Normally, I read between 20 and 25 books per year, a mix of fiction and nonfiction.
In 2022, I only read 4 books the entire year because we were packing and finishing up home improvement projects in order to sell our house. In 2023, I managed to read 13 books, well below average, because we were still sorting and getting rid of stuff from the move, as well as clearing out long-term storage and helping family.
Things have been settling down some lately and I have already read 11 books this year as of today (April 7) and am working on the 12th.
One thing that has helped my reading average this year is the Scalzi Book Binge.
John Scalzi is a science fiction writer whose novels are action-packed quick reads. My brother suggested I check out his “Old Man’s War” series years ago, but I hadn’t gotten around to it.
In looking back at the journal where I record the books I’ve read each year, I see that I read his books “Don’t Live For Your Obituary” and “Redshirts: A Novel With Three Codas” in 2020. According to my notes on these books, I enjoyed them both. From the first one, I noted that there was an essay on Duran Duran and Neil Gaiman that was a stitch, though I don’t remember it now. (I may need to read this again.)
“Redshirts” was based on the idea of the Expendable Crew Members on Star Trek that always wore red shirts. I mentioned in my notes that the book is very “meta” or self-referential.
Anyway, I waited too long to come back to Scalzi’s books and made up for it by reading 4 of them in a few weeks. I started with “Old Man’s War,” which kicks off a series of 6 books. I happened to find it in a Little Free Library and remembered my brother’s recommendation to read it, so I grabbed it.
The basic premise of the book is that people who reach 75 years of age can join an intergalactic fighting force, but once they do so, they are never allowed to return to earth. I noted that this was a “helluva romping read!” and that I needed to read the rest of the series.
I haven’t done that yet because I purchased “The Kaiju Preservation Society” and dove right in. As a historian, I was intrigued by “Preservation Society” in the title. I don’t want to spoil what “Kaiju” means because the reveal was a delightful surprise to me. My note on the book says, “I like how Scalzi tells a story — snarky, funny, moves right along.” In addition, the protagonist is a woman, which flips the script on typical sci-fi action adventure. Through his characters, Scalzi makes pointed commentary on giant corporations.
After reading “The Kaiju Preservation Society,” I went to the library and picked up two more Scalzi books, “Starter Villain” and “Head On: A Novel of the Near Future.”
I have to admit, the cat in the suit on the cover of “Starter Villain” drew me right in. Who doesn’t like a fluffy, dignified cat in a suit?
The story follows an unlucky fellow who inherits his estranged uncle’s worldwide criminal enterprise. My notes on this are “Excellent story! Love the cats & dolphins!” The cats and dolphins remind me of some of the animal characters in Christopher Moore’s novels. They talk, are integral to the story, and could very easily steal the show. The dolphins and their unionizing efforts are particularly hilarious.
Rounding out my Scalzi Book Binge, I read “Head On: A Novel of the Near Future.” I checked this out of the library thinking it was the first in a series, but from looking at the books listed on Scalzi’s website, I see that I’m wrong. This is the second in a series that starts with “Lock In.” I had no problem following the story, so it stands on its own without having read the first one, though I do want to circle back to “Lock In.” Also, I forgot that I already had this book on my shelves at home, waiting to be read. [Slaps forehead.]
Of the books I’ve read on this Scalzi Book Binge, this is the one that is sticking with me the most. That subtitle, “A Novel of the Near Future,” is accurate. The story features people who have survived a pandemic that has left them paralyzed. Through a brain implant, they can mentally inhabit a “threep,” which is a robotic body that allows them to live out and about in the world, while their bodies are tended to at home. They can also live within virtual reality.
My parents both had paralytic polio as children. Though they did not remain paralyzed, it affected them throughout their lives. “Lock In” was published in 2014, and “Head On” was published in 2018, a couple of years before the Covid pandemic started. If Covid had been a paralytic disease like polio, with the current development of neural implants, it is not a stretch to think we could have a technological solution to the effects of a devastating disease. Scalzi’s “Head On” takes this to the next level, imagining how society might change in both good and bad ways with such technology. In my notes on the book, I said that I could also see it foreshadowing generative AI.
If my Scalzi Book Binge has you curious about John Scalzi’s other work, check out his blog, called “Whatever,” which also includes a link to a list of his books (right side, under the heading “Administrivia”).