I surrender. Maybe.

April has been a pretty craptacular month (I'll save that for another post), and I am way off track for my goal of reading 2 books I already own per month. I needed to read 3 during March to catch up. Not only did I not do that, but I didn't read any in April either. So, I may give up on the idea, unless I break a leg and suddenly have a great deal more leisure time (from my mouth to the FSM's ears). We'll see.

On the bright side, I have been singlehandedly improving the circulation numbers at both of my public library systems.

Slow Apocalypse, by John Varley

Slow Apocalypse by John Varley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Varley weaves a tale that sounds much more plausible than concerns about zombies eating our brains: What happens when the oil that has fueled the modern economy literally dries up? Let me tell you, it ain't pretty. The author adds some extra disaster by setting the novel in southern California. It's quite appropriate, because perhaps no other city in America exemplifies the car culture, the lack of natural resources in most metropolises, and class divisions. We follow our protagonist, a down-on-his-luck screenwriter, from when he first hears a strange story about a biotechnologist who creates a living tool of destruction. As Dave, his neighbors, his family (blood and otherwise), and his city struggle for survival, we're swept along with him. Just as a good screenwriter would do, Varley paints his pictures with words and action and he does it well. (Of course, I read a large portion of the book during a power outage. This postapocalyptic novel will stay with you once you close it: It ends with some serious and all too nonfictional thoughts about how the U.S., and indeed the world, operate and reminds us that reality may be worse than fiction in some cases.



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City of Thieves, by David Benioff

City of Thieves by David Benioff

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Despite the grim subject matter, I adored this book. It's beautifully written in such a way that it brings alive the madness of the events with humor and horror at the same time. The characters are drawn in a similar way, with all of their foibles, mysteries, and heroism clear. The fact that Benioff is writing a vaguely fictionalized version of his grandfather's life during the siege of Leningrad makes it all that much more compelling.



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Mr. Monster

Mr. Monster by Dan Wells

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The character development in the second book of the John Wayne Cleaver series seemed to me to be more well-developed than in the previous novels. Perhaps it was a result of John's more pronounced inner struggle between his good and bad natures. I still find the supernatural elements of the book jarring, but not as much so as in I Am Not a Serial Killer. Disturbing and delicious at the same time.



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Why America Failed

Why America Failed: The Roots of Imperial Decline by Morris Berman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another thoughtful and enlightening work of cultural criticism from Berman, but I perhaps was looking for a more detailed take on anti-intellectualism (particularly in light of his commentary on the South).



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