"…history, by reason of human nature, will follow a similar course." Thucydides The mainstream media has recently been revisiting the Covid times with revelations from Anthony Fauci’s diaries, his subsequent appearance in the US Congress, and his eventual charge of contempt of congress. While several participants in that process advocate for leaving the past alone,... Continue Reading →
Sleeping Children, by Anthony Passeron. Pub 2022. Translation by Frank Wynne, pub 2025.
Another gift from my fellow bookclubber, this autobiographical and historical novel tells the story of the early years of the AIDS pandemic. In parallel chapters, we read about the narrator's uncle, Désiré, the family's golden boy and eventual heroin user who becomes an early case of AIDS, as well as the entire family saga before,... Continue Reading →
Orbital, by Samantha Harvey. Pub 2023.
I received this book from a friend earlier this year. She enjoyed it, and thought I might, too. The novel is quite unusual, in that there is no real story or plot, more a character study and paean to the Earth. The setting is the International Space Station (ISS), populated by six astronauts from various... Continue Reading →
Death’s End, by Cixin Liu. Pub 2010. Translation by Ken Liu, pub 2016.
This is the third and final book of the Remembrance of Earth Past series that began with The Three-Body Problem. Book 2, The Dark Forest, could easily have been the conclusion to the story, so I was curious to see if and how Liu could expand on the story. The novel begins several years back from the previous... Continue Reading →
The Anomaly, by Hervé Le Tellier. Pub 2020. Translation by Adriana Hunter, Pub 2021.
I wish I could recall where I first heard about this book and from whom, as I would give them a hearty thank you. This book is in the time-bending genre, but in a different way than others read recently. We start by meeting a series of characters who share one thing: they were all... Continue Reading →
In Covid’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us, by Stephen Macedo and Frances Lee. Pub 2025
Short version: In Covid’s Wake presents an excellent overview of the policies and actions in several regions of the world (primarily the US) during the Covid-19 pandemic, evaluating these for lessons learned for future crises. The authors do an excellent job analysing the rationales for the various approaches and the outcomes and impact on the... Continue Reading →
The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradley. Pub 2024
I had high hopes for this book. A Christmas gift from a fellow bookclubber, this time-travel romance seemed very promising. However, after pushing to the half-way point, I gave up in frustration, then skimmed through the remainder of the book. Perhaps I missed out, but I was too worn out from rolling my eyes to... Continue Reading →
The Dark Forest, by Cixin Liu. Pub 2008. Translation by Joel Martinsen, pub 2015.
This is book two of the Remembrance of Earth's Past series that began with The Three-Body Problem. It picks up nearly where the last left off, after the defeat of the rebel human groups – those who were keen on being taken over by aliens and actively helping them and putting humanity at risk. The aliens have very... Continue Reading →
The MANIAC, by Benjamín Labatut. Pub 2023
I got this book as part of a vacation bookstore binge earlier this year. After loving the previous book by Labatut (When We Cease to Understand the World), I was looking forward to this one, and saved it up for some quieter reading time. Almost double the length of Cease, The MANIAC takes its name... Continue Reading →
The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu. Pub 2006. Translation by Ken Liu. Pub 2014.
My sci-fi book buddy recommended this a few years back, but also warned that it was “hard sci-fi” so I had avoided it. Then I watched the first season of 3 Body Problem on Netflix, and decided to give this a try. To summarize this book is challenge, but here’s my attempt. An astrophysicist named... Continue Reading →
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