About travel, what drives us to travel, and memories.
An ephemeral lover flits across North America and brings her life full circle to where she began.
Told from the sad perspective of a boyfriend.
Quick, a bit thought provoking and a very mild shock at the end. Don't regret checking it out and spending a couple of hours on the read!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Sway: The irresistible pull of irrational behavior, Ori Brafman and Ron Brafman
Another Freakonomics-style book, this one looks at why people do some very silly things. Taking off in a plane in dangerous circumstances, ignoring a concert violinist because he plays on the subway, and a number of other strange things that our brain does to us.
Particularly interesting was the section on how our expectations of someone or something tend to make that person react to our expectations... by meeting them in one way or another.
I liked the book, as I like most mass-market science with simple white covers and one-word titles. :) A fun read.
Particularly interesting was the section on how our expectations of someone or something tend to make that person react to our expectations... by meeting them in one way or another.
I liked the book, as I like most mass-market science with simple white covers and one-word titles. :) A fun read.
Dust by Elizabeth Bear
Rien is trapped in a medieval world, scrubbing floors and waiting on people in a palace, until the demon/angel arrives. Except she's not trapped in a medieval world.
I'm going to be reading the second book, Chill, as soon as the library can get it to me (and I get through my stack of 12 the rest of the way).
That should be indication enough. Very refreshing sci fi with a fantasy tone throughout, but stays true to the genre (more or less - less AI explanation makes it seem more like magic), and shows what happens to a seed ship gone wrong when a religious cult happens to be on board.
Great use of female and neuter characters in addition to the normal male ones, although the (highly unusual in s/f) negative gender stereotyping of men was very odd to me.
I'm going to be reading the second book, Chill, as soon as the library can get it to me (and I get through my stack of 12 the rest of the way).
That should be indication enough. Very refreshing sci fi with a fantasy tone throughout, but stays true to the genre (more or less - less AI explanation makes it seem more like magic), and shows what happens to a seed ship gone wrong when a religious cult happens to be on board.
Great use of female and neuter characters in addition to the normal male ones, although the (highly unusual in s/f) negative gender stereotyping of men was very odd to me.
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