Classic Fiction: Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

It felt fitting to finish the year with Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler. On September 3, 2020, the novel appeared on the New York Times bestseller list, 27 years after its original publication. No doubt the dystopian landscape, as well as the themes of extreme wealth inequality, climate change, and the general breakdown of society have helped renew some interest. It also does not hurt that the graphic novel adaptation was published earlier this year, and was done by the same team that adapted Butler's Kindred in 2017.

The Situation: It is 2024 on the West Coast of the U.S, and Lauren Olamina is the only daughter of a Baptist minister. Her father is a leader in the community, a man that is looked up to as an advisor and a protector. Society has crumbled to the point that neighborhoods can only exist if there are walls protecting them, and leaving those walls is only done in an emergency, or if there is paying work involved. Water is scarce and expensive. Corporations are starting to buy entire cities and have them run by what essentially amounts to slave labor. Guns are a necessity, and it is almost a promise that you or someone close to you will be robbed, attacked, or worse. Violence may be a daily reality and not that much of a surprise when it happens, but for Lauren, her hyperempathy causes her to 'share' the pain with the victim...as long as they are still alive. A violent action made out of self-defense can cripple her, and if someone else finds out, they can use it against her.

The Problem: In a coordinated attack, Lauren loses her home and her family in one night. With her neighborhood nearly burned to the ground, she walks away with only her emergency pack and the little money and helpful items she could find in the wreckage. It is not safe outside of the walls, but now that there is nothing left inside of them, she has no choice but to head north. State lines may now function more like international borders, but Lauren is determined, as are the people she meets and collects along the way. Some of them she knew from before, but others are strangers who were simply headed in the same direction. As they travel, she continues to add to her journal of beliefs, what she calls Earthseed. The core idea behind Earthseed is that God is change, and having rejected her father's beliefs long ago, Lauren holds onto her own, and heads into what she believes is her new destiny.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a science fiction novel that begins when Lauren is 15 in the not at all distant year of 2024, and ends in the fall of 2027, after she has turned 18. In those three years, her life as she knew it is gone, and she finds herself within a motley crew of other weary travelers as they all head north, away from the wreckage that has become California, though the rest of the country is not in any better shape. Even after a new president is elected, and a corporation takes over a small city with the promise of providing jobs and housing, people see right through the empty promises and greed that are meant to enslave them to a system of debt and hopelessness. Naturally, readers will compare what Butler has written with what we see in our world today, and the setting of the year 2024 gives an eerie feeling to the overall story.

My Verdict: Out of the three books I have read by Butler, this may be my favorite. I liked Kindred well-enough, but it was rough reading through it. I have complicated feelings about Fledgling, but I have complicated feelings towards most stories about vampires - I have said it before that I am Team Van Helsing and will probably always be. And although this one was no picnic, I enjoyed reading about the harsh future that Butler has created, and the characters that often must do the unthinkable in order to survive. Possibly the only thing about the story that I did not care for was the idea of Lauren creating her own religion, if only because it reminded me of how cults are often started. But the rest of the story is both fascinating and terrifying. Even though the characters must constantly be on their guard, and are often attacked and hurt, Butler presents it in a way that keeps the reader engaged instead of pushing them away.  

Favorite Moment: There are not many happy or bright parts of the book, but there is a moment when it rains for a few days and the community is able to collect the 'free' water. 

Favorite Character: Bankole is an older man that ends up joining the group as they head north. He is helpful, resourceful, smart, protective, and also generous.

Recommended Reading: I do recommend Kindred, even though I had a hard time getting through it. Readers of science fiction will certainly appreciate its time traveling elements. 

Nonfiction: Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami by David Karashima

It was only after I had finished graduate school that I began to discover the writing of Haruki Murakami. It all started with The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and ten other books later, I have finally gotten around to reading Norwegian Wood (and currently have Sputnik Sweetheart sitting on my 'to-read' shelf). When I saw the title of today's book, Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami by David Karashima, I was naturally curious. Murakami's rise to fame in the U.S. market is an interesting thing, much like his writing, and Karashima's book adds context and also answers many questions.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a nonfiction book that focuses mostly on Murakami's early work (Pinball, 1973; Hear the Wind Sing; A Wild Sheep Chase; Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World; The Elephant Vanishes; Dance Dance Dance; and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle), and the translators that helped bring them to an English-reading audience. Through research, interviews, and a few personal accounts, Karashima discusses Murakami's transition from having being beloved in his home-country of Japan and having a modest (though loyal) cult following in the U.S., to now being a literary superstar who is read around the world. While Karashima captures this history, he also manages to capture the personalities of the editors, translators, publishers, and even the author himself. With each section given a title that corresponds to the book(s) it is discussing, readers can follow along in the history of Murakami's work and rise to international fame.

My Verdict: As I looked at the chapter titles, I was immediately disappointed that this book was only going to go as far as The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which was published in English in the U.S. in 1997. Murakami has published many books since, and while I suppose having an equally thorough account of all of them would have made this book incredibly long, I was still hungry for the information. With that said, that is pretty much my only substantial issue with this book. It is interesting hearing from the translators and editors who tackled Murakami's work in an attempt to bring him over to an English-reading audience. Translation seems like hard, arduous work, so getting even a peak at the process is enlightening. And being able to hear from Murakami himself added to my own perception of him as an unassuming, somewhat shy, humble, yet ambitious writer. Anyone who is at all curious about this author's appeal and transition to the global market will hold the information Karashima presented as invaluable.

Favorite Moment: Although it is not one of my favorites, I appreciated learning about the process of translating and publishing the English version of Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. Something about how they reconciled the two stories within the one book was incredibly interesting. 

Recommended Reading: I recommend The Age of Disenchantments by Aaron Shulman, a thorough exploration of the Paneros, one of Spain's most well-known literary families.

Young Adult Fiction: The Cousins by Karen M. McManus

Karen M. McManus cannot stop churning out YA thrillers, which is great news for her readers. Her previous book, One of Us Is Next (the sequel to 2017's One of Us Is Lying) was published earlier this year. Now, in the closing weeks of 2020, we get The Cousins, another thriller that follows the troubling legacy of the Story family and a summer that brings both questions and answers.

The Situation: Aubrey and Jonah Story, and Milly Story-Takahashi are cousins, but they barely know each other. Their parents are not exactly close, but it looks like the three cousins will finally get acquainted over the summer, as they have all been invited to work at their grandmother's resort island. The parents insist that the offer must be accepted, as over 20 years ago, Mildred Story disinherited all four of her kids with a one-line letter: "You know what you did." Once the children arrive, however, it is clear that Grandma Mildred did not invite them, and does not want them there. Even so, the cousins are resolved to stay, each taking up a small job on the resort, if only as an opportunity to find out what they can about their reclusive grandmother, each other, and what may have happened so long ago, that it has caused such a huge rift that has lasted over two decades.

The Problem: Being a Story on a 12-mile island is both easy and difficult. It is clear that the cousins are not held to the same standard as the other employees, which makes their jobs easy, but they are recognized immediately when they make it onto the island. It becomes incredibly difficult for them to uncover any secrets, especially when each of the cousins has a few of their own. Milly stays determined and uses her quick wit and pretty face to her advantage; Aubrey does her best to stay focused and not crumple under the pressure she is receiving from her father at home and her grandmother's associates on the island; and Jonah is simply trying his best to lay low and stay focused. The problematic Story family history has already cost him his summer, as well a few other things. Once the answers do start coming in, little is actually solved, and the Story cousins realize they may be in over their head, especially when the word "murder" starts to show up.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult thriller set during a summer on the fictional Gull Cove Island. The three Story cousins, Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah, will be spending the summer there, seemingly to work at their estranged grandmother's resort. The actual plan, of course, is for them to get back into their grandmother's good graces, and also the family fortune from which she cut off their parents. Greed is certainly at play here, but the longer the story goes on, the clearer it becomes that there is also pride, vanity, revenge, and the search for acceptance. Grandma Mildred's four children, Adam, Anders, Allison, and Archer, all want to be back in contact with their mother, but they all have different motives, and some may not be as ignorant as they act as to what happened 24 years ago. Even the cousins each have their own reasons for agreeing to spend a summer with a grandmother they have never met. Everything in this book is a mystery, and the layers are peeled off slowly as the cousins take turns telling the story.

My Verdict: This is a story. And I mean a really good one. The mystery and overall plot are both so well thought-out and well-written that it is difficult to find any flaws or holes. The characters are also well-rounded and easy to get to know. With three cousins that are different from each other, and also each trying to tell their own story, it is almost expected that at least one of them would not be as interesting or engaging as the others. But that does not happen here. Sure, readers may find one more likeable than the others, but I feel they were all three given equal attention and their own special role in the plot, which is naturally full of twists and turns. What is nice about those twists is that they are not overdone, and they come just often enough. Oh, and the ending. The more I read, the more I realize how hard it must be to write an ending that does not seem rushed, or that does not seem to have any unintentional loose ends, but somehow, even with a plot this complex, McManus nails it.

Favorite Moment: There are plenty of reveals throughout this book, but the first major one (you will know it what it happens) is my favorite. The clues are all there for the reader to figure it out, but it is still a satisfying surprise when it comes to light.

Favorite Character: Aubrey grew on me immensely throughout the book. As she becomes more confident in who she is and her own abilities, she takes more control over her own life and is essential in solving the mystery.

Recommended Reading: I suggest that readers start with McManus' first book if they have not already. One of Us Is Lying is where it all started, and I think readers will enjoy it if they enjoyed this one. 

Winners of the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards

Today is the day! The votes have been tallied, and it is time to find out which books came out on top in what has been a crazy year. Which books of 2020 have been voted as the favorites for the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards? And also, how many of those had their own moment on this blog?

And immediately, we have Fredrik Backman's Anxious People barely, and I mean barely, losing out to Matt Haig's The Midnight Library for Best Fiction...by five votes. Wow.

However, the race for Best Historical Fiction was not close at all, as Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half takes that win easily. And the same can be said for Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia as it wins handily for Best Horror. 

I could not be more pleased that Caste by Isabel Wilkerson has won for Best History & Biography as I cannot stop recommending this book to people. Information overload? Sure. Upsetting? Absolutely. But it is worth it. 

And as if I did not already have more than enough reason to be pleased about this year's results, I see that Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo, possibly my favorite YA book of the year, has won for Best Young Adult Fiction. This is always a tough category, and I think it has been a few years since a favorite of mine has won. I would have loved if another DSN had won for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction, but it was not meant to be as the winner is The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black, narrowly defeating The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. 

So there they are! Four of the winners in the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards were featured on this blog at one point throughout the year. As always, this now means the process of finding a potential 2021 winner has begun, and I am so excited.

Science Fiction: Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

To say that people were excited about the publication of Ernest Cline's Ready Player Two would be an understatement. Its predecessor, Ready Player One, has already began to be viewed as a modern classic, and it took readers on an incredible adventure through the author's imagined future, while also having fun with our real past. Sequels can be a mixed bag, often with potential to be great, but many have been disappointing at best, or upsetting at worst.

The Situation: It has been a few years since Wade Watts has won the contest that was put together by OASIS founder James Halliday. That day changed his entire life completely, giving him more fame, notoriety, and of course, money, than he ever dreamed he could have...certainly more than he will ever know what to do with. He was able to bring his closest friends along, Aech, Shoto, and Art3mis, and together, all four of them now own and control the OASIS together. Even so, Wade has found himself to be lonely, and even worse, unhappy. Even he admits that some of the decisions he has made, that the company has made, have not been the best, and a fair amount of OASIS users have not been afraid to let him know it. And worse, these decisions have affected his relationship with Art3mis, or Samantha, specifically the decision to create and release the new ONI headset. While Samantha is off helping to make the world a better place, Wade is often by himself, attempting to solve the latest puzzle that was set up by the late James Halliday, one that only Wade can win.

The Problem: This latest game is proving to be just as difficult as the first one, filled with cryptic clues and riddles that Wade will not be able to solve alone, though only he will be allowed to claim the prize. Unfortunately, he no longer has close connections, as he even feels somewhat separated from his partners Aech and Shoto. But when the first of seven pieces of the puzzle is found, the full magnitude of what James Halliday accomplished is revealed, and it is not good. Now Wade and the other OASIS partners must race against the clock, as a malevolent and seemingly all-powerful artificial intelligence vows to claim a large amount of human lives if Wade cannot deliver the prize before the clock runs out. It seems James Halliday's obsession with his best friend's wife, Kira, was more sinister than anyone had previously believed, except maybe her husband, Ogden Morrow. The team will now need to work together to save humanity, and each other, all while once again moving through pop culture references from the 80's and 90's. 

Genre, Themes, History: This is a science fiction novel set in the 2040s. Earth is still sustaining human life, but it is clear it will not be able to for too much longer. Thanks to winning James Halliday's contest, Wade is the most powerful OASIS user out there, and is responsible for making most of the decisions regarding what it can do and how it is used. Certainly one of the biggest decisions that was made was the release of the ONI headset. Now, instead of OASIS users simply logging into a virtual world, with the help of the ONI, they can actually experience it. Users can now feel the wind blowing on their skin when they are moving around. Also, they can share experiences with other users, seemingly enter the bodies of others to get a complete idea of what it is like to go surfing, skydiving, eat Indian food, take drugs, play guitar, you name it. Of course, there are obvious problems with this, and nearly every single one of them comes up in some way. But, as expected, Cline introduces these issues against a backdrop of classic pop culture moments, pulling from movies, TV shows, and music of the 80s and 90s, and even a few from the 2000s. 

My Verdict: Much like the first book, this is an adventure, but it takes a good amount of time to get started. I get it, there is some explaining that needs to happen in order to bring the reader up to speed with where Wade is now and what has happened since he won the contest in the first book. And once the adventure gets going, readers are treated to a thorough exploration through John Hughes movies, Middle Earth, and even the music and legacy of Prince. But something is off with this book, and I think for me it is mostly in the conclusion. To avoid spoilers I will need to be vague, but it felt to me like the issues that were brought up in the beginning of the book are ultimately ignored for an ending that is both problematic and unsatisfying. The adventure is fun and tense, though many of the references feel forced, and where it all ends up feels haphazard, rushed, and a little too tidy.

Favorite Moment: Any time Aech took the time to criticize or look a little closer at a pop culture phenomenon from the past and evaluate its lack of diverse representation. Both she and Wade have to come to an understanding that we can still appreciate these things, but we must also acknowledge their problems and not feel the need to defend them against scrutiny.

Favorite Character: For the first book, I had picked Ogden Morrow, James Halliday's former partner and best friend. Unfortunately, he does not play as big a part in this book, so I will instead pick Aech, both for her knowledge of Prince, and for her refusal to let Wade get away with anything.  

Recommended Reading: Just as with the first book, I will recommend The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, which is also full of pop and geek culture references (even more so in fact). 

Classic Fiction: Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

My experience with the work of Kurt Vonnegut is incredibly limited. Cat's Cradle is only the second novel of his that I have read, with Slaughterhouse-Five being the first. He is one of those authors of which I have a generally favorable opinion, mostly due to the praise he receives from other readers. After reading the synopsis, I looked forward to a story full of satire and wit.

The Situation: A mostly unnamed narrator (who insists on being called Jonah in the first line, though his real name seems to be John, and then neither name is ever mentioned again for the rest of the book) is in the process of writing a book, The Day the World Ended. He is searching for any information pertaining to the late Felix Hoenikker, a co-creator of the atomic bomb, as well as a catastrophic substance known as ice-nine. The narrator seeks out Hoenikker's children, coworkers, acquaintances...anyone he can find that will give him more information on this fascinating figure. He eventually manages to find Newt Hoenikker, a dwarf and the youngest of the Hoenikker children, who only recalls his father playing the cat's cradle string game the day the first atomic bomb was dropped.

The Problem: After a magazine assignment sends the narrator to the island of San Lorenzo, he once again comes into contact with Newt, as well as the other two Hoenikker children, Angela and Frank. It is on the island that the narrator will be introduced to Bokononism, a made up religion that the people of the island practice, even though it is outlawed, and practicing it is punishable by death. The narrator also meets Mona, a woman he immediately begins to lust after, and her father and current president of San Lorenzo, "Papa" Monzano. The following days will be filled with the history and troubles of the island, the teachings of Bokononism, and a series of events that will lead the narrator to be the new president of San Lorenzo, and the world's oceans to be frozen solid.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a fiction novel set partly in the US, and later in the fictional Caribbean island of San Lorenzo. In true Vonnegut style, the novel is satirical in nature, and filled with the kind of humor that may make you smirk or outright laugh, but you kind of feel bad about it. From the beginning, two major themes are religion, and the science of the Cold War era, specifically the research that led to the creation of the atomic bomb. By the time the events of this novel take place, Felix Hoenikker has been dead for some time, but those that remember him recall how aloof he was, as well as his general lack of interest in the effect his research would have on the world. Another of his inventions, known as ice-nine, ends up falling into the hands of various world powers, a situation somewhat reminiscent of the nuclear arms race. As for religion, Bokononism, which the narrator later adopts, was invented to make life on San Lorenzo more bearable for its inhabitants, as the island is incredibly poor.  

My Verdict: I feel like I should enjoy Vonnegut more than I do. I thoroughly enjoy the absurdist humor of books like Catch-22, and authors like Flannery O'Connor. However, I do not know if it is the general pace of the novel (it contains 127 chapters, but is less than 300 pages long and is an incredibly fast read), or the actual plot, or maybe even the ridiculous characters, but I had a hard time staying interested. The premise is fascinating enough, and it is not slow or boring...and yet, I was bored and wanted it to move faster. It makes little sense, if any. Still, I will recommend it, if only because it is short and an interesting commentary on religion (or at least man's relationship with it), as well as the relationship between inventors and their responsibility for what they invent.

Favorite Moment: When the narrator realizes just how quickly he takes to the power he was hesitant to accept.

Favorite Character: They all have their quirks, and they are all tiresome in one way or another. Newt may be the most tolerable if only because he seems to be the most innocent.

Recommended Reading: I recommend Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, though it is much longer, and for most, much harder to finish. 

Contemporary Fiction: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

It may be that I missed the boat on 2014's A Man Called Ove, as well as Fredrik Backman's many novels in between that one and today's Anxious People. Even so, I figure his latest work is as good a place to start as any for my first experience with his storytelling. At worst, it will lead me to buy all of his other books and potentially binge-read them over Christmas break. There are certainly worse ways to spend the holidays.

The Situation: This is a story about a bank robbery that never quite happened, and the hostage drama that took place afterwards. First there is the bank robber, who is, like many bank robbers, incredibly desperate and in a place where one bad decision easily leads to even worse one. Then there is Roger and Anna-Lena, an older, retired married couple who spends their time buying fixer-upper apartments, renovating them, and then reselling. Ro and Julia are expecting parents looking to find a home for their growing family. And Zara has spent her life making money instead learning how to be a decent, compassionate human being. It is during the apartment viewing put on by a real-estate agent for the House Tricks Estate Agency that the bank robber comes upon this random assortment of people. It will be some time before any of them, the bank robber included, realize that there is another person there who is currently locked inside of the bathroom. And then there is 87 year-old Estelle, who is still waiting on her husband who is outside parking the car.

The Problem: All of these people are idiots. And also the worst hostages ever. Granted, the bank robber is also the worst bank robber ever. The bank was never even robbed, and now it has unwittingly turned into a hostage situation. And despite the presence of a pistol, Roger is still focused on scaring off the potential competition so that he and Anna-Lena get the apartment; Julia manages to nag Ro about the smallest things; Estelle does not seem the slightest bit concerned about being held against her will at gun point; and Zara spends most of her time on the balcony, blasting music through her headphones. As a father-son team of police offices do their best to get everyone out safely, while also not having officials from Stockholm take over the entire operation, everyone gets to tell their story, revealing that no one is really all they seem to be, including the bank robber.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a fiction novel set in present-day Sweden. With several inter-connecting storylines, the focus shifts across many characters, and the story moves back and forth through time, showing how everyone got to this one strange moment. It is not as simple as someone waking up one day and deciding that they are going to rob a bank and take hostages. There is a string of events and circumstances that lead someone to believe that there is no way out...that robbing a bank is the only option left. Same for the one who decides to jump off of a bridge; the one who decides to take a bunch of pills; the one who decides to become a police officer; even the one who decides to lie about the husband that has been dead for quite some time. At first glance, these characters are terrible people, easily dismissed as people who should be left to their own miseries. But there is more to it than that (or perhaps less, depending on how you wish to look at it). Being human is hard, and these people are struggling.

My Verdict: This book is stressful. The title should have been an adequate enough warning for that, but somehow I still was not prepared. And by the end of it, I was exhausted and I could feel my brain breathe a sigh of relief that it was finally over. But even though the book is both stressful and exhausting, it does not mean it is bad. In fact, it is funny, insightful, and a great adventure that feels like you are on a boat tour you were excited about, but with a bunch of annoying people, and the tour guide has just announced that the boat's engine has failed and it will be awhile before help arrives. You want to finish the tour, but you also really need to get away from the other passengers. The people are tiresome, but they are still people, and they are doing the best they can, just like everyone else. It is a humorous peak at humanity, and an exploration of the idea that we must keep trying, even if we suspect it will all fall apart in the end.  

Favorite Moment: This book is full of reveals, and it would be impossible to talk about my favorite one without spoiling a major plot point. Suffice it to say that nothing, absolutely nothing, is at it seems.

Favorite Character: Estelle is the sweet older woman who has no reason to trust a stranger, but would offer you a ride if she saw you out walking in bad weather. She is almost too old to be concerned with that kind of stuff anymore.

Recommended Reading: The beginning of this book reminded me a great deal of Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. I know that book has frustrated many, but I mention it because I want readers to be adequately prepared for the frustration the beginning of Anxious People may bring them.