I had hoped that my life would calm down this month to allow me to read more. So of course our three-year-old van up and died at the beginning of the month. As of this writing, it’s still in the shop, though it appears that the part that broke is still under warranty. *sigh*
Anyway, several fun reads this month. Though it might appear that there’s very little SF, I have taken up reading Daily Science Fiction‘s flash fiction story every morning. (Most recent favorite: “Dinners Like We Used to Have” by Kelly Sandoval. It’s exactly the kind of human, intimate SF that I love.) Book reviews below the cut!
Speculative Fiction
Out of the Silent Planet by C S Lewis – I was a member of the CS Lewis Society at BYU. We met weekly and read almost everything Lewis wrote. Somehow, I made it out of there only having read half of Perelandra and none of the other Space Trilogy books. The memories I had of that book were that it was confusing and just not as interesting as the other works we read.
So imagine my delight in finding that I really enjoyed this first volume of the Space Trilogy. It is not, by any means, your typical science fiction. The pace and plot are very academic and contemplative, exactly as you’d expect from Lewis. But it does feel very much like Narnia for grown-ups. Lewis basically says, “If we take the Christian view of the universe at face value, and assume there’s life on other planets, what does that look like?”
There are several points in here to be excited about from a Mormon-Christian perspective. The eldil remind me strongly of the “more refined matter” talked about in the Doctrine and Covenants. And the book leans heavily into the idea of Satan as a fallen angel, which is an idea Mormonism expands on heavily. (It should be interesting to see where that thread goes as well.) Of course, Lewis himself was not Mormon, but often his explanations of Christianity come so close to uniquely LDS perspectives that we claim him against his will.
Sunreach by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson – My second Janci Patterson book this month (see the first one below), and it’s a collab with THE BrandoSando. I enjoyed the quick moving plot and the building of the Cytoverse lore. The romance was fine, though I’m not a romance fan so for me, it could have been left out. On the other hand, it did have nice resonances with the internal struggle FM was feeling. I wish they had included music with the audiobook, as the descriptions of the music she listened to in various battles just didn’t do it for me. Overall, love getting more in this universe, excited to read the next two.
Fiction
The Bollywood Lovers’ Club by James Goldberg and Janci Patterson – First off, I am not typically a romance reader, much less a YA romance reader. But this book had me shirking my responsibilities to race to the final page.
Our two protagonists, Dave and Amrita, are both well-fleshed out and loveable people. The interactions between the teens in school and out feel authentic, not the stereotypical cliques and meanness, but witty banter, obliviousness, and awkwardness. Both Dave and Amrita’s cultures are portrayed vividly and sympathetically. I was disappointed the authors stopped short of portraying an LDS worship service the way they showed a Sikh service. Sunday dinner is just not quite equivalent. But maybe they left it this way as their assumed audience is Mormon.
The central tension of the book is the standard “will they, won’t they” you’d expect of a romance novel. But the tension is ratcheted up because getting together implies abandoning their traditions and cultures. And therein lies the strength of the book: it treats religion and family as something inherently valuable to the individual, rather than an obstacle to the only true value (love). Though the ending may not be satisfying to typical romance readers, I found it to be authentic and healthy.
All together, The Bollywood Lovers’ Club is up there with the best Mormon contemporary novels. I will be passing this one on to family, ward members, and lots of others as well. This is the novel I would have wanted to read as a teenager and young adult, when every decision you make is monumental and life-changing.
Nonfiction
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield – This book is a really nice mash-up between memoir, popular science, and pop psychology. Astronaut Chris Hadfield explains how he went from Canadian farm boy to space music video sensation. Along the way, you learn a lot about how to have a positive attitude towards an impossible dream. This time, I read the book with an eye towards how I could apply these ideas to a writing career. Hopefully, that’s going to become a blog post sometime soon, which I will link here when it’s finished. Overall, I highly recommend this book to everyone who likes space and wants to have a resilient mindset for life.
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah – Trevor Noah strikes exactly the right balance between his trademark humor and the utterly baffling cruelty of life under apartheid. So many people recommended this book to me, but I was hesitant. I tend to avoid books about hard topics because they aren’t fun or I’m afraid I can’t handle the emotion on top of the regular stress of life. This book is worth going out of your comfort zone to read. Five stars, easily.
Decoding Boys: New Science Behind the Subtle Art of Raising Sons by Cara Natterson – Absolutely essential for parents of soon-to-be teen boys. While homeschooling last year, I used Natterson’s Guy Stuff to teach my 5th and 6th graders about puberty, and this book is the perfect follow-up for grownups. Covering everything from body changes to moodiness to pornography, the overall message of the book is that we need to bring boy puberty into the light of day, as has been done for girls in the last few years.
I do disagree with her on the video game chapter. She doesn’t put a lot of nuance between first person shooter bloodbaths and educational spelling games. And she lists only the least useful benefits of video games (hand eye coordination) and ignores all the great research of how (the right) video games can develop grit and relationships. For that info, I recommend the book Superbetter by Jane McGonigal.
But overall, great information for parents heading into a whole new stage of parenthood.
