ewee (16/26): Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Ok, there's not much I can say that kw hasn't already said (and better'n I could...). And I'm almost caught up (got waylaid by a coupla self-help books this weekend that might just be too eh to finish...).

So, suffice to say, I'd been putting off reading this book cuz I knew it wouldn't be easy--I had an inkling that there'd be some content that was emotionally difficult. But when I finally sat down with this book (on a Friday after work), it was very literally unputdownable. I never skip ahead...or I never used to...this book had me flipping forward and then chastising myself for looking ahead. In the end, I stayed up all night to finish it. It's worth savoring and reading slowly, but I'm not sure I could have.

Complex characters (the protagonist is painted in an unforgiving, yet very compassionate, light), gripping plot (not so much written as tightly woven from several strands of story lines), tragedy, redemption (but not a simple, or even complete, redemption), and complete immersion into the world of this story...I'm not even going to bother watching the movie. There's no way it could compare to the book, and I'm not sure I want or need someone else's visuals in the way of my experience of this story.

Ok, nevermind me, check out the links
(warning: links contain spoilers):

• Google books: Kite Runner.
• Wikipedia's Kite Runner listing.
• The author's website, khaledhosseini.com.
• A summary on Wikisummaries
• Salon.com's review of the movie.
• NYTimes on the movie (and the story of the actors who had to flee the country).
• "killer kites" photoessay on wired.

ewee (15/26): Blind Lake by Robert Charles Wilson

At this rate, miz shiny-eye's gonna finish this book before I get this post done (woohoo! read, sy, read!).

Well, nothing I've read of Wilson's books has matched Spin and this is no exception. But it's good. Really interesting ideas, pretty good plot and character development, interesting ideas. Worth the read. And as Miz Lucky-duck points out, my recommendations tend toward the couch + snuggly dog(s) + beverage formula. This one's not much different.

Let's say: Recommended with a cold beer, a sunny deck (or porch) with hammock, and two dogs alternating between sleeping in the sun and running amok through the garden.

Since I'm not getting to any helpful reviewing, here's some links:

• Review of Spin, Axis, and Blind Lake on whats.all.this.brouhaha.com.
• Review of Blind Lake on sfreviews.net.
• Wikipedia on RCW.
• Interview with RCW on Spin.

Rich (1/5): Contact by Carl Sagan

I was in the back seat that day, being driven to piano lessons. My mom told me that the cold weather was to blame and that the astronauts didn't feel a thing. The nation's most famous scientists were dead.

Contact centers around another crew of scientists who are famous, not for their untimely deaths, but for their discovery of a message from outer space. Throughout the book, I imagined Jodie Foster, with her hair pinned back, working diligently on solving the key equations to unlock the code. Those visual memories pushed the story to a rolling start, but before long, the book generated its own momentum based on man's response to the unexpected revelation that we share universe with someone else. No five-legged beasts with green scales show up, and no underwater creatures that communicate with pulses of light and feed on surface-dwellers terrorize the planet. Instead, the humans act unabashedly human. The politicians are suspicious that the message is a blueprint for a trojan horse bomb. The scientists are eager to learn new technologies from the instructions, while the religious leaders claim that their god has sent them the directions to heaven.

Contact lets the spotlight stay on its astronomers and avoids letting the story overtake these characters. Bad news comes filtered through their words, and aliens never steal the show from the entangled struggle between personal glory and group survival, between what is seen and what is understood, and what is genuine and what is only temporary. Inside this story of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, Sagan hides his own message of the spirit of human imagination.

shiny_i (3/26): The Mind Parasites by Colin Wilson

A co-worker of mine recommended this “supernatural metaphysical cult thriller” (from the cover), which I’d been reading off and on over the past 6 months. In his own words, the author attempted to convey “that human beings possess enormous reserves of power, of which they are unaware.” An admirable premise, if you ask me, and one that I relate to the powers of the unconscious, collective and individual.

The story centers on a man who uncovers the existence of mind parasites that feed off of man’s despair, fear and ignorance and create internal states of depression and psychosis. The main character and his colleagues learn to tap into themselves and unleash psychokinetic powers that they use to battle the mind parasites. These battles were some of the most interesting passages to read, but I was irked that the characters with these powers were all clearly European upper-class men. There were also some sexist and racist views held by the main character that seemed rather normalized and unchallenged. Maybe that’s why it took me so long to finish the book!

shiny_i (2/26): Spin by Robert Charles Wilson

In the time it takes me to read one book, I swear ewee reads, like, 10 million or so. Kinda like the temporal distortion produced by the Spin membrane that encircles the Earth, except it’s happening at the Belly Pleasure Palace (inside joke, sorry).

In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed Spin. It’s one of those rare (or semi-rare) books that combines excellent writing, some hard science ideas, and good character development. His writing was often lyrical and moving, like this paragraph:

She wanted St. Dog to be himself and whole, not the sum of his terrifying parts, not a fleeting evolutionary epiphenomenon in the life of a dying star. There was little enough love and affection in her life and each instance of it had to be accounted and stored up in heaven, hoarded against the winter of the universe (p. 180 in the Tor paperback, for all you fellow geeks who wanna read it again).

His main protagonist, Tyler, is rather likeable with his apparent humility and good-naturedness while being heroic in his actions. With Diane, I got frustrated at times with how passive and undecisive she seemed and wished she could’ve been written just as heroically as Tyler. Her brother, Jason, was more interesting for his genius and ability to put the pieces together about the Hypotheticals. The story gained a lot of speed after Wun came into the picture, which made the last half of the book just fly by. Lastly, I liked how Wilson alternated chapters between past and present times, which merged pretty smoothly at the end of the book.

One criticism I have is that I got a little lost during the last 50 pages of the book when important information about the Hypotheticals and their mission was provided. I have a vague sense of there being some loopholes that aren’t totally explained, but maybe the second book Axis will shed some light. Axis came out in paperback in Sept. 2007, and the two books are a part of a planned trilogy.

FYI, I highly recommend Greg Egan, an Australian writer, for his excellent skills in combining hard sci fi with great character development. Permutation City is one of my favorite books ever. His website is gregegan.customer.netspace.net.au.

Yae, now I get to read everybody else's review of Spin!

ewee (14/26): Listening Is an Act of Love by Dave Isay

Ok, all you readers out there. Read this book. Just pick it up, and at least give it 5 minutes of attention. Doesn't matter where or how or when. Just open it, let your eyes wander, and read something. If you have 15 minutes, read a bit about StoryCorps and their vision.

It is pure beauty in its simplicity and power. I started reading it randomly, letting myself be pulled in by stories, photos, whatever. And in the end, I couldn't put it down. I was sobbing through some of it (keep in mind, I am a sap), and smiling/laughing through other parts.

Here's a tidbit:

"These stories are a reminder that if we spent a little less time listening to the racket of divisive radio and TV talk shows and a little more time listening to each other, we would be a better, more thoughtful, and more compassionate nation.

...someday StoryCorps may even succeed in creating a change in our culture, shaking us out of a reality TV-induced slumber and redirecting out energy toward careful listenting, honoring our elders, and embracing our neighbors."

Check out kayan's proper review. And thanks (again!) to this list for another lovely find.

Best bought in hardcover, and read anywhere, anytime, with any beverage. And recommended that you share it, or just start talking to the people around you.

ewee (13/26): Gypsies by Robert Charles Wilson

Another RCW novel (waiting for my library to get Axis). Not bad, quick read, interesting and novel ideas--parallel universes, not new, but his handling of them quite good. The main characters were fairly nuanced, and I was pleased that he kept the supporting characters from becoming two-dimensional (which would still have worked, but would have left something out). Some interesting socio-political commentary, very intriguing bits on fear and the limits it puts on imagination/creativity, and ultimately life/death.

(I have scraps of notes for each book I read...been forgetting to jot them down on this blog. Mebbe I'll go back and add them all in.)

So for this book, here's a tidbit that caught my eye:

"...that home is not a place after all, but a thing you make, a territory you stake out. It was an act of will: a thing you did."

Beginning to suspect that nothing will match Spin, but will continue to enjoy a couple more RCW books before tiring of them.

Recommended in lieu of reality TV and cheesy magazines. Good with a hot cuppa coffee and a warm spot in the bed (preferably bookended by two sweet pups).

ewee (12/26): Singularity Sky by Charles Stross

Well, this book has interesting ideas, almost strong main characters, and almost enough plot. But in the end, it's ok. Only ok. But entertaining and a good commute companion on your casual carpool in, if the conversation is lagging.

It introduced me to the concept of the singularity, and when thought of as a bit of a farce and commentary on history and present time, it kinda works.

Recommended with a cuppa coffee and a bit of a commute or wait ahead. Much thanks to swingbeat for the lead...