June is the hottest month here in the desert, and I usually start reading books that take place somewhere temperate or even downright cold, or in winter, or near water. This month I traveled to another desert in El Kaliouby's autobiography and the hot and humid Panamanian jungle--what was I thinking? Must read some Christmas books in July.
Girl Decoded by Rana El Kaliouby Girl Decoded is an interesting autobiography on many levels: that of a woman in tech and coding, two industries notable for the lack of women throughout their ranks; brains behind and later CEO of a tech start up (see earlier comment about lack of women in tech--they are even fewer in tech start ups); a naturalized American born and raised in Egypt, in a culture where educated women face serious dead ends to any ambition. I first became aware of El Kaliouby when she hosted Nova Now on PBS, and I knew from that program that she worked on emotional AI. I've always wondered how emotional AI works--how do you even approach a subject as complex as human emotion and break it down to be able to code it and program it? So that was the carrot that hooked me, and the book does a good job of describing how exactly she worked at facial recognition of emotion for her dissertation and then for commercial purposes. She also does a great job talking about her childhood and thirst for education and provides very brief glimpses into the life of a prosperous, educated Egyptian family. The book failed, in my opinion, in just one part--the personal transformation that led to the end of her marriage and her cleaving from some of her cultural heritage. She may not want to reveal all the details of her marriage, after all, her children could read the book. She may naturally be too reticent to reveal that part of her. But the anthropologist in me was most fascinated by the clash of cultures and that's where I felt the book didn't go into enough depth and introspection. But overall an interesting biography, well written, with enough tech to inspire women techies and not too much tech to turn off other readers. Recommended. Net Galley
Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell Clearly I've been on Revolutionary War kick these past two years. It's my favorite period of American history, and there have been so many good books published about it recently. I love Sarah Vowell (oh, how i miss her New York Times columns), and the chance to listen to her read her own book about the revolution? Not to be passed. The book's impetus was seeing a little girl's dress in a small museum with the placard that it was worn when Lafayette visited during the 1830s. That intrigued Ms. Vowell, and started her on her journey to learn more about why that visit merited saving the dress, why Lafayette was so admired, and deep into Revolutionary War history and ultimately to this book. To hear it read in her own voice made it even more delightful. It's the perfect blend of history and humor. Highly recommended.
In the Shadow of the Glacier by Vicki Delany I'd read a review of the series in Mystery Reader's Journal a year or so ago, and it had piqued my curiosity enough that when I saw the audiobook on my library's website, I borrowed it. Molly )Midnight) Smith is a brand new cop in a small town in Canada, and this book explores her transition from private citizen to police officer in a town where everyone knows her name and remembers her as a child. I enjoyed the book although I was a bit disappointed in how the murder mystery was resolved. It seemed a tad abrupt and the red herrings were so overemphasized that it felt like the author wasn't giving her readers a fair chance to solve the mystery along with Molly. The repeated misogyny and very overt violence against women were realistic but I felt battered over the head with it. I really liked Molly's hippie parents and the secondary characters, especially Winters, so much so that I already have another one in my queue. Recommended.
The Tower Treasure by Franklin W. Dixon I loved Nancy Drew, the Dana Girls, Kay Tracey, the Bobbsey Twins, Trixie Belden, etc. when I was growing up. But my fairly traditional family never thought to give me Hardy Boys books to read, and I never thought to try them myself. My library keeps all the mystery audiobooks in one folder, adult and juvenile, so when I saw the first Hardy Boys book on the list, I had to listen to it. And what fun it was. So innocent, but still a bit harsher than Nancy's adventures were--I don't remember anyone actually dying in Nancy's books, and here the suspect dies of accidental injuries. This reading included some mysterious music and noises, such as cracking twigs and barking dogs, that absolutely added to the ambience of the listen. It was a short, 3-hour journey to my childhood, and I had a blast. The adult me reprimanded the boys sometimes, but little girl me wished I could share their adventures. Perfect summer listen for grown up Hardy Boys fans or new young ones. This would be an ideal companion on a road trip. Highly recommended.
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal 1870-1914 by David McCullough Newly available as a digital audiobook, this is an early David McCullough, published in 1977. Characterized by McCullough's exhaustive research and command of thousands of facts, dozens of people, and evocative reconstruction of time and place, this very thick book and very long audiobook is very suitable for readers who like American history. But McCullough begins in 1870 and the first third of the book focuses on the French, flush with their success building the Suez Canal, began thinking of a canal to join the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. I just wish I'd had access to the photos and maps the book has. However, I was very distracted by the audio, which was so clear on my iPhone that I could hear the moist mouth noises of the reader, which nearly made me stop reading after just the first chapter. Recommended, but only as hardcover or trade paperback for the illustrations.
