I’ve returned from a few weeks of travel with a suitcase full of books. I’m not one of those travelers that buys a book at an airport bookstore and then, after finishing it, leaves it behind at the Airbnb for someone else to read. My books are my babies and they all come home with me. There’s always a suitcase dedicated to book acquisitions whenever I travel. I thought I’d share some of these acquisitions - which double as book recommendations - with you.
In my last newsletter, I mentioned some of the books I’d been reading during my travels (Yellowface, Prophet Song), so I will add one more to the list of finished titles: Atalanta by Jennifer Saint. It’s a retelling of the story of the Ancient Greek hero Atalanta - a human warrior raised by Artemis who was the only woman to join Jason and the Argonauts on their quest to retrieve the golden fleece. I love that Saint doesn’t flavor Atalanta with modern sensibilities involving the kind of self-doubt that plagues most protagonists. Instead, Atalanta is proud of her prowess, and there is no doubt in her mind that she is as (or more) capable and skilled as any of the male heroes she faces off against. It’s how the protagonist in a Greek myth would view themselves, and thus gives the story a timeless quality while also feeling modern in its delectably feminist approach to the material. A great read!
So here’s the stack of books on my nightstand currently waiting to be read:
I’ll quickly give you a rundown of these books and why I think I (and you) will enjoy them.
System Collapse by Martha Wells is the latest installment of the Murderbot series. I am a huge fan of Murderbot - a semi-human robot grappling with his semi-human mind, as he tries to make sense of the human condition. It’s funny and poignant and it has robots in it. I love robots.
Why Animals talk by Arik Kershenbaum. I just met with Arik when I was visiting Cambridge and had a lovely chat about animal communication (and book publishing). He’s a cool guy, an accomplished scientist (and dolphin nerd), and a fun, accessible writer. We’re often on the same page when it comes to our thoughts about what it is that animals can (and can’t) do when it comes to language/communication. From what I’ve seen so far, this looks to be a fantastic book on that subject! The UK version is out now, and the North American version is available for preorder.
Moral Acrobatics by Philippe Rochat tackles the weird cognitive dissonance that surfaces in human moral reasoning - the idea that we “live within multiple, interchangeable moral spheres.” I tackled some of this stuff in my Nietzsche book, and this looks like a deep dive into these issues from an accomplished scholar.
Undoctored by Adam Kay. If you haven’t read This Is Going to Hurt - Kay’s first book about the ridiculousness of being a junior doctor in the UK - you absolutely need to grab a copy. It’s hilarious and often tragic. This new book sounds like it’s going to be just as funny, if my wife’s constant laughter while reading it is any indication.
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao. I don’t know much about this book other than it has got robots in it and was a bestseller and is described as an “intense, feminist page-turner.” Feminism and robots sounds like a good combination to me.
Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes. Another re-telling of an Ancient Greek myth - this time it’s Medusa. Apparently this is a popular genre of book these days. We’ll see how this one stacks up against Atalanta.
The Butterfly Assassin from Finn Longman. Longman is an author and academic that my wife learned about as they are both in the same field (Celtic and medieval studies). Currently a PhD student, Longman has managed to write and publish two young adult novels involving a “a traumatised teenage assassin trying (and failing) to live an ordinary life.” I am amazed that they found the time/energy to publish two award-wining YA novels while also working on graduate degrees. I barely managed to dress myself in the mornings when I was in grad school - I certainly couldn’t imagine writing a novel (let alone two) on the side. Looking forward to reading this.
Blurb Your Enthusiasm by Louise Willder. I bumped across this on a display table at Watersones with a sticker saying “signed by the author”. I am always a sucker for signed copies. And it’s about the blurbing process - where authors/editors/publishers try to get other authors to read an upcoming book and provide a positive, pithy review that can be transformed into those one- or two-sentence blurbs you see on the cover. It’s a strangely vital part of the book promotion process (as I have learned), and this book looks like it’s going to talk not just about blurbing, but the publishing process as a whole. This is a subject on my mind these days, so this book is right up my alley.
Which of these books do you think you’d be most likely to read? Let folks know in the comments! And if you have a good book reco, don’t hold back!