A short month with a lot of great books in it! I also got to attend the Life, the Universe and Everything Symposium for the first time since presenting at it as a student in 2008. I learned a lot from the panels, met up with some online acquaintances, and made some new writing friends who I’m hopefully going to start a critique group with. Lots of writing to do this month, so let’s get on with the reviews!
Speculative Fiction
Masquerade in Lodi by Lois McMaster Bujold – Another fun Penric adventure. I enjoyed the side characters in this one. I should have seen the twist coming, but it totally blindsided me. A nice addition to the series.
Wandering Realities: Mormonish Short Fiction by Steven L. Peck – (Cross-posted at the Association for Mormon Letters) This collection of short stories is divided into two sections, one for speculative fiction, one for realistic fiction. You would assume that I would enjoy the SF section more, given my tastes, but really, both sides are equally interesting. Every story contains some element that is uniquely Mormon, but none are superficial in their treatment. Even the funny stories like “When the Bishop Started Shooting Dogs” give pause to think about just how our church impacts our culture. This collection argues for the need for stories that are about Mormons, not simply mainstream fiction that happens to be by Mormons or deals with Mormon themes.
Some of my favorites from this collection:
“A Strange Report from the Church Archives” – A combination between “be careful what you wish for” and a fascinating alternate history. The rising confusion of the reader works perfectly and is resolved in a satisfactory way.
“Remade in His Image” – Very short, but interesting sci-fi about the implications of Mormon doctrines about the sanctity of the body.
“Two Dog Dose” – A mournful contemplation of aging and dementia that resolves in a way I didn’t expect. I got into an argument with my husband about the morality of the protagonist’s actions. A great portrayal of Mormon concerns surrounding death.
“The Best Pinewood Derby Ever” – Exactly what it says on the tin, this story is both nostalgia and wish-fulfillment for anyone who ever went through the whole Pinewood Derby process. I’m not personally sad to see scouting gone from the church, but certainly part of our cultural memory will be poorer for it.
“The Gift of the King’s Jeweler” – I haven’t ever seen anyone tackle the scriptural conundrum that this story takes on. I really enjoyed trying to guess exactly how it was going to connect up with the narrative in question. (Can’t say more for spoiler reasons.) This novella fits into the same tradition as Orson Scott Card’s Women of Genesis in trying to rationalize and expand the scriptural account.
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr – How to review a novel like this? The pace is slow, glacial even, on each individual story, and none of the stories on their own are compelling. Yet the central conceit–that they are all tied together by this lost Greek manuscript of Cloud Cuckoo Land–really works, and that’s what compels you to move through the book. I like the sci-fi timeline the best, which does a great job dealing with the psychological trauma of a generation ship. I’m not sure I liked the “autistic kid turns terrorist” plotline; it just felt a little trope-y in its treatment of autism to me. But this is the difficulty of a multi-plotline book: you inevitably have one that you really hate and just want to skip. In a book like this, it’s not a possibility. Overall, I really enjoyed this book more than All the Light We Cannot See but less than Four Seasons in Rome. I look forward to seeing what Anthony Doerr comes up with next.
Orange: The Complete Collection, Volume 1 by Ichigo Takano – Though this book moves at the typically glacial pace of romantic manga, I really enjoyed it for two reasons. First, it isn’t focused on titillating the reader like most manga. No improbably large breasts or unnecessary bath scenes that show everything. The main character even expresses anxiety about wearing short-shorts, which is a strangely-rare humanization of a female character. So rare to find an anime that isn’t objectifying either the male or female characters.
Second, I love the sci-fi trope of letters from the future and the question of whether following their advice is changing the timeline. Nothing dramatic about world history is changing, just the relationships between the characters, but it works so well. It also considers the heartbreaking fact of the parallel-worlds theory of time travel: the character is unable to save her future self from the heartbreak that has already happened, only try to prevent it from happening in her timeline. This compassion for her future self really struck me. I will most likely continue with the series, and maybe catch the movie adaptation!
Fiction
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie – I read this book under my “Books Turning into Movies” category as part of my 5×5 challenge for 2022. I don’t typically read a lot of mysteries, but the Hercule Poirot books are starting to grow on me. I love the multiple false endings that Christie sets up to keep you guessing. I think this is going to make a really fun movie.
Nonfiction
Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home by Nora Krug – This book was recommended to me by an interview with the author on the Fireside podcast. This graphic novel has lots to say about the issue of “racial guilt” in an engrossing package. The author is a German living in America whose parents and grandparents lived in German during WWII. Her descriptions of what they learned in school about the war, her questions about what her family did during the war, and her desire to reclaim love for her country, all of these things make this book a must-read in the current climate in America. I was forced to think about uncomfortable things, like how to love a country in spite of truly horrific mistakes. This is also a book that makes family history feel urgent and compelling. I highly recommend this book!
How to Talk So Teens Will Listen and Listen So Teens Will Talk by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish – I think this series of parenting books is one of my favorites. Having read How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen and Siblings without Rivalry, I knew what I was getting into. The principles here are much the same as the previous books but applied to teens. I enjoy that there’s a specific toolbox of helpful ways to talk to your teens. Vague parenting philosophies are annoying; I want action! This book combines concrete action steps with an empathetic yet firm approach to guiding kids. Now I just need to find a cheat sheet of this book to keep in my pocket.
