What Am I Reading Wednesday: August 2

What I Just Finished Reading

The Souls of China – Ian Johnson
What a well-written book.

NXT – Jon Robinson
Featuring unsurprisingly hagiographic language on Triple H and the McMahons; what does surprise is the book's total openness about how NXT and WWE are products, with all that entails. Robinson actually talks about the nuts and bolts here: how they recruit to fit certain physical, ethnic, national, and personality types dictated by storylines and market expansion plans; how recruits are taught to work to camera angles and promo shots; how characters are constructed; that matches are choreographed beforehand. What's even more interesting in the open acknowledgment of the intra-company tensions, with the old guard (read: Vince) digging its heels in for the same-old same-old, and the new guard advocating for changes (Bona fide storylines for women! A roster including more than 300 lb. ripped white dudes!) that were both long overdue and responsible for the current renaissance in audience interest. There are some topics the book doesn't touch (e.g., it makes much of social media buzz's persuasive power in bringing about these changes, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that HHH had his own ten cent army driving many of these posts), but it's a n interesting inside look at the industry all the same. And it's pretty fun to play spot the talent in the uncaptioned photographs (That's Bayley with her hair down! There's Nia Jax in civvies!), too.


What I Am Currently Reading

The Black Cauldron – Lloyd Alexander
Some of the plot developments in this book came as reaaaaal gut punches when I first read it as a kid, and the story still breathes for me today, for all that I can read it in 1/20th the time.

The Bear and the Nightingale – Katherine Arden
After a year-long hold at the library failed to produce results, I folded and bought my own copy. Ten percent of the way in the writing is good, but the plot so far (tragic death of the protagonist's mother, tee-up of a Mists of Avalon-style old religion/new religion conflict) haven't lived up to the crazy buzz. And, I learn, it's not a standalone volume but the first book in one of my genre bêtes noires: The Trilogy. That said, it's still early days, so I maintain my high hopes.

Kushiel's Dart – Jacqueline Carey
Pretty much everyone I knew was gaga over this book when it came out 15 years ago, but I remember thinking when hearing them describe it that X-Files and Vampire Chronicles fandom were putting out stuff twice as edgy, and just never got around to reading it. A few chapters in, I think this initial judgment will probably hold, but the writing moves along at a fast clip. We'll see to what extent it manages to draw me in.

The Infidel Stain – MJ Carter
Still truckin'.

China – Kathy Flower
Still truckin'.

The English Magic Tarot – Andy Letcher
I've only read the early chapters, but so far they're pretty run-of-the-mill new age-y fluff, while I'd been hoping for more Dee and Newton. We'll see how things turn out once we get to the cards proper.

Clariel – Garth Nix
So the other day the book fell open to the acknowledgments, in which Nix spoils the big reveal in the first freaking sentence. Je suis triste. That said, it's a pretty gutsy thing to do to your main character, one most genre authors would certainly avoid, so kudos to him for that.

The Perfect Dictatorship – Stein Ringen
This guy writes some of the most convoluted, difficult to follow sentences I've encountered.


What I'm Reading Next
WHERE IS MUH COPY OF The Bedlam Stacks, AMAZON?


これで以上です。