Books: 2018 Quarter 2

As you probably already know, I've been reading a classic a month for the last few years. It started as a one-year project in 2014, but I've enjoyed it enough to keep going with it & will probably continue until it starts to feel like a chore. You can find my past reviews by clicking on the "books" tag at the end of this post, or be my friend on Goodreads. (You can also just go to the site & hunt down my review feed without being my friend. Don't worry, you won't hurt my feelings.) ICYMI, the classics I selected to read in 2018 are here.

So the biggest news book-wise is that a group of us recently started attacking Gravity's Rainbow. The plan was to read ~5 pages per day / ~35 pages per week, which would get us through by Halloween. The goal was to strike a balance between something that seemed doable and like you could possibly catch up if you fell behind while also not taking 47 years to get through it. At this point we're I think something like 8 or 9 weeks in, which is past the one-third mark. Only 130 or so pages more to the halfway point! #feelingaccomplished

And, friends, I have learned some things. Sooo many things.

• This book is not for everyone. I mean yes, probably there's not any one book that's for everyone, actually, but this is really, *really* not for everyone, even everyone who is a crazy adventurous hard core book nerd. We've already had several people drop out not because they couldn't keep up but because they just did not find anything about it enjoyable. (And, I applaud their decision; I 100% support abandoning books that you don't feel like you're getting anything out of. Reading books for bragging rights is dumb.)
• I feel like people/the internet has really blown its "unreadability" out of proportion. Yes, it is dense, there are a lot of references you probably won't know, and sometimes the old timey slang can be hard to follow. But it's not "dense" the way that say Mobi Dick or The Bible are dense. It's mostly an over-the-top ridiculous detective story, with some admittedly hilarious parts (not to mention a healthy dose of slapstick). There are lots of good reasons not to read it but don't be put off by people saying "Oh, it's unreadable/too dense to enjoy." I am not finding that to be the case.
• Speaking of references you won't get, a companion source materials book makes SUCH a difference. I actually bought this one on accident, but once I started reading the book, holy shit, I can't imagine trying to do it without the references. Like I actually do not think you could follow it, at all, unless you just happen to have a super expansive & detailed knowledge of the history, politics, & pop culture of WWII era US, UK, Germany, Italy, well okay, pretty much EVERYWHERE, oh and also pre- and post-war WWII as well, and also some background in the math & science behind developing & launching rockets and general statistics/data analysis helps as well. My general approach has been to read the references section about a particular Episode (mini-chapter), then read the Episode itself. Yes, it kind of doubles the reading time but it makes a huge difference in being able to make sense of what is going on. If you ever decide to read it, GET A REFERENCES BOOK. There are a bunch of them.
• Admittedly, while Part 1 (there are 4 Parts) starts off pretty readable, it does gradually spiral off into the stratosphere of beautifully poetic but incredibly difficult to follow tangents, cutting back and forth in time and between narrators. This is where we lost several people, but having gotten into Part 2 now, I feel like that was most definitely the most challenging section. Now that we're into Part 2, it is MUCH more straightforward and easy to follow. In retrospect, structurally speaking, Part 1 really feels like setting the scene & introducing some themes, and Part 2 seems like more of where the story itself actually starts. So, if you're going to give up, try to at least hang in there through the end of Part 1 & get into Part 2 & see if you feel differently then.
• I actually am enjoying it? I hoped I wouldn't hate it (because I would definitely quit if I did) but I'm sort of surprised at how much I have actually gotten into the story.
• That said, still in contention for hardest book I've ever read. You have to enjoy it because otherwise there is just no incentive to plow through.

Also the nice thing about just 5 pages a day is that it leaves you a bit of time for reading other stuff as well. (Necessary.)

On to the reviews!

THE CLASSICS:

April: Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe (1994, 209 pages). 4 stars. The story of Okonkwo, a boy who grows up to become the leader of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The book follows his rise to power and status, followed by the tragic turn of events that befalls first Okonkwo's family and then the entire village. An interesting yet heartbreaking read that highlights themes of individual vs. society, one's place in a society and how it can change, and how with all things, no matter how permanent they may seem, change is just around the corner. Not really up my usual alley, but the writing is lovely and engrossing yet still very approachable, and I found it to be a quick read (I finished it in a single short plane trip.

May: No No Boy, by John Okada (1978, 260 pages). 5 stars. Keeping with the heartbreaking theme, this book follows young Ijiro, a "no-no boy" just rejoining society after spending two years in a Japanese internment camp and two years in prison for refusing to joining the U.S. Army. As Ijiro struggles to find his place in the new post-war America, he also struggles to navigate fraught family relationships, complicated friendships, racisms various & sundry, as well as his own heritage and history. The book itself has an interesting history which was interesting to read, and I thought it explored a particular area of history that I don't know much about. Not an uplifting book, exactly, but brilliantly written.

June: War & Peace, by Leo Tolstoy. DNS. Hahahahaha no. There was no way I was going to pull off Gravity's Rainbow AND War & Peace in June. So, sorry, W&P, you have to wait. (Also War & Peace may end up being more than just a one-month project.)

OTHER RECENT READS:

For some reason I was thinking, "Eh, I didn't read much this quarter with Boston/Big Sur & moving back into the house & whatever." But then I went back and checked, and riiiiiiight, actually, y'know what, that's a lot of books. So apparently I still shoe-horned some stuff in, even with Gravity's Rainbow running in the background.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, by Michelle McNamara. (2018, 352 pages) 5 stars. Read because: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN this book was all anyone could talk about in early 2018. I only regret I didn't get around to it until June. This was the book that true crime journalist Michelle McNamara was writing (and had been working on obsessively for years) when she died suddenly at age 36, piecing together police reports and witness account and any other evidence she could find in order to identify the Golden State Killer/East Area Rapist. It was due largely to McNamara's work that police were able to finally identify and arrest the GSK/EAR in early 2018. The book was finished by Gillian Flynn, using McNamara's existing notes and drafts. A must-read for any true crime junky.

The Intuitionist, by Colson Whitehead. (2000, 205 pages) 5 stars. Read because: Lit Hub recommended it & it sounded super intriguing. In some familiar-but-not-quite-right 20th century decade (20s? 40s?) elevators and the idea of "verticality" lies at the heart of everything. Elevator inspects are revered almost as priests, training for many years to master the complex theory and practice of elevator design and maintenance. Two opposing schools of inspectors have emerged: The Empiricists, who determine an elevator's safety through traditional piece-by-piece inspection, and the Intuitionists who somehow simply...know if an elevator is safe or not. When an elevator recently inspected by intuitionist and first Black woman elevator inspector Lila Mae Watson catastrophically fails, Lila is thrust into the middle of someone's political machinations as their fall girl? Unwilling accomplice? The book cuts back and forth between the present (or this particular present) and Lila's past, particularly her time at elevator inspector school. There are wheels within wheels in this one (I needed two passes, actually), and it was fascinating to watch all the pieces slowly fall into place. Daring and ambitious, and I like that.

White Tears, by Hari Kunzu. (2017, 271 pages) 5 stars. Read because: This was the literary 'it' book of 2017 and, again, I only regret not getting around to it until this year. Two college friends obsessed with music use field recordings of a man singing a blues tune and a separate guitar riff to create an artificially-old-sounding recording, then post it online as a lost 1920s blues recording by made-up bluesman "Charlie Shaw." When a frantic collector contacts them claiming the recording is real and they don't know what they've got, things get a bit freaky. Part horror, part ghost story, part murder mystery, part historical lament, White Tears is gorgeously and nerve-searingly written. Kunzru is an utter genius and I'll definitely be adding more of his work to my list.

Exo, by Fonda Lee. (2017, 384 pages) 5 stars. Read because: I am obsessed with YA sci fi and so much of it is awful. But I read Fonda Lee's guest post on Wendig about the sequel that had just come out (see below) & that was that. In the not-too-distant future, earth is colonized by an advanced alien race, leading to a horrific war which the aliens win. 150 later, the two species coexist in peace; the aliens are in charge, but for the most part leave human affairs to humans to govern. They've also shared all kinds of alien tech with humans, including a kind of organic body armor. It's a mark of high status to be "hardened," as Donovan Reyes--son of the Prime Liaison to the aliens, now a soldier with the alien's peace keeping corps in his late teens--has been. Donovan has a pretty sweet life until a routine patrol goes awry & he's kidnapped by an anti-alien terrorist organization. Suddenly up is down and down is up--Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? What is and isn't forgivable? How far does or should a person's--or an alien's--loyalty go? Rich, ambivalent characters with layered, complex motives, and just really excellent writing of teen characters (which is *so* hard to pull off).

Cross Fire, by Fonda Lee. (2018, 378 pages) 4 stars. Read because: I loved Exo. Really, just see above. 4 stars only because the first one really blew me away while this one was merely quite good. Giving away the premise kind of spoils Exo, so, y'know. Read that first, and if you enjoy it, you will probably like Cross Fire as well.

Unbury Carol, by Josh Malerman. (2018, 367 pages) 5 stars. Read because: Bird Box was one of the most amazing books I ever read and I've been waiting with bated breath for Josh Malerman to come out with something new. Carol has lived her whole life with a bizarre condition where she goes into death-like comas for days on end, and the only person besides her husband Dwight--who married Carol for her fortune--who knows about her condition has just passed away. Naturally, Dwight seizes the opportunity to wait for Carol to fall into her next coma, and then have her buried alive. (Dwight is a chicken shit without the stomach for outright hands-on murder.) However, Carol's maid Farah suspects something, and has sent a message to the only other person who knew about Carol's condition--her long-ago lover & legendary outlaw, James Moxie. James suspects what has happened and rides to save Carol, while at the same time, someone and/or something else is coming after him. A completely different beast than Bird Box--not quite as dark, a completely different vibe and setting--but still fantastically written and executed. I tried categorizing it (spec fic western???) but really had no idea where to start. Super entertaining & a page turner!

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, by Priya Parker. (2018, 320 pages) 5 stars. Read because: I read a KQED interview with the author & it sounded super interested & relevant to my work. Parker, a professional facilitator, discusses in detail just what exactly is that je ne sais quoi that makes some meetings, parties, presentations, or other types of gatherings a rousing success and others uninspiring at least and an infuriating drag at worst. I found this book so relevant and meaningful to both my professional and personal life that, I am not joking, I took copious notes and then went back and read it again, and then I recommended it to everyone I knew. Seriously. If you in any way plan gatherings of humans in your life for any purpose, you'll get something out of this book.

Emergency Contact, by Mary H.K. Choi. (2018, 394 pages) 4.5 stars. Read because: Adventures in YA Publishing did a post on it & it sounded lovely. Awkward college freshman Penny Lee is relieved to get away from her boring town, annoying mother, and uninspiring boyfriend and start her path to becoming a brilliant writer. Future genius film director Sam is stuck in a barely functional job with a barely functional living situation and a shiny, successful ex girlfriend with whom he can't quite get un-entwined. After a random encounter one afternoon, the two exchange numbers and become, for better or worse, each other's closest confidante--in spite of the fact that they virtually never see or speak to each other in person. Didn't totally love or get into the characters (they were both a little irritating to be honest) but they were actually quite well-written, and really the writing throughout the entire book was beautiful.

The Elizas, by Sara Shepard. (2018, 352 pages) 4 stars. Read because: I think I saw it on a lit blog somewhere and went "OMG that is right up my alley. Give me all the unreliable young female narrators." I am tempted to characterize this book as "guilty pleasure" kind of reading, but you know what? No. The writing and storytelling was excellent and clever and super satisfying so no, I don't feel a bit guilty announcing that I couldn't put it down. Soon-to-be published novelist Eliza has taken herself to Palm Springs for a little holiday at a fancy resort; next thing we know, she's waking up in a hospital surrounded by her family. Apparently she'd tried to drown herself in the hotel pool and been rescued by a stranger. Since it's apparently not the first time she's tried this, her family implores her to check herself into a mental hospital. Eliza, however, swears she remembers being pushed and is determined to solve the mystery. As she tracks down her rescuer, pursues security footage of the pool, publicizes her new novel, and tries to reconcile with her family, things get stranger and stranger. Her family is acting super weird about her book. She's sure the brain tumor she was treated for a year or so ago is back. And why are her friends and family swearing they've seen her places where she knows she wasn't? People may argue that the premise of the book is ludicrous, but I say, if you can pull it off with writing and storytelling, more power to you, and I feel like the author did that. I'll admit to feeling a bit unsatisfied with the ending, but I think that's only because it was built up so flawlessly from the first page.

Space Opera, by Catherynne M. Valente. (2018, 294 pages) 4 stars. Read because: I've enjoyed her other books, and I thought the reviews from Scalzi & Wendig sounded intriguing. When aliens suddenly materialize on Earth, mankind learns that we are now in the position of having to prove our sentience in order to not be exterminated by the rest of the sentient universe. And how will we do this? Via a metagalactic rock extravaganza, of course. Every cycle, the sentient species in the known universe compete via choreography, power ballads, or whatever their particular physiology allows, to determine who gets what percentage of available resources. All the Earthlings have to do is not come in last. And who, you might ask, might be trusted with such a huge responsibility? None other than Decibel Jones and the Absolute Zeroes, a set of British washed-up has-beens by any reasonable measure. Basically, Space Opera is what you'd get if American Idol & Douglas Adams had a baby. You really can't do intergalactic British comedy without acknowledging Adams, and Valente manages to do it without coming across as derivative or hack-ey. It didn't change my life, but it was hilarious and well-written and full of heart and really what more can you ask.

Hysteria, by Megan Miranda. (2013, 336 pages) 3 stars. Read because: Hey, it's a Megan Miranda book I haven't read yet. At the beginning, all we know is that Mallory killed her boyfriend earlier in the summer, and although she doesn't remember all the details, "everyone knows" it was self defense and she was not charged; now, her parents are packing her off to her dad's alma mater several states away for her junior year. Predictably, there are mean girls and creepy dudes and a perhaps not-so-creepy dude; maybe less predictably, a student there is soon murdered. Mallory is of course the obvious suspect, and guess what, she doesn't remember the details of THAT night, either. In general I'm a big fan of Megan Miranda but I felt like this was not her best work. The writing was solid and she does a great job of making everything and everyone come across as satisfyingly creepy; on the other hand, the characters seemed a bit stock and I just could not buy into Mallory as a character. She felt paper-thin and a bit trope-y and just so annoyingly passive, and all the hysteria stuff felt like a stretch, a bit too unbelievable and extreme to fit with the rest of the story. I also felt like the ending/resolution was predictable and unsatisfying.

Meb for Mortals, by Meb Keflezighi & Scott Douglas. (2015, 224 pages) 3 stars. Read because: Everyone raved about it, and Meb is obviously an A-double-plus good human (and runner). This book was reasonably fun and a kick to read, just because it's Meb, but I would not say it was particularly revelatory as books about running goes. I feel like if you are any kind of seasoned runner, you'll read it and go, "Well; yes." Though, it was entertaining, and it was fun to read about Meb's little quirks. I might more recommend it for a beginner runner, or someone who is just starting to maybe take their running a little more seriously.

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Currently Reading:
Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon (obviously)

Currently Listening To:
Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory, by Deena Kastor

Up Next:

• Tess of the D'ubervilles, by Thomas Hardy
• The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas
• Sophie's Choice, by William Styron
• Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance, by Alex Hutchinson
• The Brave Athlete: Calm the F--k Down and Rise to the Occasion, by Simon Marshall & Lesley Paterson
• Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor
• Broken Monsters, by Lauren Beukes
• Chalk, by Paul Cornell
• Wolf in White Van, by John Darnielle
• Radio Silence, by Alice Oseman
• Carve the Mark, by Veronica Roth
• Legend, by Marie Wu.
• Jade City, by Fonda Lee
• Everything, Everything, by Nicole Yoon
• Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Leah on the Offbeat, by Becky Albertalli
• Danse Macabre, by Stephen King
• Haroun and the Sea of Stories, by Salman Rushdie.
• The Secret Place, by Tana French

And who knows, whatever else tickles my fancy. (Taking future suggestions as always!)