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Reading Wednesday
Jul. 31st, 2013 07:07 pmWhat I have recently finished reading:
Existence, by David Brin. Brin is someone the fans in my family don't care for personally, but they say he's a good writer. I found Existence to be an interesting idea (essentially, a world where AI similar to Google Glass is the norm, and the line between humans and robots is blurred) that was sometimes executed in a ponderous way. A friend thought the exposition was necessary; I thought it was excessive, and eventually I felt the urge to say "Yes, yes, you told us that already. Four times. I get that you think it's important! Can we move on?"
That said, I think I would have loved the book at about half the length. It really is an interesting idea. It's important to ponder, I think, what the meaning of privacy will be in a world in which everyone is jacked into the net. And I don't dislike long books per se; I just found this particular one to be overly expository.
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. I adored this book. Many members of my mother's family died in the Holocaust, and it's a sore subject, understandably, in my family of origin. It's not easy to get me to feel lighthearted and hopeful in the midst of a Holocaust story, but Zusak manages it. Of course, there's a lot of sorrow, too -- how could there not be? -- but the writing is gorgeous, the POV is fresh, and the treatment is respectful while it doesn't take itself (as opposed to the subject matter) too seriously. I guess I'd say it takes the long view, and it doesn't trivialize the special nightmare that young people faced in WWII -- they were victims, and they often weren't told what exactly was going on around them. They had to find out by losing everything, sometimes.
What I'm reading now
I am between books. I just popped The Hugo Award Showcase into my bag. More about that later. Mom wants me to read The Yiddish Policemen's Union, to see if I hate the writing as much as she did, but I'm out the door in two minutes, and don't have time to go looking for it.
Existence, by David Brin. Brin is someone the fans in my family don't care for personally, but they say he's a good writer. I found Existence to be an interesting idea (essentially, a world where AI similar to Google Glass is the norm, and the line between humans and robots is blurred) that was sometimes executed in a ponderous way. A friend thought the exposition was necessary; I thought it was excessive, and eventually I felt the urge to say "Yes, yes, you told us that already. Four times. I get that you think it's important! Can we move on?"
That said, I think I would have loved the book at about half the length. It really is an interesting idea. It's important to ponder, I think, what the meaning of privacy will be in a world in which everyone is jacked into the net. And I don't dislike long books per se; I just found this particular one to be overly expository.
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. I adored this book. Many members of my mother's family died in the Holocaust, and it's a sore subject, understandably, in my family of origin. It's not easy to get me to feel lighthearted and hopeful in the midst of a Holocaust story, but Zusak manages it. Of course, there's a lot of sorrow, too -- how could there not be? -- but the writing is gorgeous, the POV is fresh, and the treatment is respectful while it doesn't take itself (as opposed to the subject matter) too seriously. I guess I'd say it takes the long view, and it doesn't trivialize the special nightmare that young people faced in WWII -- they were victims, and they often weren't told what exactly was going on around them. They had to find out by losing everything, sometimes.
What I'm reading now
I am between books. I just popped The Hugo Award Showcase into my bag. More about that later. Mom wants me to read The Yiddish Policemen's Union, to see if I hate the writing as much as she did, but I'm out the door in two minutes, and don't have time to go looking for it.