Being Numerous: Essays on Non-Fascist Life

"It's a political imperative to believe (impossibly) that another world is possible, while necessarily being unable to explain that world from the confines of this one."

Being Numerous: Essays on Non-Fascist Life is a wonderful collection of essays by Natasha Lennard. An extremely timely read, especially with the many eco-fascist arguments circling the internet in light of Covid-19 ("humans are the virus" etc."), Lennard challenges the reader to examine their everyday life to examine how their thought patterns and actions can have larger societal consequences.

She examines her personal experiences, from Standing Rock to sexual encounters, and shows the reader why its important, not only to examine the choices that we make, but how those choices have come to be the only ones available. She reevaluates the idea that the personal is political, and examines the world critically through the philosophical lens of Michael Foucault (who I have never read, and need to). Her prose is beautiful. 

I highly recommend this collection of essays for everyone. Political bents from all sides can benefit from Lennards ideas, and she serves as a reminder that one cannot condemn bad behavior in others before first rectifying those problems in themselves. I give Being Numerous five out of five stars.

"All stories are ghost stories, in which reading invokes a return to the present of specters-say, a dead writer, or an idea from the past."

Compromised Hearts

Compromised Hearts, by Hannah Howell, is a western romance following Cloud Ryder, a rough and tumble mountain man who will never settle down, and Emily Brockinger, a down on her luck socialite fleeing west. Compromised Hearts had more of a fleshed out story than Highland Lover, though the characters were just as enjoyable.

Though a fun read, there were several tropes that I don't enjoy present (I like consent in my romance, and don't particularly like virginity as purity tropes), and the novels treatment of women left a little to be desired. I give Compromised Hearts 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Highland Lover

In Highland Lover, by Hannah Howell, Alana Murray is captured as she searches to find her sister. In a dark dungeon she meets Gregor MacFingal Cameron, your classic highland Scot, who decides to help her on her quest. Romance ensues as they learn to trust each other with their secrets and their emotions, but will his past ruin the future they have tried to create?

This was a fun romance. It's pretty standard in its layout, and the characters are very fun. The relationship between Alana and Gregor is filled with witty banter. My one complaint about the story is that Alana never does find and help her sister, which is a little unsatisfactory as that goal is a major mover in the plot line, though I understand that the sisters story is purposefully left out as it's the story of another book by Howell.

Highland Lover was a very fun escapist read, I give it 3.5 out of five stars. Thanks to Amanda for lending it to me, it was a fantastic pick-me-up.

All Systems Red

I needed some light reading after this week; so All Systems Red, the first book in the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells seemed like a really great place to start. It we sent to me through the Life's Library Book club (Y'all should check it out, and all proceeds go to Partners in Health), and I've loved everything they sent me; and any book belonging to a series titled the Murderbot Diaries had to be a ton of fun.

This book drops you into a whirlwind adventure. Taking place in a universe where we have explored a large portion of space, our protagonist is a piece of equipment that is made up of both organic and machine parts, rented out to survey crews for the greatest profit. Unnamed, it calls itself Murderbot, but never when anyone else is around. When a series of accidents befall the team that it has been rented out too, Murderbot has to find a way to keep them safe while trying to explore its own sentience in peace.

This book was funny, sarcastic, and gave an amazing peek into a human condition in a meaningful way. A quick read at 154 pages, it packs a punch. Easy to fall into, compelling, and unbelievably All Systems Red five out of five stars.

A Year in 100 Books: Quarantine Edition

As many of us are compelled to stay home due to the spread of Covid-19, I felt it might be time to start up the blog again until things settle down. I have found that I feel a bit useless sitting at home, and need to feel like I'm doing something helpful and productive to keep the anxiety at bay. So I'm gonna talk to you all about the books that I'm reading. And maybe share pictures of whatever I'm knitting, or the kittens. You know, uplifting stuff. So lets start with the first book:

The End is Always Near

by Dan Carlin

I know right, starting of with some super uplifting material. It was a really good read. For those who don't know Dan Carlin, he is the host of Dan Carlin's hardcore history, a long form podcast about different events in history (and by long form I mean long. Most pods are 5 hours or more, and most stories are like good apologies, they come in three parts). 

This book looks specifically at humanities most apocalyptic moments, beginning with the bronze age collapse ("the sea peoples!") and ending with the proliferation of nuclear arms and examining how our quest for greater weaponry has changed who we are as people. Very well researched, though a quicker read than I thought it would be given the length of his podcasts. Carlin asks big questions about how these changes have shaped humanity, "What's the connection between the factual past and the speculative future?" He ties in effects of the effects of such events as the collapse of Rome, and the great plagues of the past, and looks at how the people living then might have felt. (There's a cool argument to made that the rise of guilds, and workers rights, might have arisen as a consequence of the black death.)

I give The End is Always Near four and a half out of five stars. It was a good reminder that things have been bad before, and they will be bad again, but we still have power to create the world we want to live in. I wish it was longer.

2019 In Books

2019 In Books

Happy New Year, everyone. At the end of this year I figured I would check in with y'all the only way I know how, by talking about books. Guess we'll start with what I read, and then I'll talk to you about my favorites.

2019 was a big year, with jobs changing, school ramping up, and lots of travel. Many books were read. A total of 154 books were read by 79 different authors. A total of 55,255 pages were read, with the average book being 359 pages long. 66% of authors were female, and the author I read the most, at 16 books, was Patricia Briggs. My most read genre was romance, with fantasy coming in a close second. 

Here is a link to the complete list of books I read this year.

Fantasy

I read 42 fantasy books this year, including two phenomenal series. The first was the Darker Shade of Magic series by V.E. Schwab. Brilliant fantasy set across four different Londons, some with magic and some without. The story follows Kell, a man who can move from London to London, and Lilah, a gutter rat in Grey London, our London. This story has pirates, magical sport tournaments, and was incredibly fun and brilliant. All of V.E. Schwabs books are great, this series is great for lovers of the Lies of Locke Lamora and Mistborn.

The other fantasy series that I absolutely loved was the Discovery of Witches series by Deborah Harkness. Following Diana Bishop, a witch, as she discovers a mystery thousands of years old, and Mathew, a vampire trying to figure out who she is and why he is drawn to her. They travel across the world and back centuries to solve the question of the mysterious text she pulled out of the library. This one is for fans of Outlander, a great blend of historical, romance and fantasy.

Fiction

I read lots of amazing fiction this year, and I think my favorite is either The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller, or The Overstory, by Richard Powers. 

The Song of Achilles is a retelling of the Trojan War, told through the eyes of Patroclus. The story telling is brilliant and raw. The characters were incredibly fleshed out and the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles was incredibly beautiful. If you have any interest in Greek history or myth, or enjoyed The Red Tent or Millers other book, Circe, you should check out this book. 

The Overstory, was a fantastic book. Following several characters from their grandparents up through their trials trying to protect a stand of redwoods from logging. The characters are all extremely well written with amazingly different backgrounds, making for an immersive story with amazing impact. This book was an amazing mixture of Cloud Atlas and The Monkeywrench Gang and I highly recommend it.

History

My favorite history book that I read this year was When Women Ruled the World, by Kara Cooney. This history follows six women in ancient Egypt, the only women who possibly rose to become Pharaoh. Brilliantly written, and expertly researched, Cooney writes about these women in a way that makes them come alive, outlining the trials and tribulations they would have faced, as well as their reasons for doing so. 

Science

Science follows a large segment of books. In my data crunching I broke this segment into health, science, nature. Here I want to talk about three books. The first, Nine Pints of Blood is a health book, while The Uninhabitable Earth and Timefullness are books that examine climate science.

Nine Pints of Blood, by Rose George, follows our complicated relationship with blood. For years we weren't sure what it did, and now we use donated blood as a critical lifesaving stopgap. This book is amazing and eclectic, telling stories from the establishment of the blood bank to how period blood impacts women around the world but is seldom discussed in any meaningful way (which we really should fix. In Nepal, women and girls are forced to sleep in sheds while on their period, which is atrocious), to how the negligence by the US government during the AIDS crisis led to infection of people who rely on blood banks to survive. A fantastic read.

Timefullness, by Marcia Bjornerud, argues that we need to think more like geologists. The long view they take when examining events is critical in examining the climate crisis. Bjornerud gives a history of deep time and explains why the events happening now are not like any events that have happened before. Beautifully written in a way that anyone can understand, this book is one that I believe should be required reading in the years to come.

The Uninhabitable Earth, by David Wallace Wells, is an extremely terrifying and interesting book. Instead of examining how climate change has occurred or influenced the past, or how it will have a negative impact on the natural world it focuses on how climate change will effect us. Humans.  And not what will happen to us in one hundred years, but what is happening to us now and what will happen to us over the next ten years. Fascinating, terrifying, and necessary, another read that I highly recommend everyone should pick up.

Romance

2019 was a year of romantic reading. It was my most read genre at 43 books. I highly enjoy romance, its like candy. My favorite romantic series that I read this year was The Rules of Scoundrels, by Sarah Maclean. So fun, with well written heroines and enjoyable stories. If you've never read romance this series is an enjoyable place to start.

So that was my year in reading. I was a fantastic year, and I can't wait to see what I discover in 2020. I'm hoping to read more books off of my TBR list (its gotten a little obscene), and am looking forward to discovering many new books. If you've read any of the books above, I would love to hear what you thought of them. If you have any books that you loved that you think I would too, please comment. 

All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr, won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2015. As it definitely should have, because the book is absolutely fantastic.

Set in World War II, the book follows a blind girl, Marie-Laure LeBlanc, who lives in Paris. Her father creates intricate models of their neighborhood so that she can learn her way around by touch. Her father works at the Natural History Museum where Marie-Laure learns how to navigate her world, and he is also the keeper of a mysterious gem that is supposedly brings misfortune to whomever keeps it. It also follows a German boy named Werner Pfennig. He and his sister are orphans in a small coal mining town. He takes interest in radios and fixing things, eventually drawing the attention of the towns wealthy and earning him a place in an elite Nazi finishing school.

When the Nazis invade France Marie-Laure is sent to Saint-Malo to live with her reclusive uncle who, in his youth, made radio broadcasts in secret for children, radio broadcasts that Werner and his sister listened to. As the invasion progresses Marie-Laure and her uncle begin broadcasting again, all while the Nazis search France for the gem that her father has hidden.

This book is absolutely fantastic. The characters are brilliant and complex, the story is fantastic. The writing is amazing. The descriptions are geared less towards sight and more towards hearing. The result is a very unique reading experience. Everyone should check out this book. It really is amazing.