Here again we find me reading nearly a book a day. Not quite at April's pace, but very nearly so. A reminder, if it's needed: an asterisk (*) marks a book re-read during this month.
The Gate of Gods by Martha Wells. Last of the Ile-Rien books. I thought it just a bit of a letdown, after such a strong beginning. (1 May)
*The Proud Tower by Barbara Tuchman. Been a couple of years since I read this one. The chapter on American Imperialism was sort of hard to read this time. Okay, the whole book was sort of hard to read this time. (3 May)
The Art of Porco Rosso by Studio Ghibli. Not much to read, and the English translation is terrible. But lovely art and pretty pictures. (4 May)
The Sword of Winter by Marta Randall. Nice, tight little story with magic much more talked about than evident. (4 May)
*Third Helpings by Calvin Trillin. Probably the best of his three food books. I wonder what happened to Abigail and Sarah. (7 May)
Rats and Gargoyles by Mary Gentle. One of the strangest and most disconcerting (disorienting?) books I’ve ever read. Reminds me very much of Sara. (7 May)
Gettysburg: The Last Invasion by Allen C. Guelzo. Very well-written and engaging… and vastly informative. A quick read despite the length. (10 May)
First World War Britain 1914-1919 by Peter Doyle. Lightweight but still some interesting info. Plenty of pix of ration books, exemption certificates, etc. (11 May)
The Architecture of Desire by Mary Gentle. All of the perplexing weirdness of R&G without any of the charm or interest. No insight into the characters at all. (12 May)
Lincoln: A Very Short Introduction by Allen C. Guelzo. Lincoln as Liberal thinker: interesting if somewhat lightweight. Why the hell didn’t Lincoln keep a diary? (14 May)
Poetry: A Very Short Introduction by Bernard O’Donoghue. I think I understand a bit more about poetry now… though I don’t know how much more I like it. (14 May)
Witch Bane by Robert Neill. Very short novel set in the latter days of the civil war (the Battle of Preston figures at the end). A quick, engaging read though not great. (15 May)
The Silk Road: A Very Short Introduction by James A. Millward. What a wonderful read. I want to learn more… which I’m sure was the goal here. (16 May)
The Vikings: A Very Short Introduction by Julian D. Richards. Mostly archeology. So much for my self-image of being a descendent of Danish Vikings… (16 May)
Slang: A Very Short Introduction by Jonathon Green. Green’s a famous lexicographer of slang but this is poorly written and only semi-informative. (17 May)
The Glass Magician by Caroline Stevermer. A bit of a disappointment. Lightweight story, no real sense of place for me. Lorna agrees. (17 May)
Bagels, Bumf and Buses by Simon Horobin. Another one of those listicle-type books that seem to be so common these days. Scattershot etymologies held together by… pretty much nothing. (19 May)
False Value by Ben Aaronovitch. Latest Peter Grant novel! Could have read it in one go but decided to ration it to stretch out the pleasure. Conclusion very open-ended, but he’s done this lots before. (21 May)
When Paris Sizzled by Mary McAuliffe. Easy-reading bite-sized bits of pop-culture history. I even learned a bit. Light-weight but more or less fun. (21 May)
The Secret History of the Mongol Queens by Jack Weatherford. An examination of the role of women in Mongol society and governance. I learned a lot… and a lot more than I’d expected to. Still, for a history book this had a lot of gaps. (23 May)
Animals Talking in All Caps by Justin Valmassoi. Normally I feel, when I’ve finished a book, that I have learned something. After this book I feel more stupid. (26 May)
Assume the Worst by Carl Hiassen (illos by Roz Chast). Rather wry (if not grim) but short enough that it’s not too much of a downer. Probably not the message anyone wanted to read. (26 May)
New Year, Same Trash by Samantha Irby. Another completely useless “book” by someone who writes some sort blog or other. She seems highly regarded; perhaps she deserves another chance. (27 May)
Wallflower at the Orgy by Nora Ephron. Early (late ‘60s) essays about pop culture. Much less personal than her later books. Concise and well-done. (28 May)
Getting Rid of Bradley by Jennifer Crusie. One of her early novels but you can see clear signs of what she was going to become. Not great, but still good. (29 May)
Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie. Even earlier than Bradley. No dogs. Not much challenge either, but definitely a quick easy read. (30 May)
Haven’t We Met Before Somewhere? By Heinz Huber and Ronald Searle. Very strange book, a look at 1960s Germany and so a vanished world. Excellent illos, but something of a tough slog in terms of reading. And it’s about a Germany that no longer exists… which makes it sort of fascinating. (30 May)
*Wit’s End by James Geary. Had forgotten I had already read this. Then again, it isn’t really that memorable. And it’s clumsy given what he’s trying to do. (31 May)
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