The Book Count 2021

[Greg]

The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty

Well, I'm glad that's over. I should have stopped reading. I just wasn't engage but I trapped myself on seeing what happened especially since there was a bit of a love triangle in the middle. Eventually Nahri and Ali have to fight for the city which Dara is destroying at the behest of Nahri's mother. Nahri and Ali make deals with other magical realms.

And there is a big cheat. A big Deal Ex Machina the author used to get out of a jam. The whole book moves linearly. Except at one point where a character who was supposed to be drugged was revived offstage and available for a daring rescue. Ugh.

I'm done. At least it wasn't by Shirley Sargent for a change.

[Greg]

Yosemite in Time by Mark Kleet, Rebecca Solnit and Byron White

The full title for the book is Yosemite in Time: Ice Ages Tree Clocks Ghost Rivers.

On the face of it, Yosemite in Time is a picture book that is right up my alley. Mark Kleet and Byron White are photographers who specialize in rephotography. They specialize in finding places where historic photographs have been take in the past and taking the same photographs. Kleet and White find out the time and date when the photographs were taken as well so they can approximate the same lighting conditions. If the early photographer has taken two different views from the same spot or near to the same spot, Kleet and White photograph a  panorama to connect the two views. Or in some cases three views.

The goal for the book was to rephotograph the photographs of Eadward Muybridge done in 1872. During the process they realized Ansel Adams had photographed some of his most famous Yosemite photographs from almost the same spots as Muybridge. Kleet and White added in some of the Ansel photos as well. They did the same with Westin.  It was quite the interesting experiment but there wasn't a huge amount of difference in the photos. The problems is the mountains of Yosemite are tens of thousands of years old. The views of rocks aren't going to change that much. I think the biggest change was tree growth obscuring views. The Merced also changed course so they couldn't get some of the reflections they wanted of the mountains in the river.

The revelatory thing about the book were the essays by Rebecca Solnit. Part of the essays talked about the groups voyage to find the spots and the difficulties the group encountered recreating the photo sites. But she also gave historical background to the photographs and the locations. She talked about Muir, Tenaya, Bunnell and the photographers. Solnit wrote a lot about the meaning of wilderness and how it's changed. She discussed the place of Indians in the so called Pristine Landscape.  Much like Imperial San Francisco, Solnit's essays put a necessary reframing on the landscape and history of Yosemite.

[Greg]

I think I might be done with the celebrity autobiography. They all have a certain sameness to them, at least the ones I'm reading. They give you a lot of detail but not enough detail in the right areas.

Grace is very candid about her life and she tells it all. She mentions every lover she's ever had from all the members of Jefferson Airplane to Jim Morrison. She talks about all the drugs she's taken. She discourses at length about making music with the band. But it seems sort of haphazard and not really exhaustive. It was interesting to find out she had a big interest in the Martial Art and at one point was studying White Crane Forms. But she didn't have the diligence to continue.

The book was released in 1997 about the time she retired from professional singing so there is a big chunk of her life not in the book.

Grace Slick doesn't really come across as likable in the book but I don't think she cares

[Greg]

Daughter of the Morning Star by Craig Johnson

Mmmm. Thick rich comfort food book. At book 17, I've been reading these for a while. Familiar characters and interactions. It's good to see the whole gang back together. 

Walt Longmire, sheriff of Absaroka County in Montana, is asked to look into who is sending threatening notes to high school basketball star Jaya. Henry Standing Bear is along for backup since the victim is also a member of the Cheyenne Nation. Longmire bumbles along from billionaire ranchers to white supremacist to colorful Native Americans in the search for clues. The threatening notes also come into play with Jaya's missing sister also a basketball star. 

The thing that sets Longmire apart is the slight whiff of occult to the books. Longmire is frequently haunted by an Indian Spirit who helps with clues. It's not in every book, but it's there. In this book it's particularly at the forefront because an angry Indian spirit might have taken Jaya's sister.

The book ends with a bunch of threads hanging for Longmire to look into. All in all, the book was a good fun read for me as a longtime Longmire reader.

[Greg]

Yosemite: Art of an American Icon Edited by Amy Scott

It was only at the end of this book was it made clear this book was an exhibition guide for an exhibition at the Autry Museum in Los Angeles. The book discusses through essays and artworks the changing view of Yosemite. There is good background on the early photography of the park. There are lots of discussion of Ansel Adams and the effect his work had on future generations. Basically, it's hard to find something new to photograph in Yosemite after Adams iconic photos. I skipped over the segment on Yosemite basket weaving. But I did like the later articles about modern painting in Yosemite.

[Greg]

West of Eden: A History of the Art and Literature of Yosemite by David Robertson

Mr. Robertson goes through the history of the artists of Yosemite, painters, writers and photographers from 1850 to the present. For Mr. Robertson the present is 1984, but that doesn't matter. It could be argued that most of the great art focusing on Yosemite has already been done.

The book is broken down into chunks. There is the first group when the whole park was an untamed wilderness including the valley. The second chunk is when the valley becomes more settled and the artistry more commercial but doesn't really add to what came before. Then there is the Ansel Adams phase.Then you have the people living on Adams legacy. The final chapter is almost a rebellion to the legacy as artists try and find their own unique responses to Yosemite.

The book does a good job of introducing to the artists and their works. Robertson does go into detail about why certain pieces of work are good and how they achieve artistry, a discussion I hadn't come across before. In my previous picture book it was mainly here is the artwork and this is who did the artwork and when it was done. It made me think a lot about my own photography.

[Greg]

The Last Graduate: Book Two of the Scholomance by Naomi Novik

I've been waiting for this book to come out since last year when I finished the first book. What could be duller than a school for wizards at this point? But I really enjoyed this book much like I did the first one. El, the lead wizard, bitches all the time about everyone and everything. She doesn't believe in herself despite having the most power in the school. She has trust issues. She doesn't want to be in a relationship with the boy she really loves. It's all twisted. And everything in the school is geared to kill her and her classmates. The world building is first class. I want to see more of this world and what happens to the kids when/if they get out of the school.

I read this book too fast and now I'm waiting for the next one. Impatiently. I thought it was supposed to be a two book series, but no. The book ends on the highest of cliff hangers. Everything does wrap up. The mission for the book is accomplished. Except for one glaring massive thread. Infuriating.

[Greg]

The Yosemite by John Muir Photographs by Galen Rowell

The purpose of this book was to supplement the words of Muir with the Photographs of Galen Rowell who was a noted mountaineer and professional photographer. I thought the photos would magnify Muir's word but they didn't. Most of the times they were just photos that Rowell took and thoughts he had juxtaposed against some of Muir's texts.

The full text of Muir's book on Yosemite is in there. To be clear, I am not a fan of Muir's prose. A lot of the time, it is much too flowery. For instance talking of the fall of water in the Yosemite Falls as comet tails descending. All the famous tales of Muir in Yosemite are in the book except for the one about him climbing a tree during a storm to feel the storm's effects. There is also a lot of detailed description of the flora of the park which went on Ad Nauseam. And it would have been nice to have some drawings of trees he was describing to help differentiate it from the other trees he described. Or I don't know maybe a photograph from the photographer. I skimmed those pages.

The last three chapters were the best were he described early Yosemite pioneers Lamon and Galen Clark and the Hetch Hetchy Valley before the dam. I received some good insights in those chapters.

The only good trivia bit that led me down a rabbit hole was that David Lee Roth climbed part of the face of Half-Dome and Rowell photographed it for the release of Diamond Dave's first album. There is a good version of the photo shoot out on the internets.

[Greg]

Master of Djinn by P Djéli Clarke

Meh. It has a lot of the same world as the Chakraborty stories. It's an Islamic based fantasy story with Djinn and Ifrits and their Gods. Which probably has a better genre than Islamic. The story has Steampunk elements and is very LGBTQ+. But it was kind of dull.

Agent Fatma is called on to solve a horrific murder in 1920s Cairo. She is in special branch of the government tasked with solving Djinn crime. Al Jahiz the man who brought Djinns back is now back as well and is terrorizing the city. Fatma and her new partner Haidi and Fatma's girlfriend Siwi go about solving the crime and stopping the destruction that Al Jahiz brings.

There are prequel novellas to this story that I did not read but are mentioned in the book. At this point, I have no desire to track them down.

[Greg]

Yosemite: The Embattled Wilderness by Alfred Runte

Another book in the long series of People are bad. 

The Embattled Wilderness takes a look at the history of the park from the perspective of what have we done to protect the park. Or even what should be our definition of a park. The answer comes down to that park has not been protected because people are more important. And by people we mean profits. From the earliest days people have wanted amenities to make their stays in the park more enjoyable. Concessionaires have used that excuse to get more and more facilities for the people at the park's expense.

People have tried to steer the park in the right direction but either their advice was buried in the case of Frederick Olmsted or mostly ignored in the case of Professor Grinnell. One of the big examples used in our mismanagement of the park is the bear. How it's easier to shoot the bears than train humans to learn to be in their environment. Bears have never killed anyone in the park but the park has killed hundreds of bears. At one point, that was the park rangers job to hunt and kill the dangerous animals. The State of California even had an office of Game Hunter whose job was to kill mountain lions. At one point, the park managers thought it would be a good idea to spray DDT around the upper meadows to kill a bug infestation. They did this for several years. Even Ansel Adams comes in for scrutiny. He thought everything should be removed from the park. Everything but his Bracebridge Dinner at the Ahwahnee. The Curry Company comes in for a lot of scorn as well.

It's a fascinating read. Unfortunately, my library copy of the book was the 1990 edition. There is a newer edition that was published in 2020 that I'm going to have to get. It continues the history of the concessionaires and their undermining of the principles of good park management.

[Drunk Monk]

I just went back to the first post of this thread where you've been collating all this. 

I must say...

[Greg]

Thanks, Darth?

[Greg]

Farewell, Promised Land: Waking from the California Dream by Robert Dawson & Gray Brechin

A great big picture book of sadness. Robert Dawson took the pictures. Gray Brechin wrote the words. Brechin is also the author of another feel good book "Imperial San Francisco"

This book takes on the whole state from our polluted water to our destroyed hills. Most of the book comes down to the rich destroyed the state in pursuit of profits. The peasants were tricked into colluding with them in their own destruction. I learned about all the selenium in the soil in the central valley. I learned how the SF Bay lost a lot it's area because of the mining. A town I pass on the way to LA called Pixley sank 25 feet because they drained all their artesian wells. Don't even get me started on the Indians.

The last chapter gives a few glimmers of hope as local people strive to reverse some of the damage. But it seems paltry in the face of what has been done.

Now should I read about the Railroad Barrons or the California Indian Genocide next?

[Greg]

A Killing Frost by Seanan McGuire

I could be reaching the end of my affair with Ms. McGuire. It's just more of the same. You start off with about thirty pages of exposition of who is who and why are they are mad at each other. Then there is the scene where Toby goes off on her quest leaving behind everyone she loves. There's a lot of bloodshed. People are unhappy with Toby. She almost dies. She loses more of her humanity. After the quest, she goes home with more threads dangling and lots of exposition about what needs to be done.

The new thing for me in this book is I saw some reasons for how certain characters behave. In real life, Ms. McGuire appears to have a fraught relationship with her mother. I just recently became aware of this through her twitter feed. In the books, Toby has a terrible relationship with her mother. A-fucking-ha.

In this book Toby needs to find her father to get permission to marry the King of the Cats otherwise there will be some sort of scandal or another. But her father is lost and out of his mind and treats everyone like an enemy. Because of prophecy, Toby can only take two people t help her. The book also takes place in no more than 48 hours which seems incredibly fast.

There is already another book out. My library has stopped carrying the series. I am unsure if I will spend the cash to get the latest book.

[Greg]

Solomons of the Sierra by Shirley Sargent

I think I might be done with all the Shirley Sargent books. While I'm glad she wrote these books her writing style wasn't the best.

Theodore Solomons did a lot of the initial surveys in the high country in the Sierra for what eventually became the John Muir Trail. He name about 23 peaks in the area. But he never fully staked out the route. He took a giant camera with him and made some historic photographs. But his adventuring in the Sierra came to an about the time he was 24. He then went off to Alaska for other adventures. He also for a time was a Hollywood Screenwriter. And for a time, in a nod to tQ, he was a court reporter. He used the money he made as a court reporter to fund his exploration of the Sierra.

Another tragic life of looking for a livelihood but never quite finding it. The reason Sargent researched in wrote the book is that the property she owned in Foresta near Yosemite Valley was originally owned by Solomons. And much like Solomons house, Sargent lost her home at Flying Spur to fire as well. For Solomons, that was the second property of his to burn down and destroy his collection.

In odd coincidence world, Solomons daughter Eleanor for a time lived with Ed 'Doc' Ricketts in Monterey. Ricketts was the good friend of John Steinbeck.