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srgower's reviews
196 reviews
So Much Cooking by Naomi Kritzer
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.0
Not a spectacular story but what was most striking about it is the similarity to the lock-downs we went through in 2020-2022. Written in 2015, this story depicts life through a break-out of H5N1 (bird flu). Eerily similar to what happened during the pandemic, down to the hoarding of toilet paper and scarcity of basic supplies.
Better Living Through Algorithms by Naomi Kritzer
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
4.0
A really good look at modern day apps and possible future AI-trained apps. The Abelique app is an AI experiment designed to try to make people happier; I feel like this is an experiment that could happen today.
Asimov's Mysteries by Isaac Asimov
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
Quite a few stories deal with scientists focused on being famous or recognized / preserving a legacy. I wonder if this is something Asimov worried about?
Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Fantastic 21st century noir novel (or as Doctorow describes it, Silicon Valley Noir). The story was well told, and - despite not quite grasping all the minutiae of cryptocurrency and modern tech finance - I thought the plot was well laid out. The characters were realistic and everything was described with vivid detail.
We Had a Little Real Estate Problem: The Unheralded Story of Native Americans & Comedy by Kliph Nesteroff
challenging
emotional
informative
fast-paced
3.5
This was a fascinating and insightful look at Indigenous comedians going all the way back to Will Rogers (and earlier). I learned about so many comedians I had never heard of before, and it was great to read about them. I copied down several videos and podcasts and books for further consumption. One comedian I thought got short shrift was Don Burnstick. There was one chapter about him, and it read more like an attack on him, while all the other comedians got loving affection. There didn't seem to be any attempt to get "his side" of things (although maybe there was an interview request, who knows?). I've met Don and my impression of him is vastly different from what's said about him in the book. Nevertheless this was a good read and I recommend it.