Review 212: Project Hail Mary

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An enjoyable science fiction book that is very deep into science fact. The structure of the book is similar to some others, particularly Weir’s first book The Martian, where once one problem is solved another one crops up. 

This book finds Earth in peril due to something draining the sun’s energy, which once isolated is called astrophage. The substance is also a highly dense energy source that can propel a spaceship to speeds faster than we currently have available. A spaceship The Hail Mary has its mission to go to a nearby star to find out why it doesn’t have the same sun dimming problem, which hopefully will help solve the problem in our own solar system.

One of the best parts of the book was the new alien life. I don’t want to give much away, but I did enjoy that aspect of the book.

The frame of the book is told in current time and many flashbacks. At times it's awkward, or left me wondering why that particular passage was added in. Overall the book isn’t perfect by any means, but I enjoyed the book, and found myself thinking of it, such as what will happen next, when I wasn't reading. If this gets made into a movie like his first book, I’m sure it will do well.

Thanks to Ballantine Books/Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

PS: the cursing language was cut way, way down in this book. 

Previously Read Andy Weir books:

    

    The Martian (5 stars!)

           Read: January 30, 2015 – February 3, 2015

Review 211: Forget Me Not

Forget Me Not by Alexandra Oliva
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A near future book, that I enjoyed. At the center we have Linda who had a strange upbringing. She is known as Clone Girl to the public, born to replace her sister who died tragically as a teenager. Linda was made, probably manipulated, and implanted to her mother Lorelei, who was not fit to be a mother again. Linda’s life was one of abandonment, lacking love and completely confusing, as she was hidden away in the house compound, until she finally ran away and into the world.

During the book we see her trying to cope, but barely with the world. She tries to avoid people at all times, and is extremely vulnerable with feelings of being attacked when viewed and taunted by the public. A neighbor with a dog moves in and Linda is drawn to her, perhaps making a friend, who shows her the world of virtual reality games. A side story pops in are we living in a computer simulation. Is this story a computer simulation?

I enjoyed the book for the most part, wanted to give this book five stars but the book didn’t quite reach that far. There were moments, throughout the book, when the color of someone’s skin was mentioned and it was awkward and odd. Perhaps it was part of showing how Linda was isolated while growing up, but it felt out of place.

Around the mid-way or so the book ramped up the tension. I found it hard to put down. One weird aspect to the book is how it worked in the current pandemic into the narrative. It comes up a couple of times, which was a little weird reading while we’re still in it, dealing with it, and who knows how it will shape the future overall.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 210: Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World

Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World by Simon Winchester
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This latest book by Simon Winchester attempts to cover a broad subject, perhaps too broad, for human’s relationship with land. While there are many facts and tidbits gleaned in this book, it is not long enough to cover the world entirely. Huge parts of land are missing, notably South America, most islands, much of Asia and Europe. He focuses instead on points here and there, he narrows in and those parts I thoroughly enjoyed. One that struck me particularly is with the Netherlands, creating new land  and their building of new land in the 1980s, by taking it away from the North Sea away, creating a new province of Flevoland. 

I found the book was well organized, yet each section could have more breath. Also, once could argue there was no rhyme or reason to why certain points on the map were covered and other areas skipped. When confronted with native people’s being disposed of their land, and the attempts to recover it, well definitely Winchester could have written more, and perhaps with more compassion. He certainly seems to take affront at how much land is owned by so few in Britain, and rightly so. 

Don’t expect the book to be through, but there is much here that can have you asking, just how much land does one need?

Thanks to Harper and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

 I listened to the audio book which was narrated by the author. Narration was fine.

Review 209: Libertie

Libertie by Kaitlyn Greenidge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book is about mothers and daughters. It’s told from the point of view of Libertie, the daughter. Her mother was born free and so light skinned she passed for white, although she never tried to, and went to college to become a doctor. Soon the civil war is here, then gone and Libertie is now a teenager and asks her mother too many questions for her mother’s comfort.

The push and pull between parent and child is evident throughout the book, as well as freedom, liberty, and perhaps the pursuit of one’s own happiness. Liberties is being trained and educated to follow her mother’s path of being a doctor, but she doesn’t have the passion. Her real passion is to be close to her mother. 

There is so much more going on in this book. Certainly this could be one to garner more out of a second, or third reading. There are layers of meaning and imagery, and a focus on the gods of Africa and Christianity. Of the many themes within the book the one that was most direct and spoke to me was the mother-daughter relationship. The misunderstanding of each other, of the generational differences, and sadly, the feeling of not being what the other wants or needs. 

This would be a great book for a reading group or discussion.

Thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 208: Putney

Putney by Sofka Zinovieff
My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars

3.75 stars, I should round up, but...
wasn't sure about reading this, well I did. The beginning really was difficult reading with this man in his 30's going after a child, for years, although waiting until she is barely a teenager for anything serious. It's wrong, wrong, wrong.

But the writing was good. And...there is, through time, a reckoning, an understanding. This isn't Lolita, something more satisfying instead, somehow.

not an easy book.

I received a free copy of this book at a library conference. I was not required to write a review, but felt like it and, of course, the above opinions are my own.