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Vineland, by Thomas Pynchon
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Assembling California, by John McPhee (1993)
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Part of a series on geology of the USA, covering the California section, as
well as some history of plate tectonics in the 20th century.
Good intro to the history and current geography of California on human
timescales as well: the 1989 earthquake, gold mining in the Sierras, Napa
valley wine country, the story of the Davis campus, etc.
The last chapter, about earthquakes in the SF bay area, was as powerful as the
July 2015 New Yorker article ("The Really Big One") about tsunamis in the
Pacific Northwest.
The Hall of the Singing Caryatids, by Victor Pelevin (2011)
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I think it's decent? Mako totally spoilered this entire (very short book) ahead
of time.
Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Richard Rhodes
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Dark Sun, by Richard Rhodes
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Curve of Binding Energy, by John McPhee
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Read this as a compliment to *Making of the Atmoic Bomb*, partially because I
had described *Making* to a friend as being "well written as McPhee" and wanted
to cross check. McPhee is more polished and doesn't drop the beat as much,
while Rhodes is a much longer and deeper ride. This particular book seems to
have had a huge impact when it was published, but as a victim of that success
it's a little dated now for a general reader. I enjoyed reading it as a
complement and second source for Rhodes (though they do end up
cross-referencing each other), but wouldn't recommend it to others today.
True Believer, by Eric Hoffer
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Empire Star, by Samuel Delany (1966)
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Babel-17, by Samuel Delany (1966)
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Nova, by Samuel Delany (1968)
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Several people recommended Sam Delany to me in the course of a couple weeks,
and I couldn't be happier that they did! All of his books have been great, but
I particularly enjoyed the (short) *Empire Star* as a crisp self-contained
nugget.
Walkaway, by Cory Doctorow (2017)
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Library: An Unquiet History (2015)
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Really enjoyed learning about ancient 'Genizas' in religious scribe workspaces:
an abyss to toss unwanted or draft pieces of paper instead of destroying them.
Uncommon Carriers, by John McPhee (2007)
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I was uncertain at points if I had already read this: still not sure if i'd
read sections, had others told me the stories, was strongly reminded of other
McPhee works, or if the writing is just so wonderful than I couldn't imagine
having not read it already.
A couple slow bits in this one (the Walden/canoe trip was close to childhood
memories, but not super compelling given all that), but I loved the trucks,
coal trains, river barges, etc. Also the the interweaving of super-human
infrastructure with individual human lives, like Tuckle's "Workering" or the
food industry documentary "Our Daily Bread".
On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder (2017)
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Homage to Catalonia, by George Orwell (1938)
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