Joel Stainer

It was an easy read and presented a future that is not unfamiliar to those who are familiar with post-apocalyptic writing. I have to say that I was let down and thought this would be better than it was. Maybe it was my expectations that are to be blamed.

To me this book read more like an attempt to wrap a story like "The Day After" or "Threads" in some journalistic plausibility to get some attention on it. It appears that it works. However, I personally feel that I'd rather just read fiction if I can't trust the accuracy of what is written.

The front cover of Nuclear War A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen Features a mushroom cloud on the front cover with little else.

Had a day off and decided to sit down and read 'Nuclear War A Scenario' by Annie Jacobsen. I am making more of an effort to read more non-fiction this year but this was quite a "fictiony" non-fiction book. From the moment a quote from Louis XIV was attributed to Napoleon I struggled with it.

I think your way is likely a more enjoyable experience for books like this with a twist that sort of comes out of nowhere. I definitely lean towards the analyst as I go method. I grew up reading Encyclopedia Brown books!

A little swerve in my usual reading as book club decided to take on The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. A pretty standard fare mystery book that left me mostly unsatisfied by the end. I like mysteries where the twist can be deduced ahead of time by a careful reader but this felt too random at the end.

As a Canadian, this feels like my experience when I first encountered Irish Road Bowling.

Definitely easier (and in my opinion more enjoyable but thats very subjective) reads than Dhalgren. I made it through I think 4 of his books before finally deciding they are not for me. Some people love his stuff though.

I felt the same.

I don't consider myself to really be overly educated or cultured but Isaac was able to make me feel a part of some large conversations without making me feel dumb, which I really appreciated. I hesitate to know who to suggest the book to except to say that if you think you might enjoy it you will.

I wouldn't say that this is a book for those who are looking for anything close to typical science fiction. I am not qualified to really get into that genre discussion to be fair, but that's my sense. I feel like this book can be enjoyed by anyone who reads any type of genre, with SF being just one.

It's not an exceptionally long book but it so beautifully covers many topics. Addiction, relationships, parenting, government, history, art, being trans and more! There are a few times when the prose feels a little overdone, but those moments are swamped by the rest of the fantastic writing.

Just wrapped up Notes from a Regicide by @isaac-fellman.bsky.social and it was wonderful. While I suppose it is SF, that particular aspect of the book felt somewhat incidental. Had it been lifted out and placed in another genre, place, or time, the reading experience would have been as great.

You did great!

I've got the hardcover first edition. Kind of a weird cover.

Quick point of note on the podcast. Regina is pronounced Ree Jy Na. Now, as a Canadian I have butchered far too many places names over the pond, so no judgement. Just thought I would mention it! Nice to hear some thoughts on this book.

Juice has been sitting on my shelf for a while now. Need to get around to it eventually.

February's first read is Becky Chambers' Psalm for the Wild-Built. My first of hers and I can see the appeal though a book with no stakes doesn't interest me much. Onto Notes From a Regicide next.

I struggled a bit with the unbelievability of the shards and the ability for certain characters to just figure out alien languages.

A Desolation of Peace by Arkady Martine is my final read (well audiobook listen) of the month. While I enjoyed the first in the series more, I thought this was still a well written space opera that touched on some interesting themes. I enjoyed picking back up with the characters and the empire.

Read this about a year and a half ago and it didn't leave a huge impression on me other than it had some interesting ideas in it that I felt could have been explored a little deeper than they were. Still an ok read though.

nebulas.sfwa.org/award-year/1...

Nebula website shows it won the main novel award, so I shall have to suck it up and gird my loins for a read.😄

Congrats! Its been sitting on my library queue for a while now. Long list of people wanting to read it.

Hmm. Good to know. Storygraph has it listed as one of the Nebula winners now that I checked. I need to review their list it seems.

Ugh. I didn't know that. Similar to the Harry Potter book that won I guess (though those are far easier reads I gather).

Not familiar with After the Flood at all. Added it onto my post-apocalyptic collection list to hunt for.

Still never tackled a Gene Wolf book. I think he won a Nebula at one point for a novel (not sure though) and if so I will definitely tackle whichever one that is as I go through the Nebula winner list.

The apocalypse is really only used as a way to setup the story and it's mostly just about a bunch of Brits mentally falling apart out on a boat. Weird play. I guess it actually got ok reviews when it came out though.

It includes a man who sets himself up as a god, a guy obsessed with exercise, a holy man who doesnt really believe much, and it goes on from there. The new society in the future is also pretty weird and we catch glimpses of how screwed up they are as well. The play sort of meanders along as it goes.

Dipped into my post-apocalyptic collection to read this short play called 'After the Rain' by John Bowen. A bizarre tale which takes place a couple hundred years after a global flood occurs and the new society is reenacting, based on historical documents, the activities of a small group on a boat.

Had this sitting in my shelf for a bit now and need to get to it.

Finished up Way Station by Clifford Simak this morning. His writing has a pastoral, and in this case, optimistic, feeling that stands out. I preferred City but this was still quite a good book. A worthy award winner.