Books I read in 2019
This was originally posted on my own site.
I read 26 books in 2019. That’s not as many as I’d like, but it is an increase on 2018.
Once again, I tried to maintain a balance between fiction and non-fiction. It kinda worked.
Here, in order of reading, are the books I read in 2019. For calibration, anything with three stars or more means I enjoyed (and recommend) the book. I can be pretty stingy with my stars. That said…
Kindred by Octavia Butler
★★★★★
Kindred is a truly remarkable work. Technically it’s science fiction — time travel, specifically — but that’s really just the surface detail. This is a study of what makes us human, and an investigation into the uncomfortable reach of circumstance and culture. Superbly written and deeply empathic.
The Soul Of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder
★★☆☆☆
This is a well-regarded book amongst people whose opinion I value. It’s also a Pulitzer prize winner. Strange, then, that I found it so unengaging. The prose is certainly written with gusto, but it all seems so very superficial to me. No matter how you dress it up, it’s a chronicle of a bunch of guys — and oh, boy, are they guys — making a commercial computer. Testosterone and solder — not my cup of tea.
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor
★★★☆☆
A thoroughly entertaining space adventure, although my favourite parts are the descriptions of the inner magic of mathematics. This is a short read too, so go ahead and give it a whirl. Recommended.
The Order Of Time by Carlo Rovelli
★★★☆☆
The writing is entertaining, sometimes arresting, though it definitely spills over into purple prose at times. As a meditation on the nature of time, it’s a thought-provoking read, but I think I prefer the gentler musings of James Gleick’s Time Travel: A History.
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
★★☆☆☆
Another highly-regarded book that I just couldn’t get into. That’s probably more down to me than the book. I can see how the writing is imaginative and immersive, but the end result — for me, at least — was no more than perfectly fine.
Reading this kind of reminded me of reading David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas. They’re both perfectly fine books that were lavished with heaps of praise for their levels of imagination …which makes me think that people need to read more sci-fi and fantasy.
A Mind At Play: How Claude Shannon Invented The Information Age by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman
★★★★☆
A terrific biography! Admittedly you’ll probably want to be interested in information theory in the first place, but how could you not?
This book could probably have been a little shorter without losing too much, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It’s a great companion to James Gleick’s The Information.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
★★★☆☆
This is like the love child of Craig Mod and Umberto Eco …and I mean that in the nicest possible way. A thoroughly entertaining genre-crossing jaunt that isn’t going to stress you out. Fun!
Inferior: The True Power Of Women and the Science that Shows It by Angela Saini
★★★☆☆
Superbly researched and deftly crafted. This is an eye-opening journey into the cultural influences on experimental science.
Resilient Management by Lara Hogan
★★★★☆
I’m getting kind of cross with Lara now. First she writes the definitive book on web performance. Then she writes the definitive book on public speaking (I’ve loaned it out so many times, I’ve lost track of it). Now she’s gone and written the definitive book on being a manager. It hardly seems fair!
Seriously, this book is remarkably practical, right from the get-go. And the one complaint I have about most management books — that they’re longer than they need to be — definitely doesn’t apply here. If your job involves managing humans in any way, read this book!
The Future Home Of The Living God by Louise Erdrich
★★☆☆☆
There’s nothing wrong with this book, per se. But I think it’s situated too much in the shadow of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale to stand on its own merits.
Binti Home by Nnedi Okorafor
★★★☆☆
The second novella in the Binti series. Just as much fun as the first. I’m looking forward to reading the third and final book in the series.
Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness by Peter Godfrey-Smith
★★★☆☆
I really enjoyed this evolutionary tale. It’s equal parts biology and philosophy. I will never look at cephalopods quite the same way again.
Sourdough by Robin Sloan
★★★☆☆
Just as entertaining as Robin’s first book, this has a fun vibe to it.
By pure coincidence, I followed Sourdough with…
I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong
★★★★☆
There’s a lovely resonance in reading @RobinSloan’s Sourdough back to back with @EdYong209’s I Contain Multitudes. One’s fiction, one’s non-fiction, but they’re both microbepunk.
To which Robin responded:
OMG I’m so glad these books presented themselves to you together — I think it’s a great pairing, too. And certainly, some of Ed’s writing about microbes was in my head as I was writing the novel!
I Contain Multitudes is a thoroughly engaging and entertaining work. You might not think you want to read a book all about microbes, but trust me, you do.
I stand by this appraisal:
They’re both such wonderful books — apart from the obvious microbial connection, there’s a refreshingly uncynical joy infusing the writing of each of them!
Rosewater by Tade Thompson
★★★☆☆
An first-contact novel with a difference. The setting, the characters, the writing — everything is vivid and immersive. I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.
Skyfaring by Mark Vanhoenacker
★★★☆☆
The sheer joy of the writing is infectious. If you’ve got some long-haul flights ahead of you, this is the perfect reading material.
The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie
★★★★☆
This has stayed with me. This is Ann Leckie’s first foray into more of a fantasy realm, and it’s just as great as her superb science fiction.
Internal consistency is key to world-building in works of fantasy, and this book has a deeply satisfying and believable system that is only gradually and partially revealed. Encore!
The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr
★★★☆☆
This book has an unusual structure. At times, it’s like a masterclass in writing. At other times, it’s deeply personal. I don’t know quite how to classify it, but I like it!
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
★★★★☆
Brilliant, as expected. Some of the stories in here have stayed with me long after I finished reading them. If you haven’t already read this or Stories of Your Life and Others, you’re in for a real treat.
Is Exhalation quite as brilliant as Ted Chiang’s debut book of short stories? Maybe not. But that bar is so high as to be astronomical.
Now we just have to wait a few more decades for his third collection.
Motherfoclóir: Dispatches From A Not So Dead Language by Darach O’Séaghdha
★★★☆☆
I don’t know if this will be of any interest if you don’t already understand some Irish, but I found this to be good fun. There were times when an aside was repeated more than once, which made me wonder if the source material was originally scattered in other publications.
The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal
★★★☆☆
An alternative history novel with a thought-provoking premise. The result is like a cross between Mercury 13 and Seveneves. There’s a dollop of wish fulfillment in here that feels like a guilty pleasure, but that’s no bad thing.
1666: Plague, War, and Hellfire by Rebecca Rideal
★★★☆☆
This is how you bring history to life! The style of writing feels much more like a historical novel than a dry academic work, but all of the events are relayed from contempary source material. The plague is suitably grim and disgusting; the sea battles are appropriately thrilling and frightening; the fire is unrelentingly devestating. I know that doesn’t sound like there’s much enjoyment to be had, but this is the best history book I’ve read in a while.
Helliconia Summer by Brian Aldiss
★★★☆☆
I know I joke about seeing pace layers everywhere but seriously, Brian Aldiss’s Heliconia series is all about pace layers. Each book deals with one point in time, where we’re concerned with the dynastic concerns of years and decades, but the really important story is happening on the scale of centuries and millennia as the seasons slowly change.
This one was just as good as Helliconia Spring and I’m looking forward to rounding out the series with Helliconia Winter.
The Canopy Of Time by Brian Aldiss
★★☆☆☆
I decided to stay on a Brian Aldiss kick, and grabbed this pulpy collection of short stories. It’s not his best work, and there’s an unnecessary attempt to tie all the stories together into one narrative, but even a so-so Brian Aldiss book has got a weird and slightly haunting edge to it.
The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal
★★★☆☆
The sequel to The Calculating Stars and the last in the Lady Astronaut series. Good space-race entertainment.
Raven Stratagem by Yoon Ha Lee
I’ve just picked up this sequel to Ninefox Gambit. So far it’s not as bewildering as the first book — where the bewilderment was part of its charm. I’m into it. But I won’t rate it till I’ve finished it.
Alright, time to pick my favourite fiction and non-fiction books of the year.
Certainly the best fiction book published this year was Ted Chiang’s Exhalation. But when it comes to the best book I’ve read this year, it’s got to be Octavia Butler’s Kindred. Hard to believe it’s forty years old — it’s shockingly relevant today.
As for the best non-fiction …this is really hard this year. So many great books: A Mind At Play, Inferior, 1666, Other Minds; I loved them all. But I think I’m going to have to give it to Ed Yong’s I Contain Multitudes.
Only 10 of the 26 books I read this year were by women. I need to work on redressing the balance in 2020.
This was originally posted on my own site.
