I have been a fan of Ursula LeGuin's since the 70s, when I read The Left Hand of Darkness and the Lathe of Heaven and my mind was blown by her amazing social science fiction. I met Ursula years later at the Seattle Book Festival down at the Pier (back when they had those...how I miss them!) and she was so witty and brilliant, I was again blown away by her words, though this time they were spoken words. She was an outspoken feminist and was making the point that men won 80 percent of the book awards and got 90 percent of the coverage in newspapers and magazines (including and especially the infamous NY Times Book Review) when women wrote more than 50 percent of the books, but were relegated to the pink ghetto of "women's lit" or "chick lit" as it was known then. So while women writers sold more books than men, they got no respect or recognition for their work. She made it clear that this needed to be rectified, and I think in the next 20-some years, things have changed for the better in terms of awards and recognition for women writers. I would bet that was in part due to women like LeGuin getting the word out about gender inequality.
Review: No Time to
Spare: Thinking About What Matters
Best known for her
speculative fiction, most notably the Earthsea saga,
Ursula K. Le Guin
is prolific in multiple genres, and unapologetic about
it. At 81, she
decided to try her hand at blogging, though she loathed
the term ("it
sounds like a sodden tree trunk in a bog"). Seven years
later, she's still
posting brief, witty, often acerbic essays on her
vagaries of old
age, the proliferation of profanity in books, the joys
of receiving fan
letters from children and the antics of Pard, her
beetle-obsessed
cat. No Time to Spare presents the best of Le Guin's
blog: sharp-eyed,
big-hearted, idiosyncratic and highly enjoyable.
Both Le Guin's eye
for detail and her dry wit are on full display here.
On the craft of
writing, she says, "Words are my matter--my stuff. Words
are my skein of
yarn, my lump of wet clay, my block of uncarved wood."
Her small
Christmas tree, she writes, held "darkness in it, a forest
darkness, in the
green arms held out so calmly, steadily, without
effort." Her
essays on literature, politics and aging are interspersed
with "The
Annals of Pard," a chronicle of "being chosen" by a small
rescue cat.
"We call him the good cat with bad paws," she says, noting
dryly, "There
used to be a lot of small delicate things on shelves
around the house.
There aren't now."
Ruminating on the
idea of The Great American Novel (TGAN), Le Guin grows
positively
exasperated: "I've never heard a woman writer say the phrase
'the great
American novel' without a sort of snort." She calls out the
skewed, gendered
and arbitrary nature of such "declarations of literary
greatness,"
and ends with a bit of tart wisdom: "Art is not a horse
race. Literature
is not the Olympics. To hell with The Great American
Novel."
Le Guin's sharp
eye softens when she speaks about children, rejoicing in
the handmade
booklets and letters they send her, complete with creative
spelling. She
writes, too, about the Oregon Food Bank, calling it "the
cathedral of
hunger," and reminds readers of the need for "compassion,
or community, or
caritas." And even when faced with a strange
experience, such
as encountering a rattler on a Napa Valley ranch, she
draws meaning from
it: "A teaching, a blessing, may come in strange
ways, ways we do
not expect, or control, or welcome, or understand. We
are left to think
it over." Readers will find much to think about in
this wise and
eloquent collection. --Katie Noah Gibson
When I worked at the Mercer Island Reporter (from 1997-2005) I used to walk through the office parking lot to the back door of Island Books and there I'd be in heaven, browsing bookshelves, borrowing the ARCs that Roger Page had stored in the back room, and chatting with the staff about authors and books and everything inbetween. I used to write articles about authors visiting the store, or about Roger Page's chickens (he was ahead of the curve with the urban chicken farming fad), or about the store needing more customers to keep afloat. I would bet that I wrote at least one article about Island Books per month, and Roger was always grateful and happy to help me with article ideas for the lifestyle section of the newspaper. When I left the paper, Roger and Nancy chipped in to get me a huge gift certificate, mainly so, they said, they'd see me again on the Island, and be able to chat with me, as usual. Roger used to let my son, when he was just a toddler, roam around in the children's section and play in the playhouse, as well as Nick sitting with Mercer Islands little ones for storytime (though we didn't live on the Island). Island Books was like home to me, and Roger always gave me the staff discount, even after my gift certificate had run out. Now that Roger and Nancy Page are retired, and they've sold the bookstore to Laurie, I've not had the heart to visit the place again, because I know it has changed, and I will miss all my old friends. Yet I was gratified to hear that this much-beloved iconic bookstore won the Best of Western Washington award just recently. It's well deserved and long over due. Kudos to everyone involved!
Island Books 'Best
Bookstore' of Western Washington
Wash., was
selected "Best Bookstore
by voters in King
5/Evening Magazine's "Best of Western Washington"
contest.
Island Books owner
Laurie Raisys and her staff said the contest is "a
time honored
tradition around these parts. It's a chance for local
businesses to be
chosen as 'the best' in their category by popular
vote....
"It's true,
we campaigned. We asked you to vote for us on our website
and social media
pages. And we worked--hard--this year, as we have every
year, to be the
best small town bookstore we could possibly be. We
ordered, we
shelved, we stacked, we carried out trash and recycle, we
listened, we
suggested, we fought with each other, we hugged each other,
we wrote blogs and
newsletters, we set up events, we wrapped gifts, we
rearranged store
sections, we read our books, we swiped credit cards and
made change, we
stayed late for meetings, we researched, we made
displays, we went
to conferences, we gave prizes, and day after day we
loved the store
and we loved you, our customers and community.
"Oh, and
since we aren't ones to pass up a chance for a celebration,
there will be one
coming soon. Stay tuned for details. Thank you for
making this a
banner year for Island Books. We are humbled and honored,
and we couldn't
have done it without you!"
Steelflower by Lilith Saintcrow is yet another fantasy series by this prolific author,
whose works I've read and enjoyed. This particular novel continues Saintcrow's tradition of kick-arse female protagonists who don't need a man to make their way in the world. Here's the blurb:
Sellsword. Assassin. Thief.Kaia Steelflower has done quite well for herself, and she longs to retire as an innkeeper. Unfortunately, one night she picks the wrong pocket, and finds herself saddled with a barbarian, an elven princeling and his two hapless companions, a wharf-rat, and a lutebanging minstrel. And there’s the little matter of an old friend calling in a debt of honor and blood–a debt Kaia can’t refuse.
Now a reluctant Kaia and her companions face a rebellious army, assassins, more assassins, and oh yes, the assassins. They don’t have a chance…
…but Kaia Steelflower, thief and sellsword, has never known when to quit.
This book came off as something of a Japanese Samurai meets Middle Eastern assassin mash up, with a touch of Tolkien in the characters who Kaia ends up caring for and allowing as her cadre by midway through the novel. The starving pickpocket child, the man who is her destined partner, the two other elven partners who want to protect her man, because he's a prince of her nation (yet he wants nothing to do with the throne) and a bard who has made his living off of writing songs about her exploits as "Ironflower." Oh, and there's a huge red-headed "barbarian" who sounds like a Celtic warrior who owes her a life debt, so he's also always by her side with his axe at the ready. These characters make the fact that Kaia is something of a mean, prickly and rude person (in addition to being blind to the fact that she does have magic and she is actually bonded to Darik) easier to take. I kept wanting to slap her and say "Wake up, you idiot!" But when she finally accepts that her cadre won't leave her and that Darik is always going to fight by her side, things actually start moving forward with the plot. As usual, Saintcrow's prose is clean, clear and supports a brisk plot that will keep you reading into the wee hours. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to those who like Wonder Woman and other undaunted female heroines.
Artemis by Andy Weir is the second novel produced by this self confessed science and space geek, whose first book, The Martian, won all kinds of awards, was a bestseller and was made into a fairly decent movie, though it starred one of my least favorite actors, Matt Damon. Usually writers struggle with their sophomore books, especially if their first novel was popular. Not so for the uber geek, whose second novel is as fast-paced and exciting as his first. This time, though, Weir doesn't hesitate to go into full lecture mode on the science of space, habitats on the moon, EVA suits and lunar-earth communications. While I am certain there are other science geeks and engineers and even welders who will love all the lengthy discussions of "how things get done in the vacuum of space," those of us who aren't scientists or interested in the details of how a lunar habitat works (or how it is sabotaged), will end up skimming over paragraph after paragraph of explanation. I think Weir's editor dropped the ball there, and should have tamed Weir's need to go into boring detail. Here's the blurb: Jasmine Bashara never signed up to be a hero. She just wanted to get rich.
Not crazy, eccentric-billionaire rich, like many of the visitors to her hometown of Artemis, humanity’s first and only lunar colony. Just rich enough to move out of her coffin-sized apartment and eat something better than flavored algae. Rich enough to pay off a debt she’s owed for a long time.
So when a chance at a huge score finally comes her way, Jazz can’t say no. Sure, it requires her to graduate from small-time smuggler to full-on criminal mastermind. And it calls for a particular combination of cunning, technical skills, and large explosions—not to mention sheer brazen swagger. But Jazz has never run into a challenge her intellect can’t handle, and she figures she’s got the ‘swagger’ part down.
The trouble is, engineering the perfect crime is just the start of Jazz’s problems. Because her little heist is about to land her in the middle of a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself.
Trapped between competing forces, pursued by a killer and the law alike, even Jazz has to admit she’s in way over her head. She’ll have to hatch a truly spectacular scheme to have a chance at staying alive and saving her city.
Jazz is no hero, but she is a very good criminal. That’ll have to do. Propelled by its heroine’s wisecracking voice, set in a city that’s at once stunningly imagined and intimately familiar, and brimming over with clever problem-solving and heist-y fun, Artemis is another irresistible brew of science, suspense, and humor from #1 bestselling author Andy Weir.
Not crazy, eccentric-billionaire rich, like many of the visitors to her hometown of Artemis, humanity’s first and only lunar colony. Just rich enough to move out of her coffin-sized apartment and eat something better than flavored algae. Rich enough to pay off a debt she’s owed for a long time.
So when a chance at a huge score finally comes her way, Jazz can’t say no. Sure, it requires her to graduate from small-time smuggler to full-on criminal mastermind. And it calls for a particular combination of cunning, technical skills, and large explosions—not to mention sheer brazen swagger. But Jazz has never run into a challenge her intellect can’t handle, and she figures she’s got the ‘swagger’ part down.
The trouble is, engineering the perfect crime is just the start of Jazz’s problems. Because her little heist is about to land her in the middle of a conspiracy for control of Artemis itself.
Trapped between competing forces, pursued by a killer and the law alike, even Jazz has to admit she’s in way over her head. She’ll have to hatch a truly spectacular scheme to have a chance at staying alive and saving her city.
Jazz is no hero, but she is a very good criminal. That’ll have to do. Propelled by its heroine’s wisecracking voice, set in a city that’s at once stunningly imagined and intimately familiar, and brimming over with clever problem-solving and heist-y fun, Artemis is another irresistible brew of science, suspense, and humor from #1 bestselling author Andy Weir.
While I liked Jazz as a strong female protagonist, she came off as more male than female, and perhaps that is because Weir isn't experienced with writing female characters. Many of her reactions and her persona or attitude didn't seem female, especially Saudi Arabian female, because Middle Eastern women have been oppressed by religious patriarchy for generations. I was especially taken aback by the crude sexual allegations against her, and her acceptance of everyone's bad opinion of her, though there seemed to be no real proof that she was promiscuous. Most men I know revel in such allegations, and joke about their conquests all the time. Also, when a scientist gives her a reusable condom to test, she accepts it and promises to try it out during her next liaison. Most women wouldn't be interested in that, whereas a male protagonist would be. Still, the overall story arc was fantastic and full of humor and twists and turns. The prose, while workmanlike, was only stalled by the scientific details, and then not for long. All in all, this book deserves an A, with the caveat that there are some dull spots here and there. I'd recommend it to anyone who liked the Martian and who isn't offended by crude language and sexual humor.
Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw was supposed to be similar in tone to Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death series, which I loved dearly (and was devastated to learn that the author died, so there would be no more of them). While it was nothing at all like Franklin's series, about a female medical examiner in the 14th century, Strange Practice did have a lot going for it, in that the protagonist is a doctor to the supernatural community, which is firmly hidden from the regular world. Dr Greta Helsing treats vampires and vampyres (two different species of blood drinkers), ghouls and mummies, barrow-wights and banshees. She has a co worker who is a witch and a friend who is a lord of the manor who also happens to be a vampire.Her other best friend is a fallen angel/demon with lung problems. Into this fascinating mix comes a group of possessed monks who will stop at nothing to murder all the supernaturals and those who serve them, like Greta. Here's the blurb from Publisher's Weekly:
In this comic supernatural mystery debut, Shaw assembles an appealing,
amusing collection of London’s modern undead and the humans who care for
them. Dr. Greta Helsing continues the family business of discreetly
providing antibiotics to ghouls, bone replacements to mummies, and pints
of blood recovered from medical facilities to vampires. She joins
several supernatural entities and an archivist at the British Museum in
stopping a group of homicidal monks with burned skin, glowing blue eyes,
and antique weapons who are targeting both the supernatural population
and humans they deem wicked. Shaw excels at depictions of long-lived
characters who combine old-school aesthetics with an appreciation of
modern conveniences; readers will be amused by ancient entities coopting
modern technology. Her idea that immortals make friends with families
of humans through several generations makes sense. But characters
recapitulating old angst feel shallow and inauthentic, exposition is
directed at no one in particular, and a devil-ex-machina ending devalues
the work of the team. Shaw has plenty of room to both to continue
developing the relationships inside the ensemble cast and add more
quirky players in the planned sequel. I didn't really feel, as did the PW reviewer, that the ending devalues the work of the team at all. In fact, I felt it added to the mythos of the book quite handily. My only problem with the novel was that Greta often fell prey to being weak and scared and relied on other, male monsters to get her out of trouble. I felt that she should have had, after working with monsters her whole life, a bit more moxy and backbone. Still, the prose was smooth and the plot sailed along nicely. I'd give this book a B+, and recommend it to those who like old-time monster movies and those who like the real Sherlock Holmes stories, because this book has the same sort of old Victorian feel to it.
A Casualty of War by Charles Todd is the 9th Bess Crawford mystery written by a mother-son duo who go by the pen name Charles Todd. I've read all the previous Bess Crawford mysteries, and enjoyed them. Bess is a nurse on the front lines during World War 1, or the Great War, as it was known. This particular incarnation takes place during the last few months of the war, when there was still much to do for nurses and doctors on the front lines. Though the German army knew they lost, they apparently wanted to do as much damage as possible to the other side before the armistice. Hence Bess is exhausted when we meet her at the beginning of the story. She comes across an officer who swears that his cousin purposely shot him, and then gets shot again when he sees the man from afar. He asks her to investigate, and Bess heads to his family's English mansion, only to discover a deeper mystery is at play. Here's the blurb:
From New York Times bestselling author Charles Todd comes a
haunting tale that explores the impact of World War I on all who
witnessed it—officers, soldiers, doctors, and battlefield nurses like
Bess Crawford.Though the Great War is nearing its end, the fighting rages on. While waiting for transport back to her post, Bess Crawford meets Captain Alan Travis from the island of Barbados. Later, when he’s brought into her forward aid station disoriented from a head wound, Bess is alarmed that he believes his distant English cousin, Lieutenant James Travis, shot him. Then the Captain is brought back to the aid station with a more severe wound, once more angrily denouncing the Lieutenant as a killer. But when it appears that James Travis couldn’t have shot him, the Captain’s sanity is questioned. Still, Bess wonders how such an experienced officer could be so wrong.
On leave in England, Bess finds the Captain strapped to his bed in a clinic for brain injuries. Horrified by his condition, Bess and Sergeant Major Simon Brandon travel to James Travis’s home in Suffolk, to learn more about the baffling relationship between these two cousins.
Her search will lead this smart, capable, and compassionate young woman into unexpected danger, and bring her face to face with the visible and invisible wounds of war that not even the much-longed for peace can heal.
A real page-turner, I was not able to identify the murderer until the last couple of chapters. Todd's prose is muscular and yet lithe, which suits the swift plot down to the ground. Bess is so sensible and calm that the reader can't help but love her, and know that her compassion is what keeps so many of the wounded men she helps going. I love that her father and Simon are also always willing to get into the thick of things with her, and most importantly, they believe and support her when she needs them most. Her fearless attitude and strong character make these mystery books a joy to read, because you know that Bess won't let you down. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical mysteries with strong female protagonists.
