Translation state by Anne Leckie (2023)

Interesting world-building and ideas, odd rogues gallery of characters, bad pacing, contrived plot, terrible and inconsistent magic system. 2/5 Stars.

Nexus by Yuval Harari (2024)

Puke awful, terrible. I put the book down after suffering through half of the text. 0/5 Stars. Harari should spend 1/10th the time he spends meditating on a modicum of scholarship.  His definitions of "information" and "networks" are brain dead stupid. A rational 10-year-old could be more rational. His definition of political "democracy" is equally naive, inconsistent, and stupid. I am upset I wasted so much time on this drivel. Reminder to self:  Do not read anything by Harari.

Murder on Cold Street by Sherry Thomas (2020)

This fifth book in the series continues to entertain with great character progression and fun Sherlock Holmes deductions.  The B plots are fun. The whining and moral anachronisms are getting worse, however. 4/5 Stars.

The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben (2020)

Fun, tight mystery with colorful characters, 4/5 Stars.

Growth: From microorganisms to megacities by Vaclav Smil (2019)

Not one of his Smil's best efforts but still very interesting. I appreciate the first chapter that outlines the math models of growth for fitting observations to the data and extrapolating. The author's scathing attacks against GDP growth as an indicator are also fantastic. 3/5 Stars.

The Art of the Theft by Sherry Thomas (2019)

I am enjoying this series and this fun caper episode was particularly enjoyable. 5/5 Stars.

Feersum Endjinn by Iain M. Banks (1994)

I did not enjoy this book as much as all of the other Ian Banks books I have read.  The magic system and mystical fearsome engine are quite terrible and the odd interactions of birds is also off-putting (for me). 2/5 Stars.

Samarcande by Amin Maluf (1988)

The story is well-translated from the original french and I enjoyed it.  Having read Abbas Amanat's history of Iran, I knew the 19th century part of the story. But the 11th century story of Omar Khayyam was all new to me. 4/5 Stars.

Poul Anderson: Selected Sci-Fi Stories (2018)

I am disappointed. The swords-and-sorcery fantasy stories are not very good and the others are mediocre at best. 2/5 Stars.

Books Mitch enjoyed in 2024

Books Mitch enjoyed in 2024

Inspired by my friends who write end-of-year book lists, I wrote a list last year and hope to continue every year.  In 2024 I read 115 books, down from 170  in 2023.

Fiction

	Using many of the same story elements as the last two books in their "Expanse" series, the authors have created a new space opera and built a new world for this series.  The Hero, Dafyd Alkhor, is our plucky, "awe shucks," reluctant everyman, much like "Jim Holden" from the Expanse series.  It's a good story with fun themes.
	This new installment in the series is fantastic!  The story and character arcs are much more aligned to the overall saga than the last volume.  The action and combat are cool and exciting. The new magic system components are great.  I can't wait for the next one.
	Remember the Honor Harrington stories David Weber wrote in the early 1990's? This new series he is writing with Richard Fox is just as much fun.  The detailed space fleet engagements and sophisticated, consistent magic system is fun, and the vector math as explained enables the reader to visualize the engagements clearly.  The politics are intentionally similar to the Honor Harrington universe, with wicked Oligarchs and oppressed colonies.
	Best book I read in 2024.  I have gifted three copies to relatives. It's even more enjoyable when you look up the historical events and characters in wikipedia on the exact dates of the events in the book because the descriptions are so perfectly accurate.
	The themes are reminiscent of Alex de Tocqueville's De la démocratie en Amérique in its celebration of the frontier spirit, American ingenuity, the triumph of hard work, grit, and technology over nature, and enlightenment ideals. The characters are well-developed archetypes and colorful in Verne's unique style.  The story is unpredictable with a wonderful mystery and slow reveal. I think this one is my favorite Jules Verne book now.

Non-Fiction

	Wow! The book has many deep biographical sketches of the curious characters who are the real heroes behind Space-X's unbelievable accomplishments. The stories of their adventures, set-backs, and ultimate successful accomplishments are gripping and inspiring. Recommended even if you are not a space nerd.
	I wrote a book summary on here if you are impatient or want a preview. The key points are pretty good and the ideas are worthwhile.  It's a little painful to wade through the writing style (pithy aphorisms & slogans).
	This book is the foundation of amateur and professional understanding of the early roman empire. Mary Beard uses wonderful examples and anecdotes to illuminate the complex ideas, opinions, and daily lives of the people of ancient Rome, their moires, customs, social interactions, and international relations.  The book explains in wonderful prose the evolving attitudes of the ancient people in all stations of life. She gives frequent reminders of how differently the Romans projected back different versions of their own history as their language, culture, governance, and relationship to their society changed.
	The Wuhan Lab's "gain of function" (bio-weapons) research, including the cover-ups, deception, and the people behind the odd policies of that era are brightly illuminated in this interesting book.  The silly politics are distracting and boring, but new information about the corruption, censorship, and the conflicts of interest within government funding agencies and EcoHealth Alliance are interesting.
	This book exceeded my expectations. The author, a journalist, skillfully presents the science by incorporating interviews and insights directly from leading scientists in the field. While I didn't particularly enjoy some of the social commentary and political perspectives, I think her observations are both highly relevant and perceptive.