What a week, what a week! I hope you’re all doing well and taking care of yourselves. There’s a lot going on in the world (and a few things, personally, too) that’s disheartening, so it’s important to take time for you. I’ve been retreating into my books whenever I can (and Rani movies when I’m too weary to read ;), and it’s been a big comfort. Adventure stories are always good for the kind of tired I am, and this week’s fare is all about thrilling deeds and brainy protagonists outwitting their adversaries. If you’re having a rough time, too, maybe one of these will be a good escape for you, as well!
A Desolation Called Peace (“Teixcalaan” #2) by Arkady Martine: I have mixed feelings about this. It has a lot of the things I loved about the first book, A Memory Called Empire – the reflections on colonialism and culture-clashes, the subtleties of how we define the self and the concept of “personhood” – plus some new things, like a really great grasp of characterization and the use of shifting POVs. But the conclusion and its message fell somewhat flat for me, unfortunately. That said, this series is still one of my favorite reads of 2021 and a brilliant example of how science fiction can serve as an intermediary for us to explore the workings of our own “real” world. If you don’t usually read scifi but want to dip your toe in, this is a great place to start.
The Thirty-Nine Steps (“Richard Hannay” #1) by John Buchan: I’ve always been a fan of the 1935 Alfred Hitchock adaptation, but this was my first time reading the novel, and it was a blast. The story is fast-paced, the prose is clean and evocative, and the hero is likable… if a little uncomfortably pro-imperialism. But for a book written in 1914, that’s surprisingly the only bit that hasn’t aged well, while the writing itself feels quite modern. It’s easy to see why this is sometimes called the first modern thriller. Anyone who enjoys a good old-fashioned spy adventure will have fun with this one.
City of Scoundrels (“Counterfeit Lady” #3) by Victoria Thompson: Watching Gideon’s criminal education progress is a source of eternal delight, and City of Scoundrels delivers all the thrills and hijinks I’ve come to expect from the series! I see a definite pattern forming, however, which is not necessarily a bad thing, except there are only so many times I want to see our whip-smart heroine be forced into the part of damsel in distress in the final act (my limit for that trope is generally… once). What can I say? Leverage has spoiled me for competency – and for not using the female characters as, well, damsels, however composed. Still, as a straightforward con-story (there’s an oxymoron for you!), it’s a very fun ride, and I hope we’ll see more of at least one of the new characters we met in this book. Reading about the 1918 influenza hit hard, of course, even knowing it was coming, but my inner WWI history buff was happily distracted by the parts of the story related to that. Thompson certainly managed to fit a lot of story and history into less than 350 pages, and I ate it right up. As always, I’m looking forward to the next book and hoping to see things shaken up a bit this time, with Elizabeth taking an active role once again!
–b
Book It With Becca 