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Reading Wednesday
Nov. 18th, 2015 03:48 pmWhat did you just finish?
Pyramids by Terry Pratchett. Teppic is the newest pharaoh in a faux-Ancient Egypt country, except that he doesn't really want to be pharaoh. Meanwhile, the ghost of his father deals with the process of becoming a mummy, the high priest is deeply committed to preventing change, and there's a handmaiden who really enjoys her job.
Rereading this series in publication order continues to be so much fun! This book introduces some of Pratchett's deeper satire and philosophy that will come up again and again throughout the series – but most particularly in Small Gods - ideas like human belief being what gives gods their power, the contrast between tradition/ritual and faith/individualism, the dangers of ossified religious hierarchies while still supporting the importance of belief to humanity. This is also another book about what is starting to seem like one of Pratchett's favorite tropes: people who can't quite go home again, who have been changed by their life experiences to the degree that they have trouble relating to those around them. I hadn't noticed that as a major theme before, but it's been in these early books over and over again: Rincewind (who is explicitly told "wizards can't go home again"), Mort, Teppic... even Granny Weatherwax, who never left home in the same way, is quite clearly not just one of the villagers. Also the reveal at the very end about Dios is straight-up horrifying.
But besides that philosophical stuff, this book is really hilarious. I love the take on Ancient Greece, the ~magic~ of the pyramids, the camels, and the long line of translating mummies. It's still not one of my very favorite Discworlds, but I loved it so much more than I remembered.
Sex in the Sea: Our Intimate Connection with Sex-Changing Fish, Romantic Lobsters, Kinky Squid, and Other Salty Erotica of the Deep by Marah J. Hardt. I'm a huge fan of the genre that can be loosely described as "popular books about weird science"; it includes authors like Mary Roach and books like Parasite Rex or Sex on Six Legs. So obviously when I saw this book offered on NetGalley, I had to read it immediately.
I'm not sure how to summarize it, because really, the subtitle says everything you need to know. If you want to read about how much lobsters pee on each other during sex (answer: lots) or the octopus that can detach its penis and throw it like a dart at the females of its species, this is the book for you. The writing style is a nice mix of breezy and funny, while still conveying a good amount of scientific information. There's also a chapter at the end about how all this studying of sex has influenced conversation efforts. It was fairly optimistic, which is a nice change from the "EVERYTHING IS GOING EXTINCT AND NO ONE CAN EVER EAT FISH AGAIN" tone of a lot of current writing about overfishing and ocean pollution.
Overall, a fun read, though not particularly life-changing.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
What are you currently reading?
Penric's Demon by Louis McMaster Bujold. A few months behind everyone else, but I'm so excited for this novella!
Pyramids by Terry Pratchett. Teppic is the newest pharaoh in a faux-Ancient Egypt country, except that he doesn't really want to be pharaoh. Meanwhile, the ghost of his father deals with the process of becoming a mummy, the high priest is deeply committed to preventing change, and there's a handmaiden who really enjoys her job.
Rereading this series in publication order continues to be so much fun! This book introduces some of Pratchett's deeper satire and philosophy that will come up again and again throughout the series – but most particularly in Small Gods - ideas like human belief being what gives gods their power, the contrast between tradition/ritual and faith/individualism, the dangers of ossified religious hierarchies while still supporting the importance of belief to humanity. This is also another book about what is starting to seem like one of Pratchett's favorite tropes: people who can't quite go home again, who have been changed by their life experiences to the degree that they have trouble relating to those around them. I hadn't noticed that as a major theme before, but it's been in these early books over and over again: Rincewind (who is explicitly told "wizards can't go home again"), Mort, Teppic... even Granny Weatherwax, who never left home in the same way, is quite clearly not just one of the villagers. Also the reveal at the very end about Dios is straight-up horrifying.
But besides that philosophical stuff, this book is really hilarious. I love the take on Ancient Greece, the ~magic~ of the pyramids, the camels, and the long line of translating mummies. It's still not one of my very favorite Discworlds, but I loved it so much more than I remembered.
Sex in the Sea: Our Intimate Connection with Sex-Changing Fish, Romantic Lobsters, Kinky Squid, and Other Salty Erotica of the Deep by Marah J. Hardt. I'm a huge fan of the genre that can be loosely described as "popular books about weird science"; it includes authors like Mary Roach and books like Parasite Rex or Sex on Six Legs. So obviously when I saw this book offered on NetGalley, I had to read it immediately.
I'm not sure how to summarize it, because really, the subtitle says everything you need to know. If you want to read about how much lobsters pee on each other during sex (answer: lots) or the octopus that can detach its penis and throw it like a dart at the females of its species, this is the book for you. The writing style is a nice mix of breezy and funny, while still conveying a good amount of scientific information. There's also a chapter at the end about how all this studying of sex has influenced conversation efforts. It was fairly optimistic, which is a nice change from the "EVERYTHING IS GOING EXTINCT AND NO ONE CAN EVER EAT FISH AGAIN" tone of a lot of current writing about overfishing and ocean pollution.
Overall, a fun read, though not particularly life-changing.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.
What are you currently reading?
Penric's Demon by Louis McMaster Bujold. A few months behind everyone else, but I'm so excited for this novella!
