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nightdog_barksHere are a few of the books I read recently ...
The Wanderers, by Meg Howrey. Three astronauts train for the first crewed mission to Mars, in a vast Utah simulation. I liked this a lot -- the voices of the astronauts are distinctive, and in some instances, very funny -- but I felt as though the author introduced a Chekhov's gun about halfway through, and then never fired it. Combine that with some nagging questions in my mind about the "simulation," and this book left me feeling dissatisfied. But yes. I liked the astronauts a lot.
Freshwater, by Akwaeke Emezi. This is an amazing book, but potential readers should probably be aware that it comes with a BOATLOAD of warnings -- self-harm, suicidal ideation, rape, mental illness, and probably more. This is the life of Ada, a young Nigerian woman inhabited by Nigerian spirits, some of whom control and speak through her. There's an interview here with the author. It explains a lot about the book, and it's very clear "Ada" is a stand-in for the author's own life. It's a really short book, only about 230 pages, and I think could easily be read in one sitting by a determined reader. Overall, it's a powerful story by an unusual narrator.
The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells, by Andrew Sean Greer. This is an older novel by the guy who wrote Less (which I loved), and I'm sorry to say I didn't find it nearly as good. Time travel, variations on love, variations on death ... it should've worked, but it just didn't. For me, anyway. :D
ANYWAY. As I said yesterday, I'm now on Ron Chernow's Grant, and omg it is good.
Also, here is a short story (and it really is short) by Robert Olen Butler that I read this morning and really liked -- Help Me Find My Spaceman Lover.
Oh, and we watched the new(ish) version of Murder on the Orient Express last night. It wasn't a great film, by any means, but neither was it as bad as the IMDB reviews suggest. We both enjoyed it, and I'd watch it again without any hesitation.
Steamy as hell outside. We've gotten an astonishing amount of August rain. :D
The Wanderers, by Meg Howrey. Three astronauts train for the first crewed mission to Mars, in a vast Utah simulation. I liked this a lot -- the voices of the astronauts are distinctive, and in some instances, very funny -- but I felt as though the author introduced a Chekhov's gun about halfway through, and then never fired it. Combine that with some nagging questions in my mind about the "simulation," and this book left me feeling dissatisfied. But yes. I liked the astronauts a lot.
Freshwater, by Akwaeke Emezi. This is an amazing book, but potential readers should probably be aware that it comes with a BOATLOAD of warnings -- self-harm, suicidal ideation, rape, mental illness, and probably more. This is the life of Ada, a young Nigerian woman inhabited by Nigerian spirits, some of whom control and speak through her. There's an interview here with the author. It explains a lot about the book, and it's very clear "Ada" is a stand-in for the author's own life. It's a really short book, only about 230 pages, and I think could easily be read in one sitting by a determined reader. Overall, it's a powerful story by an unusual narrator.
The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells, by Andrew Sean Greer. This is an older novel by the guy who wrote Less (which I loved), and I'm sorry to say I didn't find it nearly as good. Time travel, variations on love, variations on death ... it should've worked, but it just didn't. For me, anyway. :D
ANYWAY. As I said yesterday, I'm now on Ron Chernow's Grant, and omg it is good.
Also, here is a short story (and it really is short) by Robert Olen Butler that I read this morning and really liked -- Help Me Find My Spaceman Lover.
Oh, and we watched the new(ish) version of Murder on the Orient Express last night. It wasn't a great film, by any means, but neither was it as bad as the IMDB reviews suggest. We both enjoyed it, and I'd watch it again without any hesitation.
Steamy as hell outside. We've gotten an astonishing amount of August rain. :D