The books I read in January 2022

...in chronological order.

#1: The Doomed City by Arkady and Boris Sturgatsky

I loved the wacky Definitely, Maybe by the Sturgatsky Brothers (a book that was rather difficult to get ahold of), when I read it a few years ago, and I’ve been meaning to read more of their work ever since. The Doomed City was at times incomprehensible, boring, confusing, totally wacky, bizarre, and amazing. Overall, I liked it, though it was somewhat of a slog at times. The best parts of the book were the most bizarre, like when baboons inexplicably invade the city. Everyone subsequently freaks out and tries to figure out how to get rid of them, and then within a few hours totally accepts them as just another part of the city. There were some parts I found boring and over long. I also found the few passages involving women pretty offensive. There are very few women/scenes involving women, and all the women are completely unnecessary to the plot. Most only exist for the male characters to ponder their sluttiness. (One is only ever referred to as “The Skank.”)

#2: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

I received this book as a Christmas gift. I read Atkinson’s first book, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, in high school and loved it – so I was eager to read another book by Kate Atkinson. Life After Life has a super unique premise – Ursula lives the same life over and over again. The book was fast-paced and really readable, which was a welcome follow-up to The Doomed City. There were a few chapters that I found comparatively slower and more tedious to read, like when Ursula is living in Nazi Germany and, in a separate life, when Ursula is living in London during the Blitz. (I’m not a huge fan of war books.) But overall, this book was great and super fun, and I quite liked the ending.

#3: Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells

Another excellent Murderbot book. Maybe my favorite so far?

#4: May Sinclair: A Modern Victorian by Suzanne Raitt

Continuing my fascination with May Sinclair, I read her biography. (The author, Suzanne Raitt, was actually my professor and advisor during college, though I never read any of Sinclair’s books until a few years after I graduated.) It was great!