It’s a busy month for me with events (Orillia Comicon on May 19th and The Bookshelf in Newmarket, May 25th) plus final proofing and formatting for Transformation Protocol: Joe Ballen book 3. Not too much time for reading right now, but here’s what caught my eye in this month’s new releases.
Fiction
Light from other stars by Erika Swyler
If–like me–you dreamed of being an astronaut as a child, you’ll be drawn to the story of Nedda Pappas–11 years old when the book begins. It follows the relationship between her and her father, whose invention alters the fabric of time.
Exhalation: stories by Ted Chiang
Ted Chiang is becoming a big name in sci-fi, even though he apparently doesn’t write new material that often. This, his second short story collection, contains two brand new stories and covers a variety of themes including time travel, AI, and parallel universes. The movie Arrival was based on his story “The story of your life.”
One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence
The first in a trilogy, this is sure to appeal to Stranger Things fans with its 80s setting, role-playing teens, and time travel. It sounds like there’s an emphasis on character development here, which is always what I’m looking for in my sci-fi reads.
Non fiction
Einstein’s war: how relativity triumped amid the vicious nationalism of World War I by Matthew Stanley
I love well-written science history, especially when you find out more about the people involved. This looks at Einstein’s life during the war as well the experiences of his friends and colleagues, notably A.S. Eddington.
The age of living machines: how biology will build the next technology revolution by Susan Hockfield
Can biology combine with engineering to provide solutions to the world’s biggest crises? Susan Hockfield thinks so. This looks like a fascinating read, covering topics such as virus-built batteries, cancer-detecting nanoparticles, and mind-reading bionic limbs! (Insert joke about the 6-million dollar man?)
We can expect a spate of moon-related reads (the more, the better!) in the run-up to the 50th anniversary of the moon landing this July. Recent releases includeAmerican Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the great space race by Douglas Brinkley and Shoot for the moon: the space race and the extraordinary voyage of Apollo 11 by James Donovan. If you missed my thoughts on the latest potential space race, see Lunacy – back in style!
Happy reading. Hope to see you at an event soon!
