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Jan. 1st, 2010 05:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain - Minister Faust. Ambitious book that ultimately left me reeling--however, I found Faust's challenging project not so compelling at first. The book is ostensibly a self-help guide for superheroes written by Dr. Brain, celebrity psychologist to the superheroes. We meet a bunch of heroes whose interpersonal strife is causing so much trouble they're told to see Dr. Brain or get out. Faust does a good job writing in an annoying pop psychology tone, but while some bits made me laugh, I got tired of Dr. Brain herself right quick. The book took a bit to convince me there would be anything further there, but there was--some really really disturbing stuff about racism, & the invalidation of racism, & how a racist system can & will use its own racism to cloak egregious wrongs & to write any other version of history out. Well worth persevering until the end.
Face of the Enemy - Sandra Barret. Lesbian fighter pilots in space. Really clunky writing, with plot & characters I found only semi-engaging at the best of times.
Deep Wizardry - Diane Duane. This is my favorite of the Young Wizards books; I love the ocean setting, the tension between Nita & Kit's wizardly duties & their parents' ignorance of magic in the world (& Duane doesn't take the easy way out in resolving it), & best of all, the Master Shark.
So You Want to Be a Wizard - Diane Duane. Re-reading the first book after the 2nd one. Still wonderful.
Drowned Ammet - Diana Wynne Jones. Another comfort re-read. Mitt & Navis are the awesomest.
Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America - Nathan Winograd. Re-read. Still a heartbreaking indictment of animal welfare groups for failing to achieve their ostensible goals: to find homes for animals & save their lives. It is sickening how groups like the Humane Society get big bucks & sympathy for animal adoption work when they are obstructing real progress (& let's not even get into hypocritical assholes like PETA).
Face of the Enemy - Sandra Barret. Lesbian fighter pilots in space. Really clunky writing, with plot & characters I found only semi-engaging at the best of times.
Deep Wizardry - Diane Duane. This is my favorite of the Young Wizards books; I love the ocean setting, the tension between Nita & Kit's wizardly duties & their parents' ignorance of magic in the world (& Duane doesn't take the easy way out in resolving it), & best of all, the Master Shark.
So You Want to Be a Wizard - Diane Duane. Re-reading the first book after the 2nd one. Still wonderful.
Drowned Ammet - Diana Wynne Jones. Another comfort re-read. Mitt & Navis are the awesomest.
Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America - Nathan Winograd. Re-read. Still a heartbreaking indictment of animal welfare groups for failing to achieve their ostensible goals: to find homes for animals & save their lives. It is sickening how groups like the Humane Society get big bucks & sympathy for animal adoption work when they are obstructing real progress (& let's not even get into hypocritical assholes like PETA).