January Book List

The Tall Stranger by Louis L'Amour (library)
The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew #1) by Carolyn Keene (library)
The Mystery at the Ski Jump (Nancy Drew #29) by Carolyn Keene (library)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick (Kindle app)
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (re-read)
The Mysterious Mannequin (Nancy Drew #47) by Carolyn Keene (library)

Recommended // Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. I absolutely love the movie Blade Runner, and while this book isn't Blade-Runner, it's close enough that it makes me pretty darn excited! Phillip Dick has a way with imagery, and words, and concepts that even the hokiest of subjects seems beautiful in his hand. And also, I love androids! So win-win all around.

Essentially, you've got an alternate future where humans have pretty much completely ravaged the planet and those who could afford to - and who weren't "physically damaged" - moved up to Mars, where there was a workforce of androids waiting to help them with their every need and want. Well, some of those androids don't enjoy being beasts of burden, so they escape back to earth. Enter the bounty hunters, trained to track and discover androids living illegally among them, and then "dispatch" them. Problem is the android-making company has a new model in the field that looks and acts so much like a human, that the previous fool-proof testing methods may not be able to reliably sort human from android. Drama! Tension!!

Also, it's considered a higher duty to own an animal, when so many were made extinct or super rare. So much so, that there are electronic animals available for the people who can't afford a real one, to help fool their neighbours! And there are mood machines, and strange television programs, and abandoned buildings, and "kibble". It's quite a fabulous world. If you like sci-fi, dystopia, and tales of morality, you should read this book.

Flashback // All those Nancy Drew books! HA! I used to love love love reading about the red-headed sleuth from Riverdale's many adventures. Now I am enjoying them purely for the nostalgia they invoke, and the totally random weirdness that was the 1960s: linen pantsuits, chaperoned excursions to Turkey, and live-in housekeepers.

I started a bunch of BIG books this month that I had little to no hope of actually finishing before the month was done. So expect some more interesting reviews in February!

later loves