Monthly Archives: September 2019

What We’re Reading: Hi! Have you met Murderbot?

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Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries series: All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, and Exit Strategy
Available at the Main Campus Library

This series was read by Courtney Bippley, Reference Librarian, Lance Lee, Spanish Instructor and TLC Director, and Meredith Lewis, Orange County Campus Librarian. 

Title: The Murderbot Diaries (All Systems Red, Artificial Condition, Rogue Protocol, and Exit Strategy), a series of 4 novellas

Author: Martha Wells

Genre: Science Fiction

#ReadGreatThings2019 Category: A book about technology [fiction counts for this category, too!]

Why did you choose to read this book? 

  • Courtney (CB): Meredith told me to and I generally trust her judgement. Plus, that fulfills my “Recommended By A Librarian” category for the 2019 Read Great Things Challenge. [And now can fulfill yours too since it’s on the blog!]
  • Lance (LL): Meredith was selling it hard, so I had to take her up on the offer.
  • Meredith (ML): I read a review of it and the book went on sale for $1.99. I bought the book and immediately loved Murderbot as a character. The story was interesting, too—terrain exploration in space,mysterious bad behavior, robots. Awesome. It is also true that I was selling this book hard because I want people to give it a chance!

What did you like about it?

  • CB: It is fun science fiction with action and mystery that lightly touches on larger themes of human consciousness and AI rights. What’s not to like?
  • LL: The philosophical question of whether or not this being was alive and should be treated like a human was really compelling.The first-person narrative from Murderbot’s point-of-view was humorous and intriguing.
  • ML: Murderbot as a character is extremely relatable, especially after a long day of interacting with people. I think Murderbot also really describes awkwardness well—those times when you don’t quite react in the most suave way? Murderbot understands (well, maybe not, but Murderbot tries to and then stops trying because understanding human behavior is hard, y’all).

Did it remind you of any other book, or a movie?

  • CB: It’s a little like The Terminator, minus the time travel and if Schwarzenegger would rather have been watching soap operas.
  • LL: Not a specific book or movie, but it belongs to the genre of “here’s this future world with these new ways of functioning, so what would happen?”
  • ML: Parts of the series reminded me a little of Marvin in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, though the two books are not similar in tone at all. I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it’s just robots and snarkiness. And sentient space ships always remind me of that one Futurama episode with the sentient ship (duh?). I’m not going to lie–Murderbot also reminded me a little of myself as a middle and high schooler just being so over other people, like, trying to get into my business. I wasn’t a battle robot, though, so my damage count was mostly tallied in rolled eyes.

Was there anything noteworthy about the book?

  • CB: All the books are short so it’s perfect for times when you don’t want to commit to something long. And, pretty light when bringing it in your purse somewhere. 
  • LL: I found it to be a unique story that made you think a bit but also fun to read (a.k.a. not too heavy).
  • ML: All Systems Red (the first book in the series) has won both the Nebula and Hugo awards for best novella, and Artificial Condition (book two in the series) just won the Hugo award for best novella.  

What feeling did the book leave you with?

  • CB: Wanting to read the next one.
  • LL: I want to get to know Murderbot in person. I might even watch a Murderbot reality show if they starred in it.
  • ML: Excited that there’s going to be a novel to go along with these novellas! (Currently scheduled for mid-2020.)

What would you pair this book with?

  • CB: Binge watching Battlestar Galactica (the 2004 version), a show I think Murderbot would enjoy.
  • LL: A really long weekend where you wanted to binge read a series.

Does this book have any book or movie friends?

  • CB: If you want a more serious exploration of the topics in the book, I’d recommend Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick [available at the Orange County Campus Library]. Or watching Blade Runner. 
  • LL: I have to plug Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty [available through ILL]. They both are sci-fi with some elements of mystery (Six Wakes more-so) and set in a universe where new realities can unfold because of technological advances.
  • ML: If you like sentient AI, Autonomous by Annalee Newitz [available at the Main Campus Library] and the Scythe series by Neal Shusterman [available at the Orange County Campus Library] explore it in different ways. 

Banned Books Week Sept. 22-29, 2019

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Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and open access to information for all. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or censorship in libraries and schools. 

lightulb with text reading: Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark. Keep the Light On!

Image courtesy of https://bannedbooksweek.org/promotional-tools/

The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom compiles lists of challenged books in order to bring awareness of censorship that affect libraries and schools. 

Stop by our banned books display on the lower level of Main library and pick up a bookmark, sticker, or coloring sheet at the library’s desk to celebrate your freedom to read.

red book wrapped in yellow caution tape that reads Banned Books Week
Image courtesy of https://bannedbooksweek.org/promotional-tools/

What We’re Reading: Wrecked

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Title: Wrecked: An IQ Novel

Author: Joe Ide

Genre: mystery, street lit

Why did you choose to read this book?

cover of Wrecked: An IQ Novel, by Joe Ide

This is the third book in the IQ series, which features protagonist Isaiah Quintabe (“IQ”), a small-time, self-styled private investigator from East Long Beach, California. I enjoyed the first two books—IQ and Righteous—so I picked up the third.

There are several traits of the main character I appreciate. IQ, motivated by the memory of his older brother Marcus, who was murdered, pursues justice rather than greed, often accepting token gifts, like a handmade Christmas sweater (in Southern California!), in lieu of money from his clients. He is also a critical thinker and careful planner. He is skilled in reading people and memorizing small details about people and his surroundings. These traits define IQ and drive the plots of the series’ books.

In Wrecked IQ becomes embroiled in a mystery and becomes attracted to his client Grace, who hires him to find her mother, whom she has not seen in 10 years. The plot and its many subplots cover IQ’s business relationship with his mismatched partner Dodson; a complicated backstory that slowly reveals itself, and encompasses family secrets; WSSI, a paramilitary U.S. government contractor, whose employees have histories of torture and cover-ups at Abu Ghraib; and a love story.

What did you like about it?

Isaiah Quintabe is one of my favorite fictional characters. Wrecked presents bigger challenges for IQ to navigate than the previous books in the series. (Spoiler alert!) The opening pages reveal tough-talking ex-military thugs brutally torturing a victim (It’s IQ!), hoping to beat information out of him. The thugs work for the CEO of the international security firm, WSSI, which provides the advantages of cash, trained killers,and security clearances. WSSI and IQ are in pursuit of the same person. Who will prevail?

Joe Ide has a knack for revealing characters through dialogue. One example is Junior, a drug dealer, speaks as if he “swallowed a dictionary sideways,” misusing big and obscure words to comic effect. Dodson’s wife Deronda, the several brutes—Jimenez, Hawkins, and Owens—from WSSI, and many others populate Wrecked with distinctive voices.

Did it remind you of any other book, or a movie?

The first detective stories I enjoyed were Hardy Boys and Encyclopedia Brown books. Using evidence at hand to solve mysteries fed my appreciation both for books and for applying critical thinking skills. As a child, I fantasized that I, too could be a successful detective. Maybe that helped drive me to a career as a librarian: I help people use information to solve their own problems and answer their own questions.

Was there anything noteworthy about the book?

There is a rumor that Ide is in contract with Alcon Television Groupto develop a television series around IQ.

With what feeling did the book leave you?

Frankly, I have enjoyed each book in the series less than the one that came before it. Ide’s trick of revealing how a problem was solved—after the action that depended on having solved the problem—wears thin. Rather than a feeling of suspense-then-relief, I experience bewilderment followed by a magician showing me exactly how easy it is to make a building disappear. I also found the love story between Isaiah and Grace to be little more than a plot device.

I hope the next book in the series, Hi Five, is better. I’m not ready to give up on Joe Ide yet, and definitely not ready to give up on IQ.

To whom would you recommend this book?

Fans of gritty mystery writing will probably enjoy this book.

With what would you pair this book?

Let me recommend an old film noir flick, The Third Man, released in 1949, which features protagonist Holly Martins bumbling through an investigation into the circumstances around an old friend’s death. Based on a novella by Graham Greene, it is a whodunit with a surprising twist and the story resolves through successively-increasing climaxes.

Observe how the film’s suspense is maintained while information is revealed to Martins and the viewer at the same time. Contrast that with how Wrecked keeps secret information about IQ’s investigative tactics until after the story plays out.

From Print on the Small [Mostly Streaming] Screen: Book to TV Adaptations

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Do you like your book adaptations to go beyond the two hour constraint of a movie screen? If so, have you checked out the literary companions to these recent television adaptations? 

  • A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
    Available on AMC and through ILL
  • A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R R Martin
    Available on HBO and at the Main and Orange County Campus libraries
  • Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
    Available on HBO and at the Main and Orange County Campus Libraries
  • Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
    Available on Hulu and at the Main Campus library
  • Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich
    Available on HBO and at the Orange County Campus library
  • Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
    Available on Amazon Prime Video and at the Main Campus library
  • NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
    Available on AMC and at the Main Campus library
  • Suspicious Minds, a Stranger Things novel by Gwenda Bond
    Available streaming through Netflix, on DVD at the Orange County Campus library, and in print at the Main Campus library
  • Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
    Available on Netflix and at the Main and Orange County Campus libraries
  • The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
    Available on Sundance TV and at the Main and Orange County Campus libraries
  • The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
    Available on Starz and at the Main Campus library
  • The Umbrella Academy by Gerard Wary and Gabriel Ba, illustrated by Dave Stewart and Nate Piekos
    Available on Netflix and at the Orange County Campus Library

What We’re Reading: The Library Book

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This book was read by Julie Humphrey, Library Director.

Title: The Library Book

Author: Susan Orlean

Genre: Nonfiction

#ReadGreatThings2019 Category: Social Science book

The Library Book cover

Why did you choose to read this book? 

I always enjoy Susan Orlean’s writing in the New Yorker magazine and really liked her book The Orchid Thief.  This is an ode to libraries so how could I resist?  It also has a beautiful cover!

What did you like about it? 

This book provides a fascinating account of the Los Angeles’s Central Library fire of 1986 as well as the process of rebuilding and restoring the library and the ongoing investigation of a primary suspect.  It’s also a love letter to libraries, library staff, and books.  

Did it remind you of any other book, or a movie? 

Susan Orlean’s writing reminds me a lot of Mary Roach’s writing. She sometimes dives deep into a rabbit hole and goes on strange and wacky tangents that are completely compelling. Orlean and Roach both weave in interesting stories, history, and trivia that are so entertaining and fun. This reminded me a lot of Packing for Mars, not in subject matter, but in style. 

Was there anything noteworthy about the book?

I especially appreciated her extensive research, interviews, and visits to libraries.  I loved Orlean’s own personal stories of her library experiences when she was growing up in Ohio and the stories of visiting her local public library with her young son.  She also explores the library as a vital public institution and discusses challenges that many libraries face today.  She profiles inspiring librarians and library staff working in libraries across the country.

Who would you recommend the book to?

Nonfiction readers, book lovers, library supporters, anyone interested in fire and arson investigation, true crime readers, and all bibliophiles.

What would you pair this book with?

A working fire alarm, a fire extinguisher, a good sprinkler system, and a library card!  Also, I’m excited to read her previous book, The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters with Extraordinary People which we just ordered for the library and is on the new book shelf.