Reading Record 2024 - The Bear and Badger

Gremill

1. The Poppy War (RF Kuang)
What a great read. An epic fantasy set in a land reminiscent of medieval China but with many of the sorry traits of 19th and 20th century Chinese history, this is the story of a war-orphaned girl who gets to go to the equivalent of kung-fu Hogwarts and then becomes a literal force of nature in the conflict to come. Really great to read a grim fantasy novel today been written from a different cultural perspective than you'd normally get in the genre. I'll be reading more of her work that's for sure.

davyK

Alan Turing : The Enigma is a detailed biog of the famous computer scientist/mathematician/engineer/chemist whose major achievement, that of creating the concept and the mathematical underpinning of the universal computer (still called the Turing machine - all modern computers are Turing machines) was overshadowed by his role in breaking the German codes in WW2. It's detailed and technical and but also tells the shameful tale of his treatment after the war because of his homosexuality which in no small part played a role in his suicide by cyanide laced apple at the age of 43.

Turing was a genius - no doubt - but his entire life was spent as a square peg apart from a few years during WW2 when his wide range of discipline and eccentricities found their home cracking the German codes and subsequently beginning the computer revolution - something that the UK government also to their shame took no advantage of - there is no doubt the economy of this country could have been very different if those early chances (the first computer to run software was in England in 1948 - some time before it was achieved in the US with its vast resources) had been taken.

Turing is probably the only hero I have so I really enjoyed this book but am also angered by it. The opinions on gay men in the 50s, particularly being classed as unsafe to hold any important position because of poor moral fibre and the risk of blackmail amongst the post war fear of the Red enemy, must have been unbearable for him; let alone the fact that he had been temporarily chemically castrated after being found guilty of indecency laws.

A proper referenced historical treatment that is technically challenging in places and emotionally so in others. An important book about a important man.

tigersgogrrr

Gremill wrote:

1. The Poppy War (RF Kuang)
What a great read. An epic fantasy set in a land reminiscent of medieval China but with many of the sorry traits of 19th and 20th century Chinese history, this is the story of a war-orphaned girl who gets to go to the equivalent of kung-fu Hogwarts and then becomes a literal force of nature in the conflict to come. Really great to read a grim fantasy novel today been written from a different cultural perspective than you'd normally get in the genre. I'll be reading more of her work that's for sure.

This was published when she was 22.

...

We're all failures.

Gremill

Fuck sake.

Cos

GooberTheHat wrote:

Hyperion - Dan Simmons A great sci-fi book that creates an interesting world that I want to spend more time in. Essentially a collection of connected short stories around a central mystery. Other than the inexplicable choice above I don't really have any complaints. Ready to jump into book 2.

A good reminder it might be time to revisit these. I absolutely loved the Hyperion and Endymion series, possibly not the best but certainly one of my favourites. Look forward to reading your thoughts on the next one, Goobs.

Gremill

I used to have a big hardback copy of the Hyperion Cantos but I somehow managed to lose it - pity, would have liked to have re-read it. I remember the second book being a bit shit though? Probably mistaken.

Cos

Do What You Want: The Story of Bad Religion by Bad Religion and Jim Ruland
I knew of Bad Religion through the Tony Hawk games that partly triggered more of an interest in punk but didn't really get into their catalogue until mid-2000s by which time they'd already been going for 20 years. Since then they've gradually become one of my go to bands and the overall quality they've maintained during a now 40 year career is impressive to say the least.

There's obviously a significant weighting on the earlier years, back story of the members then kicking off the origins of the band, and there's sufficiently rich detail of the journey that gives plenty of insight, particularly as someone who wasn't that familiar. Each member gets to tell their own and collective stories in their own words, meaning different perspectives on the same events where they align and sometimes diverge.

So much happens in the early years of the band with changing members outside of a relatively stable core (mostly) and external pressures that it's genuinely impressive they made it through. There's a lot of focus on each album during the first 15 or so years, highlighting the late 80s and early 90s when their output was at its peak in terms of quality, so hearing about the process and influences gave a new appreciation for some of the music and I really enjoyed listening along to those albums as they were discussed.

Given a lot of that activity coincided with the explosion of punk in the early to mid-90s, with BR being an influence on many of those younger bands and the Epitaph label formed by guitarist Brett responsible for putting out key albums by Rancid and Offspring, there's also plenty of insight into their peers in other band and the industry more widely - including the inevitable move to a major label. It tails off a bit in the last quarter or so but still enough happening to keep engaged and suffice to say it's an absolute must read for fans of BR, the SoCal punk scene and origins of hardcore.

Cos

Gremill wrote:

I used to have a big hardback copy of the Hyperion Cantos but I somehow managed to lose it - pity, would have liked to have re-read it. I remember the second book being a bit shit though? Probably mistaken.

It's been long enough for me that I can't specifically remember which events are in which book but don't remember any of them being noticeably weaker.

Gremill

True Bad Religion story: My wife went along to see them in the mid-90s with a friend who was a big fan and they managed to get backstage to meet the band as her mate was keen on getting an autograph.

When they met Greg Graffin, his opening gambit was "So you're the girls here to suck my dick, yeah?" When they said no, he got them chucked out of the venue.

Lovely chap.

Cos

Ugh. Why can’t people just be cool so we can enjoy art without worrying about supporting douchebags.

davyK

All Star Superman by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely.

Firecracker, jack in the box of ideas. 12 issues of a non-canon Superman story in book form. I'm not really a comic book reader (not since I was a teenager); the only 3 books I've read as an adult up until now are Maus, Watchmen and a reprint of the complete Cursed Earth. This was recommended to me by someone here. So thanks to them. A marvellously mad tale with ideas galore and glorious, luscious artwork. I tried not to binge this but only managed to stretch it to 6 episodes per day.

LivDiv

Sapiens: A Brief History of Human Kind - Yuval Noah Harari

Does what it says on the tin. A fascinating jaunt through the history of us. Starting at our evolutionary branching from the other Homos running up to today (2014 when it was written) covering all the revolutions from agriculture to French. A rationalised view on why things like farming, money and capitalism aren't so much decisions or even good for us but a logical progression of circumstance. Although not necessarily presented as a conclusion there is time and space to continue to change.

I am sure if it was written today another chapter could be added to cover AI and the current political state.
He has a book covering futures which I will pick up at some point.

davyK

Completed A Gift of Love which is a selection of sermons by Martin Luther King. I'm not really a person of faith (if I have a category it's agnostic) but I don't think it matters too much as these are more about how one should live a life. King's words are easy to read and the strong faith bits can be siphoned and filtered into anything of a spiritual or philosophical nature. This is one of those books that can be returned to multiple times. An interesting read.

tin_robot

davyK wrote:

All Star Superman by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely. Firecracker, jack in the box of ideas. 12 issues of a non-canon Superman story in book form. I'm not really a comic book reader (not since I was a teenager); the only 3 books I've read as an adult up until now are Maus, Watchmen and a reprint of the complete Cursed Earth. This was recommended to me by someone here. So thanks to them. A marvellously mad tale with ideas galore and glorious, luscious artwork. I tried not to binge this but only managed to stretch it to 6 episodes per day.

It is, for me, easily the best Superman run. Not just by virtue of the sheer number of ideas being thrown around, but because it takes everything about the character that has made him so loved for so long and distils it down so that even cynics like me can see it. A run that utterly understands Superman - both what makes him great, and what makes him flawed (and why that makes him greater still) - in a way that few other attempts have.

As an aside I recently read Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Tom King's take on Superman's less loved cousin. Whilst it's no All Star... I really enjoyed it, and it did a similar job of making me like a character I was significantly less bothered about before. It's basically True Grit in Space, with Supergirl dragged into an alien girl's quest for vengeance. Said alien provides the narration which I gather some people have found actively annoying, but which I kind of enjoyed. (Be warned, she's extremely verbose.)

The whole thing is a suitably vast intergalactic epic, but it's also a surprisingly effective character piece. It opens on a planet with a red sun, with Supes having travelled there specifically so that she can get pissed for her 21st birthday. She's a more complex individual than the bland do gooder she's traditionally seen as, but crucially, she is also the same woman, and the comic carefully threads the delicate line that's needed to connect this sweary, sometimes seemingly nihilistic woman, with the character we already think we know.

I gather James Gunn's using it to inform his new take on the character in film, and whilst I'm not sure the world needs a Supergirl movie, this is definitely a better place to start than most.

regmcfly

I've always been a mark for Superman and I've taken a lot of flak from pals for saying he's the best superhero. All Star is the most incredible example of why Supe is, well, Super.

davyK

Cacophony of Bone by Kerri ni Dochartaigh

An ethereal. account of a year spent in lockdown in a one room cottage and falling pregnant after many years of trying. This is flowery, womanly prose with apparent obsessions about bones, moths, swifts, wrens, light, flowers and growing vegetables that my inflexible old STEM brain finds hard to process because of its efforts to take things literally.

I stayed the course and it paid back because of the feelings it started to invoke. I suspect a reread will be rewarding.

davyK

The 39 Steps by John Buchan.

Made famous by film adaptations, this brief breezy tale is a rip roarer of a ripping yarn, old chap. At just over a hundred highly readable pages it places the hero, Richard Hannay as the subject of a manhunt by a German spyring in the jaws of World War 1. Marvellous stuff. It isn't too much of a spoiler to reveal that Hannay is the subject of a clutch of later novel length adventures that I'll be reading.

Put onto this by a review of a Buchan biog by Christopher Hitchens that appears in his essay compilation, Arguably, which has proven to be a rabbit hole of a volume - adding items to my reading list almost every time I pick it up.

davyK

Greenmantle is the followup to The 39 Steps and it's a masterpiece of the genre. Set in post Gallipoli WW1, its Raiders of the Lost Ark pacing has the hero and his pals leaping from frying pans to fires through the book and has a marvellous "at the last moment" ending. This is a better book than the prequel and really should be made into a film.

Reader caution in place - there's the occasional reference to race (it was published in 1916) that raises an eyebrow even in a gen Xer like me.

davyK

Mr Standfast is the 3rd Richard Hannay tale in the anthology pictured above. It's more expansive than the first two and is set in the latter half of World War I. Hannay is searching for spies again but doesn't miss action at the front either. You can see Buchan's maturing as an adventure novelist here as his poetic descriptions of the landscape add to the story and there's commentary, surprising to see pre 1920, on the role of women and the recognition of bravery in conscientious objectors who took on roles at the front.

A splendid tale throughout which keeps up the pace, shifting the action across multiple locales and remains a real page turner.

There is a theme throughout that relates to The Pilgrim's Progress which is cleverly woven into the tale. And the titular character from that book makes such an impact as to become an Easter Egg in Le Carre's books as it's a pseudonym used by George Smiley at one point.

Gremill

2. The Terraformers (Annalee Newitz)
It's 60,000 years in the future and corporations own the rights to create and terraform new planets. The Environmental Rescue Team (ERT) are an organisation created in the very distant past to ensure that whatever happened to Earth doesn't happen again and that all of the new planets are kept in balance. SASK-E is the latest planet to be made ready for rich settlers paying top dollar to be decanted into original homosapien DNA bodies. Everyone is a vegan due to the fact that most animals are now sentient and are considered to be people as a result of the Great Bargain that was instituted at the end of the Farm Revolution in Earth's ancient past. Add to this context a story that draws on issues of colonisation, slavery, immortality, sexuality, what it means to be a person and there's a lot going on. Whilst I really enjoyed it, it doesn't go into enough depth on any of its themes or the universe it takes place in and as a result is a little hollow. But it's got ideas to spare and I'll be keeping an eye on the authors future works.

davyK

Schindler's Ark The book upon which the film is based. This tries hard not to beatify Schindler - it states that toward the end. The film is a superb translation and every event in the film is from the book; albeit placed in slightly different circumstances.

It seems though that the story arc the film portrays isn't quite accurate. Schindler was paying out the entire time the factory was running. There were colossal amounts of money being earned but also being spent throughout to keep the show on the road. The second factory was literally a money sink hole and didn't earn a penny. It also shows he wasn't the only benign industrialist in the locale, though none flew as close to wind.

The book doesn't fawn and constantly refers to witness statements for evidence and also accepts that there may have been some enthusiastic praise from those he saved - adding to the "Schindler myth" as it were. But there's no doubt this man had the right blend of talents for success during the war - both for making money and for pushing the system as far as to be almost reckless for humanitarian reasons. Still worth reading if you have watched the film.

davyK

Finished Ted Hugh's Crow - a poetry collection that is dark - black, spikey, oily and gory. One can almost taste the bitter blackness from the sticky, oily, black landscape suggested in my mind as I read these. There's some humour but on the whole it's tasty (sic) reading. The titular crow seems to be a stand in for God, mankind, the Devil, the forces of nature - all at different times. This is penetrating affecting poetry and leaves an impression that hangs about.

monkey

2. Big Beacon (Alan Partridge)
A second Christmas book done. I've listened to the previous Partridge books on audio. It's better that way. Even if decades of exposure to Partridge has lodged his voice in my head, you can't do as well as Coogan. Still quite a good read. Lots of funny wordplay. Doesn't particularly go anywhere or do much. Maybe the weakest of his books. But that may be because I think the character could do with another long rest now.

3. The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Neil Gaiman)
Previous Gaimans I've read - American Gods (didn't like much) and Norse Mythology (enjoyable up to a point) - led me to think that he was probably a bit overrated. But this is excellent. I read most of it in one sitting, late into the night, didn't want to stop until I knew how it resolved itself. Almost effortless to read. Doesn't feel like there's a word wasted anywhere. Recommended.

LivDiv

Thrawn Alliances
Thrawn and Vader are sent to an Outer Rim system to investigate a disturbance. Yet both men have been here before, together when Vader was still Anakin. Timeline hopping adventure.

Mostly interesting for the insight into Vader/Anakin, how Vader sees his past and filling in some of that dark side turn for Anakin that the movies rocketed past.

Thrawn Treason

Thrawn's allegiance to the Empire is tested as the Chis are under threat. Much more like the first book. Lots of military strategy stuff that flirts with convenience.

Overall a good trilogy of books if light weight. I don't think you would need to be super into Star Wars to get something out of books one and three.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck

Breezy self help book that like many self help books lift from stoicism and Buddhist detachment. Not a lot new here in the message although its a message of value and delivered in a modern, easy to read manner (as long as you dont mind some naughty language). The message really isn't 'not giving a fuck' as much as giving a fuck about the right things and letting go of the rest.

What The Buddha Taught

The other end of the scale to '...giving a fuck'. This is the teachings of the OG Buddha direct from his mouth. Or more accurately translated from his writings and explained in as purely literal a form as possible. Not the easiest text to read, a lot of repetition of a point well laboured but satisfying none the less. Cuts through misconceptions and additional fluff that has been attached to the religion over 2.5k years.
I came away thinking it was a very good way of viewing the world and surprisingly modern at times. Unlike other religions I wouldn't consider it to be anti-science but obviously working with the science of the day, small tweaks to that base understanding could comfortably align these writings to run in harmony with the science of today.

LivDiv

monkey wrote:

2. Big Beacon (Alan Partridge) A second Christmas book done. I've listened to the previous Partridge books on audio. It's better that way. Even if decades of exposure to Partridge has lodged his voice in my head, you can't do as well as Coogan. Still quite a good read. Lots of funny wordplay. Doesn't particularly go anywhere or do much. Maybe the weakest of his books. But that may be because I think the character could do with another long rest now.

Picked this up in a charity shop for 50p the other day so gonna give it a read. Just polishing off Nomad first. I like the audio versions but have a tendency to just stop listening to audiobooks, they are like white noise to me for some reason.

monkey

Good dog walk fodder.

Wookienopants

I'm halfway through Big Beacon on Audible.
It's very funny indeed, love a bit of partridge

tigersgogrrr

I think Big Beacon is the weakest of the audio stuff. Still good.

LivDiv

Alan Partridge - Nomad
Cracking stuff

davyK

The Waste Land by T.S.Elliot is considered by many as the Daddy of 20thC poetry.

It's surprisingly accessible - some of Elliot's work is so dense it's hard to finish a stanza without getting depressed about how stupid it makes you feel. How anyone read Elliot and decided to be a poet is beyond me (Seamus Heaney said as much).

This is thought provoking stuff. At times jolting and at others rolls off the "tongue" delightfully. Like Crow this is a masterpiece and it's laughable to have said one has "read" it. You never really finish art like this.

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