March was hectic. Part of it was the new job (old place, but new things to do), which included learning a bunch of stuff and also a giant project. Nevertheless, the brain proceeded with the directive ‘read all the books’. Here’s your March tally.
Books acquired (mostly borrowed, received, stolen from coworkers, you know, the usual):
I was pretty impressed with God’s War, so now I can move on to Infidel. More bug-based tech for everyone.
I know what you’re thinking. You are thinking: ‘Is that really something called Reagan at Reykjavik in that pile?’ Um, yes it is. I like my Cold War histories, shush. The one below it is about MacArthur in Japan. I’m an old man, I like my military histories too.
Testo Junkie is an intense gender studies volume. The way I can describe is that it’s really very readable while being nigh-incomprehensible in places.
James A. Corey and Gene Wolfe are long overdue for a read.
Once again, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking: ‘Is that seriously Gray’s Anatomy there?’ Yes, yes it is.
Also, look, Rapture is there too, for when I’m done with Infidel. And also the best book of essays on trans* issues I’ve ever read.
I do not have words to describe how good this is.
Three Scenarios in Which Hana Sasaki Grows a Tail by Kelly Luce is published by a tiny publisher called A Strange Object. My friend and I are quite excited about them. Unfortunately, I will have read all their output when I finish this collection. They seem to have good taste in short stories and I hope they publish more stuff (plus, their books are pretty).
There is also Charles Yu’s collection of short stories that I have never seen before and an Asimov’s under it.
While all this book pr0n is great, let’s see the actual Books Read list:
1. Karl Ove Knausgaard, My Struggle: Book 2 (I finally found someone at work who shares my obsession with Knausgaard, so now we can have conversations like ‘what about that scene where he goes to the grocery store to buy some milk? That was amazing!’ Seriously though, the man is a master when it comes to psychological insights.)
2. Robert Jackson Bennett, American Elsewhere
3. Adam Sternbergh, Shovel Ready
4. Knut Hamsun, Growth of the Soil (this was about to become Depressing Scandinavian Literature Month for a moment)
5. Joe Abercrombie, Half a King
6. Kameron Hurley, God’s War
7. S. Bear Bergman, The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You
8. C. J. Cherryh, Downbelow Station
9. Nicholas Grider, Misadventure (this is the other book published by A Strange Object)
10. Warren Ellis, Darick Robertson, Rodney Ramos, Transmetropolitan Vol 3: Year of the Bastard (reread)
11. Warren Ellis, Darick Robertson, Rodney Ramos, Transmetropolitan Vol 4: The New Scum (reread)
12. Brian Vaughan, Fiona Staples, Saga Vol. 1
13. Brian Vaughan, Fiona Staples, Saga Vol. 2
14. Robert Jackson Bennett, City of Stairs. Review of this will be forthcoming, errr, some time in the summer. The book is not out till September, and publishers frown upon extremely early reviewing. All I am going to say is that I am really tempted to use all caps now to describe how damn good this book was. I sat down and read to the point when I was sick of words.
So yeah, never got to that Reagan book.