#46-52

[oyceter]

46. Tyson, Neil de Grasse - Universe Down to Earth
    The book is like Tyson-the-lecturer distilled, although it cannot quite get across just how charismatic, funny, and, above all, clear he is. Sadly, I've clearly forgotten all my basics of physics, but the book has a brief refresher. Though Tyson's field is astronomy and the book has chapters specific to astronomy, other parts are just good background. (more)


47. Butler, Octavia E. - Clay's Ark
    It's the near-distant future, and society has deteriorated so that there are walled cities and gangs running amuck outside. Blake and his two daughters, Rane and Keira, end up being kidnapped, but not by the normal suspects. Instead, they've been kidnapped by a group of people infected with a strange organism from outer space. (more)


48. Winston, Sherri - The Kayla Chronicles
    This is a very small book, and I had to be in the right mood to feel up to Kayla's voice, which is snappy and slangy and very fun. I was a little irritated that the main plot is mostly "Oh, I can be feminist and wear heels too!" as I felt the nuances of social expectations and gender roles and etc. weren't fully explored, and that the book took the easy way out with Rosalie's hardcore, "you're not a feminist unless you're like me" line. (more)


49. Tyson, Neil de Grasse - Death by Black Hole and Other Cosmic Quandries
    This is a collection of essays Tyson wrote for Natural History, and it ranges from grumping at astronomical movie gaffes to light spectrum analysis to how exactly a black hole would kill you. (more)


50. Smith, Andrea - Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide
    I am not even covering half of what I found exciting about the book, but the core of it is how Smith reads what is normally read as racial or cultural violence as sexual violence. Just... *flails* READ THIS. (more)


51. Min, Anchee - Empress Orchid
    Overall, I think this could have been a fascinating reimagining of a powerful woman who worked her way up despite the system, as well as a sharp critique of that system, but instead, the emphasis on Orchid's love life and the decision to stay firmly in her first-person POV undermines the retelling. (more)


52. Sunee, Kim - Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home
    
    I always find it hard to critique memoirs when I find myself disliking the character of the author. Sunee writes very well, but it's a literary fiction first-person-POV present-tense style that I tend to dislike, and that coupled with existential angst really threw me off. Despite some angst about her unknown Korean heritage and her distant adoptive family, most of the book is actually about Sunee's successive unsuccessful love affairs and her search to find a family for herself. (more)

Whoo! I hit 50! And there are three books from this year by POC that I haven't written up yet!

Comments

[denim-queen.livejournal.com]

Clay's Ark was the only book by Butler that I just cannot get back into. For pretty much the reason that were mentioned in you post. Also, if I'm remembering everything correctly, the protag had a darker skin tone than her sister and had to deal with alot of ish because.

Of course I could be mis-remembering...

[oyceter]

No, you're remembering correctly! I vaguely recall thinking that I wanted more about the protag (ok, even more), but... wow. The book is very grim.