🪐🚀👨🏻‍🚀Aliens, Banned Books and Dragons!

 

Walking to Aldebaran is a standalone novella by Adrian Tchaikovsky about astronauts from Earth who get the privilege of being the first to examine an alien artifact in the Kuyper Belt. It appears to be an artificially created portal (wormhole) to other planets. But what is it really? And what is it capable of? This was a creepy, quick read.

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    Rogue Protocol, the third novella in The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells, finds Murderbot growing into his independence and trying to understand the complicated relationship between humans and robots. He makes friends with another robot similar to him, but not a SecUnit; rather, it is a friend and is befriended by their humans. This makes Murderbot so angry, and he doesn't know why. Wells packs a lot of character growth and exploration into 158 pages. 

Here is a link to the previous Murderbot books: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=Murderbot

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One of the best depictions of a middle-aged, menopausal woman who tries to do it all

    The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen is the second book to take place in Tanria, a former prison for the old gods and recently cleared of its infestation of drudges. Bannen's depiction of a middle-aged, menopausal woman who is trying to keep up with being a mom, employer, friend, grandmother, and widow leaves her feeling more like an object and less than a person. The book holds together because Twyla is someone we know, even though her day job is hunting bad guys and helping dragons. She gives lots of mom energy. 

Here is a link to the first book, The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=Mercy+and+Hart

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    The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman is a Newbery Award Winner, and my club is discussing it this month. I recall reading it when my children were in late elementary school and enjoying its rags-to-riches, prince-and-the-pauper over-the-top storyline. But it has been challenging to find. When I reread it, I think I understand why. Jemmy, the rat catcher's orphan son, becomes the crown prince's, Prince Brat, whipping boy. This is a historical truth. There were children designated to receive the punishment of the royals who misbehaved. There are several scenes of children being whipped. I suspect that has led to its decline. It will make for an interesting discussion!

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   I chose  Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller because it was on a list of books about books. It was a book about the power of books to educate and to change hearts and minds. George R. R. Martin says: A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. Some studies show people who read tend to be more empathetic: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3559433

    I wanted to like this book because I have found that books can be transformative in understanding others who hold convictions that differ from my own. I think this book aimed to do that, but in the end, what I experienced was that only those who read banned books would have the "right" set of beliefs. This made the characters on both sides of the moral divide two-dimensional and stereotypical

    Another theme could be: our secrets make us sick, and I agree there are complex topics like racism,  abuse, and fake news that need to be discussed, but I doubt anyone responds well to "only ignorant idiots would believe that." 

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📕📗📘📙📚📕Eight Books! New Record!

To be fair, four of the books are under 150 pages and could be read in two hours or so, but still, 8!

 

    John Scalzi is excellent at sci-fi, and I was absorbed by his premise in his Audible series. For some inexplicable reason, people who are murdered don't die, but reanimate somewhere they feel safe, with their body reset to where it was an hour or so before they died. From this strange phenomenon arises a profession called Dispatcher, who work at hospitals and other high-risk places. If something goes wrong in an operation and the patient is about to die, the Dispatcher murders them, enabling them to get a reset. It is a fascinating world where murder is off the table for bad guys. What's a crime boss to do? Our protagonist is a Dispatcher, and Scalzi takes the reader on a tour of the problem set and hidden benefits of this new "reality." If you are fortunate enough to have an Audible membership, they are free to you. They are short, each lasting less than four hours. Zachary Quinto (new Spock) does a bang-up job as narrator.

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    Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino was another interesting premise book. An alien civilization sends a scout to learn about Earth and report home. She is born as a baby and grows up learning of her mission. The book offers unique insights into people, relationships, and life as Adina Giorno matures, so does her understanding. A part of the book's tension revolves around whether she will be perceived as an alien or as mentally ill, and what her alien progenitor's plan for Earth entails. 

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    I am watching the Apple TV Series, The Murderbot Diaries, so I am rereading the books the series is based on. It is annoying when TV veers away from the "canon" of the book. I try to remember that it is challenging to create an accurate map of the world due to the need to flatten the sphere. Books are the sphere, and TV is the flattened map. With books, it is more difficult to convey the inner thoughts of the characters. It needs to be demonstrated. I like all forms, TV and books, so far. Martha Wells has created a prickly, likeable character who wants to be free. It's hard not to cheer for Murderbot.

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    Martha Grimes is one of my favorite mystery writers. I have been finding her books in libraries for 30 years, so now her main character, Richard Jury, feels like a long-time friend. All of her books are named for British pubs or bars. The Old Success is consisely written and there are many characters from previous books. It's probably best to start with the first, Man With A Load of Mischief, and work your way through. I have rarely guessed who the murderer was. A notable feature of her books is that they often feature precocious children and beloved pets. She is definitely an animal lover. 

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    The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, by Megan Bannen, was a light horror Romantasy. I found it clever and creative in its premise--Zombies, called Drudges, are real--and Hart fights them out on the wastelands of Tanria while Mercy fights to keep her family's undertaking business afloat. They are hostile toward each other due to a series of misunderstandings, but these two lonely people find each other writing letters to an unknown friend--A You've Got Mail situation. The setting gives an eighteenth-century Western vibe. It is a fun read.

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    I always get excited when I get to read a new Emily Henry romance, so when Great Big Beautiful Life landed in my inbox yesterday, I wondered how far I would get before today's post. I just finished it a few minutes ago, and it was delicious. Emily Henry's characters are funny and wounded at the start, then remain funny but become less wounded. She sparkles at dialogue, and I snort-laugh over a quip or retort without fail during every book. A romance book follows a formula, so at times the plot feels predictable, but Henry imbues her characters with life, which I am glad that the formula is followed. In Great Big Beautiful Life, topics discussed include celebrity life, family dynamics, the cost of love, and island life in North Carolina. 

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