So far this year, I’ve actually been sticking with my resolution to read more, so I thought I’d share what I’ve read so far with some thoughts on each title. It’s been a good year for fiction with a decent helping of Terry Pratchett, Martha Wells, and Maria Vale. Trying to balance that out with non-fiction, with mixed results.My reading has dropped off significantly in the past few years, for various reasons, not least of which because my most comfortable position for reading also tells my body “time to sleep.” Last year I bought a little arm for my tablet to watch TV in bed, which also works a treat for reading because I absolutely cannot fall asleep on my back. Then I added a Bluetooth mini-keyboard to turn pages, because … well, because I could.
Terry Pratchett
I’ve read most, but not all, of Terry Pratchett’s books. The bulk of them I read in the early 2000s via Denver’s library system, but completely out of order. This time around I’ve been reading his work (mostly) in order.
So far this year I’ve read Witches Abroad, Lords and Ladies, though I skipped Small Gods because I had re-read that very recently. For me, Reaper Man is still the high-water mark for Pratchett—but the witches books are still quite good. Pretty sure I missed Lords and Ladies the first time around, so I’m glad that I finally got around to it. The theme of “what might have happened” wouldn’t have hit quite the same way in my 30s that it does now. Solid recommend for both books, but that goes without saying. Haven’t read a Terry Pratchett book yet that I have not enjoyed.
Martha Wells
Last year I started on Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries series, which I’ve been enjoying quite a lot. Most recently I got my hands on Exit Strategy, which was a fun if somewhat forgettable read. This isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy the book, but it didn’t stick with me anything like the first two entries. I think this is a combination of two things: the premise is no longer novel, and Murderbot’s personal growth is more incremental than the few books. I’m still invested in Murderbot’s journey, but this one didn’t quite have the same impact.
I also took a pass at another Wells’ series with The Wizard Hunters. For whatever reason, this one just didn’t resonate with me and I put it aside after about 30 pages. Maybe I’ll revisit it or another Wells’ series one of these days—but I just wasn’t feeling this one when I tried it out. I can’t put my finger on any particular flaws, so I’m going to chalk this up to a potentially right book at the wrong time.
Maria Vale
For whatever reason, I’m a sucker for fiction that features Death or Reapers as a character or characters, or perhaps just anything that explores what happens after we die. I love Terry Pratchett’s Death in the Discworld series and Neil Gaiman’s Death in the Sandman series. Enjoyed the hell out of Christopher Moore’s A Dirty Job, and Dead Like Me (though the post-series movie was a big let-down).
So, of course, I picked up Molly Molloy and the Angel of Death. The setup for this is that Death flubs collecting the title character’s soul, and things go on from there with Death falling for Molly and … well, no spoilers. Some familiar tropes here, (e.g. godlike being doesn’t understand how to Human, thus hijinks ensue) but I found quite a bit to like and was pleased at the (somewhat rushed) ending.
Non-fiction
I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them (by Barbara F. Walter), so I decided to give it a shot. The title over-promises quite a bit, but it has a few solid ideas that are worth exploring and spreading. Specifically, the book spend a lot of time on the polity index and the middle ground between autocracy and democracy (anocracy) where countries are more likely to plunge into civil war. It also calls into question the idea that civil wars are caused by things like economic inequality, and makes the case that they’re most likely when a country has an aggrieved ethnic group with a shared identity that believes it has lost power and status, coupled with a system of governance that isn’t autocratic nor fully democratic. (Sound familiar?)
My overall take is that the book is entirely too timid—it’s ringing the alarm about the Republican Party and its embrace of White Christian nationalists, but tries to do so without offending anybody. (Even then, the book has been accused of “fear-mongering” … unless Walter is right, in which case it’s “the right thing to do.”) It’s “how to stop them” is also entirely too timid, and reminds me of the “then draw the rest of the owl” gag.
I may be grumpy in part because Walter commits a common sin of journalists and historians, writing that various figures “believe” or “think” certain things, rather than reporting these as claims. Saying that a politician, dictator, whatever “believes” X is giving entirely too much credence to their words and too much justification to their actions. Report what people say and do, you can quote them saying they “believe” something, but there’s no way to know whether a person believes something or not. (Admittedly this is a pet-peeve of mine.)
Verdict: This book is worth reading and probably needs to be read by a lot more people. But the book rushes through a lot of previous civil conflicts just to establish a pattern, is too timid by a lot about Walter’s real topic (the U.S.), and not enough “how to stop them.”
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On the other hand, Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage, did not disappoint. Rachel E. Gross, the book’s author, has a writing style that reminds me a lot of Mary Roach. That is, coming from me, a high compliment—Roach has a great way of covering any topic she touches with humor and supreme readability.
The book has a few main themes: It seeks to educate the reader about topics like the clitoris, the vaginal microbiome, egg cells, and so forth. Basically, what we know about the ways womens’ bodies work. It also looks at how womens’ bodies have been misunderstood, ignored, and abused throughout the ages. The politics of science when dealing with reproduction or womens’ health, and the (still extant) difficulties into pursuing research specifically about women’s health. Gross also covers the history of medical care for women and gender-affirming surgery.
I can recommend this one with no hesitation, and am hoping that Gross’s first book won’t be her last.
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I have a few more titles that I’ve set aside and would like to finish before the end of February (and certainly before the end of 2024…). Masscult and Midcult: Essays Against the American Grain by Dwight Macdonald, and The Palestine-Israeli Conflict: A Beginner’s Guide by Dan Cohn-Sherbok. The core essay in Masscult and Midcult has some real heft to it that I’d like to revisit, not sure the entire set of essays is necessary. The Palestine-Israeli Conflict is, well, depressing and gets lost in detail at times. While its important to establish a timeline for events, for example, you can end up assaulting the reader with factoids and details that they don’t need. Also need to finish The Fate of Africa by Martin Meredith.
Other titles on deck
My “to-read” pile, at this point, is huge and growing all the time. Right now I’m reading Jennette McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mom Died, because I’ve heard such good things about it. It’s a breeze so far, but not entirely “light” reading. Definitely want to keep the Discworld train rolling, so I’ll be picking up Men At Arms as soon as I’ve finished McCurdy’s book. I’ve also had Why You Like It: The Science & Culture of Musical Taste by Nolan Gasser on my list for quite a while, and Isabel Allende’s The Wind Knows My Name should be at the top of the queue soon.
What are other folks reading these days? And how? I do most of my reading on devices these days, rather than dead trees. I suspect, though I could be wrong, I’m not alone on this. Happy reading, whatever you read and however you choose to do it.