The hawk was everything I wanted to be: solitary, self-possessed, free..
August 14, 2016 3:49 PM Subscribe
President Obama's Summer Reading List [The Guardian] The White House released [whitehouse.gov] Barack Obama’s summer reading list on Friday as the first family vacationed in Martha’s Vineyard. It’s a mix of prize-winning novels and the memoir of a surfer who spent much of his childhood in Hawaii, something the president can appreciate. [Previously.]
- Parsing Obama's Sexy, Sometimes Woke Summer Playlist [The Atlantic]
For his last summer in office, the president delivers a more eclectic, more interesting, and more seductive set of musical selections.
• Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William FinneganRelated:
• The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
• H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
• Seveneves by Neal Stephenson.
- Parsing Obama's Sexy, Sometimes Woke Summer Playlist [The Atlantic]
For his last summer in office, the president delivers a more eclectic, more interesting, and more seductive set of musical selections.
Songs for the Daytime: [Spotify]
1. LoveHate Thing — Wale
2. Smooth Sailin' — Leon Bridges
3. Elevator Operator — Courtney Barnett
4. Home — Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
5. Many the Miles — Sara Bareilles
6. Tightrope — Janelle Monáe
7. Classic Man — Jidenna
8. So Ambitious — Jay Z feat. Pharrell
9. Me Gustas Tu — Manu Chao
10. Forever Begins — Common
11. The Man — Aloe Blacc
12. As We Enter — Nas & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley
13. Sinnerman — Nina Simone
14. U Got the Look — Prince
15. Rock Steady — Aretha Franklin
16. Good Vibrations — Beach Boys
17. Don't Owe You A Thang — Gary Clark Jr.
18. Man Like That — Gin Wigmore
19. II B.S. (edit) — Charles Mingus
Songs for the Nighttime: [Spotify]
1. If I Have My Way — Chrisette Michele
2. Espera — Esperanza Spalding
3. Tell It Like It Is — Aaron Neville
4. Alright — Ledisi
5. Trapped By A Thing Called Love — Denise LaSalle
6. Lady — D'Angelo
7. So Very Hard to Go — Tower of Power
8. Midnight Sun — Carmen McCrae
9. Cucurrucucú Paloma — Caetano Veloso
10. Green Aphrodisiac — Corinne Bailey Rae
11. I'll Be There for You / You're All I Need — Mary J. Blige / Method Man
12. Lover Man — Billie Holiday
13. Criminal — Fiona Apple
14. Acid Rain — Chance the Rapper
15. My Funny Valentine — Miles Davis
16. Do You Feel Me — Anthony Hamilton
17. I Get Lonely — Janet Jackson
18. Lean In — Lizz Wright
19. All Day Music — War
20. Say Yes — Floetry
He's reading an 880-page hard sf novel? For summer vacation? Oh fuck off, now he's just rubbing it in.
posted by naju at 4:05 PM on August 14, 2016 [24 favorites]
posted by naju at 4:05 PM on August 14, 2016 [24 favorites]
I don't know if releasing reading lists is something previous Presidents did (I'm almost positive playlists are new), but I hope it continues in future administrations.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:08 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 4:08 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
I think Bill Clinton was the first recent president whose playlist would not have been at home on the Lawrence Welk Show.
posted by Countess Elena at 4:14 PM on August 14, 2016
posted by Countess Elena at 4:14 PM on August 14, 2016
I think Bill Clinton was the first recent president whose playlist would not have been at home on the Lawrence Welk Show.
All I know is that Courtney Barnett is on President Obama's playlist and I highly approve.
posted by Fizz at 4:18 PM on August 14, 2016 [18 favorites]
All I know is that Courtney Barnett is on President Obama's playlist and I highly approve.
posted by Fizz at 4:18 PM on August 14, 2016 [18 favorites]
I have a hard time believing that this reading list, or the previously mentioned playlist are anything other than marketing and publicity.
In reality the President is probably just browsing metafilter and listening to chococats tracks on MeFi Music.
posted by blue_beetle at 4:20 PM on August 14, 2016 [18 favorites]
In reality the President is probably just browsing metafilter and listening to chococats tracks on MeFi Music.
posted by blue_beetle at 4:20 PM on August 14, 2016 [18 favorites]
He's reading an 880-page hard sf novel? For summer vacation? Oh fuck off, now he's just rubbing it in.
Picturing President Obama reading hard SF in the middle of the night while eating his seven almonds [The New York Times].
Picturing President Obama reading hard SF in the middle of the night while eating his seven almonds [The New York Times].
To stay awake, the president does not turn to caffeine. He rarely drinks coffee or tea, and more often has a bottle of water next to him than a soda. His friends say his only snack at night is seven lightly salted almonds. “Michelle and I would always joke: Not six. Not eight,” Mr. Kass said. “Always seven almonds.”posted by Fizz at 4:23 PM on August 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
Parsing Obama's Sexy, Sometimes Woke Summer Playlist
can "woke" be over yet
posted by naju at 4:23 PM on August 14, 2016 [10 favorites]
can "woke" be over yet
posted by naju at 4:23 PM on August 14, 2016 [10 favorites]
Parsing Obama's Sexy, Sometimes Woke Tronc'd Summer Playlist
can "woke" be over yet
Fixed?
posted by Fizz at 4:34 PM on August 14, 2016 [16 favorites]
can "woke" be over yet
Fixed?
posted by Fizz at 4:34 PM on August 14, 2016 [16 favorites]
2/5 overlap with the President's reading list? o_O
I really enjoyed H is for Hawk. Very easy to read for something dealing with difficult topics. Also a bit of a surprise for me -- thanks to the cover blurb and a vague marketing aura I knew it was about training a hawk and about losing a parent. I didn't know till I started that it's at least equally about T. H. White.
Seveneves is not the Stephenson book I would pick for a President. On one hand it's vivid, and has scenes that stick with you (I was thinking about one just today). On the other, it's pretty disturbing, problematic in bits, and not Stephenson's best. Hopefully it won't put him off the author, 'cause he should totally read The Diamond Age or Cryptonomicon.
posted by feckless at 4:59 PM on August 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
I really enjoyed H is for Hawk. Very easy to read for something dealing with difficult topics. Also a bit of a surprise for me -- thanks to the cover blurb and a vague marketing aura I knew it was about training a hawk and about losing a parent. I didn't know till I started that it's at least equally about T. H. White.
Seveneves is not the Stephenson book I would pick for a President. On one hand it's vivid, and has scenes that stick with you (I was thinking about one just today). On the other, it's pretty disturbing, problematic in bits, and not Stephenson's best. Hopefully it won't put him off the author, 'cause he should totally read The Diamond Age or Cryptonomicon.
posted by feckless at 4:59 PM on August 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
The whitehouse.gov link says "Summary: Check out what President Obama is reading this summer", not that how much he's read or that he finished them.
This could be "Five Books President Obama Flipped Through While Waiting for Michelle".
posted by Sangermaine at 5:01 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
This could be "Five Books President Obama Flipped Through While Waiting for Michelle".
posted by Sangermaine at 5:01 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
I sorta want all candidates for and holders of high office to reveal their summer reading lists. Actually, I also want all Mefites to release their summer reading lists. Is this an appropriate question for MetaTalk? Mefites in high office are welcome to post pseudonymously!
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:13 PM on August 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:13 PM on August 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
U Got the Look in the day-time? C'mon, Barack.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 5:15 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 5:15 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Actually, I also want all Mefites to release their summer reading lists. Is this an appropriate question for MetaTalk?
I vote yes!
posted by naju at 5:17 PM on August 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
I vote yes!
posted by naju at 5:17 PM on August 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
He's going to read 5 books while on vacation from possibly the most demanding job in the world? When will he have time left to chill out and do nothing?
It's pretty cool that they're putting out these lists, though, if for no other reason than I probably wouldn't have heard of a lot of this stuff otherwise.
posted by indubitable at 5:19 PM on August 14, 2016
It's pretty cool that they're putting out these lists, though, if for no other reason than I probably wouldn't have heard of a lot of this stuff otherwise.
posted by indubitable at 5:19 PM on August 14, 2016
I wish him luck on Seveneves. Kindle says I gave up around 27% complete. He should pick a different Stephenson.
posted by candyland at 5:27 PM on August 14, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by candyland at 5:27 PM on August 14, 2016 [4 favorites]
Woohooo! Metatalk is live!.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:37 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:37 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I can't speak to the reading list, but I have it on very good authority that he really does do the playlists himself. Soak it all in for the next few months because our next president, though she has many talents, is not going to be this cool.
posted by fancypants at 5:37 PM on August 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by fancypants at 5:37 PM on August 14, 2016 [6 favorites]
I just finished Barbarian Days today! It's not the type of book I normally read, and I knew nothing about surfing going into it, but it was a fascinating read. Towards the end of the book Finnegan mentions that he has actually talked Hawaii with Obama before. He interviewed Obama back in 2004 and ribbed Obama about going to a fancy prep school; Obama was shocked that Finnegan had attended one of Hawaii's more rough and tumble public schools.
posted by radiomayonnaise at 5:55 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by radiomayonnaise at 5:55 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
I wish him luck on Seveneves. Kindle says I gave up around 27% complete. He should pick a different Stephenson.
Quicksilver and/or Reamde would be much better places to start.
posted by Fizz at 6:03 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Quicksilver and/or Reamde would be much better places to start.
posted by Fizz at 6:03 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Well, and the US President in Seveneves is basically the villain for a large part of it. And basically Sarah Palin, to boot.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 6:09 PM on August 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 6:09 PM on August 14, 2016 [5 favorites]
H is for Hawk is a marvel of a book (and this review of it is a lovely piece of writing in its own right). Obama's reading lists (and the books he's photographed carrying) are pretty good at ringing my "I have never been so effectively pandered to before" bell....
posted by karayel at 6:17 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by karayel at 6:17 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I sorta want all candidates for and holders of high office to reveal their summer reading lists.
TRUMP: watched himself giving speeches for 6 hours
posted by Karaage at 6:22 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
TRUMP: watched himself giving speeches for 6 hours
posted by Karaage at 6:22 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
I love the people second-guessing the leisure reading of the leader of the free world.
posted by aught at 6:54 PM on August 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by aught at 6:54 PM on August 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
TRUMP: watched himself giving speeches for 6 hours
Nah, too much like introspection. Probably spends most of his free time checking his mefi profile for favorites.
posted by TedW at 7:01 PM on August 14, 2016 [4 favorites]
Nah, too much like introspection. Probably spends most of his free time checking his mefi profile for favorites.
posted by TedW at 7:01 PM on August 14, 2016 [4 favorites]
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S ONE WAY TICKET ON AIR FORCE BONE: A REVIEW OF BARRY'S SUMMER PLAYLIST
posted by jcruelty at 7:05 PM on August 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by jcruelty at 7:05 PM on August 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
I was listening to it in the car cos Noisey said it's lit. It's actually pretty good. Probs first and last time I'll be listening to a Presidential Playlist. Do you think President Obama "gusta marijuana" ?
posted by jcruelty at 7:06 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by jcruelty at 7:06 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Come on guys, it's been what, 4, 5 minutes? Maybe more, maybe less, it doesn't matter. Still no favorites? You guys are sad! Losers! My last comment was HUGE! You really need to recognize quality when you see it. You guys are really pathetic. Oh, and get the baby out of here, too.
(not really Donald Trump)
posted by TedW at 7:09 PM on August 14, 2016 [7 favorites]
(not really Donald Trump)
posted by TedW at 7:09 PM on August 14, 2016 [7 favorites]
Back on topic, I have read a little bit of Finnegan's writing, and as someone who has always wanted to be a surfer but never lived at the beach, his book sounds right up my alley. I have also heard NPR pieces on the The Underground Railroad and H is for Hawk and really want to read them. (Not sure if those are the stories I actually heard, but seem close.) I like Neal Stephenson (but for some reason it seems to take me a long time to read some of his works), which leaves Paula Hawkins as the only author I am not already predisposed to read. But based on the other works, now I want to read her book as well. I am tempted to give some lame excuse about not having time to read, but as others have pointed out, President Obama has far more demands on his time than I do, so I should just turn off the computer and read. Or download the books and get off the internet.
posted by TedW at 7:26 PM on August 14, 2016
posted by TedW at 7:26 PM on August 14, 2016
i don't care about white dude memoirs and i don't care about surfing, but Finnegan was so gorgeous and so moving. Such a great peice of writing.
posted by PinkMoose at 7:45 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by PinkMoose at 7:45 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Obama is reading H is for Hawk but drone czar / D/CIA John Brennan is reading The Peregrine, after hearing about it from his favorite filmmaker.
posted by grobstein at 8:12 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by grobstein at 8:12 PM on August 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Quicksilver and/or Reamde would be much better places to start.
I liked Quicksilver but it would be irresponsible for the President of the United States not to read Snow Crash.
(My favorite is probably The Diamond Age, but Cryptonomicon makes a very strong showing.)
posted by grobstein at 8:15 PM on August 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
I liked Quicksilver but it would be irresponsible for the President of the United States not to read Snow Crash.
(My favorite is probably The Diamond Age, but Cryptonomicon makes a very strong showing.)
posted by grobstein at 8:15 PM on August 14, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'm about 3/4 of the way through Seveneves right now. I had assumed I wouldn't read it, and then it was in the Hugo packet, and it's been surprisingly enjoyable: some of the heroic adventure Stephenson was trying to convey in REAMDE blended with thought experiments and scope commensurate to that in Anathem.
Looking forward to reading The Underground Railroad. I remember seeing a photo on Twitter of (as Kirkus describes it) the "truly ecstatic letter from Doubleday publisher Bill Thomas" that accompanied galleys for advance readers. It was pretty strong wording, stuff like "I've been editing and publishing books for decades and this is a world-changing book". But now I can't find that letter; help is welcome.
posted by brainwane at 8:27 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
Looking forward to reading The Underground Railroad. I remember seeing a photo on Twitter of (as Kirkus describes it) the "truly ecstatic letter from Doubleday publisher Bill Thomas" that accompanied galleys for advance readers. It was pretty strong wording, stuff like "I've been editing and publishing books for decades and this is a world-changing book". But now I can't find that letter; help is welcome.
posted by brainwane at 8:27 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
our next president, though she has many talents, is not going to be this cool.
Hey now, she used to read (and write for) The Toast.
posted by moody cow at 9:45 PM on August 14, 2016 [10 favorites]
Hey now, she used to read (and write for) The Toast.
posted by moody cow at 9:45 PM on August 14, 2016 [10 favorites]
Seriously every time I see "Me Gustas Tu — Manu Chao" on that list, I giggle. Great stoner song. Between that and "Home" and a couple of others, I've got that weird glow you get when someone has similar musical tastes to you.
posted by librarylis at 9:57 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by librarylis at 9:57 PM on August 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
> i don't care about white dude memoirs and i don't care about surfing, but Finnegan was so gorgeous and so moving. Such a great peice of writing.
Thanks for this. I've put it on hold at the library because of this, because the blurb (“Reading this guy on the subject of waves and water is like reading Hemingway on bullfighting; William Burroughs on controlled substances; Updike on adultery. . . . a coming-of-age story, seen through the gloss resin coat of a surfboard.” —Sports Illustrated) - which okay yeah, the source - made me not want to read it, and I love a good surfing memoir/film, but your rec specifically makes me put it on the (digital) to-read pile.
posted by rtha at 10:29 PM on August 14, 2016
Thanks for this. I've put it on hold at the library because of this, because the blurb (“Reading this guy on the subject of waves and water is like reading Hemingway on bullfighting; William Burroughs on controlled substances; Updike on adultery. . . . a coming-of-age story, seen through the gloss resin coat of a surfboard.” —Sports Illustrated) - which okay yeah, the source - made me not want to read it, and I love a good surfing memoir/film, but your rec specifically makes me put it on the (digital) to-read pile.
posted by rtha at 10:29 PM on August 14, 2016
I read The Girl On The Train while I was on vacation in Arizona in March. Loved it. I hear good things about H Is For Hawk too.
posted by SisterHavana at 11:59 PM on August 14, 2016
posted by SisterHavana at 11:59 PM on August 14, 2016
I wish him luck on Seveneves. Kindle says I gave up around 27% complete. He should pick a different Stephenson.
Quicksilver and/or Reamde would be much better places to start.
As someone who views Snow Crash, Diamond Age and Cryptonomicon as "real" Stephenson, I'm not sure I'd recommend Reamde either. It's not a *bad* novel but for me it didn't provide that breathtaking, what-the-hell-just-happened experience I got from reading his other stuff.
posted by iffthen at 12:24 AM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Quicksilver and/or Reamde would be much better places to start.
As someone who views Snow Crash, Diamond Age and Cryptonomicon as "real" Stephenson, I'm not sure I'd recommend Reamde either. It's not a *bad* novel but for me it didn't provide that breathtaking, what-the-hell-just-happened experience I got from reading his other stuff.
posted by iffthen at 12:24 AM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
(Also: Cryptonomicon is a good gateway novel to Stephenson if you're any sort of tech nerd; it made me fall in love with him as an author by about page 50. Actually come to think of it - I read an article recently that Obama's fairly well educated scientifically. So if he appreciates hard science stuff in real life Cryptonomicon might be ideal.)
posted by iffthen at 12:28 AM on August 15, 2016
posted by iffthen at 12:28 AM on August 15, 2016
Yeah, The Girl on the Train is a pretty good thriller. After a lifetime of being a voracious reader, I've kind of slipped and lost my attention span for reading novels over the last few years, but that one actually kept me up way too late because I honestly couldn't go to sleep without finishing it.
posted by skybluepink at 12:47 AM on August 15, 2016
posted by skybluepink at 12:47 AM on August 15, 2016
I am reading Quicksilver on the recommendation of Fizz. Currently 33% of the way through. Seveneves sounds interesting but I'm not sure I can handle another massive tome like this.
posted by leibniz at 3:24 AM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by leibniz at 3:24 AM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Thanks for this. I've put it on hold at the library because of this, because the blurb (“Reading this guy on the subject of waves and water is like reading Hemingway on bullfighting; William Burroughs on controlled substances; Updike on adultery. . . . a coming-of-age story, seen through the gloss resin coat of a surfboard.” —Sports Illustrated) - which okay yeah, the source - made me not want to read it, and I love a good surfing memoir/film, but your rec specifically makes me put it on the (digital) to-read pile.
The subject is normally not one I care much about, but I read the excerpt that was published in, I think, the New Yorker, and it was really good. I've been wanting to read the novel ever since, and will hopefully get to it later this summer.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:42 AM on August 15, 2016
The subject is normally not one I care much about, but I read the excerpt that was published in, I think, the New Yorker, and it was really good. I've been wanting to read the novel ever since, and will hopefully get to it later this summer.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:42 AM on August 15, 2016
This all looks amazing -- I'm grateful to hear about H is for Hawk as I had a huge T.H. White thing in high school...
the playlist! but no "Lemonade"? am surprised.
posted by allthinky at 5:48 AM on August 15, 2016
the playlist! but no "Lemonade"? am surprised.
posted by allthinky at 5:48 AM on August 15, 2016
I liked Seveneves, but honestly I think The Big U was my favorite Stephenson book.
posted by Foosnark at 6:32 AM on August 15, 2016
posted by Foosnark at 6:32 AM on August 15, 2016
Quicksilver and/or Reamde would be much better places to start.
I had the opposite experience. I bombed through Seveneves and Cryptonomicon but I couldn't get through Quicksilver.
Anyway, I heard Ron Howard is getting together the Apollo 13 film team to make Seveneves. I have no idea how you can do this in one film under 6 hours long.
posted by cmfletcher at 6:46 AM on August 15, 2016
I had the opposite experience. I bombed through Seveneves and Cryptonomicon but I couldn't get through Quicksilver.
Anyway, I heard Ron Howard is getting together the Apollo 13 film team to make Seveneves. I have no idea how you can do this in one film under 6 hours long.
posted by cmfletcher at 6:46 AM on August 15, 2016
Why is everybody assuming that this is Obama's first Stephenson book? I would guess that he's already a fan.
posted by cider at 7:02 AM on August 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by cider at 7:02 AM on August 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'm guessing he's already a fan too. I betcha sometimes late at night Obama secretly wishes he were driving a black chariot of pepperoni fire instead of dealing with a Rep congress.
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 7:10 AM on August 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 7:10 AM on August 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
Pretty sure Barry's only reading 7eyes because he wants to imagine Neil deGrasse Tyson gettin busy in space like the rest of us.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 7:19 AM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Potomac Avenue at 7:19 AM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I love the people second-guessing the leisure reading of the leader of the free world U.S.A.
posted by rocket88 at 7:27 AM on August 15, 2016
posted by rocket88 at 7:27 AM on August 15, 2016
Seven almonds eh ? I eat exactly five Junior Mints every night*. Not four, not six. I'm like unhealthy Obama.
* this is completely true
posted by freecellwizard at 8:11 AM on August 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
* this is completely true
posted by freecellwizard at 8:11 AM on August 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
What strikes me about Seveneves, especially for this president, is that one of the major themes is how media shapes the world. Social media and omnipresent recording are key components in the first two-thirds of the book. The last third, it examines how those recordings become the source of myth and legacy down the road, as well as how narratives of such media become as big a component as military action when diplomacy fails.
I think these are themes this president knows well, and his legacy will be defined by them.
posted by MrGuilt at 8:41 AM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I think these are themes this president knows well, and his legacy will be defined by them.
posted by MrGuilt at 8:41 AM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
the playlist! but no "Lemonade"? am surprised.
Probably because Lemonade isn't available on Spotify yet.
posted by joethefob at 9:03 AM on August 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
Probably because Lemonade isn't available on Spotify yet.
posted by joethefob at 9:03 AM on August 15, 2016 [2 favorites]
I just finished 'H is for Hawk' and heartily approve of this choice. 'Barbarian Days' is our book club's next pick so yay for us.
But I couldn't get past the first third of "The Girl On the Train". The characters are all so sour and miserable. I don't see the point of slogging through that much psychological grime just to get to some plot twist that makes one think of humanity even less. For people who liked the book -- is it on par with "Gone Girl" (which I begrudgingly finished)? I don't mind spoilers; just don't get the massive popularity.
posted by of strange foe at 11:25 AM on August 15, 2016
But I couldn't get past the first third of "The Girl On the Train". The characters are all so sour and miserable. I don't see the point of slogging through that much psychological grime just to get to some plot twist that makes one think of humanity even less. For people who liked the book -- is it on par with "Gone Girl" (which I begrudgingly finished)? I don't mind spoilers; just don't get the massive popularity.
posted by of strange foe at 11:25 AM on August 15, 2016
Clever plotting in "Girl on Train" but no humanity. All the characters sound the same and it's impossible to care about any of them. But I read it on an airplane and it got the job done.
I find it impossible to believe that Obama doesn't have a staffperson helping pick books and music that appeal to all the demographics.
posted by acrasis at 3:51 PM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I find it impossible to believe that Obama doesn't have a staffperson helping pick books and music that appeal to all the demographics.
posted by acrasis at 3:51 PM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I loved H is for Hawk, just a beautiful book. But Seveneves, argh, I wanted to send him an email saying no! Don't bother unless you're really, no, reeeeaaaallllly into delta v. Also, I think it's just the first book in at least a trilogy - no evidence for this, just a feeling - and who wants to be left hanging like that?
posted by mygothlaundry at 4:33 PM on August 15, 2016
posted by mygothlaundry at 4:33 PM on August 15, 2016
I just finished a re-read of seveneves to see if I had missed anything of value after my nerd-rage induced haze of disgust had clouded my appreciation after the prelude to the second part (where Moira begins the discussion of cloning the eves). My takeaways are the following:
NS cares deeply about orbital mechanics, as seen herein and also more cursorily (in NS framing scale) in Anathem. He lavishes pages of prose on these ideas and problems, and likes to think deeply about orbital entry points like LI and corralling comets and asteroids using that knowledge. Things that are not orbital mechanics, yet critical to plot mechanics, i.e. genetics, are not delved into and elaborated upon at all, but rather glossed over into illogical constructs that reveal the authors disinterest in the current state of art of the field. Despite that...
NS believes very much so in genetic determinism. For all traits. A Waterhouse is a Waterhouse is a Waterhouse. A Shaftoe is a Shaftoe is A Shaftoe. A Dinhan, an Ivyan, a Julian, etc. From pigment to personality, everything has always been about lineage.
I can't tell if this is willful ignorance of both genetics and epigenetics* to allow for lazy characterization by heredity and/or disinterest in available facts and knowns from bleeding edge.
In summary, I'm even more nerd-raged, after a re-read, than I had been previously, and would politely suggest that our dear leader doesn't read past the first part.
That said, Part 1, as is detailed in the book, would make a great epic... It seems quite cinematic, and maybe even Ron Howard would be up to it.
*epigenetics, oh man, this was just a device that is far to handwavy to have been based on anything other than a cursory read of a scientific american article.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 6:18 PM on August 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
NS cares deeply about orbital mechanics, as seen herein and also more cursorily (in NS framing scale) in Anathem. He lavishes pages of prose on these ideas and problems, and likes to think deeply about orbital entry points like LI and corralling comets and asteroids using that knowledge. Things that are not orbital mechanics, yet critical to plot mechanics, i.e. genetics, are not delved into and elaborated upon at all, but rather glossed over into illogical constructs that reveal the authors disinterest in the current state of art of the field. Despite that...
NS believes very much so in genetic determinism. For all traits. A Waterhouse is a Waterhouse is a Waterhouse. A Shaftoe is a Shaftoe is A Shaftoe. A Dinhan, an Ivyan, a Julian, etc. From pigment to personality, everything has always been about lineage.
I can't tell if this is willful ignorance of both genetics and epigenetics* to allow for lazy characterization by heredity and/or disinterest in available facts and knowns from bleeding edge.
In summary, I'm even more nerd-raged, after a re-read, than I had been previously, and would politely suggest that our dear leader doesn't read past the first part.
That said, Part 1, as is detailed in the book, would make a great epic... It seems quite cinematic, and maybe even Ron Howard would be up to it.
*epigenetics, oh man, this was just a device that is far to handwavy to have been based on anything other than a cursory read of a scientific american article.
posted by Cold Lurkey at 6:18 PM on August 15, 2016 [4 favorites]
NS believes very much so in genetic determinism. For all traits. A Waterhouse is a Waterhouse is a Waterhouse. A Shaftoe is a Shaftoe is A Shaftoe. A Dinhan, an Ivyan, a Julian, etc. From pigment to personality, everything has always been about lineage.
I have always understood this as a cute storytelling device in his books, rather than a strong commitment. It's immediately satisfying and fun for a Waterhouse to be a Waterhouse, and it's a fun "Easter Egg" to recognize another Waterhouse in a different book with no explicit mutual references.
Haven't read Seveneves though.
posted by grobstein at 7:51 PM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
I have always understood this as a cute storytelling device in his books, rather than a strong commitment. It's immediately satisfying and fun for a Waterhouse to be a Waterhouse, and it's a fun "Easter Egg" to recognize another Waterhouse in a different book with no explicit mutual references.
Haven't read Seveneves though.
posted by grobstein at 7:51 PM on August 15, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh man. I can't believe that there's an apparent MeFi plurality opinion about Stephenson's writing that I agree with! I just posted to someone else asking for a Stephenson recommendation that I wouldn't start with Seveneves, but that: "Snow Crash was an astonishing debut (and depending on the presidential election, it might all come true), The Diamond Age was a mind-bending look at a post-scarcity society, and Cryptonomicon was a wonderful blend of fact and fiction (but a bit of a door-stopper). Stephenson didn't know how to write book endings back then, though."
Obama has probably already read early (classic) Stephenson, though, starting with Zodiac.
(Also, you guys know about Seveneves on FanFare, right?)
I just wish I had the time for a summer reading list. Sob. Instead, I'm sinking my free time into huge election threads.
posted by RedOrGreen at 8:06 PM on August 15, 2016
Obama has probably already read early (classic) Stephenson, though, starting with Zodiac.
(Also, you guys know about Seveneves on FanFare, right?)
I just wish I had the time for a summer reading list. Sob. Instead, I'm sinking my free time into huge election threads.
posted by RedOrGreen at 8:06 PM on August 15, 2016
I got to have lunch with Finnegan earlier this year. He was smart and quite charming in a reserved way. If you were going to cast a handsome man of a certain age to star in a biopic of a guy who traveled the world surfing but then had a political awakening in South African and became a war correspondent, you’d cast him.
Re: Girl on a Train, it’s one of a recent spate of bestselling psychological thrillers mixing the flawed-heroine and woman-in-peril genres. I wouldn’t call it good, but I liked it and found it engaging. It’s true that several of the characters are not richly drawn, but the protagonist is vivid and I know a couple of people who couldn’t finish the book because she is so convincingly troubled.
posted by pocketfullofrye at 1:02 PM on August 16, 2016
Re: Girl on a Train, it’s one of a recent spate of bestselling psychological thrillers mixing the flawed-heroine and woman-in-peril genres. I wouldn’t call it good, but I liked it and found it engaging. It’s true that several of the characters are not richly drawn, but the protagonist is vivid and I know a couple of people who couldn’t finish the book because she is so convincingly troubled.
posted by pocketfullofrye at 1:02 PM on August 16, 2016
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