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edent_'s reviews
96 reviews
Handmade: A Scientist's Search for Meaning through Making by Anna Ploszajski
5.0
You might know Dr Anna Ploszajski from her ‘rial talk podcast, or her TED talk, or her various Science Showoff videos. I was lucky enough to catch one of her stand-up sets at EMF a few years ago and have been a fan ever since.
This is a surprisingly personal and autobiographical book – I was expecting a bit more of a dry textbook, but was excited to find out that it was so much more. At times it is frighteningly intimate, all the while relating the academic back to the personal.
The book feels like a multi-part YouTube series. It has lots of fascinating places and local characters, and exciting adventures hitting things and breaking them. It doesn’t require too much background knowledge in physics to understand what’s going on. Famously, Stephen Hawking was told that every equation in “A Brief History of Time” would halve sales and Dr Ploszajski seems to have taken that advice on board. It could benefit from a few illustrations – I found it a bit hard to visualise exactly how hexagonal sheets of molecules might actually look, for example.
Some of the chapters covered material I was already familiar with, but she always found a new angle to interest me. It’s a beautiful book about the structure of “stuff” – but it also so much more than that. Science isn’t just white-coated boffins stuck in a lab. It is real people, doing amazing things, doing boring things, doing unusual things – all trying to make sense of our little planet.
It isn’t a textbook – it is a manifesto for diving into the world and getting your hands messy.
Brilliant!
This is a surprisingly personal and autobiographical book – I was expecting a bit more of a dry textbook, but was excited to find out that it was so much more. At times it is frighteningly intimate, all the while relating the academic back to the personal.
The book feels like a multi-part YouTube series. It has lots of fascinating places and local characters, and exciting adventures hitting things and breaking them. It doesn’t require too much background knowledge in physics to understand what’s going on. Famously, Stephen Hawking was told that every equation in “A Brief History of Time” would halve sales and Dr Ploszajski seems to have taken that advice on board. It could benefit from a few illustrations – I found it a bit hard to visualise exactly how hexagonal sheets of molecules might actually look, for example.
Some of the chapters covered material I was already familiar with, but she always found a new angle to interest me. It’s a beautiful book about the structure of “stuff” – but it also so much more than that. Science isn’t just white-coated boffins stuck in a lab. It is real people, doing amazing things, doing boring things, doing unusual things – all trying to make sense of our little planet.
It isn’t a textbook – it is a manifesto for diving into the world and getting your hands messy.
Brilliant!
Quarantine Comix by Rachael Smith
3.0
It’s hard reviewing a comic book like this. A weekly or daily feed of little vignettes of lockdown life regularly raises a chuckle. But it long-form, it doesn’t quite work. We already know how the story ends – after a year, you’re still in lockdown. You’ve grown around the belly, but have you grown as a person? No, probably not.
The sketches are cheerful, relatable, and a little heartbreaking in places. You’ll probably recognise your own behaviour in more than a couple. And, I guess that’s the value in art – holding a mirror up so that we may see ourselves better.
There are some beautiful gems within the book. Mostly drawn with a fairly minimalist aesthetic – which helps the few colour panels really pop.
Perhaps I don’t understand how to read a book like this. Taken all in one sitting I found it getting a little repetitive. For dipping in and out of, it’s great.
I think – like many works of art created during COVID – this will be of great interest to those looking back on our deeply weird lives.
Thanks to NetGalley for the preview copy. The book is released later this month.
The sketches are cheerful, relatable, and a little heartbreaking in places. You’ll probably recognise your own behaviour in more than a couple. And, I guess that’s the value in art – holding a mirror up so that we may see ourselves better.
There are some beautiful gems within the book. Mostly drawn with a fairly minimalist aesthetic – which helps the few colour panels really pop.
Perhaps I don’t understand how to read a book like this. Taken all in one sitting I found it getting a little repetitive. For dipping in and out of, it’s great.
I think – like many works of art created during COVID – this will be of great interest to those looking back on our deeply weird lives.
Thanks to NetGalley for the preview copy. The book is released later this month.
Notes from the Burning Age by Claire North
5.0
Yet another barnstormer from Claire North. This is a first-rate post-apocalyptic novel. It’s obviously Margaret-Atwood-inspired, and wears that proudly on its sleeve.
In part, it is a long and involved spy thriller. But it expertly weaves in a mixture of spiritual fantasy and eco-shock-horror. If you could reboot society – what knowledge would be too dangerous to let into the wild? Can man have mastery over nature without dramatic consequences?
Thankfully, it is less idiosyncratically written than some of her previous books. It occasionally lapses into first-person-present tense which helps keep things interesting.
I found it a little grim and bloody occasionally, but that’s my squeamishness. There’s a slightly unweildly cast of characters – some with multiple names. It isn’t quite Lord of the Rings territory – but you might need to flip back a few pages occasionally to remember who is who.
Overall, it’s a great novel. An expert blend of sci-fi and spycraft.
In part, it is a long and involved spy thriller. But it expertly weaves in a mixture of spiritual fantasy and eco-shock-horror. If you could reboot society – what knowledge would be too dangerous to let into the wild? Can man have mastery over nature without dramatic consequences?
Thankfully, it is less idiosyncratically written than some of her previous books. It occasionally lapses into first-person-present tense which helps keep things interesting.
I found it a little grim and bloody occasionally, but that’s my squeamishness. There’s a slightly unweildly cast of characters – some with multiple names. It isn’t quite Lord of the Rings territory – but you might need to flip back a few pages occasionally to remember who is who.
Overall, it’s a great novel. An expert blend of sci-fi and spycraft.
The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry
4.0
This is a great sci-fi murder mystery – which doesn’t quite fulfil its potential. It’s “Sliders” – where the gang are chasing an obsessed murder who keep leaping from life to life, putting things right, that once went wrong world to world, killing the same woman over and over again.
It’s a fun ride. Less preachy than Barry’s previous book “Jennifer Government” – but a good deal more grisly. The characters are occasionally aware of the metanarrative surrounding their actions, which makes their decisions particularly entertaining.
The exposition in the middle is a little clunky. Our heroine literally walks up to a professor and says “tell me how multiple world works. Oh, and do you know anyone who has done it?” Which is a bit too convenient for my liking. And yet, at the same time, the mechanism for shifting between worlds is never really explored in detail. There are some fabulous hints about what’s really going on – and how long it has been going on for – but it seems to peter out. Perhaps something to be explored in a sequel?
It compares favourably to “The Shining Girls” by Lauren Beukes – at least in this book the protagonists actually understand the “supernatural” mechanism which is facilitating the murders.
If you like your sci-fi to be Earth-bound and a bit stabby – this is the book for you!
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.
It’s a fun ride. Less preachy than Barry’s previous book “Jennifer Government” – but a good deal more grisly. The characters are occasionally aware of the metanarrative surrounding their actions, which makes their decisions particularly entertaining.
The exposition in the middle is a little clunky. Our heroine literally walks up to a professor and says “tell me how multiple world works. Oh, and do you know anyone who has done it?” Which is a bit too convenient for my liking. And yet, at the same time, the mechanism for shifting between worlds is never really explored in detail. There are some fabulous hints about what’s really going on – and how long it has been going on for – but it seems to peter out. Perhaps something to be explored in a sequel?
It compares favourably to “The Shining Girls” by Lauren Beukes – at least in this book the protagonists actually understand the “supernatural” mechanism which is facilitating the murders.
If you like your sci-fi to be Earth-bound and a bit stabby – this is the book for you!
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.
Assassin's Orbit by John Appel
3.0
This is billed as Golden Girls meets Babylon 5 – which is odd and inaccurate. There’s a human-only space station – so no exotic aliens or weird cultures to explore. The cast of characters are on the mature side – rather than excitable kids with laser guns. But it isn’t particularly obvious.
The plot is a bit tangled. Lots of politics without the exposition to make it interesting. There are vague hints of top-secret nanobot drama, but with no real villain identified until halfway through it all feels a bit vague. Effectively the first half is a police-procedural with some sci-fi trappings.
The use of tech is very well thought out. It gives a great vision of what persistent Augmented Reality would be like – and there’s some fun to be had in the idea of what computer hacking looks like in the future. As it progresses, it becomes increasingly cyberpunk.
Sadly, the cast is just too large. By half-way through the book, I felt that I didn’t know who was who or what they were doing. I kinda gave up trying to keep track and just went along for the ride. The book doesn’t quite know what it wants to be. Is it an emotional melodrama or a space shoot-em-up? Is it a political intrigue or police pot-boiler?
It’s a good story – but doesn’t quite pull all the elements together.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.
The plot is a bit tangled. Lots of politics without the exposition to make it interesting. There are vague hints of top-secret nanobot drama, but with no real villain identified until halfway through it all feels a bit vague. Effectively the first half is a police-procedural with some sci-fi trappings.
The use of tech is very well thought out. It gives a great vision of what persistent Augmented Reality would be like – and there’s some fun to be had in the idea of what computer hacking looks like in the future. As it progresses, it becomes increasingly cyberpunk.
Sadly, the cast is just too large. By half-way through the book, I felt that I didn’t know who was who or what they were doing. I kinda gave up trying to keep track and just went along for the ride. The book doesn’t quite know what it wants to be. Is it an emotional melodrama or a space shoot-em-up? Is it a political intrigue or police pot-boiler?
It’s a good story – but doesn’t quite pull all the elements together.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.
Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights by Helen Lewis
4.0
It is a cliché that well behaved women seldom make history. It is, nevertheless, true. None of the women who changed the world did so in a polite and easy manner. Indeed, the whole book is a salient reminder that rights are never given to us - we have to take them.
It's a bit relentless, to realise that your history lessons in school never covered what really happened and who was really responsible. But it is good to look at the somewhat-unseemly side of our heroines to understand them more completely as people.
The book is, perhaps, a wee bit narcissistic - but then, the personal is political. With the greatest of respect to the author, does anyone care about her divorce other than the parties involved? It makes for a slightly contrived hook upon which to hang the essays. I understand the trauma of "Twitter spats" and how overwhelming a pile-on can be - but it seems odd to bring it up while talking about striking workers.
The subjects are mostly UK women - and the resultant limitations on diversity that occasionally brings - but that's a welcome relief from books which attempt to explain the world from a USAin perspective. It correctly identifies that some of the biggest barriers to intersectional feminism are feminists themselves. Lots of people would rather be "pure" and "correct" rather than effective. When looking at marriage equality, for example, I'd have loved a big-bang which made gay weddings the norm the day homosexuality was decriminalised. Sadly, it seems a lot more practical to introduce things like Civil Partnerships first to gently introduce an idea into society. The end result is that we get what we want a little later and after some refinement. Some extremists (on all sides) don't get this - and think any compromise is cowardice. It isn't.
It isn't a flawless book. And I don't think even the author would claim that she is without controversy. I recommend reading it in conjunction with A History of Women in Men’s Clothes for some more balance on how we ascribe modern definitions to historical figures. But it does a sterling job of uncovering some of the disturbing aspects of the women who changed the world.
The inclusion of a comment from rabid transphobe is troubling. While he has a cogent and moving argument about the need for abortion law reform in Ireland, his mere presence sours the chapter. The book itself doesn't appear unsympathetic to the Trans community - but it brings to the fore the limitations of those who were chosen to be included.
And, perhaps that's the point. It doesn't matter whether you like someone. Whether their motives were honest or their heart was pure. It doesn't matter if you'd hate to have them as a friend, or would gladly see them tarred and feathered. No one lives up to our ideals. No one from history meets our modern standards of ethics. These women were human - and there's nothing more problematic than that.
It is a revelatory book which should be read with a critical eye.
I'm reminded of the lyrics from the Into The Woods song "Last Midnight":
It's a bit relentless, to realise that your history lessons in school never covered what really happened and who was really responsible. But it is good to look at the somewhat-unseemly side of our heroines to understand them more completely as people.
The book is, perhaps, a wee bit narcissistic - but then, the personal is political. With the greatest of respect to the author, does anyone care about her divorce other than the parties involved? It makes for a slightly contrived hook upon which to hang the essays. I understand the trauma of "Twitter spats" and how overwhelming a pile-on can be - but it seems odd to bring it up while talking about striking workers.
The subjects are mostly UK women - and the resultant limitations on diversity that occasionally brings - but that's a welcome relief from books which attempt to explain the world from a USAin perspective. It correctly identifies that some of the biggest barriers to intersectional feminism are feminists themselves. Lots of people would rather be "pure" and "correct" rather than effective. When looking at marriage equality, for example, I'd have loved a big-bang which made gay weddings the norm the day homosexuality was decriminalised. Sadly, it seems a lot more practical to introduce things like Civil Partnerships first to gently introduce an idea into society. The end result is that we get what we want a little later and after some refinement. Some extremists (on all sides) don't get this - and think any compromise is cowardice. It isn't.
It isn't a flawless book. And I don't think even the author would claim that she is without controversy. I recommend reading it in conjunction with A History of Women in Men’s Clothes for some more balance on how we ascribe modern definitions to historical figures. But it does a sterling job of uncovering some of the disturbing aspects of the women who changed the world.
The inclusion of a comment from rabid transphobe is troubling. While he has a cogent and moving argument about the need for abortion law reform in Ireland, his mere presence sours the chapter. The book itself doesn't appear unsympathetic to the Trans community - but it brings to the fore the limitations of those who were chosen to be included.
And, perhaps that's the point. It doesn't matter whether you like someone. Whether their motives were honest or their heart was pure. It doesn't matter if you'd hate to have them as a friend, or would gladly see them tarred and feathered. No one lives up to our ideals. No one from history meets our modern standards of ethics. These women were human - and there's nothing more problematic than that.
It is a revelatory book which should be read with a critical eye.
I'm reminded of the lyrics from the Into The Woods song "Last Midnight":
You're not good, you're not bad,
You're just nice.
I'm not good, I'm not nice,
I'm just right.
I'm the witch.
Index, A History of the by Dennis Duncan
5.0
This is a curious and charming book. It's a book about books - more specifically, the last few pages of a book that you turn to if you can't remember where an entry was mentioned. A meta-meta book, if you will.
I'll confess - I don't think I've ever used an index. Not for study nor for leisure. Almost all of my reading since the turn of the century has been digital - so I hit
+
when I want to find something. And, if I'm honest, I thought that indexes (never indices) were compiled automatically. I had no idea that that in the modern world, it was someone's actual job to create a useful index.
The history of organising thought is extraordinary. Once we reached "Big Data" (too many scrolls to fit on a single shelf) it becomes obvious that humans need metadata to make sense of the vast troves of material we generate. The book goes from the earliest invention of indexing, through its surge is popularity, up to the modern day. It covers the fashions, the spats, and the technology which unlocked its popularity.
It almost exclusively focuses on English and Latin. It would have been nice to learn about non-European indexes.
If you're a lover of books, you'll love this. It is a warm and witty look at the development of reading technology - and how it has helped shape both the world and the written word. It has some beautiful images of early books which illustrate the main next nicely.
Who knew that indexes could be so political and cause so much controversy? It shouldn't surprise me, of course. Gathering and presenting data is not a neutral act.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. The book comes out later in 2021.
I'll confess - I don't think I've ever used an index. Not for study nor for leisure. Almost all of my reading since the turn of the century has been digital - so I hit
+
when I want to find something. And, if I'm honest, I thought that indexes (never indices) were compiled automatically. I had no idea that that in the modern world, it was someone's actual job to create a useful index.
The history of organising thought is extraordinary. Once we reached "Big Data" (too many scrolls to fit on a single shelf) it becomes obvious that humans need metadata to make sense of the vast troves of material we generate. The book goes from the earliest invention of indexing, through its surge is popularity, up to the modern day. It covers the fashions, the spats, and the technology which unlocked its popularity.
It almost exclusively focuses on English and Latin. It would have been nice to learn about non-European indexes.
If you're a lover of books, you'll love this. It is a warm and witty look at the development of reading technology - and how it has helped shape both the world and the written word. It has some beautiful images of early books which illustrate the main next nicely.
Who knew that indexes could be so political and cause so much controversy? It shouldn't surprise me, of course. Gathering and presenting data is not a neutral act.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. The book comes out later in 2021.
The Happiness Revolution: A Manifesto for Living Your Best Life by Andy Cope, Paul McGee
2.0
Maybe I'm an old grump. But this book did not make me happy.
It starts off bad - then gets worse. We begin with a series of incorrect assumptions. Apparently, there's no antonym for Doomsday (Errr, how about "Rapture"?) and apparently no one ever investigates why a hospital is performing well (ummm... Yes they do!) and no one is ever described as "stark raving happy" (hello mania! Hello full-of-joy!). Oh, and we were all much more social before apps were invented by the iPhone
It starts off bad - then gets worse. We begin with a series of incorrect assumptions. Apparently, there's no antonym for Doomsday (Errr, how about "Rapture"?) and apparently no one ever investigates why a hospital is performing well (ummm... Yes they do!) and no one is ever described as "stark raving happy" (hello mania! Hello full-of-joy!). Oh, and we were all much more social before apps were invented by the iPhone
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
4.0
This is a tricky book to review. I intensely disliked the first half of the story; it was all build-up with no action. I found the sycophantic attitude to New York alienating and pretentious. I only stuck with it because I enjoyed the author's previous book "How Long 'til Black Future Month?" I'm glad I did - because it has an immensely satisfying pay-off.
At the start, it's confusing whirligig of a book. I don't get the fetishisation that some city dwellers have for people from their sub-regions. Like, are Brooklynites really so different from Manhattanites? The sole British character is... Well, let's say Jemisin writes the English accent about as well as I do the New York accent and leave it at that, eh? Luckily they don't appear again after the first few chapters. The "only-with-our-powers-combined" story felt a little like a Captain Planet episode.
The constant thinly veiled attacks on white-flight and white-gentrification felt heavy-handed and clumsy.
And then...
The last few chapters really showed the author's teeth. Lots of little seeds planted early began to sprout and bear fruit. It completely flipped my experience of the first half of the book. Transforming it into something much more intense and exciting than I'd initially given it credit for.
The slow build up and recycled tropes absolutely works in its favour. It's hard to say much more without giving the game away - so open the spoiler box at your peril.
It's sort of a superhero novel - ordinary people getting super powers and saving their city. But I think it's also a book about lost people trying to save themselves, and each other, from a desperate psychological state. It rewrites the history of some classic stories in a surprising way. Highly recommended.
--Spoilers--
H.P. Lovecraft was a racist monster who wrote some terrifyingly good fiction. His pathological horror of anyone non-white infects his work making it deeply uncomfortable to read these days. I imagine it's even worse if you're from one of the races he sees as inferior and infectious.
What Jemisin has done so masterfully here is flip the script. She recasts herself as a modern-day Lovecraft and turns the creeping whiteness into indigenous and minority spaces into body horror.
If you're not welcome in those spaces, I think you're supposed to find the book a slightly uncomfortable read. What's it like to being on the receiving end of Lovecraftian distaste? The insidious nature of prejudice and power are perfectly woven into the story.
--/Spoilers--
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. The book can be ordered from the following links:
At the start, it's confusing whirligig of a book. I don't get the fetishisation that some city dwellers have for people from their sub-regions. Like, are Brooklynites really so different from Manhattanites? The sole British character is... Well, let's say Jemisin writes the English accent about as well as I do the New York accent and leave it at that, eh? Luckily they don't appear again after the first few chapters. The "only-with-our-powers-combined" story felt a little like a Captain Planet episode.
The constant thinly veiled attacks on white-flight and white-gentrification felt heavy-handed and clumsy.
And then...
The last few chapters really showed the author's teeth. Lots of little seeds planted early began to sprout and bear fruit. It completely flipped my experience of the first half of the book. Transforming it into something much more intense and exciting than I'd initially given it credit for.
The slow build up and recycled tropes absolutely works in its favour. It's hard to say much more without giving the game away - so open the spoiler box at your peril.
It's sort of a superhero novel - ordinary people getting super powers and saving their city. But I think it's also a book about lost people trying to save themselves, and each other, from a desperate psychological state. It rewrites the history of some classic stories in a surprising way. Highly recommended.
--Spoilers--
H.P. Lovecraft was a racist monster who wrote some terrifyingly good fiction. His pathological horror of anyone non-white infects his work making it deeply uncomfortable to read these days. I imagine it's even worse if you're from one of the races he sees as inferior and infectious.
What Jemisin has done so masterfully here is flip the script. She recasts herself as a modern-day Lovecraft and turns the creeping whiteness into indigenous and minority spaces into body horror.
If you're not welcome in those spaces, I think you're supposed to find the book a slightly uncomfortable read. What's it like to being on the receiving end of Lovecraftian distaste? The insidious nature of prejudice and power are perfectly woven into the story.
--/Spoilers--
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. The book can be ordered from the following links:
How to Make the World Add Up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently About Numbers by Tim Harford
5.0
This is a lovely and useful book. It contains ten simple rules for making sense of statistics. Every day we're bombarded with hundreds of seemingly contradictory conclusions from an array of confusing statistics. How do we sort the bullish claims from the bullshit?
I was particularly impressed with the book's full throated endorsement of open data and open source. If statistics aren't public - they can't be criticised. If their methodology is secret - they can't be examined. Both are needed for a healthy statistical debate.
The thing which struck me the most was just how easy the rules are to follow. And then I was swiftly batted around the head by the realisation that I only tend to apply them to statistics I'm predisposed to disagree with. All humans are fallible - and this book is a constant reminder that we all need to up our game.
Two very mild points of criticism.
There isn't much new here. If you've been following along with the statistic discourse, or are a regular reader/listener of Tim's work. But it put together well, and provides a great overview of why we trust statistics as well as how to trust them.
Many of the statistics and anecdotes are about America. I appreciate that their hegemony looms large in our legend - but a few more stories from outside their sphere of influence would have been interesting. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, the book is being released in the USA and Canada as "The Data Detective".
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. The book is available in all good bookshops (and, statistically, a few bad ones) now.
I was particularly impressed with the book's full throated endorsement of open data and open source. If statistics aren't public - they can't be criticised. If their methodology is secret - they can't be examined. Both are needed for a healthy statistical debate.
The thing which struck me the most was just how easy the rules are to follow. And then I was swiftly batted around the head by the realisation that I only tend to apply them to statistics I'm predisposed to disagree with. All humans are fallible - and this book is a constant reminder that we all need to up our game.
Two very mild points of criticism.
There isn't much new here. If you've been following along with the statistic discourse, or are a regular reader/listener of Tim's work. But it put together well, and provides a great overview of why we trust statistics as well as how to trust them.
Many of the statistics and anecdotes are about America. I appreciate that their hegemony looms large in our legend - but a few more stories from outside their sphere of influence would have been interesting. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, the book is being released in the USA and Canada as "The Data Detective".
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. The book is available in all good bookshops (and, statistically, a few bad ones) now.