Rambling Readers

J. J. Zepfanman @...readers reviewed Say More by Jen Psaki

Jen Psaki: Say More (AudiobookFormat, Simon & Schuster Audio)

Former White House Press Secretary and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki shares the surprising lessons …

A perspective of an era

3 stars

Good tips, but lost interest about halfway through.

J. J. Zepfanman @...readers started reading Georges Méliès and His Family Tell His Stories: Intimate and rediscovered testimonies about the first filmmaker by Pauline Méliès

Pauline Méliès: Georges Méliès and His Family Tell His Stories: Intimate and rediscovered testimonies about the first filmmaker (Paperback, The Georges Méliès Project)

No rating

Well, it sure was worth the €37.00 investment in 2022. Finally received the book and it was MUCH more detailed than I expected. Look forward to digging in. www.kickstarter.com/projects/2036153312/georges-melies-forgotten-stories

J. J. Zepfanman @...readers reviewed Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Jeff VanderMeer: Annihilation (Paperback, 2022, Picador)

Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature …

Intense and fascinating

5 stars

My entry point to the book was the 2018 film, which I loved. Hadn't thought about the book adaptation until the 10th Anniversary iridescent cover art caught my eye in the bookstore last week.* As author Karen Joy Fowler writes in this edition, the book is about the proper relationship of humans to nature. And "pervasive uncertainty." If that's not your cup of tea, you probably won't appreciate the book.

Other than the film, which is quite different from the book, what drew me to reading this was its length, less than 200 pages. I like a book that I can make its point quickly. It is formatted as a journal of the biologist of "expedition twelve," into the mysterious Area X. There's a constant tension in the narrative, but things stay relatively calm until the third act.

I did not realize this was published as a trilogy in quick …

My entry point to the book was the 2018 film, which I loved. Hadn't thought about the book adaptation until the 10th Anniversary iridescent cover art caught my eye in the bookstore last week.* As author Karen Joy Fowler writes in this edition, the book is about the proper relationship of humans to nature. And "pervasive uncertainty." If that's not your cup of tea, you probably won't appreciate the book.

Other than the film, which is quite different from the book, what drew me to reading this was its length, less than 200 pages. I like a book that I can make its point quickly. It is formatted as a journal of the biologist of "expedition twelve," into the mysterious Area X. There's a constant tension in the narrative, but things stay relatively calm until the third act.

I did not realize this was published as a trilogy in quick succession over an eight-month period in 2014. And there's now a fourth book. They're all much longer in length than the first. I'm curious if the film used the entire trilogy as its source. What's your experience with these books and the film?

I wish I could find out more about how the artist, Pablo Delcan, developed the cover for this and the three other books in the Southern Reach Series. www.jeffvandermeer.com/book

J. J. Zepfanman @...readers commented on Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature …

The silver-flake highlights on the cover caught my eye at the book store. Loved the movie, never read the book. 10th anniversary edition. 6 pages in and already loving it.

J. J. Zepfanman @...readers reviewed Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Samantha Harvey, Sarah Naudi (Narrator): Orbital (AudiobookFormat, 2023, Penguin Random House)

A team of astronauts in the International Space Station collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments …

Booker Prize winner contemplates our place on Earth and the universe

4 stars

So many facets of humanity packed into this short novel. The plot is loose, detailing the thoughts of International Space Station astronauts during their 16 orbits around the Earth in 24 hours. All while a massive typhoon approaches Southeast Asia, and another space crew approaches for a Moon landing.

The English author, Samantha Harvey, brilliantly enters the minds of the multi-national crew, each with their own perspective on what kind of meaning their lives have. Overall, a scientific, poetic, and philosophical treatise.

(I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Sarah Naudi.)

J. J. Zepfanman @...readers wants to read Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman

Mary Hoffman: Amazing Grace (Hardcover, 1994, Magi Publications)

No rating

Although a classmate says that she cannot play Peter Pan in the school play because …

Thanks to Butterfly in the Sky - the Reading Rainbow documentary.

J. J. Zepfanman @...readers reviewed How Women Made Music by Inc National Public Radio

Inc National Public Radio: How Women Made Music (Hardcover, 2024, HarperCollins Publishers)

Another edition of NPR's evolving project

4 stars

What started in 2017 as "The 150 Greatest Albums Made By Women" has culminated in this 2024 book by NPR Music. Their "Turning the Tables" project has evolved over the years, including more queer and non-binary artists. I look forward to seeing what comes next as they redefine the canon of great music.

I only recently heard about this project, through the All Songs Considered podcast in the episode announcing the book. In it, they also include Spotify and Apple playlists of 50 songs. www.npr.org/2024/10/01/1202891552/all-songs-considered-how-women-made-music