The Cowboy and the Cossack

Claire Huffaker

Originally published in 1973, this is a classic western novel set in eastern Russia. The story follows a band of Montana cowboys hired to drive a herd of cattle into the interior of Siberia. They discover from the beginning that in addition to all the traditional hardship associated with driving a few hundred head of longhorns, they also need to navigate the political situation in a new place, from the bribes needed to initially dock their boat to the nuances associated with each local bureaucracy. The bulk of the story follows this band of American Cowboys and their relationship with their Cossack (i.e. Russian cowboys) escort. This could easily have devolved into cross cultural hi-jinks, but instead Huffaker takes an approach which is able to authentically explore cross cultural differences and similarities between these two groups. Within the rugged, individualistic, zero-emotion world of cowboys we are exposed to a surprisingly vulnerable and introspective look at friendship, loyalty and duty. And like any well written western, the action and suspense lasts right up to the last few pages.

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Code Name Verity

Elizabeth Wein

This is the first book I have read by Wein. This is part of her "Young Pilots" series, and from what I can tell, she is developing a series of books that normalize heroic women in roles that we normally only see for men. In this case, young women in Great Britain during WWII becoming pilots and spies. This story is told in two parts, the first about Verity (the spy) and the second about Kittyhawk (the pilot). About half of each is told in flashback to develop the characters and introduce their relationship. This is not a cartoonish, hero story. Instead, it is a plausible historical fiction about life in WWII England and Nazi occupied France. I suppose it is more on par with the historical portions of Blackout by Connie Willis and The Imitation Game than it is with most of the young adult feminist empowerment reading that I have seen lately. Maybe the realism is what made me appreciate it even more.
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The End of Your Life Book Club

Will Schwalbe

People who love books will love this book. This is a memoir written by Schwalbe about the two years between when his mother was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer and when she passed. During those two years, the two of them engaged in a personal book club with just the two of them. The memoir is both a fascinating introspection about the end of life and familial relationships and a great survey of the books these two encountered. It is not a series of book reports, but the themes that arise in their discussions of the books are the same themes the arise in their lives, giving insights to each reader that are often unexpected and necessary voices to be heard. Books are held in reverence in their own right, and this is well communicated throughout. Loved this.
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Against the Night

Kat Martin

I think the library is putting titles onto my wishlist. Either that, or my memory is bad. Well, we know the latter is true anyway, but I still think the former. I was looking for something to read and this showed up on my wishlist at the library. So I got it and read it. Hmmm... It is a formulaic offering of detective, crime thriller. An ex-special forces turned private detective takes on a client who is looking for her missing sister. The client is a mid-western school teacher who has come to LA to search for said missing sister and is working in an exotic dancing club to make ends meet while here. You get the picture. I just don't think I would have put this book on my list, even if I was looking for something in this category...

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Stranger in a Strange Land

Robert A Heinlein

Heinlein sets the story with the first expedition to Mars. An expedition baby is born and raised by Martians. When the second expedition returns, it returns with The Man from Mars. Lots of political intrigue (citizenship, rights of ownership, wealth inheritance, etc.) swirl thorough the story and lots of scientific intrigue (The Man from Mars knows a much more advanced science than earth humans). But this is really a story about community and belief. Heinlein paints a picture of the future that is fascinating and has enough logic built in that the reader believes that it could be true. And apparently Heinlein's biggest concern is with religious fundamentalism. Unfortunately, while this may have been ground breaking in its time (1961), it does not hold up. The portrayals of the church are too predictable and stale, too evangelical/christian centric to be realistic as future church. I much prefer the cyberpunk approach of Neal Stephenson in Snow Crash for how to envision a future thinking of faith. But who knows, 50 years from know, someone will be saying it doesn't hold up either.
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain

The first half of this book is good. Huck Finn is a poor kid living on the Mississippi. His dad is a drunk and always gone. Finn lives with the old church ladies who teach him reading and writing. When dad comes back, things are so bad that Finn decides to fake his death and run away. What I like is the fact that Finn is pragmatic. What is the problem, how do I solve it. Didn't work? Roll with the punches as we develop a new plan. Finn ends up traveling down the Mississippi with runaway slave Jim and the two encounter all kinds of adventure. The second part of the book is just boring. At this point, Tom Sawyer enters the picture (whom Huck adores). Tom has a family and comes across as a bored rich, white kid. Tom also likes adventures, but his are all extravagant and over the top, created adventures not based in reality. Huck goes along, but since the adventure is created, it has no urgency and ends up not being very interesting. Unless your intent is to compare the two adventure styles, stick with the first half.
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note: this book is part of a Reading Lolita in Tehran project, which you can read more about here.

The Age of Radiance

The Epic Rise and Dramatic Fall of the Atomic Era

Craig Nelson

Nelson presents the historical story of radiation, from discovery to the present. While it is a mostly known story, it is still fascinating and Nelson finds ways of putting the history together to tell a particular story. We are introduced to all the players in Europe and the US pre-WWII, and follow their contributions as scientists transition out of discovery and into application. Perhaps the most thought provoking part of the entire book is the discussion about the necessity of nuclear weapons for war. Nelson paints a picture suggesting that the only actual unique feature of nuclear weapons was the fear that they induced. He suggests that the purely military value was overstated, with equal devastation possible with conventional weapons. The impact of the fear throughout the cold war has lead to a general fear and misunderstanding of radiation. While he does not argue for/against current peaceful uses, Nelson does lay out much of the psychology and sociology that is helpful is thinking about why we are were we are today. This is one of those books that is both excellent as a resource for facts and information, and that sticks with you and makes you think.

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