Some recent reads

 I am still reading. Don't worry, dear reader(s). Just been busy at work and home. (New windows!)

Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive, by William Gibson. The first one was chosen by my SIL for our family book club. I'd read it maybe 20-25 years ago. Loved it. Gibson of course was the inventor of the word cyberspace and boy could he ever create a world. I just had to read the following two of The Sprawl trilogy. The third one in particular is nicely done, wrapping up some questions I had after the second. (This is a lot of Gibson as I'd just finished Agency [The Peripheral #2] right before she picked Neuromancer.) 

McGraw-Hill Education Handbook of English Grammar & Usage, by Mark Lester & Larry Beason. Book for my copyediting class, first class of a 4-class certification. Very handy book, and much lighter than CMOS 17th edition! Don't have much more to say about this book. I used the third edition, which has a wonderful chapter near the back on eggcorns. If you have never heard this word, here are some examples: Your point is mute (vice moot). I watched her last night lip-singing (vice lip syncing). I gave my kids free reign (vice rein).

The Rosetta Stone, by Robert Sole. A Folio Society volume which I found in our local used bookstore for only $13. In perfect condition with the slipcase. Great history of the actual decipherment. My only complaint about this book is that in the entirety of this book there is not one picture of the Stone or is there a copy of the actual Greek, Hieratic, or hieroglyphs on the Rosetta Stone!

So there you go. At 15 books read for the year so far. Currently listening on Audible to Norman Mailer's The Naked and the Dead (25 hours) and reading Viktimoj by Julio Baghy, a novel about POWs in a Russian POW camp, some of whose only common language is Esperanto. (This is semi-autobiographical as the author was in this very situation.)

Tender is the Flesh, by Agustina Bazterrica (Sarah Moses tr.)

 Disturbing. 

Spoilers abajo:

The world has changed. We can no longer eat animals. There's a virus they carry that harms humans. Vegan revenge. But then scientists prove that plant protein isn't sufficient nutrition. Humans need meat. They need special meat.

Thus begins the raising of humans for food. They're called 'head' instead of man or woman. Male and female head. It's illegal to eat anything with a first and last name. Unless they volunteer. Strong males are put aside for the game parks, where hunters can chase them down, kill them, eat them, mount the heads in their trophy rooms. 

All terribly disgusting. 

The main character is gifted a female head by one of his business contacts. There are those in this terrible world who raise "domestic head" in their homes, so this is not unusual. The problem for Marcos is this particular head is gorgeous. His wife has left him after the death of their son, his father is in a home with dementia, things are not good for him. He decides to "enjoy" his gift. 

Eight months later the reader discovers Jasmine (he's named the head, another no-no) is pregnant. Then begins a dangerous time when Marcos could be discovered to have had intercourse with cattle (punishable by death in the slaughterhouse). His father dies, a truck carrying a shipment of head is ambushed by Scavengers who kill the driver, an inspector comes by to certify that he still has the female head. He manages to get through all this without getting caught, but when Jasmine starts to give birth, he has to call in help. And who does he know with medical training? His wife of course.

She's disgusted with what her husband did, until she sees the baby boy. Then words like "mine" and "ours" come from her lips. Marcos then grabs a club and knocks Jasmine out. He drags her to the barn to slaughter her, as is his right in this new, terrible world. 

Spoilers termine.

Gross book. The chapters going through the process were particularly hard to get through. Thank goodness the book was short. This is book #2 of the 10 translated books I want to read this year, this one from the Spanish.

February 2023

 Low month again. Books read:

• The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V.E. Schwab. Awesomely fun read and unique.
• No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington, by Condoleezza Rice. Listened on Audible, 29+ hours! But read by Dr. Rice! Loved it.
• Вселенная Удачников, Роман Злотников / A Universe of Losers, by Roman Zlotnikov. Have had this since my first year in Moscow and even started it years ago. Read and listened to this. Fun story. Didn't help my DLPT, though.
• Agency, by William Gibson. #2 after The Peripheral. Great book. Watched the series as I was finishing Agency and I can highly recommend it. But read The Peripheral first.
• Neuromancer, by Gibson. My SIL's choice for our family reading group. She had no idea I was reading another Gibson. This is a sign, thus I'm reading the follow-on to this one (Count Zero) right now.

Books bought:

• The Lord of the Rings, deluxe illustrated edition. Bought for my wife's birthday. Illustrations by Alan Lee.
• The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. Will need for a future copyediting class. Handy to have around.
• The Man Who Walked Like a Bear and The Dog Who Bit a Policeman, by Stuart Kaminsky. Porfiry Rostnikov #6 and #12. Kindle deals for two bucks each.
• Lone Women, by Victor LaValle. Pre-ordered. Love this author.
• A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers. Wayfarers #2. Loved the first one. Two dollar Kindle deal.
• The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain. No idea why I bought this. Thought it was for my wife, but now I'm not too sure. 

I haven't written many reviews lately, and that's ok. Just got back from a two-week trip to Namibia. What a beautiful country! Heard one of the famous "click languages": Nama, or Damara or Khoekhoe (pronounced /kway-kway/). Five different clicks. One very nice lady tried to teach the clicks to me. I think I got one or two of them correct. The rest, not so much.