Random Tag Tuesday: The Wanderlust Book Tag

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Blog Life, Book Tag, Final Fantasy, Random Tag Tuesday, Reading, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction

I think most of us have been feeling a bit cooped up lately, so it’s probably pretty easy to imagine why I felt inspired to finally take on this particular tag.  Since I haven’t done one of these in a while, I’ll remind everyone that the name of this series is a throwback to my college days when Tuesdays were the day for, well, random adventures.  Please note that most of the tags I cover under this heading come from my backlog notes and that I am terrible about keeping track of where I find them. As such, I probably will rarely, if ever, tag anyone.  It is not personal.

Secrets and Lies: A Book Set in a Sleepy Small Town

Highway of the Damned, by Nick Mamatas and Brian Keene.  This mashup homage to Hunter S. Thompson and Lovecraftian horror spends a lot of time in the fictional city of Arkham, MA, a place that certainly has its share of secrets.

Salt and Sand: A Book with a Beach-side Community

Lagoon, by Nnedi Okorafor.  Set in Lagos, Nigeria the city is changed forever when extraterrestrials land off the coast and make first contact with both humanity and the creatures of the sea.

Here There be Dragons: A Book with a Voyage on the High Seas

Towing Jehovah, by James Morrow.  God has died and it’s up to disgraced Captain Anthony Van Horn to haul the massive corpse across the Atlantic Ocean to its final resting place in an Arctic iceberg before rot sets in and the press finds out.

Tread lightly: A Book Set Down a Murky River or a Jungle

Everfair, by Nisi Shawl.  A steampunk-inspired alternate history in which European socialists, American abolitionists, and an African warlord enter into an uneasy alliance to overthrow the forces of King Leopold II and establish a new nation in the former Belgian Congo.

Frozen Wastes: A Book Book with a Frost-bitten Atmosphere

The Terror, by Dan Simmons.  Another historical fiction, this one follows the doomed crew of the John Franklin Discovery Service Expedition as their ships get trapped in the Arctic ice and a supernatural force begins hunting the crew.

The Boonies: A Book with Rough or Isolated Terrain

2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson.  A good deal of the action here takes place on Mercury and Venus, which despite human settlements remain rather inhospitable places.

Hinterlands and Cowboys: A book with a Western-esque Setting

The Alloy of Law, by Brandon Sanderson.  The first book in the Second Era Mistborn novels, civilization on the planet Scadriel has advanced to roughly that of the late 19th century United States.  The main character, Wax, is a frontier lawman who definitely gives this story a Western vibe.

Look lively: A Book Set Across Sweeping Desert Sands

Dune, by Frank Herbert.  Obviously.

Wild and Untamed: A Book Set in the Heart of the Woods

A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson.  Humorist Bill Bryson hikes the Appalachian Trail, imparting plenty of fun facts and humorous observations along the way.

Wildest Dreams: A Whimsical Book Shrouded in Magic

The Hobbit, by J.R.R Tolkien.  While it does have some serious themes, I always think of this book as being rather whimsical at heart.

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Book Review: Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor

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Binti, Book, Book Review, Nnedi Okorafor, Novella, Reading, Sci-Fi, Science Fiction

Once again I am back with a novella to share with you all!  This is another popular one on the review scene that also had the honor of taking home both the Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novella in 2016.  This is my second time reading something from Nnedi Okorafor and the latest in what is apparently a lengthy line of Tor novellas on my reading list.

The story begins on Earth in the distant future and introduces us to Binti, a young Himba woman living in Nairobi.  She is the first person from her community to earn admission to the prestigious Oomza Uni, the galaxy’s most elite technological institute.  Her acceptance, however, is not without controversy.  Despite being renowned for their mathematical and technological skills, the Himba people rarely leave their home city and often face extreme prejudice from others.  Binti is determined, however, and decides she can’t pass up the opportunity so she sneaks off one night to catch a space shuttle to the university, leaving behind her home and family forever.  The universe (of course) has other plans, for just as Binti starts to settle into her new life, the shuttle is intercepted by a group of hostile aliens.  Protected by a mysterious trinket she brought from home, Binti finds herself held captive aboard the ship and must use all her wits to not only remain alive, but prevent further bloodshed as well.

I enjoyed this read and found myself really getting drawn into it.  The author’s decision to slowly reveal the full scope of her world to the reader as it was encountered by Binti really added to the mysteries and surprises of the novella.  There was one moment early on where the story throws an absolute shock at you and from that point on I couldn’t put it down.  You’ll know it when you get there.  Equally importing, I found Binti herself to be a very engaging protagonist in her own right.  There was a lot of tension in her character from being an outcast from her homeland (by choice) and new surroundings (by prejudice) that had a very profound impact on her actions throughout the story.  It was also interesting to see how her cultural traditions, in particular her cosmetic rituals, shaped the way she looked at and interacted with the universe and the other beings in it.  I was likewise intrigued by how her fellow Himba approached mathematics as a spiritual undertaking.  I am admittedly baffled by higher math, but I nonetheless find that sort of thing fascinating to contemplate.

Overall I thought this was an excellent story that I would recommend to other sci-fi readers.  There are two other books in this series that I am looking forward to reading once I can get my (virtual) hands on them.  This one ends on something of a cliffhanger and I really am curious to see what direction the story goes from there.

Ipswich Ale Brewery – Farmhouse Ale

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Beer, Beer Review, Farmhouse, Ipswich Ale Brewery, Massachusetts, New England

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I prepared for quarantine in part by picking up a mixed 12-pack from Ipswich Ale Brewery.  I wasn’t paying too much attention when I ordered it, but was happily surprised to find that it included two new to me beers along with old favorites Route 1 and the original Ipswich Ale.  Looks like we’ve unexpectedly got some review material folks!

Beer Name: Farmhouse Ale

Brewery: Ipswich Ale Brewery (Ipswich, MA)

Style: Farmhouse Ale

ABV: 4.8%

Description: Inspired by the traditional Belgian style, this dry hopped ale was brewed to refresh and pair with a variety of meals.  You can read the official release and see some of the brewing specifications here.

Appearance: It had a cloudy golden body topped by roughly half a finger’s worth of bubbly foam.

Smell: Distinct Belgian-styled yeast that offered a light blend of peppery/spicy/floral notes.

Taste: It opened with crisp pale malt, topped by a peppery yeast presence highlighted with hints of clove and spice.  The finish brought on a slight bit of spicy hops and an underlying sweetness that brought the sip to a pleasing end.

Mouthfeel: Roughly medium bodied with an elevated level of carbonation.

Hype: This isn’t really a hype brewery, though I am particularly fond of them.

Overall: All in all I found this to be a pretty solid beer.  It’s probably not going to blow you away, but it was incredibly easy to just sit back and drink on account of how crisp, clean tasting, and refreshing it was.  Definitely a good beer to have in the fridge right now!

Firestone Walker Brewing Company – Stickee Monkee (2018)

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, California, Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Quad

Time again to get back into beer as well.  Here’s a pre-quarantine brew from back when things were relatively more normal.

Beer Name: Stickee Monkee (2018)

Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Company (Paso Robles, CA)

Style: Quadruple

ABV: 11.4%

Description: A Belgina-style Quad brewed with Mexican Turbinado and Belgian candi sugars before being set to age in bourbon barrels.  The bottle I had for this review was from the 2018 vintage.

Appearance: It poured to a beer-bottle colored dark brown body.

Smell: Sugary dark fruits mixed with hints of bourbon barrels.

Taste: Sweetness upfront in the form of Belgian candi yeast, molasses, brown sugar, and dark fruit. The yeast really picks up around mid-sip to take over and transition the brew towards a hot, bourbony finish with some hints of toasty malts mixing in with a very refined barrel presence.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied with low carbonation.

Hype: I don’t know if hype is the right word, but this brewery and a series of small, boxed bottles is extremely well regarded.

Overall: This was fantastic!  It’s a beer you’ll definitely be taking your time with, but you will definitely savor every sip.