What have you read lately?

[apl68]

Quakeland:  On the Road to America's Next Devastating Earthquake, by Kathryn Miles.  It's a fascinating piece of journalism.  The author investigates the geology of earthquakes and earthquake prediction, has a good bit to say about recent and historical quakes, and talks about the risks of a catastrophic quake in various parts of the country and how to prepare for it.  California isn't the only place that's at risk.  Several other parts of the country have real risks of a catastrophic quake within not too many decades.  Even New York City has a slim but real chance of a quake that, in a worst-case scenario, could render the whole city as uninhabitable as New Orleans after Katrina.  Think about that for a moment.

Miles devotes a couple of chapters to the New Madrid fault zone.  I've known all my life that our whole state lies in that zone, although I've always lived in areas far enough out that serious damage would be unlikely.  Most of our state seems fairly safe.  Neighboring regions, such as the city of Memphis, are another story.

There are a couple of pages on the long-term effort to retroactively quake-proof the DeSoto Interstate 40 bridge across the Mississippi at Memphis.  I've crossed that bridge about a hundred times (No hyperbole) over the last 31 years, and had wondered why it had construction on it for so long.  They had to do the retrofitting while keeping it open.  It was one of the first bridges to receive such an upgrade.  It carries such a huge volume of commercial traffic that it could cripple the nation's economy if it were destroyed.  Now it should be proof against a 2,500-year quake.  Good to know somebody has been on the ball there.

[ab_grp]

Now we're reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green.  Seems like it's off to an interesting start, but we began it before bed last night, and I fell asleep not too far into it.  It appears to be about a bunch of statues that start appearing in different cities and the main character having to figure out what the purpose is.  I would post the blurb, but it's a bit long.  Supposed to be a humorous sci-fi with complex underlying ideas.

Finished this last night.  We ended up LOVING it.  It's a sci-fi mystery with an interesting plot.  The writing style kind of reminded me of a mix of some of John Scalzi (like Fuzzy Nation or Agent to the Stars), Neal Stephenson (like Zodiac or Snow Crash), and Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum stories.  A little quirky, and I laughed and cried.  It was really an enjoyable read with some timely messages.  I wish the follow-up were out in paperback, but it looks like that's coming out just around my husband's birthday in July, when it seems like a lot of sci-fi (at least in paperback?) comes out, so I will put that on the list to pick up.  Makes for easy birthday presents! I didn't realize that the author, Hank Green, is John Green's brother (e.g., The Fault in Our Stars).

Just started Wool (Hugh Howey).  It seems to center around a group of people living in an underground silo to protect themselves from the outside.  Apparently, wanting to go outside is a no-no, and a character wishes to do this, which I guess ultimately leads to some sort of uprising against the society and rules they've been living under.   Could be interesting if done well, or could be a rehash of other, similar stories.

[apl68]

Lying Awake, by Mark Saltzman.  The novel's protagonist is a Carmelite nun who begins having very vivid experiences of God's presence that prompt her to become a popular devotional writer.  She also has worsening problems with migraines and seizures.  Eventually she learns that she is suffering from epilepsy.  This puts her in a dilemma.  If she has surgery to end the symptoms, she will likely lose her vivid experiences.  If she doesn't she will continue to burden her sisters in the community with caring for her during her seizures.

The whole story is a brilliant exploration of the issue of faith struggles--not struggles with doubt in the existence of God, or in the truth of scripture, but with one's own relationship to God and service to God.  It hits very close to home.  I've spent my life dealing with neurological issues--borderline autism in my youth, serious introversion, and periodic attacks of depression.  I've spent most of my life wishing that I wasn't the way I am.  It feels like these things have always held me back from accomplishing most of what I've wanted to accomplish in life, in God's service and in other ways. 

A year ago renewed major depression made it necessary for me to start taking antidepressants, which I very much did not want to do.  Though the drug has greatly improved my situation, I have lost a great deal of my former energy and creativity in the process.  Saltzman's protagonist found after her surgery that she could no longer write.  I've found the same thing.  I used to be a very productive writer.  Now I can no longer write anything much longer than this post.  It makes me feel very diminished.

Which may be kind of the point when God allows his children to go through such things.  Milton learned, in his famous sonnet on his blindness ("When I consider how my light is spent"), that God doesn't need for us to be our idea of high achievers.  He simply wants us to follow him.  That's essentially what the sister in the novel learns.  It's a wonderful exploration of this theme.  I'd love to write a novel like this.  If I could still write....

[apl68]

The Organization Man, by William H. Whyte.  This once-famous 1950s study was evidently a big factor in spreading concerns that the postwar rise of corporations and suburbs was turning the United States into a nation of bland conformists.  Well, the 1960s and subsequent developments sure showed them!  It's an interesting social analysis that in some ways looks very quaint with hindsight.

Whyte devotes a couple of chapters to the sorts of standardized personality tests that had become popular with employers.  He gives a brief "test" that includes examples of the different sorts of questions one is likely to face.  It's very funny.  Deliberately so, but he's also making a serious point about the sorts of things that those personality inventories asked.  Then he has an appendix on how to game the exams to keep from getting a score that employers will worry about.  "To settle on the most beneficial answer to any question, repeat to yourself:

I loved my father and my mother, but my father a little bit more.
I like things pretty well the way they are.
I never worry much about anything.
I don't care for books or music much.
I love my wife and children.
I don't let them get in the way of company work."

Probably still good advice for job seekers.

[ergative]

Anyone here read the works of T. Kingfisher? I've just started my third, and each time I open the book it promises to be a light, entertaining fantasy, but about halfway through I realize it's really, really good! I've just cruised through her goodreads page to mark all her other books so I don't forget about them.

Except The Twisted Ones. I don't like being scared.

[Parasaurolophus]

March:

Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian: Not nearly as violent as everyone always makes out (at least, not for this particular historical fiction fan!), although the violence is on the whole much more immoral than what historical fiction has accustomed me to. It was mostly dull but punctuated with some nice flourishes, and the spare language mostly got in the way of comprehension and reading for content. I was routinely confused about the progression of events, who was who, etc., and I made awfully slow progress through it. McCarthy's spare language works brilliantly in The Road; here, it's just a gimmick that's supposed to tell you you're reading Literature and there's a Point to it all. But really, there isn't. It's just boring and confusing and pretentious. Also, that epilogue... ugh. For fuck's sake! I know what's going on there (either fencing, telegraph installation, or prospecting for oil), but it's the epitome of pretentious bullshit. Give me a fucking break! Oh, and Bloom's introducition is full of shit. (Despite appearances, I didn't hate it. But I don't have much patience for it.)

Chris Beckett - Mother of Eden: Beckett seems to have mostly abandoned his attempt at Riddley Walker-style language, and that's too bad, since it could have been improved. It's also too bad that this novel doesn't pick up from the last, since I was really interested in seeing what they all found out, and in learning more about Eden's ecology (that's what I want from these scifi colonization stories, after all!). But it was quite a fun read nonetheless, and I did enjoy seeing what Eden had turned into further downstream. And the nascent realpolitik was fun. But this is a very different kind of novel from the first.

Chris Beckett - Daughter of Eden: I expected this one to be further downstream as well, but it mostly picks up after the second one, and settles on a single character's POV. Two of the events we've all been waiting for finally happen, however, and at least one of them is quite interestingly rendered (the other's OK, but actually fades into the background). I enjoyed it, however, and thought it brought the trilogy to a fitting end (to the extent that it does). I wouldn't mind revisiting Eden in another book sometime, although I still mostly just want more of its ecology!

Naomi Novik - Uprooted: This is basically a children's fable/story set in a fantasy world, fleshed-up with a basic Harlequin structure, and set in an eastern European locale. It was a lot fun, I'll admit, although I'm disappointed that there's no system of magic at all (it's pure deus ex machina) and I think that the two romantic interludes were ill-fitting (despite the Harlequin-influenced structure). I was never bored, though, and I tore through it. Plus, it was refreshing to have things be inspired by eastern Europe instead of the usual western European stuff.


I suspect I'll be reading much more slowly over the next few months, but I'll do my best to make it through at least two a month.

[hmaria1609]

March:
Naomi Novik - Uprooted: This is basically a children's fable/story set in a fantasy world, fleshed-up with a basic Harlequin structure, and set in an eastern European locale. It was a lot fun, I'll admit, although I'm disappointed that there's no system of magic at all (it's pure deus ex machina) and I think that the two romantic interludes were ill-fitting (despite the Harlequin-influenced structure). I was never bored, though, and I tore through it. Plus, it was refreshing to have things be inspired by eastern Europe instead of the usual western European stuff.

I read this one from the library after the book was released.  I liked the Polish-Lithuanian inspiration. Her fantasy inspired Spinning Silver was good too.
I had the fun of seeing Naomi Novik speak at an author's panel at American Library Assoc. (ALA) several years ago!

Her latest novel A Deadly Education is the 1st installment in a new series.

[Parasaurolophus]

March:
Naomi Novik - Uprooted: This is basically a children's fable/story set in a fantasy world, fleshed-up with a basic Harlequin structure, and set in an eastern European locale. It was a lot fun, I'll admit, although I'm disappointed that there's no system of magic at all (it's pure deus ex machina) and I think that the two romantic interludes were ill-fitting (despite the Harlequin-influenced structure). I was never bored, though, and I tore through it. Plus, it was refreshing to have things be inspired by eastern Europe instead of the usual western European stuff.

I read this one from the library after the book was released.  I liked the Polish-Lithuanian inspiration. Her fantasy inspired Spinning Silver was good too.
I had the fun of seeing Naomi Novik speak at an author's panel at American Library Assoc. (ALA) several years ago!

Her latest novel A Deadly Education is the 1st installment in a new series.

Oh, cool!

[mamselle]

Lying Awake, by Mark Saltzman.  The novel's protagonist is a Carmelite nun who begins having very vivid experiences of God's presence that prompt her to become a popular devotional writer.  She also has worsening problems with migraines and seizures.  Eventually she learns that she is suffering from epilepsy.  This puts her in a dilemma.  If she has surgery to end the symptoms, she will likely lose her vivid experiences.  If she doesn't she will continue to burden her sisters in the community with caring for her during her seizures.

The whole story is a brilliant exploration of the issue of faith struggles--not struggles with doubt in the existence of God, or in the truth of scripture, but with one's own relationship to God and service to God.  It hits very close to home.  I've spent my life dealing with neurological issues--borderline autism in my youth, serious introversion, and periodic attacks of depression.  I've spent most of my life wishing that I wasn't the way I am.  It feels like these things have always held me back from accomplishing most of what I've wanted to accomplish in life, in God's service and in other ways. 

A year ago renewed major depression made it necessary for me to start taking antidepressants, which I very much did not want to do.  Though the drug has greatly improved my situation, I have lost a great deal of my former energy and creativity in the process.  Saltzman's protagonist found after her surgery that she could no longer write.  I've found the same thing.  I used to be a very productive writer.  Now I can no longer write anything much longer than this post.  It makes me feel very diminished.

Which may be kind of the point when God allows his children to go through such things.  Milton learned, in his famous sonnet on his blindness ("When I consider how my light is spent"), that God doesn't need for us to be our idea of high achievers.  He simply wants us to follow him.  That's essentially what the sister in the novel learns.  It's a wonderful exploration of this theme.  I'd love to write a novel like this.  If I could still write....

It's been awhile since I audited a seminar on Hildegard von Bingen's sermons, but the thought at the time was moving towards seeing her visualized meditations in 'Scivias,' etc., as the results of migraines as well. I don't know if further work has been done on that, since, but this has strong resonances with it.

I'm sorry for your senses of loss. It's hardest when it seems like the blocks towards fulfilling ones vocation--especially a vocation to which one enthusiastically assets and wishes to fulfill--seem immutable and arising from some aspect of the same self that wishes to comply with that call.

My most recent image is of the boat stuck in the canal. It didn't want to be wedged against the sides, it just was....

And it didn't take one big crane to move it, but a lot of little tugboats, both pushing and pulling, as well as those intrepid tiny sandblasters.

M.

[spork]

Changing a syllabus for a course scheduled for next year that probably won't meet minimum enrollment, so I've read these:

• Michael Schuman, Superpower Interrupted: The Chinese History of the World. Would be good for an alternative, non-Eurocentric version of World History 101.
• Michael Vaitikotis, Blood and Silk: Power and Conflict in Modern Southeast Asia. Too advanced for the undergrads here. Would work for a graduate SEA survey course.
• Bryan Eyler, Last Days of the Mighty Mekong. Suitable for an upper-level environmental politics course.
• Daniel Combs, Until the World Shatters: Truth, Lies, and the Looting of Myanmar. The book profiles two people, so it might be both engaging and easy to follow for undergrads who don't know what a Myanmar is. But not what I'm looking for.
• Sebastian Strangio, In the Dragon's Shadow: Southeast Asia in the Chinese Century. Good for a SEA international relations or a Chinese foreign policy course.

I should probably mention that a new edition of Milton Osborne's Southeast Asia: An Introductory History is scheduled for release in September. Too late for my needs, but the edition I had as a student twenty-five years ago was excellent.

I'm also looking forward to Suchitra Vijayan's Midnight's Borders: A People's History of Modern India, which is due out in May.

[fleabite]

Thanks for mentioning these. I'm going to have to read Superpower Interrupted. I found The Hispanic History of the United States, which is thematically in the same vein, very interesting.

[spork]

Thanks for mentioning these. I'm going to have to read Superpower Interrupted. I found The Hispanic History of the United States, which is thematically in the same vein, very interesting.

Thank you for letting me know about Our America: A Hispanic History of the United States. Generally U.S. history isn't my thing, but this looks quite interesting.

Michael Schuman, the author of Superpower Interrupted, is a journalist rather than a historian, so the writing is breezier but it's not a hard-core academic work like Kenneth Pomeranz's The Great Divergence or Klaus Mühlhahn's Making China Modern. From the Great Qing to Xi Jinping.

[apl68]

Thanks for mentioning these. I'm going to have to read Superpower Interrupted. I found The Hispanic History of the United States, which is thematically in the same vein, very interesting.

Those both look like good works to check out.  If they're popularly-accessible works, they might be good choices for our library collection.

[fleabite]

Our America: A Hispanic History of the United States (Spork supplied the correct title which I had garbled) isn't really short, but it is accessible to a broad audience. In fact, I had wanted to suggest it for the book club at my local public library, but there weren't enough copies in the system. (With budget cuts after the last recession, there is much less nonfiction purchased in sufficient quantities for book club use.)

[Hegemony]

Following up on Ab-grp's comments, I read that Wool was great, and tried to get through it, and absolutely could not. It read like some random person without much writing expertise was trying to hack their way through a plot. I was having to force myself to keep going in the hope that it would take off after a while. It never did and eventually I gave up. Then some research revealed that it was self-published, and so it was some random person without much writing expertise was trying to hack their way through a plot. I am at a loss to explain why so many people liked it.