January was a busy month for reading! I’m zooming toward my goal of 100 books with relative ease. Maybe I’ll up that goal sometime.
Without further ado…
The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett: Yes, I finally started reading the Discworld books. Even though multiple people told me not to start at the beginning (or at least not to let the first book put me off), I ignored them and did it anyway for the sake of experiencing the books as they came out. While I enjoyed Pratchett’s writing and humor, the first book was difficult to follow, with lots of characters being introduced at once. Even if the first book may eventually become my least favorite, I plan on continuing the series. (3 out of 5 Luggages)
The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett: This is the second half of the story begun in The Color of Magic. It contains just as much of Pratchett’s great writing and is much easier to follow than the first book. From my understanding, these two books are the only ones that serve as two halves of the same story, so be sure to read these books together. I did enjoy this book enough to request the next book, which begins a new series within the series. Can’t wait. (4 out of 5 spells)
The Art of the Infinite: The Pleasures of Mathematics by Robert and Ellen Kaplan: I’ve read and enjoyed one of Robert’s books before for a class in college. While this book contained a lot of material I already knew, it also gave me a chance to explore math from different perspectives, especially in geometry. (Did I ever mention that geometry was the bane of my college existence? Because it really was, even with a wonderful professor.) This book does get challenging at some points, especially for someone like me who loves math but hasn’t done much of it in awhile. I’d recommend it if you have some background in math and proof-writing because you will have to fill in a few blanks yourself… or at least consult the appendix where the bigger proofs lie. (4 out of 5 infinities)
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner: This is a children’s fantasy book from the 60s, and to be honest, I found it rather boring. Maybe I would have liked it as a kid, maybe not, but I’m leaning toward no. This book has a lot of characters that blend together, and there’s not enough in the plot to keep me interested. (2 out of 5 stones)
Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach, 6th Edition by James Henslin: This is an introductory college textbook, and an old one at that; this version was published around 2006. Reading this textbook made me want even more, especially regarding events of the past ten years, but that’s not the fault of this particular edition. I would have loved to see more than a passing mention of LGBT+ families in the family area, as well as more about sexual orientation and gender identity in general. Overall, this book has gotten my feet wet in sociology, and now I just want to read more. Time to get in touch with my friend the sociology grad student. (4 out of 5 social norms)
Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay: This book features two storylines, one of a Jewish girl during World War II in Paris and another of an American woman living in Paris in 2002. This was also the book where I complained on Twitter about using font changes to indicate a point of view change. That aside, this book was pretty good. Even though this book isn’t a historical novel, it did use real events such as the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup in Paris. However, If I had known before reading that this book was originally written in French, I might have attempted to track down a French language copy. (4 out of 5 family secrets)
Where Am I Now? by Mara Wilson: I listened to this book. If you recognize the author’s name, it’s probably because she’s awesome on Twitter or you know her from Matilda or as the Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home. I admit it, I was a big Matilda fan as a kid, but I like Mara even better as an awesome Twitter person. This book is her version of the “Where are they now?” articles that occasionally pop up about former child actors so the press doesn’t have to do it for her (and get the facts wrong while they’re at it). She tells stories of her childhood, her experiences on the sets of films she acted in, boarding school, college, mental illness, and much more, all with a candid and refreshing writing style and humor. There are also a couple of letters written to Matilda the character from Mara herself on how Matilda the character has shaped her as a person, as well as how Matilda has shaped how other people recognize her. If you liked Mara in any of her other work, you’ll like this book. (4 out of 5 performances)
Persuadable: How Great Leaders Change Their Minds to Change the World by Al Pittampalli: I listened to this book. You’ve probably heard someone accuse someone else of flip-flopping or changing their mind. Heck, you might have been the person doling out the accusation. This book makes a strong argument that we learn and grow by listening to the perspectives of others and changing our mind when the evidence demands it. This is a mindset I’ve tried to embrace in my adult years, so maybe I’m biased here. But this book does a good job at showing examples where leaders did change their mind when it came to making a product or adding a feature and how that decision affected the business. One of the standout examples here is Amazon getting into the ebook business, where Jeff Bezos convinced one of his executives to lead the ebook business, which led to creating an ereader that changed how we consume books. (4 out of 5 convincing arguments)
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett: This is the third book in the Discworld series and the first book in the Witches storyline. While I enjoyed the prose and the overall storyline, I found this story hard to follow and connect the dots from scene to scene. That could have been me, though; I’ve been pretty distracted when it comes to reading lately. Not sure where to go next when it comes to this series; I may come back to it when I’m not sure what to read next, but I’m not in a rush to finish all the books. (3 out of 5 spells)
Everything is Obvious: Once You Know the Answer by Duncan Watts: I listened to this book, which discusses how we answer questions like “Why is the Mona Lisa the greatest painting ever?” by listing traits that we’ve decided on because this painting contains these things. It’s a compelling read, and I’d recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about logic and thinking and research. If you haven’t put much thought into this way of thinking before, you’re likely to have your view changed in some way. (4 out of 5 biases)
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong: I listened to this book, which talks about the various microbes in our bodies and how they contribute to the greater thing called life. This book isn’t limited to human microbes and how they fight off diseases, but also goes on to include microbes living in animals and how these microbes are studied on germ-free creatures. It can get a little dense at times (especially when listening to the book and taking everything in and then a loud truck drives past you, causing you to miss the last paragraph… not that this has happened or anything), but for the most part this book is still accessible to a wide audience. (4 out of 5 microbes)
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon: I’ve been meaning to read this book for awhile and finally managed it. This book tells the story of a teenage girl who is allergic to just about everything, who doesn’t leave the house as a result… and then falls in love with the boy next door. Even though this book seems implausible in some parts and I’m still not sure how to feel about the twist at the end, this book had my attention from start to end with its engaging story and interesting (biracial!) main character; I would have read it in one sitting if a friend hadn’t arrived at my house halfway through. I just wish there were more to the ending, though. (4 out of 5 allergies)
Three Lives of Tomomi Ishikawa by Benjamin Constable: This book was one of my prizes from the public library’s reading contest last summer, and I just now got around to reading it. This book tells the story of an ordinary writer named Benjamin Constable (yes, the name of the author, although this is fiction) whose friend appears to have died and left him with a puzzle to solve. This puzzle takes Benjamin all over Paris, through some underground tunnels, and across the ocean to New York City where the friend grew up. Along the way Benjamin learns more about his friend than he had ever known before… but how much of it is true? Sure, this book is implausible in parts, such as the woman who volunteers to tag along on Benjamin’s New York City adventures, but it still kept me reading, which matters more to me than a little implausibility. (Besides, look at reality right now.) (4 out of 5 puzzles)
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly: I listened to this book (and still haven’t seen the movie, whoops). As a math nerd who likes diversity and history, this book had my attention from the beginning. If you’ve seen the movie, you already know the basic gist of this book, but in case you haven’t, this book tells the story of several black women who worked as mathematicians and computers through World War II and afterward to the space missions. This was a time when black women were considered suitable for this role because it didn’t require as much thought, but these women turned out to be as capable as any of the men, sometimes correcting the errors of the white men. Since much of this book took place in Virginia when segregation was still in place, that topic was also addressed in this book; from guessing a person’s race based on their education to the segregated bathrooms and lunch areas. Whether or not you plan on seeing the film, if you want to learn more about history and space, read this book. (4 out of 5 equations)
The Radical King by Martin Luther King, Jr. and Cornel West: I read this book for my local library’s book club. This is a curated collection of MLK’s more radical speeches and essays, the ones where he spoke on a much broader range of topics than civil rights for blacks. There are essays about economic injustice and his opposition to the Vietnam War, all connected to the bigger goal of equality for all. Cornel West serves just to provide commentary; the bulk of this book consists of King’s writings. I recommend taking in each essay slowly so you don’t lose track of the big picture presented in King’s message. (5 out of 5 speeches)
In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto by Michael Pollan: I listened to this book. I haven’t read Pollan’s more well-known book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, but despite that I didn’t have any trouble following this one. Pollan answers the question “Well, what SHOULD we eat?” in this book, while also sharing some history behind nutrition and how our food choices have changed over time in comparison to other parts of the world. For instance, if a food product makes a health claim, it’s probably not all that good for you. The book isn’t perfect, but it does make you think about food and how we eat. (4 out of 5 fresh vegetables)