FF: Beneath the Surface
Mei-Ling Likes This Book About Fancy String
Some of my favorite non-fiction takes you behind the scenes, beyond the basic assumptions we bring to topic. I’m certainly getting a solid dose of that this week!
For those of you new to this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week. Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines. The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list. If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look on my website under Neat Stuff.
Once again, this is not a book review column. It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in.
And I really enjoy hearing about what you’re reading!
Recently Completed:
Why Do Cats Sulk? by Arline Bleeker. A light-hearted look at our assumptions about cats. It’s strongest when the author is sticking to biology. Some of her later material gets distinctly wobbly. Nonetheless, a fun book.
“The Demons of Wall Street” by Laurence Raphael Brothers. Novella. Noir detective meets urban fantasy. Very strong world building and a plot that forces the main character to think a lot about her assumptions. Even the almost too good to be true romance couldn’t toss me out. Available in March.
Kumihimo: Basics and Beyond by Rebecca Ann Combs. I don’t usually mentioned craft books, but I wanted to give a nod to the author. Not only has she written a fine book, she promptly answered a question I sent her when she didn’t cover a hoped-for-point.
In Progress:
Guts by Mary Roach. Non-fiction look at the digestive system, starting with the sense of smell (because odor/aroma is closely tied to eating) and ambling on through areas almost tangential to the topic but nonetheless fascinating. There was an amusing section on why it’s so hard to get diners in the United States to eat organ meats. We’re currently on saliva.
The Age of Faith by Will Durant. Part Four of “The Story of Civilization.” Audiobook. I’ve finished Islam and put this aside for now while I let all the complex material soak in.
Also:
One of this week’s projects has been writing new cover blurbs for the three “Breaking the Wall” novels in anticipation of the new e-books that should come out sometime in February. I went to re-read the opening of Thirteen Orphans and found myself completely sucked in. A very odd, very satisfactory experience.
