What Am I Reading Wednesday - January 24

[lebateleur]

I've been on the computer all day and my eyes are getting super fatigued, so let's make this short and sweet.

What I Finished Reading This Week

Ancillary Justice — Ann Leckie
I've read Ancillary Justice enough that my stomach no longer does big swoops while reading, but it's still. So. Damn. Good. Leckie's worldbuilding, character portrayals and arcs, sly humor, and examination of Big Issues without being tiring or pedantic are just amazing. But I think most of you guys already know that.

Anyway, this book is one of my forever favorites.

Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics — Lucy K. Tsado & Robert Osgood
I borrowed this from the library and would have been RIPSHIT had I paid any amount of money to read it. It is, hands down, the most poorly written book I've read in recent memory: rambling, stream-of-consciousness sentences that bear little to no relationship to the sentences that precede and follow them, let alone the section or chapter headings. Nor do most of these sentences say anything at all. Here is half of the book's "Roadmap to cybersecurity/digital forensics education/career":

• Criminal Justice Student-Non Traditional→Certifications→Get a job in area of certification
• Criminal Justice Student-Non Traditional→Short training→Get a job in area of training
• Criminal Justice Student-Non Traditional→Self-paced learning→Get a job in area of specialty

That's it. That's the "roadmap." That's the wisdom Tsado and Osgood are asking readers to pay 35 American dollars to access. (And in case you were wondering, the "roadmap" for "Criminal Justice Student-Traditional Education" follows the exact same template.)

TL;DR—Readers will learn nothing from this book aside from how truly bad writing can be. Avoid this hot mess like the plague.


What I'm Currently Reading

Hamnet — Maggie O'Farrell
I started reading this one during my lunch break and have only made it a few pages in, so the tragedy has yet to happen. So far, O'Farrell's language is beautiful.

The Women Could Fly — Megan Giddings
I have about 70 pages to go and such mixed thoughts about this one. Stay tuned for them next week.

Ancillary Sword — Ann Leckie
As with each previous read of this series I blazed through Ancillary Justice and began slowrolling my pace during Ancillary Mercy because this series is so good and I do not want it to end.


What I'm Reading Next

I did not acquire any new books this week.

これで以上です。

Comments

[pauraque]

I actually haven't read any Ann Leckie yet, but she's on my list!

[lebateleur]

I would love to hear your thoughts if/when you read her. I 💖 her stuff So. Much.

[delphi]

Criminal Justice Student-Non Traditional→Self-paced learning→Get a job in area of specialty

Ah, yes - it's all so clear!

[lebateleur]

But would you say it's clearer THAN THIS??

[delphi]

"Figure created by authors" - You don't say.

This is just...beautifully bad. I had been about to suggest that this was written as part of that ebooks pyramid scheme where people churn out terrible non-fiction en masse, but looking up the authors, I'm stunned to discover that they are real people in the field employed by actual institutes of higher learning.

[lebateleur]

I'm stunned to discover that they are real people in the field employed by actual institutes of higher learning.

AS AM I. If nothing else, you would think the institutions they represent would have an interest in them not putting out utter crap. It also makes you wonder whether the bar is this low for employment there, or if someone possibly helped clean up their application packages and quals just a teensy weensy bit.

[delphi]

Now I feel like they might actually have been accurately describing their own entrance into the field with those first flow charts. Cybersecurity and digital forensics seem like those kind of fields that, early on, anyone could kind of slide their way into just by being able to throw some technical terms around in environments where others were particularly fearful of technology. Oof.

[lebateleur]

That theory...makes a stunning amount of sense. I can only imagine what some of their students who are better versed in the art of communicating effectively (let's say) might have to say about their quals and/or teaching chops.