book

Finished reading: A Short History of Canada by Desmond Morton. Somewhat like vegetables, I know that reading about national history is good for me, just not that exciting. That said, this book was well written and interesting. Now, back to sci-fi 📚

Finished reading: Shift by Hugh Howey. I’m not sure that Wool needed this prequel. Part of the enjoyment of the first book was the mystery of how people ended up living underground after an apocalypse. That said, I’ll read the last book in the series 📚

Finished reading: Plague Birds by Jason Sizemore is quite the story: advanced AIs living in people’s blood, genetic manipulation run amok, the collapse of civilization, and a mysterious alien. A fun read 📚

The Kobo Libra 2 is great for cottage reading 📚

As a follow up to my earlier post, now that I’m on the eleventh book of my vacation, I can confirm that the Kobo Libra 2 is exactly what I’d hoped. The screen has been easy to read in all lighting (especially bright sunlight on the dock), the page turn buttons are reliable, and the public library integration has been seamless. Perfect for cottage reading!

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Finished reading: Although the book is unfinished, I enjoyed Starlight by Richard Wagamese. The theme of appreciating the land resonates well with my cottage vacation. I also found the themes of fatherhood and adopted families compelling 📚

Finished reading: Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman is an engrossing book about students that escaped from East Germany during the Cold War, only to then tunnel back under the wall to help more people escape 📚

Finished reading: Arriving Today by Christopher Mims is a very interesting look into the logistics network that we all take for granted with an emphasis on Amazon. A fascinating mix of robotics, AI, and labour laws📚

Finished reading: Persepolis Rising by James S. A. Corey is a solid start to a new Expanse story. Although I like the mystery surrounding the alien artifacts, Expanse is at its best when focused on the people📚

Finished reading: Shipstar by Gregory Benford isn’t nearly as ambitious as Bowl of Heaven, the first book in the series. Although there are several big ideas in the book, they didn’t really connect well together. 📚

Finished reading: Although I was already familiar with many of the details, A Series of Fortunate Events by Sean B. Carroll was a brief and entertaining overview of the role of chance in biology. Both humbling and inspiring to think about how contingent everything is📚

My annual cottage vacation is imminent and a favourite part is reading books by the lake.

In past years, I’ve packed a pile of library books. But, I average more than ten books over the break. Adding in my family (though they’re less voracious readers) means we end up with a big box of books to fit in an already crowded car.

So, the past few years I’ve switched to reading library books on my iPad. Being able to “carry” so many books on the device, plus adding more if necessary, is great. The downsides, though, include difficulty reading through the glare of sunlight and the occasional shutdown from overheating. Plus, there are so many easy distractions on an iPad.

Thanks to a good discount and a review by Jason Snell of integrating with public libraries, I’ve bought a Kobo Libra 2. This is now my dedicated library book device (although it does have other features, like a bookstore, Pocket integration, and audiobooks). The e-ink really is remarkably easy to read outside, even in direct sunlight, and I like the physical page-turn buttons.

Although I always have a general preference for physical books, the convenience of an entire public library on a handheld device can’t be beat for vacation reading.

Finished reading: Although surprisingly little actually happens with the plot in Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers, the characters and world building are great. Along with fascinating questions about what it means to be human and how to value tradition📚