The Fold by Peter Clines

The Martian by Andy Weir is one of my favorite books of the decade, and I read a few books.  When Weir recommend The Fold on Facebook, I immediately grabbed a early reader copy.

• Clines crafts an intriguing story that combines elements of hard science, computer science, curiosity, and oddball characters.
• While this is a science fiction novel, all the elements are so believable.  It is realistic sci-fi that can easily draw in a broad range of readers.
• With my great love for The Martian, I found myself both wanting to and not wanting to draw parallels between the two novels.  

Not a book review, no bullet points

As a former farm child and now a public librarian, an article in Wired caught my eye ("We Can’t Let John Deere Destroy the Very Idea of Ownership").  I have a couple of thoughts on this:

1. This isn't new.  There are other vendors and products that operate similarly.  The library field is dealing with this in regard to e-content, specifically popular ebooks.   Libraries often buy a license to e-content.  Some vendors, not all, allow content to be ported to different portals, but the restrictions of the license are still in place.  This content can not be sold.  New tractors are incredibly complex, much more so than an ebook with DRM.  Like it or not, John Deere may have a point.
2. The farmer's relationship to their equipment is changing.  The same is true for libraries' relationships with content.  These expensive machines perform complex work, and expertise required to maintain these machines.  As acute business people, farmers may be wise to outsource repair to experts, especially as repairs become more complex.  This is also evident in libraries the focus shifts from ownership to access.
3. Check stereotypes at the door.  Just as librarians are faced with limiting stereotypes, so are farmers (for evidence see Wired's article).  This article is evidence of this. The stereotype manifests in the belief that farmers are quaint salt of the earth people who SHOULD fix their own things.  This fails to recognize the utter complexity of modern farm equipment.  

Overall, I agree with the premise of Wired's article that ownership is important.  This news is evidence of a troubling trend that shifts power towards large corporations and away from the individuals.  As a librarian focusing on e-resources, I experience the ramifications and the movement away from ownership.  Relatedly, there is a significant loss when the "owner" can no longer has access to fix their systems, be that a tractor, a car, or a phone.  However, while the main point of the article is notable, the Wired gets it wrong with their out of touch and sentimental article.  Wired is alarmed that this is happening to farmers now, but this phenomenon isn't new.

Scarcity by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir

• This is a new take on problems commonly addressed in self help books.
• The authors use scarcity as a panacea. Scarcity explains all things. This overlooks the inherent complexity in human behavior.  
• For example, the authors argue that poor farmers don't buy crop insurance because they are in a scarcity imposed "tunnel." This overlooks the well-documented human tendencies to focus on the short-term over the long-term regardless of scarcity.
• Bandwidth, the author's concept for mental space or energy, is also used in a singular way.  Human behavior is much more nuanced than the authors contend.

Overall, Scarcity is incredibly interesting.  The concepts of bandwidth and slack are valuable contributions to self help bookshelf.

Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia

• This is the third novel in the series.  The author provides plenty of backstory allowing new readers to jump into this series.
• There is an equal focus on characters and plot development.  The story has a steady pace and keeps the reader engaged.

In summary, as a middle school reader I would have loved this!

Data and Goliath by Bruce Schneier

• This text explores how the average person as a citizen and consumer has sacrificed their privacy in the name of surveillance.
• Schneier extensively and persuasively argues that mass surveillance doesn't ensure security.  It isn't a direct trade-off between security and privacy.
• The text questions what the implications for privacy are when so much of the worlds electronic communications are handled by the networks.
• In the past surveillance was conducted from a point in time forward.  Now it can be done retrospectively due to the common mass surveillance made possible by technology.
• The text offers options for a different future with more privacy.
• Schneier takes complex arguments about complex technological ecosystems and distills them into descriptions that are understandable to the common person.  This is an impressive feat.
• There a few areas where the book is a bit rough stylistically.  Overall, they are not distracting.  
• Not suggested for anyone prone to paranoia.

This book is relevant to pretty much everyone, except the Amish.  As a librarian I was espeically intersted in the discussion of the Third Party Doctrine.

The Green Road by Anne Enright

As expected, Enright delivers a deliberate narrative of complex characters.

• The novel follows multiple family members over several decades.
• Much of the novel focuses on sticky family relationships.
• Personally, the most enjoyable aspect of the novel was the growth of characters as they matured and evolved.
• This is a modern day family saga.
• This novel is for the reader who likes character-driven novels.  It is a deep read, not a quick one.

Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot

This is the first time I can remember reading the second book in a series without reading the first.  However, I did see the movie over a decade ago.

• Given that the original Princess Diaries was published 15 years ago, Cabot has made it easy for the reader to catch up on the life of Mia Thermpolois.
• It is a fast-paced read.
• The diary has caught up with the modern age by including texts and elements of social networking.
• It is fun chick-lit.

I Heart My Little A-Holes by Karen Alpert

I really wanted to like this, and did like some of it.

• Alpert is honest about the experience of being a parent.  While the notion of parenthood is often romanticized, the everyday experiences are grimy and gritty.
• This book recognizes the worries, realistic and unrealistic, that parents have.  You may be crazy, but you are not alone.
• Many of the complaints are very "first world" (e.g. having to borrow wifi from in her mini van outside of Starbucks between preschool drop off for one kid and music class for the other).

The Reputation Economy by Michael Fertik

This is a great book for anyone who hasn't used a computer or cell phone in the last 10 years.

• Impressive use of buzz words, especially big data.
• Did you know the cost of technology is cheaper now than before?

Overall, this book is for you if you haven't used the Internet in the last decade.  However, given that you are reading this, that likely isn't the case.

On Immunity by Eula Biss

Why would someone take medical advice from Jenny McCarthy?  Eula Biss argues that our conceptions of immunity are incredibly fluid and evolving.  McCarthy fits into this larger pattern.

• Biss describes how as a new parent she was torn between the two sides of the vaccination debate.
• The text is an thorough exploitation of how health and immunity have been conceptualized in modern history, and the baggage of these ideas carry with them.
• No side is safe.  Biss isn't firmly on one side of the debate, but instead takes a level-headed.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

After hearing that this YA series will become films, I decided to give The 5th Wave a try. 

• If you like Utopian, then this is for you.
• At least it doesn't have vampires or zombies.  Instead, it offers aliens.
• Wish I had more to say.  For me the plot became thin yet complex.