Kraken by China Miéville

This book at first seems to be set in our world, but as the story of the giant squid that impossibly disappears continues, it becomes clear that the world is a very different one indeed. I enjoyed both piecing together what was possible in this world and following the plot through its multiple twists and turns. The richness of the world and the dexterity of the plot are this book's real assets--the characters are interesting, but not quite as important somehow. I look forward to reading more of Miéville's writing.

A Shropshire Lad by A.E. Houseman

This collection of poetry is mostly written in a pastoral mode. The verse itself is not bad, but sort of what I would expect for Victorian poetry. Mostly it's short and lyric, and has to do with people courting, dying young, and serving in war. I particularly like the penultimate poem, which I have come across before, whose first line is "Terrence, this is stupid stuff." There are intriguing contrasts between the Shropshire countryside and urban London, and between nature, which will continue to exist, and people, who die quickly.

Outcast by Aaron Allston

I listened to this book as an audiobook because that's the version the local library has. I have really enjoyed listening--there are lots of sound effects and ambient music. I enjoyed all the subplots of this story--it did a really good job giving characters challenges to overcome and tasks to complete. I did feel like the overarching setup (the Galactic Alliance is afraid of the Jedi, what went wrong with Jacen Solo) was a bit forced.

The Enchanted Country: Northern Writers in the South 1865-1910 by Anne Rowe

This monograph struck me as thin. It's obviously pretty short, but I think there was also something methodologically lacking. The author's argument is that after the Civil War, Northern writers who write about the South increasingly write about it as an "enchanted country." It seems to escape the tawdry industrialization and modernization of the North. This enchanted aspect also seems to come from an admiration of the courtly behavior and life style of an idealized upper class. I guess my concerns about Rowe's method are two-fold: first, it seems like she's trying to make a cultural argument, but the readings rely heavily only on primary texts, so I'm not buying her cultural connections; second, at times I got the feeling that she herself was caught up in the awe/hero worship of a type of southern gentility. Still, I thought the readings themselves were strong, and she's obviously read a lot of the works of writers who don't get as much critical attention.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

This book, set in a post-apocalyptic (precise nature of the apocalypse never specified) wasteland, is one of the best things I've ever read by Cormac McCarthy. A father and his son prowl through the desolated landscape, looking for food, fuel, and other useful items, and avoiding the bad guys who cannibalize dead people. They gradually make their way to the ocean, mostly helped by luck. It's when their luck turns sour that they must discover who they are, what they believe in, and whether they're able to trust. The prose is clear and strong.

The Betrayal by Helen Dunmore

This book had me captivated from almost the first page. It tells the story of Andrei, a skilled pediatrician, and his wife Anna, a nursery school teacher, who are living in Leningrad during some (at first) unspecified point during Stalin's rule--a time when World War II and the deprivations everyone faced in Leningrad are still high in many people's memories. Andrei gets called into to consult on the case of the son of a Party leader. The son has an aggressive cancer, and when his treatment doesn't go well, Andrei and Anna must negotiate their survival in a society where they cannot trust their neighbors or their colleagues. Dunmore's elegantly written book probed themes of paranoia, survival in a state of terror, love, family, betrayal, friendship, and loyalty. I probably would not have picked up this book based on its description, but I think it overcomes its description to offer a compassionate portrayal of the possibility of ordinary people to survive and even shine in their humanity even during the most difficult historical epochs.

Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett

In this book Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat travel to Genua, where Magrat has been sent by the witch who left Magrat her wand and her position as fairy godmother. With moments that spoof The Lord of the Rings, The Wizard of Oz, and countless fairy tales (but most of all Cinderella), this story is hilarious. There's also a lot of travel humor. I can't get over how smart these books are in their parody. All of which is to say, this book is another one smashed out of the park for Pratchett.