The Naked Sun

My latest book was The Naked Sun. Next up are A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, Anna Karenina, and The Robots of Dawn.

The Naked Sun is the second novel in Isaac Asimov's robot series. I didn't like it quite as much as the first book, Caves of Steel, but it was still an enjoyable read.  Like Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun is a whodunit about a human detective from Earth forced to work with a robot as a partner.  Like Asimov's earlier short stories, it focuses heavily on on his so-called laws of robotics.  Overall, it was an enjoyable story that I'd recommend to anyone who likes mysteries or science fiction and can at least tolerate the other genre.

The Sun Also Rises

My latest book was The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Next up are The Naked Sun, A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918, and Anna Karenina.

The Sun Also Rises is the first book where I have to admit that I just fundamentally did not get it.  It didn't seem to be about anything.  It was like watching Seinfeld, but without the slightest attempt at humor.  I kept waiting for something to happen, and it never did.  It was basically a bunch of wealthy people having incredibly awkward conversations while eating and drinking, in between napping, fishing, watching bull fights, travelling, and more napping.  I didn't mind the book.  It was a relatively quick read.  I just felt like I might be reading someone's journal rather than a published work that's considered a classic.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

My latest book was Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.  Next up are The Sun Also Rises, The Naked Sun, and A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918.

I enjoyed this book, but it was also fairly depressing and very sad at times.  Unbroken tells the story of  Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who finds himself a prisoner of the Japanese during World War Two.  This reminded me of Endurance, the story of Ernest Shackleton, who, with his crew, was trapped on a sheet of ice adrift in Antarctic seas.  Both books show people enduring things beyond what seems possible as they face ever-increasing obstacles, even when it seems like things can't get any worse.