Nick BarlowJan 16, 2023
Thought I'd start a thread for the books I read during this year, to keep track and share what I've been spending my time with. Happy for recommendations along the way, but do already have a decent-sized to be read pile (and ebook library). #books #reading #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowJan 16, 2023
1) Station Eleven, by Emily St. John Mandel.
An interesting take on the post-apocalyptic tale with a focus on the power of culture and stories in a broken world. Very ambitious and the interlinking of the characters is well done, though I found the climax a bit rushed and perfunctory after the long buildup to it. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowJan 17, 2023
2) The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, by NK Jemisin
A fascinating fantasy set amidst the human elite in a world where gods are real and tangibly present. Sometimes a little overwhelming in the strangeness and I was scrabbling to keep track of it all. Want to see more of this world, especially how the people below live their lives in the shadow of the conflicts that rage above them, and I will be reading the rest of the trilogy.
#books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowJan 20, 2023
3) Walking, by Thomas Bernhard
Can you guess why I got this one? Turned out to not really be my cup of tea, but still some interesting ideas in there. A translated Austrian novella about two friends walking and talking about the events and thoughts leading to another friend going insane. Well, one of them does most of the talking while the other records his stream of consciousness. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowJan 25, 2023
4) The Old Ways, by Robert Macfarlane
The idea of how some pathways have survived centuries and help us to tell stories of our ancestors and ourselves fascinates me, so I really liked a lot of this. A reminder of some of the different ways of seeing a landscape and finding stories in it, yet Macfarlane is interested in the people around these routes now and their stories too. #books #bookstodon #walking
Show threadNick BarlowJan 28, 2023
5) The Red Scholar's Wake, by Aliette de Bodard ( @aliettedb)
Enjoyed this. Has the structure of a romance novel, but set in a future of sentient ships and space pirate politics where the stakes are much higher than the fate of a relationship. Lots of strangeness to get used to, but introduced well through the characters. Not read anything in this Xuya Universe before, but now I want to read more from it. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowFeb 3, 2023
6) The House of Wisdom, by Jonathan Lyons
Interesting but relatively short book on how the scientific progress and intellectual discoveries made by the Arab world were introduced to Europe in the medieval period. Learned a lot about the process of knowledge transfer, but would have liked to read more on the wider effects of it. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowFeb 7, 2023
7) The Debatable Land, by Graham Robb
A book about the history of one part of the Anglo-Scottish border, but quite unfocused. It's like four or more different books are all vying for space, which gave me a feeling of constant digression and a lack of focus. A shame as the parts on the border families and the traditions of reiving were something I'd have enjoyed reading a lot more on. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowFeb 17, 2023
8) Inverting The Pyramid: The History Of Football Tactics, by Jonathan Wilson
Not just a book about tactics, but a look at how the game's development was pushed by wider social and cultural factors. Perhaps a bit too much on England while the real (and more interesting) story was happening elsewhere and some poor editing (who is this Ronaldo Koeman?) but an interesting and informative read. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowFeb 18, 2023
9) A Certain Idea Of France: The Life of Charles De Gaulle, by Julian Jackson
Superb biography, detailed but never overly so and seeking to answer the question of how De Gaulle became such a central figure in modern French history. Jackson is good at showing the possibilities of the times, exploring why the importance of the Free French, the Fifth Republic, and much else wasn't inevitable. Strongly recommended #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowFeb 22, 2023
10) Africa Is Not A Country, by Dipo Faloyin
A book I learned a lot from. Faloyin is a talented writer, mixing together righteous anger in sections on subjects like the Scramble for Africa and the looting of cultural treasures with a joyous wit in sections on Western media depictions of Africa and the jollof rice wars. A bit scattergun at points, but always interesting and illuminating. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowFeb 24, 2023
11) Silver In The Wood, by Emily Tesh
A short tale, but one that drew me in well. It's a story about an old wood, its guardian and a newcomer who stumbles in, but there are plenty of layers to the story beneath that. Like an old tree, there's a lot going on beneath the surface, revealed as the story unfolds and grows. Will definitely be looking out for more from Tesh. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowMar 3, 2023
12) Lying For Money, by Dan Davies
I wasn't expecting to laugh out loud several times during a book on financial fraud, but Davies manages it. It would be easy for a book like this to turn into a financial analyst patronising us little folk while trying to explain complex things, but he's an excellent (and amusing) storyteller who explains both the how and why of fraud. Also refreshingly honest about how frauds get missed by overconfident analysts. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowMar 15, 2023
13) Endymion, by Dan Simmons
I enjoyed the Hyperion books last year, but this was a bit of a slog. Interesting world building from the previous books, but the story is mainly characters wandering the universe looking for someone to explain the plot to them until its time for the ending and a whole new plot device character drops in to make that happen. Add in some really icky undertones to one relationship and things aren't good here. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowMar 16, 2023
14) Conspiracy, by Tom Phillips and Jonn Elledge
A book that doesn't seem sure of what it wants to be. Some good in-depth sections (especially on health and pandemic conspiracies) but the rest is a very surface-level look at things with way too much jokiness., like diving into Wikipedia while someone tests out their standup material in the background. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowMar 27, 2023
15) Delicacy, by Katy Wix
"A memoir about cake and death" A touching and heartfelt memoir about dealing with grief and loss, loosely structured around memories of cakes and sweetness. Very relatable for me as I've lost family members to dementia and brain tumours, as Wix has, and very much about the realities of her life, not the sort of thing you'd usually expect from an actor's memoir. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowMar 29, 2023
16) Gideon The Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir
Read this for a book group, but also because I've seen people raving about it and wanted to try it myself. It didn't quite connect with me, but I can see why others love it. Hard to get into at the start as rhe universe is so weird and it reveals itself slowly. Does lead to an interesting and exciting conclusion and will probably follow up with the sequel eventually.
#books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowApr 3, 2023
17) SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome, by Mary Beard
Beard clearly knows a lot about Roman history, and is a good writer, but this book didn't really work for me. There's too much going on, and too many different facets of history being covered for this to feel like a coherent history, even when she she sets the finishing point before the Crisis of the Third Century. Falls between being comprehensive history and a snapshot view of key points. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowApr 6, 2023
18) The Rise of Endymion, by Dan Simmons
Here's a book that finally starts to pay off all the setup from the previous three, scaling into a crisis that's out of anybody's control...then decides to spend the second half of the book focusing on Raul's manpain that his perfect lover (who he's known since she was 11, so: eww) might have been with someone other than him. Really liked the first of the series, hence why I finished it, but it's been downhill since. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowApr 10, 2023
19) Pathfinders: The Golden Age Of Arabic Science, by Jim Al-Khalili
(I believe it's titled The House Of Wisdom in the US)
Second book I've read on this topic this year, and more interesting than the first. This is focused on the Arabic scientists and their stories rather than seeing them just in terms of what they gave to the West. Good on how Baghdad became a centre of science and the processes around that, but could have been longer. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowMay 21, 2023
20) A Memory Called Empire, by Arkady Martine
Took me a while to get through this but that's more because it took me a while to get focused enough on reading again after my trip. Somewhat overwhelming in the strangeness of the universe and the languages at the start, this does draw together all the thread of worldbuilding into a compelling conclusion while raising some interesting ideas about empire and humanity. Will be reading the sequel soon. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowMay 23, 2023
21) The Thousand Earths, by Stephen Baxter
A disappointment. The setting - a thousand flat Earths all in sight of each other, each slowly consuming itself - was a fascinating idea, but the characters were paper-thin and consumed by their plot function. Interspersed with a story about an astronaut on a long journey that felt like a parody of the typical Baxter protagonist, looking for nothing more than someone to moan at. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowMay 27, 2023
22) Nomadland, by Jessica Bruder
I still haven't seen the film version of this, but it's a fascinating read in its own right. A look into a growing subculture of the US, but one growing because of external pressure, not personal desire. People forced to live on the road as the only way to survive an increasingly inhumane economy is both our past and our dystopic future, and this captures the moment those meet. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowMay 28, 2023
23) The Kaiju Preservation Society, by John Scalzi
Like the author says in the afterword, it's a three-minute pop song of a book, not a symphony. It's fun, but nothing deeper than that, rattling along at a pace that's gast and light enough to have you questioning the premise or the coincidences the plot requires too much. Not breaking new ground, but people who like this sort of thing will like this. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowJun 13, 2023
24) Imagined Communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism, by Benedict Anderson
A book I first read back in the early 90s and have reread about once a decade since then. Still fascinating and thought-provoking in how national identities are created, developed and institutionalised over time. Let's se how it feels when I come back to it in the 2030s, shall we? #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowJun 19, 2023
25) People Of The Sacred Valley, by Paul Eastham
A collection of local history tales from the NW of Cumbria and the #LakeDistrict. Some interesting stories in here, especially in how the politics of previous eras affected the area, but a bit disorganised in the telling. Some parts a bit unfocused and others little more than summaries of information, but enough in there to make me glad I picked it up at the bookshop in Keswick. #books #bookstodon https://www.fletcherchristianbooks.com/Sacred_Valley/p5921133_21146598.aspx
Sacred Valley

It might seem to be a picture-perfect, serene and utterly remote fragment of rural England. Yet the towns and villages along the sixty-mile course of the beautiful Derwent River inspired a lot of remarkable people - and saw a lot of trouble. Some of the inhabitants of Keswick, Cockermouth, Workington and their neighbours Maryport and Whitehaven created world-famous art and literature. Others built fortunes, wielded enormous political power, created industries or steered world-changing events. But these achievements often came at a heavy price. The twenty-one real-life stories in this work of Cumbrian history include: A corrupt moneybags accidentally made a town beautiful as he sneakily bought up an election. A pioneering doctor gave everything she had to establish a hospital for the poor, only to find her own Government was killing the people she aimed to save. An innocent German miner was bludgeoned to death by a jealous Cumbrian mob after he and his Continental colleagues left the...

Fletcher Christian Books Shop
Show threadNick BarlowJun 27, 2023
26) The Unreal and the Real, Selected Stories volume 1: Where on Earth, by Ursula K Le Guin
Some good stories in here, but ran up against my usual problem with short story collections that I get disappointed that the ones I like aren't longer and find some I fail to engage with. Probably need to stop being such a completist and feel the need to read all of them, I guess, but that's easier said than done. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick Barlow
27) Shaman, by Kim Stanley Robinson
It's interesting in its attempt to depict a prehistoric society in the Ice Age, but it falls into the problem Robinson often has of spending so much time describing things that he forgets to bring in an actual story. It's in the same territory as Golding's The Inheritors, but that does this better, making deep time seem much stranger and rawer than this, with its occasional anachronism, does. #books #bookstodon
Jul 3, 2023 at 7:13amWeb
Show threadNick BarlowJul 4, 2023
28) Heart of Maleness: An Exploration, by Raphaël Liogier
A long essay, rather than a full book, so not as wide-ranging as the title might suggest it is, but still interesting. Focuses on misogyny as the heart of patriarchy and the roots of how that's a basis of our society. A lot of different ideas brought in here, but all within that one theme. Interesting read, but has me wanting to find more depth on toxic masculinity as a whole. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowJul 15, 2023
29) Walk, by James Rice
Found by chance, when a friend spotted it on the shelf at a bookshop and passed it on to me. Glad she did, as this is interesting. Starts like a conventional tale of two young men attempting Offa's Dyke Path, but then adds a different voice into that narrative, changing the nature of the book and the journey within it. A gaze into toxic masculinity and the aimlessness of modern twentysomething life. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowJul 17, 2023
30) The Last English King, by Julian Rathbone
Years ago, I read this on a train to Inverness, then found a copy of it a few months ago in a charity shop so decided to repeat the experience. Very glad I did: historical fiction, but very conscious of its status as fiction, unafraid of using well-deployed anachronism to tell a tale of how different understandings of the world crashed together in 1066 leaving one England dead, but another fresh-born. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowJul 23, 2023
31) A Desolation Called Peace, by Arkady Martine
I enjoyed the first part of this (A Memory Called Empire) but really loved this. All the world-building from the first novel is paid off here and the story flows from the way that ended both for the characters and the setting. The boundaries between 'I", "we" and "you" now examined at the level of a civilisation and what happens when they clash. Definitely recommended. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowJul 24, 2023
32) Galapagos, by Kurt Vonnegut
Read some of this on a ferry, though it didn't follow the book and crash into a remote island where we became the progenitors of a new race of humans after everyone else was wiped out.
A satire on evolution and the danger of "big brains" but more interesting in the asides and digressions than the main story. Still Vonnegut, so there are turns of phrase you'll not find anywhere else, but slight. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowJul 25, 2023
33) Inferior, by Angela Saini
Thanks to @fkamiah17 for recommending this look at the science rhat supposedly shows the superiority of men (and the immutable borders of sex) then shows how much of it is based on patriarchal assumptions and flawed studies. Sometimes a bit frustrating when she takes her time to show the problems with something very obviously wrong, but a good read. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowJul 28, 2023
34) The Sense Of An Ending, by Frank Kermode
Picked this up last year along with Cohn's Pursuit Of The Millennium as pat of some research into ideas of apocalyptic visions and how to represent them. I don't normally read literary criticism like this, but it's good to widen your horizons and explore different things, and found some useful ideas and ways of looking at things from it.
#books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowAug 16, 2023
35) The Stars Are Legion, by Kameron Hurley
Took me a while to read this as I just couldn't get into it. Too much of people dong bad things for reasons they couldn't talk about, then when the big revelation comes it was the exact thing I'd been expecting it to be for most of the book. Not badly written, just not my thing. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowSep 3, 2023
36) The Lion and the Dragon: Britain and China, a history of conflict, by Lawrence James
There's an interesting book to be written on this topic, but this isn't it. More a vague summary of British and Chinese history over the last couple of hundred years that glosses over far too much and contained a few errors I noticed so probably plenty of others I didn't too. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowOct 22, 2023
37) Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
A humorous account of a very banal apocalypse. Been a while since I last read it, and has dated quite badly in some aspects (women have very little agency and involvement in the plot) but Vonnegut's style still shines.
#books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowOct 22, 2023
38) The Patriarchs: How Men Came To Rule, by Angela Saini
Really interesting, and a lot of interesting things in here. Maybe because I had to rush reading it a little because it was due back at the library, but didn't feel like it came together as a whole argument, more a series of interesting pieces on different aspects of patriarchy and the sexist assumptions of society.
#books #bookstores
Show threadNick BarlowOct 22, 2023
And yes, my reading has slowed up over the last couple of months. Been ploughing through a big doorstep of a history text, and getting distracted by other things. Hoping to catch up on a few books on the trip I'm heading off on now.
Show threadNick BarlowOct 26, 2023
39) The Unreal and The Real: Selected Stories volume 2, by Ursula K Le Guin
Well, it's got The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas in it, so that's worth the admission price on its own. But the rest of this collection is worth it, too. It engaged me much more than the first volume of stories did with an interesting selection of stories with shifted perspectives, using SF to give us a different view on our own world and its priorities, with lots of interesting ideas to mull over.
#books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowOct 29, 2023
40) Violencia: A new history of Spain, by Jason Webster
An interesting overview and introduction to Spanish history. It's not trying to be exhaustive and cover every detail, but does a good job of picking up the main forces that created modern Spain from prehistory to the 21st century, and bringing them to life. Not convinced by claims for Spain's exceptionalism and difference, though: details may vary but the overall thrust of nationalism and colonialism is the same. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowNov 14, 2023
41) Vaxxers, by Sarah Gilbert and Catherine Green
Interesting account of how they created the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in such a short space of time. My curiosity would have liked more on some of the science behind it, but it could have been two or three times longer and still barely scratched the surface of some of the processes around. Captures the feeling of 2020, along with a commitment to explaining why all vaccines are important. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowNov 14, 2023
42) Concrete volume 1: Depths, by Paul Chadwick
A nostalgic reread and rediscovery. I read some Concrete comics back in the 90s, and remembered them recently which prompted me to get this from the library. Very interesting character-focused take on the idea of a person transformed into a superhuman being, more interested in exploring the changes to his character rather than the world. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowNov 29, 2023
43) Spain: The Root and the Flower, by John A. Crow
Picked this up to read before or during my recent trip to Galicia, but didn't start it until the trip back. Some interesting parts in this quite personal history - particularly around the art and literature of Imperial Spain - but a lot of it has rather dated and patronising attitudes towards the people of Spain, and a curious attitude to the Civil War, focusing more on anti-communist axe-grinding than anything else. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowNov 29, 2023
44) The Dissolution of the Monasteries, by James Clark
A proper doorstop of a book that has taken me a while to read, this chronicles the dissolution in detail, bringing out a lot of facts and stories around the process. It shows just what a massive social upheaval this was for England and how much effort the process took. Maybe too much detail if you just want an overview of the history, but a great piece of research to bring this all together. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowDec 7, 2023
45) Sins Of My Father, by Lily Dunn
A very raw and compelling memoir about the author's father who walked out on his family to join the Bhagwan's cult when she was just six. A very honest exploration of the effects this and her father's life of trying to avoid any consequences for his actions had on her life. Very frank and honest. #books #bokkstodon
Show threadNick BarlowDec 22, 2023
46) The Gilda Stories, by Jewelle Gomez
Interesting take on the vampire mythos by putting a black lesbian at the heart of the story, providing a fresh perspective on two hundred years of history. Some good ideas in there, but suffers from one of my personal bugbears of shifting perspective throughout scenes making it hard to keep track of which characters are doing or thinking which things in many scenes. #books #bookstodon
Show threadNick BarlowDec 22, 2023
47) The Power, by Naomi Alderman
Should probably have read this before watching the TV adaptation, but here we are. Enjoyed the idea and the world-building, especially in the glimpses we get of the framing story and the questions that raises, but is sometimes frustratingly quick as it speeds through the world, leaving me wanting more depth and a chance to breathe. #books #bookstodon
Show threadTheEdinburghBookshopNov 14, 2023
@nickbwalking Loved that series. Took me ages to pick them, up kept seeing the ads and stupidly thinking "big, stone guy, what a rip-off of The Thing from Marvel!" before finding out what it really was. Then devoured the whole series...
Show threadMaria De AgostoOct 30, 2023
@nickbwalking Spain is not excepcional, Portugal that managed to remain independent (except for 60 years in the late XVI- early XVII) from castilian imperialism is. Nations like Euzkadi and Catalunya were less lucky but their perseverance and resilience in spite of castilian rule is also truly excepcional.
Show threadCanberraCanuckOct 26, 2023
@nickbwalking Oh, wow! Thank you! I have never hever of this book before. Ursula is my favourite author. Definitely have to find a copy ❤️
Show threadColorblind CowboyOct 22, 2023
@nickbwalking It’s been a while for me too. I did notice during a recent reread of “Slaughterhouse 5” that women didn’t have great roles, though I otherwise thought it was great.
Show threadTHIS ACCOUNT HAS MOVEDOct 22, 2023
@nickbwalking an outstanding book
Show threadJudyJul 23, 2023
@nickbwalking I loved both these books, the world building is fantastic, a truly imaginative creation.
Show threadeyekosaederJul 23, 2023

@nickbwalking I’ve read the first book and have the second one on my bought-but-not-yet-read list.

The first one is definitely among my favourite sci-fi stories. I’ll have to reread it before I start with the second one, but I’m very excited. :D

Show threadFord Taunus 🇵🇸 🚗🏳️‍🌈🚀Jul 3, 2023
@nickbwalking @dyedushka_vassili