Review 330: How High We Go in the Dark

How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This book surprised me. It’s almost a series of short stories, as every chapter begins with new characters, yet it is all the same world and time advances. It begins around 2030 with a father going to the artic where his daughter recently died, and an ancient girl was discovered. Unfortunately, the remains had a virus that ends up creating a pandemic.

Here is where I wondered if I should stop reading. Did I really want to read about a fictional pandemic while in the (hopefully) tail end of a real one? Well, the writing pulled me in, quickly connecting strongly with the characters.

Later as the years pass, decades, there may be a connection to previous characters, such as the father’s granddaughter is a main person in a later chapter. These recurrences and calls to previous chapters help knit the book together in an interesting way.

I will definitely look for and read what Sequoia Nagamatsu writes next. Maybe even read this one again.

Read June 27-28, 2022

Review 329: AI 2041

AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future by Kai-Fu Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Unfortunately, I had a hard time with the format of this book. It is part fiction and part non-fiction. The book addresses several different areas of artificial intelligence and how it will impact our lives in the future. While these may not happen exactly, there is the direction AI is going towards today. To help make these concepts more appealing there is a fictional story demonstrating a specific aspect of AI.

The format made for too much repetition for me, with one author proving the framework, then the fictional story, then a recap and further explanation. The stories were long and with the before and after it was too much redundancy for me reading this book straight through.

My library bought a copy of this book and I see the appeal for college students studying artificial intelligence. They could easily pick the chapters that interest them the most and read those sections.

One interesting final note, just in the last couple of weeks a Google engineer claims their chat bot has become sentient, is this the end goal of artificial intelligence?


Read April 01-07, 20, then June 08, 16 - 2022

Review 328: Outlandish

Outlandish: Walking Europe’s Unlikely Landscapes by Nick Hunt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A non-fiction travel book that takes place in the wilderness. Nick Hunt goes to four locations that are not what you may typically find in Europe. There is the Scottish artic, Poland’s jungle, Hungary’s steppe, and Spain’s desert. Hunt describes why these places are here, the environment but not in a highly scientific manner. We meet people along the way that help Nick or join him with his walks; as that is how he engages with these areas, he walks for hours and hours, days on end. Occasionally, he even ventures to where he shouldn’t or seems not very wise.

I enjoyed the book, the writing style, but was glad there were only four locations. The format for each location was similar, starting out jumping in the middle of this adventure, then backtracking to how he got there and the entire experience while in this unusual place. Happy to have gone along the ride with Nick Hunt.

Read:  June 16 to June 27, 2022

Review 327: Tree Thieves

Tree Thieves: Crime and Survival in North America's Woods by Lyndsie Bourgon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It should seem obvious that tree poaching, particularly protected ones is something that happens on a regular basis. Places that used to thrive with logging turned into tourism to survive or stall out, with no other viable industry in the area. This is what happened to Orick in Northern California after the Redwood parks were established. Here they often take the burls off the big trees or take cuttings off trees already felled. The poachers don’t understand that even these actions are harming the trees and forest, as burls are protection and even a logged redwood can regrow from the stump.

The book didn’t only focus on Orick and Redwoods, looking into illegal tree cutting further north in Canada, and elsewhere. As timber prices climb tree poaching increases.

Perhaps the book would have been stronger if remained focused on just the one location in Northern California, since the material gathered from the people who poach and those who go after them to stop was extensive.

I was quite engaged with this topic and information but found myself frustrated with how the book was organized. It was a little chaotic and not well formed out.

Hopefully this book will help bring more attention to this topic, as trees are extremely important resource in so many ways, and the more we leave standing, especially the older forests, the better the plant’s health will remain. It's shocking how little monetary value is placed on the trees illegally cut down. It's also sad that people who live in small towns that didn’t turn to tourism has to resort to illegal ways to survive.

Thanks to Little, Brown Spark and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Initial thoughts: Really connected with the material, but the organization was a bit chaotic at times.

Review 326: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Enjoyed this book!

This book made me miss playing video games! While gaming is a strong part of the story, at the heart of this book is relationships. There are three people, two guys and a gal. Sam meets Sadie while in the hospital, after not having talked for weeks after the car accident that killed his mother and shattered his ankle. They are kids who bond over playing video games. There’s a falling out and they reconnect in college, where the third main character enters as Sam’s roommate Marx. Eventually Sam and Sadie start making video games, and Marx becomes the everything else in supporting their coding and creations.

The novel isn’t told in direct linear fashion, and is mostly with Sam’s point of view, but not exclusively. While I enjoyed the book by the end, I was annoyed by both characters, and Marx a bit too, but not as much. Perhaps that made the characters seem more realistic, not being perfect.

This book is the first I’ve read by the author and won’t be the last.

Thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book.

Review 325: Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs

Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs by Beth Ann Fennelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a surprise this book turned out to be. Somehow, I got mistaken on what the book was; thought it was a compilation of authors with Fennelly as the editor. Instead, it is all Fennelly’s own life, her memoirs. And with each entry a continuation on her life, it grew to be something bigger than the micro moments written.

Some entries are just a sentence or two, while others are longer covering several pages. The entire book can easily be read in an hour or two. The fact there is humor radiating out of every essay is what makes this book something I will read again.

Review 324: The Past Is Red

The Past Is Red by Catherynne M. Valente
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After reading (listening) to this book I have since found this contains a short story and a novella.

The audiobook did not indicate this, and it should be announced so the reader/listener doesn’t have the confusion like I did.

The first part of this book we are introduced to our main character, mostly as a child, and where she lives in Garbage Town. We find out about how there is a community of several area on this huge pile of trash that’s floating about a world of water. There is a teasing and lead up to what she, Tetley, does that makes her shunned and alone by everyone.

Part Two now begins anew. It’s the same world but there’s retelling of what was just given before, but much more of the story as well.

As far as the overall story, I enjoyed Part two more than the first, it seemed like all the swearing was toned down, or less of it anyway, and the story arc was more appealing. There was quite a lot of things contained in these stories that was unbelievable, you really had to pretend this is plausible, which I generally don’t like in books. The world seems different, and yet not entirely new. It’s a mash-up of other science fiction that is out there. Yet despite all that I will say this story will stay with me for a while.

The best part of this story is the main character Tetley. She is one of the strongest characters out there.

Thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an audiobook review copy of this book.

First thoughts: a bit odd, Part 1 and Part 2 of the book seem like separate novellas.

more thoughts on this soon.