A Short History of Russia (by Mark Galeotti)

Tagged this as "give up" because this was actually the third book about Russian history I attempted for the RHC category of "a history about a period you know little about."  

I selected Russia because I know very little about any period of Russian history, despite growing up in the 80s where Gorbechev's name was everywhere, and having both my spouse and one of my best friends knowing a lot about Russia, including the language.  Plus, with the rise of Putin and Russian disinformation, it seemed like a real gap, which this category of the RHC seemed primed to fill. 

Lenin's Tomb was the one I tried right before this, and I struggled to get through 5% of it because it is long and dense and Russian names are confusing. (Also the problem with Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, frankly.) (Sorry, I love you though Tolstoy.) A Short History of Russia is hilariously breezy in comparison. Gorbachev resumes power and then the USSR ends in like, two paragraphs. It's great.  

But the accessibility belies the fact that it was also an extremely informative overview of Russian history from the 900s to almost the present day.  It twigged some memories of what I have read (a biography of Catherine the Great; War & Peace) but put everything in its broader context. Particularly interesting: Russia became a world power only after (and because of) World War II and the Treaty of Yalta, and apparently at every single point in history, being an ordinary Russian has been depressing as hell. No wonder they drink so much vodka.  Seriously, I could only find like a decade where it didn't sound horrible to be Russian.

I'm really glad to have this lens on Putin and current world events, and if you are interested, like I said, this is really accessible and informative, and I recommend it.

(Oh, by the way, this was published in 2020, and the ending is a little overly optimistic about Russia's relationship with the rest of Europe considering current events, but who knew. The author is active on Twitter and worth a follow if you're still hanging around there.)

The Spare Man (by Mary Robinette Kowal)

A sci-fi, locked-door mystery set on a cruise liner heading from Earth to Mars. What a concept, right? Like Death on the Nile except in space! (Actually, it's a takeoff of The Thin Man, as you may guess from the title.) 

I was recovering from an illness as I was reading this, so it was the perfect light read for that. It's fun but flawed. The plot gets a bit chaotic and confusing (maybe moreso because I was sick) and I wouldn't classify it as a "fair play" mystery where you can figure out the answer before the end. (Although there is one twist that did have some good clues planted, and that part was satisfying.) 

Each chapter begins with a cocktail recipe to help set the stage, including zero-proof cocktails, which is a lovely touch.  There is also an adorable dog named Gimlet although knowing at least one extremely well-trained dog, the "service dog" elements of her behavior did not always ring true.  The main characters didn't do a whole lot of deducing, which is what I would have expected from a "retired detective" character.  There is a very annoying, foulmouthed lawyer who seems to have popped in from a John Scalzi novel and doesn't quite work with the tone here.

But nitpicks aside, would I read an entire series with these characters? Oh, one hundred percent, so I hope she writes more. 

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing (by Matthew Perry)

I was a Friends fan (of course, I grew up in the 90s) so I was interested in reading this memoir.  There isn't a ton about the Friends years per se, but an honest memoir of his struggles with addiction and other resulting health problems (like his colon exploding and him almost dying).

You definitely feel for Matthew Perry and get a good picture of the realities of addiction.  It's really sad that he has never been able to stay sober and get married and have kids - his dream is to be a father.  The writing here starts off well, but the timelines get confusing and by the end, he's repeating stories he's already told elsewhere.  Maybe some more editing would have helped, because the writing is candid and his voice is strong.

Also the ending seems to vacillate between "addiction will kill me" and "I am cured now" when the truth is, we don't know for certain.  My heart goes out to him and I hope he makes it.