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What I read -- August 2015



“Flex” by Ferrett Steinmetz. He was in my Viable Paradise class, so how could I not read this? The boy saw it and said the cover looked cool. I read the scene where Valentine and Aliyah made up while I was sitting in the coffee store, and tears ran down my face, so way to go Ferrett. So proud to know him! 

“The Darkest Part of the Forest” by Holly Black. The boy has an unexpected hatred for the Spiderwick Chronicles that he’s never explained. So this book didn’t attract him at all. Me, on the other hand… I couldn’t put it down. I especially loved how Hazel and Ben had the shadow of their parents’ neglect hanging over them, which got fixed about when they didn’t need their parents anymore. I also loved Ben and Hazel’s relationship so much. 

“The Maltese Falcon” by Dashiell Hammett. Last week I read a quote from William Gibson that referred to DH and plot, and it seemed worth reading something. This book was published in 1929! It held up just fine, seemed like reading the script from a black-and-white movie. Though I did have to google excelsior (a brand of wood packing chips). 

“A Universe from Nothing” by Lawrence M. Krauss. The boy bought this a couple of months ago, and read it and then forced it on me. The weird thing was I felt like I understood it! And I can’t even understand routers. A little bit rabid on the atheism, but whatever.

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