Book Reviews: March 2021

My reading this month is as usual – two short works of fiction and two longer works of non-fiction. I don’t really read much fiction anymore, unless the premise is really, really interesting, or the story promises to be cozy/relaxing, or I’ve read that author before. As for non-fiction, I’m reading a lot of books on nature this year, as you can see:

My Sweet Orange Tree by Jose Mauro de Vasconcelos:

This book revolves around a young boy growing up in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, who finds comfort with an orange tree in his backyard and later develops an unlikely friendship with an old man in the neighborhood. It reminds me of Ruskin Bond in its profound simplicity (perhaps that’s why I picked it up), and also reminds me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, as both deal with childhood hardship and… both have a “tree” in their titles? It can be quite depressing, though, as the boy is treated quite harshly by his family and it ends with (spoiler) a tragedy, with little to lift up the story. I like it, but it’s just too sad. 3/5

Deathbird Stories by Harlan Ellison:

I’m a big sci-fi fan, but I’m terrible about reading classic sci-fi authors – I’ve never read Asimov, Heinlein, or Vonnegut; I’ve read but don’t really enjoy Ursula K. LeGuin or Philip K. Dick; in fact, I think the only classic sci-fi authors I regularly read and enjoy is Ray Bradbury. However, this is mentioned in the afterword of American Gods, and it’s a short story collection, so I decided to check it out. I can definitely see the influence on American Gods – most of the stories deal with gods and beliefs in one way or another, some subtle, some explicit. However, it can be exhausting at times, because it’s so… intense. It doesn’t have the dreamy quality like Bradbury or the whimsical touches like Gaiman to lift it up. So, though I quite enjoy it, I’m not tempted to check out Ellison’s other works (well, the fact that he was a bit of a dick doesn’t help either.) 4/5

Extraordinary Insects by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson:

I’m sure that for many of us, insects are at best a nuisance and at worst, disease-infested creepy-crawlies, but this book, which explains how insects are essential to life on Earth, may change your mind. I, for one, have always found insects fascinating (except for mosquitoes and flies), so the information in this book may not be as surprising, but I still found it quite fun and enjoyable to read, and by the end of it, I had to grudgingly accept that even the pesky mosquitoes and flies have their roles in the ecosystem. 4/5

Wilding by Isabella Tree:

This book came up in the “Recommendation” section of Goodreads because I’d just finished Extraordinary Insects, and when I found out it’s about a couple’s attempt to return their British farm to the wilderness, I immediately picked it up. It turns out to be less romantic than I thought – it’s about conservation of a huge estate (https://knepp.co.uk/home), involving careful science and planning, not just letting a little backyard garden run wild – but it’s no less riveting. It certainly gives me a different perspective about nature and our place in it. I only wish it had something about how this “rewild” effort can be applied on a smaller scale. 5/5

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire:

This is the second book in the Wayward Children series, but it’s actually a prequel to the first book, Every Heart a Doorway, which I read back in 2019. It tells the story of twins Jack and Jill and what leads to the events in EHAD. It is very quick read (I finished it in 2 sittings), but not as subversive as Seanan McGuire’s other books and I find the characters a little flat, though it certainly does a good job of exploring the complex dynamic between twins. 3.5/5

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