Christmas Reads 2018
This may be the last batch of reviews before my annual year-end wrapup. Here are the books I finished while on Christmas vacation:
Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful (by Arwen Elys)
I get so many science fiction book recommendations via John Scalzi's Big Idea series, and this was one of them. It's a series of six vignettes featuring teenage protagonists, each dealing with the implications of genetic engineering. It starts with the idea of reconstructing organs via stem cells, and by the final vignette, humans have almost evolved into a new species. It's really great; I particularly loved Milla's story and the final story, either of which could have easily been a novel on its own. Loved the way this is grounded in real science and also in the realities of these characters. Highly recommended for science fiction fans.
The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain (by James Fallon)
Premise: a neuroscientist is researching psychopathic brains as well as his family, and thinks he's gotten some scans mixed up. He hasn't: he has the brain of a psychopath. There's lots of scidency detail and not a strong sense of narrative. It's obvious Fallon is kind of a dick even if he's not a deranged murderer. And he mentions hiding some of his worst stories. But this is a completely unique perspective and he does attack it (seemingly) with candor. As I said, definitely unique if you're interested in the science of psychopathy.
Census (by Jesse Ball)
A Tournament of Books entrant. It's a metaphorical novel about the author's relationship with his brother, told via the narrator, a father traveling with his son who has Downs Syndrome. (Although it's alluded to, not actually named -- neither are the other characters and places in the story.) They are conducting a mysterious census on behalf of a mysterious government with a dystopian feel to it. I was expecting some kind of revelatory ending about that, but instead the conclusion is as metaphorical as the rest of it, although quite moving. I didn't love it overall, honestly, but I'm still interested in reading discussions about it when the tournament begins. (When am I going to get to a Tournament book this year that blows me away? Still waiting...)
Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful (by Arwen Elys)
I get so many science fiction book recommendations via John Scalzi's Big Idea series, and this was one of them. It's a series of six vignettes featuring teenage protagonists, each dealing with the implications of genetic engineering. It starts with the idea of reconstructing organs via stem cells, and by the final vignette, humans have almost evolved into a new species. It's really great; I particularly loved Milla's story and the final story, either of which could have easily been a novel on its own. Loved the way this is grounded in real science and also in the realities of these characters. Highly recommended for science fiction fans.
The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain (by James Fallon)
Premise: a neuroscientist is researching psychopathic brains as well as his family, and thinks he's gotten some scans mixed up. He hasn't: he has the brain of a psychopath. There's lots of scidency detail and not a strong sense of narrative. It's obvious Fallon is kind of a dick even if he's not a deranged murderer. And he mentions hiding some of his worst stories. But this is a completely unique perspective and he does attack it (seemingly) with candor. As I said, definitely unique if you're interested in the science of psychopathy.
Census (by Jesse Ball)
A Tournament of Books entrant. It's a metaphorical novel about the author's relationship with his brother, told via the narrator, a father traveling with his son who has Downs Syndrome. (Although it's alluded to, not actually named -- neither are the other characters and places in the story.) They are conducting a mysterious census on behalf of a mysterious government with a dystopian feel to it. I was expecting some kind of revelatory ending about that, but instead the conclusion is as metaphorical as the rest of it, although quite moving. I didn't love it overall, honestly, but I'm still interested in reading discussions about it when the tournament begins. (When am I going to get to a Tournament book this year that blows me away? Still waiting...)
Labels: 2019 tob, kindle, library, litfic, nonfiction, scifi, vacation
posted by mo pie at 3:29 PM
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