Week 0: Summer Books

I didn't get to read quite as much as I wanted over the summer, but I did finish a few books that I really enjoyed. They were a mix of fiction and nonfiction, which is pretty common for me. Favorite genres include but are definitely not limited to fantasy, history, sci-fi, mystery, science, and language/linguistics.

I had the chance to enjoy a completely new world this summer: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor is a short but vivid science fiction novel by a Nigerian American author. I'm always delighted to find fiction that steps outside of the traditional, Euro-centric model we tend to get in English-language books, and Binti is refreshing in that sense. The main character, a brilliant but somewhat naive young woman, comes from a culture influenced by Okorafor's own Igbo heritage. But the main reason I love this book is it brings a sense of day-to-day reality to a fantastic setting. The opening scene, where our protagonist sweeps sand out of an old, unreliable but still-functional  teleporter, gave me such a strong picture of how a real person could live in this advanced sci-fi world. Okorafor's writing is also sharp, clear, and easy to sink into. This was the first book of hers I've ever read and it left me hungry for more. I definitely plan to read Akata Witch, her young adult fantasy, and of course I need to read the sequel, Binti: Home.

As for the rest of the fiction I read this summer, I had a great time exploring audio books for the first time. I've been a bookworm for as long as I can remember, but for some reason I've never listened to books on tape! I downloaded the Overdrive app this summer in preparation for some long travel times. I've now synced all my various public library accounts to it and WOW has it ever changed how and when I read. I worked my way through half of Agatha Christie's Poirot series while crafting, or doing laundry, or working out, or cooking dinner... not to mention, I finally get to "read" on public transport without getting motion sickness! I love me some good mysteries and Christie has long been a favorite author of mine. I was delighted to find that Hugh Fraser (the actor who plays Poirot's faithful sidekick Captain Hastings in the BBC series) has done audio books of nearly every Poirot book, even the ones without Hastings in them. He's a great voice actor and even when you get to scenes with five or six people talking it's easy to follow the action. I discovered a new favorite in the series, too: The Clocks. It's set much later than most Poirot mysteries and he barely features, but the characters and plot are both intricate in that particular way which earned Christie the moniker "queen of crime." Another new favorite is Hercule Poirot's Christmas, which I plan to reread at the right time of year.
I love being swept into another world when I read, so generally I stick to what's called "narrative nonfiction" (that is, nonfiction where true facts are assembled into an accurate story with compelling writing and focus "characters" and themes).  But this summer, one of my favorite reads was actually more of an essay than a narrative nonfiction book: The Language Hoax by John McWhorter.

I've been a fan of McWhorter's writing for years: he's funny, easy to follow, and always brings the reader to a deeper understanding of his subject matter. He's a professor of linguistics and The Language Hoax, like all his books aimed at the general public, was written with the intent to challenge and debunk a persistent misunderstanding about how language works and why/how humans use it.

This particular book is about "Whorfism," the obscure linguistic term for the popular idea that the way your language forms sentences actually controls how you think about the world. McWhorter explains, civilly but firmly, exactly why that idea doesn't pan out. Drawing on scientific studies, "common" sense and his and the reader's own intelligence, he builds a compelling case for believing that the variations in human language actually make our minds more similar from culture to culture and language to language, not less. Being an avid linguistics nerd, I followed this book pretty well, but for those who want more of an introduction to the scientific study of language, I suggest McWhorter's earlier work, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue. It's pithy, accurate, and fascinating account of the history of English and why it's so friggin' weird—plus it doesn't rely on the reader having any prior linguistics knowledge.

And finally, I did get to sink my teeth into an absorbing true story: The Riddle of the Compass by Amir Aczel. This meticulously researched but highly accessible book details the history of not only the compass we all know and love, but also of humans' ability to navigate since the dawn of our species. If you check this book out you'll learn about everything from ancient religious uses for magnets to modern shipping methods—not to mention the compass's ultimate riddle, the mysterious disappearance of its inventor, Flavio Gioia.