First Lines of Michael Finkel's "The Stranger in the Woods"

"The trees are mostly skinny where the hermit lives, but they’re tangled over giant boulders with deadfall everywhere like pick-up sticks. There are no trails. Navigation, for nearly everyone, is a thrashing, branch-snapping order, and at dark the place seems impenetrable."

- The Stranger in the Woods, Michael Finkel 

What an odd book. On one hand, it's a fascinating study of a Christopher Knight, a hermit who spent 27 isolated years in central Maine without talking to another person. Knight was compelled to abandon society, but did so by stealing money and supplies to survive on his own. Finkel shows us how Knight's desire is linked to a rich history hermits (did you know that in the 18th century rich folks would pay someone to be the "garden hermit" of their estate?). However, Knight is eventually caught, and the second part of the book, covering Knight's re-entry into society and Finkel's increasingly awkward attempts to get close to his subject, are less successful. By the end of the book, I felt sorry for Knight, and wished that Finkel would leave the poor guy alone. Regardless, The Stranger in the Woods is a compelling picture of what it takes to live in the woods for decades. 

First Lines of James S. A. Corey's "Leviathan Wakes"

 "The Scopuli had been taken eight days ago, and Julie Mao was finally ready to be shot."

James S. A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes

A very entertaining read, starting out with an excellent mixture of action and space opera politics. It did not go in the direction I had expected - opening up a vein of horror about two thirds of the way through made the narrative a bit more pedestrian in my eyes, but didn't take away from the compelling thrust of the story. I enjoyed it, but am not compelled to pick up the (many) sequels.

First Lines of William Gibson's "Agency"

"Very recent hiredness was its own liminal state, Verity reminded herself, on the crowded Montgomery BART platform, waiting for a train to Sixteenth and Mission."

- William Gibson, Agency.

As always, Gibson's ideas are fascinating. A sequel of sorts to his 2014 novel The Peripheral,  Agency muses on the effects of AI, virtual reality, time travel, politics, and many more. He has a knack of taking complicated ideas and teasing out how they might play out in real life. That part of the book is fascinating.

Unfortunately, the sad truth is that Agency is boring. Neither of the protagonists seem to actually do anything; they just observe things that are done to or around them. The chapters are divided evenly between the two characters and because they are in different times and places, most chapters start off by describing what we just read in the previous chapter. I have high hopes that Gibson will regain his form, but I just can't recommend this book. 

First Lines of Joan Druett's "Island of the Lost"

"It was October 1863, early springtime in Sydney, Australia. The sun was bright, but a chilly wind whisked up the broad surface of the harbor, dashing reflections to pieces. Distinct waves rushed against islands and rocky beaches, tossing up sprays of seabirds that cried out a raucous challenge as they circled the tall masts of ships. Wood-burning steam ferries chugged across competing with the nearer rattle of the many horse-drawn trams in the city."


- Island of the Lost, Joan Druett 

A fantastic story about two shipwrecks on Auckland Island, a remote island in the sub-Antarctic ocean, a grim environment at best. One group of survivors thrived (as much as you can in such a harsh environment) and one group did not. What distinguished those two groups from each other? What did they do in order to survive? Druett takes a depth of detail and spins an entertaining survival story that paints a vivid picture of what it might be like to be living on a deserted island.