelwright's life, and is such a larger-than-life character, in retrospect I found myself thinking about what an odd duck John himself is. The course of his life is fascinating - the progression from Owen Meany's shadow, poor student, etc., to English professor, virgin curmudgeon, political critic. I really enjoyed his rants about literature and his students, in the later parts of the book. But what an odd fellow. How he doesn't seem to have gumption or really a life of his own. The way he drifts, doesn't have a sex life.

I am not a religious person and I tend not to believe in predestination, but I did find the book very powerful. The draw of such things is certainly very strong; people want to find reasons for things that happen to them. Was the fateful baseball game part of Owen Meany's "conversion"? Or did he believe even before that he was "God's instrument"? Was that the purpose of his fateful baseball hit - God's way of emphasizing the point? What other purpose did it serve? Did it play a role in John's life? Of course it must have.

"The Clockwise Man" - Justin Richards

This is a Doctor Who novel - another outlet for my mania. The writing is unsophisticated, although it does capture the essential Doctor-ness and Rose-ness (with the 9th Doctor and Rose as main characters), and certainly also captures the hectic pace of an average TV episode. There are loads of action and suspense. The danger never feels terribly dangerous, but I didn't hate it. I get the impression that it is not one of the better Who novels.

"A Prayer for Owen Meany" - John Irving

I'm currently reading this. More to follow.
I had tried to read it last year; it just wasn't the right time. Now is the right time. Moria - it is excellent. I hope you don't think less of me because I wasn't ready for it before.

"One Jump Ahead" - Mark L. Van Name

This ended up being a bit of a disappointment. I checked it out from the library after reading glowing reviews on amazon.com... not the first time that such reviews have turned out to be misleading, I might add. Overall, a fluffy bit of SF. A few interesting bits of technology, nice use of intelligent machines and such, but extremely unsophisticated. Ah well.

"Traveler" - Ron McLarty

Listened to this on CD at work; coworker loaned it to me. Interesting read; simultaneously a murder mystery and a meditation on friendship, loss, loyalty and family ties.

"The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

Finished it. Fabulous book. In the final chapter he describes a meal which he has grown/harvested/killed/prepared entirely himself. What a marvelous experience and voyage.

Further thoughts on "The Risen Empire"

I was thinking about the fact that the main characters, the protagonists of this novel, are citizens of the Empire, and yet in retrospect it is their Empire (and Emperor) who are guilty of the greatest violence, the most terrible acts. The Rix, who are presented as "the bad guys", and the computer intelligences they serve, are viewed by our protagonists as desperate evils. And yet when the computer intelligence successfully deploys and occupies the entire planetary net, business goes back to normal. The computer "lives" in harmony with the systems that support human lives. And in fact there seem to be computer intelligences (at least one) within the Empire that coexist in harmony and even work to serve the humans.
It is a more subtle and complex novel than at first it seems. The moral quandries are interesting.

"Victory Conditions" - Elizabeth Moon

The concluding volume to her epic "Vatta's War" saga; I perhaps ought to put "epic" in quotes, because in the greater scheme of things it's not really so. Some didn't like the first book; I thought it did some things quite well. It established the character of Kylara Vatta and gave her some obstacles to overcome that felt real and genuinely challenging. I've always been a fan of Elizabeth Moon, though I'd be the first to admit that she's had her highs and lows. Her first trilogy "The Deed of Paksenarrion" remains one of my alltime faves, despite being not quite consistently excellent. "The Speed of Dark" is a more recent novel of hers that stands out, addressing issues of life as an autistic.

I think I've read the "Vatta's War" series in part because of my loyalty to Moon. It is not superb; she has never handled romantic relationships well and this series is no exception. The plots, especially of this final novel, feel very rushed. Her feel for dialogue is sadly lacking. I feel I have to read it to finish off the series but I'm not getting much joy from the process.

"The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

I've been listening to this on CD at work; fine research on Michael Pollan's part, and a devastating critique of the American industrial food complex. Not done with the book yet, but so far it has given me additional impetus to REALLY try to not eat fast food, and reduce my intake of highly processed snacks if possible. This will be hard, because I LOVE really processed snacks. Ah well.

"The Walton Street Tycoons" by Jim Lesczynski

This work is a fine piece of Libertarian rhetoric disguised as a juvenile novel. It succeeds as a promotional manual for Libertarian ideas; not so much as a piece of fiction. The central problem lies in the portrayal of 12-year-old Mark Hoffman, a smart-alecky kid who ends up running a vastly successful desserts business, employing his mom and numerous other kids, twisting the metaphorical arm of the city council to allow him to not pay taxes, carry a gun, and pay his underage employees whatever he pleases.

The author does a pretty good job in setting up the framework for this business success, although the likelihood of any middle school anywhere becoming such a hotbed of entrepreneurial fervor seems vanishingly small. But Mark almost never comes across as a 12-year-old boy - the main failing of the novel. His thought processes and words are those of a sarcastic 20-something Libertarian. His penchant for making out with his girlfriend seems like the actions of someone 4 or more years his senior, as do his determination, focus and parental attitude toward his brother. The few moments of brotherly banter that do seem appropriate for kids of their age seem shoehorned into the story.

The ease with which the boys overcome all obstacles strikes me as quite unrealistic, and I'm not just saying this because of the Libertarian bent of the novel. I've read my share of YA books, and a more genuine struggle makes for a better read. It's hard to take the writer seriously when all it takes to defeat the school bully is a single dose of laxative brownies.

Not a great work, but I'd be happy to read something similar that was executed better.

"Out Stealing Horses" by Per Petterson

This most profoundly Norwegian of novels is taking me on a strange, dreamlike trip through a different life and mind. Per Petterson does a remarkable job of capturing the state of mind of Trond, the protagonist, both as a young man and as an old one. The essence of Norway pervades this book, both in the details of the surroundings and in the language. The sentence structure fairly breathes of the language and the mindset of the people who speak it.

The story that unfolds slowly, an odd, mysterious layering of events and events seen with the wisdom of later years, has to do with relationships, with things said and unsaid. I'm actually within a few pages of the end, so there may be some final event that brings something into focus.

"Divisadero" by Michael Ondaatje

Read this because Sara recommended it, and because Michael Ondaatje is an upcoming author on mpr's "Talking Volumes" - always a good show, always an in-depth conversation with the author. Kerri Miller rocks; she seems to be following in the footsteps of Terry Gross, researching her subject with passion and asking apt and interesting questions.

The novel was interesting; my first by Ondaatje. A spare, clean telling of a tale. The story of three young people (Anna, Claire and Coop) who are so close in childhood and then ripped apart by tragedy left me reeling. Actually it's been a little while since I read this, and my feelings have moderated. I found the prose to be beautiful but the material to be obtuse... the lives of these people were portrayed rather beautifully, but I found it hard to care very deeply about them.

"A thousand splendid suns" by Khaled Hosseini

I listened to this book on CD at work, and it was a difficult, moving experience. The author writes of his native Afghanistan with such deep affection and grace. I had read his previous work (The Kite Runner) and appreciated it, but this one hit me harder. Certainly this was due in great part to the female characters at the heart of this book; Mariam and Laila live very different lives, grow up in very different worlds in their country. Mariam is an illegitimate child, growing up in poverty with her troubled and resentful mother, and is married off at fifteen to an abusive husband. Laila lives a happy, middle-class life until the communists are driven from Kabul by the warlords, at which time her family is destroyed, her world crashes down around her and she is forced into Mariam's household as a second wife to Rasheed.

I'm not going to recap the plot; suffice it to say that the plight of these women cut me to the core and made me deeply, deeply grateful for my easy and happy life. I know that, all over the world there are women who suffer greatly in ways that I can't even imagine. It just seems like I'm coming across stories more often recently, or noticing them more, and being affected by them more... There was a piece in the City Pages about a documentary about the plight of women in Africa - I don't remember which country in Africa - who suffer terrible problems after childbirth; perianal fistulas and such. Augh, it makes me shudder just to think about it. And on public radio a piece about women in the Congo being raped, and the men having this horrendous, callous, lawless attitude of ownership and fatalistic acceptance. Not even fatalistic; they simply believe that it's OK to take sex when they want it, and for other men to take sex, even from the wives of others.

I'm disgressing. The book is so worth reading.

"The Risen Empire" and "The Killing of Worlds"

Ross and I both recently polished off this SF duology by Scott Westerfeld. These books are space opera on a grand scale; interplanetary empires spanning 80 worlds and vast distances, a ruling caste of immortals, grand space battle, intelligent machines, loads of future tech... but he handles these science fiction cliches with ease and a clever touch. He introduces a mysterious plot element early in the first book and maintains the suspense throughout the two volumes while also jumping between past and present, multiple planets and spaceship.

Good work; his handling of the suspense and the tension between the various factions never falters (the risen dead - brought back to life via a symbiant, the Rix, a tech-loving culture who promote computer intelligences, the pinks - pro-life and anti-death). I appreciated the extent to which threads were left untied at the end of the book; there are certain to be great changes in the Empire, but we are left to imagine what they might be.