Dead Presidents

Herbivorous Murder Weapons

Yeah, I'm a lazy blogger.  It's hard enough to just keep up on reading, much less put finger to Swypeboard to discuss it.  Frustration with the tools dunna help.

But anyway, I just finished a good riproaring thriller SF novella.  Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor.  It was brief, with a good pace yet satisfying, with layers enough for a novel compressed neatly: alien communication story, spooky mystery, cultural differences playing into and foiling expectations, etc.

Before that I was reading a Men on Men anthology from 2000, a surprisingly good collection of AIDS and city gay stories that reminded me what is often missing when others write about or using gay lives.  I picked it up for Alexander Chee's "Gold" but enjoyed almost every story just as much.

January and February I spent catching up on Louise Erdrich, The Round House and The Plague of Doves.  These conplemented each other, though different in focus and style. 

The Round House was devastating but so careful and true.  I have never read such a good explanation of state, federal and tribal nation jurisdiction, and I've read a lot of Indian Law tomes.

The Plague of Doves follows a variety of connected people through different eras, as her novels often do.  Some parts were more gripping than others, but I laughed out loud on the train and then was awed and horrified in turns.  The description of winter travel by foot and oxen will remain etched in my mind if I ever plan to complain about snow and cold.

I also did some reading about consumer culture, marketing to.kids, like Juliet Schor.  And finished most of Kevin Kruse's One Nation Under God.  These held few surprises but I learned enough interesting historical facts to justify the effort.

Next up is mystery/crime binge, with Val McDermid's Bywater novel Trick of the Dark and Quentin Bates Icelandic series starter Frozen Assets.  Then I will work on more of the books I bought or was given but have not read because library = shiny and due dates.

The highlight of many months was waiting hours in a long line of vegans, failgans, and fauxgans (like me) to get into the Herbivorous Butcher's new store.  Fire juggling, PETA lettuce ladies freezing their unclothed loins off, a large furry pink vegan pig, and the very joyous new owners with.lots of free samples made it all a good time despite frigid temps.  Plus Korean BBQ ribs to die for.

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