What have I read this week? Nothing, as it happens.

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What have I read this week? Failed already to keep these on time, sorry!

The Birth of the West by Paul Collins

This is a nonfiction book looking at the history of western Europe in the 10th century CE, which the author considers a pivotal time in the creation of the modern “West”. I didn’t finish this; I didn’t like the writing style and eventually got bored with it.

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro

This is a novel about post-Arthurian Britain in which a mist is causing people to lose their memories and an elderly couple is looking for their son. I enjoyed this. It was an interesting world, and I liked the characters.

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What have I read this week?

Inferior: The True Power of Women and the Science that Shows It by Angela Saini

This is a nonfiction book about the way in which science has been used to demonstrate that women are inferior to men and whether that’s true (spoiler alert: it’s not true). I liked this book; it’s written in an accessible and easy to follow style and I found the topic very interesting.

Why The West Rules – For Now: The Patterns of History and what they reveal about the Future by Ian Morris

This is a nonfiction book about the history of humanity and why the West gained global power. I found it interesting, although I’m not totally convinced by Morris’s conclusions.

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What have I read this week? Late again, sorry!

The Goldfinch by Donna Tatty

This is a novel about a boy named Theo who is in a museum when it is bombed, and the effect that that has on the rest of his life. I didn’t really like this because I found the main character quite annoying m

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What have I read this week? Sorry, completely forgot yesterday was Sunday!

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

This is a fantasy novel set in a country called the Palm, where half has been conquered by one wizard and half by another. It is the story of the people of the province of Tigana, the name of which has been obliterated by one of the wizards, and their attempt to reclaim their heritage. I found the story interesting, but found the book a bit too much of its time in terms of some of the attitudes expressed.

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul -Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse

This is a novel about Sherlock Holmes’ brother, Mycroft, set in 1870, where he uncovers a plot in Trinidad involving the deaths of several children. I quite enjoyed this, and I’ll probably read the next in the series.

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What have I read this week?

Revenant Gun by Yoon Ha Lee

This is a science fiction novel following the story of the notorious undead general Shuos Jedao. It is the last in the Machineries of Empire trilogy, and sequel to Raven Stratagem. I liked this; it was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.

Romanitas by Sophia McDougall

This is an alternate history novel where the Roman empire continued into modern times. It follows the story of two escaped slaves and the Emperor’s nephew. I enjoyed this, and might read the next in the series.

Hexarchate Stories by Yoon Ha Lee

This is a collection of short stories set in the Machineries of Empire universe. Many of the stories follow characters from the trilogy. I enjoyed these; they filled out the universe in a nice way.

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor

This is a collection of three short stories with illustrations. They all involve a kiss, and magic of some kind. I really enjoyed these and would definitely read more by this author.

Disobedience by Naomi Alderman

This is a novel about an ex-Orthodox Jewish woman who goes back to the community she grew up in for her father’s funeral. I found it a little confusing, because there are three viewpoint characters who were differentiated in my Kindle by text size, but I still kept getting them mixed up. I found the book interesting, but I definitely felt like I was missing a layer of meaning (despite the author’s very detailed explanations of various Orthodox Jewish customs). I would definitely read more by this author, though.

Darien (Empire of Salt: Book One) by C.F. Iggulden

This is a fantasy novel about the city of Darien, and six people who become involved in defining its future. I quite enjoyed this, and would probably read the next one in the series.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

This is a fantasy novel about a young man called Lazlo Strange and a young woman called Sarai, who is also a goddess. I liked it a lot. The characters are interesting and so is the world. I definitely want to read the next in the series.

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What have I read this week?

The Terranauts by T. C Boyle

This is a novel about a group of people taking part in a project where eight of them live within an enclosed some for two years. It was interesting but I didn’t really like it, mainly because I disliked all three of the viewpoint characters.

Cage of Souls by Adrian Tchaikovsky

This is a science fiction novel set in the very distant future when the sun is dying. The main character is Stefan Advani, a scholar who is sentenced to life imprisonment in a penal colony for his heretical ideas. I liked this. The world is interesting, and so are the characters.

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What have I read this week?

Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky

This is a science fiction novel, the sequel to Children of Time. It concerns the meeting between the spider society from Children of Time and a society evolved from octopuses. I enjoyed this, it’s a good continuation of the story, and I felt like the different societies were very different from each other and didn’t seem like variants of humanity at all.

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What have I read this week? Just one, this time.

Excluded: Making Feminist and Queer Movements More Inclusive by Julia Serrano

This is a nonfiction book about the causes of exclusivity in feminist and queer movements, and ways in which that issue can be remedied. I found this book really interesting, and it certainly made me think. It is written in a fairly accessible and easy to read style, and I definitely intend to read more by the author.

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What have I read this week? Late again, sorry!

The Hundredth Queen (The Hundredth Queen Series Book 1) by Emily R. King

This is a fantasy novel about a woman named Kalinda. She is selected to be the hundredth wife of the rajah of her kingdom. I found the world really interesting, and I liked the main characters. I enjoyed this book and would probably read more in this series.

Raven Stratagem (Machineries of Empire Book Two) by Yoon Ha Lee

This is a science fiction novel following various characters. It is the sequel to Ninefox Gambit. It’s set in a very dystopian future where the preserved mind of a disgraced general who murdered his own soldiers is resurrected to help with a problem, but then he goes rogue. I liked this. It’s a good continuation of the story, and I’d definitely read more in the series.

© bardofupton 2019