#JustFinished The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
This is a lyric exploration of authoritarianism through a bizarre "disappearing" of items from an island. The Memory Police enforce this disappearing by ensuring that no one keeps any of the items or apparently even remembers them. But what happens to those who can't forget? The story isn't a classic Western story that wraps everything up nicely in a bow. Thus, it may not appeal to everyone. I thought it was wonderful!
#JustFinished The Madness Pill: One Doctor's Quest to Understand Schizophrenia by Justin Garson
Very interesting. Garson walks us through the history of the understanding and treatment of psychotic disorders, focusing primarily on schizophrenia. For a book that spent so much time on the pharmaceutical/brain disease aspects, I was genuinely surprised and pleased with his support of talk therapy...
1/2
#JustFinished Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Not his best, but well-done. I tend to prefer his SF works. I didn't feel this started all that well, but it grew on me. It read like a group of adventurers trying to figure out what the GM was throwing at them. Fun and interesting by the end, with good character growth.
#JustFinished The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence
What an enjoyable story with depth and actual twists and well-placed hints. Two fully-realized, independent youths find each other exploring the Library. From there Lawrence surprised me with the direction of it and obvious care in the crafting of this story. He throws in some cute, cheeky references outside of the story without ruining it. Very well done!
#JustFinished Hemlock & Silver by T. Kingfisher
lf you haven't had the absolute pleasure of reading Kingfisher's fairy tales, start now. She does such a lovely job of turning the stories on their heads while keeping the otherworldliness. Highly recommended.
#JustFinished Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor
Popcorn reading. Very enjoyable running around and screaming interspersed with moments of intelligent planning! So what if there was a contradiction in the basis? Will read the next.
#JustFinished 1632 by Eric Flint
I read it on the recommendation of one of the other book club members, even though I'm sick to death of military sci-fi and the glorification of war. It had elements I enjoyed (multiple PoV, strong women) and some I didn't (chauvinism, too simple characters). Mostly though, it felt too narrative and too rooted in macho behavior, though Flint clearly struggles to temper that. I won't be continuing the series.
DThoris
Htaggert
