Summer Reading Update

While my lack of book posts might lead you to believe otherwise, I have been reading quite a bit this summer.

As of my last book report I was just beginning to read David Mitchell's Ghostwritten which was his debut novel -- if you want to call it that. In fact, it is more of a collection of linked short stories each with their own setting and style, but as the stories unfold, so do the connections between the characters. I enjoyed reading this almost as much as Cloud Atlas which was written in a similar, uniquely Mitchell style. Now I need to find a copy of Number9Dream.

WWW: Watch is the second book in Robert J. Sawyer's latest trilogy. Here we have a further exploration into the results of a sentience growing out of the world wide web. Thought provoking and entertaining -- I'm looking forward to the third and final book which I believe is expected out next year.

Antarctica was everything I expected from award winning author Kim Stanley Robinson and then some. Here we have a compelling story mixed with historical content as well as passages which take you into the beautiful yet desolate landscape that is Antarctica. Not a quick read by any means, but if you are a Robinson fan you have likely made it through the Mars trilogy, so I'm sure you are up for the challenge.

Interestingly, Robinson actually went to many of the places he writes about in this book through the NSF's Antarctic Artists and Writers' Program. Who knew such a thing really existed?

Next I started Anthropology of an American Girl by Hilary Thayer Hamann, but I just wasn't feeling it. It wasn't a bad book, and I was flying through it, but the timing wasn't right. I wanted something light and easy, so I turned to comfort reading -- in this case a book about comfort food...

William Alexander's 52 Loaves: One Man's Relentless Pursuit of Truth, Meaning, and a Perfect Crust is a ridiculously easy read. Conversational in tone, it might remind you of reading your favorite food blog as you read about the author's sometimes comical attempts at finding the magic formula for recreating a loaf of bread he sampled just once, years before.

I'm nearly through the book and enjoying it quite well. As a novice bread baker myself, I find it both informative (although not quite as much as I had hoped) and inspiring. Just the palate cleanser I needed.

Comments

[adnohr]

If you liked Antarctica, you'll like the 40-50-60 series. It shares some of the same characters (I actually read Antarctica last, didn't matter).
Red Mars is one of my all time favorite books.