This week, I finished:

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi There is probably nothing I can say about this book that has not been said. It is the memoir of a surgeon who dies very prematurely of cancer. It's heartbreaking and a lovely, very quick read. There are things I wish had been included (e.g. a discussion of class and how that plays a role in the medical access the author receives, a serious discussion of his particular medical choices like having a DNR and denying treatments that cause suffering, since many people choose death outcomes that look very dissimilar to the choices that doctors make for themselves), but it feels unhelpful to fault a book for not including stuff when the author died with the work unfinished.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse I loved this book. It's a post-apocolytic fantasy from an indigenous perspective. It's fun, profoundly readable, and different from most other things I have read. I will absolutely buy the second book when it comes out (very soon!). One of my favorite fiction reads so far this year.

In the last week:

In the Beginning Was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson

This was written in the late 90s, but still relevant and informative, though I don’t know how someone younger would find it. Probably less nostalgic than I did. It convinced me to install Linux on an older Mac I have (that’s still younger than this book by about 13 years).

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Monster hunter fantasy set on a Navajo reservation after a climate disaster. Blew me away. The audiobook is read by a Metis woman, too.

The End of the World by Peter Brannen

Dryish, Jared-Diamond-esque book about mass extinctions. Utterly fascinating. I finished it in a couple days.

What If? by Randall Munroe

I think Wil Wheaton is the most obnoxious narrator ever, so this was probably not a good audiobook purchase. Lots of neat physics, got kind of tiring after awhile.

How Long ’til Black Future Month? by N. K. Jemisin

Really excellent short story book by the author of The Fifth Season. I’ve been savoring this one for awhile.

Working on:

• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (for /r/bookclub)
• Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (for /r/infinitesummer)
• The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

I started and finished The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers. It was a cute book and a really fun read.

I finished The Unwomanly Face of War, by Svetlana Alexievich. I think I cried more in this book than any other I've ever read before. It was really, really good. If you want a new perspective on what war is and what it involves and what it costs, this is a great book.

I finished Clariel, by Garth Nix. It was okay, but not nearly as good as the previous books in the series. It took me forever to finish it. I've been trying and failing to do so since it came out. It's just not a book that really motivates you to finish it. But now I can finally say that I did and move on to the next book, which from the blurb seems to be about Lirael again, so I'm hopeful about it.

I also finished Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse. I really liked it. The world building was amazing.

Finished:

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers (5/5). I still can't believe how wonderful that book is. Sure, there wasn't much of a "plot" besides loving each other but I loved every character and every character thread, every grand or weird idea presented in the story. highly recommend to anyone who just read a dark, sad, or horrifying book.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before, by Jenny Han (3/5). I loved the Netflix movie (in all it's cheesy glory) and the book is free with the Audible romance package (which you can get a free trail of!) so I gave it a shot. Stupidly cute. Not an amazing YA romance, but worth listening to if you like the movie.

Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse (4/5). Okay technically I'll finish this today during my lunch. I've got about 20 pages left. Super interesting book, and a wonderful look at both Dine present day and at how to survive a drowned world. I do just wish that the main character wasn't your typical "I'm a badass who doesn't need people", and that there are better Dine/Navajo-English translators on the internet because I have no idea what a lot of phrases mean.

Currently Reading:

The Queens of Innis Lear, by Tessa Gratton. It's a slow-burn, high fantasy retelling of King Lear. Having just studied King Lear earlier this year, it's very fresh in my mind. I do wish that the pace was faster, since I'm 25% through and they just passed the main inciting action with Lear and his daughters. But the mythology of this world is amazing.

To Kill a Kingdom, by Alexandra Christo. I'm into mermaids and pirates right now so of course I'm going to read this.

Finished

• The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal
• The Goblin Emperor, by Katherine Addison
• Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor

Now reading

• Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse
• Dreamsnake, by Vonda N. McIntyre

Finished:

• Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse
• Dreamsnake, by Vonda N. McIntyre

Currently reading:

• Boy's Life, by Robert R. McCammon
• The Genius Plague, by David Walton

Just finished: Wylding Hall, by Elizabeth Hand. Perfect for Halloween! I think the format of the book (a series of intercut interviews with the main characters, many years after the main events, ostensibly for a documentary) really adds to the tension and mystery of the story.

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Just started: I'm a couple of chapters into Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse, as part of my ongoing efforts to read a more diverse set of authors, and because I saw it recommended somewhere on the internet (Tor's website, maybe?). Kind of dark so far, which is not a bad thing.

I finished listening to the audiobook Call Me By Your Name, by André Aciman and have started A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole.

I finished Rich Dad Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not! by Robert T. Kiyosakiand I started Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse I'm reading The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien to my son.

I finished listening to the audiobook A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole and will be starting *Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods, by Suzanne Collins *.

I finished Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse and Paper Girls, Vol. 5, by Brian K. Vaughan I plan to start The Cross-Time Engineer, by Leo Frankowski and I'm reading The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien to my son.

Wanderers, by Chuck Wendig

I was worried that an 800 page story might quiet Wendig’s rapid fire near noir writing style (see Blackbirds) but he sustains his style like a transcontinental bullet train. I’ve seen “zombie” tossed around in discussions. It’s not a zombie book, but its mirror of our divisive society in a world cascading into an apocalypse made me just as uncomfortable as when I read World War Z. There were times when I had to pause and make up an excuse to run to the grocery store just so I could reassure myself things were still functioning...for now. Perfect summer reading.

I just started Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse It’s another post-apocalyptic world, but one where the Navajo have survived to become the Dinetah. Monster hunter Maggie Hoskie is on the trail of murdered children. It’s a great start so far.

I finished:

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple Eh, this did not meet my expectations. I was expecting something not serious, but still clever and engaging. I got something not serious that I did not find particularly interesting. I am from Seattle originally, so my favorite part was the sense of place.

The Dorito Effect by Mark Schatzker This was another "meh" for me. I overall agreed with the author's conclusions (and he has inspired me to find a heritage chicken to eat), but I feel like he went too far demonizing benign ingredients (including MSG, which has a racist history in its denigration...) and there was literally NO acknowledgement of socioeconomic status and its relation to access in ANY way, which feels to me like a ridiculous and obvious misstep.

I started:

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Still working on:

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Been on a roll lately after a long slump!

Finished:

The Changeling, by Victor LaValle - I have a lot of feelings about this book, and all of them good. Highly recommend.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse - Interesting worldbuilding, a native american protagonist. If you're looking for a quick urban fantasy read, check this out. Looking forward to some character development in the next installment.

Witchmark, by C.L. Polk - Steampunk fantasy, gay protagonist. Quick, fun read.

Started:

Melmoth the Wanderer, by Charles Robert Maturin I've been on a gothic lit kick for a while. Also, in preparation for reading Melmoth by Sarah Perry.

Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik Really enjoyed Uprooted by her, so high expectations for this one as well!

Preacher vol. 1, by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon Watched the first season of the TV show a while ago, so interested to see how the comic compares.

Just finished: Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse and Predictably Irrational, by Dan Ariely

I really liked the world/concept of Trail of Lightning and enjoyed some of the character dynamics, but I was frustrated by the main character not realizing something that I thought was completely obvious, which was then treated as a big, important reveal in the climax. I was already familiar with most of the behavior economics in Predictably Irrational from Ariely's TED talks and other sources, but I guess that just goes to show how influential this way of thinking has become since the book was written. I definitely remembered recent instances of my own behavior being less-than-ideal in just the ways broken down in the book. Worth a read.

About to start: trying to decide between Record of a Spaceborn Few, by Becky Chambers, and An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, by Hank Green, so either way there's some sci-fi coming up!