Prelude to Foundation, by Issac Asimov

Fun and creative, but I had picked it up with the hope that it would be profound, and it didn't affect me that much. Two quotes of interest:

They are down in a control room for sewage treatment: "The light was dim and Seldon wondered why the Trantorians didn't keep it dark altogether. But then it occurred to him that he had never encountered true darkness in any public area. It was probably a habit in an energy-rich society. Strange that a world of forty billion should be energy-rich, but with the internal heat of the planet to draw upon, to say nothing of solar energy and nuclear fusion plants in space, it was. In fact, come to think of it, there was no energy-poor planet in the Empire. Was there a time when technology had been so primitive that energy poverty was possible?"

"You're naive, Hari. Or not a historian, which is the same thing."

The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame

This was not a page turner for me. The leisurely (if sometimes dangerous) lives of these characters didn't draw me in and make me want to know more. Toad's personality is so exaggerated as to be gross. I did read the whole book and enjoyed most of the stories.

I truly appreciated the comments about friendship and proper form when around others - the comments about when to look away, when to disagree with the obvious, and when to do everything vs. force others to do their share were very interesting to me.

The battle to re-take Toad Hall from the weasels was wonderfully done.

Brooklyn Bridge, by Lynn Curlee

This is not a novel, it's a picture book, but it is incredible. The history of the bridge is fascinating, motivating, and moving. If you want a just a bit of history that will make you laugh and cry and hold your breath in awe, this is it.

Boy, by Roald Dahl

Dahl shares stories of his childhood in this book. I enjoyed the vignettes and wish he had had time to publish more of his personal history. He is entertaining and instructive.

Journey of a Thousand Miles, by Lang Lang with David Ritz

Lang Lang is egocentric despite his world experience, which I suppose is to be expected from a young celebrity who was sheltered (aka: forced to do nothing but practice piano) for most of his life. His story was beautiful and ugly, pleasurable and painful, short and yet oh so long. I feel for him and understand him better, and I definitely want to hear him play.

The Moonstone, by Brandon Sanderson

What a wonderful detective novel! Hailed as the first of its genre, it follows the mysterious Indian moonstone from the original idol in the Far East, through its many owners. The story is told linearly but by different narrators - a history of the stone pieced together, written by the one who had the most knowledge of events and people concerned with the stone at a given time. The way the narrators infiltrate their narratives with themselves is laudable. Collins did a fabulous job with both the writing and the story line - the cleverness of the detective is admirable, the true solution to the mystery is creative, and the stone's final resting place is surprising.

Thud, by Terry Pratchett

The plot of this book revolves around a war between the dwarves and trolls that took place in Koom Valley generations ago. But that’s not what the book is about.

Sam Vimes is a great role model with a lot of common sense. He understands himself and shares that with the reader in a way that makes them a better person. He also notes when he is willfully ignoring common sense and makes sure he knows why he is doing it before he leaps.

Pratchett explores the complexities of life for many different creatures, and the way he advocates restraint is impressive to me. One of the characters is a werewolf, and she laments: “Never mind that life was a daily struggle with the inner wolf, never mind that you had to force yourself to walk past every lamppost, never mind that in every petty argument you had to fight back the urge to settle it all with just one bite.” With the exception of the lamppost, I think those feelings come to everyone, and thinking about it from the point of view of one who deals with being a wolf inside all the time makes the things I face look easy.

Sam is incredibly dedicated to his young son. His example may be a bit larger-than-life, but serves as a reminder of what the most important things in our lives should be, and how our priorities shape the rest of our thoughts and actions.

There is a great deal in this novel about darkness and light. The creatures you would think of as ‘the good guys’ are given the dark qualities, while the creatures you would think of as ‘bad’ end up with the pure, light quality. There is a dwarf sign named the Summoning Dark which is discussed at length throughout the book.  It is deep, awful, and claustrophobic to those who have to deal with it. I found it very powerful that (Spoiler alert:) the one force that was able to resist it was another kind of darkness. I have discussed the restraint Sam Vimes has over the natural man (Pratchett calls it the Beast in some of his other books, in this one rage and anger are cited as the weaknesses). The Summoning Dark meets his match in Sam, who has created barriers within himself to these kinds of things. There is a dialogue between the Summoning Dark and Sam’s guardian, who says he might be called the “Guarding Dark.” He is the one who keep the natural man, or the Beast, from taking over Sam's actions. The guardian says to the summoning Dark “I think you misunderstand. I am not here to keep darkness out. I’m here to keep it in . . . Imagine how strong I must be.” The Summoning Dark leaves Sam, saluting Sam on its way out. The fact that Sam had that curse festering inside him, working to dominate him - that actually ended up protecting Sam and making him stronger. It definitely strengthened his Guarding Dark, which could be related to the will within all of us to bind the natural man. We are strengthened through adversity – that’s a big part of what this life is about.

Also, (Spoiler alert:) at the end of the story, you come to find out that the animosity between the dwarves and the trolls was supposed to have ended in Koom Valley, not started there. The Koom Valley battle that cemented their hatred of each other was supposed to have been a treaty signing. Ah, the failures of men! (Metaphorically, anyway.) Their greed and desire for power seems to overwhelm the good intentions of those who seek peace.

So, on the negative side, one of the coppers has a girlfriend who is a pole dancer. Her lack of clothing is described, and she goes out boozing with two female members of the Watch. A lot of the drinks have inappropriate names. This book is not recommended by me. I wouldn’t want my husband to read it any more than I’d want him to eat delicious brownies that had a bit of doggy poop mixed in the batter. It’s really too bad.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford

This is a clean love story about a young Chinese boy living through WWII. There’s a lot of jazz music in it, and plenty of accurate, heart-wrenching history. The family of the main character has difficulty communicating and this is passed on to the next generation, and only semi-resolved by the end. But those kinds of things take time. I didn’t feel the author was a particularly fine writer or that he kept all his facts straight all the time, but his pacing was good and I loved that new, important facts about the main character’s history popped up throughout the novel. I enjoyed the nonlinear narrative.

Reaper Man, by Terry Pratchett

I found this to be a beautiful and poignant description of life and what it means to live. Pratchett’s comic, ever-present political and personal analyses will stick with you too, but when I closed this book, I felt uplifted and renewed.

The character of Death is ‘fired,’ and finds himself with time, something that has not existed for him before. He knows just what to do – spend it. As death learns about life and time, so does the reader. And if, at the end, you do not find yourself with a desire to stand in a wheat field and listen to the wind, I’ll eat my scythe.

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

This one is not Pratchett's best, but the fact that it's by Terry Pratchett still means that is it wonderfully hilarious and thought-provoking. Sam Vimes is, as always, a brave and clever hero. My favorite quote:

“The fresh rain glistened on the towers and rooftops, all unaware of the teeming, rancorous world it was dropping into. Luckier rain fell on upland sheep, or whispered gently over forests, or pattered somewhat incestuously into the sea. Rain that fell on Ankh-Morpork, though, was rain that was in trouble.”