On my way home from work today I finished a book! Woo hoo! The book is The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. I need to digest a bit before writing about it, but I really liked it. My next up commute read is Pacific Edge. This is the final book in Kim Stanley Robinson’s Three Californias series imagining three different futures for the state. The first two were pretty grim. This one is an eco-utopia where the roads belong to bicycles. Given everything going on with the new president at the moment, I really need an eco-utopian future vision even if I know realistically we are moving ever closer to disaster.
Speaking of disaster, I have a review book that a publisher offered me called Disaster Capitalism by Antony Loewenstein. It’s about how disasters have become big business opportunities and the ways that we can push back against it. I also have a review copy of a new book about Rumi, a biography of sorts. I can’t for the life of me remember the title and I have cats draped across my legs at the moment so I can’t get up to go in the other room to look. Well I could get up, but those of you who share your lives with animals understand why I don’t. I have begun reading it and so far like it very much. I’ll be sure to let you know the title of it soon!
I am about ten pages away from finishing The Moth Snowstorm by Michael McCarthy. This book has been a mixed pleasure. I will definitely explain more about that soon. I am also kind of almost getting close to finishing The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. This book has been unabashedly excellent and I want to read more about trees! And I am also close to finishing Building Stories by Chris Ware, a very interesting collection of stories in graphic format.
I am about a quarter of the way through Memoirs of a Polar Bear by Yoko Tawada. It is due back to the library early next week so I have to hit the gas pedal on it. I am not sure how I feel about it yet other than to say, it’s interesting. Not only do I have to rush through it though because of a due date, but I also just got Human Acts by Kang Han from the library. I know to expect a disturbing book, but I am greatly looking forward to it.
In addition I am still reading Elena Ferrante’s Story of a New Name and Cultivating an Ecological Conscience by Frederick Kirschenmann. Oh and A Woman Looking at Men Looking at Women by Siri Hustvedt. There’s poetry too, Alice Notley’s Certain Magical Acts which is full of myth and protest.
And I won’t even tell you how many books I have piled up and waiting in the wings! I need a vacation so I can read, read, read! Or I need a winning lottery ticket. Since there is no vacation time planned until April and I am not likely to have a winning ticket any time soon, not least of all because I don’t buy tickets to begin with, I guess I will have to continue to squeeze all my reading in as I can.
Wouldn’t an all-reading vacation be awesome? As part of a misguided self-care plan I went to the library two Saturdays in a row (my official rule is every other Saturday) and ended up with way too many library books checked out. It’s fine though! I can get through them all! None of them has more than one renewal on it right now, so I think that gives me enough time to read all the things. (she said delusionally)
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Jenny, oh yes it would be! Someplace warmish and sunny where all my wishes are catered to so I don’t have to worry about anything but my books! I think we are all delusional when it comes to how many books we have time to read, but it’s a happy and harmless delusion! 🙂
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I found “Human Acts” to be disturbing in a number of ways, especially I think because I found its overall tone to be one of despair, but what an excellent book it is. Your “The Hidden Life of Trees” book reminds me of two I picked up at the library just this morning: “what a Fish Knows” and “The Genius of Birds.” Have you seen that book (can’t recall the title of it to save my life) by some doofus who apparently went into the wild and pretended to be a variety of animals?
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Sam, The Vegetarian was disturbing so I don’t expect anything less from Human Acts. Heh, yes! I have seen that book by the “doofus” and read a few interviews with him. It really is ridiculous, I mean seriously, trying to live like a badger?
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Yay, isn’t it a good feeling to finish a stack of books (particularly when there is a new stack waiting for you?!). The new Kang Han book is on my bookcart at work now, but I should really start with her first book probably? I am getting close to finishing a few books but I must admit that I have itchy fingers ready to pick up a few others!
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Danielle, you don’t need to read the Vegetarian first, if you have Human Acts and want to read it, go for it! Just know that it wont be a happy book. Oh yes, my fingers are so itchy right now! 🙂
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I know exactly how you feel!! I have books after books piled up, some at the very start, and others in the middle and trying to find time in 12 hrs work day to read more is a challenge! I too need a vacation or better yet, why can’t we find that pot of GOLD???!!!
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cirtnecce, we need to find us some leprechauns or rainbows! A pirate map with a big X on it will be satisfactory as well 🙂
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I liked Bacigalupi’s Shipbreaker, but didn’t care for The Windup Girl–although the topics he covered in Girl were all important…and scary and too close for comfort in climate change and agriculture. Have you seen this Ted Talk? How Trees Talk to Each Other? 🙂
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Jenclair, oh I haven’t read Shipbreaker. I liked The Water Knife. Windup Girl was good but yeah, there was something and I am not sure what yet, that kept me from totally loving it. I have not seen that TED Talk. I know what I will be watching later! Thanks!
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I love the feeling of having lots of books I haven’t read, especially this time of year, when it’s sometimes hard to get out. Usually in January and February I won’t read anything sad (much less despairing) and this winter that’s more true than ever.
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Jeanne, yeah I usually enjoy more SFF at this time of year, stuff with more action/plot. But since I have been waiting for Human Acts from the library for months I have no choice, and well really, it feels like there is no room for escape from anything right now so I’m going with it 🙂
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Yes, keep squeezing! But I’m relieved to hear that you allowed the furry one to continue that blessed nap/doze; who knows what dreams you might have interrupted! And sometimes books just stay at that stage for me, “interesting”, and not in a bad way. It’s like I’m not quite prepared for whatever it is. But there’s some kind of recognition there all the same. As for the Chris Ware: I have so longed to read that one. When it was first published, I couldn’t purchase it and obviously it wasn’t an option at the library (I checked so many times) but you’ve just inspired me to take another look and they finally did purchase it (but you have to use it at a particular branch and sign it out for use there). Now I’m eager to hear your thoughts, to see if it’s worth that pilgrimage!
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buried, my husband laughs at me he says I give the furry ones too much power 🙂 Yes! that is exactly my feelings with “interesting” too! Almost done with Building Stories. I am enjoying it but it is really hard to read with all the bits and pieces, but it makes for a unique experience too.
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I constantly crave More reading time. Towards the end of last year I became dismayed when I realized how my reading time had shrunk been whittled down and how few books that I was reading. I made an effort to use my time more efficiently and now I am reading more. But I still crave more time.
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Brian Joseph, we never have enough reading time! And we are greedy, the more we get, the more we want 🙂
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I hear you, Stefanie. I took a three-day break from work only to read but I could finish only one book. A graphic novel called ‘Munnu’ by Malik Sajad. But I am glad I threw caution to wind and took a mini-vacation.
Please come to Chennai, India for a vacation and read, read, read. 🙂
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Best wishes for some more reading time but what a wonderful selection of reading you have on your plate! That book on disaster capitalism reminded me of Naomi Klein’s disturbing account of the development of this in Shock Doctrine. You must have very developed skills in squeezing reading time in the day!
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Thanks Ian! Yes! Thank you for the reminder of Shock Doctrine. I have it on a list somewhere and really want to read it. Since I always have a book within arm’s reach, I’m pretty good at squeezing 🙂
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Deepika, hooray for mini vacations! Even if you finished only the one book, it must have been nice to have the time to spend with it in a relaxing way. I will keep Chennai in mind though I am not certain I could visit India and spend all my time reading! 🙂
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“Given everything going on with the new president at the moment, I really need an eco-utopian future vision even if I know realistically we are moving ever closer to disaster.” I feel the same way! I’ve been retreating into books for comfort lately. The Muslim Ban has hit me hard. My mother’s country isn’t on the list (it isn’t a majority-Muslim country), but it still feels personal. My heart aches for the refugees, too.
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AMB, so much feels personal these days it is hard to draw away and gain perspective of catch a breath. It certainly helps to have an activity where you can be distracted for a little while which makes a comfort read valuable I think. Big hugs! You are not alone!
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Oh you have such great books you are getting through and to look forward to! I feel like I need a break from news and just want to sink into some comfort reads.
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Iliana, it seems a good many of us are wanting to sink into some comfort reading these days!
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Sometimes you exhaust me with all you have on the go. I look cirque to hearing more about them eventually. And I know exactly what you mean about not wanting to get up to check the book… Though you could have googled it?
Sorry for the delayed response. It’s been a busy week or so with aging parent responsibilities plus other commitments but I now have done over 3 hours on a coach to Sydney for a little r&r so am catching up.
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How did “cirque” get there instead of “forward”, and how did “done” sneak in between “have” and “over”? Only the iPad knows! I’m hopeless!
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whisperinggums, heh, I exhaust you? think of how I must feel! 😉 I did try googling the book but I couldn’t even remember one word of the title or the author and googling Rumi biography blue cover is not very helpful! I figured you were busy and now I am glad you get some well deserved R&R!
I did laugh at autocorrect and was stumped at “cirque.” It reminds me of some of the texts Bookman ends up getting when I send him updates when I am out cycling. He gets things like “cold now stopped for beer” and “ready for pills!” He’s beginning to worry I have a drug and alcohol problem.
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Yes,I rather thought cirque would have stumped you. That was one of the most bizarre autocorrect I’ve seen. I’d love to have seen Book man’s face when he read that you were going out for beer and pills.
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He was puzzled and thought either I had crashed and gotten a bad concussion or autocorrect was playing its tricks! We had a good laugh about it.
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I bet you did.
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