The author has loved swimming ever since childhood, and every chapter of this book at some point includes a breathless, besotted description of being in the water. If there is one weakness to this book it is Tsui’s basic assumption of water as a comfort element to all humans, ignoring people who might not feel immediately at home when immersed in a pool or an ocean. But I suppose the book isn’t called “why we don’t swim,” so fair enough. Tsui talks about swimming in history and in extreme elements, even trying some of the cold-water swims herself; she also profiles extreme swimmers and digs into the history of swimming for both exercise and competition. I was particularly fascinated by the people who kept alive the art of samurai swimming (in full armor!) as well as the story of the international swim club that met in Baghdad in the Green Zone. I’m not a swimmer but after reading the book, I’m considering visiting the local pool more often.
Month: February 2023
Hunting Fiends for the Ill-Equipped, by Annette Marie, read by Cris Dukehart
Next installment in the odd-couple adventures of timid nerd Robin and her inquisitive, impatient demon. This one brings Robin ever closer to the answers she is seeking, but her refusal to face her feelings is actually beginning to put both of them in (even more) danger. I love all the details we’re getting about demon history and culture, and how humans inadvertently messed with it; we are also seeing tantalizing hints of things going on in Tori’s part of the series, hinting at a merging of the plotlines soon. Dukehart does a stellar job voicing the demon Zylas, shading wonder, contempt, or exasperation into the smallest exchanges.
Dinners with Ruth, by Nina Totenberg
This memoir is subtitled “on the power of friendships” which clues you into the fact that it’s not all about dinners with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, though she does feature prominently through the narrative. I have always been a fan of Totenberg and her legal affairs briefings on NPR, and especially enjoyed learning how she got to that post and how she handled the position. Per the subtitle though, the book really is about friendships and the lifelong support they provide, both professionally and personally (sometimes sorely needed in the very. sexist environment of the time). One of Nina’s very greatest friends was the formidable RBG, whose quiet determination and unstinting generosity come to life in Nina’s words. The two women supported one another through the early parts of their careers, through the illnesses and deaths of their respective spouses, and always managed to maintain a professional distance between their work and personal lives. The memoir’s tone starts out dry and funny, and turns more poignant as events progress.
Druid Vices and a Vodka, by Annette Marie, read by Cris Dukehart
I have been loving Dukehart’s audiobook narration. I am now familiar enough with the shading of her voices for the various characters that I don’t need the text to explicitly introduce them. That said, for the first time, the plot became tense enough that I wished I was reading text; I so wanted to skip ahead of Dukehart’s (very appropriate!) dramatic pauses so I could catch up on the action. This book brings the morally gray character Zak to the fore, forcing Tori to reckon with her own loyalties, set against a backdrop of (of course) mortal danger. The interweaving storyline from the “Demonized” companion series is both enjoyable and frustrating; as the events intertwine you just want to shake the characters into talking to one another despite their (very solid) reasons to keep their secrets close. I continue to love Tori’s resourcefulness in magical combat situations.
Nettle & Bone, by T. Kingfisher
T. Kingfisher is so good at writing “subverted fairy tales;” her stories turn the standard tropes inside-out and examine them with a critical eye. Marra, third daughter of the king, has watched both her older sisters get married off to the cruel prince of the much more powerful neighboring kingdom one after another; deciding that this is unsustainable, she sets off to do whatever she can to rescue the remaining sister, despite the powerful blessing of the prince’s fairy godmother. I loved the characters; Marra’s determination contrasts well with the resigned world-weariness of the various witches, heroes, and fairy godmothers, and her mother and sister are also really interesting in their motivations and decisions. Great commentary on the lack of agency of women in traditional fairytales, and how they find ways to exert their power anyway.
Slaying Monsters for the Feeble, by Annette Marie, read by Cris Dukehart
Second in Marie’s “Demonized” series, but really ninth in her linked series of books: this one is from the perspective of Robin Page, the shy, awkward nerd who would rather bury herself in books and baking than deal with the fact that she’s accidentally made a highly illegal contract with a demon. Her flinching cowardice gets old quickly (even though it’s totally how I would react in similar situations) but it’s refreshing how everyone, from her assertive cousin to her combat-trained guildmates to her demon Zylas, does their best to try to help her overcome her fears and prepare for challenges. The layers of secrets that she keeps from different audiences is complex and exhausting for the reader as well as for her, but it’s fun to watch her (nervously) chase down leads in search of the answers she needs.
book collage, January 2023
2023 already! These are the books from January:
Wild Magic, by Tamora Pierce
Archangel, by Sharon Shinn
Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion, by Bushra Rehman
Bannerless, by Carrie Vaughn
Record of a Spaceborn Few, by Becky Chambers
Critical Point, by S.L. Huang
Jovah’s Angel, by Sharon Shinn
The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal
Hellbound Guilds and Other Misdirections, by Annette Marie and Rob Jacobsen, read by Iggy Toma
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin
The Blade Between, by Sam J. Miller
The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt
The Alchemist and an Amaretto, by Annette Marie, read by Cris Dukehart
Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food and Love, ed. Elsie Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings: 16 Retellings of Asian Myths and Legends, ed. Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman
The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World, by Eric Weiner