Month: October 2019

Asya Kazantseva “The Brain is Material”

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mozg-materialen

Asya Kazantseva made a rapid entrance into the world of popular science in 2013 with her first book, Who Would Have Thought! While she had been involved in science popularization earlier, it was the release of this book that catapulted her to megastar status as an author of popular science literature. The book instantly became a bestseller, receiving praise and recommendations from the scientific community. What set it apart was its accessibility — it was easy to read, and even those far removed from science could grasp the ideas and conclusions with ease. The language wasn’t the typical dry, academic tone but rather felt like a close friend explaining complex ideas, sprinkled with humor. In Who Would Have Thought!, Kazantseva explored the science behind our bad habits, seasonal mood changes, and the “chemistry of love.” The book quickly won the “Enlightener” award for its contribution to popular science, and I was absolutely thrilled by it, recommending it to all my friends.

A couple of years later, her second book, Someone on the Internet is Wrong, was published. This time, Asya focused on hot-button topics that spark fierce debates online: vaccines, GMOs, homeopathy, and the mortality of HIV. While this book also became a bestseller, I personally found it slightly weaker than the first. And then, in 2019, her third book, The Brain is Material, was released.

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Boris Akunin “The Fortunate Adventures and Reflections of Lucius Catin”

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dobrokluchenia

Boris Akunin is gradually approaching modern times in his works on the history of Russia. He has already covered the era of the empresses, followed by a novel about the most famous one—Catherine the Great. The reign of this remarkable woman has long attracted creative minds. In fact, the third season of a TV series about her is currently airing. And indeed, many fascinating events took place during those years as Russia underwent rapid changes. Naturally, this novel was expected to be filled with intrigue, adventure, and honorable duels—the typical swashbuckling flair.

However, even the title of the latest novel, The Fortunate Adventures and Reflections of Lucius Catin, seemed a bit disconcerting. It didn’t have the adventurous spirit one might expect. In his previous book about the era of Peter the Great, Akunin skillfully portrayed the times without delving too deeply into the specifics. Yet, while I devoured that book, this one was more of a gradual read, something I had to return to in bursts.

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Top Science Fiction

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I rarely write reviews on the books I’ve read. But sometimes I get the urge to create a list of the best ones. This list is subjective, and it’s definitely not complete—there’s surely something I’ve forgotten. I tried my best to avoid spoilers. So, here’s my list of the best in science fiction and other fantastical genres.

James Corey, The Expanse series

This is an amazing series. There’s a continuous chain of events, but each novel stands on its own as a complete work. It’s been a long time since I’ve come across such solid science fiction. The world is incredibly well thought out, particularly the relationships between people within the Solar System. They have started to consider themselves different races: Martians, Earthers, and the inhabitants of the Asteroid Belt. There’s hatred, contempt, codependency, and a fragile peace between them. Against this backdrop, an external enemy emerges—one that isn’t immediately obvious, and internal forces try to use it to their own advantage…

It’s very rare for an author (or authors) to manage to keep an entire series interesting, but this is one of those cases.

Not too long ago, the books were adapted into a TV series. I haven’t watched it yet, but I’ve heard it falls short of the books, with the storytelling altered to suit cinematic needs.

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Sasha Galitsky “Don’t Be Afraid!”

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ne_bois

I can’t say I was over the moon about Sasha Galitsky‘s first book, Mama, Don’t Worry!, but it offered a very interesting perspective on aging, with unconventional thoughts and advice. It was definitely worth reading, and I even added it to my recommended list.

Almost immediately after, I found out that Sasha had written a second book on the same theme—Don’t Be Afraid! But this time, instead of talking about how to get along with the elderly, he focuses on how not to fear aging yourself, as reflected in the subtitle: How to Grow Old Without Losing Your Mind.

The first book was based on the author’s blog posts, which was quite noticeable, but the second book really disappointed me. It feels like an attempt to recycle the same theme and material for a second time.

Once again, it’s filled with brief sketches and thoughts, presented in the form of micro-chapters. It even seems like the thoughts were written first, and only later was there an attempt to come up with clever titles for them.

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