December book reviews
A busy reading season to close out the year. Here’s the recap of my reads from the last month of 2023.
The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine – Rashid I. Khalid
Khalid traces the turbulent history of Palestine through the story of his own family’s repeated displacements. Outlines incursions into Palestine from Zionist movements of the early 20th century to occupation by a British, and then American, backed Israel. Part memoir, part historical overview, this well-researched account puts a face and story to a century of colonial occupation.
Winners Take All – Anand Giridharadas
An indictment of those that Giridharadas terms ‘market elites’ – rich tech founders, business moguls, and heirs that use their tremendous wealth to try to make the world a better place through development initiatives, tech innovations, and social programs. Giridharadas takes these well-meaning billionaires to task, suggesting that the philanthropic efforts of groups like the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation are in fact a vote of non-confidence in participatory democracy, and evidence that the rich believe that they are 1) more capable of improving society than the government and 2) know better than the poor how best to improve society. A persuasive read.
Recommended by Cathy
Utopia for Realists – Rutger Bregmen
Dutch historian Bregmen makes a compelling case for the 15-hour work week, universal basic income, and open borders. A historical account of how societies around the world and across centuries have pursued utopias, and the political and rhetorical campaigns against such aspirational initiatives.
Greek Lessons – Han Kang
A mute Korean woman slowly falls in love her language teacher who is going blind. A story about the lingering cost of loss – in this case, losing a child to a custody battle – and the kinds of human connection that can heal seemingly irreparable scars. A short read, beautiful and thought-provoking.
The Empress of Salt and Fortune, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, Into the Riverlands, Mammoths at the Gates – Nghi Vo
This award-winning series of novellas follows the rise to power of a foreign empress, as witnessed through the eyes of a travelling, non-binary monk and collector of stories. Each book in this east-Asian inspired series is a little fable, the kind of story of magic and sacrifice that you could imagine an ancient people telling as they sat around the fire. Mythic in feel, poetic in prose.
Moon of the Turning Leaves – Waubgeshig Rice
A much-anticipated sequel to Rice’s popular dystopic Moon Over Crusted Snow. An Anishinaabe community survives the apocalypse in northern Ontario. With food sources running low, the group decides they must forage south after over a decade with no contact with other survivors of the end of the world. A survival story, a people’s history, and a parable on what makes family rolled into one.
Recommended by Justine
Rogue Protocol, Network Effect, Exit Strategy, Fugitive Telemetry, System Collapse – Martha Wells
I sped through five books in Martha Wells’ addictive Murderbot Diaries series to get read for the TV show adaption. These short novels each feel like a really good episode of Star Trek. Like the show, the books pose moral quandaries – what makes us human, do robots have rights, what is the value of a human life if AI does everything? – and have satisfying action-driven plots. I should maybe be worried about how much I relate to the Murderbot, the sarcastic, historical drama loving, fiercely loyal killing machine. But really, don’t all of us feel like awkward turtles just trying to be convincing humans some days?
All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr
A blind French daughter of a museum employee. A young German orphan recruited into Hitler’s army. An eccentric WWI radio-obsessed veteran and a patriotic widower who leads insurgency against Nazi occupation in seaside France. Doerr’s award-winning novel is brought to life by its characters, their quirks, and the tiny moments of humanity that make war worth surviving. A meandering, heart-wrenching WWII novel about belief, conscience, and resistance.
A Prayer for the Crown Shy – Becky Chambers
Chambers’ second Monk and Robot novel. A non-binary monk and a robot travel through a land recovering from eco-collapse, asking big questions about what it means to enslave, to find purpose, to augment the body, to expand the mind. A cozy philosophical story about the unexpected lessons friendship teaches us. A wholesome read for a snowy, bed-bound day.
The Year of Magical Thinking – Joan Didion
Celebrated writer and journalist Didion’s memoir on the loss of her husband and the near-death of her daughter. The dual shocks of sudden death of her husband John and the prolonged illness of her daughter Quintana bombard Didion, and her essays in this book carry that fragile hypersensitivity of a person still in the aftershocks of incredible grief. A raw and beautifully told account that will resonate with anyone who has experienced serious loss.
The Untethered Sky – Fonda Lee
A fantasy novella in a harsh fantastical world reminiscent of the steppes of Mongolia. About a legion of warriors who bond with rocs, massive birds used for hunting dangerous creatures of the land. A very readable story about friendship, loyalty between human and creature, and freedom. I wished it was longer.
Recommended by Milana
Assistant to the Villian – Hannah Nicole Maehrer
A fun little romance in a medieval-ish setting. About a hardworking, positive woman who gets accidentally recruited to work for a supervillain with a vendetta against the kingdom’s king. Shenanigans and love ensue. Major cliffhanger ending!
Recommended by Milana
