Books
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A couple fun, personal notes: Dr. Theresa Lloyd, one of the authors mentioned in Kingsolver’s reading list, was one of my professors years ago and probably did more than anyone else to turn me onto Appalachian Literature as a subject. While studying under Dr. Lloyd, I wrote a paper about the stories of Breece Pancake which remains my one and only academic publication. Thanks for everything, Dr. Lloyd, and congratulations on the big mention in The New York Times! ↩︎
Finished reading: Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 📚
Huge thanks to @zioibi for choosing this for the sipped ink summer reading club. I’d had it on the list for a while and this proves to be excellent motivation. It was my first time participating in what I understanding is a long-running annual affair and I am already looking forward to next summer. Loved this book. So much hit so close to home (both figuratively and geographically) and it felt authentic in a way that I didn’t quite expect. I don’t know why, but I had not categorized Kingsolver as an “Appalachian” writer previously, despite knowing of her bonafides in terms of being from Kentucky, but this book is clearly written with a love and intimate knowledge for the region and its people. There’s more going on here, too. The social justice angle. The David Copperfield retelling. The language itself. All of it just got me thinking in all of the best ways, even if those ways are also painful.
For anyone who also loved this book who finds themselves interested in learning more about Appalachia or reading more Appalachian literature, Kingsolver put together a really nice reading list for The New York Times1.
Finished reading: Mooncalves: Strange Stories by John WM Thompson (editor) 📚
Finished reading: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson 📚. Truly loved this book.
📚 Loved “The Stars Have Eaten the Costco Parking Lot” by Chelsea Sutton in the Mooncalves collection.
Finished reading: Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson 📚
This one felt like it took me about ten years to finish. Pretty good climax and some interesting science to it all, but it was definitely a slog. Was far more interested in one of the storylines (Laks) than the others and those chapters tended to be far shorter throughout most of the book. Also was a bit turned off but what I can only refer to as “dirty old man” humor…
Finished reading: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel 📚
Really enjoyed this. Could see a TV series or a series of short stories or more novellas set in this world. First I’ve read through a full novel by Emily St. John Mandel (though I started and abandoned Station Eleven, and then watched and throughly enjoyed that HBO series). Was completely hooked and intrigued with the first half and must admit that the back half was not what I expected and left me wanting a bit… but was intriguing and kept me turning pages nonetheless.
Finished reading: Lark Ascending by Silas House 📚
Finished reading: This Census-taker by China Miéville 📚
Read this for Defector Reads A Book’s February discussion. First book of fiction that I’ve read in physical form (not audio book) in a long, long time so it feels like something of an accomplishment. I absolutely loved this book. First I’ve read by Miéville and now I can’t wait to dig deeper into his catalog.
Finished reading: Building a Second Brain by Tiago Forte 📚
Finished reading: Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions by Johann Hari 📚
Finished reading: The Gunslinger (Revised Edition): The Dark Tower I by Stephen King 📚
Finished reading: Still Life: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny 📚
Turned onto this by a Vox article the other day and it did not disappoint. Looking forward to more in the series.
Finished reading: Dead Astronauts: A Novel (Borne) by Jeff VanderMeer 📚
Finished reading: Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson 📚
Felt like a little bit of a slog through some of the (long) middle section, but the end was poignant, fitting. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
📚: The MVP Machine by Ben Lindbergh & Travis Sawchik
📚: Impossible Owls by Brian Phillips
If you’ve ever been seventeen, and especially if you’ve ever been seventeen in a small town, you’ve had your own year of dark nights. But when your are seventeen, and especially when you are seventeen in a small town, you believe there is opening before you a mysterious and uncharted realm that exists for you alone. You and your friends are conspirators in a shadow country.
From “In the Dark: Science Fiction in Small Towns"
You and your friends are conspirators in a shadow country
If you’ve ever been seventeen, and especially if you’ve ever been seventeen in a small town, you’ve had your own year of dark nights. But when your are seventeen, and especially when you are seventeen in a small town, you believe there is opening before you a mysterious and uncharted realm that exists for you alone. You and your friends are conspirators in a shadow country.
From “In the Dark: Science Fiction in Small Towns" in the wonderful Impossible Owls collection by Brian Phillips.
📚: Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
📚: The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
Sparked by the Westworld tie-in. Curious to see how it ties together.