I have been slacking.  For Christmas I got several novels.

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Excellent big sci-fi opera, with genetic engineering and big questions.

The Peace War by Vernor Vinge. I started skeptical but got drawn in. By the end I really enjoyed it.

Marooned in Realtime by Vernor Vinge. I had read it years ago, and since it is a sequel of shorts to The Peace War I had to skim-read it again. The bobbles were one of the great “discoveries” in sci-fi.

Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov. Reading for our neighborhood book club. So inventive, so much fun.

Radical Markets by Eric Posner and E. Glen Weyl. Read it with Economics students in a discussion group. Lots of food for thought, but a bit maddening as they are sloppy in not thinking through many obvious questions. But always worth a reminder that institutions that seem solid and right are contingent and changeable.

The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante. it was gripping the whole way through. but I will admit I got stuck halfway through the third volume. let’s say I am saving it for a rainy day!

The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long, Jim Demonakos, and Nate Powell.  A graphic novel. Compelling, if in the end a bit thin.

Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks. Worth the slog. If only to march through the amazing history of John Brown via wikipedia.