Even More August Books
Yeah, I read a lot.
Alastair Reynolds takes a shot at steampunk. And it's not bad at all.
It's a fun read. I liked the characters. I liked the story. And Reynolds has a knack for dodging tropes upon which others would dwell. I would list some, but they would contain spoilers. Maybe you'll see the same ones avoided that I did. Maybe not. In any case, I like it when I think I see where the plot is going, groan about it, then get pleasantly surprised when it doesn't go in that direction.
I do have one nit to pick. In a way, it mirrors most of his Revelation Space work in that he builds a world about which I would like to know more, then sets his books after that world has ended. In Revelation Space, it's the Melding Plague. I find stories set before the Melding Plague to be more fun to read than those set after it. Yet, most of his stories take place post-Plague. Same thing here, sorta. I won't say more because I don't want to spoil the plot.
Okay, I resisted reading this for awhile. Yeah, I followed his Twitter feed and laughed at the shit his dad says. But I figured I really didn't need to spend money to get the same content in book form. But PunkieDiva liked it, so I gave it a shot.
And I'm glad I did, because the book is great. It's so much more than just shit his dad says. Each chapter starts with some shit his dad says, then tells a childhood story of the context surrounding that particular piece of shit his dad said. (And then each finishes up with a handful of shit his dad says, for those who really did just want the Twitter feed in book form.)
And the stories are really touching. What's more, they round out his dad in ways that just quoting the shit his dad says can't. Meanwhile, the shit his dad says acts as a balance keeping things from being too maudlin. It works amazingly well.
Finally, the fact that this is actually a touching and finely crafted work ameliorates any resentment I might have had over a guy getting a book and TV deal out of a Twitter feed. This is much more than simply quoting a bunch of shit his dad says.
Another Quickie
It's time for some quick book reviews!
This is really two books in one. Unfortunately, I only liked one of the two books.
It's supposed to be about all the weird and wonderful things that happened in baseball in the 70s. And that describes about half the book. And it is, indeed, fascinating reading. I loved this aspect of the book
Alas, the other half is all boring statistics. And then this team won the pennant behind so-and-so hitting something-something-something.
I found myself skimming the stats, slowing down when I saw actual descriptive text.
Part of the problem is the organization. It's broken into years, with a few topic-specific chapters mixed in.
The whole thing should have been by topic, tracing each topic through the years. In particular, the Billy Martin material should have been blocked together instead of making me pick it out of each year.
So, if you don't mind skimming the boring bits, and paying full price for half a book, it's a great read.
And if you like reading stats, then you'll probably love the whole thing.
There's this genre of book I like to call People Who Do Something Wacky For A Year While Writing About It.
It's not a bad genre and can produce some entertaining stuff. But, in general, it's lazy.
The author of this book lives in this genre. His previous book was about him reading an encyclopedia all the way through. Yeah, I bet that was fascinating.
Anyway, the wacky thing he decided to do for this book was to follow as many of the myriad rules of the Bible as he could, in a literal fashion, for an entire year. And, of course, write about it.
The results are amusing, overall. But, also annoying, overall.
The problems is that the guy, an admitted agnostic, wants to avoid offending Bible-believers so much that he tries mighty heartily to find good rules amidst the chaff.
But, rules in the Bible tend to fall into two categories: 1) the fucking ridiculous, and 2) the fucking obvious. (I'm sure plenty of folks would disagree. Fine. Go ahead, but be sure to list them. Honestly, people talk about all these great truths in the Bible, but when pressed, come up with pablum.)
Despite this, the author feels the need to discover insightful things. For example, hey, don't let your kids completely walk all over you! He sees stuff about disciplining kids and then goes on to describe what a complete pussy he is with his kid and how it helped when he instilled a little discipline. Yeah, no shit, Sherlock.
Or how he reveals that, after reading some rule about being nice to others, he starts holding doors for people. Holy shit, he wasn't holding doors for people already? What a douche-bag!
Much of the insightful stuff ties in with the author being a neurotic mess. He's so completely fucked up that, indeed, parts of the Bible give him some guidance. But it's only because he's such a sad little mess of a person with which to start.
For anyone reasonably well-adjusted, this is all pretty obvious.
By the end of the book, I'm left wondering whether he really is that big of a pussy neurotic douche-bag, or is just pretending to be one for the purposes of the book?
And finally, an older book:
If you liked Starship Troopers/The Forever War, but didn't really need the pro/anti-military sentiment, then Old Man's War fits the bill. It's that sort of space military novel, but without the weight of an agenda. To me, that makes it a better read. I mean, I liked Starship Troopers/The Forever War, I really did. But I liked Old Man's War better.
Also, Scalzi can fucking write! I basically just sat and read straight through it. The writing is clear and compelling. The dialogue feels natural and really brings the characters to life.
It's just a really, really good read.
BTW, Scalzi also has a blog, which I just discovered
while writing this post. Yeah, it's good, too. Not as good as this blog, of course. But, really, what is?
Medium Raw (and a Little Half-Baked)
I like Anthony Bourdain. And I like him because he's an asshole, not in spite of the fact. But I'm not overly familiar with his work. I've watched No Reservations more than a few times and I've read his scathing blog post about the Food Network, with which I heartily agree. But I haven't read any of his books.
So I downloaded Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook to my nook and gave it a go.
In general, it's a fun read. But it's not a great read. (I've been saying that about books and movies a lot recently.) He's wonderfully assholish at times. But, at other times, he's whining about getting soft and almost apologizing for the very trait that has made him famous.
The book itself is a series of unconnected chapters. Nothing flows. There doesn't seem to be much of an over-arching idea, other than he's getting older and more mellow. Yeah, don't really care.
The better chapters are those where he describes dishes in all their glory and those where he takes aim at those well deserving his scorn.
The best chapter by far is a short one about his daughter and Ronald McDonald. It reads like edgier Calvin Trillin. I'd love to see more of this from him.
There's another chapter about fatherhood which is your standard how my life has changed now that I have a kid
sentimental drivel that every writer excretes once they reproduce. Yes, it's all true, I'm sure. But it's also so painfully obvious.
The final chapter is a disaster. It's basically a Where are they now?
look at characters from Kitchen Confidential. I'm sure it's a nice chapter for those who have read the earlier book. But, for me, it's a disaster because it's such a missed opportunity. Look, I'm going to be thinking one of two things here: 1) I didn't read the earlier book so I don't fucking care. 2) I didn't read the earlier book and now I really fucking want to!
Suppose he lucks out and my thought is the second one. So I head off to online B&N to get a copy. Guess what? It's not available as an eBook!
So that final chapter either leaves me bored or frustrated. It's a lose/lose proposition. Maybe a better idea would have been to release Kitchen Confidential as an eBook with that chapter added as additional bonus content?
House of Suns
Just finished Alastair Reynold's House of Suns. Good book? Yeah, it was a fun read. Great book? No, not really. There are a few problems with it.
First, it doesn't feel packed with original ideas. While not set in the Revelation Space universe, it seems to borrow ideas from that universe, modifying them to be sure. But, if you voraciously read everything Reynold's writes, some of the ideas are going to feel recycled.
Second, the characters are pretty transparent. There aren't many times where character revelations are, well, revelatory. Instead you're thinking "Yep, I knew she was a good guy all along" or "Yep, I knew he was actually a bad guy."
Third, too much is explained by telling rather than showing. Characters will learn something new and the reader will find out about it via the character engaging in long periods of exposition to other characters.
Fourth, the framing story doesn't really add a whole bunch to the story. It's nice background, but I didn't really see how it ties into themes in the main story. Of course, there's always the chance that it's too subtle for me and I just missed it. I don't do subtle well. No, seriously, I don't.
Fifth, it's one of those books where the final outcome is really independent from the actions of the characters. In these cases, I'm always reminded of Raiders of the Lost Ark. In the end, Indy fails to stop the Nazis. Turns out it doesn't matter. He could have just stayed in bed.
Sixth, he uses the phrase chafing at the bit.
It's champing at the bit.
(And don't bother telling me that chafing
is a common alternative. Pointless pedantry is immune to such things!)
It's sounds like I'm being extra critical. I'm not, really. It was still a fun read and I certain don't not recommend it. But it's not nearly as good as The Prefect.
It's sorta like the last two Replacement albums. They're good albums, it's just that the Mats were so good in their prime that the last two pale compared to their earlier albums.
Still Evil
So, is Amazon still evil?
Fun at Barnes & Noble
I was at Barnes & Noble a couple days ago to take a look at the nook. (Sorry, I didn't realize that it rhymed until the end of the line. (Sorry, again.)) And it was a little strange.
I didn't see it displayed anywhere, so I headed to the Customer Service desk. I asked if they had their demo version yet. And, indeed they did. The lady at the desk reached under the desk and pulled it out so I could play with it.
Read that again. They're trying to sell this new chunk-o-hardware. One of their major selling points is that you can actually go play with one, unlike a Kindle. And they're hiding it under the desk unless you ask about it? Are they complete idiots?
Anyway, while I'm playing with it, some other guy walks up to the desk and announces that he's a local writer and he came in to sign some of his books for them. But, alas, he couldn't find his book on the shelves.
Of course, this immediately makes me wonder whether he was just going to grab some off the shelves and sign them. He doesn't actually own the copies, after all.
So, the lady looks the book up in the system and lets the guy know that they don't have any copies in stock. Oops!
The guy is, of course, a little embarrassed by this. Plus, he drove an hour to get there, so he's a little peeved, too.
On the other hand, Barnes & Noble does let customers see for themselves whether books are in-stock, both online and via in-store terminals. So he could have checked at home before driving in or in the store before announcing his presence at the desk.
In any case, it was fun to watch.
And the nook? It's nice, but not perfect. The screen refresh seems slow to me. I know it's eInk and all. But still, I can read at a damn fast pace. (The only real
skill I picked up in law school. That and bullshitting.) I'm worried that an appreciable fraction of my reading time will be taken up waiting for the page to refresh. It's certainly slower than physically turning a page. (Unless the pages are sticking together and you have to wedge a nail in between or bend one or something similar.)
Also, I've read that it's a slower refresh than the Kindle.
On the other hand, the screen, when not refreshing, looks gorgeous. The bottom screen is nice. I honestly didn't play around enough to get a good feel for the navigation software. It's rumored to be a little half-baked right now. To me, it doesn't really matter a whole bunch. I would spend much more time reading than navigating. Plus, that's something they can update. The slow screen refresh? Not so much.
Finally, it's a great looking chunk of hardware, pretty much like something Apple would make. Certainly better looking than a Kindle. Fits nicely in the hand. Neither too heavy, nor too light.
And, yes, that all matters. I've never understood why it's okay to figure aesthetics into everything we buy except electronics. True, it's not the only consideration, maybe not even a major consideration. But it's silly to suggest it doesn't matter at all.
Bottom line? I'll hold off and see what Apple comes out with. If they come out with nothing or something way expensive, then I think I could certainly live with the nook's refresh rate.
Books Away!
I mentioned on Friday that I had joined the Paperback Swap site. In the 4 days so far, I've posted around 60 books. And we mailed out 12 of them to folks. It's cost us about $60 in postage and supplies. But now, we can request books from others for free. Or not.
It basically costs $2.77 to mail out a book. In return, you can get one for free. That's a pretty good deal.
I've just been posting my own books, not my wife's. It's mainly been a combination of sci-fi, comic strip collections (mostly Dilbert), and a variety of non-fiction. Go see what's available!
I'm trying to be ruthless about what I post. At some point, I'll even upload my coveted Calvin and Hobbes books.
After all, I do have the big-ass 3-volume Complete Calvin and Hobbes.
Actually, I had two sets.
I ordered it online from Barnes and Noble. When it arrived, it had a gouge in the cover. At the time, I worked at a place two blocks from an actual B&N. So I carried it over there and exchanged it for an undamaged copy. And they set the damaged copy, still in the UPS shipping box, back behind the desk somewhere.
A couple weeks later. I received the same box, again delivered by UPS. Apparently, someone saw the box, thought it was an outgoing book, taped it up, and handed it to UPS. And they delivered it back to me.
So I donated the damaged copy to the library at my former place of employment, where it still resides to this day.
Rock-Hard Sci-Fi!
Well, okay, maybe not rock-hard. I just thought that would get your attention.
But I do have quick reviews of two different sci-fi books I read recently.
Cauldron is the latest in McDevitt's Acadamy series. It involves a new hyperspace sort of engine, allowing the characters to travel to the Galactic core and solve three different mysteries, two from previous books.
On the plus side, it has plenty of Priscilla Hutch
Hutchins in it. Hutch is a great character who has been minimized in some of the more recent books in the series. This one drops her right in the middle of the action.
But, overall, I didn't like the book much. First off, the blurb on the back of the book makes it clear that the story involves a new drive. So, why use up half the book on the development of the engine? It would be okay if that half was all great hard sci-fi stuff. But it's more like a suspense book. Will the engine work? Will it?
Well, yeah, it will. The freaking blurb on the back tells you so. Given that, the first half is pretty tedious.
The second half gets moving better. And, indeed, three different mysteries are resolved. The problem here is that the resolutions are so, well, tepid. There's very little sense of wonder at their revelation.
You just feel sort of let down at the end. Bummer.
The Prefect - Alastair Reynolds
The Prefect is the latest book in set in the Revelation Space universe. What makes this one different is that it's placed prior to the Melding Plague, in the Glitter Band at the height of the Demarchy. It's the only novel of his to take place in this time period and it gives the book a fresh feel. It's also a standalone story. You don't need to have read any of his other books to follow this one. But if you gobble up his stuff like I do, then the story is enhanced. What's more, knowledge of his other books doesn't ruin any surprises.
This may well be my favorite book of his so far. The characters are great. The technology is mind-bending. The story is complex but rolls along at a good pace and comes together at the end. It starts as a small detective story and grows from there.
My one complaint with Reynolds' books is that the story sometimes takes a back-seat to the mind-bending technology and concepts. But not in this one. Here, they're in balance.
It's just a really good book.
NetFlix for Books?
I just joined PaperBack Swap. I've been thinking of ways to get rid of some of these damn books, short of just tossing them.
The way the site works is that you post books you have that you don't want anymore. If someone else wants it, they request it through the site and you mail it to them, at your expense.
Every book you send out earns you a credit that you can then use to request a book from someone else. And they eat the cost of sending it to you.
It seems a bit like NetFlix only:
- There's no monthly fee, yet.
- You have to pay the
return
postage. - You can keep the books you get. Or read them and re-post them.
I'll report back on how well it works. Out of the 24 books I posted tonight, five of them are on reserve by other people on the site, meaning there are already folks wanting them.
What's interesting is that four of the five books are pretty esoteric. I mean, there's actually someone on the site who reserved a copy of Tommy Lee's autobiography Tommyland. (Co-written by his penis. No, I'm not kidding.)
Blast Off!
I picked up great book last week, Blast Off! It's about space toys! You know, those cool retro toys back from when they didn't yet realize how boring looking actual space travel would be.
I haven't finished the book yet. But I've read the first couple chapters and paged through the slew of photos.
It's very very cool and Powell's has it for $10 less than what I paid.
Hurry! There's only 3 left!
