New Scientist. Essential Guide N°1. (4🌟)

New Scientist. Essential Guide N°1. The Nature of Reality. How Mathematics, Physics and Consciousness combine to define our world.

Articles by Brian Green, Stephen Hawkin, Roger Penrose, Jan Westerhoff, Donald Hoffman and Nick Bostrom.

Einstein's general theory of relativity explains the reality we perceive, (stars, light etc) and some we cannot perceive but know are there (black holes, black energy etc). Quantum physics deals with sub atomic particles and describes a different reality than the one we know. Quantum fields, particles, waves behave in ways which are not explained by Einstein's theory. How can this be? How can the quantum reality be different from "ours"? Also, does reality really exist, or is it manufactured by our brains? What is consciousness and free will? And how could they exist if we are all made of atoms and quantum particles?

Enlightening read. I wish I had a wider background in sciences to understand more, but I think I got the main ideas. Not sure I could explain them to anyone though but they are there, in my brain.

The Female Man by Joanna Russ (3.5🌟)

This book was a challenge to read, but I'm glad I finished it.

3 women from 3 different parallel universes are brought together by some unknown force. They are the same woman but not really. Having been raised in 3 different societies their personalities, actions, worldviews and expectations are not the same. This story is not really a "story", as there isn't a proper plot, at least I couldn't see any. To me this is a display window with these women in he middle and the task is left to the reader, to draw comparisons between them, and reflect about the real world in the 1960s and now in 2020. What aspects of these women represent our societies, or our modern selves?

That said, the narrative is confusing to say the least. Constant changes of POV, and I couldn't tell whose perspective I was reading. Not sure why the author chose to write the novel this way.

I read the introduction included in my edition which was written by Gwyneth Jones. It clarified a few things I didn't understand in my reading. At the end I think the book was definitely worth the effort.

The Minority Report by Philip K Dick (4🌟)

A short story by the Master if Science Fiction. Included in an anthology Brave New Worlds edited by John Joseph Adams.

A world were crimes can be e predicted and punished before they are committed. Excellent read. My favourite so far in this anthology.

The Citi Exhibition. Manga. Edited by Nicole Coolidge Rousmaniere (5🌟)

This book is a catalogue of the Exhibition at the British museum in 2019. It includes essays about manga, a bit of history, style, anime, etc. + extracts of manga and illustrations + interviews with creators and people in the industry.

A must read for any manga fan.

My favourite bits: Moto Hagio's The Willow Tree short story, and extract from Saint Young Men by Hikaru Nakamura, an essay about Genga' (dash) Project (which looks into the reproduction of manga manuscripts for exhibition and preservation), some history, including Hokusai and Kyõsai, and an overview of the contemporary market including alternative and obscure manga works (some of them have been published by Drawn and Quarterly).

The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo (4🌟)

A Japanese mystery novel, first published in 1946.

This was a classic locked room murder mystery. The novel introduces detective Kosuke Kindaichi, who I believe, became the protagonist of more than 70 books! by Yokomizo. This was a fun, entertaining read. It reminded me of Poe and Christie. First we got the details of the murder, and events before and after. Then we got the great Ko-San arriving to unravel the mystery. Not a character novel but great mystery solving.

And also,... Yokomizo did something I truly enjoyed. He shared with the reader some of his favourite mystery novels and authors. This came as part of the plot and was fun thing to discover. Some mentioned were Maurice Leblanc Lupin series, Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes, The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Garston Leroux, The Canary Murder Case and The Kennel Murder Case by SS Van Fine, The Plague Court Murders by Dickson Carr, and more. Yokomizo also mentioned some Japanese classics like Edogawa Rampo (the only one I knew and have read), Ruiko Kuroiwa, Fuboku Kozakai, Saburo Koga, Udaru Oshita, Takataro Kigi and more...

Therapy by Sebastian Fitzek (3.8🌟)

Therapy is a gripping, psychological thriller. A page turner, full of unpredictable twists!

A woman contacts a retired psychiatrist in his country house. She wants his help and convinces him to treat her there and then. During the course of the therapy sessions the woman starts revealing events and clues which could be related to the disappearance of the psychiatrist daughter. The man gets desperate trying to find out more but the woman is obviously not well and completely unreliable.

In Therapy I found grief, confusion, regret and madness. Gothic-like settings, cold, rain and darkness. A protagonist searching for the truth and a mysterious woman who knows it, or so she claims. Fitzek plays with the reader making us doubt everything and everyone. A fun and engaging read.