Science Fiction reader and writer.
This link opens in a pop-up window
It’s been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; …
Really delightful book. Great world building, an interesting premise, and a lovely non-binary protagonist. Basically zero tension and violence, so if that's your thing you're likely to be bored. But the character development and world building are totally worth it for me.
This book just covers 6 months or so of the beginning of the Civil War, focused on Fort Sumter. It portrays characters largely unportrayed in any historical accounts of the time that I've read (I've read several.) I think between these two strategies, this is one of the more compelling accounts of this period of time. The author also spends a lot of time describing the environment and culture of Charleston and South Carolina at this time. I would highly recommend this if you are at all a fan of 19th century US history.
China has endured much hardship in its history, as Iris Chang shows in her ably …
I knew almost nothing about this event, although I had heard of it vaguely. Reading this was eye-opening. Not only for the incredible brutality of the event, but how well it had been hidden from most people's knowledge of history of the WWII era.
The book tells a lot of interesting stories of people who were there, and what they experienced. One of the most ironic was the Nazi who was dedicating himself to saving as many Chinese people from the Japanese as possible.
It's a well-written book, and covers a lot of the bases - both of the even itself, and how the event was kind of buried in history. The one quibble I have with the book is that it is very repetitive in describing the brutality of the event. I think the author thought this was necessary, and I could see how you could argue that - …
I knew almost nothing about this event, although I had heard of it vaguely. Reading this was eye-opening. Not only for the incredible brutality of the event, but how well it had been hidden from most people's knowledge of history of the WWII era.
The book tells a lot of interesting stories of people who were there, and what they experienced. One of the most ironic was the Nazi who was dedicating himself to saving as many Chinese people from the Japanese as possible.
It's a well-written book, and covers a lot of the bases - both of the even itself, and how the event was kind of buried in history. The one quibble I have with the book is that it is very repetitive in describing the brutality of the event. I think the author thought this was necessary, and I could see how you could argue that - but it made the book a very difficult read.
This is a fun mystery series, with mostly Black characters, and a middle-aged woman as the protagonist. It's not that deep, but very entertaining.
Naomi Klein combines an interesting discussion of her experience being mistaken for Naomi Wolf, in combination with history, current events, and the experiences of the last decade or so. It's a very interesting, captivating, and enjoyable read, and informative as Klein can be.
This is a wonderful story of a group of people who are fleeing the plague in the 14th century Britain. It's gritty, but utterly believable, and it seems (I'm not an expert in 14th century Britain) pretty true to the culture, technology, and such of the time.
Each of this group has something they are hiding, and it comes out slowly over the course of the novel. The way these secrets are revealed is just really at the right time.
And not to spoil it, but the end is a real kicker. I highly recommend this if you are a fan of historical fiction.
Trace is a crime fiction novel by Patricia Cornwell.
A biography of Martin Luther King Jr.
I was alive for many of the events portrayed in this book - although too young to remember most of it. This was a wonderful combination of details on the wide cast of characters in the 50s and 60s civil rights movement, a deep dive into the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., and description of the events he was a part of.
I enjoyed learning more about the person - his anxieties, his foibles, and his singular passion for civil rights. That he accomplished so much in so little time is extraordinary, and this description of his life is worth a read, even if you've read other biographies.
Rachel Maddow traces the fight to preserve American democracy back to World War II, when …
It's a really great read about a time in history that most people don't know about. She weaves the stories of a number of folks that no one remembers to create a compelling, interesting story everyone should know, and, of course, an important lesson for now.
I highly recommend this - especially if you are a fan of history, and good explainers on historical events. I really enjoyed it. I listened to it, which was also enjoyable, as Rachel Maddow narrates it, but I'm sure it's a good read, too.
A landmark history of one hundred years of war waged against the Palestinians from the foremost US historian of the …
All of the things that we now depend on, in our pockets, on our desks, and, increasingly on our roads, depend largely on cobalt mined in horrific conditions, often by children in the Congo.
Really well researched and well written. The author spent time in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at times risking his life, to get the stories of the artisinal miners told. I highly recommend reading this book.
The author behind the "eye-popping" (CNN) #1 New York Times bestseller A Warning presents an …
This is, I think, the third or fourth book from people who were lifelong Republicans, and were in some ways involved in the Trump administration, but then realized how messed up he, his administration, and the whole GOP was, then wrote about it.
This particular version is very well done. It reads like a combination of thriller and polemic. It describes in great detail the personal costs that this author went through in his process of being one of the "adults in the room" during the Trump administration, how he came to leave it, and what happened after.
He details, based on his national security background, what a "Trump 2.0" would do to our democratic process, and what we can do to stop it. It's both gripping and grim. And I do think this book is worth a read.
The blind spot? This is the blind spot that all GOP …
This is, I think, the third or fourth book from people who were lifelong Republicans, and were in some ways involved in the Trump administration, but then realized how messed up he, his administration, and the whole GOP was, then wrote about it.
This particular version is very well done. It reads like a combination of thriller and polemic. It describes in great detail the personal costs that this author went through in his process of being one of the "adults in the room" during the Trump administration, how he came to leave it, and what happened after.
He details, based on his national security background, what a "Trump 2.0" would do to our democratic process, and what we can do to stop it. It's both gripping and grim. And I do think this book is worth a read.
The blind spot? This is the blind spot that all GOP dissenters seem to have. They seem to forget, or ignore that they were instrumental in making Trump possible. Without GOP policies, particularly Nixon's "Southern Strategy" as well as GOP focus on voter suppression, Trump 1.0 would never have been possible. He equates the far right with the far left, without nuance. The far right is entirely authoritarian, whereas the far left is pretty anti-authoritarian, with some exceptions. He completely ignores issues of race, which, I think underlies much of the problems we face.
I appreciate his perspective, and I'm glad I read (well, listened to) this book. But this blind spot of ex-GOP conservative types continues to annoy me.
This was a decent book - it describes the history of the relationship with Westerners with Chinese food, focusing on USians, and how Chinese food made it to the US, and evolved here.
I think it spent way too much time describing the US (and British) reactions to Chinese food in China, and not enough time on the evolution of Chinese food once it made it here. It does though, explain in good detail why Chinese food so popular, and describes some about how it evolved. I'd want to hear more about regional differences, why you find some kinds of Chinese food in some areas of the US and not others, the development of Asian Fusion, etc.
But if you have any interest in food and food history, and an appreciation for Chinese food, it's a good read.
Wonderful and intense ending to this series.
Book written by bookwyrm.social user @pearlbear