samsarah

[samsarah]

Trixy dystopian read

A good friend of mine knows my love for a good dystopian read and recently just turned up at my house and handed me a book saying “you’ll enjoy this.” It was The Second Sleep by Robert Harris. Though it takes place in 1468, things are most certainly dystopian in nature. 

It left me so unsettled that I can’t even write about the book. It is was most certainly a good read for the current times. 

Do you have a book that you can’t talk about, but that you simply loved?

[samsarah]

Reading into the Thunderhead

This past week, various interweb tech powers-that-be were called to task for the power, amongst other things, they hold and its impact on competition. It was fascinating to hear them try to justify their hold on the market and their not always reputable behaviour. This got me to thinking about a great pandemic read: Scythe by Neal Shusterman.

Part of a series, the first book introduces readers to a world where immortality is the norm, and only people called Scythes can end a life. Overseeing society, and determing if someone should die, is the Thunderhead: a computer system that basically runs the world. People are complacent and no one questions anything. Hum.... Sound familiar?

What have you read the makes you think about our computer overlords?

[samsarah]

Reading in the time of COVID-19

I have always loved to read, but find myself even more drawn to it during these pandemic times. I love a good movie, but all I want to do is curl up with a book and escape our current reality. So why not share some of my thoughts about my favourites from before, during and eventually after these weird times?

In March, when COVID-19 became a Canadian reality, I spent a lot of time thinking about Justin Cronin’s The Passage. This book heavily influenced me when it first came out: the end of the known-world occurs due to a mysterious virus found in bats. Hum … that sounds familiar. When I first read the book I was camping in Gros Morne National Park. And, well: I was so scared that I couldn’t go to the bathroom on my own at night. But I couldn’t stop reading. It is a near-perfect read: adventure, mystery, romance, and alternate worlds. All around goodness! I have read it numerous times since, including at the beginning of the pandemic, and still feel scared and exhilarated each time I pick it up. 

What book have you read that stayed with you?