'Attack Surface' by Cory Doctorow

Attack Surface, Cory Doctorow (4.0)

Cory Doctorow has done it again – he has such a way of taking something I know to be true, and creating a page turning story that informs and scares at the same time. As the second follow-on book to ‘Little Brother’, I think it carries the torch well. He follows a secondary character pursue contract cybersecurity somewhat in parallel to ‘Homeland’, the second book in the series. As usual, the pace is frenetic, and the technology spins one’s mind. I try to slow down my reading to catch all the nuances, but the writing does not encourage that! As with most of his books, some characters are a bit one-dimensional, but I read Doctorow for the imaginative plot and thoughtful message. This delivers both. In the dedication and ‘Afterwords’ it is clear how close this book is to reality and Doctorow strikes an alarm that we should all heed.

'The Secret Lives of Color' by Kassia St. Clair and 'A Wrinkle in Time' trilogy by Madeleine L'Engle

 The Secret Lives of Color, Kassia St. Clair (3.5)

This book is an encyclopedia of color with 2-3 pages devoted to the history of ~60 important colors. Each major section covers the broad categories (reds, greens, whites, etc.) including their general significance and metaphorical meanings over the years. Included are those colors that are no longer with us due to availability and often toxicity and those still being used today. The delight in the book is in the discovery, such as: since Orange is so important in Dutch culture, why isn’t their flag orange? Also: there is a color called Mummy that actually came from bitumen in Egyptian mummies! This is not a page turner but can be picked up intermittently and enjoyed. It’s not just for painters, though certainly would be appreciated by any painters in your life. Not surprisingly, I recommend reading this in color as it doesn’t work on a black and white e-book.

A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Madeleine L’Engle (4.0)

Having read and enjoyed this trilogy as a child, I decided to reread it as an adult to remind myself of the wonder I felt upon first reading it. Having said that, my review of ‘4’ is based the first read. These books have many unique ideas that are mind opening as a youngster. Some of the faults of the book (one dimensional characters, religious overtones and repetition) were plainer to me as an adult, at this point less surprised by the plot. I like the strong-willed protagonist, Meg, who has typical young adult doubts about her abilities. Also, the idea of a family of scientists with greater purpose is always a crowd-pleaser in my house. My favorite character is Charles Wallace. Who doesn’t love a ridiculously smart younger brother with great dialogue who’s always watching out for the older sister? As far as the plot goes, Meg and Charles Wallace go on an adventure to find their father, with the help of three ‘witches’. That’s all I’ll say as it’s best experienced firsthand without spoilers. While there are more options these days, this book was an important example of a smart girl leading the adventure, something rare in the 60’s and 70’s for young girls to read.

'A Promised Land' by Barack Obama

A Promised Land, Barack Obama (4.5)

What a joy to read a book written by a politician who is thoughtful, knowledgeable and not particularly cynical!  I appreciated the insight given to understand major decisions and initiatives. The book is quite long and mainly covers his first presidential election and the first three years in office. I didn’t feel he covered too many topics, but he does give a lot of background to each. This was sometimes helpful and sometimes I could go through it quickly. For example, in order to understand our issues with Iran, he goes back to pre-Khomeini and walks the reader through their history with many of the major players highlighted. I had read a review of the book that said the book was not personal enough. I disagree – I was surprised how often he talked about how he really felt and about his family and friends. Always the gentleman, he was quite gracious about those he worked with or against- a little chippy when he pointed out that Sarkozy wears ‘lifts’ – but mostly gracious. I also liked that his digs at Trump were relatively subtle and mostly highlighted by the comparisons the reader will make. I believe this book shows why someone should pursue a government job and by example shows how it’s possible to remember than while deep in the muck.

'Wild Seed' by Octavia Butler

 Wild Seed, Octavia Butler (3.0)

I’ve heard much about Ms. Butler and her unique take on Sci-Fi and was looking forward to this well reviewed book. While I believe it to be well written and unique, the one-note plot left me hoping for more. I liked the unusual story of two ‘eternal’ beings in African bodies with unique powers existing during the time of slaves. As the Europeans kidnap people from Africa, Anyanwu sees her many generations of children being taken. Doro, the more powerful spirit, is drawn to her and she realizes she is not the only one with powers. We believe Doro is saving any unusual, powerful African, but sadly he is just culling them to become a multigenerational breeding farm in order to come up with a master race. The majority of the story is Doro oppressing as he uses Anyanwu as a baby making machine – with her hating him but obliging. After the chapters began with new and interesting ideas, I was disappointed that the rest of the story was monotonous and painful to read.

'In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex' by Nathaniel Philbrick

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex,  Nathaniel Philbrick (3.5)

I do not recommend reading this book while noshing on sushi! In addition to the description of whale killing and dismembering, one can imagine the tale of how the shipmates tried to survive is not good material to read while dining. Philbrick gives the backstory of the young Nantucket sailors and the culture that leads them to venture on the ocean and return years later with thousands of gallons of whale oil. While Herman Melville based ‘Moby Dick’ on this true story, this author focuses more on the story after the ship is sunk by the whale. As far as adventure goes, I prefer ‘Endurance’ and Shackleton’s, but this is definitely an interesting, well-told story that clearly articulates the stress, tragedy and psychological affects both during and after the event.

'The Way of Kings' by Brandon Sanderson

The Way of Kings, Brandon Sanderson (4.0)

Reading this book is a serious commitment. Not only is it 1000+ pages, but there are 3 more written and 6 more planned after that! We are always looking for the successor to JRR Tolkien in the world building story telling realm and Mr. Sanderson has made a strong start with Book 1 in this series. The story follows three main characters, filling in the world around them through their eyes. I found the characters interesting and the magical elements unique. Unlike many in this genre, most of the beings are human, with a major exception being the various spren, creatures that are mostly small and invisible and are attracted to the energy of their type (firespren, painspren, etc.) and can be sensed near that energy. Not sure yet where they belong in this epic, though they seem important. My biggest complaint is that I think the book leans too heavily on the world building and lacks some key dramatic plotlines. While there is plenty of action (battles, assassinations, killings, etc.), the overall evil (think Voldamort and Sauron) is too ambiguous and out of reach to menace until the very end. The last 100 pages were more satisfying in that respect, though the book obviously does not end here, so the majority of one’s questions are left unanswered. As I said – reading this was a serious commitment to read more!

'The Professor and the Madman' by Simon WInchester

The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Writing of the Oxford English Dictionary, Simon Winchester (4.0)

Anyone appreciative of meaningful vocabulary will enjoy this book. Not only does it describe the making of the best-known English dictionary, the Oxford English Dictionary, the words used in so doing are delightfully apt and numerous. While not exactly crowd sourced ala Wikipedia, I was surprised to find how the OED staff went about getting volunteers to help find all the quotations for each word. One problem was interesting: many readers submitted quotations for very obscure words with few definitions, but few submitted ones for everyday words with many definitions (i.e. ‘art’). Lucky for us, none were ineffable. The book outlines the bio of the two men involved and how their lives intertwined, but also generously gives examples of engaging definitions throughout the chapters. It’s hard not to like a book that takes a staid subject such as dictionary writing and spices it up with murder and a lunatic asylum!