Recent reading

[luzula]

Ten-hour train journeys + no computer = lots of reading.

Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit
Meant to give hope to people in social movements. Did it? Yes, I found it uplifting, although my own best cure for despair at the state of the world is practical action, and especially the social support that comes from doing things together with other people. Reading (especially stuff on the internet) can bog me down in my own thoughts and in hopelessness.

Homeward Bounders by Diana Wynne Jones
This is one I've never read before, and I liked it a lot! Pretty sure I chose it because of skygiants, though I can't remember the post? I suppose it has lingered in my mind like a subliminal message. Anyway, it has a pretty great premise and interesting characters that I got attached to, and on the whole made my train trip pass very nicely.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Thanks for the heads-up on the Solnit.

It's so true that direct action is much more calming/gratifying than any intellectual activity. I need to remind myself of that regularly.

[luzula]

I got it from Haymarket books; they were giving the ebook away for a couple of days after the election.

Just being outside in the wind and sunshine can do a lot for your peace of mind, too. Also exercise and other ways of using your body. But you know that, of course.

[malnpudl]

Hello! I just finished listening to the audiobook of Lab Girl by Hope Jahren (read by the author, which for once made it better, I think, than if read by a professional narrator). I loved it, and I thought of you often as I listened and thought that you'd probably appreciate it, too. Personal memoir of a woman scientist whose passion is botany. Good mixture of personal life stuff and science (at least in my opinion).

[luzula]

Thanks for the tip, I'll look it up! The "lab" in the title sounds like she's in the lab a lot, rather than in the field? Or maybe she just loves labradors. : )

[malnpudl]

A lot of lab and but also a fair bit of field (and occasional classroom). And she loves retrievers, but Chesapeakes, not Labs. *g*

[skygiants]

Homeward Bounders is ALWAYS a good choice & generally one of my favorites. :D Jamie and Helen and Joris, my favorite terrible children.

[luzula]

Ha, I thought I must have got the rec from you.

Also, DWJ was so prolific! I mean, I thought I read a lot of her stuff when I was younger (mostly the ones that were translated to Swedish), but there are still so many I didn't read then that I have left to read now. Which is a good thing.

[rachelmanija]

That's one of my three favorite Diana Wynne Jones books! Partly because of the ending. It's so heartbreaking and yet so perfect. And Helen's arm! And the sheer weirdness and intensity of atmosphere.

[luzula]

Sheer weirdness is a good description of a lot of DWJ books, I think. But in a good way! I mean, some other YA fantasy is so predictable in comparison. And yeah, the ending is good.

What are your other two favorites? I'm very fond of Dogsbody and Power of Three.

[rachelmanija]

Oh, those are great! My other very favorites are Witch Week and Fire and Hemlock.