Jan 2019 Fav Reads (Patreon)

Hello good humans! I thought it might be fun to write about what I'm reading on a regular basis. Let's try it!

In Jan 2019 I read 12 books, but in this post I'll just talk about these five highlights: The Book of Why, Memes to Movements, Blow-Up and Other Stories, Spinning Silver, and Skyward.

Also, sometimes I watch Booktube (the section of youtube where people talk about books) and dream of being a booktuber, and the other day when I was all set up for vlogging for "work" I thought hey, why not try out the VR180 camera for a booktube vlog? And so I lived my dream, and that video is here and it is super secret because I'm just quietly living the dream, y'know? So don't share it but do comment on this post! (Especially if you try it in VR.) It talks about a few extra books and has a rant about VR and empathy.

Now on to my Jan 2019 Fav Reads, text version!

1. The Book of Why by Judea Pearl and Dana Mackenzie

First in our nonfiction category is a book about the science and mathematics of causation. Very interesting and I liked it! 

I always struggled to articulate to people how we can believe things about complex systems even if we can't know or prove precise causes through observed data alone. Sometimes no one can prove whether x is a contributing factor to y, but that doesn't mean the conversation is over. If we know that x can't be the sole cause of y, mathematically there must be other factors worth thinking about! But in what mathematical language can I write that down and reason about it?

Well, in this book I got my answer: causal calculus! It left me wanting more details and examples of the actual math and the language of causal diagrams, though was more technical than I expected for a pop science book. It struck a good balance I think, and now I'm very curious to learn more.

2. Memes to Movements by An Xiao Mina

Second in our nonfiction category is a very new, very current, book about memes and protest! Is there any more to say about cat pictures on the internet? An has found a way.

I especially appreciated the insight into Chinese memes and internet culture. If you're into understanding how the whole internet politics system works, this book is a good resource. It is academic, sourced, and well researched, with many examples, and dots connected.

3. Blow-Up and Other Stories by Julio Cortazar

Borges is mandatory reading for the mathematically minded lover of literature, and at some point I decided to explore other Argentinian writers and discovered Cortazar. If that sounds like you, go give Cortazar a try!

These stories are literary fiction where the surreality stems from a bent sense of self and other. My favourite was "The Pursuer," about the glorification of the genius jazz musician.

4. Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

This fantasy book was so good, so beautifully written and not cliche or standard. If you love fantasy but are tired of every book being the same, read this.

My favourite bit: many fantasy books attempt to utilize the weird logic of faeries and their different way of thinking about truth, promises, thanks, and obligation, but in this book it truly felt alien and otherworldly. So well done. 

There's nothing I love more in a book than a convincing portrayal of a different way of thinking!

5. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

Sanderson is one of my favourite current fantasy authors. Technically I guess this book is scifi, though one might say his fantasy is hard enough to be soft scifi and it's all the same in the end. This is a very fun book and pleasant read, light enough for the beach but deep enough that I'm attached to a couple of the characters and can't wait for the next in the series. 

If you like Sanderson, you'll like this. If you don't know Sanderson, go read the Mistborn series first, and then embark on the Way of Kings when you're ready for true epic fantasy that shows the human spirit at its greatest rather than only at its worst.

Conclusion

Have you read these books? What books do you recommend for me? What are you reading? Do you watch booktube and who's your fav?

Books are the best!

Vi