Lots of books this month, probably because I had more time off than usual, combining a week of actual holiday with my penultimate chemotherapy session.

The Age of Surveillance capitalism: still plowing through it, hopefully finishing this month.

On Writing: A memoir of the Craft: Stephen King’s manual on writing. I used to read Stephen King as a young teenager. His books were available at the library, and my friends were reading them too - my first more communal reading experience. I remember even then not really liking what I was reading - King’s characters were often unlikeable, petty, smelly and human, not what you look for when you want escape - and horror isn’t really my thing anyway. But his skill is undeniable, and the yarns still pulled me in, and after reading them the dark always felt a little bit too crowded. His memoir/manual is an enjoyable read by itself, and it contains a good few practical tips that should help writers get better, or at least get started.

Tiamat’s Wrath: The Expanse, still going strong! The crew of the Rocinante, having gone separate ways, are part of the resistance against Duarte. There’s intrigue, emotional moments, mystery, and a resolution. As far as I understand the series will end with number 9, and I can’t wait to read it.

The Quantum Magician: a heist story with a philosophical twist. In this future world, humanity has been branched out by geneticists in three mal-adjusted races, who each struggle with what they’ve been engineered to be. Belisarius, the main protagonist, is a Homo Quantus, a variety of human who has extra senses and the ability to turn himself into a super computer by switching off some part of his brain. He is also a gifted con man, and is pushed into accepting a seemingly impossible job, for which he has to assemble a crew of accomplices. Standard format, but in a different universe.

Shades of Magic trilogy: excellent post-chemo book, easy read. Pretty standard fantasy, with an overpowered baddie with an evil plan to take over the world, and a few heroes fighting to save the day. The story flows well, and even though it’s predictable and none too subtle, it’s still enjoyable.

Odd Jobs: not unlike the Laundry Files, it mixes a Lovecraftian theme, spy thriller and humour into an enjoyable, if lightweight read. The book follows members a british secret agency tasked with managing the apocalypse - a race of demons/horrors, the Venislarm, is poised to take over the world. Nice passage, when a new member of the team goes through her induction:

She learned the different sirens that would sound in the event of a fire (a ringing bell), a Venislarm incursion (an intermittent klaxon) and the end of the world (bell and klaxon together). “We need an alarm for the end of the world?” she said to Lois. “Why? What are we expected to do about it?” “Very little I would imagine” said Lois.