The Reading List
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I haven't done one of these lately, and it feels as though my reading list has accumulated a bit too much. Recently, I've picked up and finished A Handmaiden's Tale, The Stars My Destination, and New Scientists' Arc 1.1, all of which were very good. Here's what I'm currently reading:
Fiction:
The Quantum Thief, by Hannu Rajaniemi: This one's one that I've had my eyes on for a little while, but it was a review from Charlie Stross that got me more interested in reading it. It's gotten very good reviews from all over, which is great for a first novel, although his writing style isn't the greatest for an impatient and fast reader like me - I'm having to slow down for fear of missing things.
Roadside Picnic, by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky: io9 recently pointed this one out in a book review, and I loved the premise. It's a fascinating read, and from a science fiction era that I'm really not familiar with: Cold War Soviet SF. So far, I'm really enjoying it.
The Nemesis List, by R.J. Frith: I came across this one randomly right before the wedding, when I was supposed to be buying wedding gifts for people. I'd never heard of it, despite the plot, and picked it up on a whim. So far, it's not impressing me, reminding me a lot of The Gravity Pilot in terms of writing style.
Throne of the Crescent Moon, by Saladin Ahmed: I've heard almost nothing but good things about this novel, and decided it was about time to sink into it. On the way back from the Wedding, Megan and I stopped by Flights of Fantasy in Albany, NY, where I found it. Enjoyed the first couple of chapters.
Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas, by John Scalzi: I've been waiting to get to this one since it was announced. I enjoyed Scalzi's last novel, Fuzzy Nation, and this looks to be pretty similar in style and tone, and having a nice, breezy novel to blow through will be excellent.
Nonfiction:
Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo, by Nicholas de Monchaux: This book rocks. It's absolutely stunning in its detail, covering the creation of the space suits used in Apollo, but taking in a greater view of the space race as it does so.
The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education, by Craig M. Mullaney: Megan recommended this one to me as I was doing some writing, and it's an interesting read thus far, looking at the education of a West Point soldier who went on to Iraq.
Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam, by John A. Nagl: This one's one that I've been picking away at for a couple of months. It's a short but dense book on counterinsurgency. Very enlightening.